Ed's Head On Friday

Friday, June 15, 2018

June 15, 2018June 21, 2018 by fasted86

Briefly.

Last week was missed due to The Penta. Here’s to Charlie!

Let’s get back on it. Multi-trivia day!

Trivia #1: Of all the Red Sox’ team batting leaders, who finished the season with the lowest batting average?

Trivia #2: What number did Charlie Penta wear for HHS Hillies’ football?

Trivia #3: On Tuesday, the Red Sox’ Rafael Devers hit his 10^th home run of the season and 20^th of his career becoming just the third player in franchise history to hit 20 home runs before his 22^nd birthday. Name the other two.

Trivia #4: What team has hit the most consecutive solo home runs? Bonus: how many?

Yankees “slugger” Aaron Judge set a major league record and struck 8 times in 9 at-bats, during last Monday’s doubleheader against the Tigers. He struck out in all 5 of his at-bats in the nightcap, including one with a runner on board in the ninth inning of a 4-2 loss.

You know you’re getting older when everyone you meet reminds you of someone else.

Carson Smith. What a waste. I love the guy’s stuff but he just can’t stay healthy. You may recall he threw his glove recently after a lousy inning. Out for the year with shoulder surgery. What a dope! What a waste.

Trivia #1 hint: The season was 1992

This will be my last hockey rant until next season. The whole 3-star thing. Sorry puckheads, but what a joke. For those not in the know, at the end of each NHL game three players are “awarded” the one, two and three star players of the game. Spare me. Imagine in the NFL say an offensive lineman getting the #2 star player of the game? Ya, he wouldn’t even come out of the locker room.

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: According to a survey conducted by market research firm Mintel, nearly 30 percent of younger millennials (aged 24 to 31) reported that they prefer drinking at home because going out takes “too much effort.”

Quote of the week: “Character is much easier kept than recovered.” – Thomas Paine

I would much rather watch a US Open like this one at Shinnecock Hills where guys are routinely missing 3-foot putts, over a course where they routinely drain 20-foot putts.

Some of the best names from the 2018 MLB draft: Ford Proctor, Travis Swaggerty, Kumar Rocker, Greyson Jenista, Matt Barefoot and Seth Beer.

R.I.P. Dwight Clark (61), from ALS. “The Catch.” ‘Nuf said.

Trivia #1 answer: Of all the Red Sox’ team batting leaders, who finished the season with the lowest batting average? Tom Brunansky batted .266 in 1992.

Trivia #2 answer: What number did Charlie Penta wear for HHS Hillies’ football? – 45

Trivia #3 answer: On Tuesday, the Red Sox’ Rafael Devers hit his 10^th home run of the season and 20^th of his career becoming just the third player in franchise history to hit 20 home runs before his 22^nd birthday. Name the other two. – Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro

Trivia #4: What team has hit the most consecutive solo home runs? – The San Francisco Giants hit 21 consecutive solo home runs in 2011.

“Just remember love is life
And hate is living death
Treat your life for what it’s worth
And live every breath”

I skipped a week so two tunes:

“Now go out and get yourself some thick black frames
With the glass so dark they won’t even know your name
And the choice is up to you cause they come in two classes
Rhinestone shades or cheap sunglasses”

Friday, June 1, 2018

June 1, 2018 by fasted86

Briefly.

Trivia #1: Who was the first player in NHL history to play 50 (or more) playoff games with three different teams? Wayne Gretzky, Bill Guerin, Claude Lemieux, Mark Messier, Gary Doak

Trivia #2: Who was the first NBA player to win two NBA Finals MVP awards? Bill Russell, Willis Reed, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy

Say what you about the Celtics season. They exceeded expectations. They are so young and have a great future. Wait until Kyrie and Hayward are healthy. Blah, blah, blah. They blew an opportunity! Up 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Up in the 4^th quarter of game 7. I can’t wait until next season too, but they blew it.

In 1994, Boston Duck Tours was a 15-employee business that carried 600 passengers in four duck boats in its first year of operation. Since then, the company has grown into a 200-employee business that last year transported over a half-million passengers around Boston in their Word War II replica amphibious vehicles.

