Patrick Sandoval? Really?
I thought the Boston Red Sox learned their lesson the last time they paid a Sandoval a lot of money to come to town…
Apparently not. With far superior options on the table, including top option Corbin Burnes, the Sox might evidently be content to hitch their wagon to only a 28-year-old left-handed starter coming off a 5.08 ERA in 2024 and with a 4.01 career ERA.
The Red Sox sign Patrick Sandoval
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) December 20, 2024
He's recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected back in the second half of the season pic.twitter.com/yhEcFP1YUK
Please, please don’t let this be it…
Again, what am I missing here? Why are the Sox bringing in a pitcher who has never been an All-Star, has never recorded more than 151 strikeouts or 149 innings pitched, and who has a lifetime 19-45 record and 1.392 WHIP?
I can’t think of a single reason to like this move. Sandoval isn’t expected to pitch until late in the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last just summer, and the Sox said “hey, you know, what… all those shortcomings in all those years with one of baseball’s worst franchises, they were probably a mirage.”
It’s baffling to me. Now, there are several ways to read this. One is that the Sox are now done acquiring starting pitchers and are content to go into the season with a rotation featuring Garrett Crochet as their only significant upgrade. That’s just not enough, folks.
Another possibility is this is a move geared toward the future. Craig Breslow must really like Sandoval and think he’s on the verge of turning a corner (or at least resembling his 2022 season with the Angels, when he went 6-9 with a 2.91 ERA and the career-high 151 strikeouts in a then-personal best 27 starts)…
Hopefully, the Sox are not abandoning their quest for another starter this season. They certainly didn’t overcommit from a financial standpoint at $5.5 million for 2025 and $12.75 million in 2026. But it isn’t really about the money on this one. Almost anybody out there would give you a better chance of winning right now, in my book. Whether he pitches for the Sox now or in the future, any way you slice it, I just don’t get it.
You know how much I dislike this signing? I’d rather bring back Nick Pivetta, even at more money…
Enough said.
Sour Mayo
Last year around this time, Robert Kraft had already long solidified his plan to succeed Bill Belichick — and with it, he had the built-in benefit of not yet knowing how Jerod Mayo the first-time head coach would operate. For better, or for worse.
As we’ve learned, sometimes not playing a card in your hand is the best play after all…
This year, Kraft and Co. do not have the same luxury to fall back on. Whatever promise Mayo had or still has as a head coach in the league has taken a severe hit. The once respected All-Pro linebacker and Super Bowl champion has looked like a deer in the (media) headlights, raised questions about his ability as a leader of men (and handler of his own staff), and shown little in the way of sustained, tangible growth.
Simply put, he’s been an ineffective leader who is twisting in the wind. I said it, he didn’t…
.@Prizepicks & @Gametime Bedard Patriots Podcast: Jerod Mayo’s Job in Focus After Patriots Loss to Arizona https://t.co/6RYwyJIFPI
— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) December 19, 2024
That’s what would make the Krafts’ decision to pass on Mike Vrabel twice a damned shame.
We now know what a Mayo administration looks like. It hasn’t been pretty, and what’s worse, it hasn’t shown signs of light at the end of the tunnel. Kraft didn’t have that perspective at this time last year, and Mayo was still viewed as a an up-and-coming head coaching candidate.
We know better now. And while firing a coach after only one year is never a great look for your organization, what would look even worse is to not do anything and let a coach who is clearly in over his head continue to spiral and produce another four- or five-win season.
Who knows? Maybe Mayo is the real deal and he’s about to undergo the greatest year one to year two transformation we’ve ever seen from a coach. That doesn’t seem particularly likely, does it?
C’mon, Robert and Jonathan. It’s time to cut your losses and make the obvious move to hire a coach who is well respected and has the coaching chops and grit to take this group of boys and turn them into men.
