Are politics keeping Patriots owner Robert Kraft out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Thinking out loud…while wondering if the best things in life are still free – plus shipping and handling…

∎Politics stink.

∎Or rather, politics in sports stink. How else do you explain Robert Kraft’s snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame again this year, when upstanding, right-minded, wheeler-dealer Jerry Jones is in?

∎Said with tongue firmly-in-cheek, of course. But this is no regional homerism here. Jones belongs, but Kraft can make a case without Jones’ inclusion. Gotta think Mr. Kraft still has work to do in the PR department before he finally conquers Canton, Ohio.

∎Either that, or the anti-Patriot bias is a lot stronger through the NFL than we realize. This is what winning, no… dominating… brings. Add the cheating allegations through the years and there you have it.

∎Said this a week ago and believe it more today. Zeke in New England is good, really good, for the Patriots.

∎Ezekiel Elliott is one of the best in the NFL in pass protection, which this team needs in the worst way. He can still score in short yardage situations, or get you a first down, which this team needs in the worst way.

∎And he likely has a boulder-sized chip on his shoulder with an incentive-filled contract, so when he plays, he’ll play to succeed. That’s a Bill Belichick three-for-one deal right there… and this team needs in the worst way.

∎The odd part here, however, is you might see him more often on first or second downs as a ‘backup’ rather than the Pats’ defacto #1 back, Rhamondre Stevenson. Why?

∎Stevenson can catch it, run with it, and is better in open field opportunities. Which again, this team needs in the worst way.

∎Either way, it’s a good step forward in the weaponry department for Mac Jones and the New England offense.

∎That being said, the Houston preseason game was an utter disaster, wasn’t it?

∎The offensive line was just that — offensive. Perhaps the Patriots, when healthy, have the starters to get the job done. But the depth isn’t (yet) professional caliber.

∎Malik Cunningham IS professional caliber, just sayin’. This team should/will find a spot for him. His versatility and playmaking ability is rare in football.

More: Mac Jones praises new offensive coaches ahead of preseason opener

∎But we have seen similar performances in Foxboro’s past, haven’t we? Anyone remember Michael Bishop?

∎URI’s Rams released their 13-game non-league schedule this week, featuring eight home games (Brown and Yale), road games at PC (Dec. 2), at Charleston and ‘neutral’ games at Mohegan Sun with Northwestern and either Mississippi State or Washington State.

∎There is a challenge there. And a chance to open some eyes before Atlantic-10 play begins.

∎Los Friars esperan grandes cosas en Espana. But don’t get your hopes up too high – this is very much a ‘get to know ya’ trip.

∎But based on the few practice sessions the team has had leading up to their 10-day, three-game tour, expect them to get up and down the floor, shoot threes and defend like crazy. The young(er) guys will play…a lot.

∎Did you see where former Friar David Duke is giving back to his community? Charity hoops. A golf tournament. Very much a family effort behind the effort and a welcome sight among several area athletes hoping to make a difference at home.

∎Not for nuthin,’ Duke is still looking for a full-time spot and contract next season. If character means anything, teams should be lining up for his services.

∎An NBA in-season tourney? Before the regular season gets going? Nope. I get why the league wants to generate the interest early in the year…because pro basketball before Christmas is as boring as dry toast.

∎Not enough peanut-butter-and-jam to go around for me that early in the year. See you after Jan. 1st.

∎Doris Burke’s move up the ESPN ladder is official. She’ll become the first female to call a major men’s championship on TV in the US. Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are out. Doris will call the NBA with Mike Breen, Doc Rivers and Lisa Salters.

∎Ride or die? Doris will be fine – better than fine. But maybe for ESPN.

∎Seems to me there’s much more to the story surrounding Michael Oher being “blindsided” by his presumed adoptive family. We know the story we want to believe…like the one told in the movie.

∎But the real-life version? Real life, as we know, is often way too messy for most people to understand or even comprehend.

