My collective impressions of the new controls.

What else can be said?

Will this be the year?? Will this be the year that Jim Rice gets into the Hall of Fame?

Look at his stats: He retired in 1989 with a career .298 average, 382 homers, 2,452 hits, and 1,451 RBIs.

He was an eight time All-Star who played 16 seasons, all with the Boston Red Sox. He batted over .300 seven times, hit more than 20 homers 11 times (four times he hit 39 or more) and drove in 102 or more runs in eight seasons.

Jim Ed Rice won the AL MVP in 1978 and finished in the top five for MVP voting five other times. In his 1978 MVP season he had a.315 average, 46 homers and 139 RBIs. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s he was one of the most feared hitters in the league.

It’s time for the Baseball HOF voters to do the right thing and send Jim Rice to Cooperstown where he belongs.

BOSTON RED SOX
WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS ! ! !

The Sox last night won their second World Series in 4 seasons, beating the Rockies, 4-3, to complete a 4-game sweep.

YOU'RE OUT !

Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis (20) tags out Colorado Rockies' Matt Holliday on a pickoff throw from pitcher Jonathan Papelbon to end the top of the eighth inning in Game 2 of the baseball World Series Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007, at Fenway Park in Boston.

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon presents a creation by hat designer Rob Little for Little & Little's Spring-Summer 2008 ready to wear collection.

Little & Little is Lowell’s premier millinery producing hand made hats of exceptional quality for dress, sport, church or casual functions. All their designer hats are hand made in their hat manufacturing studio in Lowell and available through fine retailers throughout Canada, the USA and Japan.

(I actually may have worn one of these original Rob Little creations myself at some long, long, distant point in my life.)

Well that really SUCKED.

At least the Pats didn't lose in OT on an Adam Vinatieri field goal.

How many times does it have to be said??

Do not let Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots hang around late in a close game because they WILL find a way to BEAT you.

NE 24
SD 21
----
FINAL

It's that time of year when we wait to see if legendary Red Sox left fielder/DH Jim Rice gets screwed again when they announce the 2007 inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

We will learn this afternoon whether he was voted in after falling just 53 votes short last year.

From 1975 through 1985, Rice was No. 1 in the American League in HR, RBI, runs scored, slugging, and extra-base hits. He was AL MVP in 1978 and an eight time All-Star.

Why can't this guy get into Cooperstown?

Larry Bird turns 50 today. He's still the man.

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -Douglas Adams

That pretty much sums up the status of all my projects at work these days.

Well it looks like the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (and everything in it) has been Deval-uated.

"So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow.

Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.

And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.

He said, if youre gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right".



If truer words have been spoken, I've yet to hear them. So succinct yet so voluminous in its wisdom.

Lori and I decided to take a break and head to Europe for a couple of weeks. It has been so SWEET. Today we are in Parma, part 4 of a 5 part series that has included Olivadi, Naples, and Rome, with Milan coming up shortly.

Nothing like forgetting about work, sleeping late, and drinking lots of wine for an extended period of time to recharge the ol' batteries.

Maybe this will give my flailing blog career the shot in the arm it needs to get back into semi-regular production.

Ciao, baby.

The Red Sox announced yesterday that rookie pitcher Jon Lester, 22, had been diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer, and will begin treatment in the coming week.

Doctors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston said patients usually take a combination of chemotherapy drugs every few weeks for four to six months. It's unlikely Lester could work out during this period, as chemotherapy can have severe side effects.

Closer Jonathan Papelbon, who came up through the minors with Lester, said Friday, "they say it's curable or treatable and they're expecting him to be at spring training with us next year."

Lester, a lefty, is 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings this year with the Sox.

He is rated the top prospect in the Red Sox organization and began the season with the Sox's AAA Pawtucket team before making his major league debut June 10. He became the first lefthanded rookie in Sox history to win his first five decisions.


Baseball aside, I hope he and his family take comfort in knowing that this 22-year old kid is in the thoughts and prayers of millions of people worldwide.

I had to have a root-canal (done 3 years ago) "retreated" this morning because they didn't finish the job the first time.

F-U-N.



Dentist: "You're gonna feel a little sensitivity here for a couple of seconds."

Translation : "I'm about to fire a flamethrower into your open mouth."



Dentist: "You have really good insurance."

Translation : "I'm keeping you in that chair for a LONG time."



Dentist: "There may be some swelling and you're gonna be a little sore."

Translation : "You made me work MUCH harder than expected, so I took it out on your face."

When will Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and team president Harry Sinden be held accountable for the mess at the Garden?


