Absolutely Shameful

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was designed to aid the first responders who rushed to Ground Zero to help in the rescue and cleanup operations there, was blocked today by Senate Republicans who wouldn't allow the bill to be voted on in the Senate.

The bill passed the House, but the jackasses in the Senate think this is some kind of "handout" to New Yorkers at the expense of the rest of the country.

Don't these boneheads know that people came from all over the United States, as well as the world, to aid New York in its time of need? And that they are getting sick and dying at an unbelievable rate?

900 people have died since 2001 who worked at Ground Zero after the WTC attacks. Let me repeat that number: nine hundred. Over 100 a year. And Lord knows how many will get sick and die over the next few years. These are brave men and women who thought nothing of themselves and risked their lives down there. (They were also assured that the air was safe at Ground Zero, when it turns out that was all a lie. I wonder how Christie Whitman and those liars at the EPA at the time can live with themselves.)

This looks like a case of anti-New York bias to me on the part of these idiotic Republican lawmakers. The bill just needed two Republicans to break ranks for it to get passed, but they successfully blocked the bill coming up for a vote. The bill's backers are still optimistic that it will get through, and hopefully on the back of the tax cut extension bill.

Every Republican senator should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this travesty to happen. Phony hypocrites. They can dump countless billions into Afghanistan and Iraq, but can't help the sick and dying heroes of Ground Zero.

Appalling. Once again, politics rules over doing the right thing. I hope they can live with themselves, too. The blood of those heroes is on their hands.

Crawford to Sox: 7 Years, $142 Million

Reports now have it that Carl Crawford has made his decision on who he will spend his MLB future with. And guess what? He won't be running wild against the Red Sox anymore, as he will be swiping bases for the Red Sox, as he apparently has agreed to a seven-year, $142 million deal, according to NESN.

Wow.

I guess we can forget about Carlos Beltran now.

And so much for all those nitwits who were screaming about how acquiring Liverpool FC was going to siphon money from the Red Sox and their payroll.

Not One Of The Better Days Of My Life

I'm truly amazed that it was 30 years ago today that John Lennon's life was tragically cut short. He will be remembered around the world today for all the great music he left behind, and thankfully we will always have that. We will never know where John would have gone with his music had he lived.

I wrote this post back in 2006 on the 26th anniversary of his death. It's all about my memories of that tragic night and its aftermath.

BTW, if you get a chance to see the new PBS documentary "LennoNYC," all about John's time in New York City, check it out. It's terrific.



Thanks for all the music, John.

Trivia Q&A: December 7

We had 18 teams in for Trivia Night on Tuesday. It was a late-arriving crowd, but I'm glad so many turned out on what was a rather cold night.

We also had a rare event happen at the beginning: two teams with the same name, "Fat Kids Always Win at See-Saw." It last happened about a year ago, and when that happens, whichever team had the highest score in the first round keeps the name. (The team with the lesser score then called themselves "We Got Our Name Off the Internet and So Did You.")

The John Lennon/Beatles category for "In Q's iPod" went really well, and the scores were between 8 and 10 for all the teams. Good to see so many folks who know the Beatles and John's solo stuff. The scores were generally very good throughout the night, although they were slightly down for the Q Are You category.

It was close all night, with five teams separated by three points going into IQ Trivia. The team in third place, Bob Loblaw (not the original team), got 4 of the 5 questions correct and wound up sneaking in by just two points. It was their first ever Trivia Night win, and congratulations to them.

Second place went to I've Got to Take a Wiki Leak and third place went to Rielle Hunter: Step Mom, who were just a point out of second place.

Best Team Name: Sit On My Facebook

Current Events
1. What female pop singer became the first musical act in 40 years to have the number 1 album in the US and UK simultaneously twice in the same year?
2. The original coffin of what infamous assassin, which was changed many years ago after his body was exhumed, is currently up for bids at auction?
3. What small Eastern European nation won tennis' Davis Cup for the first time this week, defeating France?
4. FIFA picked the World Cup hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments last week, snubbing bids from both the US and England. Name 1 of the 2 countries that will host those World Cup finals.
5. 40 people will killed in a forest fire last weekend in what country, the deadliest forest fire ever there?
6. Don Meredith, best known for his gig as an announcer on "Monday Night Football" in the 1970s, died Sunday at the age of 72. What NFL team was he an all-Pro quarterback for his entire nine-year career?
7. What animated film took over first place at the box office last weekend to become the number one film in America?

Q Are You?
1. This man was born in Beaver Falls, PA in 1943. He was one of pro football's best known QBs, ranked #96 on the Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players. He's in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is best known for leading his team to their only Super Bowl win in their history.
2. This man was born in Ripley, Surrey, England in 1945. He's one of rock's most influential guitarists, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times, once as a solo act and twice with his bands. He won six Grammy Awards for a 1992 acoustic album, which was also his first US number 1 album.
3. This man was born in Washington, DC in 1948. He is a respected actor who has made over 100 films. He was a stand-in for Bill Cosby on "The Cosby Show," has played roles as diverse as a likable hit man to a Jedi master.
4. This man was born in Reading, England in 1961. He's an actor, comedian, director and writer. He's won numerous awards, such as 3 Golden Globes and 2 Emmys. He has done four sold-out standup comedy tours, created two memorable British comedy series and had the number 1 downloaded podcast in the world in 2009.
5. This woman was born in New York City in 1965. She's an actress who has appeared in the soaps and movies, but her current cable series has brought her biggest fame, as she has won a number of awards recently for it, including the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama for 2010.
6. This man was born in Worcester, MA in 1957. He's an actor, comedian, writer and director. He's best known for his observational comedy and his successful cable series based in NYC and he was also the narrator of the 2004 Official World Series Film.
7. This woman was born in El Centro, CA in 1946. She's a singer, actress, director and producer. She's won an Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy awards, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award and is the only female solo artist to reach the Top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 in each of the previous four decades.

In Q's iPod ("The Q Train")
1. Starting Over
2. Across The Universe
3. Give Peace a Chance
4. Julia
5. Come Together
6. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
7. In My Life
8. Watching The Wheels
9. I Am The Walrus
10. Imagine

General Knowledge
1. "Dirty Harry" Callahan was a cop in what city's police department? ( 1 pt)
2. Pierre Trudeau was once prime minister of what country? ( 1 pt)
3. "Up your nose with a rubber hose" was a catch phrase from what 1970s sitcom? ( 1 pt)
4. Ben Bailey is the host of what popular show on the Discovery Channel? ( 2 pt)
5. What country was once called "The Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire? ( 2 pt)
6. Which of the original US states' motto is "Virtue, Liberty and Independence?" ( 2 pt)
7. In 1901, which company patented the first disposable razor? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. "The Wreck of the Hesperus" is a famous poem by what 19th century poet? ( 4 points)
2. The Freedonia Gazette is a longtime fan magazine dedicated to what film legends? ( 3 points)
3. What is the only nonmember "permanent observer" state of the United Nations? ( 4 points)
4. What sports franchise is largely owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan? ( 4 points)
5. From 1513-1972, only men named Christian and Fredrick alternated as ruling monarchs of what nation? ( 5 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Susan Boyle; 2. Lee Harvey Oswald; 3. Serbia; 4. Russia and Qatar; 5. Israel; 6. Dallas Cowboys; 7. "Tangled."

Q Are You?
1. Joe Namath; 2. Eric Clapton; 3. Samuel L. Jackson; 4. Ricky Gervais; 5. Kyra Sedgwick; 6. Denis Leary; 7. Cher.

In Q's iPod ("The Q Train")
1. John Lennon; 2. Beatles; 3. John; 4. Beatles; 5. Beatles; 6. John; 7. Beatles; 8. John; 9. Beatles; 10. John.

General Knowledge
1. San Francisco; 2. Canada; 3. "Welcome Back Kotter;" 4. "Cash Cab;" 5. India; 6. Pennsylvania; 7. Gillette.

IQ Trivia
1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; 2. Marx Brothers; 3. Vatican City; 4. Toronto Maple Leafs; 5. Denmark.

He's Not Just The Donald, He's Also a Client

I was watching the ass-whuppin' the Patriots gave to the Jets, 45-3 on Monday night with a bunch of my Patriot fan compadres in Manhattan at my friend Rhonda's place, when the camera focused on Patriots owner Robert Kraft in his private box early in the game.

And who should be sitting right near him but Donald Trump (who sure didn't look happy, as you know he was pulling for the Jets). And a sudden gust of wind in the box made The Donald's hair(piece?) do some serious dancing.

