Tagged: Tom Brady
Super Aaron
After beating the Steelers and winning Super Bowl 45 Sunday night, Aaron Rodgers is now officially an
elite quarterback. In my opinion, you have to do to things to be an elite
quarterback in the National Football League.
First, you have to be well . . . great. You
have to make other guys better. Do you think Wes Welker would put up the stats
he puts up with Tom Brady if say Colt McCoy was throwing at him?
The second thing is pretty simple, yet
hard to accomplish. You have to win at least one ring. When you win a ring it
means that the quarterback is great and tough. He makes his teammates better,
and he is a leader on and off the field.
For example look at Aaron Rodgers, Drew
Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady
(the quarterbacks of last six Super Bowl champions) and tell me that they
aren’t great, they aren’t though, they don’t make their teammates better, and
they aren’t a leader on and off the field. You can’t.
In the case of Roethlisberger I question
his leadership after his actions that got him a four game suspension from the
NFL. After that, his teammates didn’t even select him as a team captain. I mean
most teams have their quarterback as their captain.
At the end of the day though the Packers
won and will be going to the Whitehouse (they has potential for awkwardness
since Obama is a Bears fan).
Simply Put . . . Shocked
Do the additions of Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon make the Rays contenders again? My answer is no.
After losing Grant Balfour, Jason Bartlett, Joaquin
Benoit, Randy Choate, Carl Crawford, Matt Garza, Brad Hawpe, Dioner Navarro, Carlos
Pena, Fernando Perez, Chad Qualls, Rafael Soriano, and Dan Wheeler the Rays
think that by signing two outfielders, one 37 and the other 38, they along with
the rest of America thinks they are “good” again.
I mean I think that the Rays’ general manager, Andrew
Friedman, is one of the best in baseball. However, what the heck is he
thinking!
First off, the Rays didn’t really need any more
outfielders/ designated hitters. I mean Desmond Jennings, B.J. Upton, and Ben
Zobrist make up maybe one of the best outfields in baseball, even without
Crawford. Now, either Johnny Damon or Desmond Jennings will have to sit on the
bench. That is, unless, Jennings gets sent down to AAA.
However, Zobrist could also be moved to shortstop,
second base, and first base. If Zobrist does get moved to the infield, in my
opinion he would most likely take Dan Johnson’s spot at first.
Then at D.H. you have Matt Joyce and/or Dan Johnson
(depending on Zobrist) who aren’t the best players in the world, but they both
are capable of being an everyday D.H.
The problem with me is that I don’t understand why
they signed both Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Their outfield has enough
depth with Justin Ruggiano as to fourth outfielder and Joyce can play the
corner spots.
Jennings is ready for the majors so he shouldn’t be
sent down to AAA. I understand signing Damon or Ramirez to D.H. Yet, I think
signing both of them may have been the Red Sox’s “fault.”
Everyone knows that they Rays have had a pretty bad
offseason. I mean just look at the first sentence of this article. The Red Sox
on the other hand “stole” Carl Crawford and Dan Wheeler. So, I’m assuming that
these moves were made to say that they Rays aren’t just going to roll over.
Also, another obvious reason is attendance. I mean
the Rays have always had low attendances. Heck, Carl Crawford said he signed
with the Red Sox in part to the fact that he knows that there is going to be a
full house every night. I mean Damon has an “attendance clause” for crying out
loud.
However, from Damon and Ramirez’s point of view this
is the perfect team. Damon could be “getting back” at the Yankees for not
resigning him. Also, I’m not exactly sure Damon likes Beantown anymore. Manny
might be trying to “get back” at Boston. I mean that’s just not how you want to
end your stay anywhere. Most likely though, both of those things are false.
But what can you expect from the two of them. Well, I
believe player A, will hit fifteen-twenty home runs, drive in over
seventy-five, and bat anywhere from .250 to .290. Player B will hit ten to
twenty homeruns, drive in either around fifty or eighty, and bat around .250.
Who do you think are player A and B? Player A is
Johnny Damon. Player B is Manny Ramirez. Damon has the potential to have some
nice power numbers this year while the odds are he’ll have a higher batting
average then Ramirez.
Manny though, has an injury history. If he stays
healthy though I think you might be able to see some of his old form return.
Regardless of the performance, baseball fans need to
play close attention to the Rays this year. It could be the last year that two
of baseball’s greatest players play.
