2 weeks Ago
Good morning! The UMass football team hosts Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) this afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, a well deserved cupcake after three weeks of gruel and horsebread playing against Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Buffalo. It’s Homecoming, a day to remember when parking was free and the gates opened at halftime so people could watch the band and stay for the second half. Tickets are $15, kickoff is at 3:30 and actionnetwork.
com lists the Minutemen as 20 1/2-point favorites. CCSU is getting $250,000 for journeying up from New Britain to play the team that beat them 42-26 in 2011. The Blue Devils are members of the Northeast Conference that includes Mercyhurst, LeMoyne and Fairleigh Dickinson.
They’ve beaten Fordham and Saint Francis and lost to the Central Michigan Chippewas, 66-10. USA Today ranks them 245th of 263 teams in I and I-AA; UMass is 197th. McGuirk opened 49 years ago this Wednesday and the Minutemen beat AIC, 41-0.
The team’s new home was a house of champions in the 20th Century when they racked up 118 home wins, 16 conference titles and a I-AA national championship. Times change and UMass has won only a handful of games at McGuirk since “upgrading” to the FBS in 2012. During last week’s blowout loss at Buffalo, Bulls broadcaster Paul Peck mentioned that No.
7 Missouri was visiting UMass in October. “That’s gonna be a culture shock for Missouri going into the den of hard knocks,” said Peck. The Den of Hard Knocks, an apt description for the place players go when everyone else says there’s no room at the inn.
The Bastards of Boston Baseball is for diehards, by diehards. Tuesday’s podcast was hosted by Jason Kelly of Canton, Jeremy Schilling of Boca Raton and Steve McGreavy of Boston. Article continues after.
.. Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess The trio discussed what to do with Tristan Casas, a 6-5, 244-pound slugger in the Dave Kingman mold who finished third behind Gunnar Henderson and Tanner Bibee in last year’s rookie of the year balloting.
Alas a rib cage injury has prevented Casas from playing in all but 53 games this season. He’s batting a subpar .244 with nine home runs and whiffs every three at-bats.
McGreavy’s sticking with him, calling him the face of Boston baseball. “The more he’s in the locker room, the more he’s gonna gain credibility. I love him in all his weirdness.
” Not so, said Kelly: “He can’t stay healthy, his personality is absolutely obnoxious and there’s no bigger a ‘Look at me” guy.” Schilling concurred: “When you bring in nonsensical things to get people to look at you and to tweet about you, it’s obnoxious. You’re just a D-bag.
” He proposed trading Casas, Wilyer Abreu and minor league prospect Marcelo Mayer to the Blue Jays for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. “You guys are off your rocker if you think the Red Sox are going to get Vlady,” sneered McGreavy. “You really think we have the buying power?” Their grousing reminded me of when Reggie Cleveland got pulled after he gave up the cycle to the first four batters he faced, and when Earl Wilson threw his glove at Dick Stuart after the ball went between his legs at Yankee Stadium.
Let’s face it, losing teams are more fun to talk about. Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi to SiriusXM’s Chris Russo: “These new coaches with their analytics don’t think they have to practice their players and that’s a big mistake. Bill Parcells told me not playing your offensive line in the preseason is like a heavyweight not sparring before a fight.
” SQUIBBERS: Speaking of culture shock, new UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes earned his Ph.D at Texas A&M where football attendance at Kyle Field averages about 99,000. Think maybe he’s having a what-am-I-doing-here moment? .
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After Buffalo Bulls analyst Scott Wilson gave the score of the Morgan State game against the Ohio Bobcats, sidekick Paul Peck chirped: “Better hide the Bobcat. They’re eating cats down there.” .
.. The Knicks hired 34-year-old Tyler Murray to be the team’s radio play-by-play announcer this season.
Murray worked several UMass hockey broadcasts and was the voice of the Worcester Red Sox. ..
. “I know it’s early but how about the job Liam Coen is doing in Tampa?” writes Jason Grader, referring to Don Brown’s quarterback in 2006 when UMass lost the I-AA championship to App. State.
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Heads up Stash Koscinski, there’s a new book out about Giants defensive end and NFL Hall of Famer Andy Robustelli: “The Pope of the NFL: The Andy Robustelli Story and the Family that Loved Him.” Locals remember Robustelli for his grinder shop on the river in Gill. .
.. Mike Yastrzemski hit his 17th dinger to help the Giants beat Baltimore on Wednesday.
Little Yaz’s 105th career home run put him 347 behind Grandpa Carl. ..
. The Orioles have collapsed under the weight of pitching injuries and rookie call-ups like Jackson Holliday who’ve been asked to do too much too soon. Holliday’s batting .
172 with an anemic .225 on base percentage. .
.. The pitch clock is the ultimate marketing scam, less baseball and more advertising.
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Raise your hand if you’re out of your knockout pool. Splash Sports reports that 73 percent of its bettors were KO’d in the first two weeks after heavy favorites like Cinci, Baltimore, Dallas and Detroit spit the bit. The average elimination rate after the first two weeks is 35 percent.
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Mike Francesca on Giants coach Brian Daboll this season compared to his first season: “When I see Daboll now, I don’t see the coach who had a glint in his eye and a little bit of a swagger. I see a guy who wants to jump off a bridge.” .
.. How could we have gone through life not knowing Henry Aaron’s launch angle? .
.. Anna Quindlen to podcaster Doug Brunt on why “Yellowstone” is her favorite TV show: “I’m constantly telling myself to be a Beth, not a Karen.
” Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at [email protected].
