The Big Draft News

So the big draft news for the Patriots was kind of tangentially related to the draft: we traded Ellis Hobbs (corner) to the Philadelphia Eagles for 2 5th-round picks. I was sufficiently surprised that I ran to my computer as soon as I saw the info on ESPN yesterday. We currently have about 382 corners between the draft and off-season trades, so I guess they have other plans (and as you may recall, last year we needed corners). Let's hope that some combination will work out and I can retire that tag.

Things I didn't think I would say during the baseball season

'That Wakefield is having one great start to his season.'

Seriously, guy is on fire. Tonight against Cleveland he pitched 7 innings and allowed no runs. When did this happen?

'Delcarmen has turned into a reliable middle reliever.'

Also surprising. He is pitching right now and so far looking just fine.

It's all good, don't get me wrong. Just surprising.

Crazed Yankees vs. Red Sox series

So Friday night turned out to be one of those nail-biting extra inning games, which Youkilis won in the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off homer. Phew! Oh, and Papelbon did show up (and didn't do so well, but at least allowed no runs. Phew!).

Yesterday the Yankees had a 6-0 lead which they then blew, losing the game 16-11. There was a grand slam. It was insanity. Fabulous game, even if it was very, very long.

One game remains in the series tonight at 8pm. Then we are back to boring.

Oh, and my new concept, Yankeeerwerbungschadenfreude, is being presented in its full glory this season. The term roughly means, 'taking joy in the failure of expensive acquisitions by the Yankees.' See, for instance, Teixiera in Friday night's game.

Montreal eliminated. Yay.

The agony has ended, Montreal went down in four straight.

Yeah, it happened days ago, but that's how much I cared in the end.

Next year. They have to win next year. But there's a lot of work to be done between that point and this.

Jets make potentially assy move, get new QB

So after the disaster that was Brett Favre this year, the Jets have decided to try a new tactic: instead of creating an overpriced team of old guys, they're going to draft a team of new guys. To whit: yesterday they traded away 2 players, 2 draft picks, and maybe even a couple of kitchen sinks to get the Cleveland Browns' pick, thus assuring themselves of snatching Mark Sanchez of USC.

Will it work? Who knows.

However, as Dan Wetzel points out, 'Sanchez may be popular, but that doesn’t get you past the Patriots.'

Also, it's not too often that a QB comes in straight from the draft and succeeds (Matt Ryan with Atlanta being the exception this past season and of course Tom Brady, but he was never intended as the starter). So, as usual, good luck with all that, Jets.

Anyone know where Papelbon is?

It's the top of the ninth, Yankees are leading 4-2, and Javier Lopez just loaded the bases with walks and hitting people with pitches.

And he's still in there pitching.

Here I was, thinking we had a middle bullpen. Wrong.

Update: so we made it through the inning thanks to a double play at home plate and Cabrera popping out via foul ball. In other words: thank you, Jason Varitek.

Red Sox may have momentum

I stress the 'may.' Because if they do have momentum, then it's a 1-game win streak momentum interrupted by a day off.

However, on Wednesday they faced the As and Wakefield almost had a no-hitter. That is a seriously unexpected development. Tonight they face the Orioles with Brad Penny pitching. Baltimore, unlike us, is red hot so far this season, so let's hope that there is some slight momentum, no matter how slight.

Game 1 goes (not surprisingly) to the Bruins

Yep, Montreal lost 4-2 last night. They did put up a fight, even tying it at 2-2 for much of the game. But in the end they gave up a goal (shorthanded because of a penalty). The last was an empty netter.

Boo.

So to cheer you up, check this out.

Anonymous Source makes classic comment

On the possibility of Giants acquiring WR Braylon Edwards:

'Edwards is a bigger guy that [quarterback] Eli [Manning] wants to throw to, like he had with Plaxico. The Giants know they can’t leave Eli with no great receivers. They saw what happened last year.'

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

I want football to start again

It would be nice to cheer for at least one team that has a winning record.

Josh Beckett was suspended for 6 games today over a pitch that he allegedly threw during Saturday's game. It went near the head of a player. The Angels have been up in arms about this incident, whereas the Red Sox are claiming it is just one of those things that, you know, happens in baseball. Also worthy of note: the Red Sox have exactly one winning starting pitcher at this time: Josh Beckett.

Last night they got slaughtered again, this time by the Oakland As in an 8-2 blow-out of icky.

Apparently, we have not yet hit the 'panic number,' which is 1-6. However, we are 2-5, which really isn't all that much better.

Red Sox after 5: meh

Greetings from the basement of the AL East. Sure, after yesterday we've had to share that basement with Tampa, but we are still in there. Oh the irony of Tampa and Boston being in the basement. Oh the irony.

Anyway, what I have seen thus far of the Red Sox has not been all that impressive. Starting pitchers are not quite there yet. Papelbon last night managed to load the bases in the 9th inning before finally delivering a save (and he gave up a homerun in that inning, bringing the Angels to within 1 run). I hope that he is just getting off to a slow start and/or having the worst slump of the season now and getting it over with. I saw him pitch at Fort Myers (where I believe he also gave up a homerun) and he hasn't quite looked like himself yet in my eyes.

Baseball, of course, is a super long season and there are still plenty of games to go. Hopefully the Red Sox will pick it up, though.

Stuff that's happened since I last blogged

-Jay Cutler went to Chicago.
-Baseball season started.
-NFL draft got even a bit closer, yippee.
-NFL season got even a bit closer. But not close enough.

Stuff that hasn't happened since I last blogged:
-Julius Peppers has not signed with the Patriots. Nor has Jason Taylor.

Suddenly I don't feel so badly about my blogal silence.

Habs to play Bruins in round 1 of playoffs

(I know, I've been terrible at blogging, hopefully slightly more now that baseball has started).

Montreal barely squeaked into the playoffs by losing in OT to the Bruins last week. Now if that isn't a decisive qualification, I don't know what is. Honestly, I love them and all, but really? Do we really need to be humiliated in Round 1?

Astute fans will have noted that the situation is almost precisely reversed to a year ago: Montreal was top of the conference and played the #8 Bruins in Round 1. Also, we were almost eliminated by them and it went to 7 games. Sort of shameful, to be honest. Montreal, of course, was then knocked out completely in Round 2, showing that the whole 'We won the conference' thing must have been a fluke.

Historically, Montreal has done well against Boston in the playoffs. However, as I think most of us believe, this time around will probably give the Bruins a few games to balance off that statistic.

I am liking the Bruins and Sharks in the final. It pains me to say that, but it could be worse. The Leafs didn't even make the playoffs, so nyeah.