High school scores: Wednesday

Boys basketball
Portsmouth 55, East Providence 42
Middletown 65, Mount Hope 54
Cranston East 50, Tiverton 48
Girls basketball
Portsmouth 51, Immaculata (N.J.) 40
Barrington 54, Rogers 39

Decade of memories

I began watching sports when I was 8 years old. It was the 1986 World Series, and I kind of wish I had started in 1987. And even though I was a sports nuts throughout my formative years in the 1990s, I consider this decade when I took my passion to an extreme level (just ask Olivia, my live-in girlfriend).

With only a few days remaining in this decade, I thought I'd share some of the best memories I have watching sports, and I encourage you do list a few of yours in the comment section.

Without a doubt, the No. 1 memory I have is Feb. 3, 2002, when the Patriots defeated the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Actually, those three weeks (the Snow Bowl and the AFC title game against the Steelers) were just awesome. I'm not sure anyone really knew just how good the Patriots were, and week after week, fans were on pins and needles.

The Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004 was just a fantastic moment. Although I don't consider myself to be a member of the media fabrication that is Red Sox Nation, it was nice to see Boston's team finally get the best of the Yankees and finish the job in the championship series.

It's been a tough few years for the Providence College men's basketball team, but being on press row to see the Friars knock off No. 1 Pittsburgh at The Dunk has to rank up there. That senior class of Geoff McDermott, Weyinmi Efejuku, Jonathan Kale and Randall Hanke knock off the Panthers was just plain awesome.

I'm a huge golf fan, and seeing the U.S. Women's Open at Newport Country Club was certainly a treat. Annika Sorenstam, who hadn't won an Open in more than a decade, defeated Patty Hurst in a playoff on Monday. Who doesn't love extra golf?

And last but not least, my favorite college team won four national championships. The Florida Gators men's basketball team won back-to-back titles with a close-knit group that returned after winning the first one. Will we ever see that again? And Tim Tebow and company took home two titles in three years.

I've been pretty lucky these past years, having seen a lot of wins and a lot of championships for my favorite teams. Here's hoping next decade can be just as successful.

High School Basketball Scores: Monday

BOYS BASKETBALL
Middletown 75, Narragansett 65

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Portsmouth 65, South Sumter, Fla. 42
Tiverton 57, Middletown 44

Questioning the Colts

A couple years ago, admittedly, I decried the New England Patriots' "pursuit of perfection." (On a side note, how happy is Lexus every football season with their slogan being tossed about on a daily basis?)

I thought it was arrogant and disgraceful how they kept Tom Brady & Co. in for nearly every minute of every game while they ran roughshod over the NFL en route to a 16-0 regular season, despite having clinched home field long before the final game.

It's funny how a different uniform can change your perspective.

It was quite disappointing to see the Indianapolis Colts phoning it in against the Jets on Sunday and making it clear they had no interest in a perfect season. I can't put my finger on it, but I was psyched at the possibility of two 18-0 teams (Colts and Saints) in the Super Bowl. When the Saints stunk it up against the Cowboys, I thought, at least one team still has a shot at 19-0.

Not any more. Now, no matter what happens in the final month of football, we'll have another run-of-the-mill Super Bowl winner. Not that it won't be exciting and fun to watch as the postseason unfolds. It is every year, regardless of the teams and records involved.

But I was probably alone in this region in rooting for the Colts to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl. And watching Peyton Manning on the sideline in the second half, I have to believe he felt the same.

Classy as usual, though, Manning publicly backed the decision, saying he and coach Jim Caldwell were on the same page.

Imagine if it were the Vikings who were 14-0 and Brad Childress, again, wanted to pull Brett Favre. I don't doubt for a second that Favre would throw his coach under the proverbial bus.

NE 28, JAX 0

The game began in 55 degrees and it looks like it's getting hotter out there outside the press box, but not as hot as the Pats.
Brady just hit Moss in the back of the end zone again for another touchdown. Moss was even more open than on his first touchdown.
The sun looks like its coming out.
I've just been informed that the state of Florida is down 72-0. Which means my pick for Miami to beat Houston is looking as good as the pathetic Jags right now.

NE 21, JAX 0

Sammy Morris should spring for a couple of beers for Dan Connolly, the Pats' backup lineman.
This fourth-year guy from collegiate biggie Southeast Missouri State lined up at fullback and made a devastating straight-up block that sprung Morris for a 55-yard gain - equaling his longest ever - on a run through the right side.
Then Connolly did the same over the left side on Sammy's 1-yard touchdown run.
It's 21-0 and a rout is on.

NE 14, JAX 0

Jaguars are moving well behind the running of Maurice Jones-Drew until David Garrard sails one over tight end Marcedes Lewis and is picked off by center fielder Brandon Meriweather, who returns the ball more than 50 yards to the Jacksonville 27.
It's the worst overthrow I've seen since Uncle Dave, Boston College's ancient freshman quarterback, was spraying balls all over San Francisco in BC's loss to USC in the Emerald on Saturday night.
After one play that gains one yard, Brady hits tight end Chris "I'll just push off a little bit" Baker in the end zone to put the Pats up by two touchdowns.

NE 7, JAX 0

Now that's more like it. Pats went back to the left side, where Matt Light and Logan Mankins reside, and Sammy Morris starts a 21-yard run from the Jaguars' 35, thanks to Jax coming up short on a fourth-and-1.
Brady finishes off this drive with a 2-yard scoring toss to Randy Moss in the back middle of the end zone.
New England's moving the ball with ease. If Jacksonville gets down a couple of scores, this could be settled early.

New England fizzles after long drive

The Patriots go from their 17 to the Jaguars' 1 after running well to the left side and passing great, then on their first run to the right get Laurence Maroney fumbling away the ball.
What a bittersweet start.

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How the Patriots get to the Super Bowl

The more I think about it, the more I like New England's chances in the playoffs. But they're only 9-5, and they seemingly can't win a playoff game on the road, you say. True. Yet here's why I like the Pats going forward.

This week's game against the Jags is a must-win. Period. This week is the Super Bowl. Why? Because that'll secure a playoff berth, and Tom Brady - and any other players who are dinged up - can get a rest in Week 17.

New England would get a first-round home game against one of the many AFC teams in the mix for the two wild card spots. Personally, I'd like to see Denver, only because you know Josh McDaniels doesn't want to give Belichick another shot (especially at home).

Assuming the Patriots advance (and fans should be confident, considering the Patriots are perfect at home this year), they'd get Indianapolis on the road in the conference semifinals. OK, less confidence here, but clearly New England can hang with the Colts. And are you going to tell me there isn't going to be even a little extra motivation for that month's worth of 4th-and-2 talk?

Should Brady and company advance, waiting likely will be the Chargers, New England's biggest adversary this decade. Remember Troy Brown stripping the ball and recovering the fumble after Brady's interception? Remember sealing the Super Bowl berth with a 20-12 victory in the 2007 season?

Look, these are probably long shots, but I'm just trying to point out that they're not as long as some may think. And remember my Super Bowl pick at the beginning of the season.

New England 42, Minnesota 20.

City of Brotherly hate

The word fan stems from the word fanatical, and these days, people are taking that to the extreme. This video is from Sunday's game between host Philadelphia at the San Francisco 49ers. As you can see, the rowdy Eagles fans (who've been known to throw snowballs at Santa Claus) pelt 49ers fans unmercifully until they are escorted away from security (those Paul Blart types).

Keep in mind, the Eagles won the game in a rout. What the hell is wrong with people? What gives them the right do this? Is this not assault? I know they're just snowballs, but fans have to be responsible for their actions. If I'm not mistaken, it was a thrown object that started the brawl at the Palace five years ago.

If I were the fans in the video, I would write to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and president Joe Banner and demand a public apology for the actions of these idiotic fans. I would insist security be beefed up to handle these kinds of situations, and fans seen acting in a rowdy manner be thrown out and no longer admitted. I would call for a one-strike-and-you're-out rule.

I'm going to the Patriots game this Sunday (as a fan, not as a reporter) and I expect to cheer on the Pats, maybe throw some verbal jabs at the Jaguars, but what I won't to do is chuck objects at Jacksonville fans. They have just as much right to be there as you and I.

Randy responds ...

Well, sort of.

The New England Patriots receiver, who was accused all week of "dogging it" against the Panthers last week (after a win, no less), let his play do the talking on Sunday against the Bills. He caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.

After the game, Moss addressed the media. And that's an understatement.

"Ya'lls had all two weeks to do your talkin', not let me do mine," Moss told reporters. "You know it's been really a tough couple of weeks, but you move on, you know. That's the nature of the game. So I'm happy that we got this victory.

"I appreciate all of the support from my true fans, the players, the coaches, my family and loved ones," he continued. "I've been in this league 12 years and I've been through a lot.

"These shoulders I have on my body, you can put the Earth on it. So just to let you know, I bounce back."

Then, without taking questions, he left the podium.

You know what? Good for him. I would have done the same. I couldn't believe the "dogging it" talk was still being talked about on Saturday morning. Maybe it was a slow week, or maybe the media just sometimes goes too far.

If the latter is the case, I hope they get on Wes Welker, who caught just four passes for 40 yards and had a few drops, much like Moss the week before. But you know that won't be the case. Welker is the media's little darling, while Moss simply marches to the beat of his own drummer. And that doesn't sit well with the media.

So they write about him negatively. No wonder he rarely talks to reporters.

Evil Tiger

Now that Tiger Woods' image is crumbling in light of his recent off-the-course issues, some have begun to speculate how he can rebuild said image. He should go on Oprah and spill his guts. He should apologize to everyone on the planet. Blah, blah blah.

Here's a thought you won't read anywhere else. He shouldn't bother trying to rebuild the Tiger Woods we all thought we knew. He should embrace what he has become in the public eye. Find his inner Happy Gilmore and give a big middle finger to everyone in the golf world, sponsors included.

The man has made a billion dollars as a professional athlete. He doesn't need more endorsement money. And since he, seemingly, will soon be without a wife, he'll have plenty of time to spend on the golf course, working on his game.

Then play a full PGA Tour schedule, and dominate. Embarass the competition (more than he already tends to). Win tournament after tournament, and in press conferences after the trophy presentation, ask Accenture, Gatorade and any other company that dropped him as a spokesperson, "How you like me now, chumps?"

