Blog

Briefly. 

Trivia: What four universities boast having as alum both a Super Bowl winning quarterback and a US president? (Bonus, of course, to name the actual alum) 

I’ll admit, I am not the biggest Paul Pierce fan. Never was. Still, I give him a lot of credit for his speech during his number-retirement ceremony. He was humble and genuinely appreciative. 

Regarding the Pierce ceremony. If I was a fan at that game, I’d a been bullsh!t. Not only did the Celtics get steamrolled by the Cavs, LeBron and Kyrie did not play in the 4^th quarter. Those fans were forced to sit through that debacle, then hang around for the ceremony which in itself took nearly an hour. All this on a Sunday, late afternoon/early evening. Wow! 

One more on Pierce. The Truth. The biggest non-nickname in the history of sports. I mean, who refers to him as The Truth? I think the announce-guy does. His teammates don’t. Mike Gorman doesn’t. Tommy Heinsohn doesn’t. The only time you heard the nickname during his career was when the Celts were down late and they played the scene from A Few Good Men – “You can’t handle the truth!” – and they put the spotlight on Pierce. Really, it was not really a nickname or, if anything, a nickname rarely used. 

After intense flooding in New Orleans last summer there has been a large effort to clean the city’s waterways. As a result more than 46 tons of plastic beads have been pulled from a 5-mile stretch along the Mardi Gras parade route. 

Is it just me? Of all the winter Olympic events, I feel I could grab a cooler and any one of my buddies, and win a curling match. Hell, I’ve play bocce and I’ve swept a floor! The cooler really goes without sayin’… 

Shaun White, I was rooting for him. But really, he ruined a great Olympic moment with the whole flag thing. 

What does Red Sox radio announcer Tim Neverette do during the offseason? I caught him last night doing UMass/BC hockey on NESN. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Monopoly Cheater’s Edition will be released this fall with new rules and gameplay elements in which fans are encouraged to actively cheat as part of play. 

Useless information supposed to drive my imagination: “McDonald’s cuts cheeseburgers from Happy Meals.” 

WEEI personnel are today, from 6am-6pm, attending mandatory sensitivity training. Ya, that should help. 

I like Eduardo Nunez. Am I overly excited about his signing with the Sox? No. But I like theguy.

Go west Bruins, go west. (and win) 

Speaking of sensitivity, why can someone whether on TV or radio imitate an Italian accent, Irish or Brit, but if they imitate an Asian it’s offensive?? 

Ernie Boch Jr. is the CEO of Boch Enterprises, an independent distributor of 64 Subaru dealerships. Last year Boch enterprises sold about 65,000 vehicles of the brand’s US total of 647,956.  

Trivia answer: Miami, OH (Roethlisberger and Rutherford Hayes); Stanford (Elway/Plunkett and Hoover); Michigan (Brady and Ford); and the US Navy (Staubach, Carter) 

“And in the master’s chambers
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives
But they just can’t kill the beast.”

Good night everybody!

Briefly. (kinda) 

Dilly Dilly! 

Trivia #1: Who won the only Super Bowl played in Minneapolis?

Trivia #2: Who holds the records for most receptions in a Super Bowl, including overtime? Who holds it for regulation? 

Thank the Lord that the Super Bowl is almost here. Yesterday’s headline of the Boston Globe sports section read: “The Evolution of the Headset” 

Escaping from prison, you’re doing it wrong. An inmate who escaped from a federal prison in southeast Texas was arrested Wednesday while allegedly trying to sneak back in with snacks, alcohol, tobacco and cooked food. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Chief Wahoo’s days are numbered. The Cleveland Indians’ logo, which has been in use since 1947 but today is deemed racist by Native American groups and others, will be seen on the team’s uniforms for only one more year. 

Mookie won in arbitration. Good for Mookie. 

Hospitalization rates are currently at 41.9 per 100,000 for the flu. Flu-related pediatric deaths for this season stand at 37. As we hit the half-way mark in the flu season, the CDC still recommends getting a flu shot. Did you hear that? 

