Patten On Comeback Tour With New England

The New England Patriots were notably thin at the wide receiver position in 2009, especially after the injury to Wes Welker in the final game of the regular season.

With the Joey Galloway signing marked as a bust and after severing ties with Greg Lewis before the season, New England always had a position of weakness at wide receiver.  Without a consistent No. 3 wide receiver last season and with Welker recovering from surgery to his torn ACL, what are the Patriots plans for this season to help solve the wide-receiver riddle?

A player who hasn’t played since 2008.

Yes, you heard right.  The Patriots are bringing back old friend David Patten for a reunion tour.  The only problem is that Patten isn’t the same player he was in 2004 when he had 800 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for the Patriots. He hasn’t even seen the field since 2008 when he played with the New Orleans Saints after being cut by the Cleveland Browns in training camp last season.

So what can the 35-year-old Patten bring to the 2010 New England Patriots?

On the field, your guess is just as good as mine.  At the least, he provides competition for the likes of Brandon Tate, Sam Aiken, and Julian Edelman.  One thing the 13-year veteran can bring to this year’s Patriots is accountability on the field and a steady presence in the locker room in which they so desperately missed with the departures of Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel.

So with Patten on board, the Patriots hope he can bring the same kind of skill and poise he did in his stretch with the team from 2001-2004.  They also hope he can replicate his 2007 numbers where he caught 54 passes for 792 yards and three touchdowns with the Saints.  

Of course something in between his 2007 numbers and the stats he put up last season (none) would be fine for Bill Belichick and the iffy wide receiving core.

(AP Photo)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — If you think 6 into 5 doesn’t compute, Clay Buchholz figures he was faced with an even more unworkable equation last season.

“I came into camp ready to pitch,” Buchholz said Wednesday morning, “knowing I had a Hall of Fame guy [John Smoltz] that’s competing for the job, that’s new coming in, I knew he was probably ahead of me. We had Brad [Penny]. I knew he was in front of me. So I was No. 7, maybe No. 8, on the depth chart.

“So it’s a little bit different this year, knowing I have a legitimate shot to win a spot. At the same time, I’m not going to think about it like it’s my spot. I still have to win it.”

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Buchholz is competing for the No. 5 spot in the Boston Red Sox‘s rotation with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who had offseason back surgery but says he’s fine now. Wakefield said he expects to start, and the Red Sox said they are best served with Wakefield as a starter. -Full story

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NBA Trading Deadline Affects Green Team

With a date set with the Los Angeles Lakers later tonight, the Boston Celtics may be a little undermanned on their bench.

That’s because Danny Ainge has reached a tentative agreement to deal Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, and Bill Walker to the New York Knicks for guard Nate Robinson and a player yet to be named.  

So with Robinson in and House out, what does this mean for the Celtics?

Well, House has struggled this season, compared to his record setting season last year where he hit 44.5 percent of his 3-pointers.  House, in 50 games, has averaged 7.2 points per game, coming off of the bench for Boston.

Robinson, 25, is averaging 13.2 points per game with 3.7 assister per game.  He has fallen out of favor with head coach Mike D’Antoni, like many other Knicks in the past two seasons. Robinson will provide Boston with a better scoring and defensive option off the bench for Boston, rather then House, and is set to become a free agent after the season.

(AP Photo) 

A Look At Some Of The Story Lines Of Spring Training 2010

The grass is green, the palm trees are in full force, and the reporters  are flocking.

So that must mean the Boston Red Sox are in Fort Myers.  

Spring Training has begun for the Boston Red Sox as Thursday marks the official reporting day for the local nine.  After a disappointing exit to the 2009 season, the Sox are looking for a strong spring to prove they are over the dismal ending of last season.  

Along with the hope and promise that arrives with the crack of the bat every spring, come the new bright faces that mix with the old.  With the changing of players (and philosophy) in Boston, makes for many new story-lines that add interesting wrinkles to this years start in Fort Myers.

So with this, we will delve further into the top five story-lines of this year’s Spring Training.   

1) Will this years squad have enough offense? 

At first glance, the lineup for 2010 looks a little bleaker than that of its 2009 version.  With Jason Bay gone to the Mets, it would seem the Sox are missing a big bat in the middle of the lineup.  But with the additions of Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro, and a full-year of Victor Martinez, the Sox should have plenty of offensive firepower (compared to last years at those positions) to withstand the tough competition of the AL East.  If not, you can rest assure Theo Epstein will be making moves at the trading deadline.  

