"From Nowhere, With Love..."

Hello There, Faithful Reader…

After what has been a lengthy period of reflection, I'm slowly feeling as if I'm regaining my voice. As much as I love to comment on sports and life in general, the grind of chronicling the start of baseball season and the end of hockey season (not to mention European and American soccer) ceased to be an enjoyable endeavor. The self-imposed commitment to meet the continuing series of deadlines became unduly stressful which in turn caused me to rethink whether blogging is worth the effort involved. (It is.) And there are literally tens of millions of websites where a person can turn and certainly no shortage of opinions on any topic under the sun and beyond. And you do know what they say about opinions, don't you? I still struggle to find the energy and passion to write and never been the sort of person who simply mails it in for vanity’s sake. If there's one lesson (among millions) that I've learned from my dad, it's this: If you undertake any endeavor in life, do it to the very best of your ability (or don't do it at all!).

THE NEWS PAGE

America: On the political front, I see nothing or no candidate over which to find any optimism. The equation is simple: A lame duck president + an obstructionist Congress = zero progress for the American People. Think of all of the urgent needs that are currently in front of the American People. Energy costs have exploded through the roof. The stock market has dropped 20% in value in recent months. Our borders are being flooded with illegal immigrants demanding immediate access to public services that we can no longer afford to provide for free. The real estate market has collapsed and the foreclosure rate is approaching levels of the 1930’s. Decent jobs are becoming scarce.

When I ran a local labor union 20 years ago, I warned my membership about globalization and free trade agreements and what would happen when the chickens came home to roost. They laughed then, fat and happy. They ain't laughing now. Our inner cities are becoming war zones. You can't pick up a paper or surf the Internet without reading of mass shootings every day in one of our great American cities. Respect for life diminishes by the day. I don't know about you, but in light of all of these crises, I’d think it only reasonable to expect our elected representatives put their oars in the water and pull in the same direction. But the boat seems to be going in circles.

The presidential candidates all appear to be manufactured phonies with no true substance. Obama is the proverbial empty suit. Clinton will simply say or do anything to be elected, and heaven help anyone who stands in her way. In that regard, her ruthless ambition for power rivals only that of her husband and Richard Nixon. And if any among you believe that the Clintons will go to the Convention and meekly accept defeat, you're living in dreamland. They will go to any lengths to strong arm the votes of the super delegates. They don't give a damn about the political process; it’s all about power. When the smoke clears, Ms. Clinton will be the Democrat nominee.

Meanwhile, it appears as if the bloom is off the rose with Obama, as more people are beginning to see through the rhetoric and his magic wings are melting faster than Icarus’. The more people learn about the man and his policies, the faster his popularity is beginning to diminish.

There is an old proverb that goes, “show me who your friends are and I'll show you who you are.” Obama has some pretty scary friends, among them being one of the old Weathermen from the ‘60s who would've loved nothing better than to plunge America into anarchy.

Another one of his friends, the alleged “Reverend” Wright is a rather despicable representative of the Christian ministry. When he uttered a blasphemous phrase regarding America in a house of worship; that was all I needed to know. If there is one phrase that is completely incomprehensible in a house of worship to the Almighty, it is that pernicious phrase that Wright uttered. And to think, not only is Wright purportedly a “man of the cloth”, he's also a former Marine! In a place where ordinary men and women come to humbly worship and praise God, Obama’s “spiritual adviser” brought shame to himself and to his congregation. And while Wright rails on against the evils and injustices of white folks, he's also living in a gated community on a golf course that's populated by…99% white folks. Like I said, it's all I needed to know. He's just another race baiter who adds nothing constructive to the American conversation.

Not long ago, Wright appeared before the National Press Club in a particularly combative mood as if the media were attacking the Black Church tradition. Look Rev, people have no quarrel with your flock or the religious traditions of the Black Church. What people find disturbing is your use of a bully pulpit under the guise of Christianity to advocate decidely non-Christian points of view. If he's confused, perhaps he ought to review Dr. King's work. He was all about inclusion whereas the likes of Wright, Jackson and Sharpton and their ilk profit from policies of exclusion.

