When the clock strikes three, just do nothing

Daniel R. Levitt, SABR:

When the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 1918, it was their fifth triumph in the fifteen years of the modern classic. The club had the best player in baseball, outfielder-pitcher Babe Ruth, another top hitter in Harry Hooper, star catcher Wally Schang, and four other pitching stars — Carl Mays, Dutch Leonard, Joe Bush, and Sam Jones — each younger than 27. With the ending of the Great War, Ernie Shore, Duffy Lewis, and other stars were returning from military service. Local fans were optimistic — not only because the ballclub was loaded with talent but because Bostonians had become accustomed to great teams since the early days of professional baseball.

Within a few years all of the above players were gone, mostly traded or sold to the New York Yankees, and the Red Sox had become a laughable franchise, finishing dead last in nine of eleven years from 1922 through 1932. Boston Red Sox' owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 and a $300,000 mortgage on Fenway Park.

Edmonton Oilers - In 1978, acquired Center Wayne Gretzky, Goaltender Eddie Mio and Left Wing Peter Driscoll from the Indianapolis Racers (when both teams were in the World Hockey Association) for $700,000 and future considerations. The Racers were losing $40,000 per game. The money was not enough to keep the Racers alive; they folded that December.

Los Angeles Kings - the Kings received from the Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky, Defenseman Marty McSorley and Left Wing Mike Krushelnyski for Center Jimmy Carson, Left Wing Martin Gelinas, $15 million in cash, and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989 (later traded to the New Jersey Devils – New Jersey selected Jason Miller), 1991 (Martin Rucinsky), and 1993 (Nick Stajduhar). The Oilers' owner Peter Pocklington was burned in effigy outside Northlands Coliseum. Gretzky himself was considered a "traitor" by some Canadians for turning his back on his adopted hometown, and his home country.

Boston Bruins - In 1964, trade Goaltender Ken Dryden to the Montreal Canadiens for Right Wing Paul Reid and Defenseman Guy Allen, whom the Bruins coveted. Allen nor Reid ever appeared in an NHL contest. Dryden's regular season totals include a .790 winning percentage, a 2.24 goals against average, and, most incredibly, winning 258 games and losing only 57 games while recording 46 shutouts in just 397 NHL games. He won the Vezina Trophy five times as the top goaltender in the NHL. Dryden played on six Stanley Cup winners in his eight year Hall of Fame career.

If a rival team owner calls and mentions cash, listen carefully. If not, hang up the phone. No matter what happens at the 3 o'clock NHL trading deadline on Wednesday, it will never match the Ken Dryden deal. The best trades are the ones that aren't made.



Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

NFL needs to take back the night

Michael McCann, Sports Illustrated:

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has been charged with felonies for his alleged role in an altercation that took place in Pittsburgh last Sunday. Revis has been charged with robbery, terroristic threats, conspiracy and aggravated assault.

Conspiracy is a similarly worrisome charge for Revis. Conspiracy entails that Revis and his associate planned to commit a crime—in this case, knocking out the 21- and 22-year old men. Witnesses told the police that the two men were unconscious for about 10 minutes. They were both hospitalized and one of them suffered a serious facial injury.

A crucial piece of evidence was left behind: the 22-year-old’s cellphone and its video contents. An officer reviewed the video and confirmed that Revis was present at the scene.

The New York Jets could attempt to void his contract and thus nullify any obligation to pay him guaranteed money. If successful, such a move would relieve the Jets of having to pay Revis $6 million in guaranteed money in 2017.

Shore patrol are service members who are provided to aid in security for the U.S. Navy while on shore. They are often temporarily assigned personnel who receive limited training in law enforcement and are commonly armed with a baton. Their primary function is to make certain that sailors on liberty do not become too rowdy. They will also provide assistance for sailors in relations with the civilian courts and police.

I was a 19 year old Seaman in the United States Navy assigned to Shore Patrol in Naples, Italy while aboard the USS FDR(CVA-42). The normal rule for assigning sailors to Shore Patrol is to select from a list of veterans who had served at least two years in the service. I had only been in the Navy for six months, but I was chosen so I showed up for duty.

We took the liberty boat from the carrier and met at the dock at noon. I was matched up with a 6 ft. 6" 240 lb. 12 year veteran. The assignment consisted of walking the streets, checking in at bars and whorehouses, and having a presence in the area where the sailors would congregate. The shift would run until midnight.

