Author: fasted86

Briefly. (not really this week) 

Trivia #1: Patrick Mahomes now has a record 13, 300-yard games in first 20 career games. Whose record did he break?

Trivia #2: What NFL quarterback has an NFL-best streak of 19 straight games with a touchdown pass? 

Zach Short is a shortstop for the Cubs. 

The Miami Dolphins have been outscored 133-16 in their first three games. 

Right now the Red Sox have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Dolphins do. 

Eduardo Rodriguez got his 19^th win the other night: 5 innings, 11 hits, 7 runs (all earned), 3 walks, 6 K’s and a HR. Quite the “win.” 

Speaking of Ric Ocasek, last week, there was a steady flow of Cars tunes at Gillette Stadium last Sunday during breaks in the action. Pretty classy, I thought. 

Speaking of Tim Tebow, not, his NCAA record of 15 consecutive games with a running and throwing touchdown was broken last week by Houston QB D’Eriq King. D’Eriq has decided to invoke a new NCAA rule and sit out the rest of the season before transferring to another school. That sux, just my opinion. 

A recent survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bosch home appliances found that Americans throw away 103 pounds of spoiled food from their fridge every single year. The survey also found the average America has about $102 worth of product in their fridge at any given time. Also, the survey found that Americans will toss out four spoiled items from their fridge per week. The most common food wasted overall? Fruit. Specifically, bananas (55%), strawberries (50%) and apples (47%) were found to be the most commonly thrown out spoiled foods. 

Last Sunday was the first time two NFL teams were favored by 20+ points, in a non-strike season. Both underdogs from the AFC East. Go Pats. 

In case you missed it Kyrie Irving broke his face in practice the other day. 

The Bruins open next Thursday, the Celtics on the 23^rd. Does anyone think the C’s will have a better season than the B’s? 

That’s it. I’m rooting for the Twinkies. Anyone but the yankees/Dodgers. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: According to Next Gen Stats, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman reached 21.7 mph on his 83-yard touchdown catch last week, the fastest a ball carrier has run on any touchdown this year. 

John Breech writes for cbssports.com. He’s a funny guy. In case you missed it, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll took a football to the face last Sunday, pregame, that required multiple stitches. Said Breech, who had picked Seattle to beat the Saints; “Now, I’m not a doctor but that man should have been in concussion protocol. I don’t even know if he had a concussion, but based on the way he coached against the Saints, I’m going to assume he did…” 

Headline of the week: “Woman sentenced for cutting off lover’s genitals after he shared sex tape” 

What happened to Craig Kimbrel you ask? He signed with the Cubbies for the final 1/3 of the season. He pitched 20 2/3 innings giving up 15 runs for a cool 6.53 ERA. Despite his shortened season he set a career high allowing nine homeruns. During Chicago’s recent playoff run he let up the game-winning HR last Thursday and blew a save (two HRs) on Saturday. The Cubs are done, again. 

Quote for the week: “If you ever sit in on a Bill Belichick meeting, don’t worry. He’ll find it.” – Devin McCourty referencing Bill finding the team’s defensive flaws despite how good they have been playing. 

Here’s a line to chew on, read in an NFL article: The randomness of the Patriots dominance is perplexing. 

Let’s face it. The Patriots defense shut out the opponent again and has let up three points in three games this season. This is after allowing three points in SB. 105 yards last Sunday. Baltimore had 643 yards of offense in week #1, the Pats have allowed 597 in 3 games. 

Another gas leak in Lawrence!?!?!?! 

If you don’t like football and have absolutely nothing to do on Sunday, you can go to Fenway Park and for $99 get 4 tickets to the 3pm game vs Baltimore, 4 hotdogs, 4 orders of fries, 4 popcorns, 4 fountain drinks, walk the outfield warning track before the game and get a pregame picture with a player, and (kids) run the bases after the game (if you can stand being there that long). Cool deal! 

Is it me or every Sunday, late afternoon, Philip Rivers stands on the sideline covered with dirt and sweat looking like someone beat him up and took his lunch money. EVERY week! 

