Wednesday morning golf

Unicorn Golf Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T
Par	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	35
Handicap	2	7	6	9	1	5	3	8	4
M	7	6	7	7	6	7	6	4	6	56
J	4	6	7	4	6	8	8	4	6	53

This was played a couple of weeks ago, and I never got around to posting it. Started off great - a par on the first hole is pretty amazing. Then it went downhill fast and I struggled for most of the rest of the round. I've been hitting my drives off the tee pretty well, but my irons were shaky at best.

Unicorn Golf Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T
Par	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	35
Handicap	2	7	6	9	1	5	3	8	4
M	7	6	6	7	5	6	9	4	4	54
J	6	6	6	5	6	5	7	3	5	49

Probably my best round of the season so far. My drives continued to be solid, ever since I decided to cut way down on my back swing, keeping my left arm as straight as I can. Sometimes, I slice it off to the right, if I don't follow through. But I generally get it out there, which makes things much more easy. Michael has been having problems off the tee, so his score is actually pretty damn good, especially if you take away one or two disasteruous holes. As for me, my putting was abysmal. I three putted the first 4 holes and missed plenty of other short ones. With even an average putter going today, I could have had a round for the ages, easily cutting off 5 strokes. My short game was glorious, especially on the par 5 6th hole. I even mis-hit that one but it skipped off the fringe and came to rest about a foot from the cup.

Technorati Tags: golf

Tuesday golf at Unicorn

Unicorn Golf Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T
Par	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	35
Handicap	2	7	6	9	1	5	3	8	4
M	6	5	10	3	8	6	6	4	4	52
J	6	4	7	4	8	6	7	4	7	53

A very inconsistent day at the links yesterday. It was highlighted by both of us looking at makeable birdie putts on the par 5 sixth hole. We both then proceeded to three putt to go from a birdie to a bogey in the blink of an eye - sigh... I've started using my driver off the tee for every hole (well, save the par threes, of course) and I've started making some pretty good shots. The best drive of the year could very well have been my last one - a beautiful long drive, right down the middle of the fairway, sitting pretty about 150 yards from the hole. I proceeded to horrible muck up the next few shots, including one that Michael said had the greatest swing to divot ratio he's ever seen! A nice easy 9 iron resulted in a huge, 10" divot - yech. And I proceeded to get a triple bogey on the hole. Stupid game...

Technorati Tags: golf

More Tuesday Golf

Unicorn Golf Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T
Par	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	35
Handicap	2	7	6	9	1	5	3	8	4
M	6	7	8	7	8	6	7	5	6	60
J	6	6	6	5	7	5	7	4	5	51

A very nice day on the links Tuesday morning. It's been infernally hot here in the Boston area the past few days, finally cooling down yesterday to merely uncomfortable, rather than searing. But as we get out on the links by 6am, it is still reasonable out there even as we wrap up our nine holes by around 8:15. Michael struggled with his drives off the tee, after a beauty to start the day. I stuck with my driver, resisting the urge to go back to the three wood. If I take it slow, I can do alright with the driver. I hit a beaut at the par 5 sixth hole, and it even led to a par there for the first time in recent memory. Still haven't been putting all that well, though.

Technorati Tags: golf

Tuesday Golf again

Unicorn Golf Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T
Par	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	35
Handicap	2	7	6	9	1	5	3	8	4
M	6	7	7	5	5	9	6	3	7	55
J	7	6	7	4	6	7	5	4	6	52

Another ugly morning on the golf course. It started off so well for both of us, with nice long drives off the first tee. And we each followed that with a pretty nice second shot. Downhill from there though, culminating in an ugly pair of scores for the par 5. We have been talking about bringing a digital camera with us, so if we have a nice shot, we could take a picture of the landing, but that was not a worry today. Although I guess it went okay on the second par 3, the 8^th hole. We both landed our tee shots on the green, but Michael was pretty close and damn near made a beautiful big bending putt for birdie. I haven't been putting well and after my birdie putt fell far short, I missed the follow up shot for a 3 putt bogey :-( Maybe we'll have to go again this Friday to get back into the swing of things, as we didn't play last week on the Fourth of July.

Tuesday Golf, chapter 1

Unicorn Golf Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T
Par	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	35
Handicap	2	7	6	9	1	5	3	8	4
M	8	4	5	4	6	6	7	5	6	51
J	5	4	8	4	6	10	7	6	7	57

Our first weekly Tuesday morning golf round of 9 was pretty much a total disaster for me. It started off pretty well, with two very nice drives. But then the wheels started to fall off, and the final four holes were completely forgettable. Ah well, I suppose it was better than work.

Technorati Tags: golf

Morning exercise

Unicorn Golf Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	T
Par	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	35
Handicap	2	7	6	9	1	5	3	8	4
M	6	7	4	6	8	6	7	3	6	53
J	6	6	6	3	5	6	6	3	8	49

Now that summer vacation has started for the kids, I can start to play my morning golf. We usually play every Tuesday, because Gabrielle doesn't go to work Tuesday or Thursday, so there's no need for me to rush back and help pack everyone up. We meet by 6am and can usually get our nine holes in by 8:15. So I'm back home and ready to work before anyone even notices.

This morning was a perfect morning for golf. Cool, humid and virtually empty - no one in front of us slowing us down, and no one behind us, making us speed up. Just the two of us, playing at our own speed. It started off badly for me, as I topped my first drive. But after that, my drives were pretty solid, both in distance and accuracy. I was really striking the ball well. And we both had very makable birdie putts on the 8^th hole, but we just missed. Still, two pars on the par 3s is pretty damned good for me.

Then came the final hole. If I had only shot my usual 6, I would have finished with a very respectable 47. Par there would have given me a remarkable 45. Instead, I solidly hooked my initial drive way left, completely whiffed my next two attempts at a tee shot, and then sliced the last one far off to the right. Yup, that's right, I whiffed on two swings at the end. Oh boy oh boy, when the wheels come off in golf, they can come off in a hurry... I ended up with my first "snowman" of the year, but even that was a struggle, having to make a tricky 5 foot putt to pull it out. Still, I'm pretty happy with the results and I'm looking forward to beginning the weekly Tuesday morning ritual next week.

