Opening Day All Over Again and Again.

Ok, in case you haven't heard we were packed for the Sox season opener in Japan. At 6 am! Not only were there more than 100 fans, but we had two TV stations, two newspapers, and 1010 WINS doing live radio updates all morning. Thank you everyone for making this event so great and not making me regret getting out of bed at that ungodly hour.

As great as it was, there's more to come. Here's the week ahead:

Friday, the best record in the NBA hosts the best record in the West when the Celtics take on the Hornets at 7:30 p.m. This week the Celts blew out Phoenix avenging an earlier west coast loss to the Suns. Now, they hope to do the same to New Orleans a team that beat them recently despite an all-star performance from Rondo. We've had some great Celtics crowds lately as we get closer to the post-season.

Saturday the Sox play in what should be the biggest baseball game in the history of the universe when they do battle with the L.A. Dodgers at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. If you're not lucky enough to be one of the 115,000 in attendance, the game for you, of course, will be om at Thom's at 10:10 p.m.

Sunday night is the first regular season game not in Japan pitting the Washington Nationals against the Boston Braves (Sorry, I still can't give it up. They played in Allston for crying out loud!)

Monday, some other teams play in the official Opening Day.

Then Tuesday, The Sox are back for the A's official home opener in America at 10:05 p.m.

More Thom's Foolery

Don't forget that we have a little haiku contest going on. Be sure to look below to see all of the entries and tell me which you think is the best. he winner will be announced some time next week.

In honor of the pilgrimage so many of the faithful are making to the Coliseum (Send pictures. I'll post them.):

Well, I'm goin' out west where I belong

Where the days are short and the nights are long

Where they walk and I'll walk

They twist and I'll twist

They shimmy and I'll shimmy

They fly and I'll fly

Well they're out there a'havin' fun

In that warm California sun.

-Henry Glover and Morris Levy

Red Sox Haiku

Here are all of the

Submissions for the contest.

Help pick a winner!

-P. Thom

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baseball before dawn

Daisuke on familiar mound

Kirin for breakfast

Konichiwa, how

Say "Manny being Manny"

In Japanese? Hai!

All eyes on Edo

New season rises with sun

World Champs now play World

-Michael Liss

I think that's awesome

for Thom's to open early

Will Sonny's as well?

-Andrew Wasif

I

The alarm clock rings

It's 6 and the Sox are on

Praise f*cking Jesus

II
The alarm clock rings

It's 6 and the Sox are on

Please pass the sake

-Bryan Joiner

I

Sox Rub Sleep From Eyes

Sun Rises Over Fuji

A Blast From Papi!

II

Champions Head East

To Land Of The Rising Sun

Baseballs Strike Bamboo
-Jason Stevens

Matsuzaka is

Our Daniel-san. Is Oakland

Our Cobra-Kai? No!

-Kristine Zaleskis

I

Dice-K takes the mound

The hero of two nations

Play besuboru!
II

Red Sox in Japan

Better than Bad News Bears 3

Papi skunks Kelly

III
Manny be Manny

In a strange and far-off land

Domo Mannysan
IV

Red Sox dawn rising

Awake! Awake! all ye fans

It's time to defend
-Matt Fortnow

Tiny dark-eyed girl sees hero on mound
In a new Boston cap, she is beaming
Tokyo's dusk is again her hero's

-Rhonda Zapatka

Predawn East Coast beer

Rabid chants: "FucK KaczmarczyK"

DaisuKe's mullet striKes

-Jules Verdone

I

Cherry blossoms burst
Fields run red and white with...Sox
Marry me Lowell

II
Overflowing eggs

Family gathered at Thoms

Alas, I slumber

-Melinda Richards

Early east-coast sun

Bring Red Sox game from Japan

Let's watch at Prof. Thoms

-Giack Selloni

Defending champions

won't condone shenanigans

from greedy bastards.