The Sox’ Christian Vasquez says he is having more fun than ever this year, playing well and hitting all those homeruns (a career high 23). Hmmm. I guess that’s more fun than winning a World Championship? 

Trivia #1: Patrick Mahomes now has 13, 300-yard games in first 20 career games. Whose record did he break? Kurt Warner

Trivia #2 answer: What NFL quarterback has an NFL-best streak of 19 straight games with a touchdown pass? – The Vikings’ Kirk Cousins 

I try not to repeat bands in consecutive weeks but I cannot get this out of my head – all week! 

“One too many times
I fell over you
Once in a shadow
I finally grew
And once in a night
I dreamed you were there
I cancelled my flight
From going nowhere

It’s all I can do” 

Good night everybody!

Briefly. 

Trivia #1: Who is Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs?

Trivia #2: On Sunday, Adrian Peterson scored a touchdown to move into 5^th place on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns. Name the four ahead of him, bonus for the correct order. 

Strange games Sunday, first between the KC Chiefs and the Raiders. Patrick Mahomes threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns in the second quarter alone. Those would be the only points KC scored. Similarly, the Packers started the day with scoring drives of 75, 63 and 33 yards en route to a 21-16 win over Minnesota. 

The Buffalo Bills became just the 3^rd team ever to win back-to-back road games at the Meadowlands, beating the Jets and Gints. 

Rafael Devers is now the 11^th player EVER with 30+ HR, 100+ RBI and 100+ runs scored in a season. 

We turn the clocks back in 5 weeks. It was 39 degrees yesterday morning when I awoke. I got my annual Celtics’ tickets solicitation email this morning. The summer is ova! 

Heard this on the radio on my way in this morning: “Dating after 40 is like looking for the least damaged thing in a thrift store that doesn’t smell.” 

Hey you big bully, stay off of Tom Brady! 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: The LadyBug Bikini shop closed recently in Seattle’s Capitol Hill. It’s been replaced with Dreamboyz Espresso coffee shop which features an all-male cast of shirtless baristas. 

Quote for the week: “”I’m not thinking about free agency. I haven’t gotten anyone out in two months” – Rick Porcello 

Headline that cracked me up: “Florida couple had sex inside patrol car after arrest for riding bicycles while drunk” 

So there was a holding call on the first play of last’s night’s snoozer between the Jags and Titans. The announcer stated how holding calls were up this season and that it was the 180^th holding call of the season. Compared to what you ask? So did I! No mention. 

The Red Sox are 36-41 at Fenway this season. 

Go Irish! What a big game coming up vs the Bulldogs. 

Never judge a book by its cover. Back in the day, my Calculus II book had a cover on it with people that looked like they were having a good time. The book itself however, was not a good time… at all. 

This past Tuesday was not just Mike Yaz’s premier at Fenway, but it was also Nathan Eovaldi World Series Bobble Head night. Ironically, Eovaldi got the start and went 4 innings, let up 5 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks raising his ERA to 6.19. What a difference a year makes! 

The following night San Francisco Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy notched his 2000^th career win. Class act indeed! The night before he put young Yaz in left field and in the leadoff spot. 

So President Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom to Mariano Rivera. Excuse me while I throw up in my mouth. “No Ed, please. How do you really feel?” 

The NFL is celebrating its 100th year, and MNF celebrating its 50th years. So far, so good, I think. 

What a few weeks for NFL quarterbacks. Retirement (Andrew Luck), injuries (Brees, Big Ben, Newton, Foles, others), sucks (Eli), while many others getting their well-earned shot (Bridgewater, Brissett, Josh Rosen, Daniel Jones, etc.) 

The injury bug was so bad in Philadelphia that the Eagles cancelled practice on Wednesday.

R.I.P. Ric Ocasek (75) – lead singer of The Cars. The band’s self-titled 1978 debut album was a smash hit and helped lead the way for new wave’s influence on rock music throughout the following decade.

