Pass Patterns

Patriots Survive At Fedex Field

2011-12-12T07:30:00.002-05:00

In a matchup that on paper looked like a blowout, the New England Patriots beat the Washington Redskins in a game that was too close for comfort. For the second straight week, the Patriots played down to the level of the competition. Performances like yesterday's vs. the Redskins and last week's vs. the Colts, really makes one question the makeup of this Patriot roster as well as whether they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

The Patriots secondary, for a lack of a better word, is a MESS. Devin McCourty had another erratic afternoon. McCourty was scorched several times early, but had a few nice plays in the second half. As the anchor of the secondary, if McCourty isn't playing well, the Patriots have difficulty in defending the pass.

What does Bill Belichick see in James Ihedigbo? He is TERRIBLE. Ihedigbo does nothing positive on the field that I can see.

Fortunately, the Patriots have Tom Brady, Wes Welker, and Rob Gronkowski to bail the defense out. Brady had a rough game (by his standards), but still threw for 3 TD passes. As good as the passing game can be, wouldn't the Patriots be better off trying to run the ball more and keep their own shoddy defense off the field?

Regardless of the game plan, this Patriot team doesn't seem ticketed for a Super Bowl championship. For the fourth straight season, the defense has too many holes that Belichick seemingly is incapable of filling. Same issue, different year.

Red Sox at the Rangers

2011-08-24T20:04:00.002-04:00

Based on their history, I've always taken the Texas Rangers lightly. However, they are a tough baseball team., with good pitching and thunder throughout the lineup. Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, and Mike Napoli - all guys who can hit the ball out of the park. As for the pitching, they have a starting rotation of featuring CJ Wilson (who the Red Sox can't touch) , along with lesser known guys like Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando.

There's a reason they made the World Series last year. They're GOOD. I need to take them more seriously.

Democrats and the Economy

2011-08-16T19:35:00.003-04:00

President Obama has embarked on a bus tour this (amusingly described by GOP candidate Mitt Romney as the "Magical Misery Tour"), to tout his plans and ideas to get Americans back to work. Feel free to laugh.

When President Obama and the Democratic led House and Senate pushed through an $800 billion Stimulus bill in 2009, the promise was made that it would bring unemployment down to 8%. The Democrats were wrong. What the Stimulus bill did was save some public employment jobs, because the states used the money to keep from having to lay public workers off, as well as spark up "shovel ready" public works projects all over America.

What President Obama and Democrats fail to realize is that it is the PRIVATE sector that is the key to hiring, not the Federal Government. Since taking office in January 2009, the Obama Adminstration has passed along regulation after regulation onto private sector businesses. These new costs have made small businesses and corporations uneasy about expanding and hiring people.

Las Vegas mogul Steven Wynn, a highly successful entrepreneur, came out and said publicly that the Obama Administration is the biggest wet blanket when it comes to business he's ever seen. That is really a strong indictment of the lack of success President Obama and the Democrats have had in reviving the economy.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called President Obama a "food stamp President". Newt is right. Despite his repeated failures on economic issues, don't expect President Obama to change course, the way President Clinton did when faced with a Republican House and Senate. President Obama is a true believer in wealth redistribution, high government spending, and high taxes. It is a system that has failed in Europe and is now failing here.

Considering that Standard and Poors downgraded the US credit rating, due to the crushing debt and budget deficit you would think the Democrats would think twice about spending more. Their answer? Demonize Standard and Poors for their decision, raise taxes to provide more revenue and keep spending on programs that don't work.

November 6th, 2012 cannot come soon enough.

The New England Patriots and Other NFL Thoughts

2010-11-01T23:58:00.001-04:00

Two months ago, I was scoffing at anyone who said the New England Patriots were going to win 10 or 11 games. Coming off of a disappointing season, I hadn’t seen the team make what I consider to be any serious improvements to a porous defense that dogged them through most of the 2009 season. I predicted an 8-8 season; a rebuilding year.

After seven games, the New England Patriots have a 6-1 record, the best record in the National Football League. It shows what I know, which apparently isn’t much. This team has been a very pleasant surprise.

Featuring a timely offense and a bend, but don’t break defense, the 2010 edition reminds me of the 2003 Patriots, who won the Super Bowl. The 2003 Pats played a lot of close games, often times it wasn’t easy, but in the end they made fewer mistakes than their opponent and that wound up being the difference in them winning the game.

That’s the way this team plays. On defense, they give up a lot of yards, but put the clamps on, once opposing offenses get within the ten yard line. Offensively, Tom Brady is still there, but the TD’s are scored by players such as Danny Woodhead, BenJarvus Green Ellis and Brandon Tate, none of whom are stars.

The Patriots also have superior special teams, a very underrated aspect of football. The Patriots have been fortunate to have terrific kickers the last 15 seasons with Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski. The team also upgraded the punting position with big legged Zoltan Mesko, a rookie from Michigan.

This has been an amazing coaching job by Bill Belichick, so far. Right now they have four rookies starting on defense – Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Deaderick, Brandon Spikes, and Devin McCourty. All have played very well. Besides veteran Vince Wilfork, the defense is anchored by second year player Pat Chung and third year player Jerod Mayo.

Almost halfway through the season, the 2010 Patriots have been a joy to watch.

Other NFL news…

This week the talk was of a possible NY Jets-NY Giants Super Bowl down in Dallas. After watching the Green Bay Packers defeat the Jets 9-0, in what can best be described as a “rock fight”, the idea of printing those Super Bowl tickets for the Jets is premature. Mark Sanchez still has a lot of work to do at the QB position. He’s a front running type of QB. When the team is going well, he plays well. However, when they need him to step up and make plays, he hasn’t shown the ability to carry the team, yet.

Another team having a surprise season in what was thought to be a rebuilding year is the Kansas City Chiefs. The last several seasons have been nightmarish for the Chiefs and their fans, but the team is run by former Patriots GM Scott Pioli. He and coach Todd Haley have things going in the right direction. It certainly helps that Haley has former Pats coaching alumni Charlie Weis as Offensive Coordinator and Romeo Crennel as the Defensive Coordinator . Led by the best running attack in football, featuring Thomas Jones and Jamal Charles, the Chiefs are off to a 5-2 start.

The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of talent. On paper, a team with Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, and Brett Favre looks great. However, despite his performance before being knocked out of the game, Favre is no longer an elite QB. When he plays within the system and manages the game, like he did yesterday, he can still be effective. However, he’s prone to taking too many risks and throws a lot of interceptions. Unfortunately, for the Vikings, backup QB Tavaris Jackson isn’t the answer. Their coach Brad Childress was considered a fine Offensive Coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, but as a head man, he’s been mediocre. The Vikings, at 2-5, would be wise to fire Childress immediately, and promote Defensive Coordinator/Asst. Head Coach Leslie Frazier to head coach. The Vikings seem like a team needing a different voice from the top.

Speaking of teams needing a coaching change, Jerry Jones needs to end the Wade Phillips era in Dallas. The Cowboys have been an extreme disappointment and at 1-6, Wade has lost the team. They are so bad; Jones apologized to the fans yesterday. Even the defense has been a disappointment the last two weeks. Former Cowboys head coach Dave Campo is still on the Dallas staff, serving as the secondary coach. He’s definitely a candidate who could replace Phillips as an interim for the rest of the year. He’s worked under Jerry Jones before; it’s not his first rodeo.

At 0-7, the Buffalo Bills are the worst team in the NFL. I feel sorry for their fans. I really do. Owner Ralph Wilson is over 90 years old and doesn’t spend the money necessary to bring elite talent and coaching to the Bills. It is obvious that the team skimps on scouting, based upon their draft record, whiffing badly on first round Defensive Linemen such as John McCargo and Aaron Maybin in recent years. They replace head coaches constantly, this year, they have retread Chan Gailey as head coach. The Bills also went into the season with Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick as their QB’s. Edwards, initially the starter, was released. Fitzpatrick hasn’t played bad as the starter, but he’s not a long term answer. What a mess!

The Indianapolis Colts have been so devastated with injuries; they are the football version of the 2010 Boston Red Sox. I’ve read and heard media members say the Colts aren’t what they were. I don’t buy into that school of thought. As long as Peyton Manning is healthy and playing QB, the Colts are as formidable an opponent as anyone.

One week until Election Day

2010-10-26T08:16:00.002-04:00

Are you sick of political advertisements yet? Some of these ads are as fictional as a typical John Grisham novel. The ads perpetuate a myth that a Barney Frank type is answering his call to “public service”, singlehandedly saving an elderly woman’s life by making a few phone calls to get her the prescription medication that she can’t afford. He’s making a positive impact for the district! Naturally, the ad doesn’t take into account the other 99.5 percent of what the politician’s activities are – voting in a fiscally reckless manner, taking stands on issues that go against the will of his constituents, and collecting dubious campaign contributions from lobbyists.

Never before has an election season brought out so much cynicism. The economy is atrocious, unemployment is rampant, and the Democratic majority in Washington has squandered a golden opportunity by ramming unwanted, so called “progressive” legislation down the throats of a bewildered public who foolishly fell under the spell of cuddly campaign slogans two years ago.

What is striking is that anyone actually believed the nonsense the Democrats were selling back in 2008. With the help of folks such as David Gregory, Katie Couric, and Oprah Winfrey, the Democrats managed to snooker an unfocused electorate, too busy updating their statuses on Facebook and watching Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Anne, to pay attention to the true intentions of the Democrats. Did these voters not see any of the 2008 Democratic Primary? Those primary debates made the Swedish and French look like knuckle dragging Neanderthals.

If these Obama voters had done any research, they would’ve found that the Democrats are the party of special interests. Once upon a time the Democrats cared for the working person. That is no longer the case. The 21^st century Democrats are the party of trial lawyers, illegal aliens, welfare queens, unions, the abortion lobby, and the politically correct.

The latest polls show what will likely be a large Republican victory on November 2^nd. However, I believe the polls are underestimating how large the victory will be; big surprise when most of the mainstream media is liberal. What these polls are underestimating is the energy that the Tea Party voters, Republicans, and independents will bring to the voting booths across America. They can’t wait to vote!

There is no energy for the Democrats. This election is a referendum on the healthcare bill, President Barack Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The poll numbers show Pelosi and Reid to be particularly unpopular. Good luck getting depressed Democratic voters to the polls.

Here in Massachusetts, other than moonbats and lockstep union members, does anyone believe that tone deaf Governor Deval Patrick is steering Massachusetts in the right direction? Independents, not Democrats are the largest voting bloc in Massachusetts. The dissatisfaction and disgust for the status quo will cause Republican tremors across the United States, including Massachusetts. I am looking forward to seeing it all unveil on Election Day.

Saturday Morning Politics

2010-10-16T07:51:00.002-04:00

Some quick hits:

That Massachusetts poll by Suffolk University proclaiming that Governor Deval Patrick has a 7 point lead has to be false. Governor Patrick has high negatives and Massachusetts state polls are notoriously inaccurate. For example, the polls that came out last winter where Attorney General Marsha Coakley (yes, I know her real name is Martha, but it's so much fun calling her by the nickname Patrick Kennedy bestowed upon her) had a 15 point lead over Scott Brown in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race.

Congressman Barney Frank really has his hands full with Republican challenger Sean Bielat. Bielat has managed to frustrate Frank in debates, to where all he can do is demand Bielat stop interrupting him. Bielat has run a great campaign, has a strong grasp of the issues, and isn't intimidated at all. They have another debate in Newton being sponsored by the Newton League of Women Voters. Frank is sure to get some softball questions from that group.

To the people of Delware: How is a Marxist like Chris Coons a better choice than Christine O'Donnell? Haven't you already seen what damage can be done to the country under the 21 months of President Obama's stewardship of the economy? O'Donnell is definitely very conservative, but she's far less dangerous than a vote for continuation of socialist policies that have destroyed economic recovery. O'Donnell has been unfairly portrayed in the media, while Coons gets off easy.

Deion Branch back with the Patriots

2010-10-13T10:14:00.003-04:00

Count me as being thrilled that the Patriots re-acquired Deion Branch from the Seattle Seahawks for a 4th round pick. There are those who don't like the the deal, due to Branch being injury prone since going to Seattle. I can see their point, however, the Patriots have 2 picks in each of the first three rounds of the 2011 draft, so giving up the 4th rounder is no big deal.

Branch is a clutch player and he's also a winner. He may not have Randy Moss' pedigree when it comes to all time regular season greatness, but Branch won a Super Bowl MVP. Moss' performance in the Super Bowl vs. the Giants was average at best.

If Branch is healthy, he's still a quality NFL receiver. He and QB Tom Brady have always had good chemistry on the field. I believe he will be a serious asset to the Patriots offense the rest of this season.

Welcome back, Deion!

John Lennon's 70th birthday

2010-10-09T08:47:00.006-04:00

If he hadn't been needlessly gunned down 30 years ago by Mark David Chapman, John Lennon would've turned 70 today. Certainly, if he had remained alive, he would've written and produced more great music. I'm also of the belief that the Beatles would've reunited at some point. Stories have come out the last few years (courtesy of May Pang) that during his separation from Yoko Ono in 1974, Lennon was very interested in getting back together with the band. John and Paul McCartney were hanging out together in Los Angeles during this time frame. However, once he went back to Ono, that possibility dissipated. It wasn't in Yoko's best interests for the Beatles to get back together.

In looking at their songwriting partnership, Lennon and McCartney were perfect for each other. Lennon would add an edge to Paul's penchant for throwaway lyrics and let him know when a song wasn't good (Lennon was said to have hated "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" - and rightfully so. He refused to participate in the recording of it). I also don't believe John would've allowed "Mary Had A Little Lamb", to see the light of day. Paul would rein in some of John's over the top songs ("Cold Turkey" and "Mother" would never be allowed to appear on a Beatles album) and add melody to them.

Many people have different opinions on this topic, but I believe Paul was unfairly portrayed as a soft music artist, who was riding Lennon's coattails. Let's be honest. John was martyred after his death. If one were to look at the last three Beatle albums, John Lennon had mentally checked out.

John famously complained in a 1970 interview with Lennon toadie Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone that the band had tired of being sidemen for Paul. Other than being strung out on drugs a lot of the time, what did Lennon really contribute during 1968-69? "Revolution" is an outstanding song, as is "Don't Let Me Down". "The Ballad of John and Yoko" is, narcissistic, but excellent as well. That's pretty much it.

During the last 3 albums, some examples of the contributions from Lennon were "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey", "Revolution 9", and "Come Together". Those don't come close to measuring up to his best songs. Paul McCartney's songs during that time frame include, "Let It Be", "The Long and Winding Road", "Golden Slumbers Medley", "Get Back", "Oh Darling", "Back in the USSR" - all Beatle classics.

It is obvious who wrote the better songs during those last albums. By Abbey Road, the Beatles turned into the Paul and George show. The two biggest classics from Abbey Road, are "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun" - both by George Harrison.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is considered by most critics to be the greatest album of all time. John Lennon readily admitted that the ideas behind the album came from Paul. John did contribute the great, "A Day In The Life", with the perfect middle part of the song written and sung by Paul. That is songwriting collaboration at its finest.

Now when it comes to the early Beatles material, I believe John Lennon's songs were much stronger. His contributions on the "A Hard Day's Night" album are a tour de force, too many to list. Other early Lennon songs, "Help!", "Please, Please Me", "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man", and "In My Life", are some of the biggest Beatles songs.

In terms of their solo material, they badly missed one another. Both had their hits and misses. Paul has missed the mark badly, several times. Albums such as "Wild Life", "Red Rose Speedway", "London Town", "Pipes Of Peace", "Press To Play", and "Off the Ground" are only for the truest McCartney fan.

Lennon's penchant for radicalism and political songs went way over the top, thus leaving some of his material, such as the album "Some Time in New York City", unlistenable. I'm also not much into the tortured artist persona. I listen to music for enjoyment, not to hear songs like, "My Mummy's Dead", or bizarre material such as "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)".

To me, there are four songs that are the essence of John Lennon's solo career.

"How Do You Sleep?" - from the Imagine album. A postcard of disdain to Paul McCartney featuring lyrical put downs with titles of McCartney songs. A slow bluesy type song, featuring a killer slide guitar solo, cheerfully delivered by George Harrison. In an interview a few years later, John attempted to back off the obvious fact that this song is about Paul and but instead was about himself. Yeah, sure.

"God" - John's song about what he believes and his standing in life when the song was written in 1970.

"Jealous Guy" - This song is my favorite solo song written by John. Where was this type of song in 1969?

"Stand By Me" - a cover song on the Rock n Roll album, but the song is sung with such a fantastic edge, it is truly a tremendous performance. This version blows the Ben E. King original away. This is Lennon singing and performing at his finest.

It is unfortunate that Lennon took 5 years off from music in the last years of his life to raise his son Sean. Maybe he felt he needed to be the father he wasn't to his other son Julian, or he had tired of the music business, or even had writer's block, no one will ever know for sure. Yoko Ono certainly won't tell the truth about it. It wasn't until 1980, when John heard Paul McCartney's "Coming Up" on the radio, a song which he supposedly loved, that he was inspired and spurred to start writing again.

Lennon's last album, "Double Fantasy", features strong material such as, "Just Like Starting Over", "Beautiful Boy", and "Watching the Wheels". Unfortunately, the album consists of several Yoko Ono songs. The song "Woman" is as sappy as any love song Paul McCartney ever wrote. Yet, Lennon never was taken to task for this, due to his death. Instead, Paul gets grief for "My Love", which is a better song than, "Woman".

Taking Yoko Ono out of the equation, if a Beatles reunion were to ever occur, I believe the one they would've had the hardest time getting on board would've been George Harrison. George didn't enjoy playing the part of Beatle George, and despite Paul's public appeals to the contrary, George was not a big fan of Paul. Even during the 1994 Beatles Anthology in sessions, there was tension between the two. He always felt marginalized by him. If you've ever seen the movie, "Let It Be", you'd understand why George felt this way. You'll see Paul in action, behaving like a jack ass throughout the movie.

Fortunately, both Ringo Starr and Paul are still around and still touring. Paul still sings great, plays super, critically acclaimed shows, and carries the Beatles legacy on his back. It's obvious he's still stung by the criticism he's received in the wake of John's death, by the number of Beatles songs he plays in concert (including Lennon and Harrison sung songs) as well as on the 2002 Back In the US live album, changing the songwriting credits to McCartney/Lennon.

Paul finally came to terms with the criticism he received for some of his Wings material (and yes, he deserved to get hammered for some of it), that on his 2010 tour he expanded the number of Wings songs on his set list and has added songs never played live before, as well as some songs that haven't been played live since 1976.

So, the legacy carries on - minus two members, the albums still sell millions of copies all these years later, and the "what if's", about what could've happened to the greatest music group of all time continue on, 40 years after the group broke up.

Taxes, Lies, and Democrats

2010-10-01T07:40:00.002-04:00

Every day, I read columns from the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, RealClearPolitics.com, and The Drudge Report. I don't exclusively read conservative only columns, I also like to read those written by liberals. I like to try get inside the head of a liberal and understand how someone can be so out of touch with reality.

Here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we have a classic example of liberal scare tactics going on. We have a tight governor's race, where the incumbent Democrat, Deval Patrick, has high disapproval ratings, but is buoyed by the presence of straw man independent gubernatorial candidate, former Democrat Treasurer Tim Cahill, who all of a sudden saw the light and is now an "independent". Without Cahill's presence, Republican candidate Charlie Baker would win in a landslide. Right now, the race is too close to call, but I predict a Baker victory on November 2nd, due to the "energy factor" of disgusted independents and conservative voters.

We also have a controversial (to some) ballot question in which the recently raised sales tax will be cut to 3%. The liberals have already come out with the scare tactics. Old people dying in the streets, children in classrooms of 50 kids, your house will burn down because there are no firemen, etc.

What many of the "sheeple" don't understand is, police, fire, and teachers are mostly funded through property taxes! Local aid does come into the equation, but a vote for a sales tax reduction should not impact these jobs.

This is a classic example of distortion and lies that the Democrats in Massachusetts perpetuate. If you want "services", you have to pay for them. Frankly, I don't need a lot of services. Just plow my streets when it snows, educate my kids, have police and firemen available if I need them. That's not constituting "wanting it all".

I have health insurance through my job, I don't use the Mass Pike, I generally don't use Logan Airport (I fly out of Green in Providence), I don't have a broken family, thus don't require Human Services or public housing, and I don't take the MBTA.

In other words, I'm a productive member of society not requiring a government handout.

The so called dependency on government in this country has become almost mythical. If you don't have a huge state and federal government full of bureaucrats, then if you ever need to collect unemployment, you're out of luck. Are there people who need government assistance? Absolutely, and they should be assisted. However, that doesn't mean that the vast majority of the population requires this level of funding.

This is nanny state dependency has become completely ridiculous. Whatever happened to "rugged individualism"? What amazes me is the number of people who buy into the lies and distortions by liberals and believe their scare tactics.

This is not the 1940's where the Democrats worked out for the working man. The 2010 Democrats only look out for non working people, state workers, special interests, and illegal aliens.

Open your eyes folks. There's a lot to see that's going wrong. Don't vote to continue the free fall of government, where if you're one of them, things are great. If not, pay until it hurts.

Reduced Expectations for the 2010 Red Sox

2010-08-16T17:05:00.011-04:00

Granted the baseball regular season still has seven weeks to go; however, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Boston Red Sox will not make the playoffs this season. It’s just not happening. The starting rotation has been inconsistent, the closer, Jonathan Papelbon has had his worst season, most of the relief pitchers have performed poorly, and there have been too many injuries to overcome.

Despite this, the 2010 Boston Red Sox have vastly overachieved. In terms of starting players, they’ve played significant chunks of games without Victor Martinez, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Varitek, and Josh Beckett. In three games back in June, the Red Sox starting outfield consisted of Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald, and Bill Hall.

Josh Beckett has been atrocious all season (think Theo wishes he hadn’t extended that contract back in April?) and John Lackey has been at disappointment. More often than not, Lackey has pitched like a number five starter. He has allowed a career high 1.52 WHIP. In a rare case where ERA doesn’t accurately reflect the performance of the pitcher, Jonathan Papelbon’s ERA of 3.20, is very good, but his 6 blown saves have been killer. The 6 blown saves are a career high.

However, the season has been worthwhile to watch for a number of reasons. There have been several nice surprises on this team, none more than the offensive season Adrian Beltre has put up. Beltre leads the team in RBI and batting average. His defense hasn’t been as good as advertised, but he’s still very good at 3B. Darnell McDonald was called up in April to fill in the OF due to injuries. McDonald, a career minor leaguer, proved himself worthy of being in the majors with a hot start and playing steady ball. He’s hit .263 with 7 HR and 29 RBI – excellent numbers for a fourth outfielder.

Bill Hall has filled in at several different positions, and has 15 HR in a reserve role. Clay Buchholz has emerged as the ace of the pitching staff with a 13-5 record with a 2.49 ERA. Back in April there was media discussion that David Ortiz might be released after his horrid April. However, Big Papi put it together and has 26 HR and 77 RBI and is hitting .261. Daniel Bard has been lights out as the setup man, putting up a 2.01 ERA.

Looking forward for the rest of the season, it’ll be worth watching newly acquired catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He’s got a strong arm and in his two games so far, has received compliments for his work behind the plate from starters John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka. It will also will be fun to watch Buchholz continue to build on his success, whether Ortiz can get on a tear and get to 40 HR, and Jed Lowrie, now back from injuries and mononucleosis, to try and play up to his potential. Lowrie has looked very good since returning.

Some say that this is Terry Francona’s best job managing, yet. I’m not about to say it’s better than 2004, but he’s done a fine job plugging holes, managing to get veterans like Ortiz, Wakefield, Lowell, and Varitek to consider diminished roles without tearing up the team, and showing faith in struggling players.

So despite the likelihood of being on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture, the 2010 Red Sox have overcome a lot of adversity and performed beyond most folks’ expectations.

Ranking the Boston Sports Team GM's

2010-08-11T20:03:00.007-04:00

As Boston sports fans, we are very fortunate to currently have highly competent management teams running our pro sports organizations. Long gone are the days when the likes of Dan Duquette, Sam Jankovich, Rick Pitino, and Mike O'Connell caused local sports fans to gnash their teeth in anger. Dan Duquette quite possibly was the one primarily responsible for WEEI's ratings going into the stratosphere with his questionable baseball decisions. Fans would call The Big Show, looking for a place to vent their frustration at the mediocrity of the mid-late 1990's Boston Red Sox.

Due to three of the four teams winning championships over the last decade, ranking the GM's isn't exactly an easy task. As with any GM, there are some decisions that worked, and others that didn't work. Regardless of the ranking, all four of the GM's are doing a fine job with their respective teams.

1.) Theo Epstein - When then 28 year old Theo Epstein was named Red Sox GM in 2003, there was a lot of snickering from the cynical media and fans, who were in the midst of an 85 year drought since the last World Series championship. Seven years and two World Series Championships later, anyone who questions Epstein's tenure and success, should have their head examined. The Boston Red Sox were named The Sporting News Baseball Team of the Decade and Theo Epstein was named Baseball Executive of the Decade in December 2009. Here's why:

What Worked:

After years of a farm system that was barren during the Dan Duquette era, Theo Epstein turned the Red Sox farm system into a player development machine, particularly for pitching. Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Clay Buchholz, David Murphy, Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Masterson, and Daniel Bard are all quality major leaguers drafted by Theo Epstein.

Signing David Ortiz as a free agent in 2003. The Greatest Clutch Hitter in Red Sox history.

Signing Mike Timlin as a free agent in 2003. Mike Timlin is the most underrated Epstein acquisition. He was a stalwart in the Red Sox bullpen, providing the late inning bridge to the 9th inning for years, until Father Time caught up to him in 2008.

The trade in November 2003 for Curt Schilling for Brandon Lyon and three minor leaguers.

2004 season - Signing Keith Foulke to be the closer. Hiring Terry Francona to manage the Red Sox. The 2004 trade deadline deal of Nomar Garciaparra and the acquisition of Orlando Cabrera, Dave Roberts, and Doug Mientkewicz.

Signing Hideki Okajima in 2007.

Trading for Victor Martinez in 2009.

Signing Adrian Beltre as a free agent in 2010.

What Didn't Work:

Signing Matt Clement and Edgar Renteria as free agents for 2005. Neither was cut out for the intense Boston atmosphere.

Drafting RP Craig Hansen in the first round in 2005. Once he reached the majors, Hansen's vaunted slider betrayed him. He was traded to Pittsburgh in 2008 as part of a package for Jason Bay.

Trading Bronson Arroyo to Cincinnati in the spring of 2006 for Wily Mo Pena. The Red Sox wound up short of starting pitching due to injuries that summer. The Red Sox were forced to start career stiffs like Kevin Jarvis and Jason Johnson during the pennant race.

Theo whiffed badly by signing Julio Lugo as a free agent in 2007 to a 4 year $40 million contract. Lugo's tenure was a dreadful one at SS in Boston.

Inability to develop power in the minor league system. The Red Sox first round pick in 2006, OF Jason Place, has been a major bust in the minor leagues. They drafted Place due to his power potential.

One of Epstein's best traits is his ability to admit a mistake. In the cases of Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo, Epstein was able to trade them away to other teams, albeit with the Red Sox eating a portion of their salaries.

NOTE - Theo Epstein was not the GM in 2005, when the trade for Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett was made. He was on his sabbatical at that time.

2.) Bill Belichick - When Bill Belichick took over the Patriots in 2000, the team was on the downside. After the departure of Bill Parcells following Super Bowl XXXI, the Patriots started a 3 year slide under the Pete Carroll/Bobby Grier era getting progressively worse each season. In his second season as Patriots Coach/GM, the Patriots shocked the sporting world by defeating the heavily favored Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots also won Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX, bringing the NFL its first dynasty since the 1990's Dallas Cowboys. Until 2009, Bill Belichick worked in concert with Director of Player Personnel Scott Pioli on Patriots player acquisitions. Due to Belichick's notorious secrecy regarding the team operations, it is unclear as to how much credit goes to Pioli compared to Belichick. However, Belichick does have final say on personnel matters.

What Worked:

Drafting Tom Brady in the 6th round of the 2000 draft. Sometimes you have to be lucky!

2001 free agency - everything Belichick/Pioli touched turned to gold - Mike Vrabel, Antowain Smith, Roman Phifer, Bryan Cox, David Patten, Mike Compton, and Anthony Pleasant.

The draft - Richard Seymour and Matt Light in the 2001 draft. Daniel Graham, Deion Branch, and David Givens in the 2002 draft. Ty Warren, Eugene Wilson, and Asante Samuel in the 2003 draft. Vince Wilfork in the 2004 draft. Logan Mankins and Matt Cassel in 2005. Stephen Gostkowski in 2006. Jerod Mayo in 2008.

Signing Rodney Harrison as a free agent in 2003.

Trading for Corey Dillon in 2004 and for Randy Moss in 2007.

Trading for Wes Welker in 2007.

What Didn't Work:

Signing WR Donald Hayes in 2002.