It was a hot summer day and the first day in port after two weeks at sea. I carried a walkie talkie and a black nightstick. It was fun to watch everybody enjoying themselves as I walked the beat. I couldn't wait for my chance to see the world. We stopped around 6PM(1800) for dinner. The meal was 'on the house' at a streetside stand, two chicken shish kabobs, french fries and a coke.

The relatively uneventful evening took a turn for the worse around eight when a fight broke out between two sailors from our ship. One lay unconscious on the sidewalk while the other guy was kicking him in the head. As we ran to the scene, I radioed for assistance. He was handcuffed and taken away. I went to the hospital with the sailor who was seriously injured. My pants were torn, my shirt bloodied and my hat was gone, and I was uninjured. Welcome to the real world.

At Captains's Mast the next morning at 0700, we were all dressed in our white uniforms. We had filled out reports as to what had transpired the previous evening. The combatant had spent the night in the brig, and had but 27 days to go before he would finish his four year enlistment. The Captain wasted no time in delivering his verdict. The sentence for jail time would be three months plus the 27 days.

" I am not wasting one cent of the government's money to send you home when you can't behave. My job is to ensure the safety of all my men, and I can't do my job if you are stomping and kicking them. That boy has a mother who expects me to hold up my end of the bargain."

The NFL wasted two years of our time over pressure in a football. According to Rovell, the estimated cost of Deflategate has bled all parties involved a combined $22.5 million. That means $14.7 million from the NFL (the largest financial loser in this equation), $7.1 million from the NFL Players Association and $750,000 from the Patriots.

Here is hoping the NFL and New York Jets act like the military and put a stop to this outlandish behavior. Our Navy Captain would have thrown away the key.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Casey DeSmith just needed a friend

Jeff Cox, JeffCoxSports:

September 3, 2014 - University of New Hampshire senior goaltender Casey DeSmith was arrested over the weekend on one count of simple assault and one count of resisting arrest.

The report by Morgan Palmer says the incident occurred with DeSmith's girlfriend on the morning of Sunday, August 31st shortly before midnight. DeSmith, a three-year starter, was expected to once again carry the load in the UNH crease.

The University of New Hampshire is aware of Casey DeSmith's arrest. The university takes the allegations very seriously and will always act to ensure the health and safety of our community. The university will treat this report with the seriousness that it deserves and in a manner consistent with our handling of similar cases involving any UNH student. Consistent with our policies regarding student athletes charged with this type of behavior, Mr. DeSmith has been suspended from the men's hockey team pending further investigation into the matter.

Mike McMahon, CollegeHockeyNews:

The UNH suspension was ended in November, 2014 after a disciplinary hearing, which found that statements had varied, among other evidence, which also included no evidence of physical harm and other eyewitness statements that DeSmith did not do anything physical during the incident, according to the report.

The board found that DeSmith was not responsible for causing physical harm and was allowed to re-enter the University as a student in good standing the following semester. However on December 1, UNH head coach Dick Umile and athletic director Marty Scarano reportedly told DeSmith he would not be allowed to rejoin the hockey team. Freshman Adam Clark had taken over in goal, and there was no need to reinstate three year letterman, DeSmith.

Multiple Division I schools were interested in DeSmith. Five top-tier schools, including Michigan and Wisconsin had contacted DeSmith as well. "Declining my waiver did not help anyone and only hurt my family and me; and the schools that I could have attended." In typical NCAA fashion, the school transfer waiver was denied. DeSmith carried a 3.3 GPA as a business major.

After exhausting all collegiate avenues, Casey DeSmith signed with the Wheeling Nailers, the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has moved up to The American Hockey League with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and shares goaltending duties with Tristan Jarry.

The NHL dispersal draft in June will fill the roster of the new Las Vegas Golden Knights.

All 30 existing team are told they can "protect" a certain number of its existing contracted players by furnishing their names to the league office. The expansion team is then allowed to select players not on the protected lists in a manner somewhat similar to an entry draft. All teams are allowed to protect one goalie.

Karen Ciccotelli, Seacoastonline:

We have all made mistakes in life. Not all of us have those mistakes end up as headline news. And, as we all know, what is in the headlines is almost never the "whole story."

