Author Archives: cbisbee

An Ode to Carlos Quintana

130-95FrApropos of yet another biblical winter tempest headed our way, scheduled to create further havoc and MBTA cancellations soon, and with a hopeful eye toward Spring- whenever it may arrive- here is part 1 of my ode to the ultimate boys of summer, the most fascinating characters to ever don the Sox garb.

Carlos Quintana
I’ll never forget my first game at Fenway. I was six years-old and my family and I were cast down the right field line, in that lovely area where your options are either to slowly break your neck over nine innings or to get a real good feel for the right fielder. I gave up on the diamond action early and gave Quintana, the Sox right-fielder during the early 90’s, my undivided attention. Carlos didn’t disappoint, unless you consider an absence of baseball wherewithal disappointing.

Quintana was a varsity fidgeter. When he wasn’t hocking loogies or picking his spikes he was “adjusting” himself with the apparent zest of a bull kick to the gonads. Occasional fly balls gave Carlos a brief seizure and then catapulted him on a magical escapade of circumventive pirouettes through the outfield.  This was all fascinating stuff to watch, especially as a six-year-old who was just caught up in the ambiance. Think of Bryce Harper casually gliding to a fly ball and making a one handed catch, and then think of the opposite, and that was Quintana.

What really solidified Quintana’s status as ubermensch in my eyes, though, stemmed from a single event that occurred during the later innings of that same game. After a particularly round-about route to a can of corn caused Carlos’ cap to fly off, I bellowed/chirped, “Hey, Carlos! Keep your hat on!” I thought this a terribly droll thing to shout at the time, and I remember feeling pleased with my spontaneity and nerve. But then I noticed some folks in the vicinity chuckling in my direction and my brother smacked me aside the head and called me a doofus, and I started to second-guess my supposed brilliance. Carlos, however, after retrieving his hat, glanced sheepishly in my direction (Fenway was half-filled in these days, and so it was easy to spot an errant little shit with a flippant attitude), and, in an apparent display of sympathy or shame, gave me what can best be described as a passive thumbs-up.

What a gesture! And a valuable lesson for six-year old me: Sometimes when everyone thinks you’re a numbskull and you probably are, in fact, a numbskull, there’s often someone in the vicinity who’s numbskull factor trumps yours, and who can relate and possibly extend a helping hand.

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Pete’s Call: Still Not So Good

petecIt’s been a week since the Pats strolled through a trap door en route to their fourth Super Bowl title. I figure this should be enough time to assess the various angles and perspectives regarding the closing minutes of the game. It goes without saying that the widespread reaction to Pete Carroll’s second down play call (you know, the one where Russell Wilson was picked off in the end zone?) has been overwhelmingly negative. Some devil’s advocates have argued the Seahawks needed to call a passing play at some point during their possession, in order to stop the clock.

I tried to find some logic in the counter arguments but I’ve arrived at the conclusion (after some consideration) that Pete Carroll essentially sabotaged his resume with one play call, which is a remarkable bit of misfortune. There were 26 seconds remaining on the clock when Wilson hit Malcolm Butler with a slant pass intended for Ricardo Lockette. Marshawn Lynch had just bulled his way 5 yards to the goal line on first down. You have simply got to call the safe play here, especially with the best goal-line runner in the league. If Lynch somehow couldn’t get one yard on 2nd or 3rd down, then the possibility of throwing a SLANT TO THE CORNER OF THE END ZONE could have been considered. Forcing Wilson to throw a bang-bang slant across the middle should never have been an option at any point in that sequence.

