Your 5 Random Facts for May 2

Left here wondering where all of the good things will happen next, here are the 5:

1. O'Meara's Restaurant, aka Hank's Lookaround Cafe, has closed its doors according to DCRTV.com. Unfortunately, the closure was just the other shoe waiting to drop once the hours of operation were moved to weekends only.


2. Clemens has been reported (By the New York Daily News) to be involved with John Daly's ex. Judging from the last two women who have been linked to Clemens outside of his wife, it just proves the saying that Texans do like everything big.


3. (In the Larry King voice) Iron Man will break the record for biggest take in the first weekend in May - you heard it here first!


4. In another prediction, the Celts will win tonight by 8 points or more thus closing out the Hawks season.


5. Last night's Office was not one for the archives. It was meandering and directionless with one funny bit (Creed's response to Pam's vision issues). With only two more episode left in the season, the show needs to go out stronger than last night's one.

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Your 5 Random Facts for April 30th

No links, no pics, just the facts.

1. Scott Weiland has become less like a true rock star and more like a SNL parody of a rock star every minute he's alive. The STP reunion will not change this fact and my prediction is that the tour will be over before all of the dates have been played.


2. The Celtics need a soul-crushing, boot-stomping-the-throat kind of win tonight against the Hawks or there will be a new #1 atop the NBA's Biggest Playoff Losses. The NBA - Where Choking Like A Dog Happens.


3. While the whole McCready story is not really admissible in the defamation suit, is it really a leap to think that he didn't take something after learning that he already cheated on something/someone? Not for me, pal.


4. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher getting it in on during shooting for Episode 4 with Mark Hamill jealous of Ford's success? Who didn't see that one coming? But, also according to Fisher, there's no underwear in space according to Lucas. Really now?


5. There is no need for DC to make a one-off figure like Superman: Red/Superman: Blue. Especially with the crazy number of articulation points like that improbable mid-thigh one.

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Clemens Strikes Out on Character Issue

Put the scarlet letter next to all of those Ks that Roger Clemens used to get. The New York Daily News reported yesterday that Clemens was involved with country singer Mindy McCready for over 10 years when he was with the Red Sox and she was a 15 yr old karaoke singer.

Those same reports have the singer flying in Clemens' private jet, meeting up with Clemens in his apartment in Toronto, Clemens sending cash via Fed Ex during McCready's financial troubles and love notes to Clemens in McCready's CD liner notes. These accusations definitely gives the appearance that the former pitching ace is much more about hanging with this lady than his wife and family which only helps Brian McNamee's fight against the personal defamation suit brought by Clemens at the beginning of this year. The article reflects that McCready ended the affair by her own accord in 2006. Clemens' legal counsel has stated that the relationship was platonic; although with the details listed above, that seems hard to believe that there wasn't something going on between a 15 year old girl and a 28 year old married man with two kids.

It is funny when you think that he probably could've retired a few years ago and hid like Mark McGuire has done so he could await Hall of Fame enshrinement. But he wanted more for less. So, he had teams bid on his services for the highest salary in abbreviated seasons with the Astros and Yanks falling for his aw-shucks act.

For all of those fans out there who hate the way high-end baseball players ignore loyalty for the sake of the all-mighty dollar, it is nice to see Clemens' mercenary tendencies bite him in the ass. I wouldn't be surprised if an old two-time teammate who once has a sex scandal himself while he was playing comes to his aid and helps him with the sex addict defense that lost his trial with Margo.

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"Cursed" Jersey is a lucky windfall for the Jimmy Fund

Just a quick follow-up concerning the unearthed Yank Curse David Ortiz Jersey - the Yanks did a real good thing by giving it to the Jimmy Fund to raise some much needed money for the pediatric cancer clinic. eBay is hosting the auction and is already over $30K within the first day.

I just hope that the winning bidder will take the tax write-off and give it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I mean, just look at that picture and tell me it wouldn't look good in a shadow box up on the wall in Cooperstown.

