mr. blackandwhite

ESPN2 to show hot-dog eating instead of Superbowl recaps...

One of my favorite Superbowl Sunday holiday traditions (Yes, that's right. It's a holiday.) has always been to watch the NFL Films' Superbowl highlight shows that are shown throughout the day on ESPN2.

Each NFL Films Superbowl recap is a half hour long and ESPN2 used to show each one, usually in order, all day long on Super Sunday, leading us right up into the start of The Big Game at around 6:30 PM.

Note I said 'used to' because ESPN2 is changing things up this year.

This year ESPN2 is showing most of the highlight shows, but they are starting them with Superbowl XI at 11PM Saturday night and ending them at 2:00 in the afternoon on Super Sunday. Then, starting at 2PM, ESPN2, part of the self-proclaimed, 'World Wide Leader in Sports,' will bring you scintillating coverage of a hot-dog eating competition followed by heart-pounding coverage of The World's Strongest Man tournament.

Wow. Hot Dog eating and The Worlds Strongest Man competition. I tell you what, that is a GREAT lead-in to the Superbowl.

Awesome. Can't wait.

On the bright side, Superbowl XX (Patriots/Bears) will be shown at some ungodly morning hour while I'm still asleep, so I won't have to see that disaster. And Superbowl XXXI (Patriots/Packers) will be on at 9AM on Sunday, so I will probably miss that heart-breaker too.

Maybe ESPN2's decision to show a hot-dog eating competition instead of super-awesome Superbowl recaps is really some evil NFL strong-arm tactic to try and force me to watch four hours of CBS' Superbowl Pre-Game on Sunday afternoon. I don't know, but either way it's not going to work. I'll just watch my Superbowl 36, 38 and 39 DVDs instead.

Bite me ESPN2.

(Patriots Reign, A.K.A. Superbowl 36, 38 and 39, starts at 11:30 AM for those who care.)

Links updated and Testarossa dreams...

I don't have much to offer you today (do I ever, really? Don't answer that...) but I will tell you that I just added a whole bunch of Pats blogs that I've recently found to my list of sites that I wish my site was as cool as... Feel free to peruse and enjoy.

It goes without saying that reciprocal links are always appreciated, even though I actually did just say it and now feel somewhat whore-ish. Whatev.

Last night I had a really cool dream that I was driving a Ferrari Testarossa. A white one. And I was driving it REALLY fast. I was fucking flying through the gears and the engine was racing and making a magnificent roar. Then the Testarossa turned into a black Daytona. Even cooler!

Hmmm. I think maybe I was dreaming I was in an episode of Miami Vice... Anyway... A super-cool dream all the same..

Handshake scrutiny... I know the solution to the problem!

The recent Bill Belichick bashing over the quality of his handshakes has to be some of the most ridiculous stuff I've seen yet out of the press. This has to be one of the absolute dumbest stories ever. Seriously. But it just shows to me once again that people in the press are a pack of bloodsuckers who, if you don't kiss their ass, as Belichick certainly does not, will simply hang back, bide their time and then wait for (or just make up if necessary) an opportunity to pounce on you.

Well in a stroke of genius I think I've got the solution to this handshake issue and I think it should work out for everybody involved.

Next year all the Patriots have to do is win every game they play. Then, when Belichick has to shake hands with people at the end of the game, you'll never have to worry about whether it will be a high quality handshake or a low quality handshake. In every instance it will be the handshake of a winner.

(Actually, that's kind of the way it is now isn't it? Can someone remind the people who are writing this drivel about Bill Belichick of that fact?)

In any case, there you go! Handshake problem solved!

You are most welcome. Have a great day. Happy Friday too.

GO PATS

I don't know who to root for in The Superbowl...

I am officially on the fence about who to root for in the Superbowl. I stopped hating The Bears a few years ago and Chicago has been one of my lower-tier backup teams for a while now. I certainly would not mind seeing the underdog Bears defeat Indianapolis and send Peyton Manning home without a Superbowl ring. Oh man that would be so great. The National Press would be lining up at hardware stores across the country to buy rope to hang themselves with if that were to happen. I would love to see it.

Yes, I'm vindictive and mean like that at times.

On the other hand, as I have written before, I really don't think Chicago stands a chance in this game. I'm sure their defense will put up a fight at first, but eventually the Chicago D will tire from being on the field too long, The Colts offense will assert itself and that will be it.

It would help Chicago's cause if they had a better offense, then they might be able to keep Indy's offense off of the field, but they don't so they won't. That's just how I see it happening.

Believe it or not, there is actually a part of me that almost feels like rooting for The Colts. Just let them win the game and get it over with. Just let everybody in the press and at ESPN and the NFL have what they have been wishing and yearning for oh so hard for all these years. Let the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL who after nine years of non-stop hype has finally made it to his first Superbowl, by the skin of his teeth mind you, finally, FINALLY win the god-damn thing and make everybody happy.

We got Rothlesburger, Cowher and Pittsburgh out of the way last year so let's check Manning, Dungy and Indianapolis off the list this year. Maybe Indy's Bill Polian can get the NFL to change the rules so that this year's Superbowl actually counts as THREE Superbowl wins. Make it an all in one shot. Then maybe next year it can be Reid, McNabb and Philly's turn.

Give Manning his ring and be done with it at this point because really I am so sick of hearing about how great this guy's laser rocket arm is and how smart he is and how he watches hours and hours and hours of video, way more than anybody else in the league I'm sure, and despite all that he still comes up short every year but NOW the monkey is off his back and blah blah blah blah fucking blah.. Then cue up the commercials and let the 2007 season start with a big target on The Colts back in every single game. Who are they playing next year anyway?

Home: Houston, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Denver, Kansas City, New England, New Orleans, Tampa Bay    

Away: Houston, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Oakland, San Diego, Baltimore, Atlanta, Carolina

Eh. I'd rate that schedule as difficult but not overly so.

Hey check it out I kind of went off on a rant there. Cool. And after all that I still don't know who I'll wind up rooting for in The Superbowl.

(GO PATS)

It's the Patriots offseason. Show me the money.

Once again, I got nothin' exceptional today. It's Wed and that means it's 'mini-reward day', which means later this afternoon when I'm all bleary eyed from starting at this screen all day, I'll take all the cigarette breaks that I would normally use during the week if I smoked and I'll use them all up at once. I'll go out to the local gas station that also happens to conveniently have a Dunkins inside of it and I'll gas up the car and get a coffee, a coffee that is far superior to the crappy office coffee I usually drink.

That is mini-reward day: afternoon break from the office, fresh air and Dunkins coffee. It generally happens on Wed. Feel free to take that and run with it.

As far as The Patriots and football in general are concerned, I've been reading all about Assante Samuel and how he wants love, affection and lots of money. Personally, I hope he's back on the team next year, but if he's going to make an outrageous salary demand and try to pull a Deion Branch, well, we all know he'll be playing for The Jets or some other Patriots nemesis in 2007 instead. Too bad.