I used my new golf shoes for the first time. Last fall, my U6 soccer team gave me a gift certificate to Modell's, a small sports store chain. That was very nice of them, and I finally remembered to use it when I decided it was time for new golf shoes. They worked out pretty nicely, although I need to spray some waterproofing on them, as the golf course is usually pretty wet in the morning, both from watering and the dew.

Speaking of soccer, my U6 coaching career came to an end last Wednesday. It was my fourth season doing it and I enjoyed every minute of it. I brought along my digital camera for that last game and I hope to have a nice slideshow ready soon. I had a good group of kids this year and, even more importantly, a good group of parents. All we try to do at this level of soccer is to maintain a positive atmosphere, and sometimes parents, even for U6 teams, can get a little too intense. But I've been lucky and have had some wonderful parents, both as spectators and helping out. I'm going to miss my time with the littlest soccer players, but I'm looking forward to coaching the U8 Galaxy in the fall. It should be much easier having both girls back on the same team. This past two seasons, we've had soccer four nights a week! Finally, back to "only" two.

Technorati Tags: golf soccer

Carnival of the NFL

And speaking of Carnivals, my Doug Flutie post made it into the Carnival of the NFL, along with a nice complement about the blog. Some good NFL action in there! I can't wait until the Pats season starts up.

Multiple Mentality � Carnival of the NFL #7-a

Technorati Tags: carnival+of+the+NFL nfl

Red Sox 9, Yankees 5

What a game! Once again, my buddy came through with tickets to tonight's Red Sox / Yankees game. He's the same season ticket holder who asked me if I was busy one October evening in 2004. I hemmed and hawed and finally said, no not really. He then asked me if I wanted to go to Game 3 of the playoffs against the Yankees. I, of course, lept at the opportunity. And when he called a couple days later and ask what I was doing that next Sunday, I immediately said I was free:-) And gratefully accepted the offer of another Yankee ticket.

But when we met down at Yawkey Way that Friday night, it was raining hard and the game got canceled. We went and saw Team America : World Police instead. It was a poor substitute, although funny in places. I mean, any movie where watching puppets vomit excessively and make love are the high points you have to wonder about. And the night was topped off when I walked through the pouring rain, only to find my car had been towed. Cost me like $200 to get it back.

So we missed the Game 3 debacle, where the Sox lost 19-8. What luck! But that meant we went to Game 4 with the definite possibility of watching the last game of an heart-rending four games sweep to the Yankees. But, of course, justice prevailed and we went on to watch 2 of the most amazing baseball games in sports history.

So when he called a couple of weeks ago and asked what I was doing Monday, May 22, I immediately said "Nothing!" And so we were at tonight's game and got to watched the Sox smash the Yanqui Devils by a score of 9-5. It shouldn't even have been that close except Foulke spit the bit and gave up a 2 run jack to Rodriquez (what a clutch player, pitching in when down by 8 runs), the another home run to Posada, then back to back doubles. But even despite a 2 run bottom of the 8th for the Sox and 4 runs in the top of the 9th by the Yankees, the game was over in less than 3 hours, and I was home by 10:15pm, which is quite nice.

Nothing really remarkable at the game. We did have a Mattingly uniform sit down right in front of us, but he was pretty good natured about the ribbing we were giving him. And some guys next to us kept bugging us about us keeping score, as both Chris and I a pretty serious scorekeepers. Chris goes one further than me and even keeps track of the pitches. I find it very hard to follow the game if I'm not keeping score. And I always bring a radio to the game, just to clarify what is going on sometimes. And the wave was practically non-existent, so I was spared that pain. And the weather was well nigh perfect. So a good night to be at the old ball park.

Technorati Tags: red+sox 2004+alcs

What does Theo Epstein know that other GMs don't?

The Boston SABR chapter, of which I'm a member, is putting on a pretty neat sounding conference this Saturday at the Boston Public Library. And wouldn't you know, I'm going to be at a dance recital, so I can't make it :-( Anyway, it's free, no registration, and there's Yankees at Fenway tickets to win - how can you lose?

BY THE NUMBERS
What does Theo Epstein know that other GMs don't?

(Boston, MA)--The Red Sox are just one of the major league teams to put a greater emphasis on "sabermetrics"--using statistical research to evaluate both player talent and strategy--than the teams of the past. Epstein's pursuit of non-star players ranging from Bill Mueller and Todd Walker to Mike Timlin and David Ortiz (who is NOW a star) created the alchemical mix that led to the 2004 World Championship.

SABR Boston, the regional chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research, presents a day-long symposium on sabermetrics that will delve into some of the cutting edge findings of the numbers whizzes, including the latest news about clutch hitting, how to predict a team's likelihood of success, as well as a talk by historian John Thorn on the importance of numerical records as cultural artifacts.

In addition to Thorn (author of The Hidden Game of Baseball among other significant works), the speaker slate includes Tom Tippett, creator of Diamond Mind Baseball, Matt Gallagher, David Grabiner, and university professors including Dr. Andy Andres (Tufts, Harvard) and Steven Miller (Brown).

The gathering is free and open to the public and will take place Saturday, May 20th, from 10am to 4pm (with an intermission for lunch) at the Boston Public Library's Rabb lecture hall. Recognizing the baseball-loving public's hunger for more tangible things, as well, door prizes will be awarded in the afternoon including two pairs of tickets to future Red Sox games (one against the Yankees), as well as books and other baseball-related prizes.

For more information, contact SABR Boston President Seamus Kearney at skearney@tmfnet.org or (617) 536-0501.

Technorati Tags: sabr baseball red+sox

Our Doug Calls It Quits

Us New England sports fans know our local boys playing in the bigs. Maybe it's because the numbers are relatively small, or just our Puritan streak making us support our "family", but we keep track of all those that go on to play at the highest levels of their sport. We were once out with some California friends of ours, and they were amazed at my comments on the local boys playing in the major leagues, wondering how anyone could keep track of them. I suppose I'd find it much harder to follow kids from the entire state of California, or even the local county, but here in New England, we keep track of these things.

