I Can Never Thank Them Enough

A new website was just launched where Red Sox fans can offer their thanks to both Terry Francona and Theo Epstein, for all they did to bring two World Series titles to the city of Boston. It's called "Thank You Theo and Tito", and you can show your appreciation to both by writing a note to both men.

I will be writing something over there shortly, and it will likely be along the lines of what I once said to Tom Werner and John Henry, when I met both of them in Professor Thom's one summer night in 2007. Pointing to the 2004 World Series champions hat I was wearing, I said:

"Thank you for this, and for making my life in New York City so much more bearable."

I will never be able thank Mr. Epstein and Mr. Francona enough for everything they did the past decade. May God bless them both.

(With thanks to Allan at Joy of Sox, who alerted me to this website.)

Valentine. Finally.

The Red Sox are about to turn the keys to the kingdom over to Bobby Valentine, and are about to make him the 45th manager in club history.

Valentine has agreed to become the next manager, two months after Terry Francona departed. No terms have been announced yet, but a formal announcement from the Red Sox should happen in the next day or so.

Well, Bobby V was not on the original list of those who were to be interviewed for the job, and it is widely speculated that Valentine was the choice of Larry Lucchino, a longtime friend of his. This leads many to believe that new GM Ben Cherington wasn't originally on board with this choice. Time will tell if he and Valentine will be able to work together.

As for me, I'm not Valentine's biggest fan, but I am willing to give him a chance. Remember, no one was jumping through hoops when Terry Francona was named manager in December 2003. And that worked out pretty well, no?

One thing is for sure: it won't be dull with Bobby V running the show.

PT's Trivia Q&A: November 29

We had 16 teams in on another rainy night in New York City, and I was pleasantly surprised to see my old friend Mariangela, who was a longtime Trivia Night regular who moved down to our nation's capital a few years back. We also had an early-arriving crowd, and many new faces in as well.

The numbers were generally fairly strong throughout the night, especially in Current Events and Odd Numbered Trivia. It was close scorewise going into IQ Trivia, with the top five teams only six points apart. But one of the teams tied for 5th place, Wild Card Hunt, ran the table in the final round and won by just two points, with 49 in total. It was the first win ever.

Second place went to I, Too, Slept With Herman Cain with 47 points, and third place went to Herman Cain's Third Leg (which won for Best Team Name) with 44 points.

Current Events
1. Rolling Stone magazine recently selected what trailblazing rock legend as its "Greatest Guitarist of All-Time" in a recent survey?
2. Republican presidential hopeful Michelle Bachmann received an apology last Thursday after she appeared on what TV talk show and the band played "Lyin' Ass Bitch" by Fishbone?
3. What 1980s pop star canceled the remaining shows of his 2011 European tour due to a bout with pneumonia?
4. Three American students were released from custody by authorities in what country this past weekend after they were suspected of throwing firebombs during protests there?
5. Former Florida head coach Urban Meyer was named the head coach of what college football team yesterday?
6. What hip-hop star's charity is currently under investigation for the way it handled money it has collected for Haiti's earthquake relief?
7. What classic '70s/'80s rock star is telling his fans on his website not to buy a new box set of his that was just released because he believes it is way overpriced?

Name The Decade Trivia
1. Nirvana releases the much-acclaimed album "Nevermind" and achieve mainstream success.
2. The American Football League begins play and challenges the NFL, resulting in a merger 10 years later.
3. Nearly one million Armenians die at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in what is called "The Armenian Genocide."
4. Henry Fonda wins his first Academy Award for "On Golden Pond", shortly before his death.
5. Stephen King's first novel, "Carrie", is published.
6. Ted Williams begins his Hall of Fame career with the Boston Red Sox.
7. Lady Gaga releases he first album, "The Fame."

Odd Numbered Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. The debut album from pop singer Adele is entitled what number?
2. The lunar month is approximately how many days?
3. The NY Yankees retired what number in honor of the late catcher Thurman Munson?
4. How many "swans-a-swimming" in the song "The 12 Days Of Christmas?"
5. Alaska is what number US state?
6. Jimmy Carter was what number US president?
7. Saturday Night Live's John Belushi and Chris farley both died at this same age.
8. Aquarius is this number sign of the Zodiac.
9. The Chicago Bulls retired this number in honor of Michael Jordan.
10. The third baseman in baseball is represented by this number.

General Knowledge
1. What actor co-starred with Nick Nolte in the 1982 movie "48 HRS?" ( 1 pt)
2. How many pins must be knocked down in a perfect game of 300 in bowling? ( 1 pt)
3. The majority of London buses are what color? ( 1 pt)
4. How many pawns are there on a chessboard at the start of a game of chess? ( 2 pt)
5. What world capital city is known as "the Eternal City?" ( 2 pt)
6. On how many consecutive years did Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France? ( 2 pt)
7. What card game has a name that comes from the Spanish for "basket?" ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. Where was the last military position evacuated by the British at the end of the Revolutionary war in 1783? ( 4 points)
2. Garrett's Farm was the site where which infamous American figure was shot dead? ( 3 points)
3. In 1921, who became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for literature? ( 5 points)
4. The Siege of Sevastopol was a major battle that occurred in what mid-19th century war? ( 4 points)
5. Bernard Barker, James McCord and Frank Sturgis were three of the men involved in what famous early 1970s event? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Jimi Hendrix; 2. "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon;" 3. George Michael; 4. Egypt; 5. Ohio State; 6. Wyclef Jean; 7. Elvis Costello.

Name The Decade
1. 1990s (1991); 2. 1960s (1960); 3. 1910s (1915); 4. 1980s (1982); 5. 1970s (1974); 6. 1930s (1939); 7. 2000s (2008).

Odd Numbered Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. 19; 2. 29; 3. 15; 4. 7; 5. 49; 6. 39; 7. 33; 8. 11; 9. 23; 10. 5.

General Knowledge
1. Eddie Murphy; 2. 120; 3. red; 4. 16; 5. Rome; 6. 7; 7. canasta.

IQ Trivia
1. New York City; 2. John Wilkes Booth; 3. Edith Wharton; 4. Crimean War; 5. Watergate break-in.

