Dear Big Papi,

Bleacher Report: Elsa/Getty

Big Papi, The Large Father, David Ortiz.

One of Boston's greatest. One of baseball's greatest.

Thank you for being our guy for all these years. Thank you for being the clutch of all clutch players. Thank you for being a face that Boston and all your fans will forever admire. As you get ready to play your final game against our forever rival, the New York Yankees, I find myself getting sentimental for all the baseball joy you've brought to your fans and how much we'll all miss you on the field.

For The First Time In 86 Years: "Can You Believe It?"

I was born into the fandom of Boston sports. I have never lived in Boston, or New England for that matter, but I was raised by two Massachusetts natives (praise the Lord for that). I grew up knowing that all things Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins were worthy of cheering, yelling, and celebrating. I knew that the Yankees were to be hated and that their fans weren't to be tolerated at any cost.

my dad and I rocking the Brady and Bruschi jerseys back in the day

Super Bowl XLIX: Rewind and Recap

As NFL playoffs are officially underway again and Super Bowl L approaches, I have found myself thinking back to the emotional roller coaster that I experienced as a die hard Pats fan last year during Super Bowl XLIX, as the New England Patriots took on the Seattle Seahawks in AZ. Actually, to be completely honest, I think about that day often (LOL)…ahhh, pure bliss. Let's recap. Want to?

With a 7-7 tied game and less than 2 minutes left on the clock before the half, Tom Brady connects a beautiful pass to Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown and it called for a huge sigh of relief as we prepared to reach halftime with a 7 point lead.

Unbelievably frustrating that the Seahawks answered that play and moved the ball down to the 11 yard line on the next drive with a finishing completed pass from Russell Wilson to Chris Matthews, putting another Seahawks touchdown on the board before halftime.

Deflategate Absurdity

Innocent until proven guilty? Not a relevant phrase in the world of NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell.  Yesterday, the public was finally given a decision from Goodell on Tom Brady's appeal of the 4 game suspension he was given this past May. This punishment was handed down to Brady personally, along with a $1 million fine and the loss of two future draft picks on the New England Patriots team. These punishments came as a result of the highly insubstantial Wells Report. All of this comes back to the AFC championship game vs the Colts, which by the way, the Patriots won 45-7.  Next thing you know, the Patriots were being accused of deflating footballs.  There is so much wrong with the entire "Deflategate" situation and the handling of it by the league.  I could go on and on about each flawed basis of the circumstances but to keep things short and sweet, I'll stay focused on four key points that I feel the need to address, especially for those that talk, talk, talk, without any knowledge of the actual situation.

1.  Where is the evidence?

Four time super bowl champion, Tom Brady, is being blamed for and accused of having knowledge of purposeful deflation of the footballs used in the Patriots' AFC championship game vs the Indianapolis Colts this past season.  This blame is being assigned to one of the NFL's greatest ever with no hard evidence. What is the basis of the accusatory claims toward Tom Brady? The answer is speculation and the Wells report which, if we are being honest with ourselves, is simply more speculation. The report stated that it was "more probable than not" that Tom Brady was "generally aware" of football deflation having taken place.  The laughable qualities of that claim are so strong. The ridiculousness of the penalties being put on Tom Brady and the Pats based on these empty accusations is so over the top and extremely nonsensical.

Maintaining the Dynasty

Let me start by saying that I am a die hard Pats fan, born and raised.  Super Bowl XLIX saw near tears, shouting, cheering, and jumping around the living room at my household and it feels so good to, once again, be Super Bowl champions.

With their Super Bowl XLIX win under belt, the New England Patriots have entered an undeniable territory of revered status as one of the greatest NFL teams of all time.  It is no secret that the vast majority of this success has come under head coach, Bill Belichick and 3-time Super Bowl MVP and 4-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, Tom Brady.  This dynamic duo is indisputably one of the greatest pairings to ever set foot in the NFL.  In fact, I would dare to say that these two are THE greatest—individually and as a pair.  Through intelligence, strategy, and an exceptional attention to detail, Belichick and Brady have gone 4-2 in the Super Bowl within the last 15 years.  What a record.  It is through this success that many football fans have made the decision that the New England Patriots have earned the right to be called a dynasty within this league.  The question that comes to many at this time is this:  How long can such greatness be maintained?