Predicting the Patriots offseason moves

As all Patriots fans know, their offense has been less than stellar this year. Full of new players and many rookies, the offense has looked flat and awful at times. Upgrading the offense should be a big concern for the Pats during the offseason, and it is never too early to create a free agent wish list. Thus, I have created a list of the offensive players that I believe the Patriots need and should sign in order to bolster their offense. Although it is still very early and no guarantees on resigning’s and such, one can still dream right?

Player #1:

RB Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Vikings

                This guy is a great running back. He’s big and can push through players like nobody’s business. When he has started in Minnesota due to injuries from Peterson, he has looked great. With a less than average performance from starter Steven Ridley and Vereen looking more like a receiver, a running back should be of some concern for the Patriots. Gerhart isn’t made to play every down, but he can, which makes him a good fit for the Patriots. Featuring a backfield of Ridley, Blount (assuming he resigns), and Gerhart could make the Pat’s running game a threat. I can picture now, Ridley running on first or second downs, Gerhart coming in to get the 3^rd & 3 yardage, and Blount at the goal line.

Player #2:

WR Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles

                Disregarding all the drama Cooper has created this year, this guy can play. At 6’3”, Cooper stands as a big target for Brady and during a few games this season (most notably during Week 9 where Cooper had 140 yards and 3 touchdowns), Cooper has looked phenomenal. This guy can run some cross patterns and get some mid-yardage under the Patriots passing game across from Danny Amendola.

Player #3

TE Fred Davis, Washington Redskins

                Facing injuries and suspension the last several years, Davis’ road has been harsh. But he can still play. Coming in at 6’4” and 240 lbs., Davis would become another big target for Brady. With Gronkowski suffering a major ACL injury and Hernandez gone for good, the Patriots are in need of Tight Ends. I believe this guy could be a force in the passing game and blocking. Davis would be a key piece to the Patriots offense.

I believe that these three players would bulk up a declining New England offense. They’re all big, tough guys that Brady could use around him. We’ll see what happens this offseason, and make sure to leave any comments regarding your choices or any disagreements with these players.

The Short Game: An Account from a Struggling Golfer

Recently I viewed the documentary The Short Game, a film about 8 year old golfers competing in a major tournament at Pinehurst. I must say, this was a good movie for all audiences, whether you’re 8 or 80. This movie does a great job expressing sports in a family movie. If others are interested the movie can be viewed with a Netflix subscription.

            I am talking about this movie for a couple reasons. The kids in this movie show extreme dedication to such a hard sport in golf. Many people play, but not many are good, and these kids worked really hard to obtain their skills. These kids show more dedication to the game then I have ever seen. They’re out there all hours of the day, doing nothing but playing golf. As a golfer myself, I respect and adore their faith to the game, something I never had as a child at that age towards anything.

            So why does my opinion matter on any of this? Well, it’s not my opinion but rather my experience. As a dedicated golfer myself, having played for a long time now, have gone through the same things that they have to less of an extent. I still find myself struggling to come off of the 18^th green just barely shooting 90 or less, and still struggling to continue my game at a competitive level. I have seen the best and the worse of this game. During my high school years of golf, I have seen the team have only two kids try out for the team, barely putting a team of six together when 8 are needed and winning not a single match. I have seen the same team come out the next year and win the entire league championship. I have felt the effect of the most popular sports take players away from one of the greatest games ever played.

            To me, seeing these kids play is a breath of fresh air. At 18 years old, I find myself one of the youngest kids on the course in my home town. When everybody around you is 70+ years in age, it makes the game feel like its dying. These kids give me a sense of excitement, seeing them enjoy this game and want to play. They dedicate their entire time to the game, something I wish I could do. It is a great feeling to see kids enjoying the same game that I love. 

            Golf is no easy game, but these kids make it seem so easy. I found myself rooting for all the kids to come in first, even though it is not physically possible. Many of the kids are likeable as well. I still feel like my history allows me to appreciate the film without creating a bias. Many of the members in my family who never play golf enjoyed it as well. I recommend the film for all audiences, anybody who loves sports, but especially for the struggling golfer such as myself.

The Curse of the Football Jersey

            Finals are completely over! Which means I am now dedicated to posting a couple times a week. For my first post back, I would like to tell a personal story in why I should never buy another Football jersey again. Every time I buy a shirt with a player’s name on it something bad happens. Maybe I should actually take this and purchase a really good player’s shirt and hope for the worst, right? Nah, I wouldn’t do that… maybe…

            My first experience with this in 2010, I had a weird fixation with the New York Jets. But wasn’t it hard not to? They had Mark Sanchez, a QB we all liked at USC because of his story, they had recently signed LaDainian Tomlinson, Traded for Santonio Holmes, and featured one of the best defenses in the game. On top of that, they had a head coach that nobody liked in Rex Ryan, which made it kind of fun to root for. For this, I purchased a Mark Sanchez jersey, wearing it in pride.