Missing with 2nd round picks in the draft - Bethel Johnson, Marquise Hill, Chad Jackson, Terrence Wheatley. Last year's 2nd rounder Ron Brace appears headed for Bust-ville, as well.

Most of the drafts since 2005, have been bereft of impact players.

Free agent signing of Adalius Thomas in 2007, proved to be a bust.

Other than Sebastian Vollmer, not upgrading the OL from the same five starters who were manhandled in the Super Bowl loss to the NY Giants, destroying up to that point, an 18-0 season.

The Duane Starks and Antonio Langham debacles in the secondary.

Unlike Epstein, Belichick isn't one to easily admit a mistake. He kept Benjamin Watson around for too long. It is also perplexing how underachieving RB Laurence Maroney is still listed as the starting RB.

3.) Danny Ainge - Ainge was hired in 2003 as Executive Director of Basketball Operations and proceeded to dismantle a mediocre Celtics team that had made some noise in the playoffs the previous season. The Celtics took the proverbial "step back", with Ainge making some shrewd choices in the draft, as the team played terrible basketball. This culminated in 2007, with the Ray Allen trade and then the blockbuster deal of Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes as part of a package to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. The 2007-2008, Boston Celtics won their first World Championship since 1986. The Garnett-less Celtics gutted out two playoff series in 2008-2009, and lost Game Seven of the NBA Championship to the Lakers in 2009-2010.

What Worked:

Danny Ainge is a great evaluator of young collegiate and high school talent. Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Ryan Gomes, Delonte West, Tony Allen, Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, and Leon Powe were all picks made during Ainge's tenure as GM. All have been solid to excellent NBA players.

Trading for Ray Allen and the pick that brought Glen Davis in 2007.

Signing high quality, high character veteran bench players James Posey, Eddie House, and P.J. Brown in 2007-08.

The blockbuster trade for Garnett, who changed the entire culture of the team to an unselfish, defense oriented group.

Signing Doc Rivers to coach.

What Didn't Work:

Signing C Mark Blount to a long term deal. Blount was a dog who stopped playing hard after he got his big contract. He also had the worst hands of any Celtic player in recent memory.

Missing on first round draft picks Marcus Banks and Gerald Green.

Trading Randy Foye in a package for Sebastian Telfair, so that Telfair could be the starting point guard.

Not re-signing James Posey after the 2007-08 season.

Acquiring big men Patrick O'Bryant and Mikki Moore in 2008-09.

4.) Peter Chiarelli - The Boston Bruins were mired in a decade of mediocrity, when finally the Harry Sinden/Mike O'Connell/Jeff Gorton group was removed in 2006, and Peter Chiarelli was hired from the Ottawa Senators to be GM. Chiarelli immediately put his stamp on the team by signing D Zdeno Chara and C Marc Savard in the early dawn of that free agent season. Alas, the Boston Bruins still haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1972, and in 2010, blew a 3-0 playoff series lead. This series wound up ending in an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7.

What Worked:

Signing free agents Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard in 2006.

Trading Phil Kessel to Toronto for the Leafs' 1st and 2nd round picks in 2010 and the Leafs 1st round pick in 2011. The Bruins wound up with the 2nd pick in the entire draft and selected C Tyler Seguin.

Hiring Claude Julien to be head coach in 2007. Julien was exactly what the Bruins needed at the time of his hire and despite heavy criticism during the 2009-10 season, has overall done a solid job.

Trading for Chuck Kobasew - he was a solid performer potting over 20 goals in his first 2 full seasons, until he was traded in 2009.

Acquiring steady defenseman Aaron Ward from the Rangers for Paul Mara in 2007. Ward was a key contributor for the Bruins before being traded before the 2009-2010 offseason.

What Didn't Work:

Hiring Dave Lewis to coach the 2006-2007 team. Lewis was overmatched in his only season as head coach.

Trading Brad Boyes for D Dennis Wideman - Boyes was in the midst of a scoring slump when he was traded to St. Louis. As a member of the Blues, Boyes scored 43 and 33 goals in his first 2 full seasons with the team. Wideman was a reckless player, who didn't take care of the puck in his own end.

Drafting Phil Kessel in 2007 with the 5th overall pick in the draft. Kessel is a fast skater and has a deft scoring touch. However, he's allergic to defense and is a soft player, who can easily be taken out of his game by physical play.

Not addressing the team's lack of scoring punch after the trade of Kessel. During the regular season of 2009-2010, the Boston Bruins struggled to score goals.

Chiarelli has yet to draft an impact player for the Bruins, since his tenure as GM began.

Based upon the above analysis, you can see that no GM bats 1.000 when it comes to personnel moves. The best GM's are the ones who know how to tweak their teams each year and add significant value to the teams via the draft. Other than Chiarelli, the GM's in Boston have been very successful in this regard. Here's hoping for the Bruins, youngsters like Zach Hamill and Tyler Seguin can be those draftees who can make a large impact.

Cynicism regarding the Patriots

2010-07-31T12:10:00.004-04:00

Some Pats related items:

I'm so cynical about the Pats chances this upcoming season, I gave up my season tickets for 2010. I finally stopped drinking the Belichick Kool Aid last year. Febraury 2005 was the last Super Bowl victory. Some of Belichick's personnel decisions are quite dubious. He felt the need to cut Shawn Crable, who's been very injury prone, but who may or may not help solve the team's biggest weakness - the pass rush. Belichick cut him the day before training camp. Now, pass rushing specialist (and I'm being very charitable with that description) Derrick Burgess may retire. Great roster management, Coach. Why axe Crable, yet he keeps stiffs like Pierre Woods, Gary Guyton and Eric Alexander around for years - none of whom do anything on the field? Second, how about ensuring that everyone's shown up to camp before trying to be a tough guy and that injuries won't be tolerated?

Also, Belichick has neglected the RB and OL positions. Other than Sebastian Vollmer, the group up front are the same bums who got mauled in the Super Bowl vs. the NY Giants. Pro Bowl G Logan Mankins is holding out for a contract, so he's not there. Nick Kaczur is now playing left guard. Kaczur was a turnstile when he played last season and lost his starting RT job to Vollmer.

Are the Patriots really going with Maroney, Taylor, and Morris at RB again? Maroney is a bigger bust than Ben Watson was. Both first round picks turned out to have great athletic skills, but no football ability.

Tom Brady is a fool for showing up to camp. No player in the NFL has ever had more leverage in salary negotiations. If the Krafts can afford that empty monstrosity known as Patriot Place, they can afford to pay Brady as one of the top 3 salaries in the league. What wil Coach Bill do, go with Hoyer at QB? Enjoy the 5-11 season and the empty stadium, Krafts. Yet there's Brady at camp, trying to be a good soldier. News flash Tommy, you get hurt, you aren't going to get paid the way you should.

Also, how about Brady standing up for his union brethren and making the Pats pay him? The NFL chews these guys up and spits them out. Many are cripples when they get older and they have the worst pension system of any pro sports. Brady should be holding out and thinking of how his salary helps backup OL's and special teams players over the long haul.

June is here

2010-06-01T06:27:00.002-04:00

The Boston Red Sox are one team in baseball that didn't want the calendar to keep moving forward. Despite the team struggling to get going in April, the Boston Red Sox really started to hit their stride in May, running off a strong 8-2 streak against the Yankees, Twins, Phillies, and Rays. This stretch of play brought them back into the AL East race, where they sit 5 games back of the AL East leading Rays, and 2.5 games out of the Wild Card race.

Strong starting pitching has been the key to the team's resurgence. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have led the way, and both have been two of the best pitchers in the AL this season. However, there still is too much inconsistency from the other three starters. The Red Sox need Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield to step up and pitch better. Both are sporting ERA's just south of 6.00.

Wakefield is filling in for the injured Josh Beckett for now, and the Red Sox are fortunate to have six legitimate starting pitchers. Wakefield may not like being in the swingman role, but he's made for it, particularly at age 43, where his body has shown over the last several seasons that it can't hold up for 30 starts. Due to the flexibility that Wakefield brings to the staff, the Sox are wisely proceeding slowly with Beckett's back injury. Beckett has pitched poorly so far this year, and despite his desire to get back quickly and get rolling again, he's a key component to the pitching staff. Rushing him back and having him re-aggravate his injury is not the way to go. The best thing for Beckett, when he's ready to pitch again, is to go to Portland and Pawtucket and pitch one rehab start in each location. That will allow him to test out his back, as well as work on a few things with his delivery that have contributed to his poor start this season.

The one concern with the team is its bullpen. Other than Bard and Papelbon, no one has proven to be reliable. Manny Delcarmen's numbers look good, but he's gotten himself into some jams that he's managed to escape.

On offense, the story of May was the return to form of David Ortiz. After a hideous April, where there were whispers of a possible release of Ortiz, Big Papi batted .363 with 10 HR and 27 RBI. . When Ortiz is rolling, that's when the offense goes from being mediocre, to above average.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox are missing the element of speed with the continued inability of Jacoby Ellsbury to get on the field. I think the team's being a little unfair with their frustration of Ellsbury's injury to heal. He fractured ribs, it's going to take time for him to return to his play with abandon style. I don't doubt that it's really bothering him and with a rib injury, he'll hesitate when it comes to diving for balls in the outfield and sliding head first. He obviously came back to early from the injury, because he didn't look good at the plate, either.

The team has a stretch of games coming up in which they should really put the pedal to the floor. Games against Oakland, Cleveland, and Baltimore are the games the Sox need to win and keep putting pressure on the Wild Card leading Yankees and Rays.

3-0 Celtics

2010-05-23T20:22:00.002-04:00

It looks like the Boston Celtics will certainly be moving on to the NBA finals after completely dismantling the Orlando Magic last night, 94-71. Once again, the story was Rajon Rondo. Despite only shooting 4-13 from the field, Rondo made two absolutely jaw dropping plays - one where he faked out Marcin Gortat to lay it in and the other when he outhustled Jason Williams for a loose ball to grab it and lay it in.

Despite how fantastic both plays were, they also showed the difference in the energy level, as well as the effort level of both teams. No way should Gortat have allowed Rondo to just blow by him without at least a hard foul. Also, White Chocolate (Williams) had 2-3 steps on Rondo. Not only did Rondo beat him to the ball, but Williams also played poor defense in allowing Rondo to lay it in.

The Magic stars just are not stepping up in this series. Rashard Lewis belongs on the side of a milk carton. He's been missing the entire series. Kevin Garnett has eaten him for dinner this whole series. Last night Lewis made an attempt to take The Big Ticket to the hole. Big mistake. Garnett swatted the shot attempt away.

The series has been a combination of the Celtics playing their best basketball, particularly on defense, and the Magic being gawdawful.

The Magic have seemingly tuned out coach Stan Van Gundy. If the Celtics complete the sweep, how can Orlando bring Van Gundy back to coach the team. When you see the huddle, the Magic players are not even looking at him, basically ignoring him.

As a Celtics fan, these last two series vs. Cleveland and Orlando have been super fun to watch. I anticipate it continuing in the NBA Finals. Five more victories left for banner #18.

Monday Morning Celtics

2010-05-17T06:55:00.003-04:00

A Bruins free zone...

During the last few months of the regular season, the Celtics played awful basketball. Anytime the thought was floated that the Celtics could flip a switch and turn it on for the playoffs, it was dismissed by "experts" as not the case with this team. Guess what, after a listless regular season, they've put their foot down on the gas pedal and are now up 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals over Orlando. What has been the difference? Two things - the return of Kevin Garnett as a healthy impact basketball player and the commitment to defense.

In yesterday's game, the Celtics suffocated the life out of the Magic with tough, physical defense. Yes, Orlando made a run at the end of the game and cut what was once a 20 point lead to 2, but almost doesn't count. It wasn't a pretty game, but it all counts the same in the score book.

Besides the great defense, what surprised me most was only 2 Celtic starters, plus Rasheed Wallace scored double figures. Rajon Rondo was quiet and Kevin Garnett didn't have a good shooting game. Give credit to Orlando, they are a good defensive team as well. They held the Celtics scoreless for over 5 minutes as they made their 4th quarter run. Looks like we are in for some 83-78 type games this series.

Tony Allen continues to provide strong contributions off the bench. He's really stepping up and being the bench player Danny Ainge envisioned 2 years ago, when he let James Posey leave for New Orleans. Tony Allen has become a lock down defender, plus he is an excellent finisher, filling the lanes on the fast break. No longer is he the out of control player, prone to turnovers against good teams. He's playing within himself and not trying to do too much.

Five weeks ago, ESPN columnist and Celtics superfan Bill Simmons wrote a scathing column criticizing Rasheed Wallace describing him as "my least favorite Celtic ever". After a season and a playoff series of mailing it in, Sheed finally started turning it on in the last two games of the Cavaliers series. He's playing with passion and contributing some timely 3 point shots. He still is allergic to rebounding, but he's bringing some presence on defense.

If the rumors are true of coach Doc Rivers planning on leaving at the end of the season, it would only make sense for assistant coach Tom Thibodeau to be escalated to head coach. Thibodeau may be the best defensive coach in the NBA.

Another Yankee Series

2010-05-07T07:05:00.002-04:00

It's early May and the Red Sox are already facing the New York Yankees for a second time. Ho hum. Remember when Yankees-Red Sox series used to mean something?

That being said, the inconsistent Red Sox, coming off a sweep of the Angels, will have their hands full with the Bronx Bombers. The weakness of this year's Red Sox is they can't hit good pitching. They'll be up against the Yankees' three best starters - Phil Hughes, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett. Hughes, in particular, has been terrific. He's finally meeting the potential that was projected for him a few years ago when he was one of the hottest pitching prospects in baseball.

After getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox played very well vs. the Angels and even overcame an erratic Daisuke Matsuzaka performance (is there any other kind of Dice-K performance?)) to come from behind and complete the series sweep.

The Red Sox will be pitching Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Lester in this series. Tonight's game is very important for Beckett to continue getting back on track. It would be good if Beckett can rediscover his curveball to compliment his 4-seamer and 2-seamer. The Red Sox need him to be the #1 starter. One concern about Beckett is his stubbornness. Despite throwing 96 mph, he's not a strikeout pitcher. Beckett throws a lot of pitches due to what seems to be a desire by him to pile up the K's. He should look to pitch to contact more, like John Lackey, and let his defense do the work.

As a team, the Yankees are hitting .276 - despite Nick Johnson and Mark Teixiera both still hitting under .200. Second baseman Robinson Cano has been the AL MVP, thus far. Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada still refuse to get old - both of them hitting well, as usual.

A key to this series will be keeping LF Brett Gardner (who?) off base. Gardner has a .430 OBP and has 13 steals already.

This series will be a good test for the Red Sox - are they an 85 win team or are they Wild Card contenders? It would be nice to see the Sox take 2 of 3 and put a small dent into the Yankees Wild Card.

Red Sox Struggles

2010-05-03T07:39:00.004-04:00

There's an old Paul McCartney solo song called, "Junk", that refers to "junk in the yard". That is the song I was singing to myself as I watched the Red Sox get swept yesterday by the lowly Baltimore Orioles. Right now, the Red Sox are junk in the (ball) yard.

Nothing is going right for the local nine. Being a boring team to watch is only a small part of the problem. The larger scale issues are the pitching has been terrible, the defense has underachieved, and the offense still cannot hit good pitching. The offense's struggles don't surprise me, because they couldn't hit good pitching last season, either. Manager Terry Francona's game management has been very questionable as well. At 105 pitches, Josh Beckett should've gone out to the mound to start the 8th inning. In a tie game, why is Francona bringing in Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon, when both have been overworked so far this young season? Granted the bullpen has been leaky, but at some point, Francona is going to need to trust Scott Schoeneweis and Ramon Ramirez in a close game.

The cumulative ERA of the starters this season is an unsightly 4.96 However, Daisuke Matsuzaka is back from injury and Saturday's 5th inning meltdown aside, he should help strengthen the starting rotation. Josh Beckett's outing yesterday was encouraging. Even though his curveball was MIA, Beckett allowed only 2 runs in 7 innings, albeit against the Orioles. For all the talk show chatter about Clay Buchholz being a trading chip, he's been the team's best starter since last August. Buchholz should be untouchable in any trade discussion. John Lackey and Jon Lester both look to be coming around, as well. Despite the controversy of the move of Tim Wakefield to the bullpen to make way for Dice K, it is the right move for the team.

The pitching and defense should stabilize, it's the offense that is most concerning. The Red Sox badly miss Jacoby Ellsbury. He's the catalyst at the top of the lineup and with his absence, the lack of speed in the lineup is glaring. Does any team in baseball go station to station more than the Boston Red Sox? On a base hit to left field late in yesterday's game, Jason Varitek, trying to score from second base, was thrown out at the plate by ten feet. The Captain is 38 years old and it's not his fault he no longer has average foot speed, but as a team, the collective lack of athleticism is an issue. Mike Lowell has to be the slowest runner in baseball. David Ortiz isn't far behind Lowell.

Darnell McDonald has been a nice surprise since his call up from Pawtucket, but he's started to cool off and the more he plays, the more the holes in his game are exposed. He's a fifth outfielder at best. The same goes for Jonathan Van Every. McDonald and Van Every were two of the three starting outfielders for the Red Sox yesterday.

This team's biggest area of need is another slugging corner outfielder. Jason Bay filled that role last season, but he and his 36 HRs in 2009, are in New York now. There was hope that 3B Adrian Beltre would provide some thump from the right side, but so far, he's been nothing but a singles hitter. Ortiz can no longer catch up to a good fastball and unless he picks it up in the next three weeks, he is a candidate to be released - a scenario no one could have imagined three years ago. Victor Martinez has struggled so badly behind the plate, that it looks to be affecting his bat. Martinez's defensive struggles have Jason Varitek catching more than the team wants him out there. Varitek's bat has been the one of the few highlights of the season.

There doesn't seem to be any hope either in the farm system or externally via a trade. As the team continues to play poorly, the higher the price tag will be for a premium player in a trade. The off season talk was about the team acquiring 1B Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego. However, the Padres are off to a surprising start, leading the NL West by 1.5 games. Also, the Red Sox have a logjam at the 1B/3B/DH positions with Kevin Youkilis, Beltre, Ortiz, Lowell, and Martinez. Other than Youkilis, who's untouchable, none of them have any trade value right now. This current configuration doesn't exactly make for a flexible roster.

There has been much mockery in the media of the "run prevention" philosophy that was espoused this off season by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. This mockery has escalated recently due to the pitching and the defense being a let down. However, the bats just aren't there. Even when Ellsbury and Mike Cameron come back, the offense still can be shut down. The Red Sox have two reliable run producers right now - Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia.

The Red Sox have over $162 million invested in the roster. There are too many old guys (Ortiz, Varitek, Cameron, and Lowell), under producers (Victor Martinez and J.D. Drew), and players masquerading as sluggers (Adrian Beltre). They have only one starting position player who can really run and put pressure on a defense - Ellsbury. He's on the disabled list. So much for the idea of manufacturing runs.

The team is hitting a mediocre .259 with runners in scoring position. By comparison, the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays are hitting .323 with runners in scoring position. The offense hit 8 HR in this weekend series vs. the Orioles. Only one of these HR's (Kevin Youkilis - Saturday night - 2 run HR) had a man on base. Of the 33 HR hit by the Red Sox in 2010, 21 of them have been solo shots.

Will things change as the season progresses? I doubt it. If you can't hit against the Orioles, then you won't hit against the Yankees, Angels, and Rays. If you think it's bad this season, wait until next year, when the contracts of Ortiz, Martinez, Lowell, Beltre, and Varitek all expire. The team is very good at developing pitchers, but their minor league organization is bereft of any young sluggers, Lars Anderson's hot start aside. Given that situation, the offense has the potential to be even worse in 2011.

The Red Sox will eventually play better ball, fill Fenway Park to capacity most nights, and make a run for the Wild Card. However, this is a flawed team that is not built for playoff success. The roster balance just isn't there and unless Theo Epstein trades the team's prize minor league prospects like Casey Kelly, which he is wont to do, this won't change.

Sox/Pats/B's/Celts - Who's Hot and Who's Not

2010-04-27T07:50:00.005-04:00

Right now is a very exciting time for fans of Boston's pro teams. The Bruins and Celtics are in the playoffs, the Patriots just completed their draft, and the Red Sox season is underway. Here is a look at who's hot and who's not among the teams:

Bruins G Tuukka Rask - HOT - Rask was the dominant force for the Bruins in their defeat of the Buffalo Sabres 4 games to 2, in the first round of the playoffs. He outplayed U.S. Olympian goaltender, Ryan Miller, considered by many to be the best goaltender in the world. Rask has become a cult figure at the Garden with chants of "TUUUKKAAAA!" throughout the game.

Bruins D Dennis Wideman - NOT - Wideman made a very poor decision in his own end with an errant clear attempt that led to a Sabres goal. Despite the fact he redeemed himself later in the game with an assist on Miroslav Satan's goal, Wideman has been careless with the puck all season long.

Bruins C David Krejci - HOT - After a season where he fell well short of last season's achievements, Krejci has elevated his game in the playoffs with 3 goals and 2 assists in 6 games.

Bruins D Johnny Boychuck - HOT - Boychuck was considered a spare part at the start of the season, but consistent play and heavy hitting has made him the second best defenseman on the Bruins behind Zdeno Chara. Boychuck is a rock on the blue line.

Red Sox Bullpen - NOT - It is well known that the performance of relief pitchers is volatile year to year, but the Red Sox bullpen has looked dreadful so far this season. Ramon Ramirez and Hideki Okajima have been atrocious, as has Scott Atchision. Manny Decarmen, Daniel Bard, and Jonathan Papelbon are the only relievers manager Terry Francona has faith in right now.

Red Sox P Josh Beckett - NOT - In his five seasons in Boston, Josh Beckett has pitched up to his potential only once - 2007. It's not a coincidence the Red Sox won the World Series that year. Too often, Beckett has been inconsistent, unable to harness his world class "stuff". I was ambivalent about him getting a contract extension, and since he's received it, he's had one terrific outing, one good outing and two poor ones. It's time for him to stop pitching like a number 5 starter and more like the ace he's supposed to be.

Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia - HOT - What fan in Boston doesn't love Pedroia and his slashing, hard nosed style of play? He is a treat to watch play. Excellent with the glove and he's a doubles hitting machine. When will major league pitchers realize that you can't sneak a high inside fastball by him?

Red Sox C Jason Varitek - HOT - This is exclusively for his bat, which has been a nice surprise this season. No Sox fan bashes Varitek as much as me, but he's hitting well in his limited role.

Red Sox DH David Ortiz - NOT - It is getting to the point where I've started wondering how much longer does he keep a roster spot? Big Papi can no longer catch up to a fastball and has 19 strikeouts in 60 AB's.

Celtics G Rajon Rondo - HOT - Rondo still cannot shoot, but that's ok. He's a terror on the basketball court. No point guard rebounds better than him, he's tremendous on defense and his ability to push the ball wrecks havoc on defenses.

Celtics F Rasheed Wallace - NOT - Rasheed continues to be a disappointing signing. He doesn't rebound at all, leisurely coasts up and down the court, and his attitude towards defense is mostly one of indifference.

Celtics F Kevin Garnett - NOT - The Big Ticket can still shoot from outside, but is a shadow of himself on the defensive end. He's no longer an intimidator, due to his lack of explosiveness from his knee injury.

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick - HOT - After the questionable first round pick of CB Devin McCourty, Belichick redeemed himself on day two with several players who could be impact players, specifically LB Brandon Spikes and and TE Aaron Gonzalez.

What is going on with the Patriots?

2010-03-07T08:05:00.003-05:00

What is the deal with the New England Patriots? Since the start of free agency, division rivals such as the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets have made moves to acquire impact players, while the Patriots have been silent in the marketplace. Instead the team opted to resolve an internal issue - re-signed Vince Wilfork to a long term deal. Now, Vince Wilfork earned his big contract, but he was the least of the team's problems last year. The Patriots also inexplicably re-signed 33 year old right guard Stephen Neal to an extension. Neal underperformed last year and is injured every year, so the purpose of that signing is questionable.

The Jets acquisition of the talented Antonio Cromartie gives them the best pair of starting cornerbacks in the NFL. Cromartie may not be much of a tackler and has some child support issues off the field, but he can cover receivers. as can Jets star CB Darelle Revis. The Dolphins signed middle linebacker Karlos Dansby. Dansby is productive and would've looked great next to Patriots LB Jerod Mayo in the team's 3-4 scheme.

Do the Patriots realize that this is an uncapped year? The last five years of bargain hunting for 'value" has not worked out. Memo to the Krafts and Bill Belichick - you are no longer the smartest guys in the room. While you've been busy patting yourselves on the back for past success, the rest of the league has caught up to you.

The Patriots have both drafted poorly and misfired on free agents since 2005. I'm not asking that they turn their operation into one similar to Dan Snyder's in Washington, but a change in their philosophy needs to occur. It hasn't worked for a while now.

The team's biggest areas of need are as follows: pass rusher, wide receiver, tight end, interior offensive lineman, running back, inside linebacker.

I would like to see the Patriots put more emphasis on the offensive line. As a group, the team's OL is ok. QB Tom Brady was hit a lot last season and spent the second half of the season banged up. This group can't handle speed rushers or consistent defensive pressure. Sebastian Vollmer is a stud and Logan Mankins is a Pro Bowler and one of the best guards in the NFL I'm not a big fan of C Dan Koppen and RG Stephen Neal. Koppen can be manhandled by big nose tackles and the Patriots have difficulty running the ball, unless it is a draw play. Matt Light would be better off playing right tackle, where he'd be decent. However, Light has only played left tackle, which is where Sebastian Vollmer needs to play going forward.

Tight End is a real problem and has been a hole since Daniel Graham left. First rounder Ben Watson never met the high expectations the team had for someone so athletically gifted. The since released Chris Baker was a decent blocker, but didn't provide much of an impact in the passing game.

Randy Moss did not have a good season for the Patriots last season. WR is one of the easier positions to fill, hopefully Brandon Tate can come back from a knee injury and fill the second receiver role. Julian Edelman isn't Wes Welker, but already is a decent slot receiver. Sam Aiken is not a good WR, and is best suited for special teams where he thrives.

The Patriots have attempted to add pass rushers via free agency in the past with the free agent acquisitions of Rosevelt Colvin and Adalius Thomas. Colvin looked to be the real deal, until he badly hurt his hip during the 2003 season. He came back the following year, but was never the same player he was before the injury. Thomas, who made his bones as a pass rusher, was inexplicably used in different roles such as middle linebacker and dropped into coverage. He was not the effective player in New England that he was in Baltimore.

I sometimes believe that Bill Belichick outsmarts himself with strategy such as over disguising coverages. Do the Indianapolis Colts ever ask star pass rusher Dwight Freeney to do anything other than go get the quarterback? I'd like to see the Patriots take that same approach with the next pass rusher they get.

Despite staying healthy and getting a full opportunity to be the feature running back, Laurence Maroney has proven he's not a full time starter. However, as long as he doesn't fumble, Maroney can fill the Kevin Faulk role as the 3rd down back. Maroney can catch the ball, run in open space, and adequately pick up the blitz.

Gary Guyton is not the answer next to Jerod Mayo at middle linebacker. Despite superior athleticism, Guyton is too often chasing ballcarriers, instead of hitting them square in the mouth. There's a reason he was an undrafted free agent coming out of college. It's an uncapped year, and it would've been nice to see the Patriots get Dansby to replace Guyton next to Mayo.

The way last season ended with the Patriots being embarrassed at home by the Baltimore Ravens with a first round knockout in the playoffs, has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the team's fans. The Patriots could use some positive "buzz" surrounding the team. Last season there were lots of empty blue seats in the upper levels of Gillette Stadium and the Patriots had difficulty selling tickets to the Ravens playoff game. If the team continues their current philosophy of looking for value over talent and the economy continues to struggle, I predict the Patriots 16 year sellout streak will be in jeopardy.

Saturday Sports Talk

2010-02-27T14:15:00.007-05:00

After running errands all morning, it's time to unload some sports thoughts I've been carrying around lately...

Considering this is the last year of his current contract, I'm hoping Josh Beckett steps up again and pitches like the ace he was in 2007. Too often the last two seasons, Beckett has not pitched to his talent and during the second half of last season, was surpassed by Jon Lester as the ace of the staff. He was still a good pitcher, just not a #1 starter. Beckett is well respected by the pitching staff for the way he prepares and is considered the leader of the staff.

I can't quite put my finger on whether the Celtics are treating the regular season as a tune up for the playoffs or if they really are an inconsistent team. The talent is certainly there and they do have players coming back from injuries. However, their inability to hold a lead has been a problem since the turn of the new year.

The NFL Scouting Combine is this weekend. I've been thinking about the Patriots and what they need. First order of business is a pass rusher. I'd also like to see them look into an interior offensive lineman, a tight end, and a feature running back. While the wide receiver position may look weak, they can always acquire one via a trade or through free agency.

Despite the way last season ended, Jonathan Papelbon is still an elite closer. He did get a little fastball happy last year and I'm hoping he spends spring training refining his splitter, so he can keep hitters off balance better this season.