Also, in a completely off topic story, am I the only
one that found it ironic that Tom Brady got foot surgery after playing the
Jets?
Photo Credits
1.) http://carolsxsblog.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_archive.html
2.) http://blog.mlive.com/cutoffman/2010/03/detroit_tigers_links_johnny_da_1.html
3.) http://www.loudsportsshorts.com/baseballs/manny/manny-ramirez.html
Dazed, Confused, and Defeated
As
I sit here writing, I am still trying to figure out exactly why the New England
Patriots had to lose to the New York Jets. I mean any team but the trash
talking, cocky, annoying Jets. I would have rather gotten killed by the Steelers
next week, murdered in the Super Bowl by the Packers or Bears, heck even lose
in the divisional round to a team like the Seahawks then lose to the foot
loving Jets.
Now I know that when I turn on Mike and
Mike tomorrow, Mike Greenberg will be sitting there saying how much he loves
Mark Sanchez and how good the Jets are.
Any team but the Jets. Any team. Any
team. I would have just loved the Jets to shut up. I mean after the week
thirteen loss, the Jets actually shut up! That was arguably the best two days
of the football schedule, the two days when the Jets were absolutely quiet.
But now though I think I’m beginning to
understand why exactly the Patriot loss still stings so badly and why it is
still keeping me up at night, two nights later. My conclusion is, Boston sport fans have been spoiled since
2001.
Name one other city with just one NFL,
NBA, and MLB with stars like Tom Brady, Paul Pierce, and David Ortiz. You just
can’t.
Since 2001 the Patriots have won three
Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004), The Red Sox have won two World Series (2004,
2007), and the Celtics won the NBA Finals back in 2008. That’s six
championships out of the possible twenty-seven, or over 22%, of all the possible
championships in the NFL, MLB, and NBA, since 2001.
No offense to anyone, but many Boston
sport fans, myself included, can be brats when it comes to sports.
Oh this guy isn’t doing good trade him. We have a weakness at
this position, so we have to get the best guy out there. When we don’t get what
we want, we let people hear it. Same thing for New York, Philadelphia, Chicago,
etc. fans. Again, no offense.
However, that’s part of the “beauty” of
large marker sports. In Kansas City and Baltimore fans are more laid back for
the most part. Again, no offense. Fans are so dedicated and passionate about
winning. They accept nothing but the best. Look at the crazy fans at football
games that paint their whole body. They are either Raider fans, or fans of the
Patriots, Jets, Giants, Eagles, Bears, etc. When you grow up around a winning
culture, you don’t know how to deal with defeat. Do you get angry or sad? Does
it last a few days or a few weeks?
Recently though, I’ve been learning how
to deal with defeat (unfortunately). The Celtics lost game seven of the NBA
Finals, the Red Sox didn’t even make the playoffs, and now the Patriots are
potentially “done” with their dynasty.
When you’re a kid, you can’t imagine that
your team will lose. I mean they’re your team.
When your team does lose it teaches you a great lesson in sportsmanship and how
to deal with defeat. I am just now getting that lesson though.
I have a friend who is a Cleveland sports
fan and trust me he has got that lesson . . . big time. Today though, I realize
that when I’m practically screaming at the TV after a Kevin Garnett alley oop,
or a Tom Brady touchdown, or a David Ortiz home run. There is some ten-year-old
kid either upset or mad that that had to happen against his team. But he doesn’t know that he is learning maybe the most
valuable lesson in sports.
Looking back, I wish there was a time
when I was that ten-year-old kid. I wish I had learned that lesson sooner then
latter. The “bad” news is that the Celtics look to be making another title run
and the Red Sox have restocked to win another ring. On second thought, I think
that lesson can wait another year. J
When you don’t know how to deal with
defeat and accept nothing but the best and you don’t get the best it stings more
then anything.
-Photo Credits
1.) http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/tomase-pats-spied-on-the-rams-before-sbxxvi
2.) http://connect.in.com/red-sox-tickets/photos-1-1-1- 72693d71aaca1b6b9cf5cbfeec0dac4d.html
3.) http://gallery.neoseeker.com/Lesley%20Pro_04/photostream/2020860158
P.S. Rex Ryan owes me for not making the title Dazed, Confused, and De-feet-ed
Bostonball 