Was it Larry David who once said he feels like he spends half his day apologizing to people? Or did he say he feels like he spends half his day getting yelled at?

Either way, I feel his pain. Between the two, I don't know how I have time for anything else.

In other words, it's another week of abuse here at the d-bag mailbag. Enjoy....

--

Hello Ms. Underwood,



I would like to preface this email by stating that I typically do not get fired-up by an issue this much to sit and type an email. My wife and I are very big fans of yours and have been since your days at WBZ-TV4.


This evening we were watching ``Sports Tonight" and heard Michael Felger make a statement that even for him can be best described as outrageous and ignorant. When his co-host, Gary Tanguay, made mention to the UConn women's basketball team winning the NCAA Division 1 National Championship your husband's response was a sarcastic, ``I don't give a rat's ass about women's athletics."

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you and Mr. Felger have a beautiful young daughter together? I am a daily listener to WEEI and realize that your husband tends to be a contrarian on most issues but the statement made by him is absolutely ignorant and ridiculous. What type of role will he take as your daughter grows up and, God forbid, develops an interest in sports? Who knows, she may even be quite good in a particular sport.

My wife and I have raised two beautiful daughters, who both were very active throughout their school day years in many sports. (Here the emailer goes on to detail their athletic exploits in college).

If I seem quite irritated by your husband's careless remarks, I am. Perhaps you could have a little talk with him. If not it may someday be your daughter and her sport that he doesn't ``give a rat's ass about."

Sincerely,

Jack

SU (the Wood): Hi Jack, thank you so much for the e-mail. This statement bothers me as well! I promise to have a conversation with Michael the moment I get home. I do know that he cares a lot about women's sports...and is hoping our daughter will choose soccer over dress-up one day :)

You must be very proud of your daughters. Thank you for sharing.



Best,


Sara Underwood

A: Jack, you narc.

For the record, my daughter wholeheartedly agrees with me. Wouldn't watch women's sports for all the popsicles in Boston. I had her in kiddie soccer last fall. Dragged her butt off the couch Saturday mornings, put her in a pink t-shirt and marched her down to the park. By the third practice she was done. Huge, screaming fights just trying to get her out of the house by the second month. Wouldn't even put on the t-shirt. I went to my wife for help. The Wood shrugged her shoulders and took her to get a manny/peddy. Didn't even make it halfway through the season. (Another) $300 down the drain.

It's all Barbies, stuffed animals and princesses in my house. And TV. Lots and lots of TV. Maybe you have some advice for me, Jack. I try, I really do. I toss a ball at her and she lets it bounce off her stomach. I kick the ball at her and she lets it roll away. I put on a basketball game and ask what sport we're watching. "Hockey," she says. I put on baseball. "Football," she blurts out. She's mocking me, of course. She might as well say, "Felger, cut the crap. I'm not playing along. Put Curious George back on or I'm going ballistic."

As for the Wood, what a fraud. How could that statement possibly bother her? She cares less than I do, by about 150 times. Is she implying we really do give a rat's ass about sports in my house? Any sports? Forget women's. I'm talking pro, college, whatever. I'm talking about anything involving athletic movement. It seems to me that it never sees the light of day here. And now I'm in trouble because I admitted I don't pay attention to NCAA women's hoop? Jeez Louise.

The only glimmer of hope appears to be ballet. The little squirt seems to like that okay. And that means it looks like I'll be taking an active interest in it. Recitals. Practices. Performances. Whatever it takes. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ask anyone else to give a rat's ass about it. 

--

Hey Felgy,

I bartend every now and then, and Lite beer on the rocks isn’t as uncommon (or queer) as one would think. There are plenty of other scenarios where your sexuality can/has come into question; I’m glad I can remove ``Miller Lite on the rocks’’ from that list.

Please no more Vrabel emails.

Jay

Dracut

A: Good to hear on the beer issue. And you’re right, that's the least of my problems. As for your appetite for Vrabel emails, don’t you understand you’re talking about 70 percent of my material? What else am I going to talk about? You want me to go back to Deion Branch? Larry Fitzgerald’s tush? Pick your poison, babe.