            The following year Sanchez began his downward climb into nothingness. He threw more and more interceptions with less touchdowns, fumbled the ball more than any other QB, and began to get ridiculed by the fan base.  Heck, even I started mocking him. Now in 2013, he has been out for the entire season, and will most likely lose his job next year as well. While this was occurring, my home team, and a team I still cared for deeply in the New England Patriots, were in Super Bowl XLVI. This team featured one of the best Tight Ends in the league: Rob Gronkowski. He was having a season unprecedented for a wide receiver, let alone TE. Because of Gronk’s height, body-build, and athleticism, I began to believe he would become one of the best Tight Ends to ever play the game. In this, I bought his jersey in order to wear it during the Super Bowl.

            Shortly after the Super Bowl, Gronk had his already injured ankle tested. As the results came in, they found he had a strained ligament that needed surgery. He would make his way back to start the following season on opening day, but in Week 11, Gronk broke his arm, requiring another surgery. Coming back for the playoffs, in the first quarter of the Patriot’s playoff game against Houston, Gronk would reinjure his arm.

            During the next season, Gronk still had issues in his arm and had then developed problems in his back, requiring yet another surgery. He would come back in the 2013 season, only to have a player take out his legs, inflicting a torn ACL and MCL. With that, Gronk was done for the season and my time. Another waste of a jersey.

Then I had already pushed my attentions towards Running Back Steven Ridley for the 2013 season in wake of Gronk’s arm issues. Ridley put up great numbers for the Pats the year prior with 12 Touchdowns and over 1,000 yards. Finally a RB I could enjoy watching because BenJarvus wasn’t doing it for me during his time with New England. I purchased Ridley’s jersey right before the start of the season.

Again, I would be disappointed. Ridley started the season off in horrible fashion. His first four games were atrocious, almost to the point where the Patriots were going to give up on him. With this, I retired the Ridley jersey and with the retirement, Ridley came back to form. He would have 6 touchdowns in four games, garnering over 90 yards a game twice in that span. I quickly grabbed the Ridley jersey and wore it every Sunday since Week 8. Since Week 8, Ridley has put up one touchdown and 130 yards. Yet another bust of a jersey.

This was a long version of the story, but I think I have learned my lesson. If I like a player, I probably shouldn’t purchase his jersey. But then again, I probably will never learn. I should probably purchase a jersey of a player everybody hates and see if he goes down… I think it would be worth the experiment.

The New York Yankees. The most expensive average team.

With the signings of Jacoby Ellsbury, Hiroki Kuroda, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees have definitely gotten better, but with the talent comes big paychecks. This year the Yankees are expected to pay out 230 Million dollars in player salaries. This sits $60 Million over the luxury tax threshold in which their owner George Steinbrenner has said multiple times he would like to get his team’s payroll under that number.

            For those that do not know, the luxury tax was created in order to give small market teams a chance to compete by putting money into their pockets in order to allow the owners to spend on the team. It changes year to year and has increased every year. Teams that spend over the luxury tax pay a 22.5% per dollar over the limit. When a team goes over multiple times, they pay more per dollar. Currently the Yankees stand at 40% per dollar. Now you know why Steinbrenner wants to get under this number.

            For this year, it might not be a problem. The Yankees can such it up and set a team with a payroll under the tax in the near future. The problem is, the Yankees have now locked themselves into over $100 Million of guaranteed money to players up until the year 2017, pending any trades and releases during that time. So why is Steinbrenner paying out all of this money?

            The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009, and before that 2000. Looking closely at last year’s most important statistics (arbitrarily speaking), they finished 24/30 in Batting Average, 22/30 in Home Runs, 16/30 in Runs, and 26/30 in OPS. Not once do they rank in the top half. Their pitching was not much better. They finished 18^th in Earned Run Average (ERA), 14^th in Strike outs, 25^th in Opponent’s Batting Average, and 26^th in Walks allowed.

            The Yankees pay top dollar for what looks like mediocre talent. However, the Yankees have gone through some injuries, but I still feel homegrown, low salary players is better than buying the best free agents out on the market.

Building a Baseball Team With the Lowest Payroll Possible: And Still Have the Best Team in the League

Today, I have given myself an assignment. I am to create the best baseball team possible under the league’s lowest total payroll. This happens to be the Houston Astros at $22 million. With such a low number, I felt as if this was almost impossible. After great thought, I have created my team.