-Rob LaRose

Red Sox charter jet

Soars agleam thru the twilight,

Like Papi’s big fly.

-Peter M. Collery

Yes We're Open

Opening Day is nigh and for some reason I'm still getting tons of e-mails and phone calls asking if we'll be open for the 6 am games. The answer, of course, is a resounding "yes". Don't believe me? Well read this: We're open proof. See. I told you so. They'll be even more media there representing both New York and Japan. So, come on in for eggs and keggs.

プレイボール!

Contest Time!
Whoever sends me the best Haiku appropriate to the Sox trip to Japan will win a special prize.

You've got to get up
You've got to get up
You've got to get up this morning
You've got to get up
You've got to get up
Get up with the bugler's call
The major told the captain
The captain told the sergeant
The sergeant told the bugler
The bugler told them all

Land of the Rising Sun and Sinking Fastball.

SANPU (1647-1732)
First cherry blossoms,

a cuckoo, the moon and snow:

another year closes

Closes? That's right winter is ovah! Are you ready for some besubaru? Well, BANZAI! プレイボール!

The Sox kick off their adventure in Edo tonight in the first of two exhibitions against Japanese clubs before they go for the real thing on Tuesday. The great news is that opening day against the A's is at 6 am! I told you that we would be showing all of the games. (Of course, since the bar isn't legally open, this will be a private party and you are invited.)

Phew. Finally, baseball before work. There's nothing worse than going to the grind sober and baseball-free. Well, no more. Why didn't they think of this before? Next Tuesday and Wednesday the World Champion Sox will be on at Thom's once again. Get there early for a seat. What's early? If you ask nicely we'll lock you in the night before.

In honor of the Samurai Sox we will be serving kobe beef hot dogs on special all weekend in addition to Smuttynose Hanami Ale. Smuttynose, a New England brewer, named this beer in honor of the Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing in Japan. So, obviously, we're into it. (Here's a quick Japanese lesson.)

Contest Time!

Whoever sends me the best Haiku appropriate to the Sox trip to Japan will win a special prize.

I know. I know. It's tournament time, March Madness. Yeah, and the Celts are kicking some serious butt. But, I can't help but get giddy about the return of the cherry blossoms-I mean baseball. I'll see you Tuesday morning.

Cherry blossoms are blooming;

Pink, sweet, and fragrant;

They grow high around the temple wall.

Lisa Renee.

Vintage Red Sox

There's no whining in baseball. Sour grapes? The Red Sox defy all saws and sayings by winning and wining.

Charity Wines has announced that they will be releasing three more wines named for Red Sox tipplers. And, they're holding off production on a fourth until Bartolo Colon makes the team.

Also in the works is a Dustin Pe-Drysack Sherry, a Bruins Bordeux Vintage 1972, a Pokey Riesling, a Brian Daubach 30-pack, and a non-alcoholic Raspberry-Lime Rickey Henderson (Rickey don't drink alcohol.)

NCAA

The tournaments leading up to the tournament are in full swing with many of Thom's favorite teams being beaten last night. We will have all of the games on this weekend and, of course, next week when the tournament begins.

Thommies Trying to Make the News

Support our team. There are about one million filmmakers that hang out at Thom's and some of them need your help.

Evan is used to winning. He won a beautiful Narragansett tie at an event we had last year. So, help him win again: Vote for the Sox-inspired "Pound" on YouTube for a short film award.

You helped these guys make the top 20 for Super-chef Anthony Bourdain's contest. Now put them over the top and bring the Super-chef to Beantown. Vote for "Here is Boston".

Red, red wine

Stay close to me

Don't let me be alone

Its tearing apart

My blue, blue heart

-Neil Leslie Diamond

Dugout Doug, No More

The Boston Red Sox announced today that the most famous back-up catcher in baseball, Doug Mirabelli, was released. This is not the first time that Doug has left the Sox. In 2005 Boston traded Mirabelli to the Padres for Mark Loretta. Then, frustrated by the catching of Josh Bard, they traded Bard, Cla Meredith, and $100K to the Padres to get Mirabelli back. Doug was escorted by the Boston police from the airport to Fenway Park in time for Wakefield's next start.