Sooner than later, they'll come crawling back, and Tiger can tell them all, publicly, to F off.

Even though most will forget about all of the recent Woods news in a matter of months, some will never forget, or forgive him for what he did. So why bother trying to win them back?

Be Evil Tiger. I bet he'd be pretty good at it, and it would be pretty entertaining.

Taking sports for face value

These days, nobody in the sports world is clean, it seems. Between the steroid scandal in baseball, the referee betting scandal in pro basketball, the recruiting violations in college basketball and the sex scandal in golf, fans should be rather jaded. Some of them are, but this one is not.

Yes, I have my opinions. Barry Bonds shouldn't be allowed in the Hall of Fame, and Pete Rose should be inducted as soon as possible. I don't care what Tiger Woods did during his private time, he's still the Athlete of the Decade.

Call me an old softy, but I take sports for face value. I know there's going to be cheaters. There have been since the spitball (thanks Frank Corridon), but it never seems to bother me. I watch sports because I love the idea of competition and don't worry too much about what's happening off the field, court or course.

Yes, I think those who are guilty ruin the experience somewhat, but not enough for me to stand on my soapbox and scream bloody murder. For as long as teams will compete against one another, someone will find a way to cheat the system. Records have fallen because of cheaters, and games that were won should have been lost because of cheaters. Heck, even the BCS is cheating in a way, considering the NCAA only cares about lining its own pocket come bowl time. That's life.

I'd like to think, though, that for every incident involving cheaters, there's a thousand examples of why we love these games and these players.

Sad but true

Upon hearing of the death of Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, one can't help but feel for his teammates, friends and family. But it's also hard to fathom how his death is not, in large part, his own fault.

This was a talented player who couldn't seem to stay on the field, most recently because of injury, but more often than not because he found himself in some kind of trouble, on or off the field. A couple years ago, when much was made of the Bengals piling up arrests, many of those arrests were Henry's. The Bengals released the sixth-year receiver out of West Virginia in 2007 after his fifth arrest. He eventually was brought back to Cincinnati, and had been on relatively good behavior ... until Wednesday.

In the coming weeks, more and more facts will come to light about how Henry was thrown from the back of his fiancee's pickup truck after what police are calling a domestic dispute. But regardless of what we learn, nothing changes the end result of this incident.

Perhaps other athletes can learn from this and avoid the pitfalls that continually found Henry. It's unfortunate, to say the least, that Henry was unable to figure out his life before he lost it.

Hitting on the NFL

PERFECTLY ANNOYING: As a Patriots fan, I'm starting to see how the other side lives. No, not the fact that New England is 8-5 and can only be considered an average team. But as the Saints and Colts get closer to completing perfect regular seasons, nobody can shut up about it.

So I'm starting to see how, maybe, it was a bit annoying two years ago, when the Pats finished 16-0 and the talk about the "perfect season" was everywhere. I didn't notice it then, only because I was in a complete euphoric state. Now, it's just plain old lame, especially because I loathe Peyton Manning.

SILENT OWENS: As the Patriots prepare for the Bills this weekend, I noticed that Terrell Owens hasn't been his usual loudmouth self this season. It could be that his numbers have dropped off as he plays in a stagnant offense, or that his team is one of the worst in the NFL. Still, it's been quite nice, don't you think?

RIP CHRIS HENRY: It just came over the AP wire that Bengals receiver Chris Henry died this morning after falling out of a pickup truck on Wednesday. I'll be honest, when I first heard he was "seriously" injured after what appears to be a domestic dispute, I didn't give it much thought. He's always been, and figured to always be, a trouble maker, having been arrested multiple times since 2005.

But no matter how much of a bonehead he was off the field, stuff like this puts things in perspective. Godspeed.

Tiger's feats can't be denied

All anyone wants to know these days about Tiger Woods is who he's sleeping with, what his iron-aided pulverized face looks like and whether or not he took performance-enhancing drugs? Yes, his life has taken a turn for the worse.

But the world's greatest golfer, who is taking an 'indefinite leave' from the game while he deals with his personal life and marriage, was recently named the Athlete of the Decade by the Associated Press. The ballots went out right around the time of his car accident, and despite his "transgressions," Tiger received 56 of the 142 votes from Associated Press editors. More than half the ballots were returned after the Nov. 27 crash.

Scandal be damned. It just goes to show that perhaps Phil Knight, the czar at Nike, was right when he said "When his career is over, you'll look back on those indiscretions as a minor blip." Woods was - and when he returns, will continue to be - the most dominant athlete throughout the decade, winning 64 titles and 12 major championships.

Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France six times in the decade, finished second, followed by Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, Tom Brady and Usain Bolt. Phelps and Brady have had their share of unfavorable media coverage, but nothing to the extend of Woods, who's given late-night talkshows plenty of material.

Winning often makes fans forget about the past. Yes, there will also be that crowd that tosses out the occasional jab (you still hear Kobe rape jokes from time to time), but around this time next decade, I could very well be writing how Tiger again was named Athlete of the Decade.

All's fair in fantasy football

Fantasy football doesn’t get any more intense than this: husband vs. wife for a spot in the playoffs.

That’s the drama that will unfold starting Thursday night within the Krueger-Steele household. Paula’s “Intergalactic Hussie” team and my “Disgruntled Goat” — both “Simpsons” references — are part of a four-way tie for second place, and only the top four go to the playoffs. So the scenario is not unlike those that real football teams will face in the next few weeks. Win and you’re in, lose and you’ll need help.

What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that, as far as couples go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one more competitive than us. Whether I’m dominating (basketball, tennis) or she’s making me look stupid (swimming, board games) or we’re evenly matched (Wii games, air hockey), there’s always plenty of trash talking and taunting.
Luckily, our fantasy football league is not the No Fun League. Referees don’t have enough flags for the amount of unsportsmanlike behavior we exhibit on a regular basis.

So, as we pore over our rosters all week, things are likely to get heated.

Since Paula already beat me earlier in the year, I’ll never hear the end of it if she sweeps the season series and keeps me out of the playoffs in the process. Similarly, I won’t let her live it down if, at her expense, I notch my seventh win in the last eight games and go to the Final Four without her.

Let the games begin.

Who are these Patriots?

There's little doubt the Patriots played to their capabilities during Sunday's 20-10 victory over the Panthers. But then again, do we know what their capabilities are anymore? Are we sure this is a playoff team? And if they get to the playoffs, will the Pats do any damage?

There's perhaps a handful of guys on the roster playing at a Pro Bowl caliber right now ... and even that's pushing it a bit. Randy Moss and Tom Brady have All-Pro talent, but they're faltering in the biggest of situations, and Jerod Mayo, last year's top defensive rookie, at times wears his invisible cloak on the field.

Wes Welker is the only star on this team, and he's single-handedly keeping the offense afloat. Yes, the offense that, at the beginning of the season, was supposed challenge the 2007 team for most points in a season.

How many times did Welker convert on third down to keep the chains moving? He caught five of his 10 passes on the go-ahead drive in the third quarter and finsihed with 105 yards. He leads the NFL in receptions.

Just one more point on Moss: He might be loafing, and he might be getting bored and he might be playing at only 75 percent (or lower), but he still draws triple coverage. And there's no other receiver I can think of who can do that.

Turn up that dial

Daily News sportswriters Josh Krueger and Rick McGowan and sports editor Scott Barrett will join host Evan Smith today from 12:30-2 p.m. on WADK to talk about the local, collegiate and national sports scene. Be sure to listen in and join the discussion when the phone lines open up.

R.I. high school football final poll

It was a tough way for Middletown to end the season, losing to Exeter-West Greeniwch in the Division IV Super Bowl after beating the Scarlet Knights during the regular season. Still, the Islanders - who ended a decade-plus-long losing streak to rival Portsmouth on Thanksgiving Day - are the top ranked team from Newport County in the state's media poll. Neither Middletown or Portsmouth ever dropped out of the poll, while Tiverton climbed back in late in the season.

Team Points Last week
1. Barringon (8) 160 1
2. Hendricken 146 3
3. Woonsocket 141 6
4. La Salle 134 2
5. Ponaganset 123 8
6. Mount Hope 118 7
7. East Providence 116 5
8. South Kingstown 99 4
9. Coventry 83 10t
10. Exeter-WG 81 20
11. Johnston 80 16
12. Cranston East 63 10t
13. Westerly 58 13
14. West Warwick 55 15
15. Middletown 53 9
16. Moses Brown 42 14
17. Portsmouth 31 12
18. Tiverton 30 19
19. Classical 19 17
20. Cranston West 16 18

Dropped out (rank): none.
Others receiving votes: Hope 10, Lincoln 6, Cumberland 2
Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun.

Tough times for Tom

The days when Tom Brady steps in the phone booth, puts on his Superman uniform and saves the day are over. There was a time not too long ago when the New England Patriots quarterback couldn’t be rattled. He was the cool, calm, collected gunslinger that could untie the ropes and rescue the damsel in distress just before the train struck.

But he’s no longer the Brady that could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The numbers suggest he’s having a season that’s comparable to that of his earlier seasons, and the offense is scoring nearly 28 points per game, but he’s lagging in the one number that has always meant the most: wins.

New England is 7-5, having lost two straight and three of their last four. No doubt the defense deserves the bulk of the blame, but it’s safe to say that the offense Brady orchestrates is a shell of its former self. And Brady isn’t without some blame. He’s missing open receivers and making bad decisions, things the “old Brady” never did. He's on pace to match his career high for interceptions.

In the red zone, the Patriots are no longer a lock to score - how many picks has he thrown in the end zone? I can count three off the top of my head - and three fourth-down calls have produced the same number of turnovers on downs.

The players say nobody in the New England locker room is panicking, and that’s probably true. But Patriots fans have to wonder when Terrific Tom will once again step into that phone booth and help save this sinking team.

BCS gets it wrong again

Just when you think the BCS couldn’t be any more of a joke, the bowl matchups were announced on Sunday, making it clear that the BCS’s ineptitude knows no bounds.

Sure, the championship game has the right teams in it, but that would have been really difficult to screw up.

For the first time in the brief, unspectacular history of the Bowl Championship Series, two teams from non-BCS conferences (Texas Christian and Boise State) qualified for BCS bowls. That is good news. The bad news, however, is that they’re playing each other.

