After a 3 hour drive and a lap around the Mall of NH, I arrived at the annual fantasy football draft on Friday evening. This was, to say the least, MUCH better than last year for me.
Round 1: For whatever reason, I got to pick the first number out of the hat (and by hat, I do mean the cup of the league trophy), giving me the only legitimate 1 in 10 chance at any pick... and for the second year in a row, I ended up with #3. Last year I was happy about this because I didn't have to choose a running back; one was chosen for me as Westbrook was the only logical choice. This year, I wanted a lower pick, because I thought there was more value in the 7th & 14th picks than with 3 and 18. However I was delighted when MJD was picked #1, leaving me with either Peterson, or the more likely, and eventual pick, Michael Turner. Curse of 370 be damned.
Round 2: My original thought (refering to the above) was to go with a WR (likely Fitzgerald or Moss) in round 1 and a RB in round 2. But with the 3rd pick, and Turner in hand, I realized I would have to grab a WR in round 2 instead. What I wasn't expecting was the lunacy that ensued: three QBs in the first 8 picks. As the picks came off the "wrap around" I realized that I might be able to grab a WR in the 3rd round (more on that shortly) and still grab another high end RB. I was even more titillated as LDT wasn't drafted when the pick passed my brother (who went with the suspect Drew Brees/Steve Slaton combo intead of... anyone else), however I was happy to settle for Brandon Jacobs.
Round 3: What with a newborn and all, I once again didn't do much research this year - but one thing I did do was listen to a lot of Matthew Berry on ESPN.com - his advice was to a) get a top flight WR and RB in the first 3 rounds, and b) get a top 9 WR, no matter what (because the drop off after #9 is precipitous). Of the top 9 available, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Anquan Boldin, Marques Colston and Steve Smith were all still (somewhat shockingly) on the board. With 4 picks separating my Brandon Jacobs 2nd round choice and my 3rd round pick, I realized that my WR choice could wait until round 3 and I'd still get a top-tier guy. Johnson, Wayne and White did indeed come off the board, but I was happily left with Steve Smith. I immediately felt nervous about this though, remembering that Jake Delhomme is... awful. Still, not a bad pick.
Round 4: Time grab a QB... oh my god I don't have a QB yet! Time to grab Philip Rivers... yikes, he's gone! (Most interesting subplot of the first 4 rounds - my brother Philip's 3rd/4th round choices of Wes Welker and Ledale White... what with Anquan Boldin, Vincent Jackson, Clinton Portis and Thomas Jones still on the board... he claims he hadn't been drinking before the draft... but I'm pretty sure he had to have been to have pulled that one off). And just as I resign myself to getting a crappy QB and my draft going to hell... could it happen... I don't think it will... oh my god Drywallers just took Jason Witten SOMEONE GIVE ME ANQUAN BOLDIN BEFORE YOU ALL STOP TAKING YOUR CRAZY PILLS!!!!
Round 5: Time to go for broke: I'm banging out another RB pick!! My starting lineup is now Turner/Jacobs at RB, Smith/Boldin at WR and Thomas Jones at the flex position. If I can find a servicable QB at any point, this may be an above average team!
Round 6: I was expecting a bit of a run on TEs starting with round 6 (and I was right... because these guys were still on the crazy pills) so I talked myself into grabing Owen Daniels a little too early... but I'm glad I did (WHO NEEDS A QB ANYWAY???)
Round 7: My first potentially disastrous pick. At this point, I've decided I'm going to be stuck with Matt Schaub (or worse) at QB, I may as well tempt fate and wait AS LONG as possible to pick him. I think the Brandon Marshall pick has a lot of upside though... he's a top 40 player with good 7th round value... if he gets to play...
Rounds 8-10: Depth, depth, depth. As backups, I'm happy with all of these guys. (Whistling past the graveyard...)
Round 11: My good buddy Matt Berry (ok, I don't know him at all) has Matt Schaub listed in his top 50. I get him with the 103rd pick! If there is ever a reason to be excited about Matt Schaub, this is it!!
I rounded out the draft with more depth, and played out my strategy of Defense in the 15th round, kicker in the 16th round. And then drove another 2 1/2 hours... but all of that driving was well worth it, if not to draft my own team, than definately to see how Philip cobbled his together. I'm officially ready for football season!
I'm hoping to do better in my draft this year (don't try to call me on friday night, 8/28, I'm busy) so as to do better in my league this year. So I'm starting the research sooner (though I find the whole thing to be a crap shoot, but I doubt the multi-million dollar industry that's built around draft guides wants to hear that). And I'm going to try and do a few more mock drafts. Here's the early first stab at it. I got to pick second (flex position, snake draft league):
Player
Round Drafted
Overall Pick
Ryan, Matt QB ATL
5
42
Barber, Marion RB DAL
2
19
Turner, Michael RB ATL
1
2
Jackson, Vincent WR SD
4
39
White, Roddy WR ATL
3
22
Keller, Dustin TE NYJ
8
79
Parker, Willie RB PIT
6
59
Rackers, Neil K ARI
14
139
Giants DST
7
62
Roethlisberger, Ben QB PIT
10
99
Mendenhall, Rashard RB PIT
9
82
Driver, Donald WR GB
11
102
Ginn Jr., Ted WR MIA
13
122
Patriots DST
12
119
What I liked: 1) Picking second set me up for Michael Turner. Last year I ended up picking 3rd in my league, which made picking Brian Westbrook a fait accompli. Well, that didn't work out so well (see: shoot, crap). For whatever reason, I like Turner a lot (most have him in the top 4-5 but I've seen him as high as 2), and just like LDT was an automatic for almost everyone last year, Adrian Peterson is the consensus #1 this year. Picking #2 let me get the guy I want without setting myself up for feeling like an idiot if I picked him at 1 and Peterson made me pay for it. (Oh... wait, that's right, this is fake, fake football. Oops.) 2) Getting "Ben" in the 10th round. Just felt like a steal. 3) Uhm... I don't think I have a 3. I like the team... but I'm not feeling great about it.
