A Bizarre Week in Boston

In recent memory, can you think of a more bizarre week in Boston sports than the one that just blew by us? At 7:00 Sunday night, I sat with my hands over my ears, shaking my head in disgust after Brett Favre completed another interception to Miami’s Andre’ Goodman, putting the finishing touch on one of the worst games I’ve ever seen him play. I was rooting my heart out for the Jets…and he was the quarterback. Weird enough to make you sick, isn’t it?


The irony of course is thicker than a Chile’s Bacon Big Mouth Burger. Almost twelve years ago, I sat and watched a younger, more accurate Brett Favre mercilessly beat down our beloved Patriots in the Super Bowl. The images are still burnt in my memory, and like most New Englanders, I’ve been fed up with his Wrangler wearing, “plays like a kid” image for far too long.

As terrible as it was, this old man throwing the Patriots playoff hopes into the arms of Miami was the most appropriate ending to a week from the Boston Bizarre. Pats out of the playoffs, C’s lose to LA than give a cupcake to Golden State, and the Red Sox handing the Yankees one of the best hitters in the major leagues. Not something we’re used to in the new Boston sports utopia. But calm down, relax, and let me tell you exactly why you can chuck that panic button deep into your closet and not lose another wink of sleep.

Under the Wrong Bridge Downtown

The Celtics are 28-4, and you can put together more than a handful of excuses for those woeful west coast loses. The Lakers…on Christmas…in LA? Come on. What were the schedule makers thinking? As NBA champs, don’t you think we’d at least get the right to play the biggest game of the year in on our own floor? Apparently not. On top of that, what’s with the back-to –back? I can understand why they wanted to keep them out there for a mini west coast trip, and considering they already took the plane ride, I understand. But couldn’t they just give them a day off after what was destine to be a challenging Christmas contest, then follow it up with a back-to-back with Golden State and Sacramento? I mean, throw em a freakin’ bone.

Regardless, it is what it is. We played the games, we lost the games, and the water has passed under the bridge. But considering that bridge was the Golden Gate and not the Tobin, you can give them a pass and consider it an aberration. Overall, it may even help. These guys hate losing, and you know they’ll do anything and everything to avoid another “L” anytime soon.

Need proof?

Boston: 108 Sacramento: 63

Not so Irreplaceable

Over the last five or so years, the anticipation of the NFL playoffs have usually included the potential for a Pats vs. Colts, Manning vs Brady showdown. It’s been a staple. However, going into the season with Manning’s pending injury; there were whispers of this year missing that chance completely. Little did we know we were half right, only in the end the opposite team would be flying home come January.

Finding a silver lining in the Patriots season ending before the playoffs has actually been the easiest pill to choke down this week – given the circumstances. On September 7, we lost arguably the most irreplaceable figure in current Boston sports. The only other players rivalling Tom Brady as far as team dependency might be Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce. The Red Sox and Bruins are so deep and levelled out with talent that losing one wouldn’t really send a title wave through the season…more like a ripple. Late that September night, the Partriots (who ironically pride themselves in team depth) were knocked down hard by a title wave. Not only did we lose Golden Tom, but we were left with Green Matt. Unproven, unplayed, and unacceptable in the shoes of a legend, most Pats fans looked away in disgust as Belichick continued to give Cassell the nod, reassuring us that he could hold his own.

Whether you initially believed him or not, (and I’ll be the first to admit, I was a skeptic) you can’t argue with results. Eleven wins, over 3,500 yards in the air and 270 on the ground, plus back-to-back 400 yard games…all while getting sacked almost 50 times. And when it was all said and done, Cassell put the Patriots alongside the 1985 Broncos as the only two teams to win 11 games and not make the playoffs. Just think about September 8, the day you found out Brady wasn’t coming back. Kind of like the day after a bad break-up, where you spend all night waiting by the phone hoping she’d call. By morning, you knew it was over. Think about what you’d say if the football Gods came to you at work that afternoon and told you not to worry, Cassell would win you 11 games that season. Wouldn’t you have been relieved? Hell, even ecstatic? Sure, it’s not 16, but how far did that get us anyways? Like it or not, this season needs to be marked down as a success in the archives; regardless of the team never taking the gridiron for any postseason play.

Hey Mikey, He Doesn't Like It

Of all the loses this week, you could argue the Red Sox gave fans the most devastating blow. We were initially stabbed in the heart by missing out on Mark Teixeira, but seeing him take that all familiar one way Fung Wah trip to New York was like smearing a bucket of rock salt in the fresh open wound. But as we’ve done with the Celtics and Pats, lets take a deep breathe and readjust our rational here.

Going into the off season, there were only a few noticeable holes in the roster. We lacked that pop in our offense down the stretch, which no doubt could have been filled by Teixeira, but in order to do so we would have lost a Boston favorite. Despite his nagging injury last year, Mikey Lowell worked as hard as he could to stay on the diamond and be productive. With a bum hip making him look like an old man limping around the field, I actually felt more comfortable with him at bat than I did Varitek. There’s no doubt he lost a step with that injury, but who knows what he’ll be next year. Even with a 15-85-.275 season, his gold glove in the hot corner and his demeanor in the dugout make him worth every penny. Let’s just hope we didn’t offend him too bad by essentially packing his bags and showing him the door before getting a go-ahead from Tex. Sorry Mikey, this was business, not personal.

So there – not all that bad right? I know, I know – it still feels a little raw. We’ve basically kissed goodbye a possible run at 70 wins, we’ve missed out on another Super Bowl opportunity while our window is slowly closing, and seeing Tex in pinstripes for the first time will probably require some of us to restrain ourselves from shoving pens in our eyes, but that’s only because we live in a time and place were we can sweat the small stuff. After weeks like this, it’s best to just sit back, relax, and accept the occasional bizarre.

Unless it happens again next week, at which time you can frantically dig up that panic button.