How Could This Work?

45 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, a block, and 4 steals. That was the line for Kobe Bryant in 43 minutes of work in an exciting loss to Houston last night. Those were the numbers from a guy who was accused by his coach of "not putting his heart and soul into performing on the court." These are numbers from a guy who is constantly berated for being a selfish ball-hog, yet gave the ball up to Derek Fisher for a game-tying hoop in crunch time. Tracy McGrady's Rockets walked off the floor victoriously, but this is no suprise. The Rockets are a team everyboy expects to be in the mix when we reach the Western Conference semifinals. This game would have been over at halftime if Kobe hadn't been on the floor. What this game did illustrate is that there is virtually no way the Lakers can improve by trading Kobe Bryant. T-Mac had 30 and 6, but his performance can't hold a candle to Bryant's. A Kobe-T-Mac swap would solidify the Rockets place amongst the Western Conference elite and would take the Lakers out of the playoff picture.

Kobe will never be outdone on the floor. It doesn't matter what the situation is with the front office. This is a guy who has been consistently excellent under the most difficult of circumstances. He has the same competitive drive that we see from guys like MJ and KG: it doesn't matter what the situation is, he is going to put everything he has on the floor because he can't accept anything less. This is not a guy who is going to suit up and then go through the motions on the court. It's just not part of his make up.

I'm not trying to defend Kobe. The responsibility for the circumstances in which he has found himself over the past few years falls squarely on his shoulders. However, from a pure basketball standpoint, I just don't see any way that the Lakers can improve their team by dealing Bryant. I've already shared my thoughts on a potential T-Mac deal. A possible deal to Washington for Arenas? Then you have a team that was two games over .500 in the West trading a player to a team that was .500 in the East for a player who is not as good. Not to mention, there's no Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison to help Gilbert if he came to LA. We all know Kobe wants to go to Chicago, and who can blame him? Most experts are picking this Chicago team to win the East. Although this deal seems the most likely, I still have questions. In all possible scenarios, the Bulls are being asked to abandon the rebuilding process that they has been so succesful thus far. What happens if they give up too much? Then Bryant may be swithcing cities, but the situation on the floor won't have changed. This deal seems to be the only one that may be able to benefit the Lakers enough to warrant action. Still, they won't be getting equal value in return for Kobe.

Finally, I have to question the way the Lakers front office handled this matter during the pre-season. Did Kobe also handle it poorly earlier this summer? Absolutely. No question about it. Again, I'm not trying to defend him, I'm just trying to think about what would be best for his team. Kobe's comments at pre-season media day seemed to indicate that he was ready to put what had happened in the off-season behind him and focus on basketball. For the Lakers front office, this should have the best news they had heard in months. Again, it's virtually impossible for them to get equal value for Bryant. So, they should have said "everybody keep your mouth shut, don't bring this up again, let's just let kobe be kobe." Instead, they felt the need to make it known publicly that they would listen to any offers for Bryant. This doesn't need to be said! Of course you're going to listen to trade offers for him! You're going to listen to trade offers for anyone! Any offers that come along! That's your job!

I highly doubt that the Lakers are going to find a good deal for Kobe. He's going to help whatever team he goes to far more than the Lakers will be helped by who they get in return. If anything is going to come along that could help them, look for it to come from Chicago. In the meantime, this guy is as professional as they come. When he's out on the court, you can expect the best player in the league to give everything he has.

Coverage of Boston "Rolling Rally"

Here are the pics I took from the parade yesterday. Look, they're a little off-center, but they're very close up and I think they're some good shots. If you're one of those people that examines pictures and crticizes the quality of the angle and the clarity or the number of pixels, then just know that I usually am not someone who carries cameras everywhere. I like to enjoy moments rather than worrying about capturing them to look at later, but I bought myself a disposable and got right up close so that I could maximize the experience of the roomofzen faithful so fuck off......here they are, click on them to enlarge, I thought you could play the music in the video above to add to the viewing.

