Fear not, kids are alright
New England sports may have four baby GOATS in making
For years, the face of New England sports was an old GOAT.
Now, the spotlight has been seized by a tribe of kids. Mac Jones. Age 22. Jayson Tatum. Age 23. Charlie McAvoy. Age 23. Rafael Devers. Age 24. Do we have four baby GOATS on our hands? Not yet.
But these young’uns are tough to bleat.
And our current/future faces of the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox and Bruins are all south of 25.
The future’s so bright, sport fans in Greater Boston can throw shade without having to lean on all those titles won during the Score of Supremacy.
The Patriots have chosen their quarterback of the present and future in Jones. The No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL draft brings with him a reasonable expectation that he could be the Patriots’ QB1 for the next dozen years. Jones turns 23 Sunday.
The Patriots made the clean break from the early 21st century by going with Jones. Bill Belichick recognized the unavoidable fact that Jones outplayed Cam Newton in camp and was the clear-cut choice to lead this team into Take Two of the Post-Tom Brady Era. Jones’ talent, ability, availability, exuberance, and game-presence shattered expectations. All that, plus the fact that he played for the Patriots Minor League team in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and for Belichick’s BFFF (Best Football Friend Forever) Nick Saban weighed in his favor. As did the fact that Newton was pedestrian at best last season and offered the Patriots an unreliable and unvaccinated arm.
This space expressed a belief for a while that QB1 was Jones’ roster spot to lose once Belichick took him with a prized first-round pick. As we like to say around here: put it in writing or it didn’t happen.
The quarterback of the local NFL team is often anointed as the “Face of Sports” in most pro markets.
But Jones is joined by a herd of metaphorically, cloven-hooved, juvenile creatures.
Tatum has been 19 since he was drafted in 2017. Or so it seems. There’s no more kidding when it comes to his adulthood. Images of Tatum flashing Old Man strength in the gym appeared on the interwebs this week. Tatum was seen doing squats with a 100-pound barbell. Tatum is gunning for “Green Freak” status when it comes to his protuberant physical stature. Oh, in August he became the first member of the Boston Celtics to win an Olympic Gold Medal since Larry Bird of the 1992 Dream Teamers.
Tatum has reached the playoffs in each of his four seasons and has approached “NBA Top 10 Status.” He appears held back as much by himself as the opposition. His offseason appears to be a direct effort to combat that concern.
McAvoy reached “NHL Elite” status this past season and was the only reliable blueliner for the Bruins as the team was bounced unceremoniously by the Islanders in the playoffs. McAvoy became the CEO of the defensive unit after Zdeno Chara’s departure to Washington. McAvoy could hold this role for a decade or more. He shoots the puck, triggers breakouts and flattens opponents. He has seamlessly fallen into a line of succession that includes Chara, Raymond Bourque, Brad Park and Robert G. Orr.
Along with winger David Pastrnak, an elder statesman at age 25, and goalie Jeremy Swayman, all of 22, the Bruins have themselves a nifty core once the senior pieces of the “Perfection Line” move on from the TD Garden ice.
Devers carries the nickname “Carita,” or “Baby Face.” For now, he’s managed to dodge a mini-COVID outbreak that has sidelined at least seven teammates. Who knew the 2021 Red Sox schedule would become a superspreader event?
Devers started the 2021 AllStar Game. Last week, he became just the second member of the Red Sox to record multiple 30-HR seasons before the age of 25. The other one? Ted Williams. It’s gotten so bad for Devers, who’s been so good, so good most of this season, that manager Alex Cora lamented that his third-baseman doesn’t receive enough national notoriety.
Devers has cooled since his Mid-Summer Classic appearance in Denver, slashing just .243/.326./435 over 30 games before a Wednesday night contest against the Rays in the Titletown Dome. Devers has produced 32 HR, 34 doubles and 97 RBI in just 128 games. Those numbers used to win Dwight Evans the 10th Player Award over the course of a full season. Devers remains a terrific bet to win a Triple Crown before the age of 30, but sports wagering remains illegal in the Bay State.
For those who didn’t bail on the Red Sox after they discarded Mookie Betts, losing Devers over “luxury tax threshold” concerns would be unpardonable.
Remember Don Corleone after Sonny met his demise on the Causeway?
“The Godfather” decided to “forgo the vengeance” of his oldest son.
But Michael was off-limits. “If some unlucky accident should befall him … if he should hang himself in his jail cell, or if he’s struck by a bolt of lightning, then I’m going to blame some of the people in this room, and that I do not forgive,” the Don said.
If Devers ever plays for a team not named the Red Sox, that is something I will not forgive. It would be justification to walk away from this franchise for good. In my case, after 50+ years.
Jones is locked in for four years plus a club option. The futures of Devers, Tatum and McAvoy in Boston are less certain. Devers is eligible for free agency after 2023. Tatum signed a 5-year max extension with the Celtics that begins this fall. It includes a player option for Year 5. Tatum continues to platonically flirt with potential future teammates and could always force his way out of town like so many NBA stars have done elsewhere. McAvoy becomes a restricted free agent after this season.
But for now, the kids are alright.
May their beards grow long in New England.