Yale won the NCAA Division 1 men’s lacrosse championship. In a related story, San Diego State is the #3 seed in the Corvallis Region of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

Stop complaining about your everyday aches and pains. Get this, a man complaining of severe abdominal pain ended up going through 2 ½ hours of surgery to remove 4,100 gallstones.

So how was the game? Rudy Giuliani, longtime Yankees fan, was in attendance at Yankee Stadium last Monday with his son when the announcer wished him a happy birthday (74) over the loudspeaker. Not only did the crowd boo him, the Yankees lost the game 5-1.

Yankees suck!

I am so not following anything Patriots right now. Nothing, really.

From my Aunt: If you had to choose between drinking wine every day or being skinny, which would you choose? Red or white?

LeBron has now played in 1,379 games, regular season and playoffs. Last night was the first time one of his teams was an underdog of more than 12 points (-13.5). BTW, they covered.

Some people are pretty excited about this weekend’s Sox/Astros series. It’s early June. I get it but it’s early June.

Quote of the week: From former Fox and NBC exec Preston Beckman regarding Roseanne Barr; “She’s a pimple on the tushy of The Walt Disney Co., and they lanced it.”

The Houston Rockets missed 27 straight three-pointers in their game 7 loss to Golden State. You might say the shots were “rockets!”

Trivia #1: Who was the first player to play 50 (or more) playoff games with three different teams? – Claude Lemieux

Trivia #2: Who was the first NBA player to win two NBA Finals MVP awards? – Willis Reed

Au Revoir, Go-pher!

“Fill me heart with song
And let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore”

BTW, off next Friday for The Penta (23rd). Hope to see you there.

Friday, May 25, 2018

May 25, 2018 by fasted86

Briefly.

Trivia #1: Who holds the MLB record for having pitched in 50 different stadiums?

Trivia #2: What team played the fewest playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup championship?

Wow! Both the Cavs and Warriors down 3-2. Both need to win two, the last one being on the road.

Next I will either be commenting on how the Celtics blew it or, how they can beat the Rockets/Warriors.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ rookie phenom Willy Adames made his major league debut this past Tuesday night against the Red Sox and Chris Sale. Sales struck him out the first time but he homered in his second at bat. I can’t say I’ve seen a happier kid round the bases. Good for him! Of note: Sale struck him out on three pitches his next time up.

If the Red Sox’ Rafael Devers was on their Triple-A affiliate Pawtucket Red Sox, he would be the youngest player on their active roster. If the Red Sox’ Rafael Devers was on their Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs, he would be the youngest player on their active roster. He hit his 9^th homerun with the big boys earlier in the week.

Trivia #1 hint: He was inducted into the HOF in 2015.

Too bad NFL Eastern Conference Final game 7 the other night, Tampa/Washington, was up against the Sox and the Celtics. The game was certainly 3^rd on my dial. Sorry Spike/Arch.

LeBron was waiting at the scorers’ table for a whistle so he could check into the game the other night, Game 5 at the Garden. Where was he? No, not sitting on the floor in front of the scorers’ table, out of the view of media and fans. Instead he was sitting on the scorers’ table not caring whose view he was blocking. You could see people trying to see around him. What a dink.

A New Zealand scientist is leading a team to Scotland’s Loch Ness next month where they will search for the DNA of “Nessie”, the Loch Ness monster. Hmmm. How will they know if they find it??

James Harden is 0 for his last 20 three-point attempts.

Unless information, supposed to fire my imagination: “How the AL, NL Cy Young races are shaping up.” – Dude, it’s May.

Who do you like in the big race on Sunday? I’m not sure whether Jefferson Welch is running but watch out for sleeper Alex Wilson.

You know that person that can never give you a straight answer to your question? They reply with information but do not answer the specific question that was asked. Ya, I work with one of them.

Trivia #1 hint #2: He holds the MLB record for homeruns allowed.

Neal Leier, an angler from Bismarck, ND, reeled in a 15-pound, 13-ounce walleye from the Missouri River to break the state’s 60-year old record.