Danzig - Always A good Decision

Last Wednesday, October 24, by around 4 o’clock PM I wasn’t even sure if I was going to the Danzig show that night. There were plenty of reasons to let myself miss the performance; at 30 dollars the tickets weren’t exactly cheap, and it was pouring rain out. Leaving work at six I still hadn’t made the decision; I was leaning towards it, but also wondering how I would pay for gas the rest of the week if I went. On my way home things took a turn for the worse as a lady, apparently in a rush to get to an emergency at the hospital, backed up into me and smashed the quarter panel of my car, wedging the body against the wheel so that at first I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get home much less to the Electric Factory that night. It seemed like the show was out of the question and I had just about written it off, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I would really regret not going to this one.
By around 8 o’clock I said “fuck it,” this show is the best thing for me right now, and as the events would unfold around that night I fortunately turned out to be right. What follows is a recap of the night’s events, but I don’t want this to be mistaken for a review – by no beans am I objective enough spectator at this point to claim to be presenting an unbiased opinion.
Opening for Danzig was a new band called Gorgeous Frankenstein, which features ex-Misfits guitarist, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein. I had no real expectations for this band, so I wasn’t overly let down when they hit the stage and the singer was wearing a head set microphone a ala ‘Nsync, and Doyle’s wife, pro wrestler Gorgeous George was somewhat pointlessly, (not to mention foolishly) dancing around the stage dressed like a stripper. The only redeeming quality of this performance was the fact that Doyle could still own the stage like the pummeling rock n roll monster that he was during his early career with the Misfits.
Danzig hit the stage shortly after Doyle’s set and reminded the audience why they were there. Despite sporting a brace on his left arm after an accident he had incurred the previous night, Danzig brought all of the fire that his fans come to expect. The majority of his set was made up of tunes from the mediocre Lost Tracks album, however he kept the crowd with him by reminding them how excited he was to be there, even though the doctors told him he wasn’t supposed to jumping around on stage, and by introducing the new songs with exceedingly badass descriptions – my favorite being “this ones called Lady Lucifera, I put a bunch of chicks together to make on dark bitch.” At the end of Danzig’s set he made sure as hell that his fans were properly thanked for sitting through the new (or lost) material, by cranking up the heat and aggression with an energetic performance of Twist of Cain, followed immediately by his undisputed classic Mother. The energy level, however, that these two songs sparked was almost insignificant compared to how the crowd would react to what came next. I know I was expecting it a little bit, and I’m sure that others felt the same way, but I think all of the other “too young to have seen the Misfits” fan like myself shared the same rush of excitement when they saw Doyle and Danzig standing on stage together for the first time. They ripped through four songs Vampira, Demonomania, We Bite, and Skulls Of course this short set only lasted mere minutes, but they were some of the most memorable minutes in my life – I can still here Danzig wailing Vampira’s name, and I doubt it will leave me for a long time.

Despite Win, Eagles Have a Long Road Ahead

Believe it or not, the fact that the Eagles won on Sunday delayed the writing of this article. After witnessing the debacle that was the last two minutes of the Chicago game in person, my faith in this team, at least for the meantime, had taken a few steps backward. I had been letting the negativity build up inside in anticipation of a cathartic release through this article. However, due to the turn of events I was forced to reevaluate my stance on Eagles football. I spent the majority of my Sunday afternoon in serious contemplation over these issues while a painful hangover paralyzed me in a semi-vegetative state, making any other physical activity virtually impossible.
It was a confusing week to be an Eagles fan. Like most weeks during football season, I spent hours listening to Philly sports talk on WIP, and the only thing that seemed to be a constant sentiment amongst Philly sports fans is that the Eagles have problems, but no one can seem to put their finger on just what they are. When you take a step back, and have listened to as many different opinions as I have, it is obvious that this is because the problem cannot be traced to anyone one player or any one aspect of the game. Some insist that the quarterback has to go, while others are certain that the McNabb is not the problem and instead point to the lack of any star receivers, of course it is impossible to absolve the offensive line of any responsibility. These are all true, the Birds are playing with a quarterback who, coming off of an injury, is playing at a level that is less than he has in the past, and throwing to a sub-par at best assortment of receivers. The odd thing is that despite their past success, this is no new predicament for the Eagles to find themselves in. The questions that are left to ask are what make this season different, could Sunday’s win have been the start of one of the Eagles’ signature mid-season- turnaround-playoff campaigns?
Unfortunately, I believe that the answer to the second question is no (although I’m desperately hoping to be proven wrong), this is because unlike past seasons head coach Andy Reid seems to be playing an integral part in the Eagles shortcomings. Reid’s accountability spans from the unacceptable way in which the punt return situation was handled at the beginning of the season, to the poor play calling that led to the defeat at Chicago. Don’t get me wrong, Sunday’s game against Minnesota provided Eagles fans with a much needed break from the frustration that has followed a majority of this season’s games, but a win of this nature, over a rather unimpressive Vikings team is hardly evidence for more success ahead, particularly with two challenging games against the Cowboys and a virtually Futile engagement with the Patriots to look forward to. The playoffs are uncertain at best for the Eagles at this point, but the remainder of this season holds a lot at stake for Reid and McNabb and their respective futures as Eagles. It is my hope that they do not implode as the season continues, but that the two can regain some of the chemistry that has been integral in past seasons because if Reid and McNabb can continue to perform with the Eagles, then the team is always only a few small steps away from competing at a super bowl caliber.

The Sickest Day.

So, yesterday (Sunday) was one of the sickest days I've had in a while. I woke up early, put on my Celtics sweatpants, a hooded sweatshirt, and my Randy Moss Oakland Raiders jersey. I then met Righter and Riley in Braintree and we headed for Gillete Stadium with a car full of Bud Light, brats, chedarwurst, and barbecue wings. I'd been looking forward to this day for weeks. Not only would I see the Great One playing live for the first time, but I would also actually be rooting for the Patriots to win and give the Giants a little space in the NFC East standings.

The parking lot scene was great. Lots of drinking and lots of great food. However, I did have to bite my tounge as I was waiting in the port-a-potty line. I overheard two yuppy turtle-necked Patriots fans amusing themselves at the expense of the NFC East. "All those fans: Giants fans, Cowboys fans, Redskins fans, they all try to be like us, their fans wish that they were our fans." I wanted to turn around and say "Listen dickhead, your fanbase was about half the size it is now until 2001. The NFC East fans have been die-hard since the 70's. And, by the way, your team cheated and Rodney Harrison was suspended for HGH. Stop pretending he was missing time because of injury." Fucking ridiculous. Anyways, I bit my toungue, and returned to the tailgate spot and prepared to witness the great one in person.

