So after months and months of speculation that ex-Patriots employee Matt Walsh possessed damning evidence against the team above and beyond what they had already been punished for, Walsh revealed the goods yesterday, and surprise, surprise, there was no tape of the Rams walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in his collection. What he did have was what we already knew - and what the Patriots had already admitted - tapes that showed they had been taping opposing signals since the start of the Belichick era.
As part of the release yesterday, Walsh’s attorneys also stated that he was not the source of John Tomase’s infamous story the day before this year’s Super Bowl that claimed that a tape of the Rams walkthrough exists.
What’s next? Is Arlen Specter or Roger Goodell going to demand to talk to Tomase and make him give up his source? (I’m only half kidding, folks) Will Peter King, Mike Florio and Gregg Easterbrook finally shut up? I doubt it.
It would seem that Walsh was simply out for his 15 minutes of fame, and he certainly got it, thanks to an overzealous media eager for anything new to pin on the Patriots.
Mike Reiss reports on the eight tapes that Walsh is returning, while John Tomase keeps it simple, and doesn’t elaborate on his February story of the walkthrough and how Walsh’s denial fits or does not fit into that. However, David Heuschkel claims that the tapes could be damaging to Belichick because at least two of the tapes show offensive signals being recorded as well as defensive.
David Scott looks at Boston.com jumping the gun a bit last night in breaking the story, and also wonders what’s next for John Tomase and the Herald in this saga.
Reiss also has an article on new Patriots linebacker Victor Hobson, who talks about being on the other side of the Patriots/Jets rivalry.
Check all the coverage on the all-new PatriotsLinks.com
Celtics
Steve Bulpett says that the Celtics need to make a return to the team offense, especially during crunch time. Bob Ryan looks at how Sam Cassell has completely replaced Eddie House in the Celtics rotation, and whether that is a good thing or not. Scott Souza has Rivers trying to get the point guard rotation just right. Bill Burt submits a feature on how Danny Ainge built this team, and that Red Auerbach would be proud of him. Burt also recollects how Auerbach brought Ainge to Boston from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Matt Richardson on the BSMW Full Court Press has some thoughts on Mike Brown’s Color Coordinated Eyewear and Other Random Observations.
Mark Murphy looks at Kendrick Perkins’ contributions on defense, which do not go unnoticed by his teammates. Mike Fine has Paul Pierce as one of those teammates who appreciates what Perkins brings to the floor for the Celtics. Robert Lee has the Celtics thriving on their defense at home in the postseason. Christopher L. Gasper has Ray Allen and Paul Pierce looking to give Kevin Garnett some help on the offensive end tonight. Fine has Pierce acknowledging that he has to do a better job tonight.
Bill Doyle says that the Celtics can learn plenty from their game one victory. Bulpett looks at how Rajon Rondo has managed to handle the increased pressure of the postseason. Buddy Thomas doesn’t believe that the Celtics can beat the Pistons in a seven game series.
In the Metro, I point out how that if you listened to the radio this week, you’d be sure that the Celtics can’t win this series.
Jeff Horrigan has LeBron James confident that he’ll bounce back tonight after the poor game one. Michael Vega has more on James’ faith in his ability to come back strong tonight.
Murphy’s notebook has the Celtics trying to figure out what adjustments the Cavs will make for tonight. Gasper’s notebook has Cassell disagreeing with the flagrant foul call on his encounter with James in game one. Lee’s notebook has Doc Rivers wanting to get Ray Allen involved early tonight. Horrigan’s notebook has the Cavs trying to figure out what to do with Kevin Garnett.
Red Sox
The Red Sox lost a roller-coaster in Detroit last night, 10-9. Gordon Edes has this one pinned on Julio Lugo, who made a crucial error in this one, his 10th of the young season. Rob Bradford has the Lugo blunder costing the Sox a great comeback. Bill Ballou has a Lugo error finally costing the Red Sox a game. Steven Krasner has the Sox wasting a great rally. Jeff Goldberg has Jonathan Papelbon being hit with his first blown save of the season.
Amalie Benjamin has the afternoon rain messing with the pitchers’ routines. Buckley has Jed Lowrie sticking around in the big leagues even after Mike Lowell’s return. Bradford has Jacoby Ellsbury remaining perfect in his career in stolen bases. He is now 22 for 22.