--

Hi Mike,

I hate to draw back to the Mike Vrabel thing again but I just can't get my brain around it. Please sort this out for me:

This cuts basically one of two ways: (1) Vrabel was needed to get the second-round pick from KC, thereby suggesting that without Vrabel, KC would have offered, say, a third for Matt Cassel and that would have been the best deal out there for Cassel. In other words, Vrabel had to caddy Cassel up to a second-round pick? Or, (2) the cap savings of dumping Vrabel could be applied to another defensive player that would improve the defense beyond the value of Vrabel to that defense.

I don't buy No. 1 at all, and I'm watching closely and can't imagine they come up with a better addition for the money than even an aging Vrabel. Now, I have omitted two other possibilities because they ring hollow. (1) Vrabel can't play anymore (wouldn't Pioli know that and not want him either?). And, (2) the Pats want to make room for a younger (and lesser) player to ``develop."

So which is it Mike?

Dean

East Providence, RI

A: Sorry, Jay in Dracut. I hope if I come into your bar some day you'll still me a poor me some of that sweet, golden pilsner on the rocks. But I’ll spare you a response.. You all know how I feel about it. I’m with Dean. I still don’t get it.

--

Mr. Felger,

First let say that I don't agree with you on a lot of things, especially the idea that you wouldn't give up Clay Buchholz for Albert Pujols. But on Adalius Thomas' comments you are so freaking correct! Thomas should know better than to fake an injury because of money. Millions of people are out of work in this bad economy. Give up a little Mr. Thomas!

Matthew

A: Give up a little? No one is suggesting that. And I agree with Thomas and other players when it comes to compensation for an 18-game schedule. Asking players to play two more regular season games without adjusting their salaries higher is ludicrous. But for Thomas to tell the world he’s going to lie down if the league adds two more games? I found that pretty dramatic. Remember when Terry Glenn went on "Sports Final" in 2001 and basically admitted to faking a hamstring injury because he wasn't happy with the team? This wasn't that much different, although it seemed to me that it went under the radar a bit.

--

Subj: Pats draft

I hope they use all six of their picks in the first 100. The strength of this draft matches their needs: LB, TE and OT. They could get young real quick

Jay

Richmond

A: Another guy with a tight end fixation? You want another one? Really? You should apply for a job in the Patriots scouting department, Jay. I'm sure they'll have a place for you.

--

Michael Felger,

What if......

Denver trades its first-round picks to KC for Cassel? How bad would that look for the Pats? And Bill? Talk about a story! End of Bill?

Lexi

A: Do you think Pioli would really do that to his master? At this stage? Remember, Darth Vader didn't throw the Emperor off the bridge until the next-to-last scene of the last movie. Too early for that, Lexi.

--

Felgy,

Michael Vick and the Broncos….any chance of that one happening? It’s a perfect match. Denver gets an awesome athlete (who will come back) and Vick can lawfully punish and torment wild animals in the Rockies.

Thoughts?

John, NH

A: Colorado may be a good place for Vick to kill animals, John, but it’s a terrible match from a football standpoint. Josh McDaniels wants a quarterback who can unload the ball quickly and accurately on the short stuff. It's the antithesis of what Vick does.

--

Mike,

Jay Cutler to the Bears for two first-rounders and a third? That kind of deal has people talking about Belichick helping out his friend in Kansas City while clearing cap space to sign Greg ``flotsam" Lewis and Shawn ``jetsam" Springs while saving Vrabel the embarrassment of getting cut and preventing Cassel from landing in Denver where he and his mentor Josh McDaniels were destined to form Voltron and take over the entire NFL. All this while avoiding a burdensome first round pick like a Staph infection.

It’s tough to find a kernel of truth amongst the pile of dogs**t  above.

1. BB’s attitude when it comes to helping a ``friend" during business hours? He never has and never will. It’s been that way from the time he was duplicitous pond scum, all the way through his evolution to the Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches.  Bill didn't hit the hash pipe while performing with Jon Bon Jovi and turn into a granola eating hippie.

2. You can’t tell me a No. 34 pick has more value than a No. 17. I think a fifty dollar bill looks queer and I hear they are unlucky, but you couldn’t get me to give you one for two twenties. If you give Bill a bunk first round pick,  doesn't he always turn that into two lower picks? Wouldn't he simply do that again? Anyone…..Anyone0..Bueller?