Thom's has a soft spot for Mirabelli who once shared an episode of "Red Sox Stories" with the catcher. In the show hosted by Tom Catlin and Colleen Reilly, Thom's was depicted as a haven for Sox fans in New York City.

Bye bye Dougie, for now. No more going deep.

Thom's Baby Thom's

What is wrong with me that I watch "Gone Baby Gone" and actually miss home? It's a violent, disturbing movie that is set in an ugly, ugly place. That being said, I couldn't help but feel a bit of heimatweh. It's probably the first film to represent Boston with some honesty since that scene on the Charles in the snow in "The Last Detail" or the street hockey scene in "Monument Ave." or the whole "The Friends of Eddie Coyle".

So, for the next couple weeks I'll be posting on the blog some nostalgic YouTube clips that I remember growing up in the Athens of America. ("I can walk like a penguin.") If anyone out there has a suggestion or some 8 mm film of me bowling at Sammy White's drop me a line. (Check out my YouTube page for more clips.)

During the whole film, instead of paying attention to important plot lines, I watched Casey Affleck's Celtics jacket and couldn't help but think I was missing the Boston/Detroit game?

No matter what the Celtics do they still don't get the respect they deserve. When they beat ALL of the teams in the West without losing a game I heard, "Well, what would happen in a 7 game series?" After last night's win against Detroit I heard on ESPN, "Well the Celtics shouldn't have shown the Pistons what they're capable of. Now the Pistons will adjust come playoff time." What? All they do is win. They clinched the playoffs quicker than the Pats did- Ok, bad example. I won't do that again. I promise. It's that damn movie that put me a bit off-kilter. I've been having flashbacks of Hano Street all day.

Need a pick-me-up now? How about this: The Sox are on ESPN at 1pm today. They're playing the Dodgers. You know, Nomar, Lowe, Torre, those Dodgers. Time for a liquid lunch!

Shipping Off to Boston?

If you're going to Boston this weekend stop by the bar first. We have free passes to Harpoon's St. Patrick's Day parties this weekend. They're behind the bar.

a pedestrian foot bridge covers turnpike

I read all of the spray paint from my bike

down the slope, look left and right

I once fell down and almost died

but I've taken hits to the head before

and always made it back to my front door

"All Hands On Hano Street" by The Stairs

Play Ball

It's finally here! The day you've all been waiting for! That's right, it's Sadie Hawkins Day! Come on, I know you 3 or 4 die-hard Li'l Abner fans have been waiting for this day all year when "the homeliest gal in all them hills" comes a-courtin'. Well, leave a note on your door so when she does come she'll be able to find you at Professor Thom's watching the Red Sox spring opener!

Oh yeah, the Sox are on tonight against the Twins. It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights. It's time to get things started (Why don't we get things started.).

What do we have going on? I'll tell you. Let's start with a special on Thom's Ale by Harpoon: $3 during the game.

And, in honor of this year's induction of Thom's regular, former Sox pitcher, and Yankee killer Bill Lee into the Red Sox Hall of Fame we'll do the Spaceman on special too. $12 Spaceman Ale Pitchers at the tables. during the game.

What else? Any leaplings out there? If so, your first drink is on us. (Note: if you are a true leapling you're probably only 6 or 7 years old and therefore will not be able to drink. Wait another 75 years until you're 21, kid.)

Let's check today's birthdays:
Actor Alex Rocco is 18.
Actor Dennis Farina is 16
Rapper Ja Rule is 8

And, to give it that old Thom's twist how about a regional delicacy? We'll be featuring Rhode Island style calamari battered in Harpoon IPA.

Happy spring every one.

