Scott Cordischi On Sports: Pats TCB

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

“Tag, you’re it!” That’s the message the Patriots sent Logan Mankins earlier this week when they slapped the franchise tag on their All-Pro left guard.

While Mankins has yet to comment on bring “franchised” by the team, this will not be welcome news to the fifth year pro out of Fresno State.

At the Pro Bowl in Hawaii last month, Mankins made it clear that he would not be happy with such a move by the Patriots. Unfortunately for him, he has no choice.

This was a smart business decision by the New England Patriots. And let’s face it, the Patriots didn’t get to where they are today as an organization by making lots of bad business decisions.

Mankins is one of the best guards in all of football and the Pats’ offensive line is much better when he is a part of it.

Had the Patriots decided to do nothing, the chances were excellent that Makins would have been scooped up by another team in free agency with, at best, a mid-round compensatory pick coming back to New England in a future draft.

Now, the Patriots would have to receive two first round draft picks from another team if they were to sign Mankins which is highly unlikely.

As upset as Mankins might be, he can rest somewhat easy knowing that his 2011 salary will be about 10.1 million dollars which is about the going rate for a franchised offensive lineman.

-What’s all the fuss about John Lackey for? Just because Theo Epstein and the Red Sox paid him like an ace, doesn’t mean that he’ll magically turn into one for the first time in his career.

-What the Sox really need is a solid 2011 season out of Josh Beckett because it would be unrealistic to expect the same type of stellar production from both Lester and Buchholz for a second consecutive season.

-The way I see it, the Red Sox have better starting pitchers, the Yankees have a better bullpen and the line-up’s are somewhat even.

-Oh yeah, and I’ll give the managerial edge to Boston as well.

-If the Bruins don’t make a trade before the deadline, it would seem unlikely that that would have enough as currently constituted to make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup. Their two recent games against Detroit tell us as much.

-Isn’t it fun to watch the Miami Heat lose?

-I don’t see how any team can sustain a long winning streak in the ridiculously tough Big East Conference. Which is what makes Pitt’s (11-1) conference record so amazing to me.

-If the NCAA Tournament were to start today, the Big East would get 10 teams in with a possibility of 11.

-The A-10 is looking at two: Xavier and Temple.

-It would be nice if Doc Rivers decided not to play all 4 of his Celtic players in the All-Star game this weekend so that they can be rested for the stretch run and the postseason.

-If URI and Bryant had division one men’s ice hockey programs, they could join PC and Brown and stage a Rhode Island version of the Beanpot Tournament each year at the Dunk. Call is the Quahog Cup.

-The University of Rhode Island does have a hockey team. It happens to be one of the best club teams in the country year in and year out.

-It’ll be interesting to see what a healthy Mike Cameron can provide for the Red Sox in 2011.

-With all of the problems Tiger Woods has had of late, it seems to me that spitting on a green in Dubai ranks very low on the list.

-While opinions differ on whether or not Woods will ever rediscover his greatness on the course, he still brings viewers to the television each week to see if he will or will not get “it” back.

-Rick Barnes’ Texas Lonhorns are ranked 2nd in the latest men’s college basketball polls and could be #1 next week after top-ranked Kansas lost to Kansas State. Why can’t PC get coaches like that?

-Don’t get me wrong, I like this February thaw thing. But it’s no substitute for the 80’s of July.

-Just a few more weeks til “March Madness” in case you’re wondering.