Hello from Gillette. And Brandon Tate says goodbye to the Rams, going up the middle from the 3 and see ya. 12 seconds in and untouched for 97 yards to put New England up on its first touch.
Tate showed no sign of that knee injury that made him a question mark a while back at North Carolina.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
C's in our city
Earlier in the week, The Daily News published a story, citing quotes told to The Boston Globe, about Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce, who feels the team needs a new site for its training camp, which for the last two seasons has been held at Salve Regina University in Newport.
“I think it would be good for this group to get away. I’m really getting tired of Newport. Really, I want to go somewhere else,” Pierce told The Globe.
Well, apparently when the player with the longest tenure on the team speaks, management listens. Danny Ainge, the president of basketball operations for the Celtics, is taking Pierce’s sentiments into consideration.
“We haven’t made a confirmation on that yet,” Ainge told The Globe. “We’re looking into the different possibilities, and (head coach) Doc (Rivers) and I are discussing where we want to have training camp, what’s best for our team.
“I think (Pierce) has a point. I’m not so sure that that’s the only way to bond together as a team, but I certainly understand where he’s coming from. There’s always a lot of factors in training camp, and we certainly try to do what’s best.”
To reiterate our view, having the Celtics come to Newport and Salve Regina, specifically, makes for a great week for both the city and the school. Salve officials have welcomed the team with open arms for the last two seasons and would love to have it back for another training camp.
Here’s to hoping Ainge and the Celtics brass choose the City-by-the-Sea at least one more season.
“I think it would be good for this group to get away. I’m really getting tired of Newport. Really, I want to go somewhere else,” Pierce told The Globe.
Well, apparently when the player with the longest tenure on the team speaks, management listens. Danny Ainge, the president of basketball operations for the Celtics, is taking Pierce’s sentiments into consideration.
“We haven’t made a confirmation on that yet,” Ainge told The Globe. “We’re looking into the different possibilities, and (head coach) Doc (Rivers) and I are discussing where we want to have training camp, what’s best for our team.
“I think (Pierce) has a point. I’m not so sure that that’s the only way to bond together as a team, but I certainly understand where he’s coming from. There’s always a lot of factors in training camp, and we certainly try to do what’s best.”
To reiterate our view, having the Celtics come to Newport and Salve Regina, specifically, makes for a great week for both the city and the school. Salve officials have welcomed the team with open arms for the last two seasons and would love to have it back for another training camp.
Here’s to hoping Ainge and the Celtics brass choose the City-by-the-Sea at least one more season.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Remember the Titan
Bobby Sewall likely is accustomed to people incorrectly pronouncing his last name, so it should come as no surprise that ESPN's Monday Night Football announce team botched it when Sewall and the Tennessee Titans played the Arizona Cardinals in a preseason game Monday in Nashville.
Nonetheless, it was exciting to hear the former Portsmouth High School football star's name on national TV. Unfortunately, Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski then clumsily segued into a conversation about fellow ESPN football guy Chris Berman, who, like Sewall, graduated from Brown University.
"See Wall" was on camera plenty in the second preseason game of his NFL career, and had a chance to make a highlight-reel play, had he not been overthrown.
The undrafted rookie went deep early in the fourth quarter, and may have had half a step on his defender, but the throw from Titans third-string quarterback Chris Simms was over Sewall's head, and Sewall went to the sideline for the next play.
He returned to the game, but the ball didn't come his way again. He blocked on some run plays, covered punts and lined up in the backfield as another Titans QB, Rusty Smith, took a knee on the final two plays of the game. When Sewall wasn't in the game, he regularly was seen when cameras turned toward the Titans' sideline.
The first cut day is a week from today, when NFL teams must pare their rosters to 75 players. If Sewall is able to survive the first round of cuts, it would be a huge step toward being on the Titans' active roster for Week 1.
Nonetheless, it was exciting to hear the former Portsmouth High School football star's name on national TV. Unfortunately, Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski then clumsily segued into a conversation about fellow ESPN football guy Chris Berman, who, like Sewall, graduated from Brown University.
"See Wall" was on camera plenty in the second preseason game of his NFL career, and had a chance to make a highlight-reel play, had he not been overthrown.
The undrafted rookie went deep early in the fourth quarter, and may have had half a step on his defender, but the throw from Titans third-string quarterback Chris Simms was over Sewall's head, and Sewall went to the sideline for the next play.
