Picked-up pieces while wondering whether angry Patriots fans still believe Roger Goodell (about to sign a five-year contract extension) is going to lose his job over his grotesque “mishandling” of Deflategate.
■ Red Sox owner John Henry is “haunted” by the Yawkey legacy of racism and would like Yawkey Way renamed to Big Papi Way. The Globe’s Adrian Walker, in a December 2015 column headlined, “It’s time to banish the racist legacy of Tom Yawkey,’’ wrote, “Why on earth does Boston have a street called Yawkey Way? . . . Changing the name of a street is simple enough . . . The time has come.’’
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So now the debate is on. The climate is ripe for change.
Henry said that former Mayor Thomas Menino was not agreeable to a street-name change, which was suggested by former Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino shortly after the turn of the century, but current Mayor Marty Walsh seems ready to move on the combustible issue.
Some folks believe the sudden sentiment is pandering, or exploitive of the current political climate.
One can easily make a case for institutional racism during the Yawkey years, and there was certainly a rush to judgment when Jersey Street was renamed one year after Yawkey died in 1976. In that spirit, it might be wise to slow down the train on David Ortiz Way. Wasn’t Papi honored enough last fall when the Sox put their playoff plans on hold to incessantly celebrate their outgoing DH?
If a change is made, the Sox would do well to consider Jimmy Fund Street, Pumpsie Green Way, or Pete Frates Way.
■ Like the character in Bob Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street,” Bob Kraft just wants to “be on the side that’s winning.’’ He supports a president who promotes a narrative that flies in the face of the life’s work of the late, great Myra Kraft. The Patriots owner also supports a commissioner who spanked the Patriots and their fans in Deflategate. Kraft has been a great owner for New England, but his ability to compromise for the greater good renders many of his statements laughable.
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■ Tom Brady’s nonstop sales pitch and insistence that he has figured out a way to make himself impervious to injury is arrogant and beyond daring. It has all worked out great so far, but it’s hard to dismiss the notion that Brady is tempting fate. In sports history, Father Time and Karma are thus far undefeated. Will Brady be The One who successfully defies both?
■ Chris Sale is having a great year. He is the Cy Young winner and an MVP candidate. But his season is not “historic” like Roger Clemens’s in 1986 (24-4, MVP and Cy Young, 2.48 ERA), or Pedro Martinez’s in 1999 (23-4, 2.07 ERA, Cy Young). Sale’s ERA is 2.62. He will be fortunate if he wins 20. Terrific. But not Clemens ’86 or Pedro ’99. Three National League starters have ERAs lower than Sale’s (yes, we know it’s an easier league with no DH), and Cleveland’s Wednesday starter, Corey Kluber, is at 2.67.
■ It is preposterous that Hanley Ramirez has 48 RBIs while batting cleanup for a first-place team that has played 124 games.
■ Does anyone out there still have a loaf of Big Yaz Bread from 1968 in their freezer? If so, please contact the Globe’s Eric Moskowitz at eric.moskowitz@globe.com.
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■ Watching the Red Sox own Aaron Judge reminded me of a stunt when Wilt Chamberlain was put forth as a potential challenger to Muhammad Ali. Ali put the threat to rest when he yelled, “Tim-ber!’’ as Wilt the Stilt was introduced at a press conference. Alas, the fight never happened. The Red Sox this year have made Judge look like a latter-day Dave Kingman.
■ Did anybody else notice the lack of support for Dennis Eckersley from NESN bosses when David Price ambushed Eck on the team charter? Explanation? Easy. Rather than do the right thing and defend their employee, the NESN bosses turtled because they were worried about their employees getting kicked off the team charter, which would be costly to the network. An eight-person NESN crew flies with the Red Sox.
■ Poor Lou Gorman had to live with the Jeff Bagwell trade. Dave Dombrowski has his own Bagwell. In May 1989, Dombrowski, then general manager of the Expos, traded Randy Johnson, Gene Harris, and Brian Holman to the Mariners for Mark Langston and Mike Campbell. Langston pitched well for the ’89 Expos, but they did not make the playoffs and he signed as a free agent with the Angels.
■ The New York Post reported that CC Sabathia was annoyed when Eduardo Nunez and Andrew Benintendi both attempted to reach base by bunting on him in the first inning Saturday at Fenway.
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“To come out and that’s your strategy, that got me going a little bit,’’ said Sabathia, who has been on the disabled list because of knee issues. “Literally, two of the hottest hitters in baseball, bunting. If that was their strategy, I [handled] it.’’ Keep an eye on the big lefty if he starts against the Sox in New York Labor Day weekend.
■ Red Sox-Yankees in the AL Championship Series for the first time since (gulp) 2004? Imagine. It’s easy if you try. Yanks win a one-game wild card, then take down slumping Houston in the Division Series while the Red Sox get their revenge against Tito’s Tribe in the other ALDS.
■ Clemens’s annual offer to throw batting practice at Fenway fetched $96,000 (divided evenly between the Jimmy Fund and the Clemens Foundation) for the Jimmy Fund from a pair of bidders at the WEEI/NESN radio-telethon last week.
■ Bumped into Jose Santiago when the 1967 Red Sox returned to Fenway last week. Asked him about the homer he hit off Bob Gibson in the first game of the World Series that year. Gibson beat the Sox, 2-1, but surrendered the homer.
“I always have fun with that,’’ said Santiago. “Orlando Cepeda [1967 NL MVP with St. Louis] is a friend, and he was at my house for dinner. He told me he had warned Gibson that I was a good hitter, but Gibson did not want to hear it. So I sat on a fastball and got my pitch.
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“Later, when I saw Gibson, he said, “You Puerto Rican guys are killing me. First Roberto Clemente breaks my leg with a line drive, then you homer off me in the World Series!’ ’’
■ Anyone else rooting hard for James O’Shaughnessy to make the cut as the Patriots’ third tight end? Just to hear Zo say his name all year . . .
Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com