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Post by dex on Aug 25, 2019 9:37:09 GMT -5
For Bill Reynolds, writing’s more than fun and games
MARK PATINKIN PROJO
I’ve known Bill Reynolds, our sports columnist, for 40 years.
But there is a side of him I didn’t see until I began to write this tribute, as he winds down his career.
It’s what drove him.
It wasn’t ego. Bill never sought the spotlight — he just came in every day for decades and typed out another column on the human side of sports.
With two fingers, by the way. He is old-school.
Somehow, he also wrote a dozen very good books.
That’s a lot of mountains to climb.
But on the surface, Bill didn’t seem insanely driven. Weirdly, he was always relaxed, never frantic on deadline. You don’t see that a lot in a newsroom.
Last week, at age 74, he decided to step back from his three-a-week workload and just do his beloved “For What It’s Worth” column on Saturdays.
So it’s partly the end of era.
As he got into his early 70s, I’d often ask why he kept at it. He’d just shrug.
“What’s better than this?” he’d say. “I get paid to go to games.” And to write what he wanted.
But I learned in doing this article that it was something deeper.
I’ll get to it in a minute. As Bill said often in his Saturday pieces, the answer’s toward the end of this column.
After being a hoop star at Brown University in the mid-1960s, Bill taught high school back in Barrington, then left to try writing.
“I read every sports book as a kid,” he said.
He took a URI Extension writing course — “It was me and 15 women” — and in time was freelancing for The Journal.
Finally, he was hired as a reporter covering Portsmouth, was moved to features, and then one day, he asked to be a sports writer.
His editor saw it as a backward move: “Why leave news for sports?”
“Because the worst game in the world,” Reynolds told him, “is still better than the best town council meeting.”
Pretty soon, his human take on stories got the eye of our top editor, who made him a columnist.
Reynolds’ philosophy was to cover what other reporters didn’t.
“Losing locker rooms,” he told me, “were better stories than winning locker rooms.”
In the late 1980s, he got on the radar of New York literary agent David Vigliano, who thought there’d be a book in Rick Pitino, the young Providence College coach who’d just taken the Friars to the Final Four.
Vigliano asked around and was told that Reynolds, who knew basketball inside out, would be an ideal author.
Thirty years later, Reynolds has written a dozen books.
Vigliano told me he delivered every manuscript on time, in great shape.
“That’s unusual,” said Vigliano. “Everybody’s late. Bill wasn’t. You could set your clock by him. He’s an old-time journalist who hits deadlines.”
I asked Bill which of his books is his favorite. He said probably “Fall River Dreams” — a hoop version of “Friday Night Lights,” in which he spent the 1991 season following the standout Durfee High School basketball team.
Toward the book’s beginning, Reynolds writes of being moved at seeing thousands of blue-collar folks attend the games:
“It reminded me of the early ’60s,” he wrote, “before the Beatles and long hair and the birth of the counterculture and all the other late ’60s events that changed America forever, when I played high school basketball and thought it was the only thing I would ever do. The sense of urgency. The buzz of the crowd. The frenzied passion of the players. Everything.”
That kind of writing is why he’s been a model to me. Bill has the rare gift of writing like he is talking to you.
Years later, he wrote “Hope,” following Hope High’s inner-city squad, all young men of color, where only a few fans attended games. But for these kids, it was their life, and maybe a ticket out.
Reynolds felt they deserved a spotlight, too.
Which begins to get at what drives Bill Reynolds.
I realized it from talking to two people he wrote about often, NBA player Chris Herren and Providence College coach Ed Cooley.
Reynolds covered Herren as the young star in “Fall River Dreams.” Herren went on to the NBA, including the Celtics, but then was derailed by drugs, overdosing on heroin.
Reynolds chronicled that in another book, called “Basketball Junkie,” which led to an ESPN documentary.
Herren is now 43, helping people get their lives on track with motivational speeches and several inpatient recovery centers he’s created.
When I asked Herren if the books captured him well, he said there’s something more important about Reynolds that he wanted to say.
“He’s one of the greatest men I’ve ever met,” said Herren. “One of the the most selfless, kind men that I’ve ever come across.”
Reynolds’ impact on Herren went beyond his role as a writer. Herren came to see Bill as a father figure.
“He covered me in my teen years as I was growing as a basketball player,” said Herren, “but he was with me in my worst years.”
After Herren’s second overdose, Reynolds came to his Fall River hospital room — as a friend, not a writer — and they wept together about it.
“He didn’t walk away from the story,” said Herren. “I think a lot of journalists — they cover it, they walk away from it and onto the next one. He never did that with me.”
Herren added: “He didn’t just care about the story. He cared about the people he wrote about. I thank God he came into that gym when I was 15.”
Reynolds also did a column on Ed Cooley at that same age, when Cooley was an inner-city basketball player for Central High.
Reynolds, Cooley told me, made neglected athletes like him feel that they weren’t forgotten.
Cooley’s now 50, and during his struggle from poverty to PC coach, he said no reporter gave him a fairer shake than Bill.
He felt Reynolds wasn’t just writing about him, he was rooting for him, and it made a difference in his life.
Early on as a coach, after tough losses, Reynolds would come up to Cooley, put down his reporter’s notebook, and say, “Ed, your journey is just beginning. You’re going to do great things.”
That, Cooley feels, is what drove Bill Reynolds: not just wanting to capture folks with his pen, but to help them with it — and connect with them beyond it.
“His writing said a lot about his character,” Cooley said. “He gave you a chance to improve your dream.”
Then he got emotional.
“I never told a writer I loved him,” said Cooley. “But I love Bill Reynolds.”
Chris Herren used the same word.
If Reynolds is reading this, I guarantee he’s totally uncomfortable right now, so I’ll lighten it up with a nod from Herren to Bill’s basketball skills.
“It took me many years to beat Bill in ‘Horse,’” Herren said. “You don’t get ‘Shooter’ as your nickname missing shots.”
That was Bill’s handle on the court, right through middle-age adult games — Shooter.
Herren explained: “He’d stand. Wait. Catch. And shoot.”
Now that I think about it, Bill pretty much did the same as a writer.