Steve Buckley has Lugo reacting to questions from the media about his struggles in the field. Benjamin has more on the fielding woes for Lugo. Jim Donaldson catches up with Luis Tiant.
Edes’ notebook has Clay Buchholz breaking the streak of great starts by the Red Sox rotation. Bradford’s notebook has Julian Tavarez OK with the trade rumors that have been floating around about him. Ballou’s notebook has Lowrie sticking around until Alex Cora is reactivated. Krasner’s notebook has more on Buchholz breaking the streak of quality starts. Goldberg’s notebook has Kevin Youkilis submitting the second two homer game of his career at Comerica Park.
Media
Adam Reilly has a look at how the Herald is falling short of the Globe in almost all areas except sports coverage. He suggests that that might be the area that publisher Pat Purcell should really try and attack the Globe, especially with the recent cutbacks on Morrissey Blvd.
Lenny Megliola checks out NESN’s newest field reporter, Heidi Watney.
Popularity: 23% [?]
How about the blowhards in the afternoon on EEI talking smack about bloggers. Time to declare war on the hypocrites.
Just because Walsh was not the source for Tomase’s story doesn’t mean the walkthrough tape does not exist. Now, I think that if the tape did exist, Walsh would at least know about it and would come out and say that, but it is certainly at least possible that it exists.
Let me go on record as saying I do not think the tape exists and I am just playing devil’s advocate here, but I thought it was worth pointing out the possibility.
Gary - I was driving home just before 6 p.m. and the hosts and caller were talking about how there are a lot of good blogs, but a lot of them contribute to the dumbing down of sports fans. I’m sorry, but nothing in Massachusetts is a bigger contributor to the dumbing down of sports fans than WEEI and some of the idiots they employ.
Oh they are covering it, but they are blaming the Herald for forcing them to spout off about Spygate since February. On Mike and Mike the tone was very much “how is the herald going to apologize to us? We’re the idiots that took a single sourced anonymous story and ran with it. We never once thought to actual do some journalism of our own to track down the story. We just all reported on the reporting that was reporting on the report.”
I’m guessing the tone is going to be generally of that ilk. How the Herald screwed them all over.
Can we get an official fire Tomase boycott the Herald petition going on this website? I hope the faithful readers of this site agree that Tomase and the Herald owe all of New England an explanation about the wheres and the whys of the walk through story. Bob Kraft on the off chance that you are reading this, please don’t let this die down quietly sue Tomase and the Herald into homelessness.
Apparently, ESPN is COMPLETELY UNWILLING to let this story die.
Mike Fish is speculating that somehow these tapes still imply that Belichick and the NFL have not come clean; and the idiots on their morning TV show this morning were speculating on the existence of another, as yet unnamed videographer who probably DID tape the Rams’ walkthrough (I mean, if it’s not Walsh, then it MUST BE SOMEBODY ELSE WHO DID IT!!!!).
I have a journalism degree. I never went into the field primarily because I didn’t really like it all that much and I also didn’t want to be significantly outnumbered in every newsroom in which I worked (hint: I don’t vote Democrat).
But aside from all of the political propaganda that my journalism profs. tried to force upon me during my 4 years in college, they DID force home the point, again and again and again, that you simply must have your facts straight. Moreover, they stressed that you MUST get corroboration from at least one other person if you’re going to write a story citing “unnamed sources”; and above all else, you CANNOT SPECULATE in print and then call it a “news” story.
The even said that columnists, who get paid for their opinions, had to write based on facts, and couldn’t just speculate and make up stories for drama, attention and effect.
I graduated 20 years ago. Journalism even then was a vocation that was heavily criticized by the American public; I can’t imagine that today, any average American has any respect left for that so-called “profession.”
Spygate represents American journalism at its absolute worst…..sadly, I doubt things are going to get any better any time soon.
Mike Fish has been speculating in print and calling it a “news” story in every single thing he’s written on the issue for ESPN. Remember his “how many draft picks will the Patriots lose based on the information that we’ll just go ahead and assume that Walsh has? Ten? Fifty? A zillion?” article when Walsh first appeared on the scene?
If not, let me remind you.
One of the more terrible “journalists” at an increasingly terrible “news” outlet, that one.