What I didn't like: 1) Picking up the Pats D. There was a run on second defenses right before I grabbed them. I could have picked the Eagles... I probably should have but I just... couldn't. That's why we do these mock drafts I suppose... 2)Roddy White. I actually was happy about this until the other guys in the draft gave me crap about it. I know he's holding out, but I thought it was a solid pick. So I'm standing by it, even if I don't love it. 3) Donald Driver in the 11th round. Vincent Jackson in the 4th round. Dustin Keller. All of those picks snuck up on me (what's that? snuck isn't a word? Damn you spelll checker. damn you) and they ended up being impulse moves for the best player at the position at the time. I need to spend more time analyzing the mid-round players.
What I'm not sure about: A lot of things, too many to number. My ability to draft well, if at all. Handcuffing Pitt running backs. Matt Ryan ahead of a host of other (3rd rate) QB's. Why "Ben" fell so low. Marion Barber. Yeah, I'm not sure about a lot.
I think I need some more practice. Let me know if you see anything I missed.
Twelve games left in the regular season folks. Not saying you have to get on now, but it's not a bad idea. The B's face off this afternoon against the Penguins in a potential 1 versus 8 first round match-up - anyway, just a quick reminder that the bandwagon leaves the station Sunday, April 12th.
Ok, I don't know why this came up on ESPN, but there was a poll tonight asking which record will be hardest to break. The choices given to the uneducated masses were:
Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak Wayne Gretzky's 2,857 career points Jerry Rice's 208 career touchdowns Cy Young's 511 career wins
I don't mean to come off as a complete hockey homer here, but this is ridiculous. What I find startling is that people got some of this fairly right, and other parts completely wrong. Staying away from hockey, they were right on:
Jerry Rice - 208 seems like a lot of touchdowns, but with enough years and the right offense, both Moss and TO are in striking distance. Its A-Rod (er, Fraud) to Bonds striking distance, but striking distance non the less. Obviously then, this is not the hardest of the 5 to attain, though it is definitely quite difficult. Joe DiMaggio - Sure, 56 games is a lot. But doesn't it seem like 9 batters x 30 teams x 365 games in a season, over multiple seasons alone would bring about a similar result once in a while? Again, I'm not saying someone is going to do it. But I'm guessing if baseball is played for another 150 years, it'll happen again at some point. And its not like people don't get close - Pete Rose got within 12 games, and a couple guys this decade made it more than half way. Time is on our side here folks. Cy Young - I will admit, 511 wins is A LOT. Like, enough to say that it is virtually impossible - with one qualification - the way pitchers are used now is much different than it was in Cy's day. I'm not the most educated person when it comes to this sort of thing (for that, I would refer you here, or here, or even here, if and when its available), but unless major league pitchers go to a four man rotation and grow bionic arms (thank you, Dr. Frank Jobe) people are most likely right about this one. But it may still be more likely (ie, easier) to reach than Gretzky's mark.
So here is where everyone went wrong.
Wilt's 100 may seem insurmountable, but let's not forget that a) Kobe got to 81, b) the NBA isn't known for being the most honest organization this side of the olympics, and c) the Knicks still face 82 opponents every single year. I'm just throwing it out there - someone may get back to the century mark - I'm not saying who or how soon, just that it seems far, far more likely than either Cy Young or Wayne Gretzky's marks.
And that brings us to Gretzky. Let's visit the numbers: The Great One (TGO) - 1,963 career assists Mark Messier - 1887 career points So TGO has almost 80 more assists than the next guy has points... and that guy is retired. The closest active player? Joe Sakic with 1,378 points. To put that into perspective, if Joe played his entire career over, he still wouldn't get to TGO's points record. Incredible. Ok, so then you'll argue that Sakic isn't as good, but what about Sid or Alex? Well, I think we can all agree that Ovechkin has a higher ceiling than Sid at this point (though time will tell) - and he's doing quite nicely - almost 400 career points in just over 300 career games. But look at it this way - if he keeps on pace (approx 1.3 points per game), it would take an unhuman 3,600+ games to reach Gretzky's mark. (Gretzky played in 1,487 games, or 1.9 points per game - the all time games played record was by Gordie Howe - 1,767). Meanwhile, Sid would have to play 3,900 games, and his teammate Malkin is on pace for 3,600 games. And these are the best young players the game has to offer!! None of these guys are playing for 40 years, and certainly none of them would be any good by the time they were 60 anyway!! It infuriates me when people, stupid online people, vote for crap like this. Cy Young and Wayne Gretzky are untouchable when it comes to these records. Personally I don't think it matters which you pick, so long as you pick one of the two. But to say that no one will ever get to 100 points in an NBA game again, ahead of either of these two, is crazy. Show me a way that someone can get 2,858 career NHL points; I'm happy to listen to ideas. But until then, stop being stupid.
But unfortunately there are no linemen in 5 on 5 football in Deerfield NH. So I spent part of my afternoon huffing and puffing and trying to cover my brother Philip and brother in law Tony. I'm going to be in some bit of pain tomorrow. The highlight of the day, at least for the Cambridge Girard/Canton Girard/StrathamGirard/Williams team was my brother Michael lofting a pass that was defended well by Tony of the Williams/Greenfield Girard/StrathamGirard team, only as he deflected it, it landed in the unsuspecting hands of my brother Peter - for a touchdown! Sadly, due to a bad call by the ref (my dad, who called Keith in bounds when he was clearly about 10 feet out of bounds), my team ended up losing, 4-3. I ended up listening to the last part of the 3rd quarter through the end of the BC game on my way home - I can't believe that I started listing to 2o minutes of a football game in Deerfield NH, and the game ended as I was passing through Quincy MA. What a game though. BC's in the ACC championship game next weekend - go Eagles!!
