Showing once again why the Tim Britton and Brian MacPherson give the best Red Sox coverage.
Category: Sports
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This Seems Appropriate After Last Night
The Red Sox 2012 Concession Speech:
> The first error in judgment actually goes back to last October. In hindsight, it seems that parting ways with the most successful manager in the history of the Boston Red Sox wasn’t the best idea. Is it true that he lost the locker room? Yes. Were there some possible issues away from the team? Yes. But Terry Francona was a proven winner. Maybe trading a player or two earlier would have brought the team back to him.
> …
> We made a mistake in bringing in someone who threw darts to create his lineups … allegedly. A man who would rather pick up his adult son at the airport rather than get ready for a game. A man who hadn’t managed in Major League Baseball in a decade. Boy, did it show. But he certainly still deserves to be the manager, because …. well, you’re going to have to talk to the owner for an explanation on that one. I got nothing.
> …
> The team was built in such a way that put a healthy amount of pressure on the top three. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz essentially needed flawless seasons. Daniel Bard and Felix Doubront were the true wild cards. Expectations were low for the two, considering they had never started the season in the rotation. Well, Beckett is now off the team, Lester is having his worst year, Buccholz has been inconsistent, Dubront ran out of gas, and Bard was simply ineffective. I think that sums it up quite well. Let’s move on.
This was painful to read.
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Red Sox in the Top 10 Baby!
Top 10 pick in the draft that is:
> Their 90 losses is more than 23 other clubs, and also more than 21 other teams can now get to. The Mariners, at 73-86, have the tenth-worst record in the majors — while this should get them a top-10 pick, the Pirates have a compensation pick for their failure to sign Mark Appel that makes it so only the nine-worst records fit the bill. If the Mariners lost their last three contests, and everyone in front of them won out, they would still have only 89 losses. This would push Kansas City out of the top 10, but Boston’s placement is safe. Where they end up isn’t locked in yet, though.
Way to go boys. Way to go.
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Rory Mcilroy is on the Clock
Well played Rory. Well played[^f3648].
[^f3648]: If you need context, see [Rory almost misses his tee time because he does not understand timezones](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/video-rory-mcilroy-rushes-tee-time-showing-183135857–golf.html).
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America’s Collapse at the Ryder Cup
It was painful to watch. The only “positive” I can take away from it is that Davis Love III will now be remembered as the Ryder Cup captain who presided over such a historic collapse[^f2929].
[Jay Busbee](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/sizing-individual-winners-losers-39th-ryder-cup-143521302–golf.html) on *Yahoo*, writing about the “losers” from this year’s Ryder cup:
> **Davis Love III:** Let the second-guessing begin! Should Love have picked Hunter Mahan over Furyk? Should he have played the unbeatable team of Bradley/Phil Mickelson on Saturday afternoon? Should he have switched up the order of his singles to “hide” certain of his captain’s picks? Plenty of questions, with no answers
Dan Levy also [has a solid column of what happened at the Ryder Cup on Sunday](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1353622-ryder-cup-making-sense-of-an-epic-american-collapse-and-more-epic-euro-comeback).
[^f2929]: When I was younger, I was at a golf tournament where Davis Love was talking about how much he disliked playing in front of people and how he liked the tournament in, I believe, Phoenix, where he said “people got so drunk before the tournament they never make it out to the course”. I have rooted against him ever since.
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Getting Rowdy at the Ryder Cup
What a great moment. I cannot imagine how popular a golfer would become if he/she did this on every first tee.
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Plans for a New Rays Ballpark
My fiancé and I might be visiting her family in Tampa a lot more if this place gets built.
Currently hot in my [Fever](http://feedafever.com) instance – **Tim Cook on Apple Maps**
No surprise, this story is going to be huge for a few days. The [original letter is available at Apple.com](http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/)
Links related to this:
* [The Blaze](http://www.theblaze.com/stories/apple-maps-is-so-horrible-the-companys-ceo-just-had-to-apologize/)
* [MacStories](http://www.macstories.net/news/tim-cook-writes-open-letter-to-customers-apologizes-for-maps-frustration/)
* [iMore](http://tipb.com.feedsportal.com/c/33998/f/616881/s/23eb55bd/l/0L0Simore0N0Capple0Eceo0Etim0Ecook0Ewrites0Eopen0Eletter0Ecustomers0Econcerning0Eios0E60Emaps/story01.htm)
Dan Wetzel writing for *Yahoo Sports:*
> Score this one for public pressure, as the NFL, under intense scrutiny and criticism, finally acknowledged that the job of referee isn’t just a replaceable occupation. As a tidal wave of tumult grew over the season’s first three weeks – capped by Sunday and Monday nights’ nationally-broadcast embarrassments – the league’s hypothesis that it could pretty much round up anyone off the street, put them in striped shirts and the game would go on fine was over.
