Is there any doubt

Tom is God --- he slapped that devil silly over the weekend!

Gas prices are sliding, Sox are tied with the Yanks, knocked Rita right down and was ....

12-12 in the 4th quarter, FG, TD, FG, FG (last 4 possessions), another 4th quarter comeback (ummmm I think some other team scored with 1:21 remaining - remember the Deal with the Devil).

The holy trinity .... In the name of the coach and the quarterback and kicker - amen.

The apocalypse is here

I am not someone who normally subscribes to crazy theories ... but I think that Tom Brady made a deal with the devil in New Orleans back in 2001.

I am not sure that every one has followed the theory that while Kurt Warner was stocking shelves in Iowa - he made a deal with the Devil which led to three great years in the NFL - in turn he had to marry the Devil's sister - Brenda. Just search on Kurt Warner Deal Devil and you can read all sorts of details behind his fast rise and sudden decline.

Well my theory is that in New Orleans just before the Superbowl, somehow the deal passed from KW to Tom Brady.

• Has KW been the same since?
• KW now plays in Sun DEVIL Stadium.
• Brady has been on a big time run.
• I get a bad vibe from Bridget when I look at her.

Look at what he has brought to New England:

1) 3 Superbowls

2) Some unbelievable games - non-superbowl

3) Best 35 game streak in history of the NFL

4) He is probably the first NE athlete to get nationwide exposure - like he lives in LA or NY. He has spread to others too - see the lineman in the visa commercial, Corey Dillon in the Not in My House commercial.

5) A Red Sox World Series

6) Skyrocketing housing prices.

So ... I think that his deal was set to expire after 4 years - and Brady has stared at the Devil with all his coolness and chucked him the bird and the devil is pissed. Let's look at the evidence:

1) He wrecked New Orleans

2) Is set to wreck Houston - if I live in JaXXXIX ... I would put my house on the market right now.

3) Has caused the Sox to collapse

4) Has raised gas prices over $3 - might hit $5

5) Finally last week against the Panthers --- Brady looked allot like KW - post Deal.

Maybe the Football Jesus has a chance to win his struggle with the Devil. Hopefully Tom can:

1) Turn the hurricane around or kill it

2) Fix the Sox bullpen

3) Beat the Steelers

4) Bring gas back to $1.30 per gallon

I guess the next week or so will tell the tale.

My first foul ball ...

I have been going to the Sox since 1974 and have never gotten a ball. As I wrote earlier ... Franky got a ball in 10 minutes of his first game - I have to wait 31 years (http://litoblog.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_litoblog_archive.html).

We used to go with the boy scouts and sit way up top in the bleachers - what is now named the dunkin dugout. We actually thought we had a chance .... Forget the fact we were sitting 100 feet further than the Teddy Ballgame's red seat.

There was a time before a game around 1976 when we were trying to get balls and Ernie Whitt was a rookie cather. We were on top of the wall in center field (you know the area where people can't sit today) and we yelled down "Mr. Whitt how about a ball" . He proceeded to taunt us by throwing the ball up - just short of our reach about 10 times. Loser. I am sure the User Friendly Management at Fenway would not want to hear this story - maybe if I send them an email - I can get some free tickets.

I was a game once when I was around 24. We were skipping work early in the spring and Zibba catches a foul ball. There we are on the scoreboard and the broadcast - it was a real Ferris Bueller moment. Well we spent the next 15 minutes Zibba to give the ball to the kid behind us - #1 why does a 24 year old want a ball #2 is he really going to carry that thing around all night (yes a day game was an all day and night affair back then) and #3 - he could really make the kids day. Finally he reluctantly gave the ball to the kid.

Well last Thursday we were at the game sitting in seats next to the dugout ... ya know the same seats from Sports Illustrated and the Fox Broadcast - see the link below - at 35 seconds. (http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/bc/432ee43e_cba9/bc/videos/2003ACLSMontage.WMV?bfAYxLDBJO9AiWOw)

Well when you sit in those seats if you are a kid - you are almost guaranteed to get a ball. Atleast twice an inning a player or coach rolls a ball across the dugout. They usually point to kids and roll the ball.

Eric Rocco was in the scrum for each of the balls. Driving to the game, I was telling him that he could not bring the ball home to his kids - because #1 his kids have balls from the game #2 the experience of getting the ball at the game is the thrill - not possessing the ball. Check out ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/20-USED-RAWLINGS-OFFICIAL-MAJOR-LEAGUE-BASEBALLS-NR_W0QQitemZ7180850209QQcategoryZ73894QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) you can get 20 used game balls for $75). So if you want to give your kid a ball ... just buy him one.

Well ... about the 6th inning Eric is at the bathroom or something. There is a foul and two guys are fighting over the ball - it squirts free and I grab it. So while he is gone and I am taking pictures of myself with the ball and someone calls me and says - stop taking pictures of yourself with the ball. Well - when he gets back - I show him the ball before he can start busting me about keeping the ball - I stand up and yell "hey kid" and throw the ball to some kid with a glove. The whole section starts cheering - it was like Papi just hit one out. So I got a ball - but don't really have it - btw when I told Franky I gave it to some kid - he cried.

