Media Movement All Over The Place
Posted by Bruce August 15, 2008 (6 days ago) at 8:30 am
Last night we learned about the changes at the Globe, which included Tony Massarotti moving over from the Herald, and Chad Finn earning himself a sweet promotion.
This morning, David Scott has more on the move, but also reports on new hires at weei.com, which include Jeff Goodman, Alex Speier and wait for it…Ron Borges.
Ron Borges?
Seriously? Ken Powers wasn’t available? Mike Barnicle turned them down? Patricia Smith wasn’t interested?
My interest and enthusiasm in their new venture just sunk considerably. They were doing things right all the way up until that point. Michael Felger, Rob Bradford, Goodman and Speier are all relatively young guys who understand how things work in the new age of sportswriting. For the most part they have a fresh perspective on things, and don’t stir up stuff just to get noticed (well, except for Felger.)
Borges throws all that out the window. The quotes from Dennis and Callahan in Scott’s piece are just nauseating. Yeah, I’m sure Bill Belichick is shaking in his shoes at the thought of Borges back in Foxboro. That’s provided of course that he knows how to get there. He hasn’t been seen down there in a long time, even before his (wink wink) retirement from the Globe.
I had high hopes for this new weei.com. Borges just about kills it for me. You hire him, you lose your credibility. Simple as that.
Bad move, guys.
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The Red Sox hitters are surely sorry to see the Texas Rangers pitchers leave town. Boston finished off the sweep of the Rangers with a 10-0 victory at Fenway Park last night. The Red Sox scored 37 runs in 3 games off the Rangers…
Globe beat reporter Amalie Benjamin has the game story. Jeff Horrigan has the Red Sox continuing their hot hitting since the Manny Ramirez trade. Paul Kenyon has the Red Sox finishing off their roundup of the Rangers. Jeff Goldberg has Daisuke Matsuzaka once again letting the runners on, and once again not letting them score. Bob Stern has the Red Sox pounding the Rangers one more time. Garry Brown has more on the demolition at Fenway. Phil O’Neill has another big inning leading the way for Boston.
Tony Massarotti has David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis proving to be a formidable 3-3 combination. Barbara Matson has Ortiz especially sorry to see the Rangers go. Ortiz has regain his power stroke in this series, and even enjoyed an early departure last night. Still, I can’t help but remember the reaction from the media when Pedro Martinez left the ballpark early after a start. I’ve got absolutely no problem with Ortiz (or Pedro) going home early, but it’s interesting to note the difference in reaction. Steven Krasner analyzes the lack of success by the Rangers pitching in this series. Massarotti says that the Blue Jays will provide a much stiffer test for the Boston bats.
Marty Dobrow has a minor league notebook in the Globe, and examines a rash of oblique strains in the Red Sox organization. Rich Thompson’s minor league notebook has Bartolo Colon on the road back to the majors.
Benjamin’s notebook has Jon Lester trying to help out Clay Buchholz. Horrigan’s notebook has Dice-K once again walking a tightrope last night. The ProJo notebook has more on Matsuzaka. Goldberg’s notebook says that Kevin Youkilis is making a case for league MVP. Brown’s notebook has Paul Byrd getting ready for his first Red Sox start tonight. O’Neill’s notebook also makes the case for Youkilis as AL MVP.
Patriots
Over on Patriots Daily, Scott Benson examines whether the Patriots can or will carry five running backs on their roster.
Christopher L. Gasper has a look at the Patriots signing of veteran safety John Lynch. Christopher Price has more on the Lynch signing. Carolyn Thornton says that Lynch could end up being a big presence in the Patriots secondary. Eric McHugh thinks Lynch should fit well here. Jennifer Toland writes that Lynch could fill the void left by Tank Williams being placed on IR. Mark Farinella looks at this year’s carbon-dated addition to the Patriots roster.
Karen Guregian says that adding Dom Capers to the coaching staff might be the best move the Patriots made in the offseason. Thornton has rookie QB Kevin O’Connell doing all he can to learn from Tom Brady. Guregian has more on the rookie learning how to play the position in his first NFL camp. Farinella has a look at Kenny Smith, who gets a feature written about him for the second day in a row. Thompson has punter Chris Hanson secure in his role with the team.