The game was ridiculous. The Patriots played flawlessly and totally dismantled Washington. The highlight was a fake-spike touchdown pass to the Great One right before the half. The score was 52-7 by the time it was all said and done. We stayed the entire time and then headed home to watch the world series.

As an aside, a lot has been made about the Patriots "running up the score." Listen, anyone who knows me knows that I love to criticize the Patriots. Most of that stems from the fact that a lot of their fans refuse to acknowledge that they broke very clear rules or that what Rodney Harrison did was shameful (these are the same fans who were all over Shawn Merriman last year before the playoff game). However, I have never taken issue with what this Patriots team has done on the field this year, and yesterday was no different. What I do take issue with is the fact that the Redskins didn't come out ready to play in the second half. These are guys that are collecting massive checks after the game, and they flat-out quit after the first half. The Patriots didn't kick a field goal on fourth down because they weren't just trying to get points. So, step up on defense and stop them. It's hard to accuse a team of running up the score when their backup QB is running it in on a broken play. Look, running up the score is poor sportsmanship in high school or college, when amateurs are competing and there are often mismatches. However, this is a clash of millionare professionals. Step up and play hard the whole game. I can't imagine how many times you'd have to multiply my salary this year to equal what Clinton Portis made in that second half yesterday.

SICK:

On the way home, we listened to Jon Lester pitching a gem against Colorado. What a great story this is. I can't think of a better way for the series to end. I made it home in the sixth, and watched the Red Sox take home the crown. What a great season, and I couldn't be more excited about the future of this team. Our pitching rotation is going to be absurd next year. As if this wasn't enough, the announcement came that A-Rod was opting out of his Yankees contract. Things really can't get any better at this point. I can't imagine the Sox getting in the mix for him. Hopefully they'll focus on re-signing Mike Lowell. A-Rod is going to demand a lot of years, and 30 million is a lot to owe someone 7 or 8 years from now.

On another note: I made a pretty big decision on Friday that I am pretty psyched about. I decided that I would not buy any more CDs or coffee (which will save me 26 dollars a month) until I graduate this summer. With this money, I have signed up with Children International (www.children.org) to sponsor a 9 year old in Columbia. The money will provide him with an education, food, leadership training, and healthcare. Between graduate school and a job at a coffee shop, I will definately feel this sacrifice. However, it is certainly doable and I encourage everyone to participate. Need is just a myth for most people in our country, and even giving a small amount makes a huge difference. Hopefully when I get his address I can send him a Celtics hat.




One more note: I'll never understand why pro athletes or coaches talk to the media about other people's situations instead of just handling the matters in private. Phil Jackson had this to say to the media about Kobe Bryant: "Obviously he hasn't thrown his heart and soul into performing on the floor." He went on to say "That hurts me a little bit." How does this help anything? I can picture an akward situation now in which Kobe comes in and says "yo Phil, I've heard that you don't think I've thrown my heart and soul into performing on the floor and that it has hurt you a little bit. Do you want to talk about it?" And Phil saying "No thanks Kobe, I think I've said everything I need to say." Nothing gets accomplished. The only thing you can do is make situations worse by talking to the media. Jackson knows this. He knows that what he's doing is doubling the efforts of the front office in their pursuit of trading Bryant.

Patriots Notes Week 9

So, when I balked at the 17 point spread this week and decided to not place a bet on the Pats vs. Redskins I felt as though I was making a smart decision. My buddies have been saying "Just ride the Pats all year long, just ride em" and they have been right. They've covered every single spread, including one time on an improbable Randall Gay fumble return for a touchdown against the Browns. I wish there was a way to calculate the amount of money that changed hands on that single play. I could seriously have a sick fourwheeler right now, or maybe if I was responsible, a few thousand dollars less to pay off on my student loans.

Anway, I cant say enough about the total beating that we put on the Skins. I don't remember a more lopsided game. The offense seems like it is playing on All-Madden against a 12 year old girl in control of the Miami Dolphins. A few years ago the Pats used to win games 20-17, 13-10, etc... They were close and you always came away feeling that they had outsmarted their opponent, or that they had just made one or two plays more than the opposition. Everyone patted them on the back for being such a good "team". Everyone complemented them for being "smart football players" They were still winning a lot of games but now their success is because they cheat (bullshit, except for Rodney Harrison, I'll give you that), or their coach is an asshole (probably true, but awesome). Which brings me to my first point...

-Why does everyone make such a big deal about the Pats "running up the score"? All over the media people are criticsing Bellicheck for not calling off the dogs. Last time I checked the Redskins are professional football players who make thousands if not millions of dollars to play football. Anyone making that kind of money to play a sport should have the right to get their asses kicked on television. I know these guys are competitors and all but seriously, when they lose a game I'm sure they are not contemplating suicide (except for possibly Scott Norwood and Tony Romo). They are probably sore and they are probably going to walk out of the locker room, get in a sick car, drive to a sick house, and have sex with a hot chick, or two, or three. I don't see why we need douchebags like Mark Schlereth and Chris Collinsworth sticking up for grown men who have become the "victims" of some great unsportsmanship. What they need to do is drink the coolaid. They need to savor and enjoy its flavor. I hope they hang 50 on everybody and the scary thing is that they could, including the Colts next week.

-The defense was great, maybe their most dominant performance to date. It was great to see Richard Seymour back on the field, I still call his fan hotline from time to time but I am yet to have left a message as he never seems to clear his voicemail inbox, he is probably just really busy being a huge badass. Really, its hard to say anything about the defense or the game in general without pointing out Mike Vrabel double digit tackles, 3 sacks/forced fumbles, a touchdown. Seriously, Joe Gibbs, stick to NASCAR.