Geraldine Ferraro (whose political views are markedly different than mine) was actually very much on target when she recently stated that if Obama weren’t black (and as such, a novelty), his candidacy would have zero viability. For speaking out, they branded her a pariah in the political community. Obama's an empty suit; with the most far-left voting record in the Senate, who has sponsored virtually no legislation nor has acted to advance any bipartisan measures during his brief tenure. He may be a charismatic speaker, but underneath all of those flowery words is nothing of substance, save for a vague socialistic agenda that has been tried and failed elsewhere. No thanks. He is uniquely unqualified for the Office of President of the United States.

On the other side of the aisle, the Angry White Man is no great shakes, either. About the only thing going in McCain’s favor is that he's strong on defense, but also freely admits lacking expertise in economic issues. At a time when gasoline is over $3.50 a gallon and Wal-Mart and Costco are rationing rice, it's hardly a comforting thought.

While Clinton and Obama continue to duke it out heading into the Convention, McCain is carefully distancing himself from the Republican now sitting in the White House. He was recently in New Orleans and slammed the federal government's response in the wake of Katrina. It seems like a wee bit of revisionist history from here. The simple fact is years before Katrina hit, the Army Corps of Engineers would have rebuilt the levee system such as to withstand a Category Five hurricane but the environmentalists successfully sued and blocked any construction out of fear to the potential damage to wildlife living in and around Lake Pontchartrain. It's nice to know we have our priorities in order. It also seems to me that when the hurricane hit, the self-proclaimed “Mayor of Chocolate City” and “Governor Blank-O” probably provided more harm to the residents than good because they lacked critical leadership skills at a time of crisis. It wasn't until General Honoré hit town with the troops that the tide began to turn. (Talk of a commanding presence, General Honoré’s the sort of leader for whom red-blooded Americans would run through a wall). At a time and place when the community is still rebuilding from a force majeure, it serves no constructive purpose to engage in finger-pointing or try to squeeze a couple of political points off the backs of those who lost their lives.

An American Tragedy: This is Anywhere, USA. It could be South Central, or Chicago or even South Jamaica, Queens. Despite the objections of community activists and citizens, an “adult nightclub” begins to operate in a part of the city plagued by drugs and violence. As time passes, the traffic entering and exiting the club only serves to exacerbate the troubles causing the area to be the focus of intense police scrutiny. On a fateful night, a young man and a few of his friends out for the evening are leaving the club when an incident transpires between his crew and the local police (who happen to be of a “different race”). Words are exchanged and the police see the young man reaching for what appears to be a weapon after having been commanded to freeze. Fearing for their lives, the police respond with deadly force. The young man is killed in a hail of bullets and the police are subsequently held criminally liable for the young man’s death. Following a highly-publicized trial, the officers are cleared of criminal responsibility in the young man’s death and the community threatens to explode in violence. Will this be Rodney King II or will the community pause and reflect on how the tragedy came to be?

There are the predictable cries of outrage from the usual quarters and threats of lodging civil rights violations against the now-acquitted officers. In order to properly address who is ultimately responsible for the young man’s tragic death, it would be helpful if we could consider the police action from a color-blind perspective. Maybe you consider that to be the height of naïveté, but unless we start addressing events as such, we will continue to be bogged down in arguments over race and accomplish nothing of substance. So, how really open-minded are you?

Shall we proceed? What’s the common denominator here? It’s the nightclub. (You didn’t need to put on your detective’s hat to figure out that) If there were no club in the area, chances are the victim would not have been in the neighborhood nor would there have been a dedicated police presence. How did the club come to be there? It was licensed. Who gave the license? The City. OK, there were ministers, community activists and ordinary working folks who clamored not to have a strip joint smack dab in the middle of their neighborhood. There was already enough trouble and bringing a strip joint in there would simply make a bad situation worse. On the other hand, there were businessmen who cared only about the profits that could be generated from such an establishment. Then there were the politicians, who only cared about getting votes, maintaining personal power while continuing to siphon from the public till.

Am I suggesting that the politicians were paid off to use their influence with the Licensing Board to approve the operation of this establishment? No, there’s no “direct evidence” of that, nor would any sophisticated elected official of a large city ever being stupid enough to get caught so blatantly. There are a lot of ways to skin the cat, as they say. The influence of money somehow held sway over the wishes of the people. As a result, a young man is dead and the careers of distinguished police officers are clouded at best and probably ruined.