And in the pantheon of local boys done good, Doug Flutie is at the pinnacle. Only a few can challenge his ascendancy. A couple of Red Sox players were tragically cut down in the prime of their careers. Harry Agganis, The Golden Greek, from Lynn MA, starred ever so briefly with the Sox before being dieing at the age of 26 of a massive pulmonary embolism in 1955. Tony Conigliaro, Revere MA, was beaned on August 18, 1967, and the youngest player to ever win a home run championship, and the youngest to reach the 100 HR plateau, was never the same player again. Carlton Fisk, born in Vermont and raised in New Hampshire, went on to a Hall of Fame career for the Sox, both Red and White. Patrick Ewing, from Cambridge MA, basketball star, is also up there.

But of them all, none commanded the adoration of the public like Our Doug (yup, that's what we call him). Not quite 5'9" tall in a land where 6'8", 300lbs is consider small for some positions, he stands tall in the eyes of New England sports fans everywhere. From schoolboy All-Star, to Heisman Trophy winner, and many stops in the USFL, NFL, and, most impressively, the Canadian Football League, he retired yesterday at the age of 43, when many of us are just hitting our strides.

He was a school boy star in his hometown of Natick, MA, where there is a street named in his honor (Flutie Pass). He caught the eye of Jack Bicknell, Boston College football coach, and became a starter midway through his freshman year. And the two of them put BC football on the map here in New England. The first football games I ever went to were at the old Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, sitting on the metal benches, watching Flutie lead the BC Eagles to their first bowl games in over 20 years. He held the college record for passing yardage when his time at BC ended.

And, of course, there's The Pass. Up until Vinatieri's kick went through the uprights to win Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, it was easily the most memorable play in New England football history. And like that field goal, any sports fan can tell you exactly where they were when it happened. I was living in Derry NH at the time, watching it on TV and simply couldn't believe what had just happened. I can remember getting the Boston Globe the next day and just reveling in the front page - "A Miracle in Miami". It still give me chills to think about it.

I went to see his final game as an Eagle. It was the 1984 Cotton Bowl in Dallas Texas, the biggest bowl game the Eagles have ever been to. My family lived in Oklahoma City at the time and I prevailed upon my dad to get us a couple of tickets to the game. We drove down the day of the game, trying to guess exactly when Flutie would break the Cotton Bowl passing record, which at the time was something like 250 yards. Unfortunately, the weather was absolutely miserable - cold, freezing rain, sleet and very windy. We had a blast though, as the Eagles romped 45-28, even though Flutie didn't break the passing mark. The drive home was even more memorable, as the road were a sheet of ice. And Texans have no idea how to drive in that stuff, so cars were off into the fields 200 yards or more. But in one of the finest displays of winter driving I've ever witnessed, my dad got us home safe and sound.

Unfortunately, Doug never got a fair shake in the NFL. And any true blue New England sports fan will tell you the same. His skill set was unique, and if it is one thing management in any sports doesn't like, it is a unique skill set; one that forces them to modify their game plan to fit, and not the other way around. I thought when he went to play for Ditka in Chicago that there would be a chance, as Ditka would do what it would take to win, something Flutie excelled at his entire career. But in neither Chicago nor even Foxboro could he find a sympathetic coach, and it took a flight to Canada for him to be able to perform his magic.

Given the wide open nature of CFL football, I guess it is no wonder he did well. But one thing he mentioned yesterday was that another vital part of his success there was the ability to call his own plays, to call plays he was comfortable with and knew he could be successful using. And that's something that just doesn't happen in today's NFL. After seven seasons and five player of the year honors in the Great White North, he came back to the NFL. And once again, all he did was win, for both the Buffalo Bills (leading them to their last two playoff appearances) and the San Diego Chargers. He finally came back home and played a couple of snaps for the Patriots, including one of the most memorable regular season plays of all time - a "drop kick" extra point, the first in over 60 years, a play called by Belichek, of all people, "the most fun" of his whole career.

I mentioned winning, right? How about these numbers - a career 38-28 record, but 23-9 in home games and an amazing 12-2 (including college) in Foxboro, 5-0 as a Patriot. 3 Grey Cups. 5 CFL MVP awards. Given the chance, Our Doug just won, baby.

It's too bad some losing franchise didn't take a chance on the Heisman Trophy winner. I would have signed Jack Bicknell as coach, drafted Flutie, and built a team around them. Bicknell doesn't get enough credit for the success of the BC program and, in fact, I'm still surprised he's never gotten a chance at the NFL. He's been pretty successful in NFL Europe. How exciting it would have been if the Patriots had done just that? Heck, they were a losing franchise at the time, so what would it have cost?

But it was still a fun ride, and I can't believe he is retiring. He's about my age (okay, a couple of years younger), but he's been a part of my football season in one way or another since I really began taking an interest in the sport. Earlier in the year, I was watching a Red Sox game, and a guy caught a foul ball. They showed a quick shot of the catch and went back to the game. But I immediately said to myself "That looked like Doug Flutie!". And sure enough, they went back to it and it was Our Doug. They interviewed him in his seat, and like all real fans, he had brought his glove (despite the knocks you take on some commercial about it). He said he was watching the game with some buddies and that he had caught balls in the previous couple of games he'd been to as well! That's Our Doug, always catching on. He will be missed, although I guess he's signing on to do college football commentary. Good luck!

Technorati Tags: doug+flutie

Opening Day, 2006

Ahh, Opening Day... Of course, it isn't quite the same as Opening Day at Fenway Park, but still, to hear the crack of the bat and the snap of leather. The first pitch is within minutes, so I thought I would share a few nuggest gleamed from the Daily Game Notes:

• Jason Varitek's 7th straight Opening Day start is a Red Sox record for a catcher. No one else even has 7 Opening Day starts, non-consecutive. Gedman & Sammy White had 6 Opening Day starts.
• They have a 5 game Opening Day losing streak going, one short of the team record.
• Mark Loretta is the 12th different 2nd baseman in the last 13 years. Only Bellhorn repeated in that
• Every player on the 25 man roster has appeared in a major league game, and all but Papelbon has been on an Opening Day roster. Papelbon is the only rookie on the roster. Oldest player: Wells (42); youngest players: Wily Mo (24), Beckett (25) and Papelbon (25).
• Yaz has the Red Sox record with 22 Opening Day appearances, 5 more than Dewey.
• Wily Mo was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Yankees in 1998. I guess scouting still isn't that perfect, eh?