-Note: I do give Gibbs props for not taking the bait on the "Did you think the Pats should have taken out their starters, etc..." questions after the game. He was very gracious in defeat and I respect that. It was clear that he knows (and probably knew) that the Patriots are the far superior team. Then he probably went home and fucked a relatively (taking his age into consideration) hot chick. I dont feel sorry for him at all.

-Randy Moss continues to dominate every week. It is hard to believe that a lot of people didn't want him on this team last spring, now it seems like the Patriots have pulled off the greatest deal in the history of the NFL, no one talks about Deion Branch anymore, and it is possible that Moss and Brady both set season records for offensive production at their positions this season. I really hope the Pats go ahead and give Moss an extension before the end of the season. He seems to like playing here, he's certainly not going to play for a better quarterback, and no organization is better poised to secure him a spot in the Hall of Fame as the New England Patriots. Check out TheRealRandyMoss.com when you get a chance, to see quotes like this one in response to a question about how he makes the two TD catches against Miami-- "I don’t want to call it luck because it’s not. It’s something that I’ve done my whole career." Also, you can buy an official Randy Moss Real Mask, LaRocque, I dare you.

-Currently the line on the Pats vs Colts is Pats -5. I am going to take this one, and I would be surprised if they dont win by at least 10. This game has all the makings of an instant classic. You've got the great rivalry that has developed over the past 6 or seven years between these two teams. Youve got revenge factor from the loss in Indianapolis in the AFC Championship game. You have the two best quarterbacks in the league, two of the best of all time for that matter. Both teams are healthy and undefeated and home field advantage is at stake, and we all know how important that is in the NFL. I give the Pats the edge on both sides of the ball. I think that Indy's Defense, which has been playing well and locked up the Pats last year in the playoffs is going to be exposed. Theyve got a passrushing Dline that will have problems with the run since this year they wont have 8 int he box the whole game. Bob Sanders will actually have to cover downfield instead of sitting at 8 yards unblocked and making tackles, check that, Bob Sanders will try to cover receivers downfield. I see Randy Moss running past everyone at least once. The real hero on offense will be either Welker or Stallworth who will get lost in the slot and have there way in the open field with Indy's linebackers.

My call: Patriots 35-21 in control all game.

Total Domination, The Circle, etc... Part 2

So, as a disclaimer, I apologize for the many spelling errors and inconsistent capitalizations in my first post. I will make every attempt in the future to complete these blogs in a more professional manner. Admittedly, I never excelled at Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. I type the same way I used to jerk off when I was 14: furiously, with little regard for hand and finger placement. But that is neither here nor there, I will just try to proofread a little bit closer in the future. Now down to business...

When I woke up at 5:30am on Thursday I felt like shit, physically. Mentally, although groggy, I was excited and during my morning drive as I switched back and forth between Howard Stern and WEEI Sports Radio 850am, I could hardly wait to finish with my daily water sampling (such is the plight of a field geologist) so that I could once again head north to the Circle, this time with the promise of both college football and the World Series awaiting. I'll skip the events of the day, partly because it is far from exciting and partly because I like the fact that nobody really knows what a Geologist does.

6pm:

I play in a men's basketball league at the gym in Salisbury which happens to b right down the street from the Circle. This is extremely convenient for post workout/game beers. By a magnificent twist of fate, my team was scheduled to play in the 6pm slot (they also have 7, and 8pm games which would have clearly sucked on such a night) We won our game and I was out of the steamroom and showered up by 735, by 745 I had assumed a prime seat at one of the picnic tables that sits along the wall in the main television room. This particular table has a picture of a russian weightlifter completing a deadlift and a photograph of the 1978 USC football team lacquered onto its top, why I do not know. I'm telling you the ambiance of this place is remarkable. I made my way to the bar for the first of more than a few tall Busch drafts and sat down to watch the BC game already in progress. The following are my notes, again, scrawled onto a Keno card. Somebody noticed me tonight using Keno cards to not play Keno and I saw a look in his eyes that vaguely resembled the look a bum might give a pigeon who just shit on his shopping cart. I turned away and drank more.


-I admit I haven't really followed BC this season, there's been too much other stuff going on, maybe this makes me a bad fan, whatever, I've never been a huge BC fan. From what I see throughout 3 quarters...not impressed. Ryan looks frustrated, his throws errant, his demeanor very Chad Pennington-esque. VTech looks physically superior and the BC offense continues to struggle, all I can think is that I am watching Matt Ryan's Heisman hopes slip away before my very eyes. In the meantime my buddies girlfriend shows up and gives me what seems to be a disapproving look, she knows this is already my second trip to the Circle this week (this is probably because the Circle is very much a place a guy would come to get away from his wife/girlfriend, and also the kind of place where someone like me would get drunk on a Thursday night and say something inappropriate)

-So we all know by now that BC wins the game in dramatic fashion, ironically a few very poor plays by the Vtech special teams leave the door open. Ryan throws a nice touchdown pass to Calendar on a great playcall and then proceeds to vomit on the sideline, sick. I still don't know if this game helps him or hurts him in the Heisman race, I'm leaning towards hurt. If they played Ohio State today I think they'd get smoked.