3. Fred Taylor, Shawn Springs, and Greg Lewis are not good enough players to warrant rushing a deal for Cassel in order to guarantee you can afford to bring these guys in. You could have waited a week and still been right in the mix to sign these guys.  

4. The other shoe…..wait ….. wasn't this shoe supposed to drop a month ago? Two NFL insiders are playing a game of he-said, she-said regarding Julius Peppers. Robert ``Mayor McCheese" Kraft is flirting with Jason Taylor in the media while Jason is busy deciding whether to play football or host a reality series on MTV entitled ``Taylor Made" where he scours South Beach for a spicy companion to share his life, home and eventually half his money with....and all the while this shoe is just `gellin,' taking its sweet ass time to drop.

5. Belichick did not want to re-unite McDaniels and Cassel. BB ``curtain-called" The Greatest Show On Turf, repeatedly dismantled the Colts, traded his Pro Bowl safety and franchise quarterback within his own division....and we are supposed to believe he puckers his ass for these two guys? Doubtful.

So why the hell does Jay Cutler get you two firsts, a third and a mediocre QB, and Matt Cassel gets you a second? Jay Cutler is a better value than Matt Cassel. He’s a turd fergusen who has been crying like a chick with a skinned knee for a month now, but Jay is more talented and has a longer track record than Cassel. However, THE reason in my opinion that Jay was decidedly more valuable than Matt.....

Matt is on a one-year, $14 million deal. That is nowhere near as valuable as Jay Cutler for 3 years at around $8 million a year. Matt did not sign a new deal with KC and is now making top-5 money.  That’s why the Pats weren’t sifting through offers, and instead made what I think was the best, and probably the only deal on the table at the time. The fact that two days later, a handful of suitors started chirping that they were going to ask Matty to the prom says they were unprepared, poorly managed, or that they just didn’t care enough about the product to line up outside the store at 4:30 a.m. If any of those teams really wanted Cassel they would have said what the Yankees do, ``go get your best offer, and then give us a call."

Peace,

Jake Scott

Boston

A: The contract was a big part of it, no question, but not the biggest part. Teams simply believe that Cutler is a better bet than Cassel. And I disagree with them. In fact, I think the Cassel/Cutler affair shows that a lot of teams still don’t get it.

First of all, teams fell back on familiarity. They all know Cutler. They all scouted him coming out of college and they have three years of pro film to back it up. Some loved him coming out of college and it didn’t take much for their interest to be rekindled.

Never mind that he’s proven to be immature and egotistic as a pro. Never mind that he can’t handle adversity. Never mind the off-field issues that led McDaniels to look elsewhere in the first place.

Cassel, meanwhile, is still largely unknown to these teams. He has no college tape to speak of and his pre-draft workouts have been forgotten. He obviously wasn’t high on anyone’s list coming out of college. The only thing teams had to judge him on was a 2008 season in which he was coached up by the best staff in the league and carried by two of the best receivers in the football in Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Teams apparently didn’t dig much deeper than the yards-after-the-catch averages from the Patriots offense, which were the highest in the league and therefore a negative mark on Cassel’s resume.

Never mind that in his one season as a starter, Cassel proved he could take coaching, lead a team and, above all, improve on the areas where he's deficient. Never mind that, in just a few short months, he mastered one of the most complicated offenses in football. Never mind the brain in his head.

You think Cutler is looking to improve? Do you think he's willing to take coaching? Please. The guy thinks he’s John Elway, for crying out loud. Yes, he’s bigger and has a better arm than Cassel. But it takes more than that to be a great NFL quarterback. Why don’t people get that yet? Once you get to a certain level, the position is about decision-making – and in that regard I’ll take Cassel over Cutler. Most NFL teams obviously felt differently.

--

Hello Mike,

Since there are not many trades in the NFL it's not easy to look at how Belichick handles them. One trade he did make, however, is the Bledsoe trade. When the Patriots traded him, I don't recall a bidding war. Am I mistaken in that recollection? Can you compare and contrast the two trades and determine if Belichick handled both similarly or not?

Do you agree with (Adam Schefter of the NFL Network) when he claimed that people around the league consider Cassel a top-ten QB?

