Can't Get the First Without the Third Down Back

The Most Overlooked Spot on the Patriots

In the wake of Kevin Faulk's retirement from football, there were many articles about how Faulk's accomplishments went beyond the stats (and rightfully so).  Stats are terrific at giving you an outside glimpse of what went on during the game, but they almost never tell the whole story.

Stats never telling the whole story is, in essence, the story of Kevin Faulk's career.  Everyone from Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to Vince Wilfork and Troy Brown lauded Faulk's ability to, somehow, almost miraculously according to his teammates, gain the first down, whether it be on the ground of through the air.

This ability is something that is lost, not just on the majority of third-down backs, but on NFL players in general.

How many times during an NFL game do you see a receiver run a route that is a yard or two short and then the defensive back or linebacker comes and makes the tackle in front of the first down marker? It happens in every game, usually multiple times and it drives fans (and nothing to say of the coaches) absolutely bonkers.

Now sometimes the route is supposed to be run short of the line and it is up to the receiver to make the first down because he is supposed to have open field in front of him; other times it is just awful situational awareness by the route runner (and it happens to veterans as well as rookies).  Kevin Faulk, with ONE lone exception, made a career out of ALWAYS getting the first down (and the one first down he failed to make, the infamous "4th & 2," he did make.  To this day, I see it as one of the worst spots in the history of the NFL).

"Getting the first down," is the top priority of the third down back, but he does not always have to be the man with the ball in order to ensure his team gets that first down.

Your prototypical third down back is three things: a solid receiver, a decisive runner/route runner, and excellent at blitz pickups/blocking.  If you have a third down back that cannot do one of those three things, you do not have a good third down back.

Notice, good, not great.  The great third down backs separate themselves from the good by doing what Kevin Faulk made a career out of doing; picking up the first down when the Patriots needed it the most.

If you had asked me two years ago if the Patriots were going to be lucky enough to draft another Kevin Faulk-type third down back, I would have told you the chances were about as good as finding another Tom Brady in the sixth round.  And guess what?  The Patriots have been unable to draft anybody remotely close to Kevin Faulk, but they did not need to because the Jets gave them their next Kevin Faulk: Danny Woodhead.

If there is a better third down back in the NFL, in terms of what he can do for his team, I have not seen them (oh, and you are wrong).  Woodhead might not be the best third down back, but he is the best third down back possible for the Patriots.

I am sure by now you all know the story of Danny Woodhead: small (and then some) running back out of Chadron State, makes his way onto the New York Jets, Rex Ryan has an orgasm watching him during the preseason and NFL Hard Knocks catches it for some glorious NFL Films footage, he gets relegated to the practice squad after the 2009 season where Bill Belichick says "thank you very much," scoops up the wee lad and brings him onto the Patriots where he has become an absolute revelation as their third down back of the future.

The game against the Broncos was a microcosm of how Woodhead has evolved into the new Kevin Faulk for the Patriots.  If you did not see the game and just looked at the stats, you would completely miss Woodhead's contributions.

Woohead's stat line from Sunday:

7 rushing attempts, 47 yards, 6.7 yards per rush, Long of 19, 0 TDs, 1 reception for 25 yards, 0 TDs.

At first the rushing numbers jump out because of the 6.7 average yards per rush.  Then you delve in a little more deeply and you recognize the long of 19 yards.  The long of 19 was even more impressive in real life than it was on paper.

The 19 yard gain came on a 3rd & 17 on a zone rush to the left side of the line.  The Broncos were in a light personnel and the Patriots line opened up a great rushing lane and it seemed like everyone from the receivers to the popcorn vendor had a hat on a Bronco and Woodhead scooted up the field for 19 yards and a first down.  The Patriots would go on to score a touchdown on the drive.

As impressive as the 19 yard run was, the 25 yard reception was even better.

The rush was a run many backs could make (Woodhead saw the hole and made a quick cut up-field and fell forward for the first down), but the 25 yard reception was something only a small handful of backs could accomplish.