Sometimes the Patriots hard-line methods do annoy me, knowing that they've got plenty of money to sign these guys, but chose to let players walk instead of giving them another million or whatever it is they want. To us that's a lot of money but The Patriots are one of the richest teams in the league. What's another million to these guys? Can't they budge a little to keep a good player on the team?

At the same time, I understand that the team can not cave in to every player's ridiculous salary demands either, and the old adage, 'give them an inch and they'll take a mile' comes into play. Start caving in a little bit here and there and then every player knows you'll give in under pressure. Then the next thing you know we're back in the Bobby Grier days with a bunch of vastly overpaid, yet under-achieving football players. Anybody remember Chris Slade? Yeah, I liked him as a player, I've got a framed picture with his signature at home, but was he really worth what the Patriots paid that guy at the time? His salary was definitely not in line with his output on the field.

We don't want to go back to that. 

Dealing with player contract demands and actual player value to the team; it's a tough balancing act and obviously The Patriots do an exceptionally good job at it, and I am just a fan who has no idea what's going on behind the scenes, so maybe I should just shut up and wait to see what happens. Yes. That is the thing to do.

Next...

Monday morning reactions to The Patriots not being in the playoffs anymore...

My (almost) one year old daughter had a big smile for me yesterday morning. She must have known I needed some cheering up after thinking about The Patriots loss all night after the game. I told her I was sorry she was not going to get to see The Patriots in the Superbowl this year. She gave me another smile. I was glad she seemed to handle it well.

The other two kids were also in a good mood. They were playing in their room and were still in their Patriots P.Js. I told them The Pats had not been able to win the game. 'It's ok Dad' they said.

As I drove to work, I thought about listening to The Patriots Monday on the radio, but I did not want to hear those jackasses on WEEI. And even though I do like Boomer Esiason, who always puts a positive spin on things, whatever he had to say about the game was not going to cheer me up. I decided to just listen to the iPod, like I always do.

When I got to work, I was greeted by the receptionist, who told me she was sorry (it's no secret that I am a gigantic Pats fan at the office). We had a brief chat about the game which ended up in an agreement of 'well they still had a season to be proud of, we'll be back next year.'

Once I got to my cube, the general reaction throughout the day was split between people who came over to offer their condolences over The Patriots loss, those who avoided the entire subject of the, perceived, delicate topic of a Patriots playoff loss, and those who stayed away entirely, figuring I would not be in a mood to talk to anybody at all about anything.

Thankfully there are no Indy fans in my office, that I know of anyway, so I did not have to worry about some tool showing up at my cube wearing a Manning jersey and looking to gloat.

To be honest I have to say I was glad that I did not have to talk about the game over and over with too many people, but for the people that were brave enough to approach me on my day of Patriots mourning, the theme in general was, we'll be back next year. Damn skippy.

GO PATS

What now for The Patriots?

Ok, now what?

The day after. The fact that The Patriots season is now over is slowly starting to sink in. The only way I can think to describe my feelings right now is 'severely bummed out'. Like I said after the game, I'm not going to jump off of a bridge or anything, but there is a discernible heaviness in my heart this morning, that is for sure. It will probably take a few days before I begin to feel better again.

My Wife thinks this behavior is crazy. She told me last night several times, 'some day I am going to video tape you and show you what you look like during these games. You are totally stressed out right now. Is this what you call having fun?'

Well it depends. Are you talking about the first half of the game or the second half, because the first half of the game was a blast. The second half? Not so much.

No, it is not what I would describe as 'fun' to watch your team blow a two touchdown lead and eventually lose a game, and a Superbowl berth along with it, to a bitter rival, especially a game that at one point looked to be nearly in the bag as a win. But at the same time, you can't enjoy victory without going through defeat as well. Would the Patriots first Superbowl Championship rank as one of the greatest moments of happiness in my life if I had not gone through so many years of hoping and waiting for that moment to arrive, a moment that at some points I seriously wondered if I would ever see in my lifetime? The answer is no.

I have often said that I think I might take the outcome of Patriots games too seriously, but what can I do? I am what I am. This is me. I am a Patriots Fan and that is not going to change. When you have invested your emotions in something and that something does not turn out like you hoped, you are going to be disappointed, no matter what that something is. For me, in this case, that something happens to be a pro football team. Call it dumb if you want, but that is what it is.

So back to the original question. Now what? Well, for starters, here are The Patriots 2007 opponents:

Home: Buffalo, Miami, N.Y. Jets, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Philadelphia, Washington
Away: Buffalo, Miami, N.Y. Jets, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Dallas, N.Y. Giants

On paper that is a pretty tough schedule, I'd even go so far as to call it a VERY tough schedule. I see a lot of playoff teams on that list, 8 to be exact, plus the usual, always tough, divisional rivals in Miami and Buffalo.

There are a lot of questions that will be asked and answered over the next few months as The Pats create the 2007 version of their team. Players will come and I am sure some favorite players will go. Has Troy Brown played his last game as a Patriot? How about Tedy Bruschi? How about Corey Dillon and Rodney Harrison?

Several players on this current Patriots team are getting up there in age as far as football players go. Who is going to step in and fill their shoes if they decide it is time to hang up their cleats? How would the potential loss of a player like Tedy Bruschi or Troy Brown affect the overall personality of this team, the thing that makes it so special?

The Patriots have questions at linebacker, receiver, cornerback/safety and based on the late season play of Laurence Maroney, I would even say they still have questions at running back. Maroney seemed to lose a lot of steam as the season got into the later months. Was this just a case of the rookie having a hard time adjusting to the long NFL schedule, or is Maroney not really the running-back we thought he was at the start of the season? I think Faulk will be back, but what happens if Dillon retires? His punishing running style would be a big loss.

How about Assante Samuel? He really stepped it up and played great at cornerback for The Pats this year. Now he is heading into free agency and is going to want to be paid for his 2006-07 performance. Will he go out the door the way Deion Branch and David Givens did? Unfortunately, I would not be surprised if he did, but I am hoping to see Assante back in a Patriots uniform next year.

The good news is that The Patriots have a lot of draft picks, including two number one picks, and a ton of cap room to play with this off-season, and I trust Belichick and Pioli to put those resources to good use.

(Check out Miguel's VERY UNOFFICIAL Patriots Free Agency Page for details about The Patriots free agency and draft situation.)

In the NFL, teams rise and teams fall and I have heard a few people saying that they think The Patriots are now on the other side of the hill. Personally, I do not think that is the case just yet. Eventually, all players, GMs and Coaches either retire or leave for other teams, but for The Patriots, the core of the team is still in place and will remain intact for several more years at least, meaning The Patriots will remain a strong team heading into the next season and seasons beyond.

It's officially the off-season for The Patriots. For Patriots fans, as you can see, there are lots of questions and a lot of time on our hands to wait around for the answers.

Damn. Stunned.

