By 4 p.m. on Saturday, every NFL team had to trim its roster down to the league-mandated 53-man limit. When the Patriots announced their list of cuts, some players who were expected to make the team found themselves out of a job, while others who were thought to be finished in New England earned themselves a reprieve.

Perhaps the most closely monitored battle this pre-season was waged between the backup quarterbacks. The small town of Foxborough, Mass. just wouldn’t be big enough for two Matts.

Either Matt Cassel or Matt Gutierrez had to go, and the prevailing sentiment among media and fans alike was that Gutierrez would survive the gunslingers’ duel to be Tom Brady’s number-two. Cassel, it was argued in many corners, had not developed enough in his three previous seasons and four pre-season games this summer to retain his job.

But it was Gutierrez who was handed the proverbial pink slip. The second-year signal-caller originally won the third-QB job last year as an undrafted rookie free agent and was fighting to supplant Cassel this season. In three games this August, Gutierrez threw a pair of touchdowns, mirrored by an equal number of interceptions.

Meantime, the talented, yet much-maligned Cassel has had to fight off Gutierrez as well as the critics, who, at times, have been more merciless than the opposing defenses Cassel’s faced. Despite being plagued by a perceived inability to live up to his potential, Cassel will get another opportunity with the Patriots. Rookie Kevin O’Connell, the third-round pick from San Diego State, has secured the third quarterback spot.

Another position surrounded by intrigue this summer was defensive back, brought on by the off-season departures of Asante Samuel, Randall Gay and Eugene Wilson.

The Patriots appeared to fill at least two of those holes when they signed veteran free agent cornerback Fernando Bryant, a former first-round pick, and established veteran Jason Webster earlier this year.

But after disappointing performances in the pre-season (including an embarrassing, unsuccessful attempt to bring down Giants tight end Darcy Johnson on his touchdown reception last Thursday, during which Johnson simply pushed Bryant back into the end zone) the ten-year veteran was issued his walking papers.

Webster, on the other hand, wasn’t able to impress the coaching staff due to an injury that kept him off the field for most of the summer. He was let go in the first round of cuts last Tuesday.

That means either rookie second-round draft pick Terrence Wheatley or veteran free agent Lewis Sanders will likely start opposite Ellis Hobbs at corner this Sunday against Kansas City. Rookie Jonathan Wilhite, another member of New England’s 2008 draft class, is the fourth cornerback to make the roster, with second-year man Mike Richardson having been released as well.

At safety, the team has settled on the tandem of former Pro Bowlers Rodney Harrison and John Lynch to mentor young veterans James Sanders (a returning starter from last season) and Brandon Meriweather, last year’s first-round selection. The Pats may actually have five safeties on the roster, as fifth-round pick Matthew Slater, who has seen time at wide receiver and special teams in addition to defense, spent considerable minutes at safety in the most recent Giants game.

Gone are veteran Antwain Spann and rookie free agent Mark Dillard.

Belichick decided to keep a surprising number of receivers: eight in all, after not cutting a single player at the position. Former practice squad members Ray Ventrone and C.J. Jones are getting promotions to the active roster. Third-year veteran Chad Jackson had an up-and-down summer, but with impressive TD catches in the final two pre-season games, keeps his job. Free agent Sam Aiken also won a spot.

At linebacker, Victor Hobson failed to make the transition well enough from outside to inside. The former New York Jet was released, while one of the pleasant surprises of training camp, rookie free agent Gary Guyton, earned himself a job with his consistently impressive play.
The team will keep nine linebackers in all. Rookie Vince Redd was cut, while draftee Bo Ruud wound up on injured reserve.

The talented defensive line remains strong with a six-man rotation. Jarvis Green, Mike Wright and Le Kevin Smith won the backup spots to starters Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren.

On the offensive line, incumbent starting right guard Stephen Neal will start the first six weeks of the regular season on the physically unable to perform list (PUP), while reserve tackle Ryan O’Callaghan will miss the entire season , having been placed on injured reserve.

The injuries to several key O-linemen during the pre-season apparently weren’t serious enough to warrant further shuffling. Versatile Russ Hochstein and dependable Billy Yates will keep their backup jobs (though Yates will likely start in place of Neal for the time being). They’re joined by Dan Connolly, a guard who was on the Pats practice squad a season ago.

The tight end position looks exactly as it did at the end of last year. Benjamin Watson, David Thomas and Stephen Spach will handle the chores again on opening day.

At running back, five players have made the roster, with second-year pro Kyle Eckel and rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis the casualties of the group.

Around noon on Sunday, the Pats will have the opportunity to sign up to eight players to their practice squad, so some of Saturday's released players could end up back with the team if they aren't claimed off waivers by other NFL clubs before then.

- article courtesy of patriots.com's Erik Scalavino

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: AL East, Barack Obama, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, Tampa Bay Rays, Youuuuuuuuuk

Mark Kotsay is headed to the Boston Red Sox. My brother in-law Jay is smiling (somewhere). We lost Jay six months ago today. He was traveling in Europe when he passed. He loved to travel, so much so that he had been on the road and all over the globe since the summer of 2000. He came and spent that summer with Gianina and myself while we were living in our first apartment. Great memories.

It was about that time that Kotsay was in his first few years in the league and starting to put together a decent bunch of numbers. Jay joked while watching Sportscenter that his name reminded him of one of his favorite sayings. Jay coined the term "cock-sag" - like a "buzz kill." Por ejemplo - if you are at the strip joint and your wife walks in, that is a "cock-sag" or a downer.

To this day everytime I hear his name i think of Jay. So when Mark Kotsay steps up to the plate for the first time as a member of the Red Sox, think of Jay. If Mark proceeds to ground out or strike out, call him a cock-sag. I know Jay will. I love and miss you bro. It has been six long months...Go Sox!