The NFL’s hand was forced.
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Meet the US Ryder Cup Team
I am really looking forward to this. The ideal story, of course: Tiger v. Rory on Sunday with the whole thing on the line.
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Real Refs on Sunday
So sayeth Adam Schefter.
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Skydive into Dodger’s Stadium
In case you want to see what it is like to skydive into Dodger’s stadium without having to actually make the jump yourself.
> Indications are, however, that the Red Sox wouldn’t [sign Middlebrooks to an Evan Longoria level deal] this offseason with Middlebrooks, who is fewer than 300 plate appearances into his major-league career. As happy as Boston has been with the third baseman’s rookie season, it doesn’t necessarily represent a significant enough sample to make a longer-term commitment just yet. There have been plenty of promising rookies who have taken a step back in their development, and the Sox are in no rush to make a long-term judgment on Middlebrooks.
I hope Will Middlebrooks bounces back from his wrist injury. He was the highlight of the 2012 Red Sox season for me and I will be crushed if he cannot repeat his 2012 success next year.
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Bill Barnwell on the Replacement Refs
> Monday night’s dramatic ending to the Packers-Seahawks game officially saw the league’s replacement officials complete their trip from irritating sideshow to spectacular main event by directly changing the outcome of a game on a questionable call, one that was delivered with their reliable combination of befuddlement and insouciance. It was the first time that the replacement officials had turned a win into a loss by making the wrong call on the final play of the game, unless you believe that the same thing happened with the field goal that ended the Patriots-Ravens contest on Sunday night, in which case that just happened in consecutive games. You often hear about games in which the team who got the ball last won. This was a game in which the team who had the opportunity to be screwed last lost.
I do not think I am going to see many people defending the replacement refs today.
Joe Posnanski:
> But Monday night’s ending, well, if that doesn’t end this farce, then it’s clear that the people who run the NFL have simply decided that they don’t owe the fans, the players or anyone else legitimacy.
> …
> These things, I believe, and others have made the replacement referees a real danger to the NFL’s balance. The NFL was on the edge in so many ways … the replacement referees pushed them over. For most of America, the game was ALMOST too dangerous before; the replacements make it more dangerous. The game was ALMOST too slow and plodding before; the replacement refs make it slower. The game was ALMOST too convoluted before; the replacement refs make it more convoluted. The NFL owners and executives were ALMOST too greedy and self-serving and dismissive of the fans before; the replacement refs make it all the more true.
The NFL should bring back the real officials and just wipe everyone’s record back to 0-0[^fn1]. What a fiasco this whole thing has turned into.
*See also,* [Yahoo Football Blog Summary of the Events #1](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/seahawks-stun-packers-one-craziest-most-controversial-endings-042606665–nfl.html), [Yahoo Football Blog Summary of the Events #2](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/seahawks-win-strangest-game-history-call-define-replacement-061942237–nfl.html), [Dan Wetzel’s Column](http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/Dan+Wetzel/SIG=14f0bnn5b/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl–nfl-commissioner-roger-goodell-needs-to-clean-up-officiating-mess–hellip-and-issue-a-public-apology.html), and [Dan Levy’s Take](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1346960-seattle-green-bay-should-have-an-asterisk-thanks-to-nfls-negligence).
[^fn1]: Okay, maybe I am a little biased since I think the Patriots would be at least 2-1 with real officials.
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Revis Out for the Season
> “Everyone gets hurt.”
A classic quote from my dad that is true to this day[^fn1].
[^fn1]: Another favorite, “always go to the ball.”
[Cowboys.com](http://cowboys.com) has launched as a gay dating site. You think Jerry Jones wishes he had just paid the $275,000 originally?
If this is true, he will get a major fine. What a disaster these replacement officials are becoming.
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Clemson’s Defense Does Not Hold up at FSU
> Four games into Venables’ tenure as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator, it doesn’t appear that easy fix is imminent. Saturday night, No.4 Florida State shredded his system for 667 yards of total offense – second-worst in school history – in a 49-37 win over No.10 Clemson.
That is not what us Tiger fans were hoping for when Coach Venables joined the coaching staff.
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A Good Day for the Replacement Refs
If by “good day” you mean they gave the 49ers two extra challenges they were not entitled to.
*See also,* [Matt Schaub losing part of his ear on an illegal hit](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/matt-schaub-loses-piece-ear-illegal-hit-013507090–nfl.html)