He returned to the game, but the ball didn't come his way again. He blocked on some run plays, covered punts and lined up in the backfield as another Titans QB, Rusty Smith, took a knee on the final two plays of the game. When Sewall wasn't in the game, he regularly was seen when cameras turned toward the Titans' sideline.
The first cut day is a week from today, when NFL teams must pare their rosters to 75 players. If Sewall is able to survive the first round of cuts, it would be a huge step toward being on the Titans' active roster for Week 1.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Speaking the Truth
The first reaction to Paul Pierce's recent comments about Newport was a mix of disappointment, anger and sour grapes. Now that I've had a chance to reread what the Celtics captain told the Boston Globe, the disappointment remains, but the anger, for the most part, has subsided.
For those who haven't seen or heard yet, Pierce, in no uncertain terms, said he'd rather the Celtics didn't return for a third year of training camp at Salve Regina University.
"I think it would be good for this group to get away. I'm really getting tired of Newport. Really, I want to go somewhere else.
"Newport is good, but I want to go somewhere else. It would be good to get away with this type of group, when you have Jermaine and Shaq."
"When you got new guys and these types of personalities, I think it's good for all of us to get out, be at a dinner table -- me, Shaq, Kevin [Garnett], Ray [Allen], Jermaine. I think it would be good for that relationship, building that chemistry. We get away and go somewhere, that's something we'll definitely do.''
Certainly Pierce has every right to speak his mind, especially when it comes to how his team prepares for the 2010-11 season. But someone who's been in the game as long as Pierce should know to choose his words more carefully. Really, if he'd started with "Newport is good, but ..." all would be forgiven.
Maybe he meant no disrespect to our fair city, but to say he's "really getting tired of Newport" seems unnecessarily negative. There are a million ways he could have expressed his thoughts that wouldn't translate, in our minds, as "Newport sucks."
Salve Regina hasn't yet heard from the Celtics about their training camp intentions, but Pierce's comments tell me that Newport was at least a consideration for this year's camp, if not a leading candidate. We'll likely find out in a month or so what the team's plans are.
Like a lot of people around here, I hope the Celtics do come back. I'm not a Celtics fan, but it's been fun the last two years having them around, watching them practice and hearing stories not fit for print about how certain players spent their time outside of practice.
If they do come back, I wonder what kind of welcome Pierce would get around town, if he decided to venture downtown.
For those who haven't seen or heard yet, Pierce, in no uncertain terms, said he'd rather the Celtics didn't return for a third year of training camp at Salve Regina University.
"I think it would be good for this group to get away. I'm really getting tired of Newport. Really, I want to go somewhere else.
"Newport is good, but I want to go somewhere else. It would be good to get away with this type of group, when you have Jermaine and Shaq."
"When you got new guys and these types of personalities, I think it's good for all of us to get out, be at a dinner table -- me, Shaq, Kevin [Garnett], Ray [Allen], Jermaine. I think it would be good for that relationship, building that chemistry. We get away and go somewhere, that's something we'll definitely do.''
Certainly Pierce has every right to speak his mind, especially when it comes to how his team prepares for the 2010-11 season. But someone who's been in the game as long as Pierce should know to choose his words more carefully. Really, if he'd started with "Newport is good, but ..." all would be forgiven.
Maybe he meant no disrespect to our fair city, but to say he's "really getting tired of Newport" seems unnecessarily negative. There are a million ways he could have expressed his thoughts that wouldn't translate, in our minds, as "Newport sucks."
Salve Regina hasn't yet heard from the Celtics about their training camp intentions, but Pierce's comments tell me that Newport was at least a consideration for this year's camp, if not a leading candidate. We'll likely find out in a month or so what the team's plans are.
Like a lot of people around here, I hope the Celtics do come back. I'm not a Celtics fan, but it's been fun the last two years having them around, watching them practice and hearing stories not fit for print about how certain players spent their time outside of practice.
If they do come back, I wonder what kind of welcome Pierce would get around town, if he decided to venture downtown.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
All for one
By and large, there are too many divisions of high school sports in Rhode Island. With fewer than 50 schools, there should be no more than two divisions in each sport. With all these divisions, just about every team, every season, can compete for a “state championship.”
Boys basketball, though, has taken a step in the right direction with the announcement that a single state tournament will decide a single state champion for the 2010-11 season.
It’s about time.
The format — in which the top eight Division I teams, the top five Division II teams and the top three teams in Division III will be included in the tournament field — needs some tweaking. It places too much emphasis on the regular season and doesn’t reward a team that heats up in the postseason.