Vigliano, his agent, told me that in his eyes, Reynolds is up there with John Feinstein, one of the country’s most prominent writers of sports books.
It got me asking Bill if he had ever thought of moving to bigger venues. He had the talent.
The question confused him.
“For what reason?” he asked.
Um ... the prestige?
He shrugged. “That stuff didn’t mean anything to me. It’s wonderful here.”
He told me he loved The Journal, the state, and the job.
I also now realize he loved many of those he wrote about.
Which is what made him tick.
I used to think the best legacy for a writer is their work.
Bill Reynolds has showed there’s an even better one.
Mark Patinkin’s columns run Sundays and Wednesdays. —mpatinki@ providence-journal.com
(401) 277-7370 Facebook: Mark Patinkin, Writer On Twitter: @markpatinkin
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Bunky
Aug 31, 2019 16:02:45 GMT -5
Post by dex on Aug 31, 2019 16:02:45 GMT -5
Time will determine Brady’s legacy
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: We all know Tom Brady doesn’t do a lot of talking.
But wouldn’t you love to hear what he really thinks about the U.S. Patent and Trademark office declining his application last week to trademark the term “Tom Terrific,” a nickname associated with Tom Seaver, the longtime Mets pitcher? Back in June, TB12 said he wasn’t trying to “disrespect” Seaver by applying for the trademark.
We know that Brady doesn’t like losing — not even to the Patent office. But don’t hold your breath waiting for his response.
One thing is clear, though. Tom Brady seems to be more and more cognizant of his legacy the closer he gets to the finish line ... wherever that is.
• And all the while Coach Bill keeps plodding along. Legacy? Are they on the same schedule?
• There are at least 25 college football games on TV today.
• Hope your remote has a lot of batteries, Bunky.
• Joe Kennedy III reportedly is eyeing a Senate run in 2020? Enough, already.
• This season should be no big surprise. The Red Sox haven’t had enough pitching all year.
• R.I.P. Mike Van Leesten, the local civil rights leader, who once upon a time was a college basketball star at Rhode Island College.
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Two major-league players hold the record for the most consecutive hits with 12. Can you name them? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from ex-Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld on his family’s legacy, via the Boston Herald: “No, they weren’t on the Mayflower. They sent the servants over first to get the cottage ready.”
• LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from New York Giants’ rookie Jabrill Edwards: “I was born ready. I just finally got the opportunity and the spotlight to do it.”
• There aren’t too many things around here in the summer any better than frozen lemonade.
• Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting about .220, too low for a major-league outfielder, even with his power.
• But there’s no truth to the rumor that the Red Sox are going to send out a search party looking for his bat.
• Or that by the end of the summer Connecticut is going to make a bid on South County.
• Or that if you look up “Lost Season” in the baseball dictionary you will see a team picture of the Red Sox.
• Or that the Independent Man is complaining it’s too hot at the top of the State House these days and wants to use an umbrella.
• Or that Bill Belichick’s been living in Gillette Stadium all these years.
• The word is there is a horse shortage in thoroughbred racing.
• Are the Red Sox simply taking this season off, and forgot to make the announcement?
• Old friend Bob Cousy, whom I once did a book with, recently received the Medal of Freedom from President Trump.
• There reportedly are 573 tribal nations in the United States.
• Professional sports would be a lot better if players were paid at the end of the year based on their accomplishments, not before.
• A “Full Rhode Island?” Lamar Odom and Sean Spicer on “Dancing With The Stars.”
• The only thing that was missing was “The Independent Man.”
• And the General Assembly as an encore.
• Rest assured Chris Sale won’t be writing a memoir of this season.
• Andrew Luck’s decision to walk away from the NFL at the age of 29 is just one more example that football is one very tough game.
• QUIZ ANSWER: Pinky Higgins (with the Red Sox in 1938) and Walt Dropo (with the Tigers, 1952)
• Don’t invite Donald Trump and “The Squad” to the same Washington party.
• The Yankees wore black uniforms the other day. Say it ain’t so George Steinbrenner.
• Rooting for fall is like rooting for a broken heart.
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Bunky
Sept 7, 2019 8:44:58 GMT -5
Post by dex on Sept 7, 2019 8:44:58 GMT -5
Hoyer’s exit was a class act
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
• Another September, another start to another NFL season.
Complete with another story of behind-the-scenes class from a backup quarterback to a rookie quarterback who was trying to beat him out.
The backup quarterback was the Pats’ Brian Hoyer. The rookie was Jarrett Stidham, who eventually beat Hoyer out for the job.
“He was there every day for me,” Stidham said, “and helped me in every way he could. He is a true veteran, a true pro.”
Sometimes the best stories get lost in the shuffle.
Even in the dog-eat-dog world of an NFL training camp.
• The Red Sox need a mini baseball miracle to make the playoffs, so don’t bet the ranch on it, Bunky.
• Former Pats’ QB Drew Bledsoe has his own winery back home in the state of Washington.
• Did you see that Jerry West received the Presidential Medal of Freedom the other day?
• A new era of URI football begins tonight, when the Rams play under their newly installed lights, and on a new turf field at Meade Stadium.
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Who was the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? (Answer near bottom of column)
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Celtics coach Brad Stevens on SI.com about now ex-Celtic Kyrie Irving: “I like Kyrie and I wish him well. Last year’s season didn’t go the way that we wanted it to, but that’s not on one person. That’s the responsibility of the whole group. It’s a team sport, everybody’s involved in that. There’s no way we should ever look at it any different.”
• LINE OF WEEK II is an oldie but a goodie, from Hammerin’ Hank Aaron: “It took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.”
• Thirteen states plus the District of Columbia now allow some sort of sports gambling and six other states have passed bills this year to allow it.
• And now, in Rhode Island, you can do it on your phone. Who needs a bookie?
• It’s really hard to be believe that no book has never really taken us inside Fort Foxboro, or at least the Patriots’ locker room.
• Or the front office for that matter.
• Then again, you’ve probably got a better chance of spending the weekend with Tom and Gisele, than getting inside the Patriots.
• Which doesn’t look real good for you, Bunky.