-timmy@wickedpissadude.com

celebrate Jay's life at - www.jaychristopherrose.com

Labels: Boston Red Sox, buzz kill, cock-sag, europe, Jay, mark kotsay

We know you're starting to do your Back to School shopping for the kids and why not send them back to school with the ultimate F-U to their school dress code, a tshirt that says Wicked Pissa Dude Radio. Their teachers will love this ringer tee that announces to the world that they are truly Massholes and we love them for that.

Labels: Back to School, Boston sports Ringer Tee, Fenway Park, New England Patriots, Wicked Pissa Dude Radio, Wicked Pissah Stuff, World Series

What do you get when you mix a Democrat and a Republican together during political season on a sports talk show? MAGIC!!

It’s a new episode of Wicked Pissa Dude Radio where Timmy and Adam battle it out over who will be the next president of the USA and then they find common ground over the slumping Patriots (we know they aren’t slumping, it’s just the pre-season) and the slumping Red Sox (we know they just picked up a game…we’re from Boston, that’s just how we think) and the best moments of the 2008 Bejiing Olympics.

Also, we wanted to let you know about a couple of charities that we are supporting, starting with two walks to benefit JDRF in honor Timmy’s son Cameron. If you’d like to support our walk, click here.

Thanks again for joining us on Wicked Pissa Dude Radio. If you like the show, share it with a friend and bookmark us on Digg, De.Licious, ReEdit or Furl.

Labels: Bejiing, Boston Red Sox, JDRF, New England Patriots, Olympics, Sugarbetes

It was a fun two weeks of watching sporting events that nobody usually cares about other then every fourth year. There was shooting, archery and oh, there might have been a little swimming mixed in there as well. The 2008 Bejiing Summer Olympics were quite the spectacle and we here at Wicked Pissa Dude Radio enjoyed every last minute of them. Including the Top 8 performances from the games.

8.) USA Men’s Volleyball Team – After starting the games on a tragic note, the victims of a violent random attack, the USA Men’s Volleyball team battled back to defeat the Brazillian team for gold in the final day of the 2008 Olympics. The team that went undefeated in Olympic play and finished off the gold medal match 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23.

7.) Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser – Funny, you wouldn’t know that men even played beach volleyball if you listened to the commentators on all of the various networks. Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser know it exist and even though they weren’t quite as dominant as their female counterparts, they still brought home the gold medal in men’s beach volleyball with a three game win over Brazil.

6.) The Greatest Athlete in the World, or so they say that’s what the person who wins the decathlon is labeled and that will be Bryan Clay’s title for the rest of his life after he brought home the gold in this grueling event. Clay became the first US Olympian to win the decathlon since the hype that was Dan O’Brien in 1996 at the Atlanta games.

5.) Usain Bolt – Ok, you know I had to be fair and balanced ;) and throw in a non-American for the top 8 performances and what better person to put in the mix then 3 time gold medalist Usain Bolt. Not only did the Lightening Bolt set a world record in the 100m with a time of 9.69 he also took home gold in the 200m and the 4x100 relay with his Jamaican teammates. The fastest man in the world might have set an even more startling pace if he had not done a little show boating at the end of the 100m.

4.) The US Men’s Basketball Team – I refuse to call this team the Redeem Team. Why? Because what are they redeeming us for, the fact that our previous teams were so ridiculously selfish that they couldn’t pull together on a national stage to win for their country? I think that’s absurd. That being said, this was one of the more dominant performances during the Olympics and taking home another gold made it very sweet. But please, don’t compare this team to the 1992 Dream Team. They will never be the Dream Team and no one will ever match that historic team’s lore and talent. They were truly originals.

3.) Nastia Liukin – After her team suffered multiple injuries and some disappointing performances to bring home a silver for the team competition, Nastia Liukin stepped up her personal game and took home the all-around Gold medal in women’s gymnastics and came inches away from winning the gold on the uneven bars. Overall, she took home five medals, a gold, three silver and a bronze, not so bad considering she was competing against a 12 year old little girl, ok maybe she was 14.

2.) Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh – DOMINATING. That is the only word that can be used to describe this duos performance on the beach. Sure they have always been dominating throughout their career, but to win the first ever back to back Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball was a feat unlike many others that have been achieved. Two women, made this one sport, relevant to millions of Americans, if at least for one moment in history. Not only did they not lose a single match in Olympic play, but they didn’t drop a set, including in the gold medal game defeating the Chinese team by a score of 21-18 and 21-18.

1.) Michael Phelps – Don’t have to be the host of a Boston sports show to know this one was going to be at the top of the list. He will now be mentioned as one of the greatest Olympians of all time, in fact, let’s put the discussion to rest, he IS the greatest Olympian of all time. After becoming the first Olympian to win 8 gold medals in a single Olympics and the Olympian with the most gold medals in history, we will all be telling our grand children that we were watching when Michael Phelps won a gold medal, literally by a finger-tips length. He will go home and play with his dog and drive his cars, but he’ll be ready for London to dominate again.

Whether they made the list or not, there were so many amazing Olympic performances in Bejiing that there were too many to list. Congratulations to all of the Olympians, especially Team USA for showing us the true beauty of sport. This was one for the ages.

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Bryan Clay, Kerry Walsh, Men's Volleyball, Michael Phelps, Misty May-Treanor, Nastia Liukin, NBC Olympics, Phil Dalhausser, Redeam Team, Team USA, Todd Rogers, Usain Bolt

Once again we arrive at the end of an Olympic Games and unfortunately too at the end of the Summer. Congratulations to the US Olympic Team for all of their triumphs and efforts over the past couple of weeks. They have proudly represented our nation in a corner of the world where we are clearly resented and often unwelcome. Our amateur athletes largely go unheralded and that is a shame. Adam and myself felt we would be remiss to not take this opportunity to praise you all here on our little corner of the interwebs. You have made us all very proud. USA, USA, USA, USA (ad infinitum)

Labels: Olympics, Team USA, us olympic team

Well, the thought was nice. A beautiful summer afternoon. A beer in one hand, the remote in another and the Boston Red Sox on my television. Too bad the Red Sox couldn't help me out a bit with, I don't know, ONE RUN!!! It wasn't to be as Jon Lester had one of his worst performances of the season and the Red Sox got blanked by the Blue Jays 11-0.Jon Lester only lasted 2 1/3 innings and in that short span of time gave up 8 hits and 7 runs before being yanked. That's just about the story of today's game, but there was more.