The inconsistency with the way the Red Sox treat their aging former star players is puzzling. They can't wait to ship classy 3B Mike Lowell out of town and were willing to eat $9 million of his salary in a trade with the Texas Rangers that fell through. However, they seem content with Jason Varitek at backup catcher making $3 million when he was the worst player in the major leagues the 2nd half of last season. I can't understand why they wouldn't opt to give Dusty Brown the opportunity to be the backup catcher. The Red Sox defense at the catching position is below average. Brown brings excellent defensive skills and a strong arm to the table, and he couldn't possibly hit worse than Varitek did the second half of last season. While Mike Lowell doesn't have much range in the field anymore and might possibly be the slowest baserunner in the game, he can still flat out hit.

Kendrick Perkins has to be one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He's developed into a quality center who can score around the basket and is a tremendous defensive player. Perkins works hard and knows his role. He is one of those "Glue Guys" that good teams find indispensable.

The Red Sox are very excited about their young prospects P Casey Kelly and SS Jose Iglesias. They look good so far, but let's not start the plans for induction into Cooperstown, yet. Let's see how they perform at AA and AAA. Last year, the hot prospect the Red Sox were crowing about in spring training was 1B Lars Anderson, and by all accounts, he had a dreadful season at AA Portland. Take it easy and let the kids develop on their own timetable.

Celtics acquire Nate Robinson

2010-02-18T16:43:00.003-05:00

The Celtics just traded Eddie House and the little used J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker for Nate Robinson. This is a good deal for the Celtics. Despite House's 3 point shooting skill, he's had an off year, he can't handle the ball, and his defense is a weakness.

House was a good soldier for the Celts over the past 2.5 years and was a key contributor to their championship in 2008. Giddens, despite being a first round pick in the 2008 draft, never saw much action.

Robinson will bring improved defense, better ball handling, and some scoring touch. It will be interesting to see the contributions he makes.

February Hits

2010-02-01T22:42:00.003-05:00

The month of January flew by! I can't believe how quickly a winter month just passed. I'm not complaining, though. Here are some things on my mind...

I know what's wrong with the Boston Celtics. They lack the toughness coming off the bench that would help fill the void of a healthy Kevin Garnett. Specifically, I'm talking about my man, Leon Powe. Leon is tough, a good defender, takes offensive fouls, rebounds and can run and finish on the fast break. GM Danny Ainge underestimated the contributions of players like James Posey and Leon Powe.

At what point will President Barack Obama and the Democrats realize that people are scared of their spending initiatives? We have a $1.6 trillion budget deficit and the national debt is up over $12.4 trillion. They've lost all credibility after their stimulus plan, which was nothing more than a handout to key constituencies, didn't stimulate anything. Unless there's some new GOP scandal, I predict the GOP will take over both the House AND Senate in November 2010.

It really is THAT bad for Democrats across the nation. Obama has lost the moderates and independents. And I thought only MA Democrats like Governor Deval Patrick were that tone deaf and arrogant.

Toyota is having problems with gas pedals and has stopped sales of several models due to a massive recall. I'm not surprised. I never got the hype about Toyota quality and reliability. I've had two Toyotas and they were terrible. They were two of the worst cars I've owned. I doubt I will ever buy another.

My new "go to" TV station is National Geographic. There's almost always something good on there in prime time.

NFL Playoffs

2010-01-23T15:42:00.002-05:00

The NFL season is down to its final four teams. In tomorrow's AFC Championship, the NY Jets face the Indianapolis Colts and in the NFC Championship, the Minnesota Vikings travel to New Orleans to play the Saints.

The Colts, Vikings, and Saints have been the three top teams in the NFL all season long. The Jets, who made it as a Wild Card, are the surprise team still remaining.

As a Patriots fan, I despise the Jets. However, I can't help but admire them. I really like their rookie head coach, Rex Ryan, who's not afraid to speak his mind. Ryan is a brilliant defensive coach who implemented the same attacking style of defense as the Defensive Coordinator in Baltimore that he now runs in New York.

This year's Patriots team was a big disappointment to me. They were a soft, pass happy, flag football style team who fattened up their record against the Weak Sisters of the Poor in the NFL. When facing a good team, the Patriots were outhit and outcoached all season long. The 2009 Patriots were a team that could be bullied. The defense wasn't physical or stout and was seemingly back on their heels most of the time. The offense was very predictable and showed weakness at all the offensive positions other than QB. Even Tom Brady didn't have a very good year.

The NY Jets play the way the 2001 Patriots used to play. They go out there and hit hard. They run the football and they attack on defense. That's the way football should be played.

As much as I despise the Jets, I dislike the Colts more. Therefore, I find myself in the odd situation of rooting for the Jets. J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS!

In the NFC, 40 year old Brett Favre continues on his Redemption Tour. He's had an excellent season with the Vikings and has mostly played within the confines of the offensive system put in place by Coach Brad Childress. The New Orleans Saints are led by QB Drew Brees, who's the best QB in the NFC. The Saints showcase a high flying passing offense that can strike early and often.

The Saints are a sentimental favorite. The combination of Hurricane Katrina as well as the Saints' pathetic franchise history, makes them a team you want to see win.

A Saints and Jets Super Bowl is what I want. After tomorrow, I'll be pulling for the Saints to win it all.

Scott Brown Shocks The World

2010-01-21T07:38:00.002-05:00

In a special election in Massachusetts for the U.S. Senate, in which Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin, little known state senator Scott Brown shocked the country by soundly defeating Attorney General Martha Coakley by a 5 point margin, 52-47. This surprising election result sent tremors across the country and struck fear in incumbent Democratic politicians facing election this November. If Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts wasn’t safe, what seat is for the Democrats?

How big was this? This was huge, really HUGE. This was David vs. Goliath, the Goliath being the Massachusetts Democrat dominated political establishment. The Senate seat has been held by Democrats; mostly the Kennedy family since 1952. This is a bigger upset than the NY Giants defeating the 18-0 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. How can Massachusetts vote Republican for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat?

It is easy to pin the blame on the poorly run Coakley campaign or this being a rejection of the Obama agenda, however there is more to it than that. Below is what happened that brought about a Republican being elected to the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy for 47 years.

Scott Brown – He worked HARD to win. He pounded the pavement, shook hands in the cold and snow, put forth brilliant TV commercials and annihilated Coakley in the debates. His “every man driving a truck” persona was a big winner. Two keys for Brown – the TV commercial that caught all the Democrats off guard, where he compared JFK’s pro tax cut economic policies to his own, and when he told debate moderator David Gergen that it wasn’t Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat or the Democrats’ Senate seat, but the people’s seat. Brown was a terrific candidate.

Martha Coakley – Martha, or Marsha as Patrick Kennedy called her, was an aloof, stiff, tin eared, gaffe prone candidate. During the last two weeks of the campaign, she couldn’t stop putting her foot in her mouth. Put that together with the fact that she tried to run a Rose Garden campaign strategy gave a vibe to voters that she didn’t care about what they thought and that she her elevation to the U.S. Senate should be a coronation

Massachusetts Democratic Politics – Governor Deval Patrick is despised by Massachusetts voters for not fulfilling his 2006 campaign promises and ultimately turning into the stereotypical Beacon Hill insider. During last year’s recession, Patrick hired 1300 people to the state payroll, plus pushed through a sales tax hike, which rose from 5% to 6.25%. Considering the unemployment rate is 10%, people are tightening up their personal finances, and private sector jobs are scarce to come by, the electorate was in a foul mood. Complicating matters is the fact that the last three Massachusetts House Speakers have been indicted and 3 state senators have left their positions due to various crimes.

Barack Obama and the Democratic Majorities in the House and Senate – Exactly 364 days since his inauguration, President Obama’s agenda was derailed by Scott Brown's election. The Democrats had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate and blew it by overreaching, passing a $900 billion stimulus bill that did not help the economy or the unemployment rate, and trying to rush through deeply unpopular healthcare legislation in a partisan manner. Now that Scott Brown has been elected to the U.S. Senate, the health care bill in its current state is likely dead. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid share the responsibility with Obama for this defeat.

Repudiation of the Liberal Agenda – After one year in power, the Democratic/liberal agenda has already been rejected. The massive debt accrued and the $1.3 trillion dollar budget deficit has put a major burden on our children’s future. In the U.S. Senate, there is no such thing as a moderate Democrat anymore. They are all extreme liberals looking to pass bills that would move the U.S towards Socialism. President Obama ran as a moderate, promising change and rode into office with a mountain of goodwill. He quickly squandered it, by going hard to the left, and not looking to work with Republicans and compromise. Pelosi and Reid wrote bills without any Republican input and worked to ram them through their bills respective legislative bodies. Also hurting the Democrats was their views on terrorism where they wanted terrorists tried in a criminal court of law, instead of a military tribunal, as well as their efforts to close the base at Guantanamo Bay.

Scott Brown holds mostly conservative Republican views, but ran as an independent thinker, reaching out to those who are unaffiliated with either major political party. Brown’s common sense approach on tax cuts, terrorism, and health care resonated with an anxious electorate.

Senator Brown has given the GOP the blueprint it needs to add seats during the mid term elections in November in Washington DC, as well as at the state level. The GOP will definitely pick up seats in November in Washington. What will be most interesting is if the Brown phenomenon makes the GOP a viable party in Massachusetts come November. The beauty of the Brown victory is the hope it gives to every Republican in Massachusetts who’s ever dreamed of running for the Legislature or statewide office. Many Republicans will think, “why not me?” I predict there will be more contested seats in MA than there’s been in a long time. Could the bluest state become purple? One can dream.

Scott Brown for US Senate

2010-01-19T13:36:00.001-05:00

Here's hoping the MA voters truly reflect the recent polls taken and Scott Brown wins by a landslide. Brown's stance on taxes, terrorism, healthcare, and the economy are why he should be elected.

Working Out

2010-01-05T17:04:00.002-05:00

The New Year has arrived and along with it are many resolutions to work out and eat well. With the holidays now behind us, what better topic to talk about than working out? I've never made a New Years resolution to work out or eat better, because I already eat well and work out 6 days a week.

Last year was an eye opening year when it came to work outs. I did two rounds of P90X - one where I faithfully followed the nutrition program and the second round, where I did my own thing nutrionally. It's an easy guess as to which round produced the best results!

Exercising is easy. Anyone with a little motivation can bring the intensity over 45-60 minutes. Eating well is hard. REALLY HARD. It takes a lot of discipline to opt for a bowl of steamed broccoli over a piece of pizza. It can be extremely difficult being out with friends and opting for the bottle of water over a cold beer.

In 2009, I learned A LOT about exercising and diet. Here are some of the key things you can do to have great success with a diet and exercise program.

1.) Mix it up - falling into a comfortable routine of weightlifting and running is a recipe for failure. Your body adjusts over time to what you are doing and is no longer really "challenged" by your easy, mindless routine.

2.) Tony Horton is a GENIUS. This man with his P90X program taught me so much and he's changed so many lives with his P90X program. An exercise routine for 3 months with no running? How's that going to work? Oh, it works! P90X works like magic.

3.) Running is not the be all/end all of an exercise routine - Weight training is more important, plyometrics is far harder than running, and a Tae Bo/Kenpo karate type of routine provides good cardiovascular exercise. As a fat burner, running doesn't work that well. I've tried it, and it didn't work nearly as well as P90X.

4.) It's gotta be intense - going through the motions whether it be lifting or running isn't going to give you any results. Anyone under the age of 55 who walks as their main source of exercise is wasting their time. You have to get your heart rate up and your lungs out of breath.

5.) The produce aisle is where it's at - salad, broccoli, zucchini, baby carrots, summer squash, green beans. Lunch and dinner should have a vegetable as part of the meal. I'm of the belief that broccoli is the best food you can put in your body. Do I like vegetables? Not particularly, but I know they are very important.

6.) Eat every 2-3 hours. Sounds like a lot, but if the meals are small, it's just the right formula to keep your metabolism burning. Whey protein powder mixed with water or milk is a quick and easy way to get 20g of protein in your body. Almonds are a terrific snack. Don't eat more than 20 of them, though.

7.) Drink your water - lay off the diet soda, regular soda, and juice and opt for the H2O. Your body needs to stay hydrated. A diet soda now and then is ok. My opinion on regular soda is, if I'm going to drink 150 calories, it's going to be a beer. At least beer won't rot your teeth out.

8.) There is nothing wrong with good carbs. Whole wheat breads, whole wheat crackers, brown rice, medium sized baked potatos, are all healthy and should be a part of a good diet.

9.) Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters are a better alternative than meat from the deli counter. Cook the Oven Stuffer Roasters up, peel off the skin, and carve them up. The carved chicken is a very flexible source of protein that can be added to salads, sandwiches, or by itself.

10.) I really, no REALLY despise yoga. Some people swear by it, but it's not for me. I find myself bored by it and not accomplishing much of anything other than seemingly wasting 60-90 minutes of my day. I'd rather stretch or do something light for 30 minutes instead.

In four days, I will begin Insanity by Sean T. It is advertised as the toughest workout ever put on DVD. I'm looking forward to it, but it's going to be hard as hell. The nutritional piece doesn't look to be as difficult as P90X, but when it comes to the workouts, I have my work cut out for me.

2009 Favorites

2009-12-31T13:02:00.002-05:00

Another year has blown by. The days and weeks pile up and next thing you know four months go by, then all of a sudden, it’s the end of the year. So since the New Year is only one short day away, it is time to compile my favorite things from what I’ve seen, read, and done in 2009.

Best Movie – The Wrestler – this movie featuring Mickey Rourke’s performance as a washed up professional wrestler trying to hold on, blew me away. What a comeback for Rourke, who had toiled in relative obscurity for fifteen years. He gives an absolutely riveting performance. Marisa Tomei as an aging stripper is excellent as well. Honorable mention: Gran Torino

Best TV Show – The Wire - This groundbreaking HBO show lasted for five seasons, each season consistently outstanding. The series started in 2002 and ended in 2008. We rented the DVD’s from Netflix. I will go so far to say as The Wire is the best television show of all time. There isn’t a single episode that doesn’t evoke quality, whether it is the writing, acting, or direction. The Wire is gritty and is said to be a very realistic depiction of inner city life and the struggles of city police departments. Honorable mention: The League

Best Reality Show – Rock of Love Tour Bus – Rock of Love is a skanky version of The Bachelor and stars the charismatic Poison front man Bret Michaels. This was the third and supposedly final installment of the Rock of Love series. There’s never a dull moment on this show with its collection of strippers, adult film stars, and generally trashy women. Honorable mention: Jersey Shore

Best Book – Boys Will Be Boys (The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty) by Jeff Pearlman – This book is about the 1990’s Dallas Cowboys, who played hard and partied harder. A fascinating account of what made guys like Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Deion Sanders tick. I blew through this book in three days. Honorable mention: Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn

Best Newspaper – The Boston Herald – The Herald is a classic example of what companies mean when they say they want to do more with less. Despite a staff that has been decimated by layoffs and defections over the last few years, almost every week the Herald exposed some new controversy with Governor Deval Patrick and the Democratic lawmakers that dominate the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Only in the Herald did you read that Governor Patrick hired 1300 state workers in 2009. The Herald’s writers work hard and regularly expose fraud and corruption; something the so called “paper of record” the Boston Globe fails to do. Honorable mention: NY Post

Best Radio Show – Felger and Massarotti on 98.5 The Sports Hub – FM sports station 98.5 went live in August and quickly provided a legitimate alternative to long time Boston sports radio king WEEI. I always enjoy Michael Felger, because he’s not afraid to take a stand and speak out about issues. Sometimes Tony Massarotti drives me crazy with his defense and loyalty of certain Red Sox players (Jason Varitek), but he generally provides thought provoking commentary. This show really works for me. Honorable mention: Dennis and Callahan on WEEI

Best Concert - Aerosmith – Not only was it a blast because I took my son to see his first show and it was of his favorite band, but the concert exceeded my expectations. Joe Perry’s guitar work was mesmerizing and the band was in great form that night. It also didn’t hurt when my son told me after the show it was the best day of his life. Honorable mention: Paul McCartney at Fenway Park.

Best Sporting Event I Attended – hockey game - UNH vs. Boston University @ Agganis Arena – I could not believe that BU sold out the Agganis Arena for a college hockey game. The atmosphere at the game was electric, with a large cheering section behind one of the goals. It also didn’t hurt that BU beat UNH 5-0.

Best Vacation Spot – Cape Cod - We rented a house in Eastham the week of August 15th, and somehow we managed to get the best weather of the entire summer. The weather during the summer of 2009, was dreadful, but during the week we were in Eastham, every day was sunny and in the 80’s. We also visited some of the most beautiful beaches New England has to offer – Head of the Meadow in Truro, Marconi Beach in Wellfleet, Nauset Beach in Orleans, Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, and Hardings Beach in Chatham. The further up the Cape you are, the more beautiful it is. Honorable mention: Naples, FL in April.

Best Workout – P90X – When most people workout, they get set in a routine and stick with it. The routine is comfortable, and after a while you don’t get anywhere with it. P90X gave me the boot in the rear end I desperately needed. I thought I knew it all about nutrition and working out, but found I was wrong. P90X is not easy. The diet can be challenging, particularly if you don’t like vegetables. However, it REALLY WORKS! I dropped 12 lbs., dropped 2 inches in my waist, and had to go buy all new pants.

Pre Christmas patter

2009-12-16T07:57:00.003-05:00

Good to see the Patriots this past Sunday making more of an effort to run the football. Their offense needs balance, and effectively running the ball sets up the play action pass. The Patriots offense had become too predictable.

The Celtics are currently on cruise control, eleven wins in a row, and a 20-4 record. One of the big surprises is Kendrick Perkins' improved offensive game. Perkins is averaging a career high 12 PPG and is shooting 65% from the field.

Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman has made a career out of grandstanding and posturing; being "the conscience of the Senate". Senator Lieberman is always the one who is initially out of step with his liberal colleagues, critical of Democratic Party sponsored bills and policy initiatives. However, at the end of the day, Lieberman always votes with the Democrats. I pay no attention to him, because he's the boy that cried wolf.

After reading the story in yesterday's Herald about Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick hiring 1300 state workers this year after getting a sales tax hike rammed through into law, I was infuriated. In a state where voters paid attention and had common sense, Patrick would never see elected office again. However, in Massachusetts, he's probably going to get re-elected in 2010, because Independent gubernatorial candidate Tim Cahill and Republican candidate Charlie Baker will likely cancel each other out. Both Cahill and Baker hold mostly mainstream views. Cahill was a conservative Democrat, before leaving the party.

Presents under the Tree

2009-12-15T08:43:00.003-05:00

Despite the hysteria of talk radio yelping about Theo Epstein's comments from last week about this being a "bridge year" and the team wanting to remain competitive with an eye towards the future, I had a feeling that he was using a little misdirection. Theo's a smart guy and knows how to work the media. He never says anything that won't ultimately be to his benefit.

That is why I'm not surprised about the agreements to contracts with John Lackey and Mike Cameron. I'm extremely pleased about both signings. Cameron is a great defensive outfielder and has some pop in his bat. Lackey is a solid #2 starter. The Red Sox starting rotation now looks like this: Lester, Beckett, Lackey, Matsuzaka, and Buchholz, with Tim Wakefield still in the picture.

The Cameron signing means that the Red Sox are now probably out of the Jason Bay picture and will mostly go with a platoon of Jeremy Hermida and Cameron in LF. However, considering J.D. Drew's injury history, there will be plenty of AB's for both players.

I still believe the Sox need another bat, and the Lackey signing allows them to consider moving Buchholz. I'd like to see the team keep him, because he showed during the second half of last year that he can be a good big league pitcher. Every year, it looks like the team has enough pitching depth, but guys get hurt or don't pitch to their expectation level, and all of a sudden the rotation looks thin.

If the Red Sox go after a big time bat (Adrian Gonzalez), I'd rather have them trade Casey Kelly. Kelly dominated Single A, but he's years away from Boston, and needs to prove himself at higher levels of the minor league organization. I'd be willing to take that chance for Gonzalez.

Wednesday Odds and Ends

2009-11-18T08:07:00.002-05:00

Let's address a handful of topics this morning:

Headline on FoxNews.com this morning: "Obama Warns Debt Could Fuel Double-Dip Recession" - Now considering President Obama is an extreme left wing liberal pushing a socialist agenda, this tells me he is setting up a plan for massive tax hikes. Health care reform is the centerpiece of his presidency and despite its mammoth cost ($1-2 trillion), that won't be pulled off the table.

This comment by Obama is also ironically comical, considering he's done nothing domestically in ten months of office but spend taxpayer money and add to the budget deficit and national debt.

Gotta hand it to the marketing geniuses at Fenway Park to put the bad news out that the Red Sox would be raising ticket prices on the day when all everyone is talking about in the six state New England region is Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th down and 2, on his own 28 yard line.

The Red Sox released catcher George Kottaras yesterday. Kottaras did a fine job handling knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and he has a little pop in his bat. However, with the mystifying decision to apparently hand the backup catching job to Jason Varitek without competition, there was no room for Kottaras. He'll catch on with someone (pun intended) and I wouldn't be surprised to see him be a decent major leaguer if given the opportunity. If given 400 AB's, I project him to hit .255 with 11 HR and 50 RBI, and throw out 20% of the runners attempting to steal. Unfortunately, Kottaras didn't get much of an opportunity with the Red Sox.

I can't imagine why anyone would be fired up to vote for Martha Coakley or Mike Capuano for Massachusetts' vacant US Senate seat. Both are career politicians without an ounce of reform in their bodies.

President Obama has made several lousy political appointments in his brief time in office. However, one of the worst is also one of the most high profile. Attorney General Eric Holder is one who'd rather score points for his liberal agenda, than do what is right for America. First, was his decision to go after the way CIA agents interrogated terrorists. Now, he wants to try terrorists in a criminal court, instead of in a military tribunal. This is nothing more than Holder trying to establish a higher profile for himself, and take the military and the CIA out of the equation.

State of the Patriots

2009-11-17T06:45:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday's loss by the Patriots to their hated rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, was painful. Despite the Patriots' 6-3 record, the warts of the team were on full display in the 4th quarter. After having some time to allow the shock of the loss to wear off and to reflect on what went wrong, I've come to the following conclusions about the three time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots:

The Patriots are a soft team - Long gone are the smashmouth days of 2001 and 2003, where there was balance in the offensive attack and heavy hitting on defense. When I watch this team, I wonder what ever happened to the 2001 Super Bowl game style where the secondary would punish receivers on every play, whether the pass was completed or not? The Patriots have turned into the 2003 Indianapolis Colts - a pass happy team that is entertaining and can put up points, but cannot physically impose their will on a very good team.

They can't stop anyone on defense - This has been a problem since the January 2007 AFC Championship where they blew an 18 point lead to Indianapolis. The secondary is young and improving, but the defense is in a state of transition. Gone are Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Rodney Harrison. Safeties Brandon Meriweather and Brandon McGowan are trying to be big hitters, but sometimes they are out of position and miss tackles.

They cannot rush the passer - Back in the Super Bowl days, Mike Vrabel or Willie McGinest could be counted on to get a big sack. The 2009 New England Patriots are unable to get to the QB. When you put a team in a 2nd and 18 situation or 3rd and 13 via sacks, a defense has a lot more flexibility in what their next defensive call can be. The inverse here is also true in that it limits what the offense can do. This is why the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense is so good. They are always putting teams in 3rd and long situations. The 2009 Patriots are usually in a 3rd and 5 situation.

No playmakers on defense - When was the last time a Patriot defender forced a big fumble? Other than Jerod Mayo, the Patriots don't have any big time playmakers on defense. The defense is younger and faster, but they are missing the Ty Laws, Tedy Bruschis, and Rodney Harrisons they had during their Super Bowl dynasty days.

Corey Dillon, We Miss You! - Clock killin' Corey Dillon lived up to his nickname. Dillon, and to a lesser extent, Antowain Smith, could be counted on to wear down defenses and chew up the clock in the 4th quarter by moving the chains with their physical styles of running. The Patriots idea of killing the clock and moving the chains now is to throw short passes and slants. It's not the same and it doesn't work as well.

Too Pass Happy - One of the things I don't understand about Bill Belichick is how he has gotten so far away from one of the attributes that made him famous and successful - shortening the game. Tom Brady is one of the greatest QBs ever and it is generally a good idea to maximize the use of him as a weapon. However, Peyton Manning is one of the all time greats, too. Instead of getting into a shootout with the Colts, the Patriots would be better off having long sustained drives keeping Manning off the field, like the one they had in the 3rd quarter that unfortunately resulted in a Maroney fumble. The Patriots ran the football well Sunday night vs. the Colts and should've looked to do it more against the Colts' small defensive front. It is a mystery why the hard running BenJarvus Green-Ellis doesn't see more carries.

Weakness at the Offensive Tackle Position - For years, Matt Light has been the left tackle and the right tackle position has been a revolving door. Remember Greg Robinson-Randall, Tom Ashworth, and Ryan O'Callaghan? Nick Kaczur has been the starting right tackle since 2007, and not a very good one. Neither Light nor Kaczur can consistently handle speed rushers without help. The emergence of rookie Sebastian Vollmer in the wake of Light's knee injury, has easily been the most pleasant surprise of the season. Vollmer is huge, athletic and can move his feet in pass protection and is a punishing blocker in the running game. When Light comes back, the Patriots should keep Vollmer at left tackle and slide Light over to right tackle where he belongs.

Despite this list of issues, the Patriots are still a very good team. A few tweaks in the game plan and in personnel, can make a major difference. Any team that has Bill Belichick and Tom Brady is going to be in the playoff mix. However, to be a Super Bowl contender, which I believe the Patriots currently are not, changes need to be made. Those who ignore recent history are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

Election Day - one year later

2009-11-03T06:59:00.003-05:00

Today is the one year anniversary (first Tuesday of November) of the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. Taking into account the significance of the date, I'd like to post a few facts for those who voted for Obama:

$1.4 trillion budget deficit
an $868 billion stimulus bill that didn't stimulate anything.
a health care reform bill that is conservatively estimated to cost $1.2 trillion and will more likely cost $2 trillion when all is said and done.
understaffed troop levels in Afghanistan which threaten our success there and hurt troop morale.
9.8% unemployment
trillions added to the national debt
bad mouthing America and apologizing for our "arrogance" to other countries when traveling abroad.
traveling to Switzerland to lobby the Olympic committee to bring the Olympics to Chicago for 2016 and coming home unsuccessful, and belittling the prestige of the U.S. presidency.
a bailout of GM and Chrysler that isn't working.
Obama Attorney General Eric Holder looking to prosecute CIA agents for some of their tactics to extract information from terrorists
the value of the U.S. Dollar at very low levels.

Are you Obama supporters happy now? You misguided souls elected the most overwhelmed empty suit since Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976. Supporters will say his nuance on whether or not to add more troops in Afghanistan shows depth of character and thoughtfulness. The rest of us believe nuance is code for indecisiveness.

Barack Hussein Obama ran as a moderate Democrat appealing to independents. Since his inauguration nine and a half months ago, he's attempted to enact the most radical agenda of any president, moving America closer to socialism than ever before.

Despite the first cases of H1N1 appearing in America last April, are you Obama supporters happy with the lack of vaccinations available? If so, then you're going to love the ObamaCare health package. Government has never been and never will be an effective instrument for driving economic growth. The prospect of the federal government taking over 1/6th of the economy (health care) by a bill produced by the House of Representatives that is 2,000 pages long is frightening.

The Obama Administration and the Democrats in the House and Senate want government to run everything. They believe that we all need our hands held through life by big government, taking our earnings in the name of taxes and punishing achievement by allocating the money we earned and giving it to those who don't work and don't pay taxes via grand initiatives.

As a country, we need to get back to the idea of personal responsibility. There's a difference between who needs government help and who doesn't. If you dropped out of high school and had three kids out of wedlock, that's not my problem. If you got fired for downloading inappropriate material from the internet on a company owned laptop, then you're flat out stupid. If you are a drug addict and got Hepatitis from sharing needles, I don't feel the least bit sorry for you. If you've been laid off from work and are actively looking to find gainful employment, then absolutely, you should be helped by the government. Considering the unemployment level and the current economic conditions, your unemployment benefits should be extended.

Candidate Obama promised change, and so far President Obama has delivered the wrong kind of change - big government. The kind of change we truly need are tax cuts, reduced government spending, a pro business, pro growth formula of policy initiatives. It is the private sector that will drive economic recovery with jobs and capital investment, not inefficient, government run programs.

We will ultimately all pay for this gigantic government spending. Right now, the U.S. Mint is printing money with nothing to back it. Why is this a problem? Because it devalues the U.S. dollar in the global market place and this will lead to increased inflation, particularly in the energy sector. Remember the $4.25 gallon of gas? Well, it'll be coming back if this continues.

On this election day, please do your country a favor. Go to the polls and vote for anyone who is a member of the Conservative or Republican parties. Despite the pipe dreams they try to sell, don't believe the rhetoric of Democratic politicians. Eschew them on your voting ballot and opt for real change.

Time to overhaul the Red Sox

2009-10-13T07:50:00.002-04:00

After 24 hours of reflection, I came to the following conclusions about the Boston Red Sox who failed this postseason in spectacular fashion:

The way the team is built is flawed - geared too much towards Fenway - they can't manufacture runs.

