Keith Hayes got his love for writing in the 6th grade where he began writing sci-fi stories for classmates and friends, while continuing to write over the years as a personal hobby.
In 1991 after purchasing WebTV, he caught the Internet bug and began writing on various message boards and newsgroups under the pseudonym Mista Sinista. His posts became popular as he covered movie reviews, the New England Patriots, WCW and WWE (formerly WWF) wrestling. Just do a Google search for Mista Sinista or Sinista1 under groups, and you'll discover enough material to read for months.
As his debating talents developed online, he became vocal in his local newspaper, the Enterprise. He began submitting Letters to the Editor, and most of his pieces were printed on a regular basis. He also had similar success with his letters to the early years of Patriots Football Weekly. After generating some buzz and catching the eyes of readers, Keith was contacted to write for wrestling web site Wrestlenutz.com. He was then later contacted to write for a New England Patriots fan website PatriotsFootball.com, which is now known as PatsFans.com.
When covering the Pats, Keith kept his Mista Sinista attitude and reviewed the games with his "tell it like it is" style. The Patriots experience soon took off, and allowed him to meet various players, travel to a Pro Bowl in Hawaii, a Super Bowl in New Orleans, several away games in the Meadowlands, and some great games in Foxboro, where he has been a season ticket holder since 1990.
Today, he covers the New England Patriots for eSports and as a 12th Man correspondent for PatsFans.com. You can read his political and local debates on his hometown site Brockton Forums. But for a real treat, you can also see the twisted side on his moniker web site Sinista1.com, where he has some great spoofs like "Barbie and Ken's True Hollywood Story," and "Celebrity Survivor."
Most recently, Keith has become a co-host on two hit radio shows at WXBR 1460 AM in Brockton (formerly WBET). On Fridays, Keith can be heard during the "On the Mark PI Show," with his host Private Investigator Mark Chauppetta, who has his own reality television show in negotiations, and a role in the upcoming horror film Frightworld where he plays an FBI Agent hunting a serial killer who has killed his wife.
Keith is now following in his host’s footsteps after scoring a part in Walt Disney's upcoming movie "The Game Plan," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. In the movie, Keith plays a football player on QB Joe Kingman’s (Dwayne's character) Boston Rebels rival team the New York Dukes. Also joining Keith on the show is defense attorney Ken Diesenhof, and Brockton Police Officer Frank "Czman".
On Saturdays, Keith can be heard during "Krashing Into the Bigfield/The Lock Up" from noon to 4 p.m. talking sports with Enterprise writer Kevin Tocci, and aspiring actor Tom Mariano, cousin to "Boston Rob" of "Survivor/Amazing Race" fame. The show also features guests Matt Futrell, Peter Czymbor, Dennis Harris, and is produced by former Indie wrestler Mike Pavia. The South Shore Sports Show is growing, as the first two hours cover sports (professional and local), while the second two hours cover the best talk in professional and Indie wrestling.
Every so often, a loss leaves a really bad taste in your mouth, and makes you just want to scream at the top of your lungs when you realize that this team shot themselves in the foot several times. What makes it worse is that they were given ample chances by the opposing team to get the job done and they couldn't.
Sunday night at Gillette, the Indianapolis Colts defeated the New England Patriots 27-20, took a two game lead in the AFC and remained undefeated in a game they where 1:18 away from going into overtime.
First off, I must give props to the Colts defense for coming into hostile territory and laying it out there. Second, WR Marvin Harrison (8 for 145 and 2 TD's) proved yet again why he may be the best in the game with two incredible receptions last night.
As for QB Peyton Manning (20 of 36 326 yds, 2 TD's, 1 INT), who I've been very verbal about over the years... Props to him, because the pass to Harrison while being pressured on 3rd & 15 was a gritty play. He did have one play that was almost costly and that was the pick he threw to DB Chad Scott (1T, 1A, 1S) after getting sacked. Payton was visibly shaken, and should have called a run play to give himself time to recover. Instead, he goes with a pass play on 2nd and 17 from the Pats 30.
The Colts also had several false starts, plus K Adam Vinatieri's (2 for 4) missed FG's from 46 & 37 yards, which the Pats couldn't capitalize on.
Now let's get onto analyzing this debacle...
How does an NFL officiating crew make so many errors in such a big game? I'm not going to come out here and blame this loss on the refs, but when you have refs arguing on the field amongst each other, as they were just before the half to the point where the head ref has to come over and tell the two who were arguing to take it inside, then there is a problem. Hopefully, they were reprimanded, as these two continued their heated discussion into the locker area.
This was a poorly officiated game on both sides of the ball, and it has been the case since last year's Super Bowl. When is the league going to do something?
