Blog

Briefly.

Thank a vet. If you are reading this and are a vet, thanks.

I missed last Friday and some of this is old news but I’m keeping it in regardless. A little more lengthy than normal. I hope you don’t mind…

Headline of the week – “Is holding in your poop at work bad for your health?”

Jose Fernandez, the Miami Marlins ace who was tragically killed in a boating accident on Sept. 25, was posthumously honored on Wednesday night at the 25th Annual Players Choice Awards. In a bittersweet moment, Fernandez was announced as the National League Comeback Player of the Year for the 2016 season. Fernandez, 24, went 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA, 2.30 FIP, 1.12 WHIP and an NL-best 12.5 K/9 ratio in 29 starts this past season. He made only 11 starts in the 2015 season after returning from Tommy John surgery.

In case you were wondering, Bill “Spaceman” Lee got 2.81% of the vote in Vermont’s Gubernatorial race.

“The party’s over:The politically themed Bud Light Party campaign starring Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer, which debuted during the Super Bowl, has proven to be a major disappointment by failing to reverse declining sales trends. Anheuser-Busch InBev reported that Bud Light sales to retailers fell by “mid-single digits” in the third quarter, during which the brand lost 0.65 points of market share.” Let me tell you something from mere observation. The Baldi did NOT contribute to the declining sales!!

The word is that Draft Kings & FanDuel are discussing a merger, though neither will acknowledge.

And there you have it. Mookie is an MVP finalist, Ortiz is not.

Speaking of Mookie, he wins a Gold Glove and isn’t even the best outfielder on his team.

“Massachusetts voters approved marijuana legalization along some unlikely lines. The ballot measure’s “No” votes largely centered in Boston’s outlying suburbs. The city’s most urban areas tended to support the initiative, as did the state’s most rural ones; voters in western Massachusetts were overwhelmingly pro-pot.” – Why is this not surprising??

Speaking of the Red Sox, they open at home next season on April 3rd vs. the Pirates. Also, the Cubbies come to town April 28-30.

I really like what ESPN is doing on Monday nights by having Chris Berman in studio with different guests each week. Last Monday, because the Bills were in town, Jim Kelly was his guest. He welcomes past players from one of the teams playing each week. You may not like Chris Berman in certain arenas but he does a great job here.

The Raiders were flagged 23 times (two) Sunday’s ago breaking an NFL record that stood since 1944 and had been tied twice. Not only that but they also had three penalties declined and one offset.

The Cleveland Browns are 0-9. They have now lost 12 in a row going back to last year, have dropped 19 of 20 and are 3-27 in its past 30. They are the first team since the 1964 Broncos to allow at least 25 points in their first 9 games. In a fitting tribute, fans in the end zone (two) Sundays ago, held up three bed sheets spelling out DAWG POUND, only the sheets were in the wrong order and spelled out GPODAWUND?

This week’s sign of the apocalypse – Olexander Turin, a Ukranian, was amongst 7 people who changed their name to iPhone Sim. A local electronics store offered to give away an Iphone 7, retailing at $850, for anyone who changed their name. Olexander paid $2 for the name change.

There were 156 golfers at last weekend’s PGA tournament, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. However, due to the waning hours of daylight this time of year, a couple dozen golfers were supposed to have been lopped off the field. Though no one is clear why, there was a miscommunication that allowed all 156 to play. One of those who should not have been playing, Rod Pampling, won the tournament and took home the $1.2M prize!

The Steelers offensive (pun intended) drives on Sunday. Punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, halftime, punt, interception, punt, blocked punt (TD). The Steelers had more penalty yards (70) than total yards at halftime.

Headline of the week part deux – “Melissa fell in love with Lisa  – then discovered she was her Mom”

Brad Stevens just can’t get the Celts to play defense. What’s up with that?

So voters can change their minds in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In Wisconsin you can change your vote up to three times. The deadline was the Thursday before the election.

Back to the Raiders game last Sunday. Derek Carr not only smashed the franchise record for passing yards in a game (513 – he broke the record of 427 held by the immortal Cotton Davidson), he also joined Y.A. Tittle (1962) and Ben Roethlisberger (2014) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 500+ yards, 4 TD’s and zero interceptions in a single game.

Thank the Lord for Tuukka. Where would the Bruins be without him?!?!

