Day 348: Hello, Mr. Revis... Good-bye, Mr. Wilfork?

Lots of things happening with the New England Patriots right now—some good, some not so much. So do you want the good news or the bad news? I guess I'll start with the good so you'll be all happy and won't care when I drop the bad news bomb on you. We all know that in the past few years, the Patriots have struggled to field a respectable secondary. Sure, Aqib Talib provided strength on the left side, but in his season and a half with the Pats, he failed to play in every game.

So in an effort to do a better job taking away that deep threat for the opposing teams, the Patriots were able to get at least one big name and they could possibly get two. Darrelle Revis is the good news. I never thought I'd ever be writing those words. When he played for the Jets, I despised him and his Revis Island. I wanted nothing more than for him to disappear. But then he showed up on the radar—a free agent, looking for a home—a home that would give him a chance to win and get his name back in the spotlight. He signed a one-year, $12 million deal with the Pats.

There's also a rumor that the Patriots have been in talks with former Seattle Seahawks corner, Brandon Browner. The recent Super Bowl champion had previously been with Seattle for two seasons and played a big role in the Legion of Boom with Richard Sherman. No deal has been reported as of this posting, but Twitter is all a buzz with whispers that he cancelled his trip from Boston to DC to talk to the Redskins. Hmmm... Patriots... Redskins... is there really a question?

Now for some bad (or maybe it's just sad) news. Long-time Patriots' tackle, Vince Wilfork, has asked to be released. Wilfork has been with the Patriots his entire 10-year career and is currently in the last year of his most recent five-year contract and the Pats are asking him to restructure his deal to make room under the salary cap to sign some more big names—essentially some help for him. It's obvious that the Pats are putting forth their best effort to get Tom Brady another Super Bowl victory before he retires but Vince isn't interested in restructuring. So now he just wants to go...

It's understandable that he would feel slighted and wants to see what else is out there for him. He's coming off an injury-shortened season and he's 32 (old for a tackle). He's not at his most marketable right now. But he's been a run-stopping machine before and some other team might value his past performances enough to give him what he wants. We shall see where he lands.

Reports today also say that Patriots' wide receiver (and Bay area native), Julian Edelman, is currently meeting with the San Francisco 49ers. I don't like this. There has been no sign of any free agent receivers making the trip to New England so I'm sure I'm not the only Pats fan a bit nervous right now that we're going to see another Welker-like situation that leaves Brady with very few targets. Both Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks are available, but neither have been seen talking with the Pats. I think one of those guys would make a great addition to the receiving core that also includes Edelman so let's not screw this up, Bill.

So there's still a lot of work to be done and, for the most part, it looks like the Patriots can't and won't make everyone happy. You know what would make me happy? That elusive, fourth Super Bowl win. Let's get that done.

Day 347: David Oritz... Get Over Yourself.

There's a pretty telling article written by Rob Bradford on WEEI.com today where Rob sits down with David Ortiz. Ortiz is evidently feeling some pressure to perform these days. At 38 years old, the Red Sox still continue to put an enormous amount of faith and trust into Ortiz's ability to still crush the ball and make opposing pitchers very afraid. That's why they also keep on paying him a pretty hefty salary for his designated hitter services—something that most teams don't do anymore.

Lately, Big Papi has been quite vocal about his current contract status. He's entering the final year of a two-year, $30 million contract and is concerned that if he doesn't come to some kind of agreement with the team either during spring training or early in the season, the front office's lack of respect is going to force him to entertain other offers. As a fan, I despise public contract negotiations and disputes and whining. One side of me says just pay the guy what he wants—he's not going to be playing for that much longer. But the other side of me just wants the team to call his bluff and not bow to his demands.

So back to this article that Bradford wrote... if you don't feel like reading it, the gist is that Ortiz feels like the Red Sox are not doing anything to protect him in the line up. He's not getting ample opportunity to hit the ball. Last season, he was intentionally walked a career high 27 times in the regular season due mainly to the fact that there wasn't a big deep ball threat behind him. Or in front of him for that matter.

"It's not always going to be about me. I saw last year. Last year, game on the line, late in the game, go to first base. They pitch around you to see if you chase. Nope? Go to first base. I've been through that since Day 1. But last year was even more different. How long am I going to be able to do what I do and be that locked? I don't know. It wears you out -- in my case, I know I do nothing but hit, but to stay that focused and not try to get out of the strike zone."

It sounds to me like maybe Ortiz is setting us up for something. Maybe if he voices his worries about not having more threatening batters around him, when he fails, it won't be his fault. Or how about this? I think this is yet another ploy in his contract negotiations. The team puts so much pressure on him as a player and a leader to carry this team that if they don't back that up with a hefty raise, maybe he'll get a little tired in July, pull a Manny and take a couple days off.

"I'll give it a try, but I don't think there's a baseball player that has lived through this pressure at my age. Think about it. Guys my age are supposed to be complementary players. Nobody signs guys my age to be 'The Man.' If you look at every team, 'The Man' are guys in their prime. Because it's hard. It's hard. I don't take anything for granted. I go at it every day. But living through the pressure, having to be the man every day, at this stage, when everybody is asking you when you're going to retire ..."