Price tells us what to watch for during Sunday night’s game. Ian M. Clark has a Ruud family reunion on tap for Sunday night. Mike McMahon looks at former Boston Patriot Daryl Johnson going into the Morgan State Hall of Fame.
Gasper’s notebook has Jason Webster getting close to returning to action for the Patriots. Guregian’s notebook has more on the signing of Lynch. Toland’s notebook has Dean Pees talking about some of his young players on defense. McHugh’s notebook examines the impact on he safety depth chart that the Lynch signing will have.
Misc
Steve Bulpett and Marc J. Spears report on the Celtics signing first round pick J.R. Giddens.
Spears also has the United States’ men’s basketball team taking care of business with Greece yesterday.
Mark Blaudschun has a media column on NBC Sports reporter Bob Neumeier. Neumy mentions that WEEI wasn’t “fair” in their contract offer to him, which is why he left his show with Dale Arnold.
Shawn Crable follow-up
Posted by Reiss' Pieces August 7, 2008 (2 weeks ago) at 3:10 pm
On the second day of training camp, Bill Belichick talked about how the Patriots, like other teams, had placed a higher value on certain parts of their draft board than in past years.
Players like a third cornerback, third receiver, third-down running back, and second- and third-down rusher were closer to starter-like status based on their growing importance in today's game.
At that time, I wrote that the second- and third-down pass rusher was a point of particular interest and that rookie linebacker Shawn Crable, one of the team's third-round picks, was a player who seemed targeted for that role.
Following up on that thought through 18 training camp practices, Crable has created some havoc as a rusher. Initially, he probably does project mostly in a second- and third-down rushing role.
But after watching him to this point, he should not be overlooked as a possibility to emerge as a full-time outside linebacker in the 3-4 alignment at some point. While his legs might not look the part -- and might make one question if he can set the edge in the running game against bigger tight ends and tackles -- he has other attributes (e.g. long arms) that help him in that challenging aspect of playing the position.
Crable said that element of containment has been one of his biggest adjustments coming from Michigan.
"You're the end of the defense, so you have to set the edge and can't let plays get outside," he said. "In that terms, it's a lot different because the guys here are a lot stronger than they were in college."
Patriots prepare for preseason opener vs. Ravens
Posted by Boston.com -- New England Patriots news August 5, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 7:20 pm The New England Patriots play their preseason opener Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium, a game that will begin auditions for the few contested spots on the team's 53-man opening day roster.
Jackson’s speed doing Patriots no good on bench
Posted by Boston.com -- New England Patriots news August 2, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 8:40 pm Chad Jackson might be the fastest player on the New England Patriots. All that speed did no one any good with him on the bench or in the training room, though.
Patriots signs OL Barry Stokes
Posted by Boston.com -- New England Patriots news August 2, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 5:56 pm The New England Patriots have signed offensive lineman Barry Stokes and placed OL Anthony Clement on the injured reserve list with a knee injury.
Tippett to speak first
Posted by Reiss' Pieces August 1, 2008 (3 weeks ago) at 3:22 pm
CANTON, Ohio -- Andre Tippett was considered a tone-setter when he played for the New England Patriots, and perhaps that's why the Pro Football Hall of Fame has selected him to be the first inductee to speak at Saturday's enshrinement ceremonies.
So for those planning to watch Tippett's induction speech on television, be advised that -- barring an unexpected change -- Tippett will be the first of the six inductees to address the crowd.
Television coverage, on ESPN and NFL Network, begins at 6 p.m. ET.
Walkthrough session
Posted by Reiss' Pieces July 29, 2008 (4 weeks ago) at 10:33 am
FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots have taken the field for their ninth practice since training camp opened last Thursday. This session, held on the upper practice fields behind Gillette Stadium, is a walkthrough, with players in shorts and T-shirts.
Walkthroughs are light practices in which players slowly go through parts of the playbook.
It is likely that coach Bill Belichick identified a few items that he wants the team to work on tonight in full pads, in the presence of the NFL referees who are in town, and the team is touching up on those areas this morning.
Three referees are here, and they are wearing their official uniforms on the practice field this morning. Butch Hannah, a respected umpire who dons number 40, is one of the officials in town.