The penalty on WR Troy Brown (5 for 37) was BS, as was the one on OLB Rosie Colvin (4T, 1A, 1.5S). Brown is a class guy, and was tossing the ball to sideline ref as the Colts player walked between the toss. The action was in no way taunting, and if this ref who threw the flag knew Brown and the type of veteran he is, then he would have known this wasn't a case of taunting.
Colvin was a called for a personal foul for a touch, but the whistle had yet to blown. In the new rule, the players are instructed to play through until a whistle is blown, which is what was going on, and that was the reason why he was pleading his case so aggressively. This isn't the first time we had whistle issues. Since the argument amongst the refs I witnessed was an issue where it should have been blown in the end zone and it wasn't.
As for my thoughts on the Pats, I want to start off with the coaching...
I'm so glad Bill Belichick stepped up during his press conference and admitted bad coaching was involved, because this loss falls on his shoulders first and foremost. How do you come into a game against the worst run defense in the league, and go away from the running game when it was working.
What angers me more is that the previous week you went up against one of the best run defenses (Minnesota) and exposed their well known weak pass defense. That plan worked, and worked well.
The following week you have the worst run defense (Indy) in the league, so why don't you apply the same strategy and run the ball till their defense collapses so you can hit them with the passing game?
It seems to me Belichick his staff and possibly Tom Brady (20 of 35, 201 yds, 4 INT) felt they had to go toe-toe with this team in scoring and the passing game, which is not Patriots football and very uncharacteristic. The Pats usually play to a team's weakness till they overexpose it, and then they put their game plan in order.
On Sunday night, the Pats coached and played the game as if it was under a sense of urgency that was not needed and it cost them dearly.
Case and point...
Mistake 1: On the first drive, the Pats converted for first 4 times, with a combined rushing attack of 5 plays, eating up 39 yards and two pass plays for 24 yards. Faced with 1st and 10 on the Colts 34 yard line, Brady decided to force a pass into the corner of the end zone to a double covered WR Doug Gabriel (2 for 45), which resulted in the first of four interceptions. Why do you force this pass on your opening drive when you have exposed their weakness on the very first drive? Again... Why this sense of urgency to score when the Pats are usually about controlling the game?
Mistake 2: On the Colts first drive, faced with 3rd & 10, the Colts commit a false start and now set themselves back with 3rd & 15. The Pats secondary repeat the same mistake the Denver Broncos did the week before, and allow WR Marvin Harrison (8 for 145 yds, 2 TD's) to slice across the middle of the field untouched to pull down an amazing 44 yard reception. A play in which they also lost their SS Rodney Harrison to injury. If the man assigned to Marvin makes contact, and plays physical with him within the five yards from scrimmage, there is a good chance this play and injury would have never happened.
Mistake 3: Five plays later, with Marvin Harrison pulling down 17 yards worth of receptions, the Colts were faced with 2nd & 5 on the Pats 5. Harrison was faced with double coverage, and on the snap neither DB Chad Scott nor Ellis Hobbs (1T 1A) made contact with this guy within the 5-yard buffer and let him literally walk up to the line and scoot right into the end zone on the snap for the tying TD. Again... Why are teams not knocking the snot out of the Colts' receivers?
The Pats take over after RB Laurence Maroney's (13 for 63 rushing and 27.8 KR AVG) 29-yard kick return, and march into the Colts' end zone with a huge 39 yard reception by WR Gabriel, which set up the combined running attack with RB Corey Dillon's (13 for 48, 2 TD's, 1F) 4 yard TD stomp. The rush is working, and you would think the Pats would continue with this format.
Mistake 4: On the next drive, CB Asante Samuel (8T, 1 FF) was exposed on a drive where the Colts scored after eight plays, in which WR Reggie Wayne (6 for 90) lit it up for 3 receptions over 67 yards, and again the WRs are not being touched or being played man to man. RB Joseph Addai (18 for 43) put this one in, but it was first down from two yards out, and usually those chances go in the offense's favor.
Next drive RB Maroney returned the kick 27 yards setting up an 11-play drive that resulted in a Pats TD on the strength of 38 yards of combined rushing from Brady and RBs Maroney, Kevin Faulk (4 for 24 rushing, 5 for 31 receiving), and Dillon who put the ball in from 4 yards out.
The Colts took over and have to settle for a Vinatieri FG from 23 yards out, which in my book gives the Pats and advantage to go down and score 7 using the run again.