On a somewhat related sidenote, how many people think that the supposed curse that was supposed to dog the Yanks in their new stadium instead is killing Ortiz at the plate right now? He's hitting .121 with only 1 HR, 4 RBIs and 10 total bases. Definitely neded him to do better than 1 for 5 with 1 RBI when the Sox bullpen decided to douse the Yankees' run-producing fire with gas.

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Sox win the series but lose the curse

The Beantown Nine won the rubber game against the Yanks tonight by the score of 8-5 but they possibly lost the New Yankee Stadium curse. The alleged shirt that was dropped in the foundation for the new stadium was located and extracted by the construction company that is responsible for doing the work on the stadium. It was reported that it took about five hours to unearth the shirt from two feet of concrete. Here's some footage courtesy of NECN:

Man, you got to love this rivalry for this sole reason, other than seeing the Steinbrenners pay Union weekend overtime wages just to find a piece of interred clothing. Maybe the curse wasn't something that would ever happen but you know that Yankees management couldn't take a chance for the infamous shirt to become a possible redux of the now World Famous curse, The Curse of the Bambino. This curse is only second to The Curse of Being Vanilla Ice.

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Red Sox get their rings and the shutout

The tired nine from Beantown had their season opener today in Fenway. Not only did they get their 2007 World Series rings but they got back to .500 for the 2008 season with a 5-0 shutout over the oddly slumping Detroit Tigers. The Tigers, who were picked by many to be the AL Central Division winners, are now 0-7. For those who do not know anything about baseball, that is not good. Other highlights from the game:

• Billy Buck (Bill Buckner) threw out the first pitch and seemed to be poised to put the past behind him; hopefully, the media can help by not replaying that same friggin play (that grounder from Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets) every time they have the opportunity. Show some restrain, you dolts.
• Danny Ainge and Bill Russell (Celtics), Tedy Bruschi (Patriots), and Bobby Orr (Bruins) along with various other players from the Boston sports organizations brought their World Championship hardware for the celebration.
• Red Sox legendary Johnny Pesky raised the World Series pennant with a little help from Big Papi.

If you want the in-game details or more info on the celebration, you can hit the Boston Globe website.

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"Just drivin around in John Voight's car.."

"It isn't the end of the world that I'm selling my car."

Are you in the market for a formerly-owned car and don't care what may or may not have happened in it? Have approximately $50 grand laying around that's looking for a good home? Lastly, are you an eBay member in good standing? Well sir or madam, I've got the opportunity of a lifetime for you. It seems that due to the recent success of selling his BBQ grill on the eBay, Manny Ramirez has decided to part with his '06 Chrysler 300M STR8 using the internet auction warehouse according to Jerry Nasif, the person who is handling the car sale for the Red Sox slugger.

The car comes standard with the following added features: 22-inch rims, chrome as far as the eye can see and a customer grill. Plus, Nasif says that Manny will throw in "a trunk full of autographed items, a jersey, bat and ball, four tickets to a future Red Sox game and a meet-and-greet with Manny to talk about the car." But no word on who's gonns pay for the gas.

Are you worried about a high starting bid and a expensive reserve? Fuggetaboutit. "...Nasif said he will start the bidding at $5,000 and won’t set a reserve. But he expects the ride to sell for something in the neighborhood of $50,000..."“It’s probably worth around $35,000,” he said. “But we’ll get an extra $10,000 or so because it was Manny’s.”" Because, as you know, celebrity is all about the Benjamins.

Are you scared about seeing tons of fake bids in order to artifically raise the price of this wonderous piece of American machinery? Fuggetaboutit. "We are only working with bidders who have 100 percent positive feedback on eBay,” Nasif said. “That way people can’t just register to bid on this.” So, too bad for those eBayers who have been screwed by a vindictive seller who gave you a negative becuase you were one day late with your payment.

In other words, for those of you who have the disposable cash and the eBay cred, this car is practically yours for the taking. Then you will really know what is like for Manny to be Manny. At least when he's driving; not running the base paths.

