SU caught the end of the Mets’ game with the Nationals last night. Their 6-run rally to tie the game with 2 outs and 1 man on was impressive. As long-time SU subscriber A. Grossman likes to say, they have the “karma” this year. Their dugout is alive, guys are coming through over and over again, and they are just a likeable bunch. Even the 4 days of Scott Boras and Matt Harvey were not enough to put a damper on their drive for the division title. SU says they will be selling out Citifield come the next homestand.
Contrast that with the Yankees who are in the middle of a tight division race with the Blue Jays but are only drawing around 30,000 now on this homestand. The reason is that it’s not an exciting team and the fans are just not 100% invested. As the pitching staff breaks down in September, it’s becoming more likely that CC Sabathia might end up pitching a playoff game (perish the thought). SU has been predicting that the Mets will become the focal point in NY and it’s happening. Good for them.
Don’t know if you caught any of the ESPN story on Spygate with the Patriots and just what went on there. New England is denying it all but consider this from the ESPN story:
“According to ESPN, the Patriots secretly filmed 40 games between 2001 and 2007 and built a library of their opponents’ signals. They then stole those signals during games and called plays to take advantage of what was coming. The program was carried out in secret, with the employees disguising themselves as NFL or “Kraft Production” cameramen to film opposing coaches.
Here are the most damning allegations:
- The Patriots would send an employee into the visiting locker room to steal their play sheets during pre-game warmups.
- They would have someone “rummage through the visiting team hotel for playbooks or scouting reports.”
- They made their employees wear disguises, like shirts that said Kraft Productions, while they secretly filmed opposing coaches. They were also “provided with excuses for what to tell NFL security if asked what they were doing.”
- Sources with three different teams that lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl (the Eagles, Panthers, and Rams) think they spied on them and knew what plays were coming during the Super Bowl.
- Former Rams coach Mike Martz claims a Pats assistant coach told him he knew which plays St. Louis were going to run in the red zone in the 2001 Super Bowl, and that, “A little birdie told us.”
- The Patriots had “a library of scouting material containing videotapes” in a secret room that only Bill Belichick could access.
- They had a practice of “scrambling and jamming” their opponents’ radio equipment so the coaches couldn’t communicate with the quarterbacks.
- A former Patriots assistant coach told ESPN, “It got out of control.”
According to Van Natta Jr. and Wickersham, the feeling around the league is that the Patriots got off easy on Spygate, with the NFL brushing the details of the scandal under the rug. The league’s recent attempt to hammer the Pats for Deflategate, many believe, was a direct response to the impression from other teams that New England got away with a robust cheating program in 2007.”
Clearly, this was a much more serious situation than deflating some footballs. It’s also why former Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula call Bellichek “Belli-cheat.”
Sports Update Intergalactic 
I swear, the Patriots-hating conspiracy theorists are getting more tiresome than the Obama birth certificate crusaders and the 9/11 deniers. Make up lots of shit, mix in a few kernels of truth that are taken out of context, and ignore anything factual that contradicts your argument, and presto…the Patriots are the Illuminati, controlling the world from a secret bunker in Foxboro.
For 10+ years I’ve been listening to Marshall Faulk whine about how the Patriots somehow knew all of the Rams’ secret Red Zone plays that they put in just before the Super Bowl. Do you know how many times the Rams reached the Red Zone in that game? Once. And guess what, they scored a touchdown. Just imagine how much better than 100% red zone efficiency they would have had if Bill Belichick hadn’t roofied Mike Martz’s wife the night before the game to learn their secrets.
Shep, love the passion! I suspect some of the Jet fans on the SU subscriber list may take issue with some of your comments. So, sounds like you think the whole ESPN article is just a rehashing of old news on this. No smoking gun exists. I guess one would wonder how these types of spying could remain a secret if assistant coaches were involved. It’s not like the assistants have only worked for the Pats over the years and are totally loyal to Bellichek.
Jet fans: what do you say?
Seems like just yesterday that New York was enamored with the runaway Eastern Division Champ Yankees…. Mets will self destruct
Josh, spoken like a bitter Braves fan!
Kraft Productions? Why not just wear fake mustaches and glasses?
ESPN also reported some things about Deflategate that remain unconfirmed so it’s hard to know how reliable this is. I actually think Deflategate is worse because of the obvious deception but there are plenty of scandals to choose from.
Nobody will admit it as they come out with pie on their face, but the NFL is the big winner in Deflategate. They delayed the start of their investigation to avoid spoiling the Super Bowl and then managed leaks, reports and court dates around the combine, draft and free agency to keep the league in the headlines through the off-season. Now the whole thing goes away and the star player gets to be on the field for game 1. Maybe “the shield” has a little more dirt on it but ratings are through the roof.