After starting the 2nd half of the AFC Championship with a 21-6 lead, The Patriots eventually went on to lose the game to The Colts (damn it hurts to write those words) in the closing minutes of the AFC Championship, 38-34.

The Patriots had a chance to virtually seal the game in the final minutes but were unable to convert a first down that would have enabled them to run the clock down to nearly the 2 minute mark. They had to punt the ball back to Indianapolis who went on to march down the field for a go ahead TD.

With a minute left, there was still a shred of hope for The Pats and they were able to get the ball across midfield, before a Tom Brady interception blew the candle out and the flicker of hope was extinguished.

For me I can't say the feeling I am going through right now is pain, sadness or depression. I am certainly not happy, but I'm not headed for the nearest bridge either. I guess you could call it a dull sort of ache and a feeling of wondering what might have been accomplished by this team if they could have just hung on in those last few minutes.

The realization that The Patriots season is over has not sunk in yet. I'm sure tomorrow will suck.

The winner of this AFC Championship game is almost assuredly going to win the Superbowl. I mean, this is still the NFL and anything can happen in a game, as we found out tonight, but I would rate the Chicago Bears chances of winning the Superbowl as slim to none.

You never know, a miracle might happen. The underdog might pull one out, as The Patriots did in 2001-02, but I don't see it this year. I will be amazed beyond belief if The Bears are able to defeat The Colts for The Superbowl title.

But that does not mean I won't be rooting for it to happen.

I'm going to try and do my best to contain my venomous feelings about Manning over the next few weeks. It's no secret that I don't like the guy. Ok I can't fucking stand him. And the idea that he's going to be in even MORE television ads now, certainly is not a pleasant thought. But I will give the man his due. He brought his team back from a 2 touchdown deficit to start the 2nd half of the game and though the score was back and forth for two quarters, at the end of the game The Colts came out on top.

That is football. Suck it up and deal.

I am still proud of The Patriots for making it to this point in the season. To come up short is disappointing, no doubt, but The Pats should feel no shame in their season. 12-4 and a trip to the AFC Championship is a pretty good year. Yes, we've become accustomed to Superbowls around here but this time it just was not our year. Now it's time for The Patriots to reload and get ready for next season where I fully expect they will be championship contenders once again..

As for me, as a football fan, we're about to enter what I call the sports Dead Zone. There's not much out there between now and The Red Sox opening day. Yeah there's still The Superbowl and thankfully there is at least hockey this year to help get us through the rest of winter. And even though I am not as big into racing as I used to be, there is the Daytona 500 in a few weeks to look forward to, but basically after the football game ended and I listened to Coach Belichick's brief statement after it had finished, I turned off the tv and the living room lights and headed upstairs. The first thought in my mind as I headed up was, 'Fuckin A, this sucks!' The next was, 'Now when do pitchers and catchers report?'

GO PATS

30 Football Minutes away...

An electrifying first half of football for The Patriots against the Colts. The Pats had the balls bounce their way in the first half, particularly on the first TD, which went from being a turnover by the Pats, to a turnover by The Colts, to a Touchdown for The Patriots.

The Pats secondary has played great. Assante Samuel has broken up several huge, long throws by Manning. Samuel is doing a great job against Harrison in particular.

Kudos to the refs in this game for letting the players play the game and not getting in the way. The penalties have been fair and no ticky-tack flags so far. That is as it should be. I hope it keeps up in the second half.

30 Football Minutes away. I am not in the comfort zone yet though. Even with The Patriots holding a big 21-6 lead, the Colts are still dangerous and can come back. They get the ball to start the second half. The Pats need to keep the hammer down on these guys and take it to them. The Patriots should be smelling blood right now but the Colts are going to be totally desperate at this point. The Pats need to hang on defensively and keep putting the points on the board when they get the ball...

30 MINUTES!!

GO PATS!!

Some jumbled pre-game Pats thoughts...

Well with Chicago leading the NFC Championship game 39-14 in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter, it is a forgone conclusion at this point that The Bears will move on to The Superbowl. I'm sure a lot of people around the country are disappointed to see The Saints go down.

Personally, I did not know who to root for in the NFC game. I liked New Orleans for all the reasons everybody likes them, and I was a little disappointed to see them lose the game, but at the same time, the idea of a New England / Chicago Superbowl re-match was pretty damn tantalizing, so I think I was rooting a little harder for Chicago in the NFC game. I am glad to see Chicago win, but I am sure I am in the minority there.

Does anybody else think that The Football Gods favor a Pats / Bears rematch?

As we get close to the AFC Championship game kickoff between The Pats and Colts, I am feeling a little nervous but not too bad. I definitely feel more nervous than I did last week before the San Diego game, but still not as bad as I was a few weeks ago at the start of the Wild-Card round vs The Jets.

I think I am mainly feeling nervous because of what is at stake in this game. A win today will send The Patriots to their fifth Superbowl in the last decade. Dudes and ladies, how awesome is that? No matter how this game turns out tonight, I am proud of this Patriots team.

I know this is going to be a tough game, but I feel confident in The Pats. I think they can get this win as long as they play smart and clean.

So far the biggest reason I have heard people give for picking The Colts to win this game is basically, 'They've got to win it sooner or later'.

Wow. That is some insightful analysis right there.

I suppose that is a true statement, but 'sooner or later' does not necessarily mean TODAY. That's my take. If the 'experts' are going to pick The Colts because 'they have to win eventually' then I am going to pick The Pats for the reason of 'because'. How's that?

As far as the pre-game around here, things are pretty subdued this week. I did not prepare any special meals or anything like that. I was going to do buffalo chicken but I was out most of the day until late afternoon and did not have time to get anything ready. There are plenty of beers in the fridge and plenty of chips to fill my football shaped chip-bowl, so we will go with that.

I've got all the Patriots paraphernalia spread out around the house. Rugs, footballs, hats, blankets, the whole she-bang.

Ok, the game is going to start in a few minutes. Time for my pre-game stretching and warm-up. The National Anthem is on and the blood pressure just shot up a few notches. Time to pour a beer, turn down the TV and get Gil and Gino on the radio.

Deep breaths, deep breaths...

GO PATS!!!

Online sports-related humor is so funny

I know we've all moved on from The Chargers game last week and are focused on The Colts now, but I thought this was great... Good for a few guffaws on a Friday.

The Dugout :: Welcome to the NFL Playoffs Chatroom: San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots

GO PATS

PS> Don't forget to check out my post in The End Zone over at Faster Than the World today!

Sick of the talk. Is it Sunday yet?

Well we've made it to Friday and at this point I've pretty much O.D.'d on all The Pats / Colts talk this week. I'm sick of the analysis and talk and nonsense and I'm ready for the game on Sunday. I'm ready man, ready to GET. IT. ON!

To me this game is going to come down to two, I'm sure, very obvious areas: the Patriots ability to defend the pass and their ability to run the ball.

