Coping 101

I had a special relationship with my Dad. As a kid he used to take me to every sporting event in the Boston area. Red Sox, Pats, Bruins, BC, you name it, we were there. Our mutual love of sports carried on throughout our lives and insured that we always had something to discuss, no matter what.

I loved it when we could be together, but even when we were a thousand miles apart, we’d talk on the phone every night, sometimes for an hour or more. He would tell me about his day (especially the meals) and I would tell him about the family and his hometown happenings while we watched sports together. If he wasn't getting the game, I would often do play by play for him, so I was really lucky that I was here to watch the Patriots season finale with him, plus the first playoff game.

He slept through a lot of the Jags game. When he woke up the game was over and he asked me who won. When I told him the Pats he said "Oh, this changes everything. I’ve gotta get out of here now." It was pretty much our last casual conversation and it really summed him up. Always brave and funny, even when he was facing death.

Sunday night after the Pats victory over the Chargers I had this panicky thought that I hadn't called him to talk about the win, then I realized I was sitting in his living room. At first I got really sad, then it dawned on me that he'll be with me for every down and every at bat for the rest of my life. He’ll always be there with me when I’m watching our favorite teams.

That’s what I want you all to take away with you today. He was a man who touched a lot of people's lives. If he touched yours, use those little things that you shared with him as a way to keep him alive in your heart. If you just happened by and didn't know him from Adam, it's still good advice. We all lose people we love and we all need help coping with that loss.

And speaking of coping, take some time and check out Hospice Care if you're not already familiar with it. Very special place, very special people. Our experience was with Hope Hospice in Cape Coral, FL. and I can not say enough good things about them. They don't just help the patient, they help the whole family.

Eat Bleep ESPN, The Pats are 12 and 0!

Oh my God, what a game!

Can you believe it? They come from behind again! No matter what, these guys come up big when the game’s on the line. Brady is undoubtedly the most clutch QB I’ve ever seen. Of course he had a little help from that nimrod Billick and his ill timed time out call. It was a big break, but it’s what you do when you get those big breaks that matters, and what Brady does is win.

At this point in the season the pressure on the Pats to go unbeaten has to be a major distraction. It doesn't matter that they say all the right things; you know it’s got to be weighing heavily on their minds. Add to that the fact that every team they play not only wants to be the one to knock them off, but also gets disrespected by the press the whole week leading up to the game. I doubt that there will be many more blowouts as long as they’re unbeaten.

It was an exciting game to watch but unfortunately we had to listen to those clowns in the booth. Three announcers and a guest all whooping it up and rooting against the Pats. It was disgusting. I guess ESPN doesn’t care about alienating all of New England. Tell you what; unless the Pats are playing I’ll never watch those monkeys again.

This is a pretty large market and we can only hope that the sponsors have a few words with ESPN. At the very least, everyone in New England should send them an email expressing their displeasure. Don’t forget to cc. WCVB while you’re at it. Oh yeah, crash those mail servers baby!

It Wasn't Pretty But They're 11 and 0.

The Patriots became AFC Eastern Division Champs for the 5th year in a row by virtue of a Bills loss today, but things didn't go quite so smoothly on the field.

The Pats pulled off a squeaker against the Eagles, beating them 31 to 28 in a back and forth game that came right down to the wire. The Eagles played inspired football and A.J. Feeley had the game of his career, but the Pats persevered. Brady led them on a 69 yard scoring drive in the 4th to retake the lead and the defense sealed the deal with a pair of interceptions on the last 2 Eagle possessions.

It was a tight game but I don't for a minute believe the post game comments from the NBC porks that the Eagles have shown the rest of the league a blueprint to beat the Pats. The defense was flat tonight, although they came through when it counted, and Moss was not himself. The Eagles secondary had a lot to do with his performance but you could see that his timing was off. He was jumping to soon on the high throws and he seemed to be looking over the wrong shoulder on a couple of plays. Hey, the guy is an amazing receiver, tonight just wasn't his night.

The double coverage on Moss did open up Welker, who had a big night and really pulled our nards out of the fire. That guy is a mean motor scooter. Game balls have to go to both Welker and Samuel.

On to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Monday Night Football. This should be good. There was some jawing earlier in the season between Adalius Thomas and Ray Lewis. I just don't like that guy and would love to see him get shut down.

Hey...

this is actually a game, I'm not used to this. I had to spend half time talking my dad down off the roof.

Holy Snikies, Gostkowski just missed from the 32!

Can Singing Sweet Caroline Save Your Soul?