-Somewhere between the end of the BC game and the start of the Red Sox game I get drunk. I know what you're thinking..."They were going on at the same time", fair enough, I have reviewed my notes from this point on and they are practically useless. They include the title of an ABBA song (Take a Chance on Me...sick video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuB8xWeA59I), and a description of a system my buddy uses to ask someone whether or not he would bang a chick...it goes as follows...you see a chick and instead of saying "would you do her?" you say "Evelyn?" and then I (or whoever) would respond yes or no. You could also say that there were a lot of "Evelyns" at a party or bar or taco bell, whatever. Maybe in some way this is more important than the thoughts I was having about the Sox game I was watching although I have yet to figure out how. Maybe because you could easily watch the game and have the same breakdown of the Red Sox Bullpen as me but you could not have discovered that there were .75 Evelyns at a sports bar in Salisbury, MA.


Next: Saturday

Total Domination, The Circle, etc...Pt. 1

(Part 1 of a Series of undetermined length)


Sometimes I just feel lucky to live at a point in human history where things such as large televisions, refrigeration, and deep-fryers coexist. And, when you manage to combine these things consistently over the course of a week in addition to a steady diet of professional and collegiate sports, beer, and good company you may just have to stop and say "fucking A" and say it with strictly positive connotations.

I'm sure people all over the world are sick of hearing things like "its just a great time to be a new england sports fan", Even the Fox broadcast of the Patriots this afternoon featured a three minute segment on Troy Aikman's first visit to Fenway Park to catch a world Series game, complete with a montage of clips from the sox game with Aikman in red sox gear rooting for the team and trying to fit in. I cant decide if I have a personal grudge against Aikman as I am admittedly not a big fan of the cowboys teams for which Aikman played and I also really hate Emmit Smith (you might not see a correlation here but I really do hate Emmit Smith and I feel the need to point this out frequently, I am not perfect).

It did kind of seem contrived to me that Aikman just so happened to pick now as the time where he comes out to claim that he has been a fan of the team since he played little league, and not during the mid-90s when Tim Naerhring was stalking the infield dirt of Fenway park on legs of differing lengths. I am not sick of saying it, and although I attempt to keep perspective on the great fortune that has befallen Boston Sports as of late, it is hard not to walk with a little extra swagger when your football team is 8-0, your baseball team is up 3-0 in the world series, the basketball team just acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnet, The college football team (sorry Umass) is number 2 in the country, and even the local NHL franchise is winning games despite attracting approximately the same level of interest from the public as the new sitcom "Cavemen". It is good to be a Boston Sports fan right now. It hasn't always been this way (clearly) so for now you all just have to deal with it.

The downside of all of this dominance is that good teams play in primetime and that to properly enjoy something such as a world series game 1 or a game two combined with a simultaneous broadcast of no 2 BC at no 8 Virginia Tech I need to journey to Salisbury Massachusetts and find a seat at the Winner's Circle. Why? Well, there are several reasons. First, I live at home with my parents (strike one), Second I do not have cable in my bedroom (strike two), third they "frown upon" me drinking alone at home, (strike three), since I left for college they have done some serious remodeling of my bedroom including the addition of a giant glass case filled with my grandmother's extensive doll collection (weak). So you can see why a good sports bar is key to enjoying this era of boston sports for me in particular, and I know that some of you out there may share a similar situation although probably without the issue of the dolls.

To be fair, I would have to say that the "Circle" as it is called among friends and alcoholics alike, is no better or worse than any other sportsbar out there that features an extensive array of scratch tickets and fried food, beer in plastic cups, sports memorabilia, mullets (worn with pride by members of both sexes), sweatpants, arbitrary pennants of defucnt USFL franchises, keno, a computerized horce racing simulation which you can bet on, and multiple television sets. The bouncers both easily weigh over 400lbs, and always say something like "Ive been better" or "Can't complain, you wouldnt listen anyway" when you ask them how theyre doing during that awkward silence that accompanies the ID scan at the front door. Usually when you arrive there are a few stragglers smoking butts by the door complaining about a divorce or a timing belt, leaning on the railing and scoping out newcomers. You rarely see an attractive girl inside and they offer free popcorn after 8pm. Tables are first come first serve and on any given evening where there isn't a big game on you can come in and watch Seinfeld reruns or a random 90s action movie like "Broken Arrow". Basically it is my mecca and at this point in my life I cant imagine that there is a place in the world that offers me the same possibility to feel both awesome and worried for my future as the Circle.


Wednesday: Red Sox 13-1 over the Rockies

Feeling good from a long days work, a nap, and a trip to the gym I arrived at the circle on wednesday to catch game 1 of the world series. I met my buddy and we immediately grabbed a couple of tall Busch drafts priced competitively at $3 apiece. I placed an order for some jalepeno poppers and a small cheese pizza. Needless to say, things were going well. Beckett took the mound and looked as dominant as ever. He is really pitching out of his mind right now and I would venture to say that his performance this postseason is on par with any pedro Martinez performances that I can remember. He is a huge badass, totally on another level from any other hurler in the postseason and the kind of guy you root for because he can kick all the ass in his life that you could never kick in yours.