If I were his teammates, I think I would take offense to this interview. He has basically said that he's the only guy out of the nine that can produce—that all the pressure is on him. Ok... so maybe that was true in the World Series last year where he essentially carried the team by batting a staggering .688 but bitch, please... let's not get too big for your already too big britches.

Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm being too hard on him. Maybe I'm reading too far into this recent diatribe. Or maybe I'm just tired of all the money talk in sports and these grown men who play for a living and make millions of dollars doing it, just bitch and whine over money and respect. (I wonder if that would work for me?)

I still love the guy and if anything, the last 11 seasons have been more enjoyable because of him. Except 2012—there was absolutely nothing enjoyable about that season.

Day 346: NFL Free Agency: It's Not Good for the Blood Pressure

All day my guts have been in a twist. I've been anxious and short with people and just sort of an all-around douche. At first, I couldn't figure out what was eating at me. And then I realized it was the stupid NFL free agency that's got my undies in a bundle. It's just downright nerve wracking.

It's even more of a killer when your favorite team *cough* New England Patriots *cough* has been virtually silent and has only managed to lose players. I was never a real Aqib Talib fan but shit, if they're going to let a guy like that go, they damn well better have someone just as good, if not better in the wings. That did NOT happen last season when Wes Welker jetted off to Denver and Tom Brady was left with a collection of mediocre receivers. So you can totally understand why I'd be a little gun shy.

So with Talib gone and Julian Edelman also hitting the free agent market, I'm definitely shaking in my boots. Despite winning the AFC East (which basically a team of chimps could've done last year), the Patriots are still riddled with holes. Edelman needs to be a priority. He was the only solid, consistent receiver last season with 105 catches. He managed to escape serious injury and provided Brady with a pretty stable (albeit vertically challenged) target. Even if they manage to get him to stay, they could still use another durable receiver to take some pressure off. Why are the Pats not on the radar for Eric Decker? Spend some money, for crying out loud!

But honestly, what's really making me crazy is the Darrelle Revis situation. The Tampa Bay Bucs released Revis today making him the #1 free agent right now and there are a lot of teams looking at him. The Patriots, Eagles, Jets, Giants and Falcons have all expressed interest in the five-time Pro Bowler. I just hope that Revis is taking into consideration which team he'll have the best chance of getting to the playoffs with (hint, hint)—in addition to the money, of course. Can't forget about the cashola!

Please oh please Mr. Belichick and Mr. Kraft... bring Revis Island to New England!!

THIS JUST IN: DARRELLE REVIS TO THE PATRIOTS!! ONE YEAR, $12 MILLION!! They must have heard my pleas!!

Day 345: Baseball for Beginners: Lesson #8 - More Lingo!

Only a couple weeks left to learn (almost) everything you need know to be the best baseball fan ever! So far, Baseball for Beginners has covered the following important areas: Pitchers, Catchers, Infielders, Outfielders, the Lineup, Some Basic Rules and the Lingo. Let's be serious here... if you haven't been following right along, you might be screwed. The baseball season opens in approximately 20 days (depending on where you live) and you've got some reading to do!

There's really so much slang in baseball that one post just barely scratched the surface. Every aspect of the game—from pitching to hitting to fielding—has some special term associated with it. From a simple single, also called a base knock, to a frozen rope or hard hit line drive, to a shot up the middle (through the middle of the infield), there are a variety of different types of hits. A gapper hit between two outfielders could mean two bases, and sometimes even three.

But there's no hit in baseball that has more awesome names than a home run. If you ask me, it makes it that much more fun when you're sitting in the stands and the guy up to bat hits a dinger—it might even be a moon shot (a high, towering shot.) You could hear fans around you refer to it as a four bagger... you know, because the player gets to run around the bases or four bags. Or they might say, "he went yard."

One of the most dramatic round-trippers in baseball happens when the bases are juiced or loaded, meaning there's a runner on each bag. That's called a grand slam or grand salami! My favorite recent grand salami happened last October... watch and enjoy! Ahhhhhh... While it wasn't a tape measure shot (a very long home run), it was certainly a special one. Even that cop in the bullpen thought so.

  )

That long ball by Big Papi didn't win the game, but it did tie it up giving them a fighting chance. The Red Sox ended up winning this one with a walk off single (a hit that wins the game in the final at bat for the home team.) It really was one of the best games ever!!

Here's hoping for more of the same in 2014!!

Day 344: This Pistorius Dude is a Total Faker

Not too long ago, I admired Oscar Pistorius when he became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics... and I'm talking the regular Olympics, not the Paralympics. Some claimed his special prosthetic legs called the Flex Foot Cheetah (shit, that even sounds fast) gave him an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes. While he's a six-time gold medalist in the Paralympic games, he failed to medal in the 2012 London games so they can't be that much of an advantage. 

