Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, colleges. Take your pick. They’re all good stories this week.
RED SOX
I wrote recently that the baseball season is a marathon, and we need to be patient. But we are a month into the season, and unlike last year, the Red Sox are having trouble keeping the division-leading Yankees in sight.
On May 1, 2021, the Red Sox lost to the Rangers, 8-6, and dropped to 17-11 but were still first in the AL East, 2.5 games ahead of Toronto.
On May 1, 2022, the Red Sox lost to the Orioles, 9-5, dropped to 9-14, and were fourth in the AL East, 7.5 games behind the first-place Yankees and a half-game ahead of the last place Orioles. The Sox are 2-7 since April 2. Nick Pivetta is 0-4. Bobby Dalbec is hitting a robust .147, same as Jackie Bradley, Jr. We expected that ugly batting average from JBJ but not from Dalbec.
Said manager Alex Cora: “We’ve got a lot of guys scuffling right now.”
No kidding.
The Red Sox were off on Monday. Tuesday night they opened a six-game homestand against the Angels and the White Sox. The Red Sox won, 4-0, behind the three-hit pitching of starter Michael Wacha, three innings of no-hit relief by a trio of pitchers, and solo home runs by Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez.
PATRIOTS
It is May, but the offseason in the NFL disappeared a long time ago. People are still buzzing about the NFL Draft last weekend in Las Vegas. The buzz about the Pats is not good. They drafted a guard, wide receiver, cornerback, quarterback, running back, two offensive linemen and a defensive lineman. Draft gurus were not impressed. Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post gave the Pats a D for their work, same as the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Rams and just behind the D+ San Francisco 49ers.
CELTICS
Boston, the best team in the NBA since January, swept the Nets in the first round of the playoffs, enjoyed a well-deserved rest, and lost at home to the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks Sunday. Not to worry. The Celtics bounced back in Game 2 Tuesday night at TD Garden and won, 109-86. Jaylen Brown had 30 points, Jayson Tatum 29, reserve Al Horford 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Grant Williams 30 points. Game 3 is Saturday afternoon at Milwaukee.
BRUINS
The Bs have work to do after losing their playoff opener, 5-1, to the Carolina Hurricanes Monday night. The defense has to step up, and the power play must produce. Boston was 1-40 in power play opportunities in April and 0-3 Monday. Game 2 is Wednesday night.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Welcome the topsy-turvy world of the NFL. Brown alum EJ Perry signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars Tuesday after initially agreeing to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles after the NFL Draft on Saturday. When the Eagles signed former Nevada QB Carson Strong, Perry looked south. Trevor Lawrence is the Jags starter, and Perry will work for a roster spot as the third QB.
Perry was the most versatile quarterback in the Ivy League for two years and last season was the Ivy’s most valuable offensive player, passing for 3,033 yards and 24 touchdowns. He played well in the East West Shrine Game — 241 yards, 3 TDs, MVP — and impressed at the NFL Combine.
URI defensive back/return specialist Coby Tippet received an invitation to the Patriots rookie minicamp May 13-16. Coby’s dad Andre was a Pats star and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
MACHTLEYS HONORED
Retired Bryant University President Ron Machtley and his wife Kati were inducted into the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday night. Nobody deserves the recognition more than this Bulldog Couple. Their vision and leadership during their 23-year tenure propelled Bryant from a regional business school with a Division II athletics program to a national university with Division I sports. The addition of football, men’s and women’s lacrosse, field hockey and swimming and diving increased and diversified the student population. New academic and athletics facilities played a role in 20 Northeast Conference championships and 21 teams participating int NCAA Division I tournaments.
While Ron led the charge on most of those ventures, Kati was right there cheering on the athletes. Her greatest impact, though, was leading the Women’s Summit to sold out success year after year.
TOURNAMENT BOUND
Bryant’s women’s tennis team is heading to Oklahoma to play the second-seeded Sooners in the first round of the NCAA championships Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs won the Northeast Conference title by beating St. Francis Brooklyn, upsetting four-time defending champion Long Island University in the semifinals and defeating Fairleigh Dickinson in the final open Sunday.
Brown’s fifth-ranked women’s crew won the Eastern Sprints for the 11th time Sunday and is gearing up for the Ivy League Championships May 15. The Bears won five Grand Final races on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester.
Brown will host the Ivy League Men’s Lacrosse Tournament this weekend. The fifth-ranked Bears shared the regular-season Ivy title with Yale and Cornell but are the top seed thanks to their victories over the Bulldogs and Big Red. Brown is 10-4 overall. Cornell and Yale will play the first semifinal on Friday followed by Brown and Penn at 8:30. The winners will meet Sunday at noon.
Bryant is the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Conference men’s lacrosse tournament this week at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia. The Bulldogs finished 6-1 in the NEC and are 8-6 overall.