Muppets: And now let's get things started

Audience: Why don't you get things started

Kermit: It's time to get things started

Muppets: on the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational

This is what we call the Muppet Show!

(Gonzo blows his trumpet)

I'm Still a Sailor Peg.

In just one week we're shipping off to Hammond Stadium, spring home of the Twins. Ok, maybe that doesn't have a great ring to it, but it's the spring, we're still working out some kinks.

Next Friday the 2008 spring training season commences when the Sox take on the Minnesota Twins in sunny Florida. I know a bunch of you are going south for some games so send me your photos and I'll post them on the blog. If you can't be at the game be at Thom's. We'll be showing all the spring training games they allow us to show including the March 17 game against the Yankees.

Manager Terry Francona has said that the approach to each spring training game will be to focus on a different, important skill. On March 17, for instance, the entire team will practice hitting it at the shortstop. And on the 7th when they play Baltimore in Fort Lauderdale they will practice not going to Jose' Canseco's house for a barbecue. Special fielding advisor, Bernie the attorney will be on hand to help the players field uncomfortable questions after the game.

For the spring opener we will have some specials including but not limited to: Harpoon beer (yum), and Rhode Island style calamari battered in Harpoon beer (yum), and give-aways featuring Harpoon beer (yum).

The Green Team

As suspected the first half of the season was absolutely meaningless. Sure, the Celts dominated, but all of their competition has gotten better since then. After going 16-0 in the first half against the West they are now 0-2 in the second half. Tonight, the play the newly Shaqified Suns. This game is huge for the Celts to show they can win number 17. Looking ahead the Celts return to NYC on April 14th. There might be a couple tickets left.

More Thom's Foolery

The advanced word on "Blessed: Still We Believe II" is the gang at Thom's dominates the film! You guys rock. It starts out with some Ka(y)reoke footage from early in the season and finishes with the trophy party we had a couple months ago. In all, some 50 Thom's regulars appear on screen. Look for the DVD to hit stores on April 4th.

I am blessed, with my attorney Bernie

I'm impressed, with the way he runs the store

He's got Dodger season boxes

and an office full of foxes

It's amazing all the different things

your average guy might need a lawyer for.

-Dave Frishberg

Jeter Stinks, Coco Crisp Good.

Ok, so I've been taking a beating lately from anonymous Giants fans. It doesn't matter to them that I don't even know them, or that most of my friends are Giants fans, or that my wife and most of my in-laws are Gaints fans. All that matters to them is that I'm from Boston and therefore should be yelled at, screamed at about the supreme choke of the Patriots, the inepitude of Thom Brady, and the peeping of the Hooded One. Not one of them actually ever mentions the merits of the Giants. They are completely fixated on the Patsies. In fact, I think these yahooes are closet fans and I never miss the opportunity to tell them so. Which ironically is how they so often describe Sox fans as fixated on the Yankees. Hmmm. Well, I usually don't go in for the Yankee baiting, but this one is too good to pass up:

Derek Jeter is the Worst Shortstop in Baseball.

According to the NY Post, "[T]he numbers prove it, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania said yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Boston." Ahh, Boston, the Athens of America.

The study says, "Alex Rodriguez was the best everyday shortstop in the league, saving 10.40 runs each season for the Texas Rangers. Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees shortstop who is often hailed for his defensive prowess and has won three Gold Gloves, ranks dead last in the majors, coughing up 13.81 runs per season. "

The Cap'n has faced this sort of appraisal before. His response:

"I'm the worst? I don't think I would say that. But I couldn't really care less what some mathematical equation comes out with. How do you rank defensive shortstops? I don't see how a formula can evaluate how somebody plays. You get a strikeout pitcher on the mound as opposed to a ground-ball pitcher, it's going to affect the statistics you use to evaluate defense. So I don't really think you can."