It sent waves of laughter through Rhonda's apartment.

Enjoy this for yourself:

Happy 90th, Dave

A very happy birthday to one of my favorite jazz artists, the legendary Dave Brubeck. He's still going strong and playing concerts at the age of 90.

I've loved Dave Brubeck ever since I got a promotional copy of "Time Out" when I worked at Tower Records back in the late 1980s. It is probably my favorite jazz album of all-time, which includes his signature song, "Take Five."

But one of my favorite Dave songs is "Koto Song," and here's a version of it live, with the Quartet of Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright and Joe Morello in Germany in 1966.

Long may you keep tickling those ivories, Mr. Brubeck!

Remembering John On Tuesday

Is it really 30 years this week since John Lennon was taken from us? Yes, unfortunately it is. But we will remember John and the impact his music left in this world with a special edition of "In Q's iPod" on Tuesday night for the Q Train lightning round. We will play 10 songs, and five will be solo John songs, and five will be Beatles tracks. You'll have to tell me which is which.

The Special Category for this Tuesday will be the December edition of "Q Are You?", where I give you clues to the identity of seven celebrities and you have to tell who I'm talking about.

This week's Sneak Peek question is:
Pierre Trudeau was once prime minister of what country?

We get rolling at 9 PM, and I hope many of you can come out and have what should be a fun night of Trivia.

Guess What?

Adrian Gonzalez is now a member of the Boston Red Sox.

On this wacky, topsy-turvy day, Gonzalez and the Red Sox have apparently reached an agreement on an extension and the trade with the Padres is on again.

No terms have been announced yet. Press conference is scheduled for tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE (8:36 PM): From Extra Bases:
It appears the deal was done without an extension. Look for the Red Sox to come to an agreement, but not announce it until after Opening Day. That would allow them to save millions on the luxury tax.

It is likely that the Red Sox and Gonzalez have an understanding of what the extension would be, otherwise it would be risky to trade three prospects for one year out of the first baseman. This is basically what happened with Josh Beckett last spring. There was a deal in place that was announced after Opening Day.

It also would allow them to make sure Gonzalez recovers from the surgery he had on his right (non-throwing) shoulder. But that is not a major issue.

Just for the record, the trade is still Gonzalez for Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Rey Fuentes and a player to be named later. That would indicate to me that the Sox feel an extension is in place.

The Crawford Sweepstakes Just Got More Interesting

If this day wasn't weird enough, Jayson Werth, who looked a sure bet to call Boston his new home for 2011, signed with the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals? Where the hell did they come from in this?

Werth is signing a seven-year deal for $126 million, and from this post, it sounds like he didn't talk money with the Sox earlier this week. Strange to see a Dr. Evil (Scott Boras) client sign so quickly, and before the Winter Meetings.

I would now guess the Red Sox will put the full court press on Carl Crawford. Or will they???

An Easy One In Minny

The Vikings played the lowly the Buffalo Bills in the Metrodome today, and it looked like it would be an easy one for the troubled Vikes today.

So naturally the first update in the first quarter was: Bills 7, Vikings 0.

Oh come on, they can't lose to the Bills, could they?

No, they didn't. Brett Favre threw an interception (his NFL-leading 18th) for a Buffalo TD on the Vikings second drive, injuring his shoulder on the play and was done for the day. (You have to wonder with the events of today, was that it for his career?)

Tarvaris Jackson came off the bench and threw two TDs to Sidney Rice, and the Vikings were on cruise control. It was 31-7 at halftime. Jackson went 15-for-22 for 187 yards and one interception.

Adrian Peterson played with a gimpy ankle and still scored three TDs. He rushed 16 times for 107 yards. It was a 38-14 win for the Vikings, their first "easy" win in a long time.

The Vikings are now 2-0 in the Leslie Frazier Era, 5-7 overall, and will take on the Giants in Minnesota next Sunday.

And in other football news, Notre Dame will take on Miami in the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve. It will mark the first time the "Catholics" will play the "Convicts" since 1990.

Just On Hold, Or Over?

Just when it looked like the Red Sox were pulling the trigger on a great blockbuster deal that would benefit the team long term, a monkey wrench gets thrown into the works.

The deadline to sign Adrian Gonzalez came and went this afternoon, and no contract extension was agreed upon.

Oh brother.

No one in the Red Sox camp is saying anything official about this. The deal could still happen at the Winter Meetings, as it could be re-worked with other prospects and the Sox could take a chance on getting an extension with Gonzalez done before he turns free agent after 2011.

From what I have been able to piece together, Gonzalez and his agent were looking for a contract similar to what Mark Teixeira got from the Yankees, and he wanted an eight-year deal. The Red Sox were rumored to be only looking to go as high as six.

Here's more from Comcast SportsNet New England.

Yeah, I'm annoyed by all this. It doesn't make the Red Sox and their brass look good at all, and there will be an enormous fan backlash should the trade ultimately die. But it doesn't sound like it is completely off. This should be an interesting Winter Meetings in Florida this week.

Sit tight and don't go on to any ledges, folks. This is still an unfolding story.

Gonzalez Is On The Way

A deal is now in place that will bring Padres slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox, according to multiple sources today.

The trade will include three top Red Sox minor league prospects: pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Reymond Fuentes. Kelly and Fuentes are former first round draft picks. A player to be named later may also be part of the deal.

I was glad the Red Sox did not have to include Daniel Bard or Ryan Kalish in it, or minor league stud shortstop Jose Iglesias as well. I thought Theo Epstein did really well here, especially since he was dealing with Padres GM Jed Hoyer, who was Theo's right hand man for years and knew the Red Sox farm system intimately.

The deal is contingent on getting Gonzalez, who will be 29 in May, signed to an extension. He could have walked away from the Padres as a free agent after 2011. Gonzalez is currently in Boston for a physical, as he had shoulder surgery shortly after the 2010 ended.

The trade would mean that Adrian Beltre is officially gone, as Kevin Youkilis will now move over to third base on a full-time basis.

Gonzalez will also be seeing his former teammates again in June, as the Padres play the Red Sox at Fenway June 20-22.

And BTW, Gonzalez is 7-for-10 lifetime against Cliff Lee. I'm sure the Red Sox are well aware of that.

Papelbon Can't Be Happy Hearing This

The Red Sox offered Mariano Rivera a three-year deal at approximately $50 million, but Rivera ultimately decided to return to the Yankees for a far lesser two-year deal at $30 million.

It speaks volumes about Rivera that he left millions on the table and returned to the team that he became a star with. Other clubs talked with Rivera as well.

And it makes Derek Jeter and all the on-going nonsense of his squabbles with the team look even more foolish and petty.

Going after Rivera made far more sense for the Red Sox than any of these wild-eyed ideas of making a pitch for Jeter. Rivera is still at the top of his game at the age of 41. He still hasn't shown any consistent signs of age, and that is extremely rare for a pitcher of his age. But Rivera wants to be remembered as a Yankee, and more money clearly isn't more important to him. It's clearly a fair deal for him, as he would be still the highest paid closer in baseball.

Again, compare this to Jeter. No question in my mind that the MVP of those championship teams of the late 1990s was Rivera. Both are first-ballot Hall of Famers, but I bet most Yankee fans fell the same way I do.

And I wonder what Jonathan Papelbon thinks of this? It's clear to me that the Red Sox are ready to part company with him after 2011. His numbers has been steadily declining, and he has just reached the age of 30. Rivera clearly wasn't coming to Boston, but this is a clear signal the Sox are heading a new direction with their bullpen in the near future.

Tek's Back In The Fold

The Red Sox re-signed captain Jason Varitek to a one-year deal for $2 million plus incentives.

It now looks the Red Sox will indeed go with Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the number one catcher in 2011 and Varitek as his backup.

The Red Sox also non-tendered a contract to Hideki Okajima, making him a free agent, and he figures to be elsewhere in 2011.

In other news, the Hauls of Shame web site has an interesting article up about a guy who was an appraiser on The TV show "Antiques Roadshow" being an FBI suspect in the thefts of some letters from the Hall of Fame, and also some other stolen HOF letters were available at a Dallas auction for nearly six months before being removed.

Russia, Qatar The Next World Cup Hosts

I can't help but think of that old adage, "Money talks, you know what walks" right now.

FIFA announced in Switzerland (in a big spectacle with FIFA president Sepp Blatter or was that Sepp Blather, as he went on and on) today that Russia will be the host of the 2018 World Cup finals, and the small Asian country of Qatar will host the finals in 2022.