Check out this article on Boston.com about Neil Diamond's inspiration for the song Sweet Caroline. He says that he wrote the tune after seeing a picture of a young Caroline Kennedy and that he had never told anyone until last week when he sang it for her via satellite at her 50Th birthday party. The song has recently reappeared on the charts and Diamond attributes the Red Sox with it's resurgence, which brings me to my point.

I had read an article earlier this year in the Globe sports section. It was one of those "I was just thinking..." type of pieces, and the writer was "just thinking" that the playing and singing of the song as a ritual at Fenway made the fans look like yahoos.

Here's the thing. I've been a Sox fan since before I went to my first game with my dad in 1961. The photo above is of me, Circa 1959, decked out in the fan gear of the day. I know that the Sweet Caroline phenomenon is a relatively new thing and is embraced by the dreaded pink hats and band wagoners, but I like it. Not only do I like it, but I think it's a really great thing.

Before I go any further, I have to tell you a secret. You can't let anyone know what I'm about to tell you because it will ruin my reputation as a hardcore rock, blues and jazz fan. OK, here goes:

I have a lot of Neil Diamond on my iPod.

I grew up with his music. You couldn't turn on the AM radio in your parents car in the 60's without hearing something by him. So, although I quickly moved on to the Beatles and the Stones, Neil will always remind me of cruising shotgun with my dad in his '65 Impala.

That being said, the reason I think it's a great tradition is that it's the ONE AND ONLY piece of music that unites all of my friends and family, regardless of generation, whenever it comes on. Whether I'm flipping burgers at a summer cookout or hosting a Christmas party, when Sweet Caroline starts to pulse out of the speakers every man, woman and child present starts to sing, and that's a really good feeling. A feeling of warmth and brotherhood, a feeling of being a part of something.

Now amplify that feeling to the Nth degree by adding 33,000 total strangers voices to your own little group. If you can't feel the electricity and power of the moment, I say you have no soul.

So, hate it if you must. Despise the fans that participate. Just don't grouse about it and harsh my mellow.

I plan to go right on singing.

The 60 Minute Men are now 10 and 0

That was like a scrimmage. Brady looked sharp, as did Moss. The two of them looked like they were practicing in an empty parking lot. Hell, the whole team was like a well oiled machine. 6 straight drives of 60+ yards. 7 possessions, 7 scores with Tom in the game. Final score 56-10.

Both Brady and Moss set career and season franchise records tonight. Brady passed Steve Grogan as the Patriots career touchdown pass leader with 185 and also passed Babe Parilli for the single season touchdown pass record with 38.

Moss became the first Patriot to break 1000 yards receiving in a single season since Troy Brown in '01. He also broke Stanely Morgan's single season record of 12 touchdown receptions with 16 and Ben Coates' single game record of 3 touchdown receptions with 4.

I don't want to hear any pouring it on comments this week. As John Madden said tonight, "This is pro football and you just don't stop playing. It's up to the defense to stop them". They're just off the bye and they needed to work it. The 2 minute drill at the end of the 1st half was something Brady had trouble with at practice this week, so they worked it. Going for it on 4Th and 1 in the 3rd allowed Buffalo the chance to stop them when a field goal would have been automatic, so they worked it. Faulk and Maroney get hurt so they swap off with Evans and Eckel and still punch it in. Fourth and fifth string running backs!

Other than the Colts there isn't anyone who can give these guys a game, and after watching them the last couple of weeks I don't think they're up to it anymore either. Both Peyton and Adam are definitely in a slump, and the rest of the team has been decimated. It's like they left it all on the field when they lost to the Pats.

Oh yeah, I'm enjoying this.

Note to CBS Sports:

Replace Shannon Sharpe. Half the time you can't understand what he's saying, and to make it worse, half the time you can.

Was that a killer game yesterday or what? We haven't seen "The Comeback" in quite a while as Tom and the boys have been dispatching opponents with alacrity of late, but you could feel it coming.

There was only 9 minutes and change left in the 4th quarter and the Pats were down by 10 when Brady strode confidently onto the field and lead the team to score not once, but twice, to take a 24-20 lead. Then the New England defense clamped down, stopping the Colts after the first score, then sealing the deal with a forced fumble on the Colts last possession.

Is there any greater reward for the Patriots faithful then seeing Goober on his belly making the Peyton face at the end of a game?

And speaking of rewards, how about Randy Moss? Spectacular one handed catch. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Caught, pulled down and tucked away, all with his left hand as he stiff armed with his right and never missed a step. Fan-farging-tastic!