I expect The Patriots will test the resurgent Indy run defense and find out if they really have figured out how to stop the run. The Colts did a good job against K.C.'s Larry Johnson and Baltimore's Jamal Lewis in the past few weeks. This week they will face a stable of versatile running backs and that could potentially give Indy some problems. If the Pats can run the ball effectively and control the clock, keeping Indy's offense off the field at the same time, that will go a long way towards a positive outcome in this game.

Defensively The Pats secondary is going to have to handle Indy's passing game. The Colts receivers are a much better and far more dangerous group compared to the receivers the Patriots faced in San Diego last week. The Patriots secondary has been up to the task in the playoffs so far, but this might be their biggest test. If Rodney Harrison can get back on the field for this game, that will only help. The key will be, as always, getting off the field on 3rd downs. If The Pats allow Manning to consistently drive his way down the field with short to medium passes, it could be a long day.

If that does happen, the good news is that The Patriots are very stingy in the red zone. Teams may be able to drive the ball on The Patriots, but they have a hard time getting it into the End Zone.

A third and crucial aspect of this game will be the Pats ability to hold onto the ball. The last time The Patriots faced Indy, they turned the ball over five times in a 27-20 loss. That cannot happen this Sunday if The Pats expect to move on to The Big Game.

One last interesting item to note, The Pats will once again face a team in the playoffs that features Ricky 'Tonight a Dynasty is born' Proehl. Lets hope Proehl's prophetic words continue to ring true for The Pats on Sunday.

GO PATS

The more things change, redux...

Ok since I don't have a whole lot today I thought I'd flex my webosphere super powers and reach into the past to bring back this old post from '05.

I find the message is appropriate given the current football situation AND it is STILL RELEVANT today. How about that?

Observe:

 
The more things change...

The more they stay the same.

(Thanks to Beth for jogging my memory...)

(photos: AP, Reuters, All-Sport, Getty Images)

Harrison upgraded to doubtful: So you're telling me there is a chance...

Patriots safety Rodney Harrison has been upgraded from 'out' to 'doubtul' for the AFC Championship game this Sunday vs. The Colts.

I feel like Lloyd Christmas in 'Dumb and Dumber'.

Lloyd: The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?

Mary: Not good.

Lloyd: You mean, not good like... one out of a hundred?

Mary: I'd say more like one out of a million.

[pause]

Lloyd: YEESSS!! So you're telling me there is a chance! I hear ya...

I don't expect Harrison to play to be honest, but the fact that there is a chance that he could take the field on Sunday is enough for me to get my hopes up about it possibly happening.

If anybody can overcome an injury and get himself into this game, it's Rodney Harrison.

At the very least upgrading Harrison's condition gives the Colts one more thing to think about. I'm sure the thought of seeing Rodney Harrison patrolling the secondary this Sunday is not a pleasant one for Peyton Manning.

The only other issue with The Patriots, health-wise, seems to be a case of the flu going around the locker room. I have to say I am under the weather myself right now. Hopefully this bug runs it's course quickly and does not have a big impact on The Patriots game preparation.

GO PATS

It's frigging freezing out Mr. Bigglesworth!

Wow it was cold this morning. The thermometer read 6 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up. I'm not complaining though. After all, its January 17 and this is the first really cold day that we've had this winter.

I hope The Patriots are nice and warm in their practice bubble today as they get ready to face The Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game this Sunday.

Alright, I'm giving you a heads up warning now because I'm going to gush a little here. I know I'm probably going to sound like a complete yahoo, but I don't care. I've got to get this out of my system.

I have to say, how cool is it that The Pats are in this AFC Championship game?? This is awesome! Obviously I am hoping the Patriots will be able to win the game and take yet another step along the the long road to the Superbowl, but at the same time, I am truly psyched just to actually be in this game.

I am not satisfied with where we are, but I sincerely appreciate The Patriots making it to this point, one game away from another Superbowl appearance.

The Pats are playing in their 5th AFC Championship game in the last decade and that is super-cool. Sometimes I still can't believe it.

I know I say this a lot, but I hope Patriots fans are not taking this team for granted. Enjoy this, Patriot Nation, and savor it!

Ok, I'm done gushing now. Time to get serious. Time to get down to business and get ready to face a very tough team, The Indianapolis Colts. Just because I don't like them, that does not mean I don't respect them. This is an extremely dangerous team The Patriots are facing this Sunday and The Pats will need to play their best game of the year, once again, this weekend.

Two Games to Glory.

GO PATS

Another year, another 'unstoppable' team sent home by The Patriots...

Hey gang. I know I did not write anything after the big Patriots win on Sunday. Don't worry I did not collapse or anything like that as the game clock ticked down to zero. I have only actually collapsed after just one game, Superbowl 36. I scared the hell out of my wife, who was nine months pregnant at the time. When Adam's kick went through the uprights, I fell backwards, landed flat on my back and I was lying on the floor of my living room shaking in what was a moment of pure joy. She was all ready to call the ambulance. She thought The Patriots had finally killed me. No I am not making that up.

The reason behind the lack of posts the last few days is due to the fact that '24' was on right after the Patriots game ended on Sunday. Then it was on again last night, so that got in the way of my writing down these scintillating thoughts about The Patriots win over yet another unstoppable team.

In case you were concerned after the last post, I did not run out of beer during the game either. I only had 4 during the entire game. I also had 3 bowls of Football God approved chili with extra jalopenos, and a hot dog.

I know this is going to sound weird, but even though The Pats were facing the best team in the league, the league MVP running back, the guy who apparently has a light switch tattooed on his arm at linebacker, blah blah blah, I honestly was not all that nervous about this game. I knew it was going to be a tough game, but  all week leading up to it, I really felt like the Patriots were going to win and during the game itself, even when the Pats were down, I never got all that upset. Yes, there were moments of stress, and I thought I was going to keel over when Tom Brady's pass to Troy Brown was picked off with under 10 min left in the game. I thought, 'game over' at that point, only to switch over to extreme happiness mode as Brown then stripped the ball and forced a fumble that was recovered by The Patriots. Wow. That play saved the game and the season for The Patriots. As Gil Santos says, Troy Brown: FOOTBALL PLAYER. Of course there were a lot of plays like that during the game, but that one stands out to me as the KEY play of the game.

I thought The Patriots defense did an absolutely fantabulous job containing the potent Charger offense, especially considering the field position that San Diego had though much of the first half of the game, starting around their 40 yard line or better. Patriots punter Todd Sauerbrun did a great job, often times booting it out while under the shadow of his own goal-post. He was able to give The Patriots defense a longer field to work with on several occasions.

Other than the chili, hot dogs and beer, there were a few other important factors during the game. For most of the game I was wearing my Tom Brady jersey and Brady was not playing at his best. A lot of his throws were low and he had been intercepted a few times over the course of the game. As the game was going into the 4th Quarter, I decided it was time to change things up. I took the jersey off and draped it over the Lucky Patriots Fleece blanket. The combination worked and The Pats were able to work some late-game magic.