England was strongly pushing for the 2018 Cup, and the US for 2022. It seemed to come down to England and Spain/Portugal for 2018, and Russia was mainly an afterthought, as well as the other bidder for that Cup, Holland/Belgium.

There were 22 voters in the total process. According to ESPN's Bob Ley on Twitter, it came down to Russia and Spain/Portugal in the final vote (with England eliminated in the first vote), and Qatar and the US in the final vote for 2022, with Qatar winning 14-8.

For 2022, Australia, Japan and South Korea (bidding separately) were also in the mix, as this World Cup was going to place outside of Europe or South America. Bill Clinton and Morgan Freeman were pressing the flesh in Zurich over the last couple of days to get the voters to see it the US way, but it ultimately came up short.

Here's more from ESPN.

Granted, neither Russia nor Qatar has ever hosted a World Cup, so FIFA can point to that fact with pride. But these two winners both smell like the country with the most money won out.

The US can now bid again for the 2026 World Cup, but FIFA may again have the finals played in Europe then, as no continent can host the World Cup in consecutive tournaments.

Trivia Q&A: November 30

We had 13 teams in on a rainy night in Greenwich Village for Trivia. It was a pleasure to see my old friend Matt in the bar, as he's been living in Los Angeles for a number of years and was back in New York for a few weeks. (I will forever remember Matt as the only Red Sox fan in the Riviera on the night of the 19-8 wipeout in Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS who said the Red Sox would come back and win the next four. We all tried to convince Matt it had no chance of happening, but he wouldn't hear of it. One of my favorite memories of the glorious 2004 postseason.)

The scores started out rather strong, but dipped a bit in the next two rounds. They picked up for General Knowledge, and we had five teams separated by three points going into IQ Trivia. One of the teams that was tied for third place, A Hospital, What Is It? A Building Where Leslie Nielsen Just Died, But That's Not Important Right Now was the only team to get 4 of the 5 IQ questions correct, and wound up winning the night by three points.

Second place went to I'd Rather Sign Your Mama at Shortstop Than Derek Jeter (my buddy Matt's team), and third went to Let It Be (one point out of second).

Best Team Name: Dead: The Closest Gary Coleman Will Ever Get to 6 Feet

Current Events
1. This rock star filed a $20 million lawsuit last week against the makers of the video game "Guitar Hero" for violating a deal not to use imagery of his band or a former bandmate in their game.
2. 29 miners are believed to have died in a second explosion in what country, its worst mine accident in nearly 100 years?
3. What legendary country singer was among three people arrested last Friday by the US Border Patrol in Texas on marijuana possession charges?
4. President Obama was injured last week while playing basketball at Ft. McNair Army base in Washington DC when he was elbowed in the mouth. How many stitches did he need to close his wound?
5. A 19-year-old Somali-born man was arrested Saturday for attempting to bomb a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in what West Coast city?
6. The European Union agreed to give what member country $89 billion in bailout loans on Sunday to help them get through their massive banking crisis?
7. A retired French electrician has come forward with 271 undocumented, never-before-seen works by what 20th century artists, worth an estimated $80 million?

November 30th Trivia
1. On this day in 1966, Barbados declared their independence from what country?
2. In 1998, Exxon merged with what other oil company in a $73 billion agreement, forming the world's largest company?
3. On this date in 1971, the acclaimed TV movie "Brian's Song" aired, about the late NFL RB Brian Piccolo and his teammate Gale Sayers. What NFL team did they play for?
4. In 1994 on this day, what rap star was shot five times during a robbery in NYC, but was murdered two years later?
5. In 2003, a block of East 2nd Street in Greenwich Village was named after what New York-born rock star?
6. What Irish-born poet and writer, best known for his play "The Importance of Being Earnest," died on this date in 1900?
7. This English-born rock star, whose real name is William Michael Broad and achieved fame first with the band Generation X, was born on this date in 1955.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Astronauts on Apollo 8 in 1968 used Silly Putty to keep their tools floating around in zero gravity.
2. Archie Bunker received one vote for the 1972 Vice Presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention.
3. Olives are considered a vegetable.
4. Rabbits cannot vomit.
5. The United States purchased Florida from England in 1819.
6. The distance from the foul line to the headpin in bowling is 60 feet.
7. Colorado is the largest Rocky Mountain state in terms of area.
8. Johnny Cash's song "A Boy Named Sue" was actually written by the poet Shel Silverstein.
9. John Adams was the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence.
10. Easter Island got its name because it was discovered on Easter Sunday.

General Knowledge
1. Appomattox Court House, where the Civil War ended, is located in what state? ( 1 pt)
2. "Double Fantasy" was a 1980 album by what rock immortal? ( 1 pt)
3. Harvey Milk Plaza is located in the Castro district of what US city? ( 1 pt)
4. "Immortal Beloved" was a 1994 biopic on the life of what classical composer? ( 2 pt)
5. What Red Sox outfielder was the last player to win the Triple Crown, in 1967? ( 2 pt)
6. What American horse breed was named for its ability to race a distance of 1,320 feet? ( 2 pt)
7. "Where America Greets The World" is the slogan used by what US airport? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. The Wrigley family owns much of what resort island 22 miles off the California coast? ( 4 points)
2. What author wrote a novel about the fictional children Willie Mufferson, Sid Sawyer and Joe Harper? ( 4 points)
3. What is South America's least populous independent mainland country? ( 5 points)
4. What famous finger food was invented at the Anchor Bar in New York State in 1964? ( 3 points)
5. William Webb Ellis is usually claimed to be the inventor of what team sport in 1823? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Axl Rose; 2. New Zealand; 3. Willie Nelson; 4. twelve; 5. Portland, OR; 6. Ireland; 7. Pablo Picasso.

November 30th Trivia
1. United Kingdom; 2. Mobil; 3. Chicago Bears; 4. Tupac Shakur; 5. Joey Ramone; 6. Oscar Wilde; 7. Billy Idol.

True or False Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. true; 2. true; 3. false, fruit; 4. true; 5. false, Spain; 6. true; 7. false, Montana; 8. true; 9. false, John Hancock; 10. True.

General Knowledge
1. Virginia; 2. John Lennon; 3. San Francisco; 4. Ludwig Van Beethoven; 5. Carl Yastrzemski; 6. Quarter horse; 7. John F. Kennedy Airport.

IQ Trivia
1. Catalina; 2. Mark Twain ("The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"); 3. Suriname; 4. Buffalo wings; 5. rugby.

February 26: Just 88 Days Away

And that day is the opening of the Red Sox Spring Training schedule, and on February 26th, they will play the traditional doubleheader with Boston College and Northeastern at Ft. Myers.

They open the MLB portion of it the next day against the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium. The Sox will play the Yankees twice, the Mets on St. Patrick's Day, and will close against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on March 30 and 31.

Here is the complete schedule, courtesy of Extra Bases:

More Idiotic Nonsense From CHB On Captain Tange

Dan Shaughnessy, everyone's favorite sportswriting villain, is at it again, now all in favor of the Red Sox signing Derek Jeter, and at any cost. Yeah, it's not his cash that would pay for an aging, declining shortstop.

(Of course the Hot Stove League is what some pundits call "The Silly Season," and NESN isn't much better than CHB with this article either. Don't these people know that the Red Sox have no interest in Captain Intangibles and are sitting back and enjoying watching the Yankees and Jeter slug it out in the press like most of Red Sox Nation is right now? Memo to NESN and the Curly Haired Bastard: Tange is staying in New York. Period. Full stop. It's just a matter of how many years of the contract they can agree on. As far as I am concerned, the more that Jeter can get, the better. The MFY will have a statue playing SS by the time it ends.)

My friend Adam refutes this stupid nonsense (CHB's quotes are in italics):

CHB's article solidifies his place as the biggest moron currently writing about baseball. His article really belongs in The Onion. Here are some "highlights":

Dissing Jeter is not a winning strategy, but the Yankees can get away with it because they know that no team is going to make a serious offer for the iconic shortstop.

How have the MFY "dissed" Tange? A 3-year/$45 million for a rapidly decomposing player, who can't play defense at a premium position, is more than fair. It's charity. The MFY are willing to overpay Jeter because of the past--even though they've already paid a premium for his services.

Which brings us back to John Henry. Suppose the Red Sox step up and shock the world? There is simply no downside to making Jeter a massive offer. In the worst-case scenario he calls your bluff and you get the Yankees captain.