The tributes keep coming for David “Big Papi” Ortiz. JetBlue announced over the weekend it will dedicate Gate 34 in Logan International Airport’s Terminal C to the newly retired Red Sox slugger. Ortiz recently starred in a series of ads for JetBlue. The name and design for the gate have not yet been finalized.

Philip Rivers’ 13-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates in the first quarter of San Diego’s 43-35 win over Tennessee was the 81st time they’ve connected, the most in NFL history between a quarterback and a tight end. It was also the 108th career TD catch for Gates, leaving him three shy of matching Tony Gonzalez’s NFL record for a tight end. Does anyone else think a local guy will break both records in due time??

Chiefs running back Knile Davis played after re-signing with Kansas City on Saturday. Davis was traded to Green Bay three weeks ago, cut after two games and signed with the New York Jets. He was cut again hours later when New York agreed to terms with C.J. Spiller, allowing Davis to return to Kansas City.

These next two points are as close as I get to political mention:

Hillary Clinton delivered what could be the last political speech of her life on Wednesday and the color she wore was seen as very significant. For her concession speech, Clinton wore a purple shirt and a blazer with purple lapels, while Bill Clinton wore a purple tie. But DYK, purple—halfway between red and blue—is considered the color of American bipartisanship and many commentators praised the color choice as a graceful way to emphasize her message of unity.

Shares in Israeli firm Magal Security System, which helped build the wall around Gaza and many other barriers around the world, jumped around 6% Wednesday in the wake of Donald Trump’s surprise election victory.

Good night everybody!

“Who would believe you were a beauty indeed
When the days get shorter and the nights get long
Lie awake when the rain comes
Nobody will know, when you’re old
When you’re old, nobody will know”

Briefly:

If you were forced to pick, who goes to the HOF – A-Rod or Pete Rose? Easy one for me.

The Celtics paid tribute to cancer-stricken reporter, Craig Sager. After a recent practice and before speaking with reporters, coaches and players put on multi-colored spotted shirts, symbolic of the bright and colorful suits only Sager could wear. The team then took a picture and shouted the words “Sager Strong!” to a camera for the purpose of sending get-well wishes to the man who has become an institution on NBA sidelines over his long and successful career. Sager’s son, Craig Jr. helped save Sager’s life as he was a match for the bone marrow transplant needed to push Sager into remission in 2014. But in March, doctors had told him that he had 3–6 months to live without treatment. On July 29, Sager underwent bone marrow surgery.

Losing to the Canadians will always suck.

What is all this about Kyle Schwarber?? Ya, I get it. He is fun to watch, but most everyone is up in arms that he is not fit to play the outfield and that in itself completely changes the Cubbies’ lineup. Ya, it changes it to the lineup that won more games than any other team and scored the second most runs. As Aaron Rodgers would say, “relax!”.

Can/Will Marcus Smart take the next step?

Trivia: Which country is credited with being the founder of Halloween? Spain, Ireland, Russia or Transylvania? Answer below.

I like Sean McDonough, always have. I think he does a great job on MNF and good for him. He’s earned it. But really, talk about a face for radio! Something just doesn’t look right when I see him and Gruden on the set together.

Did you happen to catch the singing of the National Anthem of Game 6 of the NLCS? The guy’s name is john Vincent and can he hold a note! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3JjggR33WA

The Pats are going to need Gostowski and he has to shake this thing he’s got going on.

I’m speechless. Bill Cosby has registered with a state commission for the blind in Massachusetts and is legally blind. His lawyers now say that he cannot possibly defend himself against a claim that he sexually assaulted  someone he supposedly met once, half a century ago, when he cannot recognize the person. From a lawyer’s perspective, I guess, brilliant!

Arnold Schwarzenegger would have entered the 2016 presidential race if he could have. “If I’d been born in America, I would’ve run”. Just imagine.

Speaking of Kyle Schwarber, how can a guy be medically cleared to bat and run the bases but not be fit to run down a fly ball?

The Bruins are 3-4 and Bruins Nation is getting very impatient.

Kids today see the Bo Jackson commercial (Kia Sorrento) but I imagine very few know that he was arguably the greatest athlete of all time. Some quick facts on Bo: As a senior at Auburn, he rushed for 1,786 yards at a 6.4 yards per carry clip (4, 200 yard games) and scored 17 TDs. As a junior he hit .401 with 17 homers and 43 RBI in 42 games. He qualified both as a freshman and sophomore in the 60-yard dash at the NCAA indoor nationals. He was drafted in the MLB draft in 1982 (in high school), 1985 and 1986. He was the number 1 pick in the 1986 NFL draft (Tampa Bay). Though it was measured by hand and is now not recognized as the fastest ever, Bo ran the then fastest 40-yard dash ever at the NFL scouting combine (4.12 seconds). Bo knows.