You are very welcome.

I thought the whole scene at the end of the game with LaDanian Tomlinson bitching about the way The Patriots players supposedly disrespected The Chargers was re-DICK-ulous, silly and dumb. The Chargers were running their mouths all week before the game, printing t-shirts and talking about parade plans. Not a good idea when you are about to face the Patriots. They do not take kindly to that kind of nonsense.

The Patriots do not talk smack before the game, but when the game is over, to the victors go the spoils. Maybe if The Chargers had just kept their mouths shut and not spent so much time showing off their dancing moves leading up to the game, The Pats would not have been dancing so hard afterwards.

Ya think?

The Chargers are another team that expected The Lombardi Trophy would simply be handed to them just because of their regular season performance, but as The Steelers and Colts learned in previous years before them, that is not how it works in The Playoffs. Now they will be sitting at home on the couch this weekend, watching the games just like me. Make sure you have enough beer in the fridge guys.

Moving on to the Pats / Colts. The Colts took a page from the 'how to be really lame' book and limited playoff ticket sales to RCA Dome walk-ups and sales in the Indiana and Tennessee region only. Who knew Patriot Nation was such a scary bunch?

GO PATS

Pre-Pats game jittery jitters...

It's a little over an hour till the Pats / Chargers game kicks off. I'm feeling slightly nervous but not too bad. Some butterflies but overall I am calm. No shakes or anything like that, so I am good.

I will probably start my pre-game warm-up and stretching in about 1/2 hour or so...

I had some chili and it came out super good. The Football Gods have given it their blessing. Just the right amount of bite. I had a beer to go with it. I am trying to pace myself beer-wise. I could go for another one but I don't want to have too many before the game starts, not because I am afraid of getting drunk, these are watery light beers, but because I am afraid I might run out if I have too many pre-game beers. I have 10 beers in the fridge. Figure maybe two per quarter, that's 8. That leaves me with two in reserve.

I have to be careful not to go to deep into the reserve during pre-game. If it turns out to be high-stress during the game, I don't want to go to the fridge and come back empty.

Fascinating the way my mind works isn't it.

Ok. That's the status. Time to watch the rest of the Chicago / Seattle game, which has turned out to be a really good game. I will might write some more later on, depending on how good The Pats are doing. Check back later if you are hanging around in the inernest.

GO PATS

Pre-Patriots Game Check...

Time for a Pre-Patriots Game checklist:

Chili: Check
Hot-Dogs: Check
Beer: Check
Tom Brady Jersey: Check
Children wearing their Tom Brady jerseys: Check
Wife wearing Pats sweatshirt: Check
Lucky Patriots Fleece Blanket: Check
Patriots Championship Hats on display: Check
Patriots throw rugs: Check
Squishy stress relief football: Check
Radio tuned to Gil and Gino: Check
Patriots Superbowl game-balls on display: Check
Lucky Superbowl 36 Champions Beer Mug: Check

I think we are set.

GO PATS

0-2 so far...

Well the two teams I was rooting for yesterday in the Divisional Playoffs lost.

I was really hoping to see Baltimore take it to the Colts. I thought their defense played well but their offense was offensive. The Ravens had great field position throughout the game and did nothing with it. Oh well.

Now it will be up to either The Pats or The Chargers to keep Indy from getting into the Superbowl.

In the NFC game, though I was rooting for Philly, I really like New Orleans too and I can't say that I was unhappy to see them win. This will now be the first NFC Championship game for The Saints and that is cool. I've said before that I think they are the most dangerous team in the NFC. They are fully capable of beating either Chicago, who I am still not that impressed with, or Seattle.

Hopefully I'll get at least one game right today. The Pats / Chargers game of course!

If you are hanging around the computer during the games, stop by Faster Than The World and join in the Gameday comment thread.

GO PATS

Crash course in computer surgery... Cross your fingers.

Last week one of the the hinges on my PowerBook's display broke. Thankfully it was just the hinge itself that was broken and no wires or display components were damaged. The display itself is still working fine so I just have to fix the hinge. I ordered a replacement and now I am about to dive in for the repair.

I am not looking forward to this.

In reading up on this job, it is generally suggested that you disassemble the ENTIRE computer. Not that I can't do it, but geez what a pain in the ass... I don't want to take this whole dang thing apart. In looking at the damage, I think it might be possible to do the job without having to remove the whole screen.

We'll see...

Anyway, in case I screw something up and you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know what happened...

Also: GO PATS

Update:
Well as you can see, I am back and writing stuff here so the operation was a success. The new hinge is in and the PowerBook is back in action. Thankfully the job did not require me taking the whole computer apart. I was able to remove the old hinge and put the new one in relatively hassle free.

The biggest problem I actually ran into was with a 'how to' CD that I had bought getting caught in the cd drive. I spent over an hour getting the CD, now a cup-holder, out of the drive. Total pain in the ass! There must have been something about that CD, either the label or it was warped or something, because the drive worked fine after I got it out.

Anyway, long story short, my computer is fixed!

Friday Night Awesome

Friday Night Awesome = Jack, Miller Lite, Sammiches, Salsa, Supersuckers, Kids who like to jump around like kooks. Wife who watches all the nonsense and laughs. That = your basic Friday Night Awesome

Teams I'm rooting for in the Divisional Playoffs: I can't decide, can't decide. I can't decide anything...

Alright gang. The Divisional Playoffs are this weekend. I'm going to make some super-potent chili and some hot-dogs for the Pats game, because the all-powerful, wise and sexy Football Gods dig a good tailgate, even if you are not enjoying it at the actual game. (Thank you Football Gods!)

By the way, The Football Gods frown upon a team that tries to prevent their opponent's fans from attending the game. Just sayin'...

Other than The Patriots, here's who I'm rooting for this weekend (get ready for a roller-coaster ride of kooky logic):

Baltimore / Indy: This one is tough. I am seriously conflicted about this game. Who do I root for here??

IF* (*Note I said -if- Football Gods. Thank you Football Gods.) The Pats advance to the AFC Championship, I think I would rather play Indy than Baltimore, but, I seriously cannot effing stand Indianapolis and I have a very hard time bringing myself to root for The Colts, even for the benefit of my own team. Every fiber of my being is railing against it. It's like forcing myself to eat brussel sprouts or something.

Besides, if* the Pats do play next week, how cool would it be to beat a team like Baltimore to advance to the Superbowl? So much for the critics at that point you know? But, I think I'm getting waaaay too far ahead of myself here...

That does not make it any easier trying to decide who to pull for in this game, so I am back to square one. Dammit.

---

Ok a light just went off. Root for Baltimore.

Twisted Patriots Fan Logic: IF* the Pats get to next week's game, I think The Patriots defense has an easier time against Baltimore's offense as opposed to Indy's offense and, even though Baltimore's D is scary, I think The Pats would still be able to find a way to score points on them.