Ken

A: Hello, Ken. The Cassel thing was much different because the Pats felt they had to get him and his $14.6 million cap hit off the books immediately. They felt they had to take the best deal they could on Day 1. With Bledsoe, the Pats had all the time in the world. They had the luxury of waiting for the first-round pick they ultimately got. As for Cassel being a Top 10 QB, I believe that was Adam's opinion not that of NFL decision-makers. And, by the way, he said Cassel was a top FIVE guy. But if that was truly the case, wouldn't there have been more demand regardless of what the contract was?

--

Hi Mike,

In a lot of your mailbags and columns, there's been speculation that the Patriots are waiting to resign Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour because they want to see how the labor situation settles (I definitely agree with this). However, you've also been discussing how an uncapped year means teams get two franchise tags, so they could use both of those to keep Seymour and Wilfork. But in a recent column on the Sports Illustrated website, Don Banks explains how teams wouldn't get two franchise tags, but would get an extra transition tag. So they could use two transition tags, or a franchise tag AND a transition tag. Do you know if this is accurate? Because if so, then it pokes a bit of a hole in the ``two franchise tag theory." Because while the franchise tag is fairly useful in retaining your players, the transition tag has been shown to be fairly useless with the recent poison pill case of Steve Hutchinson. Or do you think that poison pills will be less effective due to the absence of a salary cap? Anyways, I just wanted to share this and get your opinion on the subject.

Thanks.

Jeff W

A: Rat farts. I’ve had this wrong. I read last year that the uncapped 2010 season would allow teams to use an extra franchise tag, but either my eyes were playing tricks or the report had it wrong. Either way, as you point out, teams get an extra transition tag, not an extra franchise tag. The difference is significant, because I think the transition tag is, indeed, worthless. There's the poison-pill issue you mention, but, to me, it goes beyond that. If a team signs away your transition player you get no compensation. All you get is the right to match the offer. And I would assume that most free agents would give their existing team that option anyway -- just as they would give every team in the league a chance to match or surpass an offer they got in free agency. Isn't that the name of the game? Wilfork, for example, would probably let the Pats match the money that’s available on the market whether he is slapped with the transition tag or not. For one, he wants to remain in New England. For another, he wants the most money, so the more teams he gets involved the better.

The franchise tag offers true protection in the form of two first-round picks in compensation, or at least the leverage to make a trade. But, as it relates to the Pats’ ability to keep Seymour and Wilfork, I don’t see how the extra transition tag will mean much. Sure, the Patriots can place it on one or the other if they want, but when Daniel Snyder comes in with another Albert Haynesworth-type deal worth over $40 million guaranteed, the Pats will have to wave goodbye while getting nothing in return.

In other words, one’s probably a goner. And I don’t think it will be Wilfork.

--

Felger,

While you rip on the White Sox pitching staff from last season and praise the Red Sox staff, I hope you realize that four of Chicago's five starters for this season had ERAs under 4.00 last season, as opposed to only two of the Red Sox starters.

Jonathan


A: You obviously realize, Jonathan, that included in your ``four White Sox pitchers with a sub-4.00 ERA last season’’ is the one and only Bartolo Colon. Yes, the 35-year-old tub of goo actually managed a 3.92 with the Red Sox last year. He’s your fourth starter there in Chicago. Or maybe he’s fifth, behind 37-year-old Jose Contreras (7-6, 4.54 in 2008). Call me crazy, but I’d rather have the Red Sox staff.

--

Felgy,

What did you think of the Red Sox players coming out of the stands during player introductions? I hated it. On Opening Day, the last thing the players needed was the anxiety of running down the stairs past besotted Red Sox Nation yahoos who had already spent hours loosening up with Anheuser Busch products pawing at them. I couldn't picture a Bill Belichick coached team doing something ludicrous like this.

Kevin

Acushnet

A: What an asinine idea. Metal spikes on cement, coming down dozens of stairs on a freezing day with fans pawing at your multi-million assets. Was that really necessary? I heard Tito on "Dale & Holley" on Wednesday say that the great thing about Fenway is you don’t need fans spinning around a baseball bat between innings, that "the baseball is enough.’’ I couldn’t agree more. Why, then, does Sox management continue to do stupid crap like this?