Things got better early on in the game when my buddy bet me $50 that JD Drew would get out in his first trip to the plate, no sooner had I shaken his hand then Drew slapped a duoble down the rightfieild line. Easy money, and to make it sweeter I was basically paid for rooting for JD Drew something I dont think many people in the region could claim to have accomplished this year. I will say that it has been awesome to see Drew play better in the postseason (currently hitting .340 with 16 hits, 11 RBI) , looking at his stats to date his numbers are in the top five for the team offensively, and he has played solid defense. Rooting for him feels like the right thing to do, I dont regularly contribute to charities but I bet it inspires a similar type of feeling. People will never say that he was worth the $14 million he got this season but hey, its not my money, and if the sox win the world series doesnt that make any money they spent on any player worth it? That seems like the whole point to me, especially since Drew has "earned" his money in the playoffs. I really hope he plays well next year, and if I continue to root for him I believe I will feel better about stiffing the bell ringer for the salvation army as I make my way into the liquor store this holiday season.

Some random observations I jotted down onto a Keno card to help me remember them, in no order of significance:

The Rockies Players have some of the wierdest names I have ever heard, Yorvit? Please.


At one point during the night my buddy turns to me and says, dead serious, "I'm a big fan of staring at other dude's girlfriends." we both laugh heartily and then I scan the room to make sure that no huge dude with a tattoo arm sleeve has noticed him staring at his woman's tits. All seems well, and continues as such throughout the night.

During a trip to the bathroom I stand next to a man at the urinals and as I begin to relieve myself he drops his cell phone and it slides underneath my urinal. We say nothing as I slide it back towards him with my sneaker. We do not make eye contact, and nor do we speak as he retrieves the phone and scurries out of the bathroom neglecting to wash his hands. I deduce that there is little chance he was an employee as he is rather thin and is not wearing sweatpants. Im sure wierder things happen in mens rooms all the time.

I leave the circle at the end of the eigth inning and catch the last inning on the radio as I drive home, buzzing pretty good and not thinking about waking up in 6 hours. I spare you all of the statistical details of the game becuase Im not wasting my time recanting all the "important numbers" they are availble online and I am not in the mood to research. Beckett was sick (1.29 ERA in the postseason) , the sox hit the ball all over the park, the rockies looked severely overmatched, I lost two games of pool and played a couple David Bowie songs on the jukebox, the world series was off to a good start, AND the weekend loomed around the corner, as promosing and menacing as ever. It is a good time to be a new england sports fan, before I made my exit I vowed to return again tomorrow night for game 2 and the BC Virginia Tech game. I felt like I was on the beginning of a roll.

Week 8 Giants Preview

I'm not going to waste any time breaking down the game today. The Giants are going to win. Hopefully, they'll win by a lot. Between the trade of Chris Chambers, the injury to Ronnie Brown, and the Rams getting Steven Jackson back, I don't think there's any question that this Dolphins team is the worst in the league. The fact that the game is in London is sort of a weird X factor, but I have to assume that it will affect both teams the same way. If anything, the location might work in the Giants favor, as the weather in London will be much more similar to East Rutherford than Miami.

If I'm Tom Coughlin, I'm really not going to use Plax any more than I need to this week. In fact, I don't know if I'd play him at all. With the bye next week, this is a great oppurtunity for him to rest his ankle. The way that our defense has been playing, we should be able to keep good field position all day against Miami. To me, it makes all the sense in the world to not even have Plax make this trip. Have him stay back in New York and get three weeks of treatment before our next game. Unfortunately, I don't think Tom Coughlin is in a position to make a decision like that. If we ever did lose, he'd get crushed.

I've loved watching the Giants this year. Even in their first two losses, I thought they looked pretty solid. Frankly, I can't wait Dallas again. However, I'm not drinking the kool-aid yet. I think that people who aren't Giants fans forget that we were 6-2 last year as well before an epic injury-riddled meltdown. Granted, this year's team has a whole different feel to them. They're fun, they're loose, and we seem to be drama-free. But, I've been bitten too many times by this team. Like the players, I need to take it one week at a time and keep a level head.

I have to DVR the game and watch it later tonight, because I'll be heading to Gillete to watch the greatest football player of all time (Randy Moss). Hopefully the Patriots can knock off Washington today and give us a little breathing room.

Alabama Thunderpussy

We love these guys, Ted works for their label:

Saturday Morning

Went to the Celtics final preseason game last night, and couldn't be more excited about the prospects for this season. Despite having watched all of the preseason games up until this point, I still sat in disbelief as I heard the names in our starting lineups announced. I still sat in disbelief in section 309, where I sat many times last season, at how much energy there was in the Garden for a preseason game. A few thoughts on the game:

-Despite some sputtering late in the second quarter, the Celtics dominated all phases of the game, and in the end defeated the defending conference champs by 25.

-Nothing has ever made my blood curdle like hearing the announcement "Into the game for the Celtics, number 44 Brian Scalbrine replaces Kevin Garnett." This has to be the biggest downgrade you can make in the NBA today. However, the reverse announcement was made about 5 minutes later, and suddenly I felt incredibly rejuvenated.

-I harp on this a lot, but I'm still waiting to see what Scal has to offer. I hear Doc and Danny and Tommy talk all the time about the little things that he does. Every time I go to a game, I expect that maybe I'll be able to see it more clearly. But, once again last night I wathced him on both ends of the floor and was completely unimpressed. As I complete my third preseason of the Scalabrine era, the only positive aspect of his game that I can see is that he occasionally goes on a streak where he can't miss from the outside when the other team decides to leave him alone on an island. But, we now have two of the league's best 3-point shooters. I don't want Scal taking that shot! Tommy always says that Scal would be a great coach. Maybe the best thing for us would be if he and Doc switched positions.

