Over Before It Started?

The Patriots front office must know something we don't know. Apparently, they can afford to cut starting linebackers. They did that today when they got rid of Derrick Burgess. So much for all that retirement talk, huh? This made his decision a hell of a lot easier.

To make matters worse on the defensive side of the ball, Brandon McGowan (from UMAINE! Go Black Bears) is out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle. Just another blow to the Pats already weak secondary.

Also cut were special teams gem Sam Aiken, a guy I thought would be good in Pierre Woods, linebacker Eric Alexander, safety Sergio Brown, offensive lineman George Bussey, tight end Carson Butler, running back Thomas Clayton, wide receiver Buddy Farnham, wide receiver Darnell Jenkins, center/guard Ted Larsen, tight end Rob Myers, center/guard Rich Ohrnberger, wide receiver Rod Owens, quarterback Zac Robinson, running back Chris Taylor, safety Ross Ventrone, offensive tackle Thomas Welch, inside linebacker Thomas Williams and cornerback DeAngelo Willingham.

Seems like a bad day for the Patriots. I don't feel better after a day that included cuts and ill-timed injuries

Cut!

Can anyone say bust? Think about this: The Cardinals dislike Matt Leinart so much that they cut him in favor of Derek Freaking Anderson. Let me repeat, Derek Anderson! This leads me to this: Who is the biggest bust if NFL History? I am having problems nailing it down. Ryan Leaf? Lawrence Phillips? Jemarcus Russell? Brian Bosworth?

Help me out people...

GITB Is Getting Married

Here's a preview on how I plan to handle being one of the groomsmen at GITB's wedding this weekend. Nothing like a wedding during a hurricane by the way.

I could also see myself pulling something like this:


And if my wife ends up not coming, I plan on getting into an akward situation like this:

Awesome Snake

No, I am not talking about Brandon Spikes. Here is a video my friend took a couple of years ago. Look at how long this freaking snake is.

Thoughts On Papelbon

Live blogging during Jonathan Papelbon's 9th inning. Nice picture above, huh? Am I the only one watching Sox/Orioles at 10:00pm?

*You just let up back to back singles to Felix Pie and Matt Wieters! Nothing like starting the 9th with a 2-run lead, and immediately putting two slouches on base. Pie's OBP is .313, and Wieters is hitting .251. Can't get the slouches out, so how do you expect to get the big guns out?

*The Orioles bunt. I thought this would be a classic Paps explosion, but instead the Orioles gift wrap one for Paps. The bunt gets runners over to 2nd and 3rd with one out, but why not take a shot at hitting a double into the gap? Why let Paps off easy? Then you have Nolan Reimold bunt to get to Cesar Izturis? Nice move. This is why the O's are the O's.

*Paps strikes out Izturis. Good looking splitters out there. Got him on a high fastball. One with pop. Where the hell has that been throughout the season? This guy is so damn inconsistent it is unreal. He looks great against Izturis, just minutes after giving up back-to-back singles.

*Number 9 hitter up. Nothing wrong with falling behind 1-0 and 2-1, Paps. I feel like if this gets to Brian Roberts, we could have problems. 2-2, terrible swing by Bell. Should have easily been 3-1. None of the Yankees would swing at that. Maybe that is why the Sox are one million games back. How did I turn the closed captions on? I can't see the scoreboard. I am just assuming it is 3-2 after Paps throws a pitch so far inside it almost hits Bell. Bell should have taken one in the numbers for the team. That wont win you points in the clubhouse. BELL SWINGS AT BALL 4. RED SOX WIN. Unreal. Paps is a fucking pain to watch.

With the win....the Sox get no closer to NY. Great stuff.

Celtics Gunning For Wins!

The Celtics have resigned DeLonte West. He is one of my favorite average point guards in Celtics history. So what if he is out for the first 10 games due to another gun issue. So what if he banged Lebron James' mom. I think we can actually blame DeLonte for forcing LJ to leave Cleveland and move to the front running Heat.

Poll: Who is going to get more playing time: DeLonte or Nate the Great?

Bodden Done

Guy In The Balcony's Take:

Leigh Bodden was placed on injured reserve today with what the Patriots have called a shoulder injury. However, Bodden has missed most of training camp with a knee injury. this news hurts a lot. The defensive corps already sucks and now the loss of Bodden at CB really hurts their pass defense. Belichick, who was once labeled a defensive genius, will be putting out his fourth year of a questionable defense. At what point will the Patriots address these issues and put out a serious product on the defensive side of the ball.