No athleticism - other than Ellsbury and Pedroia, the other 7 guys in the lineup have below average foot speed.

Too many DH/1B types - Ortiz, Lowell, Youk, Kotchman, V-Mart Lousy defense from the catching position. I can live with V-Mart's lack of throwing ability, but they need a second catcher who CAN throw and is a threat back there defensively.

No true ace - Beckett and Lester are #2 types. They don't have a Sabathia or a Lincecum shutdown type.

David Ortiz is no longer an elite 40+ HR slugger.

It's going to take a major overhaul and they may need to take a step back to move forward again.Papelbon should be made available in a trade. I'd shop him to see if they can get a power bat. They have the depth in the bullpen.

I'd make Beckett available, too. He is what he is. He's never going to be an elite starter again like he was in the 2007 postseason. They've gotten 4 years out of him. He's a free agent after next year. They've proven they can develop pitchers, but they've been unable to develop power hitters. They need an elite bat.

What is the plan with Casey Kotchman?

Enough with the Varitek nonsense. Eat the $3 mill. How much of Renteria's and Lugo's contracts did they eat? Get a real defensive catcher to back up Victor Martinez.

Unfortunately, they are somewhat hamstrung in that Ortiz, Lowell, and Drew are untradeable.

Keep Alex Gonzalez. They've got a solid guy there and have proven they have no ability to scout the shortstop position. Let him be, pick up his $6 million option.

Red Sox End of Regular Season Team Awards

2009-10-07T12:13:00.008-04:00

Now that the postseason is upon us, it is time to hand out some team awards for the regular season:

Most Valuable Player- Victor Martinez - The July acquisition of Victor Martinez was the best by any team during this year's trading deadline. The team was struggling at the time and the offense definitely needed another bat. Enter Victor Martinez, who filled the biggest hole on the roster - starting catcher, and proved to be a power threat from both sides of the plate. Despite the fact that he doesn't have a great throwing arm, Victor Martinez, is a very good game manager, helping Clay Buchholz develop into a good starter. Also, pitchers such as Jon Lester didn't miss a beat when he caught them. To put it simply, Victor Martinez saved the season.

Most Valuable Pitcher - Jon Lester - The big lefty has supplanted Josh Beckett as the team ace with a 15-8 record and 3.41 ERA. After a rough start to the season, Lester's ERA's month by month were:
June - 1.85
July 2.60
August - 2.41
September - 2.52

An outstanding performance by this workhorse., who is still only 25 years old.

Least Valuable Player - Jason Varitek - See, I told you so. Last winter before the Red Sox re-signed him to a 1 year deal with a dual option, I outlined 25 numerical reasons why the Red Sox should not re-sign Jason Varitek. http://passpatterns.blogspot.com/2008/12/jason-varitek-by-numbers.html I was proven more correct than I thought I'd ever be - not only did Varitek bat .157 in the second half of the year, but his defense has become a serious liability. The Captain is not a major league caliber ballplayer anymore. It's over.

Least Valuable Pitcher - John Smoltz/Brad Penny - Daisuke Matsuzaka had this locked up, until he came back and redeemed himself with 4 strong starts and a 2.22 ERA in September. Former NL All Stars Smoltz and Penny were so abysmal for the Red Sox, they were released midseason.

Most Improved Player - Jacoby Ellsbury - 70 stolen bases, Gold Glove caliber defense, plus he's cured that hole in his swing and learned to work the count. What's not to like? While he was compared to Johnny Damon when he was drafted, I doubt he'll ever turn into the power and run producing threat that Damon is. But that's ok. Ellsbury is a fine, homegrown player and a valuable contributor to the Red Sox team.

Most Improved Pitcher - Clay Buchholz - Clay was a lost cause 12 months ago. However, he started the season at Pawtucket, pitched his way onto the Red Sox roster, and has emerged as the #3 starter. Buchholz really hit his stride and gained confidence when he went toe to toe with CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, and Roy Halladay in three consecutive starts, holding his own against them. Not so coincidentally, young Clay's emergence came once Victor Martinez started catching him, instead of Jason Varitek. As long as Buchholz mixes his pitches and keeps his fastball down, he's going to have success.

Team Enigma - Player - Jed Lowrie - Why can't this guy stay healthy? He's a solid defender, can play multiple positions, and can hit a little, but he continues to be dogged by a bad wrist that keeps him on the shelf. The Sox really needed him back in the spring when Julio Lugo and Nick Green played the worst defensive shortstop seen in Boston in a long time. A year after his surgery, his wrist still isn't right.

Team Enigma - Pitcher - Manny Delcarmen - Manny Delcarmen's ERA in the second half of the season was 7.27 and he basically pitched himself off the postseason roster. For a pitcher with a live fastball and excellent stuff, Delcarmen remains a mystery; he's never matured into a pitcher you want on the mound in a close game.

Rookie of the Year - Daniel Bard - despite some recent struggles, the young fireballer has helped shore up an already strong bullpen. With Bard and Billy Wagner in front of closer Jonathan Papelbon, it really shortens the game. If Bard ever sharpens up his breaking ball, he's going to be unhittable.

Mr. Consistency - Jason Bay - every year, Jason Bay gets 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. This year was no different. I don't care that he only hit .267, the Boston Red Sox went as Jason Bay went. When he went into a slump, the team slumped. Unfortunately, Bay is a free agent at the end of the season. The Red Sox definitely need to re-sign him.

Comeback Player of the Year - Mike Lowell - After hip surgery, there was serious concern about what Lowell could bring to the team in 2009. While he definitely lost range in the field, and is among the slowest runners in all of baseball, Lowell's bat wasn't affected by his surgery. He batted a productive .290 with 17 HR and 75 RBI in 445 AB.

Weirdest Season - David Ortiz - He had 1 HR after two months and at one point was hitting .175. From June on, he hit 27 HR and drove in 81 runs. Very strange, indeed.

Welcome Back Award - Alex Gonzalez - Theo Epstein never should've let this slick fielding SS go after the 2006 season. His acquisition in August stabilized the infield defense, plus A Gone had some key hits and did well with the bat.

Here, There, and Everywhere

2009-09-22T07:07:00.002-04:00

Only in Massachusetts - the inevitable change in the law to allow the governor to appoint an interim Senate appointee will be the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award with the likely appointment of former Governor and presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis.

The Boston Globe has led the cheerleading for former Governor Dukakis, endorsing his candidacy to be appointed to Ted Kennedy's seat. And the Globe wonders why they are losing subscribers by the thousands.

With very little fanfare, the stock market is approaching 10,000 again. Is it due to companies being overvalued or to the supposed end of the recession?

The recession has ended? Tell that to the people of Michigan where unemployment is a shocking 15.2% or those living in Nevada where unemployment is 13.2%.

Considering Nevada's unemployment rate, I guess that blow the theory out of the water that casinos bring good jobs to states.

Never mind the harm President Barack Obama is doing to the country domestically with trillion dollar budget deficits and a potentially disastrous health care bill, what about the incredible damage he's doing in terms of the war on terror?

Intelligence and spycraft is dirty work. Let the CIA do its job and keep the Justice Department out of the way.

What is the purpose of removing some of the prison rules on shoe bomber Richard Reid, who had ambitions on blowing up an airplane?

Since the House and Senate voted to stop funding ACORN, will President Obama have the temerity to veto the bill?

It wouldn't surprise me if he vetoed it. Since April, the Obama Administration has done nothing but continually prove themselves to be amateurs who have no clue how to govern or realize when they are going in the wrong direction.

In the real world, Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen would be arrested and held without bail for arsony. He has been brutal lately.

The Houston Astros fired former Red Sox and Brewers slugger Cecil Cooper yesterday as their manager. Poor Coop didn't have a chance. Astros owner Drayton MacLane is one of the five worst owners in baseball and every season never looks to seriously upgrade his team.

Can you teach a soft team to be tough? That's the quandary the New England Patriots find themselves in two games into the season.

Labor Day

2009-09-07T09:08:00.002-04:00

Yesterday's trade of Richard Seymour by the Patriots certainly caught me off guard. However, considering the salary cap and the contracts of players that expire after this year, the move makes sense. The Patriots will received a first round pick from the Raiders, and it will likely be a high pick. Seymour, while good, has not been a dominant player for a few years now. When was the last time he took over a game and terrorized an opponent's backfield?

The wheels are quickly coming off the Jason Varitek bandwagon. The Captain's batting average has dropped from .233 to .217 since the Victor Martinez acquisition and pitchers such as Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have had some great starts with Martinez behind the plate. Making matters worse is the success John Smoltz and Brad Penny have had during their brief tenure in the NL this season after being released by the Red Sox. Both were primarily caught by Varitek. Smoltz was said to be tipping his pitches and Penny praised Giants catcher Eli Whitside for his pitch selection after Penny tossed 8 scoreless innings in his first outing with the Giants. Toss in Daisuke Matsuzaka's struggles this year and Varitek's reputation as a stellar handler of pitchers has taken a big hit. What exactly is his value to the Red Sox at this point?

Victor Martinez batting third for the Red Sox has really given the lineup the depth it needed. J.D. Drew bats 8th when Martinez plays and Mike Lowell has been scorching the ball at the plate. Considering Tim Wakefield's balky lower back, the Red Sox need to ratchet up the offense, because the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation is in bad shape.

The Red Sox are going to have to throw Daisuke Matsuzaka out there and see what happens. This season has been a wash out for Dice K, but what other choice do they have? Junichi Tazawa has proven he isn't ready to be a full time major leaguer, Tim Wakefield has a bad lower back and has a history of being a lousy postseason pitcher. Paul Byrd is not the answer. The key to the Sox playoff hopes rests on Dice K bouncing back.

I like the way Terry Francona lined up his bullpen in last Thursday night's game vs. the Rays. Billy Wagner in the 7th, Daniel Bard in the 8th, and Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th. Those three can certainly bring the heat and it really shortens the game for the Red Sox. Relievers who can strike hitters out are always preferable to the sinkerball type.

Across the Landscape

2009-09-03T07:29:00.004-04:00

Curt Schilling floated the idea yesterday that he'd like to run for Ted Kennedy's seat in the U.S. Senate. Despite chuckling when I read it, I'd vote for Curt over any of the Democrats who will be running.

I hate being redundant, but why do the Red Sox continue to pitch to Evan Longoria in close games?

As a member of the Red Sox, Brad Penny spent 3/4 of the season pitching erratically and not once did he make it through 7 innings. How does he join the San Francisco Giants and pitch 8 shutout innings in his first outing with them? The NL is a joke.

There is no bigger piece of misinformation regarding exercise than the notion that walking is the answer to shedding weight and better fitness. If you want to lose weight and be fit, you need to get your heart rate up, you need to be breathing hard, and you need to bring some intensity to a workout. Doing two 15 minute circuits a day of jumping jacks, karate punches and kicks, running in place, weightless squats and lunges, pushups, and ab exercises is far more beneficial than a 45 minute walk.

A routine like this also squashes the notion of people saying, "I don't have any time." Of course you have time. Perform one circuit first thing in the morning, and then perform the other when you get home from work.

I don't blame Rep. Michael Rodrigues, Democrat of Fall River, for stocking up on booze in New Hampshire at their tax free liquor stores. I will do the same thing next time I am in NH. However, considering he did vote to raise the sales tax on alcohol and then foolishly used his car with the House issued license plate, he deserves the heat he's getting in the paper. Rep. Rodrigues isn't the smoothest operator around.

Barney Frank says critics are distorting his record. No one distorts his own record more than Barney. He's not responsible for anything that went wrong in the banking industry. Just ask him.

RIP former Patriots running back John Stephens who was killed in a car accident in Louisiana yesterday. Stephens was the NFL Rookie of the Year as a member of the Patriots in 1988.

Sports Sunday

2009-08-30T17:15:00.002-04:00

On the heels of his woeful performance in Friday's game vs. the Redskins, the Patriots have cut backup QB Kevin O'Connell. Considering the team invested a third round pick in O'Connell in the 2008 draft, this move comes as a surprise. However, it had been reported by Pro Football Weekly earlier in the week that the team wasn't happy with the way O'Connell was progressing even before the exhibition game vs. the Redskins. Right now, the Pats depth chart is Tom Brady, Andrew Walter, and undrafted free agent Brian Hoyer.

Here's hoping KC QB Matt Cassel is ok after leaving the game with a left leg injury in Saturday's game vs. the Seahawks. With the way Cassel handled taking over the QB reins from Tom Brady last year, he ranks as a favorite at this address and I'd love to see him tear up the AFC West for the Chiefs.

The Red Sox completed a sweep of the hapless Toronto Blue Jays today with a 7-0 victory. If I had been in Las Vegas, I would've lost a lot of money, because I would've put a bet on Roy Halladay to beat Paul Byrd. Byrd, in his first start of the season, was excellent, pitching six shutout innings. Halladay continued his August struggles.

Alex Gonzalez has come in and stabilized the SS position over the last two weeks. He's hitting well, too! Frankly, he never should've left after the 2006 season. Opting for Julio Lugo over Alex Gonzalez to play SS during that offseason ranks as one of GM Theo Epstein's biggest blunders.

In the Wild Card race, the Red Sox now are 5.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, a team they have struggled against the last two seasons. I'm not concerned about the Texas Rangers, but the Rays do worry me. They seem to have the Red Sox figured out.

A big key to the Red Sox postseason chances is a healthy and "in shape" Daisuke Matsuzaka returning to the team. Supposedly, the team is happy with his conditioning and his arm should be well rested. We'll see how it goes, when he's back with the team in the next week.

Pats vs. Redskins

2009-08-29T07:25:00.002-04:00

The general rule of thumb in the NFL is the third exhibition game (yes, I called it the old name - exhibition game - the powers that be in the NFL don't like that) is the most important one of training camp. It's the barometer of where a team finds out how their starters are doing and an opportunity to seriously analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a football team.. I had the opportunity to watch last night's Patriots-Redskins game and here are my observations from what I saw:

Bad News for the NFL - Tom Brady and Randy Moss are back! They were so in sync last night, you would've thought it was November 2007. Moss terrorized Redskins CB D'Angelo Hall during the first half.

Young DB's Having Difficulty - Jason Campbell is a middle of the road QB. Last night he picked on Darius Butler. Butler struggled, getting two interference calls on one play. Patrick Chung muffed another punt and looks shaky as a returner.

Big Vince - Vince Wilfork really came to play last night. He was disruptive, both making tackles and clogging the line. Mike Wright looked good up front, too.

I Still Don't Like the OL - I still am not crazy about the OL. I'm hoping air craft carrier sized rookie OL Sebastian Vollmer can step in and supplant Nick Kaczur at RT. In pass protection the OL is good enough (although I still have nightmares over their performance in the Super Bowl vs. the Giants), but they can't run block. The Pats OL are more of the mauler type of linemen, not the gifted, light on their feet, athletic type. I'd love to see the team invest a draft pick in a big time left tackle, like Bryant McKinnie of the Vikings.

Kicking Game - The kicking game remains in good hands with Stephen Gostkowski.

Laurence Maroney - If he can finally stay healthy, I have high hopes for Laurence Maroney this year. He still tippy toes to the line instead of hitting the hole hard, but he looked better last night as opposed to the tentative style with which he ran with last year.

Backup QB - Kevin O'Connell - Yikes! A dreadful performance.

Brady's Shoulder - Tom Terrific got slammed to the turf on a clean play by Albert Haynesworth. It looked like he landed awkwardly, but after the play was on the sidelines and not receiving medical attention, so it didn't look too serious. Typically, Coach Belichick was vague in his response to questions regarding the health of the shoulder after the game.

Last night's game was quite entertaining for an exhbition game and while the first team looked good vs. the Redskins, there are still some things that need to be worked on. The defense is the key to the team. If the youngsters in the secondary can gel and the front seven can get a pass rush going, the team will go a long way.

Dogs, Dogs, Everywhere There's Dogs

2009-08-23T13:09:00.002-04:00

Full disclosure: Other than Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds, I like dogs. I can't have one due to my allergies, but generally don't mind them.

However, when did we as a nation become so pet happy? Particularly dogs. What Michael Vick did was revolting, but he did 2 years in jail. Compare that to Donte Stallworth who did less than a month in jail for manslaughter. Yet, there's outrage over Vick being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles.

When did dogs become so part of a family, that they now go EVERYWHERE? I just spent a week on Cape Cod and I saw countless dogs on the beach. Sorry, but I don't want your filthy, smelly mutt around when I'm chilling, drinking my favorite adult beverage by the ocean. Leave it at home. You may think your dog's cute, but I don't.

The worst offender of the week, was when we were at Savory Pizza Grille and Sweet Escape Ice Cream in Truro. Terrific pizza and ice cream, which unfortunately was dampened by this idiot family that carried the dog inside a woman's purse, then proceeded to let it walk around the picnic area unleashed while we were eating. At one point, the dog walked under our table. What the heck? There's a reason why dogs aren't allowed in restaurants. Same thing in the outdoor picnic area. It's unsanitary.

Going forward dog owners, please take others into consideration, when you take your mutts with you on vacation. If you can't be considerate, put the dog in a kennel for a week or find someone to care for him.

Town Hall Troubles

2009-08-13T11:36:00.004-04:00

Despite protestations to the contrary, the Town Hall meetings being held by Representatives and Senators across the country are really starting to backfire on the Democrats. Every night there's a new clip of a politician getting chastized by his constituents at these meetings. Yesterday, the best clip yet was released where Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee had the temerity to answer a cell phone call while a constituent was speaking at the microphone.

The Obama Administration and Democrats can spin these confrontations at the Town Hall Meetings as Republican shenanigans or not representative of the views of most Americans all they want, but the truth is in the poll numbers. Obama's approval rating is down to FORTY SEVEN percent today. These meetings are doing serious damage to a party that has obviously overreached on any mandate they believed they had to implement extreme left wing policies.

The Obama Administration is so desperate to turn the tide that they actually planted an 11 year old girl in a Portsmouth, NH town hall audience, where Obama presided over a meeting and had the girl ask a softball question. Turns out, the girl's mother was a big Obama supporter and worked on fundraising activities in Massachusetts during the presidential campaign. Naturally, the Obama Administration denies this "coincidence".

Right now, the Democrats look like a collection of out of touch amateurs with no clue how to govern. Other than tacking on $787 billion to the federal budget deficit in a stimulus bill laden with pork barrel projects and favors for supporters, what has Barack Obama and the Democratic dominated House and Senate accomplished in the seven months since Inauguration Day? The House of Representatives is run by crazies like Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, and Charlie Rangel. The Senate has lunatics like Barbara Boxer who asked a member of the armed forces to refer to her as "Senator", not "ma'am" and described the Town Hall Meetings as people "storming these town hall meetings".

Before the 9/11 tragedy, President George W. Bush had a very significant accomplishment that benefited the American workers. He passed a $1.35 trillion tax cut in the spring of 2001. Critics say that the cut disproportionately benefited the rich, but frankly it benefited everyone. Money back in people's pockets as opposed to the government coffers is always a good thing. I don't recall people storming town hall meetings complaining about tax cuts in the summer of 2001.

The Democrats are fortunate that November 2010 is a long way away. Maybe they'll get lucky and the economy will be growing by then. Right now, they can't stop shooting themselves in their collective feet with each policy initiative they propose bringing the U.S. closer to socialism. If they opt to hike taxes, 2010 will be a repeat of 1994. That was the year where the "throw the bums out" atmosphere was so prevailing that even Speaker of the House Tom Foley was thrown out of office.

What will be interesting is when the August recess is over and a government health care plan is actually voted upon. Will the House and Senate members vote to commit political suicide with their careers or vote against a bill to save their seats? I predict health reform will ultimately fail due to political expediency.

Unrelated items on a Monday

2009-08-10T07:44:00.002-04:00

Why is it that liberals don't afford the same tolerance for demonstration to conservatives and mainstream Americans that they expect when they protest wars or former President George W. Bush's policies? It's amusing that the so called "party of tolerance", the Democratic Party, isn't accepting of voices that disagree with theirs.

I'm curious as to when my Congressman, Barney Frank, is going to hold a Town Hall Meeting? I'm not holding my breath for that unaccountable phony to hold one. I'd absolutely go if he did schedule a meeting.

I'm greatly looking forward to the new WBZ sports station on FM 98.5 that launches this Thursday. Boston has desperately needed a second sports talk station, and the signal on 98.5 is very strong. There have been other challengers to the WEEI throne in the past, but the signals for ESPN Radio and AM 1510 are pathetic. While I enjoy the Dennis and Callahan show on WEEI, Glenn Ordway's Big Show in the afternoon is mostly unlistenable, due to the presence of Ordway. On WBZ FM 98.5, Michael Felger will be hosting the afternoon show and I always enjoy his presence on the radio.

I know it's early, but the fat lady is now singing for the 2009 Boston Red Sox. Six losses in a row to key AL East teams is not the way to stand up and be the alpha dog of the American League. The Red Sox are now 6.5 games behind the surging New York Yankees, but incredibly are still tied for the AL Wild Card lead. However, the Tampa Bay Rays are only 1.5 games behind the Red Sox and the Rays have mostly owned the Sox the last two years.

The problem with the Red Sox is the lack of offense. Jason Varitek can no longer be an every day catcher. He's a .220 hitter who doesn't hit in the clutch. David Ortiz has been awful for most of this season. Jason Bay's been in a 2.5 month slump. J.D. Drew has been invisible and unproductive. There just aren't any clutch hitters other than Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia.

The SS position is a black hole. Right now, there isn't a major league SS on the Red Sox roster. I'm all set with Jed Lowrie. He can't stay healthy and he has been terrible at the plate when he has played. Nick Green is a mediocre defender whose batting average is .118 since the All Star break. There's a reason Chris Woodward was released by Seattle, so I don't believe he's the answer.

It's Camp Tranquility down in Foxboro where the Patriots are getting ready for the upcoming NFL season. Nary a word is heard from camp where all seems to be quiet and moving forward as expected. Coach Belichick runs a tight ship, so controversies are kept to a minimum.

Only 13 days before President Obama comes to Martha's Vineyard! Hooray! Seriously, who really cares? I have more important things than to be concerned with than where a President spends his vacation time.

Concert Review

2009-08-07T07:58:00.004-04:00

Last night, I made a trip to Fenway Park to catch Paul McCartney play the second of two shows there. While walking up Commonwealth Ave and cutting over to Beacon St., I could hear the sound check and him playing Coming Up and All My Lovin'. That certainly boosted my already good spirits and set the tone for the pre concert dinner and cocktails with my sister.

Paul hit the stage around 7:50, with Beatles classic "Drive My Car", then "Jet" in which he butchered the lyrics, followed by two unknown solo songs "Only Mama Knows" and "Flaming Pie".

Despite being 67 years old, he sounded great, moved around with plenty of energy, and put on an impressive performance. I was concerned about the vocals, but those concerns were quickly put to rest as he growled through "Jet".

However, the set list made for a boring first half of the concert. There were a lot of lower key obscure post Wings solo songs, and classics like "Blackbird", Long and Winding Road" and "My Love" couldn't raise the overall interest of the crowd. .

The set list bizarrely ignored the timeframe of 1974-1981, where a string of Wings classics, such as "Listen To What the Man Said", "Silly Love Songs", "Let Em In" and "Coming Up" were neglected. It remains bewildering why Paul doesn't play those songs - everyone knows them and "Silly Love Songs", in particular, is still played often on oldies stations. "Maybe I'm Amazed" wasn't played either, but that may have had more to do with Paul's inability to no longer be able to sing the vocally challenging song. During a past tour, he dropped it from the set list because it took too much of a toll on his voice.

It wasn't until halfway through the show, when "Band On the Run" was played, that the crowd's interest really piqued and everyone started singing along to the third section of the Wings classic. The show was so flat up until that point that a WINGS SONG was what got the crowd going! After that, the show kicked into high gear with a flurry of Beatles hits such as "Back in the USSR", "Paperback Writer", "Something", "Hey Jude", "Day Tripper", "I Saw Her Standing There", and finishing up with with "Get Back", "Sgt. Pepper/The End"

Another criticism is the double John Lennon tribute. First there is the 1982 song "Here Today", then there's "A Day In the Life/Give Peace a Chance". Lennon's been dead for almost 30 years and the extra tribute seemed a bit exploitative. "Here Today" is a buzz kill. For what it's worth, Paul sings "Something" far better than George Harrison ever did. The song starts off as a ukelele version, until after the first verse, when the rest of the band kicks in, the ukelele is ditched for an acoustic guitar, and the song sounds oustanding.

Highlights of the show: "Live and Let Die" (with fireworks sailing over Fenway - I wonder what those on the Mass Pike thought as they drove by during this), "Band on the Run", "Something", "Day Tripper", "Paperback Writer".

Lowlights of the show: "Jet (which is usually stellar)", "Dance Tonight", "Here Today", new songs "Highway" and "Sing the Changes".

Of the five times I've seen Paul McCartney, this was probably my least favorite of the shows. However, the performance of the songs and energy brought to them were excellent and those who attended can say they got their money's worth. Show grade: B-

Set List:
01. drive my car
02. jet
03. only mama knows
04. flaming pie
05. got to get you into my life
06. let me roll it/ foxy lady
07. highway
08. long and winding road
09. my love
10. blackbird
11. here today
12. dance tonight
13. calico skies
14. michelle
15. mrs. vanderbilt
16. eleanor rigby
17. sing the changes
18. band on the run
19. back in the ussr
20. i'm down
21. something
22. i've got a feeling (with extended jam)
23. paperback writer
24. A day in the life
25. let it be
26. live and let die
27. hey jude
Bows

Encore #1
28. daytripper
29. lady madonna
30. I saw her standing there
Bows

Encore #2
31. yesterday
32. helter skelter
33. get back
34. Sgt Pepper reprise into The End

Trade Deadline Moves

2009-08-01T07:19:00.002-04:00

The Victor Martinez acquisition by the Red Sox will benefit the team tremendously. He's a great hitter from both sides of the plate, can play catcher and 1B, and brings some much needed thump to the lineup. He's known as an excellent game caller behind the plate, but supposedly isn't great at throwing out runners. Defensively, that scouting report seems similar to current Sox catcher Jason Varitek.

I'd like to see the Sox play Martinez behind the plate - a lot. Varitek historically wears down at the end of the year, and this year seems to be no exception. There are rumblings that he's had a bum left shoulder which has dogged his hitting for the last month. However, I doubt Sox manager Terry Francona will do that; instead he'll create a log jam at 1B and DH. Tito's loyal to a fault to his guys.

The Sox gave up young minor leaguers Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. They are both a long way from the majors. No big deal there. It's too bad that they had to trade Justin Masterson, who was untouchable this time last year. Masterson has had some struggles this year, particularly against lefties, and projects to be a set up man out of the bullpen.

Despite the Red Sox claiming that the second trade gives them more flexibility and consistency off the bench, the trade of 1B Adam "We Hardly Knew Ye" LaRoche to the Braves for 1B Casey Kotchman makes no sense. LaRoche wasn't in Boston long, but I really liked him from what I saw. He can hit. Kotchman is a better defensive 1B than LaRoche, but isn't the power hitter that LaRoche is. To me, LaRoche is the better player. I'm definitely disappointed by this trade.

Looking at the big picture, the Red Sox definitely improved themselves with the Martinez acquisition, but what's even better is the Yankees didn't do much other than acquiring journeyman Jerry Hairson, Jr. from the Reds as infield depth.

Feathers may be ruffled in the Sox clubhouse due to some players (Varitek, Ortiz, and Lowell) sitting out games, but Victor Martinez will definitely give the Sox offense a shot in the arm and make it more consistent.

Slumping Sox

2009-07-26T15:01:00.002-04:00

In the bottom of the 7th inning, it is now 6-1 Orioles. All the problems with the Red Sox are currently on display:

John Smoltz again missing on location and struggling. He put the Sox in an early hole and just like his outing at Texas last week, it snowballed. Entering the game, Smolz's ERA was 6.31. Today, he gave up 6 runs in 5 innings. Despite him being a certain Hall of Famer, the Red Sox will be faced with a decision over Smolz's fate if he continues to pitch like this in his next four starts.

J.D. Drew continues to be a non impact player. He is batting .136 with 4 RBI in the month of July. I've let go of my hopes of him being the 30 HR 100 RBI player he should be. What's the deal with Rocco Baldelli? Why isn't he playing more?

I love the Adam LaRoche acquisition. They gave up nothing for him and he can hit. Considering the lack of range Mike Lowell is showing at 3B, plus how slow Lowell is, LaRoche should see a lot of time at 1B with Youkilis at 3B. I know Youk is unhappy whenever he is out of the lineup, but the way he plays the game, he's going to need that rest so he will be ready for the postseason.

The Red Sox NEED Jed Lowrie to shake off the rust a little quicker and start hitting.

Dustin Pedroia, while having a decent season, is not even close to the player he was last year.

I'm not worried about Jason Bay. He'll come around.

It was nice to see Justin Masterson string together a few scoreless innings. He needs to gain his confidence back after a rough 6 weeks.