No downside? What is CHB drinking? Any contract of more than $5-7 million is all downside. Jeter was an adequate SS last year. Imagine what he'll be over the next 3-4 years? He isn't getting any younger. CHB's worst-case scenario would be a disaster for the Sox, who already have a SS as good as Jeter: Marco Scutaro. Scoot makes $5 million. Why pay $15+ million for roughly the same player?

I don’t care if Jeter is way past his prime or if the Sox would have to wildly overpay a player of his diminished skills.

I say offer him the world. Forget about Jayson Werth. Blow Jeter away with dollars and years. At worst this would just mean the Sox would jack up the final price the Yankees must pay. It could be sort of like Mark Teixeira-in-reverse.

And if Jeter actually signed with Boston, the damage to the Yankees’ psyche would be inestimable.

I have trouble believing that CHB is dumb enough to actually believe that losing Jeter would damage the MFY.

Jeter finishing his career in a Red Sox uniform would be the 2004 American League Championship Series all over again for the hated New Yorkers. Think of how you’d have felt if the Knicks had signed Larry Bird at the end of his career.

Actually it'd be more like Babe Ruth finishing is career with the Boston Braves.

What’s the harm in offering Jeter $20 million a year over three years? If you can pay J.D. Drew $14 million per year . . . if you can pay a Japanese team $50 million just for the right to speak with Daisuke Matsuzaka . . . if you can buy a futbol club for $476 million, why not spend $60 million to bust pinstripe chops for all the ages?

Jeter is closing in on 3,000 hits. Imagine if he gets his 3,000th hit as a Red Sox . . . at Fenway . . . against Mariano Rivera?

Why pay Jeter $6 million more than JD Drew? The posting money for Dice-K doesn't count against the Luxury Tax. All that matters from an operational standpoint is the annual value of Matsuzaka's 6-year/$52 million contract. In other words, the Sox are on the hook each year for $8.67 million for a pitcher worth 2.5 WAR last year. Jeter was also a 2.5 WAR player last year. Tange will be 37 years old next year, so the chances are slim that he'll get better--and CHB wants to pay him $20 million!

Dice K is 6 years younger than Jeter. When Matsuzaka pitches 150+ innings, he has been a 2.5 to 3.9 WAR player. That's as good or better than what can be expected of the aging Jetes. What are the odds that Jeter is worth a combined 10 WAR over the next three years? $20 million a year is a lot to pay for 3 wins max. When you factor in Scutaro/Lowrie, CHB's idea is even dumber. At SS, Scutaro and Lowrie were worth 1.4 more wins than Jeter last year.

Since we are pretty certain Adrian Beltre is gone, the Red Sox have a big hole at third base. Jeter could play third. Or you could trade Marco Scutaro and put Jeter at short.

Jeter has a huge ego. If he wouldn't move to 3B to accomodate A-Rod a better SS, what makes CHB think he'll move to 3B for Scoot or Lowrie?

This certainly would make the Sox less boring. In an era in which NESN ratings are routinely beaten by reruns of “Everybody Loves Raymond,’’ Derek Jeter could make the network more interesting.

Yep, making the team worse would be exciting. Who wants to watch winning baseball!

11/30 History On Tuesday

This Tuesday night, we will have as our Special Category, "November 30th Trivia." It is the "This Day In History" category we do every so often. It will be seven questions connected to November 30th in some way, shape or form.

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

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
Appomattox Court House, where the Civil War ended, is located in what US state?

We get going at 9 PM on Tuesday night. Remember that we have prizes not only for first place, but for second and third place as well. I hope many of you can come out and join in on a great night of Trivia.

Godspeed Dr. Rumack. And Lt. Drebin.

I was really saddened tonight to learn that one of the great actors of our time, Leslie Nielsen, passed away today in Florida at the age of 84. He was a "serious" actor until 1980, when the producers of "Airplane!" came up the genius idea of putting actors like him in comedic roles, and he just shined in the role of "Dr. Rumack." He was a big part of why "Airplane!" is all-time comedy classic.

It led to a new career for Mr. Nielsen, who starred in the great series "Police Squad." It ran for just six episodes in the summer of 1982, but it was superb. It spawned the "Naked Gun" films.

So in honor of the legend of Leslie Nielsen, here is one of my all-time favorite comic scenes in any movie. It never ceases to make me bust out laughing, even after seeing it about 200 times:



Thanks for all the memories and all the laughs, Mr. Nielsen. Godspeed.

Getting a Little Dignity Back

The Minnesota Vikings opened the Leslie Frazier Era with a win against the Washington Redskins, 17-13, on Sunday at FedEx Field.

It wasn't an awe-inspiring win by any stretch of the imagination. It was to be kind "a defensive struggle" (a snoozer in laymen's terms), and a 7-7 tie at halftime. Both teams scored on their opening drives and that was it until the third quarter.

Adrian Peterson left the game at the half with an ankle injury. He also went over the 1,000 yard mark in rushing for the fourth consecutive year, getting 36 yards on the ground and a TD on the day. I didn't have a good feeling about it, but Toby Gerhart did a nice job filling in for him, rushing for 76 yards on 22 carries and the last TD the Vikings scored, early in the third.

The Vikings defense rebounded nicely from last week's disaster, holding Washington to just 25 yards rushing and they had three sacks and an interception.

Brett Favre wasn't anything special, going 15 for 23 and 172 yards. He threw no TDs or interceptions, but one of the day's highlights was late in the game involving him. Vikes had the ball on the Redskin 24 yard line with 2 1/2 minutes to play, with a third down and eight yards to go for the first. Washington had just used their last time out, and the world was anticipating Favre giving the ball to Gerhart. But he faked the handoff and the Redskin defense was anticipating a pass. But Favre crossed up everyone and found a seam in the middle of the field and ran for 10 yards and a first down, icing the game, as the two minute warning had just happened. The Vikes ran out the clock and got Frazier his first win.

It wasn't anything special, but the Vikings will take it. It was nice to see the defense looking a lot better. I wouldn't say I saw a spark in the Vikings, but I'm sure more than one person will ask after this game, "Why wasn't Brad Childress fired sooner?"

It was just nice to see them get some dignity back after seeing this turn into a completely lost season.

The Vikings are now 4-7 and take on Buffalo at the Metrodome next Sunday.

USC Owns The Irish No Longer

The long nightmare that was Notre Dame's losing streak against USC came to a merciful end tonight as the Fighting Irish pulled out a hard-fought win in the rain in Los Angeles, 20-16.

On the surface, it didn't look the Irish had any business winning this game, as quarterback Tommy Rees turned the ball over four times, three on interceptions and one on a fumble that USC cashed in for a TD.

Notre Dame led 13-3 at halftime, but a missed extra point on their first TD looked like it might come back to haunt them, as USC came back in the third quarter to tie the game.

USC grabbed the lead in the fourth 16-13 with about 6 minutes to play, but the Irish got the ball back and drove down the field, with impressive runs by Cierre Wood and Robert Hughes. Hughes scored the winning TD on a five-yard run with just over two minutes left.

USC got the ball and had a nice drive down the field. It looked like they were going to get lead back when QB Matt Mustain threw what looked like a TD pass to a wide open Ronald Johnson, who didn't have a defender near him around the ten yard line, but dropped it. A few plays later, Mustain threw an ill-advised pass that was picked off at the goal line by Harrison Smith. ND ran the clock out and got their first win over USC since 2001.

Once again, ND's defense looked superb, allowing just the first TD in the last 13 quarters, the longest streak by an Irish defense since 1980.

Notre Dame ends the regular season at 7-5, with three impressive wins at the end of the schedule. They are bowl-eligible and will play in either the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando or the Las Vegas Bowl.

A Brainless Buffalo Stampede

It was just a matter of where, not if.

Those of you who had "Buffalo, NY" in the "In What City Will There Be a Group of Mindless Idiots Charging Into a Store at 5 AM on Black Friday to Get Junk at a Slight Discount and Someone Will Get Injured In the Process and Most People Present Won't Give a Damn" pool, consider yourselves a winner. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt while being trampled. (Remember last year when a security guard on Long Island was killed in one of those early-morning Black Friday cavalry charges?)

But I bet Buffalo was far from alone.



I prefer to think of these guys when it comes to "Black Friday":

"Santa Claus, Bring Me a Lady"

My friend Rocco, who runs the Saturday night softball league I belong to in the West Village, hosts a cable access show that is on in both Manhattan and Brooklyn on Friday nights. And recently, he and some friends put together a cool little Christmas song that aired on his show, and I thought I post a clip of it here from YouTube.