Man From The Chair's Take:

The Patriots made one somewhat significant move this offseason and that was signing Leigh Bodden to a new deal. Well, so much for that. Bodden was placed on the season ending injured reserve list today. My opinion, this isn't as big of a deal as the local sports media will make it out to be. Bodden was one of those guys who had a career year and because the Patriots were getting worried that people think they don't reward players who play well, they bit the bullet and gave Bodden a new contract. But it's unlikely he would have repeated his career year last season. If the Patriots have young talent, its definitely on the defensive side of the ball. So with Bodden out, it will open up some opportunities for Butler and McCourty to gain some experience and develop their skills. Still, this does make the Patriots defense a bit thinner. But I'm sure Belichick will rectify that in the comings weeks by bringing in some 38 year old defensive back who hasn't played in the league since 2007.

Middle Man Mike's Take:

Will somebody place some blame on the Patriot trainers? This team has more nagging and season ending injuries than any other team in football. Us Jukers have been talking about this since our early days at Merrimack (we started talking shit about the Pats 8 years ago!) and the team still hasn't rectified this issue. Their young players get hurt and miss significant time every season. J. Mayo had been deturred from a great 2nd season because of injuries. Veterans get hurt all the time. First Ty Warren, now Bodden. Most of the time, these aren't even impact injuries. What I mean an injury equivalent to Brady getting taken out below the knee and tearing his knee up on the spot. That stuff can't be helped. When you break your leg on a hit, you break your leg. Can't train for that kind of stuff. These injuries, however, are little pussy injuries that continue to nag a player until he gives up. These injuries are Jacoby Ellsbury esque. It pisses me off that the Patriots have no margain for error on the defensive side of the ball, but now have already lost two of their best defensive players.

Another Manny Gone!

Manny Delcarmen has been traded to the Colorado Rockies for a sack of potatoes. Actually, the Red Sox got Single A pitcher Chris Balcom-Miller out of the deal, but more or less rubbish. Manny was decent for a few years with the Sox, but the last two have been dreadful. A 4.53 ERA last year, and 4.70 ERA this year. Now, he will have the luxury to pitch in Coors Field. Have fun. 7 homers in 44 innings with the Sox, that could turn into a couple of homers every 5 innings if he doesn't want it.

Can't Believe This Hasn't Been Posted Yet

Patriots rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes apparently has a sex tape out there and it has been the talk of sports radio today. Because this is a family blog, we won't actually put the actual video on our site (Unless Middle Man vetoes me and does it anyways). But heres the link to Barstool Sports which has the actual video linked.

The twist to this story is that Brandon Spikes is currently dating Celtics coach Doc Rivers' daughter and has been for some time. Doc Rivers' daughter is not the young lady on the tape.

Keep Your Head Up!

Typical woman. Sitting at a game and not even realizing that they are playing in front of you. Perhaps if you weren't busy thinking about your next meal you would have seen the puck that smashed into your eyeball.

That's The Way To Go Out!

Manny Ramirez came into LA with a bang, and certainly left with a bang.


Manny was ejected yesterday in his last plate appearance with the Dodgers before being given to the Chicago White Sox for absolutely nothing. Classic Manny, quitting in the end (still love him for everything through 2007 though!). He knew he would never wear Dodger blue again, and thus took an early shower. Anything to miss an inning, right Manny? I am glad LA had to endure the same kind of crap that made Boston management want to ship him anywhere that would take him.

Manny doesn't care at all, and yet he will be managed by a guy that cares this much: .

Just a note for Ozzie and the gang - watch out. He might quit on you before the season is up.

Not Gonna Be Posting Much

I'm looking for Middle Man Mike and maybe even Man From The Chair to help me out the next week. I am moving on Thursday and I will be without internet access until the 8th. Fortunately my fiance has a Blackberry so I can have some sort of connection to the real world. Then on Sunday I am getting married. So needless to say I am gonna be a busy guy. I will do my best to post but don't hold your breath.

With all that being said, you should know that I beat Mike in FIFA today 3-0. His fast internet is no match for my skill!

Who's The Next Champion?

Now that baseball season is unofficially over, although we officially have one month to play, I am starting to think about the next sport that Boston truly has a chance in. Can the Pats win a Super Bowl? Can the C's win an NBA title? And what about those Bruins who choked it away last year? Which team will be the next to grace us with a victory parade. Let's delve into this.

The New England Patriots will not be the next Boston team to win a title. They no longer have that edge, tenacity and defensive intensity that pushed them to 3 titles in 4 year. The Patriots don't have what it takes. They have a great offense for sure, but their defense can't hold up. They will be exposed during the 2010-2011 season. Take a look back at your DVR'd Rams game and you will see what I am talking about. This season has 10-6 with an early exit from the postseason written all over it. I am unhappy about that too, but that is the reality. We have spent a lot of draft picks trying to bone up our defense (especially the secondary). And honestly, what tells us that they are going to be much better than they already are? Do we have evidence that shows us that they will be vastly improved over their sieve like defense from last year? I sure am happy to see the football season role around, but in my gut I kind of know what the end result will be. If the Pats get into the playoffs, which is completely possible and maybe even probable, don't expect them to get very far. The Patriots will not be the next Boston team to win a title.

