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New England had quite the blowout weekend.
It began Thursday night on ESPN when Drake Maye was picked by the Patriots No. 3 overall in the NFL Draft. Maye has a few detractors, but my hometown is going whacko to land him due to his All-American look and his size similarities to the GOAT, Tom Brady. Maye even gave a shout out to rabid Boston fans.
In the fourth round, Tez Walker was drafted by the Ravens and Cedric Gray by the Titans, who play the Patriots in Nashville this fall. If Gray makes the roster, he could face Maye in a real pro football game instead of a college practice.
The Tar Heels just happen to play at Boston College on Saturday, November 23, so when the NFL schedule comes out maybe the Pats are home the next day and Mack Brown will take his sixth UNC team to see Drake Maye’s new team and cheer them on.
Saturday was a big blowout day for Boston sports teams, beginning with the Celtics bouncing back from a Game 2 loss to Miami by jumping on the Heat early and winning by 20. Full disclosure, I really like Jayson Tatum but I don’t love him and that has nothing to do with him being a Dookie. Granted Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA, but don’t you think he controls the ball too much when he gets it and takes some forced shots, some of them he makes?
Also, on Saturday, the Boston Bruins completed a two-game sweep of the Maple Leafs in Toronto to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven and are drawing closer to possibly meeting the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Canes lead the Islanders 3-1 with the fifth game set for Tuesday night at home. I’ve seen several Boston-Carolina games at PNC, and they have a fierce rivalry that flies under the radar due to geography.
And to top the New England week was the Red Sox blasting the Cubs Saturday by the football-like score of 17-0. In Maye’s game, that is two touchdowns and a field goal, but the team that is expected to finish last in the American League East for the third straight year capped off a weekend that could not have gone better for the town that will be looking to hang two more championship banners this spring.
And to end the weekend back home, the hoop Heels got the transfer they needed and were hoping for. Cade Tyson, a 6-7 forward who can shoot the lights out from downtown, has a chance to earn the position vacated by Cormac Ryan. The younger brother of former Clemson star Hunter Tyson gets rave reviews from teammates at Belmont University not only on the court but in the locker room, classroom and community the way Hubert Davis wants it.
Featured image via Associated Press/Wilfredo Lee
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
