Time Out for Sports Talk – Madness Everywhere You Look
Todd: We at the TOST blog do not like leaving work unfinished. With that in mind, I conclude the Boston sports madness brackets I started a few weeks ago.
‘FENWAY’ Region Final, No. 1 David Ortiz vs. No. 7 Darrelle Revis: If Revis helps the Pats win a fourth Lombardi Trophy, I say he gets a statue next to Brady. But it would still be dwarfed by the Big Papi statue that will begin to get built the day after his retirement. I also don’t know whether Revis would be eligible for any exemptions from the FCC. Great effort by Darrelle to get this far, but he’s the new kid in town and gets the tough draw here. Pick: Ortiz.
‘GARDEN’ Region Final, No. 1 Tom Brady vs. No. 2 Zdeno Chara: Both captains and strong leaders for their respective teams, and both are also hugely indispensable parts of their clubs in both a physical and literal sense. Brady’s five SB appearances trump Chara’s two times in the SCF, although since this is the ‘Garden’ region, I assume Chara holds home ice advantage? But Brady has proven he can play in the snow or ice nearly as well as he does on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the fall. Pick: QB12 over Big Z, but it’s closer than expected.
AND NOW FOR THE MADNESS CHAMPIONSHIP, Ortiz vs. Brady: No upsets here, as the top two seeds advance to the finals. Hardly original, but I created these brackets and this is how I whittled it down.
In 2014 these two are the most iconic sports images (actively playing) in Boston and all of New England, miles ahead of anyone else. They’ve both won three championships and earn the utmost respect from their teammates. Both are talentedly charismatic and charitable away from the playing field. If one was starting a 21st Century Boston sports Mount Rushmore, these two immediately go up while the next two choices would be long debated.
Only way I can truly decide a winner is that Brady’s selfies are of him with his family on some unknown tropical island. Maybe he doesn’t have one with the POTUS, but he also doesn’t have the ‘controversy’ surrounding him about said selfie as Ortiz does.
MY CHAMP: Tom Brady.
Speaking of brackets, congrats to UConn’s men’s and women’s hoop squads. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of their amazing double national championships, darn if they weren’t able to pull off such a rare feat yet again. The two programs are now a combined 13-0 in national title games, and incredibly all of those wins have been in just the last twenty years. With all this success, the Storrs student body should finish celebrating just in time for finals.
The last bit of Madness takes place in Philadelphia this weekend, where we at the TOST blog wish coach Jerry York and his Boston College Eagles the best of luck as BC aims for its fifth national championship in the last fourteen years. If even-numbered years are any indication at success, then Brian Gionta’s alma mater stands a good chance this year, having won their last three titles in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
TOST HOT TOPIC OF THE WEEK: With John Lackey off to a strong start this year, should the Red Sox offer him an extension or at least tear up his current deal, which calls for him to earn the MLB minimum salary ($500K) next season?
Todd: This latest ‘hot sports take’ being discussed on sports radio earlier this week was nearly making my ears bleed! Worse yet, I fear we’re going to continue hearing about Lackey’s 2015 salary every time he has a quality start. If this is what passes for sports talk these days, I think I’m going to have to increase my Pandora listening.
When the Red Sox offered Lackey a five-year, $82M deal prior to the 2010 season, they added an option for an additional sixth year at $500K as a kind of insurance if he were to miss any significant time due to his pre-existing elbow issues (a contract that Lackey and his agent were more than willing to sign). In hindsight, Sox management looked like absolute geniuses, because Lackey needed Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2012 season (not to mention that he posted an abysmal 5.26 ERA during his first two seasons in Boston). So now, just because Lackey has apparently had a career resurgence since the start of last season, the Sox should feel obligated to ignore the $500K vesting option for next year?
In the words of the late, great Colonel Sherman Potter from the M*A*S*H 4077th, buffalo bagels!
I never once heard Lackey express any guilt about all the guaranteed money he earned from the Sox from 2010-2012 (just shy of $50M) or offer to give any of his salary back because he underperformed so badly. Yet the 35-year old finally earns his salary and suddenly the TV/radio carnival barkers suggest he refuse to pitch in 2015 for half a million bucks, or that the Sox should do the right thing and give Lackey another big pile of guaranteed money. As I believe the kids still like to say today, totally ridonkulous.
Mike: This is one time Todd and I are in complete agreement. He signed the contract, and he should have to live by it. He didn't give the money back for the year he spent on the DL, so why should the Red Sox tear up a valid contract and commit themselves to more money?
Yes, Lackey is having a great couple of years here in Boston, and if he continues this pace, he will get paid for it, but not until after the contract he signed is over. The Red Sox have no reason to pay him any more than what was agreed to, so why should they?
The main reason for my stance is the fact that there is no way I see the Sox signing him to a long-term deal after this one (including the $500K year) is up. He'll be around 37 with a history of injury, the Sox can move on after that and let Lackey test the market. I'd rather seen them invest the money in their younger pitchers (like Jon Lester) and get what they can out of Lackey for the rest of the contract.
And if he refuses to play for $500,000, what is he going to do? He has a valid contract (once again that he and his agent agreed to-no one held a gun to their head), so he has no leverage. And if he sulks and pitches horribly, they can just eat the rest of the deal and let him go. Or even put him out there as trade bait, with that low of a salary, surely some team would take a flyer on him and give the Sox some sort of prospect (not necessarily a high-level one) for him.
So, to sum up, I'm glad Lackey is pitching so well, but I'm not one of those people who is going to feel sorry for him when he's doing it for $500,000!
Our next LIVE show is coming up on Tuesday, April 22 from 8-9pm. You can post your questions via Twitter using the hashtag #TOSTapr22 or call in at (617)484-2443.
More From 92 Moose