I’m sorry but, and I’m sure I’m in the minority, I don’t need to know whether Tom Brady folds his toilet paper or crumbles it up. Nor do I need to know whether he puts on his right sock first or his left, though I’m sure which ever one goes on first makes him healthier. I want to see Brady throw the ball and win a Super Bowl. You can have his everyday routine. 

R.I.P. – Oscar Gamble (68) – he played with seven MLB teams, but I’m sure anyone who remembers him remembers him with Cleveland. He had “the ‘fro” that was as much as 12 inches long. 

Quote of the week: “Son, we have rules here. And you need a haircut.” – Manager Billy Martin to Oscar Gamble when Oscar was traded to the yankees in 1975. He had approached Martin and asked why there wasn’t a uniform in his locker. 

Trivia answer #1: Washington beat Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVI.

Trivia answer #2: James White (14), last year. In regulation, Demaryius Thomas (13) in SB XLVIII. 

And now… Super Bowl stuff: 

Bookies say they anticipate total legal betting on the Super Bowl to break the record of $138.5 million, set last year. Billions more are believed to be bet on the game illegally around the country. Already, separate bets of $500,000, $700,000 and more than $2 million have been bet on the Eagles.

No quarterback has ever led the league in passing yardage and gone on to win the Lombardi trophy.
The Patriots last beat Philly in 2004, Super Bowl XXXIX, their second straight SB win and 3^rd in 4 years. They can beat them again Sunday for their 2^nd straight SB win, 3^rd in 4 years.
The over/under on National Anthem, sung by Pink, is 180 seconds.

It is difficult to rank Philadelphia in any offensive category when they had two different QB’s during the season.

The Patriots ranked 1^st in average yards gained per drive (37.6). They were last in average yards allowed per drive (34.2).
The Eagles can become the fourth team to win a SB after having a losing record the season before (7-9).
Useless information, supposed to drive my imagination: The Patriots will wear their white uniforms. They are 3-0 in Super Bowls under Belichick. 12 of the last 13 SB winners have worn white.
Only two Super Bowl quarterbacks have started fewer games in the regular season than Nick Foles (3), Doug Williams and Jeff Hostetler. Both won.
The average margin of victory in the Patriots five SB wins under Belichick is 3.8 points. The average margin in their two losses is 3.5. The point spread for Sunday’s game is sitting at 4 points.
The Patriots will either tie the record for most Super Bowls wins (6, Pittsburgh) or tie for the most Super Bowl losses (5, Denver)
Both SB teams had a point differential during the season of +162, league high.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie once tried to buy the Patriots.

The Eagles took an unusual step in preparing for the Super Bowl by getting acclimated to a longer-than-usual halftime, sitting for a full 30 minutes (as opposed to 13-14 minutes). Of course, most of the Patriots are already used to that!

In case you are watching the game and wondering why so many Philly fans are wearing dog masks, they have been the underdog in their first two playoff games and like the role.
Since Tom Brady took over, the Patriots are 15-0 in the playoffs against teams they did not play in the regular season, 12-9 against repeat opponents. The Patriots and Eagles did not play during this
regular season.
Not that you need to be reminded, but the Patriots have not scored in the first quarter of any Super Bowl under Bill Belichick.
Alshon Jeffrey’s prediction may come true. After last season he said “we are going to win the Super Bowl next year.” Jeffrey was with the Bears last season. He never said who “we” are. 

And finally: The Bible refers to “eagle” 33 times and “goat” 42 times. Pats by 9! 

“But it’s been no bed of roses,
No please cruise.
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race,
And I ain’t gonna lose.” 

Go Pats!

Briefly.

Trivia #1: Only two quarterbacks in NFL history have had back-to-back postseason games where they completed 75% or better of their passes. Who are they?

Trivia #2: Who holds the record for most total yards gained in a Super Bowl? Antonio Freeman, Ricky Sanders, Andre Coleman, Desmond Howard, Jacoby Jones, Jerry Rice 

The Bruins have scored at least one point in the standings in 18 consecutive games. 