On a 3rd and 14 in the second quarter the Patriots called a passing play and like many third downs, Woodhead was in on the play and his assignment was to block.  Brady had to scramble as all of the receivers were covered on the play (three on the left and Deion Branch on the right and running a crossing pattern).  Brady did what many do not give him much credit for, which is he scrambled and extended the play, in this particular case he scrambled to his right and while doing so Woodhead leaked out of the backfield after reading no blitzing linebackers.  However, as he exited the backfield he was covered by Broncos' Joe Mays.

Not many cornerbacks can cover Danny Woodhead one-on-on... Joe Mays is not a cornerback.  Joe Mays is a linebacker, a very good linebacker, but Woodhead turned him inside out on the play; Woodhead feigned to the inside and literally ran around Mays while breaking to the outside, Brady hit him in stride and 25 yards later the Patriots had a first down.  The Patriots would eat up the clock for the rest of the first half and end up with a field goal.

For those of you keeping track at home, Woodhead was directly responsible for keeping together two drives that resulted in ten points for the Patriots.  Usually stats do not end up this perfectly, but the Patriots coincidentally ended up winning the game 31-21.

Woodhead's predecessor, Kevin Faulk, was the master at picking up the first down when it mattered and coming up with the clutch plays.  Even though it is only a couple of seasons since the Patriots acquired Woodhead, he appears to be the Patriots third down back of the future and, hopefully, people will be singing his praises a decade from now.

4th & Game

The Easiest and Most Misunderstood Call in Football

Charles P. Pierce, a fantastic writer for Esquire and a Staff Writer for Grantland, called it "inexplicable."  I've read other columns where writers, who apparently have no time to come up with original titles, called it "Fourth and Five-Gate."  What was it?  A call by Patriots Coach Bill Belichick on a 4th & 5 in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' game this Sunday.

I'm sure you know what happened next; Tom Brady dropped back and was sacked/fumbled and the Broncos took over in good field position with Peyton Manning looking like the Manning of old and ready to ram the ball down the Patriots throat.  I'm sure you also know the Patriots' defense, and in particular Rob Ninkovich, stepped up and forced a Willis McGahee fumble and ran out the clock, thus ensuring the Patriots victory.

Why are the uproar about the fourth down call?

"Because the Patriots gave the Broncos the ball in good field position."

"Because you don't go for it on fourth and medium."

"Because the Patriots could have pinned the Broncos down near their own game line."

These are all valid points... these are all stupid points.

Anybody watching that game could tell you the Patriots were running (literally and figuratively) roughshod over the Broncos: they amassed the most first downs in Patriots history, Wes Welker looked like Wes Welker and was practically impossible to cover on Sunday, and the running backs were just as unstoppable including a conversion on 3rd & 17... on a RUN... by DANNY WOODHEAD.

What about that previous paragraph made you feel uneasy about the Patriots' chances of converting that fourth down?

If you were having flashbacks of the infamous 4th & 2 against the Colts and Peyton Manning I can empathize with you a little bit, but the call was right that day (and I still believe Kevin Faulk was given a crappy spot) and the call to go for it on Sunday was the right one as well.

Just two weeks ago Ron Rivera of the Panthers elected to not go for it on 4th & 1 in a game against the still undefeated Falcons.  This, despite Cam Netwon gaining the yardage for the first on 3rd & 2 (he fumbled, hence the 4th & 1) on the previous play.  And even though he got the best result possible out of the punt (the ball being downed at the Falcons' one yard line) they still went on to lose the game.

When you have an offensive juggernaut like the Patriots, or a running juggernaut like the Panthers (21 of 24 in 3rd and 4th & shorts) and you have a chance to ice the game with your offense, you go ahead and you do it.  Why leave it up to risk ("Risk" being any NFL Defense in the offensive haven that is now the NFL) when you can end the game with one play, with one yard (or in the Patriots offense's case, five yards, which might as well have been one with the way they were moving it Sunday)?

The media loves to grill coaches who do not do the "safe thing" and instead go for it on fourth and short.  They will point to those very same Falcons and their proclivity for going for it on fourth down and how it may have cost them a postseason game against the Giants.  Or New England media might point to the 4th & 2 against the Colts and say they lost the game on that play (coincidentally forgetting that Manning was sawing his way through the Patriots defense in the second half like a Civil Way surgeon; bloody and relentless).