It is called "Santa Claus, Bring Me a Lady," and it's really catchy, done in a "doo-wop" sort of style. This clip runs just over 3 1/2 minutes. Rocco is dressed in the Santa suit on the far right. Great job, guys.

Enjoy:

Thanks.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to say my thanks to all of you who come to this site and have made it the success that it is. I am extremely thankful for many things in my life: for my good health, many great friends and a wonderful family.

God has given me many wonderful gifts, and as I get older, I am more and more appreciative of them all. Thanksgiving is a day to count your blessings, and I am very aware that things could have been a lot worse in this life.

To me, Thanksgiving Day has always been about family, turkey, pumpkin pie, football, Santa Claus coming down Broadway in the parade (and that is the official start of the Christmas season, and not one second earlier), and "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie (which I listen to every Thanksgiving Day at noon on Q104.3 FM here in New York and haven't missed in a very long time).

I wish all of you out there a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving Day, wherever you are.

I'll let the Peanuts gang, from my favorite Thanksgiving special, have the last word:

It Ain't Happening

There is simply no chance of the photo in this post becoming a reality.

But naturally, the New York Post plays it up to sell newspapers.

Derek Jeter will be in a New York Yankees uniform in 2011 and beyond. Count on it.

The Yankees did not offer Jeter arbitration yesterday, and basically told him that their offer of three years and $45 million is firm and to look elsewhere for a better offer.

He's not going to find one. Especially not in Boston.

The Red Sox lost Victor Martinez yesterday and it appears that Adrian Beltre is walking out the door soon as well. So they will be active in both the free agent market and the trading one as well. But Jeter? No, they will not throw money at a declining shortstop who never had very good range to begin with.

I said during the summer that the Yankees hold all the cards in this negotiation, and they still do. Jeter has no leverage because no MLB team will offer him more than the Yankees are right now. They are right to tell him to find a better offer, as they have nothing to worry about.

Jeter wants a five or six year deal, but the Yankees are smart not to go beyond three. He is very well on the back nine of his career, and at some point they will have to move him off shortstop. But right now, they can't move him anywhere, as any position they could move him to is being occupied by someone else they can't move (Teixeira, Cano, Slappy, Posada).

And if Jeter is such a "team player" as he's made out to be, why is a three year deal not good enough? It's because of his "former best friend" playing third base, who still has seven years left on his deal and makes a ton more moolah than he does. Joel Sherman of the New York Post had a great take on all this the other day.

It's all ego with Jeter. Or as Sherman wrote: "I'm Derek Jeter. Pay me." Forget all that "Captain Intangibles" crap. He wants one final mega payday because he's Derek Jeter. He wants to get paid for all his Yankee accomplishments, but the team knows he's on the beginning of the down side of his career.

Jeter in a Red Sox uniform? Absolutely no chance. While I am enjoying all the rancor going on in this entire mess (as are most Red Sox fans), a deal will get done at some point. The Yankees can't afford the PR disaster that would occur if Jeter should bolt. Both sides will compromise in the middle somewhere. Count on that, too.

Trivia Q&A: November 23

We had 11 teams in at Professor Thom's on Tuesday night. I figured the crowd would be off a bit, with the coming Thanksgiving holiday.

Fortunately, a few of the regulars did turn out and we had a great night of Trivia. The scores started out kind of slow in the first two rounds, but they picked up with "In Q's iPod." We had two perfect scores in General Knowledge, and the top three teams separated by just four points heading into IQ Trivia.

The team in first place, Kim Jong-Ill Communication, had the best score of the round, 12 points, and wound up winning by three points. It was their first ever win on Trivia Night. Second place went to Cathie Black Is Our Thanksgiving Turkey, and third place was a tie between Heywood Jablome and Cheaters, who were both six points out of second.

Best Team Name: I Lost My Luggage and My Virginity at the TSA Checkpoint

Current Events
1. Mel Gibson's cameo role in "The Hangover" sequel was recently nixed by the film's producers, but who was announced last week as his replacement in the role?
2. What 1960s legendary NBA player was among the recipients of the 2010 Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor?
3. "Back to the Future" director Robert Zemeckis denied last week he was in talks to direct a remake of what classic 1939 film, using its original script?
4. A hybrid car, owned by what classic rock star, recently caused a warehouse fire in San Francisco and an estimated $800,000 worth of damage?
5. What classic female rock star won the National Book Award for nonfiction for her memoir "Just Kids" for 2010?
6. What Hollywood star was awarded the Ripple of Hope award last week in recognition of his humanitarian work in Darfur and Haiti?
7. Steven Spielberg is planning to do a film on the life of Abraham Lincoln and recently announced that what foreign-born Oscar winner will play the 16th US president?

Thanksgiving Trivia
1. In what year was the first Thanksgiving celebration? a. 1493; b. 1609; c. 1621; d. 1776.
2. What jazz musician composed the music to the TV special "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?" a. Miles Davis; b. Vince Guaraldi; c. Dave Brubeck; d. Bill Evans.
3. In what country was the turkey first domesticated? a. Mexico; b. China; c. England; d. Turkey.
4. Where was the first modern Thanksgiving held? a. Jamestown, VA; b. Plymouth, MA; c. Boston, MA; d. New York, NY.
5. Sarah Hale is credited with encouraging what president to set aside the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day? a. Abraham Lincoln; b. Teddy Roosevelt; c. George Washington; d. Thomas Jefferson.
6. Canada celebrates its Thanksgiving in what month? a. November; b. December; c. September; d. October.
7. True or False: Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ate a turkey dinner on the moon.

In Q's iPod: In The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Not? ("The Q Train")
1. Hall and Oates
2. The Police
3. Bob Marley
4. Peter Frampton
5. AC/DC
6. Kiss
7. Prince
8. Chicago
9. Bob Seger
10. Boston

General Knowledge
1. The Sahara Desert is located on what continent? ( 1 pt)
2. What is the fifth planet from the sun? ( 1 pt)
3. Who was the first Republican President of the US? ( 1 pt)
4. Wellington is the capital of what country? ( 2 pt)
5. Ralph Bunche was the first African-American to be awarded what honor? ( 2 pt)
6. The world's largest library by the total number of books is located in what US city? ( 2 pt)
7. In what South American country did the Rev. Jim Jones lead over 900 of his followers to a mass suicide in 1978? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. The Battle of Palmito Ranch was the last land battle fought in what war? ( 4 points)
2. The Gurkhas are the original inhabitants of what Asian country? ( 5 points)
3. What TV show had the highest average Nielsen rating during the 2009-10 season for the sixth time, beating "All in the Family's" record of five straight seasons? ( 3 points)
4. The Los Angeles Police Department retired its badge number 714 to honor the death of what TV actor? ( 4 points)
5. Saint Anthony Falls is a waterfall located in what US city? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Bill Clinton (I also accepted Liam Neeson); 2. Bill Russell; 3. "The Wizard of Oz;" 4. Neil Young; 5. Patti Smith; 6. George Clooney; 7. Daniel Day-Lewis.

Thanksgiving Trivia
1. c; 2. b; 3. a; 4. b; 5. a; 6. d; 7. true.

In Q's iPod: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Not? ("The Q Train")
1. no; 2. yes (2004); 3. yes (1994); 4. no; 5. yes (2003); 6. no; 7. yes (2004); 8. no; 9. yes (2004); 10. no.

General Knowledge
1. Africa; 2. Jupiter; 3. Abraham Lincoln; 4. New Zealand; 5. Nobel Peace Prize; 6. Washington, DC; 7. Guyana.

IQ Trivia
1. American Civil War; 2. Nepal; 3. "American Idol;" 4. Jack Webb; 5. Minneapolis.

Martinez Heading to Detroit

The Detroit Tigers are about to sign Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez to a four-year, $50 million deal, according to ESPN Boston.

I guess Theo Epstein will put Plan B into effect for the catching position.

I still don't see Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the number one guy next year. Stay tuned.

And the Mets have named Terry Collins as their new manager. A guy who quit on three teams on two continents. I don't have a good feeling about this.

Brad. Fired. Finally.

The long national nightmare that was the Brad Childress Era of Minnesota Vikings football has finally ended, as he was mercifully fired by the Vikings this morning.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was named interim head coach for the remainder of 2010. Linebackers coach Fred Pagac will take over as defensive coordinator for the rest of the season.

Now let's show Brett Favre the door (or at least the bench) next.

Stuff Associated With Turkeys For Tuesday

This Tuesday night, Trivia Night will feature as the Special Category: "Thanksgiving Trivia," seven questions connected with the favorite eating holiday of America. The questions will also be of the multiple choice variety.

