😡 The teams Boston HATES to see win

Good Morning, Boston.

On this day in 2000 … Bill Belichick was announced as the Patriots’ new head coach after a wild saga involving Robert Kraft poaching him from the hated New York Jets. A whopping 296 wins (regular season and playoffs combined), 17 division titles, nine conference championships, and six Super Bowl rings later? Guess we can say that hire turned out well (even though it ended badly).

WHAT’S ON TAP TODAY:

Call the Geek Squad

Tatum’s historic night

No bag for Bregman?

LET’S GET INTO IT…

LEADING OFF

Anyone but THEM

Boston’s got some major-league sports rivalries. Of course the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Bills on Sunday to earn a shot at a three-peat in Super Bowl LIX. They’re more inevitable than Agent Smith from The Matrix. But at least we can focus on rooting for the Eagles to take them down in New Orleans. (You know things are dour when we’re rooting for Philly.) With that in mind, who else besides Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs can we just not stand to see win around here?

The city of New York. We could’ve just put the Yankees here, and it would’ve been enough. Add in the beefs Boston has with the Jets, Knicks, and Giants — just thinking about Eli Manning and the “helmet catch” hurts the soul — and the superiority complex New York has about … everything, and it’s no contest. **whispers** Gimmie South Shore bar pizza over a New York slice any day.

Alex Rodriguez. The man who nearly ended up with the Red Sox instead became one of their most loathed opponents. A-Rod slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS and acting surprised when he got in trouble for it is the perfect metaphor for how much of a jerk he was. No wonder Jason Varitek put the paws on him.

The Lakers. The C’s and the Lake Show have clashed in the NBA Finals 12 times, including:

• The Bill Russell-led Celtics dominating the Jerry West Lakers in the 60s 

• The Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird trifecta in the 80s

• The Celtics “Big 3” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen against Kobe Bryant in 2008 and 2010

With LeBron James now in Los Angeles, this feud still has juice.

LeBron James. LBJ’s one-sided playoff bouts with Boston’s “Big 3” during his early Cavaliers days basically forced him to leave Cleveland for Miami. Unfortunately, the C’s haven’t beaten him in the postseason since. (The losses in 2012 and 2018 especially hurt.) James’ trips back to the Garden are always dramatic, so circle that Lakers-Celtics primetime tilt in Boston on March 8. 

Kyrie Irving. James’ old Cleveland running mate might never be welcome at TD Garden again after he: 

• Jetted from the Celtics in 2019 after two disappointing years

• Saging the Garden and stomping on “Lucky” the Leprechaun when he returned with the Brooklyn Nets two seasons later

• Embracing his inner Bostonian and flipping off C’s fans when the Celtics swept him in 2022

Crushing Irving’s Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals was simply poetic.

The Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins and Habs have literally been running the fade for 100 years, with Montreal ruining several promising Boston Cup runs in the ‘70s. They hated each other so much at one point that their goalies even dropped the gloves in 2011. That’s some “Original Six” grudge-holding right there. Nathan Horton will never have to buy a beer in Boston.

POLL

🤔 Who’s your “favorite” Boston sports villain?

BOSTON SPORTS

Quick hits & headlines

Morgan Geekie’s on a tear. The Bruins needed some offensive firepower, and the 26-year-old forward said, “Bet.” Geekie now has five goals in his last five contests, including two on Saturday against the Avalanche. Goes to show that anything can go well with a side of “Pasta.”

Jayson Tatum makes history in win over Mavericks. Tatum’s 24-point game put him over 13,000 career points, making him just the seventh player ever to reach that milestone before age 27 — joining LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Tracy McGrady. Not too early to get that Hall-of-Fame spot ready in Springfield.

The hot pursuit of Mike Vrabel. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported the Jets offered Vrabel “complete roster control” when he interviewed with the team before the NFL regular-season finale, and the coach was apparently very interested. (**Wink wink**) Suffice it to say the ploy to get the Patriots to fire Jerod Mayo and speed-hire him worked. 

Red Sox slow-playing things with Alex Bregman. Boston reportedly won’t offer Bregman more than four years on a potential free-agent contract despite their obvious need for right-handed hitting. While Bregman might be more “solid” than “good” at this point in his career, the Sox do eventually have to sign … someone … right?

Jabrill Peppers acquitted of assault and battery charges. The Patriots safety was found “not guilty” of strangulation, assault and battery of a woman at his Braintree apartment last October, ending the legal part of Peppers’ saga for now. We’ll see what it means for his future in Foxborough going forward.

LAST CALL

Take a chill pill

Don’t panic about the Celtics … yet. The C’s have been riding the roller-coaster lately, losing frustrating games to the Hawks and Lakers while also trouncing teams like the Warriors and Luka-less Mavericks. But as Steve Kerr said a few days ago, now’s not the time to worry. Boston can hopefully use the upcoming All-Star Break as much-needed rest and get rolling into the playoffs with a full head of steam. If they’re still scuffling in March, then we can panic.

"It's all mathematics"

GAME … SET … MEME

Watch the throne

Patriots fans should sleep easy. Pundits can debate it all they want, but the Pats remain the NFL’s greatest dynasty until further notice. Everyone who doesn’t agree should take a second to add the trophies up.

🗞 That’s a wrap. I’m going to blast this video to remind people how far Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have to go to approach the Pats’ level of dominance.

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