AFC Championship

Patriots win it the old fashioned way: they did whatever it took. Moss took a backseat to Maroney and Faulk shone brighter than Brady.

Still think Rivers is an immature punk, but I have a lot of respect for the way he played while obviously hobbled. As for L.T., his reputation takes a bit hit in my book. Stood on the sidelines most of the game last week and can't quite answer the bell today. Maybe it WAS reall bad. I'll apologize if we find out the leg has to be amputated this week.

Look for Randy Moss to return to form in the sunny confines of Arizona. Especially after Larry tops 100 two weeks in a row.
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Not in my house

I don’t care what the AKC says. The most popular dog in my house is a Basset Hound named Lenny.

Lost

I’ve finished watching Season 1 of Lost and the first episode of Season 2 (watched online).

I like it a lot so far. Interesting characters and interaction between characters. Realistic behavior by characters. Interesting plot twists. Good pace to the story. Not too many high climaxes, but not too many slow points, either. They keep you at a good steady level throughout, it seems.

Still no hope of finishing Seasons 2 and 3 before Season 4 debuts at the end of the month. The pace at which I watched Season 1 can not be continued. There’s only so long you devote every “free” minute to one activity before it causes issues.

Things could get harder, too. Having trouble getting Season 2 from the library, so I have to watch online until I get it. I’ve made a decision not to buy from iTunes or rent. Trying to do this for the donut, financially.

I’m interested to see how the show progresses. I’ve heard from a few people that they jumped off the show because it got too weird. It’d have to go quite a ways to lose me on those grounds. When it comes to my entertainment, I’m pretty tolerant of far-fetched things.

Teal of the River

Teal...Down the River.

And if they were "disrespected" or "flying under the radar screen" the Colts failed to earn that respect (at home with key Charger injuries) and are now OFF the radar screen. Serves their fans right for booing a 13-year old girl participating in the Punt, Pass and Kick competition just because she was from New England. Stay classy Indy.
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What can be said?

That's a damn good football team. But you already knew that.

That's a damn good quarterback. But you already knew that.

That's a damn good game's worth of playcalling and execution. But you already knew that.

There's nothing about this team that is surprising. But that doesn't mean they aren't fun to watch.
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Go Pats!!

Teal. That’s a color for winning football games? Sure, blend in all the black you want, but Teal is the color of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And the coach’s name is Del Rio. Of the River?

These are the friggin’ New England Patriots. Teal of the River is what you’re bringing to beat the New England Patriots? The only team to ever go 16-0 in the regular season? The team that is quarterbacked by Tom Brady and coached by Bill Belichick?

I’m not saying it can’t happen. But Teal of the River is going to have to go to places it has heretofore not gone.

"Teal of the River can run the ball.” Yeah. Pittsburgh could, too. They lost. Indianapolis could run the ball. They lost. Heck, San Diego has the best running game in the history of last year AND they had “something to prove.” They lost.

“Teal of the River is tough. Teal of the River can’t be intimidated.” Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Dallas, San Diego, Giants, Eagles. None of them intimidated. All of them tough. None of them victorious. All of them defeated.

So Teal of the River comes to town tomorrow night. They are said to be the “kind” of team that can beat the Patriots.

The Patriots are the “kind” of team that wins football games. Lots of them. Trying to define them any more specifically than that distracts from just saying what they really do well; win.

Like I said, Teal of the River “could” win. But I don’t think it will.

All I will say is this: Teal of the River’s secondary is so vulnerable that by next week there may be a charitable group set up to prevent their future exploitation.

Go Pats!!

I'm Lost

I remember seeing the ads for Lost when it first came on the air. It looked like a really cool premise that had great potential. But I missed the premiere. Then I missed a few shows that followed. I was bummed because it looked like the kind of show that you had to follow from the start or not at all. So I gave up. But then it became a hit.

Last year, the same thing happened when Heroes came on. But then eight or ten weeks in, I found I could watch the premiere of Heroes, the eight or nine most recent ones on the NBC website and I could buy any of them on iTunes. So I watched the premiere online, then with a couple of coworkers bought and watched enough from iTunes to catch us up to the freebies on the website. We caught up in plenty of time to watch the last third or so of the season on live TV with the rest of the world. We all watched Season 2 of Heroes and look forward to its return.

So when ads for the upcoming season of Lost started running, I wondered if I could do the same thing. Lo and behold, all three seasons are available online. So I started watching them, but because they are streaming, they hang up and skip sometimes a few seconds at at time. Very frustrating. One of the Heroes coworkers/watchers suggested I check for it at the library. And after some hits and misses, I borrowed the entire first season on DVD from an area library.