We’ve all watched this season as TCU and Boise State ransacked their respective conferences and finished undefeated to earn a shot at the big boys.

Problem is, they won’t get that shot.

TCU-Boise State matchup is somewhat intriguing, but it’s also a complete waste of a Fiesta Bowl. Wouldn't you want to see TCU take on Florida, or Boise State play Iowa or Georgia Tech? Let the little guys prove they can hang with the Big Ten, SEC or ACC, because apparently Boise State beating Oklahoma a few years ago wasn’t proof enough.

Who knows? Maybe they can’t hang this year, and Florida would squash the Horned Frogs and Iowa or G-Tech would blow out the Broncos. But those games, at least initially, would be a lot more interesting than what the BCS has given us.

Boxing's last gasp?

For the first time since Tyson-Holyfield II, I'm actually excited about a boxing match. Word came from the Philippines on Friday that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. have agreed on a proposal that would put them in the ring together on March 13.

I've been of the opinion that boxing died when Mike Tyson went off the deep end and Evander Holyfield got old. Seriously, since Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear, has there been a fight as memorable or talked about? I don't claim to be an aficionado of the sweet science, but nothing has come close.

Mayweather-Pacquiao almost certainly will be a disappointment, as are most over-hyped boxing events. But at least this one has potential, and it will capture the attention of the casual fan (i.e. yours truly), which Pacquiao seems determined to do. And anyone who knows anything about Mayweather knows how much he loves the spotlight.

These guys are what boxing has been missing for a decade, maybe more. Not only are they both great fighters, but they have personality, too. Mayweather loves his bling and his Benjamins. Pacquiao loves to show that he can beat people down, despite his small stature.

I used to think boxing would never really come back without some marketable, recognizable and talented heavyweights. Perhaps that's still true, but if Pacquiao-Mayweather comes anywhere close to living up to the hype, regardless of who wins, they can hold rematch after rematch. And maybe, just maybe, boxing can return to relevance.

Tiger owes wife an apology, and us nothing

When I first learned Tiger Woods was in “serious” condition following a one-car accident last Friday, I was concerned. It came across the bottom ticker on ESPN, and it was that thousands-of-thoughts-running-through-your-head concerned.

What happened? How serious? Is his career over?

Then the details started to build like the galleries that follow him. The only serious damage Tiger suffered was to his reputation after admitting to “transgressions” on Tuesday. US Weekly published a piece about a cocktail waitress claiming she had a 31-month affair with the world’s No. 1 golfer, and has text messages and a voice mail to prove it.

So now, Woods, a man who’s always craved privacy when he’s away from the golf course, is left to pick up the pieces of his marriage while the world looks on, peeking into his windows via media outlets like TMZ and uninformed blog postings. For a guy who doesn’t create controversy and has a squeaky-clean image, I thought it was a big step to release a statement that pretty much admitted his adultery.

Still, there are millions out there who feel Tiger owes us more of an explanation. They want to know every dirty detail of the affair, where and when, and a play-by-play of the accident that caused this whole thing. Because he’s makes a ton of money, because he can sink a putt on Sunday better than anyone in the world, because when all is said and done, he’ll go down as the greatest man to pick up a golf club, because he’s been in the spotlight since he was 3 years old. Because of all of these things, he owes the world some insight.

The fact is though is that Tiger doesn’t owe anybody anything — except for his wife, to whom he owes a very big apology. We’ve all made mistakes, and we all have private moments, and yet I don’t see Tiger Woods climbing into your bedroom window grilling you for answers.

Truth be told, this whole spectacle didn’t leave me wondering about Tiger’s character, but the character of where we are as a society. This media feeding frenzy and the two-bit outlets that report the “news” makes me embarrassed to be a member of the media. Unnamed people, such as “a friend” or “a person close to the situation,” is now considered a credible source, and readers no longer question what’s true and what isn’t.

If it’s in print — or on a blog or Web site — start spreading the news. And the people who yearn for this information are just as bad. How awful is your life when you want to celebrate the misery of another’s?

He’s human, he made a mistake and he addressed it with a statement. So he didn’t walk to a podium to answer ludicrous questions. So he didn’t (at least yet) sit down with Barbara Walters for a one-on-one that would send the ratings through the roof.

Tiger Woods is a golfer, and nothing more. Some argue that he’s the ultimate pitchman, and that his reputation is now sullied by this incident. And that may be. So don’t buy his products. Don’t swing Nike clubs. Don’t drink Gatorade. Rebel by growing a big beard. Switch to Verizon. Go on with your life, because Tiger is certainly going to go on with his.

Answer poll questions on the Tiger Woods incident at www.NewportDailyNews.com.

Bronco busted

Way to go, Roger Goodell, you've once again flexed your muscle.

On Thanksgiving night, the Denver Broncos were in a tight game with the New York Giants in a contest shown exclusively on the NFL Network. Denver coach Josh McDaniels had seen enough from his penalty-plagued offense and verbally laid into his players, twice using curse words not suitable for print nor television.

There was a delay on the feed, but the geniuses in the booth didn't catch it in time, and they went over the air. NFL Network immediately apologized, but McDaniels was hardly fazed by it, saying "It's the NFL Network. Doesn't surprise me."

Well, the rookie coach learned a tough lesson: Don't cross the NFL and its dictator. McDaniels opened his press conference Tuesday with an apology.

"I want to make sure I apologize for anybody that was offended with the language that I used the other night on the sideline during the game," he said.

Look, I've been on the sideline for hundreds of high school and college football games, and swearing (or dropping F-bombs, as the kids say) is just as much a part of the job as scheming.

Goodell seems to be going out of his way to make today's NFL a fan-friendly league, but how far is this going to go? Clearly, McDaniels didn't wake up on Tuesday and have some kind of epiphany; he was told to apologize. And if I were him, I'd be a little ticked off. Do you want me to win games, or do you want me to watch my mouth? Things said in the heat of the moment are said out of emotion ... we've all been there.

Turning the NFL into the "No (expletive) League" is just more proof that Roger Goodell is running a one-man show.

Dome daze

The last time the New England Patriots played in the New Orleans Superdome, Adam Vinatieri was booting a game-winning 48-yard field goal and a dynasty was born. Needless to say, Monday night's debacle in the Big Easy was a far cry from the 2001 team that shocked the world.

So what went wrong? The way I see it, those Patriots aren't these Patriots. Yes, they're led by the same coach, and the quarterback is the same, but that's about it. In fact, I'm willing to say that neither the coach, nor the quarterback, are the same people they were eight years ago.

Eight years ago, Bill Belichick was known as a defensive genius, a guy who could take spare parts, put them in the right position and get good results. In 2001, he did it with the likes of Roman Phifer, Bobby Hamilton, Otis Smith, Anthony Pleasant and Brandon Mitchell, and New England went on to stifle the "Greatest Show on Turf" in the Super Bowl.

Today's greatest offensive show went through the Patriots defense like a hot knife through butter on Monday. Give them credit. But what bothered me more than the fact that Drew Brees and company moved the ball at will was the fact that too many assignments were missed and too many guys were out of position. To me, that falls on Belichick.

During the days when New England was winning championships, the coach found ways to neutralize stout offenses no matter who he threw out there. That is not the case with this team. Then again, it would take a miracle worker to stop that offense with a Detroit Lions/Cleveland Browns castoff, a fourth-round, second-year corner and a backup safety. Yes, Leigh Bodden, Jonathan Wilhite and Brandon McGowan looked good last week against the Jets, but they're not ready for the big time.

Now let's turn our attention to Terrific Tom, who was anything but against the Saints. Even though he's putting up pretty good numbers, I've been saying all year long that something is wrong. He's just a little off. It seems like he's missing throws that he would make 10 out of 10 times two years ago. It could still be the knee, and as Josh Krueger told me this morning, Year 2 after that kind of injury is when a quarterback gets fully comfortable.

But Brady just doesn't look the same as he once was. As someone commented to me last night, "He doesn't have that hunger anymore." And that might be true.

Yes, it's one game, and it's one loss, but the Patriots still don't have a signature win this season. They're 7-4 and haven't won a true road game. The road ahead seems fairly easy, and 12-4 isn't too far a stretch. Still, in the last three weeks, New England was served a heavy dose of reality.

Let's not talk about Sox, baby

It's the last day of November, nearly three months before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, and this town can’t stop talking about the Red Sox. Give it a rest already.

The speculation about Roy Halladay, Marco Scutaro, Jason Bay, Adrian Gonzalez, Felix Hernandez, getting another bat, bolstering the rotation, the revolving door at shortstop, Clay Buchholz and the health of Mike Lowell is slightly overwhelming.

Especially when you consider the Patriots are facing an undefeated team tonight and the Celtics are back to their winning ways, having won their fourth straight game on Sunday. Sure, the Bruins aren’t much to talk about, but they’ve won five of their last six games and are atop the Northeast Division.

I understand that these talking heads need to fill time, but there are plenty of other things to talk about. Instead, all I’ve heard the past few days is a lot of hot air without a lot of actual news.

Here’s hoping the Tiger Woods incident can steal some of that thunder ... at least until the next big rumor about who’s coming to Boston gets started.

Will he stay or will he go?

For the foreseeable future, the Boston Red Sox will always be a big player in the free agent and trade markets. As much as Red Sox fans hate to admit it, their team exhibits a lot of the traits they used to decry about the Yankees.

When they see a player they want, they make an effort to get him, sometimes at all costs.

And that’s why, for as long as he’s a prospect in the Red Sox organization, Portsmouth’s own Ryan Westmoreland will continue to be mentioned in possible trades.

So when we hear that the Red Sox plan to take a shot at trading for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, don’t be surprised if Westmoreland’s name surfaces as part of a potential deal, as it did when Toronto shopped Halladay last season.

The same goes for any other major trades the Red Sox might pursue. Clearly they value Westmoreland, as evidenced by the $2 million signing bonus they’re paying him, but sellers in the trade market love prospects. And as far as prospects go, few in the Red Sox organization are as promising as Westmoreland.

I’m sure most of Portsmouth is with me in hoping that he stays put and, eventually, makes his major league debut in a Red Sox uniform.

