Patriots Spanked:

* Dog - Matt Light has graduated from the Max Lane School to the Eugene Chung School of Graduate Studies
* Dog - Delta (refuse to call him Deltha) O’Neal - put Wilfork out there on the corner can’t do worst
* Dog - Moss - two huge drops
* Dog - After Welker was cheapshoted - the entire Patriot team acted like the Minnesota North Stars after John Wensink challenged them - should have been a bench clearer but instead they took their beating and went home
* Dog - Gaffney - No one can convince me that he is better than Troy Brown - he’s not better than Reche “big eyes” Caldwell
* Dog - Seymour - shot the wrong gap the entire game
* Dog - Cassel - looked sedated / didn’t feel pressure coming from either side / didn’t run once the entire game
* Dog - Slater - looking like a bad draft pick
* Dog - CBS and the NFL for naked greed subjecting me to commercial after commercial
* Dog - Patriot secondary, can’t cover anyone but when there is an incomplete pass they turn into Chris “Dancing Machine” Canty - Don Cornelius should be their secondary coach
* Dog - Steeler’s Ryan Clark whose hit on Welker was worse than Jack Tatum’s
* Dog - Patriot defense - bad tacklers, bad blitz team (how many times does Bruschi run free and go right past the QB), can’t cover anyone
* Dog - Sam Aikin two flags on special teams negating good field position
* Dog - The Colonial Minutemen in the end zone who didn’t turn their muskets on the Patriot secondary

* Heroes - Steve Neal 27 yard kick off return was the only energy I saw in the second half

OTHER

* 1 for 13 on third down
* Welker lost his streak of 6 receptions or more
* How many times did Big Ben (can’t spell Roethlisberger) snap the ball after the play clock was on zero
* Ed Hoculi was furious that it was so cold forcing him to put sleeves on and hide his guns
* Should have went hurry-up earlier / should have brought pressure all game (only chance)
* Asante Samuel absence is bigger every week

2. Around the NFL

* Why is Titan coach Jeff Fisher a jack-as*: Up by 37 points on the Lions and two minutes left he threw the red flag for a challenge and was wrong
* Giants are the best team in football
* Sad story on David Givens in the Boston Globe
* Asante Samuel - 3 Interceptions on the year
* Romeo Crennel might not be able to beat Charlie Weis in a race
* Plaxico Burress hanging out with Sebastian Telfair lately?

3. Around College Football

* The top 25 teams this week AVERAGED 44 points
* Hats off to Coach Jags winning with that BC offense and kicking team
* BC is underdog to V Tech by 1
* Undefeated Alabama is ten point under-dog to Florida whose best player Percy Harvin hurt his ankle (take the points)

4. OK Bruins nuts - here are my B’s thoughts after 30% of the season:

* Sadly, they have their biggest regular season win in a decade and they appear on Page 9 of the Globe Sports
* Bruins Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 30 to 1 up to 10 to 1
* Bruins should go old school and start doing signings at gas stations and get out there - Lord knows Gary Bettman won’t be helping with the promotion of young stars
* Fernandez seems to fight the puck early in the game
* Kessel is on pace for 43 goals / Savard, Lucic, Wheeler, Krejci, Wideman, Sturm - all on pace for 20 plus goals
* Lot of energy / skating and passing with purpose / forwards coming back and contributing on defense / great spacing

5. November: Bruins and Celtics 26-4 / Patriots 2-3

6. Top Boston College Defensive Players over the last 20 years:

1. Mike Mamula
2. Mike Ruth
3. Bill Romanowski
4. Matt Herzlich
5. Tony Thurman
6. Jamie Silva
7. Chris Hovan
8. Stephen Boyd
9. Ivan Cesar
10. Mathias Kiwanuka

7. Amazing Stats: Most points in a game by a Bruin: Seven - Cam Neely / Barry Pederson / Bobby Orr / Phil Esposito

8. Old School - The big three from the 1969 Laker team, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, that the Celtics upset scored a combined 79,760 points in their career.