When Casey is promoted to the NHL, UNH will be first to broadly display this remarkable achievement in their game program. UNH Hockey, Dick Umile and his staff, produces another star player for the world's top league. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

19 angry billionaires have it made and don't even know it

I’m not sure “angry” describes all of the characters. The picture shows men confronting their own emotional and experiential pasts and those of their fellow jurors as they decide whether or not to send a youth to the electric chair for the murder of his father. Some are plagued while others are buoyed by their respective personalities in this stressful situation, but each one has to decide how to move forward. They smoke, they sweat, they swear, they sprawl, they stalk, and they get angry.

The late Ralph Wilson Jr., 92, long-time owner of the Buffalo Bills and one of the founders of the American Football League, served in the Navy during World War II. None of the present owners ever served in the military.

Sports Xchange:

19 of the NFL's 32 teams are owned by billionaires. Seattle Seahawks' owner Paul Allen tops the NFL list at $17.5 billion. Allen started Microsoft with Bill Gates, who remains the richest person in the world with a net worth of $75 billion. Miami Dolphin's owner Stephen Ross is second on the NFL list at $12 billion, followed by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke ($7.7 billion). Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots sits at $4.9 billion.

The NFL is now looking into the Seattle Seahawks' situation on CB Richard Sherman’s partially torn MCL, and head coach Pete Carroll noting that he wasn’t on the Injury Report. Carroll said that Sherman had suffered a MCL injury in his knee during a game and played through it during the second half of the season. However, Sherman's injury was never disclosed on the league's official injury reports.

Sherman's injury situation marks the third time the Seahawks have violated NFL rules. The Seahawks violated offseason rules in 2016 and 2014. They were disciplined for excessive contact during OTAs in 2016 and impermissible contact in 2014. League owners are up in arms over the fact that the Seahawks were not punished.

Rich Hill, SBNation:

The issue with DeflateGate runs deeper than just the flaws in a system that allows NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to hear and rule on the appeal of a penalty he issued himself. It's more than Goodell.

It boils down to the pettiness of owners. Owners that have managed to stay out of the spotlight by deflecting the focus on Goodell. Owners that have hit the Patriots with a lasting penalty because they can't stand the fact that their teams aren't as successful on a consistent basis. Owners that have found a way to get the greatest player in the history of the sport suspended for four games over nothing at all.

The owners have made this about taking down New England owner Robert Kraft, with QB Tom Brady being merely collateral damage, and Patriots fans are forced to deal with the repercussions.

If Henry Fonda plays Roger Goodell in the movie, they will really have something to cry about.

And Lee J. Cobb plays Robert Kraft as the last one to "let it go."

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Man behind the glass takes advantage of second chance

Jeff Jacobs, Hartford Courant:

May 21, 1994 - General Manager Paul Holmgren did more to unify the Hartford Whalers than anybody in recent team history. Holmgren fired head coach Pierre McGuire after six months. It was more than a great idea. It was justice.

In 15 years of covering the NHL, we had never seen a coach so universally disrespected and disliked within his own organization.
McGuire fancied himself two parts Scotty Bowman and one part Bob Johnson.

McGuire privately said after a game how he outcoached the other guy. It turned out to be a superhuman leap of faith on his part.

At 32, McGuire was the youngest head coach in the NHL. When a young man is so headstrong, so emotional, so calculating, such a control freak, so full of ambition and so full of himself, he will either rocket to the top or crash.

As a first year assistant with the Hartford Whalers, McGuire told the team that "he would personally shut down Pittsburgh Penguins Center Mario Lemieux" in the October 17, 1992 contest. Lemieux' linemate Kevin Stevens scored four goals while Mario had only four assists.

On the bench, players said McGuire would taunt the other team, saying he couldn't believe the opposing coach was allowing him certain line matchups. This braggadocio led Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr to mock McGuire. Pierre got Jagr for an illegal stick, and after Jagr jumped out of the penalty box, he scored on a breakaway. Although he had scored big goals in two Stanley Cup championships, Jagr called this overtime goal the biggest of his life because he humbled ``that know-it-all.''

