ME AND TEDDY BALLGAME

March 15, 1988. 27 years ago, I experienced one of the most incredible days of
my life. It was like a wedding or the birth of a child for most people, where everything is
so vivid, so easy to recall, and filled with moments that stay with you forever.

I was in my first full week of spring training with the Boston Red Sox organization in
Winter Haven, Florida. I was that kid in the candy store, the one with the huge smile on my
face and not a care in the world. I was playing baseball while wearing a Red Sox uniform and
loving every second of it. Heaven, I thought, couldn't be much better than this.

But things on this sun-splashed morning in a baseball facility lined with palm trees, were
about to get even more special and even somewhat surreal. It was something that has stayed
with me til this day and an incredible experience that nobody can ever take away from me.

I had just finished up catching what seemed like a hundred pitchers in the bullpen. In spring
training, there are 10 pitchers to every catcher and you spend most of your time squatting and blocking  88-mile an hour sliders in the dirt. I had made the position switch to catcher during
my junior year at UNC, and have long regretted that I didn't don the tools of ignorance sooner.
I loved everything about the job, which is the most physically demanding one in the game.

After catching a long litany of pitchers for close to two hours, the camp coordinator told us to
go get in some swings in the cages, which were located smack-dab in between the major and
minor league clubhouses. I had taken a fastball in the dirt off my wrist so I stopped off at the
trainer's room to get some ice before I went to hit.

There was already a long line in there as the pitcher's who had thrown earlier, were icing down
their arms. Catching and blocking baseball's in 85 degree heat for almost two hours is like running
a half-marathon, so I wasn't in any hurry to go hit. The ice pack the trainer had given me,
and the 20 minute wait seemed to rejuvenate me before I had to make the trek over to the cages.

Once I got there, there were only few people around. The other position players didn't have to
catch in the bullpen all morning and most of them had already gotten their hitting in before
calling it a day. I stepped into the cages and took some swings off a coach who was positioned
about 45 feet away, the shorter distance forces you to react quicker and develop some at speed.

As I was taking my swings, I noticed a large figure walking down the alley between the cages,
out of the corner of my eye. He was coming from the major league camp where he had been
offering instruction to players like Wade Boggs, Jim Rice, and Dewey Evans. I kept swinging
and he kept walking toward the cage where I was. An adrenaline rush washed over my entire
body and I became more focused on the pitches that were traveling my way.

The footsteps of this large figure got louder and louder as I went through my hitting drills.
My heart started racing faster and faster and I was swinging harder and harder, drilling balls
into the nets of the cage. All of sudden, those footsteps stopped. This imposing figure, which
stood about 6'4" had stopped to watch me hit. There were only three people in this area of the
cage, the coach, who was throwing me batting practice, me, and one of the greatest hitters in
the history of the game.

He shouted out to me with this booming voice, "Now, open those hips and drive through the
ball".  His voice was so unique, but very strong. It sounded a lot like John Wayne. But I knew
damn well  who it was. After my follow through, I turned around to see Ted Williams staring
back at me. It was a moment that was so surreal, yet so powerful. I had seen Williams on tape
and books, but I had never seen  him in person, and here he was, about to talk to me about hitting.
Just me and him.

Having Ted Williams talk to you about hitting, is like a musician getting tips from The Beatles
or Elvis. This was unbelievable. I'm not star struck and never got intoxicated by celebrity. Three months earlier, I was standing in a batter's box with Kevin Costner filming a scene for "Bull Durham", and I didn't consider it any big deal. This was a big deal. This was like Moses telling
me about the Ten Commandments. This was Ted Williams, a true American hero, talking to
me about hitting. I said to myself, "Oh my @*#$ God". Is this really happening?"

I stared at Williams as he was telling me about swinging with a slight uppercut, which I had
read and memorized from his book, "The Science of Hitting", and amazingly, I didn't see him
as a baseball icon. I saw him as a real, live American legend. He was telling me about finishing
high with my hands, but I wasn't really listening. Thoughts of him going through, not one, but
two tours of duty in the military during his baseball career, rushed through my head. That would
be like Albert Pujols taking a break from baseball to fight for his country. Twice That would
never happen in today's world.