-It was more evident than ever last night that a huge burden has been lifted from Paul Pierce's shoulders. Pierce was the Celtics high scorer at the end of the first quarter (scored 7 points in the first three minutes), before the Cavaliers stuck LeBron James on him. After that, he was able to look elsewhere, not allowing Cleveland to focus their defensive attention on any one man. The Big Three all finished with impressive numbers. Ray Allen caught fire in the third quarter and gave the Celtics more of a cushion. Allen finished with 20 points while KG had a triple double (21 pts 13 boards 10 assists).

-I have been impressed by Perk and Rondo all preseason. I feel like we're really only now seeing what Perk can do when he's healthy, and Rondo has been getting better every game since he first began starting at the point last season.

-This is probably ridiculous, but I really wonder if KG has the chance to be the only other player besides the big O to average a triple double. Obviously a lot of things would have to go right for this to happen, but I have to believe that his chances have to be better than most players. He passes so well for a big man, particularly out of double teams. He's got great scorers all around him. He's a lock to average the double double for points and rebounds. Frankly, his passing is the aspect of his game that has been the most impressive thus far. Maybe we can revisit this in a few months.

-Big Baby is a serious player. The guy has moves.

-Next trip is November ninth with Babcock against Atlanta. The Celts open up with a tough schedule. First Washington then Denver and then an Atlanta team that is more dangerous than people think. They could really take some people by suprise. We will most likely play a simulation on NBA live 08, then hit the fours, then to the game. We'll have all the details for you here.

-As an aside, Genarlow Wilson was finally released from prison in Georgia yesterday. Here is the story about him that was run in ESPN in January: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=wilson You may have to paste it into your browser. It's worth a read. I have been thinking about him ever since I read it, and can't believe it took this long for him to be released.

Last night's trade through the eyes of a Celtics fan

With all of the excitement surrounding the World Series and Week 8 of the NFL season, few are taking the time to pay attention to the NBA trade that took place last night. This is especially true in Boston, where fans are trying incredibly hard to juggle the success of the Red Sox and Patriots, while still anticipating the start of what could be the most successful Celtics season in a couple of decades. However, Celtics fans may want to pay a little more attention to the trade, as these are some guys that we know pretty well. The Minnesota Timberwolves gave up two of their seven ex-Celtics last night (Mark Blount and Ricky Davis) in exchange for one fat ex-Celtic (Antoine Walker) and two expiring contracts (Michael Doleac and Wayne Simien).

In the short-term, you have to love this deal for Miami. Pat Riley has made it clear publicly that he's very unhappy with Antoine Walker's conditioning level, citing a lack of motivation as the only plausible explanation. Perhaps Antoine thought he was on the Shaq off-season conditioning plan. But, even he must know that the Diesel is held to a different standard than everybody else. So, Pat Riley dumps some excess weight in Antoine, Simien, and Doleac, and brings in two guys who can make an immediate impact for him. Everyone in Boston knows how dangerous Ricky can be on offense. He was a great player when he was here, and he has torched us ever since we traded him. Blount is a strong defensive presence down low (blocked 76 shots as a rookie) and has a nice scorer's touch. However, ever since landing an inflated 6 year contract several summers ago (in what was an absurd contract summer that was rivaled only by this past baseball offseason. We're talking about a summer in which Adonal Foyle received a max deal), he hasn't been the same player. Of course, Celtics fans saw what he could do before his big deal, and he still manages to get excited to play his old team. If Davis continues to play at a high level, and Blount becomes re-energized by his new surroundings, this move could pay huge dividends for the Heat. Hopefully these two can help the team to stay above water until the return of Dwayne Wade.

For Minnesota, this is all about the long term. Again, Celtics fans are very familiar with this: you have a young core of talented players (In this particular case, the same exact core we had give or take a few guys), you've got some stale holdovers who aren't happy that you just got rid of the teams best veteran (and one of these guys has a well-documented history of not playing hard unless he feels some source of motivation), so you get rid of your guys in their prime in order to bring in some expiring contracts and take something off the other team's hands (Antoine). This will allow you to wipe money off the books in the off-season. Added in to this scenario is the fact that there were reports of hostility between Blount and Al Jefferson dating back their days in Boston. Big Al is going to be special. Mark Blount is not worth jeopardizing any future that you may have with Al. As we've seen in Boston, this long-term plan can seem like a dead end road at times. However, if your GM plays his cards right, the payoff in the end could be big.

The most intriguing storyline in the aftermath of this deal will be to see how Ricky Davis adjusts to being in Miami (note: he did play a 5-10 game stint there early in his career). I'm sure all Celtics remember hearing Paul Pierce tell the public last year that the Celtics dancers were Davis' brainchild. Well, every girl in Miami is a Celtics dancer. This is a guy who is a well-known night owl. We hear Behind the Music: Motley Crue types of stories all the time about Ricky Davis, and yet he has still managed to stay out of trouble and has produced consistently on the floor. This has happened in places like Salt Lake City, Cleveland, Boston, and Minneapolis. Miami is a whole different beast. He'll most likely be like a kid in a candy store at first. However, I'm sure he'll adjust. I mean, this is a guy that was born in Vegas, so I'm sure there's nothing in Miami that he hasn't seen before. Maybe he'll be right at home.

