@capeleaguer agree. I feel like Thursday is hanging over me like a black cloud. excited to see what develops but…Tue Jul 27 23:40:41 via webshalise manza young
shalisemyoung

Sorry to pick on you Shalise – but you do know the whole world can see these Tweets, right?

The “black cloud” has arrived – Patriots training camp opens this morning, and with it, another long work cycle for the media covering the team. I do understand the sentiment above – the start of camp means a lot of six and seven-day work weeks from now until January – but I still don’t think it is wise to describe it as a “black cloud” hanging over you.

With the start of training camp, I feel it is appropriate to turn to our Patriots Daily Senior Foreign Correspondent Scott A Benson, who weighs in with The Boys of Late Summer – A Primer.

Time to spot players who can get it done – I picked on Shalise a little above, but I did enjoy her breakdown today of the younger players who need to step it up this season.

New faces, old confidence at Patriots training camp – Jonathan Comey looks at a few key guys on the roster to watch for this training camp.

Patriots must establish roles at camp – Mike Reiss says that this is the major underlying theme at this year’s training camp.

Vince Wilfork fine with doubters – Karen Guregian has the nose tackle embracing the underdog role this season.

Five questions surrounding Patriots defense – After looking at the offense yesterday, Robert Lee examines the defense today.

Rating the Roster, Training Camp Edition (Part 7) – Christopher Price has been rating the roster, here are the top 17 players on the Patriots right now.

Coach’s crew no longer the picture of supremacy – Hey, it wouldn’t be football season without Professor Ron Borges around to throw a wet blanket on things.

So these aren’t lines meant to stir up the fan base and generate clicks and comments?

Today, the grass looks great, the locker room smells great, the players are great and the kiddie corps of assistant coaches Bill Belichick has surrounded himself with are budding geniuses, not the underpaid lab assistants many of them appear to be.

Bill Belichick was a genius once, when the players in the photos were still active.

Randy Moss has caught a lot of balls in three years, but not the long one the Pats needed most against the Giants at the end of Super Bowl XLII. The evidence of past performance suggests that Branch would have caught it in that situation, but Moss never will.

Right. It’s just the imagination of a “delightfully thin-skinned”* fan base. Carry on.

The Red Sox finished off a three game sweep of the Angels yesterday afternoon after Marco Scutaro snapped a 3-3 tie with an eighth inning grand slam that made a winner out of Josh Beckett, 7-3. Check all the links at RedSoxLinks.com.

Red Sox bring home hope from trip – Gordon Edes has the Red Sox coming home with hope.

I actually thought about linking Shaughnessy this morning, until I read his final paragraph. He apparently cannot even write a glowing column on the Red Sox without taking a shot at the Krafts. Pathetic.

Sox keep their season alive with sweep of Angels – Sean McAdam has the Red Sox potentially saving their season yesterday.

Lowell’s rehab assignment is one for the books – Daniel Barbarisi has a quick note on Mike Lowell tearing it up in his rehab assignment.

Beckett left rest to Scutaro – Peter Abraham took a lot of notes yesterday.

* Quotes added at the insistence of Joe, the Dolphins fan from the comment section.

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

32 thoughts on “The “Black Cloud” Arrives”

  1. Is Borges actually suggesting that Deion Branch would have caught Brady's desperation heave at the end of the Super Bowl against the Giants? That one where the Giants had double coverage on Moss, who goes about 6 inches taller, at least, than Branch? Anything to promote the virtues of a guy that Belichick "screwed over" (Branch) over a guy that Borges and most of the media dislike (Moss)…right Ronnie?

    That line alone is reason enough not to read that pathetic hack's article. (Actually, the byline that says "Ron Borges" is enough reason not to read any further.)

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  3. Speaking of Borges, but he included this line:

    "They have been expunged in the same way deposed Russian leaders used to disappear from the history books of Moscow’s children."

    The line itself isn't very original anyway…but it was JUST used by Tim McCarver (who then had to apologize because he threw the Nazis in too) to complain about how the Yankees treated Joe Torre.