Williams was a fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War. He had the opportunity to
take a position that kept him out of battle, but Williams pretty much said, "screw that". He flew
39 combat missions in the Korean Ward. 39! The great General Douglas MacArthur was a big
fan of Williams and for his 40th MacArthur sent the Splendid Splinter a painting of himself with
a note that said,:

"To Ted Williams — not only America's greatest baseball player, but a great American who
served his country. Your friend, Douglas MacArthur. General U.S. Army.

Wow.

I continued to take swings in the cage with Williams shouting out instructions to me. I said to
myself, "This is unreal. Nobody is going to believe this." After a few more swings, Williams
entered the cage, took the bat from my hands, and started to talk more about hitting. I looked
around to see a row of nothing but empty cages. If was still just Ted Williams, the coach
throwing batting practice, and me. I said to myself, "Wow. Here I am with the last man to hit over .400 in a season. Please, don't anybody wake me up."

Williams told me to keep working on my hitting. He said I should think about hitting "even when
you sleep. To be a great hitter, you have to hit all the time. Morning, noon, and night." I didn't
say anything, just nodded. He said he had to go and I didn't want the moment to end, so I said
"I'll walk out with you." As we left the dark cages, the world seemed so much brighter, the
sun proudly bursting as spring time approached. I was walking on sunshine, just having the
greatest baseball experience of my life.

There were a lot of fans who had lined the fence along the facility, and when they saw Ted
Williams appear, their eyes lit-up like bulbs on a Christmas trees. One of those fans was my
grandfather, who had made the journey from Sarasota to see me in spring training. My
grandfather had been a pitcher in the minor-league system of the New York Yankees and this
was a big thrill for him. I asked Williams if he could say hello to my grandfather and he did.
I left to go back to the training facility, thanked Williams for the time, and told my grandfather
I'd meet him after.

Years later, in 2004 , just before he died, my grandfather sent me a letter via mail. I opened
it, and out came a picture of me from my college days at UNC. On the back of the picture,
in the neat lettering of my grandfather, were the words and numbers: 3-15-88 Winter Haven,
FL. Training camp. And under it was the autograph of Ted Williams.

I did not know my grandfather had gotten Williams' autograph that day. He just told me what
a thrill it was for him to meet him. I have kept the picture and autograph in my wallet ever
since that day 9 years ago. It's a reminder of the special moment that both my grandfather and
I shared with Ted Williams.

That was 27 years ago today. I remember it like it just happened yesterday.  A lot has happened
since that moment, but talking with Ted Williams about hitting is something that I'll never forget

BILL BELICHICK SHOWS HIS TEETH (AND GENIUS) ONCE AGAIN

Bill Belichick has long been the most ruthless coach in the NFL. He shows the emotion of
an overworked mortician trying to get by on 20 minutes of sleep. In 2006, his father died just
hours before the team took on the New Orleans Saints. Belichick acted as if nothing happened,
coaching the game no differently than any other one during his career with the Patriots, with
nothing on his sleeve. It was straight business. He'd take care of the funeral preparations later.

If there was a Wizard who could give him a heart, Belichick wouldn't even bother taking the trip down the yellow-brick road to get one.

Belichick just doesn't care what you, me, or any of the so-called experts think. He gets paid to
make tough decisions and does it with a faint pulse. And why should anybody argue with his decision to let Wes Welker go sniff the Mile High air with Peyton Manning and the Broncos for the next two years? Oh, sure, the former Patriots receiver just put together one of the most spectacular six-year runs in NFL history. And he was Tom Brady's favorite receiver and Belichick mustn't ruffle the feathers of the franchise quarterback, right? Wrong.

Have we not learned anything about Belichick over the years? Don't we know that he's as cold,
methodical, and focused as a sniper in a war zone? In 1993 when he was coaching the Browns,
he unceremoniously dumped Bernie Kosar, who was the most beloved player in franchise history outside of Jim Brown. Kosar had roots in Ohio and actually wanted to play in Cleveland when every
other player would much rather go through waterboarding torture than play for the Browns.

But Belichick didn't see a fan favorite, but rather a quarterback in steady decline and he cut him.
You think he cared about the the fans, who already despised him, and what they thought? Hardly.

In 2000, Drew Bledsoe, an established franchise quarterback well on his way to Canton, got
tattooed in the chest by Mo Lewis of the New York Jets and could've died from internal bleeding. When he was healthy enough to return, Belichick pretty much said, "Here's the clipboard and
headset. Now, go stand on the sidelines." He knew  Brady was the better quarterback even
with only about a half-dozen games under his belt. How'd that decision turn out?