• Just sayin’
• “The Summer of ‘69,” a new novel by Elin Hilderbrand, certainly captures an era.
• The actual summer of ‘69 was a half-century ago, if you’re keeping score at home.
• Luis Tiant, in his glory days with the Red Sox, was one of a kind.
• Does traffic in Boston just keep getting worse and worse, or is it just me?
• Don’t worry, the Big Dig will fix all that.
• Six years, $90 million for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. Nice work, if you an get it.
• There aren’t too many things better for a kid who loves baseball than walking into Fenway Prark for the first time.
• Is there a great summer song out there, and I’m just missing it?
• The New York Giants are 1-6 in their last seven opening day games in the NFL.
• Tom Brady’s biggest opponent is time, not the other teams on the Pats’ schedule.
• Forget Brady for a second. Bill Belichick is starting to look timeless, too.
• This from the Associated Press: Shark sightings have hurt the Cape Cod tourist season this summer.
• The Pats are back, and all seems right with the world.
• At least until they lose, right?
• QUIZ ANSWER: Gale Sayers, who was 34 years old.
• The Red Sox lead the American League in blown saves.
• And you thought the General Assembly was incompetent, Bunky.
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Bunky
Sept 21, 2019 9:09:41 GMT -5
Post by dex on Sept 21, 2019 9:09:41 GMT -5
October baseball comes at a cost
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH:
• We were due, right?
Due for the pitching to fall apart.
Due for reality to show up.
Due for just another reminder that to be playing baseball in October is a very difficult thing.
Due for one more lesson that a major-league baseball season arguably is the biggest grind in sports, for the players and fans alike, because it simply never seems to stop.
Until it does, and it takes another summer with it.
Such was this season for the Red Sox.
• Who really calls the shots with the Red Sox, for we know it's not the general manager, right?
• Isn't it just a matter of time before TB12 takes a bad hit?
• I miss "Joel from Worcester,'' a radio presence for many a moon.
• Have we seen the best of David Price?
• And is it over for Eli Manning in New York? Sure seems to be.
• Or as the New York Post put it: “The Fall of Mann.”
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Only two male basketball players have ever won both an NBA title and a basketball World Cup in the same year. Can you name them? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from the Boston Globe's Christopher Gaspar on the Patriots adding the troubled Antonio Brown to their roster: “Instead of ‘Do your job’ the team's credo should be “We’ll take him.”
• LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from the New York Daily News: "Baseballs are now so full of life they're going to start throwing themselves back on the field after the other team hits a home run."
• LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Sol Gittleman, a former provost at Tufts, in the Boston Globe: “The only problem with tainted money is there’s t’aint enough of it.”
• A big shoutout to old friend and longtime Journal colleague G. Wayne Miller on the publication of his 17th book "Kid Number One: Alan Hassenfeld and Hasbro.''
• Speaking of shoutouts, here's one to Rhode Island's Rob McClanaghan, one of the premier trainers in the NBA, whose book — with a forward by Stephen Curry — is called "Net Work: Training the NBA's Best and Finding the Keys to Greatness.''
• Yaz is eighth in career hits, if you're trying to keep up on such things.
• And if you have to ask who “Yaz” is, Bunky, do some research. Trust me.
• Speaking of old No. 8, did you see his grandson's Fenway homecoming party this week?
• How is college football supposed to compete with the Patriots around here?
• Two-word answer? They're not.
• The Celtics open their season in about four weeks.
• Or about the same time as when the Patriots clinch the AFC East, again.
• If you see a movie made for adults that's watchable, let me know, Bunky.
• It's too dangerous. Kids shouldn't play it. I've heard that for years now. But guess what? Football is the most popular sport in the country.
• The Dolphins? Where is Dan Marino when they really need him?
• This from the Boston Herald: The Sox paid approximately $2,866,667 for each win last year.
• Tom Brady playing at 50? How much would you bet against it, Bunky?
• The best contemporary novel I've read in a while is "Chances Are'' by Richard Russo
• Harvard begins its 146th football season this Saturday in San Diego.
• QUIZ ANSWER : Marc Gasol, and old friend Lamar Odom.
• Tom Brady is getting real close to walking on dangerous terrain in the NFL. Just sayin'.
• Is Bill Belichick starting to look timeless, or is it just me?
• Speaking of the Pats, there's no truth to the rumor that Drew Bledsoe, the onetime quarterback who runs a winery in Washington State with his wife, has a wine called TB12.
• Or Double B, for that matter.
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Bunky
Oct 26, 2019 10:16:15 GMT -5
Post by dex on Oct 26, 2019 10:16:15 GMT -5
The signs say Brady’s run nearing the end Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH:
• Is this the end of the ride for Tom Brady with the Patriots?
It's starting to feel like it.
He's already on the bad side of 40.
His house in suburban Boston reportedly is for sale.
His contract automatically becomes void on the last day of the 2019 league year, making him a free agent.
In short, the clues are there.
Then again, a big part of Brady's game always has been subterfuge. Look left, throw right. So who really knows, right?
But we do know that the end is coming. This summer. Next summer.
A 20-year run.
• LeBron missed the playoffs for the first time in his career last season.
• Very few people live up to their potential, sports or otherwise.
• Stephen A. Smith reportedly is about to sign a new contract at ESPN that will pay him $10 million a year.
• Is this a great country, or what?
• Or, as the old line says, a little bit of you-know-what can go a long way.
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: The Patriots have had three quarterbacks who have recorded a perfect passer rating (158.3) in a game. Who are they?
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from CC Sabathia on calling it quits at 39: "I knew it was time."
• Do you ever get the feeling, Bunky, that Bill Belichick would love to win a Super Bowl without Tom Brady?
• Or maybe vice versa?
• Did you see where Al Horford got a four-year contract worth $109 million from the 76ers? Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Let them grow up to be overrated NBA basketball players.
• Sayonara, CC Sabathia.
• There's no truth to the rumor that Joe Namath would still be the best quarterback on the woeful Jets.
• Or that the last Connecticut license plate left South County last weekend.
• Or that the Independent Man is about a month away from saying it's too cold on top of the State House and he wants a raise.