(Although if he were traded to the Brewers, that would be my second choice.)

But the reality is that baseball is, above all, a business, and if the Red Sox see dealing Westmoreland as a solid business move, they’ll pull the trigger.

Unfortunately, for as long as Westmoreland is a pro baseball player, he and his family and friends will have to deal with the stress and uncertainty that goes along with being potential trade bait.

Middletown beats Portsmouth

Ace reporter Josh Krueger, who is on the road to New Hampshire for a Thanksgiving feast, just informed me that the Middletown football team ended its 13-year losing streak to rival Portsmouth with a 19-13 road victory.

Details to follow ...

Hope all are having a nice Thanksgiving.

Rogers loses 26-20 in overtime to St. Raphael

Trevor Vasey scored on a quarterback sneak from a yard out to lift host St. Raphael Academy to a 26-20 win in overtime over Rogers in Pawtucket on Wednesday night at Max Read Field.
Damion Rodrigo had two touchdowns on 1-yard runs and Christian Savage romped 51 yards for the Vikings' other touchdown in the Division I pairing.
Rogers piled up 355 rushing yards, with Savage amassing 193 yards on 32 carries.
Rogers finished its season at 2-9 overall, 2-6 in Division I.

Thanksgiving updates

Not going to tonight's Rogers-St. Raphael game in Pawtucket? Not heading out to Portsmouth or Tiverton on Thanksgiving morning? Check back here for updates after the games.

Any predictions?

Portsmouth has beaten Middletown in 13 straight years, but the Islanders have perhaps their best team in recent years. The Patriots, meanwhile, are coming off a loss to Rogers, which lost 36-6 to Middletown in the season opener.

The Vikings are hoping to keep that momentum alive tonight against the Saints at Max Read Field. St. Raphael is having a tough go of it, just 1-6 in Division I.

Before Tiverton and Central Falls meet at midfield for their postgame feast, the Tigers are seeking their 11th straight win the the rivalry. And coach Bob Murray insists his team isn't looking forward to Tuesday's playoff opener.

Heart of the Lions

Who could have guessed Browns-Lions would be, arguably, the most entertaining game in Week 11? Two one-win teams took the field battling for, well, pretty much nothing.

Admittedly, I didn't watch the whole game. Why would I, especially when my Packers were playing at the same time? But I did see the end, and I'm glad I switched over.

Down to their last play, or so we thought, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford ran around behind the line of scrimmage for, seemingly an eternity before hurling a pass in the end zone while taking a nasty hit.

The pass fell incomplete, but the Browns were flagged for pass interference, giving the Lions one play from the 1-yard line with no time on the clock.

After taking the afforementioned hit, Stafford stayed down, and eventually was helped off the field, grimmacing in pain while his left shoulder hung at his side. Backup Daunte Culpepper came on to the field to lead the Lions on the final play.

Stafford, however, was able to re-enter the game thanks to a Browns timeout (nice call, Mangenius) and threw a touchdown pass, his fifth of the day, to tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

An extra point later, Lions win 38-37.

It was quite the enjoyable game for me on two fronts. Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, a proud member of my Disgruntled Goat fantasy football team, caught seven passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. And, more importantly, I picked the Lions to win, unlike Scott Barrett, who for the second straight week was on the wrong side of a one-point game. So, I now boast a three-game lead over Scott in our friendly Daily News competition, and Rick McGowan moved into second place, one game ahead of Scott.

What a game!

Just win, baby!

The Raiders pulled out an improbable win today against AFC North leader Cincinnati, which means the Patriots could be in line for a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They're both 7-3 on the season. The San Diego Chargers, who have won five straight, are also 7-3 and lead the AFC West.

Sanchez loves the Pats

For the fourth time today, Mark Sanchez hooked up with a Patriot on a pass play. This time, Brandon Meriweather picked off the rookie, who was being pressured by ... you guessed it, Leigh Bodden, among others.

Sanchez came into this game with 9 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those numbers are now 10 and 16. Not exactly "Broadway Joe" numbers.

Bodden completes trifecta

Leigh Bodden just tied a Patriots record with his third interception of the game. On play-action, Sanchez threw another perfect pass to Bodden, who didn't have to make too much of a play. Asante Samuel also had three picks in a game, on Nov. 26, 2006.

Pats a sitting duck after 3 qtrs.

This game is looking a bit like the Colts game. Not in the fact that the Jets are moving the ball in the way Peyton Manning does, but that the Pats are just letting another opponent hang around way too long. After throwing for more than 200 yards in the first half, Tom Brady has cooled off.

New York has pulled to within 24-14 and getting the ball to start the final 15 minutes. If the Patriots defense wanted the challenge of stopping the Colts last week, it didn't get that chance. But here's another. Let's see it happen.

Did I speak too soon?

Just like he did in Week 2, Mark Sanchez drove the Jets down the field to start the second half and scored. This time, after a disastrous first half, the rookie marched his team 80 yards on 11 plays in 5:15. He hit Jerricho Cotchery with a 29-yard scoring pass. It was nice coverage by Jonathan Wilhite, but just a better throw and catch.

Game is now 24-14 ... time to be nervous? Nah!

A small consolation

The Jets blocked a punt deep in New England territory and returned it 4 yards for a touchdown, and Stephen Gostkowski missed a 40-yard field goal try with 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter. That makes it a 24-7 game in favor of the Patriots. The blocked kick was the only point of light for a New York team that is struggling offensively.

Sanchez and the Jets have two first downs and 34 total yards. Those are not misprints. New England, meanwhile, has racked up 272 total yards. Tom Brady has thrown for 221 of those, including a TD to Randy Moss.

I guess the Pats defense answered the call after being talked about all week.

Old friends?

Do Leigh Bodden and Mark Sanchez know each other from their collegiate or high school days? Because they look like they're having a nice game of catch in the back yard.

New England goes up 21-0

Laurence Maroney redeemed himself somewhat with a 2-yard touchdown run that put the Patriots up 21-0. The drive was highlighted by a 45-yard pass play from Brady to Welker on third-and-3. And that play was made possible by Moss, who had the attention of the safety, allowing Welker to break free down the field.

Pats up 14-0 at the end of 1 qtr.

On the final play of the first quarter, Tom Brady hit Randy Moss on a quick out for a 4-yard touchdown. Revis was in coverage, but he gave him a 5-yard cushion. Too much.

Through 15 minutes, the Patriots are dominating this game. Wes Welker has been fantastic, catching three passes for 51 yards and rushing once for 11 yards.

Pats defense comes to the rescue

After Laurence Maroney fumbled, the Patriots defense got the ball back and put seven points on the board. Leigh Bodden picked off Mark Sanchez, on a pass intended for Jerricho Cotchery but closer to the fans in the front row, and returned it 53 yards for the game's first points.

Sanchez looks flat out awful. His passes are all over the place, and New England is certainly happy that one landed in the arms of Bodden.

Revis wins Round 1

Darrelle Revis, who vocalized his domination of Randy Moss in the first meeting, won Round 1 against the Pats reciever. On third-and-3, Brady looked for Moss down the right side, but Revis was there to break it up. To be honest, it looked like the pass was a bit underthrown.

Inactives for the game

Patriots
Fred Taylor, RB
Shawn Springs, CB
Sammy Morris, RB
Rob Ninkovich, LB
Stephen Neal, OL
Matt Light, OL
Sam Aiken, WR
Jarvis Green, DL

Jets
Kevin O'Connell, QB
Erik Anige, QB
Justin Miller, CB
Vernon Gholston, LB
Ryan Fowler, LB
Kenwin Cummings, LB
Matt Slauson, OL
Ropati Pitoitua, DL

New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

Here's to hoping we can all put fourth-and-2, and the weeklong talk about the decision, behind us.

It's a bit overcast here at Foxboro, and there's a little chill in the air. The Patriots are trying to avenge a Week 2 loss to the Jets, and they'll have a little extra help this time. Both Wes Welker and Jerod Mayo missed the game with injuries.

The Jets, led by rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, started hot but have cooled off of late. That includes a 24-22 loss last week to the Jaguars in which Jacksonville kicked a last-second field goal. On the Monday following the loss, it was reported that Jets first-year coach Rex Ryan cried about the defeat.

If the Patriots have their way, he'll be spilling more tears after today.

Honestly, I'm speechless

This happened last night during the Ducks-Lightning game. Scott Niedermayer of the Ducks scored the game-winning goal in overtime, and then tried to give his stick to a little girl in the front row. He overshot his intended targer, and the drunk bozo behind claimed it as his. Then he started a brawl.

This is one of the most pathetic things I've ever seen. Firstly, because it's hockey. Secondly, because fans fighting over any kind of sporting event (be it Red Sox-Yankees or Chelsea-Liverpool) is just ludicrous. Get a hold of yourself.

Random thoughts

There don't seem to be any topics important or interesting enough for a full blog entry today, so here are a few short ones:

* When will people leave Ricky Williams alone and just appreciate the fact that he is, again, a really good football player? Despite the fact that the man rushed for 119 yards and scored all three Miami touchdowns in a win over Carolina on Thursday night, you'll scarcely be able to hear mention of him without a joke about smoking weed. So the guy smoked some marijuana. He's certainly not alone, and my guess is that an anonymous poll of NFL players would reveal that a majority of players either have smoked or still do. But since Williams admitted it, he's the butt of these lame jokes.

* How can Larry Johnson possibly fit in with the Bengals? This is a team that struggled for years to keep players out of trouble and on the field. Finally, they appear to have all of their ducks in a row, they're leading the AFC North and are talked about more for their play than off-the-field headlines. Even Chad Ochocinco has been (by his standards) relatively quiet. Now they bring in a controversial, disgruntled running back who, seemingly, doesn't get along with anyone. Doesn't make sense.

* While Allen Iverson is hardly a likable player, it is a little sad to watch his recent fall from grace. He used to be a top-5 player in the NBA. Now he can't hold a job with a lousy team and rumor has it he's going to sign with the Knicks. You have to believe that if Iverson had been willing to put his ego aside and be a role player for a contender, like Rasheed Wallace is doing this year in Boston, Iverson could finish his career with a championship.

* Even though part of me is excited about college basketball season getting underway, another part feels like it's way too early. College football won't be over for a month and a half, and already preseason hoop tournaments are in full swing. Just seems unnatural.