In 2003, Belichick cut safety Lawyer Milloy just before the season-opener for salary cap purposes. Milloy was a  four-time Pro Bowler, a team captain, and inspirational leader. EVERYBODY in New England was ticked off  with Belichick over that move. Players, coaches, and fans went nuts. Belichick didn't care because he did what he thought was best for the franchise, which is one of his favorite mantras. Tom Jackson of ESPN stated on live television that "the players hated Belichick." First time Belichick saw Jackson, he gave him the Foxborough  University salute." After losing their first two games that season, the Patriots ran the table, winning 17 in a row, including the Super
Bowl

And people really want to doubt Belichick after he said good-bye to Welker? I understand fans
in New England are emotional with a capital E. They can't let go of anything. Heck, they're still
pissed off because the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1912.

People in the region were incredulous that the Patriots didn't match the 2-year, $12 million
offer the Broncos gave Welker. Sports talk radio in Beantown was going nuts that the Hoodie
and Robert Kraft didn't pony up a measly $6 million a year for number 83. And then they wound
up giving Danny Amendola a reported 5-year deal worth $31 million, only $10 million of which
is guaranteed.

Perhaps, Belichick has an idea of what the hell he's doing. The guy has a record of 151-57
with the Patriots for a winning percentage of .726. That's winning almost 3 of 4 games every
year, plus they've won three Super Bowls and gone to two others. When Rex Ryan arrived
in New York nearly five years ago, he said he didn't come to "kiss Belichick's rings." The
only thing Ryan has smooched since then are his wife's feet and he probably has rubbed them
quite often, as well.

Maybe he saw Welker start to fall out of line with the "Patriots Way". Remember it was
Welker who made those not so thinly-veiled comments about Ryan being a good "foot"
soldier" and having "good feet" before their playoff meeting several years ago. Belichick
had warned the team not to make any comments about Ryan and his foot fetish scandal.
Belichick benched Welker for part of the first quarter and embarrassed him. The Hoodie
doesn't care how good you are, if you pulled that kind of stunt, you're going to sit, or much
worse. He'll trade you, as Randy Moss found out after he started to get sour about a contract.

Welker has taken a lot of hits over the last few years and it's always been Belichick's philosophy
that's it's better to get rid of a guy a year too early, than a year too late. Welker is 31, Amendola, 27. They are very much the same type of player who even played at the same college. (Texas Tech)

And just who was Welker before he came to the Patriots? He wasn't that great a player with
the Dolphins. In the year before he arrived in New England, Welker had 67 catches and a 10.3
average yards per catch. In St. Louis last season, Amendola had 63 receptions for an average
of 10.6 per catch. Pretty much the same stats.

Amendola played for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for a season in St.Louis and shouldn't have any trouble adjusting to the Patriots sophisticated offense. Plus,  Brady has
 a way of making good receivers even better. He demands that everybody is prepared and plays
with the same type of passion that he does. Sam Bradford is hardly Tom Brady.

Some say that Amendola is injury-prone. Sure, he busted his elbow making a great catch
on the turf a few years ago. Anybody who bounces on the fake stuff like a super-8 ball probably
would've gotten hurt on a play like that, too. It's the NFL. Injuries happen, and happen a lot. Plus,
things are a lot different when you're playing for a franchise like the Patriots as opposed to the
St. Louis Rams. That's no secret. Don't be surprised to see Amendola's productivity match that
of Welker in the very first season with Brady and Belichick.

The Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl with Welker, they can certainly lose another one without
him.

It'd be foolish to doubt Bill Belichick. He's proven that he knows what he's doing and doesn't care if
he doesn't have a heart to put on his organ donor card.

HAIL TO THE POPE AND ATHLETES NAMED FRANCIS

In honor of the 266th Pope, the SportsRip presents the Top 5 athletes with the name Francis.
Not included are Francis Ford Coppola, Francis Scott Key, or the dude from the movie, "Stripes"
who didn't want to be called, "Francis", or he'd kill you. Francis means "free man".

5. STEVE FRANCIS An All-American guard out of Maryland, Francis was taken second overall
in the 1999 draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. He had no interest playing there and cried his way out
and eventually got traded to the Houston Rockies just before the 1999-2000 season. He was the
NBA's Rookie of the Year and a three-time All-Star. Made more than $100 million in an NBA
career that saw him average just over 18 points a game.