Technorati Tags: red+sox opening+day

BostonFest tournament, game 3

Dawn Patrol Fall To Cutting Edge, 4-1

Dawn Patrol Fall To Cutting Edge, 4-1 Matthews Arena, BOS - The boys in gold gave it a valiant effort, but in the end fell just short, losing to Cutting Edge by a misleading 4-1 score. As in the opener, the game was much tighter than the final score would indicate. And it was also a very physical battle, with three matching penalties dealt out, as well as numerous power plays, especially by the Dawn Patrol. But they are unable to capitalize on the extra man, and had their championship game hopes dashed on the rocky shores of reality.

Rob Haley made his presence felt early on, when he intercepted a clearing pass in the Cutting Edge zone. His pass found a well positioned Matt Penny, who picked his spot and buried the wrister, giving the Dawn Patrol the 1-0 lead with about 9 minutes left in the first period. Play was physical, with both sides sealing off the boards and battling hard for the lose pucks. The first period ended with the guys in gold up, 1-0, and they definitely had the edge in play, forcing the Cutting Edge goalie to make several outstanding stops.

The second period proved to be more even, as both goalies were called upon to make some good stops. Finally, Cutting Edge evened the score when the right winger fired a wrister through traffic. It somehow eluded all the legs in front and also goalie Jonathan Arnold, as it clicked off his skate and went in for the tying goal. The second period ended with the teams deadlocked at 1.

The physical play continued into the third period, and Cutting Edge began to create some serious pressure on the Dawn Patrol. They finally got the go ahead goal during a 3 on 2 rush. The winger used the other two Cutting Edge skaters as picks and came across the middle untouched. He fired the puck low and to the far side, where it eluded goalie Arnold's pad, giving Cutting Edge their first lead with about 10 minutes left in the game.

Another odd man rush found the Cutting Edge left winger cutting through the goal crease. He was able to make the corner on the Dawn Patrol defense and goalie Arnold's poke check was ineffective. The winger deftly tucked the puck between the sprawling goalie's legs, giving Cutting Edge a commanding 3-1 lead.

The final tally for Cutting Edge came on another odd man rush, this time a conventional two on one. The wrister from the right winger was blocked away by Arnold, but it went right on the stick of the charging Cutting Edge center, who one timed it into the Dawn Patrol goal, sealing the victory and a place in tomorrow's final.

It was a physical, almost chippy game, but an even one for most of it. The Dawn Patrol lost a key member of the squad, when Tim Retelle had his foot knocked from under him, twisting his back and forcing him to the locker room. There were several other titanic battles for position, but everyone felt it was a good, hard fought battle.

So the BostonFest 2006 tourament comes to a close for our gold clad heroes. They ended the tourney at 1-2, but felt each of the losses was a winnable game and are already looking forward to next year's tournament. Thanks for all the fan support, with a special shoutout to Roger Hamson for cheering us on Friday afternoon, Phil Mancuso for his 100% attendance in the stands, as his DL stint forced him off the ice this year, and to Jay DiIorio for also coming down for a game to watch from the DL. See you all next year!

Technorati Tags: bostonfest hockey

BostonFest tournament, game 2

Dawn Patrol Hold on for 3-2 Victory Over Leafs

Matthews Arena, BOS - The Dawn Patrol prevail in the matinee game, beating the Leafs by a score of 3-2. This is the second game of the tournament, and it leaves the Patrol at 1-1, in a position to win later this evening and battle for the championship tomorrow afternoon. It was a seesaw game, with the Dawn Patrol storming back from an early deficit, only to find the Leafs creep back and nearly tie the game as time ran out.

Play was pretty even in the first period, as both teams had solid scoring chances. But the Leafs got the first goal, midway through the period. Their left winger slid down along the boards, and threw out a pass to the charging center. Goalie Jonathan Arnold went out to snare it with his catching glove, only to end up deflecting the fluttering puck into his own net. This put the Leafs up 1-0. Although play was very even through the rest of the period, as the boys in gold rolled out 3 lines of 5 each, the period ended with the Leafs on top.

The Leaf lead didn't last long, as the Dawn Patrol struck early in the second period. Defenseman Michael O'Keefe pinched in and got the puck around behind the Leaf goal. Brian Godfrey snagged the loose puck and laid a perfect pass onto the stick of Joe Valente, who was standing just to the goalies right. Valente fired a quick wrister that found five hold and then the back of the net, bring the Dawn Patrol even at 1-1.

Not too long after that, Bill Berens skated down the left wing. He was looking to pass out front, but fired a snap wrister that fooled the Leafs goalie and ended up in the back of the net, giving the Patrol their first lead of the day, 2-1.

That was the score at the start of the third period, but it changed soon after that. Dan George went in on a breakaway, but the goalie stopped his first shot. But he couldn't control the rebound and George tucked in the rebound, giving the golden boys a commanding 3-1 lead.

But the leafs showed some real heart and continued to play tough. With about 8 minutes left, the right winger battled with Tim Retelle and came down along the boards with the puck. A hard slapper from goalie Arnold's left side manages to get through for the Leafs, and they had new life, pulling to within one with plenty of time on the clock.

The Leafs kept up the pressure, although the Patrol did manage a few good scoring chances. It all came down to a face off in Patrol end, with about 15 seconds left. The Leafs won the face off, and got a few good shots off in the ensuing mad scramble. Goalie Arnold went out to cut down a pass but it eluded him and went right to a Leaf standing in the goal mouth. But the Leaf shot trickled wide. The puck slid around the boards to the Leaf defenseman, who wound up for a big slapper as the clock ran down. Goalie Arnold was able to snag the bullet while he was sitting down, as the buzzer went off, giving the Dawn Patrol their first victory in the 2006 BostonFest tournament, 3-2.

Technorati Tags: bostonfest hockey

BostonFest Hockey tournament

Each year about this time, I gather together a bunch of the folks I play hockey with every Tuesday and Friday mornings and enter a team into the BostonFest hockey tournament. We've been doing this for about five years, and it is a blast. There is some really intense hockey that goes on, the only real competitive hockey I play all year, as our morning hockey is just pick-up teams. We've gone to the finals a couple of years, although last year was a bit of a downer. I write up stories after each game, and I'll post them here. Look for game 2 and 3 writeups tomorrow night. And, with any luck, a championship game story late Sunday night.