The game started out on a bright note as it looked like the Red Sox were going to explode offensively again. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia both got on in the 1st with no outs. Then David Ortiz, Kevin Youklis and Jason Bay fizzled and that was the story of the game.

The first inning was all there was to speak of in terms of Red Sox offense for the afternoon, as they were only able to muster four hits, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of Red Sox Nation International.

So now the deficit in the AL East is 5.5 and it's looking less and less likely that the Red Sox will catch the Rays, regardless of what Big Papi says, it is unlikely it will happen. There's always the wild card right? Well, if you can call a 1/2 game lead a lead, otherwise, that's a dead heat.

Click here for the boxscore.

Labels: Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Bay, Jon Lester, Kevin Youklis, Toronto Blue Jays

After a long two weeks of nothing but team unity (Team USA) that is, tonight it was back to hometown pride and routing for the Red Sox and Patriots...not that I ever stopped routing for the home team, but for a couple of weeks the entire country was the hometeam.

So, tonight I sat down to watch two of my favorite teams, the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. What a night, right? Flipping between baseball and football while enjoying a brew and relaxing after a long week of work, it really doesn't get any better.

Let me start with the good. After a day off, the Red Sox finally got into the winning ways in Toronto as they dropped the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-4. On the bats of Jason Varitek and Dustin Pedroia who each sent one out of the Rogers Center, the Red Sox grabbed a much needed win.

For his part, Paul Byrd looked solid and finished with a line of 6 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs and 4 SO's.

Was this a must win for the Red Sox? No. Was it a nice win to get? You better believe it. With the Rays looking back and laughing at the rest of the pack, now would be as good a time as any to make a run at the top spot in the AL East.

Here's the boxscore for the game.

And so then, what about the woeful New England Patritos? That's right I just spoke about our beloved Patriots and called them woeful. Let me put it out there right now, this dreaful start that the Patriots are having is NOT a result of Tom Brady not being in the starting line-up. Sure it hurts the team, but Tom Brady has nothing to do with giving up TWO special teams touchdowns. He has nothing to do with Donovan McNabb throwing for 180 yards and a touchdown.

Of course, Tom Brady's absence did have something to do with the disasterous play of the offense, but it wasn't the only thing. Is Matt Cassel still on the team? Aparently he is going to be for a while, given that he played a majority of the game. Gutierrez looks like the odds on favorite to be Brady's back-up this year especially after his "decent" showing tonight, 12-16, 199 yds. and two TDs. And Kevin O'Connell was no where to be found tonight, not sure what that's about, but I am sure Coach Belichick will not characterize that move at all.

Overall, it was another poor performance from a team that is the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl this year. I'm not sure I would book my tickets to Tampa just yet, let's give them a couple of series with Brady under center to see what happens.

Patriots fall 27-17 to the Eagles. Click here for the boxscore.

By the way, is it time to freak out yet? In case it is, here are the top 2 results from YouTube when I searched Freak Out. ENJOY!!

Freak Out #1:



Freak Out #2:

Labels: Bill Belichick, Boston Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek, Matt Cassel, Matt Guittierez, New England Patriots, Tom Brady

Kerri Walsh, left, and Misty May-Treanor confirmed their dominance of the sport. They did not lose a set in seven Olympic matches.


The Chinese and the wretched Beijing weather were no match for Misty May-Treanor and "Six Feet of Sunshine."

Kerri Walsh, left, and Misty May-Treanor confirmed their dominance of the sport. They did not lose a set in seven Olympic matches.

May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball Thursday, playing through a steady and sometimes driving rain to beat China in straight sets and extend their winning streak to 108 matches in a row.

The Americans defeated Wang Jie and Tian Jia 21-18, 21-18 to repeat their Athens victory and confirm their dominance of the sport. They did not lose a set in seven Olympic matches, playing through smog and swelter and a drenching gold medal game that soaked their skimpy uniforms.

"The rain makes it better," Walsh shouted afterward, unable to contain the California girl enthusiasm that earned her the nickname "Six Feet of Sunshine." "We felt like warriors out there. The pressure of playing China made it pretty intense."

Earlier, Xue Chen and Zhang Xi won China's first beach volleyball medal, beating Brazilians Talita and Renata 21-19, 21-17 for the bronze.

Walsh put an early end to China's chances to add a gold when she quick-hit May-Treanor's pass between Wang and Tian. The Americans dropped to their knees on the wet sand, hugging each other before shaking hands with the officials and running to the stands to embrace their friends and families.

They were still celebrating, wrapping themselves in U.S. flags, as organizers worked through the rain to set up the podium for the medal ceremony.

"Ever since the ball dropped in Athens, we've wanted to repeat as Olympic champions," May-Treanor said. "No one's ever done it."

Walsh's bubbly smile couldn't part the clouds that drenched the Chaoyang Park venue for the bronze- and gold-medal matches. It was no day to be at the beach -- not for Wang and Tian, and not for the fans who huddled under pastel ponchos and umbrellas that, on a day more appropriate for sun and sand, would be used as parasols.

But the 12,200-seat venue was packed, the dancers in bikinis jiggled to rock music and the players pressed on without concern for the weather. The wet and heavy ball forced them to bump-set instead of doing it over their heads, and the sometimes driving rain made it difficult to look up to receive passes.