    I dunno…if it wasn't Borges I wouldn't even have noticed…odd timing, though. In any event, lazy, it's an old comparison.

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  4. Hey Bruce I emailed you as well on this but I am sure you get flooded with emails, but did anyone else catch Bob Neumeier on Sports Net Central last night as an anchor? At the end of Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight Tanguay said it was the "premiere" of Bob Neumeier on CSN so I am assuming this is a fulltime gig? Who is out? I would think one of the girl; Manno;Pepper; or Moran?

    Any word?

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      1. I understand that, my question is he now a full time anchor? or just a fill in? With all the anchors they have I didnt think they needed any fill ins

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  5. To Shalise M. Young: Work harder. Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter do.

    Re: "Randy Moss has caught a lot of balls in three years, but not the long one the Pats needed most against the Giants at the end of Super Bowl XLII. The evidence of past performance suggests that Branch would have caught it in that situation, but Moss never will."

    Moss is 6'4". Branch is 5'9" (maybe). Moss takes longer strides, therefore runs faster than Branch. He can also jump higher. That quote is just asinine.

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    1. Borges is indeed an idiot. I make it a point never to read his material.

      As far as the Shalise comment, interesting that you held on to a tweet from 2 days ago just to use it as an opener today. In looking at the entire conversation, the tweet was more about the end of vacation then it was about the start of camp. Working in education, I dread the first day of school; not because I don't love my students, but more because it means less time with my own family. Context is important when quoting people.

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      1. Fair enough, but the tweet does the date on it. I think I tried to also note that I understood where she was coming from, but that perhaps it wasn’t the wisest thing to post this so the whole world could see it.

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        1. Agreed, although in context, the comment comes across far less egregious. just my thought.

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  6. sorry I didnt mean to post this 3 times when I didnt appear right away I didnt think it was taking my message

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  9. Professor Borges also included a reference to RAC and Charlie in his rip job this morning. The implication about the Pats being cheap was his point.

    Of course, if RAC and Charlie hadn't left the narrative would be that BB won't allow them to pursue other opporunities.

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  10. oh, poor,poor, Shalise……the knights of the keyboard have it so rough. my heart bleeds for them……..as far as Borges goes, I wish i could be more eloquent but the guy is just a complete Jackass…….( I know, I know, I'm such a Fanboy/rumpswab/ cheerleeader/sycophant etc..etc..)

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  11. Yes, "delightfully thin-skinned." Seems to me a media watchdog should at least put quotes around something when the words belong to someone else, even if made in the comments section.

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  12. You know, regarding the whole Randy Moss thing, I just wish some of these hacks could gather a little perspective on the situation and put their agendas aside for five minutes.

    The Patriots acquired him for a FOURTH ROUND DRAFT PICK. Since acquiring him, he's set the all-time NFL record for TD catches in a season; caught 1,000 yards worth of passes from Matt Cassel; and then had another 1,000 yard season in 2009 while playing with a bum shoulder.

    But some guys in this town predicted that acquiring Moss was a bad move back in April 2007, so they're sticking to that premise despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary.

    I repeat, they acquired him for a FOURTH ROUND DRAFT PICK, just two years after Oakland flipped a Top 10 first rounder to Minnesota for him. This was one of the most lopsided deals in NFL history, yet all some of these hacks can do is talk about what Moss DOESN'T do for the Patriots.

    Unbelievable. The grip on reality that some of these hacks have is tenuous at best.

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  13. That I'm a Dolphin fan does not change the fact that quotes are traditionally used when quoting someone.

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  14. That you're a Dolphins fan only helps put a finer point on your psychosis. Clearly you're as unfamiliar with air quotes as your football team is with success.

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  16. Well…I don’t think “air quotes” appear in the AP stylebook. I could be wrong though.

    And a cupcake sounds pretty good right about now.

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  17. Thin skinned like a team celebrating when an undefeated team loses so they can hang on to something that happened 38 year ago?

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