The annual meeting of AAAS which concludes tomorrow also presents such topics as "Ocean Iron Fertilization and Carbon Sequestration: Can the Oceans Save the Planet?" But, somehow I don't think that will get as much play on ESPN.

Also featured in the report was former Yankee Bernie Williams cited as one of the worst outfielders in baseball during his time and Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp and former Sock Trot Nixon as among the best.

Baseball season has begun officially with the first salvo launched from Beantown.

Here is a synopsis of the findings at all positions according to SI.com:

The top three, and the worst, fielders (some of whom are no longer playing), based on the SAFE rankings, were:

• First base: Best, Ken Harvey, formerly with Kansas City; Doug Mientkiewicz, now with Pittsburgh; Eric Karros, formerly with the A's and Dodgers; worst, Fred McGriff, formerly with Tampa Bay.
• Second base: Best, Craig Counsell of the Brewers; Brandon Phillips of the Reds; Chase Utley of the Phillies; worst, Enrique Wilson, who last played with the Cubs.
• Third base: Best, Damian Rolls, formerly with Tampa; Counsell; Placido Polanco of the Tigers; Worst, Travis Fryman, formerly with the Indians and Tigers.
• Shortstop: Best, Clint Barmes of the Rockies; Rodriguez; Jason Bartlett, traded from Minnesota to Tampa Bay in the offseason; worst, Jeter.
• Left field: Best, Crisp; Reed Johnson of the Blue Jays; Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay; worst, Higginson.
• Center field: Best, Michaels; Andruw Jones, now with the Dodgers; Darin Erstad, now with the Astros; Worst, Williams.
• Right field: Best, Matthews; Trot Nixon, who played with the Indians last year; Dustan Mohr, who last played for Tampa Bay; Worst, Pena.

Please Report!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. How appropriate that today of all days the love of my life has returned.

It's official. At noon today pitchers and catchers reported to their respective spring training camps. Thus, beginning the 2008 baseball season. Well, it's not really begun until you report to Thom's to kick it off. So, show up tonight for a little spring work-out. Get that elbow ready for a season of bending.

Let's see. What else is going on? I'm misremembering right now. Oh, yeah! That nice man from Dayton, Ohio, William Roger Clemens did y'all a favor yesterday by doing a performance of Punch and Judy for all the nation to see. Somehow, the Texas Con-Man remembered very little himself except that everyone else had remembered wrongly, or "misremembered".

Meanwhile, the namer, Brian McNamee, the man who supplied the illegal drugs to Clemens (Debbie), Knoblauch and Pettitte admitted to everything except being a "drug dealer". "That's your opinion," he said when asked why he didn't consider himself a drug dealer. Brilliant! "That's your opinion" should be the defense of everyone that gives testimony in front of Congress. "Did you have relations with Monica Lewinsky?" "That's your opinion." "Did you lie about torture?" "That's your opinion." Brilliant!

Then, there's Herbie Stempel, Clemens' bff, played by Andy Pettitte who is somehow a hero for eventually not lying as much as he did before. What a guy! Hear that kids? Do whatever you want, just make sure you apologize and turn in your friends when faced with imprisonment.

I just really wonder how Andy will be treated at Fenway the first time he starts there. Will he receive the old-fashioned "Ste-Roids" chant invented for Canseco? Or will he get one of those ironical applauses for turning in Clemens. This never stops entertaining me.

What were we talking about? Oh yeah, pitchers and catchers report today (well, some of them) and the Sox are still champions. I can finally take down from the blog the Superbowl footage from the bar. Blech!

The Green Team

The Celtics just keep on keeping on despite the fact the Garnett has been out over a week and now Davis and Scalabrine are injured too. It's a credit to Doc Rivers who has played the entire bench all year so that they could fill in in big spots. Powe played 38 minutes last night. Who? Exactly.

Come see some of the Celtics play in the All-Star Game Sunday. Ray Allen found out last night that he'll be on the team.

