Instead of arguing the simple fact that the basic bottle rocket is the best firework of all time, here are a few holiday sports nuggets as we celebrate our nation’s independence.
A vote for AC
Putting money aside, the one person in Boston sports that I would most like to be right now is Alex Cora.
The Red Sox manager, currently playing out the string as a “lame duck” skipper because the club chose not to give him an extension, is on the heater of all heaters right now.
Cora has the Red Sox playing out of their minds at 45-39 (before last night’s game) with a lineup laced with no-names and a pitching rotation that might have been the worst in the American League when the teams broke camp from spring training.
Cora can call his shot now. The Red Sox management will look pathetic if he walks in October.
Even if this team falls back to where the numbers folks expected it to, he gets the credit for holding it all together.
He’s allowed to repeatedly take veiled shots at his boss – with no repercussions. In fact, the dude looks heroic.
So yes, let me be Alex.
Note: Runners-up for each of the other three sports in town? Jayson Tatum, that’s self-explanatory; Matt Judon, simply because talking to the dude away from the game you realize how chill he really is; and Bruins newcomer Nikita Zadorov, because he is a bad man.
Soccer Talk
I’m old and I’m supposed to hate soccer, right? While I root for most any entity coming out of Italy – Jannik Sinner, the Azzurri, etc. – I’m hardly international.
That said, I’ve been consumed by the current Euro Cup and Copa America soccer tournaments over the past few weeks.
The Euro games have been tantalizing drama nearly every afternoon.
If you don’t believe me, find a way to watch the video of Turkey’s Round of 16 win over Austria at the Euros.
They’re down to the quarters in Germany with England – a team that shouldn’t still be alive but found a miracle in the Round of 16 – your current betting favorite to take it all at +350, according to ESPNbet.
Spain (+375), France (+450) and the host team Germany (+450) are the other top squads. Holland (+700), Portugal (+900), Switzerland (+1,400) and Turkey (+1,800) round out the contenders.
I’m going to drop a few Euros on the Dutch, just for the record.
In Copa America, US soccer fans continue to lick their wounds after their heroes – on their home turf – went 1-2 against Panama, Bolivia and Uruguay, whose combined population of about 20 million is less than the population of Florida.
Eight teams remain with Argentina the clear-cut favorite at +120. It’s hard for me to get past the second choice, Brazil, which is +320.
Odds and ends
The NBA offseason movement has done little or nothing to affect the Boston Celtics status as the clear-cut favorite to repeat.
Folks, Boston is the Spurs with Tim Duncan and the Bulls with Air Jordan. You’re talking dynasty here, so let’s all buckle in for what’s going to be an amazing ride. …
The silence on the Jeremy Swayman contract front tosses up a little bit of a red flag in Bruins country. You just might have thought it would have been done by now. …
With training camp now weeks away – first practice open to the public is July 24 — don’t be surprised to see the Patriots’ current offseason trend of extending contracts of their current players continue.
New England remains below the salary cap floor, and the lack of newcomers added to a four-win roster has basically mandated that the Pats take care of their own.
Expect some Davon Godchaux or even some Judon news sooner than later.