R.I.P. Cokie Roberts (75) – veteran journalist, political commentator, author. Cokie was named one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting by the American Women in Radio and Television, and the Library of College declared her a ‘Living Legend’ in 2008, making her one of the very few Americans ever honored. 

Trivia #1 answer: Who is Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs? – Cokie Roberts

Trivia #2 answer: On Sunday, Adrian Peterson scored a touchdown to move into 5^th place on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns. Name the four ahead of him, bonus for the correct order. – From 4^th to 1^st – Walter Payton, Marcus Allen, LaDanian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith 

“I don’t mind you coming here
And wasting all my time
Cause when you’re standing oh so near
I kinda lose my mind
It’s not the perfume that you wear
It’s not the ribbons in your hair
And I don’t mind you coming here
And wasting all my time

I guess you’re just what I needed” 

– The Cars

Briefly. 

You don’t need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. 

Trivia #1: Eli Manning has a chance this season to pass his brother Peyton in career what (offensive category)?

Trivia #2: The NFL Rams started in what city?

Trivia #3: Who is the only player to play on a college football national champion, Super Bowl winner and win the Heisman and Super Bowl MVP?

Bonus trivia: The New England Patriots need three wins to reach 116 since the start of 2010 and break the record for most wins in a decade. Who holds the record now? 

What a riveting opening game last night in the NFL. 10-3. If you’re a Chicago Bears fan you can be thrilled, again, with your defense. On the other side of the ball, you are stuck with Mitch Trubisky who “led” his team to three points, at home, against the Packers. 

Headline of the week: “Bears cement status as NFC North front-runners with big win over Packers” – some stiff on cbssportsline. I guess I’ll stop reading his week 1 predictions right there.

How ironic is it that Brian Hoyer is backing up Jacoby Brissett in Indianapolis and both signed huge contracts? Now, if they can ever figure out how to beat the Patriots.

Who was the genius who came up with the Liberty Mutual jingle? Liberty, Liberty, Liiiiiiberty… Liiiiiberty! – Really? 

The Red Sox/Twins game was delayed this past Wednesday night (yes, I was watching) and NESN ran a piece on Andrew Benintendi. He went to Madeira High School in Ohio and batted over .500 in all four seasons. To this day he holds the state record for runs scored (199), second place is at 172. He went to college at Arkansas and was SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore. The Sox drafted him 7^th overall that year. World Series champ, blah, blah, blah. Pretty good story. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: The pastor at St. Edwards Catholic School in Nashville has banned Harry Potter books from the school library after reportedly consulting with “exorcists” who were concerned that students reading the books were at “risk conjuring evil spirits.” 

I saw a headline on ESPN: “25 things we’re watching in final 25 days of MLB season”. Well I can think of two – college and pro football. 

Rafael Nadal hit a shot around the net for a point in one of his US Open matches this past weekend. (Yes, there is a tennis tournament in progress) He reached out of bounds and hit a shot that would have hit the net had it been high enough, but instead he was lunging out of bounds and hit it back into play. I didn’t know you could do that. 

If you’re shipping Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? 

NFL schedule head-scratchers. The Oakland Raiders host the Broncos and Chiefs in weeks one and two, then they go 49 days without playing in Oakland traveling to Minnesota, Indianapolis, London, Bye Week, Green Bay and Houston. The (very) warm-weather Miami Dolphins have three home games in September and in December travel three of their last four games to New York twice (Jets & Giants) and Gillette. There are four games scheduled to be played in London. The not-ready-for-primetime Dolphins and Redskins have 14, 1pm EST games while the Bills have 14 plus a TBD which could bring it to 15. Conversely, the Rams have three 1pm EST games. 

Great nickname. The Cleveland Browns recently signed undrafted free agent punter Jamie Gillan. Gillan hails from Scotland and is lovingly nicknamed “The Scottish Hammer.” 

R.I.P. – Anyone who died in Dorian’s path. Glad for friends down south who weathered the storm. Hope the damage was minimal. Hundreds, possibly thousands missing in the Bahamas. 

