Thoughts on Walt Anderson, Brady and Deflategate

Yes, I've read the Wells Report issued by the 40th largest law firm in New York City, Paul, Weiss.  I personally think that this was shoddy investigative work.  The Wells' team dismissed tangible evidence that the NFL, Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts had conspired against the Patriots.  The Wells team determined not to investigate anyone's electronic communications or their devices except those on with the Patriots.  The Wells team took all of the science that existed and all of their consultants findings and determined everything against the Patriots and Tom Brady.

All this being said, I think Tom Brady is guilty.  I think that Brady told McNally and Jastremski to deflate the balls as much as they could get away with.  Unfortunately, McNally, in true Chowderhead spirit went to extremes in the Ravens' game and was caught with the proverbial needle in the Colts Game.  I think that common sense dictates that the Quarterback knew what the Dunkin Donuts boys were doing with the footballs since ever since the Brady Manning Rule was passed Brady has talked about what his needs are football-wise.

But I have some additional thoughts after reading the Wells Report...

1.  According to the Wells Report, Walt Anderson, the Head Referee of the 2015 AFC Championship Game, was informed prior to the game (and prior to pregame ball check) of the possibility that the Patriots were tampering with the footballs, likely from the Ravens.  His testimony was that he would keep an eye on the balls and the Patriots.  Yet, he permitted McNally to take the footballs out of the pregame officials room in a move that he had never seen in 19 years of officiating.  If he was going to keep an eye on this, why would he let the balls leave the room in such an unusual move.  I'm really troubled by this part of the report because if Walt Anderson did his job, nothing would have come from this because the balls would have been inflated per his specifications.  Where is his punishment for breach of pregame protocol?

No matter what Tom still Wins.

2.  It is clear from the 2006 Brady and Manning Rule - went into detail beginning on page 34 of the Wells Report - that Quarterbacks across the NFL liked the idea of having control over their own footballs - either on the Road or at Home.  The implication, since we are working on circumstantial evidence and conjecture, is that Quarterbacks wanted the ability to manipulate footballs in any way they see fit and that Brady is not alone in this preference.

3.  The penalty for violation of Rule 2 and its regulations was discipline, including a fine of $25,000.  I see the ambiguity of the language of the rule, but I really don't see much of a coverup here.  How did the NFL make the jump to $1,000,000, loss of two draft picks, and a 4 game suspension for Brady?

4.  Since every team employs individuals to get footballs (up or down) to the Quarterback's liking, the fact that McNally was known as "the deflator" could have easily meant that he was the guy responsible for deflating the footballs to Tom's liking.  Considering the fact that separate measurements came back with substantive PSI variations, Brady more probably than not, would tell McNally to get his footballs to 12-12.5 PSI.  I also note that 3 of the 4 Colts footballs measured below the allowable limit.  Probably regression to the mean or some crap like that.

5.  It was not a coincidence that the Wells Report's made an allusion of the needles, money and equipment, that smacks of a Colombian cartel.  Again, troubling and subjective commentary from supposedly an objective investigator.

6.  NBC paid almost $1 Billion per year for the right to air only 16-20 games per season.  The Patriots' first game in 2015 is on NBC against the Steelers.  Brady's first game back is also scheduled to be a Sunday Night game against the Colts.  Sunday Night Football on NBC!  Don't discount TV rights (and the exorbitant price paid by NBC) as a motivating factor at least for the number of games that Brady got.  These contracts are up for renewal in the coming years.

So you know that I think Tom Brady flouted the rules.  But I also think the NFL - more probable than not - conspired against the Patriots to taint their legacy, but more importantly made the Patriots the villain that causes ratings rise.

The Patriots will still make the playoffs.  And then watch out.

Red Sox Opening Day Means the Mookie Show

I told you.  Mookie Betts was my pick for the most important player for the 2015 Red Sox.  Needing a legitimate Center fielder to replace the departed Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox tried Jackie Bradley Jr.  The JBJ era last all of 140 games before he was dispatched to the bench.  Now 2015 was going to be the beginning of the Mookie Betts era at Fenway Park.

Opening Day was no exception for the Mookie Show.

No...not Ho Jo's too!

We managed to snag tickets to the game from friends who would invite 30 friends to enjoy the game.  What I didn't know was that we would be provided a psychedelic bus for the ride into Boston.  Although I left my mushrooms and LSD in the car, we managed to have a good time with all of our seatmates who took the day off to enjoy the 70 degree sunny weather at the Fens.  A lot of beers and mimosas appeared to be consumed.  I don't know for sure as I was half falling asleep having gone to work early to get half a day in.  A brief stop at the Baseball Tavern rooftop ensued where we had a great vantage point of one of the strangest marketing ploys I've seen in a long time.  A large picture of a hippie giving the peace sign can only mean that the trendiest hostel has taken over the old Howard Johnsons.  The Verb.  I don't get it.  I asked LC what "The Verb" actually meant - was this supposed to be a funky throwback to the Californians?.  She didn't have any idea.  No one else seemed to care, so I dropped it.  I will be looking into this more though.