St. Cardinals’ reliever Jordan Hicks threw a pitch 105 MPH last week. The fastest ever recorded.

Quote from the archives: “A James Cagney love scene is one where he lets the other guy live.” – Bob Hope

Trivia #1 answer: Who holds the MLB record for having pitched in 50 different stadiums? Jamie Moyer
DYK: At the time of his retirement, Jamie Moyer had pitched to 8.9% of all MLB hitters ever!

Trivia #2 answer: What team played the fewest playoff games en route to the Stanley Cup championship? – The 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers went 16-2 beating the Bruins 4-0 in the Cup finals.

“’Cause when a long-legged lovely walks by
Yeah you can see the look in her eye
Then you know it’s
Hot in the city, hot in the city tonight, tonight”

Friday, May 18, 2018

May 18, 2018 by fasted86

Briefly.

Trivia #1: On May 11, 2005, A’s closer Octavio Dotel did something against the Red Sox that had only been done five previous times in MLB history. What did he do?

Plan your work, work your plan.

On May 17, 2005, Ervin Santana made his major league debut with the California Angels. The first four batters he faced hit for a collective cycle: a triple by Grady Sizemore, a double by Coco Crisp, a single by Travis Hafner and a homerun by Ben Broussard.

How bad has the weather been in Toronto? Last Sunday for the Red Sox/Blue Jays game, the roof to the Rogers Centre was open. It was only the second time in 22 home games that the roof had been open.

So Webb Simpson won The Players Championship using one of those stupid anchored belly putters. After his brilliant putting performance last weekend Simpson now ranks 5^th in Strokes Gained: Putting. DYK: He ranked 174^th and 177^th in 2015 & 2016 respectively.

Speaking of which, has anyone ever seen Webb Simpson and Kevin Love in the same room at the same time?

Red Sox radio play-by-play man Joe Castiglione, great as he is, has sometimes been known to provide some pretty useless information. Here’s a gem from last Sunday: Did you know there are 156 languages spoken in Toronto?

The wife of former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover is facing a domestic violence charge stemming from a reported fight earlier this month with the golfer – and his mother. Lucas told deputies how “when he plays a bad round of golf, Krista proceeds to start an altercation with him and telling him how he is a loser and a pussy, how he needs to fire everyone, and how he’d better win or her and the kids would leave him and he would never see the kids again.” I’m thinking, holy shit, she’d really hate me!

Whenever I think of the past, it brings back so many memories…

Why, and you don’t have an answer, is there a 4-day break between games 2 & 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals?

Oxymoron: Royal wedding, my interest.

Trivia #1 answer: On May 11, 2005, A’s closer Octavio Dotel did something against the Red Sox that had only been done five previous times in MLB history. What did he do? He let up walk-off homeruns in consecutive days.

That’s all I got.

“They are one person
They are two alone
They are three together
They are for each other”

Friday, May 11, 2018

May 11, 2018 by fasted86

Briefly.

Trivia #1: I’ll put this in the “difficult” category: There is a small group of MLB players who have hit at least one homerun in 40 stadiums. Two are former Red Sox. Name them.

Trivia #2: Which pair of brothers combined to score the most career playoff goals (131?). Wayne & Brent Gretzky, Maurice & Henri Richard, Peter & Anton Stastny, Bobby & Brett Hull, Tony & Phil Esposito?

Trivia #3: (I HAD to add this in, though not exactly trivia) – Wednesday night the Mets became the first team to bat out or order in over two years. Asdrubal Cabrera batted in the 1^st inning and doubled with two outs. As Jay Bruce came to the plate, the Reds manager alerted the ump to the lineup card Jay Bruce was called out automatically to end the inning. The question: How do you score it?

Proud parents? Calgary police say a man in his 20’s died after climbing inside the wall of a women’s mall bathroom and becoming stuck.

If, after Kyrie went down, you told me the Celtics were going to the Eastern Conference Finals… whoddathunk? Again, Brad Stevens. Can’t say enough.