* Speaking of college hoops, it's also too early to try to predict who's going to be the last team standing come April, but this much I do know: URI and Providence College both are going to stink.

Open mouth, insert Nike

During a loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, Cleveland forward LeBron James hurt his wrist while dunking out of frustration. Tough break, but I wish he'd hurt his mouth to the point where he can't make anymore stupid statements.

In the past week, King James has said he wants the NBA to permanantly retire Michael Jordan's No. 23 and that he could play for the lowly Cleveland Browns. Plenty of basketball enthusiasts have already sounded off on the former, so I'll weigh in on the latter.

LeBron, you're a fool. Yes, you're 6-foot-8 and one of the most gifted athletes in the world, but don't think for a second that you can enter the world of NFL veterans and not get embarrassed. Safties and linebackers are savvy enough to deal with your height, and there's not much speed to speak about (according to a few stories, he runs about a 4.9 40-yard dash).

To say that you could be a "very good" NFL player is an insult to guys who have worked their entire lives to get into that field. But, in the interest of pure entertainment, I hope you follow Shaq's footsteps and go against Ray Lewis in coverage. Seeing you lay motionless on the turf would make a sore wrist seem like a hangnail.

R.I. high school football poll Week 10

Portsmouth's playoff hopes went down the tubes on Monday after a loss to island rival Rogers, and the Patriots fell significantly in the poll (from No. 8 to No. 13). That helped Middletown move up five spots to No. 10, while Tiverton, which sealed a playoff berth with a win over Mount Pleasant, is just outside the top 20.

Up next is Thanksgiving, and then the playoffs begin.

Team Points Last week
1. Barrington (7) 159 1
2. La Salle (1) 150 2
3. South Kingstown 142 4
4. Hendricken 139 5
5. Mount Hope 123 6
6. East Providence 121 3
7. Woonsocket 116 7
8. Coventry 101 10
9. Ponaganset 99 9
10t. Cranston East 68 11
10t. Middletown 68 15
12. Johnston 64 16
13. Portsmouth 63 8
14. Westerly 59 14
15. Moses Brown 57 13
16. Classical 36 19
17. West Warwick 35 12
18. Cranston West 25 17t
19. Hope 15 NR
20. Lincoln 12 17t

Dropped out (rank): Exeter-West Greenwich (19).
Others receiving votes: Tiverton 10, Central 7, Cumberland 7, St. Raphael 6
Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun.

Any given Monday

In an otherwise forgettable season, the Rogers football team made a memory on Monday night that will last a while.

Monday's game against Portsmouth was the Super Bowl for a Rogers team that has struggled all season. And the Vikings played like it was the Super Bowl. With nothing to play for but pride, they went toe-to-toe with a team that had everything to play for, and won.

This wasn't supposed to happen and, no disrespect to Rogers, I never thought it would. Chances are, few people outside the Rogers sideline did, either.

But as the game progressed and the Rogers defense repeatedly stopped the Patriots and protected a 12-6 lead, the body language of both teams was telling. Confidence clearly grew in the Rogers players, while Portsmouth looked downtrodden and, just maybe, a little bit intimidated.

Once it became clear that this was not going to be an easy win for Portsmouth, truth be told, at the risk of never being allowed back in Portsmouth, I was kind of rooting for Rogers.

Who doesn't love an underdog? There's no question Rogers was the underdog in this fight. And when quarterback Kyle DeCosta ran around behind the line of scrimmage to kill the last three seconds of the game, watching all the Rogers players run on to the field in celebration, I was happy for them.

Sorry, Portsmouth. It was just their night.

In Bill I trust

This one isn't going to sit well with Patriots fans. The loss, the turnovers in the end zone, the decision to go on fourth down. But it's not the end of the world. When players on both sides said, "It's a regular season game, not the Super Bowl," they were right.

Instead of screaming and wanting to tear a hole in your wall, take the positives from this game. For example, New England dominated the Colts for much of the night, and Brady looking in great form. Randy Moss looked in great form, and Kevin Faulk was his valuable self. Even before he looked like he was carrying a greased pig, Laurence Maroney ran hard and well.

Until he got things going late - when the Pats defense couldn't stop a middle school football team from scoring - Peyton Manning looked confused at times. He tossed two picks (one was a quacker of a throw and one was a miscommunication), but he's a great quarterback and made the plays when he had to. And New England afforded him that opportunity.

Personally, and I think I'm in the minority, I'm with Belichick and his decision to go on fourth down. Like I said, the dog-tired defense couldn't stop anyone from scoring at that point, and one of the best offenses in the world needed to go six feet for a first down.

Either way, it didn't work and the Patriots lost. Not a big deal. Got the Jets coming in next week. Well, that's my view. Some people feel differently. Associated Press sports columnist Jim Litke put all the blame on Belichick, claiming, "Heck, Manning might be a better coach tham Belichick already."

Knee meet jerk.

The bottom line is that this is a loss, just like the other two this season and the many Belichick has suffered in his tenure as coach. Sure it stings more, but it carries the same weight in the long run.

Weather update

Cool, wet and windy is the forecast for this morning's Middletown at Scituate game, but that hasn't seemed to stop the teams. The game is slated to start at 10:30, and from all indications, it's still on. So dress warm.

Friday night's games were moved to Monday. Rogers will play at Portsmouth at 6, while Tiverton will play at Mount Pleasant at 5.

Better with age?

The Newport Recreation Department over-30 men's basketball league season is quickly approaching, and I couldn't be more excited. Go ahead, make fun, youngsters, but this league, as I found out last year, is really, really competitive.

After my team stunk it up last year (our only win was a forfeit to a team that only had three guys show up), I got to thinking. If I could assemble a team of NBA ringers, who also had to be older than 30, to dominate the league, who would I choose?

As far as over-30 teams go, you'd be hard-pressed to put together a better one than this:

Guard, Kobe Bryant, 31.
I'm not a Kobe fan by any stretch, but the man can play. It's hard to believe he's 31 already, but the Lakers guard can score on anyone at any time.

Guard, Steve Nash, 35.
Who better to get the ball to Kobe (and me) than the best distributor in the game? Nash is clearly on the downside of his career, but aside from Kobe, so is everyone else older than 30.

Forward, Dirk Nowitzki, 31.
The shaggy-haired German has averaged 22.8 points and 8.6 rebounds over an 11-year NBA career. He's also got some range for a 7-footer.

Forward, Kevin Garnett, 33.
Aside from his production, one must take into account KG's intimidation factor. He'd scare the crap out of everyone in a rec league.

Center, Tim Duncan, 33.
I know he prefers to play forward, but the two-time league MVP and three-time NBA finals MVP is 6-11, so I'm sure he could handle being the five.

And finally ...

Backup shooting guard, 6-foot-1 out of Wisconsin (the state, not the University of), Josh Krueger.

A man can dream, can't he?

Boxing hits the canvas

I asked a friend of mine yesterday what his plans were for the weekend. He said he's going to a bar to watch the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto boxing match. To be honest, I didn't know there was a big fight this weekend, and that's because, for me, boxing has been down well past the 10 count.

I can't remember the last time I had a vested interest in a boxing match. I think it was Ward-Gatti III, and that's only because I'm from the Lowell area and followed the career of Micky Ward. The point is, there hasn't been a marquee fight on tap in at least 10 years.

While I think it's brutal and a little savage, MMA and Ultimate Fighting is taking over, and it's a bit sad to see. The sweet science of boxing is now No. 2 on the list because there hasn't been that charismatic fighter in years. The Mike Tyson, the Evander Holyfield, even the Lenox Lewis. Now we have the Klitchko brothers.

And the fact that there are nine different belts, I don't know who the "world champion" is anymore. That used to be an easy question to answer.

Boxing had a good run, but those days have been KO'd.

Instant replay is the correct call

The first thing I do when I get my latest issue of Sports Illustrated is read the column on the back flap. Then I go to the letters from the readers. This week, old school baseball enthusiasts fought against the use of instant replay, claiming it took the "human element" out of the game.

As a fan, if my team is on the wrong end of a game-changing call that could have been corrected via instant replay, I'm not going to be happy. And I'm just a fan. I can only imagine how players and managers feel. Technology is becoming so advanced that the game needs to change with it.

It's like watching a horror movie in the theater. You know the killer is coming to get the girl, and you scream at the screen. But she can't hear you ... and BOOM, she's dead. You can see the call is wrong on the replay, and you scream at the umpire, telling him to change the call ... but sorry, the call stands. Your team is killed.

The writers to SI claim the games are too long, and instant replay would only add to the length of games. Here's a few solutions: speed up pitchers, don't allow batters to lollygag in between pitches (that means keeping David Ortiz from spitting on his hands every 9 seconds) and shorten the time between innings. But baseball will lose out on some advertising dollars!??!

Tough. It's better than losing this fan and millions like me.

Fight night

To the best of my knowledge, soccer riots aren't too prevalent here in the U.S. But Rhode Island College had one on its hands Sunday night during and after the Division IV high school girls state championship game between Woonsocket and Tolman. For those who haven't seen the footage, click above.

As a semi-responsible adult, part of me feels like I should get up on my soap box and decry such behavior. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't find this fight pretty entertaining and amusing.

Now, if I'd had any ties whatsoever to the game, I might have another opinion. Say, for instance, if it had been Rogers, or another team I cover regularly, playing in that game (which nearly happened) I'd be disappointed that either, A. Rogers' state championship was marred by a silly fight, or B. Rogers players behaved in such a way when they were losing.

Unfortunately for me, I covered the game that immediately preceded Woonsocket-Tolman. Not that I didn't enjoy seeing the Tiverton girls win the D-III title, but I'd love to be able to say I saw the melee in the D-IV game.

Some might wonder how these girls could get so worked up over a Division IV girls soccer game. And I did, at first, too. But after looking in the mirror, I get it. Hell, I can get pretty psychotic on the basketball court in the Newport Recreation Department men's over-30 league. And there's pretty much nothing at stake there. In a high school championship game, no matter the level, there's a lot of emotion, and tempers can flare.

The pushing and shoving that broke out in the stands between fans of the two teams, though, is completely inexcusable, and just plain stupid.

