Nerds on Sports

I’ll be honest.  I wasn’t entirely surprised when the Mother of All Battles didn’t materialize at Gillette Stadium this weekend.  Sure, I was hoping for the Patriots to mercilessly slaughter the Jets, followed by Coach Bill Belichick walking up to Coach Eric Mangini and delivering a crisp, powdered slap across the face.  But I hope for a lot of things that don’t happen, and this was no different.  There was dominance, though the scoreboard may not have reflected it.  From the first series of the game, when Jets QB Kellen Clemens was forced into throwing an interception and his ribs were forced out of their natural resting place, it was all Patriots all the time.  The grisly weather easily stole four touchdowns from New England, and likely at least one more field goal from New York.  So even though it was a 20-10 game, it was still something of a laugher.  At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.

Last week, I said that the Patriots were like a power levelled band of heroes from a role-playing game; ahead of the curve in every respect, flashing weapons and armor not available to their opponents.  I want to expand that metaphor a bit.  If the Pats are our RPG party, then I suppose that makes us a pack of enthused gamers that is somehow disappointed that the sheer power of our team didn’t break the game. Read more »

I was five years old in January, 1991. The Bills and the Giants were about to play in a huge, all New York Super Bowl. From Levy and Parcells to OJ Anderson and Thurman Thomas to even Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor, the game was loaded with stars of that decade and turned out to be maybe the greatest of the 41 to date. More importantly, I remember the game meant nothing to me, as my team was the New England Patriots and they lost 17 out a possible 16 games that season.

I mention this because on Sunday the seven and oh Indianapolis Colts host the eight and whoa Patriots in the latest battle of the unbeatens in NFL history. It looks to be a spectacular matchup. However, I did some digging, and after about eleven hours of research found out there are thirteen other pro football games this weekend! Wow! So let’s take a look at these strange and wonderful bonus games, or as I call them, “bonus games.” Read more »

Watching the Patriots deconstruct the Cowboys in the second half last night got me thinking about the perfect football team.  Not that I’m saying that the Pats are perfect, mind you, but just that they reflect in some small way the concept of football perfection.  They can run (even without their top two running backs), pass, stop the run and stop the pass.  They’re as close as we can get to the Platonic Ideal of A Football Team.  There are checks and balances in place to prevent this kind of domination from happening, yet here it is happening.  We should pay attention, folks, because the Gods of Sport have graced us with what may be the best football team we will ever see.  They execute in every facet of the game better than their opponents.  They aren’t perfect, but they remind me very much of perfection.

So what would make the perfect team?  I mean, a truly perfect team?  We as fans know what we want out of every position - a quarterback that could make every throw, an offensive line that is unbeatable in the trenches, cornerbacks whose mere stare could alter the course of a pass.  That part is easy.  It’s the little things that are trickier to nail down.  What would the team be called?  What kind of stadium would they play in?  What do their uniforms look like?  Read more »

I went into Boston’s Chinatown Sunday afternoon and feasted upon Dim Sum.  If you’re not familiar with this magnificent tradition, you’re missing out.  It’s a buffet that comes to you, delighting your senses and satisfying your hunger with a savory variety of dumplings, rolls, and buns.  Like football, it is best enjoyed on the weekend and in a pair of stretchy sweatpants.  Inspired by this glorious meal, I am presenting to you Business Day One Dim Sum - a sampling of news from across the entirety of the sports world.  And like Dim Sum, it should satisfy everybody.

Shrimp Dumpling: The New York Mets are not going to the playoffs.  Their season ended with Tom Glavine allowing seven runs in a third of an inning, while one state over the Phillies put the finishing touches on a playoff clinching win.  Mets Manager Willie Randolph is not going to get fired, nor should he.  He’s a quality manager with a lot of experience that can handle the scathing New York media.  There are going to be some off-seasons changes, to be sure, and the team taking the field next year will be markedly different.  There’s a lot of great young talent on that team, but I think this year was their big shot and they slowly bled it out. Read more »