The Q Train lightning round will be "In Q's iPod," which is our monthly audio round. This month it will be "Are They In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?" You have to tell me if the artist whose song I play is currently a Hall of Famer or not.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
The Sahara Desert is located on what continent?

We will get going at the usual time of 9 PM on Tuesday night. It was nice to see a big crowd last week, and I hope to see many of you on Tuesday night.

Vikings Torch Another Season, Embarrass Loyal Fans

Once again, I'm glad I missed another Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday.

It was another low point in the history of the franchise.

They were whacked by their division rival Green Bay Packers, 31-3, at home in the Metrodome, their worst home loss in 9 years. (And that game cost Dennis Green his job that year. A portend of things to come?) They are now 3-7, and 10 losses is a possibility from a team that many predicted would win the NFC North. Absolutely abominable.

It will now be 34 years and counting since their last Super Bowl appearance.

The players have basically quit on a terrible coach. And they were seen sniping at each other on the sidelines during this awful loss.

When will Zygi Wilf finally act and pull the plug on the Brad Childress Era? I'd really be surprised if Childress is still employed at this time tomorrow.

Again, I'm embarrassed to call myself a Minnesota Vikings fan.

The Other Joint Had The History

Notre Dame played Army at the new Yankee Stadium last night, and were eight point favorites. They gave up a field goal in the first Black Knights drive, but the rest of the way the Irish shut them down, and scored 27 unanswered points as Notre Dame put their 2010 record at 6-5.

The Irish are now bowl-eligible and will play USC next Saturday night in Los Angeles to conclude their regular season.

I knew that watching the game last night from the new Yankee Stadium would be loaded with references to the Yankees and the history of Notre Dame-Army football. The two teams had not met in the Bronx since 1969.

And I also knew that we would have some nonsense spewed as well. Notre Dame color commentator Mike Mayock, on going to a commercial early on, said the game was coming from "historic" Yankee Stadium.

No, Mr. Mayock. This game was NOT coming from a historic ballpark, as it just opened in April of 2009. I don't know how any 18-month old stadium can be called "historic." The "historic" Yankee Stadium met the wrecker's ball last year.

I'll let my friend Jere of "A Red Sox Fan From Pinstripe Territory" have the final word, from a blog post he recently put up about the confusion many people seem to have when it comes to the Yankee Stadiums:

"Yankee Stadium was torn the f**k down. It's f**king gone. Not f**king there. Any f**king more."

Thanks, Jere.

What Do Pedro & The Electric Company Have In Common?

They both made their debuts on the exact same day: October 25, 1971.

I discovered this not long ago, when I was reading an article online about "The Electric Company." The day it made its PBS debut (on Channel 13 here in New York) rang a bell with me, and I went to Pedro's profile on Baseball Reference and confirmed that Pedro was born in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic on the day the world first saw the show.

I'll admit to being a big fan of both, and always will be. "The Electric Company" (the original, not the hip-hop remake currently on) was simply the coolest kids show of all-time. You had to love such characters as Easy Reader, Mellow Mel Mounds and J. Arthur Crank. Even as I was growing up and long past the age that the show was targeted at, I would sneak a peak at the show.

And of course, Pedro Martinez is just one of the coolest guys ever to wear a Red Sox uniform. He's "One of the 25," and will live forever in the hearts and minds of Sox fans like me who simply marveled at the greatness he showed at his best.

And speaking of best, here are YouTube clips from both. The first is Pedro, from MLB Network, on his pitching what I consider to be the greatest game I have ever seen pitched: September 10, 1999 when he struck out 17 Yankees in New York and allowed just a home run to Chili Davis in a 3-1 Red Sox win. (Still the most amazing stat of the night was the fact that Scott Brosius grounded out to third to lead off the fifth, and it was the last fair ball New York hit on the night. Of the last 14 batters to face Pedro in the game, 12 struck out and the other two fouled out. Simply astounding.)

Second is "The Electric Company" opening titles from its sixth and final season in 1976-77.

They both came into the world on the same day, and left an amazing impression on most who saw them and will turn 40 next October. They were both the essence of cool, and may they both rock on forever.

Pedroia Takes "True Grit" Award

It was really a season that Dustin Pedroia would like to forget in 2010, as he missed the second half due to a foot injury. But he was awarded "The Radbourn Award," a brand new one this year given for the first time to those MLB players that symbolize grit and toughness on the diamond.

The award is named for Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn, the 19th century pitcher who won an astounding 59 games in 1884 for the Providence Grays. (A new book came out earlier this year about Old Hoss and that season called "Fifty-Nine In '84" by Edward Achorn.) He was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1939.

Here is the complete list of winners, with one from each position:

P – Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants.

C – Ivan Rodriguez, Washington Nationals.

1B – Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals.

2B – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox.

3B – Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays.

SS – Derek Jeter, New York Yankees. (What, another award for Captain Intangibles?)

LF – Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers.

CF – Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers.

RF – Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners.

King Tried To Screw Felix: Didn't Succeed This Time

Felix Hernandez won the AL Cy Young Award for 2010 today, despite winning just 13 games. He won and it wasn't close, as he far out-distanced David Price, who finished second. C.C. Sabathia finished third, Jon Lester was fourth and Clay Buchholz was sixth.

Hernandez got 21 of the 28 first-place votes, and topped Price by a whopping 56 points.

Courtesy of the Biz of Baseball, here is the voting results for this year’s AL Cy Young:

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Points
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners	21	2	3	1	1	167
David Price, Tampa Bay Rays	4	15	7	1		111
CC Sabathia, New York Yankees	3	10	12	2	1	102
Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox			1	9	12	33
Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim		1	2	6	2	24
Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox			2	5	4	20
Cliff Lee, Seattle Mariners/Texas Rangers			1	1	1	6
Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay Rays				1	3	5
Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics				1	2	4
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals				1		2
Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins					1	1
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers					1	1

Because of the heightened interest in this award, the list of voters is below, grouped by which pitcher they listed first on their ballot:

Hernandez: Ken Rosenthal, Fox; Amalie Benjamin, Boston Globe; Michael Silverman, Boston Herald; Erik Boland, Newsday; Joe Smith, St. Petersburg Times; Mark Gonzales, Chicago Tribune; Lynn Henning, Detroit News; John Lowe, Detroit Free Press; Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star; Joe Posnanski, SI.com; Joe Christensen, Minneapolis Star Tribune; John Shipley, St. Paul Pioneer Press; Hirokazu Higuchi, Chunichi Shimbun (LA); Tim Brown, Yahoo Sports; Jorge Ortiz, USA Today; Ray Ratto, At Large (SF/Oakland); Kirby Arnold, Everett Herald; Larry Stone, Seattle Times; Richard Durrett, At Large (Dallas-Fort Worth); Anthony Andro, Fort Worth Star Telegram; Morgan Campbell, Toronto Star.

Price: Mel Antonen, USA Today; Tony Fabrizio, Tampa Tribune; Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune; Chris Assenheimer. Elyria (OH) Chronicle.

Sabathia: George King, New York Post; Bob Elliott, Toronto Sun; Sheldon Ocker, Akron Beacon Journal.

Yes, one writer voted Hernandez fifth. And that was the infamous George King of the NY Post, who screwed Pedro Martinez out of the MVP award in 1999 by leaving him off the ballot, using the faulty logic that pitchers don't deserve to be MVP (despite having voted for two pitchers for the same award the previous year).

Hernandez wins the award with the fewest wins ever for a starting pitcher, but he simply dominated in most of the major categories. With any decent support he could have easily won 20 games. Fortunately most writers knew that and gave Hernandez the award.

I'm sure dumbass King and bigger dumbass Murray Chass are not happy men tonight.

Trivia Q&A: November 16

We had 18 teams in for Trivia Night, a nice bounce back from last week. It was a rainy night, but that didn't keep many folks away from getting their Trivia fix!

The scores were very high for Q-Tip Trivia, and they also were for General Knowledge as well. The scores were a bit lower for Even Numbered Trivia, the Q Train category. I think I made it harder than I thought.

We had a tight race going into IQ Trivia, with two teams running neck and neck and separted by one point. The team in second place, Four Loko For Cocoa Puffs, got three of the five IQ questions correct and wound up winning by four points. Congratulations to them, as it was their very first win ever on Trivia Night.

Second place went to This Space Intentionally Left Blank, and third place went to Fruitless Pursuits, who finished two points out of third.