∎I sense a family in deep denial, somewhere, surrounding this very public tete-a-tete. And that certainly includes Oher, too.

∎As the College World Turns: This week, the Pac-12 (now the Pac-4) remains alive by the skin of its teeth, after the four remaining schools hired former West Virginia AD and XFL commissioner Oliver Luck as a consultant.

∎The latest has the Pac leftovers considering a merger with the American Athletic Conference (yup, the ‘old’ Big East) and/or the Mountain West.

∎Oh yeah. Bryant football is leaving the Big South and joined the Coastal Athletic Association, which used to be the Colonial Athletic Association, which is where URI football plays. Yes, Rhody and Bryant are now conference football buddies, after this season.

∎David Krejci, who wore both a spoked “P” and spoked “B” during his hockey career, followed Patrice Bergeron into offseason retirement this past week to the surprise of few. End of an era?

∎Brad Marchand is the only one left from the 2010-11 Stanley Cup champs. And at last check, he has two years left on his current deal before the “era” has truly finished its run.

∎The question remains – does that run need to end now, for the future to fully unfold?

∎My buddy “Big E” sez he’s never needed a third base coach to wave him home.

∎Now it appears the Milwaukee Brewers are considering relocation to get what they deem as necessary improvements for their ballpark. Perhaps, but having been in that stadium plenty, what else do you need besides beer and brats?

∎Plenty, apparently. The Wisconsin governor is suggesting a $290 million taxpayer-funded package to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee.

∎Meanwhile, MLB just watches… and salivates. They win if the Brewers win. They win if the Brewers move – to Charlotte or Nashville. The loyal fans lose.

∎Yes, the Yankees stink right now. But for the Red Sox to make any headway toward challenging for a (cough, cough!) playoff spot, they’ll need the Yankees to stink at least through this weekend.

∎After that, it’s the Dodgers and Astros and their AL East brethren, largely, before facing Texas. Go ahead, allow yourself to dream. I’ll be dreaming about a front office that gives a **** about winning again and remembers they’re in Boston – not Tampa.

∎Rhode Island’s Little League World Series history – bolstered again this year by Smithfield’s Little League state and regional champs – is remarkable. Twelve RI teams have reached Williamsport, Pa., through the years, starting with Westerly in 1950.

∎That’s second-most among New England states, behind Connecticut. Ironic, too, that RI is no longer in the New England region… moving to (and winning) the Metro region this year and beating New York’s champ.

∎Even Little League is having realignment issues that don’t make sense.

∎Westerly, Pawtucket, Cranston, Lincoln, Cumberland, Warwick, Coventry, Barrington and now Smithfield are the Rhody towns repped in the LLWS. Having coached in Little League with my sons years ago, it’s easy to sense the pride other players and coaches have held for Rhode Island baseball through the years.

∎Cranston Western has the lone US Championship, won in 1996, losing the world title to Taiwan. If you are so inclined to assist this years’ entry, a fundraising page has been set up through PayPal.

∎Phil Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion? And lost nearly $100 million? And he allegedly attempted to bet on Team USA in the Ryder Cup?

∎Mickelson denies the Ryder Cup wager. But since joining LIV Golf, it’s hard to argue he’s the same likeable Phil who was once the best golfer to never win a major.

∎He’s not any longer. He’s won his six majors, and 45 total events on the PGA Tour. He’s also now just another golfer with a gambling Jones, for sure.

∎Tim emailed this week on the college conference mess across the country: “College football at the D-1 level is committing suicide. The scramble for dollars is killing conferences, and the loyalty of many fans. And, as you indicate, the presidents and boards of trustees of universities and colleges that support this scramble are leading their institutions into a very dark future.”

∎Sadly Tim, this is an issue that won’t be addressed until the dollars dry up from the TV networks. But will they? Drug dealers never seem to run out of drugs, do they?

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Patriots owner Robert Kraft denied Hall of Fame entry, again