C- Salvador Perez KC (1 Mil) This guy can hit home runs and for average. He calls a good game and is cheap. A good guy for the middle of the order.

1B- Paul Goldschmidt ARI (500k) For a guy who can hit 30HRs and 100 RBI, this guy is a steal for the money. A good hitter for the lineup.

2B- Jason Kipnis CLE (500k) This guy has good defense and a bat. He’s another player that makes sense for the money.

3B- Manny Machado BAL (500k) This guy is on the rise. And by rise, I mean climbing a hill faster than anybody. Get him while his salary is so low. This guy was a steal.

SS- Jean Segura MIL (500k) Can hit for average and has a little pop in his bat, a great lead off guy for the price.

LF- Michael Brantley CLE (500k) a position with not many guys, I had to crunch to get a guy with reasonable salary and ability. I think I still got a reasonably good player.

CF- Mike Trout LAA (600K) I almost feel bad picking him. A guy who has been in MVP talks and a pure athlete, I couldn’t resist going with him and his salary.

RF- Giancarlo Stanton MIA (600k) a player on a down year, I still like his ability. I guy I want around hands down.

Bench- Mike Carp Bos 1B/OF (500k)

                Derek Norris Oak C (500k)

                Emilio Bonifacio Tor Ult (2.6 Mil)

                Chris Carter Hou OF (500k)

                Ruben Tejada NYM Inf (500K)

I chose role players for my bench. These guys get the job done on offense and defense. I broke the bank a bit on Bonifacio, but the skill and ability to play multiple positions was too much to pass on.

Rotation

Lance Lynn St.l (500k)

Shelby Miller St.l (500k)

Madison Bumgarner SF (1 Mil)

Nate Eovaldi Mia (500k)

Jon Garland Col (500K)

I set it up with a bunch of young guns and a veteran to fill out the staff

Bullpen

CL Ernesto Frieri LAA (500k)

SU Brad Ziegler Ari (3 Mil)

MR Ronny Belisario LAD (1.5 Mil)

MR Tanner Scheppers Tex (500k)

MR Mark Melancon Pit (500k)

MR Rex Brothers Col (500k)

MR Joba Chamberlain NYY (1.8 Mil)

I decided I wanted to spend most of my money on my bullpen. You can’t have enough good arms and I wanted the best for my bullpen.

Hope you enjoy it! And I still had money to spare!

*If you would like to try this out, you can play along here

Why Ellsbury's Deal impacts Jon Lester: And why the Red Sox should be worried

If you haven’t found out yet, you’re hearing it now, Jacoby Ellsbury has inked a seven year deal worth $148 million and an option for an eight year with the New York Yankees (check out the details here).  Not only is this an outrageous deal for something who is 30 years old, this deal will impact other players across the league. And the most important player is the Red Sox’s very own ace: Jon Lester. The deal breaks down into three main reasons why Jon Lester will become a very rich man one day.

Ability

Last season Ellsbury hit 9 HRs and 53 RBIs, which comes along with a league leading 52 stolen bases. His season averages stand at 15 HRs, 71 RBIs, and 55 stolen bases, thanks to an outlier of a season in 2011 (Thanks to Baseball Reference). Without that season, Ellsbury stands at 6 HRs, 37 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases per year without that outlier of a season. I cherish the stolen base as much as any guy, but I like to base my value of production on home runs and runs batted in. With a bias towards those statistics, I do believe that Ellsbury’s $21 million annual salary is way overpriced. Regardless, players with this kind of ability have been given these contracts left and right. For pitchers of comparable value to Ellsbury (Cliff Lee, Tim Lincecum, Johan Santana, etc.), they average at an annual salary of $20 million. Many consider Lester a pitcher of similar quality or even better.

Age

Ellsbury comes into the deal at 30 years old. Right now Lester is younger by a hair, coming in at age 29. The two player’s ages and value are pretty comparable.  Many of these players who get these player friendly contracts come in at the same age as well. These big contracts come around the ages of 29-31. This leads to the inevitable of Lester’s future contract situation.

Verdict

Whether it is in Boston or somewhere else, Jon Lester will get a contract similar to Ellsbury. Lester probably will get something around $22 million over 7 years. What does this mean? The Red Sox better be ready to pay their ace. If they were not willing to give Ellsbury the deal, and for good reason, they better be willing to give it to Lester. However, I do not believe the deal is absolutely necessary. With one of the deepest farm systems in the league, the Red Sox do have many young arms waiting in the wings of Lester. The question becomes: Do the Red Sox trust these young guys in order to save some money? Or do they buck up and give Lester the big bucks, ensuring they keep a proven ace, especially in the playoffs.

In my own opinion, the Red Sox need to be willing to give Lester the money, and the sooner the better.