Alan Greenwood

Every time the leading NFL writer in the business mentions Tom Brady’s future he seems to toss in the name “Andy Dalton” as a possible replacement.

Peter King’s prose about the failed Cincinnati Bengals castoff is enough to make one man who wants to see the Pats move on to the next great era reconsider that line of thinking.

If there is one thing the Patriots don’t need it’s a 32-year-old who has never won a playoff game or even looked like he belonged in one. His numbers in four playoff losses: 88 completions on 158 attempts, one touchdown and six interceptions, a quarterback rating of 57.8.

If those are not the marks of an abject failure, please don’t bring in anyone worse for an audition.

If that’s really who Bill Belichick has in mind to replace Brady, should Brady decide to hit the road (with a stop to fill his vault on the way), Belichick needs to stop at nothing to keep Brady here.

Moving on is one thing. Stumbling into a ditch is another.

STATE OF THE RED SOX: One rite of spring training is for owner John Henry to field questions from the assembled reporters on what has been and what might be. Accompanied by sidekick Tom Werner on Monday, Henry began with an opening statement designed to soothe the turmoil of his troubled fans.

Henry commiserated with those angered by the trade of Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, said the deal followed fruitless negotiations on a long-term deal, and cited the likelihood the Red Sox would have lost Betts to free agency after this season, with just a draft pick in return.

“We carefully considered the alternative over the last year and made a decision when this opportunity presented itself to acquire substantial, young talent for the years ahead,” Henry said.

Well, that’s one way of looking at it. Of course, the facts can be assembled into an alternate vision.

The Red Sox traded a star at the dawn of his prime and a veteran starting pitcher (even if he is David Price) for a decent young player (Alex Verdugo) who is reputed to have occasional bursts of bad attitude and two prospects (who may or may not actually enjoy big-league success).

It will take years to fully judge the trade. It took seconds for Red Sox fans to realize their 2020 edition looks worse than the 2019 model.

TIME TRAVEL: Feb. 18, 1955 – “Sinking 117 foul shots out of 190 chances, Henry Lochhead, a Junior high ninth grader, won top honors in the school’s foul shooting contest which concluded this week.

“Lochhead’s shooting percentage figured to 61%. Mark Hambleton, finishing in the runnerup spot, converted 114 of 190 attempts.”

And, on the same day, a sad reminder of a great Boston loss:

“One of the last reminders of the departed Braves – now the Milwaukee Braves – will soon be on its way to another Midwest town.

“The electric scoreboard at Boston University Field, once known as Braves Field, is being dismantled. The board, the most elaborate in the majors, has been sold by the university to the Kansas City Athletics.

“The scoreboard was included in the deal when Braves owner Lou Perini sold the park to Boston University.”

The scoreboard, a 68-foot behemoth, was probably the most valuable part of the ballpark, most of which BU eventually demolished. The building that housed the Braves offices and the right-field pavilion remain.

Contact Alan Greenwood at 594-1248 or agreenwood@nashuatelegraph.com.

Newsletter