Dawn Patrol Drops Tough One to The Saints, 5-2

Mathews Arena, BOS - In the opening game of the 2006 BostonFest Hockey Tournament, the Dawn Patrol fell to the St. Catherine Saints, 5-2. A hard fought game that was much closer than the score indicated, the loss puts the Dawn Patrol at 0-1, with two more games remaining. The top two teams in the Huskie Division will battle it out for the championship Sunday night.

The game started out quite well for the gold-clad Patrol. Dick Powers, playing in his first tournament, broke down the ice and tried one of his patented roof jobs, only to have it turned aside. The Dawn Patrol remained aggressive and kept the pressure on the Saints. It finally paid off with about 7 minutes left in the period, as defenseman Jimmy McMahon started out in his own end and carried the puck down the right side. He made it to the offensive faceoff dot and dished a perfect pass to Joe Valente, parked in front of the crease. The goalie stopped the first one, but when he couldn't find the rebound, Valente gladly tapped it home to put the Patrol up, 1-0.

That's how the first period ended, with the Dawn Patrol having the majority of the offensive ice time. And that's the way the second period started as well, with play running up and down the ice. However, Mark Bourgeois was called for roughing by retaliating after getting his stick chopped from his hands, and the Saints were quick to capitalize. The face off was won back to the point, and the defenseman slapped down a shot that goalie Jonathan Arnold was able to stop. But he couldn't contain the rebound, so the center whacked away at it again, despite the best efforts of Richie McMahon. Goalie Arnold was able to stop one more shot, but the puck bounced right back on the Saints' stick and this time he was able to get it up and over the goalie, tying the game at 1-1.

The Saints jumped ahead 2-1 on a perfectly played 3 on 1 soon thereafter. The winger fed a last second pass to the streaking center, who chipped it up and over the diving Arnold. A frustrating break, to be sure, but on the ensuing faceoff (the Dawn Patrol was remarkably proficient in winning faceoffs all night long), John Abruzzese was able to chip a pass over to Brian Godfrey. Godfrey broke in all alone on the Saints netminder, and his shot trickled through the pads, knotting the game at 2-2. The second period ended with both teams locked in a tie.

But St. Catherine really began to carry the play into the Dawn Patrol end, as the boys in gold seemed to tire out. The Saints went ahead midway through the period, as a pass through the crease was shot on net and a sliding Arnold wasn't able to snag it, and it trickled underneath him. This was followed up by a nice turnaround shot from in close, as Tim Retelle battled gamely but ultimately unsuccessfully as the shot hit Arnold in the shoulder and popped in.

The last Saints goal was a bit of a fluke, as a centering pass from behind the net hit goalie Arnold in the back of the leg as he went out to cut down the pass. It caromed into the net for the final score of 5-2.

A very hard fought and even game, but it unfortunately resulted in a Dawn Patrol loss. But they have nothing to hang there heads about, as the game was close and could have gone either way. They are all looking forward to avenging the loss tomorrow, as they play two games. The first is at 5pm versus the Leafs, who beat the Dawn Patrol 2 years ago, 4-0, in the championship game.

Technorati Tags: bostonfest hockey

Sports Blather

I figured now that Spring Training (yes, it deserves capitalization!) is here, I should pontificate on some sports subjects once again. I think I'm getting through to the girls anyway! Rhiannon mentioned they played some sort of floor hockey at gym the other day, and that she scored 3 goals. Adrienne piped up to say that she scored a hat trick! Smart kid, and it is surprising what they remember some time. We talked a week ago or so while watching a hockey game and that was one of the things that came up.

Winter Olympics

Yeah, I know, folks like Bill Simmons whine about the tape-delayed Winter Olympics, saying things like "how can you watch something delayed by 8 hours when you already know what the results are?" It seems to me to be a contradictory whine. First he says that they don't matter, and then he says he already knows the results. Well, if they don't matter, then why does he know the results? And if you don't know the results, why does it matter that it is tape delayed?

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the Winter Olympics. The sports just seem to be more real and daring than the Summer games. I think the alpine downhill race is the perfect Olympic sport. You just have one run, to ski as fast as you possibly dare - no judges, no whistles, no artistry, just ski fast, one and done. As someone who loves to ski fast, I really can enjoy it watching it. I'd also love to give one of the track sports a try. Bobsled, luge, skeleton, you name it. I loved sledding as a kid in NH, and I'm sure it'd be a blast to go 80+ mph in a bobsled!

I also love the speed skating, especially the wild and woolly short track stuff. Fast, physical, and random, real exciting stuff. And of course the hockey, although I don't think it was played at the same level as in years past. Very few of the games were that close. Even the one goal losses by the American team were mostly played from behind, and only late rallies made it close. Oh, and the ski jumping! How could I forget that. What fun that would be, just sailing out over the crowd. They had some real nice shots of the ski jumping this year.

I am not a fan of the judged sports. Figure skating, not surprisingly, does nothing for me. It's a backwards sport, sort of like NASCAR racing, where you are waiting for failure, and not really so much for a spectacular play. Nor am I a fan of all the fancy schmancy snowboarding events, where they are just trying to do tricks for the judges. I'd rather see a race against competitors, not judges. Only snowboardcross did it for me when it came to the boarders. Now that was fun to watch - 4 snowboarders racing down a twisty course, just trying to come across first.

And as for the Jacobellis brouhaha, where the press (and even some teammates) got all over her for hot dogging it a little and entering the pantheon of sports losers by getting "only" a silver medal for it when she hit the ground and let her follower slip past her - who cares? C'mon, give it a rest. A silver medal is real nice too, and it isn't the end of the world she came in second, like some of the more stuffy local columnists would have you believe. I was reading somewhere about the sad emphasis on winning gold, like no other medal, or even competing hard, mattered in the slightest, and it made me shake my head in wonder. Some of these reporters seem to have the wrong idea about competition, and I'm glad most of the competitors seemed to take it on a more level field.

Curling is an interesting sport. There isn't much action, but there is plenty of strategy. I wold also love to give that sport a try, although I don't think there are any venues around here. My wife wanted to know what exactly makes curling a sport. Not sure really, any more than billiards is a sport. Do you have to be out of breath for it to count as a sport?

Baseball

It sure is nice to read about the boys playing baseball again. A true sign of warmer weather ahead, although it is still several months from now. I'm looking forward to the first few games showing up on the radio. I like nothing better than to listen to the calming rhythms of Joe and Jerry (when he isn't wildly exaggerating a pop fly into a deep home run or vice versa) calling a game on the radio. The annual game against the Boston College Eagles is coming up tomorrow, the real start of spring training baseball.

I like the looks of the team. They got younger, have some nice arms, and still have Big Papi and Manny to hit the ball a long way. I know Manny is infuriating in his antics, and I worry about the effect he will have on the younger players when they see his special treatment. But I'm still willing to cut him some slack, especially as long as we have the anti-Manny in David Ortiz. The Yankees are older and more brittle (Pavano is already shelved), and Toronto still doesn't have all the pieces, especially pitching. Maybe we can finally breakthrough and come in first this year!

Hockey

The Bruins are doing what the Bruins have done for the last 20, no 30, years now - cruising along at an high level of averageness. Usually just good enough to make the playoffs and never good enough to go very far. This year, with the salary cap, the brain trust has nowhere to hide. Before, they would say that the other teams were buying a Stanley Cup (ignoring ridiculous outlays for stiffs like Marty LaPoint), but now everyone has the same money and the Bruins are still remarkably average. They are battling it out for the eighth(!) and final playoff spot, but even if they make it in, they'll probably just lose in the first round. They are trying to get us to come into The Vault to watch though. I just received an email from them with an offer of $10 tickets. You can find out more here.

There is the nice story of Tim Thomas, journeyman goaltender. A University of Vermont Catamount, he's 32 years old and is finally getting his big chance, thanks to injuries and the general ineffectiveness of 2004's Rookie of the Year, Andrew Raycroft. Thomas was solid, even spectacular, in the couple of weeks before the Olympic break, leading the Bruins back into contention for a playoff spot. His buoyant disposition has reportedly been a real boon to the clubhouse, and he seems to be enjoying his time in the limelight.

But I wonder if he has hit a wall. His last few games before the break were a little shaky, and I was hoping the two week vacation would help him out, both physically and mentally. But his play wasn't that inspiring last night against the powerhouse (!) Carolina Hurricanes, now leading the Eastern Conference. The Bruins were actually ahead in this one, but typically let it slip away, losing 4-3. And a couple of the goals looked very stoppable, especially the second one, a slapshot from outside the faceoff circle. I don't think it was tipped by his defense on the way in, so it should have been stopped.

As a goaltender, I know how responsible I feel for every goal that gets by me. I put them into three categories:

• Oh Well : sometimes, they're just gonna score. I move out to cut down the angle, and instead there's a nice pass over for an easy tap in. Or, like I saw happen to Medford's own Oiler, Mike Morrison, in last night's game against St. Louis, someone winds up for a big shot from inside the face-off dot and drills one up under the crossbar. Oh well...
• Coulda Had It : these are goals that probably would have happened no matter what I did, but I still feel like I should have given a better effort. Maybe I didn't react fast enough to a rebound, or I get my skates tangled up, or my positioning is off just a tad. These are also the goals scored most often by my more gifted opponents, who have an uncanny knack for finding that hole.
• Shoulda Had It : these are the worst, the ones you know you are 100% responsible for. Generally long range shots that get by me somehow, or ones I misjudge and slip behind me. If I can get through a game without giving up any of these, then I'm pretty happy. And I think there were one or two of these that happened to Tim Thomas last night.

I have to say, being a goalie has really help in my maturing as a person. I've only been doing it seriously for about ten years now. Growing up, I was never involved in any sort of organized hockey, just groups of all ages playing on a local pond. Even then, I was the crazy one who played "goalie" with nothing but a regular hockey stick and a smile. I'm surprised I survived! I wanted to be a goalie in soccer, my high school sport of choice, but there was a pretty good goalie who was one year in front of me, so I never got the chance. I did play goalie on a club hockey team at RPI, where there were plenty of teams playing, but as I only lasted part way into my sophomore year, that wasn't a real long term experience.

But when I was working for Interleaf, they had a group who played a Wednesday lunch hockey at a rink just down the road. Lucky for me, they had goalie equipment and a need for a goalie, so I volunteered. I was able to slowly upgrade my goalie equipment, rather than having to splurge whole hog for the entire set. So I improved it, piece by piece, until now, when most of my equipment is pretty good.

But there's certainly nowhere to hide as a goalie. You really have to learn to step up and take responsibility when you don these "tools of ignorance" (to borrow a phrase from baseball). You also have to be able to shrug off adversity and move forward, and to learn from your mistakes but not to dwell on them. At this point, I consider myself a pretty good average-level goalie. It's fun when things start clicking. You get a real feeling of invincibility, that you can stop anything.

Technorati Tags: boston+sports boston+bruins winter+olympics boston+red+sox

College Football Bowls

For the 8^th year in a row, I've set up the "College Football Bowl Challenge", where you are asked to pick out the winners to all 28(sic) college football bowl games. And, while you're at it, rank them in confidence level from 1 to 28. No, it isn't as complicated as it sounds, and my form will help you along. It gives all these meaningless bowl games some real reason for watching them! So give it a try if you are interested:

2005 College Football Bowl Challenge

Technorati Tags: college+football bowl+games

Red Sox / Yankee joke

A forwarded Red Sox / Yankee joke (thanks, Mom!). Warning - offensive to young ears and Yankee fans (don't care about the latter!):

A New York family of Yankees fans heads out one Saturday to shop for the youngest boy's birthday. While in the sports shop, the son picks up a Red Sox jersey and says to his older sister, "I've decided to become a Red Sox fan and I would like this Boston jersey for my birthday."

His big sister is outraged by this and promptly whacks him upside his head and says, "Go talk to mother!"

Off goes the little lad with the jersey in hand and finds his mother. "Mom?"

"Yes, son?"

"I've decided I'm going to be a Red Sox fan and I would like this jersey for my birthday."

The mother is outraged at this, promptly whacks him around the head and says, "Go talk to your father!"

Off he goes with the Red Sox jersey in hand and finds his father. "Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"I've decided I'm going to be a Red Sox fan and I would like this jersey for my birthday."

The father is outraged and promptly whacks his son in the back of his head and says, "No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!"

About half an hour later they're all back in the car and heading towards home. The father turns to his son and says "Son, I hope you've learned something today."

The son says, "Yes, Dad, I have."

"Good, son, what is it?"

The son replies, "I've only been a Red Sox fan for an hour, and I already hate you Yankee bastards."

Technorati Tags: redsox yankees humor

Olde Towne Team musings

A few thoughts about the local sports teams, after a hard morning between the pipes at hockey:

Red Sox

• Theo - it's really hard to imagine what is (or was) going on between The Powers That Be (Henry and Luchino) and Theo Epstein, ex-Sox GM. Sure they dicked him around salary-wise, but I still think Theo should have signed for a 5x increase in money (from US$300,000 to US$1,500,000 per year). I can only think that at such a tender age, Theo felt like he'd climbed the mountain and didn't really like what he saw from the peak. You can tell he doesn't have a family, because there's no way he'd turn down that kind of financial security if he had a wife and a couple of kids. But maybe that's the point - he doesn't need it (now...) so why not take advantage of it?
• AL MVP - it really hurts to say it, but a strong case can be made for Alex Rodriquez to win the MVP over our own David Ortiz. I don't buy it that a DH cannot win the award; no one is claiming that Jason Giambi or Sammy Sosa won the award because of their strong defense. But you have to give points if the player does have a good glove, and combined with stats that match or exceed Big Papi's, I will, ever so grudgingly, accept the award going to New York. But I still would have place Papi first, but maybe that's something you can only see if you are watching the team every day. There is just no way that A-Rod was a valuable to the team as Papi. A-Rod is just a big star on a team of stars, yet Papi carries the team in a nearly spiritual way. He's the leader in the clubhouse, a magnet for the public eye and is a prodigious talent. The only knock on him, personality-wise, is his frequent displays of disgust on called strikes, even obvious ones. But he's the man here on this team and in this town, which is a responsibility that A-Rod can barely imagine. Big Papi is the MVP in my book. Can you believe that Ted Williams never won an MVP award? Not in the year he hit .406, nor in either of his two(!) Triple Crown years - a staggering thought. Now that's a ripoff!

Patriots

• Year to Date - it's been a real struggle for the defending Super Bowl champs this year. I think we are really seeing just how important Rodney Harrison was to this team. Exhibit A was the last part of Super Bowl XXXVIII, when Delhomme started throwing the ball all over the place after Harrison left the game with a broken arm. I'm not so concerned about the running game. Some years it is an integral part of the team and other years it isn't; neither seems to be indicative of a Super Bowl victory. I believe in Belichek!
• Bruschi - incredible what he is doing, isn't it? He's just now beginning to make a real difference, as he was a force to be reckoned with against the Dolphins. The defense in general did what Patriot defenses have done over the past few years - bend but not break. Get turnovers, especially in the red zone. And make big plays at the end of the game.

Bruins

• Struggles - this team just has not jelled. The defense has been suspect, finding themselves standing around flatfooted too often. They just don't seem to be fast enough for "Today's NHL".
• Thornton - Jumbo Joe does alright, but he just doesn't seem to be taking real advantage of the new refereeing. He complained mightily a few years back about all the clutching and grabbing, but now that it has slackened, it doesn't seem to have changed his game. Someone of his talent should be driving the net, and shooting a lot more. He'll either score, get a great scoring chance, or draw a penalty. Instead, he sets up behind the net and tries to feed others. Not what we need from our superstar.

Revolution

It was a good season, coming up just short once again. I was wondering what kind of parade, if any, the Revs would get if they actually ever won the final game. But they give up an easy goal in overtime, and for the third time, come away losers. Maybe they're the ones to take over the Red Sox crown as the ultimate heart breakers?

Celtics

Sorry, don't watch basketball.

I'm hoping to get to a few college hockey games. I try to bring one of my daughters to one every year, as I have friends that have Boston College hockey season tickets and I can usually get a pair. It's a real good time. I haven't been to a Bruins game in quite some time. Pretty expensive. But we are going to the December 17th Patriots game versus the Buccaneers.

Update: Excellent post by Jayson Stark on ESPN.com that says what I was trying to say: Big Papi should've been the MVP! Stark: A glove story

Technorati Tags: newenglandpatriots bostonredsox redsox newenglandrevolution

Baseball Geeks United

I'm a member of SABR - The Society for American Baseball Research. It isn't nearly as geeky as it sounds; it's really just a bunch of folks (6000 or so, I think) who really like baseball. The Boston chapter, of which I'm a member, is having its Regional meeting next Saturday, in Cambridge. It is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the 1975 Red Sox, who played in one of the greatest World Series ever against the Cincinnati Reds. Of course, this was pre-World Championship days, so we were doomed to heartbreak in the end, but it is so much easier to talk about now!

Anyway, here's the blurb for it. I've gotten word that a couple of the items up for silent auction will include a ball signed by the Angels' Jarrod Washburn (who gave up David Ortiz's series clinching, extra inning home run) and one by Curt Schilling himself. So come on by and talk some baseball if you're local!

SABRBOSTON’S CELEBRATION OF 1975 RED SOX TEAM!

Join us for the SABRBoston's next gathering on Saturday, November 5 from 11:30 to 5 at the Friends Meeting House, 5 Longfellow place, Cambridge. We will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1975 Boston Red Sox. Our guest speaker for this event will be former Sox backup catcher and broadcaster Bob Montgomery, along with author Herb Crehan ("Red Sox Heroes of Yesteryear") presentations by Sam Bernstein on 1975 World Series bench players and Mark Kanter on Tony Conigliaro. Kanter returns to present some 1975 trivia plus Mickey "The Lip" Tangel will be along with a display of 1975 memorabilia for all to enjoy plus lots of baseball-related prizes up for grabs in our raffle and silent auctions. A suggested donation of $10.00 includes coffee, lunch and a copy of SABRBoston's "'75: The Red Sox Team that Saved Baseball" Please plan on joining us! Contact David Southwick (soxpapers AT yahoo DOT com) or Seamus Kearney (seamus AT cs DOT umb DOT edu) for more info.

