Finding a New Tom Brady in Jacoby Ellsbury

Jacoby Ellsbury seems to be popping up all over boston.com as the new hot endorsement machine. Boston.com did a photo gallery of famous endorsements by sports figures, and they front-loaded it with an image of a shiny, muscled Ellsbury pushing a ridiculously large tire and a photo of him at Taco Bell.

Is the new fascination with Ellsbury a sign that Tom Brady might be losing ground as Boston's resident sports stud? Even after BabyDaddyGate and the Super Bowl loss, he is still loved by the masses, but his time in the spotlight can't last forever. By dating panty model Gisele Bundchen, advertisers might see him at risk for overexposure (though the Manning Empire has him beat on that front), but Ellsbury could be a new fresh face.

Boston.com goes there and asks, "Could he become the next Brady?" Is the media machine that thirsty for fresh blood? Is it just baseball season that has them looking for a new sports stud, or is it the Patriots' loss in the Super Bowl?

We really wish we could show you the picture of Ellsbury pushing a tire. It's the ultimate in fashionable purposelessness. But we'll stick with a photo of him at last year's rally. Photo by Caroline Roberts.