A lot more entertaining and interesting things will be said in the various corners of the internets, so I'll simply add my favorite sentimental moment of the night.
It got a little dusty in the O'Girard household right after midnight. After 2 minutes of being harassed by the ESPN reporter shortly after winning, Kevin Garnett spun around and found himself hugging Bill Russell. Garnett's words:
Meghan's parents have a 2000+ sq ft condo that we've been cat sitting in for two days, so it may seem surprising to you that Meghan, the cat and I are all cozily sitting on the same, small couch. But considering that the weather is also a bit surprising (its been right about at freezing today), and this place gets a bit chilly when you don't crank the heat on a cold day, I bring you my long awaited follow-up post to my... last post. Ok, yes its been a while, but l've been busy, leave me alone about it. Anyway, I've had a lot to say recently, and forgotten most of it. So here's what I'm thinking right now instead.
I think its great that I'm blogging, streaming the UConn - San Diego game, and listening to Linkin Park on Rhapsody, all wirelessly on the laptop. I don't know why this impresses my so, especially because Meghan is making fun of me for being so proud of it. Whatever, the cat is watching the game and he seems to appreciate it.
Of course, I'd be enjoying it a lot more if UConn would just finish off San Diego; instead we're going to overtime. The brackets have taken a bit of a hit today... but I'm still towards the top of the list for my group on Yahoo.
What I don't get, I've never gotten, and probably won't ever get, is why these brackets are frowned upon, in general in the work environment, and specifically in the financial world. It just doesn't make sense to me. You can "bet" on stocks, mutual funds, derivatives; you can invest in energy, commodities, even volatility, yet you can't wager on sports? It just doesn't make sense to me. I know gambling can be an addiction and I understand why we don't have slot machines next to the cafeteria, bathroom or watercooler, but at work, I can go down to the convenience store in the building and buy a scratch ticket; why can't I go online and wager on the Celts this weekend, or Tiger on Sunday, is just beyond me. Oh well.
I think a few people at the Fours in Boston this afternoon weren't too worried about the legality of filling out their brackets - when Western Kentucky nailed a 3 pointer to close out the game and upset Drake, there were a few hoots and shouts of astonishment. Also, random note - where did the huge building come from accross the street from the Fours?? Weird.
And what are the chances that when W. Kentucky won that game, as a 12 seed, their first thought was immediately, maybe we'll be favored in the next game - UConn versus San Diego (a 13 seed). Well, now that SD has won in overtime, that'll happen on Sunday. I'll take "Throwing my Bracket in the Trash" for $500 Alex.
I am SO glad to see this, and I'm quite sure you might be too. After too many headlines about loss and scandal, its good to see a happy Pats headline. Let's hope its the first of many over the next 12 months.
I don't often watch you, as you have become a shadow of what I used to enjoy about you. I have heard, through written reports, that you have once again been performing at a level that is considered mildly acceptable, and tonight I decided to watch.
You managed to completely destroy any hope that I had in you by giving up FIVE GOALS IN LESS THAN TWENTY MINUTES.
Please do not do this again. Just to be safe, I'm going to once again stop watching. I'd appreciate it if you, in turn, once again stopped sucking.
In other news I'm spending the day in Keene... and as Meghan would say, its a "KEENE time!" which in no way makes sense, as keen is an adjective for sharp or acute of mind, but I suppose any enjoyment she finds in coming with me is a bonus.
I just finished Bill Simmons mail bag and i have to say, with each passing day, I find last sunday to be a little easier to handle. Still, I have to wonder, what if Asante had caught that ball... oh well.
But just in case you forgot what it felt like, here's the call, one more time, when they should have made that tackle on Manning (I'm pretty sure this is the actual footage from standard definition tv, however its hard to tell).
I'm sure by now I've said more than enough about the Pats, and there's been a lot said in the local and national media. So I'll spare you another diatribe, this time on the loss. I do want to mention one thing though: I don't bother believing in these supposed jinxes and curses. Bill Simmons can write an article about whether or not the Pats are the best Boston team ever, even before they play out the Super Bowl, and it doesn't affect the outcome. Meghan can skip the Bruschi jersey and it doesn't affect the outcome. Belichick can wear the red sweatshirt, and it doesn't affect the outcome. I can change my passwords at work, even before the game is played, to a superbowl related theme, and, though its a bit nearsighted, it doesn't affect the outcome of the game. I just don't buy into these things. Nevertheless, I do believe that in the end, the football gods got their revenge on the Pats. (How exactly can I say that a hoodie doesn't matter, but some fictional gods do? I just can, don't ask questions.) The Giants played an incredible game in week 17, didn't cheat, didn't blow people out, and didn't anger the football gods. They didn't have the best QB (far from, as history has shown), they didn't have the best wide receiver (it will be interesting to see if we keep ours). The football gods said that the Giants should win, and win they did. Do I get it? Sure. I'm willing to accept it. I'm willing to accept 18-1 (the football gods wanted that too)... what i want to know is, now that the football gods had their way, can't we have them replay the game? Seems like its only fair, now that everyone has exacted their revenge on the Pats... Ugh, why am I still writing this?? I promised to be brief.