I miss my Andy and the ... good fun

I Fought the Law and the ... law won

I Fought the Law and the ... law won

-Sonny Curtis and the Crickets

A Dark Day

I have no time for an elegy today. I have to grade hundreds of prop sheets that I handed out before the game. That means I have to RE-WATCH the game to get the correct answers. I should be done by July if I start in June.

Strangely, no one that won cases of beer last night took it with him. That means I'm drunk now.

The Home Stretch

"There goes Swifty" was probably the most common phrase uttered in my home growing up.(That and, "Mr. Greenfield! You promised!") Swifty was the robotic rabbit that the dogs chased at Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere. And that phrase was pronounced over the PA at the start of every race.

Yes, my house like every other mixed-blooded American's was a gambling one. And, this race is in the home stretch.

The Giants came out of the gate fast attacking the Pats' linemen as cheaters and predicting, nay, guaranteeing victory. But all the while the Patsies stayed their course. Thom Brady waxed all week on what an honor it was to be compared to the great QBs of all time and Bruschi talked about this game as the most important of his career.

Then something happened. The Giants let up. Following Strahan's approbation of Brady earlier in the week, Plaxico backicoed off his sure thing prediction and Osi APOLOGIZED to Matt Light. Weird. The bettors weren't impressed. The line didn't move. Still 12 points.

So, if we can't get anything from the players what about the media? Do you think they'll have anything to say?

Predictably, this isn't a battle between teams in the media's eye; this is an epic battle between cities, again. Boston is that smallish nasty walled outpost somewhere off across the Aegean that has stolen Helen (In this butchered parable Helen would be sports pride.) from Gotham and it's associated city-states. For years this was a pitched battle, but no more. Now it will be fought hand-to-hand. In this tragedy, the role of the Greek armies will be played by the new York media.

These annual comparisons are getting so dull. Who's better looking Thom or Eli? Duh? Who has the better chowder (Also, here.)? Then Mike Celizic shows his chops by writing an error riddled piece on why New York is better than Boston. (Spoiler Alert: New York is bigger.) In it, he doesn't know how many World Series the Sox have won and he says that the city is so boring that the band Boston never sang a song about the city Boston. Hmmm (see below). And, the kicker, he calls the Pats "the Foxboro Patriots". The Giants play in New Jersey. That brought out the big guns.

First Ken Tremendous at FJM.com ripped him apart then Mark Starr took him to task in his blog.

Now, the NYPost is at it again. In today's paper they lament that NFL.com is already selling "19-0" merchandise for the Pats. Which is sure to jinx the team. What they failed to report is that NFL.com is also selling "NY Giants Superbowl XLII Champions" merch. Jinxes even.

So, we at Thom's got a bit tired of all of the comparisons. We decided to weigh in. Check out a bunch of Thom's regulars on SNY today at 5:00 and 11:00 pm and 1:30 am (Towards the end of the show) defending their team.

Well, we were just another band out of Boston

On the road to try to make ends meet

Playin all the bars, sleepin in our cars

And we practiced right on out in the street

-Boston

Playing with Fate

I had the bejeezus scared out of me this week when I opened The Globe (online) and saw this article: bejeezus scaring article link.

I had never seen such hubris in the home of humility (and humiliated). Had the days of the doormats finally been forgotten to the point where we count on victory? Should we all be punished with Bruins' season tickets? Then, I was forwarded this link: Amazon, which no longer works. But, if you read the web address (http://www.amazon.com/19-0-Historic-Championship-Englands-Unbeatable/dp/1600781500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201620514&sr=1-1) you'll see a disturbing site (pun intended). The Globe was shilling a book commemorating the perfect season before the fact. Amazon had the foresight to take it down lest they tempt fate themselves.

