Shocking
What a weekend!
(Now, what a week too!)
I started writing this post on Monday night, but I got sidetracked by one of the topics, which I will get to in a minute. Funny thing about the post was everything (five things) revolves around the word shock, hence the title shocking. I find it even funnier that an event happened on Tuesday to add a sixth, so the word of the month is now shocking. Anyway, I’m trimming some of the fat since I have more to add on…
I was going to talk further about the Pat’s spying scandal because some of the other information that came out during the weekend (losing draft pick(s)?!, leak of tape, even more penalties if Belichick doesn’t turn over all data), but there is just too much and I am just too sick of it all. Now, don’t we have the Mangenius being accused of something by the Ravens? Oh, and can we stop referring to every scandal as a “Gate”? It was just Watergate. Let it go already! Anyway, I’ll just leave this one as disappointing on many angles, but particularly because it tarnishes, right or wrong, the home town team’s image, history and coach. No matter what, it just sux.
Shock only describes the loss to the Yankees last Friday due to a beating on our two best relievers. Then, Beckett rights the ship, but then Francona channels Grady Little and leaves Schill in for just an inning to long. Hey Terry Little, if Schill gives you seven strong, don’t get greedy, he’s got nothing left after that. Despite Friday’s debacle, you turn it over to the bullpen. Oki in the 8th, Pap in the 9th. Of course, now we have since been swept by the Blue Jays while the Yanks roll over the Birds putting them just one back in the loss column. I know everyone is thinking it, so I’ll just say it, this is 78 all over again, except this time there’s a wild card. Thankfully Detroit is fading fast, but Seattle is on the rise again, with both losing and winning three straight respectively. I wanted to win the division and now I’m just hoping we hold on to the wild card. We need Manny back and the bullpen to get it turned around.
To finish out the bad news, I’ll add that on Tuesday morning, my Jeep rebelled against me on its second day of the longer commute to work. For those that don’t know, my distance increased 20 miles each way with an office move. So, now, just before I was going to start looking for a new vehicle, my starter dies. Luckily for me, I stopped on the way up for gas and noticed it barely cranked back over. I pulled into work and left it running while I ran up, grabbed my laptop, and drove home. Anyway, I have spent the last three days working from home (with another likely tomorrow) fighting the urge to run out and just buy something close to what I want. How is this shocking? Well, just because it has to do with starting the Jeep of course, not because you or I thought it wasn’t due to break down again…
Oh, even though this isn’t shocking, I’ll throw this on to the bad bits… I awoke this morning with an abnormal throat feeling. Yup, I think I’m coming down with a cold.
So, now for the good shocking bits. Well, I went to the Pats and Chargers game on Sunday, so I think you see how that fits in there twice, yeah? One, they are the Chargers, and two, because they were so thoroughly beaten down by our team. I’m only dropping this here now because it fits. I’ll have a separate post about the game when I upload my photos because I have a good story to go along with it.
Ed and I finally, after many attempts to work it out, took in Superbad on Friday night. We met up in Framingham to see it in a non-stadium seating theater. Gasp! I forgot they even existed. Anyway, it was pretty good. I thought a little slow or awkward at some points, but overall funny and disturbing. In fact, it was downright… wait for it… shocking. To avoid spoilers, I won’t give away why. You can believe that or just think I am trying to milk this bit for all it’s worth.
Lastly, I got my (or rather, a) Xbox 360 delivered to me on Friday afternoon. Yup, I got an odd and shocking computerized call from Brown (yeah, I’m the guy) on Thursday with a tracking number for a package to be delivered on Friday. Well, it didn’t take me too long to make the leap from “No pending repair” to Ed’s theory of one magically appearing at my doorstep. Well, my new little toy — I stress new because it was born on 8.27.2007 — works swimmingly so far. Still loud as hell, but hopefully a lot cooler and happier than an old one. It even came with a 1 month Xbox Live card to make up for my month off-line. That’s pretty sweet, but I would have preferred faster and more informative service. I shouldn’t jinx myself.
I picked up BioShock that night and have been happily playing it ever since. Suddenly, I don’t want to watch any Netflix movies or watch any baseball (who does right now?) because I want to finish this thing before Halo 3 drops on Tuesday. I don’t think I’ll make it, which is too bad, because I am really enjoying it, but it will sit on the shelf until I’ve finished the fight for Master Chief.