• Or that Tom Brady says the older he gets the colder he gets, and he wants a raise, too.
• Or that Bill Belichick says the cost of hoodies keeps going up, and what's a guy supposed to do?
• Speaking of Belichick, he's been calling plays on defense this season, so is it just coincidence that it has yielded just one passing touchdown?
• Probably not. For I get the sense that there aren't too many coincidences at Fort Foxboro.
• And too many at the General Assembly.
• Time seems to be the Warriors' biggest opponent, as Kevin Durant is no longer there and Steph Curry is no longer a kid.
• Then again, that's probably everyone's biggest opponent, right?
• Brown Stadium is still a wonderful place to watch a college football game, even after all these years.
• The word is old friend and former PC basketball great Billy Donovan is on the hot seat as the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
• Did you see where 86-year-old Carol Burnett is still touring?
• Kyrie had 50 points for the Nets the other night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, in case you missed it, Bunky, but his team still lost.
• Supposed rookie phenom Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans is out for two months with a knee injury, as once again the game's realities enter the locker room.
• I'm not sure anyone ever got more out of their natural basketball talent than North Providence's Ernie DiGregorio.
• Then again, I'm not real sure anyone ever worked harder than he did.
• No, Bunky, not the General Assembly.
• QUIZ ANSWER: Tom Brady (who did it twice, in 2007 and 2010), Drew Bledsoe (1993) and Steve Grogan (1978).
• Is Jets' quarterback Sam Darnold still seeing ghosts after last week's fiasco, or are they just Patriots who kept getting in his face, in another great defensive game plan?
• Has Belichick become almost timeless, or is it just me?
• Or maybe it's Gillette itself, where time has seemed to stand still for a while now.
• Sports are more fun around here when the Red Sox are in the World Series
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Bunky
Nov 2, 2019 11:18:37 GMT -5
Post by dex on Nov 2, 2019 11:18:37 GMT -5
An honor no one deserves more
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH:
• He walked into The Journal when he was a teenager.
He walked out when he was in his early 70s.
Not too many people on the planet ever spent more time in The Journal than John Gillooly, who retired in the summer of 2018.
Wednesday night he was inducted into the R.I. Interscholastic League Hall of Fame, after covering high school sports in Rhode Island sports for six decades.
Few people deserved it more.
• Could anyone have made up Bill Belichick, this mumbling man who might just be the greatest coach in modern NFL history? He's in the discussion, anyway, with no hint of slowing down.
• Did you see where Stephen A. Smith is about to sign a new contract with ESPN for roughly $10 million a year?
• And did you see where the NCAA is going to allow athletes to market their names, images and likenesses?
• And that Tiger recently tied Sam Snead's record of 82 victories on the PGA Tour.
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Before Robert Irsay owned the Indianapolis Colts, he owned this franchise. Can you name it? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Warriors' coach Steve Kerr: "Losing stinks. It's no fun. This is more of the reality of the NBA. The last five years we've been living in a world that isn't supposed to exist."
• This from the New York Daily News: The NCAA is investigating the Seton Hall basketball program, with head coach Kevin Willard sitting out the season opener against Wagner.
• Or ma, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Let them grow up to be NCAA athletes.
• On scholarship, no less.
• Like the Independent Man, whose on a lifetime scholarship.
• No wonder he’s a state icon.
• And the General Assembly’s role model.
• Game 7 of the World Series between the Nationals and Astros drew the largest TV audience for a baseball game in two years. But overall, it was the least watched Series in five years.
• The Jets are off to a 1-6 start. Say it ain’t so, “Broadway Joe.”
• Speaking of bad starts, two NFL teams are still winless on the season — the Dolphins and the Bengals.
• Good luck to the latest wunderkind who has been hired to spend John Henry’s money — 36-year-old Chaim Bloom, the new Red Sox chief baseball officer.
• Here’s some free advice, thanks to the late Al Davis: “Just win, baby.”
• Kyrie went for 50 in his Nets home opener — an overtime loss to the Timberwolves, just in case you missed it.
• It was the highest-scoring debut in Nets history, if you’re keeping score at home.
• Back in high school we would make fun of a friend who would rather read the book than see the movie. Now that’s me, Bunky.
• Do really think Tom Brady is going to be playing in his mid-40s?
• Then again, things we don’t expect to see in real life we expect to see in sports. Isn’t that about it?
• Ben Vezele, one of the kids who played on the Hope High School basketball team I did a book on a few seasons back, is playing for Rhode Island College.
• Does Belichick go when Brady goes? Or does he want to show he can win without TB12?
• I suspect it’s the latter.
• And I also suspect very few people ever got rich trying to figure out what’s rolling around in Coach Bill’s brain.
• The Celtics are like bright pieces of color scattered all over the floor looking for a painting.
• Speaking of the Celtics, Coach Brad could coach my team anytime.
• QUIZ ANSWER: Los Angeles Rams.
• Most movies are so nondescript these days they should send a personalized ticket to your door.
• And you know you’re getting old when if it’s not an “oldies’’ station you usually don’t have a lot of interest.
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Bunky
Nov 16, 2019 8:32:00 GMT -5
Post by dex on Nov 16, 2019 8:32:00 GMT -5
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: • Best wishes, Kyrie.
Do the Celtics miss him?
Not really.
Sure he’s remarkably skilled, and can almost make the ball talk, but all too often it’s his ball, his show, the lead singer while everyone else is singing backup.
No doubt it’s a great show. But it’s not the way to win championships.
So far, the early returns show a young Celtics team figuring it out just fine without him.
It also helps that Kemba Walker, brought on board for a max deal, has played a selfless game, helping Boston get off to a 9-1 start.
For Danny Ainge is fearless when it comes to making decisions, knows that in the end his instincts are all he has. He came of age with the Auerbach Celtics, no less than an environment that was all about winning, an environment in which players’ feelings never seemed to make it into the locker room, never mind the organizational handbook.
It seems the Celtics have returned to that mindset.
• George Pelecanos is an author of crime fiction who deserves a bigger audience.
• Did you see the brawl at the end of Thursday’s game between the Browns and Steelers?
• What in the name of Jim Brown is going on here?