Mark Kotsay had 1 HR in 200 AB's in his time with the Red Sox. While a versatile defender, they needed him to be more of a run producer at the plate.

Rough Times in the Land of Plenty

2009-07-15T19:37:00.003-04:00

Today, the U.S. economy received some rare good news: Intel announced they had an excellent second quarter in their earnings report and the news had coattails; Intel's success set a bullish tone of trading for the day, bringing up the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 between 3-3.5% today.

On the federal government front, universal healthcare seems to be more and more inevitable. It is going to have to be up to moderate Democrats in the U.S. Senate like Ben Nelson and for Republican Senators to keep party discipline (that means YOU, Olympia Snowe), make sure this bill isn't filibuster proof, and vote against what I will think will be the most damaging legislation of my lifetime.

Already the U.S. federal budget deficit is $1 TRILLION. The House Democrats' plan for universal healthcare will include tax hikes on the richest Americans; those making over $350,000 and over will see a 1% increase in their taxes. Those making $1 million a year and over will get whacked an extra 5.4% to pay for this monstrosity.

The economy is still in a perilous state. The $787 billion stimulus bill hasn't worked. The beginning cost for the health care bill is $1 trillion. Realistically, it will be more like $2-3 trillion.
Just around the corner, the Baby Boomer Generation will begin retiring and collecting Social Security in 2011 - no one is talking about this! The Social Security trust fund has been raided for years to pay for other programs. How will the money be there for Social Security to be solvent, never mind paying over $1 trillion for government run health care!

The damage that is being done by those on Capitol Hill over the last 6 months is nothing short of alarming. If I ran my household the way the President Obama and the Democrats are running this country, I'd be bankrupt and could never get a house or car loan. However, George W. Bush and the House and Senate Republicans also deserve blame, because they abandoned their conservative principles and fiscal discipline over the last eight years.

Seriously, how is our economy supposed to recover, when taxes are being hiked on both individuals and corporations? One of the provisions being discussed in order to implement universal healthcare is if a company doesn't provide health insurance and has more than 25 employees, the small business will incur a $750 per employee penalty. Small businesses drive our economy. If this provision were passed, how will that stimulate job growth?

Once a universal healthcare plan is in place, many companies will immediately stop offering health care as a benefit to their employees. I can honestly say I am very happy with the health insurance I receive from my company. Never do I have to wait long to get in to see my doctors, the premiums are fair, and any doctor I would want to see is in the provider network. I would be livid if I were to lose my private health insurance, have to enroll in a government program, and wait months to see my doctors. How long will it take for one of my family members to get an MRI if they were to need one with government insurance? I know it won't be nearly as fast as the 5 days it took when a family member needed one in the fall of 2007.

The bigger picture is how and when will our economy grow with all these anti growth policies the Democratic dominated federal goverment is pushing? I haven't even gone into the details of the cap and trade bill which will reduce American competitiveness in the global marketplace. When will the American people stop being so naive and suckered by politicians promising pipe dreams without tax hikes? For those of us who see the big picture and care about the future of America, these are rough times in the land of plenty.

1976 Baseball All Star Game

2009-07-14T17:35:00.000-04:00

Big thumbs up to the new MLB Network, which during this All Star Break, has been showing old All Star Games in their entirety. They showed the 1971 game last night and the 1986 game today. However, the ones from the late 70's were the best ones, so I was ecstatic to find that one of the games they are showing is the 1976 All Star Game. Some observations of that game:

Mark Belanger was an AL All Star at SS? Steve Swisher an NL All Star at C?

John Montefusco made it for the Giants. "The Count" was a very good pitcher, who unfortunately only pitched for terrible teams (Giants, Padres, Atlanta, and Yankees) during his entire career.

Don Money represented the Brewers who were then in the AL. He used to kill the Red Sox.

What a PATHETIC starting lineup for the American League.

P - Mark Fidrych

C - Thurman Munson

1B - Rod Carew

2B - Bobby Grich

SS - Toby Harrah

3B - George Brett

LF - Ron LeFlore

CF - Fred Lynn

RF - Rusty Staub

No wonder the AL didn't win for years. Fred Lynn's the only one who had any power in that lineup. Rusty Staub, Ron LeFlore, Bobby Grich, and Toby Harrah? Those players were decent, but didn't strike me as guys who should start an All Star game.

George Brett and the awesome Rod Carew are the two best players in this starting lineup. Carew is one of my favorite all time players.

The AL first base coach is Frank Robinson - he was better than anyone who played in that game.

The only starters in both lineups who are deceased are the members of the AL battery - Fidrych and Munson. Catfish Hunter is also deceased, but he didn't start.

In 1976, who better to lead off for the NL than Pete Rose?

The NL starting lineup is full of Cincinnati Reds:

P - Randy Jones

C - Johnny Bench

1B - Steve Garvey

2B - Joe Morgan

SS - Davey Concepcion

3B - Pete Rose

LF - Greg Luzinski

CF - George Foster

RF - Dave Kingman

Whoever voted for Dave Kingman to start in an All Star game, should be as ashamed of themselves as those who voted for John Kerry for President.

Johnny Bench only made 14 All Star games.

Best moment: Late in the game, Mickey Rivers running from first to second and going out of the basepaths on a 4-6-3 double play where he took out NL SS Bill Russell and spiked him in the thigh. The All Star Game really meant something back then. I have newfound respect for Mickey Rivers for playing that hard in an "exhibition game".

Cesar Cedeno hit a bomb late in the game off Frank Tanana.

Funniest line was when Rick Rhoden was pitching and he hit 91 on the radar gun, either Bob Uecker or Warner Wolf proclaimed any fastball better than 85-86 MPH was very good. Angels lefty Frank Tanana was throwing 95. Tanana blew out his arm soon after, and by the time the Red Sox got him, he was an 82 mph throwing junkballer.

Surprisingly, Reginald Martinez Jackson did not make the All Star team in 1976, as a member of the Orioles.

An Open Letter To Terry Francona

2009-07-12T11:14:00.001-04:00

Dear Tito,

In my 35 years as a Red Sox fan, I've seen many great players, as well as complete stiffs come through America's Most Beloved Ballpark. There are players who've surprised me by being big game performers - guys like Dave Henderson, Marty Barrett, and Todd Walker. There've also been players who choke when the pressure is on, see Schiraldi, Calvin and Clemens, Roger.

Through my countless viewing experiences of Red Sox baseball, I've developed a keen eye for talent and can tell you with utmost certainty that Manny Delcarmen is on the Schiraldi/Clemens end of the spectrum. He's got a $5 million arm and a $0.02 head. Manny can play a valuable part in a bullpen, by eating innings in blow outs or when the Red Sox are behind. However, he cannot hold a lead, has never been able to hold a lead, and after 5 years and 212 regular season appearances, he will never be more than he is - a Kyle Farnsworth type.

Please, for heaven's sake, stop pitching Manny in close games. I don't understand why you continue to use him in a role in which he is not suited? Particularly, when there are other pitchers out there in the pen (Saito, Bard, and Okajima) who can pitch in close games and get valuable outs.

I am not one of those fans who constantly criticize the manager of the local nine. You are the best. Red Sox manager. Ever. Unlike Jimy Williams and John McNamara, I rarely find much to criticize about your managerial strategies. However, you're one weakness is you are too patient with some players. Delcarmen is one of them.

After the All Star break, the trading deadline is 2.5 weeks away and teams will be in high gear trying to plug holes in their rosters. During that timeframe, only pitch Delcarmen in non pressure situations, so he has some good performances, and then Theo can drum up some interest in Manny and deal him.

I don't care that he is a local yokel, I don't get caught up in that nonsense. What I see is a pitcher who will be a major liability come October and I want him off our roster by then. Please manage him accordingly.

Best Regards,
Kevin Flynn

Bad Policy

2009-07-10T07:50:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday the GAO gave a report about the effects of the much touted $787 billion Obama Stimulus Bill, and to no surprise among skeptics, it was found that the stimulus package isn't working as planned. Ugh. Despite the Obama Administration's promise of millions of new jobs and getting economic recovery on track, unemployment has climbed to 9.5% and the economy seems to be stalling.

Considering the Stimulus Bill was larded with various pork projects by Congressmen and Senators who wanted to "bring home the bacon", the idea that this stimulus package would fix the economy was ludicrious. No Republican House member voted for the stimulus. House Minority Leader John Boener and his embattled band of Republican House members certainly now have a feather in their cap to brag about on the cable news networks and in the 2010 elections.

The most appalling use of the stimulus bill is there are states that are using stimulus money not for "shovel ready projects", but to plug gaping budget holes. Great. Super. The spendthrift legislators and governors at the state level are reform adverse who don't like to make tough decisions, but instead plug their own budget holes where they can and pass on the pain to the local town governments.

Now there are rumblings amongst Democrats on Capitol Hill that a second stimulus bill is needed. Really? Famed billionaire investor Warren Buffett was quoted as saying a second one is likely needed, as well. You don't think ol' Warren would somehow benefit from a stimulus bill, do you? Anytime the media breathlessly publishes Warren Buffett quotes on finance and the economy, I raise an eyebrow because I doubt he speaks out on anything, unless there's a way he'll benefit from it.

The last thing the federal government needs to do is spend more taxpayer money. However, with Democrats firmly in charge of all three branches of government, money will continue to be spent, and billions will continue to be wasted. President Obama has a vision of universal health care and a potentially economy damaging climate control bill in his sights and trillions of dollars will be required to to meet that vision.

If the Obama Administration had pushed a policy of a four month income tax holiday and capital gains tax cuts as advocated in this space in March, it would've been less expensive and far more effective than the massive waste of "stimulus" and payback to union supporters of the Obama Administration. At what point will the liberal Democrats realize the massive debt and budget deficits they are racking up are extremely harmful to the long term financial well being of America? Here's hoping that Republicans can continue to put up a worthwhile defense, offer alternative policies, and convince the American voters that the Democrats' ideas are too expensive and risky to our country.

Lazy Sunday

2009-07-05T16:38:00.000-04:00

Some July 4th leftovers...

Finally, the Northeast is getting some good summer weather with the temperature in the mid to high 70's. The clouds broke on Friday, and it's been brilliant sunshine ever since. Tomorrow, will be another beautiful high 70's day.

I'm not sure what to make of Sarah Palin's decision to resign as Governor of Alaska. On the one hand, she'll get some peace in that the media coverage of her will wear off. However, if she has presidential ambitions for 2012, being out of the spotlight won't help her campaign. The media coverage of Palin the last ten months has been mostly meanspirited by the liberal networks who have no tolerance for a strong willed, independent thinking woman who doesn't toe the NOW line of abortion on demand.

Six Red Sox made the American League All Star team, with special notice going to 42 year old Tim Wakefield, who made it for the first time. When I was a youngster, the All Star game was always special and it was particularly exciting when Dennis Eckersley started the All Star game as a Red Sox in 1982. However, now that I am older and wiser, I'd prefer that the Red Sox players being at home, recharging their batteries, and having a much deserved three day break from baseball.

As a Celtics fan, I could take or leave Rasheed Wallace. He has skills, but he's a dog. I've seen several games where Rasheed has played with seeming indifference out on the court. On the plus side he's an excellent outside shooter and when he's emotionally invested, a solid defensive presence in the paint.

Bashing Democrats

2009-06-30T20:46:00.001-04:00

The Boston Globe published an embarrassingly fawning article about MA Senator John Kerry in yesterday's paper. I won't link it, because I don't want to give boston.com the web hits. Governor Deval Patrick may be an empty suit, but Kerry is the original empty suit do nothing politician. The Globe describes Kerry's service to the Commonwealth as being more caring than ever and exceeding expectations. What the Globe should've asked is why did it take him FIVE terms to care about his job or perform it well? I don't recall reading such a feature when Mitt Romney or Paul Cellucci were governor - both of whom had significant positive accomplishments during their tenures as governor. Could it have anything to do with Romney and Cellucci being Republicans? Nah!!! No way!

Remember when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would have sales tax holidays for one day every year in August? Well, now under liberal, tone deaf Governor Deval Patrick we have an August sales tax hike - from 5% to 6.25%. Governor Patrick has not fulfilled one campaign promise from his "Together We Can" tour of 2006. He's been an impotent leader and isn't even respected by leaders in his own party in the Legislature. The 2010 gubernatorial campaign can't come soon enough for me. Tim Cahill or Christy Mihos would both be excellent replacements for Patrick.

I still can't believe that the voters of Minnesota elected Al Franken to be their U.S. Senator. Then again, they elected Jesse Ventura as Governor, so I shouldn't be surprised by their awe of celebrities.

There's political unrest in Honduras, Iran's election was a mess, and North Korea is threatening to launch a practice missile in the direction of Hawaii. What is President Obama going to do about all this? This is one of those times where I wish there were some adults in charge (i.e. Dick Cheney) around the White House.

Gallup has a poll in which more Americans are finding the Democratic Party as "Too Liberal". Really? No way! Where were they back in November?

The Supreme Court made the correct decision on a 5-4 vote where they came to the conclusion that white New Haven firefighters were discriminated against when they were denied promotions in favor of minorities who scored lower on the tests than the white firefighters. It is good to see that a majority of the Supreme Court found discrimination to be color blind. What is disconcerting is four members of the Supreme Court were okay with discrimination in the name of diversity. Barack Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, (who as a member of a lower court, ruled in favor of discrimination) to the Supreme Court should be fought hard by Republicans.

Tuesday Sox

2009-06-23T07:47:00.001-04:00

The Red Sox are in Washington, DC to begin a series vs. the Montreal Expo...oops, I mean the Washington Nationals tonight. The Nationals are an atrocious team, architected by former GM Jim Bowden, who during his tenure as GM made a complete mess of them. Don't forget Bowden was one of the names Larry Lucchino was considering to be come Red Sox GM when Theo Epstein was on his sabbatical. How badly would've that turned out?

Looks like the naysayers like myself were wrong. David Ortiz has finally snapped out of his slump and is showing power and better bat speed. Papi really looked hopeless the first two months of the season. So far in the month of June, Ortiz is hitting .308 with 5 HR and 12 RBI with a .400 OBP. Phew! Without Ortiz being the thunder in the order, the Red Sox are destined to another ALCS elimination.

Going in the opposite direction is Jason Varitek, whose average has fallen into the .220's. I am not particularly surprised, considering it was June when his average started falling last year. Terry Francona needs to give him more days off. George Kottaras has done a nice job with the bat of late when he's been in the lineup. Kottaras has a nice swing and has shown in his two months at the major league level to be a good receiver behind the plate.

Nick Green is one of those David Eckstein kind of guys. A scrapper and hustler who everyone underestimates. While he made some errors earlier in the year, he's been steadier in the field and he's been consistent with the bat all year. When Jed Lowrie comes back, Lowrie's going to have to earn his starting job back. Even if Lowrie becomes the starter again, Green is certainly an improvement off the bench over Alex Cora, the utility man the last few years.

No Dice-K, no problem. John Smoltz will fill his spot in the rotation and if Smoltz has difficulty getting it going after offseason surgery, Clay Buchholz is in Pawtucket and he's more than ready for the big leagues. Buchholz is beyond the point of needing any more seasoning. While he's obviously frustrated that he's still in Pawtucket, if Clay hadn't pitched so awful in Boston last year, he'd be in the rotation now.

On the Political Front

2009-06-16T07:52:00.000-04:00

Very soon, a comprehensive health care bill will be submitted by the House of Representatives and Senate, which could finally bring universal health care to the United States. Universal health care coverage is considered the centerpiece of President Obama's domestic agenda. Considering the Democratic advantages in the House and the Senate, this is the best opportunity yet to implement a universal health care (or "single payer") system.

Socialized medicine has been implemented in countries such as Great Britain and Canada and the results have been mixed. While everyone in those countries is covered by health insurance, when those of us in the U.S. hear of universal health care, it is of the horror stories of the 12-18 month waits for hip replacements. Also, the cost of implementing such a system in the U.S. would be astronomical. When I read of the cost projections for universal health care, I immediately think of Boston's Big Dig. The original cost estimate for the Big Dig was supposed to be $2 billion. Fifteen years later when the project was finally completed, the cost was $14 billion. I'm very skeptical about the projections that universal health insurance will cost $1 trillion over the next decade. I believe these projections are based on a very best case scenario.

However, a convincing argument by populists can be made regarding the cost of the Iraq war and the bank bailouts. Proponents will say if we can afford a war and bank bailouts, why can't we provide health insurance to all? This is certainly a legitimate point.

The cost of private health insurance continues to skyrocket and outpace inflation. Eventually companies are going to try to depress the salaries of their employees and consider the cost paid for employees health insurance as part of their salaries. Everyone knows that the cost of a routine doctor's visit is outrageous. The biggest issue with the cost of healthcare is the insurance required by doctors due to medical malpractice suits. Tort reform to prevent frivolous medical malpractice suits is certainly one of the measures needed to "bend the curve", the current buzz phrase being used to bring health care costs in line.

Ideas are being floated to help pay for the cost of universal health care. One idea is for the federal government to treat any health insurance that costs greater than $15,000 as income and tax it accordingly. Already, this proposal is being met with resistance from both Republicans and moderate Democrats.

I don't necessarily believe all the demagoguing coming from Republicans who are against it, but I also am skeptical about the way the Democrats are selling this - You can have it all and everyone will be covered! If it sounds like a pipe dream and too good to be true, it probably is. Also, don't forget that such a system will require the creation of a massive new government bureacracy, and as we all know, the federal government isn't exactly known for it's efficiency.

The key to the success of the Democrats passing universal healthcare legislation are seniors. So far, from what's been proposed, there hasn't been much of an additional benefit to them other than what they receive from Medicare. Considering seniors are the most reliable voting bloc in the U.S., placating them and giving them additional benefits could be the difference between getting a bill passed or it failing.

....................................................................................................................................................................

The results of the recent election in Iran has turned into a real problem for the world; a problem that must be handled with finesse and restraint. Heading into the June 12th election, polls had challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi holding a big lead and getting 63% of the vote. Such poll results are in line with the frustration of the people of Iran, who have experienced very high inflation and chronic unemployment under the leadership of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. So imagine the surprise across Iran when the results were quickly announced by the state run media that incumbent President Ahmadinejad won in a landslide. Mmm. Something certainly smells fishy there.

President Ahmadinejad is a terrorist sponsoring thug, who is working to build up a nuclear weapon arsenal in Iran. Considering his past radical statements about Israel, he isn't someone the world would want to have access to nuclear weapons. However, Mir Hossein Mousavi isn't exactly an altar boy, either. Mousavi is also a proponent of terrorism, but in this case, seemingly any change at the top in Iran would help ease world tensions.

Since the results have been announced, there have been rallies and protests in the street. The people of Iran believe the election was stolen from them, and they seem to have a good case. Tensions rose yesterday, when gunfire broke out from a militia group shooting at the demonstrators, killing at least seven and wounding several people.

I don't see a resolution to this situation where Mousavi winds up the victor. Any recount efforts (wink, wink) will likely result in a similar result. One thing I do know is Mousavi may want to put a will together, because based upon the situation, he doesn't appear to be long for this world.

Things On My Mind On A Rainy Day

2009-06-11T08:08:00.000-04:00

Some thoughts on another gloomy June New England day...

Boston Globe scribe Nick Cafardo mentioned today that Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield is worthy of being considered for the All Star Game. STOP IT! Despite Wakefield being 8-3, guys with 4.50 ERA's aren't All Stars. Wakefield has pitched well when the Red Sox have needed him, but an All Star, he is not.

Next time Cafardo writes a column like this, how about if he does a little research about how Wakefield stacks up against the rest of the American League pitchers? Here are some that are far more deserving this season than Wakefield: Zack Greinke, Roy Halladay, Josh Beckett, CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buerhle - and those are just the starting pitchers. I didn't even mention relievers.

David Letterman should be ashamed of himself for the tasteless jokes he made about Sarah Palin and her family. Of course, since Palin is an independently thinking woman (i.e. doesn't toe the NOW/Democratic Party line), the Palins are given the no holds barred treatment by the liberal media. What if someone like Don Imus had made similar cracks about Nancy Pelosi? How would that be treated?

It baffles me how Letterman still even has a show. He wasn't funny in 1986, never mind in 2009. From what I've seen of his show, I've never once cracked a smile, never mind laughed. David Letterman's show is boring and tedious to me.

Regarding the Massachusetts Governor's Race in 2010 - ABD - Anyone But Deval. I just hope that there isn't an independent candidate, so votes don't get siphoned from the Republican candidate.

President Barack Obama was quoted the other day as saying it was ok to borrow money for healthcare. On the surface, it's not that outrageous of a quote, until you realize how much money the U.S. Government is now borrowing to stay afloat. Currently, the U.S. budget deficit is hovering around $1.7 trillion and the National Debt is $11 trillion. In 2011, the Baby Boomers will begin retiring, thus the Social Security trust fund will be drained over the next decade. Exactly, how is the U.S. Government even in a position to borrow another penny? I can't see China continuing to loan us money.

The definition of silliness - Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio describing star defensive lineman John Henderson's decision to sit out OTA's (Organized Team Activities) due to a bruised shoulder as "(Vince) Lombardi is probably rolling over right now." This is Exhibit A as to why Jack Del Rio should no longer be an NFL head coach. It's EARLY JUNE! Training camp isn't for another 6 weeks! Calling out one of your best players in the offseason isn't exactly the way to inspire your football team!

On the subject of OTA's, I didn't realize that they are actually different than minicamps. Teams aren't supposed to be hitting during OTA's, but I'm sure many of them do. The OTA's are "voluntary". If you are a marginal NFL player, attending OTA's is probably a wise idea. However, if you're an established player who's going to be finishing a rookie contract and looking at free agency at the end of the upcoming season, the last place to be is at the OTA's. Why risk an injury when you technically don't have to be there? The fact that these are "voluntary", makes Del Rio's comment about Henderson all the more ludicrous.

The Yankees Are In Town

2009-06-09T07:09:00.000-04:00

The first place New York Yankees roll into town tonight for a 3 game series vs. the Red Sox. The Bronx Bombers have been red hot since the return of slugger Alex Rodriguez and have recovered from a slow start to bypass the Red Sox and Blue Jays into first place.

Big ticket free agent acquisitions Mark Teixiera and CC Sabathia have both produced according to their contracts, and Nick Swisher has brought a fun attitude into the notoriously stiff Yankee clubhouse as well as having belted 12 HR and bringing flexibility to the bench.

LF Johnny Damon is having a tremendous year, hitting 12 HR from the second spot in the order, after he and SS Derek Jeter were flip flopped. Jeter is sporting a .379 OBP from the leadoff spot and has 8 HR. Despite his critics who think he is overrated and a defensive liability, Jeter is still an excellent player who can get on base and has the power to take advantage of the short porch in RF, where he has been known to deposit seemingly lazy fly balls the opposite way into the first few rows of seats for home runs. Jeter's ability to handle the bat and use the entire field with an occasional inside-out swing is one of the most underrated aspects of his game. Regarding Jeter's lack of range at SS, all I know is he has far more range at SS than the much maligned Julio Lugo of the Red Sox.

From the looks of it, the Yankees are settling right into their home at the new Yankee Stadium, which has already earned a reputation as a launching pad for home runs. Things are going so well for the Yankees right now, that even CF Melky Cabrera, who was all but left for dead on the side of the road at the end of last year, has reclaimed the starting CF job and has been a key contributor with 6 HR and a few game winning hits. The Melk Man is the player teams don't want to face at the plate in the 9th inning right now - he's batting a scorching .471 in the 9th inning this season.

On paper, the Yankee starting rotation looks excellent, but other than Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain, has been shaky. Chamberlain has become an occasionally dominant starter and is pitching very well. Free agent acquisition A.J. Burnett has been a disappointment - the low point being when he blew a 6-0 lead vs. the Red Sox back in April. Andy Pettitte has benefited from good run support, thus his 6-2 record. Chien-Ming Wang has been excrutiatingly bad and has a 14.46 ERA.

The biggest area of weakness for the Yankees is their bullpen, which is a mess. Mariano Rivera, while good, is still getting back to full strength after offseason shoulder surgery. Besides Rivera, none of the other members of the Yankee relief corp would make the Red Sox bullpen. The Yankees are hopeful that young Phil Hughes can stabilize the set up role. Considering Hughes' struggles at the major league level, that may be wishful thinking. When healthy, Brian Bruney is a decent reliever. However, it seems his arm is showing the effects of being abused during the Joe Torre era. The rest of their bullpen is filled with pitchers who are borderline major leaguers.

This series will be a good benchmark for the Yankees to see where they are at. The Red Sox are 5-0 against them so far this season. They've played significantly better baseball since the last time they faced the Red Sox and during that timeframe the Yankees set the record for most games without an error.

While most of the Red Sox-Yankees series are overhyped, this June series has more meaning to it than cynics think. If the Yankees do well, and take 2 out of 3, then they will still be cruising along playing good ball. If the Red Sox take 2 or sweep the series, it could slow the Yankee Express down a bit or even derail them.

Let's hope that the weather holds out and we get to catch the playoff type atmosphere at Fenway Park (America's Most Overrated Ballpark) over the next three days.

Random Thoughts for a Friday

2009-06-05T07:41:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Rodney Harrison for his great contributions to the Patriots Dynasty. Rodney is hanging them up at the right time. He's been unable to play a full season for three years now, due to various injuries. Rodney's style of physical play isn't conducive with a long playing career. Harrison is so beloved amongst the Patriots faithful, that his positive drug test for HGH is swept under the rug and pretty much forgotten. Despite my enthusiasm for young safeties Patrick Chung and Brandon Meriweather, Rodney was the best safety the Patriots have ever had play for them and he'll be missed.

It's great to see Josh Beckett starting to settle in and pitch like the ace he's supposed to be. His last few outings have been great. I also appreciated how he drilled Gerald Laird late in the game Wednesday, when the game was pretty much already decided after Laird attempted a bunt in the sixth inning while Beckett still had a no hitter going.

Surprise, surprise, another Massachusetts House Speaker in trouble with the law. This time former Speaker Sal DiMasi was indicted on accepting kickbacks from a software company, in order for them to secure a state contract. What DiMasi is accused of doing is as bad as former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson accepting bribes. They both should be thrown in jail for a long time and considering this is the third consecutive Speaker of the House to be accused of ethics violations, an example should be made of them.

I caught some of Newt Gingrich on Hannity last night. Newt made some great points regarding President Obama's speech in Cairo. Why is President Obama talking down America? Instead, he should be speaking about all the great things we have done for the Muslim world. He should be speaking about the freedom from oppression we brought the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the millions the U.S. sent in humanitarian aid to nations such as Thailand and Indonesia which were devastated by the 2004 tsunami; both with large Muslim populations.

When I shake my head at the thought of the future of television with rubbish such as Jon and Kate Plus 8, Extreme Home Makeover, I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Outta Here! and Dancing With the Stars, a show like Rescue Me restores my faith that no matter what happens, there will always be a high quality show available to watch. After a slow start to this season, Rescue Me has really picked up and this has been an excellent season.

I was on youtube.com the other day, looking up old music videos, when I stumbled upon Olivia Newton-John. Now I don't own any of her music, but in looking back at her career, she might have had the most underrated singing career of the 70's-80's. Rarely, is she mentioned when someone will talk about the biggest musicians of that timeframe. You'll hear names like The Eagles, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, etc. How about this collection of hits by her during that timeframe: Let Me Be There, I Honestly Love You, Have You Ever Been Mellow, Sam, Hopelessly Devoted To You, Summer Nights, You're The One That I Want, Magic, Suddenly, Physical, Make A Move On Me, and Twist of Fate. Wow! She may not have been the best, but was certainly dominant for about eight to ten years.

What is up with the weather here in the Northeast? It's June and we've yet to have any nice consistent 90 degree days. I want to open my pool, but don't want to open it when the air is 68 degrees and the water a bit colder than that. At every one of my children's softball and baseball games, I'm wearing a light jacket.

Current State of Politics

2009-05-29T09:51:00.001-04:00

I've had some opportunity to do some reading about President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonya Sotomayor and I'm unimpressed with her. The main controversy about her is her willingness to make decisions based upon "empathy", as opposed to what is right and wrong. A case out of New Haven, CT in which she ruled to dismiss a case by a firefighter who sued because he qualified for a promotion, but wasn't given one is at the core of the Sotomayor controversy. Judge Sotomayor's decision was based upon race and empathy as opposed to who achieved the highest test scores and who was most qualified.

As the great columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote today, "Figuratively and literally, justice wears a blindfold. It cannot be a respecter of persons. Everyone must stand equally before the law, black or white, rich or poor, advantaged or not."

I couldn't agree more with Krauthammer's comment. Also, Judge Sotomayor is not above playing the race card, describing her experiences as, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

Now what would've happened if Justice Samuel Alito had said the reverse of that when he was nominated? He'd have been massacred by the liberal media and his life would've been ruined.

I don't care what race, origin, or creed a politican or judicial nominee is. I really don't. I DO care that they agree with my philosophy of upholding the tenets of the Constitution and that they do not practice judicial activism. I want them interpreting the law, not making law and deciding cases based upon empathy. Making laws is for the Legislative Branch of the U.S. Government. Judicial decision making based upon empathy for the accused because they had a bad upbringing is what lets child molesters, rapists, and murderers out of jail too soon and allows them to come back to general society to ruin more lives. Putting a person like Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court is dangerous for the future of justice in this great country.