Speaking of Dorian,  the Rolling Stones completed their “No Filter” tour on Friday in Miami. The show was first supposed to be in April but was postponed due to Mick Jagger’s surgery. It was then rescheduled for last Saturday but was moved to Friday because of the storm. The show was delayed an hour due to downpours. It then stopped raining for the entire show until their first encore – “Gimme Shelter”. As Jagger sung the opening line “I was born in a crossfire hurricane”, it started to downpour again. Can’t make that up. 

Trivia #1 answer: Eli Manning has a chance this season to pass his brother Peyton in what (offensive category)? – Interceptions. He is currently No. 14 all-time with 239 and needs just 13 to pass Peyton for No. 9 all-time.

Trivia #2 answer: The NFL Rams started in what city? – Cleveland (1937)

Trivia #3 answer: Who is the only player to play on a college football national champion, Super Bowl winner and win the Heisman and Super Bowl MVP? – Marcus Allen (USC in 1978, Heisman in 1981, Super Bowl champ and MVP 1983)

Bonus trivia answer: The New England Patriots need three wins to reach 116 since the start of 2010 and break the record for most wins in a decade. Who holds the record now? – The Indianapolis Colts (115, 2000-2009) 

“Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane
Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again
Suki plays with Leo, Sacha plays with Britt
Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it” 

-Peter Gabriel

Briefly.

My apologies for last week’s faux pa. Mike Yaz is Yaz’ grandson, not son. BTW, he is still hitting homeruns and hit another one on his grandfather’s 80^th birthday. 

Trivia #1: Who was Ray Chapman?

Trivia #2: What NFL team was once the Portsmouth Spartans?

Trivia #3: How did the L.A. Dodgers, formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers, get their name?

Bonus Trivia: Just yesterday, Bob Cousy became just the fourth former NBA player to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Name the other three. 

Belated congratulations to local Channel 5 sportscaster, Mike Lynch, who recently retired. Lynchie came on board in 1982 and soon took over the lead role in the “Sports War”, at the time, with Ch. 4 (Bob Lobel) and Ch. 7 (John Dennis). He played football at Harvard and in 1975 kicked the game-winning field goal  in the closing seconds to beat Yale 10-7 in the Yale Bowl before an estimated 66,000 fans. 

Despite having nine batters with 10-plus homeruns for just the second time in franchise history, the Red Sox have just the eighth-highest homerun total among all MLB teams in 2019. 

Tom Brady did not look all that sharp last night. I am zero-worried about Tom Brady and the offense. 

Get ‘em while they’re hot! Early bird season tickets to the Worchester Red Sox (The WooSox) are now on sale. 

The fires in the Amazon rain forest are an international crisis. The forest produces 20% of the world’s oxygen. 20%! 

U.S. soccer star Carli Lloyd appeared at a joint practice session between the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday. Lloyd was seen nailing 40-yard and 55-yard field goals. 

Chris Berman is celebrating 40 years with ESPN. I remember where I was when I saw SportsCenter for the first time. Do you? 

So the Red Sox won their suspended game yesterday, 5-4, after just under 12 minutes of play thanks to Brock Holt’s RBI single in the 10^th. The game had been delayed for 12,018 minutes. Attendance yesterday was just shy of 12,000 (under 18-year old were free, all others $5, concession items were $1 – not sure whether they sold beer but I doubt it was for $1) and just 603 words were spoken on the WEEI broadcast. With Thursday previously scheduled as an off-day for the Sox, some players had planned events in the San Diego area with their families. Instead, flights to begin their west coast road trip were delayed a day. 

Antonio Brown, you spoiled baby. You punk. Put on your helmet and play. 

Useless headline of the week: Chris Sale Optimistic For 2020, Despite Disappointing End To 2019 Season 

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson said he and his podcast co-host smoke around $40,000 worth of pot each month on his 40-acre, California ranch. He added that his ranch sells around $500,000 in cannabis to dispensaries in California and Nevada each month. (Can you imagine what Mike Tyson’s voice sounds like when he’s stoned?!) 