Best Team Name: This Space Left Intentionally Blank

Current Events
1. Forbes.com listed Oprah Winfrey as their highest-earning female celebrity for the last 12 months ending June 30. Which R&B singer finished second?
2. What group is urging the US to prosecute former President Bush after he admitted in his memoir he authorized the use of waterboarding?
3. What fast food restaurant last week radically changed their french fries, leaving the skin on and sprinkling sea salt on top?
4. What British singer, who was a former captain in the British army, claimed he may have prevented World War III in Kosovo in 1999 by ignoring an order to attack Russian forces by an American general?
5. A dispute between Nicaragua and what neighboring country was fueled recently when an island on the border was mistakenly shown on Google Maps as being part of Nicaragua and not the neighbor?
6. 42 people were killed in a fire in a skyscraper in what Asian city on Monday?
7. What TV series was renewed for a 23rd season last week?

Q-Tip Trivia
1. Which of these 19th century presidents served their terms before the Civil War? a. Franklin Pierce; b. Benjamin Harrison; c. Zachary Taylor; d. James Garfield.
2. Which of the following countries are NOT a member of the European Union? a. Switzerland; b. Ukraine; c. Spain; d. Turkey.
3. Which of the following films had a Best Actor Oscar winner that year it came out? a. Rocky; b. The Sting; c. Saving Private Ryan; d. The Deer Hunter.
4. Which of the following artists have had an album sell at least 40 million copies worldwide? a. Pink Floyd; b. Whitney Houston; c. Backstreet Boys; d. AC/DC.
5. Which of these planets are smaller than Earth? a. Mercury. b. Mars; c. Uranus; d. Neptune.
6. Which of these US cities has a subway system? a. Baltimore; b. Los Angeles; c. San Francisco; d. Minneapolis.
7. Which of these films was Morgan Freeman nominated for an Academy Award for? a. Unforgiven; b. The Shawshank Redemption; c. Driving Miss Daisy; d. Invictus.

Even Numbered Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. This is the number of inches in one yard.
2. In tennis, this number represents the third point gained in a game.
3. This number is retired for MLB Hall of Famers Tony Perez, Rickey Henderson and Willie Mays.
4. This is the number of holes in a stipulated round of golf.
5. Barack Obama is this number President of the United States.
6. The Roman numeral "L" signifies this number.
7. This is the number of dominoes in a standard dominoes set.
8. The current Roman Catholic Pope, Pope Benedict, is this number.
9. This number parallel north separates North and South Korea.
10. Virgo is this number astrological sign of the Zodiac.

General Knowledge
1. Who is the last surviving member of TV's "Golden Girls?" ( 1 pt)
2. What Peanuts character famously played the piano? ( 1 pt)
3. Columbia is the capital of what US state? ( 1 pt)
4. November 11th became a holiday in remembrance of war veterans following the conclusion of what war? ( 2 pt)
5. How many hours difference is there between Pacific Standard Time and Atlantic Standard Time? ( 2 pt)
6. Who succeeded King George VI as England's monarch? ( 2 pt)
7. What hit film was based on a book called "The Accidental Billionaires?" ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What Oscar winner wrote a 1987 memoir subtitled "How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind?"( 4 points)
2. What national capital is the oldest European-founded city in the Western Hemisphere? ( 4 points)
3. What does a person called a tasseomancer do for a living? ( 5 points)
4. Which is the only American League baseball team that has never appeared in a World Series? ( 3 points)
5. Of whose death did General Robert E. Lee say, "I have lost my right arm?" ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Beyonce Knowles; 2. Amnesty International; 3. Wendy's; 4. James Blunt; 5. Costa Rica; 6. Shanghai, China; 7. "The Simpsons."

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

Even Numbered Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. 36; 2. 40; 3. 24; 4. 18; 5. 44; 6. 50; 7. 28; 8. 16; 9. 38; 10. 6.

General Knowledge
1. Betty White; 2. Schroeder; 3. South Carolina; 4. World War I; 5. four; 6. Elizabeth II; 7. "The Social Network."

IQ Trivia
1. Katharine Hepburn; 2. Santo Domingo, D.R.; 3. Reads tea leaves; 4. Seattle Mariners; 5. Stonewall Jackson.

Sox Corner The Market On Guys Named Buchholz

The Red Sox claimed reliever Taylor Buchholz off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday. And yes, he's related to Clay, as he confirmed with Nick Cafardo last season that they are distant cousins.

Too bad Horst (pictured) isn't still around, as the Sox could have gotten him on the payroll somehow and made it a Buchholz Hat Trick.

The November Q-Tip Edition

This Tuesday night we will have as the Special Category the November edition of "Q Tip Trivia," that is the category where I ask you a question that has four possible answers, and it can be any, all or none of the four choices. The questions are all general knowledge in nature, but you have to be careful with your answers, because even one wrong guess gets you a zero for the question. (And you will get a point for reach right choice you make.)

The Q Train lightning round will be "Even Numbered Trivia," 10 questions where each answer will be an even number between 1 and 50. (OK, 2 and 50.)

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
Who is the last surviving member of TV's "Golden Girls?"

We get the Trivia going at 9 PM on Tuesday night, so I hope to see many of you then.

The Curtain's Coming Down

Brett Favre was picked off three times in the second half on Sunday. That should be all you need to know.

I missed this game, as I was again working as an extra on a movie in Manhattan. Boy am I glad I did. I followed it on my cell phone, but I didn't have a good feeling about it at all.

The Bears won easily, 27-13. The Vikings are now 3-6 and any chance of a playoff berth appears to be almost nil now. They trail Chicago by three games.

The plug will be pulled on Brad Childress soon, that's for sure.

Favre was interviewed by the NFL Network earlier this week and said he was not returning for next season.

Why bother waiting, Brett. Bag it now. The rest of your teammates sure look like they have now.

Around The Wide World of Sports

This has been a crazy weekend for me, as I am working a movie in my background acting job, in Manhattan on Madison Avenue called "Man On a Ledge." I'm doing it over four weekends, and I have completed three of the six days I am doing it. (I have to be on set at 5 AM both Saturday and Sunday mornings, which is a real thrill. But I get to see many actors I have become friends with and share stories.)

So, here are a few things in my sports world with links that are going on:

Notre Dame upsets 15th ranked Utah in their final game at home in 2010. And I'm sorry I missed it.

Red Sox maybe interested in signing both Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre. Very problematic with Beltre having Doctor Evil as his agent and mouthpiece.

Sox trade Dustin Richardson to Florida for lefty Andrew Miller. I guess Miller's worth a shot. Didn't cost them that much.

Adrian Beltre wins the Silver Slugger at 3B. Well-earned.

Captain Intangibles Wins the Gold Glove. OK, I'll stop beating a dead horse. But I'll give Denton from Surviving Grady the last word.

Thank You. Always.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, World War I came to a merciful conclusion. And we remember that day every year as Veteran's Day.

To all those who have served or continued to serve our great country, and especially to those who made the Ultimate Sacrifice: thank you for all you do. I will always admire your courage and sacrifice. You are all in my thoughts and prayers every night.

What The Hell, He's a Winner, Right?

Baseball's joke of an award, the Gold Gloves (and not the Golden Gloves, as that is a boxing tournament), were announced yesterday for the American League, and once again the voters saw fit to award Derek Jeter one for shortstop, and for the fifth time in his career.

Simply beyond ludicrous.

Allan at The Joy of Sox pointed out today that Jeter is ranked 27th out of 28 shortstops, according to this ranking at Baseball Reference. And the good folks at The Fielding Bible took a survey of writers and broadcasters to rank MLB shortstops from 1 to 10. Twenty shortstops received at least one vote. How many did Jeter receive?

None. Nada. Zilch.

Listen, this post isn't a rip at Jeter. He didn't ask or campaign for this award. And of course, he shouldn't decline the award. But a good majority of the baseball world knows that he is a below-average shortstop. His range has never been good and it isn't getting better.

Managers and coaches vote for the Gold Gloves. And historically they have made some awful selections. Like when Rafael Palmeiro won the award at first base despite playing less than 30 games there one year. And in the early 1990s when Benito Santiago won the award for catchers despite leading the NL in BOTH errors and passed balls. The award is simply a popularity contest, pure and simple.

I can only imagine that the managers and coaches are handed the ballots in mid-to-late September, and I also bet that most don't give more than 30 seconds of their time to filling it out. They see a player who has been having a fine year at the plate and vote for him at his position whether the stats say he has been having a good year in the field or not. Or they feel a sense of respect for one player, or since he's won before, what the hell, give it to him again.

