In Philadelphia, Matt Gelb noted for “the first time in eight years, the Phillies have added an alternate jersey.” The red jersey “will be worn six times in the regular season, all during mid-week afternoon games” and “will be worn with the standard white, pinstriped pants.” The team will “keep its cream-colored alternate jersey, which will be worn in all other home afternoon games.” The Phillies have “worn red in a regular-season game at least twice in their history.” The “last time” was for a Turn-Ahead-The-Clock promotion on Sept. 11, 1999 (PHILLY.com, 2/1).
SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM? In Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot reported a number of “highly respected personnel men at the Senior Bowl criticized the Browns' new top brass, which features three Harvard-educated men with little or no experience scouting college players.” It is “not the Ivy League credentials or the analytics bent that are bothering some longtime personnel men.” It is “the fact that the Browns have bypassed a chance to hire some of the best football minds in the NFL and instead have put non-traditional executives in charge of the roster” (CLEVELAND.com, 1/29).
MOVIN' ON UP: In Boston, Ben Volin noted the Patriots “have had more than their share of coaching/front office turnover.” While the perception is that the Patriots are “cleaning house after a disappointing end of the season,” the departures are “more a reflection of coaches reaching their ceiling inside the Patriots’ organization and having better growth opportunities elsewhere.” That “certainly applies” to former Scouting Dir Bob Quinn, who was named Lions GM “after working his way up the Patriots’ food chain for 16 years.” Quinn on Friday hired Kevin Anderson as Chief of Staff & Assistant to the GM after he “spent the last 10 years in the Patriots’ operations department" and five Dir of Player Development (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/31).