St. Louis Cardinals’ second baseman, and Hawaiian native, Kolten Wong has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for families affected by the Kilauea volcano. Said Wong; “… the Hawaiian way and the way we look at it is that the goddess Pele, who is the creator of lava and the creator of the Hawaiian islands, she is the ruler of all. She decides where she wants to go.”

Headline: “Warren Buffet says $10,000 invested in an index fund in 1942 would be worth $51 million today.” Great! So if you were 20 years old in 1942 and happened to have $10,000 to invest (big money for a 20-year old in 1942), you would have $51 million now… and be 96 years old!

You really can’t beat Red Sox/yankees baseball.

Useless information, supposed to fire my imagination: Headline: “Here’s how Red Sox’ Mookie Betts could be related to Meghan Markle”

I’m rooting for the Golden Knights and against the Caps. Rooting for the Celtics (of course) and against all things LeBron. Rooting against Golden State too though Harden is a punk.

I went shopping for a new wallet last weekend. There was a sale going on; buy two wallets, get the second one at ½ price. Who buys two wallets?!

Quote of the week: “They used every inch of the 24-second clock.” NBA analyst Reggie Miller during a game the other night.

Hey, that’s my truck! With key components about to run out, Ford will halt production of its most profitable and popular F-150 series pickup. Over 7,600 workers in Dearborn and Kansas City were told to stay home last week.

Trivia #1 answer: There is a small group of MLB players who have hit at least one homerun in 40 stadiums. Two are former Red Sox. Name them. Ellis Burkes (41) and Adrian Beltre (40, and still going)

Trivia #2 answer: Which pair of brothers combined to score the most career playoff goals (131?). Wayne & Brent Gretzky, Maurice & Henri Richard, Peter & Anton Stastny, Bobby & Brett Hull, Tony & Phil Esposito? – Maurice & Henri Richard

Trivia #3 answer: Wednesday night the Mets became the first team to bat out or order in over two years. Asdrubal Cabrera batted in the 1^st inning and doubled with two outs. As Jay Bruce came to the plate, the Reds manager alerted the ump to the lineup card Jay Bruce was called out automatically to end the inning. The question: How do you score it? – Jay Bruce was officially put out by the catcher, unassisted. And, Cabrera’s doubled stands in the record books. Interesting.

“Ain’t talking ‘bout Monday
Ain’t talking ‘bout Tuesday
Ain’t talking ‘bout Wednesday
Ain’t talking ‘bout Thursday
I’m talking ‘bout…

She don’t care no more
She don’t need to fight it
She don’t care no more
She gets paid on Friday”

Friday, May 4, 2018

May 4, 2018 by fasted86

Briefly.

DYK: There are more than 14,000 types of mushrooms.

Trivia #1: What is it called when a player strikes out 3 times in one game? 4 times? 5 times?

Trivia #2: What player holds the single-season record for grand slams?

It is now apparent why the Pablo Sandoval experiment didn’t work in Boston. The Red Sox weren’t using him effectively. Last Saturday he pitched a 1-2-3 inning (three groundouts) mixing his 80+ MPH heat with a 70’s curveball for the Giants. Whoddathunk?!

On April 29, 1930, there were 7 major league baseball games played and the average runs scored per game was more than 17!

Down on the farm: The PawSox have been shut-out 4 times already this season.

Think about it. Stormy Daniels is not a good porn name.

If the Bruins lose this series, can we call it a successful season?

Playoff hockey is the best! Except, of course, when the Bruins aren’t winning…

Why is it called a sleeve of golf balls? Even “short sleeve” is more appropriate .

Things you are not allowed to complain about. A bad round of golf. Lousy sex. Go fishing and not catching anything. Things you cancomplain about. Warm beer. A bad round of golf. Wait a minute….

Early season note: JD Martinez can hit.

I can’t wait for the Patriots season to begin… just so that people will talk about Patriots football and not about everything else to do with the Patriots.