Moss would open the game up for Welker and company. After his big catch on the 3, Brady had no problem finding Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk for the scores and the final clock killing first down.

Can it get any better than this, and if it does, can my heart take it?

Things to keep you busy this weekend.

If you’re into the blues and you live in the New England area you should check out berry’s friends the Drivin’ Blind Band. They’re a high energy blues band that will have you hoppin’ and boppin’ the night away. Lead guitarist Steve Dineen is phenomenal and reminds me of a young Alvin Lee. Very fast hands. They have a CD out, Mount Blue Live, and have been featured on both the WZLX and WBOS Sunday blues shows.

We saw them at Palmers in Andover on Friday night, but you can catch them throughout the area. On Dec. 1st you can see them at the Bull Run in Shirley, Ma. where they’ll be opening for blues/rock legends Savoy Brown.

Also this weekend is the GBSCC Sports Card and Memorabilia Show at the Shriners Auditorium. We saw Clay Buchholz, Bobby Kielty and all 3 Papelbon brothers today as well as Juan Beniquez, Duke Snider and Don Schwall. We also picked up some great stuff while we were there. The show runs through 4pm on Sunday, November 3rd (You can still be home in time for the Pats game!) and is a great family activity. My sons and I have been going for years and now my grandson has joined the crew. $5 for adults, children under 12 free.







Past, present and future Sox.

You've gotta check out...

the latest Bill Simmons piece: Sox win Most Valuable Team award. It sums up the 2007 Sox very nicely and I love his description of Papelbon at the end.

Simmons can be a very polarizing figure, people either love him or hate him. I enjoy his humor and his love of Boston sports, but what really strikes a chord with me is his relationship with his dad. My own dad is a rabid and lifelong Sox, Pats and BC fan and is enjoying his golden years in sunny Florida. I go down and visit him during spring training and he spends his summers up here with us, so we get to enjoy the Sox together for most of the season. The rest of the time we watch together over the phone and this post season has been no exception.

We had a very similar conversation on Sunday night and came to the same conclusion as the Simmons' men, the whole team could get the MVP. It was almost impossible to single anyone out of the team effort. We also would never have discussed the subject pre-final out back in '04. This one was waaaaay different.

The Sox seem to have turned that same corner that the Pats turned a few years back. You don't worry because you know they'll find a way to pull it out. That's because like the Pats, the current Red Sox are a team, first and foremost, and that's the key to success.

Red Sox are World Champions!

Once again the Rockies made a late inning surge but the Sox held on, beating Colorado 4-3 in game 4 to become World Champions again.

Lester was great in his first post season start, throwing 5 and 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. Delcarmen, Timlin and Okajima came in in relief with Manny and Oki giving up 1 and 2 runs respectively, but Papelbon shut the door on the series and the Rockies season.

Mike Lowell had a double in the 5th, scoring on a head first slide at the plate and a solo home run in the 7th and was named series MVP. SIGN HIM, THEO!

How great is this team? Everyone came up big at one time or another during this championship run. Everyone.

The best thing is that so many of these guys are just starting out. I think we're gonna see some great baseball in this town for quite a while.

Sox up 3-0!

Dice-K went 5 and 1/3 and singled to drive in 2 of the Sox 6 runs in the third. Can you believe it? But the Rockies would not go gentle into that good night. They came roaring back in the 7th as Holliday stroked an Oki-Doke pitch for a 3 run homer making it 6 to 5.

We didn't have to sweat it for long as the rookies Ellsbury and Pedroia came through again, and the Sox scored 4 more times in the 8th and 9th and Pap closed it out. 10-5 final.

This team always responds.

I'm going out on a limb here because everyone on this team fits the MVP mold in one way or another and there's still at least one more game, but I'm going with Ellsbury for now. Talk about bringing it, this kid is fearless.

Tomorrow night I think I'm going to have to set the clicker up so that I can flip from the TV audio to the AM tuner with a minimum of effort. If the Sox were to close the series out it would be tantamount to sacrilege to hear the final call come from those idiots Buck and McCarver. I'd do it for the whole game but unfortunately the 2 feeds are not even close to being synced. Bummer.

Weekend Mashup

Check out the Buzz Report on CNET. Molly Wood is very good. I especially like the out takes from her tech reviews.

