Drew Bledsoe and his Hall of Fame Return to Foxboro

Is Drew Bledsoe Hall of Fame material?  Does Akron need the gunslinger from Walla Walla, Washington?  He passed for over 44,000 yards, including three 4,000 yard passing seasons and his similar players on Pro Football Reference includes Bart Starr and Kenny Stabler.  But he also had three seasons where his interception total exceeded his touchdown total.  And in New England, he was seen as an underperforming stud quarterback who could never get the Patriots the Lombardi Trophy until Tom Brady was the starting Quarterback.  Whether he gets the call from Roger Goodell this year or not, Bledsoe has been bestowed the honor from Robert Kraft and the Patriots Hall of Fame this year.  Drew Bledsoe was one of my favorite players and with the opportunity to see Scott Zolak in action - well this was cause for a family roadtrip back down to Patriot Place.

5pm.  Foxboro, MA.  The four of us arrive early (LC decides to join us later that evening), not so much to get a good parking spot (we didn't) or to see Lion King 3D (No one wanted to).  We just wanted to go through Hall of Fame, maybe toss the football around for a while and generally enjoy a celebratory atmosphere.  The New England Patriots home opener was happening tomorrow and a palpable buzz was in the air.

After catching some confetti and kicking some field goals at the Hall of Fame - and after unsuccessfully trying to buy the lego set for the Patriots helmet in the lobby of the Hall of Fame - we join a thousand others in the concourse for the ceremony.  Bledsoe is joined in the Hall of Fame by Jon Morris, a Center for the Patriots in the 1960's and 1970's.  A very nice gentleman who stirred the crowd by declaring this ceremony as the Crowning Achievement of his Football Life; unfortunately, none of us were there to see Jon Morris.  Both boys - who mind you were not alive the last time Bledsoe was in New England - started grumbling about all of the "old guys."  I have to admit, I was more interested in Bledsoe myself.  At least Morris recognized this as well.  "I'll start wrapping things up as most of you came here to hear the next guy."

"Yeah, no kidding" some guy next to me whispers to his girlfriend.  Tough crowd. 

But not to be deterred, the induction speech was followed by a round table with Morris' old teammates from the old Boston Patriots.  I think Gino was there and a couple of other guys I didn't recognize.

I didn't have much time to find out who they were either, since the kids started to wrestle with one another and DLG started to get really tired (and when I say tired, I mean she started crying).  So we climb the stairs up to CBS Scene to watch the ceremony on the big screen.  Finally, Bledsoe comes out to talk.  The memories start flooding back.  The nightclub incident with Max Lane, the Super Bowl, the Jets' hit, the AFC Championship game in 2002.  It was all there.  And I find it ironic, after Bill Belichick's discussion with Wes Welker about Wally Pipp in A Football Life, that Drew Bledsoe was the true Wally Pipp.  And on behalf of Patriots Fans everywhere, thanks Mr. Pipp.

Bledsoe goes on to talk about the little dude, Troy Brown and Scott Zolak.  He thanks his offensive line for all of their hard work.  And he goes on to thank Bob and Myra Kraft.  His Mom and famous Dad in the 10 gallon hat seemed proud of his son's accomplishments.  And we were too.  Hey, so what if he underperformed in his nine years here, his last game for the Patriots was a Super Bowl win. 

Midway through his speech, G asks me an interesting question.  "Is Drew Bledsoe the best Quarterback ever?"  He was wondering why he was going to the Hall of Fame and Tom Brady wasn't.

"No, stupidhead. Tom Brady is." C responds not giving me a chance to answer.

And so we see Drew Bledsoe's true legacy in New England.

Bill Belichick's Football Life in 6 Easy Steps

Is Bill Belichick the greatest football coach in NFL history?  He's won three Super Bowls out of four appearances as Head Coach, and he has won two with the New York Giants as Assistant Coach under Bill Parcells.  Not bad.  But he's been blessed with great players (Tom Brady, Lawrence Taylor, etc.) during his career, and when saddled with a mediocre football team, his tenure went nowhere (Hello, Cleveland!).  I happen to think he is the greatest Football Coach in NFL history.  He's served longer than Vince Lombardi, but yet done more in less time than Tom Landry.  Chuck Noll and Tom Shula may have been more accomplished, but they were also blessed with great players on both sides of the ball for longer periods of time.

A Football Life, produced by NFL Network, follows Belichick around during the 2009 season.  This will be our collective chance to see a human Bill Belichick and perhaps decide once and for all whether he is the greatest coach in history.  I watched Part one of the series with six things in mind.