By no means am I excusing the actions of any of the players involved, which, based on the video, looks like pretty much all of them. I'm just saying, I understand.

Week 9 R.I. high school football poll

Barrington's big victory over La Salle vaulted the Eagles to the top spot in the poll. Now, La Salle, Barrington and East Providence all have one loss. Bishop Hendricken has two losses, and Portsmouth has three, but the Patriots own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Portsmouth, which has to beat Rogers this Friday, needs East Providence to beat Hendricken.

Middletown, which rebounded from its first loss of the season, jumped up two spots to No. 15, while Tiverton is receiving votes and hoping to get back into the top 20.

Team Points Last week
1. Barrington (6) 139 3
2. La Salle 128 1
3. East Providence 125 2
4. South Kingstown 122 3
5. Hendricken (1) 113 5
6. Mount Hope 102 6
7. Woonsocket 94 8
8. Ponaganset 87 7
9. Portsmouth 84 9
10. Coventry 83 12
11. West Warwick 58 13
12. Cranston East 57 10
13. Moses Brown 52 14
14. Westerly 45 11
15. Middletown 43 17
16. Johnston 36 16
17. Lincoln 29 NR
18. Cranston West 17 15
19. Classical 13 20
20. Exeter-W.G. 11 NR

Dropped out (rank): Cumberland (18), Hope (19).

Others receiving votes: Cumberland 8, Central 2, Hope 1, Tiverton 1.

Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon. Note: The Westerly Sun did not vote this week.

Gostkowski adds another three

Thanks to Stephen Neal being off-side, the Pats didn't go on fourth-and-inch(es) and let Gostkowski kick a 41-yard field goal to give NE an important 10-point spread.
And Pats win 27-17 to assume even more control of AFC East.

Henne's pass to Ginn on fourth-and-long with less than three minutes to go over the middle looked catchable, if difficut.
Maybe that's why he's been benched at times as a wideout.
Now New England should be able to get close enough for another field goal, which would cement Gostkowski's dominance over Ginn today.

Looks like Tom Terrific got the D a bit too pumped up. Miami had the choice of two defensive penalties, including a roughing the passer, on third down.
Miami converts on another third down on a pass by Henne, then it's back to White and the Wildcat running for 2 yards.
Thomas ends the third quarter with a bang! He blows up a Miami reverse. Then Henne throws the ball away on third-and-long because the Pats have sniffed out a short pass to the left for wide receiver Davone Bess.

Brady and Moss respond

The Brady-Moss connection hits twice on right-to-left routes. The first goes for 71 yards for a touchdown to make it 22-17, then comes a mini-version for the 2-point conversion.
Brady gets into the faces of Patriots defenders such as linebacker Gary Guyton on the sidelines. The poster boy is screaming.
Think they'll respond?

Dolphins up by one

The Wildcat's still hurting New England. Ronnnie Brown, another lefty thrower, lofts a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide-open tight end Joey Haynos in the end zone for a 17-16 lead for the fish.
The Pats need Brady to respond in more conventional style than having a running back throw for a score.

Another for Gostkowski

Stephen Gostkowski adds another trey ... with 1 second left.
I'm not sure about that second remaining. Hey, this is Gillette, home of the close shave - or home cooking?

White whiffs

White's in the pocket, where the Pats hope to keep this Pat, and the lefty throws way long incomplete. Then Chad Henne comes up short on a pass and New England's back in business - if you can call it that on their 14 in their two-minute drill.

Gostkowski gets greeted

Stephen Gostkowski after his 38-yard field goal kicks off to Ginn and the ball goes out of the end zone.
But New England's penalized and he has to kick again. And A-Ginn it goes out of the end zone.
He heads to the sideline and before he gets there the first of seven Pats greet him with high fives.

Wildcat Attack

Pat White, in to get the snap in the Wildcat, gets the Dolphins rolling with a 33-yard winding run.
He caps the drive with a pitchout to Ricky Williams, who goes 15 yards around the right side as Miami pulls even on a five-play, 80-yard march.
It's still a wrinkle that gives New England headaches.

Chung hit

Nice sack by Pat Chung on safety blitz to take Miami out of Carpender's range

Patriots take lead

Tom Brady looks for Randy Moss again and they connect down the right side for a 36-yarder to the 1, where Laurence Maroney goes in standing up.
Whew!
Ted Ginn, a.k.a Ted A-Ginn after his consecutive kickoff returns for TDs last week, is "held" to 37 yards on the ensuing kickoff.

New England's start against Miami

It's 65 degrees here at Gillette. This game is in New England, not south Florida, right?
Tom Brady gets piggy, trying for a quick six, deep to Moss, but gets picked off.
Wes Welker was open underneath going right to left.
Adalius Thomas has already knocked down a pass and returned a fumble for a touchdown. BUT replay shows an incomplete pass, and Dolphins go on to make a 52-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter, longest in his career.

Boiling over the Bronx Bombers

Like most Red Sox fans, I was rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies during the World Series. Unlike most Red Sox fans, I wasn't rooting against the Yankees.

Listing to sports talk radio today, I'm finding it almost laughable that Sox fans are bitter that the New York Yankees won. Why? This one guy was flipping out about how the Red Sox would have won it had "they not been screwed by the umpires against the Angels."

Buddy, get a grip.

Yes, I'm a Red Sox fan, but I'm not like most. The bulk of Red Sox fans have gotten spoiled, thanks to two World Series titles. Can't they just be happy? Nope. They have whine about the Yankees winning (or buying, but that's another topic for another day) their 27th world title.

Sure, I hate seeing Derek Jeter celebrate, and the mere notion that Jorge Posada was spraying champagne all over the locker room last night makes me want to puke. But it ends there. I can accept it, and I say "next year will be our year." Just like how it used to be.

Week 8 R.I. high school football poll

It was a tough week for local teams, as both Middletown and Tiverton suffered losses. For the Islanders, it their first loss of the season and the poll reflects that. They dropped from No. 7 to No. 17. For the first time this season, Tiverton fell out of the Top 20. Portsmouth, meanwhile, moved up three spots to No. 9 after handling Cranston West.

Team Points Last week
1. La Salle (8) 160 1
2. East Providence 145 2
3. Barrington 140 4
4. South Kingstown 137 3
5. Hendricken 135 5
6. Mount Hope 118 6
7. Ponaganset 99 8
8. Woonsocket 98 9
9. Portsmouth 93 12
10. Cranston East 92 10
11. Westerly 87 13
12. Coventry 67 14
13. West Warwick 53 11
14. Moses Brown 49 17t
15. Cranston West 46 15
16. Johnston 45 16
17. Middletown 43 7
18. Cumberland 24 19
19. Hope 16 NR
20. Classical 15 NR

Dropped out (rank): Tiverton (17t), St. Raphael (20).

Others receiving votes: St. Raphael 7, Central 3, Lincoln 1, Mount Pleasant 1

Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun

NFL musings from Week 8

- Without playing a single down or spilling a drop of sweat, the New England Patriots found a way to extend their lead in the AFC East. After a quick start, the New York Jets (4-4) are in a freefall after losing to the Dolphins for the second time this season. That being said, look out for the Dolphins, who have all of a sudden established themselves as a contender in the AFC.

- I had little doubt that Brett Favre was going to leave Lambeau Field with a victory against his old team. The guy just seems to live for the big moment, and none (at least according to ESPN) was bigger than Sunday. The 40-year-old surgically cut up Green Bay's defense to the tune of four touchdowns and 244 yards on just 17 completions. Not only that, but Percy Harvin (who if he were still at the University of Florida would be a runaway Heisman winner)is looking like a veteran receiver during his rookie season.

- There are a few teams that continue to baffle me ... I don't know what to make of them. 1) The Eagles: Who are these guys? Sure, they have plenty of talent, but how can you go from losing to the Raiders to destroying the Giants? 2) The Giants: Who are these guys? And Eli Manning's salary-to-production value is second worst in the league only to Jake Delhomme. 3) The Cardinals: I thought I knew who these guys were, but they're proving to be somebody different. One week, they go up to Seattle and smack the Seahawks, then lose to the lowly Panthers. Such is life in the NFL.

- It's fairly known that I'm a big Patriots fan, but even the more diehard fan of New England can't argue that Peyton Manning is the standard by which all quarterbacks should be measured. I only got to listen to the Colts game yesterday, but just looking at his numbers (and who he's throwing the ball to) makes me realize he could win with that group of kids from "Little Giants."

What's a Packers fan to do?

There seems to be a great deal of curiosity, intrigue and what have you about what kind of reception will greet Brett Favre upon his return to Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon.

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt even polled the electorate for “tasteful” suggestions. Some of Schmitt’s ideas were constructing a giant waffle shaped like a 4, asking all fans to wear flip-flops to the game or playing a montage of all of Favre’s interceptions on the stadium big screen.

Among the more than 1,700 e-mail suggestions the mayor received was to hold a ceremony to retire the No. 4 of former Packers quarterback Chuck Fusina — who played in seven games in 1986.

Those are all mildly humorous ideas. But from a fans perspective, there are only two choices.

Boo, or shut up.

It's difficult to explain the view of a Packers fan on this matter, which is why a lot of people around these parts don't quite understand all the green and gold anger toward Favre. Granted, he did help uplift the NFL's most storied franchise back to significance in the 1990s and brought Green Bay its first Super Bowl title in nearly 30 years. So how could we curse his name the way we do?

Football is a business, and Packers fans understand that as well as anyone else. It wasn't that Favre left Green Bay to ultimately play for our hated rivals in Minnesota. It's how he did it, and the things he's said since, that melts our cheese.

Favre coming out of retirement, again, to play for the Vikings was seen as an affront to the Packers, and thus, to Packers fans. And his recent comments that his current Vikings team is the best he's ever played on, including the 1996 Super Bowl champion Packers team, has only fanned the flames of hatred. And those flames are spreading beyond the stands to former Favre teammates.

Former Packers safety LeRoy Butler called Favre's proclamation, "preposterous." Mark Chmura, a tight end for the '96 Packers, and former defensive tackle Santana Dotson also took exception.

So it should come as no surprise that Butler, among other former Packers, is encouraging fans to boo on Sunday.