Regarding the Sotomayor nomination, what is up with the Republican Party? They already came out and said that they wouldn't try to filibuster the nomination. Why are they tipping their hand? Would the Democrats not be above playing dirty and turning over every rock of evidence on a Republican President's judicial nominee? I want the Republican Party to start acting like the conservative, loyal opposition they are supposed to be. Right now, they are acting like the party of impotence and it disgusts me.

The current state of the Republican Party is they are a rudderless, fiscally irresponsible party that caters to social conservative causes. That doesn't go far enough for me. They are too much like Democrats. The Republican Party needs to be fiscally conservative, have an alternative vision to fix the problems of this country, and to not let liberals walk all over them.

I can understand the philosophy of, "If your enemy is shooting himself, stay out of the way". Particularly in the case of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lame denials about not being aware of waterboarding, despite being given a briefing to the contrary by the CIA in 2002. The GOP should continue to call for her resignation, all the while allowing her to keep putting her foot in her mouth. However, the GOP needs to be more of an opposition party and provide that alternative vision.

Three to four years ago, when U.S. citizens were captured by terrorists in Iraq, they were beheaded. Being beheaded is a particularly gruesome way to die. Beheading of captured enemies certainly isn't part of the principles of the Geneva Convention. If this is the case, WHY is there outrage over the waterboarding of terror suspects and the Guantanamo Bay prison compound here in the U.S. ? It makes absolutely no sense. Don't we have other, more important things (i.e. a recession and high unemployment rate) to be focusing on as opposed to second guessing the CIA about how they do their job and how they keep America secure? Spycraft is a dangerous, nasty, and NECESSARY job. Let's not lose focus on the role it plays in keeping the U.S. safe.

Observations From Around MLB

2009-05-25T06:56:00.000-04:00

So much for Mannywood. The LA Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 games, all of which have been without their allegedly juicing slugger and are sporting the best record in MLB at 30-15. As baffling as some of his bullpen management moves are, Joe Torre is a master at managing people.

Which team has the best record in the AL? The Texas Rangers. Who would've guessed that? Yesterday, Brandon McCarthy went the distance in a 5-0 shutout over the Astros. I've liked McCarthy since he was with the White Sox. He has great stuff, he's just taking some time to harness it and be consistent.

Speaking of Rangers pitchers, how is Kris Benson still in baseball? He's made a career out of being an underachieving stiff since he was the first pick in the draft back in 1996. One thing he does have going: his wife ain't too shabby to look at.

I'm hoping the Red Sox aren't in a big hurry to trade Brad Penny. He's improved as the season has progressed and considering the state of MLB pitching, the Sox could get a ransom for him come the July 31st trade deadline. While I love the idea of John Smoltz in the Red Sox rotation, a little extra time for him to get that 42 year old arm in shape isn't the worst thing in the world. Also, despite their success at Pawtucket, both Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden, will benefit from not being rushed too quickly.

Bet you didn't know this: My favorite Yankee, Johnny Damon, is on pace for 3,000 hits. Damon won't be 35 until November. He's off to a terrific start this season and currently has 2,321 hits. All he needs to do is average 155-160 hits for this year and the next four seasons and he'll have 3,000. If he gets there, he's a shoo in for the Hall of Fame. For his career, Johnny's averaged 185 hits a season. I never begrudged Johnny for taking the Yankee money. NY offered him $13 million more than the Red Sox. Who wouldn't have taken that?

Other than Craig Breslow, Dan Giese, and Russ Springer, I do not recognize any other name on the 16-25 Oakland A's pitching staff.

The San Diego Padres have a team batting average of .232. Inexplicably, they have a .500 record and are in second place in the NL West. They've also won nine games in a row.

My favorite NL team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, are having a tough season. Their pitching has been serviceable (4.45 ERA), but offensively, they have a few key contributors off to very slow starts. Stephen Drew, who had 21 HR and batted .291 last season, is currently hitting .195. Usually sweet swinging 1B Conor Jackson is batting a woeful .182, and the solid when healthy Eric Byrnes is hitting .211. They've also been without star pitcher Brandon Webb since early April with a bad shoulder.

The reason the Diamondbacks are my favorite NL team is because of the heartbreaking way they beat the Yankees in the 2001 World Series on a Luis Gonzalez bleeder over a drawn in infield. They also occupy a warm place in my heart due to them trading Curt Schilling to the Red Sox for Brandon Lyon and three stiffs.

I'm not ready to throw a parade for him (it's still early), but I've been very pleased with Jason Varitek's production at the plate this season. His hits have been timely and he's been a productive part of the offense. My concern is Sox manager Terry Francona is still playing Varitek too much; Tek's played in 33 of 44 games. The Captain has a history of wearing down as the season progresses. I'd like to see more of George Kottaras in the lineup now in order to keep the 37 year old Varitek fresh for August and September. In fact, after Kottaras had three hits yesterday, Tito should play him again today to see if he stays hot.

Coco Crisp for Ramon Ramirez looks like a steal so far, huh? In 22.2 innings, Ramirez has an ERA of 0.79. Ramirez isn't the only member of the Red Sox bullpen to be posting a miniscule ERA. Manny Delcarmen is also having an excellent season and his ERA is 0.86. This is easily the best Red Sox bullpen they've ever had. Long gone are the days when the likes of Rudy Seanez, Kyle Snyder, and Julian Tavarez were occupying spots in the pen.

Saturday Morning Baseball

2009-05-23T07:15:00.001-04:00

The traditionalists generally don't like Interleague Play. They believe that AL and NL teams should only face each other in the All Star Game and the World Series. I disagree. Interleague Play has been great for the game. Fans get to see teams they normally don't and so do the players. I'd rather see the Red Sox play the Mets or America's Team (Braves), than watch a game vs. an AL East team. Considering the Red Sox feast on NL teams, I'm all for Interleague Play and would like to see more of it.

My only gripe about Interleague Play (and the World Series) is the silly insistence of the NL to not use the DH when they are the home team. Pitchers who normally don't hit or run bases puts the AL teams at a competitive disadvantage. The Yankees lost Chien Ming Wang to a foot injury for the season last year when Wang was running the bases in Interleague Play.

If any MLB scheduling tweak should be done, it is the unbalanced schedule. I do not care for the unbalanced schedule of Major League Baseball at all. Games vs. the Yankees lose their luster when the Sox have to play them 19 times a year. Same with the rest of the AL East teams.

Wow, I hadn't seen Johan Santana pitch in a while, and I forgot how good he is! That changeup of his, mixed with a moving, exploding fastball makes for some difficult hitting. He mostly had it going on last night vs. the Red Sox.

That's the second game this year where Julio Lugo's defense cost the Red Sox a game. He needed to turn that double play in the 4th inning. Instead of moving his feet and getting a good throw off, Julio left his foot on the second base bag and got nothing on the throw that would've gotten the Sox out of the inning. The Mets proceeded to get two hits, and took a 4-1 lead.

Julio's not alone. Nick Green's defense at SS has been shaky, too. Green's error late in a game last week was the main factor in a Sox loss. The defense at SS is killing this team. It's such a crucial defensive position. Isn't Omar Vizquel available? I don't care if he's 42, he'll make the plays.

Daisuke Matsuzaka looked okay vs. the Mets. His velocity was there and he was mostly throwing strikes. He'll be fine.

Count me as loving the addition of Dennis Eckersley to the Sox broadcast booth in place of Jerry Remy. Eck is FAR better than Remy. It's not even close. Eck's analysis, particularly about pitching, is very informative and I'm constantly learning new things when he speaks. Remy rarely tells me anything I don't already know. Also, Eck is hilarious. I love the slang he uses (cheese = fastball, boards = The Wall). His description of his batting skills during last night's game had me cracking up.

Papi's Struggles

2009-05-15T11:23:00.001-04:00

I'm officially pushing the panic button. It kills me to watch David Ortiz right now. It reminds me of 20 years ago, watching Jim Rice struggle and fail so badly. After Papi's 0-7 performance yesterday with 3 K's, and an astounding 12 (TWELVE!) LOB, it is time for the Red Sox to start exploring options.

It pains me to write that. David Ortiz is my favorite all time Red Sox player. For all he's done, there's no way I can ever boo him. I won't. I may shake my head, and groan, "Come on Papi!", but I will never boo him. For five seasons (2003-2007), he was one of the Red Sox greatest all time power hitters. However, it is as if light hitting former Sox backup catcher Marc Sullivan or former SS Luis Rivera have inhabited Ortiz's body.

In looking at potential trade partners, there is one particular player I want: Prince Fielder. Big Prince is 25 years old and is making $9 million a year. For a small market team like the Milwaukee Brewers, who are always looking to cut costs, dumping Fielder's salary in this economy gives them flexibility. The Brewers bullpen has been pretty good, but their starting rotating is very suspect. Yovani Gallardo and Dave Bush are off to good starts, but the journeymen trio of Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra, and Braden Looper doesn't blow anyone away.

The Red Sox have a surplus of starting pitching. While Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard are untouchable, I'd be fine with the Sox using Michael Bowden as trade bait. Bowden has thrown 34 innings thus far in 2009 at Pawtucket and is 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA. He has some brief major league experience and has done well in his two Red Sox appearances. He's exhibited poise and a willingness to go after hitters.

If the Brewers don't think a straight up swap of Bowden for Fielder is enough, I'd even be willing to throw in Manny Delcarmen, who'd immediately step in and be a quality experienced reliever for the Brewers.

Regardless, something has to be done here. Maybe a call up of Chris Carter would help. Jeff Bailey isn't the answer. Filling in for Kevin Youkilis, Bailey is batting a dismal .159. Could the Sox come up with some phantom injury for Papi, and find a way to send him to Pawtucket on a rehab assignment for a week or two to get himself straightened out? All I know, is when I see Ortiz late on 92 mph belly button high fastballs down the heart of the plate (like yesterday) where he's fouling them back, he's not right.

This team's pitching is so deep, that the Red Sox are already pretty much a shoo in to be in the playoffs. If Ortiz gets back on track or a trade for Prince Fielder is made, if the team remains injury free, there will definitely be another parade in this town in early November.

Fundamentals of Pitching

2009-05-09T17:16:00.000-04:00

I know that times have changed in Major League Baseball. Just about everybody is buddy buddy with everyone from the other teams. There's the World Baseball Classic that draws players together where friendships are developed such as Yankee Derek Jeter and Red Sox Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. Or, players share the same agent and have developed relationships through their agent.

In the old days, if a batter was feasting on a pitching staff, you could bet your life savings that that batter would be knocked down in the batter's box. Either a pitch would drill him in the back or ribs or some of the more hot headed pitchers would put one on under the batter's chin. The idea being for the pitching staff to not let the batter get too comfortable in the batter's box. You don't want that batter thinking he can lean over and and "own" the outside corner.

Some Red Sox were offended that Jason Bay got drilled in the back by the Yankees Joba Chamberlain after Bay hit the game winning HR the night before and homered the next day vs. Joba. I wasn't offended. It's good baseball and part of the game.

Which brings me to my main point here: When will a Red Sox pitcher drill Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays? Who will be the Sox pitcher who make him uncomfortable in the batter's box?

Entering today's game vs. the Red Sox, Longoria has played in 8 games, has 4 HR 16 RBI and is batting .394. So far, in today's game, he's 2-3 with a 2 run double.

I'm pleading for someone on the Red Sox pitching staff to hit Longoria. He's going to get on base anyway, might as well drill him in the back. Make him hurt to get on base. At least he'll only get one base, as opposed to hitting a HR or an extra base hit for an RBI. And once he's been drilled, pitch him low and away going forward. If he starts lunging over the plate, hit him again.

A pitching staff can't let a batter own them the way Longoria's been owning the Red Sox.

Manny Being Manny

2009-05-07T18:07:00.000-04:00

The announcement today that Manny Ramirez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs didn't shock me. Not that I thought Manny was juicing, just that the shock value in terms of the games brightest stars testing positive for HGH or steroids has worn off.

Twenty four hours ago, Ramirez was considered one of the two best hitters (along with Albert Pujols) in all of baseball and an automatic Hall of Famer. Manny the Hitting Savant with the quirky personality. Manny The Kook who supposedly had uncashed $50,000 checks from the Cleveland Indians in his car's glove compartment for months. Manny The Clown who sat in the dugout and repeatedly petted pitcher Julian Tavarez's buzz cut as if he were petting the head of an Irish Setter and high fived a fan in Baltimore after a running catch.

Today, Manny's in Hall of Fame purgatory with Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Rafael Palmiero. The chances of these players getting in to Cooperstown is slim. No matter what Manny does, his reputation is now tarnished for good, just like these other former stars.

I don't believe Manny's story about the drugs, in which he threw his doctor under the bus, for a minute. How stupid do you have to be to continue using these substances when the microscope is on baseball players like never before? And does anyone think he read a word of his public statement, never mind came up with it?

Lastly, if Manny was doing them, how many other players, particularly members of the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox World Series championship teams have used them? I believe the number is higher than we think.

One thing is for sure; Curt Schilling is running to find the nearest microphone to publicly put in his two cents on the subject.

May Musings

2009-05-03T08:04:00.000-04:00

Just like last year, the Celtics "survived" a best of 7 opening round playoff series by finally putting the nails in the coffin of the Chicago Bulls. Unlike last year, I think this team is ultimately doomed, due to the supposed absence for the rest of the playoffs of Kevin Garnett. However, credit the Celtics players, particularly Glenn Davis for playing hard and doing their part in trying to makeup for The Big Ticket's absence. Leon Powe, who's out with a torn knee, is a big loss off the bench as well.

Danny Ainge badly misjudged the value of James Posey's contributions last year, as well as Tony Allen's ability to make up for Posey. Frankly, Tony Allen STINKS. He plays stupid and he only does well against inferior teams or blowouts. Allen hasn't improved at all since coming in to the league as a rookie in 2005.

Hey Vinny Del Negro, 1985 called and wants its haircut back.

Count me as loving the Patriots draft, with its infusion of youth in the secondary in the second round. Last year's performance by the Pats secondary was the worst since the 2000 season, when they had stiffs like Antonio Langham getting toasted by every receiver the Pats faced that season. Darius Butler is said to have great cover skills and Patrick Chung is considered a hard hitting safety. Perfect!

I also like the trade of Ellis Hobbs to the Eagles for a fifth rounder next year. Hobbs is a big talking, undersized dime cornerback masquerading as a #1 corner. Hobbs is a JAG (just another guy) to me.

David Ortiz had ZERO HR for April and his bat looks as slow as Jim Rice's circa 1989-90. Last night was a perfect example. Papi was ahead in the count 2-0, when he got an 88 mph fastball down the middle of the plate, which he was late on and fouled back. I'm officially concerned about Big Papi.

Tropicana Field has become a house of horrors for the Red Sox. They are 2-10 in their last 12 games there. The Rays represent a tough matchup for the Red Sox. They take punches from the Sox, and hit back twice as hard. Although, Genius Joe Maddon foolishly outsmarted himself last night pulling fireballer Grant Balfour and putting in lefty specialist Brian Shouse to pitch to Kevin Youkilis with runners in scoring position last night. Youk jerked one down the LF line and knocked in 2 runs, which effectively won the Sox the game.

The Bruins are back in action tonight at 7:30 vs. the Harford Whale...oops, I mean the Carolina Hurricanes in their second round playoff series. It's hard to find a sport as exciting as playoff hockey. It flows well, lots of hard hitting and up and down action. Plus, unlike the other 3 major sports, the action isn't dogged by time outs and pitching changes. What's not to like?

Floridays

2009-04-23T18:26:00.000-04:00

Another beautiful day here in sunny Naples, FL. It was 88 degrees and it will be 89 tomorrow. No week ever goes by faster than a week in Florida. The days pile up fast and next thing you know, it's almost time to leave. No time in the world goes by faster than time spent parked in a lounge chair on the beach.

Naples is my kind of vacation - beach, beer, and dining at some of the hundreds of restaurants available to dine at in Naples. What a place! Exactly why did my family decide it would be best to settle in the Northeast as opposed to down here where every day is sunny and 80?

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on their first playoff series victory in ten years. There's a Cup Bruin in Boston this year! This team is loaded and deep. They play defense and Tim Thomas had the best regular season of any NHL goaltender. What's not to like about their chances for Lord Stanley's Cup?

I caught a moment of Lindsay Lohan on the Ellen show this morning. I may be wrong, but I swore I heard her say she doesn't party when she's working on a film. Really? As a faithful reader of the NY Post's Page Six section, if that were truly the case, why can't she get work in Hollywood? It's because she's a one person Barnum and Bailey's Circus. For goodness sakes, kid, go move to Wyoming, get your life together, and stay out of the the public eye for a year. California and NYC are not good places for her to be. Then again, she doesn't strike me as being all that bright.

Just about done reading Marc Levin's Liberty and Tyranny - A Conservative Manifesto. Levin makes many great points in the book, however it does get redundant after a while. A worthy read, nonetheless, because you really find out how clueless liberals , or as Levin calls them "Statists" really are.

I think it is greatness that there are all those empty seats at the new Yankee Stadium in the front rows behind home plate. Who can justify $2500 per seat to watch them get bombed 22-4 by the Indians in this economy?

4/16

2009-04-16T08:22:00.000-04:00

Until yesterday, the Red Sox bats have been underwhelming. Despite finally breaking out, I'm concerned with Big Papi. Reggie Jackson once described himself as, "The Straw that Stirs the Drink", much to the irritation of his late 70's Yankee teammates. David Ortiz can rightfully proclaim that he IS the straw that stirs the drink on the 2009 Boston Red Sox. If he's not at least the 2007 version of himself, the Sox have no thunder from the left side. J.D. Drew provides punch, but he can't consistently stay healthy.

As much as I bash Tim Wakefield, he put in a masterful performance yesterday and provided the team exactly what it needed. That was Wake's first victory in Oakland since 1999.

The Bruins and Canadiens meet tonight for the umpteenth time in the playoffs, in a best of seven series. Montreal has emerged the victor in most of these playoff series meetings, but this time the Bruins clearly have a better team and should win the series in six games. Under Claude Julien, the Bruins have put an emphasis on defense, and have been solid in that regard in front of Tim Thomas all year. As long as Manny Fernandez doesn't make an appearance between the pipes, the Bruins should advance and win their first playoff series in TEN years.

Considering it was tax day, I forgot to post this yesterday. Here are the first few verses, in which George Harrison's lyrics are still timely 43 years later:

Taxman - George Harrison (performed by the Beatles)
Let me tell you how it will be
There’s one for you, nineteen for me
’cause I’m the taxman
Yeah, I’m the taxman

Should five percent appear too small
Be thankful I don’t take it all
’cause I’m the taxman
Yeah, I’m the taxman

(if you drive a car) I’ll tax the street
(if you try to sit) I’ll tax your seat
(if you get too cold) I’ll tax the heat
(if you take a walk I’ll tax your feet
Taxman!

Red Sox Game - Live Blog

2009-04-11T17:16:00.001-04:00

Live blog today with entries from each inning. Brad Penny vs. Joe Saunders. This game has the potential to be a good pitchers duel. Penny is the Sox winter signing that excited me the most. If he's healthy, he's an All Star; a #2 starter. I'm more enthusiastic about Penny than Smoltz, because Smoltz is 43 years old. Anyway, here we go...

Pregame - What is that dead animal on TV analyst Eric Karros' head?

1st inning - I abhor the Red Sox new uniforms. First of all, the team name is the RED SOX, why do they now have navy blue socks? Second, why are they emulating the NY Yankees? These new away uniforms look EXACTLY like the Yankees road threads. AWFUL!

Angels manufacture a run with a walk, stolen base and two ground outs. Textbook. Well done.

2nd inning - Brad Penny was only hitting 88-89 mph on the radar gun in the first inning, but as of the second inning, he loosened up and has been consistently hitting 93 on the radar gun.

It drives me crazy when the Red Sox get guys in scoring position and no one out and can't capitalize. This is the second time in two innings they've done this.

3rd inning - Jason Varitek moves his front foot too much in the batters box. He takes 2-3 steps with his front foot per swing. The last Sox player who moved his feet that much in the batters box was Troy O'Leary.

How did Mike Napoli get on top of that high fastball and blast it over the CF fence? 2-0 Halos.

4th inning - Papi just doesn't look like the same hitter to me. I know it's early in the season, but I'm starting to wonder about this offense. It looks good on paper, but can they hit good pitching?

On that crazy juggling catch Jason Bay just made, I think Angels manager Mike Scioscia has a good case that the ball bounced off the wall while it was being juggled.

5th inning - After a Jason Bay walk, Mike Lowell ties it up with a rocket into the left field bleachers. 2-2 game. What Red Sox fan doesn't love Mike Lowell?

Penny just hit 95 on the gun. I've been impressed with him so far. Not bad for a 5th starter, huh? Eric Karros just agreed with me.

Spoke to soon. Napoli just crushed one that's now orbiting somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. 3-2 Angels.

6th inning - Sox go 1-2-3. Joe Saunders always pitches well vs. the Blue Sox.

Vladimir Guerrerro doesn't scare me anymore in the least. He swings at too many bad pitches and gets himself out too often.

Nice 1-2-3 outing for Penny. I'm guessing this will be it for him. Six innings, 3 runs is a nice start for a guy who only threw 12 spring training innings.

7th inning - Jason Bay jacks a line drive down the LF line, HOME RUN, driving in Rocco Baldelli, who singled to get on base. Sox ahead, 4-3. I was just thinking that Bay was due to break out.

Second hit of the day for the birthday boy, Jason Varitek. He's 37 today and has a single and a double.

Ramon Ramirez now on the hill for the Red Sox. He's sporting a really nice glove - a Spalding. You don't see too many Spalding gloves anymore. I remember having two as a kid - a kid model which was my first glove and a first baseman's mitt that I inherited from my cousin.

Two HR and a double today for Mike Napoli. When did he suddenly morph into Buddy Bell/Don Money/Junior Felix, the tri captains of the all time Red Sox killer team?

8th inning - Kevin Jepsen in the game to replace starter Joe Saunders for the Angels. Jepsen apparently attended the, "How To Wear a Baseball Cap and Not Bend the Bill 101" course taught by instructor Joba Chamberlain. He also attended the course taught by Chamberlain called, "How To Pitch the 8th and Get a 1-2-3 Inning".

Howie Kendrick hits a can of corn to the warning track. Jacoby has it all the way with a few feet to spare.

Kevin Youkilis may be "The Greek God of Walks", but I believe Bobby Abreu has the best batting eye in baseball.

NICE PLAY on a grounder to Youkilis, who dove and tipped it to Pedroia, who picked it up and zipped it to Ramirez covering 1B for the out. Well done. Two outs in the 8th and here comes Papelbon to face Vlad Guerrerro. Good job by Ramirez going 1 2/3 innings allowing 0 runs.

Guerrerro lines out to Bay in LF, and we head to the 9th inning, 4-3 ,Good Guys.

9th inning - Justin Speier in the game for the Angels in relief for Jepsen.

Another ding dong for Jason Bay. 5-3 Blue Sox!

Torii Hunter hits a bomb into the right center field bleachers off Papelbon. 5-4 S0x. I always liked Torii. He's a good player.

Kendry Morales ropes a double down the RF line. The speedy Reggie Willits is in to run for Morales with 0 outs. Papelbon is making an adventure out of this.

Rivera grounds out to SS. Willits stays at 2B.

The red hot Napoli at the plate. Napoli walks and represents the potential winning run at 1B.

Erick Aybar up. STRUCK HIM OUT! Two outs.

The pesky Chone Figgins could be the Angels last gasp. Walk. Bases loaded. Papelbon is putting forth a classic Load Em Up Lee Smith type closing adventure.

After an interminable AB, with 7 pitches fouled off, Howie Kendrick lines out to RF to end the game.

RED SOX WIN! THHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEE RED SOX WIN!

Crumbs on the Table

2009-04-10T08:08:00.000-04:00

My new favorite TV show is Rock of Love Tour Bus with Bret Michaels. It is riveting televison. I know that brain cells are disintegrating in my head as I watch the show, but I can't shut it off. Sunday will be the season finale where Bret will pick his Rock of Love, as well as supposedly being the series finale. As much as I enjoyed the first two seasons, this Tour Bus season has been the best of them all. Poison frontman Michaels comes across as a fidelity challenged, yet very likeable star of the show.

On Tuesday, I was really looking forward to the first episode of the television show Rescue Me in almost two years. My wife and I are big Denis Leary fans and attend his Comics Come Home benefit every year. Before going off the air and skipping last season due to the Writer's Strike, Rescue Me was one of my favorite shows on TV. After watching Tuesday's season opener, I came away disappointed. I waited that long for THAT? The first episode reminded me of Seinfeld where nothing happened, except Seinfeld happened to be funny. I can't recall a worse episode of Rescue Me than this season opener. I found myself bored watching it.

I really enjoy playing golf and tennis. I find both sports to be great fun, and in the case of golf, addicting. However, I can't stand watching either on TV or listen to analysis about them on the radio. When a sports radio station starts talking about a golf tournament, nothing makes me reach for a car radio button to change the station faster. FLICK!

Exactly why do ten year old kids need a cellphone and what planet are these parents that give these kids cell phones at that age on?

I just finished reading "Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days And The Party Nights Of The Dallas Cowboys" by Jeff Pearlman. I found this to be the best sports book I've read since "Snake" by Ken Stabler. While Pearlman's prose is occasionally redundant (I believe he described Aikman as enjoying country music and cold beer three times in the book), his writing style is very readable and enjoyable. I couldn't put the book down. Extra credit is given to Pearlman for his two page thrashing of the loathsome ESPN "personality" Skip Bayless. The most fascinating part of the book is Pearlman's character sketch of Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.

Opening Day!

2009-04-06T08:06:00.000-04:00

Despite the World Champion Phillies opening the season with a loss to America's Team (the Braves) last night, I'll declare today to be Opening Day with thirteen games scheduled today. After a few years of wise decisions by MLB where most of the Opening Day games being held in the warmer climates of the south, California, and dome stadiums, MLB inexplicably reverted back to scheduling Opening Day games in Chicago and Boston. Because of this decision, the Royals-White Sox game has already been postponed due to snow in Chicago today and the Rays-Red Sox game is in jeopardy of being postponed due to rain.

One of the biggest MLB disappointments of the last ten years has to be Nationals 1B Nick Johnson. He tore up the minor leagues back in his Yankee days and was ticketed to for superstardom. He's got power and has a great batting eye - .396 lifetime OBP. However, he just cannot stay on the field due to injuries and his numbers suffer for it. Some guys are made of glass and Johnson is one of those players.

I barely recognize anyone from the Nationals pitching staff.

The Yankees defense looks to be among the worst in MLB.

Looking at the Cincinnati Reds offense, they may only score about as often as an MLS soccer team. The days of the Big Red Machine seem like a century ago.

The worst free agency signing this past offseason is the Giants giving Edgar Renteria ridiculous money. How do GM's like the Giants Brian Sabean and the Padres Kevin Towers continue to hold onto jobs? The teams they construct are always either terrible or mediocre.

Perusing the St. Louis Cardinals roster, it's looks like it could be a long year for the Cardinals and their fans. That team that won the World Series in 2006, is completely dismantled. That's a shame, because that team has great fans, but owner Bill DeWitt has been on a penny pinching roll the last few years and it's hurting the product.

Sunday Quickie

2009-04-05T08:44:00.000-04:00

Come on, Boston Red Sox. Can't you get someone better to throw out the first pitch than Ted Kennedy? Ted is as polarizing a public figure as anyone. It's going to be embarrassing when half the crowd boos him. Are the Red Sox really assuming that the Fenway crowd will conduct itself with class by giving Teddy a polite cheer? Remember, this is the same group of people that shout "Yankees Suck!" at games and wear T-shirts to the games that say, "Jeter Swallows".

The New York Times is threatening to shut down the Boston Globe, unless the unions make concessions which would strip or reduce benefits and promises made to the workers as part of their contracts. While I feel badly for the pressmen and the people that produce the paper, this is not a surprise to me. If you read both the Boston Herald and Globe on a daily basis, it is like reading about two separate worlds. The Globe has chosen to be chummy with Beacon Hill insiders. The Herald has become the paper of investigative record, constantly unearthing evidence of corruption and self serving behavior by politicians. To put it bluntly, the Globe has been getting its collective ass kicked in terms of news reporting by the Herald.

Here's where the Globe continues not to "get it". Their transparent liberalism is on display every day in the papers; so much so, that it permeates every non op ed political story they do. Yet, in today's article about the possibility of the Globe shutting down, one of the sentences from the story that is mind boggling says that critics say the paper is a victim of its liberal bias, but these critics don't provide specific eamples.

My responses to this silly sentence are the following:

1.) Who was the last Republican to run for Governor, U.S. Senate, or President that received a Globe endorsement in a general election?