We'll Always Miss You, George

It seems impossible to believe that George Harrison passed away ten years ago today.

Here's a good montage of George's life, set to one of his greatest songs, "All Things Must Pass:"



If you missed Martin Scorsese's documentary on George, "Living In The Material World," make a point to see it next time it's on. It's terrific.

An Odd Thing For Trivia Night

Tuesday Night Trivia at Professor Thom's this week will feature "Name The Decade Trivia," where I will ask you to name the decade a recent event took place. You will also get another point if you can name the exact year as well.

The Q Train lightning round will be "Odd Numbered Trivia." Every answer in that round will be an odd number between 1 and 50, with no answer being the same number.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"How many pawns are there on a chessboard at the start of a game of chess?"

We get going at 9 PM on Tuesday. And Wednesday Night Trivia at Josie Wood's will return this week on Wednesday, November 30th at 9 PM. Hope to see you this week.

It's Officially a Losing Season

The total crapfest that has been the Minnesota Vikings 2011 season continued on Sunday, as the Atlanta Falcons whipped on the Vikings, 24-14 in the Georgia Dome.

Adrian Peterson was wisely kept in street clothes, as his high ankle sprain kept him out.

The Vikings are now 2-9, and the last time they lost 9 of 11 to begin a season was in 1961, their inaugural season. Will they match 1984, their worst season ever? They went 3-13 in the Les Steckel Era (it was one season only, thankfully). They have Denver, New Orleans, Washington, Chicago and Detroit left.

Tim Tebow's Flying Circus comes to the Metrodome next Sunday.

Stanford Wins Ugly, With Ugly Uniforms

Notre Dame ended their 2011 regular season on a down note, as #6 ranked Stanford won easily, 28-14.

I took in the game with my fellow Notre Dame fanatic Joe at Professor Thom's last night. (It was a lot quieter after the afternoon was packed with thrilled Michigan fans celebrating their first win over Ohio State since 2003.) It was all Stanford from the start, and Irish QB Tommy Rees was benched early, after fumbling and throwing an interception. Andrew Hendrix came on in the first quarter and really couldn't get anything going until the third, when he hit Michael Floyd with a 6-yard pass that made it 21-7.

Stanford had all the luck: Andrew Luck, that is. He threw four TDs, including two to wide receiver Coby Fleener (pictured). BTW, is he any relation to Felix Unger's onetime love, Mildred Fleener?

Anyway, Stanford debuted their new uniforms last night: all red. Why do some college and pro football teams insist on wearing the same color for pants and jersey? I find that color scheme rather butt ugly. I've always believed that they should have either white pants OR a white jersey to go along with their team color. The Oregon Ducks own the ugliest uniforms in football, but this Stanford uniform isn't too far behind.

Notre Dame scored a garbage-time TD by Hendrix in the final seconds that made the score a little more respectable at 28-14. The QB ended the night 11-for-24 for 192 yards. Nothing remarkable to be sure. Notre Dame ends the regular season at 8-4, and now waits to see what bowl they end up in. My friend Joe thinks it's the Gator Bowl. We shall see.

"The Day I Met Brian Clough...And Other Tributes"

In the United States, the name of Brian Clough is not a well-known name. But in England, he is a revered name in the world of football, which is better known on these shores as soccer.

Clough was a great player in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a striker for Middlesbrough, Sunderland and the English national team. But a 1962 knee injury led to his early retirement. He moved into club management, first with lower division Hartlepool, and then with Derby County, where Clough made his name as a manager.

He took Derby County from the lower end of the Second Division to the English League championship in a matter of just five years. He was a hard but fair manager who had a very high opinion of himself and his managerial talents. He moved on to Leeds United where he lasted just 44 days in charge before getting the axe. He rubbed a lot of people at Leeds the wrong way. To put it in an American baseball equivalent, think of a cross between Bobby Valentine and Ozzie Guillen. That gives you an idea of what Brian Clough was like.

Clough went on to greater success with Nottingham Forest, whom he managed from 1975-1993. He won another league title in 1978, and two European Cup championships. It was at around this time, 1977, that I began watching the English League matches on TV, which were broadcast on PBS every Saturday afternoon. And Nottingham Forest was on a magical run to the top of English football, in their first season back in the First Division. I became a Forest fan, as they were on so much, and one of the team's stars was Brian Clough. He was a colorful character I liked from the first days I had heard of him.

Recently I became friendly with man named Marcus Alton on Facebook. Marcus is a journalist who was also a Forest and Clough fan, who founded www.brianclough.com, a tribute site to the "Big Old 'Ead" as Brian Clough was affectionately called. Marcus met Brian Clough on a few occasions, and also helped raise the funds to have a statue of Clough erected in Nottingham City Centre. Marcus told me about a tribute book he was putting together to benefit the Brian Clough Memorial Fund, and he asked me if I'd like to add something to it.

So I wrote my remembrance, and it appears on page 174 of "The Day I Met Brian Clough...And Other Tributes." It's a terrific book of loving remembrances from people like Clough's former players and rivals to average fans and other journalists who bring back "Cloughie" to life. (Brian Clough died in 2004.) In my tribute, Marcus titled it: "The man who attracted me to soccer...even all these miles away."

The book includes a few photographs of the man as well. It's a loving tribute to a larger-than-life man who is fondly remembered, not only throughout Great Britain but the entire soccer world. (A few other folks in America are included, and from places like Australia, Denmark, South Africa and New Zealand as well.)

I am really proud and honored to be included in "The Day I Met Brian Clough..And Other Tributes." I recommend the book to all of you who are Brian Clough fans, or just soccer fans in general. I'm sure the book put a smile of Brian's face, whatever he is right now.

Happy Thanksgiving To You All

I want to wish all of you who read The Mighty Quinn Media Machine a very Happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day. I will be celebrating the day with my family in Brooklyn.

For me, it's a day for turkey, football, "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie (at noon on WAXQ here in NYC), The WPIX Odd Couple marathon (starting at 11 AM), but most importantly, a day to give thanks for all the blessings I have in this life. I am a very lucky guy, and this day just reinforces that fact.

