FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A Boston Red Sox cap hangs in Calvin Pace’s locker, a curious accessory for a guy who seriously dislikes his team’s subsequent opponent: the New England Patriots.
Don’t worry Jets fans, he’s no traitor.
“When it comes to baseball, I like certain players, and with the Red Sox, I like Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez,” the New York linebacker said with a big smile Friday. “I’m not a Red Sox fan. So, for anybody who’s reading or takes place to see me out with the Red Sox hat on, I’m not a fan of the team. I’m a fan of particular players. So, I get a hat for the guys I like.”
Just as he did for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. He also owns a Mets cap, and thinks they really should re-sign shortstop Jose Reyes.
“I’m a bandwagon fan when it comes to specific sports,” Pace said, laughing. “I’m not going to lie. I am.”
Pace has a Yankees cap, too, and a fool-proof strategy for the Bronx Bombers to win their 28th World Series title subsequent year.
“The Yankees must sign Albert Pujols and put him at third base,” Pace said. “People have been killing A-Rod, so you put Pujols at third, Alex Rodriguez at DH and then you have Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter? Man. You know the Yankees would devote the money.”
Which is why Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino once known as the Yankees “the Evil Empire,” a label Pace employed Friday to describe the Patriots. Not that New England has outspent its opponents. The Patriots are just not looked upon too favorably in these parts, largely due to the fact of all the winning they’ve completed.
This is 1 of the NFL’s most intense rivalries and the next round will play out Sunday night when the Jets host the Patriots in a showdown for very first location in the AFC East.
“It ought to be a great game,” Jets coach Rex Ryan stated. “It’s virtually like Ali-Frazier.”
They’ve been so evenly matched by means of the years, the teams are tied 52-52-1 in their series heading into this game.
“I’m sure this will be a wonderful atmosphere down there,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “I’m seeking forward to it: massive division game on the road, teams that know each and every other nicely. This will be a excellent football game. I feel everybody’s looking forward to it.”
Ryan is a massive boxing fan and has brought up classic bouts just before massive games such as this one.
“Those were great fights,” Ryan mentioned of the Ali-Frazier bouts. “I bear in mind that growing up and items, so hopefully this can be that kind of game and hopefully we’ll end up on leading. Whether or not we’re Ali or Frazier, I don’t know.”
Lately, the Jets and Patriots have fought to a draw, with every winning three of the last six meetings — despite the fact that one of New York’s victories came in the playoffs last January.
“The only one that was horrible was that Monday night massacre exactly where we got knocked out in the 1st round,” said Ryan, referring to New England’s 45-3 victory last season. “But typically you have two good teams going at it.”
Not only that, but a pair of teams with lots of history. The Jets and Patriots are two of the original AFL franchises, but several of the existing poor feelings began in 1997 when Bill Parcells left New England after a loss in the Super Bowl to grow to be the Jets coach. Operating back Curtis Martin followed Parcells a year later and became 1 of the finest players in Jets history and a possible Hall of Famer.
Then, there was that bizarre day in 1999, when Belichick was all set to replace Parcells as Jets coach. Instead, he bailed right after 1 day as the “H.C. of the N.Y.J.” and became the coach of the Patriots.
“At that point in time, that situation, I did what I felt like I needed to do and I don’t have any regrets about that,” Belichick said Friday. “Certainly a lot of points could have been handled differently or whatever, but anyway, it doesn’t matter now.”
Copyright 2011
(About:) This post was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For much more NFL news see: We meet once again: Top spot in AFC East at stake for Jets, Pats.
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