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Prepare for the Backlash

I know that I might be blowing this all out of proportion but to hear that the Red Sox have been declared by anyone, much less USA Today, as "America's Team" must be a sign of the Apocalypse. Seriously, to have this moniker attached to any sports team is akin to being called overrated or overhyped. While the times that I spent chronicling some of my feelings on the Sox when I was writing my comic book column (Preachin' from the Longbox for those who have a short memory or haven't read the sidebar) during the 2004 season was like being a part of something bigger than yourself; almost like you were attuned to the power cosmic and knew that this was going to be the year.

But once they won the World Series, the sports fans' equivalent of blood sucking leeches, otherwise known as the"casual" fan, began their life-draining attachment to my team. It's not that I have this inane idea that they are my team and my team alone. But to see the plethora of Sox merch on people who didn't suffer the '78, '86 or even the '03 heartbreaks is revolting.

Luckily for me, the USA Today idea seems to have fallen flat. One of the online repsonses to the article showed a link to a recent Harris poll that shows the Yanks as still secure in their #1 ranking since 2003. One cause for concern is that the Sox have steadily grown in popularity from #6 in '03 to #3 in '07. Although if it means a few more World Series crowns, I'll take being called "America's Team".

Newsfeed: USA Today
Other Links: Harris Poll

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Image of the Day for 08-13-08

Image courtesy of Rueters via Boston.com/sports

Eric Gagne, recently acquired by the Sox, has decided to blow up any chance of Boston of keeping their lead in the AL East. He has proven that there is no lead that he cannot give up as he done so twice since coming to the Sox. He's gone from a "Fireman" (baseball term for saving games) to an Arsonist proven by his egregiously bad 16.20 ERA in four appearances for the Red Hose. Based on those facts, I will now only refer this guy only as "Gagme".

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It's all New England, all the time at the Worldwide Leader

With all the crap that was being dredged up like barbaric mongrel fights, gambling scandals, steroids use, and rampant doping, a day like today is what the sports world needed; at least in the New England region of that world. And thankfully, ESPN has covered it all for you. Here's the short list:

• Jeff Chadiha writes about how Adalius Thomas is the one, not Randy Moss, who will determine the fate of the Patriots' season since the defense lost the AFC Championship last year by giving up a 21-3 lead and Thomas plays a position where the Pats are becoming pretty long in the tooth. Wow, that's very insightful. I bet anyone who watched that same game in January (especially in the fourth quarter) would've never noticed that one. Sorry, you might think that this load of sarcasm is unwarranted but really, who couldn't see that the biggest free agent out there this past off-season would be a key ingredient. I'm sorry but I think that even with my limited writing abilities, I could've written that column.
• Right before the close of the trading deadline, the Red Sox pick up former stud closer now set-up guy Eric Gagne from the Rangers' fire sale for mere junk. This acquisition comes right on the heels of dumping Joel Pineiro to the Cards for the always used "Minor League Player To Be Named Later". Right now, the Yanks are wondering what it will be like to be home for the bulk of October.
• And who could forget the biggest trade in history (outside of video games) that involves only one player from one side and five players plus two draft picks from another? Yes, this may be the year that I plunk down the money for a KG jersey. And there is already speculation that a team with the hydra head of Pierce-Allen-Garnett and a bunch of 10-day contracts from the NBADL still might not be enough to win the Eastern Conference championship. Are they for real? If the Cavs could win it with basically just LeBron (finally taking over in most of the games that he plays), the Celtics should borrow an old line from their Yawkey Way brethren and say, "Why Not Us?" And I would agree since Detroit is one year older with an embattled coach, Miami is just old, the Wizards will never play D and Cleveland will suffer a sophomore slump this upcoming year. This lull of power in the Eastern Conference is primed for a Boston renaissance. Mark my words, people.

Sorry fans of in other regions of the nation and the world, today, the sun rises and sets on the six collective states that comprise New England. And as a former Maine townie, this comes from the heart - Go TEAMS!

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