"When the ball goes too high, you can't see it too easy," said Renata, her eyes wet from crying, as well. "But it's OK, because if it is raining for us, it is raining for them."

The Americans scored three straight points to break a 17-17 tie in the first. China survived one set point before May-Treanor spiked one down the line for the winner.

The Americans cruised through the two-year qualifying process in a year, giving Walsh a break this spring to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. Managing the pain with massages and a special tape that is said to increase blood flow, Walsh showed no signs of wear.

Tian did need a medical timeout with the score 17-15. As she sat under the canopy that covers the bench, a trainer massaged her left arm before sending her back to the sand.

-Story Courtesy of and Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Curt Schilling in an interview with Boston's Sports Radio powerhouse WEEI tipped his hand about the future. He is leaning towards retirement more than ever. He intimated that if he was to pitch next year it would be in a "2nd half" scenario. His thoughts are better expressed here on his blog. 38pitches.com

We'll monitor Schillings rehab and decisions as the season and offseason progress. Thanks Curt.

-timmy@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: 38 pitches, Curt Schilling, curt schilling retirement, rehab, weei

It's another episode of Wicked Pissa Dude Radio. Thanks for checking out the show as we talk about the Patriots second pre-season game with no Tom Brady. It was disappointing, but Tommy will be ready to go for week #1 and all will be right with the Patriots world.

Also, the Sox are in action as we record the show...oh boy, it's a Christmas miracle, they actually won the game. AMEN TO THAT!!

And it's our Wicked Pissa Pick for the week, for Timmy's XBox Live arch nemisis Ricky Stick, the song is Kovas - Wax on Wax Off from the Madden '09 soundtrack. Which reminds me, if you want to school Timmy in Madden '09, his gamer tag is fenwayfan.

Thanks for checking out the show. If you digg it, Digg It, use the bookmark buttons below to bookmark the show or any other posts on Wicked Pissa Dude and share us with your friends...we're game!!

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Boston Red Sox, Digg, Kovas, Madden '09, New England Patriots, Wicked Pissa Dude Radio

I had to chime in with my two cents on the post game press conference and how foolish they can be. Every week this fall after each Patriot game ends, most fans will shush their friends to hang on every word of Coach Belichick. Why? Because we love his terse wit and disdain for anyone who asks anything he does not wish to answer.

A reporter last evening asked how he would characterize Brady's leg injury. To which he replied, "I wouldn't characterize it." I feel emasculated for having witnessed the exchange, never mind the poor bastard that actually posed the question. Why do we enjoy watching our favorite coaches and players not answer the actual question that was asked? I believe we might be trying to pick up pointers for future use.

The next time my wife asks me why it took me six hours to get home from Foxboro after a Patriots game, I will try this one on for size. We felt at this juncture it was more important to take a long hard look at the talent that has something to prove and see how they could immediately fill our needs. In coaches language that means, we went to the foxy lady for post game because it was amateur night and we were pretty thirsty.

Gotta go NESN is running Francona's pre-game presser. I will be hanging on every uninformative syllable.

-timmy@wickedpissadude.com

While the USA Women's gymnastics team only took home the silver in the all around, this Masslete was a proud member of the team.

2008's surprise
Lothrop was a surprise addition to the final selection camp but made the most of the opportunity by hitting all of her routines. Her consistency was rewarded with an alternate spot to the Beijing team.

Going 'home'
Lothrop was born in Wuhan, China and was adopted when she was three years old. Her older sister, Christie, was adopted from Seoul. Corrie has no memories of China and has never visited the country, so she says it would be "extra special" for her to compete there.

Gymnastics family
Joan and Don Lothrop, own Yellow Jackets gymnastics in Middleton, Massachusetts, where Corrie began gymnastics. When Corrie was eight, her dad found her staring at a photo in his office of the 1980 Olympic Team. Don recalls Corrie saying, "I'm going to be on that team someday."

Splitting up
Don Lothrop still works at the gym in Massachusetts, while Joan and Corrie have relocated to Gaithersburg, Md. After considering several elite gymnastics programs, Corrie chose Hill's Gymnastics.

"It gets lonely at times. It's almost like being a bachelor or widower, but it's a choice we made for Corrie to pursue her dream," Don told the Danvers Herald.

Coach Kelli
Kelli Hill, Lothrop's coach, has placed a gymnast on the U.S. Olympic team for each of the past four Olympics. Lothrop names one of them, 2004 Olympic medalist Courtney Kupets, as her favorite gymnast.

Information courtesy of nbcolympics.com

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Corrie Lothrop, Masslete, USA Women's Gymnastic

Thank you EA Sports. Thank you for making this 36 year old feel like a kid again. It happens every year. Madden launches at midnight on a beautiful mid-August Tuesday morning and coincidentally millions of males across this great country are too sick for school, work (fill in the blank).

I am fortunate enough to be a SAHD (stay at home dad). My only concern is that my boys are fed and clean and alive when the boss gets home. So in a shocking turn of events I decided to stay up all night and christen the latest installment of EA's football powerhouse. Well worth the time invested. Madden has finally come through on its promise to be bigger and better than last year. My argument has been that Madden was essentially NCAA 09 with professional uniforms. Not the case this year as virtually every aspect of the game has been tweaked. The game is just fresh enough at every turn to keep even the most polished gamer off balance and interested enough to lose sleep.

While it is not and probably will never be "perfect" i would still give this years installment 8 "uckinarights" out of 10. I will delve deeper into my analysis of the game this coming Monday night with Adam on Episode 27 of WPDR. Stay tuned. Off to bed now...or, maybe just one more game.

-timmy@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: adam, ea sports, john madden, madden, madden nfl football, ncaa 09, sahd, uckinaright, WPDR

Wicked Pissa Dude and Wicked Pissa Dude Radio welcomes a new member of our family, Boston Knucklehead. We are very excited to have Boston Knucklehead join our family,

If you haven't had a chance to check out their gear they have some killer shirts, but my personal favorite piece that they have is the Mass Pike hat. There's no better way to show your Masshole off with a Mass Pike hat. Now that's killer.

