John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Thinking Out Loud…while wondering whatever happened to Kevin Kennedy…
• First of all – thank you, Terry Francona.
• I suspect that Francona knew before the September swoon began for the Red Sox that he was not going to last past this season as manager. In your final contract year, your team is ripping up the competition in the middle of the summer, and management never mentions an extension? Time to pack some boxes…
• Francona mentioned Friday night he was frustrated over some of his inabilities to get “some things done here.” He won two World Series titles in his first four years, after zilch for 86 years. What did he not accomplish?
• The reality is that the Sox skipper could not get some of the players in the clubhouse to “buy into” whatever formula it was that won those titles in ’04 and ’07. A manager can only manage the players on his roster…so if you really want to place blame, put it at the feet of the person who brought him those players, “boy wonder” Theo Epstein…
• And while we’re cutting pieces of blame pie to go around…cut it in at least 25 separate pieces, and make sure ownership (John Henry, Larry Lucchino) gets a taste…
• All in all, when was the last time we worked our way through as shocking a month in sports as this past month? Maybe 1978? From nine games up on Labor Day to being out of the playoffs on September 28, and then firing the manager less than 48 hours later? Wow…
• Make room for J.D. “Don’t call me Nancy” Drew or John “I’m not a” Lackey on the same pedestal of infamy in New England with Bucky “Bleeping” Dent, and Aaron “Bleeping” Boone…
• Not for nothin’…but maybe Lackey should have bought a beer or two for Tito? Or at least brought him one from the clubhouse. Just sayin’…
• Divorce is never pleasant. Terry Francona has divorced himself from the Red Sox players and the organization, due to irreconcilable differences. Leave it to the lawyers to iron out the details…
• Been kind of a bizarro-world week around here, huh? Did you know the Patriots actually lost to the Buffalo Bills? After beating them 15 straight times?
• Tom Brady threw four interceptions last Sunday, certainly making him guilty of aiding and abetting the Bills’ cause. He threw four interceptions last year, too. Over the entire year…
• I’m beginning to think that the real “Superman” on earth doesn’t wear a cape, or fly around in tights…but he does have a large “83” on the front and back of his jersey, and he wears a helmet with a “flying Elvis” logo…
• Think the Raiders’ Richard Seymour has had this Sunday’s date circled on his calendar for awhile?
• Why does it take lights for 18,000 fans to turn out to watch URI and Brown play football?
• Ok Friar fans…some observations from watching early practices: Lee Goldsbrough has added m-u-s-c-l-e to his frame. Ron Giplaye has done the same. LaDontae Henton has a nice mid-range jumper. And Kiwi Gardner? You’re gonna like him…
• If any team should play with a chip on its’ shoulder this year, PC should. The Friars return 4 starters, yet have already been picked for dead last (16th) in the Big East by The Sporting News…
• The ACC says now that Syracuse and Pittsburgh have joined the league, they’d like to have their post-season basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden? Pigs will fly before that happens…
• The college landscape stopped shifting this week, long enough for the Big East presidents to decide to meet (without athletic directors) and discuss their future. College Football Talk is reporting that an invitation to Temple, for all sports, is imminent. Not a bad idea, even if the Owls were booted from the league in '04 - they've improved in football (just beat Maryland 38-7), and they would be a great add for hoops. Meanwhile, the Big 12 is looking to add one to three more schools, with BYU, TCU and Louisville prominently mentioned…
• Both TCU and Louisville have expressed their interest in making the Big East work. You know, of course, this is subject to (pocket) change…
• Pittsburgh Panther running back Ray Graham will make an NFL team very happy someday…
• So Kobe Bryant has a deal to play for an Italian team? Do you really think if we have an NBA season, that the show will go on without him?
• No celebratory hangover for the Tampa Bay Rays, apparently. Would Joe Maddon work in Boston?
• I’m not sure I want to invest the time (or the money, these days) in wasting 2 hours of my life on movies. But “Moneyball” was not a waste. And Billy Beane was (still is?) way ahead of his time…
• I will root for Terry Francona to beat the Red Sox a**, when he next has the chance to face them. And I think he will…
• One final thought on Francona – if we think he’s the best manager out there, and there are many baseball people who would agree – then who can possibly replace him? Following a legend – or in this case, following a “curse breaker” – is never easy…
• I remember thinking 15 years ago that the Red Sox pulled the plug too early on Kevin Kennedy’s reign as manager, even after leading the Sox to a playoff berth in 1995. Kennedy has since made a name for himself in the broadcast world, most recently a member of the Tampa Bay Rays’ TV team until this year. Thanks to a reader who reports Kennedy is currently hosting a daily show on XM Radio's MLB channel...
• This week’s mailbag question comes from Derek in Arizona: “Rooke, if I hear one more “Bring Moss back,” I might lose it. He QUIT on us last year, what kind of message would that send to the locker room?” Derek, it would tell the Patriots’ locker room that someone is desperate to win – and win right now. The only way Randy Moss actually comes back this year to play for New England is if someone gets hurt. Otherwise, you’re right. It is hard to justify…
• 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, too @jrooke0722…
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