John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud

Saturday, December 03, 2011

John Rooke, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

Thinking Out Loud…while wondering what kind of puppet Ben Cherington will be for your Boston Larry Lucchino’s…a.k.a. the Red Sox…

• Bobby Valentine. A long shot a month ago, as the Sox manager, you can be sure he won’t mind taking on the Boston/New England media when it comes to baseball conversation. And actually, I think that’s good for the players. He’ll deflect attention away from them, when they need that most…

• My brother is a former business partner of Valentine’s from when he managed the Texas Rangers. And my brother has long told me that Valentine does have a tendency to “micro-manage” most everything he’s involved with. Which is one reason why my brother and he parted ways…somewhat amicably, I might add. Wonder if he’s changed at all?

• Curt Schilling doesn’t like the Valentine hiring? Big surprise. But to say he was surprised to find out the Red Sox actually hired him? Disingenuous, at best. You mean to tell me that Curt “red light” Schilling had his head so far buried in the sand he didn’t know this was coming? Please…

• I wasn’t in the Chris Paul-for-Rajon Rondo camp. But when did teams allow players to dictate where they want to be traded? Paul may be a short-timer in New Orleans, but really…he wants to go to New York? How about going where you’re told to go, wherever it benefits the team…signing a big, fat contract extension and shutting your mouth and playing? That’s how it should work, anyway…

• I don’t mean to be Buzz Killington here, but the Bruins finished November without a single loss in regulation time? Sounds incredible…but wake me when we get to March and closer to the playoffs. If they’re playing like this at that time, I’ll be interested…

• For the record, it had been since January, 1969 that the Bruins last went an entire calendar month without a regulation loss (12-0-1 in November)…

• It’s December, and I’ve already decided I will really miss football when it’s over this year. Not sure why I feel differently right now as opposed to other seasons. Maybe it’s because we came so close to losing it…and college football did go by in a blur this fall…

• A tip of the cap to one of my favorite columnists, Joe Posnanski (formerly of the Kansas City Star, now with Sports Illustrated)…who recently penned a piece on football prose, and how the sport has a language all its own. It’s true. Where else other than football can penalties “offset,” quarterbacks run a “bootleg” and defensive players “encroach” on the “line of scrimmage?”

• Reminds me of the late, great comedian George Carlin…baseball players “toe the rubber.” Football players encroach.

• Already we’ve seen Ed Cooley’s ability to game plan for opponents pay off for the Friars this season. Winning at Fairfield was big…winning at an SEC school like South Carolina (no matter how bad they might have been) is even bigger. In the battle among elite BCS leagues, style points matter…and PC scored style points for the Big East…

• Speaking of the Big East, as we await the always-impending announcement on expansion, I’m hearing Memphis as a future member – in all sports – is picking up steam. Maybe not right away, but not too far down the road…

• Temple is still in the mix, too. But for the Owls to gain eventual entry, somebody will have to pay a visit to the city of brotherly love, and set the Villanova Wildcats straight…

• Baseball players “flirt” with no-hitters. Football players run roughshod over the other guy…

• What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on at URI? 1-6 to start the season? A loss to Brown? Can the inclusion of Billy Baron (Virginia) and Andre Malone (Auburn) as 2nd semester additions help that much?

• The Patriots are about to hit the cruise control button on their drive to the post-season. After Indianapolis, Washington, Denver, Buffalo and Miami will all try their best…but really, does anyone expect the Patriots to NOT run the table?

• Loved Bill Belichick’s feigned indignance this week with questions about the Colts’ not challenging his young players enough so they can improve. What? Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis aren’t good enough? Go ask Matt Light that question…

• I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself (it’s not the Patriot way), but I can’t wait for Tim Tebow’s first meeting with Vince Wilfork. Wonder if he’ll think twice (or more) about running into the middle of the New England defense on an option keeper…

• What in the world caused Jim Boeheim to say what he did in defense of Bernie Fine, and then beat such a hasty retreat? And former Friar coach Tim Welsh, too? Anything that has to do with alleged sexual abuse – whether an individual is guilty or not – is toxic. Even if you’re simply standing up for a friend. I can’t figure out whether to applaud their loyalty, or chastise them for stupidity…

• And another thing about Boeheim. After hammering him for his silence after Syracuse’s move to the ACC, he deserves to be beaten up all over again for not having some idea – any idea – that something might be amiss in his program. A head coach is a CEO in this day and age, Jim. Act like one…

• Not for nuthin'...but I wonder if his buddy at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski, is all that thrilled with the Orange moving south to the ACC, now that there’s the baggage of an abuse scandal coming along for the ride. Think Boeheim will even be around for that first titanic Syracuse-Clemson tilt?

• I’m thinking Ben Cherington will probably turn out to be a classic, modern day version of Pinocchio. You remember the story. How Geppetto the puppet-maker wished for a real boy? Larry Lucchino wished for a real GM he could manipulate, complete with puppet strings. We’ll know for sure when Cherington’s nose starts to grow as he explains away the Sox’ decision to make Daniel Bard his team’s closer next season…

• Baseball players “spit.” Football players outphysical their opponents. ‘Nuff said…

• This week’s mailbag question comes from Edwin in Las Vegas – and no, he’s not my bookie: “What do you think about the Colts firing their defensive coordinator Larry Coyer right before the Patriots game?” Edwin – Two words. Scape. Goat. They’re preparing for the inevitable beating…

• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to [email protected]. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @jrooke0722…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...