1.  Not Surprised by:  Notoriously private and paranoid, the first thing I found interesting was that this was a showcase of Belichick from the 2009 season.  I found this to be very telling.  I can see Belichick begrudgingly agreeing to do this, but only under the condition that it not be from a recent year.  What I'm surprised about is that he agreed to this for the 2009 season rather than say 2006.  Don't underestimate Bob Kraft in getting this thing produced.  One note:  I love that Belichick's boat's name is "V Rings."

2.  Greatest Moments (Humor):  Jon Bon Jovi looks ridiculous in the Pat Patriot T-Shirt - he's from Jersey!  Tom Brady's hair growing from a respectable length to Gisele length by Week Four.  Sebastian Vollmer's catch during Training Camp with no meetings and no curfew on the line (Belichick: "I never thought he'd catch that!  I wasn't counting on him catching that." Minutes after a shaky Vollmer settles under a 50 yard punt.  Belichick talking to Tom Brady about missing passes.  "What about Maroney?" "It went right through his hands." "It was over his head!" "Oh that one."

The moment that made me laugh the most, though was the exchange between Wes Welker and Belichick after Julian Edelman returns a punt for a touchdown in the final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Belichick to Welker:  "Do you know who Wally Pipp is?"

Welker: "No"

Belichick:  "He's the player who played before Lou Gehrig when Gehrig played 20,000 games in a row.  That's the story on punt return."

Welker:  "He can have it, man."

Belichick: "Way to compete.  Way to compete."

3.  Greatest Moment (Drama):  Robert Kraft talking to Seymour about the team approximately 17 minutes before Seymour is traded to the Oakland Raiders.

There is also a scene where Belichick is walking through the Meadowlands locker rooms reminiscing - talking about the coaches' locker room and the old racquetball court.  The disappointment and anger he has toward Bill Parcells is palpable; a book should be written about that last year between Belichick and Parcells for the New York Jets.  What a great scene.

4.  Most Surprising Moments:  Belichick drives a Chevy Impala.  Really?!?  Sankaty Head Golf Club allows its players to wear jeans and sneakers on the course?  Another great scene occurs when Belichick kisses Ed Reed's ass and then throws into his missing coverage.

5.  Things I Learned:  Tom Brady is a big whiny bitch!  Seriously, when Belichick asks him to take it easy.  Brady starts to give him the Gisele treatment by whining in a high pitched voice that he got drilled on one pass to Kevin Faulk and that one screen went through Lawrence Maroney's hands (it didn't, it went over his head).  Although I originally thought it was for salary cap relief, Richard Seymour was traded to the Raiders so the Patriots could sign Vince Wilfork.

6.  One Thing I'm Concerned About:  Derrick Mason's I'm sure going to remember Belichick yelling at him later on in the playoffs when the Ravens absolutely spank the Patriots in the Playoffs.  That will be one interesting conversation - if it happens.

We'll see you next week for the conclusion of "A Football Life."  I can't wait.

photo courtesy of pigskinlovinglady.com

Watching The Blind Side - In Training Part One

I had forgotten how gruesome the beginning of The Blind Side was.  No, I'm not talking about Sandra Bullock's awful Southern Drawl.  I'm talking about the opening sequence about how and when the Left Tackle in football became so important.  C and G didn't know what we were watching when Lawrence Taylor hit Joe Theisman on his blind side and nearly broke his leg off.  Not a good way to start the movie.  Even the normally unaffected G pleaded - when C said he couldn't see the hit - "I don't want to rewind this again, Dad."  No kidding, I'm done too little man.

Based on the Michael Lewis novel of the same name, the story revolves around an African American from the mean streets of Memphis, named Michael Oher, who is adopted by a white family and starts playing on the offensive line for the local High School football team.  The movie glosses over the more technical aspects of the Left Tackle position, affectionately called protecting the Quarterback's "blind side" like no one else is responsible for blocking the left side of the offensive line.  But this was going to be a good movie for the boys to watch since they are both now playing Pop Warner football and needed to work on the more courageous aspects of the offensive line.  So, with Mom's approval, we hunker down in the basement and start the film.  Hopefully this goes better than when we watched Secretariat.

Our first glimpse of "Big Mike," as he is called by his surrogate Father, was playing basketball and "Dunking" the basket ball.  I use the term "dunking" lightly as it was clear he was dunking on a 7 foot hoop or was jumping from a three foot ladder.  The boys both cracked that he was playing basketball instead of playing football.  The first lesson I teach is patience.

"When are they adopting him, he's living with them?"  G asks me as the movie continues with the Tuohey family invites Oher to sleep in their living room.  He doesn't quite understand what was going on.  I guess when we had that dog for a couple of weeks, G would have started asking when we were going to adopt him.