Great to see Katherine Tappan continue to move up. I can’t recall which network she is working with but is on the NFL sideline now. Great to see her moving up but great to see her period. If you know what I mean.

I rarely watch exhibition games in any sport and didn’t see all but about two minutes of Jaylen Brown this preseason. Then I saw him in the Celtics opener. Short return but the guy looks like the deal!

Old news (two weeks or so) but rookie Austin Matthews scored four goals in Toronto’s opener, his first NHL game. But DYK, Wayne Gretzky scored 4 goals in a game just once in his entire career?
Development firm Related Beal closed Friday on its purchase from Boston University of nine buildings in Kenmore Square, including the six-story building that houses the iconic Citgo sign. Related paid about $140 million, according to a source familiar with the deal, for the collection of older office buildings with storefronts along Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue. They also acquired control of the famous sign, for which Citgo leases space atop 660 Beacon St. It’s an icon that could yet become a bit of a headache. The Boston Landmarks Commission appears poised to declare the half-century-old sign an official city landmark, which could hinder development on the site. Members of the commission are hammering out details — such as how high the sign can be and if it could be moved slightly — and a final vote is likely early next year.

Trivia answer – Ireland

Good night everybody!

“But now it’s getting late
And the moon is climbing high
I want to celebrate
See it shinin’ in your eye

Because I’m still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I’m still in love with you
On this harvest moon.”

Thursday night football – brilliant! (but that game last night blew!)

I haven’t come close to getting over the Sox.

Did you see Adrian Gonzales get thrown out at the plate the other night? He still insists he was safe. Regardless, social media is all over him because of his lack of speed. A couple good ones I heard on ESPN radio: “Gonzales is so slow, he actually looks faster on slow-motion replay.” And – “Adrian Gonzales is so slow, he was rounding third during Vin Scully’s first broadcast.”

Not only is Bill Lee running for Governor or Vermont, the ballot reads – BILL “SPACEMAN” LEE – Liberty Union. But did you know, in 1988 Lee ran for president … on the Canadian Rhinoceros Party’s ticket, best known for promising to repeal the law of gravity.

From the unbelievable dept, a Texas youth football team’s season ended early after backlash grew over the team’s decision to take a knee during the National Anthem. The Bay Area Football League reportedly chose to end the Beaumont Bulls’ season after determining they did not have enough players to compete. The team—comprised of 11 and 12-year-old boys—followed in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick, staging a protest during its Sept. 10 game. It was said that head coach Rah-Rah Barber singled out and pressured players who chose not to kneel. Upset players and parents stopped showing up to practices and games, dropping the number of players on the team from more than 20 to 15.

The Bruins look good but really, was Tuukka too tired to play in game #2?

Edie Simms – a 102-year-old St. Louis woman, was taken into custody by local police, but it was only so she could cross off “getting arrested” from her bucket list. True story.

In case you didn’t hear, Bob Dylan – Noble prize recipient, in literature. After taking nearly a week to acknowledge the award, Dylan then removed reference to his winning the award from his web site. Huh?

Can’t get enough of Big Papi? These are excerpts from an article I read. Great stuff! David Ortiz’s fame has been built on some of the most important hits in the history of the Boston Red Sox, one of the most storied franchises in professional sports in the United States. But saving lives is one of the most important and least recognized aspects in the career of the star from the Dominican Republic, who is affectionately known as “Big Papi.” His numbers and accomplishments have taken a back seat in the player’s order of priorities since February 2005, when he decided to create the David Ortiz Children’s Fund with the sole purpose of saving children with heart problems. “I want to be remembered not as someone who just looked after himself, but as someone who tried to do his bit to make a difference,” Ortiz told ESPNDeportes.com. “There’s no hit, achievement, title or award that can compare with the enormous satisfaction of giving a child their smile back.” Since it was founded, the David Ortiz Children’s Fund has raised nearly $3 million and funded heart surgery for hundreds of children from the Dominican Republic and the New England area. The majority of these children come from families without resources or access to the medical services needed to save their lives. Last year, in which 70 children underwent surgery, a Dominican hospital named its pediatric department after Ortiz, and the newspaper Diario Libre named him Man of the Year. During the final weekend of this year’s regular season in Boston, the Red Sox presented him with a number of gifts, including donating $1 million to his fund. “God has given me much more than I deserve and the most logical way of thanking him is by helping others. Acting as a channel to help save lives and bring joy to children and their families,” Ortiz said. “There can be no greater happiness.”