The Boston Celtics have one of the former 'baddest' men on the planet. That guy is Shaq. We are all excited about the entourage and entertainment that follows Shaq to Boston, but does he make this team significantly better? Probably not. This Celtics team is another year older, they still have injury problems, and I don't think they are the best team in the East. I think they are the runners-up to Miami. If all went according to plan, and the team suffered no injuries or deterioration in skill, then could the C's win it all? For sure. They play great defense, have decent scoring weapons, and now a much larger presence in the paint. But, I am an honest writer and I know that this team will have injury related issues. Somebody will have deterioration in skill. Whether that be Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Shaq or somebody else - I don't have that answer for you. I don't have a crystal ball in front of me. However, as sports fans and analysts, we can be real with one another and admit that one or two Celtics players will have down years. The C's will not be the next Boston team to win a title.

That brings us to the Boston Bruins. After the most unbelievable choke job in team history, the B's look to have a roster that is even better than last year. They have new young talent in Tyler Seguin, their defense looks to be improved due to a healthy Dennis Seidenberg, and they still have a core foundation led by Patrice Bergeron, Zdano Chara, Tuuka Rask, and others. They are a team to be reckoned with. This should be the year they make it to the finals. They are deep, skilled, and have great veteran leadership (although that may have fallen by the wayside during the epic choke v the Flyers). They should be hungrier now than ever. After looking like fools in game 7, they should be back and ready to kick some ass. To make matters even more interesting, the B's still have Toronto's 1st round pick for next year! They are going to get another top 5 pick in the 2011 draft. They are loaded this year, and will be even more loaded with young talent next year. The Boston Bruins will be the next team in Boston to win a title. It is going to happen fans, if not in 2010-2011, then in 2011-2012. Mark my words.

Thank God They Aren't In The Continental US

Hawaii really let the rest of the United States down today. If their land wasn't so pristine and beautiful, I would consider starting a petition to disown them from the rest of the US. At least they aren't Continental. That would piss me off.

Hawaii fell to Tokyo Japan 4-1 today from Williamsburg. Japan stifled the US winner over the last three innings, as Japan reliever Ichiro Ogasawara fired 3 hitless innings to end the series. Japan was 5-0 in the series, and their pitching was huge throughout. Today, it was even better. Hawaii was only able to score after an error on a bunt attempt.

Massacre in Providence

Hide the women and children. Make sure no one else is in the room. What I am about to tell you is something so shocking, so horrifying, that you may never trust anyone else again.

For the past year Middle Man Mike has been stroking his dick over the fact that he wins the majority of the time in FIFA. But something happened on Friday night in North Providence that has shaken the video game world forever. It was the first game after a night of beers, cigars, hookah and ice cream. After learning that Mike's friend was not involved in a beheading due to a plane accident, he set the stage by turning on his Playstation 3. Random teams gave me Portugal and Mike Mexico. A five star vs a four star. The next all happened so fast I don't really remember it. It's a blur, something that you dream about but never think would happen. Seeing the Northern Lights is more common than what took place in Middle Man's living room that night. Portugal, controlled by myself, beat Mexico by a score of 11-0. That's right, a double digit win and the most goals scored by either of us in a game of Fifa took place in Mike's house. Talk about domination.

By the time the second half rolled around Mike was reduced to nothing but a little boy. A little boy that was afraid of the Portuguese army I unleashed on him. Four more games saw me win all but one and left Providence as the king of video games in Mike's living room.

It's The End Of The Season As We Know It

It's awesome when Dan Johnson effectively ends your season. It's pretty sad that Boston's young starters, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, have been so good but fail to get support. This was an opportunity for Boston to pull within 3.5 last night, and now they are at 5.5 games out. That pretty much ends this season for Boston.

Also, one minute into this video you get a shaving cream pie. What the heck is with the shaving cream pie these days? Way overdone. Every walkoff or every great pitching performance ends with a shaving cream pie. I think we need a new victory celebration. (Side note, when I was a kid I actually thought they were hitting each other with pies like the Three Stooges. I always wondered how they baked a pie so quickly after a game.)

The New Mark Prior

Stephen Strasburg is going to be out 12-18 months due to Tommy John surgery. That sucks for MLB and the Washington Nationals, am I right? This was the guy that the league was going to be centered around for the next decade - now it looks like his career as an elite pitcher might be in jeopardy.