23-year old Nathan Patterson threw a 96-mile an hour pitch at a speed-pitch radar booth at Coors Field. The video of the pitch went viral and 700,000 views later, Nathan signed a contract with the Oakland A’s. In his debut at the team’s rookie-level Arizona league he struck out all three batters he faced. Cool. 

Geoffrey and Kaycee Lace, of Friedens Pennsylvania, were hit with misdemeanor theft charges last week after police searched their home and found a doll that resembled the infant seen in photos the couple says was their son. They faked both the baby’s birth and death, set up a GoFundMe page and collected donations from friends, family and the community. Scumbags. 

“I” before “E”, except after “C”. Now that’s just weird. 

Detroit Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford says that her best memory of the Lions has yet to come. “I want the Lombardi Trophy.” At 93 years old, she’s a few prayers away from seeing her dream come true, think? 

Trivia #1 answer: Who was Ray Chapman? Cleveland Indians shortstop who was struck with a fastball in 1920 by the yankees’ Carl Mays. The first and only death to occur as a result of a pitched ball in major league history.

Trivia #2: What NFL team was once the Portsmouth Spartans? – The Detroit Lions

Trivia #3: How did the L.A. Dodgers, formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers, get their name? – In 1892, Brooklyn replaced their horse-drawn trolley lines with new, faster electronic trolley lines. Sportswriters at first referred to the residents of the city as the “Trolley Dodgers” because of their amazing skill set in dodging the trolley streetcar system. The “Trolley Dodgers” eventually became simply the “Dodgers.”

Bonus Trivia answer: Just yesterday, Bob Cousy became just the fourth former NBA player to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Name the other three – Bill Russel, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“You know I’ve seen a lot of what the world can do
And it’s breakin’ my heart in two
Because I never want to see you sad girl
Don’t be a bad girl
But if you wanna leave, take good care
Hope you have a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there’s a lot of bad and beware, beware”

Forgive me.

R.I.P. William “Uncle Bill” O’Brien (82). A wonderful, fascinating guy.  He will be greatly missed.

Briefly. 

Trivia #1: Who were the first and last performers at Woodstock (50 years ago this week)?

Trivia #1 Bonus: Why did the first performer play longer than expected, over three hours?

Trivia #2: Who were the first two teams to qualify for the MLB Wild Card and how did they fair? 

Happy National Rum Day! 

New York Jets’ kicker, 28-year old Chandler Catanzaro, retired the day after missing two extra-point attempts after the team’s preseason opener. He quit. 

Don’t give up, don’t ever give up. Unless of course you’re down 7 1/2 games in the Wild Card race, it’s mid-August and you have a grueling 8-game, west coast road trip on the horizon. 

Due to rising costs, dirty deeds will no longer be done dirt cheap. 

Mike Yastrzemski passed his Dad with his 12^th homerun (now has 13) as a rookie. He did it in 244 at-bats. In Yaz’s rookie year, he had 583 at-bats. 

Yes, the MLB 2020 schedule is out and the Red Sox begin play, with many other teams, on March 26! The home opener is April 2. Why so early? MLB wants the World Series over before the 2020 Presidential election on Nov 3. 

Tim Tebow update. Tebow batted .273 with six homers and 36 RBI in Double A ball in 2018. This season he was batting just .163 with four homeruns and 19 RBI before cutting his hand in the outfield(?) and ending his season with the Triple A Mets. Tebow turned 32 on Wednesday and instead of gifts asked for donations with a goal of raising $150,000 to provide 150 life-changing surgeries at the Tebow CURE Hospital for children in the Philippines. The Tebow CURE Hospital has had over 17,000 patients and performed more than 3,300 surgeries. Nice. 

In Patriots news… please. Just skip the next three weeks and let’s get going! 

