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BOSTON – New England Patriots legend Tom Brady made a donation to benefit the area he calls his former backyard. The donation will help expand free youth programming and year-round recreation on Boston’s Charles River Esplanade.
Starting this year, the Esplanade Association will rename its free youth activities as the Tom Brady Family Youth Programs.
“I’m very grateful to the Esplanade Association, which does an incredible job to make this park a vibrant greenspace,” Brady said in a statement. “This park was so special to me. It was my backyard for years when I lived in the Back Bay. It’s where I first pushed my kids on a swing.”
The Tom Brady Family Youth Programs include Children in the Park, which connects groups like the Massachusetts Audubon Society with local summer camps for outdoor activities on the river. It will also include Music and Movement, where the Boston Music Project helps younger children discover music and motion at the Esplanade’s playgrounds.
“As a big fan of Tom Brady, it’s an honor to announce that his name will prompt so many more people to explore, play, and make memories on the Esplanade,” said Jen Mergel, the Esplanade Association’s James and Audrey Foster executive director in a statement.
Brady’s donation will also benefit the Charlesbank Landing, an indoor-outdoor facility that will provide year-round recreation on the Esplanade. The Esplanade Association said a groundbreaking will take place for the building later this year. The building is expected to be completed in late 2025.
“We are thrilled that our current and future free youth activities will now be offered as the Tom Brady Family Youth Programs, and that kids of all ages will soon be able to meet at a new park destination he is supporting, Charlesbank Landing, for a diverse range of year-round programs,” said Mergel in a statement.
Brady’s former teammate Rob Gronkowski’s Gronk Nation Youth Foundation donated $1.2 million in 2021 that will go toward renovating what is the current Charlesbank Playground. The renovated “Gronk Playground,” located along the Charles River Esplanade, will open in 2025.
Neighborhoods
Missed the viral Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in New York? Couldn’t make it to the Tom Holland lookalike contest on Boston Common? GBH Kids and Boston Children’s Museum has the event for you.
The two groups are joining forces to host an Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest on Dec. 20 in honor of the longtime PBS Kids show produced by GBH. The contest is set to take place at noon, rain or shine, in front of the Hood Milk Bottle, a representative from GBH said.
The representative said fans of “all ages” are encouraged to dress up as Arthur to compete in the contest. Participants may win prizes like Boston Children’s Museum tickets and the opportunity to have a photo of them dressed as the aardvark featured as Arthur’s official TikTok and Instagram profile picture.
GBH said attendees will have the chance to pick up some Arthur-themed swag at the event, and Arthur himself may even be around to snap some selfies.
The show, aptly named Arthur, was created in Boston for GBH in 1996 based on books by author Mike Brown. The anthropomorphic aardvark is known for his “signature look,” GBH said, which consists of a yellow sweater, blue jeans, and big, round glasses.
The Boston’s Children’s Museum even has an exhibit dedicated to the cartoon called “Arthur and Friends,” intended to encourage skills like “reading, understanding feelings, creative problem solving, and connecting with friends and family,” the museum’s website said. According to the GBH spokesperson, their “longstanding partnership” with the museum, and the exhibit, made the perfect recipe for a lookalike contest.
Doppelganger face-offs have had their share of viral moments lately, starting off with the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in November. Since then, multiple similar contests have sprung up around the country, including a Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest in Chicago, and yes, even a JFK lookalike contest here in Boston.
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The Boston Red Sox still have a long way to go before they can consider themselves World Series contenders.
It may be a harsh dose of reality, but it needs to be said. The Red Sox made a big-time trade last week, bringing in Garrett Crochet to be their new ace, but behind Crochet, the rest of the rotation still looks a bit iffy.
Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito could all give the Red Sox strong seasons if things break right. But in today’s game, things almost never break right, especially with the constant injury risks pitchers are facing.
Should the Red Sox, then, make one more blockbuster trade?
Drew Koch of FanSided recently named the Red Sox as a possible trade destination for Houston Astros two-time All-Star Framber Valdez, who is entering his walk year at age 31. Houston already traded Kyle Tucker this winter, signaling that Valdez is likely available.
“The Boston Red Sox already emptied the farm system to land Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, but the cupboard is not bare,” Koch said.
“Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are probably off limits, but a young shortstop prospect like Franklin Arias —ranked in the top 100 according to MLB Pipeline— could be the headliner of a trade package heading back to Houston. The Astros need to beef up their farm system, and Boston could help facilitate that.”
Valdez is projected to make $18.8 million in arbitration this season (via Spotrac) thanks to his excellent career to this point. He’ll likely command even more than that in free agency for several years to come, so this will be the cheapest opportunity Boston has to get him, even for one year.
This could be Boston’s opportunity to go all-in on the 2025 season. If Houston commands a reasonable price, which they should, considering there’s only one year of control left on Valdez’s deal, they should look at this situation as a true rental.
Sure, there’s potential for an extension if Valdez truly loves pitching in Boston. But why not put some chips on the table for the short term in a wide-open American League?
More MLB: Why Red Sox Insider ‘Would Be Shocked’ If Boston Doesn’t Sign Another Star Free Agent
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