After McGuire was fired, Whalers' Captain Pat Verbeek called it "the best thing that could have happened to the Whalers." He said that his teammates had no respect for McGuire and players would refuse to play if he were retained. In 1995, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman ruled that McGuire would forfeit half of the remaining salary owed to him by the Whalers for providing confidential coaching evaluations that had been prepared while employed by Hartford to the Edmonton Oilers.

McGuire became a scout with the Ottawa Senators, but the stint lasted only two months when the entire coaching staff was fired in January, 1996. He became the radio analyst for CJAD broadcasts of Montreal Canadiens games. When TSN re-acquired the Canadian national cable rights to NHL hockey in 2002, McGuire was hired as its lead hockey analyst.

McGuire joined NBC Sports after they acquired the rights to NHL games in 2006. He usually works as an "Inside the Glass" reporter with the lead broadcast team of Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk. His hockey knowledge is seemingly endless. Pierre can rattle off almost every player’s college and juniors team. Also, he loves to add random facts about a players’ personal life.

Hockey players need strength, pain tolerance, endurance, explosive speed and maximum conditioning to endure the rigors of their sport. NHL players simply never coast. Despite all the demands the sport and coaches put on NHL players, it seems that hockey players, more so than other athletes, realize how lucky they are to play their sport professionally and relish the opportunity to put on a uniform and play before adoring fans.

And they hate that Pierre McGuire speaks for them.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Tom Brady can't afford to take any days off

Everett Knowlton, Business Insider:

"So 80 percent of what he eats is vegetables. [I buy] the freshest vegetables. If it's not organic, I don't use it. And whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, millet, beans. The other 20 percent is lean meats: grass-fed organic steak, duck every now and then, and chicken. As for fish, I mostly cook wild salmon."

"No white sugar. No white flour. No MSG. I'll use raw olive oil, but I never cook with olive oil. I only cook with coconut oil. Fats like canola oil turn into trans fats. ... I use Himalayan pink salt as the sodium. I never use iodized salt.

"[Brady] doesn't eat nightshades, because they're not anti-inflammatory. So no tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, or eggplants. Tomatoes trickle in every now and then, but just maybe once a month. I'm very cautious about tomatoes. They cause inflammation.

"What else? No coffee. No caffeine. No fungus. No dairy."

Tom Brady has said he wants to play football well into his 40s. "Football is not satisfied with the average man. The average man is just that." - Forrest W. England.

This is how a regular person looks at age 47.

Christie Brinkley at the age of 63 returns to the cover of Sports Illustrated after 13 years. "I tried some pretty weird diets in the beginning ... everything from juice fasting to eating one kind of food at a time, to eating a grapefruit first before everything." "The only thing that really lasts is a well-balanced diet."

Napoleon — ‘Battles are won by the power of the mind.’

Father Time won this battle with New York Giants' QB Y.A. Tittle. He was just 37, which is two years younger than Tom Brady. I think Tom should skip the trip to the White House. Time's a wastin.

Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

Boston Bruins operate under the cover of darkness

Boston:

The Boston Bruins fired Stanley Cup-winning coach Claude Julien on Tuesday as the team was in danger of missing the playoffs for a third straight season. He was the longest-tenured coach in the NHL. General manager Don Sweeney announced the change on Tuesday, naming assistant Bruce Cassidy the interim coach.

Julien was 419-246-94 in 10 seasons that included two trips to the NHL finals and a Stanley Cup title in 2011. The Bruins lost in the finals two years later, and the year after that earned 117 points and the Presidents’ Trophy before losing in the conference semifinals to archrival Montreal.

Claude Julien said at the time that he had little room for error. “It just means that I’m probably the next one to fall off the totem pole, right?” the former Canadiens and Devils coach said last summer. “I’m going to try to make it last as long as I can.”

Camp Huckins is the most amazing loving and special place on earth. Every single day, I wish I was there again. The girls you meet at huckins will always be your truest friends, and care about you unconditionally. I love Camp Huckins. It is the biggest part of my life, and the source of my greatest happiness!

Boston Bruins' President Cam Neely was dropping off his daughter at Camp Huckins in Freedom, NH just a few summers ago. I was there dropping off some clothing items for one of the counselors. He never got out of the black limousine. I should have known then that Claude Julien wouldn't see the light of day.

The ten years of Claude's reign with the Bruins won't hold the lifetime of memories that the young girls experienced.


Paul Murphy

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

New England Patriots get the gift that keeps on giving