No, no comment of the MLB HOF voting. I really don’t have the time. 

Brad Marchand. Man, would we hate him on another team or what?

You may be rooting for the Celtics to reach the Finals, but that is where the dreams end. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse (it’s been a few weeks): KFC is selling a chicken wing box that can be made into a drone. 

I still can’t figure this out. Remember that false missile alert in Hawaii? Get this. Pornhub is able to measure views by location and they reported that views to its site dropped drastically after the alert was sent out at 8:07am HST. Traffic was a massive 77% below that of a typical Saturday. However, once residents were notified around 8:45am HST that the alert was a false alarm, traffic on the porn site shot up to 48% above typical levels. 

Ya, I’ll read that… NOT! “Matthew McConaughey’s brother explains why he named his children after beer” 

You might not agree but I thought it was good to see Chris Berman, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson doing their thing after the games on Sunday. 

The Jaguars had zero turnovers in three postseason games this year. 

The dreaded “extra week before the Super Bowl” is almost over. 

Philly-banned items in certain Massachusetts cities/towns:

Montilio’s Bakery is banning Philadelphia Cream Cheese from its shelves.
The Esplanade Association is banning certain Philadelphia-themed foods, items, and people from the park. Specifically, actor Will Smith (Eagle’s fan) and Sylvester Stallone are banned from the 3.5 mile stretch the Museum of Science to the BU Bridge. Really. 

Since their last trip to the Super Bowl in 1976 (a loss), Minnesota has been to the playoffs 21 times without a repeat trip to the Super Bowl. They also have the most road losses in playoff history.

Tom Brady’s QB rating in the 4^th quarter last weekend was 136.3. 

I’ve spoken with two staunch NY Giants’ fans and both are rooting for their division rival next weekend.

In the past 10 seasons, when trailing by 10+ in the 4^th quarter, the Patriots are 3-4. The rest of the NFL is 3-70. 

8 Super Bowls in 17 years.

If you’re not into “Dilly Dilly”, get over it. 

9 days until Super Bowl LII, 10 days until Truck Day!

Trivia #1 answer: Nick Foles and Joe Montana

Trivia #2 answer: Jacoby Jones (290) 

“Ziggy played guitar,
Jamming good with Weird and Gilly,
And the Spiders from Mars.
He played it left hand,
But made it too far,
Became a special man,
Then we were Ziggy’s band.”

Briefly. 

Go Pats! 

Trivia #1: Who is the only athlete drafted four times?

Trivia #2: Who were the starting quarterbacks when the Patriots beat the Jaguars in the 1996 AFC Championship game? 

Welcome back to Boston again Rondo. Solid 7-point effort! 

The good news for pregnant women in cash-strapped and food-strapped Venezuela is that President Nicolas Maduro just announced the government would be giving them 700,000 bolivars a month. The bad news: Thanks to hyperinflation, that amounts to $3.83 in the real world. He said they’ll go up to the equivalent of $5 a month once the baby is born. 

Last Saturday Hawaii mistakenly issued an “all clear” – an incoming missile alert – during a routine test that happens at the start of every shift. Changes are now being made and from now on, activation of the test and a real incoming missile alert will require two people, and a command that can cancel a mistaken activation within seconds will be created. The reason it took so long to cancel Saturday’s alert, 38 minutes, was because no such button was in place. The person responsible for the gaff has been receiving death threats.

They said it: “Mother Nature is calling.” – Rene Rancourt, who has announced his retirement. 

Did you see the Bulls’ Kris Dunn land on his face after hanging from the rim following a dunk? Damn!

Why would you name a team after a car? 

Looking for your kid, you’re doing it right! Tony Lethbridge of Lake Macquarie, Australia, suspected his son Samuel, 17, may have been in a car wreck when he didn’t return home after a Saturday night out with friends. On Monday morning he hired a helicopter and the car was found within 15 minutes about 12 miles from home. The car was easily visible from the air but would have near impossible to see from the road, said the pilot. 