Tommy John surgery is nothing to take lightly, eventhough the recovery process has improved immensely throughout the decades. What is frightening to me is that pitchers usual need Tommy John surgery because they have thrown an excessive amount of innings and a ton of pitches. In Strasburg's case, he has only thrown 68 major league innings, and only 55.1 minor league innings. For a guy that is supposed to be as strong as an ox, that is not a lot of innings pitches. I wonder if this is going to be a career long issue.

2011 is shot for Strasburg, and it looks like 2012 will be difficult for him as well. Don't expect him to be ready for opening day. Don't expect him to come back to the Nationals in May or June of 2012 as well. He will be back in the minors, trying to figure out how his new arm will treat him.

This could be a long recovery period for the 'phenom.' I don't expect to see him back on the Nationals roster until July or August of 2012. At that point, he will still be trying to get back in a rhythm. You won't see the real Strasburg until 2013. That is the honest truth.

Some positives to think about: This surgery often increases a pitchers' velocity. Yikes. What is he going to throw, 105 MPH? Many pitchers have come back to have successful careers. Two of the best in the NL, Cris Carpenter and Josh Johnson, had Tommy John surgery. It is possible to come back and dominate, we have proof. Strasburg may be able to come back as well, but he will never be the pitcher that was expected to win a Cy Young by 2014. He is now a long term project. He is a long term project on a team that has a TON of long term projects. I wouldn't want to be a Nationals fan right now.

Weekly Interview With Guy In The Balcony

Sweep Or Bust

Sox are 5.5 games out going into this weekend's three-game series with the TB Rays. Pitching Matchups are good: Lester vs Price, Buchholz vs Garza and Lackey vs Shields. Many think that Boston will need to sweep to stay in it, and I agree. The funny thing is, I think that there will be a sweep...the Rays will sweep us.

These are not very good matchups for the Sox. All three Rays starters throw cheddar, and we have not had much luck against any of those above. Yes, we have had a game or two against Shields, but that has been it. Price is a Cy Young contender, Garza is straight up awesome, and Shields is a gamer that will stay in for 7 innings and give you a quality start. Now the Sox have their guns going as well, and I think they will pitch well. However, the offensive support will just not be there.

Boston's lineup is so inexperienced right now, and they don't have what it takes to compete in these types of series. Runs are at a premium in August and September, and if a team squeaks out 3 runs, that will probably do it. Do you think Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish, Bill Hall and company will be able to put up 4 or 5 runs? I don't. I think this is going to get ugly.

The Rays lineup is balanced from top to bottom. They are a young, but experienced team, with tools to play small ball. They can run, led by Carl Crawford. They can hit for power when needed, they take a lot of pitches. There are not many easy outs in the lineup. They can push across 4 or 5 nightly against Boston.

While all Sox supporters are hoping for a sweep, and maybe even being blindly faithful, I am a realist. There will be a sweep. When this series is over, the Rays will have 8.5 games on Boston. Then we can really focus on the Patriots.

The 2nd Greatest Web Site In the World!

Groupon.com is the 2nd best site to the Sports Juke. That's right. The 2nd best! What deals coming off of this website. 2 for 1 pass to Old Sturbridge Village. $50 gift card to the Gap for $25. $15 of sushi for $6. Hour long massages for $30. Unbelievable!

Sure, we see coupons all the time. But most of these coupons are for crap we can't really use. Who needs to buy 3 tires and get the 4th free? That's not really a good deal. 10% off at Old Navy is okay, but in reality it only saves you $2 on a shirt. What I like are deals that work in my day-to-day life. Deals that make a difference in the final price of an item.

Yes, my wife and I went to Strubridge Village. Usually that is a dumb thing to do, but when it is dirt cheap, why not go hang around with the guys pretending to be from colonial times (better times if you ask me!)? Why wouldn't I get a gift card for 1/2 price to the Gap. Chances are I will buy a couple of items there this fall. Gap long sleeve shirts for when the weather turns colder. Can't beat that. Sushi for more than half off, to a restaurant that is kick ass in Providence. That's what I am talking about. Real legitimate sushi for cheap, it's not like a 50% off coupon for sushi at Stop & Shop.

Groupon.com is the hottest thing going, besides me. NPR had a story today saying groupon was working too well. The deals are so significant, that companies put themselves in a bit of a hole. One local cupcake company in Washington put out a deal that was so good, they had to have their staff working overnight to make product. Too many cupcakes flying off the shelves, not enough bakers.

Think about this. I am looking through my local coupon book I received in the mail today and here is what I see. 2 for 1 Axe Cologne. That's great if I have two douchebag pre-teens that feel the need to over-scent themselves for some 7th grade hottie. 2 for 1 snausages. If I had a dog that needed to eat snausages, this would be awesome. But I have a cat. $1 off of 2 jars of mayonnaise. Am I really going to pound 2 jars of mayo?

Moral of the story, do yourself a favor, and go to http://www.groupon.com/