Most large cities regulate or zone the operation of “adult entertainment” businesses to areas away from schools, houses of worship and residential areas because (notwithstanding the First Amendment) most people just don’t want pole dancers and the clientele they attract anywhere near them or their children. In this particular neighborhood, chances are that it could’ve been allowed to operate in a part of town that was specifically zoned for that purpose.

Somebody needs to pay for this. It’s not the victim, nor should it be the police. Our inner cities have become war zones run by ganglords, riddled by drugs, guns and senseless violence. Police are now more paramilitary units than the familiar “cop on the beat” because a billy club is no match for an AK-47. In the middle are the overwhelmingly law abiding citizens living in the community who are held hostage by thugs and simply want to raise their kids and live their lives in peace.

So where do we point the “fickled finger” of blame? It’s the politicos, can’t you see? The elected officials in the neighborhood failed everyone, especially the victim. Naturally, they’re the ones now howling the loudest for “justice”. Sometimes an event happens that cause people to say enough, basta! Is this going to be just “another tragedy” forgotten in the next news cycle? Did this young man have to die in vain? The answer to that question lies not in a court of law but in the hearts and minds of the electorate of the community. Do you want more of the same? Just keep voting the same deadbeats into office and it’ll be a damned certainty.

Pope Benedict Hits America: Prior to the Holy Father’s brief visit to the USA, there were the usual rumblings in the leftist/secular media and for a few days all of the dissidents and assorted Catholic-haters crawled out of the woodwork and spewed their venom against the Church and the “faithful remnant”. By the time he left Yankee Stadium, those very same voices became very…silent.

Being Pope isn’t an easy job under the best of times, especially now when popular culture is overtly hostile toward any point of view that refuses to bend to the whims of modernity. And it’s a pretty tough act to follow in the footsteps of the Great John Paul II. But none of those factors appear to deter Benedict from his mission: to preach the Gospel.

The Pope didn’t visit the White House for a photo-op diplomatic trip or to engage in geopolitical no-speak at the United Nations. He understood that the Catholic Church in America remained in a perilous state following the clergy sexual abuse scandal, and the American flock was looking to him for guidance and spiritual direction. As the spiritual leader of over one billion people, he needed to forcefully confront and address the scandal. And he did. Throughout the course of his visit, he repeatedly acknowledged shame and incomprehensible damage caused by the actions of a despicable few who used the power of their vocation to prey on the innocent as well as a call for healing and compassion for all those so affected.

Anyone (regardless of being in a position of trust or not) who abuses a child should feel the full weight of the judicial system as if being hit with a ten-megaton bomb. There is no place in society for those who would harm children except behind prison walls. And while a great deal was made in the media over the fact that those involved were Catholic priests, empirically the number involved represented a lower percentage of respective populations than teacher-to-student and/or other faiths-to-child congregants. Over 99% of the priests who faithfully carry out their vocations were scarred by the actions of less than 1%. In short, sexual abuse of children is not exclusive to the Church; it only seems as if the media painted it that way.

There is no place in the Church that Jesus instituted for any form of conduct that is contrary to the Gospel. Benedict reinforced that point during Masses in Washington and New York as well as in other events covered by the media.

But “saying” is not enough; it was also imperative to meet privately with those who were victimized to offer prayerful apology and Christian witness. Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley (who has done an amazing job to restore trust in the Church following the “sacking” of the Chief Enabler) was able to bring a number of those who were victimized to meet privately with the Pope.

Beyond this, the streets were filled with well-wishers and the “Ballpark Masses” were filled to overflow capacity. Why is that? Was it simply the novelty of standing along a parade route or the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of Communing with Jesus at Mass presided by the Bishop of Rome, the visible Successor of Peter? No, there’s a lot more to it than the temporal. People look out at the world and feel a general sense of helplessness. They’re hungry for hope and can’t find true and lasting peace or happiness in the material or temporal. Each one of us needs to feel redemption, an essential union with the Creator. Seriously, if there was nothing in which to believe beyond the senses, this would be a pretty crummy existence, no?

During his visit, Benedict used the word so many times the media affectionately (now there’s a switch) referred to him as “The Pope of Hope.” And what was Benedict’s message? God loves you, just as you are, with no hooks, strings or other conditions. And God’s Love is free to accept. All we need to do is stop behaving as if we’re the CEO’s of the Universe and accept that God is in control, not us.