And another special thing on this Thanksgiving Day is "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," which is on ABC tonight at 8 PM. And one of the best parts of it is when Linus says the Thanksgiving prayer. Here it is:



Blessings to all of you on this special day, especially those far from their families, serving our great country.

At Least There Is Labor Peace

That was maybe one of the few things I like about the new CBA that was enacted by both MLB and the Players Association yesterday.

I do NOT like the fact that two more teams are being added to the playoffs. Everyone seems to think it's a wonderful thing that two Wild Card teams will play in a one-game playoff to determine who will be the Wild Card representative. It makes the regular season less relevant in my eyes, and can bring in teams that really have no business being in the playoffs. And think of last season's Wild Card race. The Red Sox and Braves both would have had gone to the playoffs and made that final night of the 2011 regular season far less than what it turned out to be. (And I write that as a Red Sox fan, too.)

Eight teams in the postseason is ENOUGH. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We don't need baseball to turn into basketball or hockey.

And I REALLY don't like the fact that the Houston Astros are moving to the American League to make both leagues an even 15 teams in 2013. That means that the "scourge of baseball", interleague, will become a daily nuisance. And it will likely be expanded to as many as 30 games per team. Unless the NL decides to finally join the rest of the baseball world and adopt a DH, this is a disaster for AL teams. Pure and simple. I know some people think I maybe a stick in the mud because I don't think interleague baseball isn't greatest thing since sliced bread. I detest it, as it has created wildly uneven schedules, and puts the AL teams at an unfair disadvantage in NL parks. Unless that is addressed in this new system, count me out.

The CBA includes other changes like the expansion of replay (which is fine with me), HGH testing for the first time and changes to the amateur draft. Here is the complete list from The Biz of Baseball.

It's a new five year deal between the owners and players, and at least we don't have to hear words like "lockout" or "players strike" until at least the end of 2016.

PT's Trivia Q&A: November 22

We had 19 teams come out to Professor Thom's on a rainy night in Manhattan. I figured we'd still get a good turnout, with Thanksgiving weekend on the horizon.

Thanksgiving Trivia showed some mixed results, but the numbers were generally pretty strong for True or False Trivia and General Knowledge. Going into IQ Trivia, we had five teams within two points of each other.

But the team of Jerry's Kids, who was in first place, got all five correct in the final round to ice the victory with 53 points to win by five. Congratulations to them on their first ever Trivia Night win. Second place went to Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Indians with 48 points, and we had a tie for third place with 47 points between I Last Longer Than The NBA Lockout and Life's a Taco.

Best Team Name: Shopping For a Turkey? The Supercommittee's Got 12!

Current Events
1. What 36-year-old actor was selected by People magazine as it's "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2011?
2. What actor/comedian was named host of January's Golden Globe Awards after his much talked-about appearance from earlier this year?
3. The latest survey from Public Policy Polling had what candidate now in first place among the Republican presidential candidates?
4. Mario Monti became prime minister of what country last week?
5. Finland is currently in a fight over the "ownership" of the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, with what other European country, as both countries believe they are mostly closely associated with it?
6. Greg Halman, a 23-year-old MLB prsopect from the Netherlands, was stabbed to death yesterday by his brother in his native country. Which AL team did he play 35 games for in 2011?
7. What rock superstar announced on his website on Monday that he will embark on his first tour in three years in 2012, with a new album coming out next year as well?

Thanksgiving Trivia
1. What US president issued the "Thanksgiving Proclamation" making the last Thursday in November the holiday?
2. In which decade did the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade take place?
3. Which West African country also celebrates a Thanksgiving Day every November?
4. How many days did the first Thanksgiving last in 1621?
5. The first Thanksgiving celebration in America took place in what state?
6. Which US president in the 20th century standardized the Thanksgiving holiday by making it the 4th Thursday in November?
7. What folk singer recorded "Alice's Restaurant", about a memorable Thanksgiving Day in his life?

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Top-performing companies are called "blue chips" after the costliest chips in casinos.
2. Italian is not an official language of Switzerland.
3. The Davis Cup is awarded in the sport of golf.
4. Dallas is the largest city by population in the state of Texas.
5. George Orwell got the title for his novel "1984" by reversing the last two numbers, as it was written in 1948.
6. A silverfish is actually a fish colored silver.
7. Jerry Stiller, aka Frank Costanza, is the father of actor Ben Stiller.
8. The temperature of Absolute Zero is -459 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. Coca-Cola at one time actually contained cocaine.
10. The host of the children's TV show, "Blue's Clues", Steve Burns, died of a heroin overdose.

General Knowledge
1. Rocky Marciano was a world champion in what sport? ( 1 pt)
2. The meat stew called goulash comes from what European country? ( 1 pt)
3. How many seconds are there in one hour? ( 1 pt)
4. In 1978, Gerry Rafferty had a Top 10 hit song about what famous London street? ( 2 pt)
5. In what country would you cross the longest suspension bridge in the world? ( 2 pt)
6. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2011 is the year of what animal? ( 2 pt)
7. In what European country is the International Olympic Committee headquarters located? (3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. Seven women have held what presidential cabinet post, the most ever held by women? ( 4 points)
2. "United States-Vietnam Relations: 1945-1967" is the official name of what famous documents? ( 5 points)
3. Name 1 of the 2 actors who have been nominated for best Actor and Best Director Oscars in the same film on two different occasions? ( 4 points)
4. What director, known mostly for comedy films, directed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video? ( 3 points)
5. "Expect Great Things" is the current slogan of what department store? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Bradley Cooper; 2. Ricky Gervais; 3. Newt Gingrich; 4. Italy; 5. Norway; 6. Seattle Mariners; 7. Bruce Springsteen.

Thanksgiving Trivia
1. Abraham Lincoln; 2. 1920s (1924); 3. Liberia; 4. three; 5. Massachusetts; 6. Franklin D. Roosevelt; 7. Arlo Guthrie.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. true; 2. false; 3. false, tennis; 4. false, Houston; 5. true; 6. false, its a wingless insect; 7. true; 8. true; 9. true; 10. false, it's an urban legend.