The only thing playing it safe does is give the coach an excuse for why he did not go for it.  Go into any locker room and ask, "I'll give you one chance this game where all you have to do is gain one yard and I will guarantee a win, would you take it?"  Guess what percentage of players will nod their heads and say, "hell yeah, let's go..."  Thought it over?  Good, if you guessed 100% you get a gold star.

Look at any win probability metric and they will tell you the reward outweighed the risks when it came to going for it on all of those fourth down decisions ("You mean reward equal win and risk equal only slightly less chance of win, Mongo go for it.")  However, even if you are not one to look up win metrics and "win probability" is something you scoff at, think of this, "if you had a chance to keep the ball out of Peyton Manning's hands and win the game, would you do it?"

Now let's see if you get another gold star...

The Most Intense Man Ever

Some of the best baseball players are so good because they have an amazing ability to detach. Yogi Berra said it best, "Think? How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?" Baseball is not a thinking man's game for the most part, but one of the game's most cerebral men retired today; Jason Varitek.

Varitek is best known for his preparation for every game. He holds almost every single catching record for the Red Sox as well as two additional Major League Baseball records: most no hitters caught (four) and most postseason home runs hit by a catcher (eleven). Varitek was serviceable on offense (.256 BA, .341 OBP, .435 SLG, and averaging 20 HRs and 79 RBI over a 162 game season), but he really stepped up his game when the game was on the line.

The eleven post-season home runs is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Captain Clutch, but it was ability to do all of the little (and fundamental) things while at the dish that gave Varitek is clutch reputation.

When I first learned of Varitek's decision to retire I did not think the big boys at ESPN would make a fuss about it, but I was wrong. I assumed because Varitek, despite his accolades, did not produce the type of numbers associated with the Hall of Fame that ESPN would gloss over his retirement. However, ESPN, noticing how rare it is in today's game for a player to remain with the same team he played his first major league game for, decided to go the extra mile in publicizing his retirement.

ESPN ran a special segment for his retirement announcement as well as several screen graphics about his time with the Red Sox. The announcement of his retirement was also prominently displayed on the main ESPN website as well as the fringe ESPNBoston.

Therefore, the sports audience was greeted with statistics about Varitek like his eleven post season runs as well as his record breaking no-hitters caught statistics, but while discussing what he meant to the organization, they played the same several clips in a loop. The one that should stand out, but is probably overlooked is not the classic looping and slow swing (one of the reasons for his forced retirement, but should also stand as a testament of how much of an overachiever he was considering he had a swing destined to fail) that produced 193 home runs, but one of him against the Yankees, batting from the left side and slapping the ball down the third base line.

The play occurred last season, in the waning innings of a pivotal game against the Yankees. The game went back and forth, momentum swing after momentum swing, and then stepped in Varitek with a man on first base. Varitek, having an average year at best, stepped up to the plate, but these were the times throughout his career where he always came through. If the Red Sox needed a double, they got it, if they needed a home run, he blasted one over the Green Monster, or if they needed a sacrifice bunt, he would do that too, with no questions asked.

On this particular at-bat Varitek was called to executive a hit and run. Sometimes, when a player is not swinging the bat all that well a manager will call for the hit and run in hopes that it will do two things for the ailing batter: speed up his bat and also force him to simply concentrate on making contact with the ball (in other words, not do to much at the plate, just enough to help out the team).

In comes the pitch and it is a beautiful curveball, Varitek is absolutely fooled; his knees buckle and he lurches all of his weight onto his front foot, but amazingly Varitek connects with the ball. The Captain, despite committing almost every batting sin remembered the most important rule; keep the hands back. With his entire body going in one direction, he had enough wherewithal, on a pitch and situation where most batters simply give up, to keep his hands back, reach down and slap the ball, about a foot off of the ground, down the third base line.

The runner came around to score and the Red Sox took the game. Few will remember the play. Most will remember Varitek shoving his glove in the face of Alex Rodriguez, inciting the 2004 brawl. Most will forget he did that to protect his pitcher, Bronson Arroyo. But if you remember nothing else about Varitek's career it will be that everything he did was to help out his team and his teammates, and that is why he will go down as the most loved catcher in Red Sox history, and for that, Captain, we thank you.