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: This player had the most Gold Gloves in major-league history. Who is he?
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Bill Belichick: “It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s the officials’ game to call.”
• LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Pats’ defensive back Stephon Gilmore, on how the Pats plan for other teams: “Sometimes we even watch the same film 10 times in a row.”
• Complete with no popcorn.
• Old friend Peter Manfredo Jr. of Providence steps back into the ring Nov. 23 at Twin River.
• You know we’re all living on Planet Pluto, Bunky, with the news that the new hip word for single people in New York City is “self-partnered.”
• Speaking of old friends, Rick Pitino has been hired to coach Greece’s national basketball team, as it sets its sights on the Olympics.
• Bill Belichick said the other day that having his two sons — Steve and Brian — around the Patriots has helped him connect better with the players.
• The UConn women’s basketball team has been to 20 Final Fours.
• The UMass football team is 1-9, allowing 53 points a game.
• “Self-partnered.” Really?
• Athletes at the nation’s military academies can now delay their active-duty service to play professional sports.
• Only Don Shula and George Halas have more wins in professional football than Belichick — and he’s still coaching.
• And so is the Jets’ Adam Gase, who will be back for another season, so says his boss.
• Giants’ coach Pat Shurmer should be renting in New York, not buying, if you catch my drift.
• Ditto Knicks’ coach David Fizdale.
• The Friars didn’t look like themselves in their loss to Northwestern this week.
• From the “you can’t make this stuff up” department: Walter McCarty, the one-time Celtic who won an NCAA title with Kentucky more than 20 years ago, is now the coach at Evansville, an unranked team that stunned the basketball world by beating No. 1 Kentucky this week.
• Colin Kaepernick is not good enough to be so controversial.
• One more win, and the Patriots will clinch their 19th straight winning season.
• Word is that the Pirates have hired former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington to lead their organization.
• Speaking of baseball, Red Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than 90 days, if you’re keeping score at home.
• The word “great” is not strong enough for “The Death of Santini,” the late Pat Conroy’s memoir on the death of his father.
• QUIZ ANSWER: Pitcher Greg Maddux, who had 18.
• But Kaepernick is too talented not to be in the NFL.
• I have come to dislike the 3-point shot, which is too close.
• Are you getting the feeling that Tom Brady is starting to feel a little uncomfortable for the first time in his amazing Patriots career?
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pcdad
Friar Fanatic
Posts: 3,709
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Bunky
Nov 17, 2019 14:22:36 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by pcdad on Nov 17, 2019 14:22:36 GMT -5
Thanks dex. Some excellent one-line observations this week. Pick your own favorite.
His Friar comment sums up the incredulous play vs Northwestern.
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Bunky
Nov 30, 2019 10:18:32 GMT -5
Post by dex on Nov 30, 2019 10:18:32 GMT -5
Ernie D deserves HOF recognition
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: • Ernie DiGregorio, arguably as good a local sports story as we’ve ever had around here, is on the list of 2019 inductees to the National Collegiate Hall of Fame.
Good for him.
For even a scriptwriter with an overactive imagination couldn’t have made up the incredible story of Ernie D, the North Providence kid who came out of Class B in the Interscholastic League, went on to prep school for a year, then found the kind of fame that was almost unimaginable. All-American in college. NBA rookie of the year. Big contract and the kind of money that changes a family’s life. All that, and his last year at Providence College coincided with the opening of the Civic Center.
Talk about magic.
Even now, so many years later, there’s never been another Ernie D around here.
Not even close.
Which should tell us everything we need to know.
And if he’s not in the National Collegiate Hall of Fame, there should be an investigation.
• Speaking of Providence College, it hasn’t exactly been a pleasure trip for Ed Cooley’s Friars in Anaheim.
• The Patriots aren’t the same. v• Don’t misunderstand, Bunky. They still might win, but if they do, it will be on fumes.
• And on memory, too.
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: We are the only people to win a Super Bowl as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach. Who are we? (Answer near the bottom of the column).
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Brady in an interview with Erin Andrews, when asked if he could see himself playing in a different uniform: “The reality is there is no prediction. I have always said I have a plan to play longer and I will figure that out when the time comes.’’
So there.
• LINE OF THE WEEK II is a classic from the 1980s and comes from Democratic strategist Paul Begala: “Washington Is Hollywood for ugly people.’’
• LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Gronk, on whether he will return next season: “I’m not going back, even if Brady were to ask.”
• LINE OF THE WEEK IV comes from Bill Belichick on the grit tackle Marcus Cannon showed playing through sickness in pouring rain last Sunday: “I would say overall, it was one of the top efforts I’ve seen.’’
• And we know he’s seen a lot.
• Speaking of the Patriots, wouldn’t it be great to get both Brady and Belichick together unfiltered?
• Raise your hand, Bunky, if you’re old enough to remember when Foxboro was known for its race track.
• Back when Patriots were just some guys who used to dress up and march in local parades.
• A tip of the cap to Classical’s Michaela White. The sophomore, who led Division III girls soccer in scoring this fall, made her debut on the Purple’s football team during their Wednesday Thanksgiving game and connected on four of five extra-point tries.
• Judging by the Patriots’ luck with kickers this season, they might be able to use her up in Foxboro.
• If you don’t yet know who Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is yet, Bunky, rest assured you soon will.
• QUIZ ANSWER: Mike Ditka and Tom Flores.
• Nobody knows what traveling is in basketball anymore, referees included
• Life was better before passwords.
• Word is the NBA is considering changing its schedule in a couple of years to include an in-season tournament — one way it hopes to increase interest in what can be a too-long regular season.
• Did you see where Duke — the No. 1 college basketball team in the nation — lost to Stephen F. Austin the other day?
• Or that the New York Post has ranked Tom Brady fifth on the NFL contemporary quarterbacks list, behind Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees. Lamar Jackson is sixth.
• Last weekend’s Patriots-Cowboys game tied for the highest TV rating of any regular-season NFL game since 2007.
• If anyone has extra tickets to Friday night’s PC-URI game down at the Ryan Center, I hear the Independent Man is looking for a pair.