--

Felgy,

Let's talk the Sox lineup for a minute. Don't you think the best lineup the Sox can put out there is Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youk, Papi, Bay, Drew, Lowell, Lowrie, Tek? You still get to keep your left/right/left rotation for the most part. If I’m managing I want my two best hitters and on-base guys hitting in front of Papi and then my guy who might actually lead the team in homers to be batting 5th behind Papi. I know Papi likes to bat third, but who cares? What makes the most sense? Batting Youk fourth puts Drew fifth and Bay sixth? I just don't get it. Your thoughts?

Scooter

Nashua, NH

A: I don’t think it makes a lick of difference. The left/right thing is good strategy and it’s worked for Tito in the past, so let him have it. Otherwise, while I agree that Ortiz and Bay are more natural clean-up hitters than Youkilis, the Sox scored the second-most runs in the AL last year doing it their way -- and they scored more runs on average with Youkilis hitting fourth than with Manny. Why don’t you wait to see if they have trouble scoring runs before you start tinkering?

--

Hey Mike,

Don't be so sure about Sabathia. He has a lot of innings on his arm the past two seasons and he always seems to tank it in the post season. Just a thought.

Tony

Rocky Hill, Conn.

A: I’ve heard a lot folks on the radio this week talk about how awful a big-game pitcher Sabathia is. I used to feel the same way, and then I watched him basically put the Brewers on his back and carry them into the postseason last year. The Brewers were 14-3 in his starts. He had seven complete games. His last three turns in the rotation in late September came on three days rest, over which he allowed two earned runs in 21.2 innings. He went out on the final day of the season with the Brewers needing a win to make the playoffs, and, again on three days rest, he threw a four-hit, complete game shutout. I know he hasn’t performed well in the playoffs, but I have hard time saying he’s not a big game pitcher after what I saw last year. Sorry.

--

Subj: The ``good ship lollipop"

Felger,

Keep drinking the Kool-Aid, Felger. As a Yankee fan, it’s gonna be fun listening listen to all the whining this year. Get the "payroll’’ argument ready, because you’ll certainly be going to it a lot this year. (When it comes to the Yankees, that is. As for the Rays, then it’s no issue).

Warwick, RI

A: I received this last Sunday morning on the radio. Yankee sensitivity. Pretty standard. Nothing too notable. Then I got this….

--

Felger,

The Yankees opening day roster will consist of 14 (that’s FOURTEEN), ``home grown’’ players. Name the 14 Red Sox home grown players, Mr. Felger…..That’s what I thought. YOU CAN’T! Maybe you should think before u speak! 

David

Cranston, RI

A: Same Yankee paranoia. Same theme. And, of course, the same guy. He signed it with a different name, but it was from the same email address. Pretty sly, Joe/David. I’m sure it works for you down in New York all the time. (By the way, the Red Sox had 12 homegrown players on their roster on opening day).

--

Felger,

Okay, so now that we’ve shown that the Yankees have a higher percentage of homegrown players – you use the ``argument’’ that the Red Sox homegrown players are ``more important.’’ Where does the lunacy end?   Btw, how many ``homegrown’’ players did the red sox have in 2004? Try TWO. But I guess ``buying’’ a championship was okay then.

Eddie

Warwick, RI

A: Yup, you got it. Same fella. I’m telling you, they don’t mess around down in Rhode Island. Nothing but the best and brightest. Joe. David. Eddie. That really threw me..

--

Subj: Where's the baseball show?

To: Michael Felger

Long a staple of WEEI's Sunday mornings, the Baseball show (most recently with Adams, Buckley and McAdam) is no more? Replaced with the insufferable Michael Felger?

What is wrong with this station? Felger is good breaking down the Patriots and moderating the panel of experts on Sunday mornings during the football season, but my 10-year old niece talking about David Ortiz has more insights about baseball than Felger....Getting rid of one of the most unique, enjoyable and insightful shows on the Boston radio airwaves for Felger? What’s the matter, Mutt and Bradford weren't available with their wonderful insights? This station should give up the pretense of wanting to give real analysis and insight….welcome to "The View."

Mike

Providence

A: "The View" is actually a terrific show, Mike. Anyway, if doing the baseball show means putting up with Joe/David/Eddie, then Mikey Adams can have it.