Valentine Makes His Voice Heard, I Hit Mute

Bobby Valentine was hired by the Red Sox because he is a personality... It took less than a week from the start of Spring Training for Valentine to start bringing in dividends the way the Red Sox wanted him to, but the problem is, it just makes him look foolish.

Valentine talked about two subjects near and dear to Red Sox fans' hearts: Jason Varitek and the myth of Derek Jeter.

Let's get to the most obviously foolish Valentine remark first; Valentine essentially called out Jeter's famous "flip" play against the Oakland Athletics. Two things are interesting about Valentine's remarks: first, he is absolutely correct when he says that Jeter was out of position, and second, there is no reason to be making the comment in general.

Jeter was out of position no matter how you look at the play, and it actually turned out better for the Yankees that he was. Either the Yankees practice the play (like everybody involved with the Yankees has stated) or it was a heads up play by a (begrudgingly) heads up player. If Jeter was in position there is no reason he would have had to be running at a full speed in order to get to the ball. But, if he was in position, and therefore taking the errant throw like a normal cutoff man, there is no way he would have gotten the ball to Posada in nearly enough time (a flip is much quicker to get rid of and much easier to handle for Posada).

I go to great lengths to never defend the Yankees, but why in the world was Valentine bringing up the play in the first place? Everyone knows the easiest way to knock the myth of Derek Jeter is to bring up the fact he may be one of the worst defensive short stops of the past twenty years. At the same time, if you mention that fact you are also admitting just how effective he is as a player in the clubhouse and at the dish; anybody who is that bad defensively and is thought of as this good MUST be a menace at the dish and a steady voice in the clubhouse.

Getting off to a great start and cementing himself as a serious manager is the first thing Valentine must establish. He has already failed miserably with these comments about Jeter.

Look, I understand what Valentine was trying to do; endear himself to the Fenway Faithful by dissing Jeter, but he went about it the wrong way and now just looks completely foolish as less than 24 hours later he has had to apologize because literally EVERYONE involved with the Yankees over the last 20 years has come to defend the play and point out that Valentine has NO CLUE what he is talking about. Mainly, the Yankees apparently always practiced that play. Moreover, to make matters worse, it was not a current Yankee player or coach who threw Bobby V's comments back in his face, it was his own coach; Gary Tuck, the terrific catching instructor and bullpen coach for the Red Sox had to nudge Valentine and tell him, "ummm, yeah, we totally practiced that play."

For a man who was hired to make people take the Red Sox seriously, Valentine is off to a rocking start.

Stance on Varitek is Baffling

When Bobby Valentine was hired by the Red Sox one of his first orders of business was apparently to alienate his two longest tenured players (Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek). Both players were offered minor league contracts, which is essentially a slap to the face of both men... and speaking of hands to the face, apparently Bobby Valentine really admires Jason Varitek and his leadership ability, just not enough to invite him back.

I have already spouted off about the ill-treatment of both Varitek and Wafefield and have said my piece about hot stupid it is for the Red Sox to put their faith in unproven catchers, so I will simply state what is apparently not-so-obvious; Varitek's ability to call a game and control a pitcher, as well as a pitching staff, will be felt throughout the entirety of the season. It is going to be a simple case of, they did not know what they had until it was gone.

Varitek holds practically every Red Sox Catching record as well as being the only catcher in baseball history to catch four no-hitters. The Red Sox forced both Wakefield and Varitek to retire, and while both will be missed,

How to Lose A Diehard Fan in Three Easy Steps

It is no surprise to anybody that knows me that I am a diehard Red Sox fans. There are few things that could ever make a fan like me quit on a team, or in my case, take a sabbatical. Now, this is nothing to gloss over; I'm the type of fan who thinks the Celtics will mount a comeback when down 25 in the third even though they are in the middle of an awful season... I... just... don't... quit. So, in light of my sabbatical (and that is exactly what this is, a one year sabbatical from Red Sox fandom) I will reveal just how the Red Sox were able to accomplish this.

First off, the 7-20 collapse in September has absolutely nothing to do with this decision, at least directly. The Red Sox collapse actually made me feel good in a sort of, "I know I shouldn't, but I am SO interested in visiting that train wreck site from last week." I grew up with the Red Sox of the 90s; my most vivid in-person memories of the Red Sox are of watching Roger Clemens let up a MASSIVE home run to Mark McGwire that travelled further than Magellan and watching Jeff Suppan (Red Sox version 1.0) lose several games in very Suppan-like ways (i.e. getting crushed for a few innings before relenting to a completely ineffective bullpen). In other words, I do not mind awful Red Sox baseball, in fact, it was a welcome addition and made me feel like a little boy again.