It’s official, Amazon announced that it will hire for 2,000 new tech jobs in the Seaport once it takes over 430,000 ft. of office space at the next phase of office development in Boston’s Seaport Square, set to complete by 2021. In a related story, Notre Dame Football is scheduled to play at Alabama on Sept 1^st, 2029. Really.

Shaquem Griffin had his left hand amputated at age 4 after being born with a rare syndrome. Shaquem, out of Central Florida, was drafted in the 5^th round last week by the Seattle Seahawks. At the scouting combine he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, the fastest by a linebacker in more than 10 years.

And it continues… Remember that the Red Sox hit zero grand slams last season. They just became only the second team to ever hit 6 before May 1^st.

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: A Philadelphia Eagles fan has started a GoFundMe page to raise money in hopes that the team’s new rookie will change his name (Dallas Goedert) because of the team’s intense rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys.

How many of you checked to see whether Sept 1^st, 2029 falls on a Saturday???

Trivia #1 answer: What is it called when a player strikes out 3 times in one game? 4 times? 5 times? When a batter strikes out three times in one game it is called a hat trick. Four times, a golden sombrero. Five times, a platinum sombrero. This dishonor is also known as the Olympic Rings.

Trivia #2 answer: What player holds the single-season record for grand slams? Don Mattingly hit 6 grand slams in 1987. DYK: Those were the only grand slams Mattingly hit in his entire career!

2 years. May the Fourth be with you all!

“Trying to make some sense of it all
But I can see it makes no sense at all
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor?
Well, I don’t think I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you”

Friday, April 27, 2018

April 27, 2018 by fasted86

Briefly.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen looks terrible as he continues his fight against cancer. Poor guy.

Great theatre last night with the Celtics, Sox and the NFL draft going on at the same time. Really, what do fans in other areas of our Nation do??

For the first time in history, 4 quarterbacks were selected out of the top 10 picks of the NFL draft. Guaranteed, at least two of those teams will regret that pick.

Speaking of which: Trivia #1: Which NFL team had the most top 3 picks in the last 15 years?
Trivia #2: Who was last the last player chosen in the top 5 of the NFL draft who did not come from an FBS school (Football Bowl Subdivision) and what school did he play for?

Obviously, I haven’t been paying attention. The Baltimore Ravens drafted, with the 25^th pick overall, stud tight end Hayden Hurst out of South Carolina. Hurst joins a receiving corps of, here’s where I’m not paying attention, Michael Crabtree (Oakland), John Brown (Arizona) and Willie Snead (New Orleans).

Florida fisherman, Joel Singletary, pulled a record-setting 120 lb. catfish from the Choctawhatchee River. The previous record was just under 70 pounds! But hold on! Because he caught the beast on his trotline the catch does not qualify and the record does not stand. Doh!

If spring has sprung, are we now to go out and enjoy the sprang?

Rene Rancourt has been singing the National Anthem at Bruins games for 41 years and is (finally) retiring. DYK: Rene got his big break in 1977 when the singer for the day at Fenway Park called in sick and Rene was called upon. He did such a good job that the Bruins called the next day.

BTW, Rene said part of the reason he is retiring is to spend more time with his wife. Dude! You sing a couple few times a week for what, two and a half minutes!?!?

For those of you who let yourselves follow and suffer through the entire Gronk saga, you are never getting that time back…

Sometimes, like last night, teams are so overmatched by Craig Kimbrel it’s comical.

Because you’re dying to know… A trotline is a heavy fishing line with baited hooks in intervals by means of branch lines called snoods. (You’re welcome, Wilbur)

Trivia #1 answer: Which NFKL team had the most top 3 picks in the last 15 years? The Cleveland Browns had 6 top 3 picks (the Lions had 5). And look at them now…

Trivia #2 answer: Who was last the last player chosen in the top 5 of the NFL draft that did not come from an FBS school (Football Bowl Subdivision) and what school did he play for? Steve McNair (#3 overall) out of Alcorn State.

“You been tellin’ me you’re a genius
Since you were seventeen
In all the time I’ve known you
I still don’t know what you mean
The weekend at the college
Didn’t turn out like you planned
The things that pass for knowledge
I can’t understand”