
Bill Belichick shows no love for Patriots owner Robert Kraft in new book, and other thoughts
As an author of many books, I'd estimate this one's about 80,000 words.
Two words not in the book: Robert Kraft.
OK, this is somewhat predictable, I guess. The obvious snub is yet another demonstration that things often end badly here on the Boston sports scene.
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Kraft and Bill Parcells have been feuding since the Tuna took a hike after the 1996 season and it took a full 30 years for
It was the same with Nomar Garciaparra and Curt Schilling after their glory days with the Red Sox were over. Rick Pitino with the Celtics. Chuck Fairbanks and the Patriots. Terry Francona and the Fenway Sports Group. And something tells me we won't see
The Belichick-Kraft feud is real.
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Remember the phony moments at Gillette when the owner and the coach officially parted ways.
'For me this is a day of gratitude and celebration,' Belichick said.
It was parsed out as an amicable split, a mutual parting of the ways.
Baloney. The strained relationship grew fully toxic in its later years and everything we've witnessed since the day. Bill was politely fired is evidence that the dislike is real. Somewhere, in the middle of all that winning, it became about who gets the credit and who gets the blame, and fans are left to slice up their credit/blame pie accordingly.
Kraft's big salvo came with the hideous, 10-part 'Dynasty' documentary that aired at this time last year. While Kraft denied having editorial control, the final credit of every episode featured, 'Copyright Kraft Dynasty LLC,' and the content was a clear message that the Patriots somehow did all that winning despite their misguided head coach. Then it came out that Kraft encouraged his pal, Falcons owner Arthur Blank, not to hire Belichick as head coach.
Bill's book is Bill's answer. Complete dismissal. Like Bogey's response to Peter Lorre in 'Casablanca' when Lorre says, 'You despise me, don't you?' 'If I gave you any thought I probably would.'
Bill's lone reference to Kraft in this book appears to be this:
'Somewhere, someone came up with the phrase, 'The Patriot Way.' I think they made some money off it. Good for them. Here's something you should know: The Patriot Way does not exist.'
There you go.
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Bill's exhaustive 'Acknowledgements' section features a nice shout-out to wingman Berj Najarian, plus, 'Thank you to my idea mill and creative muse, Jordon Hudson,' but no mention of Robert K. Kraft. There are 363 people thanked, including Malcolm Butler. Incredibly, Butler's name is not mentioned in the chapter devoted to 'Mistakes.'
The book goes on sale May 6.
Nowhere in Bill Belichick's new book does the former Patriots coach mention Robert Kraft.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
⋅ Quiz: 1. Name the last five MLB players to bat .370 or higher in a season; 2. Name six Hall of Famers inducted since 2000 who played at least five seasons with the White Sox (answers below).
⋅ Sorry Julian Edelman and Logan Mankins fans. Those two will have their moments, but the vote's got to be for Adam Vinatieri for the Patriots Hall of Fame. Bill Parcells finally goes into the Kraft Hall, and he should have his kicker alongside.
⋅ There's an end in sight! Only two more weeks of listening to sports talk radio dwelling on what the Patriots are going to do with the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft.
⋅ Watching the wannabe Knicks vs. the Celtics has become comical. They finally got the Celts into a close game Tuesday in New York — overtime — and still couldn't get the job done. We all think it's going to be Celtics-Knicks in the second round of the playoffs, but the Knicks had better hope they don't see the Pistons in Round 1.
⋅ The Red Sox do their fans a disservice with the handling of
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⋅ Speaking of poor treatment for fans, how'd you like to be a Celtics fan in Orlando and pay big cash for Wednesday night's G-League farce at Kia Center?
⋅ Think the rest of America has had enough documentaries about our teams. In less than 14 months, we've had
⋅ Classy to the finish, we learned this past week that
⋅ Big congrats to
⋅ Embarrassed to admit that I did not know
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Sarah Strong (right), daughter of Celtics executive Allison Feaster, had 24 points and 15 rebounds in UConn's national championship game victory over South Carolina.⋅ Love the UConn champs, but still have a quarrel with Geno Auriemma for keeping his starters in the
⋅ Duke freshman big man Khaman Maluach no doubt had a lot on his mind going into last Saturday's stunning semifinal loss to Houston. Maluach is from South Sudan and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on social media last Saturday that the US is taking action to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders.
⋅ Told you last week about Wade Boggs offending teammate Roger Clemens in 1992 by asking Fenway's official scorer to change a Boggs error to a hit, which resulted in some extra earned runs for Clemens. New information reveals that Sox pitcher Danny Darwin, a proud Texas righthander like Clemens, was offended by Boggs's move and told the future Hall of Famer — who was scheduled to be a free agent after '92 — that he would take his revenge when he faced Boggs in another uniform in 1993. Darwin was set to face Boggs, who signed with the Yankees, in Yankee Stadium the following June, but Boggs sat out with an injury and was replaced by the immortal Dave Silvestri. When they faced one another later that season, Boggs went 0 for 2 with a walk against Darwin. He hit three singles in three at-bats off Darwin later in his career but was not hit by a pitch after the '92 incident. Clemens faced Boggs 33 times after 1992, walking him 10 times, but never hitting him. Boggs batted .261 with three homers and three RBIs off the Rocket between 1993-99.