"Stop with the rugby shirts you look like a bumble bee."  They are obviously itching for the football scenes to start as we watch Michael stop by his old neighborhood and then shop for some clothes. 

As the football scenes actually start, the boys really get into Michael's first practice with bad stances, and picking up the blocker instead of pushing him out of the way.  I try to explain to him that even he had to learn football fundamentals before he could start experiencing success.  And coaches were going to be stern when they were trying to teach him.

Fast forward half an hour.  Watching his first game against the Rednecks they were psyched to see Michael when blocked Number 66 into the stands after being mercilessly mocked and ridiculed.  They were even more impressed when all of the college coaches started calling on their phones to their offices when they saw the tapes of that game and the one on one drills the next day.

So I really stress how all of the repetitions he did really improved his skills and how being aggressive will reduce the chance of injury.  I'm not sure they were listening to me, but I like to hear the sound of my own voice, so it's okay.

Then my favorite part.  One of Oher's assignments in order to graduate High School with a high enough GPA to play college football next year at Ole Miss, Oher had to give a report about the famous wartime poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade.  I even get the boys to listen to me stop the movie and read Tennyson's poem.   The boys asked me questions after I got done with the poem that I would expect older kids to ask.  Questions such why the 600 went into battle knowing they would die came out of their mouths.  Were they actually listening to me?

photo courtesy of kevindiep.tumblr.com

Williamsport Alive - The 2011 Little League World Series

Every August, the Little League World Series graces our television sets.  Set up so the United States would always be in the Championship Game, the Little League World Series always promises thrills and laughs for us.  Looking for things to watch on TV while we ride out Hurricane Irene, this game fits the bill to keep these kids interested, at least until the power goes out.  Featuring Japan and California, the two teams that have dominated the World Series over recent years, we hunker down in the basement to watch the game.

1989 version of the LLWS

3pm.  Trying to explain the different groups in the World Series is like teaching the kids Physics.  One side consists of all United States teams broken out by region, the other side consists of all of the other international teams broken out by country.  Yes, Japan is a country, not a region.  No, Canada is not a state, it's a country.  No, West is not a State, either.  Confusing for impressionable kids.

And not a good start by showing my nine year old, a budding pitcher, how the kid got hit in the cap by a batted ball in the United States regional - California's starting pitcher this afternoon.   At least the kid didn't get hurt.  Although we wouldn't have needed sport science to explain the blood gushing from the kid's nose if he did get hurt.

After a groundout to start the game, G was saying "Yes" then "No" then "Wait who am I rooting for again?  White or yellow?"  After a bit of hemming and hawing, they both proclaim that they are rooting for California.  I will root for California too, but frankly, I would have preferred the kids from Montana to be in the World Series; it always seems like California is in the Championship game.  Give someone else a chance.  Oh yeah, U.S.A!  U.S.A.!

I'm not sure, but I think that more kids from California named Ichiro as their favorite player than the kids from Japan.  The kids from Japan all seemed to pick the same favorite player and it didn't sound like it was Ichiro.  I will point out that I do not speak Japanese.

"What's the team for Japan.  The Japan Jaguars?" G asks me still considering which team he was going to root for.  Those are the kind of questions I think I'm going to hear all afternoon.

"This ump is so old and so bad!!"  C remarks after each strike is called against California.  After each ball, he cracks "The Japanese pitcher is so awful.  I could pitch better than him!."  What a homer.  0-0 after 2.

Designated runners?  Oh come on!  I yell as a sacrifice bunt and error turns into Japan's first run as the First Basemen throws the ball away trying to get the Designated runner out at Third Base.  Japan goes up 1-0 in the Third Inning.  This kind of play usually turns the star pitcher into a sobbing mess.  We'll see; he took a ball off the face before, too.

Just as Brent Musberger talks up the college prospects of the 12 year old phenom, Hagen Danner, the kid smacks an opposite field home run to tie the score at 1-1.

Controversy in the 4th inning as the California pitcher, fielding a weak ground ball up the First Baseline, forced the Japanese runner out of the baseline, looked like he tagged him on the way by AND threw him out at First Base.  While teams have two unsuccessful challenges, for some reason the U.S. team decided not to challenge so the player was safe at First.  Even G wanted them to challenge that call.  No run scored, though so we avoided some awkward analysis of a little league coach by Orel Hershiser.

As the score remains 1-1 in the bottom of the Fifth, the Californians start milking the count to get the Japanese pitcher to reach the 85 pitch mandatory maximum.  Way to go with the sportsmanship, guys.

Later on that inning, I find it funny that the U.S. feed of the game has a microphone on the Japanese manager, like we know what he's saying to the pitcher.  I wonder what the Manager was saying after the Shortstop made that error on the flip to Second Base loading the bases.  I probably recognize some of that language.

