Patriots-Jets Observations from a Pats Fan Well, last night’s Patriots/Jets game was entertaining, if not instructive. On 4 th down and mere seconds left Matt Cassel – MATT CASSEL! – led the Patriots to a touchdown. Fail, and the ball turns over, clock runs out. Score, have a chance for overtime. An improbable strike to Moss with a defender draped all over him, makes the catch, stays in bounds and the Patriots live for another series.
Now, as a Patriots fan, I do enjoy watching them win. I even enjoy watching them kick the snot of out opponents. The record shows a middling sort of team, 5-4. Last season, I can think of 1-interesting non-playoff game. Thankfully, thusfar we’ve been treated to interesting. Read all of Patriots-Jets Observations from a Pats Fan Week 11 PicksI'm still having a hard time with the idea that it's not quite Thanksgiving and we're playing Thursday Football. To the point that my man Lanz called me Sunday and asked me if I wanted to go to the Patriots game that afternoon - uh, hello, yes! On our way to the stadium he said he couldn't believe he was going to drive out here again on Thursday... I actually asked him why he would be out at the Stadium. Duh.
Some cylinders are just not firing at full tilt.
Read all of Week 11 Picks HR Perspective: Employee Free Choice Act All the campaign rhetoric has been put away; one of the longest Presidential campaigns in history has come to a conclusion and history has been made. President Elect Obama's speech the night of the election took on the look and feel of those addresses made by the winning Super Bowl team leaders. As a nation, there was and is much to feel good about.
But now, the election night celebrating has given way to reflecting on what the implications of a Democratically led Congress and a Democratic President are for business, with focus specifically on the Employee Free Choice Act.
Read all of HR Perspective: Employee Free Choice Act The Proper Role of Government?I believe that people should be allowed to make their own choices. I believe the government should be minimalist and that it should not in day-to-day life it should be invisible. I also believe it’s not the role of the Federal government to become owners in private industry.
For sure, government has it’s role. Its role is the protection of its people and its borders. The federal government has control over interstate commerce and has the responsibility to educate its population. But is it's role to bail out industry or it is role to set the rules for industry and let the game be played on the field?
Read all of The Proper Role of Government? Can't Get It Out of My BrainWow, you’d think that with a Presidential election I would have had something – ANYTHING – to talk about last week. The only thing I could muster? A discussion of my football picks. Fortunately, I whaled this week on my picks…fortunately because everyone else in the pick’em pool did too. Truth of the matter is that I’ve just not been in the writing space. I open up a new document, put my fingers on the keys….and nothing. I look at the keyboard for about 5 minutes and can’t figure out what should escape my brain. Read all of Can't Get It Out of My Brain Football Pick 'EmThis has been an historic week.
It was the start of Thursday night football and Cleveland Quarterback Brady Quinn – the man the Browns traded up to get last year – finally made a start last night, leading them to put 30 points on the board.
What did you think I was talking about? Read all of Football Pick 'Em 3:15: Picks for RedemptionUgh. “3:15”. We’ve all seen the signs at football games. Now, I’m not much the bible scholar, but I reckon it refers to a message of eternal life and of redemption.
I could have used that last week when I lost to Ken Zearly in Survival football. And why did I lose? I forgot to pick. Hardly eternal life on Yahoo! Survival Football.
Now, when the dog woke me up this morning, barking to go outside, “redemption” wasn’t the first thing on my mind when I looked over and saw that glowing red “3:15 AM” on the clock, but rather something along the lines of “Final Destination” and the only religious message I took from the experience was, “Oh, god, why is this happening to me?”
It is certainly on my mind as I review my picks for last week, a 6-8 mediocre performance, particularly on the heels of my Quarter saving performance the week before going 10-4. I’m running an even .500 for the quarter at 21-21, but woefully behind in the season scoring at 46-54. Read all of 3:15: Picks for Redemption A Matter of PrideA week to go before the most historic election in the history of our nation. We will either elect a person of color as our President or a woman as our Vice President. Actually, we will elect a slate of electors who will commit to voting for either Barack Obama or John McCain on December 15 – the first Monday following the second Wednesday in December. But that’s another story – an important story as it details how George W. Bush became President in 2000, but not the story here.
I understand the emotion behind the Obama campaign. I felt a similar emotion behind a then little known candidate from the small state of Arkansas. I was coming to the end of my undergraduate career and signed onto the message of hope and change. Bill Clinton was not a wholly different candidate than the candidate I see in Barack Obama. That was the first and only time I have ever voted for the winner in a Presidential election.
I don’t expect this election year to be any different than the previous times I’ve gone in and marked my ballot, but I expect the outcome to be different. The other times I felt we made the wrong choice and while I expect that we will continue to make the wrong political choices, I will feel differently about the outcome.