Joe Thornton wins NHL MVP

Thornton, acquired by the Sharks from Boston in a trade on Nov. 30, led San Jose into the playoffs with 29 goals and 96 assists.

"I'm just in a new place playing the same game I always played," he said. "I wish the Bruins all the best."

Can the Today Show please broadcast actual real news again now that she's gone?

NEW YORK (AP)- With co-host Matt Lauer bringing the tissues, the "Today" show threw a going-away party Wednesday for 15-year host Katie Couric, who is leaving to become the next anchor of the "CBS Evening News."

"I'm feeling happy and sad and completely out of control," Couric said, "and you know how much I like that."

Forty-two minutes into the show, Couric couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

Couric's parents and two daughters were also in the audience Wednesday for what Couric jokingly called the "celebration of moi."

"Hey lady, I paid $500 for this seat so shut up and sing, OK?"

LAS VEGAS, NV (WENN) - Madonna snapped at an audience member at her gig in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday when she spotted he wasn't dancing.

The singer took her Confessions tour to the gambling capital at the weekend after three dates in Los Angeles.

Midway through the concert, she singled out a man in the front row, who wasn't getting into the groove and yelled, "If you are only going to sit there, at least you can smile," reports The Scoop.

Angelina had her baby. Now can we all please move along with our lives? Jeeez.

Why did this quote from Ghostbusters come to mind when I saw the story on the news?

"Gozer the Traveller will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldronaii the Traveller came as a very large and moving Torb!

Then of course in the third reconciliation of the last of the Meketrex supplicants they chose a new form, that of a Sloar!

Many Shubs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Sloar that day, I can tell you!"

I can't believe I am even commenting on this event.

I guess that's what happens when you blog at 2:30am.

Come on, didn't they see the movies??

Italy arrests Mafia supremo

Provenzano has been on the run for four decades

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) -- Bernardo Provenzano, the undisputed chief of the Sicilian Mafia who had been on the run for more than four decades, was arrested while hiding in a farmhouse near Corleone in Sicily, officials said.

"Thank God. The hunt is finally over," said Palermo police chief Giuseppe Caruso Tuesday after agents nabbed Italy's most wanted man, scoring the state's biggest success against the Mafia in more than 13 years.

Provenzano, known as the "Phantom of Corleone" after his native hill town has been running the Mafia since former "boss of bosses" Toto Riina was arrested in 1993.

He was arrested when police swooped on a farmhouse in the countryside near Corleone. Provenzano, who put up no resistance and acknowledged his identity after first denying it, was flown by helicopter to a secret location in Palermo.

I have a problem.

It's my DVR.

It runs my life.

It's Spring here in Siberia New England.

And yes, it's snowing.

Boston Bruins GM Mike O’Connell was given his walking papers yesterday by team president (and former GM) Harry Sinden, a move long overdue in my opinion. Assistant general manager Jeff Gorton will assume the GM's duties for the rest of the season.

O’Connell was in his 6th year as GM after 6 years as Sinden's hand-picked assistant. Under O'Connell, the Bruins twice topped 100 points but never made it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Mikey had been shooting his mouth off BIG TIME heading into the '04-'05 NHL lockout season about how the Bruins would wildly prosper in a salary capped league. He dumped all kinds of popular players with long-term contracts freeing up $ to sign the potential flood of free-agents on the horizon. But once the new Collective Bargaining Agreement was in place O'Connell struggled to make good on his bold promises.

Currently, the Bruins are 28-32-12, 9 points out of the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race with only 10 games remaining in the regular season.

Apparently the move does not affect Head Coach Mike Sullivan. "We'll probably address that at some later date," Sinden said.

I am surprised that Mike Sullivan wasn't let go as well. I think Sully is a nice guy and all, but the team just isn't responding to his leadership. Maybe team owner Jeremy Jacobs is just letting him finish out this dreadful season before standing him up in front of the firing squad.

Anyway, typically, the Bruins themselves responded with a win. Over Buffalo no less.

OK. I have calmed down some, not much, but some.

I have to keep reminding myself that this is the reality of being a fan in a Belichick-run organization. He does not pay for past performance. He's a man who lives in the present and in the future. He makes cold, hard, calculated moves that are void of emotion. Which is pretty much the polar opposite of most insane Patriots fans.



But now it's official : The Patriots have entered a rebuilding phase.



Not a "tear it all down to the ground" rebuild, but a structured, measured, "recognize when talent is past its prime" (no matter how painful) process. And it is painful. But Belichick's philosophy seems to work. And he's extremely consistent with his moves.

