Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Jerry Ballgame is back with another round of Random Thoughts from the Hub!

Is the hair coming back too?

In my Super Bowl post mortem, I touched on the Patriots need for at least one new impact player on both sides of the ball. On the offensive side, that need would be a deep threat, oh say, like a Randy Moss. It was my considered opinion that Mr. Moss must have left all bridges with New England torched beyond all recognition, otherwise I’m sure he would have received a late season text, or tweet, or something. Well, right on cue, the irascible Randy, announced he wanted to unretire in 2012, setting the talk show phone lines in Boston all aglow.If you have read Jobu’s take on the situation, then you have a fairly good feel for the conversation that consumed the airways for a day or two. On the one hand you have a talent who at 35 is still a greater deep threat then anyone on the roster (obtainable for a relatively cheap price), and on the other, you have someone who can destroy a locker room faster than you can say, “practice”. Although I believe at this time it is the second argument that is carrying the discussion, I would not be surprised to see it change come May or so. Belichick has not shown a talent for drafting
fast receivers who can catch, so if they feel Randy has learned
his lesson, Mr. Moss may once again roll into Foxboro.

Speaking of the Patriots…It was not very surprising to find out that Tom Brady was dealing with an elbow injury that had developed tendinitis. Brady has made a career out of being accurate and making smart decisions, so it is very disturbing to see him have stretches of time when he seemed to have difficulty with both aspects of his game. In big games, against strong pass defenses, you will end up paying a price failures. All the more reason to develop a strong backup to take some of the pressure off Mr. Brady and his aging right arm.

It is just me, or are there an awful lot of radio sports shows on TV?  I think I came up with about a dozen or some of them on during the day and early evening. It must be an inexpensive way for the networks to fill their time, but I think it’s being a little over done. Some of them have the occasional interesting guests, but in general it’s just watching guys sit and talk. A great use of the medium.

Is John Henry distracted?

Liverpool will always have a special place in my heart for being the birthplace of the Beatles. But I can’t shake the feeling that the money and attention that John Henry is spending on their soccer (football) team is undermining the Red Sox. I realize that Boston  was burned on several occassions over the past few years of Theo’s regime, and that they are concerned about the luxury tax. But it feels like there have been signings (like Jackson and Oswalt) that they could not get done because of a fear to commit money. Also, how do you trade your $6 million shortstop, without having someone to replace him? It seems a bit desperate to me.

I’m encouraged by the fact that Jon Lester was in Florida early, and that he seems intent on erasing the embarassment that was September. He was the biggest disappointment to me, in both his failures to perform as well as his failure to back up his manager. Tito was supposed to have been like a second father to him during his bout with cancer, but Lester had a funny way of showing his apprecaition. Let’s hope he has seen the light.

Let’s also hope that Bud decides to add another Wild Card team to the playoffs. It maybe the only way Boston makes it to the post season. I’ll write more on it later, but for now, it seems that the American League has gotten to be a very crowded neighborhood.

Moss image courtesy of: http://playerperspective.com/
Henry image courtesy of: Press Association

About Jerry Ballgame

The personification of "old school", Jerry Ballgame was born in the shadow of Dr. Naismith's peach basket, and baptized in that "Dirty Water." Designated by his "Uncle" Ted, to keep an eye on things, he's here to tell everyone what his view is like from the Hub of the Universe.

One thought on “A Few Observations and Random Thoughts From The Hub Of The Universe

  1. I have definitely been surprised at the Red Sox lack of aggression this off-season as well. I thought for sure they’d land Jackson on a one year deal at least, and the Scutaro trade was surprising, if only because they don’t have a SS, and I assumed they were freeing up money to give to Oswalt or Jackson. Odd Off-season for the Sox indeed.

    I did like the Bailey trade for them though. I think he’ll be solid if he can stay healthy.

Comments are closed.