Survived!

1) So I survived the ski trip relatively unharmed, not even falling (much less getting injured) during my four days on the slopes. Actually, the only time I fell all weekend was when I slipped on a patch of ice on the outdoor pool deck the day near the health club. Which was great, though I was able to brush myself off and not suffer any critical injuries. However, I did get injured by a blast of steam when trying to help my mom fix her mini-latte machine she got for christmas. So I've got that going for me.

2) Maybe it is because I hadn't spent an extensive amount of time in New England for a while, or maybe it is just worse than normal, but I think the local media (and WEEI callers) have officially lost it. How can the front office of the Sox, the same front office that was being praised as a wonderful regime for getting Andy Marte, Mark Lorretta, and Josh Beckett, be cripplingly ineffective when they don't overpay an aging centerfield whose value mostly comes from his declining speed? I mean, man, the worm sure turned very quickly there. Note to Sox fans: we are fine. We are getting younger. We have more funds available. We have a heck of a rotation. The defense is getting much better. The three holes in our everyday players will be filled, with the two most glaring spots that generally are not power positions (SS and CF), and first base may already have an answer in house (Youkilis or Lowell at 1B, or possibly both with Marte at 3B). Settle down. I'm willing to have a hole or two in the lineup if we can get a strong defenseman at SS/CF. And, apparently Manny just said he wants to stay, too, so we have that going for us.

3) I was a huge Raycroft fan, but I have seen the future, and his name is Hannu Toivonen. We have two young, potential stud goalies. Now all we need is a defense and we are all set.

4) So I attended my first game at The Razor, watching the Pats JV drop a close game to Miami. Despite the Resident Female becoming hypothermic and frozen to the ground by the end of the game, a good time was had by all. I had fantastic seats, just off the twenty yard line and 14 rows up, about equal with where Flutie was when he kicked his historic dropgoal. Needless to say, it was very neat. I also was very impressed with Matt Cassell. Considering he threw more passes in that game than he had in his four years in college, I thought he did very well. It is nice to know that if the unthinkable were to happen in the near future, we aren't relying on another Scott Zolak to save our season.

5) Speaking of the Pats, I feel like I am the only one worried about the game on Saturday, and I am confused. I still think (hope (pray)) the Pats are going to win it, but the media consensus seems to think the old Pats are back, and they are set to cruise to next weekend with little trouble. Don't get me wrong, I would love it if that were the case, but these are the same Pats that only beat one quality team since the early days of the season, back when there was a semblence of a secondary and starting line. I know the Pats have thrashed the teams they were suppossed to lately, and they looked very good doing it, but I don't think that handing the Jets, Bills, and the Bucs their collective asses necessarily means we can just pencil in four wins in the next five weeks. I'm optimistic about the possibility, but I am much less confident this year than I was even in 2001. That's all I'm saying.

6) Of course, much to the Resident Female's chagrin, here is what I think is happening in the playoffs: Pats beat Jax, Pit beats Cin. Pats beat Denver, Pit beats Indy. Pats beat Pit @ NE. In Detroit, Brady goes to 13-0 in the playoffs, with Ben Watson getting the Superbowl MVP. On that day, the Resident Female also decides that she is down for a threesome with the now-single Rebecca Romijn. Rebecca agrees to it as long as it is filmed, since she and I have wanted to do a project together for some time now. The film becomes the single highest grossing film of all time, and I can retire, having signed on for 80% of the net profit. I then purchase the Bruins and run it like I have half a clue, which represents a huge stride forward for the franchise.

7) It's also really nice to see that USC fans just got a taste of what I experienced for three horrendous years under the Pete Carroll era. There is no way this guy is a good coach. So, Pete, take your 1.5-national-titles-in-a-row trophy, and sit down. You had that game won in the first quarter, and you had it one in the fourth quarter, and your team just kept giving it away. And on that 4th-2: 31 Dive? 31 Dive? Your kidding, right? I mean, the Texans had both the gaurds face up with the linebackers obviously stacking up to shoot the A and B gaps on either side of center. It had been so long, I had forgotten why I hated you.