Happy birthday to Betty White, this past Wednesday, 96. She claims to eat the foods she likes, vodka and hotdogs, in that order. 

Trivia answer #1: Jo Jo White was drafted by the Celtics (9^th overall), the Dallas Cowboys, the Cincinnati Reds and the Marines.

Trivia answer #2: Drew Bledsoe and Mark Brunell 

R.I.P. Jo Jo White, answer to our trivia question. Do you want more on Jo Jo? He was a two-time All-American at Kansas, an Olympic Gold Medal winner in 1968, a two-time NBA champ, an NBA Finals MVP, he is in the Hall of Fame of the NBA, St. Louis Sports and the Marine Corps (they have a sports HOF), and his number has been retired by U Kansas. 

R.I.P. Washington St. sophomore QB, Tyler Hilinski who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was in line to be the starter next season. What a shame. You just never know… 

“For those about to rock,
We salute you”

Briefly. 

Trivia: Every team in the NFC has been to the conference title game. Which team is the only won never to win it? 

Pats/Saints Super Bowl. 

The Philadelphia Eagles are the first team to come in as the overall #1 seed in the conference and be an underdog in the divisional playoff. For good reason.

Daniel Bard has retired from baseball. Selected 28^th overall by the Red Sox in 2006, Bard reached the big leagues in 2009. In 2010 he posted a blistering 1.93 ERA as John Papelbon’s setup man while striking out 76 batters in 74 2/3 innings. He didn’t allow an earned run from May 23 to Aug. 2, a scoreless streak of 26 1/3 innings. But it was all downhill from there as he struggled late in 2011 and Bobby Valentine tried to convert him to a started in 2012. He struggled with control problems the rest of his career, bouncing around in the minors for the last four years. So there you have it. It was Bobby Valentine’s fault, as were many other things. 

Useless headline of the week: “Eight teams that might fit Tom Brady if he left the New England Patriots” 

Red Sox prospect Michael Chavis’ breakout season in 2017 is partly attributed to his being pooped on by a bird while in his convertible during spring training in March. In 126 games between High-A Salem (59 games) and Double-A Portland (67 games), Chavis stroked 31 homeruns, 35 doubles and two triples, drove in 94 runs and batted .282 with a .347 on-base percentage. 

On January 5, Bertha Vickers of Morgantown, Miss. used a .243 Winchester rifle to bag a deer a few miles from her rural home. Big deal, you say? Four days later on January 9, Bertha celebrated her 100^th birthday! Said Bertha, “I don’t know why everyone is making such a big deal about it. If I killed a big buck I could see it, but it was just a doe.” 

The Bruins play the Canadians for the first time this weekend (or next week??). How is that?

“What the?” headline of the week: “Alabama man accused of sexually molesting 20-year-old horse” 

Speaking of Alabama… I could never root for Nick Saban but I have to admit. Ballsy call bringing in the freshman in the second half. 

Former NY Giants Rashad Jennings had zero dance experience before competing in DWTS, Season 24 (whenever that was). Now that he has retired from football he is going to get into competitive dancing. Go figure. 

Are you familiar with CES – Consumer Electronics Show? Closing out the 4-day show today in Vegas, the show was attended by 184K people, had over 4K exhibiting companies and 1.2K speakers. Of the plethora of awards handed out I like the “Best Unexpected Product”, affectionately called “My Special Aflac Duck”. Designed to support children diagnosed with cancer, is has features like a port-a-cath with an RFID chip for children to familiarize themselves with chemotherapy treatment, as well as emoji cards which allow the duck to express the child’s emotions for them. It’s also cute, fluffy and cuddly. Alfac plans to get the toy to all children diagnosed with cancer in the US, free of charge. Really. 

The Celtics won in London. I hope the fans enjoyed it. 