Overall, though, the idea is a good one and it’ll make for an entertaining basketball season. The idea of Division II and III teams having the opportunity to write their own NCAA-style Cinderella story is intriguing.
As Rogers coach Jim Psaras told me Wednesday night, maybe a Division I team would beat a Division II or III team nine times out of 10, but in a single-elimination tournament, there’s always a chance of that one loss being the end to a season.
The NCAA tournament is the best basketball model there is, and the more in common Rhode Island’s high school tourney has with the Big Dance, the better. Who wouldn’t love to see a team like Middletown knock off a Bishop Hendricken?
What is the difference between the three divisions? This winter, we get to find out.
Boys basketball, though, has taken a step in the right direction with the announcement that a single state tournament will decide a single state champion for the 2010-11 season.
It’s about time.
The format — in which the top eight Division I teams, the top five Division II teams and the top three teams in Division III will be included in the tournament field — needs some tweaking. It places too much emphasis on the regular season and doesn’t reward a team that heats up in the postseason.
Overall, though, the idea is a good one and it’ll make for an entertaining basketball season. The idea of Division II and III teams having the opportunity to write their own NCAA-style Cinderella story is intriguing.
As Rogers coach Jim Psaras told me Wednesday night, maybe a Division I team would beat a Division II or III team nine times out of 10, but in a single-elimination tournament, there’s always a chance of that one loss being the end to a season.
The NCAA tournament is the best basketball model there is, and the more in common Rhode Island’s high school tourney has with the Big Dance, the better. Who wouldn’t love to see a team like Middletown knock off a Bishop Hendricken?
What is the difference between the three divisions? This winter, we get to find out.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Later Gator
It was raining last Saturday in Arkansas, and Renee Gork, a sports radio personality covering the Arkansas football team, just grabbed any old hat to keep her hair from getting wet.
The problem? It was a Florida Gators hat.
In most other regions of the country, this would be no problem whatsoever. But this is in SEC country, where families are split apart on game day. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino answered one of Gork's questions, then immediately followed by saying, "That is the last question I'm answering while wearing that hat."
When I read that quote, I figured he was doing it in a lighthearted sense. Then I watched the video. Not so much. Fans were appalled when they learned of the fashion faux pas, and they made their anger known. Gork's name was battered on message boards, and her e-mail inbox swelled.
Eventually, with too much pressure from fans, and perhaps the university, the station, KAKS, fired her. Now what Gork did is certainly boneheaded, but a fireable offense? Absolutely not.
Turns out she is a UF graduate and even (gasp!) a Florida fan. She just happened to get a job covering the Hogs. Daily News sportswriter Josh Krueger likes the Packers - OK, loves the Packers - and he works here, where the Patriots are beloved. What's the big deal?
Yes, I know not to wear my Patriots hat when I'm in the press box at Gillette Stadium, but if I saw someone wearing a Bengals hat there, I don't think they'd be fired by their publication.
But these days, the almighty dollar speaks pretty loudly, and when hundreds of thousands of Hog fans, people who listen and advertise with the station, want someone out of town, it's see you later, Gator.
The problem? It was a Florida Gators hat.
In most other regions of the country, this would be no problem whatsoever. But this is in SEC country, where families are split apart on game day. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino answered one of Gork's questions, then immediately followed by saying, "That is the last question I'm answering while wearing that hat."
When I read that quote, I figured he was doing it in a lighthearted sense. Then I watched the video. Not so much. Fans were appalled when they learned of the fashion faux pas, and they made their anger known. Gork's name was battered on message boards, and her e-mail inbox swelled.
Eventually, with too much pressure from fans, and perhaps the university, the station, KAKS, fired her. Now what Gork did is certainly boneheaded, but a fireable offense? Absolutely not.
Turns out she is a UF graduate and even (gasp!) a Florida fan. She just happened to get a job covering the Hogs. Daily News sportswriter Josh Krueger likes the Packers - OK, loves the Packers - and he works here, where the Patriots are beloved. What's the big deal?
Yes, I know not to wear my Patriots hat when I'm in the press box at Gillette Stadium, but if I saw someone wearing a Bengals hat there, I don't think they'd be fired by their publication.
But these days, the almighty dollar speaks pretty loudly, and when hundreds of thousands of Hog fans, people who listen and advertise with the station, want someone out of town, it's see you later, Gator.
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