Anyway, after a couple of beers and a couple of laughs with our friends, we head on over to our seats in the Right Field Box.  We take a pit stop at the meatballs stand in the Right Field concourse first on our way to our seats.  I Strongly recommend getting a couple of homemade turkey meatballs if you are over at Fenway.

The opening ceremony was interesting.  Ramirez, Pedroia and Big Papi all received equally loud ovations when they were introduced.  Betts was given a loud ovation too.  People are starting to recognize the Mookie Show has come to town.  To make us forget that the 2014 Red Sox absolutely sucked, we instead celebrated our successful football team (I didn't mind though).  The four Super Bowl trophies (and a couple of guys names Belichick, Brady and Kraft) headed out to the Pitcher's mound to a standing ovation.  I think Ray Bourque in his Colorado Avalanche jersey was out there too, but I wasn't sure.  After some joyous waves and some knowing smirks, Tom Brady proceeds to use his first pitch to demonstrate how he throws the ball away when he is under pressure.  Big Papi was not going to try to catch a ball that was not close but he didn't even flinch as Brady's throw sailed into the dirt.  Pete Frates and his family was then honored punctuated by Frates signing a Major League contract and accepting a big hug from Pedro Martinez.  Great moments.

The game gets started promptly at 3pm.  The Mookie show started two weeks prior, we just happened to catch the show on its stop in Boston.  A couple of highlights from his first 2015 game in Boston:

• First Inning leaping catch against the Right Field wall to rob a Bryce Harper home run
• First Inning steal of Second and then steal of Third Base which was left uncovered
• Second Inning three run home run off a shaken Jordan Zimmerman

Not even a replay challenge on both the plays at second base and third base could stop the Mookieplosion.  I was debating whether the tag was applied at second base with a buddy of mine when I finally decided that it didn't matter, it was the year of Mookie.  And in the year of Mookie, Mookie enjoys you, not the other way around.

Anyway, Betts ended with four RBIs on two hits in a 9-4 romp.  The Red Sox go 18-5 in their last 23 openers and move to 5-2 on the season.  Interesting start.

The 2015 5th Grade Basketball State Champions!

It was coming down to the wire.  The Head Coach of G's basketball team was trying to decide whether or not to accept the invitation to the State Championships in Danvers.  Last year, we were invited and declined because the games were at the same time as our district championships.  No one would deny G's team of that District Championship in 2014.  This year the 5th Grade State championship would have taken place during the first round of our districts.  With the Semifinals the following weekend it seemed like a no-brainer this year.  The decision was made to go.  Danvers, here we come!

It was a snowy weekend when we traveled to the Danvers Indoor Sports complex for our first game.  We were matched up against a tough Franklin team that was one of the best teams in the Metrowest league.  We were still a little sleepy as I led the teams in their pre-game routines.  As an assistant coach, I'm able to sit on the court and tell everyone to box out, but I don't have to worry about coaching a kid up when his shot isn't going down or he is suffering from mal-defense (my unique term for the lack of defensive toughness).  Franklin's interesting strategy of 2 minutes in, 2 minutes out was wearing us down.  They would just flat out sprint for two minutes and then go to the bench.  It was an interesting strategy.  Ultimately, we were able to pull that game out by 5.  I can still remember the squeaky voice on the Franklin Head coach.

2015 Champs!

The second game would be tougher.  We were playing a physical Canton team that had gone undefeated in its Metrowest league.  Led by two bigs who were 6 inches taller than G (who is our tallest player), we knew we would be in for a tough match up.  It was made even tougher when G had to sit out because he thought he was going to throw up (Ah, he could have told me before the one hour car ride to Danvers that he wasn't feeling well).  What I didn't expect was that the Canton team was a little weak-kneed.  Crying about fouls and non-calls, I thought we were playing a team from Hingham.  Especially when they got down in the game; tears were literally flowing.  The two big kids both went out in foul trouble and started swearing up a storm.  The referees actually had to talk to both of them.  No technical fouls in this event, though.  Jesus.  We pulled out another 6 point win.  With a 2-0 record in our pool, we received a bye and moved on to the top of the Winner's bracket.

Onto Sunday.  Our first game in the Semi Finals was against our fierce rivals, Braintree.  Despite being three times as big, we were always giving them a good fight.  This would be the same type of game.  Low scoring through out (They had a kid who just played a one man zone who would block every shot like he was Manute Bol), we were able to beat the bigger team by 10 points in a low scoring 29-19 game.  Thank God we hit a lot of our free throws because we could not get anything going offensively.

We knew our opponent in the Championships was going to be Canton again as they staved off a smaller but quicker team from Lawrence in their Semifinal Match-up.  They looked like they were ready to play as their parents were too.  They were circus-ready.  On top of that, this was the culminating game as 5th Grade was the oldest group and we were in the most high profile bracket.  It was a loud and noisy gym as the two teams began the tip.  It was clear though from the first couple of minutes that the Canton team was going to run out of steam.  They seemed fired up and could not get anything to go down.  Their two bigs were again stymied by our guys and had to come out.  One for crying, the other one because he fouled out.  Our lead grew to double digits in the Second Half and we cruised to a State Tournament victory by winning by 15 points.  What a great success!

