Now, imagine what it's like when I receive my cable bill every month.

Having trouble?  Let me help you.  It's more than disheartening.  It's just heartbreaking.   My cable bill (which, for the purposes of full disclosure, comes from Comcast) is so expensive that after I open it, I start to quiver with concern over how I'm going to pay for it.   Sort of like the quiver you see in a movie where a poor,desitute single mother of 7 gets fired, has no savings, needs food and owes rent all on the same day.   

It's sad isn't it?

Listen, I'm fully aware that after considering the current world situation, it might seem a little frivolous to bring up the high cost of my cable bill.  Cable service costs could easily run secondary to hundreds of issues, if not thousands.  But, like any other topic worth talking about, the Mayor of Boston has brought this one up and I'm just offering further comment.  Alright I'm kidding about Menino being the source of all good topics, but he is responsible for bringing this issue to the public setting.

If you haven't heard, Comcast is planning to increase the price for their basic cable bundle yet again.  In response, Mayor Menino has said, "Nowiajfiwh;hfwejakfdh afjda;klfhdajkhf".  Which in mumble, means, "Think again, Comcast."

I feel like I don't even know how to begin.

I am certain that I will sit here for at least an hour, staring at this blank page, wondering how to get all of my baseball thoughts into one cohesive post.   There is so much stuff happening with the Sox - bad stuff - that I run the risk of sounding as coherent as a downtown bar room at 1 a.m. on a Saturday night.

One hour later

So...Tito's gone.  Now Theo's gone. 

Anybody else? Looks like that's going to be the case. 

Instead of playing 9 innings of playoff baseball every other day, the Red Sox players, the ownership and front office are involved in the worst round of the blame-game I've ever witnessed. 

The truth is, there are a lot of people to blame.  But for me, the forefront of that blame goes to the owners. 

Apologies are in order, all around. John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino need to come out of hiding and say they are sorry for this embarrassment.

Francona talked about not feeling as though the ownership had his back at many points throughout the season.  Larry Luchinno said he was confused by that statement. 

Really Larry?  Really? 


Schilling was right on a few other points as well. No one is going to want to return to this organization after seeing that the ownership is in the business of selling "rag-mag" stories to local media outlets. 

The statements about Tito never should have been made.  It was backstabbing and vile to hear something like that spewed about a man who has done as much as he has for this team. He gave 8 years of his life to the Red Sox.  He pushed harder than anyone else ever has.  And what did he get in return?

 .
Three times actually. Thank you, god.

I am well aware that it's the trait of a sore loser to gloat at the loss of others, but frankly, I don't give a shit. Let me just say that I am nothing but happy and filled with joy that Beltre and the rest of the Texas Ranger crew sent the Rays home early.


The Rays were not the better team.  It's laughable to even consider that notion. Their arrival into the playoffs was a fluke.  They never deserved to be there.  Yes, they got there fair and square. Fine.  But they didn't get there because they were an unstoppable force during the entire year and cemented a playoff berth by August.  They played well in the last 3 week stretch when the Red Sox were self-destructing, and that is the only reason they made it there. 

The Yankees, on the other hand, deserve to be in the playoffs. They were in second place for most of the year, but never too far behind the Sox.  Also, there weren't times when they let their lead in the Wild Card drop to anything that was worthy of sounding the alarms.  There was no fluke in them making the playoffs.  They won their spot outright.

For me, It's never a great feeling to win simply because someone else was bad.  It's like being second choice. Imagine being offered tickets to a game by your buddy only because his cooler friend died.

Of course, it's not as if the Rays could just step aside and say, "No thank you.  We'll skip the playoffs, since we shouldn't really be here."  But again, it's important to note why I'm happy they lost.  

So the Rays are going home and I'm glad, because they shouldn't have seen October baseball anyway. 

See you next season boys.

Tom Cruise captivated audiences and gave a seriously convincing performance as a down-and-out Marine veteran returning from the Vietnam War in Oliver Stone's, "Born On the Fourth of July".  The role earned Tommy boy Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor.     

It's been 22 years since the film was released, but it still seems to be inspiring people. 

How so?  Well, take a gander at the idiot in the picture to the right.  His name is unknown.  At first glance, he looks like a solider in civilian clothes.  Sort of like an off-duty cop.  Along with his neat jeans and button down shirt, he has a set of army issued fatigues lying in between the army issued boots he is wearing, topped off with an army issued duffle bag on his back. 

If you notice, he sits there with his hand over his face and his head facing towards the ground.  Basic intuition should help you recognize what this looks like.  It looks like a guy who is sad. Melancholy has filled his spirit.  Stricken with the case of the Mondays.  Do you want to know why?  Because he lost his wallet and now he doesn't have enough money to take the train back home. 

Hold it.

Before you start looking for this creep on the streets to go and shower him with your spare change and compassion, let me fill you in on a little secret. 

Take away the Hollywood lifestyle, Katie Holmes, and Scientology, this guy is exactly the same as Tom Cruise in that he is only acting as a soldier.  That's right.  This jerk is telling people that he is a solider who is trying to get home, but can't because his wallet was stolen along with his laptop bag.  The only reason we know this is all a ruse is because this schmuck has just enough stupidity to pull the same gag, in the same spot, multiple days in a row.  So now, the people who fell for his trick in the days or weeks before, are seeing him begging in the same spot dishing out the same story. 

Now this guy won't ever win an Oscar, but according to a woman named Amanda, who was interviewed by The Metro and also someone who fell into the faux soldiers trap, "he deserves an Emmy for his performance." 

Amanda says she gave the man some money to get home because she felt like he was telling the truth.  Then, a week later, she saw him at the same T station in the same clothes, giving someone the same sob story he told her.  As she walked by she lambasted the phony soldier and warned the new victim, who was most likely on her way to being bamboozled as well, that he was a thief.

I've lived in Boston my whole life and so I've seen just about every trick in the book when it comes to panhandling.  I've got a talent for picking out these bogus stories and I can guarantee I would not have fallen for this trick.   But I don't expect everyone to be able to do that.  Some people, on top of having a bleeding heart, are just not familiar with the ever expanding tactics that Boston's scumbags use to get big bucks off of passers by. 

So here's a suggestion to all you do-gooder Samaritans out there.  If someone like the guy above stops you and begs you for cash so that he can buy a ticket home and you desperately want to help him, then walk him into the station and buy him the ticket yourself.

If that's too much work for you, then don't bother.