Baked Beans: 'VideoGate'- The Sentence and My Thoughts

The Patriots got their punishment from the NFL tonight for secretly videotaping the Jets signal callers during their Week 1 win. The punishment for the Three-Time Super Bowl Champions* is:

-$250,000 fine to the Patriots
-$500,000 fine to Bill Belichick himself
-A forfeit of their 2008 First Round Pick shall the Patriots make it to the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season* and sixth out of seven*
-A forfeit of a Second AND a Third Round Pick shall the Patriots not make the postseason for the first time in six seasons*

To gauge the reaction of the Patriots lemmings I temporarily broke my boycott of Bar Stool Sports to see how they are taking it. As you can see they ain't taking it well

(It now surprises me even less that I stopped hearing from them after writing a tongue-in-cheek Anti-Patriots column in May)

Funny thing is I have to agree. This is kinda bullshit for a practice that may not have even affected games at all especially in a sport as complicated to call from a coaching standpoint as football is.

On the other hand, anything that taints the pristine image of the New England Patriots Dynasty* makes me downright giddy. I've already put four asterisks in this post and I'm looking for context to put more in. Here we go, even with the illegal surveillance the Patriots Dynasty* came to a halt in Mile High in January of 2006.

Catching Up: Why the Hiatus?

As some of you have suspected, the panning from Bar Stool Sports sent me into a "Writer's Funk" where writing felt like more of a waste of time than anything else.
After the debacle which was my "Church of Piolichick" column, I quickly wrote my editor with another column, a well researched link-filled look at other Major League contenders other than the Yankees that could not be labeled a "weak effort", and a professional apology for how the previous column was received.

This was his response...






Nor was the column ever posted. The lack of professionalism surprised me even for a free newspaper and viral website. Funny thing is I sensed a harbinger to this when my editor thanked me for my draft work by saying I did great work "for a Bar Stool rookie". While I stand by my last column with them, even though it wasn't my best work, I admit I made the mistake of writing for what I thought the audience was rather than writing as myself.

Anyway the embarrassment made me trigger shy with my writing causing the hiatus on this blog, but the good news is I am now over it. I am working on another blog project that will allow me to write sportswriting that comes easily to me and is enjoyable (If you want a hint, this project will launch in August). I am back to posting to this blog regularly or at least as regularly as I can.

I am also about to embark on the "Summer of a Lifetime", loaded with bachelor parties, weddings, and a vacation. This is the first summer with my new laptop which will make blogging the events of this summer even more fun and timely.

As always I thank you for reading and promise more quality posts in the future.

Ouch!

A good honest man advertises his triumphs and failures equally.

My return to Bar Stool Sports was a barb at the school of thought that problem players could turn their careers around with the New England Patriots by looking at other celebrities who could use the help.

It was meant to start a conversation. The conversation it started was "How much Derek Lynch sucks"...

I now know how Amateur comedians feel the first time they're heckled.

Bar Stool Sports Column Schedule

I take a look at the Defensive Linemen on Bar Stool Sports today

Tomorrow I hope to have the Linebackers and Secondary up. With a Mock First Round for Friday.

I'm on top of Carrie Underwood All Day Today

Five Tight Ends to Know on Draft Day

Yesterday's Bar Stool Sports Column

Ten Wide Receivers to Know on Draft Day.

If you people are passing along the compliments in the comments section, I thank you. If not, it looks like your boy's work is getting well received.

Bar Stool Sports Column

My Third Bar Stool Sports Column is up.

I'm trying to give just the permalinks so you don't get in trouble for looking at all the "traffic-driving content" at work.

Today's Bar Stool Sports Column

Is up with a look at this year's 2007 Draft Quarterbacks

Bar Stool Sports

I am pleased to announce that I have signed on to be a contributor to Boston-based Bar Stool Sports (be careful at work). Best described as a slightly more viral Boston version of Deadspin. I will be contributing NFL Draft Previews up until the day of the draft until moving on to more random columns up until football season.
The site offers me more exposure for my writing than this blog and a spot in a bi-weekly free newspaper circulated around Greater Boston. I don't foresee The Pizza Parlor being affected in anyway.

My First Column