John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud

John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud

Thinking out loud…and wondering whatever happened to the Boogie Man, Holland Cooke, Big Ange and some of the other great DJ’s of yesterday around here…

• Bobby Valentine alleges that David Ortiz basically “quit” on the Red Sox, and on him, after the blockbuster trade in August sealed Boston’s playoff fate. Even though the Sox are probably right about trying to re-sign Ortiz to a new two-year deal…I’m not surprised at this if true. The clubhouse had to have been a real-life soap-opera…just sayin’…

• Not for nuthin’…I appreciate 3rd base coach Tim Bogar sticking up for his fellow coaches on Valentine’s staff, since Bobby V. threw them all under the bus for “undermining” him during the year. But really, can we move on? Players play, coaches coach. No one did their job well…

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• As stated previously, I understand why the Red Sox decided on John Farrell. I hope, as a Sox fan, that he’s the right guy. And I’m not certain who would have been a better candidate, really. But he makes me YAWN…

• There’s so much ground for the 2013 Sox to make up, it’s hard to know where to start. A 20-game improvement is needed next year just to get them in the playoff hunt. 20 games? That would be extraordinary, and qualify Farrell for potential sainthood…

• UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma wants the NCAA to lower the rims for the women’s game? Yeah, that’ll bring out the fans. Hey Geno, that might not matter at UConn, where the fans already turn out for your women’s team…but if you want to retain any shred of credibility, leave Dr. Naismith’s game alone. Or put up peach baskets, instead…

• The two best teams, at the end, are left standing in the World Series. And the Tigers have the better pitching…Pablo Sandoval’s HR barrage in Game One notwithstanding…

• Which of these nicknames doesn’t belong with the others…the Sultan of Swat, Mr. October, Prince Albert or Kung Fu Panda?

• Through Game One of the World Series, Marco Scutaro had taken 89 swings in this post-season…and missed exactly twice. Seriously, how can the Red Sox (and everyone else) swing and miss on this?

• Now the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera says he’s thinking about retiring, rather than comeback from his ACL tear last spring. Can’t say that I blame him…but it’s always a bit sad when a true superstar leans toward leaving his sport. He’s irreplaceable…

• Louisville super-soph-to-be Chane Behanan has been suspended from his team’s first exhibition game, and banned from talking to the media for the entire first semester. While I wonder what he might have done or said to warrant the punishment, in reality, it isn’t a punishment at all. Some younger athletes need to learn how to think…before they speak…

• A proud moment in the academic bastion known as the ACC…North Carolina WR Erik Highsmith was recently found guilty of plagiarism in writing a blog for a communications class. That’s bad enough…but he copied – almost word for word – a project on poultry farming written by five 11-year-olds. Are you paying attention, Notre Dame?

• Oh – but Highsmith’s faux pas came after what might be the sports Tweet of all time, courtesy of Ohio State’s Cardale Jones, who tweeted last week “why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain’t come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS.” Bravo, Buckeyes. You should be proud…

• I really like Frank Spaziani, the head football coach at Boston College. Great guy, family man and good football coach. He’ll probably soon be without a job however, as BC’s football fortunes have plowed right into a cesspool. The ACC has done them no favors, except for perhaps the pocket book…which is also why Coach Spaz could survive the current one-win season. No. One. Cares…

• I don’t like them, and you probably don’t like them…but we see them all the time, especially now. Attack ads, by political candidates. I tend to not pay attention, and generally avoid voting for the candidate who originated the ad. But you know what? They work…why else would politicians and wannabe’s keep making them?

• Let’s see…NFL commish Roger Goodell wants former commish Paul Tagliabue to arbitrate the suspensions in the Saints’ “Bountygate” saga as the appeals officer, because he’s an impartial third party? Really?

• The Patriots are simply a flawed team, like everyone else in the NFL. There are no “super” teams, no one is invincible, and every team can be beaten. This is what the NFL wanted, and this is what they have…games are decided by execution, and a little bit of cunning. The playing field is relatively even…so why do you think things like “Spygate” and “Bountygate” keep popping up? Everyone is looking for an edge…

• Has Bill Belichick “lost it?” No. But I would feel a lot better if he (and the powers-that-be) could better determine what makes a good cornerback in this day and age, because they’re way off on their present personnel…

• I don’t believe Tom Brady has “lost it” yet, either. He’s surrounded by relative strangers in a world where he has previously thrived on close-knit relationships, Wes Welker being the exception. He’s lost receivers, running backs and linemen that he’s previously depended upon…and we still expect him to perform magic…

• I’ve said this on our Patriots.com radio shows, but this team is simply immature. The young and inexperienced reside in positions that require a veteran presence for immediate success. The big picture question here is whether or not this team can grow up in time to take advantage of the current season’s opportunities. And there’s a big opportunity in the AFC…

• Stat of the Week, from my boy @BaxFootballGuru (Russell Baxter): “The Patriots are 38-8 vs. NFC teams dating back to ‘01 (41-10, counting Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII & XLVI), but 0-2 in 2012.” It’s a different day…

• Forbes Magazine conducted a poll on the most-liked and least-liked players in the NFL. Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions topped the chart as least-liked…the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu was most-liked. The only Patriot to make either Top 10 was Rob Gronkowski, 6th on the good list…