General Knowledge
1. boxing; 2. Hungary; 3. 3600; 4. Baker Street; 5. Japan; 6. rabbit; 7. Switzerland.

IQ Trivia
1. Secretary of Labor; 2. The Pentagon Papers; 3. Clint Eastwood and Warren Beatty; 4. John Landis; 5. Kohl's.

Good Stuff To Look Forward To

It's been a bizarre last few months to be a Red Sox fan for sure, but here's a few things to look forward to in 2012:

Truck Day: February 11
Pitchers and Catchers report: February 19 (now reflected in the countdown clock)
First Spring Training Game: March 3rd vs. Northeastern and Boston College (twinbill)
First Game against MLB teams: March 4th vs. Minnesota
2012 Opener: April 5th in Detroit
2012 Home Opener: April 13th vs. Tampa Bay

The Sox play the Evil Empire twice in March: the 13th in Tampa and the 22nd in Ft. Myers. They conclude Spring Training on April 3rd in Washington DC against the Nationals.

Here is the complete Spring Training schedule.

Congratulations to Jacoby Ellsbury, who finished second in the AL MVP voting to Justin Verlander, the first pitcher to win it since The Eck took home the honors in 1992. It was close. Adrian Gonzalez finished seventh and Dustin Pedroia finished ninth.

Turkey Day Trivia This Week

This Tuesday night, the Special Category for Trivia Night at Professor Thom's will be "Thanksgiving Trivia," seven questions about that very American of holidays.

And remember: the Christmas season doesn't start until Thursday, when Santa appears during the Thanksgiving Day Parade (pictured). And not a minute sooner.

The Q Train lightning round will be "True or False Trivia."

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"In what country would you cross the longest suspension bridge in the world?"

We get going shortly after 9 PM on Tuesday night. And a reminder that Trivia Night on Wednesday at Josie Wood's pub will not be happening this week, as we will take off for the Thanksgiving holiday, but it will return on Wednesday night, November 30th at 9 PM.

Hope to see some of you at Professor Thom's on Tuesday night for some Turkey Day Trivia!

A Winning Season's Gone, And So May Be AP

The Vikings will now have to run the table in order just to finish at .500.

Ain't no chance of that happening.

A dreadful season got even worse today when Adrian Peterson hurt his right ankle in the second quarter and did not return to the game. He scored the Vikings first touchdown and rushed for 26 yards on 6 carries. No word yet on the severity of Peterson's ankle injury and how long it might keep him out.

The Oakland Raiders steamrolled their way to a 27-21 victory, tearing apart a depleted Vikings secondary. Christian Ponder threw two touchdowns late after the Vikings fell behind 27-7, but the comeback came up short. He threw three costly interceptions.

The Vikings are now 2-8. The baseball season can't come quick enough for me.

ND Takes BC In Punt Fest

It was one of those grind-it-out victories for Notre Dame on Saturday, as they beat heavily-underdog Boston College, 16-14, in the final game at Notre Dame Stadium for 2011.

Jonas Gray opened the scoring on the first drive of the game with a 26-yard TD burst. He ran for 61 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with a knee injury. The extent of it is still not known, and he'll have more tests on it today. Bad break for the senior who was having a breakout season.

The game turned into a defensive struggle, and ND had lousy field position for a good part of the game. Credit to both teams' defenses. The game remained at 13-7 from the second quarter into the fourth, when BC drove 80 yards to a TD from Chase Rettig to Bobby Swigert with just over two minutes to play. The Irish recovered an onside kick to seal the victory and ran out the clock.

Cierre Wood rushed for 94 yards and eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark, with a total of 1,001 for the season. David Ruffer was perfect in FG attempts, hitting three from 40, 41 and 27 yards.

Number 24 ranked Notre Dame is now 8-3 on the season (3-0 against the ACC) and takes on Stanford in their regular season finale next Saturday night in Palo Alto.

I'd Give Anything To Play Catch With Dustin

A Happy Belated Birthday to David Ortiz, who turned 36 yesterday. (I still believe he will be in a Red Sox uniform in 2012. The market for a DH is pretty slim right now, so his return to the Fens looks pretty good right now.)

In other Papi news, he currently has an online auction you might like to check out. The David Ortiz Celebrity Gold Classic Auction just opened yesterday, and there are many special items you can bid on. They include:

Hitting Lessons with David Ortiz - The ultimate pre game! Visit batting practice and tour the stadium prior to a 2012 home game and get to meet David Ortiz. Also included is a pair of seats for the game. (Date to be mutually agreed upon for a 2012 Home Game.)

· The Chance to play catch with Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia - Step out with Dustin Pedroia, one of the best in the game! In just four years in the league, Pedroia has won several awards including the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year, 2008 AL MVP, Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger Award. Win this once in a lifetime opportunity and get fielding tips from the Red Sox second baseman. The winner of this experience will also receive four (4) tickets to a Boston Red Sox home game at Fenway Park. (Experience to include a game of catch with Dustin Pedroia and four (4) tickets to a Boston Red Sox home game at Fenway Park for a mutually agreed upon date in the 2012 season.)

· Style360 @ New York Fashion Week - Two (2) tickets for VIP access to Style360, a multi-day fashion showcase during New York Fashion Week February 2012. Winners will be awarded VIP access to all fashion shows, backstage, media suite access, and after parties hosted at exclusive NYC nightclub. Front row seats also included. Package includes a three (3) night stay at the New York Marriott Marquis and two (2) roundtrip JetBlue Vouchers

· The Hero & Prodigy Package – Enjoy a Thirty (30) minute tennis session with Andy Roddick .The package also includes an autographed copy of Agassi’s autobiography “Open” and autographed tennis ball from both Agassi and Roddick.

· The US Open Package - Two (2) US Open Suite tickets for one (1) day session during the first week of the Tournament. A two (2) night stay at the New York Marriott Marquis plus Dinner for Two (2) at Crossroads American Kitchen & Bar and two (2) roundtrip JetBlue Vouchers

· Dominican Paradise Getaway – Once in a lifetime vacation for 12 people at the Golden Dolphin Villa located on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. Package includes a five (5) night, six (6) day all inclusive vacation for 12 people at the Golden Dolphin Villa. Also included are six (6) spa treatments, one (1) round of golf for six (6) players at the neighboring Playa Grande Golf Club. Meals will be prepared daily by the private chef at your request.