If it doesn’t work out, hey, at least you tried. But I struggle to imagine that anyone, the Krafts notwithstanding, would ever look back on moving on from Mayo and say “we made a mistake.” He may turn out to be a decent coach still, but it feels far-fetched that he’ll ever turn out to be a great one…
Aiding the enemy
Kevin Garnett can do no wrong in the city of Boston, but he may have just helped take the game of one of Boston’s primary competitors to the next level.
Giannis Antetokounmpo on Kevin Garnett:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 17, 2024
“I had a week of workouts with him. He was sweating more than me. I was the one working out... best experience of my life.”
(via @Bucks) pic.twitter.com/iAbttQGQCH
Giannis Antetokounmpo is knows as the “Greek Freak” for a reason. His skillset, although raw, was evident from the first day he stepped onto an NBA court. Now in year 12, he is a multi-time MVP, a multi-time All-Star, an All-Defensive team mainstay… oh, and an NBA champion.
Antetokounmpo has already assembled a Hall of Fame resume. What more could he possibly want?
If anything, the knock on Giannis has been his mindset. His infamous “there is no failure in sports” quote is still one of the first things I think of when you mention his name, and guess what, the Bucks haven’t gotten close to winning a title since.
(And no, don’t even think of suggesting to me that he won a “championship” via basketball’s clown show that is the NBA Cup…)
The skillset is pretty much solidified at this point, so it’s only natural to want to sharpen your mindset and competitive fire. I cannot think of a better way to do that than by working with KG of all people, save for maybe only Kobe Bryant…
Kevin Garnett: “I see you finally taking that mid-range!”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 16, 2024
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I’m trying!”
This KG-Giannis exchange 🤝🏽
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/vcp2JRPhxL
I applaud Giannis for his desire to workout with KG, an activity he said was called the “best experience of his life.” It tells me a lot about Giannis and who he wants to be: better.
The Bucks already entered the season with the designation of a primary challenger to the Celtics’ championship status. After a putrid start, they’ve been playing some great basketball. They’re becoming exactly who we expected them to be this season.
Love you, mean it, KG. But if it turns out that the Big Ticket played a role in unlocking Giannis’ next level, and that leads to Milwaukee dethroning Boston (I still don’t believe it will), then that definitely might sting a little…
Bottomless Bruins
It’s becoming clearer and clearer to me that these Bruins are stuck in a sort of purgatory.
Yes, they’ve put forth better play and better results since cutting ties with Jim Montgomery and elevating Joe Sacco (they’re 9-4-1), and yes, they performed better on a difficult West Coast road trip than most expected (they still only went 2-2-1 with another eight-goal, blowout loss).
The final pic.twitter.com/8odXcBvLMZ
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 20, 2024
But like a bottomless order of fries, I think it’s safe to say that these Bruins are what they are: at best, a slightly above-average team; at worst, mediocre.
Yep, these Bruins are going to wind up being stuck in hockey purgatory this season. They’ll be good enough not to completely bottom out, but not good enough to thrust themselves into the top of the league standings and into Stanley Cup contender status.
They’re just not that good — but they’re also not that bad.
Boston will enter Saturday’s game against Buffalo at 17-13-4. Looks like a winning record, and technically is in hockey, but there’s the simple matter of “13 plus 4” equaling 17. So, to recap, that’s 17 wins, and 17 losses.
Getting some real 2024 Red Sox vibes from this bunch, no?
Brad Marchand suggests the B’s are finally turning a corner and feeling confident again (this was before Thursday night’s 3-2 overtime loss at Edmonton, mind you). That’s all well and good, and it’s important to believe in yourselves.
It’s on Marchy and company to find ways to unearth the most belief in themselves and this version of the time. That isn’t the same for us who observe the team on a nightly basis. We don’t have to fall under the same disillusions…
As currently constituted, these Bruins are what they are. Maybe that will be good enough to sneak into the playoffs — they’re currently fourth in the Atlantic Division, tied with third-place Tampa Bay with 38 points and only trailing division leaders Toronto and Florida both by four points.
So maybe we’ll get another one- or two-and-done postseason run out of this team. That’s short of the expectations we came into the season with after what we thought was a decent offseason.
Same old Bruins? Same old Bruins…