I've been excited for Super Bowl Sunday for a while... a long while. In fact, I think I've been excited for tomorrow since one year and two weeks ago, when the Pats were forced to bow out of the playoffs after the Colts managed to muster the strength and do what they hadn't done before - beat the Pats in a must win game. But we all know that story. And while you can say that the Pats team that was on the field in 2007 was fatally flawed - they didn't have a wide receiver worth the paper his contract was printed on - they were a play away from their 4th Super Bowl appearance in six years. This year's version of the Pats - NE SB 4.0 - doesn't carry the same flaws - that much and more is quite obvious - and after enjoying all of the success that they have had - they and the Sox and Celts (we'll leave the middling B's for another conversation) - I've found myself thinking more and more about how we all got to this place, how as a 26 year old I'm able to forget about growing up following losing teams and now enjoy some of the greatest professional athletic success that any city has had in such a short time. When the Pats were finally downed by the Colts last year, I had more than a few conversations with friends and co-workers over whether the run of success in Boston was coming to an end - the Pats were two years removed from their incredible 3-titles-in-4-years, and the Sox were heading into a new season with a lot of hype - can you say Dice-K? (side note: who knew we'd be saying Okee-Do-kee as much as Dice-K by the end of the season?) - but after living through off-seasons of hype, and watching the payrolls expand year after year, it was apparent that the Sox weren't following their blueprint to success that had made the '04 team a champion. And though there was the possibility of a number one pick for the Celtics, the winter sports franchises were the saddest group of over-paid athletes East of Rt. 128. Things, once again, were looking down - but it always comes down to the possibilities once you play the game on the field.
October, 1999. Freshman year at Saint A's - I'm fortunate to be living in Hilary Hall, a dorm generally reserved for Sophmores and upperclassmen that don't live in town-house type livng quarters. Each "room" is generally set up for 4 guys, and includes two bedrooms and a living area - not exactly high-class living, but a far more comfortable, and usually more quiet, abode than the sausage-fest that was Dominic Hall. On this one particular Saturday night however, I'm fairly certain that the roof is going to come off from all of the noise. It was as if the entire building was swaying - with each pitch that Pedro threw - and he was throwing a gem, there was a moment of silience, and then cheering for each strike, each out. The Sox had just made the most improbable comback (little did we know about what was in store for us come 2004), beating the Cleveland Indians 3 games to 2 in the Divisional Series after losing the first two games. Pedro was everything that we wanted Roger to be - he was our savior, coming into the game in relief (and again throwing a gem) in the Cleveland series, and now, versus the (insert deragotory term here) Yankees, he was turning the series around all by himself. My most lasting memory from that night is of the door across the hall from my room - the guys living there had printed out "K" cards and were taping them to the door after each strikeout. The door was filled as we worked into the later innings. The rest of the Sox weren't as good as Pedro though - and shortly after a phantom tag at second base by Chuck Knoblauch (the same Chuck Knoblauch that hit ESPN/MSNBC's Keith Olbermann's mom as she was sitting in the stands and he missed a throw to first base wiiiiiiiiide right), the Sox were eliminated once again. For the first time, I started coming to grips with the notion that it wasn't going to happen - I wasn't going to see the Sox win a World Series during my lifetime, mainly because they weren't going to win a world series ever again.
As Meghan constantly reminds me, its really quite silly to spend quite so much time mulling over the doings of the local 9 (or 11, or 6, or what have you); whatever the true reason may be, I like to tell myself that I do it because it is a great escape from the reality that surrounds me. I suppose that none of our lives are as difficult as we think they are from where we see them at ground level. (Ian may be a possible exception, a) he isn't at ground level, and b) well, you know, he's in Iraq.) For the rest of us, its just a policy, piece of equipment, or electronic funny money (and it belongs to someone else, at that). But on the battlefront that is the day to day grind, the diversion that Sunday afternoon provides is more than welcomed. So if I spend a little too much time thinking about what next season will bring, instead of how well the company reports its next quarter earnings, please forgive me.
November, 2001. Five guys packed into a four person apartment has already made for some interesting situations (not to mention phrase-ology - can you say "andrew lany alone time"?). Though the living situation was less than ideal, it made Sunday afternoon a LOT of fun. The '01 season saw the advent of the Tom Brady regime in New England, and though I'd always been a football fan, living with Matt and dying with each Drew Bledsoe scamper out of the pocket had peaked my interest in the game. At week ten, with little evidence to support my position other than a hastily drafted Pats schedule on a Post-it note, I outlined to Matt how the 5-4 Pats could lose to the greatest-show-on-turf Saint Louis Rams that weekend, and then roll off four wins in the final six games, and make the playoffs, with an outside shot at the Super Bowl. To my surprise, Matt agreed. I was immediately excited that someone who understood the game a lot better than I did thought my madness might be rooted in some logic. I was wrong however; the Pats put up a good fight versus the Rams, and rolled off SIX wins in their final six games, to go into the playoffs as the #2 seed in the AFC.
I can't imagine what it was like to work in an office before the rise of the internet. Though doing my job without the online tools that I have access to would be impossible, my sanity would be similarly compromised with out Bill Simmons and Peter King. Their online posts are notable for both their humor and insight as well as the aggrevation that they bring me when they aren't posted in a timely fashion. This of course adds to the sports psychosis that I seem to have (I understand though it seems to be a collective disease). About the only time that I don't get any real joy in taking time out of the work day to read these guys is when the success that our teams have had slips away, and that failure takes the spotlight. When the Pats lost to the Colts lat year, I would say I was upset, even into the next day (unhealthy? you betcha). However the recent wins and championships have only served to fuel the "there's always next year" mentality. This years disappointment quickly wanes into next years prospects.
October, 2003 The most recent incantation of the Sox-Yanks war has been exhausting, right down to the very end. Out on "my own" for the first time, I'm living on Heavey St. in Manchvegas with a poor job (car sales), poor income, and far too much fun with Madden on the XBox and tv with the guys each day. As the days got colder though, and the baseball season was coming to an end, there was the distinct possibility that the monkey may finally come off the Sox back, and they'd beat the Yankees to go to the World Series. Game 7, in the living room on Heavey St. was possibly the most stressful few hours of my relatively lax life. We were watching the game on tv but with the local broadcast from the radio. As Pedro gave way to noone, and later to Tim Wakefield, and Aaron Boone came to bat, the monkey apparently had once again sunk its claws into the back of the Nation and was on board for another long winter of discontent. As Boone's batted ball left the park to the right of the left field foul pole, none of us had words. I stood, turned off the radio, which doubled as my alarm clock which had to wake me for my early shift at the dealership the next day, and walked into bed. I feel asleep, slowly, and agrily. Never. It was NEVER going to happen. No matter how many other successes the other franchises had. I couldn't even consider being in the same exact spot, 12 months later, after the Sox had been down three games to none, with Champagne in the fridge, ready to celebrate the most improbable victory ever.