--

Felger,

What's up with the Wake bashing, saying you think he should be removed from the rotation? Thank God the Red Sox aren't that stupid. Wakefield was very good last year; you can't look at most of his stats but rather how he did in individual games. Here is a comparison that might interest you, Wakefield compared to Cliff Lee (Cy Young Winner):

Wakefield had 22 games started where he allowed three runs or less compared to Lee's 24. The bullpen behind Wakefield had seven blown saves compared to Cliff Lee's bullpen, which blew only three. In 11 of Wakefield's starts, the Red Sox scored three runs or less, compared to Cliff Lee's nine.

Cliff Lee had a better year, obviously, but it shows how good Wakefield was. People forget how bad the bullpen was and how much bad luck he had.  With Wakefield you have to throw out the normal stats, he is the kind of pitcher that out of 10 games will have eight where he allows 2-3 runs, but then in two he’ll give up 7-8, which kills his ERA. You can't look at his ERA. It's all about how Wakefield gives the team a chance to win more than the majority of pitchers in baseball. Wakefield also had the second-most innings pitched on the Sox last year. He is extremely valuable. Keep Wakefield in the rotation although the traditional numbers might not show it.

Just don't let him pitch in the playoffs.         

Jay

Sudbury

President, Tim Wakefield fan club

A: I made that last part up. I don’t think Wakefield should be removed unless and until a better option emerges. Say Penny pitches well and Smoltz is ready to come back, who should go? It’s obvious. Say Buchholz continues to pitch as he did over the spring. You’re saying you should stick with Wakefield and his 4.32 ERA (sorry, his 10-11 record)? I respectfully disagree.

By the way, I think Lee is going to suck this year.

--

Michael Felger,

On CSN last week you questioned whether Sox fans were getting excited for the season. Only three game telecasts from Fla. over seven weeks was detrimental to my excitement! You know if NESN is planning on cutting back regular season games?

Pete

A: God, I hope not. I’ll miss all those great "Sox Appeal" spots.

--

Michael Felger,

I can't friggin' wait for this week to be over and the playoffs to start. Unfortunately, Florida has a horrendous schedule, so I think it'll be the Rangers. Lundqvist can steal a game or two which is scary....We need Thomas to be big. Wouldn't mind seeing Montreal in round two, but I doubt they'll make it. I AM SO FREAKIN’ PSYCHED FOR THE B'S it's not even funny. I was at Game 6 last year and agree with you -- it was the loudest and best game ever. You had to be there. Just imagine what things could be like in the coming weeks....AWESOME.

nesportsphan

A: I love Bruins fans. Seriously. My spellcheck exploded with this e-mail. More grammatical errors per capita than any other fans. But you know what? At least they’re real. None of this fast-ferry-to-Nantucket, Wall Street crowd you get at the Sox and Celts. I’m with you, bro.

--

Hey Felger,

I could not agree with you more about the Tim Thomas contract. Absolutely ridiculous. I thought it was a bad deal when it was announced at three years, and when the fourth year was added it became a joke. I don't understand how you pay Tim Thomas, who turns 35 next week, like Martin Brodeur. Boggles the mind.

I am not sure you were aware of this but in checking out Tim Thomas career stats, he has NEVER won a playoff round at ANY level before! And I mean ANY level. You would have figured the Bruins brass in all their brilliance would have waited until after the playoffs to see how he performed before offering him this mega contract and forcing some young talent off their team in doing so. But hey, it’s called Bruins, right?

Jon

A: I’m happy for Thomas. I really am. He deserves it. I just think it’s a bad deal for the Bruins. I find it hard to believe that Thomas would have gotten four years on the open market. So many teams are dealing with cap problems, and since he would have been over 35 in free agency, teams wouldn't have had the value of that buyout option. It’s hard to imagine he’d get that kind of deal elsewhere given his age. I don't mind $5-6 million over the next two years. He'll be a starter those seasons. But after that? What were the Bruins thinking? Ideally, Tuuka Raask develops as the team expects and he’s ready to take over in two or three years, which means you’ll have a backup on your hands taking up $5 million in cap space. Brutal. I guess there’s always the buyout.

