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.