9. Just a Little Bit Outside - Great Boston Athletes whose careers leave them just outside of the Hall of Fame (Luis Tiant, Stanley Morgan and Gino Cappelletti should be in their Halls - so not on the list below):

* Drew Bledsoe
* Jim Rice
* Troy Brown
* Terry O’Reilly
* Dennis Johnson
* Dwight Evans
* Fred Lynn
* Jeff Reardon
* Cedric Maxwell
* Steve Nelson
* Bruce Armstrong
* Ken Hodge
* Andy Moog

10. Randomocity

* Surprised that Reggie Lewis is as high at 18th on the Celtics all time leading scoring list 7,902
* Joe Thornton’s (26 points) San Jose Sharks are 20-3 (I’d still take Savard)
* Looks like Kevin McHale’s trade of OJ Mayo (21.4) for Kevin Love (8.6) might be the last straw
* The fact that Victoria’s Secret commercial is on at 5:00 on a Sunday afternoon is the affect of MTV on society and TV
* Great website - American Rhetoric with top American speeches and Movie speeches

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What I’m Thankful For…………………………………….

* Dustin Pedroia somehow getting on top of a 97 MPH letter high fast ball
* That the rest of the world found out - what we already knew about Roger Clemens
* John Lester’s cutter (gonna be a devastating pitch)
* That gas is down under $2.00 a gallon
* That Michael Vick is in jail (still can’t hit an open receiver)
* That the Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots have their franchises greatest head coach at the helm
* Seinfeld reruns
* That the fat cats that eat shrimp and drink top shelf liquor posing as BCS representatives will be exposed again this years as liabilities to the game of College Football
* That we have the following analysts imparting their wisdom upon us: Harold Reynolds, Eck, Mark Jackson/Jeff Van Gundy, Clark Kellogg, Kirk Herbstreit, Johnny Miller, John McEnroe, Mike Milbury, Troy Aikman, Steve Phillips
* That Fresno State baseball, Tampa Bay DEVIL Rays, Davidson basketball, Boise State football show us its not all about the money
* Jerry York
* The way the Celtics take charges and have their teammates’ backs
* Salary caps in football, basketball and hockey
* Copley Library, Boston Public Garden, Esplanade, Fenway Park, Trinity Church, Castle Island
* That Claude had the courage to bench Kessel in the playoffs and apparently change the direction of his career
* Street hockey, touch football, wiffle ball, relievio, kick the can, three flies out, automatics, riding a bike with a glove tucked over your handle bars, running through sprinklers, Jiffy Pop during the Wonderful World of Disney, Brady Bunch followed by the Partridge Family on Friday nights
* Mike O’Connell’s signing of Tim Thomas which improved the former GM’s grade to an F
* Six world championships in Boston this decade!
* That Tiger Woods’ greatness was apparent simply by his absence
* That Patrice Bergeron is back
* A Bobby Orr end to end rush
* That I don’t have to cash out my 401K in the next ten years (hopefully)
* Luis Tiant going 168 pitches in Game Four in 1975
* That A Rod still doesn’t have a ring
* That Boston still has two newspapers
* That Rosie O’Donnell isn’t a pulling guard coming at me on the corner
* That Scott Boras is available to negotiate the Movie/TV options for my book Rebound!
* For Matt Cassel’s development, Jerod Mayo’s potential for greatness, a one handed catch by Randy Moss, Vince Wilfork not moving, a Kevin Faulk screen, Wes Welker staying in bounds and fighting for extra yards
* That I don’t need Glen Wesley to put a puck in an empty net in order to save the free world
* That Kevin Youkilis is not sweating upgrade from my basement
* Tommy Points
* For Mike Lowell being a man while Manny prostituted himself
* College Football, High School sports, Kentucky Derby, Boston Marathon
* Game Five comeback against Tampa Bay
* Pierce coming out of the locker room against the Lakers
* Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree’s catch against Texas
* Hot turkey sandwiches - turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce laid on toast covered with gravy
* Happy Thanksgiving to all - the best holiday of the year!