Happy to see that SU managed to stay silent on last night’s Williams extravaganza. I had to put my kids to bed after an hour and a half of pre-match nonsense without them getting to watch a point. I promised to record it but can’t possibly make them watch the whole thing. It could have been worse but there was virtually no drama which is really what you want to see in a sporting event. Then there was all sorts of post-match commentary over a match that will barely be remembered in a week.
I was at Yankee Stadium on Labor Day and it was an exciting game played before a hot and half-empty stadium.
I’m wondering if Harvey being at the center of 2-3 controversies each season will be more of a drag on his next contract than questions about his elbow. This is the same guy who appears in ill-advised photo shoots, complained about going to FL for rehab work, complained about not getting enough work and then about getting too much work in the same season. Great pitcher but he’s going to be somebody’s $200 million mistake.
Seth, I watched some of the Williams’ sisters match. It was better quality tennis than usual. But waaaayyyyy too much drama and way too much hype both before and after. Do they hug? Do they look at each other? Where’s the Mom? Enough already. Serena is a great player but to me, not likeable.
I think Harvey having Scott Boras as his agent will write his ticket out of Citifield. Boras is a mercenary and will find the team who wants to pay the most money. Heck, maybe the Mariners will have him dress next to Cano? The Mets cannot keep all of their young pitchers and Cespedes. Harvey does act like a primadonna. I would let him walk.
Seth, I love your comments! Let’s not forget the tweet of Harvey giving a pre-op middle finger: http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/4/22/5640266/matt-harvey-middle-finger-photo-lolmets
Not surprised by this story at all, once a cheater always a cheater. The rumors of cheating have gone on for so long it was only a matter of time before this came out. This one is truly a killer and tarnishes Kraft, Brady, and Bellicheks, legacy. I’ve done some reasearch and Van Natta is a top of the line reporter so for me that further substanties such lofty allegations. Of course the Patriots will release a statement but if they are truly innocent they will sue ESPN for libel. Until then…..CHEATERS! GO JETS!
Also- is this the kiss of death for Goodell?
Harris, while Roger Goodell has had a tough couple of years, the owners will always want someone who they see as one of their own and who has made them wealthy. You may recall that Goodell’s #1 competitor for Commissioner back in the day was Jeff Pash and he has lost some of his luster from Deflategate. As long as there isn’t an obvious alternative, I don’t think they will make a switch. They will likely change the disciplinary process but I think he is safe.
As long as they continue to make loads of money I don’t think a single owner will have a problem continuing to let Goodell take the heat for each of the League’s problems.
That ESPN story was a great read. It’s probably one of the reasons why the Pats didn’t fight their Deflategate punishment. However, Goodell made a sloppy mistake trying to rewrite the rules on the fly going after Brady. The way the rule is written, the penalty for equipment tampering is a very low $$ fine and is the responsibility of the team not a player on the team. Goodell went on the assumption that his powers as arbitrator would go unchallenged and hold up in a court of law regardless of the level of proof. Whether you like or hate Brady, it was a flimsy attempt by Goodell to expand his powers.
Mets are a lot of fun to watch these days. That was a clutch sweep of the Nats.
The Mets are for real. Dagger in the hearts of the Nationals this week as not only did they sweep but they did it in dramatic fashion. They could not have scripted it any better.
Mark, good summary about the NFL actions with the Patriots. We are left with Brady who most likely deflated the footballs (no big deal) but will get off on a procedural screw-up. Sort of like Ryan Braun when he failed his first drug test. But he was too arrogant and pushed the envelope and got caught a 2nd time with egg on his face. Fortunately, the NFL season now begins and this stuff can go on the back burner.
Excited as anybody for the football season to start but I hope this article will lead to a larger crackdown of the Patriots and/or keep Bellicheat out of the HOF
Yankees-Giants vs Mets-Jets
The louder fan base (mouths) voices heard have always been from the two teams (with less class) who rhymes with one another. The other thing they have in common is that both teams haven’t won anything in a very long time. Though i wish them both success I never liked the color (Gang) green nor a combination of bright blue with bright orange. Pinstripes and Big Blue are much nicer colors to view….. and wear.
PS I wonder what New York teams Federer roots for. Amazing that such a tiny country has two semi finalists while the USA can’t get past the round of 16 on our home court….. and the one player has only one weapon… a big serve but moves like a big stiff.
Andy, showing no love for the Mets? I am a diehard Yankee fan but can appreciate what they are doing in the 2nd half of the season. Plus they are infinitely more exciting than the Yankees. I will be curious if the Yankees even sell out for this series with the Blue Jays after averaging 30,000 a game for the last 6 home dates.
On the tennis front, I don’t have any need for an American champion. I actually find the non-Americans more enjoyable to root for. Roddick was a bit of a cocky guy and I just cannot root for Serena. I am fine rooting for the player vs. the country.