Monday, August 9, 2010
Patriots - Dolphins DirecTV commercial
I laugh every time I see this. This pretty much nails New England sports fans. Someone on YouTube pointed out that this couldn't work with the Jets because there would be vandalism charges and jail time.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Manny's Redemption?
Manny Ramirez returned to Fenway Park for the first time in almost two years this past weekend. He received a mixed reaction by Boston fans who clearly have mixed feelings about Manny Being Manny. I was surprised to see that he returned to more boos than cheers. I say it's time to forgive Manny and receive him as one of the four great Hall of Fame left fielders that include Williams, Yaz and Rice who have played at Fenway.
The following appeared today in the Boston Globe:
The following appeared today in the Boston Globe:
Ramirez told Red Sox Spanish Beisbol Network play-by-play announcer Uri Berenguer Saturday that he regretted his transgressions in Boston. “There’s no reason I should have behaved that way in Boston,’’ Ramirez told Berenguer in a 45-minute private conversation in Spanish.
Berenguer said that Ramirez no longer speaks of retirement, and said that the length of his career will be determined by a higher power. Berenguer said Ramirez has found God, reads the Bible on a daily basis, and quoted scriptures constantly during their conversation.
Ramirez went 5 for 12 in the series, including two hits in each of the last two games, with a home run and a stolen base.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
It's fun to be a Boston sports fan in May!
Up until last week, I was bemused by the fact that I could watch the Bruins in playoff hockey, the Celtics in playoff basketball and the Red Sox by flipping back and forth between channels during commercials. Or I'd go to a sports restaurant and watch all three at once.
What other city has that?
In case you are wondering: None. That's who. Only in Boston.
It's fun to be a fan in the Golden Era of Boston Sports!
And maddening ...
The Bruins
First, a word about the "great collapse." No one expected the Bruins to go anywhere this year. So when they knocked off the Sabres and went up by three games to none while the eighth seeded Canadiens were waiting in the wings, everyone began expecting the Stanley Cup to come back to Boston for the first time in almost 38 years. I distinctly remember the morning at the bus stop in 1972 when every kid in Framingham wore a Bruins cap and talked about Bobby Orr's and tried to act out his game winning goal flying through the air.
But 2010 was not to be. It was the fourth greatest collapse in postseason history by any professional team. To put it in perspective, this playoff run was made by a woefully inconsistent, streaky team that got as far as they did because they played as well as they could in three playoff series, but then lost four in a row just like they did many times in the regular season. It is maddening, but perfectly believable. On the bright side, they'll be back in the playoffs next year and the year after.
As Forrest Gump would say: "And that's all I have to say about that!"
Celtics
Ten down, six more wins to go!
In a recent blog post, I asked, Can the Celtics flip the switch? I argued that they could still beat any team any time they are all healthy. They can go in a moment from being a sometimes-good-sometimes-mediocre team that blows big leads late in games, to being the Celtics that have won 17 World Championships.
In the postseason, they've become the creaky old veteran team that makes every young NBA star look bad. What is beautiful about this Celtics team is that they are so old school. They play team basketball. They have the "Big Four" in Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo and the deepest supporting cast. Every other team they have faced has one superstar that they can neutralize. They made the best player in the NBA, Lebron "King" James, look so awful he actually quit trying in game six of the quarter finals. They are in the process of making Dwight "Superman" Howard look even worse. Then they can beat you offensively with four different players -- one per quarter.
I'll go further out on a limb with a prediction. The Celtics are going to sweep the Magic by taking the next two games in Boston and arrive with fresh legs to play over-rated west coast team. They are now 62.5 percent of the way to their 18th banner. Then they have Rajon Rondo coming on strong. The Celtics will be playoff bound for years to come.
Red Sox
As Mark Twain would say, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
40 games into the season, the Sox have won 20 games and lost 20 games.
"Everyone knows that the season is ovah!"
Right?
Not so fast. What has done in the Red Sox so far is inconsistent pitching and numerous games lost by one or two runs. The prognosis at the beginning of the year was that they had the best pitching staff in baseball -- a fearsome starting line-up with three aces and three more quality starters. They had Gold Gloves in half their defensive positions. On paper, they were supposed to be the best defensive team in recent history. The big concern was an aging offense in Ortiz, Varitek, and Lowell with too few younger sluggers in the starting line-up.
Ironically, the pitching and defense has been bumpy to say the least. But this will right itself. Still people are saying that this team is too far behind to gain any ground on the Rays and the Yankees, who have played stellar baseball in the first month and a half.
But hold the phone!
As of today these are the offensive statistics for the Red Sox:
First in the Majors in Runs Scored (210)
First in the Majors in Hits (378)
Second in the Majors in Home Runs (55)
Second in the Majors in Total Bases (636)
Third in the Majors in Slugging Percentage (.454 SLG)
Third in the Majors in On Base plus Slugging (.804 OPS)
This is without two of the key members of their starting line-up, Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury, who have been out for almost all of the season so far, but will both be back by next week. When the starting pitching clicks into place, the Red Sox will go on a tear that could last most of the season. Six games behind in the Wild Card standings is nothing at this point in the season. I won't guarantee they will win the division. But I predict the Red Sox will be in first place either in the division or the Wild Card at some point before September.
Let me pick a random date: How about July 23rd? That's day I have right field box seats at Fenway Park. It will be vs. the Detroit Tigers -- Johnny Damon's triumphant return from disgrace -- the first player since Babe Ruth to win World Series rings with New York and Boston! That is a good omen if there ever was one. I'll write a blog entry on July 24th and report on where they are at in the standings.
Patriots
Hey, it's May! If you are thinking about football already you are not from Boston.
What other city has that?
In case you are wondering: None. That's who. Only in Boston.
It's fun to be a fan in the Golden Era of Boston Sports!
And maddening ...
The Bruins
First, a word about the "great collapse." No one expected the Bruins to go anywhere this year. So when they knocked off the Sabres and went up by three games to none while the eighth seeded Canadiens were waiting in the wings, everyone began expecting the Stanley Cup to come back to Boston for the first time in almost 38 years. I distinctly remember the morning at the bus stop in 1972 when every kid in Framingham wore a Bruins cap and talked about Bobby Orr's and tried to act out his game winning goal flying through the air.
But 2010 was not to be. It was the fourth greatest collapse in postseason history by any professional team. To put it in perspective, this playoff run was made by a woefully inconsistent, streaky team that got as far as they did because they played as well as they could in three playoff series, but then lost four in a row just like they did many times in the regular season. It is maddening, but perfectly believable. On the bright side, they'll be back in the playoffs next year and the year after.
As Forrest Gump would say: "And that's all I have to say about that!"
Celtics
Ten down, six more wins to go!
In a recent blog post, I asked, Can the Celtics flip the switch? I argued that they could still beat any team any time they are all healthy. They can go in a moment from being a sometimes-good-sometimes-mediocre team that blows big leads late in games, to being the Celtics that have won 17 World Championships.
In the postseason, they've become the creaky old veteran team that makes every young NBA star look bad. What is beautiful about this Celtics team is that they are so old school. They play team basketball. They have the "Big Four" in Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo and the deepest supporting cast. Every other team they have faced has one superstar that they can neutralize. They made the best player in the NBA, Lebron "King" James, look so awful he actually quit trying in game six of the quarter finals. They are in the process of making Dwight "Superman" Howard look even worse. Then they can beat you offensively with four different players -- one per quarter.
I'll go further out on a limb with a prediction. The Celtics are going to sweep the Magic by taking the next two games in Boston and arrive with fresh legs to play over-rated west coast team. They are now 62.5 percent of the way to their 18th banner. Then they have Rajon Rondo coming on strong. The Celtics will be playoff bound for years to come.
Red Sox
As Mark Twain would say, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
40 games into the season, the Sox have won 20 games and lost 20 games.
"Everyone knows that the season is ovah!"
Right?
Not so fast. What has done in the Red Sox so far is inconsistent pitching and numerous games lost by one or two runs. The prognosis at the beginning of the year was that they had the best pitching staff in baseball -- a fearsome starting line-up with three aces and three more quality starters. They had Gold Gloves in half their defensive positions. On paper, they were supposed to be the best defensive team in recent history. The big concern was an aging offense in Ortiz, Varitek, and Lowell with too few younger sluggers in the starting line-up.
Ironically, the pitching and defense has been bumpy to say the least. But this will right itself. Still people are saying that this team is too far behind to gain any ground on the Rays and the Yankees, who have played stellar baseball in the first month and a half.
But hold the phone!
As of today these are the offensive statistics for the Red Sox:
First in the Majors in Runs Scored (210)
First in the Majors in Hits (378)
Second in the Majors in Home Runs (55)
Second in the Majors in Total Bases (636)
Third in the Majors in Slugging Percentage (.454 SLG)
Third in the Majors in On Base plus Slugging (.804 OPS)
This is without two of the key members of their starting line-up, Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury, who have been out for almost all of the season so far, but will both be back by next week. When the starting pitching clicks into place, the Red Sox will go on a tear that could last most of the season. Six games behind in the Wild Card standings is nothing at this point in the season. I won't guarantee they will win the division. But I predict the Red Sox will be in first place either in the division or the Wild Card at some point before September.
Let me pick a random date: How about July 23rd? That's day I have right field box seats at Fenway Park. It will be vs. the Detroit Tigers -- Johnny Damon's triumphant return from disgrace -- the first player since Babe Ruth to win World Series rings with New York and Boston! That is a good omen if there ever was one. I'll write a blog entry on July 24th and report on where they are at in the standings.
Patriots
Hey, it's May! If you are thinking about football already you are not from Boston.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Big Bad Bruins are back!
The Bruins and the Flyers are facing each other in the playoffs for the first time since 1978!
If you lived in New England in the 1970s, you know the Bruins' archrivals were the Canadiens and the Flyers. Montreal were the skaters and Boston and Philly were the fighters. Bruins and Canadiens fans were known for their knowledge of the game and Flyers fans were not. They used to boo the Canadian national anthem in Philadelphia. Boston radio sportscaster, Johnny Most, used to say, "They hate us because they have to live there and we don't."
Most also once said on the air, "Mrs. Abdul-Jabbah, Ya son is a cowahd!" If you don't know who Johnny Most was, you still might know his famous holler during the 1965 Celtics championship game, "Havlicek stole the ball!"
But I digress.
The point is that the Bruins met the Flyers in the playoffs four times from 1974 to 1978 and split the series match-ups 2-2.
I was at game one of the Stanley Cup semi-finals in 1978 with my friend Doug. We were high school sophomores and had to get the "T" from Riverside to North Station. My mother gave us season ticket seats that strangely no one at her work place wanted. We sat in the loges, two rows of balcony seats that hung out over the ice. (This is where Red Auerbach used to sit during Celtics games.) Less than a minute into the game, all the Bruins and Flyers players' gloves were on the ice and they were going at it. I remember my friend screaming, "This is EXCELLENT!" Yes, it was playoff hockey in the Boston Garden. This was the Boston team most likely to go all the way in 1978.
The only downside was that game one went into overtime and we ran the risk of missing the last train back to Riverside if we missed it. We hadn't left the building when the Bruins scored a goal in the first few minutes of overtime to win it. I remember Doug jumping up and down in the "tunnel" as we heard it on the transistor radio I was carrying as we also heard the crowd erupt inside. The Bruins won the series 4-3 and went on to lose in the Stanley Cup finals.
This year, the first game of the Bruins-Flyers series was won by the Bruins once again in the first few minutes of overtime. It was deja vu all over again. I was watching the game and got up for a second and missed it. That's what makes hockey "the fastest game on ice." If you blink for a micro-second, you can miss the outcome of the game.
The real irony though is that if you asked Boston fans a few weeks ago which team had the best chance of next winning a world championship, they would have been divided between the other three teams. Right now, it's the Bruins who look the best.
Below: Bruins players attack a harrassing fan in Philadelphia in the 1970s.
If you lived in New England in the 1970s, you know the Bruins' archrivals were the Canadiens and the Flyers. Montreal were the skaters and Boston and Philly were the fighters. Bruins and Canadiens fans were known for their knowledge of the game and Flyers fans were not. They used to boo the Canadian national anthem in Philadelphia. Boston radio sportscaster, Johnny Most, used to say, "They hate us because they have to live there and we don't."
Most also once said on the air, "Mrs. Abdul-Jabbah, Ya son is a cowahd!" If you don't know who Johnny Most was, you still might know his famous holler during the 1965 Celtics championship game, "Havlicek stole the ball!"
But I digress.
The point is that the Bruins met the Flyers in the playoffs four times from 1974 to 1978 and split the series match-ups 2-2.
I was at game one of the Stanley Cup semi-finals in 1978 with my friend Doug. We were high school sophomores and had to get the "T" from Riverside to North Station. My mother gave us season ticket seats that strangely no one at her work place wanted. We sat in the loges, two rows of balcony seats that hung out over the ice. (This is where Red Auerbach used to sit during Celtics games.) Less than a minute into the game, all the Bruins and Flyers players' gloves were on the ice and they were going at it. I remember my friend screaming, "This is EXCELLENT!" Yes, it was playoff hockey in the Boston Garden. This was the Boston team most likely to go all the way in 1978.
The only downside was that game one went into overtime and we ran the risk of missing the last train back to Riverside if we missed it. We hadn't left the building when the Bruins scored a goal in the first few minutes of overtime to win it. I remember Doug jumping up and down in the "tunnel" as we heard it on the transistor radio I was carrying as we also heard the crowd erupt inside. The Bruins won the series 4-3 and went on to lose in the Stanley Cup finals.
This year, the first game of the Bruins-Flyers series was won by the Bruins once again in the first few minutes of overtime. It was deja vu all over again. I was watching the game and got up for a second and missed it. That's what makes hockey "the fastest game on ice." If you blink for a micro-second, you can miss the outcome of the game.
The real irony though is that if you asked Boston fans a few weeks ago which team had the best chance of next winning a world championship, they would have been divided between the other three teams. Right now, it's the Bruins who look the best.
Below: Bruins players attack a harrassing fan in Philadelphia in the 1970s.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Can the Celtics flip the switch?
One down, fifteen to go!
The Celtics won the 2007/2008 NBA Championship as the team with the best record and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. In the first two rounds, they looked like a team playing on cruise control. They sauntered through the playoffs with the presumption of the divine right of kings. The Celtics took four of of seven against the Atlanta and Cleveland by winning every game at home and losing every game on the road. It was frustrating to watch the 2008 Celts struggle against inferior teams after they had amassed 66 wins in the regular season. But then they "flipped the switch" against Detroit and L.A. showing they were the best in the NBA because they were the best defensive team.
The last two years saw the Celtics playing much of the season with injuries to the "big three" and a depleted bench. Finally, the whole team is healthy and the bench is deeper than it has been since June 2008. The team still showed gross inconsistency in the home stretch of the "preseason" -- as we are now once again accustomed to think of the prelude to NBA playoffs in Boston. The team has been insisting that they were running on cruise control, protecting the health of their starters for the playoff run. During that time, it has been frustrating to watch them blow big leads in the fourth quarter running out of steam after showing flashes of brilliance and dominance early in games.
Can they flip the switch again? Can a team with tired old legs turn on the defensive prowess they showed in 2007/2008 and make a run all the way to the finals? The regular season showed that Boston is capable on any day of being the better team against any opponent either at home or on the road. But can they do it for 16 wins in the playoffs?
If game one against the Heat was any indication, then we see in the fiery indignation of Kevin Garnett something like the transformation of Prince Hal into King Henry V:
Here's the key. The Celtics need to finish off the Heat in four or five games and enable their starters to rest for a few days. Then as the fourth seed, they will find themselves squared off against the best team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the second round. It's simple matter of getting past the second round. Then they have an even shot at an 18th banner. (The Celtics don't hang anything but World Championship banners in the Garden.)
Kevin Garnett is out tonight with a suspension. If the Celtics can win game two at home, having a rested Garnett for the next two games in Miami will be a plus. This is it. With the Bruins not likely to go too far in their playoff run, it's the best chance for another world championship in Boston.
At least until October, that is.
The Celtics won the 2007/2008 NBA Championship as the team with the best record and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. In the first two rounds, they looked like a team playing on cruise control. They sauntered through the playoffs with the presumption of the divine right of kings. The Celtics took four of of seven against the Atlanta and Cleveland by winning every game at home and losing every game on the road. It was frustrating to watch the 2008 Celts struggle against inferior teams after they had amassed 66 wins in the regular season. But then they "flipped the switch" against Detroit and L.A. showing they were the best in the NBA because they were the best defensive team.
The last two years saw the Celtics playing much of the season with injuries to the "big three" and a depleted bench. Finally, the whole team is healthy and the bench is deeper than it has been since June 2008. The team still showed gross inconsistency in the home stretch of the "preseason" -- as we are now once again accustomed to think of the prelude to NBA playoffs in Boston. The team has been insisting that they were running on cruise control, protecting the health of their starters for the playoff run. During that time, it has been frustrating to watch them blow big leads in the fourth quarter running out of steam after showing flashes of brilliance and dominance early in games.
Can they flip the switch again? Can a team with tired old legs turn on the defensive prowess they showed in 2007/2008 and make a run all the way to the finals? The regular season showed that Boston is capable on any day of being the better team against any opponent either at home or on the road. But can they do it for 16 wins in the playoffs?
If game one against the Heat was any indication, then we see in the fiery indignation of Kevin Garnett something like the transformation of Prince Hal into King Henry V:
O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars and at his heels,
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire
Crouch for employment. - Henry V. Act 1. Scene 1.
Here's the key. The Celtics need to finish off the Heat in four or five games and enable their starters to rest for a few days. Then as the fourth seed, they will find themselves squared off against the best team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the second round. It's simple matter of getting past the second round. Then they have an even shot at an 18th banner. (The Celtics don't hang anything but World Championship banners in the Garden.)
Kevin Garnett is out tonight with a suspension. If the Celtics can win game two at home, having a rested Garnett for the next two games in Miami will be a plus. This is it. With the Bruins not likely to go too far in their playoff run, it's the best chance for another world championship in Boston.
At least until October, that is.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Everything You Need to Know About Opening Day - Steve Tyler and Neil Diamond.
Here is everything you need to know about opening day.
Steve Tyler sang "God Bless America" in the middle of the seventh inning.
Almost as good, Neil Diamond and the sell-out crowd sang "Sweet Caroline" in the middle of the eighth.
And even better, the Red Sox came overcame a four run deficit to beat the Yankees 9 to 7.
Good times never seemed so good. There is nothing better in sports than being part of Red Sox Nation!
Steve Tyler sang "God Bless America" in the middle of the seventh inning.
Almost as good, Neil Diamond and the sell-out crowd sang "Sweet Caroline" in the middle of the eighth.
And even better, the Red Sox came overcame a four run deficit to beat the Yankees 9 to 7.
Good times never seemed so good. There is nothing better in sports than being part of Red Sox Nation!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
"Here he is, the one, the only ... Hey! Wait a minute! That's me!" - Groucho Marx
I haven't really bothered too much with unrelated trivia so far, but here it is. There is a new independent film out that actually looks quite brilliant. It's a movie about a subject matter that transcends the subject matter. Granted it's been done before. For instance, I'm reminded of a friend of mine who has made a documentary about JAWS fans. He can't sell it because he'd either need to buy the licensing to all the JAWS clips he features in the film -- or he has to sell it to the studio for less than what he put into it. I've often joked that I ought to make "THE MAKING OF The Shark Is Still Working." And then sell that to JAWS fans instead.
I read JAWS as a kid and saw the movie and was afraid to swim in the ocean for a whole summer. I was even afraid to swim in Lake Winnipesaukee (since it's less than 200 miles from Martha's Vineyard). I am not a JAWS fanatic. I don't think it's one of the greatest movies of all time. But if you've ever been a fan of anything and you like JAWS, then you can identify with this film about the fans of JAWS. I'd like to one day actually buy it and watch it.
They interviewed Peter Benchley, Stephen Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss. They actually got Roy Scheider to narrate it and got the original trailer voice to narrate their trailer! And now they can't release it! I mean, c'mon!
What could be more frustrating? How about making a movie about a Red Sox fan who loves the Red Sox more than his fiancée and can't get married until he forsakes the hope of Red Sox ever winning the World Series. He lives in the North End, by the way, a few blocks from The Boston Worship Center, a church I attended twice a week for three years. And he works as a public school teacher. The movie is actually based on a British film by the same name about a teacher who loves the soccer team Arsenal. Same plot different location. The details don't matter. It's a story within a story. It's transcendent and archetypal.
Then, just as they were about to release the movie, the Red Sox won the World Series! Then they had to reshoot the whole ending!
If you ever watched in shock and awe as Cher or Marisa Tomei stood at the podium at the Oscars with the award for best actress (for a romantic comedy no less!) you realize what a travesty it is that the Farrelly Brothers never won the Oscar for Fever Pitch. They should have had a special category for "cosmic irony" or something like that just for them.
You don't have to be a Red Sox fan to appreciate the theme of the film. You just have to at one time have had an obsession about something not human -- something you love that can never love you back that always breaks your heart. In the end, when you let go of false hope and you realize that there are more important things in life, hope springs eternal and all your wildest dreams come true.
Here's the ending of the British version:
Not taking anything away from Arsenal fans, but there is nothing like a game at Fenway. Even though there are no YouTube versions of the "Special Red Sox Extended Version" of the American film, you can get a little taste of what Fenway is like by watching this:
Then comes Do It Again - a documentary by Boston Globe Reporter about making a documentary (a story within a story within a story) about his attempt to get the rock group The Kinks back together. It has all the same elements of the above and more. The guy's name is Geoff Edgers. Like the character in Fever Pitch, he's my alter ego.
To fully get the following review of his film, first you have to watch this YouTube video.
It's really expensive to make a film -- even an Indie film -- and Edgers uses Kinks songs that have licensing fees. So Geoff Edgers is doing what my JAWS fanatic friend is doing. He's shopping the film around at film festivals and hoping to create enough of a buzz to have it distributed and make some money. Or at least break even. He's been nice enough to correspond with me via email. This is what I wrote to him:
Do you do the same thing I do every morning?
Come into work, sit down at my desk with a cup of black coffee, check email, check the Globe sports page, check Dave Emlen's Unofficial Kinks site hoping for an announcement of a concert I can see, a link to a new video or interview ... or better ... a REUNION ANNOUNCEMENT!
I had tickets to see Dave Davies at the Bull Run in Shirley, I was so sure that this was the precursor, the trial run.
I live in Florida now (I grew up in Framingham and saw the Kinks in concert 4 years in a row when I was in college) so I had airfare from Tampa to Manchester NH. Even after I heard the concert was canceled (postponed?) the airfare reticketing fee was so expensive ($150) that I made the trip anyway. I got to visit family, but it was an empty trip into the cold with a long layover through Cleveland on the return.
Thanks for letting me vent. Very few other people would understand.
What do I have to do to see your film?
- Jay Rogers
Hey Jay... Great message. And I was going to that show, except I live in Boston so it wasn't as financially painful. As for seeing our film, here's the deal... I've applied to a couple of Florida Film Festivals. If we get in, we could be in Palm Springs and Sarasota as early as April. If we don't, we could be waiting for Fort. Lauderdale in Oct. Of course, maybe you want to hit the road to Cleveland (March 26/27), North Carolina, Atlanta, Nashville or DC (all in April.) We also play Bermuda May 20.
I worked at the Middlesex News back in the '90s so maybe you actually got the paper I was on back then.
Best, Geoff
Review by– Sam Strangeways
Quest: Geoff Edgers (right) in "Do It Again."
Do It Again, directed by Robert Patton-Spruill
Tonight at the Speciality Cinema at 9.15 p.m. and Monday at 3.45 p.m.
Geoff Edgers is a reporter on the Boston Globe whose 40th birthday is fast approaching and who wants to do something big and vital before he truly hits middle age.
He sets himself what anyone with a reasonable knowledge of 1960s British rock music would probably describe as Mission Impossible: getting the original members of The Kinks back together.
The bad blood between Ray Davies and his brother Dave which finally caused the band to implode in the early 1990s is legendary.
But Edgers, a huge fan who thinks The Kinks are underrated, is convinced he can pull it off.
The idea is a neat device for a documentary which is really about a man reluctantly waving goodbye to his youth and trying to fulfil at least some of his own musical ambitions.
Edgers is not entirely likeable there's a touch of the arrogant waster about him but that only adds to the enjoyment of the film.
His wife is a perfect foil to this and we see her reminding him about the bills they have to pay before he sets off on his adventure and describing his obsession with the elder Davies brother with weary resignation.
Thanks to his newspaper credentials, Edgers manages to set up interviews with various famous fans of The Kinks. Sting and REM's Peter Buck probably the best known among them.
He takes his guitar to each meeting and manages to persuade (almost all) the musicians to play a favourite Kinks song with him. There is something a little cringeworthy about this, but also something rather sweet.