"I hope they’ll cheer Aaron (Rodgers) and boo Brett," Butler told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "'If you’re going to stand up wearing Packer clothing or a Packer uniform and cheer when Brett Favre comes out, you should bring a bag and put it over your head."

I knew there was a reason I don't get rid of my ratty old Butler jersey.

King of fools

You'll never hear my utter these words again, but I'm feeling a bit soft right now - I kind of feel bad for LeBron James.

Watching "The Chosen One" the other night, it's safe to say he's the baddest player on the planet (in my opinion, he and Kobe are 1 and 1A). But the sad part is that he thinks he's actually going to win a championship this season.

Let's forget that fact that he was on cover of Sports Illustrated for last week's NBA preview issue (although the guys at SI picked the Celtics to win it all), and that one of the Cleveland's biggest role players is a shotgun-toting whacko.

Instead, let's focus on the fact that Shaquille O'Neal is supposed to be this team's - and this city's - savior? Was it me, or did Shaq look remarkably slow the other night in the loss to the Celtics.

And while he might tell you he's focused on helping LeBron win a title, he can't be all that focused. According to an AP story, spokesman John O'Brien of the Cuyahoga County sheriff's office said O'Neal has applied to become a special deputy.

He would have the right to carry a gun and make arrests but not be a paid, formal employee. It would also require 36 hours of police training, and he'd have to take a police exam.

I don't know about you, but if I were so focused on winning a championship, I wouldn't be studying for some test. If Shaq wanted to do some light reading during his free time, "Free-throw Shooting for Dummies" would be a fine choice.

Double fault: Agassi

I get that tennis isn’t a huge sport like football or baseball, and that it needs as much good press as it can get. But the news Tuesday that Andre Agassi failed a drug test in 1997 and avoided a suspension by claiming his “drink was spiked” with crystal meth is a joke.

Apparently any old excuse seems to work when trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the Association of Tennis Professionals. In July, Freshman Richard Gasquet was facing a suspension after testing positive for cocaine, but he was cleared to play by the ATP after explaining he kissed a woman who took the drug in a Miami nightclub.

Wow.

The ATP likely will come under a lot of scrutiny this week, and it’s already started. The World Anti-Doping Agency — founded in 1999 — asked the ATP to explain why Agassi was allowed to play and never served a suspension despite the failed test. According to an Associated Press story, Fahey said the WADA can’t take any action against Agassi because of the agency’s eight-year statue of limitation, and it’s “unlikely” the ATP will punish the former world No. 1.

“WADA would, however, expect the ATP, which administered its own anti-doping program at that time, to shed light on this allegation,” Fahey said in a statement.

Tennis has had its share of heartwarming stories the past few years — Federer eclipsing Sampras, the rise of Andy Murray and two amazing Wimbledon men’s finals. But it’s also seen its share of black eyes — Serena Williams and her verbal assault on a linesperson and all of the gambling accusations and issues.

Andre Agassi may have just lifted a huge monkey from his back, all while making a pretty penny in the process, but revelations like these are slowing killing the sport.

Week 7 R.I. high school football poll

For the first time all season, it’s unanimous. Rhode Island sportswriters have tabbed La Salle as the No. 1 high school football team in the state. The Rams have been No. 1 all season, but Barrington always garnered at least a couple first-place votes. Not this week. After losing to Bishop Hendricken, the Eagles fell to No. 4 — oddly enough one spot ahead of Hendricken, which jumped from 8 to 5.

With Barrington’s loss, East Providence moved up to the No. 2 spot, meaning four of the top five teams come from Division I. The only non-Division I team to crash the top 5 is South Kingstown, from II-B.

Middletown dropped a spot, from 6 to 7, after its win over Hope on Saturday. But the Islanders remain undefeated atop Division IV. Unfortunately, Middletown probably won’t reach the top 5 unless it can pull off a Thanksgiving Day win over Portsmouth.

Speaking of Portsmouth, after struggling through the murderous portion of their schedule, the Patriots beat St. Ray's 27-6 on Saturday and held strong at No. 12. Tiverton, which rolled past Smithfield 39-13, remains at No. 17.

The Barrington loss makes the Eagles’ Nov. 6 game against La Salle a little less interesting. But with all due respect to East Providence, those two very well could be headed for a D-I Super Bowl matchup.

Team Points Last week
1. La Salle (8) 160 1
2. East Providence 142 3
3. South Kingstown 136 5
4. Barrington 135 2
5. Hendricken 129 8
6. Mount Hope 113 11
7. Middletown 106 6
8. Ponaganset 99 9
9. Woonsocket 86 10
10. Cranston East 79 7
11. West Warwick 77 4
12. Portsmouth 73 12
13. Westerly 64 13
14. Coventry 60 16
15. Cranston West 57 14t
16. Johnston 53 14t.
17t. Moses Brown 29 17
17t. Tiverton 29 17
19. Cumberland 28 NR
20. St. Raphael 12 18

Dropped out (last week’s rank): Lincoln (20).

Others receiving votes: Hope 5, Classical 3, Lincoln 3, Mount Pleasant 1, Scituate 1

Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun.

Things that need to end ...

1) All of this bouncing and verbal jawing before football games. The Chargers and Broncos did it before the Monday night game last week, and the Florida Gators and Mississippi State Bulldogs did the same on Saturday.

Referees and coaches had to intervene to "break things up." This is the biggest crock I've ever seen. Before the game, the players try to pretend that they don't like each other, but that's bull. If they truly despised one another, they certainly wouldn't be huddling prayer after the game.

2) Predictions about how a rookie is the "next .... " after a few good games. It happened with Mark Sanchez, and he promptly went out and tossed five interceptions while leading his team to a three-game losing streak. Mark Sanchez is not the next Joe Namath, and let me save you the trouble, Michael Crabtree is not the next Jerry Rice.

3) Politicians from crappy little states calling out the Bowl Championship Series. Look, I want a playoff as much as anyone, but it's not going to happen in the near future. That being said, Utah senator Orrin Hatch needs to cool it. If you don't play in a major conference, you don't get a shot at a national championship. That's how it works.

But Hatch is no dummy. He knows how much the Utes mean to the voting public in his state, and he's trying to gain some popularity in the hopes of being re-elected. We saw it with that idiot Arlen Specter, and we're seeing it now.

Please, and this includes President Obama: leave sports alone. Do some work to make this country a bit better, because right now, it stinks.

NBA an agent of traveling

Any basketball fan older than about 25, on occasion, will comment about how referees never call traveling in the NBA.

Thanks to a new league rule, they don’t have to. Traveling, in moderation, is now officially legal in the NBA.

A new rule states that players are allowed to take two steps before they pass, shoot or come to a stop after picking up their dribble. Two steps before a pass or shot makes sense, and to be honest, I thought that was always the rule. Apparently the old rule, and the rule for all other levels of basketball, is one step.

But two steps while coming to a stop? That’s a joke. Try getting away with that in a pickup game.

Unfortunately, now that the NBA says two is OK, expect traveling calls this season to be at an all-time low. Because, really, have you ever seen a player called for traveling after taking two steps? Most of the time taking three doesn’t get called, and it certainly won’t now.

I realize this makes me seem like an old-timer who starts sentences with, “Back in my day,” while making observations about the game. But this rule is another step toward making the NBA more like the “NBA Street” video games than actual basketball.

Complete Air-ogance

The son of Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, is following in the footsteps of his father. No, he’s not attending the University of North Carolina. No, he’s not wining slam dunk contests, and no, he’s not leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships. And he’s certainly not getting into the Basketball Hall of Fame without a ticket.

Marcus Jordan, a freshman at the University of Central Florida, which has an apparel contract with adidas, said he would not wear that brand and instead don Nike’s Air Jordan shoe, named after his father, citing family pride. Family pride? Really!??!

My first reaction to this would be UCF is far from a college basketball mecca, and Marcus Jordan probably doesn’t have the skills his dad possessed. I understand that he’s a high-profile player with a high-profile father, but he’s still part of a team and making these sorts of waves as a freshman probably won’t bode well for him in the future.

Secondly, UCF athletic director Keith Tribble told a media outlet that the player can choose his own shoe, and that an instance had come up in the past when a football player wore a different brand because the team brand didn’t fit. Just don’t tell that to adidas, which, according to a spokesperson, said an agreement has yet to be reached.

Look, if I’m the CEO at adidas, and I’m paying good money to outfit these players, you’re damned right I want Michael Jordan’s kid in my shoe. The way I see it, UCF can do one of two things if he refuses to wear adidas: 1) Cut ties with the shoe company and look for another apparel company, one that complies with this little brat’s request, or 2) Yank his scholarship and the headaches already coming with it.

If neither of those work, the AD can always hit up his Airness for some cash to outfit the entire athletic program with the Swoosh.

Manny all washed up

Not long ago, I used this space to back Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis, a fiery player who wears his emotions on his sleeve. And while I appreciate his oft over-the-top antics on the field, I took a little flack from apparent baseball purists, who felt that kind of behavior goes against the game.

Well, those same people who feel there’s no place for “rah-rah” players in baseball must really love Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers outfielder and all-around slacker wasn’t there to root on his teammates during Monday night’s walk-off loss to the Phillies in the NL championship series — he was in the shower already after being replaced for defensive purposes.

This bit of team anarchy has caused quite a stir among columnists, but how could anybody be surprised by this? I mean, this is just Manny being Manny, right? Fans, especially in this part of the country, should know this routine by now. Manny does what he wants, when he wants, and the outcome of any game has little bearing on his agenda.

The Dodgers will likely be bounced from the playoffs tonight, and the person who will be the least pained is Manny. He’s already got his ring (two, in fact), and he’s not willing to go above and beyond to help some of his younger teammates get theirs.

That’s the difference between Manny and Youkilis, who had a physical confrontation in the dugout during the 2008 season — one cares only for the team, and one cares only for himself.

Sure, Youk might go over the top at times, but who would you choose to have on your team in the playoffs?

Week 6 R.I. High School Football Poll

Apparently none of my voting colleagues around the state are sold on Middletown yet. After another big win, over a quality Classical team, the Islanders dropped a spot in this week's poll. Come on, people. They might be in Division IV, but the Islanders are for real. I had them at No. 5 in my poll. Oh well.

