MLB: Relax, Red Sox Nation, Relax!

Guest Writer: ADAM CUBBAGE

I picked Boston to win the AL East and I stand by that pick 100 percent because I know they’re capable of pulling off a serious run. And, while this stumble out of the gate is eerily similar to the one the 2008 Detroit Tigers made when they lost their first seven games to start the season, after adding Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria to an already loaded lineup, (“They’ll break the runs scored!” record we all screamed), I have one piece of advice for the Boston Red Sox and their fans going forward: Relax!

That's easier said than done though, right?

Playing in Boston isn’t like playing in San Diego or Tampa Bay. The media is a little more intense and the fans more brutal attentive. But, let’s look at it this way, you lost, on the road, to the defending American League Champions— that’s understandable.

The Indians are playing a little over their heads right now and every good team runs into those types of upstarts.

You took two of three from the Yankees, and that’s worth its weight in chowder.

That said, there is absolutely no explanation for the 16-5 pasting you took from the Manny-less, Evan-less, and (on this night) Price-less Rays other than your team is playing with too much pressure on its shoulders.

It’s time for Terry Francona to sing a different song because the “we’re just taking it one game at a time now" one has played itself out.

You drop your biggest off-season fish down to seventh in the order and you still run Daisuke Matsuzaka out there every fifth day? It's not often I question Francona’s moves but that one was a head-scratcher. Not to mention it more than likely did nothing to keep Carl Crawford from pressing his way deeper into a slump.

I wasn’t a fan of this move because it comes too early in the year. Every manager has their reasoning, I know, but I just wasn't buying any of the ones Francona was selling.

The pitching seems to be coming around—in doses (yes, I did see the Rays game). One thing is for certain, this team is in trouble if they don’t find someone to fix Matsuzaka. He is far removed from the World Baseball Classic version of himself and can’t seem to control the strike zone like before.

The Red Sox can’t afford to keep running him out there if he is going to nibble corners and stray away from the plate. While pitching isn’t the only problem looking Boston square in the face, it sets the tone for the rest of the team.

This team needs to shape up fast or risk looking back on April as the reason they’ll be watching in October.

Other teams trending in a direction that won’t last:

Atlanta Braves: Team started off well enough going 3-1. I’ll give them a pass having to face Oswalt, Halladay, Gallardo, Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco.

Baltimore Orioles: Break up the O’s! No seriously, by July that’s what we’ll be saying when their hot start becomes just another feel good April story and they start stockpiling young talent a la the Erik Bedard-Adam Jones trade.

Cleveland Indians: Wow. Even I have to give credit to the start this team has gotten off to. Not to mention doing it without Grady Sizemore and reliever Joe Smith. Travis Hafner looks good early but another club I think that just won’t be able to sustain.

Related articles

• Boston Red Sox drop Carl Crawford to 7th; J.D. Drew leads off (sports.espn.go.com)
• Boston Red Sox call up Hideki Okajima, send down Felix Doubront (sports.espn.go.com)
• You: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox: Time To Cut Ties (bleacherreport.com)

NFL Swap: After Elway's Statements, What's Next For Tim Tebow In Denver?

John Elway is the new Vice President of Football Operations for the Denver Broncos. Translation: he has a say in what happens on the team—personnel wise—but he doesn't write the checks that make them happen.

So, when John Elway talks, the Denver players better be listening, and it looks like Tim Tebow's ears just started burning where his future as Denver's starting quarterback is concerned.

Elway, speaking to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, made it clear that Tebow is not the guy Denver needs at quarterback right now. Said Elway, "I don’t think Tim Tebow is a good quarterback at this level at this time..."

Could that statement mean Tebow is destined to move to another position in the very near future?

If so, would Tebow be willing to make a switch—to possibly fullback or tight end—now that he's had a taste of success at quarterback?

Does the very idea of Tebow playing elsewhere—be it position or team—mean there's still a chance for Orton in Denver?

Elway still holds a high-opinion of Tebow as a player, it's just not certain that he's willing to wait the 2-3 more seasons Tebow would need to become the player that leads Denver back to glory.

One thing is for sure, if Tebow stays in Denver, he won't have much room for error in 2011.

As for Elway, he's definitely placing his football smarts on the line early where personnel evaluation is concerned.

Tebow was drafted to be the future in Denver, and to hear Elway dismiss him as only average is a sure sign that the former legend isn't about to kowtow to the, possibly, future one.

Related articles

• Elway clarifies his comments on Tebow (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)

Georgia Football: Seniors Asked to Return Plaques—Wins Miscalculated

Perhaps Blair Walsh wasn't just speaking for his teammates when he spoke of their feeling "entitled" to win the bowl game against Central Florida last Friday night.

Claude Felton, UGA's spokesman, announced that the seniors would have to return the plaques they received at the teams' annual awards gala—held prior to playing in the Liberty Bowl.

Apparently, the plaques posted a 7-6 record—assuming a bowl win over UCF—that didn't actually happen. According to Felton, it's a common practice at Georgia to include the bowl games as wins and corrections have had to be made at least once before.

How embarrassing.

Perhaps, the idea that the players feel entitled has longer legs than I thought.

We've been hearing a lot about changes coming to the overall culture of Georgia football, and it's obvious that's something that needs to happen across the board.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

College Football: Forget Integrity, We Just Want The Money

After the story broke about Ohio State players selling their jerseys and accepting favors, many of us watched and waited to see what the all-mighty NCAA would do to punish the players and the university—at the very least we expected the six offenders to sit for the Sugar Bowl.

Well, what happened instead is yet another example of how the NCAA is just another bully masquerading as an organization of order.

Ohio State was given the option of delaying suspensions until the start of the 2011 season, and now that the representatives of the Sugar bowl have spoken, we know why—money.

Said Sugar Bowl CEO, Paul
Hoolahan,

"I made the point that anything that could be done to preserve the integrity of this year's game, we would greatly appreciate it...that appeal did not fall on deaf ears, and I'm extremely excited about it, that the Buckeyes are coming in at full strength and with no dilution."

Must be nice.

While it's easy to understand Hoolahan's motives—he is a business man after all—it's less easy to explain away the obvious double-standard of the NCAA in this case.

Are they the governing body of college football or not?

A.J. Green sat four games for selling his jersey, Anthony Dasher missed four for taking a $1500 loan, and last season, Dez Bryant missed most of his final season for talking to Deion Sanders...but Ohio State gets the option of delaying punishment because some bowl official doesn't want another lackluster BCS game on his hands?

Nice job of getting tough, Mr. Emmert. Here we thought you were bringing balance to the NCAA—as it's new president—but as it turns out, you just brought a bigger checkbook.

What a joke.

Marvin Lewis on OchoCinco: "He's Being His Mopey Self"

You know, with a coach like Marvin Lewis, who needs enemies?

Reportedly when coach Lewis was asked about the recovery status of Chad OchoCinco, he had this to say, "Well, he's being his mopey self. Hopefully, he can pull himself out of it and move forward ... When things don't go Chad's way, that's kinda how it happens."

Uh huh, tell us how you really feel Marvin.

To further aggravate the situation, Lewis added the following when asked how he deals with such behavior from his other media-friendly receiver, "I don't deal with it...we just move on. We'll put a new guy in there. If he's not ready to go Sunday, we'll have somebody in there ready to go and go from there."

Wow, coach, I didn't realize you had so many grand options at that position—especially considering your other head-case, wait, I mean playmaker is out for the year.

Mr. Lewis might need to learn how to be a touch more diplomatic when discussing his players. It's a trait that could serve him well when he searching for his next job—which could be soon.

As for how OchoCinco feels about this, well, he did say something about being thrown under the bus.

Things are getting hot in Cincy. Looks like there's still plenty of drama left for No. 85.

Randy Edsall Imploring UCONN Fans To Buy Tickets to Fiesta Bowl

It's safe to say that no one figured on UCONN making a trip to a BCS bowl game this year. They slid in by the hairs of their chinny-chin-chin and will now reap the benefit of a nice little payout.

Unfortunately for UCONN, their fans aren't as excited about their trip to Arizona as the players and coaches. So far, according to Darren Rovell's Twitter feed, the Huskies have only sold 4,700 of their allotted 17,500 tickets.

That puts them well shy of where they'd like to be at this point in the bowl season—financially—and makes the possibility of them taking a loss on this trip a major probability.

In response to the slow-going sales, UCONN head coach, Randy Edsall, has asked that fans and supporters of the program consider the magnitude of this opportunity to see their football program play on the national stage.

Said Edsall, "If you have the opportunity and the wherewithal to make it happen, (you) should make it happen, because this is a once in a lifetime experience for the most part,” Edsall said. “There’s (other) BCS (games), but this might be the only Fiesta Bowl we go to. We hope it’s not, but if you have the opportunity to go, (you) should spend the money and go."

You would hope that fans wouldn't need such prompting but, the truth is, times are tough for many, and UCONN football doesn't have the following of an SEC or a Big Ten school—convincing people to spend upwards of $700 (tickets are $111 minimally) is going to be a much tougher proposition.

Edsall isn't naive to the fact that the school could lose more than it gains, from a financial standpoint, but he wouldn't trade it for anything—the recruiting benefits alone could speak volumes for his program's future.

That said, there are still those who wider if it's worth the cost. If maybe the BCS shouldn't have been bait more cognizant of the locales before making their decision to allow UCONN to play in the Orange Bowl—they stand to lose just as much if no one is watching.

It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out but, right now, it doesn't look like anyone is winning.

Related articles

• UConn coach confident heading into Fiesta Bowl matchup with Oklahoma (nypost.com)