The bidding will continue until 11:59 PM ET on December 2nd. The auction is part of Papi's Celebrity Golf Classic, which is taking place in the Dominican Republic from December 1-4. If you'd like to make a bid, check out the David Ortiz Children's Fund site, and good luck in the bidding!

Tito. Theo. Paps. Heidi, Too?

First, the Sox and Terry Francona parted company. Then with Theo Epstein. And then Jonathan Papelbon left.

And now, it's Heidi Watney taking's off from Boston. She's heading back to California to be the Los Angeles Lakers sideline reporter. (She does know that the NBA is still locked out, right?)

Will the bloodletting from last September ever stop? Now I'm really depressed. I'd love to see the lovely and talented Tina Cervasio return to Fenway.

Anyway, the Red Sox managerial search took a strange turn last night, as the Cubs offered Dale Sveum their managerial position. It looked like the Sox were going settle on Sveum, who so far has been the only candidate interviewed twice.

Interesting to see the Cubs beat the Red Sox to the punch on Sveum. You don't suppose this is Theo Epstein trying to stick it to Larry Lucchino, do you?

Three candidates still remain: Torey Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Gene Lamont. Pete Mackanin was recently eliminated from consideration. Lovullo would seem to be the odds-on favorite now, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the search go on a little while longer.

PT's Trivia Q&A: November 15

We had another big crowd on Tuesday night, as 20 teams took part in the festivities. The scores were a bit tough for Pop Music Trivia, but they were made up for in 1-10 Trivia, as all but four teams got all ten right. (I can promise you that next week's Q Train will be a little bit tougher.)

The teams were tightly bunched going into the final round, as the top five were divided by just three points. (The top two were tied, and the other three were also tied among themselves.)

But one of those teams in third, Sandusky Likes 'Em Husky, ran the table with 20 points, and wound up winning by seven points, with a total of 49. Nice job by Bob and his buddies.

Second place went to It's Only Horseplay, with 42 points, and we had a tie for third place between Something Witty and If I Am Elected Your Trivia Host, I Will Abolish Current Events, IQ Trivia and ..Oops, both with 41 points.

Best Team Name: 9-9-9 Problems and a Bitch Is One

Current Events
1. A petition with over 50,000 signatures is asking the Detroit Lions NOT to have what Canadian rock band perform during halftime of their Thanksgiving Day game?
2. In what western US state were voters allowed to use iPads to cast their ballots, the first state to use them on Election Day?
3. In a recent poll of 100-year-olds by United Healthcare, which elderly actress outpolled President Obama in a survey of who they would most like to have dinner with?
4. What actor was named host of the Academy Awards ceremony for 2012 after Eddie Murphy, the original host, bowed out last Wednesday?
5. Wilson Ramos, a catcher for the Washington Nationals, was kidnapped last week by armed gunmen and later set free in what country, his home country?
6. Bil Keane, who drew what popular newspaper comic strip for over 50 years, died last week at the age of 89?
7. What actor was widely criticized last for writing on Twitter that the firing of Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was "in poor taste?"

Pop Music Trivia
1. What rock star was killed in a helicopter crash in Wisconsin in 1990?
2. "Losing My Religion" by REM in the early 1990s was the first number one song to use what instrument since Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" in 1971?
3. Dave Matthews was born in what country?
4. The 25-acre memorial in Central Park for John Lennon is called what?
5. Who holds the title of "Highest Grossing Music Tour By a Female Artist" for her "Farewell Tour" of 2005?
6. "Lady Soul" is what female R&B singer's nickname?
7. What artist has the greatest number of Billboard Top 40 hits all-time?

1-10 Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Capricorn is this number sign of the Zodiac.
2. Jupiter is this number planet from the Sun.
3. How many sides does a heptagon have?
4. The Beatles released a compilation album in 2000 entitled what number?
5. Yankees Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig wore this number.
6. How many years did the Korean War last?
7. This is the number of points awarded in football for a safety.
8. June is this number month of the year.
9. The right fielder in baseball is this number player.
10. Hanukkah lasts this number days and nights.

General Knowledge
1. Which is the most easterly of the Great Lakes? ( 1 pt)
2. The musical instrument the sitar is associated with what country? ( 1 pt)
3. How many minutes are there in each period of a regulation hockey game? ( 1 pt)
4. What body organ creates insulin? ( 2 pt)
5. In what team sport would you perform a maneuver called a kong? (2 pt)
6. What Greek poet wrote "The Illiad" and "The Odyssey?" (2 pt)
7. From what country does Bacardi Rum originate? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. Malabar Black is the most expensive variety of what commodity? ( 3 points)
2. Vaduz is the capital of what European country? ( 5 points)
3. In what present-day US state was the Roanoke Colony founded, in 1585? ( 4 points)
4. What 1960s Oscar-winning film featured only one female in the entire movie, a camel named Gladys? ( 4 points)
5. What Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer died in 1983 after choking on the cap of his bottle of eyedrops? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Nickelback; 2. Oregon; 3. Betty White; 4. Billy Crystal; 5. Venezuela; 6. The Family Circus; 7. Ashton Kutcher.

Pop Music Trivia
1. Stevie Ray Vaughan; 2. mandolin; 3. South Africa; 4. Strawberry Fields; 5. Cher; 6. Aretha Franklin; 7. Elvis Presley.

1-10 Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. ten; 2. five; 3. seven; 4. one; 5. four; 6. three; 7. two; 8. six; 9. nine; 10. eight.

General Knowledge
1. Lake Ontario; 2. India; 3. twenty; 4. pancreas; 5. volleyball; 6. Homer; 7. Cuba.

IQ Trivia
1. pepper; 2. Liechtenstein; 3. North Carolina; 4. "Lawrence of Arabia;" 5. Tennessee Williams.

Hoped For Just a Respectable Game. Silly Me.

An absolutely ugly night for the Vikings at Lambeau Field on Monday night. The Green Bay Packers once again proved they are the class of the NFL: 45-7.

