Maddon

ESPN – Joe Maddon and Bill Belichick are now boys in the hoodie. Fresh off being told by Major League Baseball that he could keep wearing his favorite jacket, Maddon got a new one Wednesday — the Tampa Bay Rays manager received a personalized Patriots hoodie in the mail from the New England coach. Belichick usually wears hoodies when he’s on the sideline. The jacket he sent Maddon has “J.M.” on the front. “Very cool,” Maddon said. “It’s quite an accomplishment, quite an achievement to get something from a coach who’s won the Super Bowl,” Maddon said.

Look, I don’t know exactly what Belichick is up to here, but I know there has to be a reason.  And it ain’t friendship.  The Hooded One doesn’t do anything unless it’s going to get him closer to winning another Super Bowl.  The Russkies don’t take a dump without a plan, son.  My guess is that since central Florida is now THE hotbed for football talent in the country, he’s doing it to curry favor with the locals.  Like the way the Sox spent all that money on Pedro and Dice-K to make a generation of Domincans and Japanese want to grow up to play in Boston.  So with the Rays looking like they could dominate the American League for the next 5-10 years, maybe the whole draft class of 2020 will be Florida kids who dream of being drafted by the Pats.  It’s just crazy enough to work.  I do know this though: Tampa just became the prohibitive favorites to win the AL East because that sweatshirt is like the Ring of Power.  It makes who ever wields it invincible.  Somewhere in the cabin of a plane heading from Toronto to Baltimore, Terry Francona gently weeps.