Speaking of Huge Badasses

Neil rippin it on Old Black.....maybe the biggest badass of all time.

Manny: One of the Greatest of All Time

Manny Ramirez entered last nights World Series opener with a 2007 postseason batting average of .441. He has hit four homeruns and sixteen RBIs during this postseason, and has a .600 on-base percentage. We have come to expect nothing less from the 2004 World Series MVP (a series in which he hit over .400 with an OBP of .500), who holds the record for most career post-season home runs (24) and last week tied Pete Rose for the longest hitting streak in LCS history (15 games) before coming up hitless in game 6. Certainly, it’s hard to make an argument for any Red Sox player that has made greater contributions to the team’s post-season success.

And yet, somehow, the media in Boston once again showed their reluctance to acknowledge Manny’s greatness last week. This, more than any other, should have been the year that we shower Manny with the praise he has rightfully earned. After returning to the team from injury, he has been tearing the cover off of the ball (see above stats) and was the only player in the lineup who hit consistently well when the Red Sox were struggling in Cleveland. Furthermore, last week we began to see Manny’s name and post-season accomplishments on the television screen with all-time greats like Pete Rose, Don Baylor, Bernie Williams (who held the HR record prior to Ramirez), Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson. One would think that this might be the right time for the sports media in Boston to swallow their misplaced pride and acknowledge the fact that this guy is one of the greatest players ever to wear a Red Sox uniform. Of course, what we got instead was more of the same unfair criticism.

The Boston media have always preyed on Ramirez. His personality and demeanor make him an easy target. Also, let’s not forget, he doesn’t always run full-speed to first base when he grounds out. Fans talk about this as if it is the gold standard of a great baseball player. Forget about being a RBI machine year after year, helping catapult your team to it’s first world series title in 86 years, or being the only player to play consistently well when your entire team is on the breaking point. If you don’t run hard to first base when you ground out, we don’t want you on our team. Really, this is how people think. It’s fucking ridiculous…….Now, I’m just ranting.

Anyways, the media continued to attack Manny for raising his arms after he was the third link in back-to-back-to-back homeruns in game 4 of the ALCS. Dan Shaughnessy called this celebration “classless and obnoxious. It was an embarrassment to anyone who says they love baseball and/or the Red Sox”. This quote comes from an article that unfairly rips Terry Francona and Theo Epstein along with Ramirez and basically proclaims the Red Sox dead and gone for 2007 (Boston Globe, 10/18/2007) Shaughnessy’s sentiments about Manny’s “classless” act was echoed by sports reporters who aren’t totally incompetent like him, including Kornheiser and Wilbon on PTI (this hurt me). I just don’t get it. We’re talking about three consecutive homeruns with no outs right after the Indians have just scored seven runs! We’re talking about the first signs of a pulse from this team in about 4 days! GOD FORBID someone is fucking excited about getting some momentum in a huge playoff game! At that point, for all he knew, with no outs, we could have put up seven runs ourselves in that inning. As a baseball fan, I love to see guys showing emotion, particularly when they’re trying to fire up a team that seems like a bunch of zombies. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but to me this is ridiculous.

The day after this horribly egregious act, Ramirez made headlines by offering the following matter-of-fact quotes about the Red Sox situation “Why should we panic? We’ve got a great team.” He went on to say “It doesn’t happen, so what? There’s always next year. It’s not the end of the world.” As you might expect, the backlash to these statements was swift and harsh. The general consensus was that this is a guy who doesn’t care. Forget the fact that we know he works harder than anyone in the batting cage. Forget the fact that he’s been one of the only bright spots in this series, and forget the fact that it’s impossible to get to where he is without hard work. This guy doesn’t care. The bottom line is that Ramirez is a player, not a fan. Players can’t saddle themselves with the same type of pressure that the fans do. How would they hit? How would they field? The only way to climb out of a 3-1 hole is to first accept that possibility that you might lose, get over it, and then just focus on each pitch of each inning as they come.

Contrary to what many “experts” thought, Manny’s comments proved to be exactly what the Red Sox needed. The team that had collectively looked as stiff as a board up to this point slowly began to resemble the World Series champions of 2004. Remember those guys? Remember the team that didn’t give a fuck? Remember the team that took shots before their playoff games even though they were being paid millions of dollars to perform well on the baseball field? Remember the team that was down 3-0 to the Yankees and didn’t change their demeanor one bit? That attitude is what this year’s team was lacking and Manny helped them find it.

You can feel however you want about Manny. If you judge the quality of a baseball player by whether or not they run hard on ground ball outs or whether they decide that they’d rather be uncomfortable and hold in their piss instead of disappearing behind the Green Monster during a break, then you probably don’t think he’s very good. However, I will tell you this: there are very few players in baseball that are as mentally tough as Manny Ramirez. The long-term media scrutiny that he has faced in Boston would be enough to break most athletes (see Nomar Garciaparra). However, year after year, Manny has found a way to tune out all distractions when he steps into the batter’s box. Always focused, never chasing bad pitches, always looking to bleed the pitch count to get to the bullpen (nobody has at-bats as long as Manny), always providing entertainment for the Boston fans as only he can. I expect Manny to move on after his contract is up (I wouldn’t blame him). I only hope that the Boston fans and media will someday appreciate what a great player and huge badass he truly was.