For my fellow sleep apnea sufferers… Mike Napoli partly credits his recent success to November 2014 surgery at Mass General to address his sleep apnea. He says it not only helped to maximize his power but also bettered his life. For those of thinking you should get the same surgery, said Napoli: “It was an 8 1⁄2 hour surgery, I was in the ICU for 2 1⁄2 days. I couldn’t work out for three months.” BTW, I love his pizza!

Tim Tebow, now just doing it all, was credited with comforting a fan who was having a seizure during a game Tebow was playing in. He went over to the guy, prayed and talked college football with him. He stayed with him for 15-20 minutes. Nice.

Yesterday I “celebrated” 30 years with John Hancock/Wellpoint/Anthem. Now I’m OK with my age, my kids’ ages, how long I’ve been married… but 30 years at the same company? That hurts.

Speaking of insurance, today’s sign of the apocalypse: MetLife has rebranded itself and in doing so dropped Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. The insurance firm is “opting for a more simple identity” with the tagline “MetLife. Navigating life together”.

I’m not rooting for the Cubs and not rooting for Tito. Not rooting for anyone. What’s wrong with that?

Speaking of the Bruins, what a great goal scored by Bergeron last night off a great feed from Marchard. You gotta look it up.

That’s all I got. Good night everybody!

“Leaves are falling all around,
It’s time I was on my way.
Thanks to you I’m much obliged
For such a pleasant stay.”

The Red Sox lost.

Briefly.

A little football-heavy today. And they’ll be no clowning around.

The 22 points scored by the Steelers last Sunday night are the most points they have scored in the 1^st quarter since 1940.

The Chargers, along with the 2011 Cowboys, are the first team to blow two 13-pt, 4^th quarter leads within their first 4 games of the season.

Dak Prescott, at 131 pass attempts, is tied with Warren Moon for the second longest streak to start a career without an interception. Brady went 162.

Overall, I’d say I root against Rory McIlroy more than I root for him. Having said that it was great to see Patrick Reed beat him on Sunday.

David Price. This is why you are paid what you are.

OK, so not only do I only know ONE of the Red Sox players’ entrance songs, I’ve only heard of two of the artists listed! (I may have heard of Rihanna but really have no idea). Apparently I need to get out more often. – http://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2016/10/boston_red_sox_entrance_music.html#0

What has happened to Andrew Luck?

You know, it’s not always all about us. This past Monday afternoon typhoon Chaba reached super-typhoon status, strengthening to the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane off the coast of China. It weakened before blowing through South Korea and Japan.  Matthew is/was nothing more than a Category 4.

Why do professional teams feel the need to show “unity” during recent national anthems? Just do what you’re supposed to do; stand with your hand over your heart and remain silent, singing along if you prefer.

Speaking of which, did you see the violinist play the anthem before the NL Wild Card game? Pretty impressive and a nice change.

Did you see the interception the guy from Michigan made against Wisconsin last Saturday? Google that one.

In all due respect to the Hillies and their biggest regular season game in a long time, the Sox start at 4:30pm this afternoon. I might be late. The #7 Hillies play #3 Central Catholic. You know, that team that plays in the MVC because they’re ascared to play in the Catholic Conference.

In central China’s Hunan province, the park at Shiyan Lake offers transparent restrooms with glass walls. Now look, I don’t care how good looking she is once she squats down on that toilet, just like you and me, everything goes right out the door.

You can purchase a copy of Papi’s last regular season game scorecard for ONLY $19.95! No thanks. It wasn’t even a good game for him.

The walk-off homerun or the overtime goal? Think about it. Good question. Both awesome and my guess is that the answer is to which sport one likes better than the other??? One difference is that there is a few seconds of suspense/anticipation as the homerun ball is travelling out while the goal is immediate. There is also the trot around the bases followed by the mob scene at the plate, while the goal has the immediate mob scene wherever the goal scorer happens to be on the ice. Tough one but give me the homerun.

Jumping ahead but… Big Papi leading the Sox to a World Series Championship and Brady leading the Pats to a Super Bowl victory would be storybook type things. For the fun of it, let’s throw in a Horford-led NBA title and a Marchand-led Stanley Cup title! Not quite the same but you’re with me…

One of Italy’s most-wanted fugitive mob bosses was arrested after five years on the lam Wednesday when police found him hiding in a home bunker built between the bathroom and his son’s bedroom. Antonio Pelle, 54, crawled out of his hiding place on his stomach to the top of an armoire that had shielded the bunker at his home in southern Reggio Calabria. That musta sucked!

After crushing the opposition by a combined total of 170-0 in its first three games of the season, Archbishop Murphy High School in Washington state won the next three games when their opponents forfeited out of fear of literally being crushed. The Archbishop Murphy team has 6 players over 250 pounds and 3 over 300. Granite Falls High School, the most recent to forfeit, has just one player over 250. Come on! It’s football!

“I have said enough for a lifetime, and for the last time, I wish you a very pleasant good afternoon.” – Vin Scully

“And then one day you find
10 years has gone behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun.”

I will try not to make this ALL about the Patriots and Red Sox. I’m not sure why, but I will try.

The Boston Bruins have opened their new hockey rink in the Boston Landing complex along the Massachusetts Turnpike in Brighton. The Bruins will practice at the facility, which is owned and was developed by the real estate branch of sneaker company New Balance.

OK, now back to the Pats and Sox.

It’s so much easier getting out of bed after win(s) like last night than it is after taking a beating, isn’t it?

I can’t stop shaking my head about last night’s dismantling of the Houston Texans. O’Brien, Romeo, Larry Izzo (ST coach) must also be shaking their heads and thinking; “I guess he didn’t teach us everything…”

I know it’s not fair to think ahead but Brady, healthy Gronk (assuming he gets healthy), healthy Hightower, Ninkovich. The future’s so bright, I have to wear shades.

I’ll admit it right here, I’m not (or at least wasn’t) a John Farrell fan. Haters now will argue that the Sox should have about 98 wins instead of their current 89. And of course, if they don’t win it all, he’ll be to blame. Tough crowd. Tough crowd indeed.

Early on the Sox were so fun to watch, but then something happened. It was still fun watching the kids, but the pitching went south and the bats (many of them) went cold. The Sox are again incredibly fun to watch and they are having a blast themselves. Did you see Hanley two nights ago in the dugout during his night of rest? Crackin’ up the entire game. The outfield and the fun they have? Just plain fun… and good.

Happy 50^th anniversary to Star Trek – that’s for you, Sean.

So you think Cy Young’s 511 wins is an unbreakable record? He pitched 749 complete games!

Aside from the few others in the mix, how can you argue Ortiz over Mookie for MVP? That is saying that defense doesn’t matter. Remember, Ortiz sits down for ½ of every game. Put him in the Hall, but he’s not the MVP.

From the article-title-of-the-week department – California Clamps Down on Cow Farts.

Nice job John Tortorella with the US World Cup hockey team. It was your team. You get the blame. 0-3 in the prelims. Let the NHL season begin!

Can I get a quarter-keg with that?? – Starting this month, Google parent Alphabet will be running a weeks-long experiment called Project Wing, in which drones will deliver burritos from Chipotle Mexican Grill to students at Virginia Tech. Part of the aim is to test how well the packaging protects the food. The Federal Aviation Administration–approved experiment could lead to more routine drone deliveries.

Yaaaaa-hooooo! Not!

You know I couldn’t/can’t stand Peyton. And don’t talk about the “respect” bullshit (are you listening Jeter and Mariano?). However, I think the “Peyton on Sunday morning” shtick is hilarious.

R.I.P. Mrs. Accardi – a great lady, a fighter, a beautiful woman.

And finally – http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/09/12/crazy-eddie-retail-chain-owner-eddie-antar-dead-at-68.html

“Oh, it’s a long, long while
From May to December
But the days grow short
When you reach September
When the autumn weather
Turns the leaves to flame
One hasn’t got time
For the waiting game”

Briefly:

Your 1^st place Boston Red Sox!

The Killer B’s (Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley Jr.) are due to go on a collective tear. Can’t wait.