Sportsmanship, you’re doing it wrong. Jessica Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown were in step with each other for much of the World Triathlon Olympic qualification event in Tokyo yesterday, and so as the British athletes crossed the finish line before anyone else, they grabbed hands. That move ended up getting them both disqualified as the International Triathlon Union has a rule stating that athletes may not “finish in a contrived tie situation where no effort to separate the finish times have been made.” DOH! 

People worry about what kind of planet we’re leaving for our kids. Might want to consider what type of kids we’re leaving for our planet?

Antonio Brown. Shut-up and play football. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Puerto Rico’s doubles bowling team was stripped of its gold medal at the Pan American Games last weekend after one of its players failed a doping test. 

People often ask me (never), what happened to Blake Swihart? Blake had parted ways with the Red Sox earlier this year only to be acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks who announced they have designated him for assignment. Bye-bye, Blake. He appeared in just 31 games with Arizona batting .136 and hitting 3 homeruns. He never caught a single inning and instead mostly played in the outfield. Nice tat’s though! 

Trivia #1 answer: Who were the first and last performers at Woodstock (50 years ago this week)? First – Richie Havens, Last – Jimi Hendrix

Trivia #1 Bonus answer: Why did the first performer play longer than expected, over three hours? Richie Havens played so long because the other performers had such trouble getting there.

Trivia #2: Who were the first two teams to qualify for the MLB Wild Card and how did they fair? – The yankees and Rockies in 1995. Both were knocked out in the first round 

“I gotta roll, can’t stand still,
Got a flamin’ heart, can’t get my fill.
Eyes that shine, burnin’ red
Dreams of you, all through my head.”

Briefly. 

Trivia #1: Rafael Devers became just the third player in Red Sox history to hit at least 23 homeruns before the age of 23. Name the other two and what was somewhat ironic about those other two?

Trivia #2: The Atlanta Hawks Vince Carter, 42, is set to sign a one-year contract for his record-setting 22^nd season in the NBA. He is currently tied with four others at 21 seasons. Name them.

“Zed’s dead.” – name the movie. 

Headline of the week: “The Red Sox Were The Toast Of Baseball Last Year. Now They’re Just Toast.” 

And you think our country is messed up? In a televised ceremony on his 67^th birthday, King Rama X (the king of Thailand) named Major-General Sineenat Wongvajiralongkrn the new Royal Noble Consort, the official title for the chief concubine. Basically, he named her as his official mistress. Sitting next to Rama X during the ceremony was his wife… of less than three months. She is his fourth wife. His first wife was his first cousin with whom he fathered a child. 

On Monday, the Miami Marlins called up from the minors their #5 prospect, Isan Diaz. In the 6^th inning of game one of a doubleheader, Diaz came to bat. At the same time his father was being interviewed on television with wife and family next to him. What happened next? You guessed it. Diaz hit his first major league homerun. Great scene. 

I’m Irish. I may not remember, but I never forget! 

Don’t look now but JBJ is still in the lineup. 

Yankees suck. Just sayin’. 

Cheer, cheer, I say. The Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act, passed by NJ Gov. Phil Murphy in April, allows terminally ill patients to end their lives using a prescription administered by a physician. The law went into effect last week. Somewhere, Dr. Kevorkian is smiling. 

Baltimore Ravens rookie defensive lineman Daylon Mack forgot to bring cinnamon rolls to a team meeting on Tuesday. On Wednesday his pickup truck was filled with packing peanuts. 

I love picking on Baltimore’s Chris Davis. On Wednesday night he had to be held back from going after his manager in the dugout during a game. No one is saying why but it is possibly because his manager told him he sucks??  He is currently batting .182 with 111 K’s in 247 at-bats, a clip of 45% of the time. Since 2012 he has struck out 1,355 times at a rate of 37.5% of his at-bats. In 2016 he signed a 7-year, $161M contract. 

Enjoying your drink, you’re doing it wrong. An unidentified 21-year old from Cambridge, MA ordered a Manhattan from a rooftop bar at Manhattan’s 16-story Roger Smith Hotel before leaping off the deck to his death. He didn’t touch his drink.