On a personnel note, TE David Thomas is on the field for the walkthrough. Thomas had left yesterday's practice, under his own power, with a member of the team's training staff.
Mail is delivered
Posted by Reiss' Pieces July 15, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Every Tuesday on Boston.com, questions from Patriots fans are answered as part of a weekly mailbag. This week's mailbag has been posted and includes some of the following topics:
Dressed Up and Playing Her Tune
Posted by Bob Ekstrom July 1, 2008 at 8:57 am
Welcome to July, the summer queen who is supposed to separate baseball’s cream from its crop, right? Well, our beloved Red Sox begin the month a game and a-half behind the Tampa Bay Rays, courtesy of last night’s 5-4 loss at Tropicana Field. It’s not the old Trop anymore says Jeff Horrigan, who has Justin Masterson (4-2) struggling with his command for the first time this season. Jeff Goldberg says the Sox start this series in a very different state than the Rays, which was evident from literally the first pitch, a B.J. Upton homer. Sean McAdam says the Rays were opportunistic in building their AL East lead last night. Bill Ballou reminds us it’s been all downhill since Boston’s high-water mark on Saturday night, when the Sox sat mightily atop the division. Gordon Edes can’t remember the last time the Rays’ crowd outnumbered Sox supporters at the Trop. Tampa has undoubtedly been reignited from the Tribune’s tips for fans , where Marc Lancaster reminds everyone the Sox are the new Evil Empire. Rob Bradford says there’s a different feel to the Trop this year, as the surreal setting last night illustrates.
In the wake of Saturday’s shoving incident, Bradford’s Red Sox Beat has the New Manny image already in the shop for repairs. McAdam has both Manny and skipper Terry Francona in damage control mode, trying to downplay the incident. Dan Shaughnessy calls out the Sox organization as “spineless” and labels them Manny enablers after this latest chapter.
Edes’ Red Sox Notebook has last night’s security beefed up in the wake of threats directed toward Manny and Coco Crisp, although they aren’t related to last month’s brawl with the Rays in Boston. Horrigan also has an account of the stepped-up security measures. Horrigan’s Red Sox Notebook has Big Papi on a slow recovery and officially out of this year’s All-Star Game. In his Red Sox Notes, Ballou has Ortiz reporting he won’t need surgery.
The C’s
With every title in Title Town comes the hangover and, as James Posey’s declaration for free agency yesterday attests, the Celtics are not exempt. Mark Murphy says that tight cap space around the NBA, coupled with Posey’s midlevel salary expectations, will make him hot this summer. Marc J. Spears says Posey will be the top offseason target for the C’s, who also failed to make Tony Allen a qualifying offer yesterday.
Pats
Karen Guregian features Randy Moss’s weekend work with youth, culminating with his golf tournament to raise funds for providing learning centers in West Virginia. With the good, comes some bad. Christopher L. Gasper has the details on Willie Andrews’ busy offseason, capped by his second arrest yesterday.
Odds & Sods
Tom King has former Sox infielder Brian Daubach returning to the area as hitting coach for the Nashua Pride. As the Sox tangle with the Rays in Tampa this week, Dan Duggan recalls Daubach’s involvement in an infamous Tropicana melee eight years ago.
Kevin Provencher has New Hampshire Motor Speedway GM Jerry Gappens dog tired after his first NASCAR Sprint Cup event last weekend, the 27th consecutive sellout in Loudon.
The Telegram updates us about Derek Jeter’s bat woes - not only in swinging them, but in holding them as well. Kind of a slow sports day.
Bruce will be taking some time off this week, so we guest bloggers will try to fill his shoes. Join us each day throughout the week and, as always, send me your comments at bob02878@yahoo.com. Thanks.
Rembering a great guy
Posted by Rob Bradford June 26, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Dan Pires, the New Bedford Standard-Times Patriots beat writer who passed away yesterday of a sudden heart attack, was a great guy. I don’t know how else to put it. I wouldn’t see Dan a whole lot over the course of a year, but every time I did he was ready with a welcoming way about him. He had a passion for his job and for the friendships that came with it. Even though our paths crossed fewer and fewer times over the past few flips of the calendar, every once in a while he would call to just to acknowledge a story or something that was said on the radio. Always kind, always thoughtful.
Dan Pires was a great guy. There is no other way to put it.
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