Raask, by the way, will count over $3 million against the cap if he’s with the big club next year, which is something we should all want. And with over $8 million tied up in net, something will have to give elsewhere. Krejci and Kessel are up this year. Lucic, Wheeler and, most importantly, Savard are up next year. The B’s are probably going to have to deal some good, young talent just so they can carry a 30-something goalie who could be a backup in two years. Not good.

But I’ve made a pledge. I’m not going to bitch about this incessantly in the playoffs. I’m waiting until after the season. Then I get to go full Vrabel.

--

Felgy,

Glad to see the bruins back in the swing of things. I was wrong about the Recchi acquisition, but am not overly impressed by the new punching bag swing man (Montador). Since I can’t bitch about the team this week I’ll go after the bush league ``wooo’’ that announcer man throws in after the Bruins goals. Do other towns do this? Sounds like something you’d be inclined to do periodically while sipping a bud light on the rocks. Woooo!

DB

Daniel Bates

A: Um, that’s MILLER Lite on the rocks, DB. Wooo!

--

Michael Felger,

So, A Dominican slugger who hits home runs according to you is ``suspect.’’ Yet, when a TSA employee pulls Mohammed out of line at the airport, that's profiling. Typical liberal, ``do as I say not as I do’’ BS.

Mike, I believe you’re a resident of the City of Boston. I'm sure you can't wait for your daughter to be old enough to enjoy the magic and the wonder that is forced busing in the Boston Public Schools. Right, Mike? Again, probably not.

Walter Roach

A: Hey, you racist nimrod ... er, I mean Walter: Whoever said I had a problem with how the TSA conducts business? But aside from that, are you aware of the difference between taking away someone’s liberties based on their nationality and making a point in a sports argument? I’m not saying Pujols deserves to be detained. I’m saying he’s huge and Dominican and, well, we’ve just come out of the steroid era. I’m allowed to be suspicious of where those home runs came from. Nothing more. Go back to throwing rocks at school buses.

--

Felgy,

I just found out that Roger Goodell is married to the smoking hot Jane Skinner from Fox News....We have finally found a guy who has out kicked his coverage more than you did with the Wood.

Paul

A: Thank you, Paul. You have given me yet another way to express the fact that my wife is tremendous and I suck.

--

Felger,

I also googled Spaulding Smails. While his role in the best sports movie ever may have a modicum of significance, his actual name is still too obscure.

With all due respect to Mike in u-y-a, one Jake Scott has now drawn my ire in the DB MB. There is only one Jake Scott in my universe and he doesn't say Peace Out brother, doesn't take tranquilizers, wouldn't know Birkenstocks from Bridgestones and sure as hell would not have such a severe case of keyboard diarrhea! My Jake Scott played safety for The World Champion, undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins

As for the great John Lester for Johan Santana debate....I thought that baby was put to bed by Glenn Ordway and Tony Maz. In short, ``If you fall in love with the kids, you just don't know your baseball.’’ In other words, you’re a Pink Hat. What serious baseball fan thinks you can build a contender with the likes of Pedroia, Lester, Youkilis, Masterson & Ellsbury? Get real folks....

As for Ms. Valerie Bertinelli, you don't talk smack about the Fish and you don't tug on Eddie Van Halen's guitar strings. She's off limits, and besides, dude, enough of the ass obsessions.. Nothing important going on back there.

And please...Real Men don't twitter

Thank you,

Michael Doss

A: Celebrity e-mailers. I’ve now got quite a few. But of all of them -- Mike in Attleboro, Jake Scott, the Great BHL or whatever his freaking handle is -- this is the guy I worry most about. He's the guy I keep my head on a swivel for when I walk out to my car in the parking lot.

Also, Spaulding Smails is too obscure? You’re kidding, right? And "what serious baseball fan thinks you can build a contender with the likes of Pedroia, Lester, Youkilis, Masterson & Ellsbury?" Um, haven’t they done just that? I would contend that anyone who doesn’t value good, young pitching doesn’t know baseball. Maybe you were being sarcastic there, Michael. I can’t tell with you. Finally, as it relates to the tuchus, you say there’s ``nothing going on back there?’’ WHAT?! When it comes to the fairer sex, it’s just about all that matters.

--

Felgy,



Glad to hear that you feel The Maters is appointment television. It is unlike any other tournament played on the PGA Tour. In the last three years Tiger has failed to win, he finished third, tied for second and second alone – and they say he is DUE? Finally I need to know if you will be going to see Phish at Fenway? You like The Dead so to quote you ``What’s the Diff?"