Mistake 5: The Pats open the drive after RB Maroney's 31 yard return with an incomplete pass to TE Ben Watson and continue to try and establish the passing game and failed, as Brady's high pass to TE Ben Watson (4 for 54) is tipped on a 1st and 10 from the Colts 30 is intercepted. The Pats ran the ball only twice on this eight play drive, a drive that only consisted of two good receptions. Again... Why did they divert from the run especially when they are controlling the clock and the game with the run, and they had just gotten the advantage forcing them to kick the FG? Instead, the Pats got stubborn trying to establish the passing game, and got burned giving the Colts a huge advantage, which allowed them to get the ball back with a three-point cushion to open the second half.
The Colts opened the second half dodging a huge bullet when TE Dallas Clark (2 for 42) knocked a WR Reggie Wayne fumble out of bounds before the Pats can recover. This play is huge considering it would have been a momentum shifter.
The Pats took over, but after a strong four-yard run, Dillon fumbled the ball away in a call that could have been ruled down. Instead, Belichick challenged the fact that DT Raheem Brock (4T, 1A, 1FF), the man who stripped the ball, was down by contact, which was correct. The Colts go three and out on the next drive, but the Pats continue with the pass, and punt away when faced with 4th and 2, when Brady just rushed for 9 showing how weak this team is up the gut.
On the next possession, the Colts deliver a passing attack with 4 plays eating up 73 yards, including Harrison's 4 yard TD reception. This time the coverage was there, but Harrison made the reception that makes him the player he his week in and week out.
Maroney bangs out 21 yards on the return, and you would think the Pats would go back to the run since it's working. Instead the Pats go out with a FG on a drive, but what is bad is how this drive goes out. The Pats come out passing again with a huge break on 3rd & 3 when the Colts are hit with a 23 yard pass interference.
Mistake 6: The Pats take over after the penalty with 1st & 10 on the Colts' 31 yard line. Once again... You would think this team would be patient and allow the run to take them into the end zone. Instead, Brady throws incomplete passes on three downs, and they have to settle for K Stephen Gostkowski's (2 for 3) 49 yard FG leaving a seven-point margin.
On the Colts kick return, they fumble the ball away, and Mr. Momentum has shifted into the favor of the Patriots. The Pats have great field position on the Colts 46. The first two plays Maroney and Dillon combine for 13 yards. Then, two plays later, Dillon is tripped, gains 10 yards on the penalty, and then finishes with a 5 yard reception on the next play.
Maroney comes in and loses 2, so faced with 3rd & 7 on the Colts 18, the Pats throw an incomplete pass setting up what should be a cake walk for K Gostkowski. However, he hits his foot on the ground before making contact and drills the ball wide right sending Mr. Momentum back to the Colts.
The Colts come out and again they are passing the ball, with their receivers not feeling a helmet on them every time they touch the ball. Why is that? It's obvious the Colts are going to pass at this point of the game since they (Pats D) have shut the run down.
It is on this drive that Manning gets sacked, and instead of calling a run play to give himself so time to collect himself, he throws a wounded duck that gets picked off by DB Chad Scott.
Mistake 7: The Pats have gotten another break with a 1st down on the Colts 46. The passing game has been very inconsistent to this point, but yet again after an incomplete pass; Brady tries hit Dillon with a pass up the middle and is intercepted by OLB Cato June (3T, 6A, 2 INT).
Mistake 8: Again the Pats defense holds the Colts to a FG and take over with good field position after Maroney's 31 yard return. Seven plays later, and 27 yards on two rushes between Maroney and Faulk, the Pats are faced with 1st and 10 on the Colts 10-yard line. RB Faulk rushes for two putting the Pats eight yards away from breaking the Colts back. Instead, they throw two incomplete passes and have to settle for a 26 yard FG from Gostkowski.
Granted you take the three, but why are they forcing the passing game when it's not working at this point, especially when you are only eight yards out with plenty of time to go in the game. Why this sense of urgency yet again?
The Colts took over for what may be the last possession, and on the strength of 23 passing yards later they look to Vinatieri to score from 46 yards out. A kick he's made many times in Gillette, yet he goes wide right also.
Mistake 9: The Pats take over from their own 36-yard line, and now this is the time you need to pass, which they do, and it's huge, as Brady hits Watson for a 39-yard reception moving them down to the Colts 39 with 1:23 left on the game clock.
You would think… go with a no huddle faced with the first down, use a run play right off the bat, then mix it up. Instead, Brady forces a pass to Faulk up the middle that is tipped by Faulk and intercepted by OLB Cato June again sealing the victory.
This team was given many chances to win and they blew it being stubborn with the passing game, which is something this team did not need to do, especially when the run was working so well.
Overall, this game was the most uncharacteristic loss for the Pats, and that is why it stings so much.
Can New England bounce back? I'm sure they can.
Will they meet up with the Colts in the playoffs? I'm sure they will, and barring a seasonal disaster for the Colts, all roads in the AFC lead through the RCA Dome at this point.