Edgers was in a local band in Boston in his younger days and he can certainly strum and sing decently.
Kinks fans will really enjoy watching these impromptu covers that director Robert Patton-Spruill captured on film as well as seeing the expressions of the artists when asked to take part.
As the film progresses, I found myself warming to Edgers. OK, so he doesn't want to change the world and his quest is a bit daft, but if successful it would bring a lot of pleasure to a lot of people.
There is a really touching interview with Dave Davies, whom he tracks down in England and who has been ill recently.
He talks about his fractured relationship with his brother but won't articulate in front of the cameras what Ray would have to say to him there is clearly something he could say to bring the original band back together.
The fact that he is nowhere to be seen at a Kinks convention in London, where Ray takes to the stage with a different incarnation of the group, is really sad.
Before Edgers sets off for the UK, his young daughter tells him he must buy her a lobster dinner if he fails in his challenge.
You'll have to see the movie to find out if The Kinks Do It Again as in their 1985 song or if she gets her meal.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Red Sox Yankees rivalry heats up over an Irish tenor
It turns out that Irish tenor, Ronan Tynan, is not an anti-Semite, even though, much to the chagrin of Yankee fans, he was banished from Yankee Stadium due to a misunderstood remark. He's not even a "anti-dentite" for crying out loud!
To add insult to irony, he'll sing "God Bless America" in Fenway on opening day when the arrogant ones in pinstripes are in town. Just to add just a little tarnish to that 27th trophy! No doubt he'll get a ten minute standing ovation. The one thing I actually liked about Yankee Stadium ("the house that Hank built") is now coming to Boston just in time for St. Paddy's Day!
Here's a story almost too odd to be believed.
Scorned by New York, tenor regains a voice
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Super Bowl thoughts: The most watched rock band performance ever!
THE WHO at the SUPERBOWL was the most watched performance by a rock band in history!
I told myself that I would not write about Super Bowl XLIV since it had nothing to do with Boston sports, but I am now forced to make an exception. This one was very special on three levels.
1. Peyton Manning is not better than Tom Brady after all!
Of course, one could argue that Manning's numbers for the decade are better than Brady's. However, three Super Bowl rings vs. one ring speak louder than statistics. We can't say Brady is the best quarterback of the decade, but now we can't say that Manning holds that title outright. This loss was huge for Indianapolis. Clear favorites, they lost to a team that took repeated win-or-lose gambles that paid off handsomely. Somewhere Bill Belichek is smiling. Or maybe not. The Saints' win means that the Colts -- even if you count the Baltimore years -- have only two Super Bowl championships to their name. Having won three would have put them in striking distance of the all time great NFL Dynasties and certainly a close second to the Patriots' "Dynasty of the New Millennium." Simply put, it was one of the most exciting, unusual Super Bowl games ever played and the win was huge for Pats fans.
2. The commericals were better and funnier.
I have to admit, I usually don't watch Super Bowl games from beginning to end. When I do watch, it is because I care about the teams involved, especially the New England Patriots. It's a well-known fact that most Super Bowl games are predictable and boring. I find it obnoxious when people say that the best part of watching the big game is the commercials. Why watch at all then? When I am compelled to watch, I am usually affronted by the amount of sleaze that corporate America pours upon us. Whether it's a dozen-and-a-half Viagra commercials or constant innuendo directed at what is supposed to be a family audience, I do not find the commercials the most enjoyable part of watching the Super Bowl.
This slew of commercials wasn't that bad, however, and one had a message that is near to my heart -- one that was hyped by lots of pre-game controversy -- more so than any other Super Bowl ad in history.
Just a bit of background to this. As a pro-life activist, I get NARAL's weekly email bomb signed by Nancy Keenan. (My reason for subscribing is the famous adage by General Douglas MacArthur, "Know your enemy.") This week's witch screed from NARAL was entitled: "Throw a Penalty Flag Against CBS!" -- which is all about Tim Tebow's mom's "anti-abortion" commercial (that would not be noticed as being an "anti-abortion" commercial if it hadn't been framed as such by Focus on the Family). It's such a neutral, feel-good, pro-family ad that even the Orlando Sentinel opined on Monday: "Now we can ask the question — what was all the fuss about?"
The commerical, I was surprise to find, turned out to be tremendously understated and downright uncontroversial. Judge for yourself:
Here is another version:
NARAL (a friend of mine calls them "SNARL!") calls on all pro-aborts to "focus" their anger by "throwing a penalty flag on CBS." Not to get too excited about this though, NARAL's fund raising letter writers live in an alternate reality where the Tebow commerical is offensive, "anti-choice politicians outnumber pro-choice lawmakers in Congress," and one-in-four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease. (I won't post a direct link to NARAL's website, but you can follow the links from the phrases above.) Like the Tebow ad, the controversy will serve us well because it shows how extreme and out-of-touch these pro-aborts really are -- even among people who consider themselves "pro-choice." Also, you have to like the way they tie the Focus on the Family slogan to Personhood.
3. Super Bowl XLIV was the most watched event in human history!
NEWS ITEM: "CBS' coverage of Super Bowl XLIV was the most-watched program in an American television history, averaging 106.48 million viewers."
By extension, this means that the half-time show, featuring my favorite band of all time, The Who, was the most watched performance by a rock group in history. And that is the main reason why I succumbed to the cliché and downed Cheetos and beverages for 90 minutes waiting for the grand moment -- The Half Time Show! -- a 12-minute medley of five abbreviated Who songs. Even if you don't like The Who, the spectacle of a 50-yard long circular stage, that dwarfed the band and pulsated light, lasers and pyrotechnics, stole the show.
If you click on the YouTube videos above, you can read the comments, which are of course mixed. I wouldn't have it any other way. It was the "'Orrible 'oo" in all their glory! Are 100 million people all going to like the Who? I hope not! As Mike Myers and Dana Carvey pointed out in Wayne's World:
Garth Algar: Uh, Wayne?
Wayne Campbell: Yeah?
Garth Algar: Do you ever get the feeling Benjamin's just using us?
Wayne Campbell: Good call. It's like he wants us to be liked by everyone. I mean Led Zeppelin didn't write tunes everybody liked. They left that to the Bee Gees.
Just consider that the late, great Keith Moon and John Entwistle actually invented Led Zeppelin and you'll get the idea. I find it humorous that the most common complaint is that they were "too old" (ironic on several levels that I'll leave to true Who fans to understand) and that "Roger has lost the top end of his register."