As great as experiencing the victories as a fan has been, I've started to realize that the losses can be just as meaningful, which I suppose is what I've been trying to lead up to all along. My nephew Arthur, at the tender age of 9, has not only become one of the formerly most pathetic creatures on earth, a Sox fan, but a sports fan in general, and a Boston sports fan more specifically. And he has been blessed to know little (or none) of the heartache that the rest of us, even the younger ones, have. He experienced a Sox world series win near his nineth birthday, and though he may not recall too clearly, another near his 6th, not to mention the bookending Pats superbowl wins. For him, a Pats win would be good, but not as great as the feeling of their failure. He's been conditioned in the past year to expect victory at every turn; if the Pats lose, I'll be upset (maybe more than those close to me), and we'll all recover in time (for some, within moments, others, such as myself, in minutes, or hours, or so.) But without having a quantifiable scale to prove my point, I would say that a Pats loss would be better for Arthur to experience than it would be for most of the rest of us (Pats fans). Knowing the heartache that comes with loss is as true a reality as the joy of victory, and until this year, perfection quite literally the least real option available in sports. There's always next year, and if Arthur learns that the hard way, instead of the easy way, it may just make him a better fan. And I'm sure he'll still be able to get out of bed and go to school tomorrow. Don't get me wrong. I want them to win. I'm just saying is all. It may be good for him if they lose, but for me, I really, really want them to win! We may not be on the field, get to hold the trophy, wear the t-shirts in the locker room or battle it out on the field, but we do get to experience it as fans (its why they're showing the game on TV), and it does create some great, lasting memories.
February, 2002. I was right about one thing when it came to my little sticky notes. The Pats made the superbowl, and once again, they were facing the Rams. The 5-man apartment had become a 15 person orgy of football viewing. Classes be damned, this was one of the best nights I'd ever had, and as the clock was ticking down, the game was everything you could have asked for, if not more. I may have had a Nostradamus moment with the schedule a few months back, but nothing could have ever tipped my mind to the notion that, with a win slipping out of hand and the game tied, Bill Belechick would have his offense march down the field with moments left to go in the 4th quarter. The second best memory of the night was watching the ball, rocketed from the foot of soon-to-be hero Adam Vinatari, sailing through the air and between the uprights to seal the Pat's first superbowl. I don't think I've ever, before or since, high-fived, celebrated, or made more sports related phonecalls for the duration that I did that night. My favorite memory though isn't what was on the screen, but what happened during the celebration there after - as we were watching replays and the presentation of the Lombardi trophy, my brother Philip barged through the door - he had somehow left the party where he had been watching the game, driven to my apartment, and blown through two doors, one that was in all likelyhood locked to such intruders - and tackle-hugged me, and my future wife, in a moment of unbridled joy (and, incidentally a small amount of pain, as we became pinned in between the door, the couch, and Meghan).
To have your team win is great. To be able to celebrate it with friends and family, now thats priceless.
I hope you all enjoy the game, and get to enjoy it thusly. Go Pats!
I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in bed. I don't think I have ever if my life spent 2 days in bed when I was sick. As my mother. As my wife. If I'm sick, I'm up and about, in fact, I may as well be at work/school/piano lessons, save for the fact that I would make everyone else miserable with my hacking, coughing, sniffling nature. Because of my bed-ridden hours, I had a sever lack of day-time tv and too much back-ache from laying around. But during the little time I did watch TV, I got to watch some of the UEFA Champions League on ESPN2. Yup, I eschewed the Food Network, G4 and CNBC for European Soccer. I felt it was appropriate as I managed to watch about 30 minutes of the MLS Cup. All I can say is them Europeans are darn good at that other football game. I watched ManU versus Bantha Fodder of the Day (ok, they had a real name, and they actually lead for half the game, but even I knew that ManU was gonna win that game). At any rate, my tired, congested head enjoyed the game, not sure if I should start DVRing it on a constant basis, but it was kind of fun. When I finally got back to work today, Doug, (who reminds me of a cross between Dante and Doug Funny, only Dante was Doug Funny) and I chatted about the potential for the Sox landing Johan Santana - setting up the possibility that the Sox could have the most stacked pitching rotation, well, ever, next season. Needless to say, I'm giddy. In reading on ESPN about the potential deal, I'm immediately dismayed though, not because of the deal itself, but the way its positioned: the Sox and Twins are working out the "framework" of a deal that would send Santana to Boston for Jon Lester, Coco, and the pupu of prospects (most notably NOT Jacoby and NOT Buchholz). Why do they have to call it a framework? Why is that jargon necessary? Why can't they just say that they are talking about a deal? Of course they're talking about a framework - if they already had the framework, and the floors and ceilings and walls, and they were just picking out carpets and cabinets at this point, wouldn't we say they had a deal? When ARod resigned with the Empire, it was reported that they had a framework in place for the deal, but it wasn't signed yet. This is all well and good, it tells everyone that he's off the market, and the specifics are all that is left (how to spread out bonuses, how many gourds Boras gets up the rear, ect). But with the Sox and Twins, there's no actual deal in place - in fact by all accounts the deal may not happen at all. So there is NO reason to say they are working out a framework. Just say they're talking about it. Just because they're talking about it doesn't mean it will EVER happen. This happens with Meghan and I all the time. But I don't go out and say that we're talking about a framework of an agreement of me spending a weekend in Montreal with the boys, or a framework for the arrangement where I'll hang around for Beth's baby shower this weekend. Believe me, there are discussions, they're usually loud, and there is certainly no framework for either. All I'm sayin is that writers need to cut out the waste. Tell me what I need to know without too many fancy sayings. There's a lot of news to digest out there, give it to me straight.