And here we go!  After the bases are loaded, Nick Pratto hits a ringing single to Centerfield to win the game!  Huntington Beach wins the Little League World Series to take the title back to California.  Although G has gone upstairs, C and I exchange some high fives as the Little Leaguers start jumping around for joy.  After Mom tells him that the U.S. winning was awesome C tenderly pointed out "Not for Japan, they were all crying." 

Good for them.  Hopefully this won't be the highlight of their lives. 

2011 Patriots Training Camp - Another Photo Essay

One thing that always seems to get the kids excited includes a confined area games of skill and bouncy houses.  Whether it's a friend's birthday party or the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, I can always count on at least an hour of fight-less, whine-less exuberance.  That's great - a nice day, a little exercise, no yelling about video games...it was all good.  Throw a couple of footballs to cloth receivers and everyone willb e tired tonight.

The New England Patriots 2011 Training Camp wrapped up this weekend, and with the promise of the same bouncy houses that provide the kids hours of entertainment, we just had to go.  Maybe we'll see newcomers Albert Haynesworth, Chad Ochocinco and Shaun Ellis, along with Tom Brady and Wes Welker...who knows.  What follows is the JMR picture essay - so successfully executed in the Three Sheets to Epcot Center journal from last year - but refined into the photojournalist equivalent of Pulitzer prize winning visuals.

You got it.  The Welcome sign as we walk around the field.  This sign was ignored by the usher who yelled at us for mistakenly heading into the VIP section of the seats - in the end zone of all places.  She then proceeded to scold us for turning the wrong way into the press area.  For crying out loud!  Give me a break, lady.

Our first stop was the autograph tent.  The Patriots Cheerleaders thought they recognized the person taking the photograph here, but I told them that it wasn't me.  I then shuffled my daughter in between the Cheerleaders.  They proceeded to tell DLG that she was beautiful and wrote that  she should "Keep Dancing."  This made her day, well...at least until she had to take a picture with Pat the Patriot later on.

G, who was standing in line with me, didn't want to take a picture with the Cheerleaders, but definitely wanted to take a picture with Joe Andruzzi.  When G told the former offensive lineman that he wanted to be a running back on his Pop Warner football team, Andruzzi's response was "Stick with the Offensive line, son."  That smile turned upside down pretty quick after that.  Seeing the sad look on his face Andruzzi then told him he could play what ever position he wanted so long as he worked hard.  Obviously he has young children with that deft handling of the 7 year old ego.

 

This is what we saw a LOT of.  Players milling around, not doing much.  It makes perfect sense.  I could have been a scout for the Jets for all they knew, don't give any plays away.  Bill Belichick didn't seem concerned either way as he was gabbing with an assistant almost the whole time that we were out there.   A couple of things to note - Brandon Tate and Edelman took a lot of the punt snaps.  Danny Woodhead was NOT out there (his head was probably still ringing from that hit the other night).  And Haynesworth was out there looking kind of spry.  Who knows what that all means?

These are pictures of three children who are all able to throw the football better than Wes Welker - Jesus.  We were watching Brady and Welker warming up as the Special Teams were out on the field working on punt coverage.  Welker would catch the ball and then shot put it back to Brady.  Even C remarked that Welker seemed to throw a little "girlish" - and this with his sister throwing the football in a flowery dress.  One thing LC noticed was that Brady seemed much taller in person.  Assuming she wasn't swooning, I wanted to remark it was the male Uggs that added a couple of inches.
 

We watched some practice and ran through some obstacle course style of bouncy houses.  Everyone was having fun at this point.  But this photograph was actually our signal that our time was up and that our window was closing.  I had to cajole C into taking this picture.  G literally ran away from me and DLG hesitantly took the picture but only if Mom was standing next to her.  Even then, the tears welling up in her eyes subtly indicated to me that she was unhappy.  When I asked it it was time to go, I received four enthusiastic "yes." 

Luckily for us, after watching a little more practice, we hit the road.  Not 5 minutes after getting inside to our next destination, the rains came.  Lucky us.  All those people we saw in Autograph Alley though scattered like ants when their hill was disturbed.  People were waiting in line when we got their at 11:30.  We got the restaurant at 3 and the line was still queued up.  Then just like that, the autographs were gone.

Any way, we all jumped in the car and tried to dodge the raindrops with varying degrees of success.  And the hall mark of the kids having a good time, they asked me if they could go again tomorrow.  I had to explain to them that Camp is just a couple of days long and today was the last day.  We then talked about the Patriots for the next 15 minutes. 

And another season begins.