By BUNKY McCOY

• What’s next for Cam Newton?
For starters, how about a jab of Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson?
Yes, the numbers say that Mac Jones had a better preseason than Newton. Bill Belichick can
deny it until he’s blue in the face, yet you can’t tell me that Newton’s vaccination status didn’t play
a factor in New England’s decision to move on from him.

The question is, where does Newton go from here? Protocols state there’s a process he must
adhere to before landing on another NFL roster. In other words, it might be a while before we
hear Newton’s name associated with a team.

• With Newton off the grid, things now get real for Jones. Last time I checked there is no Ole Miss or Vanderbilt on the schedule.

• Speaking of the new QB, good luck getting your hands on a Patriots jersey with No. 10 on it.

• Rest assured that Belichick’s press conference where he talked about vaccinations won’t go
down as his finest hour.

Bill’s statement this morning was inaccurate. According to NFL Chief medical officer Allen Sills said in an August study that unvaccinated players tested positive at a rate of 7 times higher than Vaccinated players.
More at 5 on @NBC10
#patriots
pic.twitter.com/R0Kg2Vhm6D

— Joe Kayata (@Joe_Kayata) September 1, 2021

• There haven’t been many bright spots for the struggling – and sickly – Red Sox lately, but
Chris Sale qualifies as one of them. The lefty is now 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA since returning to the
rotation following his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

• QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Who are the top five all-time 3-point shooters in NBA history? (Answer
near the bottom of the column.)

• The City of Boston has reinstated its indoor mask mandate. I’m sure that’ll be a hit at Fenway
Park, particularly while waiting in line for the bathroom.

• Walking on eggshells. That’s what the Red Sox are doing these days after their roster got ravaged by COVD-19.

• What is up with the New York Mets front office? First, Jared Potter gets fired after following
revelations he sent sexually explicit text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016
while working for the Chicago Cubs. This week, acting GM Zack Scott gets arrested on charges

of driving while intoxicated, hours after attending a fundraiser at team owner Steve Cohen’s
house.

• How’s this for a work schedule? The Dodgers’ down-the-stretch plan for the oft-injured
Mookie Betts includes three straight games before giving him a day off.

• This might be new territory for Betts, but for the General Assembly, it’s nothing more than
business per usual.

• No question, men’s tennis needs a big-time American star in the worst way.

• The ongoing feud between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau is the gift that keeps on
giving. It’s now reached the point where DeChambeau can’t walk down the fairway without
someone yelling “Brooksie” at him.

• Yes, preparing for the always-informative KevinMcSports Hour takes priority, yet would it
have killed ole KMc to show up at Warwick Country Club in support of two of his
WPRO teammates at this week’s RIGA Senior Amateur? Thinking along the lines of Arnie’s
Army, KMac could have been part of Yorke’s Arms (in honor of Dan Yorke) and Hassett’s
Hounds (in tribute to Joe Hassett, who finished tied for fourth overall and tied for first in the
Super Seniors division).

• Did you see where the UConn football team opened the season with a 45-0 loss to Fresno
State? This is the same Connecticut sports program that once believed football, and not hoops, would be its ticket away from the Big East.

• LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Belichick when asked if releasing Newton was in the best
interest of the team: “That’s our decision, and we’ve had weeks of meetings on all players, so
it’d be impossible to rehash everything that happened at that position or any other position,
but ultimately there’s a lot of factors that are involved, and we made our decisions.”
Translation: Don’t expect Bill to peel back the curtain.

• Congrats to Bill Reynolds as the former Providence Journal sports columnist and popular
author is being inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 23 at
the Crowne Plaza. That begs the question: how many HOFs has my Uncle Bunky been enshrined in?

• If you feel Rhode Island was cheated out of its summer, rest assured you’re not alone.

• A newspaper that reflects the community it serves? I’ll settle for one that doesn’t print two-
day-old Red Sox game stories.

• Storm season – whether we’re talking hurricanes or blizzards – means one thing: Run to your
nearest supermarket ASAP.

• Sports Illustrated – the magazine version, anyway – predicts the Patriots will finish 11-6 and
lose to the Chiefs in the AFC divisional round. Of course, this declaration was made before Cam
Newton was cut.

• The next big thing on the R.I. basketball scene? They don’t get much bigger than Pawtucket
native Isaiah Miranda, who stands 7-foot-1 and this week checked in at No. 36 on the ESPN 60
for the Class of 2023. Miranda is prepping at Springfield Commonwealth Academy. We only wish he stayed home and played at Tolman.

• The new Rhode Island hell? My choice is the ongoing construction between Route 6 and
Route 10.

• I’ll take an NFL preseason that only features three games.

• Sticking with the preseason and who the Patriots played this past Sunday, you have to be of a
certain age to remember when the New York Giants were considered R.I.’s football team.
Where have you gone Y.A. Tittle and Frank Gifford?

• QUIZ ANSWER: Ray Allen with 2,973 3-pointers followed by Stephen Curry (2,773), Reggie
Miller (2,560), Kyle Korver (2,450), and James Harden (2,441).

• Remember when daytime soap operas qualified as must-see TV?

• Memo to Mac Jones: You don’t need to be the second coming of Tom Brady in order for the
Patriots to win. Limiting mistakes and listening to Bill/Josh will get you wins.