Could "The Globe" be so naive as to doom the Patsies' chances or were there greater powers at work? Dig a bit deeper and you'll find that The Boston Globe is owned by The New York Times which just happens to be from New York. Coincidence? I think not. They tried to pull the old reverse evil eye. But, any fear-frozen New Englander knows very well that toying with black magic is wishing it on your self. The Giants are now cursed thanks to The Times and its minions at The Globe.

Of course, that is just a theory. But, there is proof that a reverse jinx is already afoot:

• Chief Osi calls out Matt Light for cheating. (He then retracts quicker than Castanza in cold water.)


• A "Giants fan" beats the hell out of a Pats fan in Brooklyn home of many ex-patriot New Englanders. The Giants fan's name was "Divine"-bad mojo, very bad mojo.


• Plexi-glass Burress guarentees a victory in the Superbowl!

Not since Menelaus and Agamemnon tore down the walls of Troy has there been such hubris. You too, Giants, will be cursed:

Peace to that braggart’s vaunting vain,

Who, having heard the chieftain’s tale,

Yet boasts of bliss untouched by bale!

-Aeschylus

'omoi peplegmai kairian plegen eso'

Apeneck Sweeney spreads his knees

Letting his arms hang down to laugh,

The zebra stripes along his jaw

Swelling to maculate giraffe.

-Thomas Stearns

To The Carriage House

Bad news, bad news,
Come to me where I sleep,
Turn, turn, turn again.
Sayin' one of your friends
Is in trouble deep,
Turn, turn to the rain
And the wind.
-Bobby Zimmerman

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
January 29, 2008 -- BROOKLYN

A Park Slope bar patron was arrested after he brutally beat a man for saying the New England Patriots were going to win the Super Bowl, police said yesterday. Michael Divine, 25, struck up a conversation with the victim in the Carriage House Bar last Monday. Divine asked the man whether he thought the Giants or Patriots would win the Super Bowl. When the man picked the Pats, Divine punched him in the face, leaving him unconscious, then repeatedly kicked him in the head, police said. A witness blocked Divine and helped the victim off the floor. The injured man, who was treated at Methodist Hospital, later identified Divine from a photo array. Divine was caught in his grandmother's home last Saturday and charged with assault, menacing and harassment, police said.

No Longer a Team of Old Doormats...

I thought I'd pass this along. It came from a friend. I haven't checked it for accuracy; bias forbids. Are the Pats and their fans getting too confident? Look what the Globe wrote today: "Parade for Pats is issue in vote".

The Giants played the Patriots tough in Week 17:

The banged up Patriots, on the road against a fired up Giants team, took a 10 point lead with 4:36 to go and won by 3 as they took a knee at the end of the game. Their last 4 possessions ended TD, TD, TD, kneel down.

The Giants pressured Tom Brady all night:

Playing without RG Stephen Neal, RT Nick Kaczur and TE Kyle Brady, the Pats gave up exactly one sack. And Brady was 32-42 for 356 yds and 2TDs.

Eli Manning has found himself in the playoffs while Brady has looked bad:

Fredo's passer rating for the playoffs is 99.1. Brady's is 105.7.

Brady's nursing a bad ankle:

The last time Brady hurt his leg in an AFCCG, a game in which he was pulled and never returned, he went on to win the Super Bowl MVP. And there was no two week break between the games.

The Giants will be wearing their road whites. They haven't lost in them all season:

The Pats will be wearing their home blues. They haven't lost in them either. Or white. Or silver. Or red throwbacks. Or...

The Patriots offense has tailed off lately:

In their first nine games, the Pats scored 355 points, tops in the league. Over their last nine, playoffs included, they scored 286 points, tops in the league. And every single one of those games was played outdoors, at night, in the Northeast.

The Gints are playing inspired football since that Week 17 game:

Tampa Bay sucks, objectively. Dallas beat them in every statistical category including 100 more total yards and 13 more time of possession minutes, but a tequila-hungover Tony Romo coughed the ball up in the end zone at the end of the game. Then in the NFCCG, Brett Favre handed the game over to them so efficiently it should've come in a Domino's box with dipping sauce and cinnamon sticks.