Trivia answer: The Detroit Lions (I know, kind of a layup there) 

“If you’re going to do something tonight that you’ll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late.” – Henny Youngman 

“This old engine
Makes it on time
Leaves Central Station
About a quarter to nine
Hits River Junction
At seventeen to
At a quarter to ten
You know its trav’lin again”

Briefly.

We’ve gone from bombogenesis  to icemageddan. 

Trivia: Only four teams have won three road playoffs games on their way to the Super Bowl. Who are they and which ones won that particular Super Bowl? 

Well that didn’t take long. On January 1^st I saw the first commercial for this year’s Masters tournament, played in April. 

Gimme Shelter, sung by the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band, is played in many a venue during sporting events. I noticed it again when ESPN came back from commercial break during the Rose Bowl. 

I saw a clip on the NFL Network regarding Jermaine Kearse’s catch during Super Bowl L in 2016. That catch was right up there with the now-famous “Helmet Catch” of Super Bowl 20XLII, but is more-or-less forgotten. The reason? Pete Carroll didn’t hand it off to “Beast Mode” on the goal line at the end of the game. 

In parts of South Florida it is raining iguanas! When the temperature gets below 40 degrees it can freeze iguanas which can then fall out of trees. They are not dead and can still breathe but move very slowly. They do die after about two days in such weather, typically from pneumonia,  but are OK if the temperature warms.

On January 1^st NAZCAR tweeted: Welcome to 2018. Year of the 60^th annual Daytona 500, Sunday, February 18^th on Fox. In related news, the price of a loaf of fresh white bread in Boise, ID costs $1.95. 

To celebrate their 50^th anniversary in Oakland, the Athletics are offering free tickets to their game on April 17, 2018. On April 17, 1968, the A’s debuted in Oakland and this is their anniversary gift to the city. The game is on a Tuesday and DYK, parking is always free on Tuesdays at Alameda Stadium. Capacity there is 41,170. It will be interesting to see how many are actually in attendance! 

They said it: “I’ve lived in this state all my life and I REFUSE to pump my own gas. I had to do it once in California while visiting my brother and almost died doing it. This is a service only qualified people should perform.” Said by a random Oregonian after the state of Oregon partially lifted its ban on self-service gas on Jan. 1, allowing people in rural counties with fewer than 40,000 people to pump their own gas between 6pm and 6am. 

Heisman trophy winner, right! Baker Mayfield was so good the Sooners didn’t even give him a chance to win the game the other night. In 2 OT’s! 

Hockey or baseball? The Bruins game was cancelled because of snow?? The Big, Bad Bruins of the early 70’s never would have stood for that! 

Trivia answer: New England Patriots (1985 – L), Pittsburgh Steelers (2005 – W), NY Giants (2007 – W), Green Bay Packers (2010 – W) 

“Oh, a storm is threat’ning

My very life today

If I don’t get some shelter

Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away.”

Briefly.

Trivia #1: If were you smart enough to look it up last week, or didn’t have to, what team holds the longest active streak in North America’s four major professional sports for years making the playoffs?

Trivia #2: What D1 college football program has lost the most bowl games all-time? – Alabama, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio St, Texas 

The life expectancy in the U.S. dropped for the second straight year in 2016 as deaths from drug overdoses rose a staggering 21 percent. It was the first time since 1962-63 that the U.S. life expectancy fell two consecutive years. A baby born last year in the U.S. is expected to live about 78 years and 7 months. 

Fleeing from the police, you’re doing it wrong. 27 year-old Timothy Erofeeff of Scotts Mills, OR was approached by the police after reports that someone had been trespassing on boats. Erofeeff sped off in his truck, right down a pier and into the Columbia River. He then swam a couple hundred feet away before swimming back to the dock due to the frigid water. 

Todd Gurley really does have an argument for NFL MVP, or at least he did until now. The Rams have decided to rest him, Jared Goff and other starters before the playoffs. Brady I think wants it and he’ll get it. If he can pull it off and couple it with another Super Bowl… Man! 

