Super Bowl in New England? No thanks.

When Robert Kraft has an idea, you listen. 

He saved New England football from the brink of relocation, built the model professional sports franchise, and restored an era of dominance and success to the Boston area unseen since the Larry Bird days. 

Further, Kraft privately funded Gillette stadium without a penny of public support, an act both rarely done while also endearing to the fans which he strives to please. Kraft built Patriots Place into one of the strongest shopping venues in the state and turned Foxboro into more than just another town on your way to route 95. 

Kraft's brilliance as an owner cannot be understated, which makes his most recent comments all the more puzzling. 

With news of Super Bowl L (That's 50, I think) being awarded to San Francisco, the thought process has shifted dramatically among the dominant powers in the NFL. No longer does a Super Bowl host location specifically need to be deemed "warm-weather," a shift no more apparent than in New York, where plans are already unfolding as the city prepares to host next year's event. 

Naturally, much like any neighborhood, Robert Kraft's ears have perked up and his eyes gaze to his neighbors to the west. If New York can host a Super Bowl, why can't Boston? Of course, this all hinges on New York successfully executing Super Bowl week as the experiment could be deemed a total failure.

But Kraft seems to be content with the initial framework of holding the nation's most prolific sporting event at Gillette, an idea which centers around a dual host-site in Boston/Providence.

Unfortunately, in this case, some things are better left untouched.

Understandably, the idea sounds nice. Holding the Super Bowl in one of the countries most impassioned sports cities at New England's crown jewel is rich with both story lines and potential economic boom. But is Boston, and for that matter Providence, really suited to host a Super Bowl?

Any host city is required to offer at least 35,000 hotel rooms to accommodate fans. For this to work in the Boston area, fans would be transplanted throughout much of eastern Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island, as suitable hotel rooms would be utilized west of I-495. 

In theory, the host of any party's main goal is to impress his or her's guests. I can think of nothing more impressive than housing out-of-town NFL fans somewhere in Rhode Island and then asking them to fight New England traffic to commute back and forth to the site of all activities. Heck, residents in the Boston area cannot figure out how to commute in and out of the city, yet we'll increase the traffic for a week amid confusing logistics?

And if the idea is to impress, the NFL can also do better than Providence, Rhode Island. Sure, Providence is great for what it is, a small-city with decent college night life. But in the cold of February, who in their right mind wants to peruse the streets of Providence during a week of celebration? Fans will only be able to suffer so many trips to the Providence Place Mall. AHL Bruins games, and B-level hookah bars before disappointment sets in.

There's an incredibly high standard set for Super Bowl host sites. Miami and New Orleans specifically offer extravagant night life within proximity of the stadium and are renowned for their ability to,well, throw a party. Boston does not offer the same allure, especially when the city enforces it's prehistoric drinking curfew of 1AM. 

The Super Bowl is a constant party, a constant struggle to impress and satisfy guests. The party's last great event is the game itself. In New England, many would yet again find themselves disappointed. 

Sure, Gillette Stadium is nice. It offers adequate seating and fairly simple concourses. Outside of the "red seats," the stadium offers little in eye-popping luxury. Compared to other stadiums recently built, Gillette struggles to compare, especially when holding it in the same light as New York's Met-Life stadium or Houston's Reliant Stadium. Hosting the game at Gillette would be similar to Hugh Hefner holding a Playboy bash in his pool house while keeping the mansion gated and locked. 

And can you really picture loads of people piling into Foxboro for an event like the Super Bowl? Imagine, a spectacle this grand being held within Route 1. The night life is rich (Red Fox Motel) and there's plenty of places to, uh, buy a car? Ah, who am I kidding, fans can spend the week at Bass Pro Shops or catching up on all the latest movies. 

Boston is great at what it is, a sports town. More specifically, it's our sports town. Most people outside of Boston don't like us anyways and rarely is there a time where the nation's sporting spotlight is on the actual city itself. 

The Super Bowl is an entirely different animal, a situation better off to be left alone by Robert Kraft. Because while it sounds nice, I don't believe a dual-site plan offers the same allure once push comes to shove. 

If the goal is to impress, it'd be best for Robert Kraft to continue to let his product on the field do the talking. I have a funny feeling that many would leave New England disappointed, as a cold-weather Super Bowl in this area can't compete with the luxuries and attractions of other venues.

Sorry, Providence. 

Hanrahan Highlights Closing Woes

Have you ever been asked to follow up an impossible-to-outdo situation?

We've all been there before,whether at work or at school. For me, it would be trying to sell a golf club after a fellow employee locked down a jaw-dropping sale. There's also always that one classmate who makes a full-video presentation when the professor or teacher simply asked for three PowerPoint slides. And don't forget showing your face at the dinner table after your little sister unloaded the dishwasher, walked the dog, and set the table while you took a 2 hour nap.

The Boston Red Sox are having trouble outdoing themselves. More specifically, General Manager Ben Cherington has yet to find a pitcher to secure the ninth inning quite like folk-hero Jonathan Papelbon.