Just over a year ago, in the wee morning hours, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend. If you remember correctly, he claimed he thought she was still in bed and it was actually an intruder in the bathroom. The prosecution stated that he got out of bed, put on his prosthetic legs and walked to the bathroom door and shot several times, knowing that it was his girlfriend in there, making the murder premeditated. Witnesses say they heard a woman screaming followed by more gun shots. Pistorius says he never put this legs on but the angle of the shots fired tell a different story.

So now over a year later, the murder trial is under way in his home country of South Africa. It has been reported that Pistorius has spent the majority of the trial with his hands over his ears like a petulant three-year-old who has been asked to eat his green beans. I have a little bit of advice for the "Blade Runner"... if you don't want to hear about how and where your girlfriend was fatally shot, maybe you shouldn't have offed her in the first place.

If the covering of the ears wasn't comical enough, this week it has been reported that Pistorius has been weeping and even vomiting as the pathologist recounts the autopsy findings. I'm convinced he's not crying and puking because he feels bad about what has happened to this poor woman. Nope... he's carrying on like this because he knows he is totally screwed and he's going to have to spend the rest of his life in some vile South African prison—a thought that would make anyone vomit.

From the sounds of it, the evidence is piling up fast on the gun-toting, 27-year-old runner which is probably another reason why he's been sobbing uncontrollably. I'll be surprised if he gets out of this one. 

Day 343: The Rarely Seen Locker Monster

I had a movie date with my nearly three-year-old niece today and we watched Monsters, Inc. I haven't seen this film in a long time and this was a first time for her so it was quite fun to watch it again and watch her reaction. So needless to say, I've had my fair share of scary monsters today.

Then I'm perusing the interwebs and happen across a video taken in the LA Dodgers' locker room. In the video, Juan Uribe falls victim to a prank by his teammate, Hanley Ramirez. You might wonder why I'm talking about an animated movie about monsters and a couple Dodgers players. Well, watch the video and you'll know. Looks like Ramirez could give James P. Sullivan a run for his money.

It also looks like Uribe wasn't the only one punked. The camera man, who know exactly what was going to happen, got in on the action. I probably would've peed my pants. My favorite part of the video is Uribe's reaction...

 

Day 342: Baseball's Bad Habit: Smokeless Tobacco

Chewing (or smokeless) tobacco is some bad shit. These days there aren't many people who don't know this. With all the health warnings and education on its dangers, it's surprising that anyone would be stupid enough to put this crap in their mouth. Plus, it's just gross. Despite an effort a couple years ago to ban it from major league baseball completely (which was shot down by the player's union), it's still quite prevalent among players—including over a third of men reporting to Red Sox spring training this year.

There are 28 cancer causing carcinogens in smokeless tobacco. Many of those ingredients are quite recognizable—and most certainly are not things you would normally put in your mouth. So it just boggles my mind why people still use it? Arsenic and Cyanide are both poisons. Cadmium is found in car batteries. Formaldehyde is used to embalm the dead. Uranium 235 is used in nuclear weapons and Polonium is a nuclear waste product. Fiberglass and sand are included to help rough up the inside of the mouth and get the nicotine into the bloodstream faster. And let's not forget sugar because why not make it taste sweet too... you know, for the children.

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe wrote an article this past week about why it's so hard to shake this disgusting habit. It's a really interesting and telling story and on one hand, you feel for the Boston players who are locked into using it because it's part of their routine. But on the other hand, you just want to smack them for being so ignorant and stubborn. Some guys picked up the habit years ago while in the minor leagues and can't seem to shake it. Now, smokeless tobacco is banned in minor league baseball, but according to some current MiLB players, that ban is only loosely enforced.

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is one veteran who can't seem to shake his dependency. The pinch of tobacco in his cheek is as much a part of his at-bat routine as spitting in his batting glove and slapping his hands together before digging in to the batter's box.

“I use it as a stimulator when I go to hit,” Ortiz said. “But the minute I finish my at-bat I spit it out. It keeps me smooth and puts me in a good mood. I don’t do it in the offseason. I don’t really like it that much, to be honest with you.”

It's a nasty habit and no member of the Red Sox will tell you otherwise. Most of the players that are suffering from addiction to smokeless tobacco say that they would quit if their family asked them to or if they thought they could without it affecting their game. Now it's silly to say that the use of smokeless tobacco actually can determine how well a guy plays the game, but some say it would be hard not to blame a slump on giving up the chaw.

There is one Boston player who said he didn't want to quit using chewing tobacco—outfielder, Jonny Gomes. He told Peter Abraham that he would quit if his family wanted him to.

“The kids aren’t old enough to realize what’s going on," Gomes said. "People are baffled I don’t do it in the offseason because I do it all the time when we’re playing. But I don’t have an addictive personality. There’s just something about it that goes with baseball. There’s something attached to hitting. I can’t describe it. Once I stop playing, I’ll never do it again. I know it’s a bad idea.”

Like Gomes, most players interviewed said they use smokeless tobacco only during the season and also claim that once they're done playing baseball, they'll never touch the stuff again. They all know how damaging it is—just ask former San Diego Padres star Tony Gwynn who battled mouth cancer back in 2012. My hope is that all these guys quit in time to avoid any long-term effects.