Bill Belichik vs Matt Patricia. Exhibition I know but, really?

Toronto Blue Jay rookie Bo Bichette has played in 11 major league games since being called up recently. He has now doubled in 9 straight games, a major league record. 

R.I.P. Harley Race (76) – 8-time NWA World Wrestling Champion

R.I.P. Bjorg Lambrecht (22) – Belgian cyclist who fell during in the third stage of the Tour of Poland and died of the resulting injuries. Sad.

R.I.P. Rosie Ruiz (66) – The Most Famous Marathon Cheat In History (actual headline). Cheater 

Trivia #1 answer: Rafael Devers became just the third player in Red Sox history to hit at least 23 homeruns before the age of 23. Name the other two and what was somewhat ironic about those other two? – Tony Conigliaro (easy one) and George “Boomer” Scott. Ironically, both did it in 1966.

Trivia #2 answer: The Atlanta Hawks Vince Carter, 42, is set to sign a one-year contract for his record-setting 22^nd season in the NBA. He is currently tied with four others at 21 seasons. Name them. – Robert Parrish, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and Dirk Nowitski.

“Zed’s dead.” – Pulp Fiction 

“You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You’re as sweet as strawberry wine
You’re as warm as a glass of brandy
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time”

Briefly. 

Welcome to August. The first true sign that football is right around the corner! 

Trivia #1: On Wednesday, the Washington Nationals’ Juan Soto hit his 20^th homerun of the season. He is just one of three players in MLB history to have two 20-homer seasons before the age of 21. Name the other two.

Trivia #2: See trivia #1 – only four other players have one 20-homer season before the age of 21. Who is not in that group: Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Correa.

Trivia #3: In financial terms, what does EBIT stand for? 

People often ask me (never), what happened to Steve Pearce, last year’s World Series MVP? After signing a one-year, $6.25M contract with the Sox, Pearce was out with a calf injury before hurting his knee while rehabbing. He is hoping to come back this month. He played in 29 games this season, plus some time in the minors, hitting .176 overall. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Pennsylvania native Kyle Giersdorf won $3 million on Sunday for the top spot in New York’s global Fortnite online video game tournament. He’s 16 years old. 

Did you watch any of the thrilling 14-10 Falcons/Broncos exhibition game last night? Me neither. 

This is the time of year when your golf game is either starting to come around or (see above), football is right around the corner! 

Things work out… I don’t. 

Quote of the week: “That’s a big league pair of shoes is what that is.” – Eck referencing a strikeout, looking. 

Headline of the week: “Pittsburgh Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster gifts season tickets to fan who tattooed autograph on head.” (I saw the picture, he tattooed the signature next to the Steelers logo – on the side of his head!) 

Coors Light – official beer of drinking in the shower! (if you haven’t caught the commercial yet, I hope you do) 

I want to say “put a fork in ‘em” but I keep hanging on. It’s a disease.  

R.I.P. Nick Bouniconti (78) – Former Boston Patriot (AFL) and Miami Dolphin (NFL) won two Super Bowls, was named to the Pro Bowl eight times and was an All-Pro selection five times. He ironically (I think) outlived his son Nick, a quadriplegic since 1985. Together they raised more than half-billion dollars in the search to cure paralysis. 

Trivia #1 answer: On Wednesday, the Washington Nationals’ Juan Soto hit his 20^thhomerun of the season. He is just one of three players in MLB history to have two 20-homer seasons before the age of 21. Name the other two. – Tony Conigliaro & Bryce Harper

Trivia #2 answer: See trivia #1 – only four other players have one 20-homer season before the age of 21. Who is not in that group: Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna, Ken Griffey Jr., Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Correa. – Ken Griffey Jr.

Trivia #3 answer: In financial terms, what does EBIT stand for? – Earnings Before Interest & Taxes 

“Now I ain’t complaining, just tryin’ to understand
What makes a woman do the things she does.
One day she’ll love you, the next day she’ll leave you, Why can’t
we have it, just the way it used to be? Why can’t we have it baby.”