Thanks again to Boston Knucklehead for joining the family.

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Boston Knucklehead, Mass Pike

"After that first inning when they had us down 10-0, I think everybody in the ballpark and everybody in all of Massachusetts thought that the game was over," said Rangers manager Ron Washington, whose team had 20 hits for the second straight game.

Yes sir Mr. Washington, you are correct. Those were my sentiments exactly and that's why you may have noticed there was nothing posted about the end of this game. After a 10-run first I was comfortable switching over to the Olympics and watching as Michael Phelps broke into the record books over and over and over again. Little did I know that the Red Sox and Rangers would be doing that last night as well.

On the power of 17 hits, 4 home-runs and 19 runs the Red Sox outlasted the Rangers in one of the greatest shows on Earth, Boston Red Sox baseball in late summer. Youklis' 2nd dinger of the night came at an opportune time when the Red Sox needed it the most, the eighth inning, down by a run. K-Youk's three run blast sent Fenway Park into a frenzy and left the Rangers to hang their heads and wonder how they squandered what could've been the greatest comeback against a Red Sox team in history.

In all, the game saw 37 hits, 11 doubles, 5 home runs and 36 runs. And when all the dust settled the Red Sox were left standing, Hideki Okajima got the win and Jonathon Papelbon got the save.

Click here for the boxscore.

RED SOX WIN!!!

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Big Papi, Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, Fenway Park, Hideki Okajima, Jonathon Papelbon, Kevin Youklis, Texas Rangers

Just when you thought everyone had forgotten about the "slumping" Red Sox during the oh so exciting Bejiing Olympics. It's true, with Michael Phelps on the verge of becomming the most decorated Olympian of all time and the United States leading in the medal count, it is easy to forget about the Red Sox and I almost had, until tonight.

Labels: Big Papi, Boston Red Sox, Charlie Zink, Cleveland Indians, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, JD Drew, Manny Ramirez, Paul Byrd

We're back!! Another episode of Wicked Pissa Dude Radio is on and we're talking Olympics. Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, USA Gymnastics and even shooting. Check out the show.

This is the last week to sign up for the WPDRFL (Fantasy Football League.) If you want to get in, shoot us an e-mail radio@wickedpissadude.com and let us know your name, team name, where you're from and how many leagues you are currently in. League info will go out next Monday night, so get signed up now.

Also, if you haven't jumped on our networks, we've got plenty to chose from, Facebook and Myspace of course, but just added Digg, Furl, Reedit, De.Licious and Flickr. We'd love to have you join all of them if you're on all of them, so let us know.

Thanks for checking out the show.

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Bejiing 2008, Boston Red Sox, Dara Torres, Junior Seau, Michael Phelps, New England Patriots, Olympics, Wicked Pissa Dude Football League

Jason Lezak hails from Irvine, CA, which is just about as far away from MA as you could possibly get, but he is an honorary Masslete for his performance in the 4x100 relay that kept Michael Phelps' hopes of 8 golds alive and beat out the pesky French, who were talking smack before the race, by .8 of a second. So Mr. Lezak, you are an honorary Masslete for the day...

Taking back the title
Jason Lezak qualified for his third Olympics by finishing second in the 100m freestyle at Olympic Trials. Lezak set the American record in the event in semifinals, and his time of 47.58 sets him up as the likely anchor of the 4x100m free relay in Beijing. Lezak was a member of the first U.S. team to lose that race at the Olympics, falling to Australia in 2000, and again when the U.S. lost to South Africa in 2004. This time, the U.S. will be up against France as the top contender, led by world-record holder Alain Bernard.

Late bloomer
Lezak did not become an elite sprinting swimmer until he was 25. Now 32, he is trying to qualify for his third Olympics. Lezak won the 100m at the 2004 U.S. Trials, breaking the American record in the semifinals and posting the third-fastest time in history. He later finished as the runner-up in the 50m free to earn a second spot in Athens. Lezak, along with teammate Ian Crocker, failed to make it out of the preliminaries in the 100m free in Athens and finished fifth in the 50m free. Lezak won Olympic gold in the 4x100m medley relay and a bronze in the 4x100m free relay. Lezak also won two medals at the 2000 Sydney Games: a silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay and a gold for his prelims swim in the 4x100m medley relay.

Alone in the pool
Lezak is one of very few elite swimmers to train without a coach. He attributes his ability to coach himself to his many years with Dave Salo at Irvine Novaquatics. Lezak says he is able to make adjustments immediately based on how he feels in the pool, which is something coaches can't always do. Lezak says he has no problem motivating himself without someone yelling at him from the pool deck.

On Trials
At the 2004 Trials, Lezak was involved in a much publicized trash-talking bout with eight-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr. Before their matchup in the 100m free, Hall called Lezak a "professional relay swimmer." Lezak didn't have much of a response, choosing to see what happened in the pool. In the semifinals, Lezak broke the American record (previously set by Anthony Ervin in 2001), posting a time of 48.17 -- the third-fastest of all time. Only 2000 and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Pieter van den Hoogenband had gone faster. In the final, Lezak won in 48.41 seconds, ahead of runner-up Ian Crocker and Hall, who had a terrible start and finished third. After the final, the two men shook hands in the pool. Hall, who later indicated that most of the trash talk had been for publicity's sake, got a bit of revenge two days later when he beat Lezak to the wall in the 50m free, then in Athens when Hall won the gold in the 50m free.

