Time Out For Sports Talk: Remembering an Anniversary (and a few other items)
Todd: One year ago today, the events of the 117th Boston Marathon left a lasting impact on us. Yet from the tragedy, we were also witness to the heroism of first responders and ordinary citizens who helped save countless lives that Monday afternoon.
As another Patriots Day and Boston Marathon approach, let us remember those who stood tall in a moment of extreme crisis.
Let us remember those who survived and are standing tall today.
Let us remain Boston Strong as both a community and an entire region (because like David Ortiz said, this is our ******* city).
And let us here at the TOST blog get back to what we do best, deleting a few more files from our hard drive. Unlike the Sidd Finch-inspired column from a couple weeks ago, let’s offer some genuine sports thoughts as opposed to outlandish opines just to generate a response.
It was a rare April Sunday in Augusta that neither Tiger nor Phil were anywhere to be found (reflected in lower television ratings). Still, there were compelling storylines during the final round of the Masters, including a pair of fiftysomethings (Miguel Angel Jimenez and Fred Couples) remaining relevant along with a 20-year old (Jordan Spieth) who was trying to make history. But in the end, you have to hand the green jacket to Bubba Watson, who for the second time in three years was consistently steady when the moment called for it. Southpaw golfers have won six of the last twelve times at Augusta, and it will be curious to see if more changes are made to the historic course.
Speaking of those not in attendance, at this point I seriously wonder if Woods, now 38 years old and recovering from significant back surgery (I don’t care what they say, any surgery on the back is significant), has even one more major win in him, let alone trying to catch Jack Nicklaus’ record. For those who’ve lost count, Nicklaus won 18 majors, while Tiger has been stuck on 14 since 2008.
Hard to believe, but there is some good news regarding the currently last-place Red Sox, even after losing three of four in the Bronx. Not losing Dustin Pedroia or Koji Uehara to the disabled list sounds like pretty good news to me, and with both Victorino and Middlebrooks on the mend, John Farrell might soon be able to finally have the starting lineup on the field that he anticipated in spring training. It’s only the middle of April, Sox fans. Despite the slow start, Boston is only two games out of first because no one in the AL East has gotten off to a blistering start. No need to panic.
I don’t want to spend too much time discussing Jon Lester’s next contract, but I think if the Sox are willing to offer something in the neighborhood of five years and $100 million, that should be enough to keep the lefty in a Boston uniform. That may not be considered a ‘hometown discount’ to Ben Cherington or even to the average Sox fan, but sadly that appears to be the going rate for top-of-the-rotation quality pitching these days.
BTW that was not a bad Ortiz impression by Keenan Thompson on last weekend’s Saturday Night Live. It’s worth checking out the video to see his response to taking the selfie with the POTUS. I bet even Big Papi got a chuckle or two after watching it.
Is it possible that the introduction of replay to MLB has actually produced more incorrect calls? Doesn’t get more ironic than that, Alanis. Wonder if John Farrell stayed over an extra day in NYC just to share a few more thoughts with the umpires working at the head office? I also wonder if MLB will wait until after the season to make adjustments to the current replay system or consider making changes on the fly if more managers start ‘speaking up’?
Not sure if anyone knows this, but what is the Boston Celtics’ favorite comic strip? Tank McNamara, of course! But seriously folks…talent in sports—much like water—tends to seek its own level, and that’s exactly what the 2013-14 Green Teamers have done. Currently possessing the fifth worst record in the league, the C’s have about a 9 percent chance of earning the number one pick in the NBA Draft lottery and about a 29 percent chance of landing one of the top three picks. Time to start rubbing some pine tar on those ping pong balls!
We’ll post a Bruins-Red Wings playoff preview later this week. In the meantime, did you know that the Detroit hockey franchise is named after a little dive on Route 1 in Foxboro, MA that offers a great fried clam plate? Sorry, for a brief moment there I thought I was still writing the April 1st column.
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.
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