THE SPORTS PAGE

Football: The annual NFL draft took place on Saturday afternoon, with the Patriots holding the #7 pick (from last year’s trade with the ‘Niners) and desperately looking for taker. Their #31 pick in the first round was taken away from them as a result of the so-called “Spygate Scandal”.

It used to be that draft day was a moment of unbridled joy for the fans of any team holding a top-10 pick. Everyone and his cousin still posts their mock drafts online (where no one can ever accurately predict what the Patriots will do), but a lot of the enjoyment involved with predicting which teams will select which players has gone out the window.

There are a handful of “household names” at the top of the draft, but 99% percent of those selected are simply that—names, relatively unknown commodities except to football bird dogs and draft junkies.

For all of the “science” that goes into drafting, the process is inexact at best. The Patriots’ draft history hasn’t been terribly successful. Over the years, many of their high draft picks failed to live up to expectations while the franchise’s greatest player was picked in the second-day scrap heap at #199 in 2000. Last year, the team moved a couple of mid-round picks in trade for Moss and Welker and the only selection who made the team was Brandon Meriwether, so draft day wasn’t such a big deal. This year, the team needs to have a very productive draft.

Agents have ruined the day. Instead of debating the relative strengths and weaknesses of the players who are picked, fans now have to concern themselves with the financial implications and how a player’s salary and guaranteed bonus affects the cap as well as how it may alienate the veterans on the team. Unless you're an accountant, there’s not very much fun in that.

The amount of guaranteed money that a top 10-pick will receive is often more than most established veterans are currently earning. Case in point: the Dolphins have already signed Jake Long from Michigan, who will be the first overall selection in this year’s draft. He will receive in excess of $30 million in guaranteed money making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the history of the NFL -- without ever having played a single down. Last year's number one pick, JaMarcus Russell of the Raiders, held out of training camp before signing of then-record agreement for guaranteed money. For their $30 million, all the Raiders got was a guy standing around holding a clipboard. That's a serious insult to those guys who have gone out and proven they can handle the demands of professional football life.

Those “people in the know” have determined that the present value of the number seven pick is approximately $18 million in guaranteed money. It'd be very difficult for Belichick to explain to his veterans how someone who has yet to get his feet wet in the NFL is worthy of receiving more in guaranteed money than the core group who has already won the Super Bowl three times. No wonder why the NFLPA membership is revolting against Gene Upshaw. Wouldn't it be an amazing thing if the teams staged a mass revolt against the agents and decided to pass on the first round picks? The NFL and the Players Association seriously need to renegotiate a wage scale for first-year players. Inevitably, a good percentage of first-round picks flameout and the teams are left holding the bag by prorating the rookies’ guaranteed money over the life of the contract.

In previous drafts, the Patriots have been pretty good at trading down, getting the “best value”, but now the "value" associated with the number seven pick in today’s climate is simply not worth the cost to the Patriots, nor probably to any other team. Dallas has two picks later in the first round, but unless a guy like Arkansas’ McFadden is available, it looks as if they may be stuck with a pick that a lot of teams don't want either. Chances are that the player or players they want will slip through their grasp.

Despite winning 18 games last year, the Patriots have a number of holes to fill if they hope to contend once more. With Samuel and Gay's departures, grabbing a cornerback or two seems to be pressing need. However it has never been Belichick's style to use such a high draft pick on anything less than an interior lineman. The last time the Patriots were picking this high, they chose Richard Seymour and he's turned out to be far better than expectations. The front seven isn't getting any younger either and they could really use a stud to plug one of the holes upfront. On offense, a massive offense of lineman with the ability to pick up the blitz would be pretty nice, as Brady spent most of Super Bowl Sunday getting chased around by the Giants’ incredibly nimble front seven.

At this point, all Patriots’ fans can do is to consider the team’s selections and project as to whom the choice is intended to replace.

Patriots results:

They did end up moving down in the draft, but only three spots. The Saints gave the Patriots a third-round pick in exchange for swapping positions, and at #10, New England selected ILB Jerod Mayo from Tennessee. I haven’t seen a whole lot of film on this kid, but he hits like a truck. Mayo’s stock has risen steadily following the combine, as he’s considered a typical Patriots’ pick: highly intelligent and versatile. From here, it looks as if Mayo will be groomed to replace Tedy Bruschi. There are some media pundits who favorably compare Mayo to Patrick Willis, but…let’s not get carried away just yet.