Anchorman
Lezak began to emerge as the top American sprinter when he won the 50m and 100m freestyles at the 2002 Summer Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He continued his strong swimming at the Pan Pacific Championships a week later, winning the 50m free and anchoring the U.S. 4x100m medley relay to a world record. That record fell one year later at the 2003 World Championships, when Lezak anchored another winning medley. Also at that meet, Lezak added a silver medal in the 4x100m free relay.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas
At age 5, Lezak joined the Irvine Novaquatics swim team and has never left. He first qualified for Nationals his senior year of high school but decided to go water skiing and gambling near Las Vegas with friends instead. That was something he used to do at least four times a year, or as much as his wallet would allow. Lezak said in 2004 that Vegas is fun when you're young, but as you get older you realize that "Vegas is bad news."

Olympic wedding
Lezak graduated from the University of California-Santa Barbara in 1999 with a degree in business/economics. He married Danielle DeAlva, who represented Mexico in Athens, in April 2004. The couple went to high school together and both train in Irvine.

Sorry, coach
A 1994 high school All-American in water polo, Lezak chose to concentrate on swimming despite the requests of the UCSB water polo coach. Lezak also played basketball until the 10th grade, as well as baseball and soccer while growing up. He says the other sports were relief from swimming and prevented him from getting burned out. Lezak's younger sister Erin also graduated from UCSB and played water polo.

Info courtesy of nbcolympics.com

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Bejiing 2008, Jason Lezak, Masslete, Michael Phelps, NBC Olympics, Olympics

Today's Masslete of the Day is Manchester By The Sea native Elliot Hovey. Elliot is a rower who grew up in Mass, but trains in Alameda, CA. Check out the stuff on Elliot.

A year of firsts
Elliot Hovey not only makes his Olympic debut in Beijing in the men's double sculls, but the 2008 Olympic regatta will be his first international competition, as this is his first year on the national team. A New England native, Hovey rowed for the University of California, Berkeley, and continued the sport with the California Rowing Club after college. In 2008 he and his sculling partner West Piermarini finished fourth at the second national selection regatta and first at Olympic team trials.

From the sweep to the sculls
A member of the varsity eight at Berkeley, Hovey and his teammates won the Pac-10 Championships and the IRA Championships in 2006. Upon graduating with a degree in American Studies that same year, Hovey continued rowing at the California Rowing Club, where he learned how to scull from Australian Olympic veteran Tim McLaren; "Tim has taught me so much about how to be a rower, an athlete and a human being," Hovey said.

Teaming up
McLaren had Hovey rowing in the single sculls until Wes Piermarini arrived in the fall of 2007. Because they were of similar size and shape, the two started sculling together. "We rowed differently and Tim is always telling us to do tweak things so we'll row more similarly," Hovey said. Not having known each other for long, Hovey says they try to get together outside of practice: "We live on different sides of town, but we'll grab a pizza now and then."

Rowing tradition
Hovey started rowing ten years ago as a freshman at the Salisbury school in Connecticut. Having played football and ice hockey in the fall and winter seasons, springtime came around and he thought rowing would be fun. Drawn to the history and tradition behind rowing, he also enjoyed the camaraderie among teammates, and being out on the water. He says his passion for the sport was fortified by his high school coach, Dick Curtis.

Athletic family
Athletic since childhood, Hovey started downhill skiing when he was three years old. By the time he was eight, he was racing, and continued until he was a sophomore in high school. His older sister, Averill, 28, also skied, but was most successful as a lacrosse player at the University of Denver. She is now the head lacrosse coach at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Outside of rowing
When Hovey isn't rowing, he helps out around the rowing club, and enjoys telemark skiing, golf and fly-fishing. After the Olympics he hopes to work in finance.

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Elliot Hovey, Masslete, Olympics, Rowing, Team USA

Each day during the Olympics, we here at Wicked Pissa Dude Radio are going to demonstrate our Masshole pride by highlighting one of the Massletes that are playing in the Bejiing games. So, Day 1 we'll start with Winchester, MA native who was born when I was eight...ugh, Alicia Sacramone is a women's gymnast.


2008
Sacramone kept a low profile in early 2008, mostly due to a sprained ankle. She hit all of her routines at Nationals, Trials and the final selection camp to earn her Olympic spot.


One-two punch
Since narrowly missing the Olympic Trials in 2004, Sacramone has established herself as one of the world's best on floor and vault, winning gold on floor at the 2005 World Championships and adding silver on vault in 2006. In 2007, Sacramone took bronze on vault and silver on floor at the world championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

Three for four
Though she's competed on uneven bars in the past -- and still trains on the event -- Sacramone opts to compete on vault, balance beam and floor exercise only. She's an Olympic medal contender on vault and floor, with five world medals in those two events, and is a strong balance beam worker. Even an average uneven bars score could make her an all-around threat, but Sacramone said in May that she's hung up her grips for good.

Break from Brown
Sacramone is taking the academic year off from her studies as a sociology major at Brown University.

Pioneer for a year
During the 2006-07 school year, Sacramone pulled double duty, competing for Brown's gymnastics team while maintaining her position on the U.S. National team. After the 2007 Worlds, she made the Olympics her priority and turned professional, foregoing her NCAA eligibility. She still remains close to the Brown team and attends its home competitions. Sacramone credits the lengthy collegiate season with turning her from a notoriously inconsistent beam worker to a go-to athlete in pressure situations. Her beam has improved so much that she would have made the world final in 2007 had it not been for the two-per-country limitations.

Best at Brown
Brown's top gymnast in 2006, Sacramone was the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year. She set school records on the vault, floor and also in the all-around. She became the first gymnast in league history to finish first on every event and win the all-around at the Ivy Classic, and she also set an Ivy Classic record in the all-around and tied the record on the vault.

Wild child to mother hen
The straight-talking Sacramone says in the past, she was "difficult" and "not willing to listen" to her longtime coach, Romanian Mihai Brestyan. Now, at age 20 and the oldest member of the U.S. gymnastics team, Sacramone says she's changed. She often fields questions and advises the younger gymnasts, many of whom she's taken under her wing as the unofficial team mom. When a mistake-ridden balance beam rotation at the 2007 Worlds unnerved the young U.S. squad, Sacramone circled the group and delivered a speech that was part pep talk, part battle cry. And fittingly, it was Sacramone's clutch performance that sealed the gold for the U.S. team.