What? Roger Daltrey has a "top end"? Since when? Have these people ever listened to a Who concert before? If not, go and buy or download Live at Leeds, Live at the Isle of Wight or watch the great rockumentary, The Kids Are Alright. This will forever dispel the notion that Daltrey ever had anything resembling a strong singing voice when performing live. True, the band managed to pull off some nice moments with Pete Townshend and John Entwistle providing the high harmonies in a controlled studio setting. It yielded them some sounding nice pop songs, yet with an edge. But this isn't the point of the band live. Not at all! Not even the watered-down latter-day version without their best drummer and bass player, Moon and Entwistle.
In Daltrey's own words circa 1978:
Our main ambition right now is to get back on the road with the horrible Who, the worst rock n' roll group in the world ... You couldn't pick four more horrible geezers to make the worst sound you've ever heard in your life.
And in the end, they gave us the most watched rock band performance of all time.
Not to be taken away.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Should CBS air the Tim Tebow Superbowl commercial?
This has nothing to do with Boston sports except for the fact that two Irishmen from the Boston Globe, Mike Ryan and Joe Sullivan, get the answer to the question exactly right. Another Globe story from today asks the question: "Could Tebow be a Patriot?"
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Will Boston Sports Fans Determine Outcome of Senate Race?
Today's elections results may forever become known as "the slapshot heard 'round the world."
The Coakley/Brown race in Massachusetts has been heralded as the most important U.S. Senate election in recent history. The future of government run health care may hang on whether the Republicans can gain another seat that will break the Democrats' filibuster-proof super majority.
Scott Brown is not likely to become a conservative dream candidate, since he has backed a number of liberal issues in the past. But he'll instantly become one of the most well-known Senators if he wins, having the ability to work with the voting block of 41 Republicans to block Obama's far left-leaning agenda. He will likely give the Republican rebuttal to the State of the Union Address next week.
Even more notable is the role that Boston sports has played in this election. While Brown went hard after moderate, working class independents who dominate Massachusetts voters, Martha Coakley chose to dismiss her opponent's chances assuming the election was a lock once she won the Democratic primary.
Coakley bristled at the idea. Should she actually be seen "standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands" of hockey fans at the annual outdoor Winter Classic Bruins-Flyers game? Then she brought in John Kerry, Bill Clinton and even Barack Obama to campaign for her. Obama promptly insulted Brown's pick-up truck that is featured in a campaign commercial designed to appeal to the working class independents.
Then, in the greatest gaffe in Massachusetts' politics since a helmuted Mike Dukakis drove a tank, Coakley criticized Scott Brown for bringing in former New York Major Rudolph Giuliani to campaign, since Rudy is, of course, "a Yankee fan."
But what about Curt Schilling's support? He's "another Yankee fan!" according to Coakley. That brought on a comical spat between Schilling and Coakley. Later, Boston College and Patriots football great Doug Flutie appeared at rallies with Schilling to show his support for Brown.
If Coakley loses, people will remember that her poll numbers nose-dived after she stupidly insulted followers of the Bruins, Red Sox and probably got Doug Flutie fans riled in the mix.
These are the "smahtest fans in America" after all. The very fact that Coakley would insult their intelligence speaks volumes about her competency to hold a Senate seat. Let's see if she can snipe at Celtics fans in the waning hours of her campaign.
The Coakley/Brown race in Massachusetts has been heralded as the most important U.S. Senate election in recent history. The future of government run health care may hang on whether the Republicans can gain another seat that will break the Democrats' filibuster-proof super majority.
Scott Brown is not likely to become a conservative dream candidate, since he has backed a number of liberal issues in the past. But he'll instantly become one of the most well-known Senators if he wins, having the ability to work with the voting block of 41 Republicans to block Obama's far left-leaning agenda. He will likely give the Republican rebuttal to the State of the Union Address next week.
Even more notable is the role that Boston sports has played in this election. While Brown went hard after moderate, working class independents who dominate Massachusetts voters, Martha Coakley chose to dismiss her opponent's chances assuming the election was a lock once she won the Democratic primary.
Coakley bristled at the idea. Should she actually be seen "standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands" of hockey fans at the annual outdoor Winter Classic Bruins-Flyers game? Then she brought in John Kerry, Bill Clinton and even Barack Obama to campaign for her. Obama promptly insulted Brown's pick-up truck that is featured in a campaign commercial designed to appeal to the working class independents.
Then, in the greatest gaffe in Massachusetts' politics since a helmuted Mike Dukakis drove a tank, Coakley criticized Scott Brown for bringing in former New York Major Rudolph Giuliani to campaign, since Rudy is, of course, "a Yankee fan."
But what about Curt Schilling's support? He's "another Yankee fan!" according to Coakley. That brought on a comical spat between Schilling and Coakley. Later, Boston College and Patriots football great Doug Flutie appeared at rallies with Schilling to show his support for Brown.
If Coakley loses, people will remember that her poll numbers nose-dived after she stupidly insulted followers of the Bruins, Red Sox and probably got Doug Flutie fans riled in the mix.
These are the "smahtest fans in America" after all. The very fact that Coakley would insult their intelligence speaks volumes about her competency to hold a Senate seat. Let's see if she can snipe at Celtics fans in the waning hours of her campaign.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Martha Coakley calls Curt Shilling a "Yankee fan" - Curt responds
"I've been called a lot of things...but never, I mean never, could anyone make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn't know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could."
- Curt Schilling
This was after Martha Coakley, Massachusetts Democrat senatorial candidate derided Rudolph Giuliani's campaign for her rival, Scott Brown, by calling Rudy a "Yankee fan." When asked a about Curt Schilling's support for Brown, she responded that he was a Yankee fan too. She later said it was a joke. As they say in Mass: "Yeah, right."
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Patriots 2009 Regular Season Round-up: "Why not us?"
The Patriots were statistically the best team in the AFC in the 2009 regular season.
Forget about the win / loss ratio. If we look at the Points-For / Points-Against ratio, the Pats narrowly beat out the Jets and Ravens as the best team in the AFC playoffs. The numbers bear this out.
