PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Off Field

A New England Tradition: 15th annual Travis Roy Foundation Wiffle Ball Tournament

by

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPm42Oai4jc

The 15th annual Travis Roy Wiffle Ball Tournament will be taking place next weekend so we wanted to take a quick break from training camp coverage to help get the word out.

As a few of the lucky ones to have been in Trav’s orbit before and after his injury, his story is that of a life interrupted that became a life much more impactful than that of his dreams. Travis Roy is a beacon of light and a gravitational force and we wanted to alert anyone who was interested in donating to the amazing Travis Roy Foundation.

The Foundation is currently holding its annual fundraising push with its 15th annual WIFFLE ball tournament with replicas of Fenway, Wrigley and the Field of Dreams, appropriately enough (Contributor Jamie Conway’s brother, Ian, is on the “Hardshells” in case you want to boost their fundraising, or Trav manages “The Point”).

New England is lucky to have a man like Trav among its citizens, a person who perseveres despite seemingly insurmountable hardship. If you’re interested, please donate. It’s an amazing program he’s created.

Mike D. note – I played against Travis in high school and was amazed to discover that Jamie and I shared a connection to him. His injury had a profound effect on me having achieved my own dream of playing college hockey at the exact same time. To see it taken almost immediately away from him almost instantly, a player I had competed against and had enormous respect for, gave me a new perspective on my own career and pursuits. Please support Travis’ foundation if you’re able to! And if you’re unfamiliar with his story, the video above tells the heart wrenching story.

Deflategate is Over, Tom Brady will Sit Four Games

by

Tom Brady posted the below message on Facebook today, putting an end to Deflategate once and for all.

Tom Brady Deflategate

It’s hard to believe this thing dragged on for as long as it did, and you can revisit all the choice Deflategate posts from PatsPropaganda here. The 2014 AFC Championship seems like a lifetime ago now.

While it will suck not to have Brady for the first four games of the season, and my disgust for the NFL’s handling of the entire affair burns brighter than ever, I’m glad to get away from labor law. This blog has always been a football-first blog. Now we can go back to that. In fact, it really already started yesterday, taking a look at how Garoppolo is better prepared than Matt Cassel was in 2008, but faces a far more daunting slate of games.

Brady will sit those four games, one more lost draft pick will go by in April of 2017 and then Deflategate can fade into a footnote of Brady’s career. But it certainly sets the stage for one more necessary championship run. That fifth Super Bowl means everything now. Not only would it put Brady in a class by himself as a quarterback, it forces Roger Goodell to hand over the Lombardi trophy to Tom’s awaiting hands one more time.

That might be a hollow victory, watching Goodell Bot act like it’s no big deal. Like it was all business. That Brady doesn’t want to murder him. But it would mean something to all the Patriots fans who have passionately defended Brady from the start to get one more moment like that.

Now we can move on. Kind of. There will always be the idiots who make air pressure jokes. Who think this was about the Patriots and Brady cheating and not a corrupt NFL office. But when the NFL punishment circus comes their team’s way all we can say is “told ya”. I think more and more fans are aware of this now. John Cena’s joke at the ESPY’s confirmed that for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00sRBDl1J2I

This is really nothing new for Patriots fans. We got through it with Spygate and we’ll get through it with Deflategate. Because we have the best coach, quarterback and team in the NFL and their run is not yet over.

I leave you with the first ever piece I wrote that got any internet attention. I wrote it over eight years ago and it’s just as true as ever.

Embrace the hate. We’re Darth Vader. And the rest of the NFL is living on Alderaan.

Got Hair?: Report from Patriots’ Celebrity Bartender Event with Dr. Robert Leonard

by

Bar View

Thanks to the site, I was able to attend Dr. Robert Leonard’s celebrity bartending event on Tuesday night. Dr. Leonard is the founder and chief surgeon of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates and New England’s primary hair restoration doctor. He has helped a number of high-profile athletes including Wes Welker, Rob Ninkovich, Sebastian Vollmer, and Chris Gronkowski.

The aforementioned four are the “faces” of Leonard Hair Transplants and were the celebrity bartenders for the evening. It was my first experience like this, and it was extremely worthwhile. I really had an unbelievable time not only meeting the players, but other media members as well. Dr. Leonard also gave me hope for my own personal hair longevity, as he refuted my original thought that the gene is strictly from your grandfather on your mother’s side, in which case I’d probably be bald already. He did mention however that I still could be screwed, so we exchanged contact information.

I was hoping to get a little more individual time with the guys, but it was a regimented event, with a segment of signing autographs and taking pictures for the first half of the night and bartending for the second half. Over the course of the evening, I made several observations…

Observation #1: Sebastian Vollmer is freaking huge. For perspective sake, that’s me in the middle (se below) and I’m 6’1 200+ pounds. While the other guys would be fairly tough to pick out of a crowd if you weren’t familiar with their face, Sebastian sticks out like “The Hound” in Game of Thrones. Whatever height/weight “Seabass” is listed at, he’s absolutely all of it. His hand essentially absorbed mine as we shook, but he seems like the nicest guy on the planet, off the field that is.Players

Observation #2: Chris Gronk’s mannerisms, humor and voice are identical to Rob’s. When I asked him how the “Gronk Party Cruise” was, he answered, “It was crazy, everything you could imagine really…and more.” His expression as he proudly blurt out “and more” was so enigmatic I was afraid to ask a follow up question on the cruise. I immediately regretted not doing so…

Luckily, I was able to get a piece of football substance from Chris when I asked him about the landscape of the game, its transition to a passing league, and how it affects his position, fullback. Chris responded, “It has definitely affected us (fullbacks). Teams are opting for those big tight ends now, like you see on the Patriots, with Rob and the other guys. They can do a little more in the receiving game in most cases.” Chris and I agreed that the Pats undoubtedly missed injured fullback James Develin last season, especially during the winter: “Oh yeah, he’s a bad ass. You need that toughness. He plays with an edge.”

Observation #3: While Gronkowski was going with strictly Miller Lites, Nink and Welker were diving into some interesting pineapple cocktails. Stress on the plural. I can confirm these drinks packed a punch, because by the time Wes was serving drinks behind the bar, he had a nice glaze over his eyes reminiscent of your favorite doughnut. I was able to snag a quick picture with Wes, pre-glaze:Welker

Observation #4: Tom E. Curran from CSN and Rob “Hardy” Poole from 98.5 the Sports Hub are really approachable guys, and I enjoyed meeting both very much.

Hardy Tom Curran

I asked Hardy where his co-worker and everybody’s favorite broadcaster Scott Zolak was, and he responded, “Oh come on man, you really think we want ‘Zo driving home from this thing?!”

Curran reiterated to me his disgust with Dictator Goodell and how he’s handled you know what. He guessed Tommy B has a ‘50/50’ chance to suit up week 1, but admitted the entire thing is a crapshoot at this point. This was before we heard of the 2nd circuit’s decision, however, so his tune unfortunately may now have changed with this new information.

Overall, it really was an incredible experience and one that I’m very thankful for. Down the line, if you’re starting to lose your hair, call up Dr. Leonard at 1-800-GET-HAIR, or visit his website: https://www.hairdr.com/

Who knows? You might see me there!