2) What version of David Ortiz will we see?

The first question leads right into this one.  Which Big Papi will show up in 2010? Well, the 34-year-old is in his final guaranteed year of a contract with Boston, so you can bet he has plenty of motivation coming into the season.  Rumors have it that Papi is in great shape and looking forward to building off his strong second half of last season.  Believe it or not, Ortiz hit 28 HRs and had 99 RBIs last season and you can expect those numbers to increase this season as Sox fans would also like to see a climb in his average from last season (.238) in 2010.  

3) What will the catching situation be like?  

Victor Martinez is slated to receive the majority of starts behind the plate this season, so how does Jason Varitek fit into the picture?  Well, with Varitek’s best years behind him, you can expect Terry Francona to employ the Sox captain mainly on days that opposing teams have left-handed pitchers on the mound as Varitek is noted to hit at a higher clip (39 points higher over the past three years) against lefties, rather than righties.  Martinez will also see some time at first base this season to give Kevin Youkilis and Adrian Beltre some rest days, which makes the need for Varitek on the bench even more prevalent.  (One thing to note though is that even if Varitek is upset with his backup role, he will not be a distraction in the clubhouse).

4) Will Josh Beckett or Victor Martinez be signed to contract extensions?   

Nothing is for certain with the Red Sox front office.  But expect the Sox to make a push to sign the former before the latter, as in Beckett instead of Martinez.  Beckett’s last contract was a three-year, $30 million pact that was signed in good faith by both sides.  But you cannot expect Beckett to take a discount this time around as he will be looking to strike it rich in what could be his last chance at a major pay-day. With the contracts of Beckett, Martinez, Ortiz, Varitek, Beltre, Julio Lugo, and Mike Lowell coming off the books next season, the Sox will have plenty of money to spend in free agency and in keeping their own free agents.  The question remains whether or not Epstein and company want to wrap up negotiations with Beckett now or wait and take their shot, along with 29 other teams, in inking the right-hander next off-season.  As for Martinez, it will be a wait-and-see type of approach for the front office as they will need to assess the defensive ability of Martinez behind the plate, before agreeing to a long-term deal with the 31-year-old.  

5) What’s going to happen with Mike Lowell?

In what could be the most intriguing and delicate story-line of the spring, the future of Mike Lowell is still up in the air.  Due to the need for thumb surgery, a trade with the Texas Rangers was taken off of the table in the winter as the Rangers elected to keep catching prospect Max Ramirez in leu of trading for an injured Lowell.  How Lowell recovers from surgery and performs this spring will go a long way in determining where he will end up.  Could a trade with Texas be revisited?  Will the Cubs make a push for the third-basemen?  Do the Sox want to keep Lowell as a platoon DH and backup player?  All these scenarios could play out, which make this story-line the one to watch this spring.

Please, let us know which story-line you think is most intriguing by commenting on this article.  Also, don’t forget to check out all our new merchandise and apparel as the Sox are set to take on the Yankees at Fenway Park on April 4.  

The Boston Celtics have a tough schedule coming out of the NBA All-Star Break and despite what critics say, they are not taking this schedule lightly. Instead, they are looking at the second of season as a chance for a fresh start. 

“You remember it, break it down, understand what you’ve been doing right and been doing wrong, and instead of half a season, we look at it like a whole new ballgame,” said Paul Pierce. “A fresh start. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’’

Last night, the Celtics started a four game, five night road trip in Sacramento, CA. The Celtics did prevail in the final minutes of the game, knocking down key free throws and going on to beat the Kings, 95-92.

The Sacramento Kings, despite only having 18 wins on the season, gave the Celtics problems all night long with their young and talented starting five. The Big Three combined for just 13 of 47 from the field and the team missed a total of 50 shots on the night.

The Celtics’ reserves were the real story of the game though, combining for 44 points off of the bench. Eddie House had 12 out of those 44 connecting on four 3-pointers and Rasheed Wallace chipped in with 17. The bench was a huge part of the Celtics’ success at the beginning of the season, and the C’s will need more production from them if they are going to be contenders in the post season.