I had already struggled through four or five episodes online, but now I'm going to really start flying through the rest of season 1 on DVD. There have been more than 70 episodes through the first three seasons, so there's no way I'll catch up in time to watch the season premiere of season 4 at the end of this month. But since they only show one a week and I can watch more than that, I should catch up eventually.

Good show, so far.

We're gettin there

LSU answers with 17 straight points. It's amazing how many third downs they convert. It seems like every time I've watched them this season. They've converted tons of third and fourth down plays. They certainly don't rattle easily.



This is shaping up to be a good one. Feels like Ohio St is close to breaking big plays every other snap.

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BCS Championship

I love college football, always have. I miss the days when all the best bowl games were on January 1, but having the championship on a day of it's own is cool, too.



I was looking forward to tonight's matchup. Two teams I can root for and two coaches I kind of like. Tressel is all business, but Les Miles is a spirited gambler.



Ohio State threatening to go up by two scores, which would be a disappointment. Hoping for a game like the USC-Texas thriller a few years ago. Haven't figured out who I want to win. I'll feel it soon, I think.



Ohio St bogs down and settles for a FG. 10-0.

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Since I have a blog

I have to fulfill the legal obligation to comment on Britney Spears. So here goes:

I feel bad for her. I think she's had more than she can handle. I think everything going on right now is sad. I fear she will end up dead soon.

I'm not saying she's not to blame for the situation she's in. But it's still sad to see someone who can't pull themselves out of such a dramatic and dangerous slide.

I'm too young to remember; is this what it was like with Elvis? Were the details all this publicly known?

Point of discussion

Could Dolphin fans make the case that the Patriots better record than the 72 Dolphins doesn't mean they are a better team anymore than the record of this year's Celtics team means they are the best Celtics team ever?

Probably not, but it takes a little bit of a jerk out of the knee.
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Edwards

I’m voting for John Edwards for president.

 

I’m making calls on his behalf and will be door knocking tomorrow in New Hampshire.

Fitness or Transportation? Dumb or smart?

Real cold this morning. Really, really.

One of the nice things about my daily commute is that it takes me by the water...the ocean...the Atlantic one. There are always people walking themselves, their kids or their dogs or jogging along the sidewalks. It's always nice to see the number of bodies out there increase and the layers of clothes decrease as the spring weather begins, then watch the crowds dwindle as leaves brown and fall.

Either way, from the comfort of my car, the ocean is always a pleasant view. And sometimes quite interesting. On a count of it's so big and deep and all, the water in the Atlantic Ocean is sometimes warmer than the air. In fact, on days like this, there's so much of a temperature difference that vapor actually starts to rise off of the surface of the ocean, giving it a really cool look.

So while I was enjoying this view this morning, it came as a stark surprise to see a portly fella rollerblading along the sidewalk bordering the beach. Sure there are always joggers--they're nuttiness can be left for another post someday--and there are the regular schmoes who have to walk the dog or walk to catch a train or bus. But rollerblading? With all the sand and mess on the sidewalks these days? On top of the aforementioned bitter cold?

I couldn't help but wonder* if this was a fitness routine or simply a way of getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Maybe it was exercise. But the guy didn't look like he was a regular rollerblader by the shape of his body or the skill in his stride. So if he was just starting some kind of New Year's resolution gambit he was a lot dumber than he was chubby.

So I was left to conclude that he usually has to walk, but figured that no matter how bad he was on the roller blades, they would get him to his destination and out of the cold faster than his sneakers.

And that made me think he was smarter than I initially gave him credit for.

But DAMN he musta been cold!


*Yes, I've watched Sex and the City with my wife many times.

Happy New Year

to you and yours.

from me and mines.

Beware

Next time I'm stuck in my car for seven and a half hours, you people are going to get the blow by blow!

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Test

This could lead to more posting.
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Thank you, Steve Early

We need more of this sentiment.

Memo to the christmas tree ornament makers: Lighten up!

Just about every christmas ornament made today is too heavy. Much too heavy.

Give me a break, already.

In other christmas decorating news, I have a brilliant new design for lights to put on the tree. Does anyone have the financing, manufacturing, marketing and legal expertise to help make us both gozillionares? You know how to reach me.

Christmas music, war, injured soldiers, Billy Joel

There's a new song out that was written by Billy Joel and sung by a young Long Islander named Cass Dillon. As Joel did with The Downeaster Alexa and Goodnight Saigon, he puts himself in the role of someone else.