Read all of A Matter of Pride Demand MoreWe don’t need to fix capitalism. We need to fix what we expect our leaders to know, understand, and be able to do. We need to demand more of our news media, those who we expect to do more than deliver news, and demand they explain what it means to us and why. We need knowledge more than ever and we’re not getting it, either for ourselves or our surrogates. Read all of Demand More Stumbling Upon StupidityI’m dumb as crap. We’ve already established that some time ago. I’m the guy who looks at a straw, and thinks, “Oh, good! Soda!” Everyone else in my life is putting together water pumps with them. Not the sharpest knife in the draw am I. Here's a quick Stumble Upon article....
Read all of Stumbling Upon Stupidity Lessons of the Messed MojoAn apology for messing with the Red Sox mojo and a guide to prevent messing with your favorite team's mojo. Read all of Lessons of the Messed Mojo Tampa Bay 2008 American League ChampionsThe Tampa Bay Rays are your 2008 American League Champions. Honestly as I live and breathe, before last week, it never would have occurred to me that I would ever type that sentence. As much as I love the Red Sox, it has been apparent the Rays were the better team throughout this series: the Sox won game 1 on a blooped double; won a must won game 5 with the door opened on a throwing error. There never should have been a game 6, and yet they eventually pulled it out in Game 7.
Congratulations.
A team that had never won more than 70 games before this season, a true worst to first, is the American League entrant to the World Series, opposing another team long considered an “also ran,” the Philadelphia Phillies.
The history of these teams are mirror images. Philadelphia, the ancient National League team that took almost 100 years to win their only championship. Tampa Bay, one of the most recent expansion teams, but also long one of the worst.
One of these teams will be making history in the coming weeks.
Congratulations. Philadelphia Phillies AppreciationThe Phils’ are one of the ancient teams of baseball – entering the National League in 1883 to replace the team that played not far from where I currently make my home, the Worcester Worcesters – struggling in absolute world championship futility until the evening of October 21, 1980 when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to clinch the teams first, and currently only, World Series title.Read all of Philadelphia Phillies Appreciation What Happens if Boston Loses?Am I anxious and angst ridden about my beloved baseball team being down 3-1, and truly looking like they don’t belong in the same class with the *cough* Tampa Bay Rays? No. A little sad, perhaps, but what 2004 did was something rather unexpected. It didn’t quell the passions of Red Sox Nation (i.e. me); in a lot of ways it made us (i.e. me) more rabid. Combined with a second championship last year, and I think what we (i.e. I) have got here is still as passionate, but somehow a little more complacent. You really can’t win them all. Read all of What Happens if Boston Loses? Boston's Nuclear WinterWell, it's shaping up to be a long, long winter on the Boston sporting scene. Might as well start counting the days til Pitchers and Catchers report. Read all of Boston's Nuclear Winter Week 6 Picks: Staying off the Bottom of the PoolI have barely had a chance to come up for air this week. I have made my weekly picks, but haven’t explained them. I usually stay away from mammoth point spreads, but I can’t this week. So much for redemption, I went 7-7 last week. Man, I'm no better than flipping a coin so if you're going to follow my advice, you should follow ALL of my advice - selective attention may get you the bottom of your pool. I'm 25-33 coming into this week. Gotta make up for an abominable week 4. Read all of Week 6 Picks: Staying off the Bottom of the Pool Miscellany and More Intellectual BankruptcySince the economy is going so sour, this would seem to be the perfect time to declare Chapter 11 Intellectual Bankruptcy and ask for protection from my readers. I got precious little today, but we'll see what I can stuff into an entry. Read all of Miscellany and More Intellectual Bankruptcy Just What Is ImportantOn the front page of the boston.com website are two vastly different and radically contrasting views of life in 2008 Boston. Adam Kilgore proclaims tonight’s start by Jon Lester as very important, “the ramifications of which range beyond simply ensuring the Red Sox do not board a plane bound for Anaheim and Game 5 of the ALDS.” Of course the importance comes from ensuring the “inadequacy” of Boston sports fans doesn’t return. Phew. That IS important. Not quite as important as what we're doing to the next generation as a country and the failure of leadership at all levels of government. Read all of Just What Is Important Stumbling Upon Anti-Aging and Economic SecurityYou may have bought out your local pharmacy looking for wrinkle creams or ginseng supplements. We here at Mo's have a few other ideas for your aging concerns....come along for another stumble through the wilds of the internet... Read all of Stumbling Upon Anti-Aging and Economic Security Sports of the Week WrapIt’s time for a week-in-sports sports wrap at Mo’s Marketplace, where it’s clothing optional for our staff. As the ad slogan goes, “You Gotta Go to Mo’s.” So, let’s just jump into the controversy pool, shall we? Read all of Sports of the Week Wrap |