• More polls in this political season, this one from Sports Illustrated: Who is the most overrated player in the NFL? 180 players gave their answers to the magazine, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Tim Tebow was #1. The Jets’ starting QB, Mark Sanchez, was #2. And the Patriots needed a miracle to beat those guys last Sunday…

• The Brooklyn renaissance continues…with the New York Islanders bailing on Nassau in 2015 for the Barclays Center, and the home of the now-Brooklyn Nets. Nearly 60 years without a team of its’ own, since the Dodgers departed for the Left Coast…and now, two teams can’t get enough of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Back to the future…

• That is, if there is a future for the NHL. All games through November have now been cancelled. Really, could there be a dumber thing to do than quibble here? The owners put themselves into their mess; the players simply want to keep what they have…and have the ability to grow. Like anyone else striving to move up the ladder…

• Stupid is as stupid does…I don’t profess to be a huge hockey fan, even though I follow the locals. But when you’re #4 out of four professional sports in this nutty country…it might be in your best interest to lace ‘em up as soon as possible, lest you become the newspaper in the bottom of the bird cage in the sports world…

• So now the Boston Marathon is piling on Lance Armstrong, vacating his finish in 2008 because of his alleged doping. Armstrong aside, I’m not sure what to make of his Livestrong Foundation now. Have we been victims of a master hoodwinking? This would be an unprecedented fraud perpetrated on society…to the point where I’m not sure there’s a punishment available that would be sufficient…

• However, I still tend to believe the ultimate answer – which unfortunately we may never know because Armstrong remains stoically silent – is somewhere in the middle of his ex-teammates ratting him out, and Lance’s own denials…

• Tweet of the Week, from College Football @CFB: "If you can't trust your players on twitter, you can't trust them on 3rd down." - Chip Kelly, Oregon head coach. Makes perfect sense to me, coach, except for the fact that most of your players aren’t really adults, and can’t make adult decisions. But I see the point…

• My buddy Big E, who is 6-9, has always said trust is an issue with people who are shorter than he is. Never trust a man with short legs, because his brain is too near his butt…

• Tweet of the Week, Part II: From @BadgerMBB - Bruce Pearl about being in media: "Now I can provide false information and get paid to do it." I think he was joking, really…

• Our own GoLocalProv asks this week if it’s a problem that almost 1 in 5 Rhode Islanders are on some sort of public assistance. Does this question really need an answer? Consider your answer, however, before you vote next month…

• Congrats to the PC men’s soccer team for knocking off #3 ranked UConn this week. A step in the right direction for a young program…and I like what I’ve seen so far from Nate Leaman’s hockey team…and freshmen goaltender Jon Gillies and freshman center (and NHL 1st rounder) Mark Jankowski. Wins gotta come, next…

• Glad to see that Kris Joseph, the Celtics’ 2nd round pick out of Syracuse, made the final roster cut of pre-season. Did he distinguish himself from a few of the roster invitees? Maybe not as much, but the draft pick will always get the benefit of the doubt. It makes those doing the picking look better…

• At least give her points for persistence – Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones, criticized by her own USA teammates this summer in London for grabbing the spotlight while not winning anything…is grabbing it again. Jones is now on the USA Olympic team for Sochi, Russia in 2014 as a bobsledder. That’s a winter event, in case you were wondering…

• You want a true American hero? Consider former Olympic wrestler Jeff Blatnick, who passed away suddenly this week at 55. He won gold for the US in 1984 in heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling…not exactly America’s cup of tea – and did so by beating a guy who outweighed him by about 100 pounds. He volunteered to coach at his high school. And he overcame non-Hodgkins lymphoma…BEFORE he won a gold medal. I was on the Los Angeles Olympic Committee staff in ’84, and Blatnick was truly one of the nicest people we dealt with. He’ll be missed…

• Forgive me for the plug, but I’ve spent the past couple of years trying to answer the very question I asked at the beginning of this column…and now, finally, some answers. Rhode Island Radio will be out in local bookstores and available online (also on Amazon.com) starting November 19th, and it highlights the 90-year history of radio in our state through the personalities, their photographs and the stories that come along with them. My thanks to Arcadia Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to write the book, and for publishing it in order to share with you. The journey really took me back, and we’ve had some remarkably talented radio pros grace our airwaves. I hope you’ll agree…and enjoy! 

• Our mailbag question/comment this week comes from John via email: “One of the reasons I admire Eli (Manning). Tell me any other young quarterback that would admit this. Amazing how honest he is.” John: You would be hard pressed to find a better example of a leader right now, for sure. There are many who feel Eli is one of the best – if not THE best – big money QB’s in the game today. Can’t say I disagree with that assessment.

• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to [email protected]. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @jrooke0722…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...

• And you’re up early anyway…don’t forget to join us for GoLocal Sports on 103.7 FM, every Saturday from 7:00-9:00 am! Call in (401) 737-1287, or text 850850…and send email to the show - [email protected] .

• Looking for your midweek football fix? Jump into the “Patriots Playbook” on Patriots.com Radio, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2:00-4:00 pm ET. We’re live with commentary, interviews and your calls and questions on the Patriots and the NFL via social media. It’s a great way to break up the day at work! But if you can’t make it for the live webcast, never fear…the podcast will be near…