I was really hoping for a respectable game from the Vikings. I sure didn't get it. No discipline from the Vikings, as they committed penalty after penalty. Offensive line was awful, as Christian Ponder looked like he was harried by Green Bay all night.

Packers at times looked like they were toying with the Vikings.

This game brought back bad memories of the worst season in Vikings history: 1984. Remember Les Steckel, the one-year head coach that season? I've done my very best to forget him.

The Vikings finished 3-13 in 1984. I wouldn't be surprised if this team matches that. The Vikings are simply a bad football team.

It's going to be a long way back to respectability for this team, folks.

A-Rockin' and A-Rollin' On Tuesday

This Tuesday night, we will do as the Special Category, "Pop Music Trivia," seven questions about the wonderful world of music.

The Q Train lightning round will be another edition of "1-10 Trivia." That is ten questions where every answer will be a different number between 1 and 10, with no answers the same.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
In what team sport would you perform a maneuver called a "kong"?

We get going on Tuesday just after 9 PM. Trivia also returns to Josie Wood's on Wednesday night, November 16th at 9 PM as well. Hope to see many of you this week.

7 of 8

Notre Dame made it look really easy last night at FedEx Field, as they easily rolled over Maryland, 45-21. They pulled out the green uniforms last night, and it was the Irish's seventh win in their last eight games.

The Irish rolled up 508 yards of total offense. Tommy Rees had arguably his best day ever, going 30-for-38 for 296 yards and two touchdowns. He was particularly superb in the second half, going 14-for-15.

The running back tandem of Jonas Gray and Cierre Wood were also excellent, as Gray rushed for 136 and 2 TDs, and Wood 99 yards and 1 TD.

David Ruffer also set a new personal high for his longest field goal, from 52 yards out in the first quarter.

It was a night everything went right. The Irish jumped out 10-0 after the first quarter, and it was 17-7 at the half. The defense also had its moments, as Lo Wood returned a Danny O'Brien pass 57 yards for a TD in the third. That basically iced the game at 38-7.

One question I do have. This game was played just 12 miles from Maryland's campus, but yet this was considered a Notre Dame "home" game. Haven't been able to find out why.

The 7-3 Irish have two games left: Boston College at South Bend next week, and a big one Thanksgiving weekend against Stanford at Palo Alto.

Papelbon To Philly

Jonathan Papelbon reached an agreement with the Phillies on a four year-$50 million deal today, so I guess that means the Ryan Madson deal, reached earlier this week, is dead.

And now the guessing game for the Red Sox is who will close next season: Daniel Bard, Madson, or someone like Heath Bell?

The Red Sox weren't going to give Papelbon a contract like that, and they will also receive two first-round picks when the deal is done.

It was some ride. Thanks for the memories, Pap, especially this one, from October, 2007:

Thanks. Always.

On this Veteran's Day, sincerest thanks to all who have and continue to serve our great nation. Especially to my friend Larry, who is a staff sergeant in the Army in Afghanistan.

Thanks to all of you in harm's way. Stay safe.

PT's Trivia Q&A: November 8

It was an enormously busy night at Professor Thom's on Tuesday, as we had the trophy ceremony for the EVSA, which is the softball league I played in, and the team I was on was sponsored by Professor Thom's. We lost the championship series 3 games to 1, to Parkside Buzz, so we hosted the festivities before Trivia Night. Buzz are a classy team and many of them stayed around to play Trivia after it was concluded.

We had 18 teams take part in Trivia Night, and it was a noisy night. We had four teams within two points of each other for the lead going into IQ Trivia, but the team tied for first, O'Trivia Newton-John, wound up winning by two points, as they got 4 of the 5 IQ questions correct. (They also won "the double", which also includes Best Team Name.) Congratulations to them on their first ever Trivia Night win.

We had a tie for second place, between An Older Woman Who Pursues a Younger Is a Cougar. An Older Man Who Pursues a Younger Man Is a Nittany Lion (BTW, lots of Penn State names on Tuesday), and Is Richard Pryor The Answer To #2? We broke the tie by asking, "Between the 2011 World Series teams, how many league titles together have they won?" With the answer being 20, Richard Pryor was closest with 18 and wound up second.

Current Events
1. What TV talk show host made TV history last week by having the first on-air gay wedding performed on his show?
2. The G-20 Summit to discuss the world economy and financial markets took place in what country last week?
3. Three Pakistani athletes were recently convicted and sentenced to jail for conspiracy to fix a match in what sport in 2008?
4. Which Oscar-winning actor has signed on to star as Bernie Madoff in an upcoming HBO film about the convicted fraudster?
5. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck what US state on Sunday, the largest one in the state's history?
6. 45 mine workers were rescued last weekend after an explosion in a mine in what Asian country killed 8 others?
7. What US city recently adopted a new law that bans naked people from eating in public restaurants?

November 8th Trivia
1. On this day in 1889, which western state joined the Union as the 41st state?
2. In 1966, Edward Brooke became the first black man elected to the US Senate since Reconstruction from what eastern state?
3. In 1923, what man led the unsuccessful Beer Hall Putsch, trying to overthrow the German government?
4. On this date in 1971, Led Zeppelin released what album, the third-best selling album in US history, which includes the classic "Stairway to Heaven?"
5. In 1895 on this date, Wilhelm Rontgen, a physicist from Germany, made what discovery, which was labeled a miracle of medicine?
6. In 1994, Sonny Bono was elected to Congress from what US state?
7. On this date in 1900, author Margaret Mitchell was born. What epic novel of hers has sold more than 30 million copies since it was first published in 1936?

Al Pacino Movie Characters ("The Q Train")
1. Michael Corleone
2. Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice
3. Tony Montana
4. Lowell Bergman
5. Lt. Col. Frank Slade
6. Lefty Ruggiero
7. Ricky Roma
8. Sonny Wortzik
9. Shylock
10. Satan

General Knowledge
1. In the film "Napoleon Dynamite", who were you encouraged to "vote for" by the many ubiquitous t-shirts? ( 1 pt)
2. What is the second-largest planet in our solar system? ( 1 pt)
3. How many bones are there in an adult human body? ( 1 pt)
4. Mogadishu is the capital of what African country? ( 2 pt)
5. A lavelier is a portable type of what? ( 2 pt)
6. Which disease is diagnosed by a Wasserman Test? ( 2 pt)
7. What European country has had seven kings named Haakon? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. Who is the only artist who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on three separate occasions? ( 5 points)
2. What famous fictional character lived in Hundred Acre Wood? ( 3 points)
3. The bilk of the two Italo-Abyssinian Wars of the 19th and 20th centuries were fought in what nation? ( 4 points)
4. What American sports company is run by three men with the last name of France? ( 4 points)
5. What country sits to the north of the Gulf of Aden and is home to many of the Somali pirates? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Conan O'Brien; 2. France; 3. Cricket; 4. Robert DeNiro; 5. Oklahoma; 6. China; 7. San Francisco.

November 8th Trivia
1. Montana; 2. Massachusetts; 3. Adolf Hitler; 4. Led Zeppelin IV; 5. X-rays; 6. California; 7. "Gone With the Wind."

Al Pacino Characters Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. The Godfather; 2. Dick Tracy; 3. Scarface; 4. The Insider; 5. Scent of a Woman; 6. Donnie Brasco; 7. Glengarry Glen Ross; 8. Dog Day Afternoon; 9. The Merchant of Venice; 10. The Devil's Advocate.

General Knowledge
1. Pedro; 2. Saturn; 3. 206; 4. Somalia; 5. microphone; 6. syphilis; 7. Norway.

IQ Trivia
1. Eric Clapton; 2. Winnie the Pooh; 3. Ethiopia; 4. NASCAR; 5. Yemen.

Thanks For The Memories, Smokin' Joe

I was sad to hear that the great Joe Frazier passed away on Monday at the age of 67. I was always a Joe Frazier fan. He was the heavyweight champion when I was a kid, and I remember a friend of mine and I found his mailing address and he sent us both a small autographed picture, which I have buried someplace in my house. (I hope one day I can find it.)

I never liked Muhammad Ali, who I always thought was an obnoxious loudmouth. I pulled for Joe in their three epic battles. Smokin' Joe always carried himself as the heavyweight champion with class and dignity.

And in his memory, I present one of his best post-fight career moments. His Miller Lite Beer commercial. A classic:



Thanks for the memories, Champ. Godspeed.

You Won't Be Out of Order With Trivia This Week

This week, Tuesday Night Trivia at Professor Thom's will feature "November 8th Trivia" as the Special Category. It will be events that have occurred on that date in history.

The Q Train lightning round will be "Al Pacino Characters Trivia." I will give you the names of 10 famous characters that the Oscar-winning actor has portrayed in his career, and you have to tell me the film they were featured in. We did it for Robert DeNiro last month and that was rather successful, so why not Pacino?

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
Mogadishu is the capital of what African country?

We get going just after 9 PM on Tuesday night. A reminder that Trivia Night at Josie Wood's will be happening on Wednesday night at 9 PM, on Waverly Place and Mercer Street. Hope to see many of you for Trivia this week.

ND Becomes Bowl Eligible

It was the first meeting ever between Notre Dame and Wake Forest on Saturday night, and it was a memorable one for the Irish, as their 24-17 win makes them bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year. The Irish have now won six of their last seven.

Tommy Rees, who was 14-for-23 for 166 yards, threw two touchdowns, and the Irish were down 17-10 at halftime. They held Forest scoreless in the second half, and scored two TDs in the third quarter, as Jonas Gray scored from one-yard out to tie the game. Gray had actually scored on a 26-yard run two plays earlier, but the refs actually reversed a correct call and said Gray's elbow touched the ground just before he hit the goal line. (Even refs can get it wrong on replay.) No matter, as Gray punched it in anyway.

Michael Floyd scored the game winner on a 16-yard pass from Rees late in the third. The Irish defense took over from there.

Interesting side note on this game was that it was played at BB&T Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC, which holds just over 31,000. It is the smallest venue Notre Dame has played in since 1945. The announced crowd was 36,307.

Next Saturday night, the Irish take on Maryland at FedEx Field in Landover, MD.

"The Big Show"

There's a new book out called "The Big Show", and it has absolutely nothing to do with a left-wing broadcaster or a professional wrestler. It is actually a coffee-table book of old time photographs of MLB players from the first half of the 20th century.

The pictures were taken by the renowned photographer Charles M. Conlon, who took over 30,000 photos of baseball players between 1904 and 1942. The book contains many from the upper echelon on the sport, like Babe Ruth, Connie Mack and Walter Johnson. But "The Big Show" also includes pictures of lesser known players, like Joe Grace, Randy Moore and Roy Weatherly. Household, as well as non-household names get their equal due in the book.

Each page as a different player, with text written by Neal and Constance McCabe. Roger Kahn, the profilic baseball author, wrote the foreword. The book is actually a follow-up to the acclaimed "Baseball's Golden Age," which was the first book of Conlon's photographs.

I've always been fascinated by baseball from the early 20th century, and if you are too, you should pick up this book. Lots of great stories as well as photos, as it was fascinating seeing and reading about Leo Durocher as a New York Yankee in 1929. And the story of Buck Weaver, who was one of the eight "Black Sox" who were banned from baseball in 1921, is also very interesting.

"The Big Show" is a terrific book of rare photographs, many never before published, from baseball's "Golden Age." I enjoyed it, and if you love baseball history, I'm sure you would too.

Around The Baseball World

It's quiet on the Hot Stove front right now, as the Red Sox haven't made any hugely significant moves yet. Right now the search for a new field manager continues.

Pete Mackanin, the Phillies bench coach, and Dale Sveum, Brewers bench coach (and remember his infamous gig as Sox third base coach back in 2004 and 2005?) interviewed this week, and the club has permission to talk to Sandy Alomar Jr. and Mike Maddux.

This process should go on for a few more weeks, and I'm betting we don't have a manager in place until after Thanksgiving.

