The Bitter Rivals Thread

[KenFougere]

Go Pats!

I skiied at Killington and Cannon when I was young. Cross country was more my speed, and now I ski once or twice every winter.

My son bungee jumped from the tallest platform in New Zealand. He has skied in the Rockies and climbed the Southern Alps.

I didn't like sitting in the Upper Deck at Shea Stadium.

Ya, the Pats played awesome. But they can't fall behind so much in the AFC Championship!

Killington was my favorite mountain. I loved their 4.5 mile trail!

You must be quite proud of your son for all of his accomplishments! My son never was interested in sports at all. I love sports. I tried to get him interested, but nothing I tried worked . . . .

[TonyK]

Ya, the Pats played awesome. But they can't fall behind so much in the AFC Championship!

Killington was my favorite mountain. I loved their 4.5 mile trail!

You must be quite proud of your son for all of his accomplishments! My son never was interested in sports at all. I love sports. I tried to get him interested, but nothing I tried worked . . . .

Coaching my son's little league team led me to BBF. I enjoy most of the discussions here and can't wait for the Bos-NY rivalry to heat up.

I think some kids prefer either an individual sport like tennis or track or swimming, or one of the arts. Nowadays boys are excited by video games and parents complain they don't want to practice a sport to get better.

[YankeeMan]

What is a YankeeMan to do...

I know Tom Brady and I like him. He's a nice guy. I'd like to see him get a fourth ring.

But I hate the Patriots.

[YankeeMan]

78 days, 20 hours, 19 minutes until Red Sox @ Yankees!

BTW, I'm wondering who's gonna finish in 3rd and who's gonna' get last this season... :clown:

Predictions?

[egri]

As a Sox fan, I honestly hope the Yankees turn it around soon. The rivalry is no fun when one or both of the teams suck. That being said, I'm not optimistic about what the Boston front office has been up to this winter. I think the Sandoval deal is going to become an albatross very soon, and they are relying on bounceback years from a lot of players.

[YankeeMan]

As a Sox fan, I honestly hope the Yankees turn it around soon. The rivalry is no fun when one or both of the teams suck. That being said, I'm not optimistic about what the Boston front office has been up to this winter. I think the Sandoval deal is going to become an albatross very soon, and they are relying on bounceback years from a lot of players.

Think BOTH of our teams are going to suck this year... So, no worries. :clown:

[KenFougere]

Think BOTH of our teams are going to suck this year... So, no worries. :clown:

But the question is, who's going to have the better record?
I'm willing to bet on my team. Got the sack to participate? - wink.gif

[YankeeMan]

But the question is, who's going to have the better record?
I'm willing to bet on my team. Got the sack to participate? - [ATTACH]145241[/ATTACH]

Just got back from the doctor's office. Don't worry... Everything's fine. Here's my latest x-ray:

big_balls_black_tshirt_tshirt.jpg :clown:

[KenFougere]

Just got back from the doctor's office. Don't worry... Everything's fine. Here's my latest x-ray:

[ATTACH]145276[/ATTACH] :clown:

My God. Your poor wife! Did she charge you with assault & battery (with 2) deadly weapons?

[TonyK]

My God. Your poor wife! Did she charge you with assault & battery (with 2) deadly weapons?

They look deflated to me.

[KenFougere]

They look deflated to me.

Excellent . . . .

[KenFougere]

Patriots' Tom Brady again shows love for Derek Jeter during Super Bowl Media Day

tom-brady.jpg

PHOENIX ‐ New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has high standards. He only settles for supermodels and legends.

When it comes to athletes, there are a select few athletes that Brady admires. They just so happen to be the greatest of the greats.

Among them ‐ former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. He was the first name Brady mentioned on Tuesday at Super Bowl Media Day when asked of the athletes he admires.

"Derek Jeter, LeBron (James), Kobe (Bryant). A lot of great football players that I really look up to. Peyton (Manning) has been a great player since my rookie year, Aaron (Rodgers) and what he has been able to accomplish. Those guys compete every day and want to win. They work their tails off to help their team. Those guys I really look up to."

That's quite a list. All are lock Hall of Famers.

Brady has done all right for himself as well. He is appearing in his record sixth Super Bowl on Sunday when the Patriots play the Seahawks. He has a chance to win his fourth, in addition to all his individual accomplishments.

Jeter, who won five championships, is the only baseball player Brady mentioned, even though he played his entire career for the Yankees, who everyone knows aren't very popular in New England. But it's more than just his on-field accomplishments that have grabbed Brady's attention over the years.