AFC Playoff Teams / PF / PA / Ratio
New England Patriots / 427 / 285 / 1.4982
Baltimore Ravens / 391 / 261 / 1.4981
New York Jets / 348 / 236 / 1.47
San Diego Chargers / 454 / 320 / 1.42
Indianapolis Colts / 416 / 307 / 1.36
Cincinnati Bengals / 305 / 291 / 1.05
The Pats were the fifth best defensive team in the NFL
I had this conversation on the plane to Boston on Christmas day with two other Pats fans. I held out that the bottom line in determining the best defensive team is points against throughout the season. Some football purists might disagree in favor of a more complicated formula. But to me, it's just good horse sense. In baseball, a pitcher's worth is his ERA -- more so than his won / loss record. The rating of defensive half of a football team likewise ought to be determined by the number of points against. Anyone who wants to argue with that is welcome.
New England fans are usually optimists when it comes to the Patriots and Celtics and pessimists when it comes to the Bruins and Red Sox. This year, Pats fans not as sanguine as in 2007 and 2008 when they finished 16-0 and 11-5 respectively. A Pats' record of 10-6 doesn't seem like a Superbowl contender. But I disagree. With Wes Welker they were the best team in the AFC. Without him, the Pats have as good a chance as anyone.
Here are the final numbers:
Points Against
Jets - 236
Cowboys - 250
Ravens - 261
49'ers - 281
Patriots - 285
The Pats were the fifth best offensive team in the NFL
The Pats finished with the fifth best offensive numbers in the NFL and second in the AFC. There is no way we can compare this team to 2007, the greatest offensive team of all time. But one could argue too that the NFL is more homogeneous than it was two years ago. Here is how the numbers stacked up.
Points For
Saints - 510
Vikings - 470
Packers - 461
Chargers - 454
Eagles - 429
Patriots - 427
* Teams in italics are not playoff bound.
* Teams in blue are NFC teams
It's difficult to factor in the big differences in offense and defense in the AFC vs. the NFC. That is why the ratio of PF / PA is a better indicator. But for the foreseeable AFC playoff future, it looks like the Pats's home field advantage bodes well for them against the Ravens. I see it as an easy win. I'll post my numbers for all playoff games in a few days. The trip to San Diego is supposed to be the tough round 2 game that poses the biggest problem. I give the Pats a 50-50 shot against the Chargers even without Welker. Then looks like a Jets / Pats AFC championship game in Foxboro, which could be a laugher in favor of New England.
That's how I see it.
The Chargers are the team that stands in the way of a Patriots trip to Superbowl XLIV in Miami in February.
My 2009 AFC East Predictions
New England Patriots 13-3
Buffalo Bills 9-7
New York Jets 7-9
Miami Dolphins 7-9
The Actual Outcome
New England Patriots 10-6
New York Jets 9-7
Miami Dolphins 7-9
Buffalo Bills 6-10
It's obvious that the AFC East is much better than in 2007 when the Pats went 16-0. That softens the perception that the Pats are much worse. In fact, here I'll use the PF / PA effect again.
My Total PF / PA Prediction for 2009 Pats Games*
477 / 238
The Actual Outcome
427 / 285
My total PF / PA ratio is almost exactly 2 to1 strangely enough.
Even more strange is the fact that the actual outcome ended up being almost exactly 1.5 to 1.
* Note that I forgot to post a prediction in what ended up being a 59-0 win against the Titans in snowy Foxboro. That would have affected the Points For, but as it stands the effect on Points Against is null.
Final Analysis
The Patriots were wildly inconsistent this year. Given a performance reminiscent of one of their better outings, they can beat any team in the NFL. If they play just consistent with their average performance throughout the season, I have to say they have a better than even chance of making it to the Superbowl.
Forget about the win / loss ratio. If we look at the Points-For / Points-Against ratio, the Pats narrowly beat out the Jets and Ravens as the best team in the AFC playoffs. The numbers bear this out.
AFC Playoff Teams / PF / PA / Ratio
New England Patriots / 427 / 285 / 1.4982
Baltimore Ravens / 391 / 261 / 1.4981
New York Jets / 348 / 236 / 1.47
San Diego Chargers / 454 / 320 / 1.42
Indianapolis Colts / 416 / 307 / 1.36
Cincinnati Bengals / 305 / 291 / 1.05
The Pats were the fifth best defensive team in the NFL
I had this conversation on the plane to Boston on Christmas day with two other Pats fans. I held out that the bottom line in determining the best defensive team is points against throughout the season. Some football purists might disagree in favor of a more complicated formula. But to me, it's just good horse sense. In baseball, a pitcher's worth is his ERA -- more so than his won / loss record. The rating of defensive half of a football team likewise ought to be determined by the number of points against. Anyone who wants to argue with that is welcome.
New England fans are usually optimists when it comes to the Patriots and Celtics and pessimists when it comes to the Bruins and Red Sox. This year, Pats fans not as sanguine as in 2007 and 2008 when they finished 16-0 and 11-5 respectively. A Pats' record of 10-6 doesn't seem like a Superbowl contender. But I disagree. With Wes Welker they were the best team in the AFC. Without him, the Pats have as good a chance as anyone.
Here are the final numbers:
Points Against
Jets - 236
Cowboys - 250
Ravens - 261
49'ers - 281
Patriots - 285
The Pats were the fifth best offensive team in the NFL
The Pats finished with the fifth best offensive numbers in the NFL and second in the AFC. There is no way we can compare this team to 2007, the greatest offensive team of all time. But one could argue too that the NFL is more homogeneous than it was two years ago. Here is how the numbers stacked up.
Points For
Saints - 510
Vikings - 470
Packers - 461
Chargers - 454
Eagles - 429
Patriots - 427
* Teams in italics are not playoff bound.
* Teams in blue are NFC teams
It's difficult to factor in the big differences in offense and defense in the AFC vs. the NFC. That is why the ratio of PF / PA is a better indicator. But for the foreseeable AFC playoff future, it looks like the Pats's home field advantage bodes well for them against the Ravens. I see it as an easy win. I'll post my numbers for all playoff games in a few days. The trip to San Diego is supposed to be the tough round 2 game that poses the biggest problem. I give the Pats a 50-50 shot against the Chargers even without Welker. Then looks like a Jets / Pats AFC championship game in Foxboro, which could be a laugher in favor of New England.
That's how I see it.
The Chargers are the team that stands in the way of a Patriots trip to Superbowl XLIV in Miami in February.