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Celts Thoughts

Here are some thoughts on the Celtics as training camps open:

  • It’ll be interesting to see how much KG has left in the tank. His numbers have regressed across the board from just a couple seasons ago. Nonetheless, the intangibles and the desire remain intact and it’s impossible to discount the role they’ll play on a young Celtics squad. Rondo may be the C’s best player, but KG remains the team’s heart and soul.
  • Here’s hoping Garnett can effectively light a fire under rookie Jared Sullinger, the talented but scatter-brained big man from Ohio State. Sullinger impressed during Orlando Summer League action, scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action during his first game. Talent, however, has never been the issue. If KG can continually keep Sullinger focused and dedicated, the Celts may have the answer at power forward over the next 10-15 years.
  • I’m interested to see how Avery Bradley handles an increased workload when he returns in January. With Keyon Dooling retired and Ray Allen in Miami, Bradley will get the bulk of the load backing up Rondo and aging (but still effective) combo-guard Jason Terry. Bradley is a shut-down defender, but I’m not sure he can produce enough offensively to warrant the minutes. Relatedly, the Celtics lack of depth at guard scares me. Outside Rondo, Terry, and (possibly?) Courtney Lee, there are a lot of unproven youngsters.
  • Paul Pierce refuses to show his age. As the years go by, he only gets craftier. His array of start-and-stops, head fakes, and up-and-unders would make Kevin McHale proud. I think Pierce should play until he’s 50.
  • Ultimately, I think the Celtics are a mid-tier playoff team in the top-heavy Eastern conference. Their experience and chemistry could push them into the second round but its foolish to think they have the horses to get by Lebron and co. or even a healthy Bulls team. Next summer, expect the rebuilding to begin in earnest.
  • A final, non-Celtic related note: I like the Wizards as a playoff team. Getting rid of Andray Blatche and rebuilding around a veteran, motivated core (Okafor, Nené, Trevor Ariza) with a rejuvenated John Wall smells like success to me.
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NFL Anarchy

nflWith the 2012 NFL season fast approaching, pundits are busy serving up another round of fearless predictions. I enjoy reading these predictions because 1. they are bold and 2. they are frequently hilariously inaccurate.

This is the great thing about the NFL: no one has a clue and anyone who says they do is full of baloney. The league has mostly been a crapshoot over the past 10 years (save for the Pats, Steelers, and Manning-lead Colts), with teams jostling for position like ping pong balls in a lottery draw.

And still some writers insist on using phrases like “up and coming” and “back of the pack” in an attempt to project a team’s un-chartable trajectory. History should have taught us that in the NFL the up and coming team is generally an illusion. Look at the Buccaneers, for example, who went a “promising” 10-6 in 2010 and then fell to 4-12 in 2011 (despite having largely the same roster). Now Si.com’s Don Banks predicts new head coach Greg Schiano  “easily will better the Bucs’ record of last year and have [the] club being identified by year’s end as one to watch in 2013.” Only in the NFL can a team go from up-and-comer to bottom of the pack to up-and-comer again in the span of 12 months.

The 49ers, on the other hand, flipped the script after a dismal 6-10 campaign in 2010, hired a new coach and finished 13-3 in 2011. Meanwhile, the Rams went a “promising” 7-9 under rookie quarterback Sam Bradford in 2010, kept the roster largely intact and then finished 2-14 last year. Where is the rhyme? Where is the reason? What can account for this anual see-saw?

The answer is there is none. In baseball, the NBA and the NHL continuity and momentum create dynasties and perennial doormats. In the NFL, every season is a blood bath, with the only predictable outcome an unpredictable, entertaining mess.

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Deal Cleans Sox’ Slate

bos_1200x630The Sox traded Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers last week for James Loney, pitching prospect Rubby de la Rosa, and an assortment of water-logged baseballs. (I kid, obviously, though baseballs- fresh ones at least- could eventually prove to be more valuable than the players the Sox received).

On paper and from an overall talent perspective, the deal looks atrocious. James Loney is a utility player for a middling squad and de la Rosa projects as a mid-rotation innings-eater. Dan Shaughnessy incredulously compared the trade to the sale of the Bambino in 1920.