A win is a win, even if it was ugly. “It’s a win.” Said Doc Rivers after the game, “I don’t know what tone it’s going to set, but we get a win and now we’ve got to move to the next game, and that’s how we’re approaching the next 31 now. We’re not looking ahead, we’re not sending messages, we’re just trying to win this game and get better tonight and focus on the next game. The whole trip, we’re not looking at. We’re looking at the next game. That’s the way we have to be right now.’’

The Celtics have 31 games left to play. Despite their woes before the All-Star Break, they still sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference Standings. Their focus must continue to be one game at a time.

Next stop: Los Angeles

Thursday could be a big day in Celtic Nation. The trade deadline is at 3:00 PM, when all rumors will either come to life or to fruition. Big trade or not, the Celtics are also scheduled to take on the Lakers in LA at 10:30 PM ET on national television. So, be sure to tune in for what is sure to be an eventful day.

To gear up for the second half of the season, Charlie Chowdahead has declared “It’s Time To Go Green!” Just order anything in the “All Things Green” Section and receive 10% of the entire order! Enter coupon code: GOGREEN2010 at checkout.

Each February, the Red Sox Equipment truck embarks on a 1,480 mile trip down to Fort Myers, Florida in preparation for Spring Training. The truck left Fenway Park today around noon carrying all the equipment for this year’s 2010 Red Sox ball club.  The procession was led by Wally the Green Monstah and Red Sox Nation Ambassadors.

With the departure of the equipment truck, all Chowdaheadz know the 2010 Red Sox Season is right around the corner!

This May Be The Time To Make A Move For the C’s

With the Boston Celtics championship hopes dwindling by the day, should the Celtics trade Ray Allen?

Short answer, no.

Allen’s $19.7 million contract is expiring at the end of the season, which makes him a valuable trading commodity for many teams looking to move players, as well as an asset to Danny Ainge and the Celtics.

Yet, the trouble with trading should a highly-paid player  to another team is that salaries of the moving players (and parts) have to match up in order to make the deal valid.  So, with a trade involving Allen, their will have to be more than a couple of moving pieces to get a deal done.

With a deal of this magnitude, Ainge must decide whether trading Allen gives the C’s the best chance at being competitive this year and perhaps in the years to come. With names swirling around the rumor mill, such as Kevin Martin (Kings) and Monta Ellis (Warrior), would trading Allen make the C’s better in 2010 or just in the future?

Most likely the latter, and with that, Celtics fans may not be happy to hear that Ainge is seemingly conceding this season, especially with the core players such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace, reaching the twilights of their careers.

It would be in the best interest of Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge to keep Ray Allen for the final year of his deal and then let him walk after the season.  The leadership, camaraderie, and skill Allen gives the 2009-10 Celtics is still valuable and if the C’s want to raise an 18th banner into the rafters of the Garden this season, they will keep Ray Allen.

(AP Photo)

For now.

Future of Patriots Star Players are in Question

With Vince Wilfork’s contract up in New England and with Tom Brady entering the final year of his own contract, when will Bob Kraft and company start to negotiate contract extensions for both players?

Well, some deadlines could play a key factor in these negotiations.

For starters, the franchise tag could be waiting for Wilfork come Feb. 11, which is the day teams can start assigning franchise tag to players.  The last possible day for New England to assign the tag is on Feb. 25, so the Patriots have just over two weeks to negotiate a new deal with the 28-year-old.   

Wilfork already stated he would consider the franchise tag as a slap in the face, it may be best for New England to get a deal completed before that deadline hits. With Wilfork set to land his first major contract, you can expect he and his representatives will try to muster all the money they possibly can out of Kraft for his services over the past six years at Foxborough.  

Other than Wilfork’s franchise tag deadline, another deadline, which is slightly different, is looming for New England

It’s March 5, which is the first official day of the 2010 league year.  That day, Tom Brady is due a roster bonus of $3 million which could boost the need for New England to ink Brady to an extension before the roster bonus amounts. 

There is no doubt that Wilfork’s case is more prevalent than Brady’s since he is no longer under contract, unlike Tom Terrific.  But both players are key cogs to both sides of the ball for New England and Bill Belichick would be smart to keep his best players this decade instead of letting them walk like the likes of Asante Samuel, Deion Branch, and Willie McGinest.  

The deadlines are looming for the Patriots and if they’re looking to be as dominate in the new decade as they were in the last, then Kraft and company better pony up before the rest of the NFL ponies them out.  

That's How Much Vince Wilfork Wants To Be Paid

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