4. RUSS FRANCIS Former All-Pro tight end who played most of his 13 seasons in the NFL with
the New England Patriots. A native Hawaiian, Francis was a first-round pick out of Oregon in
1975. He caught 393 passes, 40 of them going for touchdowns. One of the true great athletes at
his position.

3. RON FRANCIS Played 23 seasons in the NHL for the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes,
Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. One of the most respected players in league history,
Francis won the Lady Byng trophy three times, which is awarded to the most gentlemanly player.
His 1,249 assists rank second all-time behind Wayne Gretzky, and Francis is fourth all-time in
points with 1,795.

2. JIM FRANCIS THORPE. Thorpe is unquestionably the greatest athlete on this list, but
because his middle name is Francis, he was moved down a notch. Few athletes matched the
all-around ability of Thorpe. He won gold medals in the 1912 Olympics in the pentathlon and
decathlon. Thorpe also played professionally in basketball and baseball. He was stripped of his
medals because it was discovered he had taken money in semi-pro leagues. However, 30 years
after his death, his medals were re-awarded by the Olympic committee.

1. FRAN TARKENTON. Born Francis Asbury Tarkenton, this diminutive quarterback (5'10")
played 23 seasons in the NFL with Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants. A Hall of Famer,
Tarkenton's 342 touchdown passes rank fourth on the all-time list and his 47,003 passing yards placed him sixth on the all-time list. Sir Francis, as the late Howard Cosell loved to call him, also rushed for 3,673 yards, which is good enough for fourth on the all-time rushing list among quarterbacks.

JOSH BOOTY: THE DOS EQUIS GUY OF SPORTS

 

The Dos Equis guy is a fascinating mythical figure and one that a lot of men try to emulate.
He is cool, cultured,  and without a doubt, the most interesting man in the world. When
he drives a new car off the lot, it increases in value. When he goes to sleep, the sheep count
him. And he lives vicariously...through himself.

The Dos Equis man has no equal, but I'm starting to think he's really Josh Booty in disguise.
Booty has lived a life that most men who care about sports and being an athlete, would die
for. Gifted by the God's with a powerful right arm, Booty, like Bo, knows what it's like to
play professionally in two different sports. He played in college stadiums packed with more
than 100,000 fans and even got a World Series ring.

Yes, like the Dos Equis guy, Josh Booty lives vicariously...through himself.

Today, at the age of 37, Booty is getting another shot at the major leagues. He won a reality
show on the MLB Network called the "The Next Knuckler", that earned him a ticket to the
big league camp of the Arizona Diamondbacks where he is trying to earn a spot on the
team's  pitching staff as a knuckleball pitcher. Don't bet against Booty making the team
because he always seems to do what he wants and make it happen.

To fully appreciate the life and times of Booty, you have have to hit the rewind button and
go back to Shreveport, Louisiana where Booty grew up. The Shreveport area is unofficially
known as the cradle of quarterbacks. It has produced NFL signal-callers like Terry Bradshaw,
Joe Ferguson, Stan Humprhies, David Woodley, and Brock Berlin. Bert Jones and Bubby
Brister grew up just down the road near Ruston.

None of them put together a high school career as good as Booty's. Not Bradshaw. Not Jones.
Not Humphries. Booty played at Evangel  Christian Academy, a school that was built to
support a football program. They ran a version of the spread offense 10 years before the
spread offense became the rage in football. The school recruited the best players in the area
and with it, came allegations of cheating or at least, bending the rules until they nearly broke.

Booty was a phenom. He threw for 11,700 yards and 126 touchdowns on his way to being
named USA Today Offensive Player of the Year and National High School Player of the Year
by six different publications. Booty was selected to the All-Time High School football team,
the other  quarterbacks mentioned were Joe Namath and John Elway. Booty signed a letter-of
-intent to stay in state and play for LSU.

Baton Rouge would have to wait. As a power-hitting shortstop with thunder in his bat and
lightning in his arm, Booty was drafted 5th overall in 1994 by the Florida Marlins, signing
for a then-record $1.6 million.

As a professional baseball player, Booty struggled for the first time in his life. He had a
couple of 20-plus home run seasons in the minor leagues, but he struck out once  every three
at-bats. Still, Booty persevered and made it to the major leagues with the Florida Marlins,
picking up a World Series ring after the Fish won it all in 1997.