Don’t give me that “I love the winters in New England #$%^ing bullshit. NO ONE loves multiple single-digit temperature days in a row. OK, beautiful white skylines, skiing/sledding is fun. Nice, crisp mornings. I get all that. But this is bullshit and it sucks. 

In a related story, yesterday there was a local “wind chill advisory” until 6am on Friday, this morning. At the time the forecasted highs/lows for Sat-Mon were 19/6, 13/-1 and 11/0. Ya, a real #$%^ing heat wave!

Just another one of those years/seasons where both the Celtics and Bruins can be real fun to watch. Tough loss for the Bruins last night and what a win for the C’s! Down 32-12 after one and down as many as 26 they pull off the one-point win over the Bearded One and the Rockets. 

No excuses here just the facts. The Celtics will soon be playing their 41^st game, the halfway point of the season, in 79 days. Their last 41 games will span 97 days. 

The BLT might be the most underrated sandwich ever. 

Rajon Rondo had 25 assist on Wednesday night. My feeling is that he can do that, or close to it, whenever he wants. I also think he can score 20-25 points whenever he wants and do just about anything on the court whenever he wants. The problem with Rondo is that he rarely wants to any of that. 

Correction to a point I made earlier. There is someone who loves multiple single-digit temperature days in a row – Gary Simard! He won’t read this but “kiss my gas”, you crook. 

Enjoy this last week of the regular season, plus the upcoming bowl games. Great time of year! 

In case you missed it, Erie, PA received 53” of snow over a two-day period earlier this week. 

Trivia #1 answer: The San Antonio Spurs (20)

Trivia #2 answer: Nebraska Cornhuskers (27) 

R.I.P. – Today keep in mind anyone who left us in 2017. Remember the good times. 

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin 

Happy New Year to you and yours. May 2018 be better than 2017 and not as good as 2019. 

“I’ve just closed my eyes again
climbed aboard the dream weaver train
Driver, take away my worries of today
and leave tomorrow behind”

Briefly. 

What a glorious day today is. For the next 6 months starting today, each day gets a little longer. 

Trivia #1: What team holds the longest active streak in North America’s four major professional sports for years not reaching the playoffs.

Trivia #2: What two Patriot players are the only two with 200+ yards receiving in a single game: Julian Edelman & Wes Welker, Terry Glenn & Wes Welker, Julian Edelman & Stanley Morgan, Irving Fryar & Stanley Morgan, Gronk & Wes Welker, Russ Francis & Terry Glenn 

Hey Mike Tomlin, nice use of the play review timeout. Stand on the sideline, look at the big screen and watch the reply for the entire timeout. 

In case you missed it, John Gruden was honored at the Bucs/Falcons game this past Monday night. Former coach Gruden was welcomed to the Tampa Bay’s “Ring of Honor.” To put that in perspective, Gruden joins another former Buccaneers’ coach, John McKay. McKay first “guided” the Bucs to an 0-14 record his first season (1976) and went on to lose his first 26 games (not a typo). He finished with a 44-88-1 record with Tampa. Great company in “The Ring.” 

When Cincinnati Bengals’ coach Marvin Lewis took over the team, the franchise had a total of 5 playoff wins. 15 years later Lewis is stepping down and the franchise has a total of 5 playoff wins. 

This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Palm Springs, CA, says it will remove a row of trees dividing a neighborhood and a golf course after residents complained that the trees evoked feelings of “segregation” and “discrimination.” The trees were planted in the 1960’s. 

Say what you want about the Sox offseason moves, or lack thereof, but the team just got better with the news that Evan Longoria is moving out of the AL East.

Papa John founder John Schnatter is stepping down from his CEO position and being replaced by Steve Ritchie. Papa Steve?? 

I work in healthcare. Diagnosis code (ICD10): V0600XA = PEDESTRIAN ON FOOT INJURED IN COLLISION WITH OTHER NONMOTOR VEHICLE IN NONTRAFFIC ACCIDENT, INITIAL ENCOUNTER. Translation? Grandma got run over by a reindeer. 

