* Before being traded to the Atlanta Braves Saturday, Chris Sale spent seven seasons with the Red Sox.
The first two couldn’t have gone better, with the lefty contributing 59 starts, winning 29 decisions and fashioning a 2.56 ERA, culminating with a World Series-clinching inning of dominant relief at Dodger Stadium.
The next five? Not so much. Other than a few patches of brilliance, Sale was mostly injured or limited. He lost an entire season recuperating from Tommy John and large chunks of two others. In 2022, Sale endured a run of injuries that were so frequent – broken rib, broken pinkie finger, broken wrist — that they defied belief.
But always, Sale fought to return. Contrary to the conspiracy theories of some who envisioned the pitcher laughing as he hobbled to the bank twice a month, the injuries and unavailability ate at Sale. Anyone who doubted his competitiveness or will to win is forgetting Game 4 of the 2018 World Series, when he put his entire team on blast in the dugout, designed to stir them from their torpor.
It’s always mystified me when fans vent against injured players. Frustration? That’s understandable. But outright anger at a player who, through no fault of his own, suffered an injury? That’s difficult to fathom.
Understand this: Sale was hyper competitive, always professional and the ultimate teammate. Those who played with him held him in the highest regard, and so, too, did his managers and coaches. The notion that Sale didn’t care whether he contributed or not, and was only motivated by his paycheck, couldn’t be more off the mark.
In retrospect, it’s inarguable that the Sox certainly erred when they gave Sale a five-year, $145 million extension in March of 2019. They didn’t get nearly enough return for their investment.
But if you think you’re more bothered about that than Sale himself, you’re wrong.
* It’s hard to watch the Patriots in the waning weeks of a forgettable season and think about what might have been. Had Bill Belichick made the switch from Mac Jones to Bailey Zappe earlier in the season, how different would things look now?
It’s tough to imagine the Patriots being in the playoff picture even if the quarterback change had happened sooner. But at the very least, the Pats would have additional time to evaluate Zappe, determine if he could be someone around whom the team could build, and perhaps be in position to focus their draft prep on offensive linemen and wide receivers.
Instead, by stubbornly sticking with Jones long after such a move made sense, the Pats squandered both the 2023 season and additional development time for Zappe.
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* It’s probably a little early to start with the second-guessing, but it sure seems as if the Bruins missed out by not targeting Patrick Kane more. Sure, there were some risks and adding him would have required some additional salary cap machinations. But Kane is already scoring at a point-per-game rate, and has six goals in 12 games. For a team starved for secondary scoring up front, Kane could have helped.
* Watching the Celtics toy with the hapless Detroit Pistons Thursday night was a little like watching one of those races at Truist Park in Atlanta featuring “The Freeze” and a fan from the stands. Having spotted them the Pistons a huge lead, it was only a matter of time before the Celts caught up and overtook them.
* Every time I’m channel-flipping and come across some obscure bowl game featuring two 6-6 teams in a stadium one-third full, I remember that someone, somewhere is, inexplicably, betting on that game.
* And on the subject of bowls, I generally determine my rooting interest by deciding which of the two head coaches is less odious than the other. So you can imagine the conundrum I find myself in when it comes to the Rose Bowl: Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) vs. Nick Saban (Alabama). C’mon, scoreless tie!
* I know TV producers like to “mic up” players in-game in order to reveal more of the players’ personalities. But when it comes to hockey players, the value is limited since it seems every sound bite is some variation of: “OK, boys….let’s go……need to get the next one.”
* I’ll be revealing my Hall of Fame ballot later this week, but the notion that voters should feel compelled to vote for the maximum number of players allowed is one I’ve never understood. Just because you’re allowed that many votes doesn’t guarantee that there are 10 Cooperstown-worthy choices on each ballot. I checked six names this year and that may be the most I’ve had on a ballot in 25 years of voting.
* For the life of me, I’ve never understood how the concept of “opt-out” clauses has become so prevalent in baseball. For teams, it’a lose-lose scenario: if the signed player outperforms his contract, he’s (likely) going to leave for more money elsewhere; if he underperforms, he stays and you continue to pay his bad contract.
It’s one thing to do it for a true superstar free agent, if doing so will separate you from other competitive offers and land you the player. But now, they’re so commonplace, it seems like every other player gets an opt-out.
* Don’t hold your breath waiting for the feckless NFL Players Association to come to the aid of Russell Wilson. If a team — the Denver Broncos — can essentially extort a player by threatening to cut him unless he restructures his contract, why even have a collective bargaining agreement?
* There have been whispers about the Red Sox soliciting offers on Kenley Jansen, which I guess makes some sense. Jansen would have immense value to a contending team. But he solidified the back end of the bullpen last year, something the Sox lacked for a number of previous seasons. And while he could theoretically be replaced by signing a free agent like Robert Stephenson, let’s hope they remember that 1) Not everyone is built for the ninth inning and 2) Stephenson has all of three saves in eight major league seasons.
* If the Kansas City Chiefs don’t have their act together after 15 games, maybe they’re not quite the dynasty they’ve been made out to be. I suppose it can still be anyone’s year in the AFC, but after the Baltimore Ravens, I find it hard to get excited about another team. The Dolphins appear unreliable and while the Bills could be the proverbial “tough out” in the postseason, they’re far from a sure thing.
* Happy New Year to all, and as always, thanks for reading.