The system for picking the Gold Gloves has to amended. Letting it go to this vote has proven to be a mistake. The voters simply don't look at numbers, or just don't care about them. I am hesitant to turn the balloting over to sportswriters, but maybe MLB should get the sabermatricians in on it, like the guys from The Fielding Bible, who know their stuff in this area. The award should be based on some merits of the year, not some bowing down before players who don't deserve the award.

It is a complete and utter travesty, and has been long before Derek Jeter ever stepped on a baseball field.

Trivia Q&A: November 9

It was a light night on Tuesday, as we had just 10 teams in for Trivia Night. Don't know what kept many folks away. Maybe they are sending me a message? I hope not.

We had some strong scores from those folks who came out, especially for Time Zones Trivia and General Knowledge. It was a close match throughout the evening, and going into the final round, the top five teams were separated by just five points.

The team in third place, Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead! Good Riddance, Chancellor Klein! came from third place with a perfect 5 for 5 in IQ Trivia to win the night by eight points. No other team in the round got more than three correct.

Second place went to Now Joe Is Going To Make a Michael Jackson Noise, and third place went to Ol' School Bean Eating Chowderheadz, who finished three points out of second.

Best Team Name: The Team Formerly Known as Joe and Adam: The Bruins Win The Cup

Current Events
1. Forbes.com recently selected their "10 Most Powerful People in the World" and Barack Obama was picked number two. Which country's president was selected as number one?
2. What 1970s teen idol was arrested in Florida on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol last Thursday?
3. Sparky Anderson, the first MLB manager to win the World Series in both leagues, died last Thursday at the age of 76. Name 1 of the 2 MLB teams he won the World Series with.
4. A rare baseball card of MLB Hall of Famer Honus Wagner was sold recently for nearly $262,000 at auction. What group, who inherited the card, benefited from the sale?
5. What female author, an American of Irish descent who has sold over 80 million books in her career, was chosen as the Grand Marshal of the 2011 New York St. Patrick's Day Parade?
6. Outgoing Florida governor Charlie Crist said he is considering granting a pardon to what late rock star, who was convicted of profanity and indecent exposure charges in Florida during a show there in 1969?
7. What film, which debuted this past weekend, grossed over $47 million at the box office and became the number one movie in America?

Q Are You?
1. This man was born in Lynwood, CA in 1955. He's an actor, producer, director and musician. He's won 2 Academy Awards and 2 Golden Globe Awards, has released 2 CDs with a country rock band & was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 for his work in films of that genre.
2. This man was born in Refugio, TX in 1947. He is a Hall of Fame baseball player, having pitched in a record 27 seasons for 4 teams, winning one World Series. He holds numerous records but never won a Cy Young Award. He is now part-owner of the last team he played for.
3. This woman was born in Memphis, TN in 1942. She's one of the most renowned singers of all-time, having won 18 Grammys in her career. She was the first female inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Rolling Stone ranked her #1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All-Time.
4. This man was born in Newburgh, NY in 1947. He worked in advertising until 1996, when he became a full-time writer. He has been a prolific thriller author and holds the record for most titles ever on the New York Times bestseller list with 56, and his best known books feature a character named Alex Cross.
5. This man was born in Hayward, CA in 1972. He was a college football player on a national title team, but turned to his family's business after college, pro wrestling. By the turn of the 1990s, he was one of the world's best known wrestlers before turning to acting & dropped his ring name in films in 2007.
6. This woman was born in Santa Barbara, CA in 1984. She began her recording career with an unsuccessful gospel album in 2001. She released an Internet single in 2008 that was an international hit, and she's had two number one singles in the US in 2010.
7. This man was born in Schenectady, NY in 1952. He was a respected screen actor during the 1980s, but gave up his career to become a boxer in 1991. After that was unsuccessful, he returned to acting with little success until he received an Oscar nomination in 2008.

Time Zones Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Salt Lake City, UT
2. New Orleans, LA
3. Detroit, MI
4. Vancouver, BC
5. Las Vegas, NV
6. Cheyenne, WY
7. Toronto, ONT
8. Austin, TX
9. St. Louis, MO
10. Cleveland, OH

General Knowledge
1. What US state is nicknamed "The Cornhusker State?" ( 1 pt)
2. Which actress played Rachel Green on the TV series "Friends?" ( 1 pt)
3. Pete Best was the original drummer of what legendary rock band? ( 1 pt)
4. Haile Selassie was once emperor of what African country? ( 2 pt)
5. Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for what epic novel? ( 2 pt)
6. The failed "Gunpowder Plot" is remembered every year in the UK as what holiday? ( 2 pt)
7. How many GB of hard disk space was there on Apple's first iPod launched in 2001?

IQ Trivia
1. World War II's Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle in history that exclusively used only what? ( 4 points)
2. Who was the only king of France ever to be executed? ( 4 points)
3. Who famously took the photograph known as "The Blue Marble" in 1972? ( 4 points)
4. "Scousers" is a slang term to describe the inhabitants of what British city? ( 5 points)
5. Ronnie Van Zant was the lead singer of what 1970s rock group before he died in a plane crash? ( 3 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. China (Hu Jintao); 2. David Cassidy; 3. Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers; 4. Roman Catholic nuns; 5. Mary Higgins Clark; 6. Jim Morrison; 7. "Megamind."

Q Are You?
1. Kevin Costner; 2. Nolan Ryan; 3. Aretha Franklin; 4. James Patterson; 5. Dwayne Johnson; 6. Katy Perry; 7. Mickey Rourke.

Time Zones Trivia ("The Q Train")
1. Mountain; 2. Central; 3. Eastern; 4. Pacific; 5. Pacific; 6. Mountain; 7. Eastern; 8. Central; 9. Central; 10. Eastern.

General Knowledge
1. Nebraska; 2. Jennifer Aniston; 3. The Beatles; 4. Ethiopia; 5. "Gone With The Wind;" 6. Guy Fawkes Day; 7. five.

IQ Trivia
1. Airplanes; 2. Louis XVI; 3. Apollo 17 astronauts; 4. Liverpool; 5. Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Does Bud Believe In The Tooth Fairy As Well?

My friend Pete Nash at Hauls of Shame sent me an interesting email the other day, about a letter that Commissioner Bud Selig wrote to an autograph collector named Ron Keurajian, who wrote to him about whether Abner Doubleday or Alexander Cartwright founded the game of baseball.

As you all know, Abner Doubleday founding baseball in Cooperstown, NY in 1839 is a complete fairy tale, made up as the 100th anniversary of the sport was approaching in 1939. Doubleday was a distinguished Civil War general, a man of good character. (One of his descendants, Nelson Doubleday, purchased the Mets with Fred Wilpon in 1980.)

But in this letter (pictured here, courtesy of the Hauls of Shame), Selig says that he really believes that the myth is fact. I can only believe that Selig is continuing to believe a party line is that is clearly wrong, and that few people put any stock into whatsoever.

I think Bud needs to clarify exactly why he thinks the Doubleday fantasy is true.

Here's more on it from Deadspin, Joe Posnanski and the Hauls of Shame web site.

Ken Tremendous Gets His Wish

The long nightmare that was Sunday Night Baseball is finally coming to an end, as the duo of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, who have been doing the telecast for 21 years, is kaput.

Miller is going to ESPN radio for the broadcasts, and Joe Morgan is being dumped. Here's more from ESPN.

Ken Tremendous finally gets his wish.

Personally, I found them both unlistenable the last few years, especially Morgan.

At least I won't hear an announcer on that broadcast call Adrian Beltre, "Bel-tray" any more.

No word on the fate of Orel Hershiser, the third man in the booth, and an analyst I actually enjoyed hearing from at times.

Q Are You? Finally Returns

Two weeks ago, we were supposed to have "Q Are You?" as our Special category on Trivia Night, but that was the night the Celtics opened their NBA season at home against the Miami Heat, and it brought out a large crowd to the bar. We couldn't start Trivia Night until after the game concluded, so we had to shorten the contest, and that category got bumped.

But "Q Are You?" is back this week as the Special Category. For those of you who don't know, that is the category where I give you clues as to the identity of seven current celebrities and you have to tell me who it is.

The Q Train lightning round will be "Time Zones Trivia," in honor of the fact we just turned our clocks back this weekend. I will give you the names of 10 US and Canadian cities, and you have to tell which of the four mainland time zones they belong to. They will all be well-known places on this continent.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
Pete Best was the original drummer of what legendary rock band?

We will kick off the night at around 9 PM. I hope to see many of you this Tuesday night.