I don't get into the politics much - I'm not very good at it, I kind of fall asleep with it, and aside from Jean Shaheen's mullet, they're all a little too slick for me (seriously, that thing is out of control...), but I have loved the train wreck that is the McCain campaign. Ok, we use "train wreck" a little too often. What he's doing is far more creative than a run-of-the-mill saying (such as run-of-the-mill); its more like taking your friend hunting, and then accidentally shooting your friend, even though it was a controlled environment where no one should have gotten hurt... and that friend is secretly your chance of winning the presidency, and what your shooting yourself with is a gun full of saying that you'd appoint Alan Greenspan to do your dirty work "dead or alive"...
Yep, I just managed to break out a reference that would only have been funny 18 months ago, except it wouldn't have been because it had already been beaten (or shot) to death.
But at least my joke is somewhat recent. McCain referenced Weekend at Bernies... weekend at bernies??? Really Senator? Weak. How about this - how about you get in the Way Back Machine, go back to 2000, and actually have a shot at the presidency. On the plus side, I liked you back then. Now I'm starting to realize that I'm I don't want to vote for some Commie Bastard Democrat, I'm going to have to vote for a puppy killer like Mitty. (ok, so the puppy didn't actually die, from what I hear, he liked the roof...)
I want to go back to 2000. I want to have the excitement of the 2000 election again - I want the chance to replace a good president with a potentially good president - not replace a Shi-tacular president with anyone, anyone else.
Ask yourself, where are we going? Were are we going with Mit? Or Junior Clinton? Are you satisfied with them for them, or for being someone else?
This is why I don't do the politics thing. Because I'm not satisfied, but if you're comfortably numb with all of this, more power to you. Now to get to the stuff that actually matters...
Favorite "Office" Line of the Night: "He smells like what I think Pierce Brosnan would smell like" - Andy
Favorite Line This Weekend: Dallas -10 @ Buffalo on Monday night. I smell a blow out... and some delicious wings.
Take the Under: BC versus Bowling Green - the over/under is 57... BC hasn't looked that good so far. And I smell some delicious wings... God I want wings right now...
My guess for the playoffs, knowing tonight what I didn't know two nights ago: Cleveland over NYY Boston over Anaheim Colorado over Phili Arizona over Chicago
Boston over Cleveland Colorado over Arizona
Colorado over Boston
Just seeing if you were paying attention.
Boston over Colorado
there, that's better.
An Open Letter Re: the NHL Dear professional hockey, I don't miss you anymore. I would say this makes me sad, but it doesn't. I don't miss the sadness you bring either. Good bye (until I have my eventual change of heart... No Andrew, be strong... but I know I'll go back, and it knows I will too... Walk away, Andrew, its time to move on... NO! NO!!!...Yes. It is your destiny. Let's Go Celtics.... Meep!!!). Warmest Regards, Your only fan
PS, when you get to hell, say hi to Jeremy Jacob's soul for me. Resistance is Futile - Trying is Futiler: My Halo 3 online playing line, through this week: 57 Kills, 64 Deaths. K/D ratio: .89 Unofficial Indian Name: Runs-With-Scissors
Did I mention before I am on vacation? Seems like a great time for some preseason NFL running diary, right? right?
8:01 A moment of panic as I couldn't find the channel - the first two were on ABC but luckily we have CBS tonight... as we all know CBS has control of the AFC games, which is great, because they only have one HD truck. I hear they may have gotten one for Flag Day though.
8:05 I have lost control of the "flickie" within the first 4 minutes to my father in law. I suppose it was inevitable..
8:07 ... and I've already lost my first argument with him about a questionable call. Adalieus Thomsas was not guilty of a horsecollar tackle. I suppose he was right as the refs agreed with him, not me.
8:08 Does BB look a little more svelte this year? I suppose his new lady may be wearing him out...
8:09 Jake Delhomme... still full of potential, huh? I think its time to give up on the Panthers. They're not going back to the superbowl. And yes, I may be having a G&T right now. Yup. Yum.
8:11 You know what I always hate about doing these running diaries? They only last for like a quarter. And I've already been informed that the Sox will be on... and as I type this we've just switched over. Well, we'll get periodic updates on Tom and the boys, right? Hopefully. But we'll have a good time making fun of JD Drew.
8:15 Well, the sox went 1-2-3 in the first... and the Pats are still at commercial. I'm guessing they went 3-and-out. One random note - the Carolina cheerleaders are leaving some to be desired after seeing the Pats cheerleaders last week. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing. Not that I'd notice if I were.
8:17 So is it bad that every time I see Tedy Bruschi get hit in Madden, I'm afraid that he's had another stroke? its a good thing they don't build these types of things into the game. It'll only get worse when I'm watching him on Sundays this fall. Hang in there Tedy. Don't get hit too much. Just... take it easy.
8:20 So I missed the first drive, but now Brady has to drive from the 5 yard line. This should be interesting. 6 yard run by Maroney to start...
8:23 Ok, its time to fire Josh McDaniels. Why exactly did they start the game with 7 straight running plays?? Ugh. Amateurs.
8:25 I just took a shower before the game started... and I didn't put boxers on because I figured it was late and I was putting mesh shorts on to go to bed into afterwards anyway... now I'm starting to regret that decision. I know that you really didn't need to, or care to, know that, but now you do.
8:27 And I'm pretty sure McDaniels was fired, because BB just went for it on 4th in his own territory. Eek. But they got it on another rushing play. Ugh.
8:29 Announcer "A" just called Maroney "shifty" for the first time. Superb announcing here. Ugh. (yes, that's three UGHs so far. oh well)
8:31 Announcer "A" just went to the "LOVE HIM LOVE HIM LOVE HIM" about Wes Welker. Wow, I'm enlightened.
