No, You Shouldn't Feel Bad for Aaron Hernandez, But Don't Forget Who Enabled Him

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I must admit, I didn't know how to react yesterday when I learned that Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots and Florida Gators star turned convicted murderer, had hanged himself in his jail cell overnight.

While I don't think I've ever been happy to hear someone died, especially when they have taken their own life, I also couldn't summon any sympathy for Hernandez, a guy who, thanks to his immense athletic gifts, had the world at his fingertips.

Yet, for whatever reason, the 27-year old former All-American's temper and temperament led him to a life of aggressive crime, including a murder conviction in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd, and being tried with a 2012 double-homicide in Boston. Hernandez was, ultimately, found not guilty of those two murders earlier this week, but has also settled out of court with a former friend who accused Hernandez of shooting him in the face outside of a Miami strip club in 2013, and police are still looking into a 2007 Gainesville double-shooting that a young Hernandez may have been involved in.

In the coming days, we're going to hear all the theories as to why Hernandez threw it all away to become a violent criminal.

His father died when he was a teenager, causing him to resist authority at every turn. This is true. He fell in with the wrong crowd, both in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut, and on the roster of a late 2000s Florida Gator team that is looking dirtier by the day. Also true.

But guess what? Tons of athletes come from troubled backgrounds where they lost parents, or had parents walk out on them, and not all of them became murderers. You can look into every "troubled" part of his background but, at the end of the day, Hernandez was a murderous psychopath who seemed to respond to every bit of adversity with violence, just as he did in 2007 when he punched a bar employee in the face after being asked to leave.

It's okay to not feel bad for him. In fact, I'd say it's a perfectly human response.

Bob Lobel: Two Conns

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

This might be somewhat inappropriate but here goes- This is a Conn job of biblical proportions. 

One over the top winner and one over the top loser, and I'm tired of hearing about both of them, besides wondering how they got where they are today. The two cons are UConn and Aaron Hernandez. 

Bob Lobel: The Wasted Talent of Aaron Hernandez

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Murder One. That’s a pretty scary pair of words, especially if you’re the reason someone was convicted of it. 

We know what murder one became for the former Patriots' tight end. Maybe the use of two other words like tight end aren’t exactly appropriate for the trial and conviction of Aaron Hernandez. 

What do you think is the predominate feeling people have about this? I mean, he was a very big part of the professional football future around here. So does that selfishly leave us disappointed that he won't ever play again with Brady and Gronk?   

Do we feel like this idiot, this thug, this sociopath wasted everything he was given in talent by just being a stupid punk? I suppose all of that and more comes into play. 

Bob Lobel: Dealing With Sports Disappointments

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Folks that follow professional sports teams and identify their lives as good or bad depending on the success of those teams need therapy in a big way. 

The success or failure of these teams is too precocious to attach any real significance to their fate. I suppose in shrink speak this might be called  “insecurity attachment.” Like, we need some medical marijuana to pull us out of a losing streak, or at least take our mind and put it somewhere else. 

This is not a personal recommendation. 

Bob Lobel: The Value of Giving Over Getting

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Somewhere along the road of life, the season to be jolly changed dramatically. 

It has become the season to see how well we are able to deal with stress.  The “season of getting,” which we all embraced as children, and still secretly wish would magically return, has become the “season of giving.” Most of us are so ill prepared for this. The cycle of “guilt induced stress” is now driving the bus. 

Bob Lobel: Why We Deserve Teams Like This

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Everyone has favorite things to say worth repeating. 

There were favorite sayings I used during television sportscasts that were inserted just to keep Elizabeth Walker awake or mildly interested. Getting her to laugh was the ultimate goal. Things like “why can't we get players like that" became a staple of the sports presentation.

When Vinatieri was kicking field goals for the Patriots, the favorite phrase was “Adam and leave.” Now, a new one has appeared and would become a regular part of the show if I was still part of the action. I did tweet it Sunday evening and I just like it… Short and sweet! 

#Amen Dola. 

I think it’s a winner but it has got to be a regular. He has to stay on the field, obviously.  It’s the same thing for a couple of Red Sox in this fantasy year. 

The Red Sox of 2013 are a fantasy team that not many markets get to experience. This Sox squad can pretty much complete the cycle of rags to riches. Just winning another World Series would be fine but, probably boring in the end because we have been there and done that. 

But, we have not been there and done it... Like this.

Bob Lobel: Tim Tebow, Johnny Football and the Return of the NFL

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Sometime it isn’t clear what the letters "NCAA" stand for. 

No Class At All?  Perhaps. That self-important, self-indulgent collection of wanna-be FBI-ers really often does stupid things.  Even when the things they do define stupidity. Johnny Football and Texas A&M were very dumb doing the autograph thing, but the college athletic police were even dumber.  It is a broken system being run by people that are self perpetuating their own lack of common sense.  

