🥴 Throw those threads away!

Good Morning, Boston.

🏒 The Bruins currently don’t have their franchise goalie. Starting netminder Jeremy Swayman, who is currently a restricted free agent, has not signed a new contract and is not with the Bruins to start training camp. Maybe we should all buy some goalie pads and a mask in case they need us to try out.

What’s on tap today:

• Boston sports take center stage

• Sox playoff hopes barely hanging on

• Drake Maye-hem arrives

Let’s get into it…

LEADING OFF

What are those?!?

The newest Celtics alternate jersey is getting cooked. The NBA’s City Edition jersey designs leaked Wednesday, and fans are roasting them. Sadly, the worst of the bunch may belong to the Celtics. You be the judge. It’s basically the jersey version of “What are those?!”

Celtics fans are understandably livid … The last few City Edition jerseys for the Celtics were pretty solid, especially the 2022-23 version that honored Bill Russell after his passing. Last year’s were similar but threw in some gold accents – fitting for a championship team. So how did we go from those to the clearance rack at Olympia Sports? Just imagine the social-media barrage when Boston wears these for the first time. Plus, the NBA will still try to sell them for hundreds of dollars. Celtics fans don’t seem like they’ll be buying. 

… And Boston fans deserve better. Jerseys aren’t just for teams; they’re also for fans who want to rep their squads. The Red Sox’s classic red-and-white combo, Celtics green and the spoked-B are part of Boston’s DNA. And just look how excited people get when Pat Patriot and the old-school red jerseys return to Foxborough. Celtics star Jayson Tatum had the third-highest-selling jersey in the NBA last season. So if the Boston faithful are turning their backs on this offering, that says a lot.

This leak might be the worst of the worst in Boston … And there have been some ugly ones. Those mid-2010s gray-sleeved Celtics tops looked like intramural softball shirts, not NBA jerseys. (Also, a sleeved basketball jersey ain’t it.) Many fans don’t love the Patriots' blue-on-blue “color rush” uniforms or the Red Sox “City Connect” jerseys, though those have become a cult classic because the Sox somehow keep winning in them. And do we need to bring up the “Pooh Bear” Bruins sweaters? 

… But Boston has some all-time great looks. Thankfully, that’s what we have the classics for. Here are some of Boston.com’s favorites, as voted on bracket-style earlier this year:

• The old-school Celtics green road jersey. Boston rocked these in the Garden from 1968-89 and turned green into the color of champions.

• The “Bobby Orr Era” Bruins sweaters. Something about the minimalist black-and-gold logo on the white background feels perfect. No notes.

• The “Pat Patriot” red home uniform. The red top-white pant combo. The logo with Pat in a three-point stance against the white helmet. Brady and Co. might have won another five titles in these threads.

POLL

🤔 Would you buy this year’s Celtics’ City Edition jersey?

BOSTON SPORTS

Quick hits & headlines

🙃 The Patriots get embarrassed by the Jets. This is what we feared the Pats would be: a team with … 

• A dysfunctional offense (only 139 total yards) that can’t run the ball, throw it down the field or protect the QB (seven sacks, 15 QB hits); 

• And a defense (400 yards allowed) that eventually buckles under the weight of carrying the team. 

On top of that, New England looked lethargic and undisciplined, which Jerod Mayo can’t allow to happen when his team has no margin for error. Last week’s loss against Seattle you can live with. This one? Unacceptable.

📺 Boston sports are taking over Netflix this fall. A documentary commemorating the 20th year of the curse-breaking 2004 Red Sox drops in October. So we’re guaranteed to enjoy some October baseball, I guess. Plus, Jayson Tatum will star alongside the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Edwards in “Starting 5,” which will take us inside the life of the newly minted NBA champion. Throw in “The Dynasty,” which came out early this year, and it’s been a very big year for Boston’s teams on the small screen.

⚾ Kristian Campbell tears up Red Sox farm system. Roman Anthony might be the best prospect in all of baseball, but The Athletic’s Keith Law named Anthony’s Triple-A teammate Campbell his “Prospect of the Year” instead. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket teed off on pitchers from High-A ball to Triple-A, batting .330 for the whole season, while playing all over the diamond. His teammates even nicknamed him “Barry Bonds.” They might not have been joking.

BEYOND BOSTON

Out-of-town report

Two Boston legends await a Hall call. Longtime Pats kicker Adam Vinatieri, who won two Super Bowls with game-winning kicks, and All-Pro linebacker and BC grad Luke Kuechly are among the first-time nominees for the 2025 NFL Hall of Fame class. Both deserve spots in Canton, IMO. 

Bryce Young gets benched. Last year’s No. 1 pick only lasted two games into his second season before being shelved. He’s the worst QB in football right now, but the hapless Panthers did him zero favors. Let’s hope Drake Maye’s journey goes more smoothly.

Guardians clinch a playoff berth. Cleveland walked it off into the postseason with a dramatic win over the Twins – one of the three teams ahead of Boston in the wild-card race. Those same Twins come to town tonight, and only a series sweep can truly keep the Sox in the hunt for October.

LAST CALL

It’s almost Maye Time

The Patriots were smart to play Maye last night. Yes, he took two sacks and another big hit on a scramble. But he also converted three first downs and drove the ball down the field. Now he knows what a real NFL game feels like. How will you know if he can do the job if you won’t give him a shot? This doesn’t mean he’ll start next weekend against San Francisco, but the clock starts now.

THE BEST THING I SAW IN SPORTS

Ohtani’s outstanding night

🤯 Shohei Ohtani is unreal. The Dodgers’ megastar just became the first player ever with 50 home runs and 50 steals in a single season thanks to a three-homer, two-steal, 10-RBI performance on Thursday. L.A. handed him $700 million last winter — and he’s worth every penny.

🗞That’s a wrap. I’ll be ordering tickets to the next Dodgers game at Fenway Park in advance.

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