2.) When Deval Patrick proposed a $0.29 gas tax hike, the Globe gleefully endorsed it saying that that responsible people sometimes need to make difficult decisons, as opposed to the Globe taking a moderate, prudent view of encouraging Beacon Hill to cut waste.

3.) They should go back and read their cheerleading coverage of the Obama Presidential campaign from the last 12 months.

While the Globe has revived its sports coverage in recent years with the addition of Mike Reiss and Chad Finn, the continued presence of lazy, entitled columnists Dan Shaughnessy and Nick Cafardo continue to be a drag on the sports page.

Cutler Traded to Bears

2009-04-03T17:58:00.001-04:00

After acting like a crybaby when word came out that the Denver Broncos were interested in QB Matt Cassel, the Broncos have jettisoned Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears. Cutler, seeming to forget that professional sports is a business, had his nose out of joint regarding the Cassel inquiries and refused to come to some sort of agreement/consensus with new head coach Josh McDaniels and owner Pat Bowlen.

The Broncos got a ransom of draft picks, along with QB Kyle Orton from the Bears who haven't had a good QB in 20 years, since Jim McMahon was there. Cutler made a big mistake by allegedly not returning phone calls from McDaniels and Bowlen. Denver has one of the most talented young offenses in the NFL and Josh McDaniels' system would certainly benefit his career. Now Cutler is in Chicago, with mediocre offensive talent, and best of all, he and Bears Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner, have some bad blood going back to when Cutler was being recruited for college.

I believe the Broncos got the best of the trade. With the two first rounders they received from the Bears, they can focus on fixing up a porous defense that was among the worst in the NFL last year. McDaniels proved last year that he can tailor a system to an inexperienced QB last year when he helped Matt Cassel become a top 10 QB in the NFL.

The Top Ten Rolling Stones Songs

2009-03-28T08:11:00.000-04:00

Instead of the usual topics of sports and politics, I'm going to tackle a different subject which has been on my mind lately - what are my top ten Rolling Stones songs? The Stones have such a large catalog, it is difficult to remember all of the songs I like.

As with well known bands of the past like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Who, there are famous songs by the Stones I honestly can't stand hearing any more. You know these songs - Start Me Up, Satisfaction, Let It Be, Black Dog, We Won't Get Fooled Again, etc. The songs that classic rock radio has beaten into submission. Those are the type of songs that will be missing from my top ten list.

So, without further ado, here are my top 10 Rolling Stones songs in reverse order.

10.) Crazy Mama - from 1976's Black and Blue. Black and Blue only had 8 songs and was, to put it charitably, extremely uneven in the quality of the songs (drugs had something to do with it). Crazy Mama is the final cut from the album and it rocks hard. Extremely underrated and very rarely played on the radio, this song is a treasure.

9.) Far Away Eyes - from 1978's Some Girls, this country ballad sung by Jagger in a faux Southern accent is always a great listen. The lyrics are pretty comical. Ron Wood on a pedal steel guitar sounds great.

8.) Happy - from 1972's Exile On Main St. - Keith Richards' signature song. Keith does the vocals and the song opens with a great riff. I always really liked this one

7.) Rain Fall Down - from 2005's A Bigger Bang. A Bigger Bang is one of the Stones' best albums, featuring several strong songs, and this is the one I like the best from the album. It's a funk driven Jagger number, that is reminiscent of Jagger's solo song "Sweet Thing". The song has a great groove to it. Despite it being a "Stones" album, A Bigger Bang is the Mick Jagger Show (along with Charlie Watts' drums - he's terrific on this album). If you listen to the album it's apparent that Mick's carrying the band at this point; a point that was proved to me when I saw them in concert in 2006.

6.) Hand of Fate - from Black and Blue, an album mostly recorded before Ron Wood officially became a member of the band. This song features studio musician Wayne Perkins on lead guitar and he nails a terrific solo to go along with the usually great Jagger vocal. The lyrics of this song remind me of an Old West shoot out.

5.) Mixed Emotions - this one was from the 1989 comeback album Steel Wheels, back when everyone was convinced Mick and Keith were going to break the band up because they couldn't get along. Mixed Emotions was the first single released and it features great guitar riffs and a superb Jagger vocal. After a few shoddy albums during the 80's, this was the song that alleviated any fears of those wondering whether the band still had it.

4.) Let It Bleed - the title track from the Stones' landmark 1969 album is a countryish sing along that starts off slow and builds up into some great slide guitar work. The lyrics on this song were pretty lewd for the time.

3.) Live With Me - from Let It Bleed - the song opens with a sinister bass line (for some reason, played by Keith Richards, not Bill Wyman) and kicks right into Mick Jagger describing some of the reasons a girl wouldn't want to live with him. The bass in this song is so good, you can almost see The Who's John Entwistle and Paul McCartney nodding their heads in agreement. This was one of the first songs Mick Taylor played on.

2.) All Down The Line - from Exile on Main St. - All Down The Line is exhibit A as to why Mick Taylor was so good in the Stones and why Ron Wood can never come close to being as good. Next time you hear it, listen to Taylor's slide guitar throughout the song. All Down the Line is one of several early 70's Stones' song in which the horns add so much to the song.

1.) Bitch - This song is from 1971's Sticky Fingers and it has it all. Great guitar licks, a rare driving bass line from Bill Wyman, Mick Jagger's best vocal performance, and to top it off, those tasteful horns. This song kicks ass.

Friday hits

2009-03-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

The official season of spring is here and outside the weather is trying to put aside the effects of Old Man Winter for good. It will be in the mid 50's the next few days and I can live with that. Let's get to some Friday "tidbits and musings".

Yesterday, the Boston Herald ran a poll that asked readers to grade the performance of Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick. At last check, with 7,445 votes, 74% gave Governor Patrick a well deserved F. Patrick is nothing more than a tone deaf, clueless politician looking to curry favor with other power brokers. He's an empty suit whose policies and maneuvers are taking the "working families" of the Commonwealth to the woodshed.

Holly Robichaud in today's Herald is right on the money. I need to get a 01.06.11 bumper sticker - this date signifies when Patrick's first term is up.

Other than the Oprah Winfrey show, there's no show on TV I can't tolerate more than the Today Show. I can't even stand it as background noise. To me, the Today Show are nails on a chalkboard. It is dumbed down news with a hard liberal slant, in which they recycle the same story day after day. The absurdly overpaid anchors of the show attempt to be hard hitting (particularly when a Republican is on), but they can't overcome their lightweight nature. Also, those losers who stands outside the Today show studio in 25 degree weather with a sign in their hands in the hopes of getting briefly on TV, clearly have too much time on their hands.

Speaking of too much time on their hands, how about the group of buffoons who were protesting bottled water by dumping it in the Boston Harbor the other day? If you don't like bottled water, don't drink it! I happen to like it. It's America, you have freedom of choice in such regards. How about if these people instead go to work and be a productive member of society or at least go look for a job.

I'm very excited about a potential Red Sox starting rotation of Beckett, Dice K, Lester, John Smoltz, and Brad Penny. A starting rotation of those five pitchers is second to none in major league baseball. This is a rotation that does have guys with a checkered injury past, but Beckett and Smoltz are famous for coming up big in the postseason. Lester and Dice K also have had success in the postseason, as well.

On paper, the Yankees rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, Chamberlain, and Wang is very formidable. However, Sabathia and Wang have had terrible postseason histories and Burnett and Pettitte are being held together with bailing wire and duct tape. Chamberlain's motion is so violent, there's concern among scouts that he can't handle a starter's load. Joba finished last season on the DL with a bad shoulder.

Considering the movies that are played on HBO, getting a monthly subscription isn't worth it. However, the shows on HBO are superb. I've watched several of the series - The Sopranos, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the Wire, and all of them are far superior to the unoriginal, unfunny I Won't See TV on the major networks. As good as I thought The Sopranos was, it can't touch The Wire, which is phenomenal. I haven't seen a weak episode of The Wire, yet. The Sopranos, inexplicably, would get bogged down in Tony's anxiety issues, where scenes would get chewed up with him in his therapist's office. Yawn. The Wire ropes you right in and remains intensely interesting throughout the entire episode. Entourage is far better than The Sopranos as well.

I am stunned at the left wing columnists who buy right into the havoc the Democratic politicians in the House and Senate are inflicting upon our future with the absurd level of deficit spending, cheerfully proclaiming "Taxes will have to rise". Why are tax hikes something to celebrate? Just like at the state level, if the federal government had an unbiased auditors scrutinize the books and the payrolls, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of dollars in waste and fraud would be found.

Considering the deficits and debt we are running up, Bono of U2 can forget about the U.S. forgiving any Third World debt any time soon.

My buddy Jim just started his new blog. If you like baseball and are interested in reading some original analysis, you can find his blog here: http://tidbitsandmusings.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Curt!

2009-03-24T20:27:00.000-04:00

After 20 Major League seasons, Curtis Montague Schilling has decided to retire from baseball. Even though his tenure with the Red Sox was only 4 seasons, his impact is unforgettable.

I remember watching the 2001 World Series where the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks were facing a dynasty in the New York Yankees. The Diamondbacks gave the Yankees all they could handle and other than the loathsome Byung-Hyun Kim choking away leads late in games, the Diamondbacks could have won the World Series earlier than they did.

Game Seven of the 2001 World Series pitted Yankee Roger Clemens against Curt Schilling. At the time, I thought to myself, "Why can't the Sox get a guy like this? You'd have to pry the baseball from Schilling's cold dead fingers to get him come out of a big game."

Two years later, Schilling came to the Red Sox in a laugher of a deal in which the Diamondbacks dealt him to the Red Sox for Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa, Michael Goss, and Casey Fossum.

Schilling came to Boston promising to end an 86 year drought and bring a World Series Championship. Boy, did he ever deliver on his promise! He brought two in his four years with the team. His performances in Game Six of the ALCS and Game Two of the World Series in 2004, are legendary. How did he pitch 7 innings on a very bad ankle in which his ankle tendon was stapled in place via surgery and allow only 1 run to lead the Sox over the Yankees to force Game Seven? Then, having the ankle tendon re-stapled five days later, he went 6 shut out innings to earn the victory in Game Two of the World Series. Amazing!

After missing a significant portion of the 2005 season, recovering from that bad ankle, Schilling
bounced back with a solid 2006 season. In 2007, Schilling missed some time on the DL with a bad shoulder. No longer the flamethrower of a few short seasons before, Schilling got by on guile and an 88 mph fastball to go 3-0 in the postseason in which he helped the Red Sox win their second World Series in 4 years. Schilling's 5 1/3 inning, 1 run effort in Game Two of the World Series, in which he earned the victory, was his last Major League game.

Now the two big questions are is he a Hall of Famer and if so, what hat will he wear into the Hall of Fame? Yes he is and he should wear a Red Sox hat. His regular season numbers are very good, but his postseason record indicates he's the best postseason pitcher of all time - 11-2, 2.23 ERA . He also was selected for the All Star game six times. When he does get in, despite winning a World Series with the Diamondbacks, he should wear a Red Sox hat because his impact in Boston is greater than it was on the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Astros, and Orioles.

In retirement, I'm sure we'll hear from Schilling, particularly on the radio. He would be a natural as a radio host because he's never shy to express an opinion. I particularly enjoyed his endorsement of George W. Bush for President in 2004, in liberal Massachusetts where John Kerry was the Democratic nominee. What was comical was he made so many Sox fans in the Northeast happy with their first World Series Championship in 86 years, then a few days later, ticked many of them off by endorsing Bush. Gotta love it.

So, thank you Curt for your immense contributions to the Boston Red Sox and being a key contributor to two World Series championships. You'll always be appreciated and cheered in Boston.

The Dog Days of Spring Training

2009-03-19T07:49:00.000-04:00

Some interesting news came out of Ft. Myers yesterday, where the Red Sox decided to release veteran catcher Josh Bard and go with rookie George Kottaras to be Jason Varitek's backup. This is a bold and risky move, particularly considering Varitek's obvious decline last season. I like the idea of the Red Sox developing a young catcher by putting him in the backup role and easing him into the mix. Kottaras hit 22 HR last year in the cozy confines of McCoy Stadium and the Red Sox brass seems enthusiastic about his progress defensively this spring. Here's hoping he can relax, not put too much pressure on himself and continue developing.

Veteran Pawsox player Jeff Bailey has been tattooing the ball in spring training. Despite his monster spring and his experience last year at the major league level, Bailey may not make the big club when spring training breaks. The problem with Bailey is the same with Chris Carter. Both could probably hit big league pitching, but both have gloves made of cement. They both play 1B and LF, and are below average defenders at both positions. While it is nice to have such depth in the minor leagues, it would be better for their careers if they were sent to a team such as Kansas City or Seattle where they could get some AB's at DH, 1B, or LF; something they won't get with Ortiz, Youkilis, and Bay ahead of them.

Other than Michael Bowden's struggles, the Red Sox young pitchers have certainly impressed this spring. Daniel Bard, Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, Junichi Tazawa have all had excellent springs. I can't wait to get to some Pawsox games this spring to catch some of the younger players in action.

NFL offseason bits

2009-03-17T08:07:00.001-04:00

After reading the news yesterday that the Patriots are supposedly interested in acquiring Panthers DE Julius Peppers, I got a bit fired up about the thought of Peppers and Richard Seymour on one side and Ty Warren and Adalius Thomas on the other. In theory, such an alignment would mean it would be a track meet to the QB. Considering that a pass rush was sorely lacking last year, the idea of such studs on the defensive front seven is extremely appealing. Remember, it was the play of the NY Giants' front four that ultimately won the Super Bowl vs. the Patriots because they overwhelmed the offensive line.

By having DL's and LB's that can get to the QB quickly, it takes some pressure off the defensive backfield, which was unquestionably the Patriots' weakness last season. The Patriots have already made efforts to improve the secondary with the signings of Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, and the re-signing of Tank Williams, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

I'd like to see the Patriots and Rodney Harrison come to an agreement where Rodney is on the Junior Seau speed dial plan. Because he plays such a physical game, Rodney can no longer handle the rigors of a potential 19 game NFL season. My ultimate plan would be for Rodney to lift weights with the team and be in a "coaching or advisory role", but to rejoin the team in a playing capacity sometime around December 8th. It would give him 3-4 games to get back to being in game shape, so that he'd be right in form for the playoffs.

Memo to Jay Cutler: GROW UP! It's professional sports. What have you ever won? The Denver Broncos have some of the best fans in the NFL and one of the best organizations in the league. Josh McDaniels' offensive scheme will be great for Cutler, if he opens his mind up and stops acting like a prima donna.

Who's going to play QB for the NY Jets?

Look for the Minnesota Vikings' offense to be improved. Sage Rosenfels isn't a superstar at QB, but he's certainly better than the overmatched Tarvaris Jackson, who was terrible in most of his games last year, as well as journeyman Gus Frerotte. Rosenfels will at least keep the Vikings offense from being one dimensional and give Adrian Peterson a break.

The Importance of Rajon Rondo

2009-03-12T11:49:00.000-04:00

Since last year, I've noticed a particular pattern with the World Champion Boston Celtics - the team goes as point guard Rajon Rondo goes. It's not the Big Three that matter most, it's Rondo.

Check out the team's losses this year, and you'll find that Rondo didn't play well or didn't play due to injury. Last year in the playoffs, the losses occured when he didn't bring his usual A game.

Last night's game was a prime example. Rondo didn't play due to injury. There just isn't a flow to the offense when Rondo's not bringing the ball up. Marbury tries and is going out of his way to try to distribute the ball, but the results just aren't there. Marbury is still rusty and I believe he will be an impact performer off the bench come playoff time.

The reason why Rondo is so good is due to his quickness. He creates havoc on the defensive end, and is 5th in the NBA in steals. He's also the best rebounding PG in the NBA. When he gets the ball in his hands, he bursts up the court and is immediately putting pressure on the defense. Rondo is a master at bringing the ball in the lane and dishing off to an open Garnett or Perkins for an easy dunk or layup.

Marbury and Eddie House do not have that quickness and neither is as good as Rondo defensively. At this point, Marbury is a liability defensively. He's trying hard, but is a step or two slow in chasing his man. Rondo, unless he is picked, doesn't have such difficulties.

For the Celtics to win, it's okay if Garnett misses a few games or Pierce goes through a 5-20 shooting night. As long as Rondo is there and playing well, the chances of victory are great

The Obama Stock Market

2009-03-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

I've been wondering how all the people who voted for Obama feel now after watching their 401K values tank in value since Obama took office? Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him.

Back in the fall of 2007, on his show, "The GOP, the Economy, and You", CNBC analyst Lawrence Kudlow was positively prophetic when he proclaimed that the prospect of a Democratic presidency is very bearish for the markets. When it comes to economic growth and the markets, I tend to put more stock in what Kudlow and Jim Cramer say, as opposed to Democrats in the House and Senate such as Barney Frank and John Kerry, who've been Washington politicians since the 1980's. Kudlow and Cramer actually worked on Wall Street and know how the markets operate.

On 1/21/09, the day after Obama was inaugurated, the Dow Jones Industrial Index closed at 8228.10. Today, 3/6/09, the Dow closed at 6626.94. Six weeks of market carnage due to the Obama policies and lack of action to help stabilize markets. How low can it go? Where's the bottom?

I'm already longing for the days of June 2008, when my 401K hadn't plunged, the Dow was at 12,300, and gas was $4.05 a gallon.

The Proper Way to Fix the Economy

2009-03-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the Dow Jones slid almost 300 points to close at a horrifying 6764.81; a number not seen since 1997. Over the last six months, the federal government has frantically tried to keep the economy propped up by bailing out financial companies mired in bad mortgages. It’s not working. Over the winter, there have been millions of layoffs and these financial companies keep coming back to the federal government asking for more money. The markets currently have no confidence in the Obama Administration’s plans to fix the economy.

President Obama inherited quite a mess and since Inauguration Day, the economy has gotten worse. It is not entirely his fault. The Democratic majorities in the House and Senate passed a “stimulus” package that on the surface meant well, but the details showed that it was loaded with pork and items that will do nothing to stimulate the economy. The stimulus bill added hundreds of billions more in the federal government’s current budget deficit.

So, what do we do? How do we fix this broken down economy? Here’s one man’s idea to stimulate the economy.

1.) Eliminate the capital gains tax – if there is one “to do” that will help broken markets and large private corporations, it is eliminating the capital gains tax. Such a move would put money in motion. Eliminating the capital gains tax is often derided as a move to help rich people, but it is not just rich people who are in the markets these days. Capital gains tax cuts influence investment decisions. Eliminating the capital gains tax would send a serious message that the Obama Administration truly wants to fix the markets.

2.) A six month federal tax holiday – A six month federal tax holiday would’ve been cheaper than the stimulus bill passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Obama. Three things would happen if this were ever implemented: People would spend more money because they had more of it in their pocket. They could’ve put it in a savings account, which frankly – is that a BAD thing for people to focus on these days? Lastly, people could’ve taken the extra money and invested it 401Ks, Roth IRAs, and or stocks. Investing money in the stock market = increasing buy activity, which would raise the levels of the indexes! This certainly would be a lot more effective than any stimulus bill that could be passed.

3.) Enough with the utopian discussions about investments in green energy and fighting global warming. It’s not the time for it. What we need is to focus on the fundamentals; the broken sectors of the economy, not invest in potentially dubious technology. To put it in blackjack terms, I’d rather hold when I have a 16 and the dealer is starting with a 5, than trying to see if I can get a 5 and get to 21. It’s the better move.

4.) Send $3,000 rebate checks to every family. Hopefully, by doing this, it will help stave off a family defaulting on a mortgage or help pay some overdue bills and keep them afloat.

5.) Extend unemployment benefits for 6-9 months. Millions of people are out of work and it will take time for companies to start hiring again. The goal here is to keep people afloat and prevent further mortgage foreclosures.

6.) Enough with the bailouts. Other than AIG, which has its tentacles in many segments of the economy and could cause a severe negative impact (they are the largest insurers of planes – airlines would be grounded across the country if they failed). However, some banks need to fail. Why should poor performance and management be rewarded, when these banks show no signs of reform or turning around their performance?

I firmly believe these six steps would go a long way towards getting America moving again and getting those unfortunate to be laid off back to work. These moves will also help stimulate markets and get people focused on investing in 401K’s and looking forward to retirement again; which as of right now, seems like a pipe dream to most of us.

Massachusetts' Worthless Governor

2009-03-02T08:20:00.000-05:00

I remember the fall of 2006 well. Back then, Deval Patrick's Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign was all the rage. Every day there were stories in the Boston Globe gushing about what a Patrick Administration would do for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While offering few specifics, Patrick would dazzle crowds at campaign stops with his trademark feel good slogan, "Together We Can", promising how his property tax cut proposal would greatly benefit working familes.

Two and a half years later with the economy in shambles, Patrick's idea of helping working familes is to jack up the gas tax by $0.19 a gallon, which would give the Commonwealth of MA the highest gas tax in the nation. Together we can! Together we can balance the budget on the backs of small businesses that drive trucks and vans to work every day. Let's take more money out of the pockets of plumbers, electricians, dry wallers, and carpenters.

If Deval Patrick has proven anything, it is he is one of the most worthless high profile politician this state has ever elected. In a state that continually elects John Kerry to the U.S. Senate, that's saying something.

Deval Patrick's idea of reform is to trade in the standard Governor's Ford Crown Victoria for a Cadillac, spend over $10,000 on drapes for his Governor's office, larding the state payroll with 2,000 new jobs, including a $70,000 secretary for his wife. Why would Mrs. Patrick, who has a private sector job at a law firm, need a full time secretary to schedule her appearances? Another hire was a Milton neighbor of Patrick's for $120,000 to perform some dubious role.

There's been no reform at the state level and barely any layoffs. We have MA state troopers making $180,000, severe toll increases on the Mass Pike, and no consolidation of agencies. In the private sector, employees are getting laid off every day, while watching the value of their 401K's dip in value. It's a bloodbath for those not on the state payroll. For those who work for the Commonwealth at Massachusetts, it is business as usual. There are guaranteed pensions, and terrific health benefit plans.

Due to Patrick's gross mismanagement of the state budget, cities and towns across the state are suffering to balance their budgets because of local aid cuts that are trickled down from the state. Class sizes are increasing due to teacher layoffs and local public safety efforts are being decreased because police and fire fighters are losing their jobs.

So together we can: vote this bum out of office in 2010.

Baseball is back!

2009-02-14T07:52:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year again! Spring training is here and the Boys of Summer are in Florida or Arizona, gearing up for another 162 game season. Every spring training brings the same stories: the young ballplayer trying to make an impact and earn a spot on the big league squad, the minor league veteran desperate to hang on for one more year, and the key player trying to work his way back from an injury.

The Boston Red Sox pitchers and catchers have reported for another camp in Ft. Myers, FL. Here are some answers and thoughts to five questions the team faces this spring training:

1.) Can Jason Varitek catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckeball?

Who cares? Why is so much stock put into two older ballplayers who rank as approximately the 23rd and 24th best players on the 25 man roster? Why worry about a 37 year old catcher and a 43 year old pitcher? If they can’t cut it, release them.

2.) What kind of shape will David Ortiz be in?

Last year, Papi came into camp coming off knee surgery. This year, the big question is what kind of shape will he be in and how healthy is his wrist? With the departure of Manny Ramirez last July, more pressure is on Ortiz to produce than ever before. Ortiz is listed as 33 years old, but is that for real, or is he actually 3 or 4 years older? The Red Sox need him to be in the best shape of his career and for that midsection of his to be a little less flabby.

3.) What will happen when Mike Lowell tries to run?

I heard Lou Merloni on Comcast Sports Net say that Lowell hasn’t even tried to run, after having surgery on his hip a few months back. Lowell is a key offensive contributor and his absence for the ALCS last season really hurt. Lowell is a quality and classy ballplayer, whom every Sox fan loves and is rooting for him to come back and be the 2007player who was the World Series MVP.

4.) How will Clay Buchholz react with the fresh start of a new season?

Last year was an unequivocal disaster for the highly talented young pitcher. The team made a mistake in tinkering with his delivery and he looked lost all year. He had no confidence on the mound. Despite being terrible last spring training, he was given a spot in the rotation, instead of having to earn it. This year, he’ll likely start in Pawtucket and will have to earn his way back to The Show.

5.) What is the strength of the team?

Easy one – it is the bullpen. GM Theo Epstein spent the offseason stockpiling quality arms, such as Saito and Ramirez, to augment the setup crew of Delcarmen, Okajima, and Masterson. Jonathan Papelbon is one of the top five closers in baseball. If the Red Sox can shorten the game by carrying leads into the 6th inning, it will be lights out for opponents, the vast majority of the time.

Quick Hits for a Wednesday

2009-01-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

Former Red Sox 1B Sean Casey retired this past week after 12 MLB seasons. Casey, not exactly known for his conditioning, will join the MLB Network as an analyst. Comically listed at only 215 lbs., how long before The Mayor hits three bills on the scale?

Citigroup senior executives, who received $45 billion in bailout money, planned on buying a $50 million luxury jet from France. The NY Post got wind of it and published several stories, sparking outrage from Capitol Hill, and Citigroup cancelled their purchase. Why is it the NY Post, and not the "papers of record" like the NY Times and Boston Globe breaking these stories exposing misuse of taxpayer money?

Any more bailouts should go to the private citizens of this country, many of whom have been laid off and are struggling to make ends meet.

The economy is officially scary. Seventy one thousand people were laid off this past Monday alone. These layoffs will not help the economy get better, because more people will default on their mortgages and loans, credit cards will go unpaid, and people will spend even less money. Consumer confidence is at a record low right now. It is terrible out there right now, and my heart goes out to those who have been laid off.

The signing of Floyd Reese to be a Senior Advisor by the Patriots, puts an experienced hand in the front office and someone Bill Belichick has worked with before. This will help fill some of the void from the departure of Scott Pioli. Reese, as GM of the Oilers/Titans, drafted players such as Steve McNair, Jevon Kearse, and Eddie George.

Favorite nickname bestowed upon ethically challenged MA Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi, who just stepped down this week: Sally Pockets. I heard that one on the Howie Carr radio show last night and it cracked me up.

Considering the state of the economy, will the Red Sox see any sort of decrease at the Fenway Park turnstiles?

The Red Sox offering Jason Varitek a $5 million deal is more of a Lifetime Achievement award than anything else. If they turned away from him, how much would he get elsewhere? A minor league deal? A $1.5 million deal? There isn't any market for him, particularly since signing him would cost a team a draft pick.

Madam Speaker

2009-01-26T07:44:00.000-05:00

Ever since Barack Obama reached the magic number of delegates to become the Democratic Presidential nominee, the Democrats have done a masterful job of positioning themselves as the party that will best represent our country's interests. While the Republicans nominated a calcifying John McCain to be their nominee, Obama came across as the hip, fresh face looking to implement new, bold ideas that generated excitement across the country. The carefully cultivated image resonated. In the election, the country elected Obama to be President and the Democrats extended their majorities in the House and the Senate .

Since his election, President Obama has moved to the center, and made serious, sober choices for members of his Cabinet and staff. Choices such as Lawrence Summers and Rahm Emanuel show wisdom and and a desire to have some experienced hands on deck.

All was going well for the Democrats, until Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi opened her mouth. Speaker Pelosi comes from one of the most liberal districts in the country. Her climb up the ladder to leadership in the Democratic Party is both stunning and unexplainable. Every time she speaks in public, she only reinforces the image that she's a product of the ultra liberal left whose ideas are far out of the mainstream.

Yesterday, Speaker Pelosi appeared on This Week with George Stephanopoulos where she insisted that increased funding for birth control will help stimulate the economy. W-H-A-T?

I don't have teenage children, but I can't think of much that will rile up parents of hormone driven teenagers than the interpretation of the federal government using their tax dollars to enable their kids to be having sex, because birth control will be more readily available. Exactly how will increased birth control funding stimulate the economy?

Less than a week in office, having to answer questions about Speaker Pelosi's foolish commentary, is the last thing President Obama needs to be doing. Speaker Pelosi's far left agenda is not in sync with what President Obama wants to be projecting during this time of economic crisis. Speaker Pelosi also gave the Republicans an easy issue to use for negative television advertisements against the Democrats.

I've got a feeling that President Obama will be calling Speaker Pelosi and Senate President Harry Reid reminding them to stick to the current strategic Obama talking points and to keep their loonier ideas to themselves, away from the TV cameras and microphones.

A Few Things

2009-01-24T11:33:00.000-05:00

One of the things I really enjoy doing each winter is attending local college games. I mostly attend college basketball games by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Boston University. Last night, a friend of mine and I went over to the Agganis Arena to catch the Boston University Men's hockey team host the University of New Hampshire.

BU routed UNH 5-0, potting 3 goals in the first five minutes of the game. UNH had come in on a seven game unbeaten streak, but were completely outclassed by the Terriers in all aspects of the game.

Going to local college games is cheap; particularly when compared to going to a Bruins or Celtics game. The games are well played and you get to see good talent playing all out at all times. College athletic events are a great way to get together with buddies and hang out or take a family to see a game without practically having to take out a small mortgage to pay for it.