While the gulf in overall baseball talent is wide, this is a deal that needed to be made. It didn’t take a chemistry major to note the growing toxicity within the Sox clubhouse over the past couple of years, or to understand that Beckett and Crawford in particular were lightning rods for the vitriol directed toward the squad, both from fans and the media. Crawford was always hurt and could never live up to his $142 million contract. Beckett was inconsistent and seemingly lazy. If success were to be reclaimed by these players, it was not going to be in the hub.

In gutting the nucleus of the squad, the Sox save more than $250 million and give Ben Cherington the opportunity to build his team, instead of continuing to saddle him with Theo Epstein’s band of misfits. This is a clean slate for the Sox. And after the past couple of years, a clean slate may be better than any player the team could have acquired.

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Pre-Reviewing the Super Bowl

super-bowlI’ve been avoiding the internet like a plague all day, albeit a plague that I would desperately like to get a taste of. Previewing a super bowl that has already occurred is an uncomfortable exercise in patience and self-control.

I’m feeling cautiously optimistic about this game- call it post-causal optimism. I haven’t breathlessly followed every minute’s Gronk injury update, nor do I know the name of Tom Brady’s childhood goldfish. But I’d like to consider myself an informed supporter. And I think the Pats, with or without Gronk, match up favorably with the fighting Coughlins.

The biggest reason for my optimism (and I don’t think enough writers have discussed this) is the revenge factor. The 2007 Super Bowl was, for me, the most emotionally and physically painful loss (I slugged an unforgiving wall after Plaxico Burress burned Ellis Cobbs on the game’s final play.) I took the defeat hard, and I’d imagine Belichick, Brady and co didn’t take it lightly, either. The Pats would never engage in public smack talk, but I would wager a goodly sum that there was a surplus of motivational profanities being hurled in the locker-room, pre-game speech. You can never discount the effect and power of the more-motivated squad, especially on the grandest stage.

I’d also point to the gulf in talent between Tom Brady and Eli Manning, between Gronkowski (or Aaron Hernandez) and Jake Ballard, between Wes Welker and Hakeem Nicks. Yes, the Giants have the superior defense on paper and you would probably be wise to take Ahmad Bradshaw over Benjarvus Green-Ellis in a fantasy draft, but I think the most meaningful position (quarterback) combined with my theory about the motivational edge should tip the scales in the Pats’ favor. I’ll take Tom Terrific and his thirst for revenge over Peyton’s kid brother any day.

Anyway, I’m hoping this post-game-preview reads as insightful and not irrelevant. In a few short hours I’ll either be on cloud nine or I’ll be chucking pans across my apartment..

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NBA Post-Lockout Madness

The NBA is completely bonkers right now. With less than two weeks until season’s tip-off, players are being flipped faster than flapjacks at IHOP. Chris Paul has been perfecting his start-and-stop from the comfort of his living room. Dwight Howard can’t fathom his feelings on the long-term viability of the Magic. Lamar Odom, as collateral from the Paul fall-out, whined his way to the Mavs, who were spurned earlier in the week by Tyson Chandler (Knicks). Chauncey Billups took his frequent flier miles to the Clips (though he could be dealt again by the time I finish this sentence) and Big Baby was swapped for Brandon Bass.

Meanwhile, the Celtics thought they had landed Baby’s replacement in David West (Paul’s former wingman) but the Pacers swooped in and snagged him for a cool $20 mil. Consequently, the Hornets are left trying to fill out a roster with Quincy Pondexter and a collection of ball boys. Vinsanity joined Odom in Dallas, which lost Caron Butler to the Clippers, which matched Golden State’s absurd, $43 million qualifying offer to DeAndre Jordan (he with the career 5.9 ppg). T-Mac, Rip Hamilton, Chris Wilcox, Mike Bibby and Dunleavy are on the move as well, though these names seem like afterthoughts compared to the seismic activity higher up.