The Giants will play "physical" against the Patriots:

We've been hearing this all year. Coming into the Divisional Game, Jacksonville was a threat because they were so "physical." Brady was 26/28 against them and Maroney ran through them for 122 yards.

"Physical II": Randy Moss "doesn't like to get hit":

In the last game, Gibril Wilson decked Moss with a good clean hit to the face. Moss sat out one play as the rules dictate, then on the next play caught a TD pass in triple coverage.

You can run on the Pats:

Jacksonville, No. 2 rushing team in NFL: 80 yards. San Diego, No. 7 rushing: 104 yards.

The Giants are on a roll:

They outscored their opponents by 1.4 points per game. The Patriots outscored theirs by 19.7 PPG. And as ESPN points out, the G-Men could be possibly be the worst team to ever reach the Super Bowl. Oh, and how's 18 straight wins for a roll? Pretty good?

Let's Go Celtics!

Man, we had a pisser time at the Celtics game today at MSG. The Knicks didn't have much of a chance from the outset and neither did my sobriety. My friend Rich upgraded my ticket to the 2nd row right behind the legendary Thommy Heinsohn and his friends brought us beers at every chance. And speaking of Thommies there were several in attendance. The picture on the top left shows Horton, Brandt, and Robert at the game.

The picture to the right shows Scalabrine looking at Horton, Brandt, and Robert at the game.

And obviously, the third picture is Thommy Heinsohn.

Since this was my first time seeing this team live, a few observations:

• Rondo really sees the floor well.
• Garnett moves non-stop.
• Doc Rivers rarely sits down.
• The Celtics are preparing for the playoffs already by playing their bench at every opportunity. Powe?

Party. Party. Party.

Holy crap! What a night. When I heard on Monday that the trophy might come to the bar on Friday I never imagined in a million years that I would carry it through the bar. What a thrill!

A big fat thank you to everyone that made it possible: Bob Potter and the gang at Bombo and Colin Burch and the Red Sox and all of the regulars that made this year and tonight so great. Let's do it again next year!

I took a bunch of photos. If you were in one and want a copy email me with the number of which one you need.



Check out them all on Flickr and add your own.



(If the link doesn't work search here for "professor thom's" or World Series Trophy")

Don't Rain on My Parade.

We are but 6 hours from the World Series Trophy's triumphant return to NYC. It's the second time in 3 years that it's made it's made to Gotham and not one of those times was it for the Yankees. It's been my pleasure-no, honor to be involved in bringing it down both times and this should be a blast. But, the heavens have erupted over our fair metropolis. It would seem the Yankee fans have been praying hard for our evening to be ruined by rain on steroids, but we won't let it happen. The show will go off as planned with probably a slight delay due to traffic caused by the inclemency.

See you all there tonight. I'll try to get some pictures up by tomorrow

We Are The Champions, Again.

You've undoubtedly heard the news by now. I'm still trying to digest it. It's just mind-blowing. The Celtics lost last night!

It was their fourth loss of the year and their second at home. Just yesterday I made an online bet with Ulose.com that the Celts would never, ever lose again (I got decent odds). That's $3 down the drain. Thank God ESPN is running a special on the career of Doug Flutie. It really helped me out of a bad place.

One sure bet is that the 2007 World Series Trophy is still coming to Thom's on Friday night. Look for the celebration upstairs in the Loft around 7pm and don't forget to wear your gear; there will be cameras there. There will also be plenty of Riverdancing, so make room.

After you kiss, hug, molest, pose with, or do whatever you do with the trophy head downstairs and catch the 4-loss Celtics take on the Nets.

One last party:

I've paid my dues -

Time after time -

I've done my sentence

But committed no crime -

And bad mistakes

I've made a few

Ive had my share of sand kicked in my face -

But Ive come through

-Farrokh Bomi Bulsara