Did you catch the Ortiz tribute the other night in San Dingo? (I know, I do hate “The Tour” but bear with me). Don Orsillo “I’ve had the privilege of calling his 100th 200th 300th 400 & 500th homeruns. Welcome David Ortiz!” Great to see Orsillo. What a mistake NESN made letting him go. Unfortunately, we  have found Dave O’Brien to be a better man on the radio. Also, did you catch the surfboard Ortiz was presented? A near-life size Papi on the board with other designs. Pretty cool.

Great to watch a little pro football last night, wasn’t it? And great to see Cam Newton go down in defeat once again. I’m a hater, yes.

Great to see college football get underway last weekend too. What a weekend for upsets!

Did you catch the tribute by Nebraska for their deceased punter? In short, he was killed a couple of months ago in a car crash returning from a “punting camp”. During their first game against Fresno St., Nebraska went three-and-out and lined up to punt, only to send out 10 players. They stood there as the clock ticked down and took the delay-of-game penalty. Fresno St subsequently declined the penalty as 90,000 fans roared. Tears all around. Pretty cool.

UMass can beat BC tomorrow. Just watch.

The Yankees are making a move. Good! Let their fans get all excited. They will then watch the Red Sox throughout the playoffs and all we will hear is “Ya, wait until next year. We’re gonna be great!”

A recent study out of Michigan St showed that men who have sex at least weekly have more than double the chance of suffering a heart attack, while women who had sex that frequently were proven to be healthier than those women who had sex less frequently. Now if both of those findings don’t motivate your significant other to have sex more often nothing will!

Back to football, I really can’t wait to see the Pats defense in action on Sunday. (Sunday night! What a drag for us early risers) Regardless, a win over Arizona would be great for Patriots Nation. Carson Palmer is coming off a playoff disaster. Can he rebound? I think all Garopollo needs to do is limit the turnovers. The rest will take care of itself. (what a homer!)

I have some green grass in my yard!

A couple of historic baseball happenings this past Wednesday:

Pat Venditte. A switch-pitcher, briefly transferred to Canada before returning this week with the Seattle Mariners. The Texas Rangers Ryan Rua and Rougned Odor welcomed him back with back-to-back homeruns on Wednesday. The oddity is that Rua’s came off the switch-pitcher’s left arm and Odor’s off his right. As far as records show, he is the first pitcher to give up homers with both arms in a game.

After 4 years in independent ball, Stephen Cardullo got an early birthday present last weekend when he was called up by the Colorado Rockies. Thanks to a rainout, there was a doubleheader on his actual birthday on Wednesday, and he homered in both games. The second was a grand slam, making him the first player to hit home runs on his birthday, with one being a grand slam, since Mike Sweeney in 2004. More amazingly, Cardullo became the first player in over 75 years to hit a birthday homer within his first four major-league games.

The Seattle Seahawks plan to have a “pregame demonstration of unity” on day (9/11) in light of Kaepernick’s protest. Good for them. I’m sure other venues will have similar tributes, one way or another.

My cardiologist tells me that their hospital is going to shatter the record (in New England anyway) for heart transplants in a year. They have already done 15% more than the previous record with 3 months to go. The main reason? The high volume of opioid-related deaths have made so many more hearts available. Sad, sad state of affairs.

Sorry but no basketball or pucks today. It’s all about Opening Day football and the MLB pennant races nowadays.

And finally, for all you Warren Zevon fans:

“Hurry home early – hurry on home,

Boom Boom Mancini’s fighting Bobby Chacon”

In this Nov. 14, 1984 file photo, WBA lightweight champ Ray Mancini, right, gives challenger Bobby Chacon a hug after defeating him in a title fight at Reno, Nev. Chacon, a Hall of Fame boxer, died Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, under hospice care for dementia in Lake Elsinore, Calif. He was 64.

Good night everybody!

Briefly;

The Celtics play on Christmas day. It’s about time the NBA woke up and got them back on the schedule.

Say what you want about off-the-field Gronk but this past week he was named recipient of the Ron Burton Community Service Award, named after the first player drafted by the Pats and a man revered for his community service. They don’t just give that award to anyone. It’s part of “being Gronk”.

So this stooge on ESPN (I say “stooge” because come on, really, there all stooges) has Yoan Moncada with the following projection – .300/.380/.550, 20-25 HR, 40-45 SB – not too shabby

Oh, you had a good week did you?? Dustin Pedroia’s week – 12 for 17 with 3 homeruns and a double.