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Bunky
Jan 4, 2020 10:20:58 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jan 4, 2020 10:20:58 GMT -5
End of the line for Brady?
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: • We are getting close to unexplored territory here.
And not just because of the aging quarterback.
The latest chapter in the amazing story that is the Patriots could unfold right before us this weekend.
Will this be it for Tom Brady in New England, who becomes a free agent when the NFL season ends?
Will a loss to the Titans be the last time we see TB12 drop back and look for the open receiver, or lunge forward for a quarterback sneak to convert a first down, or fire up his teammates on the sidelines.
We’ve been watching the act for a while now, and it hardly gets old.
Winning rarely does.
• There’s no truth to the rumor that, if Brady loses, he is immediately inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• R.I.P. David Stern, the longtime NBA commissioner, who always oversaw the NBA with a grand vision, and took the league to the big-time. Stern was 77.
• And to fully appreciate Stern? Go back to before Stern became the commissioner, and see how far the NBA came under his leadership.
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: This school has the most victories in college football. Who is it? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Tom Brady, now in the shadows of his incredible career, on not listening to any TV or radio after last week’s home loss to Miami, “I tried to lie low.’’
• LINE OF THE WEEK II is from PC’s Emmitt Holt after the Friars beat Georgetown on Tuesday, 76-60: “Pigs eat, they’re really greedy. Hogs get slaughtered,” Holt said of the halftime talk. “We wanted to be greedy and keep eating.”
• “November Road,” a political novel about old secrets, by Lou Berney, will keep you reading, Bunky.
• Nine of the NBA Finals in this decade featured either LeBron or Stephen Curry.
• R.I.P. Don Imus, who all but turned morning radio into his own art form. He was 79.
• Tiger at the Masters is the Associated Press’ sports story of the year.
• Did you see where LeBron was chosen the AP male athlete of the decade, with Brady second.
• Is it over for Eli Manning in New York? Sure seems that way.
• James Harden is averaging 38 points a game in the NBA, and all too often it seems to come in silence.
• Ralph Drollinger, the onetime backup center back in the glory days at UCLA, leads the White House’s weekly Bible studies.
• Is it just coincidence that the Pats’ tight end position seems to have disappeared along with Gronk?
• My kinWowom for a song on the radio I look forward to hearing.
• Kudos to the Brown men’s basketball team, which upset the Rhode Island Rams on Thursday night.
• Speaking of songs, if you’ve never heard Elvis’ Christmas album, Bunky, you’ve got a treat in store for you.
• Or as one of the lyrics goes, “You won’t see no reindeer, no pack on my back; you’ll see me coming in a big, black Cadillac.’’
• Ah, the good old days.
• Speaking of the good old days, can we find a few more this postseason for the Patriots?
• QUIZ ANSWER: Michigan, with 971.
• What are the odds that Coach Bill and TB12 exchanged Christmas presents?
• Eli Manning turned 39 on Friday.
• Only the football gods know what Brady really is anymore, and the word is they’re not telling.
• The most amazing thing about the old TV series “Dragnet?” It still somehow holds up, even after all these years.
• There’s no truth to the rumor that this was the year the Independent Man finally got the holidays off.
• Or that he just re-upped with the state.
• Complete with time and a half when it rains.
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Bunky
Jan 25, 2020 8:32:51 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jan 25, 2020 8:32:51 GMT -5
Is it time for the Pats to pay the piper?
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
•Is this the future the Patriots fans had in mind?
The fate of Tom Brady about as certain as a wind-blown punt drifting high in the sky, and his one-time apprentice, Jimmy Garoppolo, getting ready to play on the biggest stage, in the nation’s most popular sporting event.
For we knew time would catch up with Brady, and whether he can still play at the level we’ve been accustomed to, isn’t really the point.
The Patriots had to make a decision a few years back — keep the sure-fire Hall of Fame quarterback who’s helped build the most dominant modern-day franchise in pro sports? Or move on to the promising youngster who might be able to carry on that tradition?
It was not an easy choice, and it’s hard to to argue with the results of keeping Brady.
But eventually, all bills come due.
•Speaking of Brady, Eli Manning, 39, made his retirement official on Friday.
•One more reminder the clock keeps ticking, even for people with golden arms.
•When Zion Williamson starts making 3s, you know it’s just not fair.
•It’s almost hard to believe that this summer will be the last for the PawSox.
•QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Which NFL team was the the first wildcard team to win the Super Bowl? (Answer near the bottom of the column)
•LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Titans’ cornerback Logan Ryan in the New York Post, when asked his feelings on Tom Brady’s future: “I think he’ll keep playing, and … I don’t think it’s with the Patriots.”
•LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from reader John Affleck in Lincoln, who says in light of the playoff results and the Super Bowl matchup, the NFL is “No Country for Old Quarterbacks.”
•LeBron still has the bestselling jersey in the NBA.
•Derek Jeter received 396 out of 397 votes for the Hall of Fame.
•The Celtics are No. 2 in team-sold jerseys based on NBAStore.com sales from October 2019 through December 2019. The Lakers are No. 1
•You say you haven’t heard a lot about 15-year-old tennis sensation Cori “Coco” Gauff, Bunky? Don’t worry. You will.
•Mariano Rivera was unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. Jeter was one vote short this year. The Independent Man failed to make the ballot in both years.
•But I hear he’s in the running for Red Sox manager.
•My kinWowom for two new movies that are watchable.
•URI’s Fatts Russell could play on my team.
•The 3-point shot in the NBA has become a routine jump shot.
•And the college one isn’t too far behind.
•Meg Mitchell Moore has written a beautiful novel set on Block Island called “The Islanders.”
•Are the good times all gone for St. John’s basketball, or does it just seem that way?
•You still don’t think Dennis Lehane is a big-time author, Bunky? Check out his 2008 novel “The Given Day.”
•Was Derek Jeter born to be in the Hall of Fame, or does it just seem that way?
•And how would you like to be the one baseball writer who didn’t vote for him?
•QUIZ ANSWER: 1980-81 Oakland Raiders.
•If the “Independent Man” isn’t in the Rhode Island Hall of Fame, he should be.