8:32 Announcer "A" (again) - "this is a different team since BB made them go fo it on 4th"... yes, they were replaced by the body snatchers. You missed it if you blinked.
8:33 I can't keep up with Announcer "A"... too much stupidity. Just know that I'm annoyed. He was just talking about his dog. blah.
8:35 A nice drive by the pats in the end that ended with Watson dropping one in the endzone... still, real nice work. My man-crush on Brady goes on unabated.
8:38 To the Sox - Schil just gave up a dinger to a guy who apparently talks to his bat in the dugout. Sheesh. I hope he enjoys Tampa Bay next year.
8:42 Its a great thing I don't have the flickie... I just got 3 minutes of ads. AAAGGH! No, I'm not that upset, its really just for a little drama here. Still.. I would say i'm pretty good with a flickie.
8:45 The Pats just blocked a FG attempt... I always love that. I also love when the camera men don't suck. But this is CBS we're talking about.
8:49 More running plays. You know, Tom didn't have any problem "throwing it in there" about 9 1/2 months ago. I'm just saying is all.
8:50 Announcer "A" just said that Sammy Morris's main trait is "versatility". My main trait is doing my best not to maim Announcer "A" (who I am not reasonably sure is Dan Foutes. Shoot me now).
8:54 TD Pats. A nice drive by Brady and the boys. I can't wait for the season to start.
8:58 Well, this isn't my computer... and I may get kicked off it soon. I hope you won't miss me too much if I do...
9:00 I just lost my second argument - I said that Ortiz doesn't swing at the first pitch, even if its a "big fat one" as the father in law said. Well, his next at bat he drove one out... on the first pitch. Oh-for-two.
9:04 I love it when Manny runs. It really reminds me they may actually be able to win it all again. 3-1 (Red) Sox.
9:10 The sox are making quick work of the Chisox again. The pats offense is looking good. I don't have anything significant to say about this, I just like it.
9:14 They just showed McDaniels on the sideline. Apparently he got his job back. Oh well. Gostowski just missed wide-left... something Brady certainly didn't about 9 and 1/2 months ago... ok, ok, I'll stop.
9:19 My rear end is really itchy. I need some boxers. Skin-on-mesh shorts-on-leather doesn't feel great. This could all be cleared up if someone would just get me another G&T!!!!
9:21 Well, that wraps up the first half. Are you impressed that I made it this far? Its a good warm-up for a regular season game. Of course, the problem with that is that I usually am pacing a little too much during a regular season game. Oh well.
9:32 I was going to take half-time off, but the Sox are just piling it on. I love it, I really do. Could this be the year they manage to win the division? They didn't blow up (yet) in August, and they are the best team in baseball, by record, really, things are looking good. Still, let's not get too comfortable. In fact, lets just enjoy the 8 run lead.
9:39 Ok, sorry I've been gone for a bit... but like the white knight entering the dragon's den, i just snuck across the living room to get the remote back...
9:41 ...but he woke up and took it back from me. I don't know what just happened there... but it was something. I think the Patriots had some sort of scoring type play. Oh well.
9:45 I'm not the first person to mention this... but how cool is it that I can sit here, watch the stats for the Pats and Sox, including the speed of Schil's pitches, the temperature and wind direction in North Carolina, et. al., while typing and watching the games on TV? I love it. Were we all just really, really bored before we had these capabilities, or did we talk to each other more? I can't remember.
9:48. Meghan just informed me I might want to remove the 8:25 item. Eh, if you know me, you can live with it. If you don't know me, I'm kind of scared you're still reading this.
9:55 We're stuck on the Sox right now, which is sort of disappointing, as there's no reason to watch a 9-1 game. But just in case you are bored, here's a descent way to kill a good 20 minutes. Come on, you know you want to.
9:57 Another blocked FG. hehe. Sweet. Did you enjoy a little thumb wars??? I'm a puppet!!
10:04 Fourth and real short on the Panthers 1 yard line. I'm pleading with BB to go for it...
10:05 TOUCHDOWN! Ok, maybe the preseason doesn't require all caps... oh well. That was a SWEET play. Cassel botched the snap from Center, it popped up in the air, he caught it and flicked it to Evans who punched it through. What a chippy play. I love it. Long. TUP. Am I missing any fun catch phrases?
10:09 Meghan and I are the last two awake. Do I have the remote? No. Is my bum still itchy? Yes. But at least the last channel that was flickied was the Pats...
10:10 I'd like to point out that its near the end of the 3rd quarter, and I'm still going. I know, I know. Thank you. Also, I'd like to point out that if my father were here, he would have just made a joke - I don't know how it would have gone, but Nick Goings just ran the ball, and it would have had to do something with "coming and Goings"... I feel unconfortable just thinking about it.
10:16 Well, I was tagged by Meghan. I don't really know what this means, and I don't usually go for these back-door schenanigans, but I'll give it a try. I won't use my real real middle name either (though it does deal with a semi-famous wood worker)...
Obligatory Rules, Copy and put in your post.You post the meme rules before you start listing the facts of the darn meme. For each letter of your middle name, list a fact/statement relevant to you and/or your life, in some way. Alright? If you don’t have a middle name, pick one.Next, it’s your world, make up your own rules for the rest of this one and tag people accordingly . E dward is Tom Brady's middle name. No, you shouldn't find this creepy. D own was the first song I ever heard by 311. I like 311. And rocks. And trucks. Yay manly stuff. W ay Away is my favorite song off the Madden 04 soundtrack. Yes, I need help. A is the grade that I get in all my classed, cause I'm a wicked smah-tie. Yup, I went there. R on... Ron... Ron Weasley! D -Fense. D-Fense. D-Fense. Go Pats!
Vallone, you are the only other person I know that could have made it this far on a stupid Patriots post. You've been tagged. Whatever that means.