Heartbreak
As a standout on the U.S. National team on floor and vault, many believed that Sacramone was a contender for the 2004 Games, despite her international inexperience. But a disastrous 2004 Nationals kept her from advancing to the Olympic Trials, and she spent August of that year watching the Games on television -- when she could bear to. That, coupled with a back fracture, nearly drove Sacramone to quit the sport. Never too lateAs a child, Sacramone enrolled in dance classes but quickly found them boring and switched to gymnastics when she was nearly 9, giving her a relatively late start in the sport. She caught up quickly, though, and reached the elite level at age 12.

Info courtesy of nbcolympics.com

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Alicia Sacramone, Bejiing, Olympics, USA Gymnastics

Click here for pictures from the opening ceremonies!!

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Bejiing 2008, Bob Costas, Dara Torres, Kerry Strug, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Olympics, USA Basketball

At times, it feels like the Boston Red Sox will never catch the Tampa Bay Rays in the hunt for first place in the AL East. To some degree, it doesn’t really matter, as long as the Red Sox keep their spot atop the chase for the wild card with a two game lead over the Minnesota Twins through the end of the season. But, wouldn’t it be nice for them to finish the season as the AL East champs and to see the New York Yankees miss the playoffs?

I might be the only one that turns on my TV every morning after a Red Sox win, wishing and hoping that the Rays somehow dropped a game the night before so we could pick up a game. I will even sit in front of ESPN praying for an off night for the Rays so we can pick up ½ a game, anything to make the race for first place, actually seem like a race. Somehow though, it always seems that when we win, they win and when we lose, they lose (although sometimes they win and that’s even worse.)

Will this struggle to pick up a couple of games on the Rays ever end? I think it will and here is why. The Rays have 49 games left to play, 30 of which take place away from the Trop. The Rays road record this season is a pitiful 23-28 (almost as bad as the Red Sox) and with just 19 games left on the schedule at Tropicana Field where they are 45-17, it’s a tough road to travel for the Rays.

The Red Sox on the other hand have a pretty even road v. home schedule for the rest of the season. They play 25 games at Fenway Park and 22 games on the road. The Sox record virtually mirrors that of the Rays as they are 40-16 at the Fens and 26-33 on the road.

So the schedule certainly favors the Red Sox, but wait, there is one more kink in the plan to get the Sox to the top, head to head play. The two teams have six games left against each other, three in Tampa and three in Boston, so that pretty much evens the playing field.

Scheduling aside, what the season will come down to is experience and the Boston Red Sox clearly have the edge when it comes to veteran leadership and September baseball experience. However, let us not forget that in 2007, during their World Series run, two of the biggest
contributors to the Red Sox success were two rookies, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury. Could this be the year that Evan Longoria puts his stamp on the MLB?

Will the Red Sox catch the Rays? The answer is, a tentative yes. The Red Sox bats have returned and their pitching will come around. Eventually the young arms on the Rays pitching staff will wear out and they will slowly fade into contention for the wild card and lose in the first round of the playoffs. And then, there are the Yankees who are playing for third place, trying to fight off a deadly Baltimore team.

Labels: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana Field

The Brett Favre era in Green Bay came to an end late Wednesday as the longtime Packers star quarterback was traded to the New York Jets.
The compensation is believed to be a single draft pick that rises in value depending upon how the Jets perform during the 2008 season. More on this story and the effect it has on the Patriots and the AFC East as a whole.

-timmy@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: afc, afc east, Brett Favre, green bay, jets, New England Patriots, New York jets, ny jets, packers, quarterback, season ending surgery

(merry christmas in gaelic - i took 1 semester [yawn])

The NBA regular season schedule is coming out today. Early word is the Celtics open at home with King James and the Cavs on October 28th. Christmas Day will be celebrated at the Dunder Mifflin Center with Kobe and his band of merry Euro-weenies. Maybe Sasha and Pao can meet under the hoop and share a kiss below Kendrick and his kissing balls!

Here it is! - Celtics 2008-2009 Schedule

Labels: Cavs, christmas, christmas day, Dunder Mifflin Center, euro-weenies, gaelic, King James, Kobe, Kobe Bryant, merry christmas, NBA, semester

Well the week for Red Sox Nation started out well, a nice weekend for new Boston Red Sox, Jason Bay, pitching was looking solid and Manny was thinking about caviar and Bentley's, but the giddiness of Red Sox Nation wasn't to last too long.

While doing this episode of Wicked Pissa Dude Radio, the Red Sox dropped another game to the KC Royals. So, what's a member of the Nation to do? LYAO with Wicked Pissa Dude Radio.

We're angry in this episode, talking about everything from Manny being gone to Patriots pre-season power ranking and your Wicked Pissa Pick.

Don't forget, if you have a song you want us to play, shoot us an e-mail radio@wickedpissadude.com and let us know where you're e-mailing from and what song you want and we'll take care of you.

Also, we'd love to have you be a part of the WPDRFL. If you want to play fantasy football with us, get us an e-mail with your name, team name, your town and how many leagues you are in and we'll shoot you the info you need, radio@wickedpissadude.com.

Thanks for listening!! Make sure you subscribe to the podcast and the blog!!

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Boston Red Sox, Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez, New England Patriots, Wicked Pissa Dude Radio, WPDRFL

What started out on Thursday like a dark day at the ballpark for the Boston Red Sox, turned into a sweeping victory for the local nine. This afternoon, behind the arm of Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Red Sox defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-2 to take three out of three from the west coast foes.

