Guess Who's Bizack

-About the Patriots Jaguars Playoff Game-
This was the first real Patriots game I've been to. I had gone to a preseason game with Jay in the 02 season, which was great because it was the debut of Gillette Stadium. It was the last game against the Carolina Panthers. I loved that, but clearly it was no regular season game. which is clearly nothing CLOSE to a playoff game.

So we get to Gillette, and it was just amazing. the lights were dynamic, there was slight fog around the area, it was freezing that night. The stage was perfectly set. We pulled into the parking lot, parked the car, and pulled out the hot dogs and the propane grill. Jen made some mulled cider before we headed out, so we all started just drinking the cider and ate the grilled hot dogs. Then we pulled out the sliced kielbasa and onions and i started grilling those. As I'm doing this, two guys from Boston.com come by asking to interview all the girls, because they're doing a feature on female football fans, and apparently this was the biggest group of females they had seen yet. Incidentally, that article made it to boston.com
link

of course, the picture they chose was horrible. I think i'm in the middle of a bite and middle of a blink or something. playing the part of a douchebag.

anyway, we head in and the stadium's bustling. the standing room seats are nasty. we make our way up to our seats which are Section 327, Row 26- that's right, the last seats in the house. the view was still great. the pregame stuff was cool, then they started announcing the team, had fireworks, etc. it was awesome. chills up my spine.

the game was amazing. the patriots dominated in every aspect of the game. i missed one touchdown, the brady pass to givens because i was waiting for a mental retard to serve me my food at the concessions, but at least they had TVs there. so saw it, but not in person. promptly after I got my food, they scored two more times. it was awesome. the watson play where he bounced out of three tackles might have been one of the best plays I've seen in my life. if not, it's #2 all time. it was amazing because it was the last thing you ever expected. He will be a force if he continues to work hard. the asante samuel interception was butter also. I pretty much lost my voice that night yelling. it was perfect. it was freezing as hell though, and I think my core temperature dropped a few degrees.

after the game, we scanned the seats for the souvenir cups and found a bunch, then slowly headed to the proshop. what a great way to end a perfect night. and then it happened. jon and dave talked to this guy there who was wearing the 2003 super bowl ring, the very one given to the playerse. How he had I is a mystery, but I guess he was a key employee. He disappeared after that, but fortunately, I found him again talking to some woman who he had let hold and wear the ring. So obviously, I asked to do the same. So most of us ended up wearing the ring, holding it, and we have the pictures to prove it. that badboy is heavy. I had serious problems taking pictures of it because the diamonds on it prevented me from using the flash, as the ring would just turn into a white glob. But if i turned the flash off, the camera woudl take a blurry picture. point being, i have the pictures, they're not perfect, but whatever.

now that's the way to end a perfect night. 177 bucks to experience the best night of my life. and then play with the 03 super bowl ring. how do you pass that up? =) I think I got my mom hooked too, which is good, because...

I am now addicted to Gillette Stadium, and out of completely selfish reasons, am "rooting" (i use that term loosely) for the steelers to win. maybe i should put it as, i'm rooting for the colts to lose, so that pitt comes to foxboro and I'll have another chance to watch a playoff game at Gillette. And if that happens, expect to see me there. There's just no way I'd not go. this is as good as it gets, and I will not stand by idly and not participate in this Dynasty. It's well documented that after a hall of fame Qb retires, the team goes straight into Oblivia. look at the packers who lost bart starr until they got Favre, the Broncos until they got Elway, etc, etc. Players like Brady dont just pop up. they're once in a generation. and if you think that i'm going to "save money" and not go experience the Patriots, you'd be wrong. get it while it's hot.

onto other things, go to boston sports media watch to read the manifesto on why Ron Borges should be fired. a link to a printable page is
link



I sent an email in, and got a reply from Joe Sullivan, sports editor at the globe.

[reply]
From: jtsullivan@globe.com
To: Paul
Date: Jan 13, 2006 3:00 PM
Subject: Re: Fire Ron Borges. Please.

Ron Borges is one of the best football writers in the country. As the
author of "On Football" stories in the Globe, he's paid to have an opinion.
One of his most recent opinions was that Bill Belichick should be the NFL's
Coach of the Year. In past stories he has written that as a member of the
Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, he will lead the effort for
Belichick's induction when the time comes. I see no bias in his work at the
Globe.

Joe Sullivan
Sports Editor
[/reply]

my response:
[response]
From: Paul
To: "jtsullivan@globe.com"
Date: Jan 13, 2006 3:20 PM
Subject: Re: Fire Ron Borges. Please.