If you're interested in war, soldiers or Billy Joel, you might enjoy it. I think it's a pretty powerful song.

It's available on iTunes and, best of all, proceeds will benefit Homes for our Troops. HFOT is a group that is tackling the task of building adapted homes for injured soldiers. You know, filling in the gaps left by the federal government. If you don't buy the song, you can contribute directly to them on their website .

wish I'd said that...

I don't know who she is, but patriotsgirl makes an excellent observation over at Football Outsiders. In a discussion of officiating during the Patriots-Ravens game monday night and complaints by Ravens players and fans that the league is "helping" the Patriots, she advises...

"I’d say never to assume malice when stupidity [or incompetence] will suffice.
:: patriotsgirl — 12/4/2007 @ 3:32 am."

This sentiment may have originated with someone else and may already be on tshirts, coffee mugs and bumper stickers. But I thank patriotsgirl for making me aware of it this time.

I've tried to make the same statement on numerous occasions in real life and at BMG. I'll certainly use this line in the future.

Thanks patriotsgirl.

When ifs and buts are candy and nuts...

...we'll all have a Merry Christmas.

The New England Patriots are 12-0. That’s not enough? Seriously?

Can the Patriots be beat? Yes. Of course. Only one team in the history of the NFL has ever not lost a game. And they had it easier, without free agency and salary caps and blah, blah, blah.

The opponents of the 72 Dolphins were within one score of beating the Dolphins in three regular season games and all three playoff games. Six times in the regular season they won by 10 points or less. The Patriots have won by less than 10 points in only two games. Nobody has ever done it better to this point.

Ok, so they can lose a game. They have not. But they could. And so what? The legacy still hangs on winning the Super Bowl. An undefeated regular season is just gravy. The Patriots have won every game they have played. Period.

But…but…but…PERIOD.

Miguel Tejada…Dustin Pedroia
Corey Patterson…Coco Crisp
Baltimore Orioles…Clay Buchholz

Philadelphia Eagles…Asante Samuel
Baltimore Ravens…themselves
NFL…Your New England Patriots?

where's my next fix?

I just finished the last of the turkey and stuffing. For seven straight days my diet has included at least one turkey sandwich. Tomorrow's lunch, no matter how large, will leave a feeling of emptiness, I fear.

Is it just me?

I could eat turkey sandwiches on toasted bread with mayonnaise, cranberry sauce and heated stuffing for two meals a day. How long could I do that before I got sick of it? Let's just say my supplies have never outlasted my taste. Seeing the end of my current supply dwindle has made me think of stopping at the store to buy another bird...just for sandwiches.

To me, the holy trinity is this: pizza, Chinese food and turkey sandwiches.

The pizza would preferably be pepperoni, but most other traditional favorites will suffice. Cold pizza? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Cold pizza especially for breakfasts is an excellent reason why you can never order too much pizza.

The Chinese food is also an excellent cold treat, even for breakfast. Pupu platters work best. The boneless spare ribs, teriyaki, egg rolls and crab rangoon are all top notch after a night in the refrigerator. Chicken fingers aren't perfect cold, but they're still better than broccoli.

Forget chasing the dragon; I'm chasing the turkey.

A Season of Faith

'Tis the season to think about all that you know and believe about our world.

Now is the time to search for truth.

good happy hopeful positive

I love learning about this kind of stuff.

CSP; concentrated solar power. It's a "green" technology that sounds great. Fuel to generate power? The sun. But these aren't solar panels on the roof of your neighbors house.

Look out of this worldly? The BBC guy thought so, too.

A concrete tower - 40 storeys high - stood bathed in intense white light, a totally bizarre image in the depths of the Andalusian countryside.

The tower looked like it was being hosed with giant sprays of water or was somehow being squirted with jets of pale gas. I had trouble working it out.

In fact, as we found out when we got closer, the rays of sunlight reflected by a field of 600 huge mirrors are so intense they illuminate the water vapour and dust hanging in the air.

The effect is to give the whole place a glow - even an aura - and if you're concerned about climate change that may well be deserved.

I found this when I went to this website, even though I meant to go to this one.

