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.
"This is why they call it... PRESEASON"
Ok... Before I get into Thursday night's game, I want to reach out to certain fans out there, and just give them a big ole Sinista1 slap upside the head for showing up to the stadium last night and complaining about things they knew nothing about. I know for some of you it's your first game, and you're excited to be in the confines of Gillette surrounded by some of the most rabid fans in the New England area, but before you come to the stadium, please do your homework especially during preseason games. Here's why…
1) It's preseason week 1, the roster has a long way to go before it reaches the mandatory 53 guys, so when someone makes a bonehead mistake it's not the end of the world, and there is no need to start writing off the playoffs or Super Bowl as some were doing after this game..
2) You bought two week 1 preseason tickets off of eBay for $300 each, flew out to New England, and then complain about the fact that Tom Brady is not in the game? For those fans who know those around you, it's truly our priceless moment.
3) This is to the stadium coach who always thinks they can coach better than Bill Belichick, and complain when he opts to go for two with six minutes to go in the game, and down by one, and then almost has a coronary when they don't convert. Hey Coach Know Nothing, do you think Bill would attempt something like this in a regular season game with the same amount of time left? Not!
4) Just because the Red Sox won the World Series, the Pats went to the Super Bowl, and the Celtics won the NBA Championship doesn't mean we have to really take it back to the '80s, and do the wave... Yes, that's right, there was a full blown wave sighting at Gillette Stadium, and I have the video proof of it. I also think Corey Hart was in the box with Robert Kraft wearing their sunglasses at night also.
Ok... On with the good now.
For those of you who have read my stuff over the years, you should know that I have several mottos to describe the NFL preseason from my infamous "Paper or Plastic" to the longtime favorite of some, "most of these guys will be delivering Chinese food in their Escalades next week."
These mottos are tongue in cheek descriptions of those guys who are possibilities to be cut following a game such as this. And, once again, there are guys who did just that, and made Bill's job that much easier to scratch their names as he filters through the roster this weekend.
So let's take a look at what did transpire at Gillette Thursday night...
With QB Tom Brady watching from the sidelines, it was a night to watch QBs Matt Cassell, Matt Gutierrez and Kevin O'Connell duke it out for the number two, three and CUT spots. Statistically, Gutierrez led the bunch going 10 for 16 and throwing for 76 yards and one interception. He seemed to be the more focused of the three out there, but struggled despite having one of the best hits of the night after throwing an interception that looked to be almost a run for six by the Ravens.
O'Connell is a different story, as his play surprised me, because before this game you would think he would be the odd man out with Cassell (1 for 4, 11 yards, 1 INT) being here longer than any of the three. But, this was not the case, as O'Connell went 6 for 13 throwing 57 yards with an INT. His moment to shine came on a 15 yard rush that impressed everyone in the stadium giving the Pats a first down, and led to a field goal. If this kid can stay consistent, he may be able to work his way up the roster, and earn his way onto the team.
As for Cassell, he explained that he and WR Chad Jackson had some communication problems during the night that led to dropped passes, and an interception that was thrown behind Jackson. But, this shouldn't be an excuse coming from a guy who has been backing up Brady for as long as he has, especially when his slip and fall on third down late in the third and deep in Pats territory would have been a killer if this was a regular season game. No excuses there Matt, this one was truly on you alone.
Taking time off along with Brady were the wide receiver duo of Randy Moss and Wes Welker, leaving Jackson and Jabar Gaffney out there to steal the spotlight. But, that didn't happen, as Jackson finished the game with one reception and no yards. Rookie WR Matt Slater showed some promise going 3 for 19, but he made some rookie mistakes also. If he can pick up his game, he could spell out the word DOOMED for Jackson.
Another bright spot in the Patriots offense and defense was DB Ray Ventrone, a 5'10" 200 pound beast who likes to play both sides of the ball, and proved it last night pulling down 2 for 35 in receptions as he filled in on offense. This kid is the type of player that has been successful here over the years, and if he continues to shine I don't see this kid getting cut at all.
The running back situation is where my focus truly was for this preseason, as the Pats are LOADED with Laurence Maroney, Sam Morris, Kevin Faulk and newly acquired Lamont Jordan from the Raiders.
Maroney finished the game with six rushes and one reception for 11 yards, as he once again had trouble running up the middle, which is something I don't get. When Maroney was sharing time in Minnesota, he was used as an outside running back and always seemed to me as a guy who is suited to run to the sides, and beat those in pursuit. He succeeds at this, and they should stay with it. I don't see him hitting the hole anytime soon, which is why his spot works for a tandem attack. His downfall is the Pats success, which means this battle could come down to Jordan (19 for 76, 1 TD), or Morris who didn't play last night. As for Faulk, his success and devotion to this team speaks volumes, and it would be hard for the Patriots to cut a player of his caliber.
Now it's on to the special teams, which only had a couple of bright spots in the game from kicker Stephen Gostowski, who was 3 for 3, with his longest coming from 44 yards out, while the return crew amassed 127 total yards, with Matt Slater going 4 for 94. They did allow Yamon Figurs to go 48 yards on one return.
It's time to finish out with the defense, and even here some of the main cogs were getting a break, so all eyes were on the draft picks, Jared Mayo and Shawn Crable, who did not disappoint the fans of Gillette. Both Mayo and Crable finished the game with three solo tackles, while Crable also had one assist and an interception. Overall, the defense had a good night, holding the Ravens to one TD and keeping their running game in check below 50 yards. The Pats also had three sacks, two fumble recoveries and Crable's interception.
Next Week: Tampa Bay