•Speaking of Brady, the one thing that probably gets overlooked in his skill set is his incredible will.
•That, and the fact that he throws the ball pretty good, too.
•Just in case you tend to overlook that.
•Twenty-six years ago last Tuesday, Robert Kraft purchased the Patriots from James Orthwein for $175 million. Nineteen division titles, 10 conference championships and six Super Bowl titles later, the team is worth $4.1 billion, according to Forbes.
•Kemba Walker had gone 28 games with out a win against LeBron James until Tuesday night when the Celtics beat him and the Lakers, 139-107. That stretch of futility was second in NBA history only to Sherman Douglas’ 0-30 head-to-head record against Michael Jordan.
•Seventeen days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, if you’re keeping score at home.
•This from the New York Daily News: When Jeter entered the major leagues in 1995, 16.1 percent of the league identified as African-American, per the Society of Baseball Research. In Jeter’s last season it was down to 6.7 percent.
•Jeter’s response when he heard that one voter did not pick him for the Hall of Fame: “See our minds are a little different. I focused on the ones that did.”
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mikemc
Friar Fanatic
Posts: 3,241
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Bunky
Jan 25, 2020 20:25:05 GMT -5
dex likes this
Post by mikemc on Jan 25, 2020 20:25:05 GMT -5
The 3-point shot in the NBA has become a routine jump shot.
•And the college one isn’t too far behind.
Bunky must not watch PC much..
....gotta love friartown...
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Bunky
Feb 15, 2020 11:55:19 GMT -5
Post by dex on Feb 15, 2020 11:55:19 GMT -5
Where have the good old days gone?
Bill Reynolds
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: • What happened to the good old days in New England sports?
For it wasn’t that long ago that the Patriots were parading through town with yet another Lombardi Trophy, cementing a dynasty like no other in pro football, if not pro sports.
And it seemed like yesterday when the Red Sox hung another World Series banner in old Fenway Park. The team that had to wait 86 years between titles rattled off four of them in 14 years.
Now?
Now, the Patriots seem adrift at sea, wondering who will be under center when the season kicks off in the fall as the soon-to-be free-agent Tom Brady may wind up elsewhere.
And the Red Sox, under investigation by the league, are opening spring training with an interim manager after Alex Cora left in the wake of an embarrassing sign-stealing scandal he helped orchestrate in Houston.
What happened to the good old days in New England sports?
• What do you think the Red Sox think about the Patriots?
• Is James Harden always the leading scorer in the NBA, and that’s just the way it is, no questions asked?
• Forbes says the average value of NBA franchises is more than $2 billion for the first time. That’s the average value. The most valuable? The Knicks, at $4.6 billion. The Celtics are fifth at $3.1 billion.
• When did the Pats become a year-round sport around here?
• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Which NBA player appeared in the most regular-season games? (Answer near the end of the column.)
• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Mookie Betts, on being traded to the Dodgers: “Same game, just in a different uniform.”
• LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Ralph Medici Jr., who works in sales here at The Journal: “Rather than being a badge of honor, the ’four-year-college-player’ tag is almost a scarlet letter in basketball circles these days.’’
• LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Wyc Grousbeck, Celtics co-owner on the announcement that the team will be retiring Kevin Garnett’s number next season: “From the moment he arrived in the summer of 2007, Kevin changed everything for us. His complete commitment to winning was a decisive factor in our 2008 championship.”
• LINE OF THE WEEK IV is from Larry Bowa, former major-league player and manager, on the Astros’ sign-stealing: “It’s just hard for me to believe that they used a trash can and ... nobody did anything about it. I know for a fact that if that happened when I was playing and Steve Carlton had been pitching, he’d have drilled somebody if they kept hitting that can.”
• The last four-year college player to be drafted No. 1 overall in the NBA was Kenyon Martin in 2000.
• Raise your hand, Bunky, if you thought this year’s URI Rams would be closing in on a ticket to the Big Dance, while the PC Friars appear to be on the outside looking in.
• Did you see where the Chargers are getting rid of quarterback Philip Rivers after 16 years?
• The Red Sox open their season in less than six weeks.
• For new Red Sox skipper Ron Roenicke, this will be his 28th season as a coach or manager.
• The Knicks’ coaching job is open. Then again, doesn’t the Knicks job always seem to be open?
• Hey, who knows? Maybe the Independent Man is looking for some indoor work this winter.
• Did you see where Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said his opinion is that stealing signs in 2017 “didn’t impact” the game? Say what?
• Looking forward to Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, in which Team LeBron will face Team Giannis? Neither am I.
• Look up the word “potential’’ in the sports dictionary and you might just see a picture of Friar freshmen Greg Gantt.
• Or a group photo of the General Assembly, too.
• Photos from spring training always look wonderful on a cold February morning.
• Memo to Joe Biden: You’ve had a great run, but it’s over.
• There is a new Tiger book coming out this spring called “The Second Life of Tiger Woods,’’ by Michael Bamberger.
• QUIZ ANSWER: Robert Parish, 1,611
• The ongoing scandal? Paying big money so your kid can get into a prestigious college.
• But there’s no truth to the rumor that it originated here in Rhode Island.
• Not this time, Bunky. wreynolds@ providencejournal.com
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Bunky
Apr 11, 2020 10:35:14 GMT -5
Post by dex on Apr 11, 2020 10:35:14 GMT -5
All eyes will be on Brady, Patriots
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
There’s one thing we can say for sure about Tom Brady’s leaving New England — it’s going to get interesting in Foxboro.
Who will replace him as the Patriots starting quarterback, how well will the team play and can Bill Belichick continue the team’s winning ways without him.
It’ll also be interesting for Tampa.
Talk about a city that could stand a dose of glamour.
Raise your hand if you thought back in January that Tom Brady’s next pass would come wearing a Buccaneers jersey.
•Who says nothing is happening in sports right now? Rick Pitino has been hired to coach at Iona.
•And you thought only cats had nine lives.
•Welcome to the coronavirus, a science-fiction movie that walked off the screen into the audience.
•Will there even be an NFL season this fall or will I have more time to meditate?
.