BTW - when we were at the game I mentioned that I had a piece of Fenway Park from when it was resurfaced in 1976. My mother won it for me in a Jimmy Fund charity raffle back then.

At the game I commented that I am sure most of them probably got thrown away with the baseball cards. I guessed that it was probably worth $200. Yesterday, I found it laying on the floor in the upstairs hallway and commented to Liz that I bet it was worth $500 (she said, "if it is worth $500 why is it always hanging around in Franky's room"). I did a quick search on ebay ... and according to this guy (http://cgi.ebay.com/Authentic-Piece-of-the-Green-Monster-Fenway-1976_W0QQitemZ5243698705QQcategoryZ50117QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) it has a book value of $2000 and he will let it go for $950. As you might imagine - it is not on the floor in Franky's room anymore.

Week One Fantasy Results

Pro Bono 75.97
Mighty Mighty Litos 74.87

Well the MML's had a very tough week losing by 1.1 to some lawyer - pretty sad when you have been outgeeked. However ... my QB - Favre had -2 points .... so if he got hurt tripping over a cheerleader and got no points I still would have won.

UGH 84.03
Pharoahs 109.27

Amazingly the Pharoahs beat Goldilocks. I never knew there was that much football information in the middle east or in the Telegram.

B-Money 54.72
HoneymooneRs 70.09

The HoneymooneRs beat up on the Milton Patriots ... MikeR is such a bully.

FrankyPancakes 81.25
The Masters 71.46

Litte Franky Pancakes took care of this big cousin just fine. Some day when he realizes he's playing ... he will rub it in.

longpondlobsters 124.14
the mullanators 97.33

You know that scene in the movie when the guy walks in and says .... not sure how you play this poker game but I will try and he ends up cleaning out everyone. Well - that is the Long Pond Lobsters this week ... taking home the big prize. Next time he is around make sure you keep one hand on your wallet. He did lose Javon Walker ...

For all of us losers .. better luck next week.

ok .. it gets better

So check out the globe on-line (
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/gallery/09_08_05_pregame)

Or page E13 of today's Boston Globe --- here is the picture:



Right to the left of the banner - yellow hat and gray T-Shirt.

Championship Banner 2005

As promised ...

Championship Banner Zapruder

So on Thursday night as the game approaches .. I will either in the parking lot putting the finishing touches on the tailgate .... squeezing that last PBR and steak tip into the old boiler or hanging up with the banner.

Last year I was up there and was captured on TV --- though it as pretty weak. Check out the sequence below:




To the right on the banner and the right pole you see a shadow and a small face.




If you enhance it a little (this is right out of the movies right). You see a little more detail. The person begins to look familiar.














If you magnify it a big more - you cannot mistake that beak for anyone but me! If I was alive when JFK was shot ... I would have proved it was a democratic plot because JFK was defecting to the GOP or it was a mad ex-girlfriend.








I promise if I make the effort to climb up there (since I am lazy and it is a long walk) - there will be a better showing this year.

This year will end like every other year for Peyton! New Boss, Same as the Old Boss. 

Hey we go Patriots, Here we go! Yummy! 

Media Wh*ore Part Two

first off - the purpose of the BLOG --- a place to document things that would have otherwise slipped off into the delete bucket of email and be gone forever: Such as this email:

"Since I am having trouble pulling away from the unbelievable shots on CNN, I was thinking…
…if you look closely at the Superdome, I am pretty sure you can see a tall guy with a cowboy hat handing out copies of DVDs at the top of the ramp at the east entrance
...did you see the clip of the small Asian woman in a doorway of the French Quarter with the guy next to her drooling and stating something in gibberish that was barely audible?
…I bet you that if Tony was there the cell phones would be working, and everyone would have internet access
…if you fell off a fence in New Orleans today, the landing would be a lot softer than it was in 2002
…do you think it would be ok if I called the Red Cross hotline and asked if they found my wallet?
This is an historic event - with New Orleans forever hereafter being referred to as before and after Katrina. I plan to have a Muffalettta or two over the weekend to toast the City." MullanPublishingTM

The events that led to this blog were

#1 downloading Picassa (highly recommended) for managing my pictures which allows 1 click publishing to the blog

#2 the ability to post with my phone -- so when you see a Styrofoam cooler and it reminds you of something .. you can can snap it on your phone and upload pretty quickly.

As for Steve's complaint it went something like - I am the only person left in the world reading NM and I live in Turkey, won the Murphy cup and I can't get a simple stroll.

As for spreading the wealth --- all of the people mentioned are worthy - but where is my love. I tried out for the Doherty Highlanders in the height of their power without a freakin' helmet (because of the universal prejudice against LGH people - you thought UGH disliked the LGHer's well the WSers (West Siders for the uninitiated) though of all GHer's (and VHer's) as a step up from scum. I went on to score 4 TDs in a game (my Al Bundy moment) and was also was T&G star of the week - yet my career is forgotten and SS is out of the question. Paul Mahassel was the original Wh*re - he had more T&G pictures than he had TDs and to this day he bribes NM for mentions with hats (did you see NM on channel three with his Tri-Star / Poker Stars hat).