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1. Thoughts after traveling to Miami to watch the Patriots

* Couldn’t believe how many Patriot fans were at the game - at least 7,500
* Budweiser and Jagermeister won’t be laying people off anytime soon
* Of the 7,500 Patriot fans - 7,000 wore Patriots gear. Brady still most popular shirt / didn’t see one Cassel shirt
* The top tier was shaking when Miami scored
* Beer is not sold after half-time (too late by the looks of it)
* Saw about five to seven fights in the crowd and a lot of words being exchanged
* Dolphins have a cheesy fight song (when you say Miami you’re talking Super Bowl)
* The Jet Blue flight back to Boston at 12 was cancelled until Tuesday while we got out at 5:00

2. Game

Offense

* Cassel is the best Patriot running QB since Steve Grogan in 1976
* Moss - one of his top three games as a Patriot - last two years in Miami - 12 receptions / 247 yards / 5 TD’s
* Gaffney had a huge drop but came on after that
* Love Moss lowering his head and fighting for a TD
* Welker has six or more catches in 15 straight games
* Cassel throws on the run better than Brady
* Cassel is on pace to throw for 3,804 yards which would be sixth most in Patriot history

Defense

* Wilfork was a beast
* Defense isn’t good enough to go deep into the playoffs
* Vrabel is a step behind (at least) on coverage now and can’t get to the QB
* Kick off return defense is porous
* Mayo seemed quiet (4 tackles)
* Is Delta O’Neal really a better corner than Troy Brown
* Tough game for Hobbs on the corner and returning kicks
* When Miami runs Wildcat why aren’t the Patriot corners coming up and sticking Pennington when he is set out wide?
* Dolphins 6 for 12 on third down (can’t get off the field)
* Bruschi two tackles and fanned on a couple of tackles for loss

Other

* Not often do you see someone use dreadlocks for leverage in a fight - Matt Light could be skipping a game
* Chris Hanson only one punt

3. Talk about true warriors - Pedroia 5′9″ - 180 LBS / Welker 5′9″ - 180 LBS

4. Cassel vs. the quarterbacks he backed up:

Cassel - 238 - 359 / 2,615 yards / 13 TD to 8 INT
Brady - 7 for 11 / 76 yards
Leinart - 1 for 2 / 15 yards
Palmer - 75 for 129 / 731 yards / 3 TD to 4 INT

5. Do you think Philly wish they stayed with Jeff Garcia? His record the last three years 21-9

6. Varitek a one year offer from the Red Sox - I guess that means they don’t want him back

7. Is Dick Vitale’s voice forever impaired?

8. Amazing Stat - Since November 13th the Bruins, Patriots and Celtics are 11-2

9. Just a Little Bit Outside - The fun of flying:

* Is there anything more stressful than going though security - boarding pass / license / did I take everything out of my bag / belt and shoes off….
* Jet Blue is a great airlines with the Direct TV at every seat
* Now its a bag of chips and tonic and I can’t open the bag
* The fight to fit carry-on’s up above is a battle
* People have to get out of the aisle and get in their seat
* Don’t want to hear people’s cell phone conversation
* Direct flight is a must

10. Randomocity

* Patriots are favored over Pitt by 1.5 this week
* Most over-rated Sesame Street character Elmo - don’t even know how he took off to super stardom.
* Anyone scared by the woman at the ticket counter who’s head spins around to show another face in the Southwest Airlines commercial?
* Went to concert of Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead in Boca this weekend featuring Rat Dog - wow! Woodstock is not dead (out of my element - but fun experience)
* I know people are trying to jump-start the shopping because of the economy but Christmas marketing has started earlier than ever
* I want the people who keep voting for BCS over playoffs in College Football to step forward - because I haven’t heard one person say they don’t want playoffs including the President elect
* Don’t forget Colts have the tiebreaker against us because Gaffney dropped the ball
* Tiger Woods loses his endorsement with GM - do you think he will have to tighten the budget?

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1. Hey Bruins’ fans - ESPN ranks them as the top team in the East. I told you!

2. Patriots will handle Miami easily this week - Wildcat de-clawed:

* Please someone take a 15 yard flag on Joey Porter
* Pennington only has seven more TD passes than Ronnie Brown (8 to 1)
* Look out for Ted Ginn Jr on the reverse
* Does Vrabel remember the cheapshot by the guy with bongs at home?