What's even more ridiculous is everyone involved with them knows it, yet simultaneously doesn’t have a clue. 

Catching Up With Bob Lobel: Will This Aaron Hernandez Stuff Ever End?

On this week's podcast, legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel and host Joe Parello discuss the seemingly never-ending saga of Aaron Hernandez. What did the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick know? How many more murders will Hernandez be tied to in New England and/or Florida this week? And, how many times will Belichick tell the the prosecutor "it is what it is" if he's forced to testify?

That, plus more on the Sox' hunt for October, in this week's edition of Catching Up With Bob Lobel.

Popular Sports Internet Radio with RF Sports Radio on BlogTalkRadio

Bob Lobel: The Magic Numbers of Boston Sports

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Jake Peavy, where have you been all this time?  

There are plenty of us out there in fan world that truly believed there was no baseball player like you left on the planet. We spent so much time on the hate train dealing with the A-Rods and Carl Crawfords of the universe, that a performance like your last against the Dodgers in L.A. on Sunday was something to behold.

In fact, it was the best of six really very good starting pitching performances that should not go unnoticed.  Lester, Lackey, Doubront and Peavy were sensational, win or lose, on the six day west coast trip. Peavy, as I mentioned, was best.. A bulldog, in your face, try to hit me kind of job. 

Bob Lobel: Boston Sports a Welcome Distraction This Summer

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Boston sports always have a way of providing stuff to talk about. 

Ryan Dempster decided to do the honors this week, taking it upon himself, in incredibly selfish fashion, to give us all something to cling to. Of course, he threw at A-Rod. Of course, the fans at the park cheered. 

Blah , blah blah…

Bob Lobel: Can You Hear Me Now, Big Papi?

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Dear David Ortiz, 

I have a couple of observations you may not like to hear. Number one, you can now actually talk to phones, at least the smart ones. Or, if you prefer traditional dialing, simple finger pressure usually gets the job done. Excessive pressure, like that generated by a baseball bat, is counter productive.

Usually, that results in a wrong number. That number is preceded by a $ sign. The other issue resulting from texting while swinging is the party to whom you're trying to get attention from, aka the umpire! He will interpret your call as abusive and will report you to the other members of his craft. 

This, no doubt, will result in across the board retribution, meaning more balls will be strikes and so on and so forth. Part of the code of conduct at  Fenway includes telephone misuse. Fortunately for you this was in Baltimore, where there is no code of conduct. The whole sordid affair was exacerbated by the painful Amica pitch zone, which  apparently has its own area code (it happens to be a secret).

Has New England Lost Its "Patriot Way?"

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

With troubled cornerback Alfonzo Dennard's arrest on suspicion of DUI Thursday morning, the turd sandwich that has been New England's off-season just got mushier.

Everyone seems to be pretty surprised about the Patriots' off-field exploits this offseason. How could the New England Patriots, the NFL's model organization, be involved with an alleged killer like Aaron Hernandez or a man convicted of punching a police officer last year like Dennard?

All I've heard the past few days is, "this isn't the Patriot Way! How did they fall so far? Were they so desperate to win another title in Tom Brady's closing window that they souled their souls and drafted Hernadez in the 4th round (After numerous red flags) and Dennard in the 7th (While he was on trial for punching that police officer)?

Well, I would like to reassure all New England fans that the Patriot Way is alive and well, but I may have to break some bad news to them: It isn't what they think it is.

Gambling Your Way Through Sports Purgatory

Are you willing to gamble on bikini basketball?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Summer can be great.

The sun is out, I finally get to wear my neon yellow muscle shirt in public (You're welcome) and everyone just seems happier.

There's only one problem: We're stuck in American sports purgatory.

If you're a sports fan, you know exactly what I mean. The rest of the year we can pretty much count on at least two major sports leagues playing, with the promise of at least semi-significant games on the horizon. Think about October when you can choose between the NFL, college football, NBA and playoff baseball.

But this time of year, we've got one thing going on: Early season baseball. As a Marlins/Pirate fans, I don't need to tell you that baseball isn't worth watching until your team is in the playoff hunt come August. Jeez, we're even about to hit the All Star break, the most boring part of a boring season.

And this year matters are even worse, because the sports Gods haven't thrown us a World Cup or Summer Olympics to pretend we care about. What is a sports fan to do until college football kicks off on Labor Day weekend?

Well, don't worry, I've got you covered with a few gambling propositions that should get you through purgatory and into the promised land of fall sports.

Fantasy Gold Cup

I know this sounds like the name of a low-end gentlemen's club, but it's actually a game you can play involving U.S. Soccer in international competition. Normally I would advise against playing fantasy games with a sport that almost always ends 1-0, but did you see America blow out Belize 6-1?

