Fische » Jarrett Stidham doesn’t have time to listen

FOXBOROUGH Foster Moreau Jersey , Mass. (AP) — alk about him being a possible successor for a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback.For the Patriots‘ rookie, every day of the team’s offseason program is simply another opportunity for self-improvement.“Every single day I wake up and I say, I’ve got to get better at something today,” said Stidham, the Patriots’ fourth-round draft pick, after Wednesday’s mandatory minicamp practice.“And as I go throughout my day, I try to take in everything as it comes and try to retain as much information as possible, and continue to get better.”The former Auburn QB was the 133rd selection in the April draft, and could be the eventual replacement for six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who will be 42 in August yet is showing no obvious signs of decline.Brady stayed away from voluntary workouts, but is present at the mandatory minicamp at Gillette Stadium, giving Stidham his first opportunity to work with him.“Obviously he’s a great player, a great person, and honestly, it’s just been great just to see him operate,” Stidham said. “He’s been doing it for so long, and obviously he has a lot of knowledge, so I’m just trying to sit back and watch how he works Joey Bosa Jersey , and soak in as much as possible.”For the second straight day, Stidham took all the snaps with the third-string offensive unit, which may already put him ahead of second-year veteran Danny Etling on the Patriots’ depth chart. But the journey has just started, with another organized team activity period to follow this minicamp, and training camp next in late July.“I’m just trying to get better,” Stidham said. “Every little facet of my game, whether it’s learning the offense, cleaning up mechanics, whatever it is, I’m just trying to improve each day and not take a step back.”Stidham’s football journey began as a youngster growing up in Richmond, Kentucky. One of his teammates from that peewee team is also an incoming rookie with the Patriots this year, running back Damien Harris of Alabama, a third-round draft pick.“Life comes full-circle,” said Stidham, who moved to Stephenville, Texas, as a teenager but maintained his friendship with Harris over the years. “Damien and I were lucky enough to both get drafted by the Patriots and now we’re both here, hanging out on the weekends like old times Tony Pollard Jersey , like we were 8 years old.”Enjoyable as it may be for Stidham to remember simpler times, his life is now one adjustment after another as he adapts to the demands of joining of one of the NFL’s most successful franchises.“I think you can tell the difference as soon as you get here for rookie minicamp,” Stidham said. “But now that I’ve been here for almost a month now, you really start to see the differences. You’ve got to take it and run with it, and there’s no shortcut to figuring it out. You’ve just got to continue to get after it each day.“Just being in the day-to-day operations of the Patriots and that sort of thing, the culture as a whole, you don’t really know what it’s like until you’re there,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a great organization and a lot of fun to be a part of.”
The Tampa Bay Rays finished the second-best homestand in their history, with a much easier path between now and the All-Star Game as they try to claw their way back into wild-card contention.

Tampa Bay (41-40) went 8-1 at Tropicana Field, finishing a grueling stretch of 16 games against the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals and going 10-6 in those games to rise back above .500.

Now the Rays have a stretch of 16 straight games against teams with losing records, including a three-game series at the Miami Marlins (34-51) starting Monday.

The Rays have dominated with their patchwork pitching staff, allowing a total of seven runs in their last six games, with five wins and a 1-0 loss. They took three of four from Houston to close out the homestand and hope to continue the success to take some positive momentum into the All-Star break.

“The fact that we have been winning and everyone has been coming together at clutch moments has been great,” said outfielder Mallex Smith, who had a late solo home run in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Houston. “We’ve been jelling as a team. We’ve been feeding off one another. It seems like someone new coming through at the right time every day.”

Next for Tampa Bay is Nathan Eovaldi (2-3, 4.08 ERA) Noah Fant Jersey , who played for the Marlins from 2012 to 2014 and will almost certainly fare better than his only career appearance against his former team. In June 2015, he played there with the Yankees and gave up nine hits and eight earned runs in less than an inning, leaving after two outs with a 108.00 ERA to show for it.

Eovaldi has shown promise since returning from Tommy John surgery — his last start against Washington lasted six innings and he gave up no runs, one and and two walks with nine strikeouts.

The Marlins will answer with Wei-Yin Chen, who knows the Rays from his days with the Baltimore Orioles. He has started 21 career games against Tampa Bay, more than any other opponent, and posted a 5-6 record with a 3.72 ERA.

That’s considerably better than his overall numbers this year — he’s 2-5 with a 6.14 ERA, though his last start was solid. He limited Arizona to one run and five hits in six innings last week. Against Tampa Bay last year, he pitched well, holding the Rays to two runs and two hits in six innings.

The in-state rivals will meet again right after the All-Star break for three more games, but the extended run against lesser opponents is something the Rays must dominate if they want to get back into wild-card contention.

Even after winning eight of nine games, Tampa Bay is still 11 games behind Seattle for the second AL wild card. Still, being 42-41 after opening the season 1-8 isn’t bad, especially considering the injuries they’ve dealt with and the talent traded away since the end of last season.