Plus, if the unspeakable happens and The Pats are not playing next week, if Baltimore eliminates Indy this weekend then we don't have to sweat Indy somehow winning the AFC Championship next weekend and making it to the Superbowl, which means we can all relax and enjoy the AFC Championship game, worry free.

Besides, I think Baltimore is going to win the game anyway, so in the end it won't matter.

Thus, I am rooting for Baltimore. Got all that? Makes sense? Sure it does. I am now at ease, for the moment. Thank you.

New Orleans / Philly: This is another one. I like both teams. Who do I root for? I don't know. I JUST DON'T KNOW! I guess if either team wins, it is good? I am kind of leaning towards New Orleans but I would not mind seeing Philly win either.

If Philly were to win, how many NFC Championship games in the last few years would that make it for them? I've lost count.

There is no easy choice here so back to basics. If* The Pats make it to The Superbowl, which team would I rather face? Philly. Philly it is.

Chicago / Seattle: Ok. This is the opposite of the other teams. I really don't care for either team to be honest. I would kind of like to see Seattle get the upset over Chicago. But, thinking ahead, IF* The Pats get to the Superbowl, a Chicago Superbowl rematch game would be cool...

Once again, I don't know who to pick! Hmmm. The Pats already beat Chicago once. No reason to believe they can't do it again. Despite their record, I really don't think Chicago is that great. I think New Orleans is probably the most dangerous team in the NFC right now. Plus, revenge for Superbowl XX would be so awesome. Chicago it is!

Ok. Back to worrying about the Pats / Chargers game on Sunday.

GO PATS

('Can't Decide' lyrics)

Patriots vs. the latest unstoppable team...

People here in the office know that I'm a Patriots fan. I'm not sure what exactly has led them to this conclusion, but it could be any number of things. It could be the Patriots calendar in my cubicle. Or the Patriots tissue box on my desk. Maybe it's the fact that I often wear a Pats shirt and Pats socks to work. Or maybe it's the Patriots winter jacket and hat that I wear every day. Perhaps it's the Patriots water bottle that I carry around the office with me. I don't know. I'm not sure what it is, but people have gotten around to figuring out that I am a Patriots fan.

Since people know I'm a fan of The Pats, they often ask me what I think about the team, which results in the usual Random Hallway Conversation (RHC). Most of the Random Hallway Convo's I've been involved in lately have shown me that people around here are very respectful of San Diego's team, but they are not necessarily afraid of The Chargers. The people I've talked to all seem to be just as confident as I am in The Patriots ability to find a way to win against the unstoppable force of The Chargers, just like they have in the past against previous unstoppable teams.

The Chargers have the superior record and in some positions, superior players (on paper at least) but with that being said I still think The Patriots match up pretty well with The Chargers in several areas:

Coaching: Marty or Bill. Not even a contest here. Pats have the advantage.

Quarterback: Rivers vs Brady. Same as above

Running: Ok LaDanian Tomlinson is awesome, but the Pats combo of Dillon, Maroney, Faulk and Evans is not too shabby either.

Defensive Line: I am giving this one to The Pats. Warren, Wilfork and Seymour are going to be the key factor in this game. If they can stifle Tomlinson's running, that is the game.

Linebackers: San Diego wins this one, barely. The Pats main strength used to be their linebacking corps, and while they still have good players in Bruschi, Vrabel, Colvin and Banta-Cain, I think San Diego has the edge in this category, mainly because of Shawn Merriman back there.

Corners / Safteys: Slight edge to The Patriots based on the play of Asante Samuel this year. I have a feeling he could have a breakout game this weekend.

Receivers: Slight edge to San Diego. San Diego's receivers are not super spectacular, but I think they get the edge on The Patriots receiving corps.

Tight Ends: Slight edge to San Diego only because Antonio Gates is so good. The Pats combo of Watson, Graham and Thomas are all dangerous as well.

Obviously a lot of these match-ups can be argued and I'm sure San Diego fans, as well as other Patriots fans for that matter, would happily tell me that I have my head completely up my ass in most of these, but so what. I am a Pats fan, not a Chargers fan and these are just my opinions. I am admittedly biased so I am allowed to lean towards my team owning several of the match-ups going into this game. Besides, who pays the bills around here? ME. So right or wrong, I have no qualms about saying what I think heading into the game. Feel free to argue with me in the comments.

A few other things to note, The Pats are 7-1 on the road this year and Tom Brady has said that he almost likes playing on the road better than playing at home because there is less hassle involved with getting tickets, making sure family and friends are taken care of and all that. When you're on the road you just have to show up and play. I have a feeling that might be a bit of a smoke-screen, I mean what team honestly prefers to play an away game compared to a home game, especially during the playoffs, but at the same time it does make sense that fewer distractions makes it easier to focus on just the game.

Whatever. The Pats are playing on the road this weekend and if they advance they will be on the road again next week, so getting themselves in the frame of mind that playing on the road=advantage: Patriots, is a good thing.

Additional motivation for the Pats: I am sure they want to erase the memory of being crushed by San Diego during the regular season last year, and at the same time rectify their mistake-filled, premature exit from the playoffs last season as well.

Once again, I have officially psyched myself up for the game. Unfortunately it's only Thursday...

GO PATS

Harrison out, Tippett in?

The Patriots have released their injury report for the upcoming playoff game vs The Chargers and sadly, Rodney Harrison is listed as out for the game.

That is a damn shame. I was really hoping that Harrison would have a chance to face off against his old team in the playoffs. It would have been a big boost for The Patriots to have him out there and you know he would be fired up to play against The Chargers. I'm sure it must be killing Harrison to be unable to play in this game.

I have to say I am not nearly as nervous for this next playoff game as I was for the Jets game, which I know is odd considering the opponent is arguably the best team in the NFL, but I have a gut feeling telling me that The Pats will come up with a way to limit LaDanian Tomlinson's effectiveness, and I KNOW Bill Belichick will have a plan to handle first year starter Philip Rivers at QB.

By the way what is the deal with The Chargers limiting ticket sales for the game to Southern California residents only? I have to admit it's a great way to help increase your home-field advantage, so I can't honestly say that I disagree with it, but it seems like kind of a lame tactic to me. Then again if The Patriots did the same thing I'd probably be calling it a brilliant move, so there you go, but at the same time, I don't think The Patriots would have to worry about making sure that playoff tickets ended up in the hands of the people in Patriot Nation.

In other news, former Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett is among 15 finalists for possible induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That would be great if Tippett made it into The Hall. Even though some of the Patriots teams that Tippett played for were, ahem, less than successful, as a player, the man was an absolute monster. If Andre were to be inducted into The Hall it would certainly be a well deserved honor and it would be nice to have another player from The Patriots added to the Hall of Fame as well.

Now if we could just get Gino Cappelletti a little more consideration to get in there too...

Belichick caught in the mosh

So it seems like the big news of the day is all about Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shoving a cameraman out of the way after last Sunday's playoff game vs. the Jets in order to greet Eric Mangini at mid-field for a feel good moment hug.