Pete 
N.

Attleboro

A: Sunday afternoon at the Masters is the absolute best the sport has to offer. I’m in front of my set every year. The layout, the lushness of the course, the greens, the decisions on the par 5’s, the small number of commercials – I love it all. Jack on the back nine in 1986 was one of my top 10 sports viewing moments of all time. I get misty every time they play the highlights. No joke. As for Phish, go nuts Pete. I respect the talent, but I never got into them.

I would like to give the folks at Fenway some credit, though.. It’s at least a massive upgrade over the likes of Neil Diamond. I just don’t get why Theo can’t get Pearl Jam in there.

--

Felger,



I’m having a hard time deciding the answer on a question I have posed to myself. Out of Boston's pantheon of championship, Pro Bowl-, All-Star caliber athletes, which tiny overachiever is most impressive to you? The Patriots’ Wes Welker, the Red Sox' Dustin Pedroia or the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo? Each of these players has been playing with their respective teams for less than three years and are all vital to the success of their team. Each has either won a championship or at least been to a championship game/series. My question is this, which one of them do you think is the most important to their team and which one impresses you the most?



Dan

A: 1. Pedroia. 2. Welker. 3. Rondo (he was a first-round pick; he’s supposed to be good).

--

Felger You DB!



So how come I never hear about you and producer boy Rosco (btw, well done on resurrecting the Perk drop) feasting on some delicious offerings from local establishments/sponsors? What gives? Bradford is up to his spinach chin in Donahue’s and Domino’s, and you and poor Rosco are waiting for take out from UNICEF. People, we can't less this happen!  
 
Moving on to real impending disaster, I loved the AD article. Anytime a player can toss bombs at management/ownership while referencing the Coors Light coaches ads, I am all for getting it on the record. But it's not the greatest Coors Light related athlete quote ever (more on that later).


And I could not agree more with you. In fact, I think this labor battle is going to get worse. Much worse. Forget Michael Corleone vs. Hyman Roth.  Think more on the lines of Sonny Corleone vs. Johnny Ringo. PETA vs. Oscar Meyer. White Castle vs. my lower intestine. These negotiations are going to be an absolute blood feud. You have got a relatively new commissioner who has established his reputation with the discipline of Hammurabi sprinkled with all the compassion of a Meter Maid. He is representing an ownership group that chose to opt out of the current CBA and risk a cap-less NFL. They will want serious concessions from the players and they want Goodell to get them.

Then mix in new NFLPA executive director, DeMaurice Smith. If I had a choice of ``negotiating’’ with Jason from Friday the 13th or a big shot Washington lawyer, I'll take my chances against a hockey mask and machete. Smith previously worked on Obama's transition team, which I'm sure will help him find common ground with Goodell, the son of a Republican congressman. And Smith has not been shy about using those Washington ties. He's been at his new post less than a month, and already he is threatening to get Congress involved to investigate the NFL's tax exemption and antitrust status if he feels the talks are not in good faith.. Plus, this is both Goodell and Smith's first round of NFL labor cage fighting, so you know neither will want to look weak let alone get cast as the ``loser.’’  These will probably be the worst labor talks the sports world has seen since baseball in ‘94-95.

Oh, and that Coors Light quote? That's courtesy of former Red Sox reliever Curtis Leskanic, who was with KC at the time. ``It's been a lousy day all around. We lost. I got released. And they don't have any Coors Light (in the clubhouse).’’ Give that man a spot on the podium. 

Mike

Attleboro

A: I think we all knew it was Dennis Green’s fault somehow.

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Subj: Podcast

To: Michael Felger

Here's a vote for a Felger podcast. Stuck in Toronto, enjoy your written stuff. I would enjoy listening to a Felger podcast on my runs the way you like Madonna.

Thanks

Okie

A: Quick correction, Okie. That’s Colby Callait on my iPod, not Madonna.

As for the podcast, you win. I’ll do it. And I’ve already come up with a topic for the first installment.

Can you say Mike Vrabel?

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Felger can be seen nightly on Comcast Sportsnet. He can be reached at mfelger@weei.com.