When you combine all of these recent non-signings with past deals for additional draft picks, the Pats are clearly positioning themselves for the future. And the draft has always been a strong point for Belichick. I guess we all have to wait and see.

* * * BREAKING NEWS * * *
Boston radio station WEEI is reporting that NFL free-agent kicker Adam Vinatieri has signed a deal with the Indianapolis Colts.



I.....

am.....

CRUSHED.



In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust. In Bill we trust.

THE PATRIOTS ARE LIKE $20 MILLION UNDER THE SALARY CAP!!!!

HOW CAN THEY NOT SIGN THIS GUY!!!!!!

THE COLTS??? THE COLTS!!!

WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO REPLACE HIM?????!!!!!

Mike Vanderjagt??
Paul Edinger??????
Booty McPunterson???

Tell me this is all a BAD DREAM.

I can see a new horizon, underneath the blazing sky,
I'll be where the eagle's flying higher and higher.
Gonna be your man in motion, all I need is a pair of wheels.
Take me where my future's lyin', St. Elmo's Fire...

Sorry, it's stuck in my head.

I thought if I typed out the words I might possibly exorcise the haunting refrain from my consciousness.

Nope.

Driving in today I couldn't help but notice this guy in the car behind me. He was gesturing wildly at the woman in the passenger seat.

At first I couldn't figure out what was going on, I thought maybe they were fighting, but then I saw the woman do the same style of wild movements back at him.

Then I figured it out. They were doing sign language. You hear all this stuff about how dangerous it is driving while talking on a cell phone, right? Driving-while-signing looked 10 times more dangerous to me. The driver was using two hands (one hand 1/2 on the wheel) and trying to maintain eye contact the whole time.

I guess staring into your rear view mirror while barreling down the highway isn't too safe either.

Labor peace was restored to the NFL yesterday when the owners agreed to the players union's proposal, extending the collective bargaining agreement for six years. The agreement increases the salary cap from $85.5 million last season to $102 million for 2006. The cap will increase to $109 million in 2007.

Free agency, put off twice by the protracted negotiations between the owners and players, now will start at 12:01am, Saturday, March 11.


VOICE OVER INTERCOM: Stand-by alert. NFL Free-agency approaching. Estimated time to firing range, 39 hours.

BELICHICK: All wings report in.

SCOTT PIOLI: Red Ten standing by.
JOSH McDANIELS: Red Seven standing by.
DEAN PEES: Red Three standing by.
DANTE SCARNECCHIA : Red Six standing by.
BRAD SEELY: Red Nine standing by.
PEPPER JOHNSON: Red Two standing by.
JONATHAN KRAFT: Red Five standing by.

BELICHICK: Lock S-foils in attack position....

U.S. President George W. Bush drops the bat after being hit by a cricket pitch during a cricket workshop with players from the Islamabad College for Boys at the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, March 4, 2006. Wicket keeper at rear is unidentified. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

That punk threw right at his head!! Unbelievable! It looks like the President is thinking about charging the mound in the 2nd picture. Too bad it was an away game.


The Secret Service should have poured out of the dugout and pummeled that guy.

Forest Service Traps First Wolverine

Tue Feb 21, 8:07 PM ET

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has trapped the first wolverine ever captured and fitted her with a radio collar in the Pacific Northwest. Releasing it back into the wild, biologists are hoping to learn more about the habits and range of the elusive creatures known for their ferocious nature.

If I remember correctly from Red Dawn, when the Russians caught a Wolverine they too released him back into the wild after affixing it with a miniature radio transmitter.

But Patrick Swayze's character, the leader of the teenage guerrilla fighters, eventually discovers the existence of the internal radio transmitter and has the traitorous lad shot.

I hope this USFS wolverine avoids a similar fate.

Legendary Sportscaster Curt Gowdy Dies
Associated Press
Monday, February 20, 2006

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Legendary sportscaster Curt Gowdy has died, the Boston Red Sox said Monday.

Gowdy, who was 86, died in Palm Beach, Florida after a long battle with leukemia, according to Red Sox spokeswoman Pam Ganley.

Gowdy, the long time "Voice of the Red Sox," made his broadcasting debut in 1944.

In 1951 Gowdy became main play-by-play voice on the Boston Red Sox broadcast team. He left the Red Sox in 1966 for a ten-year stint as Game of the Week announcer for NBC. He was also the long time host of the "American Sportsman" series.

Gowdy broadcast 13 World Series and 16 All-Star Games.

Contrary to popular belief, "Ice Dancing" is NOT a sport.

And in other news...

TODAY IS JEN'S
30th BIRTHDAY!!!!

Happy birthday Jen!