I find it hard to believe that people outside the press are actually making a big deal over this.

I expect the jackass writers and 'experts' in the press to go off, after all one of their own was inconvenienced and those guys always stick together like the pack of jackals that they are, but as far as this regular guy, average sports fan goes, I'll just say this: WHO CARES?? NON-ISSUE.

Seriously. Move along. Find something else to write about, like maybe an upcoming playoff game or something. 

I've seen the video of Belichick pushing the cameraman, and the scene at mid-field after the Pats / Jets game this past Sunday reminded me of some of the mosh-pits I've been in the middle of during a punk rock show.

There's more media people on the field then there are people from the actual teams. The only thing missing from the whole thing was somebody crowd-surfing in the middle of the field holding a camera in their hand.

Maybe Bill got aggravated by having to bull his way through all the god-damn press in order to get to Mangini at mid field. Maybe you guys in the press should just move the fuck out of the way next time. How about that for an idea? Maybe if there are so many of you in the way that you are actually PREVENTING the event that you are there to cover from happening, there is a bit of a problem there. What do you think? Stupid media... Anything to sell a papers right?

Besides, Bill apologized to the cameraman publicly and having heard what he had to say on the radio yesterday, despite the yahoos on WEEI trying to yuck it up in the middle of his apology, Belichick seemed to genuinely feel quite badly about the whole thing and said he wished it had not happened. Can we focus on the game now? Thank you. Next.

In other Pats related news, actual news that is, Scott Pioli was recently given permission to talk to the New York Giants about a potential front office position. Thankfully for everyone in Patriots Nation, Scott turned the offer down, stating that he was not interested in meeting with the Giants and for 'personal reasons' intends to continue in his current role with The New England Patriots.

That is fantabulous news my friends. The front-office tandem of Belichick and Pioli is a key ingredient in the success the Patriots have enjoyed over the last few years. Yes, obviously the players have to perform on the field, but the fact that Pioli and Belichick work so well together in order to bring those players together, with the common goal of always doing the best thing possible for the team, that is of the utmost importance.

Pioli knows what Belichick is looking for in a player. He knows what kind of players are going to fit in with the Patriots system and which ones will not. Not to mention there seems to be a bond of friendship and trust between Pioli and Belichick that goes beyond football. They are working together and building something that they can both be proud of. It is not a competition. It is a cooperative relationship. If Pioli were to be removed from the equation, maybe the whole thing does not fall apart, but it would certainly cause a major disruption in the way the team functions at the top levels. The whole thing would be thrown out of whack.

Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that. I have to think that Scott Pioli knows what a great thing he is involved in here with The Patriots and thankfully he seems to understand that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

On a final note, I was going to write something about the upcoming game vs. the Chargers this weekend, but instead I'm just going to point you over to Angela, who wraps up the entire situation quite succinctly.

GO PATS

Wildcard Weekend wrap-up

Well of the four teams I was rooting for this weekend, Kansas City, Seattle, New England and Philly, only one of them lost, K.C, which I kind of expected was going to happen, to be honest.

When I heard that K.C. Coach Herm Edwards was going with Trent Green at QB for the Chefs instead of Damon 'Chandler Bing' Huard, I knew the Chefs were fucked. Always go with the guy that got you there. Oh well.

3 out of 4 wins ain't bad and the big thing of course, is that The Patriots won. They'll be playing San Diego next Sunday at 4 PM. That should be a good game and believe it or not, I am less nervous about that game than I was about the Jets game. Of course, I'm still in my happy place after The Pats win, so that could change as the next game approaches. Right now I'll just savor the Pats victory.

(AP photo via ESPN.com)

GO PATS

3 Games to Glory

The Pats / Jets game had me on the edge of a heart attack through nearly four quarters of football, but The Pats rose up and got the win. I am spent.

3 Games to Glory...

PS> Andy Gresh is on the Pats Post-game radio show complaining about the way The Pats played today. The Patriots did not win good enough or convincingly enough for Andy I guess.

Personally I think Andy Gresh sucks. But you could probably guess that. Quit pissing in my Cheerios Andy and go away. The Pats just beat a good team and now will reach the Divisional Playoff game for how many years in a row now? That is awesome.

GO PATS

PPS> Dudes and ladies can I just tell you what a relief it was for me for The Pats to win this game today? I was seriously stressing out there at several points in the game. Right until the Pats went up by 14, I was sitting in the middle of my living room, on The Patriots 'nautical blue' colored carpet, rocking back and forth and muttering to myself. I take these games a little too seriously I think.

I feel so calm now and now I can kick back and watch the next playoff game, stress free and happy. Awesome. Go Eagles.

Teams I'm rooting for other than The Pats this weekend...

Here are the teams I'm rooting for, other than The Patriots (duh), for Wildcard Weekend. It's WILD!

Colts / Chiefs: It goes without saying that I'm rooting for Kansas City in this game. I can't stand Peyton Manning and the sooner he and The Colts turn into pumpkins, like Cinderella's coach at the stroke of midnight, the better.

Cowboys / Seahawks: Seahawks - I can't root for the Cowboys. Reasons: 1: They're the Cowboys. Fuck them. 2: Bill Parcells is their coach. Fuck him. 3. Terrell Owens: The sooner we don't have to hear his name for another 6 months, the better.

Giants / Eagles: Eagles - First of all, the Giants don't even have a winning record and they are still a playoff team. That is ridiculous. Second, I don't like a lot of their players, such as Shockey, Manning, Barber. I like their coach, Tom Coghlin but that's not good enough. The Giants should have been eliminated from the playoffs like 6 times by now, but somehow squeaked in. Time to end it. Besides that, I like The Eagles in general, as long as they are not playing The Pats, so there.

Patriots vs. Jets: 4 Games to Glory

You might think that my lack of Patriots related posting this week means that I have not been thinking about the upcoming playoff game this weekend against The Jets or that I am unconcerned about what will happen during the game.

Wrong.

I have been thinking about this week's playoff game virtually non-stop since the clock ticked down to zero in last Sunday's win over The Titans. In fact, it has been all I can do for me NOT to think about the game. It has been on my mind continuously, distracting me and agitating me for the entire week.

I am not going to lie to you. I am nervous about this game. The idea of The Pats losing in the first round to the effing JETS sends me into a near anxiety attack. I'm telling you a loss to the Jets this weekend would be an unspeakable horror that would be guaranteed to put me in a foul mood until training camp opens up in July. 

Not that I think The Pats are over-matched. I don't. I'm actually in that weird zen state I sometimes get into where the back of my mind is confident in a Pats win and the rest of me is freaking out and has an upset stomach full of butterflies waiting for kickoff. As unpleasant as this state is, I'm taking it as a good sign, because the back of my mind is usually right in these situations.

In the meantime, I'm one big ball of nervousness. By Sunday I expect to be a raving, twitching lunatic.