***********************************************************************

I was thinking today about Patriots running backs of the last 35 years and of all the guys who "carried the mail" for them over the years. The team has had some awful feature backs such as the washed up Marion Butts in 1994, and Terry Allen in 1999, however, they have also had some very good ones. Here's my list of the top 5 Patriots running backs since 1975:

1.) Curtis Martin - letting him go to the Jets via restricted free agency was probably the single biggest personnel mistake the Patriots have ever made. He was fast, could hit the hole, and could catch the ball. In 1997, he missed a few games due to injury, so the team was concerned about his durability. After eight terrific seasons with the Jets, Martin is a shoo in for the Hall of Fame.

2.) Sam Cunningham - Sam Bam is the #1 all time leading Patriots rusher. Running behind the two best OL's in Pats history, John Hannah and Leon Gray, certainly didn't hurt. Cunningham was a tough, physical runner who shared carries with Don Calhoun to give the Patriots a terrific running game in the mid to late 70s.

3.) Tony Collins - TC was the 80s' version of Kevin Faulk, only better. A very versatile back, Collins could run the ball, had great hands in the passing game, was a very good blocker, and also returned punts and kicks. The only downfall for Collins was his drug problem. Despite his cocaine addiction, he could really play and I wonder how good he could've been if he had been clean.

4.) Corey Dillon - Three seasons with the Patriots, 35 TD's. In his first year with the team, Corey put up over 1600 yards rushing on 345 carries. However, that workload from the 2004 season caught up with him and he wasn't quite the same after that. The burst that he had was gone. Besides rushing for TD's, his specialty was being the closer, gaining the nickname "Clock Killing Corey Dillon" for moving the chains and allowing the Patriots to hold onto the ball at the end of games.

5.) Craig James - James' Patriot career was short, but he was a fast and shifty runner, who in his first two seasons with the team in 1984-85, averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He rushed for 1,227 yards for the 1985 Super Bowl team. After his great '85 season, James' effectiveness and career were cut short by knee injuries. Interesting fact: He's the last white running back to rush for over 1,000 yards.

Presidential Inauguration

2009-01-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that eight years have come and gone, since George W. Bush was inaugurated for his first term. President Bush has had some successes such as preventing any further terrorist attacks on our soil and in implementing the surge in Iraq which has brought fewer casualties. Despite success in the War on Terror, President Bush's second term has been riddled with failures, such as the faltering economy, turning a budget surplus into a record deficit, and his Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. However, President Bush's time is up, and in three days, we will have a new President, Barack Obama.

I did not vote for Obama. However, as an American and a patriot, I'm rooting for him to become the best President this country's ever had. Considering the precarious state of our economy, only the most partisan fool would wish for anything else.

There is a segment of the economy that is based on consumer confidence. If people have confidence in a company, they will buy their stock. If people are feeling confident about their job and financial standing, they'll go out and buy a new car.

Right now, this country is suffering from a major lack of confidence, and for good reason. Banks and investment management companies are failing and most importantly, millions of people are losing their jobs. Unemployment may stand at 7.2%, but tell that to the person who's been laid off, and that number seems like 100%. Due to these layoffs, people are paralyzed with fear that they could be next on the unemployment line and are not spending money.

This is why Tuesday is such an important day for our country. We need new direction and President-elect Barack Obama has shown a capacity to inspire people and make them feel good about themselves. Right now, his first duty is to be Psychologist in Chief, in which he needs to make us feel confident about ourselves again, as well as confident in the future prosperity of America.

President Obama has his work cut out for him, but he deserves our support and hope that he accomplishes great things and gets our country moving in a positive direction again. For our sake, let's put partisanship aside and root not for what's best for the advancement of the liberal Democrat agenda or the conservative Republican movement, but what's best for America.

2009 World Baseball Classic

2009-01-15T20:26:00.001-05:00

Baseball is a long season. Pitchers and catchers report for spring training sometime around the the third week of February. If you are a member of one of the two World Series teams, you play up until Halloween. One hundred sixty-two games plus three playoff series, could potentially extend a season by nineteen games. Throughout the season, many players are banged up and some are so worn out by September, their performance suffers in the last few months of the season.

Because of the reasons mentioned above, I abhor the World Baseball Classic. March is a terrible time for it to be scheduled, due to players and pitchers building up strength for the season during spring training. Playing highly competitive playoff style games in March during the process in which most starting pitchers can barely throw 3 innings in a game is a prescription for trips to the disabled list. Building up a pitching arm for the long season is a gradual process, that shouldn't be rushed. Also, a team's season could be ruined if their star player gets hit by a pitch and breaks a wrist or tears up a knee sliding into a base, playing in this nonsense.

As a Red Sox fan, I'm not thrilled that David Ortiz is thinking of playing. Big Papi needs to take it easy and build that problematic wrist back up, not potentially aggravate it on a check swing. The Red Sox need him to be pre 2008 Papi. I am concerned about Daisuke Matsuzaka and possibly Hideki Okajima playing for Japan. The Japanese are legendary for their regimen of throwing a lot of pitches and overtraining. Will those players be following the Japanese training regimen or sticking to the John Farrell Red Sox sanctioned routine? The Red Sox two best players in 2008, MVP Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, are both playing for the U.S. team. Up until last season when he broke the pattern, Youkilis was well known for wearing down in the second half of the season.

In terms of a world baseball event, the World Baseball Classic is great for marketing. However, for those of us who are fans of major league teams, we cross our fingers and pray that our favorite players don't get hurt or wear down late in the season from the effects of playing in the Classic. If I were to decide on a time to hold the event, I'd want it to be right after the World Series in early November. That way, players could treated it the way NFL players treat the Pro Bowl. They can back out if they're banged up or don't feel up for it.

Congratulations #14!

2009-01-12T20:46:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to a well deserving Jim Rice for his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame today!

Hodge Podge

2009-01-11T18:32:00.000-05:00

I really despise the Pittsburgh Steelers. I miss the days, when the Patriots would go into their stadium to play an AFC Championship and whip them good. After another heartbreaking loss, Hines Ward would be crying into a microphone and their fans overloading the Greater Pittsburgh Samaratans hotline. Good times!

It took 11 months, but Asante Samuel finally held onto an Eli Manning interception. Too bad he didn't hold onto the one in the Super Bowl.

Their strategy may blow up in their face come August, but I like the way the Red Sox are stocking up their team this offseason. The team is picking up players who are high quality if healthy, for low money deals that are short term. My favorite signing is the Brad Penny one. He was a dominant starter as recently as 2007, but he struggled with injuries all last year.

Tomorrow will be Jim Rice's last chance to get into the Hall of Fame. I believe he belongs, due to him being a dominant slugger before pitching was watered down by expansion and before performance enhancing drugs were widely used. I don't believe he gets in, because of his rudeness to the media during his playing days. Fair or not, it's human nature for anyone to have a hard time putting aside the way Rice treated the very writers who vote and hold his fate.

End of the season

2008-12-28T19:32:00.000-05:00

The New England Patriots won five of their last six regular season games to finish up at 11-5, but still failed to make the cut for the playoffs. In the NFL, it is a rarity for a team with such a record to miss out on the post season tournament. However, the Patriots have nothing to be ashamed of. They played their fannies off and never made excuses for the ungodly number of injuries to star players and key contributors. How about this list of missing Patriots in action for today's game vs. Buffalo?

Tom Brady, Adalius Thomas, Rodney Harrison, Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi.

Other Patriots who didn't play today - Laurence Maroney, Pierre Woods, and Gary Guyton.

Key contributors who missed games this season include LaMont Jordan, Ty Warren, and James Sanders.

Honestly, if they made the playoffs, the likelihood of them making it past the first round wasn't good. Their eleven wins were partially a result of a soft schedule and their pass defense has been their Achilles heel all season. Teams in the playoffs don't have the likes of JaMarcus Russell and Seneca Wallace playing QB.

As a 14 year Patriots season ticket holder, I'm proud of this team for the way they kept taking punch after punch. Actually, it was more like haymaker after haymaker, yet they still kept moving forward, winning games, and overcoming the odds. Good job, boys. See you at camp in July.

Lastly, if this was his swan song with the team, a big THANK YOU goes out to Matt Cassel for the TERRIFIC job he did for stepping into what was a seemingly impossible task 17 weeks ago - How would you replace Tom Brady if the best QB on the planet went down hurt? Cassel isn't Tom Brady, but he sure did an admirable job filling in for him, improving each week, and playing with guts and heart. Cassel's performance made what looked to be a bleak season, a fun and interesting one. Considering his impending free agency, let's just say the current recession won't be impacting the Cassel household during the offseason.

Sunday's Fallout

2008-12-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

Some thoughts from around the NFL:

Cleveland QB Ken Dorsey might want to brush up on his resume and evaluate his life's work after football.

Same goes for Lions head coach Rod Marinelli, who looks completely shell shocked after each loss by the Lions.

Howie Long had it right at halftime yesterday. Matt Cassel is printing money right now.

So much for the potential Jets-Giants Super Bowl that was being talked about last month.

Same ol' Jets. Same ol' Brett Favre. Big Game Brett comes up small again in an important game.

Loved Titans RB Chris Johnson, taunting and high stepping at the six yard line as he went past Steelers safety Troy Polamalu into the end zone.

The NFL - No Fun League - how can Wes Welker get a 15 yd penalty for making a snow angel after a TD?

At 11-5, the Patriots might miss the playoffs, while the Broncos and Chargers could go either 9-7 or 8-8 and win their division. Unreal.

Think the Atlanta Falcons fans miss Michael Vick?

The Arizona Cardinals looked like they wanted to be anywhere else in the world than at Gillette Stadium yesterday.

The Dolphins keep trucking along. What a story. They are in the drivers' seat to win the AFC East next week.

Happy 65th Birthday, Keith

2008-12-18T09:15:00.000-05:00

Happy 65th birthday to one of the all time rock greats and legendary consumer of legal and illegal substances Keith Richards. Keith's now officially a senior citizen, although he's looked like one for at least 20 years!

Keith has always been the riff master with the guitar, coming up with the classic intros to Brown Sugar, Happy, Satisfaction, etc. Technically, he is the Rolling Stones' rhythm guitarist, but he and Ron Wood generally play off each other, taking turns trading guitar licks.

The big question is, how is he still alive? How does he do it? He's used drugs for a long time (not sure if he still does), he was a heroin addict for 10 years, he's been known to take a few drinks, he has an omnipresent cigarette dangling from his lips, and during the 1970's, he seemed hell bent on seeing how much abuse his body can take.

Despite all this, Keith and the Stones still tour and fill arenas and stadiums. Their most recent album from 2005, A Bigger Bang, was their best album since 1972's Exile On Main Street. Hopefully, the Stones have another new album out soon and carry forward the success of A Bigger Bang.

Patriots-Raiders post game thoughts

2008-12-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

Some Patriots-Raiders post game thoughts..

I am a Lamont Jordan fan. He runs angry and he's big. I'm hoping the Patriots have a spot for him on next season's roster.

Jordan and Sammy Morris are both big, physical backs that can move the chains and are capable of 100 yard games. What's not to like? As far as I'm concerned, Laurence Maroney is now expendable.

If the Detroit Lions weren't so bad, then the Oakland Raiders would be the worst team in the NFL. How do they have three wins, one of which is against the Jets? How badly does a team have to play to lose to them?

Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell definitely needs some QB guru type to coach him. He's big, can move, has a rocket for an arm, but can't play the QB position at all right now.

The Patriots special teams tackling is still atrocious.

Was there any doubt that Randy Moss would get at least one TD yesterday?

How does Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan still have a job? That defense looked confused, they can't tackle, and they were outcoached.

Matt Cassel had 4 TD's and 1 INT yesterday. However, the interception was Ben Watson's fault, because Watson stone fingered a pass right to him that he tipped to a Raiders defender.

What boggles my mind is the Patriots could finish 11-5 and miss out on the playoffs.

Loading Up

2008-12-12T18:26:00.000-05:00

After missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1994 season, the New York Yankees continue to load up on big name free agent pitchers. First it was CC Sabathia, who received a record 7 year, $161 million deal from the Yankees, now it's A.J. Burnett, who has agreed to a 5 year, $82.5 million contract with the Yankees.

Burnett's stuff is as nasty as anyone in baseball. When he is on, he's unhittable. However, he's prone to losing focus if he feels he's being squeezed by the home plate umpire or if his defense makes an error behind him.

Due to his physical ability, expectations are always high for Burnett. Can he handle the pressure cooker environment of the Bronx, particularly, if he has a few games in which he struggles?

Bottom line: The Yankees have improved themselves significantly by adding this pair of power arms to their starting rotation.

Jason Varitek By The Numbers

2008-12-11T08:06:00.000-05:00

25 numerical reasons why Jason Varitek should not be re-signed by the Boston Red Sox:

37 - His age in April

.359 - His slugging percentage in 2008. A career low.

.050 - His batting average in the 2008 ALCS.

8 - the number of times he struck out in 20 AB's in the ALCS.

22% - the number of runners he threw out attempting to steal in 2008.

-2.1 - VORP for 2008 - value over replacement player.

.220 - Varitek's 2008 batting average.

423 - the number of AB's Varitek had in 2008.

.313 - Varitek's 2008 OBP, which is 33 points lower than his career OBP.

.201 - 2008 batting average hitting left handed vs. right handed pitching.

328 - the number of at bats in 2008, in which Varitek batted left handed.

102 - the number of strikeouts Jason Varitek had batting left handed in 2008.

.122 - Varitek's batting average in June 2008.

.183 - Varitek's batting average in Sept./Oct. 2008.

.157 - Varitek's 2008 batting average with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.

4 - the number of Varitek HR's at Fenway Park in 2008.

15 - Varitek's RBI total in the second half of 2008.

.293 - Varitek's left handed OBP in 2008.

.323 - Varitek's left handed slugging percentage in 2008

.175 - Varitek's batting average with runners in scoring position in 2008.

21 - the number of hits in 2008, Varitek had with runners in scoring position.

14 - percentage of line drives hit by Varitek in 2008; the lowest % among qualified players

.672 - Jason Varitek's OPS for 2008. This number is lower than Julio Lugo's.

10,400,000 - Jason Varitek's 2008 salary.

1041.3 - the number of innings Varitek caught in 2008.

Illinois Corruption

2008-12-10T20:40:00.000-05:00

"If [Illinois] isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor." Robert Grant, head of the FBI's Chicago office

Governor Rod Blagojevich. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun. Governor George Ryan. Governor Otto Kerner. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski.

All of them are high profile Illinois politicians caught up in scandal over the last 35 years, in which three of them went to jail and Blagojevich will likely be the fourth to go to jail. Only Moseley-Braun, investigated by the Federal Elections Commission for $249,000 in missing campaign funds, has eluded conviction.

Blagojevich was already surrounded by scandal and under federal investigation for several instances of fraud and corruption, before the current scandal where he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat came to light. His behavior has been so corrupt, sleazy and shameless, it is unimaginable how he can remain Governnor of Illinois for much longer.

What a state. And we thought the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was bad when it came to corruption? When it comes to fraud and corruption, if Massachusetts is playing Pop Warner football, then Illinois is playing in the NFL.

Ranking the Major Boston Sports Teams - December 2008

2008-12-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

As we move quickly towards the end of 2008, Boston sports fans continue to be spoiled by the success of our local major sports teams. We could easily be like Detroit, with a Stanley Cup Champion hockey team, paired with a winless and hapless football team. All four of our teams are more than competitive. We have reached the point where our expectation levels of our teams are so high, if a team doesn't win a championship, the season is a disappointment. I freely admit to being the guiltiest in this regard. Looking at the Boston sports landscape, I decided it would be fun to rank them in order as to which team is currently the most successful for the year 2008.

1.) The Boston Celtics - Championship rings talk and the Celtics not only won the NBA championship in 2008, but so far in the 2008-2009 season, seem hell bent on proving last season's championship was anything but a fluke. Paul Pierce may be the captain of the team, but the emotional leader is Kevin Garnett, who sets the tone for intensity and the team's focus on defense. Before he joined the Celtics, I didn't realize HOW GOOD Kevin Garnett was. Anyone can score and rebound. However, the things he does in games that don't even show up on a stat sheet, such as tipping loose balls in the air to keep rebounds alive and altering shots on defense by his mere presence in the lane are what make me truly admire his game.

OUTLOOK - Right now, seemingly the only team in the Eastern Conference that can prevent a Celtic return to the NBA Finals is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Other than injuries, my only concern about the Celtics is the absence of James Posey come playoff time. Leon Powe and Tony Allen have both been excellent off the bench this season. Can we count on Tony Allen to be the defensive stopper and make a big basket down the stretch in a playoff game like Posey?

2.) The Boston Bruins - Yes, THE BOSTON BRUINS! If you haven't watched any Bruins games so far this season, I highly recommend you start tuning in to Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley on NESN three times a week, because this team is a real treat. Hallmarks of Bruins teams the last 17 seasons were bad coaching, shaky goaltending, porous defense, and lack of scoring punch. The 2008-09 Bruins feature terrific coaching, an excellent 1-2 combination between the pipes, a hard hitting defense, and three legitimate scoring lines - led by bonafide sniper Phil Kessel, who is currently on pace to pot 46 goals. You like hitting? Follow rugged second year winger Milan Lucic around the ice, because he hits everything in his path. Lucic is a crowd favorite at the Garden.

OUTLOOK - I love what I see. The Boston Bruins are the top team in the Eastern Conference. Coach Claude Julien has them playing hard on both ends of the ice. His best coaching move came back in April when he benched Phil Kessel in last season's playoff game vs. Montreal, sending a message that lackadaisical effort on defense won't be tolerated. Kessel now back checks and works hard on both ends of the ice. His maturation process this season has been impressive. Every night, a solid player is inactivated, because all four lines are playing well, and they can only activate 20 players per game. There's a cup Bruin in Boston!

3.) The Boston Red Sox - Despite making it to game seven of the ALCS, I thought the Red Sox had a disappointing 2008 season. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis had MVP caliber seasons, but I thought the season was marked by underachievement and injuries. This team drove me crazy. Never did the team truly get hot and rip off a 10 game winning streak. The set up guys in the bullpen were inconsistent most of the season. David Ortiz and Josh Beckett had disappointing years, and Clay Buchholz and Jason Varitek were flat out AWFUL. The best story of the season was the development of Jon Lester, who twirled a no hitter in May and finished the season with 16 wins.

OUTLOOK - The Red Sox need to make a decision as to what to do at catcher. I'd like to see them move on from Jason Varitek. GM Theo Epstein is always creative, so I'm confident he will be able to craft something together to move the team forward at the catching position. The team is loaded with young pitching, who can be used as bargaining chips in potential trades. David Ortiz was not himself at any time last season, so the team needs to hedge its bets in terms of getting some extra thump in the lineup. Was Ortiz's season a result of the injured wrist or is age starting to show? The Red Sox are still among the best of the American League, but changes need to be made on offense to keep this team a World Series Champion caliber squad.

4.) The New England Patriots - Please raise your hand if you thought back in December 2007, that the undefeated Patriots would be the 4th ranked team in Boston twelve months later. Right, I didn't think so. Bill Belichick coached teams always have been known for the strength of their defense. The 2008 edition of the New England Patriots features the team's worst defense since the 2000 season; Belichick's first year coaching the team. The secondary is atrocious and the team's pass rush is in the Witness Protection Program. Why any team would bother to run against the Patriots is something I don't understand. The most enjoyable parts of this season have been the development of QB Matt Cassel and the contributions of unrestricted free agents Gary Guyton at LB and BenJarvus Green-Ellis at RB.

OUTLOOK - The dynasty is officially over. Unless the Patriots run the table the rest of the regular season, they will likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Tom Brady injury or not, this team was ultimately doomed from the start because of the play of the secondary. The defense cannot get off the field on 3rd down and they are terrible in the red zone. It is also time to upgrade the offensive line by investing in a new left tackle who can move his feet vs. speed rushers. Matt Light would be better at right tackle at this point in his career. I'm hoping the Patriots are aggressive in offseason free agency, as well as in the draft looking to upgrade the secondary, the OL, and finding another pass rushing DE/LB to pair with Adalius Thomas.

Patriots vs. Seahawks Preview

2008-12-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

Good news for the Patriots. According to profootballtalk.com, QB Matt Hasselbeck and star LT Walter Jones are likely out for the Seahawks today. However, I wouldn't put it past the Patriots secondary to make Seahawks backup QB Seneca Wallace look like Ken Stabler, circa 1976.

I like the idea of Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau being back on the Pats for the stretch run. Both have been solid contributors in the past, and I'm sure Coach Belichick is happy about having "his guys" around who are fresh from not having played, as well as understanding where they are supposed to be on defense.

Against the pass, the Seahawks defense ranks last in the NFL, allowing 265 passing yards per game. Look for the Pats to run their spread offense and QB Matt Cassel to sling it around the field.

The most underrated free agency departure during the Bill Belichick/Scott Pioli era was TE Daniel Graham going to the Broncos. Graham sometimes dropped easy passes, but he was a beast when it came to blocking and was always exciting running over and through people after a catch. Current Pats TE David Thomas is mostly invisible and I can't recall the last time Ben Watson actually got yards after a catch. Considering the Seahawks weak pass defense, could today be the game where Watson gets a catch and doesn't just fall down?

Seahawks RB Julius Jones has been a lone brightspot for the Seahawks with 674 rushing yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

This game should be a blowout - Patriots 37 Seahawks 16

Another Member of The Jeffersons Family Passes Away

2008-12-06T12:43:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite shows of the late 70's - early 80's was The Jeffersons. Sherman Hemsley's depiction of the obnoxious and slightly racist George Jefferson was hilarious. If you've ever seen Hemsley on any other show (such as when he was on VH1's The Surreal Life), you realize he's a reserved, soft spoken person. This makes his performance as George Jefferson, all the more impressive.

Earlier this week, Paul Benedict, who played Mr. Bentley on The Jeffersons, passed away. Looking back on the show and thinking of the characters, the only main actor and actress who are still alive from the show are:

Sherman Hemsley - George
Marla Gibbs - Florence the maid

Now the children of the Willises and Jeffersons played lesser parts on the show. Two of the three of them are still alive:

Berlinda Tolbert - Jenny
Damon Evans - the second Lionel

Paul Benedict, Mike Evans (the first Lionel), Roxie Roker (Helen Willis), Franklin Cover (Tom Willis), Zara Cully (Mother Jefferson), and Isabel Sanford (Louise) are all dead.

I can't think of any show from the last 30-35 years that has been hit as hard by death as The Jeffersons.

Save America, Buy an American Big 3 SUV or Truck

2008-12-05T19:12:00.000-05:00

Everyday the last few months, we get bludgeoned over the head with the same story: the American economy is B-A-D - in the toilet BAD. Every week there's a new large corporation looking for a handout from the federal govenrment to save their flagging company.

The big news on Capitol Hill lately, is the Big 3 Auto companies - Ford, GM, and Chrysler looking for a $25 billion bailout. Of the three companies, Ford is, by far, in the best shape financially. I believe that a bailout is needed for Ford and GM, and that Chrysler should fail. Chrysler makes sub par products, that mostly rate below average in terms of reliability. GM and particularly Ford, have come a LONG way in terms of reliability. Ford cars now compare favorably to Honda - the best car company in the world.

A failure to bailout will have a major negative reverberation on the U.S. economy on auto parts manufacturers and dealerships. This can't happen. Restructuring by the surviving companies will need to be done, such as GM selling Saturn, Saab and/or Pontiac and Ford stopping production of Mercury.

However, there is one thing the U.S. car shopping consumer can do to help save these companies - buy a Ford or GM SUV or pickup truck. These always have been high quality, well made vehicles. Gas prices are low and plummeting downward toward $1.00 per gallon. Right now, it doesn't even cost $40 to fill up a Ford Explorer. Buy an American made SUV or truck, show your pride in American craftsmanship, and put money into the economy and into saving these companies.

Don't let the tree huggers and fossil fuel fighters dissuade you from doing your patriotic duty in supporting American products. American are about BIG cars, BIG SUVs, and BIG trucks. We always have been. When I see one of those Smart cars or an underpowered Toyota Prius, I want to vomit. So, buy that big American SUV or truck you always wanted. You'll be doing the right thing to help save our economy.

Securing your PC

2008-12-04T18:52:00.000-05:00

Today's post will veer away from the usual politics, sports and pop culture topics and focus on securing your personal computer. Every week, more people are using their computer to perform tasks such as paying their bills and banking on line, as well as storing photos and music. Considering all the worms, viruses, and spyware (often referred to under the encompassing term "malware") lurking on the internet desperate for its chance to infest your computer, it is more important than ever to secure your PC.

Like most IT professionals, whenever a family member or close family friend has an issue with their home computer, I get the call to fix it. Recently, I came across an unusually stubborn infestation of malware on a laptop (not mine). When looking for software products to clean infected machines, one must be careful, due to the number of rogue spyware and antivirus software "solutions" out on the internet that can make your computer worse! Here's a rule of thumb: ALWAYS go to http://www.cnet.com/ to find the software solutions you need. They have an editor's review and both editor's and user's ratings of the software.

The combination of the following software, available on http://www.cnet.com/, cleaned the laptop and brought it back to proper working order.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.0.176, is a free antivirus solution that does a a fine job in keeping your computer virus free. I don't care for all encompassing solutions that you have to pay for such as McAfee Security Center. AVG Antivirus is highly rated and you can download the latest antivirus definition files to keep your antivirus software updated and your computer protected. Here's the link to download: http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html?tag=mncol

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.31 is the best malware killing product I have seen. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware found files and registry entries that other products such as Windows Defender and Spybot didn't find. Download this and run a full scan with your computer in Safe Mode (to get into Safe Mode, press F8 several times when your computer is in the BIOS, just after you turn it on). The scanning process is relatively quick (anyware from 10-25 minutes). I recommend running it a few times. Ultimately, I think you need to purchase the product, but it is free to try. If you have a computer infested with malware, don't hesitate to download this. http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?tag=mncol

ZoneAlarm Firewall by CheckPoint - ZoneAlarm is a terrific software firewall solution for your PC. Let me be clear: YOU MUST HAVE A SOFTWARE FIREWALL ON YOUR PC! CONSIDER IT AS IMPORTANT AS ANTI VIRUS SOFTWARE. I've been running ZoneAlarm on my home PC for four years, and have never had any problems. ZoneAlarm is free (although there is a pay version with more features called ZoneAlarm Pro) and easy to use and the default settings should suffice for most users. My favorite feature is you can set the firewall's Internet Zone Security and Trusted Zone Security to high - which puts it in stealth mode and is hidden and protected. One note regarding ZoneAlarm - when you first install it, you'll get warnings, such as, do you want to allow access of software such as Internet Explorer to the Trusted Security Zone. Make sure to check the box to remember the setting. Here is the link to download : http://www.download.com/ZoneAlarm-Firewall-Windows-2000-XP-/3000-10435_4-10039884.html?tag=mncol

By downloading and installing these pieces of software, and scanning with these tools daily, you can be assured that your computer will run cleanly and effectively for a long time. Happy computing!

Pass Patterns

Patriots Survive At Fedex Field

Red Sox at the Rangers

Democrats and the Economy

The New England Patriots and Other NFL Thoughts

One week until Election Day

Saturday Morning Politics

Deion Branch back with the Patriots

John Lennon's 70th birthday

Taxes, Lies, and Democrats

Reduced Expectations for the 2010 Red Sox

Ranking the Boston Sports Team GM's

Cynicism regarding the Patriots

June is here

3-0 Celtics

Monday Morning Celtics

Another Yankee Series

Red Sox Struggles

Sox/Pats/B's/Celts - Who's Hot and Who's Not

What is going on with the Patriots?

Saturday Sports Talk

Celtics acquire Nate Robinson

February Hits

NFL Playoffs

Scott Brown Shocks The World

Scott Brown for US Senate

Working Out

2009 Favorites

Pre Christmas patter

Presents under the Tree

Wednesday Odds and Ends

State of the Patriots

Election Day - one year later

Time to overhaul the Red Sox

Red Sox End of Regular Season Team Awards

Here, There, and Everywhere

Labor Day

Across the Landscape

Sports Sunday

Pats vs. Redskins

Dogs, Dogs, Everywhere There's Dogs

Town Hall Troubles

Unrelated items on a Monday

Concert Review

Trade Deadline Moves

Slumping Sox

Rough Times in the Land of Plenty

1976 Baseball All Star Game

An Open Letter To Terry Francona

Bad Policy

Lazy Sunday

Bashing Democrats

Tuesday Sox

On the Political Front

Things On My Mind On A Rainy Day

The Yankees Are In Town

Random Thoughts for a Friday

Current State of Politics

Observations From Around MLB

Saturday Morning Baseball

Papi's Struggles

Fundamentals of Pitching

Manny Being Manny

May Musings

Floridays

4/16

Red Sox Game - Live Blog

Crumbs on the Table

Opening Day!

Sunday Quickie

Cutler Traded to Bears

Top 15 Paul McCartney Post Beatles Songs

The Top Ten Rolling Stones Songs

Friday hits

Thanks, Curt!

The Dog Days of Spring Training

NFL offseason bits

The Importance of Rajon Rondo

The Obama Stock Market

The Proper Way to Fix the Economy