The Babcock Report: See You Later

First, a few Patriots notes...Big Surprise, the Patriots are not going to renegotiate with Asante Samuel, his aganet has come out and said that he "sees no reason why the two sides should talk". SPeaking for myself, and I think most other Pats fans, this isn't a shock at all. After Samuel's holdout got him nowhere this fall everyone knew that this was a one and done proposition. Asante has been great for the Patriots and should get a great contract out of the deal and this definitely leaves a hole in the secondary that I don't see Ellis Hobbs or Brendan Merriweather filling. Perhaps we can pick up Hank Poteat from the Trenton New Jersey Athletic Club's Flag Football League. Alas, this was inevitable so I really can't be too hurt by this.

In a similar vein, the Patriots also chose not to pick up the option on Donte Stallworth's contract which leads me to believe that either:




a) The Patriots are definitely going to resign Moss and are freeing up some money to do so, or


b) Feel that that they don't need star receivers to win and will begin cutting last years players (including Moss) left and right opting for cheap, serviceable guys like Gaffney, Washington, and as of yet unknown prototypes of David Givens and David Patten circa 2001.



Obviously, option A is more favorable. You all know how I feel about resigning Randy: I want it bad. But something doesn't feel right about all of this. In an age of free agency and big money contracts it is inevitable that at some point in time guys who came up with your team (I'm talking about Samuel here) will eventually end up leaving to make more money and to make room for the next wave of players, such is life in the NFL. Maybe I have been filled with an overwhelming sense of dread since that night in February and it is forcing me to be skeptical, but I am just worried that we are going to let too much go. Stallworth was a dangerous player, overpaid:probably, but, there's not a ton of guys out there who could fill his shoes and at his age and skill level you're not going to get anyone much cheaper. I am worried that the idea that you can throw anyone out there with Tom Brady and they will be a star is too prevalent in New England; its a two way street. Sure, guys like Givens and Branch left and didn't live up to their post-Patriots hype (albeit Branch has suffered through injuries), but that doesn't mean that Kelly Washington is the answer at wideout just because Tom Brady is throwing him the ball. PS, I love Kelly Washington.


I think that as a Patriots fan I was probably just extremely spoiled last offseason when the Patriots signed Adalius Thomas, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, Sammy Morris and the steal of the century in Randy Moss (probably will never see a deal like that in the NFL again in our lifetimes). So everything after that is naturally going to seem like a letdown. I don't know though, there just seems to be a black cloud hanging over us right now, and the fact that big-name guys are dropping like flies here doesn't bode well. I usually have total faith in the Patriots front office in terms of personel decisions, and we still haven't seen how they handle the draft which will be THE standard by which their philosphy personel-wise should be judged this offseason, so maybe I should relax. I was glad that Zach Thomas didn't accept our offer to him (which was probably 1/3 of what the Saints offered) as this will force us to get younger inside. I think that this is the way to go, especially while we still have a great defensive line...this will make the adjustment period for younger linebackers much easier.

This Dunk Was SICK

I was really really excited for the Celtics game last night. Sure, it had something to do witht he fact that I was snowed in at a extended stay hotel in Shelton, CT, by myself, but that wasn't the only thing. This game was going to be a major test for the C's against one of the best teams in the NBA. And the Suns had Shaq and we are all still watching that chemistry develop out there in Phoenix, which is extremely interesting too. I even watched most of the Cleveland Game too which was a great game. All of this NBA action forced me to take notes so I will try to give them to you in as organized a fashion as possible:



-I know I wrote something disparaging about Stephen A. Smith's TV show. I stand by that statement, and also by the statement of Ballgame who expressed discontent with the fact the Smith yells all the time. He is that guy telling stories way too loud at the bar. I hate being around that guy. BUT, when you put him next to Bill Walton, the guy seems to be the smartest NBA analyst in the History of the Universe. I am convinced that ESPN keeps Walton around simply for the fact that he makes everything that anyone else says seem intelligent. He still makes a good point everynow and then but it is only a matter of time before he says something like "Ben Wallace is not a leader, in the clubhouse or on the court." Smith responded, making it clear that Walton probably has never even spoken to Wallace and exposing, as the crux of his argument, that it was Wallace's lack of offensive production that merited him being deemed a poor leader. Any GM who brings in Ben Wallace as an offensive threat...THAT is "poor leadership". That has never been his game...and guess what, he is still one of the NBAs best Big Men. Second best quote from Walton, upon seeing a shot of Shaq pulling into the stadium in an ENORMOUS truck, "Man what is the Carbon Imprint of that thing!?" Nothing like bringing in environmentalism to an NBA game. Also, I believe the term is "Carbon Footprint".



-Speaking of Walton...my favorite line of the night came in the second half when he exclaimed wholeheartedly that "Grant Hill is the luckiest man alive!!". I have always been a Grant Hill fan, some of you may remember him as "The guy who almost made Fila shoes cool". I am actually hapy for the guy, Grant Hill and Shaq would have been a great combo back in the late 90s, who wouldve thought we'd ever see that pairing almost ten years later?





-The first thing I noticed during this game is that Shaq makes Perk look small, and slow. Not good. All year long I have been imaginng Perk as bigger and more physically gifted. I still love the guy, but I guess that is what you get when you put him up against one of the most dominant and physically gifted players in NBA history.



-The Celtics started the game off cold, very cold. They didn't shoot like themselves all night particularly Pierce and Allen who were like 1 for 20 combined well into the 3rd quarter...you're not going to beat many good teams on a night like that. The C's played the Suns almost even every quarter after the first, but the slow start was too much to overcome. All around the offense was shaky, a lot of offensive fouls and turnovers on the break when we had the advantage.



-The Garnett vs Stoudemire matchup was unbelieveable...two great players battling it out. I would love to watch these guys battle for an entire series, the way they played last night was the most intense back and forth I have seen in the NBA for a while. Last night, I have to give the edge to Amare, as much as it pains me to do so. Now that they have Shaq and he doesnt have to play out of position at center his game is going to go to another level.


-As a good indicator of what kind of night it was for Pierce, during the first half he mistimed a jump and got totally denied by the rim on a dunk attempt. The Suns got the ball back and nailed a deep three pointer.


-Overall, Celtics played the Suns tough, holding them to a low scoring night. If Allen and Pierce are hitting their shots and they can keep from falling behind early they will be alright agaisnt a team as good as phoenix. I dont see why we couldn't beat them in a 7 game series.


-Last note on the game: Rondo was physically impressive and has the speed and athletiscism to run with any guard in the league...but everytime he made a nice play Steve Nash would answer. Then, everytime Rondo made a bad play, Nash would answer. Rondo could take Nash off the dribble at will, but he still doesn't have the complete game of Steve Nash. All things considered though, Celtics fans should be real happy with their point guard situation.


I liked this commercial, a lot: