You know how that old urban legend goes?

Out of the blue, a woman feels a sharp pain in her left forearm.  Three thousand miles away, a brother she never knew she had slices his arm in a wood-cutting accident.  They simultaneously sense a connection and ultimately share a tearful reunion after discovering there’s a sibling out there they never knew they had.

The same is true in the world of college football.  Tommy Bowden, head coach of the Clemson Tigers, was fired today.  Or he stepped down, depending on which story you believe.  That means Tommy Tuberville, head coach of the Auburn Tigers, can’t be very far behind.

Continue reading "Separated At Birth; Clemson Fires bowden, Tuberville To Follow"

The words of the prophets were written on the subway wall.  Or in this case, the Green Monster.  Walking out to leftfield every inning, Jason Bay had to see it.  As did every somber Red Sox fan who visited Fenway over the past two nights.  A constant reminder that their newest nemesis, the Tampa Bay Rays, were two games better than them.

The Green Monster in historic Fenway Park not only features the manually changed scoreboard on its façade, it also shows the regular season standings.  Tampa Bay 97-65.  Boston 95-67.  Two games back.  This season, the Rays won their first American League East title in franchise history.  It shows, for the last two games in Fenway are ones that Red Sox nation would rather forget.

Continue reading "Rays Write Red Sox Eulogy"

So this is what our forefathers had to go through, huddled around the radio, begging for a visual, tuned in only to the audio portion of the broadcast.  Thank goodness for XM radio and the ever-portable jack and coke.  I stepped outside to listen to the car radio until the network could regain coverage.  Never before had I yearned for the voice of Chip Caray.

Due to a power outage at TBS Saturday evening, the network responsible for showing the American League Championship Series fell far short of its broadcast duties.  Sox and Rays fans were anxious enough going into Games Six and Seven.  We shouldn’t have to be submitted to network gaffes.   TBS’ first inning coverage was as effective as Mark Kotsay with runners in scoring position.

Continue reading "Ted Turner - The Rays' Tenth Man"

It’s not very often that you get to see a World Series game in person.  So when ‘my connection’ called me up with a ticket to spare, I decided to make the two-hour trek to the Trop for Game One.  Although Tampa Bay had just beaten my Boston Red Sox, this was an opportunity I could not pass up.  Far be it from me to look a gift cowbell in the mouth.

Besides, I wanted to soak up the atmosphere first hand.  I was curious to see if Tampa Bay fans would show up and support their baseball team when, for the majority of the season, they had failed to do so.  Saint Petersburg has seen Yankees and Red Sox fans overtake their stadium for years.  This post-season, Philly fan would make them look civil by comparison.

Continue reading "The Scene From Game One: Mohawks and Cowbells and Rays Fans, Oh My!!!"