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Sounds of silence Patriots' Bledsoe earned a roaring send-offPosted: Wednesday February 06, 2002 3:56 PM
Drew Bledsoe didn't show up for the New England Patriots' grand ride through the streets of Boston with the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Tuesday, and that's a shame. He would have been cheered as loud as anyone by the frostbitten crowd, estimated at more than 1,250,000 people. Probably louder. Bledsoe might have done the most amazing thing of all the amazing things any of these Pats did in their nowhere-to-somewhere climb to a world championship: he just shut up. As the one superstar on a roster of nobodies and neverbeens, he could have called foul a million times after he was injured in the second game of the year and kept on the bench when he returned, healthy, ready to go. He could have called news conferences and whined. He could have had his agent arriving in a flash, doling out threats and innuendoes. He could have sunk the Good Ship Lollipop easily, everyone taking sides. This is the year 2002 and that is how superstars act. Me, my, mine. Guys in the NBA throw towels at their coaches just for being pulled out of a game. Baseball stars ... the list is too long. Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox complains about the locker room, just for starters. Bledsoe simply kept quiet. He admitted that he walked the dog with friends and family, let his emotions fly, but in public he said nothing. He took the ride. He came in when needed in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, did what was needed, then went back to the bench. Good for him. He should have heard the cheers on his way out the door. He earned them as much as anybody. Leigh Montville's commentaries appear regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer..
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