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⋅ Overrated ball hog Carmelo Anthony, a top-10, all-time NBA scorer, is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Not bad for a guy who played for
⋅ A horse named 'Journalism' won the Santa Anita Derby last weekend and is the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby next month. Journalism is 4-0-1 in five starts and takes a four-race winning streak to Churchill Downs. Hardly sounds like an enemy of the people.
⋅ Now would be a good time to pre-order Jane Leavy's 'Make Me Commissioner — I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It" (Grand Central Publishing). Leavy is the author of a great trilogy of baseball books on Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, and Babe Ruth. This time she puts her hardball chops to exploring how baseball lost America and how to make it better. The first two pages will hook you for everything that follows, including time spent at Eldredge Park in Orleans, the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference, a deep dive on Driveline, and lots of Dave Roberts, Alex Bregman, and Janet Marie Smith. The book will be in stores in December.
⋅ The great Cedric Maxwell has a new book with co-author Mike Isenberg, 'Banner Year — How Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Brad Stevens Preserved to Lead the Boston Celtics to an Historic 18th Title.'
⋅ Congrats to Phyllis Dumart, widow of Bruins great and Hockey Hall of Famer Woody Dumart. Phyllis lives in Andover, turns 102 April 19, and is believed to be the NHL's oldest-living widow.
⋅ Quiz answers: 1. Larry Walker (.379, 1999), Todd Helton (.372, 2000), Nomar Garciaparra (.372, 2000), Barry Bonds (.370, 2002), and Ichiro Suzuki (.372, 2004). 2. Carlton Fisk, Goose Gossage, Frank Thomas, Tim Raines, Harold Baines, and Minnie Miñoso.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at

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USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
AI makes game-by-game predictions for Patriots 2025 season
For the last few years, the New England Patriots have somehow managed to draw the short straw from the NFL scheduling gods. They've been one of the worst teams in the league faced with one of the hardest schedules. But their fortunes have seemingly changed for the better. Not only did coach Mike Vrabel throw on the red cape to help save the flailing franchise, but the scheduling gods blessed them with one of the easiest schedules in the league. Of course, that doesn't mean much if the team fails to live up to expectations. I shared my game-by-game predictions for the Patriots in 2025 after the schedule release back in May. This time, we are turning to the AI assistant Grok to predict the Patriots' final record at the end of the season. Week 1: Sept. 7 vs. Las Vegas Raiders (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) The Patriots open the season at home against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders. Much has changed for the Raiders in the offseason with Pete Carroll stepping in as the new head coach and the team signing veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Will that be enough to change their fortunes in 2025? Week 2: Sept. 14 at Miami Dolphins (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) The Dolphins seem to be falling apart before the season even begins. They traded tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Veteran corner Artie Burns also recently went down with a scary knee injury. With that said, this game is in Miami, and even when Tom Brady was under center, South Beach has long been a house of horrors for New England. Week 3: Sept. 21 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) The Pittsburgh Steelers went all in on a potential Super Bowl run in the offseason, including signing legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a deal. This isn't the same Rodgers from the glory days, and even though the team is loaded defensively, there are still serious offensive concerns. Week 4: Sept. 28 vs. Carolina Panthers (1:00 p.m. ET FOX) The Carolina Panthers were one of the worst teams in the league last season. There is no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL, but these are the kinds of games the Patriots need to start winning more consistently to demonstrate a real culture shift. This feels like a must-win game at home if New England hopes to make some real noise this season. Week 5: Oct. 5 at Buffalo Bills (8:20 p.m. ET NBC) The Patriots have been big-brothered by quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills ever since Tom Brady took his talents to Tampa Bay. There's hope that the tide could turn at some point with the arrival of Drake Maye. However, a road Sunday Night Football game in Week 5 at Buffalo might be too tough to overcome for a rebuilding Patriots team. Week 6: Oct. 12 at New Orleans Saints (4:25 p.m. ET CBS) The Saints have