And from the first site, I found this cnn article. Here are some pretty fun things from that article:

One of the byproducts of CSP, waste heat, can be used to desalinate seawater(conversely, it can produce thermal cooling, otherwise known as air conditioning). And this is what TREC believes will make it more appealing for the MENA region, as its CSP project will effectively enable the countries there to avert the kind of crises in the future that people now commonly refer to as the Water Wars. (noternie note: MENA is Middle East, North Africa)

Serving the Yemeni city of Sana'a for example, "which is facing the exhaustion of its ground water reserves in about 15 years", CSP-treated water will save the international community billions of dollars in the future, when millions leave their homes for lack of water, it argues. Moving 2 million of Sana'a's citizens to new homes will cost around $44 billion. But it would cost $7 billion to build the CSP plants, which would prevent them leaving in the first place, TREC argues.

Exciting, nonpartisan, plausible, forseable, positive, clean, lasting solution.

More in-depth information can be found by reading and following links from the article on wikipedia. Read one of the above linked articles and see if you don't get excited by the possibilities here.

Preparing sour grapes for harvest

Don Shula was a great coach. But I think he needs to stick to running his restaurants.

His comparing the Patriots spygate to Bond's steroid use is way off and clearly only meant to preserve his 1972 team's claims to greatest team ever.

The Patriots have not done anything since week 1 and there is doubt they did anything in that game to benefit them in that game. Credible speculation is that the filming was scouting for future games. And if they win out, they'll go 19-0. Miami only went 17-0.

If the Patriots or any team ever goes undefeated, their achievement will be more significant than the Dolphins because they will have won more games. The talk I've heard has always been that if a team goes undefeated, the only way the '72 Dolphins stay in the conversation is with an asterisk and note indicating they played fewer games. So maybe Shula is trying a preemptive strike.

Shula is probably still sore there was talk of the Patriots having outdone the '72 Dolphins by winning 21 straight NFL contests in 2003-04. "They weren't all in one season" they whined.

The claim that the '72 Dolphin team is the best ever is not even a lock. Great accomplishment, but many put them behind the '85 Bears, one of the Patriot teams or entries from San Francisco, Pittsburgh or Dallas.

Candy confirmation

A Milky Way bar is just a 3 Musketeers with caramel added, no?

I'm not a huge fan of either. Do they have a loyal following? Is a Milky Way or 3 Musketeers anyone's first choice?

I think Snickers is tops in candy bar sales. But it would be interesting to see who falls in line behind them: Hershey? M&Ms? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? Almond Joy? Mr. Goodbar? Baby Ruth? Or are these just my favorites?

Obama = fuddy duddy

Yeah, someone's got to be an adult. And yes, a mockery was being made of the process. Still, Obama goes down a few points in my book for putting in effort to keep Stephen Colbert off the South Carolina ballot. Why couldn't he trust the entire thing to die of natural causes? A cnn story gives a hint ;-)

But the calls raise questions about the Obama supporters' motives, given their close ties to the campaign and the fact that Colbert and Obama both draw support from a similar demographic.

Global warming

Saw that Matt Lauer is at the North Pole, someone else from the Today show is at the South Pole and they've got someone in a jungle somewhere? All are supposed to be highlighting issues of global warming and environmental issues.

Wouldn't it be better if they all stayed home instead of flying stars, makeup people and technical staff all over the place? Surely there is stock footage available or local folks that can send stuff back? How much extra power do they use getting there and running remotes from there?

Maybe it's me.

Hello Hub Bloggers

Welcome to my corner of the universe. Despite what you see on this front page, I do post on more than sports. Check the archives if you wish.

This is a personal blog. It's not a political blog or a sports blog or a media blog, etc. To me being a personal blog means it will contain whatever strikes my fancy at any given time, regardless of topic. I've already posted on the Red Sox, Patriots, journalism, fires in my kitchen, microfinance and technological singularity.

Thanks for the plug, Jay.

And if you're one of "my people," check out Hub Blog, using the link over there on the right.

Just in case...

I don't want A-Rod.

I’m just preparing myself for the possibility, not inevitability. I’m perfectly happy to continue hating him and wishing career ending injuries on him.

In addition to Randy Moss, I also put forward for your consideration David Wells. Heck, look at Manny Ramirez. Have we not had to get over a few things with him?

And since someone played the dreaded “curse” card, why not hypothesize that really “reversing the curse” requires taking a premier player from the MFY? Ask one of the doomsayers about that, then step back and enjoy the logical gymnastics. I’m guessing the end result is doom for the Red Sox, somehow.

Consider: how delicious would it be if A-Rod came here, turned out to be a decent guy and a clutch performer in the middle of a Red Sox dynasty?

I still haven’t convinced myself, so don’t think I’m trying to convince anyone else.