DYK – tomorrow, Sept. 3^rd is International Bacon Day. If you’re in the area, check out the San Jose Bacon Festival of America. That event starts at noon on Sept. 3 and lasts until 7 PM the following evening. Tickets are $9.99 online or $15 at the door for the fourth annual event.

Tomorrow is also the umpteenth annual Archambault/Conte Golf Extravaganza at Bradford Country Club. For a great cause, drop by for a hotdog, beer and help support a tremendous event! Registration/hotdogs/bar begins at 11am at the Baldi.

I don’t get into politics here but I can’t wait for the first presidential debate. Will easily be the most watched in history.

Teddy Bridgewater – what a shame. Nice guy and was slated to have a great season.

Top football days, ranked:

1. First Sunday of the season
2. Super Bowl
3. Whenever Tom Brady unveils a new haircut

The best one I heard – Brady looks like a middle aged soccer mom after a workout.

Hermine. What the $%^& kind of a name is that?

College football. Enjoy the weekend!

If you didn’t know how to correctly pronounce Deutsche, you never could.

In case you’re not paying attention, after this 6-game trip to the left coast, the Red Sox last 23 games are against AL East opponents. 23

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” – Willy Wonka (R.I.P. Gene Wilder)

Much of this stuff I just hear/read/observe. Then again I do look at today’s headlines. I just came across this one: Why the type of underwear you wear matters to your vagina. Hmmm.

The following  has been going around social media. I’ve seen a couple of variations but any version is a classic.

A buddy of mine has two tickets for the 2017 Super bowl. Box seats plus airfares, accommodation etc. Unfortunately he didn’t realize when he bought them that the game is the same day as his wedding – so he can’t go.   If you’re interested and want to go instead of him, it’s at St Peter’s Church in New York City at 5 pm. Her name’s Louise.  She will be the one in the white dress.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

“Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn”

A-Rod, A-hole, whatever.

I am so uninterested that last night I flipped from an A-Rod at-bat to watch a men’s 200M Freestyle semi-final, with no Americans in it!

His last at-bat he hit a dribbler to the pitcher with the bases loaded. Thrown out at first on the fielder’s choice, he got the RBI and actually got high-fived by some of his teammates.

From Joe Castiglione, referring to the Yankees and A-Rod; “They are like the Kadashians of Major League Baseball.”

A-Rod, A-hole, whatever.

So Ichiro got his 3,000^th hit. Good for him. He has the most hits in professional baseball history, not MLB history. So shut-up Pete. BTW, he played 9 seasons in Japan. That’s 25 total. Wow!

I admit I don’t get out much and had never heard of “cupping”? Maybe you already knew of the technique? Gross, I think – http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/08/08/is-cupping-safe-whats-behind-those-red-marks-on-olympians-bodies.html

Now I ain’t no NAZCAR fan but that is too bad about Bryan Clauson. Died from injuries suffered in a crash at age 27. (Look, I don’t know whether it’s NAZCAR or not but as far as I’m concerned anything to do with car racing is NAZCAR. Ya, I know it’s not a “Z”. Thanks.)

The Williams sisters lost their first ever Olympic doubles match, in the first round. DOH!

I read a headline on Wednesday – Ray Allen has contacted Celtics about a potential comeback.

Good to listen to a little bit of Vin Scully last weekend. Saw a pretty cool exchange between him and Ortiz. And good to see Nomar too.

Say what you want but I think Coach K has an easy job over in Rio. If he blows it, he blows it.

R.I.P. John Saunders (ESPN). He was good on The Sports Reporters. 30 years with ESPN. I bet not many can say that.

In other baseball news, the Salem Red Sox had 19 hits in three straight games last week. It’s true. 36 runs on 57 hits. Incredible.

Last Sunday’s cancellation of the NFL HOF game cost the Hall about $4M. The NFL should give the Hall at least that much. Embarrassing.

Benintendi. Hey, always exciting when a young kid gets his first chance, first hit, first RBI, etc. Let’s see how things play out. I’m rooting for him. (tough play last night though. Jeez!)

It’s hot out there folks. Force the fluids!

R.I.P. #2, Mr. Dick Riley. My buddy’s Dad for those who didn’t know him. Good guy.

“Like the way it gets me every time it hits me,
I’ve got a rock and roll, I’ve got a rock and roll heart.”