I'm proud to say that I contributed one of the biographies in the book about the team that saved baseball. I wrote a short bio on Juan Beniquez.

Boston - SABR Boston/NE

Technorati Tags: sabr sabrboston redsox baseball

Congrats to the Other Sox

A heartfelt congratulations goes out to all the long suffering Chicago White Sox fans, especially my co-workers in Chicago, who have lived and usually died to the White Sox for many years. And no, these aren't new bandwagon jumpers - they've been White Sox fans (yes, there are a few in Chicago) for lo these many years. And if it can't be my Sox, then it should be the other one, for sure. And as I told them, the best is yet to come - when you keep hearing next year the cherished phrase "Defending World Champions".

But still, we'll always have last year. And I'm not too proud to admit, it still brings a tear to me eye.

Technorati Tags: 2004worldchampions redsox

Patriots Game, 2005

We did our annual "Family Day" at the New England Patriots football game this past Sunday. I think this is the third or fourth year we've been doing this, and once again we had spectacular weather. Not really football weather mind you, but perfect weather to bring the family to a game - mid 70s, sunshine, just a gorgeous early autumn day.

We got started late, not an uncommon occurrence for a family of four I don't think. We probably should have not gone to piano lessons, or at the very least moved them up a little bit. We got to the parking lot at about 11am (for a 1pm kickoff), and didn't get our first choice for lot. This was the first time we parked on the south side of the stadium, which actually worked out better than our usual northern parking lot, as our seats are on that side of the stadium.

We've had season tickets to the Patriots for about 12 years, or ever since Drew Bledsoe's first year. Or maybe it was the year before that. We are part of a 10 share "consortium", owning 6 tickets, which works out to be 3 pairs of tickets for each share (8 regular season games plus the 2 pre-season games that are foisted upon the season ticket holders). We've owned 2 shares for the past few years, so that, come the ticket picking "auction", I have a pretty good chance of getting 2 pairs to a game. I usually sell off any pre-season games, as well as one or two other pairs. I'll go to one or two other games, and, given the Pats success lately, even a post-season game. It works out pretty well, even if it is damned expensive at nearly US$90 a ticket these days. But demand is still very high (Sunday's was the 119^th straight home sellout), and I hear the waiting list for season tickets is over 50,000!

But we got there in enough time to fire up the grill, throw on some chicken pieces and wings, and have a little bit of a tailgate party. It would have been nice to get there about an hour earlier, but we did pretty well nonetheless. We let the crowd thin out at the gates and got into our seats without missing too much.

Unfortunately, we were a little late leaving and, due to the blowout loss, the crowd was a little early, and we got stuck in a tremendous traffic jam. It took us nearly an hour and a half before we even started moving, and it was three hours after we got into the car before we finally got home. Usually, we leave at the end of the third quarter, as the girls have had about enough. But they were having such a good time, and our browsing in the Pro Shop took up too much time, so we got out late and man, did we ever regret it.

Still, it was a fun thing to do, and we are all looking forward to next year's Pats game.

Technorati Tags: newenglandpatriots tailgating

The Sporting Life

Another morning freshly back from hockey. We play every Tuesday and Friday mornings from 6:30 to 7:30 in the morning. Just pick-up hockey, with new teams every skate, but the players are pretty good and it's a good time. I play at being a goalie and playing with these guys over the past 5 or 6 years has really given my game a boost. I hope it isn't a poorly timed homily, but as they say, a rising tide floats all boats, so I play better against better skaters.

This morning proved another theory of mine - the team that has the most shots wins nearly every time. We played them pretty closely for the first 45 minutes or so, even though I was getting peppered with plenty of shots. I was moving pretty well and making some nice stops, but we were missing some good opportunities. But at this level, if you can put shots on the goal, you're going to score and they eventually started getting by me, in all kinds of ways; great shots, shots I tipped in myself, shots my defense tipped in for me - sigh. Ah well, we do it again next week.

I'm also an avid golfer, although that takes much more time than hockey, so I don't get to play as much. During the summer, I meet a friend at a small nine hole course up the road every Tuesday morning, so I'm back by 8:30 or so. Hockey, of course, gets in the way of that once it starts up, and, as a goalie I can't just not go or a whole bunch of folks will be mad at me. Luckily, Sunrise Hockey has 2 regular goalies, and a third one shows up every skate and usually gets to skate out, but in an emergency he fills in. Works out well for all of us, cuz you never know. There's only been a small handful of times during the past few years that they've had to play with only one goalie.

But I'm a real hack golfer. If I break 50 for 9 holes, it's been a good morning. When we played the other day (I try to get the third goalie to play for me on Tuesday for a little bit), I shot a 54 - ouch. Bad off the tee and bad putting makes for a long morning. But whoever says there's no exercise in golf is all wrong. Playing early in the morning means no backup at the tees, so you move right along. It's 3200 yards, so given my propensity for driving long and wide, I probably walk a couple of miles. Combine that with swinging a golf club and the mental strain that makes golf "A Good Walk Spoiled", means it is a pretty decent workout.

I'm also an avid sports fan. I'm part of a group that has 6 season tickets to the New England Patriots (a waiting list of like 50,000 now), and I get to see a few Red Sox (and minor league) games during the year. One of the greatest 2 days of my life (save for the births of my girls) was being at the storied games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS against the hated Yankees. 16 out of 30 hours spent at fabled Fenway Park. My girls already know "Yankees Stink" by heart now. Watching the DVD of last year still chokes me up, having truly suffered through '75, '78 (in upstate New York, no less) and '86. It's nice being on top for once!

I'm looking forward to NHL hockey again too. Pretty much the only real TV I watch is sports. The Red Sox are nice because they are on virtually every night, so they will usually be on in the background. Sports are nice to have on TV because they don't demand 100% attention, so you can usually get something else done, like read, play a game or something, while it is on. But during the winter, there's not much on TV except the interminable basketball (especially college basketball) season. I'm not a basketball fan. Too much celebrating of the individual and not enough teamwork, I think. So with the NHL on, I can get the Center Ice package and always have a hockey game on. For some reason, I can watch neutral hockey games with much more interest than baseball without the Sox or football without the Patriots.