Near the end of Round 2, The Pats selected CB Terrence Wheatley from Colorado. In terms of size, quickness and smarts, the team is looking at Wheatley to eventually replace Asante Samuel. The “Kiper-types” labeled Wheatley at #61 as a “reach”, then again they said pretty much the same about Samuel. If Ty Law returns for a year or two, Wheatley will have a chance to learn the art of shutdown corner from a master.

On Day Two, the Patriots started off the day with three picks in the third round, but they wheeled off the pick they received from New Orleans to San Diego for a #2 next year and the Chargers’ #5 this year.

With the first of their remaining third-round picks, the Patriots stayed on defense, picking up OLB Shawn Crable from the U of M. Crable is a quick, mobile defender who will hopefully provide some depth and be groomed to replace Vrabel a few years down the line.

The Pats then picked QB Kevin O'Connell from San Diego State at #94 in Round 3. This selection raised eyebrows to say the least, as the quarterback slot doesn’t appear to be a pressing need at the moment (is there something they’re not telling us?). They must have their reasons for picking a QB here, and the public is not privy to what transpires in Belichick’s Bunker, so it’s pointless to speculate further.

On to Round 4, where Auburn CB Jonathan Wilhite was the Patriots’ choice at #129. Wilhite’s another smallish corner who may provide depth as a nickel/dime back though not much else is known about this guy.

In Round 5, the Pats moved up seven spots to #153, by flipping #160 and #238 (Round 7) picks to Tampa Bay and they chose WR/CB Matt Slater from UCLA(son of HOF Jackie Slater). In reading Slater’s bio, the only two words that came through clearly were: TROY BROWN. If there was any collegian whose career followed a similar path, it’s Slater. This was a kid who’d do anything to help the team short of selling hot dogs and programs.

With their final selection in Round 6, they chose Nebraska OLB Bo Ruud, whose brother currently plays for Tampa bay and his dad played in the late ‘70’s.

Following the draft, the Patriots were quite busy, signing the following group as undrafted free-agents (UDFA’s):

East Carolina OL Josh Coffman,
Illinois DL Chris Norwell
Liberty OLB Vince Redd
Alabama DE/OLB Keith Saunders,
Virginia TE Jonathan Stupar
Portland State DL Casey Tyler.
North Dakota State P Michael Dragosavich
Troy RB Kenny Cattouse
Colorado University TE Tyson DeVree
Georgia Tech LB Gary Guyton,

Right now, the only things these kids represent are potential. How many of them will make it through camp, let alone find a place in the lineup? Time will tell.

HOCKEY FALLS GAZETTE

Bruins: What can you say? How many folks figured that the B's would take Montréal to a seventh game before bowing out? For the last year and a half, Canadiens have pushed around the Bruins like they were rag dolls and most everyone figured Boston would be lucky if they won a game. Taking Habs to the wall was a wonderful surprise for a team that struggled all year to find its identity. In the process, hockey became relevant again in the public eye. Mark Savard sustained a cracked bone in his back courtesy of a vicious shove by Montréal's Begin in a late regular-season game. Savard was out of the lineup for a number of key games down the stretch and his absence probably cost the Bruins a chance to rank higher than the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

After having been blown out of in Game One (Montréal scored twice within the first two minutes and never looked back), Julien benched Phil Kessel for a couple of games as the series took on a particularly nasty tone from the opening faceoff. At one point in the series, the Bruins were down three games to one and it looked as if the experts would be right. But in the third period of Game Five at Bell Centre, Canadiens' goalie Carey Price inexplicably fell apart in the B's simply bombarded him en route to a 5-1 victory. Kessel returned to the lineup for Game Five and was on fire. The series returned to Boston for Game Six and the Bruins provided their fans with one of their most thrilling victories in many, many years. It would not be an overstatement to suggest that the Bruins had not been this exciting since the glorious days of the Garden. Three separate times they came back from deficits only to win in the final two minutes of the game forcing an improbable winner take all Game Seven. The Bruins came out strong in the opening period and threw everything they could at Price, but he seems destined to take Canadiens back to the winner's circle. Montréal ended up winning the game 5-0, including an utterly meaningless and needless goal with seven seconds remaining. Glen Murray was injured in the second period and that's probably the last time we'll see him in a Bruins' uniform. One can only hope that the Bruins have long memories because that was the hockey equivalent of spitting in your opponent’s eye.

