OK, this day in sports can come to an end anytime now

Ugh...the day started so promisingly:


1. The Red Sox prepping for a major comeback against the Angels
2. The Giants lining up to squash the Raiders like a bunch of rotten grapes
3. The Patriots and Broncos setting up for a mile-high matchup

And then...

The Red Sox lost as Papelbon gave up three runs in the 9th inning, eliminating them from post-season play

The Giants were crushing the Raiders and then CBS decided that the blowout wasn't interesting and so didn't let Giants fans continue to watch it.

The Pat's defense destructed, the offense looked sloppy, and the Broncos won in overtime.

To add insult to injury, the Yankees then beat the Twins, eliminating any interest in watching the final two weeks of baseball.

Oh well. Only five months until Major League Baseball Opening Day 2010. Hope springs eternal.

Quick sports thoughts on a Sunday

Finally the Red Sox are showing some signs of life in the playoffs. Three more outs and they stave off elimination for one more day.

So the Giants are clobbering the Raiders, making it an extraordinarily entertaining game for Giants fans and Raiders haters everywhere. So what does CBS do coming back from halftime? Switch to a blah Pittsburgh-Detroit game and then later to Cincinnati-Baltimore. Big raspberry to CBS for keeping Giants fans from watching their team's game.

45 minutes until Patriots-Denver. Should be an interesting matchup as Denver coach Josh McDaniel was New England's offensive coordinator for the last few seasons.

Kicking off the season

It's only one day into the 2009 NFL season and I'd already like to propose a new rule. Before the Giants/Redskins game came on yesterday, I watched the conclusion of the Philadelphia/Carolina game, which appeared to have been an utter disaster for the Panthers - 7, yes 7 turnovers and down 38 to 10 at the end. Towards the end, a Panther player sacked the Eagles QB or tackled a running back for a loss (I don't recall which...it was such a lousy game that I didn't really care). However, at the end of that play, the Panther player who made the stop began to do the "no way, not in my house, you're stuffed, I denied you" strut, complete with waving arms, shaking head, and an apparently primal scream of triumph.

And so I would like to propose a new rule for the NFL that I call the "You Haven't Earned It Prohibition": if your team is getting crucified, if your defense has given up 38 points, if you can't score, and your team looks like a bunch of half-drunk frat boys who can't throw a spiral or run in a straight line during a pickup game, you are not allowed to do the "no way, not in my house, you're stuffed, I denied you" strut, complete with waving arms, shaking head, and an apparently primal scream of triumph. Trust me. Trying to do it only makes you look foolish.

It's just a thought.

And on a final note...did anyone watching tonight's game doubt that Tom Brady would lead the Pats back against the Bills? Not me. Of course, I didn't have much confidence that the defense would stop the Bills on the final drive but it's nice to be proven wrong.

Missed it by that much

Kudos to the New England Patriots who, despite losing all-universe quarterback Tom Brady 7 minutes into the season and a number of other key starters over the course of the season, still finished with a sterling record of 11-5. Matt Cassel stepped up along with the rest of the team, Bill Belichick and his coaching staff stepped it up a notch, and the Pats finished the season as perhaps one of the top 4 teams in the league.

Sadly, 11-5 wasn't quite good enough to make the playoffs in the face of the resurrected Dolphins (1-15 to 12-4 in one season? Are you kidding me?) and a pathetic New York Jets team that rolled over and died in the final weeks of the season, led into ignominy by Brett Favre (2 TDs, 9 INTs in the final 5 games). It's just too bad that the playoff setup allows an awful team like the 8-8 San Diego Chargers (assuming they hold their 38-13 lead over Denver) to get into the post-season simply because they happen to play in a miserable division.

Regardless, well done Patriots! You deserved (and earned) better. See you next season!

Not a good weekend if you're a Boston sports fan

Ugh...the Patriots got crushed in San Diego. Then the Red Sox were thumped at Fenway with Jon Lester on the mound. Not a good 48 hours if you're a New England sports fan. I'm having flashbacks to the Boston sports scene of the late 80s and early 90s...