There appears to be a serious man crush there.

"You see someone who plays the game the way you think it needs to be played, like Derek Jeter, I love the way he plays the game," Brady said at the 2012 Super Bowl.

"Yeah, I've known Derek for a long time. I've always admired him. He has a lot of respect for his teammates, his coaches, and the game," Brady said during Jeter's retirement tour this past season.

Unprompted, the lovefest continued on Media Day at Super Bowl XLIX. Jeter was right at the top of Brady's list, even if he's not playing anymore.


Jordan Raanan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Jordan Raanan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com January 27, 2015 at 5:43 PM

[KenFougere]

Do The Boston Red Sox Have What it Takes to Make The Playoffs?

The Boston Red Sox made early splashes this offseason, signing free agent sluggers Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez to help bolster their anemic offense that helped guide their last place finish in 2014. This year, their lineup looks much more menacing with Hanley and Kung Fu Panda protecting stalwarts David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli.

The Red Sox seemed to be ready to dominate the hot stove, and then they whiffed on Jon Lester, losing out to the Cubs. They responded quickly, snagging many lower-level pitching options and filled their rotation rather quickly, trading away Yoenis Cespedes (who they had an immediate replacement for anyway) for Rick Porcello and trading a trio of unestablished players for Wade Miley. They grabbed Justin Masterson off the wire, presumably finishing off their 2015 rotation, with those 3 joining Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly.

Is that really the rotation of a division champion? In the always-tough AL East?

Well, for starters, they lack a true ace. Sure Clay Buchholz has shown a lot of promise in the past, but is he a guy you want leading your staff? His inconsistencies are well documented. He’s posted 5.34 and 4.56 ERAs in 2 of the past 3 years, with an injury-plagued, though great 2013 sandwiched in between. Buchholz has never tossed 200 innings in a season, and he’s only made more than 16 starts three times in his 8 year career. His phenomenal All Star season (17-7, 2.33) of 2010 keeps drifting further into the distance, and there are some serious question marks surrounding Boston’s likely opening day starter.

Rick Porcello, the likely number 2 guy, is coming off a career year with Detroit. His overall numbers were modest (15-13, 3.43) but was dominant at times and tossed 3 compete game shutouts. He appeared to finally figure things out in his age-25 season, which is a plus for a guy with a career 4.30 ERA. He’s still young and has 6 full years of big league experience under his belt, so he could be a candidate for a breakout season. The problem here is not Porcello himself, but the fact that he projects as their number 2 starter.

Wade Miley appeared to be heading towards ace status after his All Star 2012 rookie season, but has since regressed in both of his last 2 years. He struggled pretty mightily at times in 2014 but still managed to toss 200 innings. If the Red Sox can get 2012 Miley (16-10, 3.33) instead of 2014 Miley (8-12, 4.34), they’ll be in excellent shape, but it will mean he will have to reverse the trend he has been heading in. Either way, Miley still projects as a solid number 3 starter.

Then, it gets a bit more messy. Justin Masterson projects as a starter, and he’s coming off a year where he was one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball. He posted a 7.04 ERA in 9 appearances after being traded to the Cardinals, and he wasn’t much better with the Indians. He’s been an All Star in the past, but taking a flyer on him seems more fitted for a team in desperate need of help as opposed to a team that has aspirations of going back to the World Series.

Lastly, Joe Kelly appears to be the favorite to grab the 5th rotation spot. He’s never pitched more than 124 innings in his brief career. While he claims he will win the Cy Young this year, his career stats don’t show much evidence to support him, and his low strikeout rate could hamper him over the course of a season.

The Red Sox will score runs this year. Their lineup should be fantastic. On paper, they should be able to compete in the East based off of their offense. But, with all of the question marks in their lineup, all the inconsistencies they’ve had from all 5 projected starters, and their complete lack of a true ace, there’s slim chance that the Red Sox have a rotation that can compete with their AL East competition. They’re going to have to hope their offense is fantastic throughout the season. In the MLB, you don’t go far without pitching

The Sports Journal

[YankeeMan]

They look deflated to me.

I'm dying!

[YankeeMan]

Okay... Wagers.

Here's what I got...

1. Signatures -- whomever finishes better in the division wins the other's from close of the season until opening day.
2. Avatars -- to the team that wins the season series until opening day.
3. All of the above -- if one of the teams wins the WORLD SERIES BOTH the signature and avatar, regardless of the above, until the reign ends (mathematical elimination).