Considering the fact that the team played virtually the entire season without its best offensive player, and without a goaltender who was expected to start at least 40 games, the Bruins acquitted themselves quite well. People around here now actually seem to remember that the Bruins exist. In terms of where they were just 12 months ago they're light years away from the Dreaded Dave Lewis Era. Things are definitely looking up on Causeway Street.

Roscoe’s April Soccer Report:

Wrexham: There is no scarier word in the world of soccer than relegation. Unfortunately, Roscoe's beloved Wrexham Dragons will be playing their football next year in the English Conference (“The Blue Square Premier Division”) after their 2-nil defeat at Hereford on Tuesday, April 22. After an 87-year run in the Football League, Wrexham will now face the future outside looking in for at least one year. It was a particularly bad month for the lads in red:

Tue. 4/1 Mansfield 2 - 1 Wrexham
Sat. 4/5 Wrexham 1 - 1 Macclesfield
Tue. 4/8 Milton Keynes Dons 4 - 1 Wrexham
Sun. 4/13 Shrewsbury 3 - 0 Wrexham
Sat. 4/19 Wrexham 1 - 0 Notts County
Tue. 4/22 Hereford 2 - 0 Wrexham
Sat. 4/26 Wrexham 1 - 3 Accrington Stanley

There were opportunities to redeem themselves but…one win, five losses and a draw for the month and the side sealed their fate.

There’s only one match remaining in the season and the lads are just playing out the string. Roscoe is inconsolate along with the legions of Wrexham supporters worldwide. It seems that everything they tried to do over the last two years to maintain their standing in League Two failed to provide the desired result. After barely missing relegation last season, Dragons had spent virtually the entire year in the drop zone and by the time ownership brought in Brian Little to run the show, the team was too far gone. This is not only a severe blow to a storied franchise, it is also heartbreaking for the team’s incredibly (almost maniacally) loyal supporters who have stuck with the team through thick and thin for well over a century. Now the team will be required to rebuild on the backs of their younger players and hope these kids and made out of the right stuff.

Hopefully, Wrexham's departure from the Football League will be brief, but there are no guarantees for promotion. It's hard to find any kind of silver lining in any of this. Certainly, the team can't go wrong in vesting the responsibility of rebuilding in Brian Little's hands. He's an experienced manager and a proven winner. Wrexham will survive and their supporters will one day enjoy a successful football team. Plans are already underway to rebuild the fabled Racecourse Ground to include a 15,000 seat capacity football stadium. Rumors in town are also circulating that the club may be up for sale… though Chairman Neville Dickens recently denied such rumors in an interview with BBC Sport Wales, stating only that the club is looking for “new investment”. Hmmm…

Piacenza: After playing well from mid-February through the end of March, biancorossi once more hit the skids in April. While they’re currently not in the drop zone, if they don’t get their act in gear over the final six weeks of the Serie B table…

Sat. 4/5 Piacenza 1 - 2 Frosinone
Sat. 4/12 Ravenna 1 - 0 Piacenza
Sat. 4/19 Piacenza 1 - 1 Vicenza
Sat. 4/26 Messina 2 - 0 Piacenza

That’s one stinkin’ point in a month. That’s pathetic.

Revs/MLS: After such a thrilling victory in their opening match against Houston, the Revolution went to Chicago four nights later for a date with the Fire. The weather conditions for the match were brutal. It was cold, and rainy, but there was a pretty good crowd in attendance at Toyota Park. Unfortunately, Twellman and Ralston were unavailable with injuries and team was humbled. Chicago scored just four minutes in Laurentowicz was red carded in the seventh minute. After that, it was pretty much all downhill for the visiting side.

Following such a dismal showing, the Revs had another road match at Kansas City in another driving rainstorm. This time, the team had one of their better outings playing in a minor-league ballpark configured to soccer. The pitch was rather narrow but the Revs' midfield patiently controlled the tempo and the team came away with a nice victory.

The following week, they played at home against the Colorado Rapids and turned in a real stinker, losing 1-nil once more in the rain.

A week later, Revs were back on the road again at Giants Stadium for a tilt with New York Red Bull. The Match was a real rough-and-tumble affair, as is the case with two division rivals who really don't like each other. New York went up by a goal early in the second half and then disaster struck for the Revs. Mauricio Castro was red carded shortly thereafter after being involved in a scrum and kicking his opponent in a place that is expressly forbidden by the rules (ouch!). From that point forward, it looked like Red Bull would coast along to an easy win, but as the match entered its final moments, Revs were awarded a free kick just beyond the box and Jeff Larentowicz banged a low line drive to the right that eluded Red Bulls' goaltender Jon Conway and New England came away with a hard-won point.

Four days later, Revs traveled down to Frisco, TX for a date with undefeated FC Dallas on the MLS game of the week. This was a crazy match. In the early going, Dallas' high-tempo style really had the Revs back on their heels, and Reis was called upon to make a couple of acrobatic saves. However, as the match went along, Shalrie Joseph-the best midfielder in MLS-used his size and savvy to begin taking back the slower, more disciplined tempo for New England. As the match neared the 70 minute mark, Khano Smith picked up a ball on the left wing and pushed through two Dallas defenders before kicking in the go-ahead goal. He's a big guy, and controlled the ball much like a halfback going off left tackle. It was really a thing of beauty. Dallas mounted a furious charge in the final minutes, and Reis made a spectacular save on a rebound from a corner kick, but the defense held up in the team walked off the pitch 1-nil victors and tied for first place in the East. Considering that four of the starting XI were out of the lineup, it was quite an accomplishment.

Thu. 4/3 Chicago 4 - 0 New England
Wed. 4/9 Kansas City 1 - 3 New England
Sat. 4/12 New England 0 - 1 Colorado
Sat. 4/19 New York Red Bulls 1 - 1 New England
Thu. 4/24 Dallas 0 - 1 New England

How ‘bout them Red Sox?

After crisscrossing the globe in late March, the Red Sox finally came home to Fenway Park where they celebrated the raising of the championship banner and opened up the home portion of the 2008 schedule. They split the two-game series with the Oakland A's in Tokyo, then followed with a meaningless three-game exhibition set with the Dodgers. One of the games was a "50th anniversary celebration" of the Dodgers' move from Brooklyn. The game was played at the Olympic Coliseum before over 100,000 fans. It is been mentioned several times in this space that leaving Brooklyn may have been a financial boon for the O'Malley's but remains an unmitigated economic and social disaster for the community that was left behind half a century ago. I'm not going to belabor the point any further; it's just something that never should have happened, that's all.

Following the weekend in LA, the Sox traveled up the coast to Oakland where they finished off the A's with no difficulty. After a day off, the Sox found themselves in Toronto for a weekend series with the Blue Jays. If they previously weren't feeling the effects of their transcontinental trip, they certainly felt it in Canada. The Jays not only swept the series, but they blew a gaping hole in the Sox' bullpen. The starting pitching really wasn't all that bad, but the Jays' starters held the Sox hitters in check and the Jays' hitters waited until the middle innings to strike. After a week, the Sox were 3-4 and the cranks on sports talk radio were already coming out of the woodwork.

It's getting to the point now where I no longer bother listening to these yahoos. Lately, I've been thinking of all of the wonderful people I have known over the years who religiously followed this team and never saw them win the championship. Year after year, in good times and in bad, they stuck with the Red Sox. In the space of four years, we've been fortunate enough to see them win it twice. So instead of bitching about what's wrong with the team, perhaps some of these knuckleheads ought to remember their loved ones and friends who never got to celebrate the moment.

I guess some people simply need something to complain about. The latest controversy involved the team's auctioning off tickets for the seats above the left-field wall for their charity. First off, tickets to Fenway Park are nearly impossible to get and the going price is outrageous. The team has never been more popular and every game over the last three or four years has been a sell out. I can remember sitting in the bleachers for dollar, but that was a long, long time ago. If someone wants to spend $25 to sit in the company of foulmouthed drunks, maybe that's their idea of a fun night out. Some people really enjoy the whole experience of going to a ball game and seeing the action live. I just as much watch the game on television. Getting in and out of Boston at any time of day is pretty much a royal pain in the ass and despite the millions of dollars the team has invested in renovating the facility, it really has outgrown its usefulness.