The kids were celebrating, the parents were celebrating, the Coaches were shaking hands.  We were jubilant.  Alright I used that word like I was tilling the ground in the 1950's Indiana.  Don't mind me, we're just celebrating a great performance.  Good for them.

2015 March Madness is Too Tough

Another year, another March Madness showdown in the JMR family.  For the past five years, I have been pitted against C, G and DLG/Mom.  Without independent research, I am confident that i won the first four so I am now defending my crown to win the JMR for the fifth year in a row! 

This year looks fairly easy to predict.  Easily the two best teams in the brackets are Kentucky and Duke.  Don't get me wrong, i detest both of those programs, but a victory is a victory and victory at any cost tastes just as sweet.  When the teams were announced a couple of weeks ago, I started my challenge with a Championship Game of Kentucky over Duke.  I would then back out my teams from there.  To add some extra pressure on me, Mom declared that she would use my picks as her picks in her work pool.  I asked her if she was going to share her winnings if my picks won.  The answer was not startling to hear.

But little did I know that C has watched more basketball than I have this year.  Apparently, all of the Instagrams and Vines have taught him a little bit about College Basketball this year.  He was ready for the challenge.  Or so he thought.

Can 2015 Be Their Year?

The first couple of rounds (we always disagree about whether the first four games are actually the first round of the pool) were not so kind to the JMR pool.  My South bracket was decimated when Iowa State and Davidson both lost in their respective first games.  I had Davidson going all the way to the Elite 8, in a fit of Stefan Curry overload.  I was not going to get any extra points from that part of the brackets since all four of us had Duke advancing.  Coupling that with a couple of upsets that did not materialize - Buffalo, Albany and Ole Miss come to mind - and I was mired in a tie with DLG and Mom for second place after the first week.  C was winning with 48 points and G was stuck in last place with 37 points, 2 behind us.  I never gave up hope.

Despite being berated by an angry Mom who declared that she should have just made "her own picks" in her work pool, I kept the faith.  All of my Final Four teams remained in tact, and I had a couple of late round upsets that could vault me into the lead.  We will see at the weekend ends.  Below are the standings after the Sweet Sixteen Games were played along with the teams still in:

C:  68 points (Kentucky, ND, Wisconsin, Arizona, Duke)
JMR  67 points (Kentucky, ND, Wisconsin, Arizona, Louisville, MSU, Duke)
DLG/Mom 57 points (Kentucky, Arizona, Louisville, MSU, Duke)
G:  55 points (Kentucky, ND, Duke, Gonzaga)

Points will be updated later this weekend.

Biz Markie Rules the World

Ask DLG what her favorite song is.  Go ahead, I dare you.  You might expect a song from Frozen, one of the theme songs from her Nickelodeon shows, Taylor Swift or one of the Disney movies that seem to be playing incessantly in the house.  You would never guess.  And it was inspired by yours truly.

Nope, her favorite song is that classic from 1989, "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie.  Yes, that song, from that rapper.  Bad matching beach ball attire and all. Strained lyrics that stretched the boundaries of acceptable rap music at the time of N.W.A.  Her favorite song in 2015 is the same song that delighted immature teenagers in the early 1990's.  Who knew?  Although I had an inkling that her favorite song would be an older song since one of her favorite episodes on those Nickelodeon shows is the Victorious episode that is based on The Breakfast Club.  Tacos substituted for pot, of course!

It all started when we watched the Jimmy Fallon/Brian Williams/Lester Holt mash up of Rapper's Delight on the Tonight Show.  A classic sketch that grew funnier to DLG when she heard the original song from 1979.  We, or course, then went through my teenage years listening to LL Cool J, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, Young MC on YouTube.  I happened to stumble upon "Just a Friend," and a hit song was born.  The hook was contagious and despite the fact that it was borderline comedic music, DLG loved the beat and what lyrics she could understand (See adult themes below).

Forgetting about the fact that I wore a Georgetown sweatshirt at a Halloween dance and called myself Biz Markie,  this song held a lot of great memories for me and my friends from high school.  I was actually happy that DLG liked the song and reminded me of good times.  While I like the beats, we really liked the chorus that implored "Youuuuu, You got what I nee-eeed..."  The memories.

DLG loved the video even more than the song.  Which was problematic, right?  Singing about a girl that Biz Markie was trying to get with had thematic elements that were a little strong for an 8 year old, but I thought if I didn't say anything that it would just go over her head.  Thankfully, it did go right over her head.

"What was your favorite part of the video?" I asked, not really knowing what to expect coming back at me.

"I liked it when he wore the wig and played the piano.  And when that little guy was dancing behind him!"  Powered wig?  Sounds good to me.

Next, we will breakdown the entire 8 minute video for Rapper's Delight, especially the determination of whether that guy's yellow t-shirt is too tight.