3. Celtics:

* On pace to win 69 games
* Tony Allen led in minutes with 28
* Tony Allen box score perfect: 13 points (6 for 7) / 3 steals / 2 blocks / 6 rebounds
* Garnett down to 32.9 minutes a game - will be able to keep him fresh for playoffs

4. Red Sox - Coco Crisp era is over but he provided Red Sox nation some fun moments:

* His at bat against Tampa in Game 5 was legendary
* His catch against the Mets goes down in Red Sox lore with Yaz (Yankees 1967), Lynn (Yankees 1975), Pedroia (Buchholz no hitter)

5. Patriots Defensive TD leaders (pro-footballreference.com)

1. Ty Law……………6
2. T. Bruchsi………..4
3. Asante S…………3
4. Don Webb………..2
5. Bob Suci………….2
6. Otis Smith………..2
7. W. McGinest…….2
8. Prentice McCray..2
9. Ronnie Lippet…….2
10. John Charles……2

6. Bruins leaders in penalty minutes:

1. Terry O’Rielly………2095
2. Mike Milbury……….1552
3. Keith Crowder……..1251
4. Ray Bourque………1087
5. Wayne Cashman…1041

7. Amazing Stat: Seven of golfer Bobby Jones 9 victories were majors

8. Old School: Two sport players in baseball

Deion Sanders - 641 games - .263 avg / 39 HR / 186 SB
Gene Conley - 91-96 / 3.82 ERA (four all star games)
Bo Jackson - 694 games - .250 avg / 141 HR / 415 RBI (1989 All Star MVP)

9. Just a Little Bit Outside - What happened to….

* David Duval
* Huey Lewis
* Barney
* Al Pacino (oh he still does movies)

10. Randomocity

* Jim Carrey is over-rated (except Truman Show) but his movie Yes made me laugh when I saw the preview
* Is there a nicer town center than Winchester?
* Bruins still playing to 16% empty seats
* Saw the new Bond movie - C+ / too much action trying to copy Jason Bourne movies
* Is Keith Crowder under-rated in Boston Bruins lore?
* How did Kim Basinger get the Oscar for LA Confidential - she said about three words?

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1. Pedroia MVP fun facts

* Third Red Sox infielder to win the award: Mo Vaughn 1998 / Jimmy Foxx 1938
* Pedroia’s best month: Aug: 43 Hits / 33 Runs / 17 extra base hits / .374
* Yaz’s best month ‘67: Sep: 40 Hits / 22 Runs / 15 extra base hits / .417
* MVP / Rookie of the Year / Silver Slugger / Gold Glove
* Salary $457,000 or 2% of Manny’s
* Don’t underestimate the value of 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts in the vote
* First American League second baseman to win MVP since Nellie Fox in 1959

2. Patriots are averaging 3.1 penalties a game / Green Bay 7.8

3. From CFBstats.com: Quarterback Leon Jackson of Utah State has thrown seven interceptions that have been returned for touchdowns this year

4. The QB on the 1976 Tampa Bay Bucs that went 0-14 was Steve Spurrier who threw 7 TD to 12 INT

5. Brad Park never had scored 100 points in a season (high of 82 - 1974)

6. Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson is 5 for 5 from 50 yards out (long 56)

7. Could this be it for Kevin McHale - Minnesota 1-8

8. Who would think that the Pats would have the lowest winning % right now in Boston (60%) / Celtics 90% / Bruins 77%

9. Just a Little Bit Outside: From Job-Employment-Guide.com: Annual salary of referees in 2007

MLB - $141,000
NHL - $139,000
NBA - $128,000
NFL - $25,000 to $70,000

10. Randomocity

* McDonalds have good Vanilla shakes
* Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma over/under for total points Saturday night 75.5
* Is a traffic report ever current?
* I knew I wanted to be a pirate
* I bet Youkilis was sweating out the MVP vote
* Snow is coming
* The residences around the Monument in Charlestown almost rival Beacon Hill

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