It's also a little odd that Portsmouth has hung around, only falling one spot to No. 12, despite losing three straight. Granted, those three losses were to East Providence, La Salle and Barrington (Nos. 3, 1 and 2 in the state). A Patriots winning streak seems imminent as they head into what they would never admit is the soft part of their schedule.

Unfortunately, we still have a few weeks until the monumental La Salle-Barrington game on Nov. 6. That almost certainly will be a D-I Super Bowl preview, and it might be the only chance Barrington has to overtake La Salle at the top spot in the poll.

1. La Salle (5) 157 1
2. Barrington (3) 155 2
3. East Providence 142 3
4. West Warwick 128 4
5. South Kingstown 125 5
6. Cranston East 113 7
7. Middletown 111 6
8. Hendricken 101 10
9. Ponaganset 99 8
10. Woonsocket 92 9
11. Mount Hope 81 12
12. Portsmouth 65 11
13. Westerly 54 15
14t. Cranston West 50 14
14t. Johnston 50 13
16. Coventry 32 16
17. Tiverton 26 18t
18. St. Raphael 25 NR
19. Moses Brown 23 20
20. Lincoln 20 18t

Dropped out (last week’s rank): Hope (17).
Others receiving votes: Cumberland 13, Toll Gate 7, Central 3, Mount Pleasant 3, Shea 3, Classical 2, Hope 2.
Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The
Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The
Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown
Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The
Westerly Sun.

Brady out, Hoyer in - the end zone

Brian Hoyer replaces Tom Brady, yet the rout continues. Hoyer scores on a quarterback plunge.
59-0 Patriots going into the fourth quarter. The 59 points is a franchise record.

52-0 and counting

Tom Brady needed less than five minutes at the start of the third quarter to throw his sixth touchdown pass, a 9-yarder to Randy Moss.
That equals Brady's career high. Will coach Bill Belichick keep him in for a chance to break his record?

The mauling continues right up to halftime

This is ridiculous. 45-0 New England at the half.
Brady has already thrown for over 300 yards and five touchdowns. All the TD passes came in the second quarter.
Kerry Collins is 1-of-10 passing.
Brady in his 28 passes completed 24.
Titans should be called the Titanics.
Collins takes a knee on the final play.

Moss moves making mincemeat of Tennessee

Nice play to go up 17-0. BenJarvus Green-Ellis takes a hand off up the middle, stops, turns and pitches back to Brady, who heaves a long touchdown pass to Randy Moss behind a trio of Tennessee defenders.
Moss may have lulled the defense on the previous play, taking a short pass on the right side while stationary, then going down as if he was going to make a snow angel.
Then he takes off on a slant from the right side to the house.
Now things are snowballing even more against Tennessee. Mike Wright recovers a Titans fumble. Two plays later, Brady, given plenty of time, hits Moss going left to right in the end zone.
It's 24-0 New England with nearly nine minutes to go in the half and Tennessee headed to 0-6 on the season.

NE adds to its lead

Gostkowski's caps a 7-play, 63-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal to increase New England's lead to 10-0.
A 48-yard pass from Tom Brady to Wes Welker - most of it in the air, a rarity between the two - was the meat of the march.

Maroney moves

Laurence Maroney goes 45 yards for a touchdown for the Pats. He found a hole on the right side as his split-second hesitation paid dividends.
He's often criticized for his dancing in the backfield, but this time he showed an all-pro move.

Patriots kick off

Boston, New England, whatever, is kicking off to the Oilers, Titans, whatever, in this game between old AFL teams in throwback uniforms. The snow is fitting for a throwback game.
It's three and out for the Oilers, as they're being called here by the press box PA ... and there goes Julian Edelman on the punt return - 35-yard punt and a 35-yard return.
Some pass completions, but Sammy Morris goes down and taken out and down goes Brady.
The sack isn't the fault of rookie Sebastian Vollmer, filling in at demanding left tackle for the injured Matt Light.
The Pats don't get on the scoreboard first this time around because Stephen Gostkowski is wide right on a 39-yard field goal try.

Go to hell!

Tom Brady is going to hell, according to some church in North Carolina, because he has a baby mama, to whom he is not married, among other reasons.
The Amazing Grace Baptist Church recently put out a list of athletes who are headed for damnation, and Brady is among the headliners.
It’s easy to dismiss this list as an organization of Christian nut jobs trying to make headlines, but they’re right about Brady.

Do you know how I know?

Because I am almost certainly going to hell (if there is one, which I doubt), and in my version of hell, I have to believe Brady will be there.

But we’ll have company, according to the brilliant minds at Amazing Grace Baptist Church. Among the other evil souls on the list are former NFL safety Adam Archuleta (who’s engaged to and has a child with a Playboy Playmate), Bulls forward Joakim Noah (long hair is offensive to God), and Richard Petty (worships racing, cheated to win).

With these kinds of standards, is any pro athlete safe? Jesus (lord’s name taken in vain on purpose), even A.C. Green is probably going to hell, and I’m pretty sure he’s still a virgin.

Maybe this is why there are so many over-the-top Christian athletes (looking at you, Tim Tebow), who as George Carlin once said, praise Jesus whenever they win … but never mention his name when they lose.

Having sex and dating or marrying models are sinful acts, so athletes try to balance that out with devout faith.

Hey, good luck to them. Hopefully that helps keep them off the Amazing Grace Baptist Church’s naughty list.

But if hell has the kind of clientele I think it will, along with the athletes this church claims will be there, it shouldn’t be half bad.

Bye bye, Boise

Each college football season, speculation runs rampant about what might happen if a team from a non-BCS conference goes undefeated. Will that team go to a BCS bowl game? Is there any chance it gets a shot at the national championship?

This year, the answers to those questions, as they pertain to Boise State (the only non-BCS team with a chance to crash the BCS party), are as follows: Probably, and absolutely not.

The Broncos most likely will go undefeated, which will be enough to put them in a BCS bowl game. But as far as playing the SEC or Big 12 champion in the BCS national championship game, Boise blew that slim chance on Thursday night ... when it won ... by only seven points.

When the end of the season rolls around, a victory is what will keep Boise State out of the title game. Another clear-cut example of how Football Bowl Subdivision college football is broken.

Scott Barrett will disagree, because the system in place has allowed his beloved Florida Gators to win two national championships in the past three years, and chances are, they'll play for a third this season against Texas.

I won't go into too much ranting about how college football needs a playoff. It would take the guesswork out of the polls and strength of schedule, etc., but not going to happen anytime soon

So what's a small-conference team to do? Schedule some non-conference games against good teams from BCS conferences. Boise State did that this year, and beat Oregon. And while that looks good this season, it's going to hurt them in years to come, because teams like Florida, Texas, USC and Alabama have little to gain from playing a team like Boise State, and they have everything to lose. So smaller programs are going to have a harder and harder time finding BCS conference teams willing to play.

Can you imagine this system in the NFL? It's ludicrous to even think that it might work to decide a champion in a 32-team league. Instead, it's used to decide a champion in a 120-team subdivision of college football.

NFL in no Rush for Limbaugh

Remember when you told your parents what you wanted to be when you grow up? And they replied, "You can be anything you want to be as long as you put your mind to it."

Well, that's not true.

Rush Limbaugh, the controversial radio talk show host, announced last week he is partnering with Dave Checketts, managing partner of the St. Louis Blues, in an attempt to purchase the St. Louis Rams. The one problem is that 24 of 32 current NFL owners would have to approve the deal. And from the looks of things, that's not going to happen today, tomorrow or ever.

Parts of this bother me, and others certainly don't. I mean, Rush's money is green just like your money and my money. To keep him from purchasing something he desires is simply non-American. Limbaugh has said he's a huge fan of the NFL and being an owner is a longtime dream.

Who's to stop him?

Well, apparently he is. Limbaugh's words are often a lightning rod for the likes of Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson, both of whom spoke out against Limbaugh earlier this week. While I personally think he chooses his words just for the shock value, he no doubt can be offensive. In 2004, he quickly resigned from a job at ESPN after insinuating that Donovan McNabb is overrated because the media has longed for a black quarterback to experience success.

DeMaurice Smith, head of the NFL Players Association, asked players to speak out against Limbaugh. Some said they wouldn't play for him, but I find that extremely hard to believe because in the long run, they know what color his money is, too.

The NFL has clown owners already - just look at what's happening in Dallas and Miami. I think Rush deserves his shot at ownership, but not if he's going to use the post as a platform for his right-wing rhetoric.

Week 5 High School Football Poll

Four straight lopsided wins wasn’t enough to move Middletown into the top 5, but the Islanders jumped into the top 6 after their bye week. They have Tiverton to thank. Apparently Ponganset’s near miss against the Tigers was enough to convince voters that Ponaganset is not worthy of the No. 6 spot.

Portsmouth, which also had a Week 4 bye, dropped to No. 11. Tiverton fell from 17 to 18 after its 15-14 loss to the undefeated Chieftains. Rogers, which debuted in the poll at No. 17 last week, is unranked this week after a non-league loss to Durfee, Mass. Unfortunately, that may have been the Vikings’ only appearance in the top 20 this season.

At the top, things again look very much the same, with La Salle, Barrington, East Providence, West Warwick and South Kingstown holding steady at 1-4. I put Barrington at No. 1 this week, after its 14-0 win over No. 3 East Providence. But barring an unexpected La Salle loss next week against Cranston West, the Rams seem to have a stranglehold on the top spot — at least until their date in Barrington on Nov. 6.

Team Points Last week
1. La Salle (5) 157 1
2. Barrington (3) 155 2
3. East Providence 137 3
4. West Warwick 128 4
5. South Kingstown 126 5
6. Middletown 109 7
7. Cranston East 108 9
8. Ponaganset 105 6
9. Woonsocket 93 12
10. Hendricken 92 11
11. Portsmouth 84 10
12. Mount Hope 64 8
13. Johnston 61 15
14. Cranston West 45 16
15. Westerly 42 18
16. Coventry 38 NR
17. Hope 29 20
18t. Lincoln 21 13
18t. Tiverton 21 17
20. Moses Brown 18 NR

Dropped out (last week’s rank): Cumberland (14), St. Raphael (17).

Others receiving votes: Cumberland 17, St. Raphael 12, Classical 7, Central 4, East Greenwich 3, Mount Pleasant 1, Toll Gate 1.

Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun.