The Boston Globe - 31.08.2019

(Joyce) #1
By Julian Benbow
GLOBE STAFF
This year, there is no magic num-
ber. No quest for nine — or even eight
— wins.
Seven has been the ceiling for the
Boston College football team under
coach Steve Addazio. Through a cer-
tain lens, stringing together five seven-
win seasons in six years and going to
five bowl games shows the stability the
program lacked before Addazio
arrived in 2012.
Then again, capping out at seven so
many times can be frustrating, espe-
cially after the painfully freak fashion
in which the Eagles’ season ended a
year ago. They watched helplessly as a
lightning storm canceled the First Re-
sponders Bowl last December and
snatched their chance at winning eight
games for the first time in a decade.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is
still a gauntlet, and the Eagles will be
tested immediately Saturday with
their season opener against Virginia
Tech at Alumni Stadium.
Here are a few things to watch:
RA.J. Dillon reframes his goals
The checklist that the running back
kept above his bed as a freshman is
still there, but his goals going into his
junior season are different. Dillon
burst through the curtain as a fresh-
man in 2017, smashing records and
establishing himself as one of the pre-

mier running backs in the ACC.
The expectations couldn’t have
been higher last season. He was voted
the conference’s Preseason Player of
the Year and set his sights on shatter-
ing even more marks. But five games
into the season, he suffered a left ankle
injury that forced him to miss two
games, limited his explosiveness for
the rest of the season, and put those
goals out of reach.
Even in a down year, Dillon rushed
for 1,108 yards and 10 touchdowns,
giving him 2,697 yards and 24 TDs,
leaving him 1,043 yards and 11 touch-
downs shy of becoming BC’s record-
holder in both categories.
But his focus, in what will likely be
his final season at the Heights, goes be-
yond numbers.
“My goals have changed a little bit,
BC FOOTBALL, Page 7

Sports


THE BOSTON GLOBE SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2019


Tennis
US Open,
11 a.m.-7 p.m., ESPN
College football
Virginia Tech-BC,
4 p.m., ACC
Baseball
Red Sox-Angels,
9:07 p.m., NESN

Highlights


Troubling study
Former NFL players report
cognitive issues; link seen in
longer careers.A

Report released
Fentanyl, oxycodone in Skaggs
system led to an accidental
overdose by Angels’ pitcher.C

ALSO TODAY


ANAHEIM, Calif. — Chris-
tian Vazquez arrived at Angel
Stadium on Friday with 19
home runs, 58 RBIs, and an
.807 OPS, which doesn’t seem
all that impressive until you
consider he’s a catcher.
Then it becomes eye-pop-
ping.
The only other catchers in
the majors to hit those marks
this season are Yasmani Gran-
dal (Brewers), J.T. Realmuto
(Phillies), and Gary Sanchez
(Yankees). All three were All-
Stars.


Therehavebeenonly 10
seasons in Sox history when a
player who was primarily a
catcher had at least 20 home
runs and 60 RBIs. The last was
Victor Martinez in 2010.
Carlton Fisk did it four
times and Jason Varitek three.
The 29-year-old Vazquez is
about to be in some good com-
pany.
There are technical reasons
for his improvement. His bal-
ance is better at the plate and
he’s cut down on his move-
ON BASEBALL, Page 4

By Alex Speier
GLOBE STAFF
ANAHEIM, Calif. — In at
least one respect, Andrew Ben-
intendi can view the 2019 sea-
son as having been one of sig-
nificant progress.
The 25-year-old outfielder
returned to the Red Sox lineup
on Friday after sitting out three
games with tightness on his left
side. That the Sox wanted to get
him back in the lineup is not a
surprise. That they wanted to
do so with a lefty Jose Suarez on
the mound, however, suggests a
change in the outfielder’s tra-
jectory. (Lefties entered Friday’s
game with a .203 average
against Suarez, compared with
a .352 mark against righties.)

At times over his first three
seasons, Benintendi was a can-
didate to be platooned against
lefties, hitting .234/.310/.
against them. But his profile
has changed. Benintendi en-
tered Friday with solid marks of
.278/.363/.452 against south-
paws.
Benintendi credits two ele-
ments for his improvement.
The first is an alteration to his
stance against them, which has
kept him from spinning off the
ball too early. Secondly, he be-
lieves that the exposure to left-
ies — even through past strug-
RED SOX, Page 4

VIRGINIA TECH VS. BC
Saturday,4p.m.,ACCNetwork

Tight ends will drive BC football


JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF

BC, which opens Saturday vs. Virginia Tech, should have a varied and
potent attack on offense, but the defense is on the inexperienced side.


Cutsbothways


By Nora Princiotti
GLOBE STAFF
As the Patriots began the
work of trimming their roster
to 53 players, the team made a
pair of trades Friday.
New England traded corner-
back Duke Dawson to the Den-
ver Broncos, a league source
confirmed, and acquired center
Russell Bodine from the Bills in
araretradewithanAFCEast
rival.
The Patriots will receive a
sixth-round draft pick in 2020
from the Broncos in exchange
for Dawson and a seventh
rounder, according to the
league’s transaction wire. The
Patriots drafted Dawson out of
Florida in the second round in


  1. Dawson began last sea-
    son on injured reserve with a
    hamstring injury. He was acti-
    vated in November, but never
    played a snap.
    Cornerback is one of the Pat-
    riots’ deepest positions and it
    seemed as if Dawson was on the
    outside looking in. Dawson
    played late into Thursday’s 31-
    29 home loss to the Giants,
    PATRIOTS, Page 2


Patriots


ship off


Dawson


Line bolstered


before more cuts


NAMERECOGNITION


Serena Williams (above)
delivered a convincing
straight-sets victory over
Karolina Muchova on
Friday; Roger Federer (left)
was at his absolute best in
a three-set whitewash of
Dan Evans, which included
a 48-7 edge in winners for
Federer; and Madison Keys
(right) knocked off Sofia
Kenin in an all-American
matchup under the lights
at the US Open.Coverage,
Page 2

Despitehisearlierstruggles,


Benintendileftfeelingbetter


PeterAbraham


ON BASEBALL

Pride,love,andwork


gotVazquezinswing


KENA BETANCUR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

KENA BETANCUR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES CLIVE BRUNSKILL/GETTY IMAGES

MARK J. TERRILL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
J.D. Martinez rounds third base on his two-run homer — to
the chagrin of Angels pitcher Jose Suarez — in the third.

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