I'm acutely aware that Borges said that Belichick should be the coach of the year. That I agree with him on that is irrelevant. It's the attitude that he has conveyed when writing about Belichick and the Patriots through the years that has brought me among several others to where I am today regarding Borges.

Personally, I dont care if Borges will lead the effort to induct Belichick into the Hall of Fame. The issue is not- "is Borges being/or will be nice to Belichick, or has Borges said nice things about Belichick."

Your premise of Borges being one of the best football writers in the country should be checked. And while I certainly dont understand why the globe continues to employ him, your comment that "he is paid to have an opinion" certainly clarifies the situation for me. In my view, he is not paid to just have an opinion. He is paid to have an educated opinion based on facts, circumstances and then coupled with personal assertions, which as far as I'm concern, is not the case. (I understand that that is a debatable statement.) otherwise, you can pay me for my opinion, as I have many. (but you wouldnt though...)- one of the main reasons that everyone who loves sports is not a sports reporter is that it takes a discernable skill to be a successful one. Whether Borges has/lost/ever had that skill is not for me to decide or comment on, but as far as I can tell right now, on the issue of the Patriots and Belichick, what Borges CURRENTLY has to say (bad, or good) is tainted and rendered irrelevant because so much, if not all of what he says seems to be personally motivated.
[/response]

on the denver game now
I have two principles that I execute when picking playoff games.
1. absorb all the facts, and come to the obvious conclusion. this is usually better than 50-50 for me, because it's clear that I'm smarter than the average bear.
2. if after 1 is performed, and by all accounts, the match seems to be even, listen to common belief and popular opinion and do the opposite. this is also mirrored by the Sports Guy.

this has been almost 100%. a good example from last year-
colts go to foxboro, and by my best estimations, pats will win. the obvious problem is that manning threw for 49 touchdowns last year, and their offense was "nasty." so nasty that MAYBE the pats couldnt handle it. regardless, i thought the pats would win, but it would be fair to say that it'd be an even match also. popular opinion held that it would be a high scoring shootout. i think it had a high over/under. result- pats trounce indy.

pats go to pittsburgh to play the steelers, and i couldnt tell what would happen. the steelers dominated the pats the first time around during the regular season, and were 15-1 that season, had a great running game, and a great defense. after the indy game, the pats were on fire, but again, by my estimations, pats would win, but again it'd be fair to call it even. or so I thought. popular belief held that it would be a low scoring, close game dictated purely on defense and field goals. result- pats trounce the steelers.

i'm in a similar situation this year concerning the broncos, except for a few matters. the first time they played, denver jumped to a huge lead early. secondly, the pats were fielding their B/C team out there. and with exception to given's ill timed drop of a completely wide open reception (which i still cant really let go of... cause that would have been first down and the pats would have tied the game after the obvious ensuing TD and 2 pt conversion...) the pats would have won. the game was close, despite the C team out there and all the defensive gaffs the secondary was committing. back to the present. we'll be fielding the A team, which is on a hot streak, where the front 7 are dominating, and our secondary while weak, is beginning to play better, especially with the absence of one particular Mr. Duane Starks. We now have a dynamic rookie who has more than stepped in to do the job. Mr 27, Ellis Hobbs. Seymour is in, Bruschi is in, Faulk, Dillon (I know, i know... i cant figure him out either), and Colvin is playing like he's possessed. With everyone back, i think this game is even. I wont lie- denver scares me a little. Their running game has always been good, and with the chop blocking schemes or whatever the hell they call their oline crap out there, i fear that one of our guys will get hurt in the dline. i have all the faith in the world that jarvis green will come in and dominate like he always does, but nevertheless. i hate teams like denver. I'm not so worried about lynch, but I am about Bailey. I think our receivers will do just fine, despite him though. kickers are a wash. which brings up back to Brady. and plummer. I think plummer will get ousted this game. I want to think that Brady will destroy this team. he probably will. but there is a little seed of doubt in my mind over our secondary. if for some reason the pats cant put pressure on plummer, and he rolls out, he might make some big plays. with guys like lelie and smith out there, who knows what'll happen. That's if we cant stop the run. If we stop the run, we win. if we can, maybe it's an even match. MAYBE. in which case... popular opinion believes that it will be a close match. which means that if i though this was goign to be an even match... which i think would be fair to say...

The Patriots will blow the Broncos out of the water.

I cant believe I just said that. but watch it happen.