To effect the quality of the day is no small achievement. I got this in a fortune cookie recently and it made such an impression on me that I googled it. Seems like its a very common fortune as I found quite a few blogs and websites where people were referring to finding it. I also found that it's a subtle variation of a Henry David Thoreau quote: "It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look. To affect the quality of the day--that is the highest of arts." Here's the thing. I like the quote because I've found that there is hardly anything more rewarding than changing the quality of someones day. For the better, that is.

Brady and Manning have a shot at the same record this week. Being the first QB to beat all 31 opponents. Brett Favre has a shot at it next week. Also, both the Pats and Colts will be trying to remain undefeated.

Daisuke Matsuzaka ( 松坂 大輔 ) is on the mound for the Sox tonight in Colorado and I think he's going to give us another good outing. I saw a press conference with him today and he said that after holding a replica of the World Series trophy he's anxious to hoist the real thing. Could be just the motivation he needs. We'll see...

Go Sox, Go Pats!

That is all.

Yes!

Sox win 2-1. God that was a white knuckler, but Pap closed it out with the high heat and the Sox go up 2-0 in the series.

Schilling lasted through 5 and 1/3 in what could be his final Fenway appearance. Okajima came in with 2 men on and shut the Rockies down for the next 2 and 1/3 innings (How the hell does he throw so accurately with his head down?). Crazy Legs Papelbon got the last 4 outs.

So it's off to Mile High, and although I'd love to see them sweep, it would be sweet if they could win the big one at home.

I went to my first game in '61 so I've seen quite a few incarnations of this team and I've gotta tell ya, this is one special team. The pitching, the hitting, coming up big when the pressure is on, these guys are phenomenal.

And speaking of first games, I really love to see kids at the park. I've heard some people comment lately that it's a waste of an expensive seat to bring young kids to a game. It's not. I was only 6 and I remember every moment as if it were yesterday. The sounds and smells of Fenway are burned into my soul. That's how you become an official member of Red Sox Nation. Sending in 20 bucks and getting a cheesy card in the mail has nothing to do with it.

Believe

Sox win game 1 in rout!

Josh Beckett was masterful through 7 tonight as the Sox beat the Rockies 13 to 1 with Timlin and Gagne taking care of the 8th and 9th, finishing it off in fine style.

Gagne..? Fine style..? Who would've thought we'd be puting those words together to describe a Monsuier Gagne post season performance? Then again, there was nothing ordinary or predictable about this game.

With Beckett striking out the side in the top of the first and Pedroia homering to lead off, you just knew it was the Sox night, and boy was it ever. Up 6 to 1, the Sox drove a stake through the Rockies heart by scoring 7 runs in the 5th and just cruised from there. This team is marching in lockstep to the beat of the bullpen drum corps, and I'm lovin' it.

It's too soon to be licking each other's popsicles just yet, but this post season seems to be following the '04 script pretty closely. It's a little spooky...

Beckett's got his game face on...

and strikes out the first batter! Go Sox!

Red Sox are AL Champs!

The Sox beat the Indians 11-2 in game 7 of the ALCS and are on their way to the World Series.

Dice K, Oke Doke and Papelbon combined to hold the Tribe to 2 runs and Pedroia and Youkilis had the hot bats tonight.

Josh Beckett was presented with the ALCS MVP trophy but I've gotta tell ya, everyone contributed in this series. How about Coco crashing into the wall to make the last out? Nice.

The boys are dancin' on the diamond again and I want to see it one more time.

Is it just me...

or does Joe Buck and Tim McCarver remind anyone else of David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane) and Alan Thicke (Growing Pains).

Someone must be able to out bid Fox for these games. I would be willing to start a fundraiser.

Sox club Tribe 12-2 and it's down to game 7

Schilling was good for 7, Drew came through, Youk used his head, Ellsbury was inspiring and Gagne was lights out. How can you not love these guys?

The game 6 win sets up a Sunday to remember in Boston. The undefeated Pats in the afternoon and then a winner takes all nightcap at Fenway. The new millenium has been very, very good to us.

Go Pats! Go Sox!

Sox win 7-1 and it's back to Boston!

How about those Red Sox, is Josh Beckett the man or what?

Youk and Pedroia are hitting again and we even saw a brief glimpse of Jacoby Ellsbury filling in for Manny in left. That gives me hope that he may play for Coco Crispy on Saturday.

I still think Manny got robbed on the wall ball, the yellow line shouldn't extend over the wall, but that being said he should have been running regardless.

Well, it's back to Fenway for a Schilling Carmona matchup and my Dad can come down off the roof for a couple more days. Thank God the next 2 are weekend games, I've gotta get some sleep!