The collapse did not directly lead to this sabbatical, but some of the handling of the collapse, and the aftermath of the collapse, did. For years, the Red Sox had one constant when trying to battle funks. The one constant they had period; Tim Wakefield.

Step One: Disrespect Classy Veterans

Most of the media made a big deal of Wakefield's 200th win (and rightfully so, not many pitchers debuting today will ever come close to that milestone), but you could see the toll every unsuccessful attempt was taking on the pitcher and the team. Tim Wakefield has never tried to be anything more than what he is; a reliable middle-to-back of the rotation starter.

Tim Wakefield has, or rather, had, a chance to become the Red Sox's all-time leader in wins, but the Red Sox, who have a storied history of misusing and abusing Wakefield, saved their best (read: worst) for last; with Wakefield in striking distance of that record, the Red Sox decided to offer Wakefield a contract... err... a minor league contract. Not surprisingly, Wakefield, in the face of this embarrassment (even though he would never admit it), retired.

The Red Sox though were just getting started. The other elder statesmen on the team, Captain Jason Varitek, was offered the same minor league contract. Varitek, who had a pretty good season last year before he got hurt, is being passed over for the more youthful catchers in the system, despite none of the catchers being capable of completing a full season (and WAY too much faith being put in Ryan Lavarnway, who in no way showed he could handle a major league pitching staff).

Varitek is going to announce his retirement on Thursday, taking with him most games played, started, most home runs and most hits by a Red Sox catcher... ALL-TIME.

Step Two: Bungle Every Off Season Move

The Red Sox finally did one thing right after the epic collapse in September; firing Terry Francona. However, in the old Red Sox fashion of one step forward, two steps back, they immediately mishandled every move after that.

The Red Sox of the past couple of years have made some very confusing moves that become quite obvious after realizing the management firm that is now the Red Sox organization is just out to make headlines, "sure, let us bring aboard Carl Crawford even though there is nowhere to put him in the lineup." The Red Sox fired Terry Francona, an awful in-game manager, albeit a terrific clubhouse guy who clearly lost control of the clubhouse last year, and hired... Bobby Valentine?

WHAT?!?!?! Bobby Valentine?!?!?! The guy from the Japanese beer cans? The guy who is so unprofessional he wore a Groucho Marx mask after he was ejected from a game? Just... Just... stupid.

Valentine has spent the last few years either in Japan or on the set of baseball tonight. The more you listen to him on ESPN the more you realize he really is out of touch with the game, but it is okay, the Red Sox hired him anyways because whenever you an hire a manager who is completely out of touch with the game and can never stay more than a few years because he grinds and wears on every player like it is a college team, you have to bring him in.

Then the Red Sox let go of Papelbon, refusing to pay a salary, which, yes, would be a bit more than you would like to play, but this is the same team that overpaid DRASTICALLY for Carl Crawford the same year Jacoby Ellsbury proved his might be the best centerfielder in baseball. Some think Bard is the answer, but if you watched the end of the season, you know he is not the answer at all (oh, we moved the guy who couldn't get three outs to the starting rotation? Oh, that is gonna end well).

Instead of signing Wakefield to a real deal the Red Sox are going with the Pu Pu Platter approach and signing every bargain starter East AND West of the Mississippi, but paying them more than they would have paid Wakefield.

Step Three: Find Every Excuse in the Book

If you read all of New England media outlets this offseason you would know the Red Sox collapse was brought on by fried chicken and beer. Look, these are professional baseball players. If these guys, ON THEIR OFF DAYS, want to have some friend chicken and beer at the end of a long season then they have every right to. People who think Josh Beckett's new found diet caused the tire around his stomach to expand are also glossing over the fact it is quite difficult to run on a busted ankle, something the Red Sox and Beckett (a joint effort obviously) decided it would be best for him to pitch on, instead of giving him some rest.