•QUIZ OF THE WEEK: The last time Major League Baseball delayed its season was 1995, when the strike of the previous year ended. How many games did each team play during that regular season? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
•LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Kevin Garnett, who along with Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Speaking about the owner of his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Garnett said, “I don’t do business with snake [expletive].”
•LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Joe Biden, who in February called a woman “a lying,dog-faced pony soldier.” Way to go, Joe
• When The Masters gets postponed, Bunky, that means you should put your plaid shorts away for the summer.
•From the some-things never- change department: Forbes estimates the New York Yankees are baseball’s most valuable franchise at $5 billion. The Los Angeles Dodgers ($3.4 billion) are No. 2. The Boston Red Sox are third at $3.3 billion.
•Did you see where St. John’s and Creighton played one half in the Big East Tournament before the whole thing was called off?
•Seton Hall was in the middle of its best basketball season in 27 years, until the pandemic ran them out of the gym.
•Speaking of meditation, I think I’ll meditate this afternoon on the meaning of life and where I put my sneakers.
•The Kentucky Derby has been moved to September. Does that mean the ponies get the summer off?
•I’m supposed to limit my “gatherings” to five people. I’m trying, but I can’t get to five.
•Memo to Tom Brady: Talk about getting squeezed off the front page.
•The New York Daily News named Bob Kraft “Dude of the Week” for sending the Patriots jet to China to pick up 1.2 million medical masks. Kraft also picked up half the bill.
•The new odd couple: Howard Stern and TB12, who talked about leaving the Patriots on Sirius radio.
•With no sports to watch on TV right now, I decided to be productive and learn a new language. But there’s no truth to the rumor it’s pig Latin.
•The last time I heard about social distancing was at a junior high dance — and I didn’t like it then either.
•RIP Curly Neal, a legendary Harlem Globetrotter at 77.
•And Al Kaline, 85, a Tiger for the ages.
•PS: Joe, what’s a pony soldier?
•Kudos to both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who might duel on TV again to raise money for coronavirus victims.
• Another memo to TB12: Don’t forget to write.
•QUIZ ANSWER: 144 (The Red Sox finished first in the A.L. East, at 86-58).
• Wasn’t the Dog-Faced Pony Soldiers a punk band in the 1980’s?
• You know things are bad when movie theaters are closed.
•A shout-out to all the nurses, doctors and others on the front-line of the pandemic. The true heroes.
•I’m off now to do what all good pony soldiers do — take a nap.
wreynolds@ providencejournal. com
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Bunky
Apr 18, 2020 10:21:53 GMT -5
Post by dex on Apr 18, 2020 10:21:53 GMT -5
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
•We can’t shake hands, we’re not supposed to go out, everything’s closed and people are hoarding toilet paper.
This is our reality as this long national nightmare plays itself out and makes everything else we do seem so unimportant. Sports teams sit idle and we long to cheer for something. And yet we move on, boats against the current.
•There’s no truth to the rumor that if there is any major-league baseball action this year, the players will have to wear masks.
•Maybe it’s me, Bunky, but I like watching old games on TV.
•Call it retro Celtics.
•The line of the week comes from Dr. Anthony Fauci: “I don’t think we should ever shake hands again.”
•Does that mean we have to bump elbows from now on?
•The good news? All 12 NBA players who tested positive for COVID-19 are now symptom-free.
•The bad news? Look around.
•Few things can bring back the past as emotionally as the right song. For me, Roy Orbison never misses, even now.
•Speaking of Roy Orbison, Elvis once told him he was so good, he wouldn’t
want to be on the same stage as him.
•It’s going to take a while to get used to the fact that Tom Brady is in Tampa. What, Warwick wasn’t available?
•Or maybe it’s this simple: Couples who break up in high school show more emotion than Brady did when he left the Patriots.
•He said he cried, but I missed the tears.
•Emoni Bates, a 16-yearold from Michigan, became the first high school sophomore to be named Gatorade’s national boys Basketball Player of the Year. He is a 6-foot-9inch wing player. He also was Michigan’s player of the year as a freshman and has been called a young Kevin Durant.
•This from Forbes Magazine: The Yankees are baseball’s most valuable franchise at $5 billion, up 9% over last year, and 47% more than the Dodgers at $3.4 billion. The Red Sox are third.
•In case you’re wondering, the Red Sox were valued at $3.3 billion.
•That’s a lot of hot dogs.
•LINE OF THE WEEK comes from a source who told author Ian O’Connor in 2018 that, “Tom knows Bill’s the best coach in the league, but he’s had enough of him. If Tom could leave, I think he would.’’
•LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Tom Brady on the Howard Stern show: “In the end, what really kept me from smoking a lot of weed … I always felt like I was letting my Dad down in a way.”
•LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Rick Pitino: “I no longer have an ounce of bitterness toward Louisville or anybody else. … I’m so fired up, I feel like I’m in my 30s.”
•RIP Armand Batastini, a longtime legend in Rhode Island youth basketball. And a longtime friend.
•Did you see that Chris Gasper is leaving The Boston Globe and joining WCVB-TV in Boston?
•It’s been 73 years since Jackie Robinson broke the major league’s color barrier.
•Now this: Blacks made up less than 8% of starting rosters on Opening Day last year, down from 17% in 1990, according to Houston’s manager, Dusty Baker.
•“It’s frustrating,” said Baker. ”It seems like the numbers are dwindling instead of increasing.”
•The Boston Globe said Brady playing for Tampa was like “Bobby Orr finishing his career as a Chicago Blackhawk.”
•This from the New York Post: New England is one of two teams not to have drafted a Pro Bowl player in the last five seasons.
•Did you see where pro wrestling has been deemed an essential business in Florida, like supermarkets and pharmacies?
•Former NBA great Bill Walton is hosting a virtual two-hour bike ride next Saturday to benefit COVID-19 patients and health-care workers.
Walton said he can’t walk for exercise anymore — after 38 surgeries, no wonder — but he can ride his bike “all day long.”
•The head of the NBA players’ union recently called this year a “season from hell,” but said she remains hopeful about some playoffs action.
“Frankly, I’m dying to see a basketball game,” said Michele Roberts.
• Thatmakestwoofus
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