And all this happened in slightly over a week. It’s certainly enough to make the casual fan’s head spin. The ramifications of this unforseen, pre-season turbulence on the regular season, though, is what really boggles the mind. With little time to mesh, little time to prepare, and a season packed tighter than Delta coach, teams should be in for a wild ride. We’re staring down the barrel of the most slapdash, unforseen and chemistry-bungled season since, dare I say, 1998! Should be a wild ride.

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C’s Banking on Rondo

downloadEarlier today, the Celtics awarded point guard Rajon Rondo with a 5-year contract extension believed to be in the neighborhood of $55 million. I like Rondo as a player but I’m a bit concerned about banking the future on a mercurial 23-year-old hot shot with a burgeoning prima donna complex and a history of instigating senseless scuffles.

Critics say Rondo lacks a consistent jump shot but I disagree. He’s basically money with that 15-20 foot baseline jumper. He’s not a three-point shooter but the C’s already have Ray, Pierce and Rasheed chucking the long ball on a regular basis. Furthermore, with Rondo’s speed, jump shots should be used as a last option anyway.

What primarily concerns me is Rondo’s attitude and potentially divisive personality. During the course of his three-year career, he has engaged in numerous (and mostly pointless) altercations with other players. In addition, word is he is aloof from teammates and generally unresponsive to coaching or advice. That Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers actively shopped him this past off-season should speak volumes about management’s doubts and concerns. While supremely talented (I would rank him among the top-five point guards in the league), I think the C’s should have waited for the season to play out before making this kind of commitment to such a young and generally unproven player.

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Vikings / Favre Drama

brett-favre-storyThe main problem with Brett Favre’s ongoing retirement-waffling situation, aside from its sheer ridiculousness, is that it undermines the importance and value of training camp and the essential team building shenanigans that occur then and there.

Say what you will about Favre’s career, his past exploits and how he might have “earned” a little deferential treatment. I maintain that no player –not Lofa Tatupu, not even Y.A. Tittle– should be allowed to stroll through the back door of a team’s practice facility halfway through training camp, blindside two quarterbacks (who had been giving it their all since the beginning of July) and call into question the moral framework of an entire organization. Really, what message are the Vikings (and, specifically, Brad Childress) sending here? That it doesn’t matter how long and hard you train and work, if there’s an old geezer who doesn’t know when to say when, then you’d better be prepared to ride the pine? Favre single-handedly undercuts the team dynamic and, if I were a Vikings player (soon—I’m getting into shape), I’d have a difficult time trusting the organization from here on out.

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My Reaction to Ortiz PED Allegations

papiDavid Ortiz is the latest in a fearsome lineup of would-be hall of famers to be dragged under the worn tarmac of performance-enhancing drug speculation. If proven guilty, I would advocate for the lifetime ban of this once-proud slugger as I would for any player caught cheating the game. One day, when the smoke finally clears, Major League Baseball could be faced with a cold reality: maybe 90% of ballplayers juiced. Maybe Cal Ripken, Ken Griffey Jr., Albert Pujols, Greg Maddux, Rickey Henderson-maybe they all were cheaters.

If Bud Selig had the testicular fortitude to draw a line in the sand, he would have done so by now. Pete Rose is banished from the game for betting on his team to win games. And yet we slap blatant, omnipresent cheaters with 50 game suspensions? Manny Ramirez returns to Mannywood and is marketed just as feverishly as before his suspension?

While it pains me to have to call into question the first Red Sox championship in 86 years, I think we have to do so now, regardless of the fact that probably every other team was cheating in some capacity as well. This defense (the “he stole, so why shouldn’t I?” line of reasoning) is as immature as it is short-sighted.

If tomorrow we exposed each and every current ballplayer that at one point had used steroids and we expelled all these players from the game, MLB would be faced with a serious predicament. My guess is we’d lose half our beloved hometown heroes. Selig would have to dip beyond the farm system, probably into D3 community college baseball, maybe Babe Ruth, who knows? The caliber of play might go down the tubes but just imagine the joy and innocence derived from watching an honest game of baseball.

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