The first PR move by the new helmsmen Valentine was to come out and ban alcohol from the clubhouse. Great move... really getting to the crux of the problem there. Never mind the fact you have no solid catching, no back end of the rotation, no solid bullpen, and oh yeah, no corner outfielders. But please, go right ahead of tell me you are taking away the coolers from the clubhouse.

I have been in a minor league clubhouse. I know how hard these guys work. Some of you might not think baseball is the toughest sport in the world, but all of these guys, even the "lazy" ones, bust their butts every single day to try to improve and keep themselves in shape (and they do this for more than 220 days in a row).

The average major league baseball player gets to the clubhouse at 12:30, gets some food in, stretches, runs, does some individual practice and then goes back into the clubhouse for some food/shower, then goes back out for batting practice, comes back in for pre-game meal and shower and then does everything he can for the next three+ hours to try to help his team win. He showers after the game, answers some questions and then goes home, hopefully getting to his door sometime around midnight, most nights later. If he wants a beer in the clubhouse, I promise you that beer (or four) will do more good than harm over the long run. Plus, you are a fool if you think saying "No Booze" will stop adults from getting some of Grandma's Medicine.

The Red Sox have done nothing right over the last couple of months, so please, join me in my journey of trying to watch the Red Sox with an objective eye. I am sure I will fail, but it will sure be fun to try.

-Jake

Bruins Holding on Against Sabres

Bruins Use Force to Take Game Two

It is a play that happens many times throughout the course of a hockey game; two man go into the corner to battle for the puck, but on this occasion, Mark Recchi of the Boston Bruins turned it into anything but ordinary.

When the 42 year old veteran went into the corner against the Buffalo Sabres' Tim Kennedy, he knew he was going to dig it out, "I knew it was going to be a battle," Recchi said, "we were kind of even going in and I was just trying to get position and I was fortunate that I caught him proper and wa able to win the battle."

Recchi turned a proper play into a grat and series changing play. After depositing Kennedy onto the ice, he slipped a beautiful pass to the slot for Patrice Bergeron who was able to beat stellar netminder Ryan Miller on the glove side. The play gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead, and eventually, with the help of Tuukka Rask in net, a 2-1 series lead.

The Bruins played from behind for most of the first two games, falling behind 1-0 in each of the first two games, so it should not have been a surprise the Bruins continued that trend when Mike Grier flicked a wrister past the right shoulder of Rask early in the first period.

But the Bruins were able to tie the game in the first period and simply outplayed the visiting Buffalo Sabres, on the offensive side, on the defensive side, and most importantly with their tenacity.

Whether it was Zdeno Chara planting a charging Sabre while flat-footed or Johnny Boychuk absolutely trucking Matt Ellis, the Bruins brought the game to the Sabres and it was apparent the entire game. Even though the Sabres notched the first goal of the game it always seemed like they were playing from behind and simply trying to pull even with the Bruins.

Without Miller in net for the Sabres this game could have easily been a 4-1 or 5-1 game, but Miller, who made 27 saves, almost all of them difficult, kept the Sabres in the game and provided them with an opportunity to tie the game in the waning seconds.

But it was not to be as the upstart Finnish rookie Rask made 32 saves in net and was a wall in front of the cage after allowing his first period goal. If the Bruins are to make it out of the first round they are going to have to play like they did last night: faster, smarter and tougher than their opponents.

Patriots Day

Bostonians Celebrate Holiday with Running and Baseball

Patriots Day commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place on April 19th, 1775. The Holiday is celebrated in the state of Massachusetts, where the battles took place, and in Maine, which was once a part of Massachusetts.

Many great fights and competitions have come from the state of Massachusetts and in 1897, the Boston Athletic Association decided to add another way to do battle on Patriots Day.

The Marathon is Born

The first Boston Marathon was held on April 19th, 1897. The course ran from Metcalf’s Hill in Ashland to the Irvington Oval in Boston, but unlike the traditional Olympic Marathon which runs 26 miles and 385 yards, the first Boston Marathon covered only a distance of 24.5 miles.

Out of a field of 15 runners, John J. McDermott from New York won that very first race 114 years ago, doing so in a time of 2:55:10. The race was altered in 1924 to conform to the Olympic Marathon standards.

