Random thoughts from a cluttered mind (sorry if someone's used that before, they probably have, I'm just not that bright):
• I want to root for Stephon Gilmore in his contract ... disagreement ... with the Patriots — I almost always side with a player to get everything they can during their very short careers, while owners and head coaches never take paycuts and have much longer careers making money off the players — but I'm having a tough time this time around.
A year ago, Gilmore was coming off being named Defensive Player of the Year, quietly asked for more money, and got it. Good on the team for being fair as well. But this time? The circumstances have changed, not that Gilmore believes that.
As we discussed a couple weeks ago, before Gilmore took the unusual step of going public with his issue — not always wise with the Patriots, Gilmore is not entering these talks in a position of strength. Forget his play, which went down a level last year. When healthy, he's still a top five player. But that's the issue. He never reported to anything, so how can the Patriots be sure he's healthy? Even if he took a physical, how can the team, with Gilmore being 31, just hand him, say, a 3-year, $45-million contract extension when they're not sure how long he'll remain healthy?
That's not fair on Gilmore's behalf.
The Patriots were more than fair to him when they handed him a contract four years ago that paid him an average of $13 million per season (he was not worth that at the time; the Patriots were wisely predicting future). That valuted him near the top of the CB list. The Patriots were fair to Gilmore when they advanced his salary a year ago. I'm sure they would be fair to Gilmore if he reported to camp on time and proved he was healthy — they're not idiots, they know how important he is to the defense and have done nothing adversarial to signal to the Gilmore camp that they're headed to Defcon 2.
With all the different circumstances at play — namely Gilmore's questionable health — the cornerback should have some patience and continue the cordial and mutually beneficial relationship until he can prove his health to not only the Patriots, but the rest of the league come camp and the preseason.
• The more I think back on the Patriots' minicamp, the more I keep coming back to receiver Marvin Hall and how he just kept popping up during the three days. Really quick feet, nice routes, solid hands. Out of the second tier of receivers, I might say that he stood out more than the rest. Of course, we'll see what happens in camp, but I find it interesting that Hall spent time with assorted Patriots connections in Atlanta (Thomas Dimitroff, Scott Pioli in 2017) and Lions (Matt Patricia in 2019). I would say that bodes well for him as an "outsider."
• Baseball is my sport, it's in my blood, I really do love it. There are few things I have enjoyed more over my life than being around a ballfield in any capacity, from playing, to my uncle's baseball camp in Florida, to MLB games with a press pass, Cape Cod league games, to coaching kids in baseball and softball. I just don't understand why the game pains me so much; why it makes it so hard to continue to be a hardcore fan. From the time of games — which is just horrible — to now the Spider Tack stuff, I'm having a hard time investing myself in the game anymore. And this is someone who LOVES the game, even a 2-1 game because of the strategy and all that goes into it.
• That being said, I could watch Alex Cora manage any day of the week. I just marvel at the way he handles his players. He blends so perfectly the need to keep things light, but also will kick the team or a player in the butt when they need it. I think the key is Cora just shoots the players straight about everything. As long as the player knows where he stands at all times, he's good with his situation. Say what you want about his issues in Houston and here, but Cora the team manager ... I love it.
• As much as I usually root for underdogs when I don't have a rooting interest, I will never, ever root for the Canadiens against anyone. It's the same as the Yankees to me. So I hope the Lightning just bury them into the ice in the next two games. I don't even care about Tampa and their salary cap — if the Patriots exploited a loophole in the same manner, nobody around here would care, and they shouldn't: being smarter than everyone else is not a crime.
But I couldn't believe my father told me he's rooting for Montreal in this series. I don't even know who he is anymore. I asked him, "So I'm going to get a lot softer as I get older?!" I will say, my dad always spoke admiringly of Rocket Richard, Guy LaFleur, Jean Beliveau, Ken Dryden, etc as I was growing up up. I'm sure it's similar to the way I tell my kids about Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Don Mattingly, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, etc. ... Yes, I respected them, but I still hated the jersey and their fans ... same with the bleu, blanc et rouge.
• Here's my take on the Celtics' changing of the guard. I do think that Danny Ainge realized earlier this year that his strategy to build the Celtics had largely failed, with the successive Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker blowing up in face as his final swings. I think he thought it was time for a change, for him and the Celtics. I do not like how they just went straight to Brad Stevens without entertaining other candidates. It smacks of not wanting to swallow the freight on Stevens' extension and also changing out the front office. That being said, I'm on board with Stevens' first two moves (Walker, Al Horford, Moses Brown; Ime Udoka), so I'm willing to see where this goes for now. I'm not sure I see Stevens staying in this role past a year or two, but we'll see.