My 2009 AFC East Predictions
New England Patriots 13-3
Buffalo Bills 9-7
New York Jets 7-9
Miami Dolphins 7-9
The Actual Outcome
New England Patriots 10-6
New York Jets 9-7
Miami Dolphins 7-9
Buffalo Bills 6-10
It's obvious that the AFC East is much better than in 2007 when the Pats went 16-0. That softens the perception that the Pats are much worse. In fact, here I'll use the PF / PA effect again.
My Total PF / PA Prediction for 2009 Pats Games*
477 / 238
The Actual Outcome
427 / 285
My total PF / PA ratio is almost exactly 2 to1 strangely enough.
Even more strange is the fact that the actual outcome ended up being almost exactly 1.5 to 1.
* Note that I forgot to post a prediction in what ended up being a 59-0 win against the Titans in snowy Foxboro. That would have affected the Points For, but as it stands the effect on Points Against is null.
Final Analysis
The Patriots were wildly inconsistent this year. Given a performance reminiscent of one of their better outings, they can beat any team in the NFL. If they play just consistent with their average performance throughout the season, I have to say they have a better than even chance of making it to the Superbowl.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Red Sox 2010 starting line-up and pitching rotation
Projected Batting Order / Position / Career BA / Career OPS*
Jacoby Ellsbury / CF / .297/ .764
Dustin Pedroia / 2B / .307 / .825
Victor Martinez / C / .299 / .837
Kevin Youkilis / 1B / .292 / .878
David Ortiz / DH / .282 / .922
J.D. Drew / RF / .283 / .896
Adrian Beltre / 3B / .270 / .779
Mike Cameron / LF / .250 / .788
Marco Scutaro / SS / .265 / .721
This is an amazing defense as the Red Sox have potential Gold Glove winners at almost every position. After what was a good year in 2009 when they ranked third in the American League, it gives the Red Sox possibly the best defensive team in the AL.
Offensively, the Red Sox finished second or third in nearly every team category in 2009 -- a year in which the Yankees' bats dominated baseball. Despite losing Jason Bay, the Red Sox look about the same in 2010. The top two-thirds of the line-up will be fearsome on day one. Look for them to add a big bat sometime during the season and they will be a World Series contender once again.
* Note:-- Here I use OPS (On Base plus Slugging percentage).
Pitching Rotation / Career ERA
Jon Lester / 3.66
Josh Beckett / 3.79
John Lackey / 3.81
Daisuke Matsuzaka / 4.00
Tim Wakefield / 4.33
Clay Buchholz / 4.91
Simply, this is the best pitching rotation in baseball. Every starter except Clay Buchholtz has been a 15 game winner within the last three years. The flashes of brilliance in the last three years show promise of becoming more of the norm as Buchholtz will be 26-years-old this season. With the exception of Wakefield, who will be 44, this is a young pitching staff that could make the Red Sox contenders for years to come.
This is what will make fans happy in the long run. Pitching and defense wins World Series' Championships. The offense is good enough to get them to the postseason. A four man playoff rotation is good enough to get them all the way there. Theo Epstein needs to add just a bit more depth to the middle relief in the off season and the Red Sox will have the best team in years.
Jacoby Ellsbury / CF / .297/ .764
Dustin Pedroia / 2B / .307 / .825
Victor Martinez / C / .299 / .837
Kevin Youkilis / 1B / .292 / .878
David Ortiz / DH / .282 / .922
J.D. Drew / RF / .283 / .896
Adrian Beltre / 3B / .270 / .779
Mike Cameron / LF / .250 / .788
Marco Scutaro / SS / .265 / .721
This is an amazing defense as the Red Sox have potential Gold Glove winners at almost every position. After what was a good year in 2009 when they ranked third in the American League, it gives the Red Sox possibly the best defensive team in the AL.
Offensively, the Red Sox finished second or third in nearly every team category in 2009 -- a year in which the Yankees' bats dominated baseball. Despite losing Jason Bay, the Red Sox look about the same in 2010. The top two-thirds of the line-up will be fearsome on day one. Look for them to add a big bat sometime during the season and they will be a World Series contender once again.
* Note:-- Here I use OPS (On Base plus Slugging percentage).
Pitching Rotation / Career ERA
Jon Lester / 3.66
Josh Beckett / 3.79
John Lackey / 3.81
Daisuke Matsuzaka / 4.00
Tim Wakefield / 4.33
Clay Buchholz / 4.91
Simply, this is the best pitching rotation in baseball. Every starter except Clay Buchholtz has been a 15 game winner within the last three years. The flashes of brilliance in the last three years show promise of becoming more of the norm as Buchholtz will be 26-years-old this season. With the exception of Wakefield, who will be 44, this is a young pitching staff that could make the Red Sox contenders for years to come.
This is what will make fans happy in the long run. Pitching and defense wins World Series' Championships. The offense is good enough to get them to the postseason. A four man playoff rotation is good enough to get them all the way there. Theo Epstein needs to add just a bit more depth to the middle relief in the off season and the Red Sox will have the best team in years.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Welker drama in Houston
The Boston Globe immediately calls it a "nightmare scenario."
Oh yes, and Tom Brady has three broken ribs -- he has for several weeks. We just learned this today. Only Brady could throw for four touchdowns in the first half in last week's game with three broken ribs.
If my best player suffered a minor bruise in the first play of a meaningless game, I would take him out for the rest of the game. The predictions of the Patriots' playoff demise are premature. Even if the Welker injury is minor, Belichek will still win the award for the most second-guessed coach of the year award.
Patriots Report: Week 17
My prediction for week 17:
Pats: 21
Titans: 14
Every other line has the Titans by about eight points. The conventional wisdom is that the Pats will rest their key players and take a loss in a meaningless game.
Brady says he won't rest though and Belichek is a stranger to convention. The Pats are still looking for that team continuity. This is more than a tune-up; it's a search for that lost magic that is the domain of the "Team of the Decade."
If the Pats are to make a strong playoff run, that momentum must start right now.
Disclaimer: The score is 7-0 Titans as I post this.
Pats: 21
Titans: 14
Every other line has the Titans by about eight points. The conventional wisdom is that the Pats will rest their key players and take a loss in a meaningless game.
Brady says he won't rest though and Belichek is a stranger to convention. The Pats are still looking for that team continuity. This is more than a tune-up; it's a search for that lost magic that is the domain of the "Team of the Decade."
If the Pats are to make a strong playoff run, that momentum must start right now.
Disclaimer: The score is 7-0 Titans as I post this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)