Following Papelbon is no simple task. The oft-opinionated, irish jig dancing, flame throwing right-hander endured his ups and downs in Boston, much like many of the other polarizing athletes to pass through town. Papelbon won a World Series, immortalized "Shipping up to Boston," and left town in a hurry. In many aspects, Papelbon enjoyed the current life-cycle of many Boston athletes. Times of joy, hardship, and ultimately a bitter departure.

And while Papelbon had his moments of ineffectiveness in Boston, far and wide he was dependable.

The same cannot be said for anyone who's attempted to close games since.

In 2012, six pitchers recorded a save for Boston. This season, through 34 games, the Red Sox have anointed Junichi Tazawa the newest member of the illustrious "closer by committee," following both Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan. Third times the charm, right?

ESPN Boston stat-guru Jeremy Lundblad summed up Boston's closer woes nicely, highlighting how difficult the ninth inning has been.

Red Sox have converted 61% of saves since 2012. Jonathan Papelbon? 92%
— Jeremy Lundblad (@JLundbladESPN) May 9, 2013

A season ago, seven different pitchers blew saves for the Red Sox, mainly because Bobby Valentine was forced to cycle through closers as if they were socks.

There were ups as well as plenty of downs for Boston. Initially, Andrew Bailey looked to be the back-end of the rotation, only to (shockingly) spend most of the season hampered by an injury. There was Mark Melancon, who lost his first two appearances in Boston and was sent down to the minors for over a month following an appearance in Texas where he allowed three homers, six earned runs, and failed to record an out. And let's not forget the Alfredo Aceves experience, which included 10 losses, eight blown saves, and a 5.36 ERA.

In that span, Josh Reddick (Bailey trade) mashed 32 homers and Jed Lowrie (Melancon deal) hit 16 more, throwing salt on the wounds of Cherington.

Jonathan Papelbon's success in Philly makes it
 all the more painful for Red Sox Nation.

But 2013 is supposed to be different because the only thing better than one "proven" closer is two proven closers. Cherington, in an effort to make up for the disaster that was 2012, dealt for Joel Hanrahan, a former All-Star in Pittsburgh.

Fittingly, Hanrahan is in the midst of a loss season, as news broke today that he'll be placed on the 60-day disabled list and has plans to visit Dr. James Andrews, a seemingly giant red flag in terms of Hanrahan's future health. It's not as if his performance on the field has gone any better, as Hanrahan's blown two saves in 9 games and currently owns a 9.81 ERA.

As the vultures circle around team offices in Boston, Junichi Tazawa will attempt to end the frustration in a stretched out and overworked bullpen. Tazawa, who has one career save, has the physical tools to succeed and I personally believe he'll make a fantastic closer one day. But it also returns us to the performance of an old friend, Jonathan Papelbon. Let's have fun with numbers for a second.

In 2012, the big three of Bailey, Aceves, and Melancon combined for..

3-13,  6.20 ERA, 32 saves, 12 blown saves, while allowing 21 home runs and posting a 4.29 xFIP.

And while those numbers are slightly skewed due to appearances outside of the 9th inning, it gives a general ballpark for the production of those three relievers. In comparison, Jonathan Papelbon posted...

5-6, 2.44 ERA, 38 saves, only four blown saves, and a xFIP of 2.79.

Combined, the Red Sox paid the three relievers $5.6 million a season ago, while the Phillies paid $11 million to Papelbon in the first year of a 4 year-$50 million pact.

Of course, in addition to the theory of declining performance, the Red Sox let Papelbon walk because of the length and money total of his contract. The team saved $5.4 million a season ago, but needed two extra roster spots to fill a job which could have been filled by Papelbon in a much more effective manner.

This season, while still premature, seems to be headed down the same path of poor value in the Red Sox bullpen.

Hanrahan is scheduled to make $7.04 million in a contract year while Bailey will make $4.1 million and is eligible for arbitration next season. Currently, the two have combined for a 1-1 record with a 5.64 ERA, nine saves and three blown saves. Both have missed time due to injury.

Papelbon will make $13 million for a Phillies team struggling to stay afloat. His performance has been affected accordingly, as he's appeared in only 13 games and had only five save opportunities. Still, the biggest knock on Papelbon has been his inability to pitch outside of save situations. This season, he currently has a 1.38 ERA over only 13 innings.

Hindsight is certainly 20/20. But in his short tenure in Boston, Ben Cherington has struggled to effectively find a pitcher who can assume ninth inning duties. Each pitcher who closes for John Farrell places more of an emphasis on a missed opportunity in old friend Jonathan Papelbon.

Now, with Hanrahan already facing the crossroads in potentially his only season in Boston, Cherington yet again must find a way to rectify a crumbling bullpen. And as the relievers come and go from Pawtucket and the waiver wire is scoured intently, Cherington must deal with the haunting idea that his solution left two winters ago.

Editors Note: Daniel Malone brings up a great point as well.

@mark_chiarelli And don't forget how they Joba'd Papelbon's heir apparent, Daniel Bard.

— Daniel Malone (@Daniel_Malone) May 9, 2013