But Booty had the itch to play college football at LSU in front of 90,000 fans at Death Valley
in Baton Rouge. He said good-bye to the Marlins and hello to the Tigers. He won the starting
job as a sophomore and in his two years as the starter, tossed 24 touchdowns and was named
first-team All-SEC quarterback.

Yes, Booty was living vicariously...through himself. It was his sports sandbox and we were all
just playing in it.

Booty made himself eligible for the NFL Draft in 2001 and was taken by the Seattle Seahawks
in the 6th round. He also had stints with the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders, but never
played a down in the NFL, but at least he could say that he was good enough to get drafted and
sign an NFL contract.

Since leaving football, Booty has been an entrepreneur and even had a few roles on the soap
opera, "Days of Our Lives." But when the MLB Network came calling, Booty jumped at the
chance to the "The Next Knuckler". Off course he beat out the likes of Doug Flutie, David
Greene,and younger brother, John David,  to win a ticket to Arizona's big league camp.

Booty is in camp with the DBacks fighting to earn a spot on the team. The odds are stacked
against Booty, but as he has showed us through his wonderful life, do not bet against him.
Booty may not have reached the two-sport stature of Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders, but what
he has done is pretty incredible.

He blazed his own trail, and as the most interesting man in sports, he has lived vicariously
through himself---and what a life it has been.

PAT BURKE VOTED IN TO 'DANCING WITH THE STARS'

Patrick Burke, a former All-American lacrosse player at the University of Maryland has won
a national vote to be the wild-card entry to the 16th season of "Dancing With the Stars". Burke,
a native of the tony town of New Canaan, Connecticut, home to celebrities like Harry Connick,
Jr. NBC anchor Brian Williams, and sportswriter, Mike Lupica, was thrilled to get the final
spot on ABC's hit television show.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," said Burke, 48. "I was brought up in the Walter Schalk
school of dancers and now the world will see what I already know. This pasty-white, Irish guy
can dance his ass off."

Burke, who will be sponsored by Jack Daniels,  will be teamed with pro dancer, Cheryl Burke,
no relation. It will be the first Burke & Burke pairing in the history of the show. Burke the pro
dancer has been teamed with NFL players Chad Ochocinco and Warren Sapp in the past, thinks
P. Burke has some potential which could make them a dark horse to win the show.

"First of all, we need to get him in some kind of dancing shape. That goes without saying," said
C. Burke. "He'll need to cut down on the Ring Dings, Ho-Ho's, Chocolate Malt Balls, and Rum &
Cokes. If he can drop  20, we should have a chance."

PATRICK BURKE IN 1982 DURING "CUPID" SONG AND DANCE

Burke is no stranger to the big stage. In 1982, as a senior at New Canaan High School, he
teamed with Steve Tonra and Doug Stevens to execute a stirring rendition of Sam Cooke's,
"Cupid". Burke, wearing a giant-sized diaper, showed some serious dance moves to help the
trio capture the top-prize in the talent show. Burke is hoping lightning strikes 31 years later.

"Just as long as Chaz Bono doesn't show up, I think Cheryl and I will have a chance," said Burke.
"I can't promise you that I'll be sober, but I can guarantee you a great performance."

Burke was joined in the celebration by four of his 13 brothers, who think Patrick has the goods
to go all way.

"Patrick was never the fastest guy on the field. Think Manti' Teo plus two seconds," said Joe
Burke, a former legendary football player at Boston University, whose  football program ceased
operations just three practices into Burke's career. "But I got a tell you. He was nifty and sneaky
fast. I realize that was 25 years and 75 pounds ago, but I think he can dance with the best of them."

Burke said he'll turn to Howard Benedict, his lacrosse coach at New Canaan High School, for
advice on how to mentally prepare for his debut on "Dancing With The Stars".

"I owe everything to Howard," said Burke. "He was a complete space cadet off the field. Can
you imagine the school actually let that guy form and mold the youth of New Canaan when he
was an English teacher? But the guy could flat out coach lacrosse. I want to pick his brain and
see what he thinks about my Cha-cha-cha and how to work the judges. Benny was always good
at working the refs, so he might have some advice for me on how to sway the judges."

Burke is set to appear on "Dancing With The Stars" on March 23rd.

"STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS"

*Disclaimer: I'm just kidding.