More tweaks were made to the Marathon and Patriots Day when in 1969 it was decided to move Patriots Day from April 19th to the third Monday of April (before that change Patriots Day was held every year on April 19th except for when it fell on a Sunday, in which case the Marathon was held on the following Monday).

“Heartbreak Hill”

The modern day Boston Marathon course is home to one of the most psychologically brutal hills in running, “Heartbreak Hill.” Heartbreak Hill is the fourth and last of the “Newton Hills,” which begin at the 16 mile mark of the Marathon and near the campus of Boston College.

Most runners suffer from a term called “hitting the wall,” where during a Marathon, usually between the 18 and 20 mile markers, runners run out of stored glycogen and severe fatigue starts to set in. One runner has described the experience as “It felt like an elephant had jumped out of a tree onto my shoulders and was making me carry it the rest of the way in.” (http://www.marathonandbeyond.com/choices/latta.htm)

Heartbreak Hill is only about an 88 foot elevation, but because of its positioning at the point where most runners “hit the wall,” it has defeated many runners over the years and can even make experienced runners halt to a walking pace.

Let’s Play Ball

Six years after the Boston Athletic Association held the first Boston Marathon, the Boston Red Sox (then known as the Boston Americans) played their first Patriots Day baseball game when they hosted the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds.

The starting time of the game was 10 A.M., and 8,376 fans showed up to witness their Boston team beat the visiting Philadelphia ball club 9-4. The following year the Boston Braves decided to play an afternoon game, but attendance was sparse, and the Red Sox and Braves alternated playing the Patriots Day at home until 1953 when the Braves left for Milwaukee.

Morning Baseball

The Red Sox have played a home game every year on Patriots Day since 1959 (with the exceptions of 1965 and 1967 because of off days and 1995 because of the player’s strike) with the traditional 11:05 starting time beginning in 1968. The time was again changed in 1987 due to complaints from the Player’s Association that the starting time was too early, but was changed back the next year to 11:05.

The traditional starting time of the game has been 11:05 A.M. with a couple of changed due to weather and other various conditions. The traditional early start time of the game allows fans in attendance of the baseball game the chance to watch the full game and see runners making their way through Kenmore Square, which is about the 25 mile marker for runners.

However, due to a combination of the lengthening time of baseball games and progressively earlier starts to the Boston Marathon, runners over the past couple of years have been making their way through Kenmore Square sometime in the middle of the baseball game.

A New Feel to Patriots Day

On a day filled with running and baseball, the Boston Red Sox have done their best in recent years to add to the enjoyment. The Red Sox are 66-49 on Patriots day, and before this year’s game had won their last six contests on the civic holiday.

But this year there was more heartbreak at Fenway Park than on the last of the Newton Hills.

The Red Sox entered the game at 4-8 and losers of three in a row to their divisional rival the Tampa Bay Rays (who had won their only other Patriots Day game in 1999). And the early season trends continued for the Red Sox, as the shoddy defense and pitching that has plagued them so far this year reared its ugly head again on Patriots Day.

The Red Sox, who are normally the best team in baseball at home, are now 1-6 at the not-so-friendly-anymore confines of Fenway Park. The Patriots Day match-up seemed to favor the Red Sox and the pitching match-up looked great on paper, but like most things that have looked great on paper this year for the Red Sox, reality did not agree with the paper match-up.

The Red Sox sent hurler John Lackey (1-1, 5.63/1-0 with a 1.42 ERA before the game) to the mound to face off against Jeff Niemann, the Ray’s tallest pitcher in their short history, standing a towering 6’9 on the hill and who can command four different pitches.

But the Red Sox had history going for them… and that was about it. The Rays manufactured a run on a lead-off double, a sacrifice bunt and a RBI groundout to short in the first inning and never looked back.

A big three run home run by B.J. Upton in the third inning just out of the reach of the glove of Bill Hall in right center made a 3-0 game into a 6-0 affair, and all the hype and energy that Red Sox fans mustered up for the Patriots Day game quickly dissipated.

Lackey was mercifully pulled after 3 1/3 innings while allowing eight earned runs; just a day after Jon Lester allowed six earned runs in his start.
But there was some solace in Boston; those who participated in the Marathon and lost their personal battles with Heartbreak Hill did not have to watch the Red Sox.