In the spirit of giving, Texas Rangers’ pitcher Cole Hamels, and his wife, Heidi, are donating their Missouri mansion and 100 acres of land to a charity that provided camps for children with special needs and chronic illnesses, and their siblings. The massive 32,000-square foot home, worth an estimated $10 million, will be donated to Camp Barnabas in Table Rock Lake. Nice. 

Christmas quote of the week: “I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. My mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.” – Shirley Temple. 

Do you know how much weight you are going to gain on over the holidays? Correct! Who gives a shit? 

Residents in a wealthy area of Bristol in England have installed anti-bird spikes, or pigeon spikes, on trees to protect their cars from bird poop. Said one twitter response, “Now Clifton residents are trying to ban birds from trees!” You should see the spikes! Not some 1-2 inch spikes spaced a few inches apart. These things are 4-6 inches long bundled up across nearly all of the branches. Incredible! 

“Oh my!” – R.I.P. Dick Enberg (82) – Enberg retired from his TV job with the San Diego Padres in 2016. Over six decades Enberg called UCLA basketball, Super Bowls, the Olympics, Final Fours, Angels baseball and Rams football. 

Trivia #1 answer: The Buffalo Bills (17)

Trivia #2 answer: Terry Glenn & Wes Welker 

Merry Christmas to all of you and yours! Remember: 

“You can’t always get what you want
but if you try sometimes
you get what you need.”

Briefly.

A reader of last week’s post boasted that he nailed all three trivia questions. Well good luck this week! 

Trivia #1: On January 3rd, 1998, the Steelers beat the Patriots 7-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs. Who led the Patriots in rushing that afternoon? Dave Meggett, Sam Gash, Sedrick Shaw, Troy Brown, Drew Bledsoe, Derrick Cullors, Curtis Martin

Trivia #2: Who wore Ted Williams’ #9 during the 1944 season while he was serving in the military? 

The Red Sox made big news at the Winter Meetings by signing Sam Adams! Seriously though, Sam Adams is the official beer of the Boston Red Sox. In turn, Fenway will get two “Sam Adams experiential bar areas,” the right field roof deck will now be known as the “Sam Deck” and a bar area located behind the third base stands will be known as “Sammy’s on Third.” (not to be confused with “Hu’s on First”) The park will also begin to sell new brews such as the upcoming “Sam ’76.” Now if there is a new beer that is selling in Fenway Park, shouldn’t it really be called “Sam ’67?” 

Merriam-Webster’s 2017 Word of the Year is “feminism.” In 2017, lookups for feminism increased 70% over 2016 on Merriam-Webster.com and spiked several times after key events said lexicographer Peter Sokolowski, the company’s editor at large. 

I’ve tended bar before but have never tended net. I just hope this platooning of goaltenders works with the Bruins. 

Indianapolis running back Frank Gore has over 17,500 all-purpose yards in his 13-year NFL career. This past Sunday he had a career high 36 carries against Buffalo. 

The Thomas fire, burning in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, is now the fourth-largest wild fire in CA history, covering 379 square miles (think about that). Yesterday the fire took the life of 32-year old Cory Iverson who leaves behind a pregnant wife and 2-year-old daughter. Officials say they do not expect to have the fire fully contained for more than three weeks. 

Intriguing headline of the week: Can LSD improve work productivity? (I don’t know but I’ll sign up for the study!)

Useless headline of the week: The internet is divided on the right way to cut toast. 

Interesting formation the other night. The Dolphins had an empty backfield and Jay Cutler was under center. (I know, Jay Cutler) 

5. The number of wins (in 20 games) that the Chicago Bulls had the other night before steamrolling the mighty Celtics who boasted the best record in the NBA. Boom!

Are you ready to go bowling?! The first of 41 college bowl games kick off this Saturday. Six games are on Saturday’s slate. 

Best (worst?) name for a bowl this year? How about the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl! No? Then what about the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl? 