a rookie coach and rookie quarterback heading into the 2025 season. It's a Hail Mary attempt at breathing new life into a franchise that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2020. Things are far from perfect in New England, but they are in much better shape than the Saints. Week 7: Oct. 19 at Tennessee Titans (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) Patriots coach Mike Vrabel would probably never say it publicly, but he likely has this game circled in red. He will be returning to Tennessee for the first time as an NFL head coach to face the team that fired him in 2024, after six seasons. It would be a measure of revenge to go into Tennessee and hand them a loss in the first matchup between Drake Maye and Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Week 8: Oct. 26 vs. Cleveland Browns (1:00 p.m. ET FOX) The Cleveland Browns are one of the best defensive teams in football, but there are more questions than answers on the offensive side of the ball. This is a team with five quarterbacks currently on its roster. If the Patriots' offense can avoid imploding at the hands of Myles Garrett and company, they'll have a real shot at coming out on top in this AFC matchup. Week 9: Nov. 2 vs. Atlanta Falcons (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) The Atlanta Falcons appear to be moving on from the short-lived Kirk Cousins era and going all in on Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback. Penix appeared in five games last season, but this will be his first year as the guy in Atlanta. That bodes well for a Patriots defensive unit that should be significantly improved in 2025. Week 10: Nov. 9 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) Grok has the Patriots' four-game win streak coming to an end on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball in Tampa Bay, and a less-than-stellar defensive performance from New England could end badly for the Patriots on the road against a potential playoff contender. Week 11: Nov. 13 vs. New York Jets (8:15 p.m. ET Prime Video) The Patriots will play host to the New York Jets for a Thursday Night Football showdown in November. This will be the NFL Nike Rivalries game, where the Patriots are slated to debut their new rivalries uniform. The Jets have been a walking disaster in recent years, and it's hard to envision that suddenly changing for this matchup. Week 12: Nov. 23 at Cincinnati Bengals (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals still probably have a bad taste in their mouth after being upset by the Jerod Mayo-led Patriots last season. Granted, the Patriots should be significantly better in 2025, but they might be punching above their weight against the Bengals. Barring another stunning drop-off for Cincinnati, it's hard to envision lightning striking twice for the Patriots. Week 13: Dec. 1 vs. New York Giants (8:15 p.m. ET ESPN) There is still no love lost from the New York Giants ending the Patriots' perfect season nearly 20 years ago at Super Bowl XLII. You can rest assured that Mike Vrabel, who played for the 2007 Patriots team, hasn't forgotten. The Giants lost more football games than the Patriots last season, and they'll be counting on rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to change their fortunes. Week 14: BYE WEEK Week 15: Dec. 14 vs. Buffalo Bills (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) Grok is predicting a clean sweep for the Buffalo Bills in their head-to-head meetings with the Patriots this season. It's hard to bet against Josh Allen, but it also wouldn't be surprising to see the Patriots steal a win at home in this one. They will also likely be the more desperate team in terms of playoff seeding. Week 16: Dec. 21 at Baltimore Ravens (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) Going on the road and knocking off a perennial playoff contender like the Baltimore Ravens might be too much to ask for this Patriots team. The Ravens don't lose often, and it's even tougher beating them at M&T Bank Stadium. Beating a Lamar Jackson-led team on the road would mean the Patriots haven't just improved. They have arrived. Week 17: Dec. 28 at New York Jets (1:00 p.m. ET CBS) This AI simulation has the Patriots sweeping the New York Jets in the regular season series. There are far too many questions on offense for a Jets team still picking up the pieces from their failed Aaron Rodgers experiment. It isn't a great outlook when the team is looking for quarterback Justin Fields to save them. Week 18: Jan. 3/4 vs. Miami Dolphins (TBD) The Patriots getting a warm-weather opponent like the Dolphins at Foxborough in January bodes well for the team to finish the season with another victory. There are serious concerns with Miami's defense with the loss of Jalen Ramsey and Artie Burns. Drake Maye and the Patriots' offense should feast in this one. Patriots 2025 record prediction: 11-6 Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.


CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Keion White ready to put on pads and bring violence to Patriots training camp
Keion White isn't one to sugarcoat anything. The Patriots defensive end wants to hit someone on the football field, and he wanted to do it yesterday. White didn't get to hit anyone on Friday, as the third day of Patriots training camp in Foxboro was just a walkthrough. He won't do it over the weekend either, with another un-padded practice on Saturday before players get their first day off of camp on Sunday. But on Monday, everyone will don pads for the first time this summer. Then the real fun begins for White and the New England defense. "I hope they run the ball every play," White said of his offensive counterparts. Hopes are high for the New England defense heading into its first season under new head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams. There is loads of potential with the group thanks to the offseason additions of Milton Williams, Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, and Carlton Davis, who are joining star corner Christian Gonzalez, Christian Barmore, and White on the New England D. But White says hype isn't worth anything if players don't go out and prove it when they're on the field. And he wants perfection from the defense and himself on each and every play. "From a defensive standpoint, I don't want the offense to get one yard. Anything more than that is a loss," he said Friday. "That's what a dominant defense looks like, and that should be the expectation. Yeah, they're going to get yards on plays. But I feel the standard should be negative yards on every play." New England had the worst pass rush in the NFL last season, with a league-low 28 sacks for the season. White had five of those sacks, but four of them came in the first two weeks of the season. He can be an absolute wrecking ball off the line, but last year's staff wanted White to focus more on setting the edge and reading and reacting to the offense in front of him. Vrabel's defensive approach is much different, and White is eager to get going. "Leading with violence is always my type of stuff, so whenever I can do that and not read as much, it's definitely beneficial for me," he said. It's no secret that White was not a fan of last year's regime in New England. He said back in June: "Now, I feel have a coach." It was quite the shot at Jerod Mayo. But how does White feel about Vrabel now that they're a few days into training camp? "My biggest working relationship is whether we're winning or losing. That's big for me and then you go from there," he said. "Is he a good coach, and how can he make me better? That's the biggest relationship I have." White was asked if he considers Vrabel, who was pretty good at getting after quarterbacks during his playing days, a good coach. "I think he's a pretty good coach," replied White, adding, "Because he helps me get better." Vrabel is a no-nonsense guy himself, and had a lot of praise for White ahead of Friday's practice. "I love Keion's attitude. He's a worker," said Vrabel. "He's here early and has a routine that works for him. He practices hard and he's conditioned. I think he's got a great attitude and I love coaching him. He's very receptive and a coachable player." Now just imagine the conversations between Vrabel and White. As both relayed Friday, it's all about football. "Technique and how to get better. For real," said White. "What do I need to do on the field, what does he see, what do I see, and how to improve on that." "Keion, there is not a lot of fluff to him," said Vrabel. "Our conversations are mostly -- he wants to talk football. That is his profession, his career, his passion. We talk a lot of football and I've enjoyed getting to know him."


CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Patriots training camp takeaways: Lighter walkthrough on Day 3, pads go on Monday
The Patriots got a bit of a break Friday on the third day of training camp. After two busy days, the team's third practice of camp was more of a walkthrough. Players didn't even have helmets on, switching them out for bucket hats on a steamy day in Foxboro. Hopefully everyone took advantage of the lighter session, because things are going to really ramp up behind Gillette Stadium in the coming days. "Today will be a lighter day, but it's important to see how our team responds and is able to work in [a walkthrough] capacity," head coach Mike Vrabel admitted before Friday's session "I'm hopeful we can get something out of this and have some speed [Saturday], have a good day before a day off on Sunday." Sunday's day off will be important, because on Monday, players will put on pads for the first time of training camp. That is much to the delight of defensive end Keion White, who is hungry to hit someone -- anyone -- in practice. "I hope they run the ball every play," White said of Monday's first padded practice. While the Patriots didn't do too much on the field Friday, there were still a few important takeaways from the morning in Foxboro. After sitting out Thursday's practice, cornerback Carlton Davis was back on the field Friday. Vrabel said the absence was part of the plan for the veteran. "Just maintenance and we'll continue to kind of give him what he needs as part of a plan," said Vrabel. "Again, that's my job each and every day is to figure out what everybody's going to do and how they're going to contribute each day to us winning." Second-year receiver Ja'Lynn Polk spent his Friday on the lower conditioning field again. He's reportedly dealing with a muscle tightness, and hasn't practiced in camp. He's got an uphill battle in a crowded wide receivers room, but Vrabel outlined how injured players can -- and should -- remain engaged while sidelined. "There is installation. It's a repeat from the spring. So hopefully, any player that's not out here can stay engaged and continue to learn and get the information that they need, and then be ready when they get back," he explained. "I think the important thing is focusing on, doing everything, that you can to get back as quickly as possible. But also when you do get back, there's not a big drop off of information lost when you get back." As for the rest of the receivers, Stefon Diggs, Demario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte were with the first team offense on Friday, while Kendrick Bourne and rookie Kyle Williams did drills with the second team. Rookie Jared Wilson has been a man of many positions along the offensive line in his first training camp. On Friday, the third-round pick out of Georgia rotated with the first team offense at left guard, center, and right guard. Vrabel spoke about the rookie's versatility ahead of practice. "I think that he's a quick learner. He's been able to learn two positions inside, as far as center and guard," noted Vrabel. "He was one of those players that maybe wasn't out there as much on the field in the spring, but really was able to grasp it mentally and allow that to carry over when he had an opportunity to be on the field. So he was able to show for a young player some of those things to be able to be ready when he got his opportunity to get on the field." After practice, the Patriots rode bikes onto the field and gave them away to 50 kids in the foster care program. It made for some interesting and entertaining visuals on the field. As Vrabel said, the team will ramp things up again on Saturday, with practice scheduled for 10:15 a.m. Players get a day off Sunday, and then practices will get real on Monday when they put on pads for the first time on training camp. Monday's practice will kick off around 10:30 a.m.