"Coach Meyer Knows What it Takes to Win:" Urban's Legend at Florida

He won a pair of BCS Championships and coached the program's most revered star, but how will Gator fans remember Urban Meyer?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Since former University of Florida and New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was charged with murder, the less-than-disciplinarian management style of former Gator coach Urban Meyer has once again entered the public consciousness.

This isn't the first time Meyer has been called out for losing control of the Florida program. When current Gator coach Will Muschamp took over in Gainesville, he spoke repeatedly about a need to "change the culture," and fix the program. One of the first moves he made with that in mind was dismissing star cornerback Janoris Jenkins after the All American was arrested for possession of marijuana.

Amid a full-blown Meyer backlash, it is Jenkins' remarks from 2011 about being dismissed by Muschamp that have come to define Urban's off-field legacy at Florida.

"No doubt, if Coach Meyer were still coaching, I'd still be playing for the Gators," Jenkins told the Orlando Sentinel. "Coach Meyer knows what it takes to win."

Bob Lobel: A Red Sox Revival

By Bob Lobel

The unexpected but very appreciated Red Sox Revival has become a show…a reality show. 

Even though Andrew Miller is out for the season with ligament damage in his foot, the resurgence of the local 9 has been nothing short of miraculous. It’s almost impossible to do what they have done in less than a year. Think back to those dog days of last summer when a pack of dogs were impersonating the old towne team. 

Dogs, I say. 

The Safety Who Shall Not Be Named: The Curse of Bernard Pollard

Bernard Pollard, then a Chief, began his destruction of the New England Patriots in 2008 with this shot to Tom Brady's knee.

SuiteSports would like to welcome (back) Heidi Leach. Heidi used to write for us a bit more, but since she became a radio personality at 100.3 The Team in Myrtle Beach, she's been a little busy. Still, she took the time to write about New England's new most hated villain (and one of my favorite Boilermakers) Bernard Pollard. Enjoy- JP

By Heidi Leach  @heidileach

In New England there are a few names that stir up such hatred that loyal sports fans refuse to utter them. That Roger Clemens guy is on the list. But in recent years there is one name that not only spurs loathing, it also strikes fear into the hearts of Patriots fans. 

It’s the one and only Bernard Karmell Pollard. He is public enemy #1. Many say he is a curse. Maybe that's a little extreme,  but it is certainly hard to believe how much havoc one man has brought upon one team over the past 5 years.

Bob Lobel: The Stupidity of Aaron Hernandez

By Bob Lobel

Who among us saw this coming in our horoscope?  No Stanley Cup, athlete turned alleged killer leading to a tight end crisis, the Red Sox winning in a regular and feel good way, and Naoko Funayama not being renewed in her contract with NESN.

Yes, we have had to deal with a lot of the unexpected in very short period of time, but was it necessary to dump Naoko?  I thought she did a terrific job with a nice smile, a lot of personality and a lot of knowledge about hockey during breaks and before and after games. A nice touch for sure. 

The NFL's All-Prison Team

Who will join O.J. on our All-Prison team?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Ok, I know you've all been thinking it, so don't make me the bad guy for actually putting this list together. The moment Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was taken into custody, Facebook and Twitter were ablaze with "Longest Yard 2 starring Hernandez" jokes, and everybody was talking about an All Star team you could make with players that have been to jail.

The first thing that came to my mind was, "Hernandez can't actually be the best tight end to ever go to prison, right?" Well, I did some research, and it turns out he's up there. So, without further ado, here is my All-Prison Team, comprised of NFL players that have served jail time at some point in their lives (Note that I didn't say convicted).

Catching Up With Bob Lobel: Hernandez a "Punk" and Doc Rivers "Sleazy"

Join legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel and host Joe Parello as they discuss the biggest sports stories of the day and some of the most memorable moments in New England sports history. This week, Lobel calls out Doc Rivers on his "sleazy" move to get out of Boston with a Celtics rebuilding job looming, and comments on Aaron Hernandez' arrest.

Also, where does the Bruins' heart-breaking loss in game six of the Stanley Cup finals rank among the all time Boston sports disappointments? All that, and more, on this week's episode of "Catching Up With Bob Lobel."

Listen in below.

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Bob Lobel: Not a Bang But a Whimper

By Bob Lobel

In hockey you can always count on the least probable thing happening. 

It is now one thing Toronto fans and Bruin fans have in common. Although I suppose it is possible all those Maple Leaf fans are still standing outside their arena waiting for something good to happen, whatever that might be. 

If misery loves company in hockey world, I’m missing the point. It's not the fall that hurts so much, it's the sudden stop at the bottom. An, old line, but it seems to feel right here. It all happened so quickly that sometimes the way you lose is better or worse than others.