This leaves Red Sox Nation to wonder, was this sweep a direct correlation with the trade of Manny Ramirez for Jason Bay, who went 2-4 with two singles in the win and also had a homerun and a clutch triple in the series. It is easy to forget that what might have contributed to the sweep was the struggling of the A's who have lost six straight and find themselves at the bottom of the heap in the AL West.

The weekend sweep didn't do much for the Red Sox in the standings who still find themselves 3 games back of the insanely lucky Tampa Bay DEVIL Rays. The Rays who took three from the Detroit Tigers have won 5 straight.

The Red Sox have an off day tomorrow and then travel to Kansas City to take on the woeful Royals, that should be good for the soul.

Click here for today's box score and WELCOME TO THE BAY STATE!!

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jason Bay, Kansas City Royals, Manny Ramirez, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

I figured as I digest all things Manny on D-day +2 there is some housekeeping to do. Many of you I can imagine spent some of your hard earned money over the past eight seasons on a Manny Ramirez #24 replica or gawd forbid authentic jersey. It is also quite clear that you might not be inclined to break that out anytime soon. You've just broken up and your significant other has left some clothes at your place, what to do? I have decided to put together some creative ideas for you post mortem Manny jersey. Here is my top ten.

4 years ago yesterday, Red Sox Nation was turned on its collective butt when Nomar Garciaparra was traded to the Cubs for Orlando "The OC" Cabrera and Doug "It took me 6 months to be able to spell his name" Mientkiewicz. Everyone was freaking out, screaming "How could you trade Nomar???" or “The Sox will explode and drop into last place and then the FO will be sorry!" Or the ever popular "I KNEW Theo Epstein was too young to be GM of the Sox, Da Bum..."


But the funny thing was...NONE of that happened...


The Sox, galvanized by the positive vibes and great defensive play of The OC and Mientkiewicz, went on to win their 1st World Series in 86 years--even making history by being the ONLY team EVER to come back and win a series when they were down 0-3...


So, forgive me if I am not wailing and gnashing my teeth over Malcontent Manny getting exactly what he wanted, forcing a trade, making EVERYONE miserable, and not even caring, to get the hell out of town.

C'mon, Pink Hats--has the last couple of weeks been cute and charming? Was Manny shoving a 64 year old man, "Child-like and Whimsical"? Was the REFUSAL to play in some of the biggest games of this year, when the team DESPERATELLY needed him just "Manny being Manny” Can you REALLY excuse this behavior?

If you can, I dont get it--I really REALLY don't...

But, if any of you feel like boycotting Fenway Park in wake of recent events (as I saw some of you threatening on-line) feel free to send those tickets over here...

And by the way, Please STOP saying that losing Craig Hansen was a bad thing--he was awful in 2006 (remember the 4 game sweep by the Skanks in August??) and he was DREADFUL this year. And if he does improve in Pittsburgh, it will only be because there is less pressure there--and it’s the NL...

The only person I will miss in this trade is Brandon Moss--I thought he was a great guy and a decent player--but I do realize he will be better off somewhere where he can play every day, or at least more regularly.

Now, that being said, I AM disappointed that Theo was unable to pick up some bullpen help during the trade. What happened to acquiring lefty Josh Grabow from the Pirates? Hopefully, the Sox will be able to pick someone up on the waiver wire, or find someone that can help in the minor system, cause the bullpen is still a pretty big problem...If Okajima can rebound (and he has been showing signs of life lately) and Justin Masterson can continue to do what he is doing, and MDC could find his way--I think the bullpen would be ok--although another arm certainly could not hurt--unless they get another Gagne again...

So, Jason Bay, a 2-time all-star who's numbers for this season were pretty comparable to Manny's (.282 with 22 homers and 64 RBI's to Manny's .299, 20 homers and 68 RBI's), has a decent running game, and who HAS to be a ton better in the outfield, will join the Sox this evening for his 1st game at Fenway Park--I hope he goes 4-4 with 2 homers in his debut...

And it will be interesting to see how this line-up looks without Manny--who will bat 4th? Will Papi be moved to 4th, with JD Drew batting 3rd and Lowell (or Bay) batting 5th? Or will Bay be placed in the #4 hole right off (I think that is doubtful--but who knows?) Should be an interesting game tonight--one I cannot WAIT to see...

Tonight: The Sox (hopefully) begin their road back to normalcy and winning ways--and perhaps get their sh*t together. Game 1 of the final 3 of this home stand begins against Oakland with 1st pitch at 7:05pm by Tim Wakefield. Justin Duchscherer pitches for the Athletics...

- Boston Red Thoughts by Christine at http://www.bostonredthoughts.com/

Labels: Boston Red Sox, Boston Red Thoughts, Justin Masterson, Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciapara, Orlando Cabrera

So yesterday we received the disturbing news that we would be losing our friendly Green Monster hobo Manny Ramirez and the Nation mourned, but today New England may be losing another one of our favorite personalities, Hazel Mae. 

 

As reported in the USA Today, Hazel Mae is persuing other options which may include the MLB Network (now there will be at least one reason to watch.)  From the USA Today,

"The latest TV free agent who's drawing interest from networks is former New England Sports Network (NESN) reporter/anchor Hazel Mae. Mae was an on-air personality for the regional sports network owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. After joining NESN in 2004, she covered the Red Sox, anchored NESN's SportsDesk, and hosted the Ultimate Red Sox Show and The Buzz. She left in June, according to NESN. Her contract expires at the end of this summer.

One possible landing spot is MLB Network, baseball's new 24-7 cable channel, which is staffing up for its Jan.1 national launch. The network is expected to reach more than 50million homes across the country and air live games on Saturday nights.

Mae could not be reached. Susan Lipton, Mae's agent and senior director of broadcasting at IMG, says MLB Network is one of many outlets with a possible interested in her client. Mae asked NESN not to pick up her option, she says, and NESN granted her wish. "Hazel wants to stay within sports and explore other opportunities," Lipton says.

MLB Network executives declined to comment."