Terry Francona will be interviewing for the two other top managerial vacancies right now: Cubs and Cardinals. The moment I heard that Tony LaRussa was stepping away, I thought he might be a perfect fit in St. Louis. So much for my theory that Tito might take a year away from the dugout and head for a broadcast network gig.

David Ortiz (DH), Jacoby Ellsbury (CF) and Adrian Gonzalez (1B) all were awarded the Silver Slugger Awards at their various positions. I have a little more respect for the Silver Sluggers than I do the Gold Gloves, that's for sure.

And the 10 candidates for the Hall of Fame as picked by the Veterans Committee were announced this week. Among the ten are two worthy names that I hope will be picked this time: Luis Tiant and Gil Hodges. I met Looie at Professor Thom's a few years back and told him it was a crime he wasn't in the Hall and hoped one day he would go in. He wasn't too optimistic of ever being enshrined, but I'm pulling for him big time.

The vote will take place during the Winter Meetings on December 5th.

Three Sox Win Meaningless Award

Take it for what its worth. Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury won AL Gold Gloves, as the awards were announced last night.

In my opinion, they are the most overrated awards in sports. But it sounds like all three actually deserved to win them this year.

Congratulations to them anyway.

PT's Trivia Q&A: November 1

It was a night when we had a lot of trouble with the microphone, and a whopping 24 teams turned out as well. (My thanks to my buddy Devin, Thom's manager, who did his very best getting it fixed.)

We started late, and we didn't finish until nearly 11:30 PM. The scores were rather low for Current Events and True or False Trivia, as they were a bit on the difficult side.

We had a three-way tie going into General Knowledge, and a two-way tie going into IQ Trivia. But the team in fourth place, Just The Q-Tip, Just For a Sec, Just To See How It Feels wound up jumping over the top three and won by three points, with 52 points. Nice job on another win for them.

Second place went to When Herman Cain Sexually Harassed Me In Berlin, I Said "9-9-9" (who also won for Best Team Name) and third place was a tie between Live Free Or Drink and Is That a Hot Dog In Your Pants Or Are You Just Happy It's Jess' Birthday? both had 45 points.

Current Events
1. A tooth from what late rock star will go up for auction in England this month, and is expected to bring $16,000 to the owner?
2. According to Forbes magazine, who was the highest-grossing "dead celebrity" at $170 million for the year of 2010?
3. Michael D. Higgins was elected the ninth president of what country last weekend?
4. What Asian-based company passed Apple last week to become the number one manufacturer of smartphones in the world?
5. What airline shut down its entire fleet of planes, grounding all flights last weekend due to continued union action against the company, but returned flying Monday?
6. What female singer's current album was Billboard's number one album for the 13th consecutive week, the first to do that since the Titanic soundtrack turned the trick in 1998?
7. The US is bankrolling a $20 million initiative to bring a version of the children's TV show "Sesame Street" to what foreign country, hoping it will increase tolerance there?

Q-Tip Trivia
1. Which of the following states currently have two Democrats in the US Senate? a. New York; b. New Jersey; c. Florida; d. Illinois.
2. Which of the following MLB teams have won the World Series twice in the 21st century? a. Philadelphia Phillies; b. St. Louis Cardinals; c. Florida Marlins; d. Boston Red Sox.
3. Which US presidents did not serve a full term of four years in office? a. Franklin Pierce; b. Benjamin Harrison; c. Warren G. Harding; d. Calvin Coolidge.
4. For which of the following films was Meryl Streep NOT nominated for an Academy Award? a. The Deer Hunter; b. Postcards From The Edge; c. The Bridges of Madison County; d. The Devil Wears Prada.
5. Which of these classic sitcoms was a spinoff from another series? a. Laverne and Shirley; b. Friends; c. Married With Children; d. The Jeffersons.
6. Which months of the year don't have a national holiday in them? a. March; b. August; c. April; d. December.
7. Which of the following have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on two separate occasions? a. Paul Simon; b. Jeff Beck; c. Jimmy Page; d. Michael Jackson.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Tigers can mate up to 50 times a day.
2. Fortune cookies were not invented in China, but in America.
3. One of the Wright brothers actually died in a plane crash years after the first flight.
4. The biggest known volcano in the solar system is on Mars.
5. Florence Nightingale founded the American Red Cross.
6. Adult humans have more bones than babies do.
7. The last humans set foot on the moon in 1972.
8. Easter Island was so named because it was discovered on Easter Sunday.
9. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle named his most famous fictional character, Sherlock Holmes, in honor of American justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
10. No NFL player has ever had his number retired by two different teams.

General Knowledge
1. Deborah Harry was the lead singer of what 1970s rock band? ( 1 pt)
2. What nickname is given to London's Underground? ( 1 pt)
3. Tabasco is a state in what country? ( 1 pt)
4. The Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on which mountain? ( 2 pt)
5. What US state does the old London Bridge currently reside in? ( 2 pt)
6. Which American general was nicknamed "Old Blood and Guts?" ( 2 pt)
7. What organization has a candle surrounded by barb wire as its emblem? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What 20th century figure was assassinated by Nathuram Godse? ( 4 points)
2. If you just made a sternutation, what did you just do? ( 4 points)
3. Which of the Founding Fathers was nicknamed "Father of the Constitution?" ( 3 points)
4. What legendary entertainer once hosted a TV game show in the early 1960s called "Who Do You Trust?" ( 4 points)
5. The Council of Ten governed what European city from 1310-1797? ( 5 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. John Lennon; 2. Michael Jackson; 3. Ireland; 4. Samsung; 5. Qantas; 6. Adele; 7. Pakistan.

Q-Tip Trivia
1. a,b; 2. b,d; 3. c; 4. none; 5. a,d; 6. a,b,c; 7. all.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. true; 2. true; 3. false; 4. true; 5. false, Clara Barton; 6. false, babies have over 300; 7. true; 8. true; 9. true; 10. false, Reggie White is the only one.

General Knowledge
1. Blondie; 2. The Tube; 3. Mexico; 4. Mount Sinai; 5. Arizona; 6. George S. Patton; 7. Amnesty International.

IQ Trivia
1. Mahatma Gandhi; 2. sneeze; 3. James Madison; 4. Johnny Carson; 5. Venice.