There’s been a lot of little news (Mac’s injury notwithstanding) this week from all four Boston sports teams, so instead of forcing a 1000-word blog on each, I think it’d be fun to do a mid-week status check before we lean into another weekend of football coverage. So, I present to you a new weekly feature you can look forward to on this wonderful sports blog, the “Wednesday Status Check.” We’ll go team by team and hit on the stories of the week, giving as much space to each as needed.
Red Sox: This past weekend in New York was a disaster that resulted in a four-game sweep. The Sox hung around in all four games, being outscored by only 6 runs in total over the four-game series. But leaving the Bronx without a single win in four tries is unacceptable no matter the circumstances.
There have been some bright spots for the Sox over the past handful of games, though. Brayan Bello was a tough-luck loser in Sunday’s rain-shortened game, giving up just one earned run in six innings while striking out four and limiting his free passes to just two. As discussed last week, the way Bello (and Casas) finish this season will play a huge role in the offseason plans of Bloom and Co. After a few rough starts to kick off his Major League career, the rookie has settled down keeping the ball in the ballpark and has limited his walks, which were the two things troubling him early on. I’d go as far as to say he’s all but assured himself a rotation spot to start the 2023 season. Moreover, his strong finish to this campaign should serve as a launching pad to both motivate him throughout the offseason and help him enter next year with some confidence in the bank. It’s no secret that he works with Pedro Martinez frequently, so combine his success with the tutelage of a Hall of Famer, and I’m optimistic he’ll break out next year.
Fellow newcomer Triston Casas has also been impressive lately. He’s still not hitting for average but has shown great control of the strike zone and no-doubt power to all fields. In fact, he’s hit two of the longest opposite-field dingers I’ve seen hit at Fenway in a long time, which is a huge asset for lefty sluggers playing in Boston. Being able to let the ball get in on you a bit while knowing you can use your opposite field stroke to become good friends with the Green Monster is what made David Ortiz (and Wade Boggs) so dangerous. I’m not comparing Casas to Ortiz, but there are similarities in how they hit the ball the other way with power. Casas has also flashed high-end defense at first base which has been completely missing for the Sox over the past two years. Much like Bello, it’s difficult to imagine him not being part of the opening day lineup in 2023.
Patriots: They say that when someone loses one of their senses the rest of their senses become heightened, stronger, and more powerful. I feel like the same happens in sports when a star player goes down. In 2016 many were quick to dismiss the Patriots as Super Bowl contenders when Rob Gronkowski suffered a season-ending injury and we all know how that season ended. By no means am I saying this version of the Patriots had Super Bowl aspirations BEFORE Mac got hurt, but I am saying that the rest of the team has an opportunity to step up in his absence.
It’s been well documented that Brian Hoyer is a robust 0-11 in his last 11 NFL starts, including the debacle in Kansas City in 2020 when Cam Newton (god he sucked) missed a game with COVID. The difference between this situation and that, in my very uninformed opinion, is two-fold. First, that offense was built for Cam. Student body left, student body right. It doesn’t take a football savant to know that Brian Hoyer doesn’t exactly fit in an offense of that style the way he does the current system. The second major difference this time around is that this is more than a one-week situation. Mac is looking at, by all accounts, 4-6 weeks before he’ll be back meaning that the dumbasses coaching offense have to make a real effort to put Hoyer in positions to succeed here.
At the end of the day, Mac is hurt and it sucks, but there are still 14 games left in the 2022 season. Factor in the AFC not looking like the gauntlet it was talked up to be before the season, and the Patriots relatively easy upcoming schedule (after Green Bay), and the Patriots are still very much alive in the playoff race.
Celtics: We are still waiting for the rest of the story surrounding Ime’s suspension, but my big takeaway from this past week is how good Joe Mazzulla looked and sounded in his first press conference as acting head coach. He’s only 34 years old but holds himself like someone who has been around the league for 35 years. When news of Ime’s suspension first hit the wire my first thought was that it would derail the season and waste the most promising year in recent memory for the Celtics. A week later and I’m much less concerned. Tatum and Brown both handled things well, Mizzulla looked and sounded the part of a confident, competent coach, and in a star-driven league, the Celtics have two. I wouldn’t be surprised if things are a bit off during the first 10ish games of the season, but I think that’ll have more to do with working in new pieces than with the head coach.
Honestly, though, wake me up when the playoffs start. The Celtics will be a top 4 seed in the East and will still be favorites to represent the conference in the Finals.
Bruins: Still no word on a new deal for David Pastrnak. Other than that, though, we’re in the ”no news is good news” part of training camp. Positional battles are not much of a thing in hockey, as your top 9 forwards and top 6 defensemen are usually set heading into the season, and the league has gotten away from a true number one goalie in favor of riding the hot hand. No injuries, no off-the-ice issuse, and no rumblings about players not being happy with the new coach. The Bruins have their perceived shortcoming for sure, but, we won’t get answers to those questions in the preseason. Stay healthy and get off to an early start once the games count.
The Thursday Night Football preview comes tomorrow, Patriots vs Packers preview coming Friday, and my terrible picks will be up Saturday afternoon.