Random game thoughts:
The key to this game in my mind is going to be turnovers.  Turnovers killed the Pats in their last two meetings with The Jets. As long as The Pats play a clean game don't turn the ball over, I think they win the game. The Patriots have done a good job of cleaning up the turnover problem in the last few weeks and the last couple wins against Jacksonville and Tennessee have also helped add to my confidence. I feel like The Jets are kind of at the same level as the Jags and if The Pats were able to handle Jacksonville, they should be able to handle The Jets.

Even though these two teams know each other very well at this point, I still have to give the advantage to The Pats. As well as Jets coach Eric Mangini may know The Pats and their tendencies, I have a feeling that Bill Belichick will have something new in store for his old student on Sunday.

Mangini has been in the playoffs before as an assistant, but never as a head coach. That added coaching pressure and inexperience in itself gives an advantage to The Pats over the Jets.

The field has been replaced with a whole new artificial surface since the last slop-fest game on the grass in Foxboro. That should help with the overall play as the players will have an easier time keeping their footing, Brady will be able to plant his throws, makes it better for kicking, etc etc. Of course the new surface benefits both teams, but I think the better surface helps The Pats eliminate some of the mistakes that occurred in the last meeting and like I said, if the Pats play mistake free football, I think they have an excellent chance at getting the win.

Pats safety-man Rodney Harrison is out and that hurts the defense, but at the same time, The Pats should get back several players that have been off the field, notably Vince Wilfork and Kevin Faulk.

Intangibles:
I think The Pats are feeling their usual level of disrespect and have it in their heads that most people don't expect them to go that far in the playoffs this year. I think they know they are generally being looked at nationally as a one and done team in the playoffs and I'm sure that gets under their skin. I am sure The Pats would love nothing better than to shove the fact that only a single player from their team was selected to The Pro Bowl by making it to, and hopefully winning 'the only Bowl that matters: The Superbowl'. If fact, without getting too far ahead of myself, if The Pats do win the Superbowl this year, I hope Richard Seymour decides to skip The Pro Bowl. How would that be for a snub to the rest of the NFL, if The Pro Bowl did not feature a single player from the Superbowl Champions! Football Gods, please take note of how awesome that would be and grant me this wish! 

The Patriots, usually all business, have already shown that they have a bit of a chip on their shoulder attitude based on a few of the comments from some players, pointing to their impressive 12-4 record, as well as even Coach Belichick himself proudly displaying some AFC East Championship gear this year. In the past, division championships were downplayed and looked on only as milestones. Something to be proud of sure, but just one step on the path. This year the Pats have displayed an almost 'in your face' manner regarding their 4th straight divisional championship.

The Pats always play better when they have something to prove, not just to us, but to themselves. I think the team will be extremely motivated for this game and I will be surprised if they are not firing on all cylinders at kickoff time.

I have now officially psyched myself up for the game. (Even if I am still nervous...)

Computer woes...

Remember yesterday I said it should be easier for me to wake up early this morning? I was wrong. It was just as hard getting out of bed this morning as it was yesterday...

Last night the hinge on one side of my laptop's screen broke. Thankfully the display is still working but now I have to figure out how to fix the hinge. At first glance, it does not look like something that can be fixed without getting a whole new display, since the 'frame' that the screen lives in has literally broken right off of the hinge. I don't know if that can be repaired but I'll have to try and fix it as best I can... Yay.

Well holy crap did that ever suck...

My alarm went off at 5:30AM. I promptly turned it off. My backup alarm went off at 5:40AM. I ignored it. I then lay in bed telling my body to get up and get walking on the treadmill. My body was hearing none of it. It was telling me that it was way too warm and comfortable and it wanted to stay in bed. Why not just rest? Start walking tomorrow. What's one more day?

Around 6AM my body finally caved in to my brain's incessant prodding to get up and get going. I went downstairs and walked on the treadmill for about 1/2 and hour and watched NESN SportsDesk.

That sucked getting up but the first day out is the hardest. I hope tomorrow it will be a little easier to drag my ass out of bed and I can start to get a routine going... (Any encouragement / berating in the comments is appreciated by the way. Strange as it may seem, it actually does help.)

Now that I've gained the obligatory 10 pounds in holiday weight...

Time for the yearly 10 pound addition of holiday food related fat to get removed from my body. What goes on in a few weeks can take months to come off, thanks to my wonderful maple tree-like metabolism, but in any case, come off it will.

This morning, like a gahillion other people I'm sure, I had aspirations of getting up early and exercising. And like most of those people, when the alarm went off, I stayed in bed.

Fucking lazy ass.

Actually, in defense of myself to myself, it's not easy to get up at 5:30 if you go to bed around midnight and then are woken up twice in between by people announcing they are going pee or coming in to let you know about their dreams. My children like to do that stuff. We can expect an announcement of a successful trip to the bathroom, or a nightmare on an almost nightly basis.

Well, as part of my revised resolutions for 2007, I will be trying to get to bed, head on pillow, attempting to be asleep, by 10 PM, 10:30 at the latest, so that I can wake up early and exercise.

Ok, since I brought up those damn resolutions, I may as well go through the damn things. They will be quick because they hardly ever change. Lets recap 2006's resolutions:

- Be a good husband and father: Ok, you know what, this should not be a resolution. This is something that should just be. Off the list.

- Be a good employee and try to rise above my current position: What was I thinking when I wrote these? See above. Off the list.

- Get down to my wedding weight of 155: I am almost embarrassed to say that I have been saying that every year for like 4 years now. That is pathetic. The closest I've come is 159. Right now I'm in the high 160's just like when I wrote the same resolution last year. Maybe this will be the year... next...

- Keep up with guitar practice: I think I have finally found a time when I can practice at least once a week. Saturday morning when the kids are watching cartoons and the baby is asleep, I should have at least a good hour a week to play. Ha! I used to play an hour a day, minimum. Yeah well those days are gone. Take what you can get. Next...

- Find a line of work that I enjoy: Phht. Yeah right. Right now I am just happy to be able to collect a paycheck. I enjoy being able to pay the bills. Off the list.

- Write a novel: When, exactly, am I supposed to do this? Off the list. Besides I lost all interest in that.

- Finish basement: HA! I actually wrote in January 2006 that I'd like it to be finished in March. Here it is January two thousand fucking seven and I'm saying the same fucking thing! Actually, that makes me want to choke myself but hey what can you do. Since it is now 95% complete, I can confidently say that the basement will be finished by March of 2007 dammit.

- Build last stone wall in the yard and fix grass bare spots: I'm pretty sure I can do that wall this year now that the basement should be done by spring. And I have to say, I did a kickass job last year with the lawn. The grass looked great all summer (and it still looks good in January ha! No snow on it!)

- Get to work between 8 and 8:30: How about 8:30 and 9:00. Yeah. Now we're talking!

So that makes this years 2007 resolutions:
Go to bed early
Lose weight
Play guitar more regularly
Finish basement
Build final stone wall
Get to work between 8:30 and 9 AM