10:35 For those of you keeping score at home, the last twenty minutes have consisted of the following: The remote is back in the sleeping dragon's den, and the Sox are on. Oh well. Meghan and I have switched places and now I have her laptop and the comfy seat, while she has gone to bed. And she managed to leave two comments on this (now rather lengthy) post, see below. And I can't tell you how the pats are doing... Oh well. It was good to see them do well tonight, really, the 3rd preseason game is the most important to win anyway.
10:43 Well, the sox are still on. I think getting it back on the Pats is hopeless at this point. I guess its time to pack it in. I hope you enjoyed your night, whatever you were doing (even if it wasn't blogging for 3 hours), and also enjoyed this post. I'm off to bed with my mysterious girl-friend-on-the-side.
Well, today is the maddenoliday, and sadly I don't have my copy. I'm still very much on my football kick (the 360 has been overworked with NCAA 08 recently) - I'm so ready for the start of the season, I'm probably going to be sick of it by week two... or not.
Anyway, I've been accused (by Meghan) of not updating (often, ever, at all; you get the point). I'm actually constantly brainstorming ideas to keep you entertained, however there always seems to be a mitigating factor (and when facing a lack of a mitigating factor, I just defer to laziness). Well here is an update, and though I may not have 6-pack abs, I'll give you a 12-pack of cold, hard refreshment from your daily grind:
1. My twin turns 26 on Saturday - an early happy birthday to you Val!
2. This graphic is great - that is if you're interested in finding out how quickly the water comes at you after your header off the Tobin. Still we can cling to hope... a four game lead is better than a no-game lead... http://www.boston.com/news/multimedia/Whats_wrong_with_the_Red_Sox/
3. Great ad - I'd never seen it until recently, you may have seen it, but if you haven't, I won't ruin it.
4. Just in case you don't care about the Sox, or much else about sports (what kind of bizarre human being are you anyway??), but are still thinking about finding a reason to run yourself through with Ian's marine sword, listen into WEEI and/or watch NESN on Thursday and Friday for the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. After about 7 seconds you'll want to kill yourself... that is after you donate your life's savings to them. http://weei.com/pages/681493.php?
5. Two words: "Oh Yeah"... too bad it gets cut off at the end, but you get the idea.
Always classic... I'll probably get in trouble for that. But just in case I didn't:
5a.
6. And if I'm not already in enough trouble, Meghan really hates this ad. They play it before every movie we go see, and it drives her insane. For what its worth, I'm not about to go sign up either, but I've been thinking a lot recently about our men and women abroad. Even if this ad drives me a little crazy, it makes me think that I'm pretty lucky to be sitting in a stadium seating movie theater - I don't always buy into the argument that our armed forces are protecting our "rights" to freedom - but if they're taking the fight to terrorists abroad, then it should hopefully make us feel safer here. Taking two and a half minutes to remember that once in a while isn't such a bad thing. Doing it more often would be better.
(Plus, the music absolutely kicks ass. I may have listened to it 5 times while typing this.)
7. And on a FAR less serious note (yes, I'm completely switching gears here), I just about completely fell out of my seat when I watched this-
8. Hmmmm... Facebook. Interesting. We'll see. (lets see me keep up with my blog first).
9. Did I mention I was pumped for football? I think I did. If you don't have time for anything else, make time for this. You'll be ready too.
10. I would post a video of Giada here, really, just because I can, and because I don't think I'd get that many arguments... but I know I'd get one. And I'm in enough trouble as it is. However it does bring me to my one rant of the night: the television. I promise I won't ramble long, but: 1) Why doesn't Comcast carry the NFL Network? I know, I know, its money. But still. I have unbridled anger at this, I'm just keeping it in until the day we're blacked out of a Pats game because of it. 2) Comcast can screw. 3) Why can't the Food Network have a decent programming lineup on its HD channel? Is it that hard? Just stop showing the same episode of Barefoot Contessa 30 times a day. 4) Comcast can really, really screw. 5) When are the rest of the HD channels coming? This is starting to get annoying. I don't need the weather channel HD, fyi. Let's work on this.
11. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Madden at least once more, as it and Giada are plotting my imminent divorce. Bill Simmons most recent podcast is basically just 50 minutes of him talking about video game football with his buddy. Most likely the best train ride I've ever had to work. I can't wait to get the game... Saturday can't come soon enough!
And yes, I'm completely comfortable turning 26 and being excited about a video game. If this makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry.
12. Red Sox 2, Devil Rays 1. Batlimore 12, NYY 0. Step away from the ledge. Good night everyone.
Well, its the second interesting Monday in a row. No, nothing really surpasses someone driving into you (my back still hurts... maybe its time to squeeze a few dimes out of Arbella Insurance). This Monday may not have a highlight like last week did, but it does have one long story, the story of Andrew the Juror. Yep, someone elses fate is in my hands, instead of the other way around this week. But I'm legally obligated not to tell you anything further (come on, you must admit I'm the master of the tease... no, not that kind of tease).
I promise a full recap as soon as I'm allowed to... I promise a few of you may find it interesting.
At any rate, I was racking my brain for the other commercial that always gets me in the football mindframe, and it took about 10 minutes of searching, which I found surprising - in this day and age I figured a video with a major brand and a former football head coach would be easier to find, but it was slightly difficult - anyway, here it is - Bill Parcells asking the question - do you have what it takes to pay the toll?
Round 1: For whatever reason, I got to pick the first number out of the hat (and by hat, I do mean the cup of the league trophy), giving me the only legitimate 1 in 10 chance at any pick... and for the second year in a row, I ended up with #3. Last year I was happy about this because I didn't have to choose a running back; one was chosen for me as Westbrook was the only logical choice. This year, I wanted a lower pick, because I thought there was more value in the 7th & 14th picks than with 3 and 18. However I was delighted when MJD was picked #1, leaving me with either Peterson, or the more likely, and eventual pick, Michael Turner. Curse of 370 be damned.
.png)