Opening Day: The opening ceremony was nicely done. In a unique touch, the fans in attendance were treated to witness the championship trophies from all four Boston teams brought in by many of the teams’ legends. Anytime Bobby Orr and Bill Russell appear on the same stage it's a big event. The players and staff individually came out of the dugout and received their World Series rings from the owners. But the highlight of the opening ceremonies occurred when Bill Buckner appeared from the left-field line to throw out the first pitch wearing his Red Sox jersey. Sure, it was hokey and perhaps a little bit unnecessary, because anyone who understands the game of baseball also understands that Bill Buckner should never have been portrayed as the goat of the 1986 World Series. Without Buckner, the Red Sox never would have even gotten to the World Series. This was a guy who literally gave everything he had to the team. But he was demonized by the media and it was a terrible injustice for a guy whose career falls just short of Hall of Fame consideration. He was received with overwhelming applause by the crowd that didn't seem to end, and at one point was seen wiping tears from his eyes. Hopefully now the media will stop replaying that horrible moment of Game Six over and over and over again. Just let it go, for goodness sakes. The Sox ended up having a great opening day and took two out of three against the Tigers, who were really struggling coming out of the gate. Any team managed by Jim Leyland won't be playing like that over the long haul. The only down note was Mike Lowell suffered a sprained thumb and was put on the shelf for awhile.

The Yankees came then came to town for a weekend series, and the Sox ended up also taking two out of three (and all of the games were played in less than five hours. What's the world coming to?) Following the Yankee series, the Sox hit Cleveland for two games (the only time they visit the Jake this year) and then a rare two-game set in the Bronx with the Yanks. All in all, the Sox came away with three wins, sweeping Cleveland and splitting with the Yankees. There were some noteworthy things going on with the ballclub. First of all, Ortiz couldn’t his way out of a paper bag with an average below .100 for the first two full weeks of the season. On the other hand, Manny and JD Drew were on fire. Jed Lowrie came up from Pawtucket and really opened a lot of eyes. This kid is definitely ready for The Show.

By the time the Sox returned home to open up a four-game set with the Rangers, the biggest issue was a flu bug that tore through the clubhouse like a tornado, causing numerous adjustments to the lineup and to the pitching staff. Not that it mattered much against Texas, because the Sox hitters simply clubbed Texas pitching en route to a four-game sweep. Poor Ron Washington, at this rate it looks like he'll be out of a job before Memorial Day, which would be a shame because the legacy of the Texas Rangers can be summed up in two words: terrible pitching. It's been that way since they moved from Washington in 1972 and it's still the same way now.

Playing with an illness-stricken lineup against the bunch of also-rans is one matter, playing under such circumstances against a contender is a different matter altogether. When the Angels came to town, numerous adjustments had to be made as a result of injury and illness to the starting staff. Beckett went down with a sore neck and Daisuke was still feeling the effects of the flu, necessitating call ups from Pawtucket and Portland to fill the gaps. Both David Pauley and Justin Masterson both pitched well in their emergency starts, but it was the bullpen that basically cost the team to lose the final two games of the series. In Masterson's case, he really opened a lot of eyes going six innings and allowing only a run. But the combination of Lopez, Del Carmen and Okijima were miserable failures on this day. Maybe everyone was tired, but no one likes to lose to a high-powered lineup like the Angels.

The Sox traveled to Tampa for weekend for a set with the new and improved Rays, where they were swept. Over the past couple of years, Rays’ management has established some of the best young talent in baseball and it appears as if they’re finally bearing fruit. On Friday night, Wake started and pitched well, but the team lost in 11 innings. Sean Casey (who had been playing quite well in an every day role in Lowell's absence) went down with a hip flexor injury and was put on the 15-day DL. The manager has a sentimental weakness for Timlin, who appears to be washed up at this point. Better to turn away when Timlin toes the rubber than to suffer the slings, arrows and line drives of fate that are shortly to follow thereafter. David Ortiz was kept out of the lineup on Saturday with a balky knee and the Sox lost a 2-1 heartbreaker when Iwamura’s two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth propelled the Rays to the win over Clay Buchholz (who pitched brilliantly). In the series finale, Beckett took the hill and was overpowering, but Tampa Bay’s James Shields utterly baffled the Sox hitters en route to a 3-0 shutout. The Sox are a burned out bunch, and April’s not even finished.

'Til next time...