This is great. Four-year-old Ruby Lewis was participating in her first wrestling match and her family was right there on the sidelines to cheer her on. Ruby’s younger brother Jash (2) however had apparently mistaken the match for a real-life fight and rushed out to “save” his sister from her advisory. Screaming out onto the mat, Jash rushed towards Ruby’s opponent, Ryan, and attempted to throw him off his sister, much to the audience’s amusement.  

Trivia #1: Sedrick Shaw (22 yards on 10 carries)

Trivia #2: Johnny Peacock 

“Livin’ easy, livin’ free,

Season ticket on a one-way ride

Askin’ nothin’, leave me be

Takin’ everything in stride

Don’t need reason, don’t need rhyme

Ain’t nothing that I’d rather do

Going down, party time

My friends are gonna be there too”

Briefly.

Trivia #1: Who threw the most interceptions during the 2016-2017 NFL season? Philip Rivers, Blake Bortles, Ryan Tannehill, Ryan Ritzpatrick, Derek Carr, Jay Cutler.

Trivia #2: Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese was the first NFL football player to wear what in a game in 1977?

Trivia #3 (why not?): There was a M*A*S*H episode where everyone in camp is excited about the upcoming Army-Navy game. When Father Mulcahy walks into Henry’s office for the radio party, what university’s pennant is he holding? Army, Navy, Notre Dame, Xavier, Loyola, Rutgers 

My son told me he liked the band – Phish. I said I had heard that they stink, especially their older songs… 

I don’t know about you but I had new Arizona St. head football coach Herm Edwards as older than 63.

According to the 2016 Survey of American Physicians, 49% of physicians experience feelings of burn-out and 49% would not recommend medicine as a career to their children. 

Would you agree that, when you step out of your home, a good neighbor will smile and wave while a great neighbor will turn and go back into his/her home? 

On Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 2013 the Yankees signed free agent Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year deal valued at around $153 million. Today many Yankee followers consider it the worst signing in franchise history. 

What a week for upsets in college hoops! Washington was a 17 dog and won by 9 over #2 Kansas, Loyola-Chicago -20 won by 6 over #5 Florida, and Ball St. -17.5 beat #9 ND by 3. 

Dwight Gooden donned a Santa Claus suit this past Tuesday night in the spirit of Christmas. Well, not really. Gooden was allegedly paid $500 for wearing the suit and appearing at the Vivid Cabaret in Midtown Manhattan, a gentlemen’s club. Said Dwight: “It’s Christmastime, and I got a lot of presents to buy. I got seven kids, four grandkids, with another on the way any minute now, and two ex-wives. So every dollar counts.” 

It’s Jimmy V week in college hoops. Cancer sux. Make a donation. 

Last year, Marketwatch.com listed analysts’ favorite stocks (large-cap) for 2017. Now it’s noted that 12 months isn’t necessarily a long time to hold a stock but, nonetheless, 11 of the 18 S&P stocks underperformed the S&P 500 which rose 20% over the 12 months. 18 suffered declines in general and six dropped by double digits. Two of those six dropped more than 50%. The lesson, if you are going to buy stocks, plan for the long term. Lesson #2, experts – ya, right! 

As of Wednesday, the Celtics’ rookie Jason Tatum was shooting a league-best 51.3% from 3-point range. He is on pace for the 8^th best in NBA history. 

Tiger Woods is back and getting all the attention. Twice last Saturday during the Hero World Challenge golf tournament, host Terry Gannon said Woods had “unfortunately” fallen out of contention. No one else was nearly as unfortunate. 

The world’s oldest restaurant, Stiftskeller, has been operating in Salzburg, Austria since 803. It continues to serve patrons in the same building it has for more than a millennium: St. Peter’s Abbey. 

Trivia #1 answer: Philip Rivers

Trivia #2 answer: Glasses

Trivia #3 answer: Notre Dame. As he walked in he said “How about one for the Gipper!” 

“My eyes are blind but I can see

The snowflakes glistened on the tree

The sun no longer sets me free

I feel there’s no place freezing me.”