In Boston, Nora Princiotti writes under the header, "Patriot Players Not Eager To Jump Into Alex Guerrero Fray." One unnamed Patriots player said that the reported rift between coach Bill Belichick and Guerrero, who is Tom Brady's trainer, "hasn’t made big waves within the team." When asked if he had been treated by Guerrero, Patriots S Devin McCourty said, “Yeah, I have, but the rest of that is above my paygrade. I have no idea about any of that” (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/21).
ON THE UP & UP: The AP's Brian Mahoney writes the "once misguided" Knicks "seem to have a plan." The franchise "has the look of a professional NBA organization" under new President Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry -- and "that's not just on the court." Mills and Perry "want the Knicks to develop the traits of a model franchise, not the model of dysfunction that they had come to be their identity." Mahoney notes the Knicks are 16-14, which is "not bad for a team that parted ways with its team president on the eve of free agency and then traded its leading scorer on the eve of training camp" (AP, 12/21).
GONE TOO SOON: The Rays yesterday traded 3B Evan Longoria to the Giants, and SI.com's Jon Tayler noted the loss of Longoria has to be "crushing for those who watched him take the team to unforeseeable heights and likely hoped he’d retire a Ray." But what is "worse for those supporters is that his departure is a flashing neon sign that the Rays, long the pipsqueak financially in the behemoth AL East, are planning to take a step back in the division" (SI.com, 12/20).