Now, television starts back up with the Fall season next week. I’m in big trouble. I’m going to fall way behind I even get started. The only shows I can guarantee I’ll watch next week are Heroes and The Office, but I’ll try to post about that and the Pats game by the end of the weekend, so that’s at least two posts before nothing, again, for a while. Just too much to do besides blog.
Lastly, as a bonus, I’d say it was a little shocking that Ed shaved his head. Sure, he filled me in on the plan that Friday night, but the results are a little shocking, yeah? Okay, now I’m just reaching… it isn’t that shocking and, no, he doesn’t look like Homer Simpson. 
Off to harvest some Little Sister’s from their Big Daddies…
Posts ::
This post has 4 comments (now closed):
Ed
Thu :: 20 :: Sep :: 2007 :: 08.43 pm
Wouldn’t it be more shocking if I shaved your head? I mean – you have a noggin loaded with luscious brown locks – while I had patches of thistle sparsely decorating an arid bed of sandscape. All I did was tidy up the joint.
Now, had you woken to a chrome dome then we would all be dually shocked. One by your shaved cabeza and two by the inference that I was somehow sleeping in your bed.
Shocking!!!
Ed
Thu :: 20 :: Sep :: 2007 :: 09.00 pm
As for the Pats and the threat of more charges to come should they fail to turn over all evidence or should Goddell find out they weren’t entirely forthcoming with what they told him, I really don’t think anything will come of this.
Before the Chargers game, I heard the same report and worried that the next shoe was going to drop. Then I saw Costas interview Goddell at the Pats-Chargers half time show and I realized by his tone that all he is doing is posturing. He’s saying what needs to be said (that he is going to take a hardline approach) while secretly I think he wants this to go away. He knows that should he perform a full sweep of the Pats then he is going to have to do the same throughout the league and what he uncovers could prove disastrous to the league’s PR.
Just think of the order. “Turn over everything that has to do with spying.” How do you enforce that? If you don’t know what they have – or what you are looking for – then you don’t know if you have received everything. I think it’s an empty threat.
Now if Bill throws the videographer back on the field again, that’s a whole different story. I wouldn’t be surprised if in Belichek’s meeting, Goddell mapped the whole thing out. “I’m gonna’ hit you and the team with a stiff fine. I’m gonna’ take a Draft pick. I’m going to hold you up as an example. I’m going to issue an edict that you turn over everything you have. But I’m not going to suspend you. Bad for the league if we start kicking these stones over.”
Anyway, I think all of the noise you hear is coming from the Belichek haters and the Pats haters. It’s just a tad suspicious that their voices raised an octave after the Pats dismantled the Chargers in a week where absolutely everything the team did was under a microscope. If they were going to lose a game – it should have been that one. This should have been the Milloy/Buffalo game all over again and Tom Jackson should have appeared on ESPN saying “I told ya so. These guys hate their coach.” But that didn’t happen. They dismantled the Chargers. The sounds you hear are jealousy of a well run program.
I think Goddell has to listen to it but he doesn’t have to act unless someone presents undeniable evidence proving more wrong doings. So Belichek just needs to stay squeaky clean and he should be all set.
As for this tarnishing the team, its wins or its legacy – to me, it’s only tarnished in the minds of the haters anyway. I stand behind every single one of those wins. Everyone’s got opinions – but mine’s the only one that counts. Tom Brady said it best – “There are a lot of classless individuals out there.” Well, we don’t have to listen to them.
As for the charges levied at Mangina by the Ravens – I think we are now seeing what we expected – the fraternity of coaches turning on the rat.
Sean
Thu :: 20 :: Sep :: 2007 :: 11.08 pm
Well, it makes you wonder if there isn’t way more and they are trying to keep a lid on it. Obviously Goodell is trying to avoid and NBA-like scandal bringing down his sport, plus, he’s the new sheriff in town and it is bad enough he’s already had the Vick thing on his watch. Did you read this yesterday?
Hey, as for the new cut, you are starting to make me nervous that I have offended you, now apparently numerous times. As I said:
Although, at the risk of digging further, it was a little shocking for Colin, no? I like his quote. 😉
Patriot Games : The Ed Zone
Fri :: 21 :: Sep :: 2007 :: 03.36 pm
[…] this morning, as evidenced by that lead quote, I discover that I’m right. As I said in Sean’s post, I think Goodell doesn’t have to act unless someone presents undeniable evidence proving more […]