Rare Air for Bruins, Sox, and Celtics

Twice in the last four days the Bruins, Red Sox, and Celtics have all won games. Not only is that exciting (especially considering the dramatic fashion in which some of those games have ended), but it is very rare.

Over the 63 seasons in which there have been at least three major league teams in Boston--beginning with the 1946-47 Celtics--there have been only 24 occasions in which three Boston sports teams played and won their games. Three of them have been this spring--April 20 was the other day where we had three winners.

Only once before have we had three three-winner days in a spring. The last time it happened was in April 0f 1974. 1974 is also the last time that both the Bruins and the Celtics qualified for their league championship series in the same season.

19 of the 24 occasions saw the Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox all winning on the same day. On the other five occasions--including the first time on November 25, 1973--it was the Patriots that joined the Bs and Cs in the winners' circle.

I've posted the entire list below, but there are a few dates that stand out:

• On April 21, 2002, not only did the Bruins and Celtics each win their playoff games, but the Red Sox swept a doubleheader in Kansas City, making that day the only time that Boston has won four games in one day. That day is also one of just three where the Bruins and Celtics both played at hime on the same day.
  
  
• Another such day was April 24, 1983, which one might argue was one of the greatest days in Boston Sports history for sheer drama. Many remember that the Bruins beat Buffalo 3-2 that night in a game 7 overtime to advance to the Wales Conference Finals in one of the greatest Bruins games ever played at the Garden. But earlier that afternoon, the Celtics won their own elimination game as they ended a best-of-three series against the Atlanta Hawks with a 98-79 win. It appears to be the only time the Garden has hosted two elimination games on the same day. The Red Sox did their part wth a 4-2 win in Oakland.
  
  
• April 24, 1977 is the only of these occasions that two Boston teams have victimized rivals from the same city on the same day, as the Bruins beat the Flyers at the Garden and the Celtics defeated the 76ers at the Spectrum. The Red Sox were cruising that day in Toronto.

Here is the list:

DATE      BRUINS         CELTICS           RED SOX
5/12/09   W 4-2 @ CAR*   W  92- 88 v ORL*  W  4- 3 @ ANA
5/10/09   W 4-0 v CAR*   W  95- 94 @ ORL*  W  4- 3 V TB
4/20/09   W 4-2 @ MTL*   W 115-113 V CHI   W 12- 1 V BAL
4/25/02   W 5-2 @ MTL*   W  93- 85 V PHI*  W  7- 0 @ BAL
4/21/02   W 6-4 V MTL*   W  92- 82 V PHI*  W 12- 2 @ KC (W 8-7 @ KC)
4/7/01    W 4-2 V NYI    W 102-100 @ WAS   W  6- 2 V TAM
4/7/99    W 5-2 @ FLA    W 108- 87 V WAS   W  6- 0 @ KC
4/1/98    W 4-2 @ NYR    W  98- 87 @ ORL   W  2- 0 @ OAK
4/7/96    W 4-2 @ PHI    W  98- 97 V DET   W  3- 1 @ KC
4/24/83   W 3-2 V BUF*   W  98- 79 V ATL*  W  4- 2 @ OAK
4/11/82   W 5-2 @ BUF*   W 110-109 @ PHI   W  6- 0 @ BAL
4/14/80   W 6-2 V PIT*   W 138-121 @ HOU*  W  3- 1 V DET
4/13/80   W 8-3 @ PIT*   W 100- 81 @ HOU*  W  3- 1 @ MIL
4/8/79    W 6-3 V TOR    W 127-101 V NJ    W  7- 6 @ CLE
4/24/77   W 4-3 @ PHI    W 124-119 V PHI   W  9- 0 @ TOR
4/11/76   W 4-0 V LAK*   W 103- 99 @ WAS   W  6- 2 @ BAL
4/28/74   W 6-2 V CHI*   W  98- 93 @ MIL*  W  5- 4 @ KC
4/21/74   W 8-6 V CHI*   W  98- 91 @ NYK*  W  6- 5 @ CLE
4/14/74   W 4-3 @ TOR    W 113- 88 V NYK*  W  7- 5 V DET

DATE      BRUINS         CELTICS           PATRIOTS
12/28/08  W 2-1 @ ATL    W 108- 63 @ SAC   W 13- 0 @ BUF
12/20/87  W 4-2 @ CHI    W 124- 87 V PHI   W 13- 7 @ BUF
12/28/85  W 5-1 @ STL    W 110-108 @ UTA   W 26-14 @ NYJ*
12/16/79  W 5-1 @ BUF    W 115-112 @ NJ    W 27-23 V MIN
11/25/73  W 3-1 V LAK    W 107-101 @ CLE   W 32- 0 @ HOU

* - Denotes Playoff Game.

Tags: Celtics Patriots Boston Bruins Red Sox

Nominee for the worst campaign video ever

Here is a campign video from a Hillary Clinton supporter. It is eerily reminiscent of the 1986 classic "New England, the Patriots, and We." If you dare, please watch both and vote below:

First, the Hillary video:

And finally, "New England, the Patriots, and We":

Vote Now!

Worst Video?
	Hillary
	New England, the Patriots, and We
Free polls from Pollhost.com

(Via Andrew Sullivan.)

Tags: Election 2008 Hillary Clinton New England Patriots YouTube

Putting the Patriots in perspective

From presidential candidate, Bill Richardson:

"The President has been allowed to spy on Americans without a warrant, and our U.S. Senate is letting it continue. You know something is wrong when the New England Patriots face stiffer penalties for spying on innocent Americans than Dick Cheney and George Bush."

Tags: New England Patriots NFL cheating Bill Richardson

Nixonian Patriots

Well, it looks like the Patriots are in a bit of trouble. They were caught videotaping the Jets' defensive signals during Sunday's game, and there will be some sort of "sanctions" coming down from the NFL shortly.

In some ways, it smacks of Nixonian paranoia. Nixon's reelection staff was so afraid of losing the 1972 election that they broke into the Democratic National Commitee's offices at the Watergate even though there was no way they were going to lose the 1972 election to George McGovern or any other Democrat.

Similarly, the Patriots are so good--especially this season--that they are going to win almost every week without having to resort to chicanery. Yet, they are so afraid of losing even the tiniest edge, that they break the laws of their sport even though they don't have to.

It's a little crime that opens a window into the thought process of the organization.

In the context of one specific game, the stealing of signals via videotape is not that big a deal. The way the NFL works, the offense sends in it's personnel package, the the defense sees who has come onto the field and makes there calls based on down, distance, and offensive personnel. There is almost no way that a team could have someone videotape a signal, call it in to an offensive coach, and have it relayed to Tom Brady in time for him to make an adjustment to the play.

On the other hand, it is a very big deal because the practice is explicitly prohibited by the league. In fact, not only have the Patriots been accused of doing this a number of times, but the entire league was strongly warned before the start of the season that these sort of practices would not be tolerated.

Yet, the Patriots did it anyway, either because they were too paranoid to let the game play out or because they are so arrogant that they think thought they could get away with it.

Now they will be punished, possible severely. And they will deserve whatever they get.

What will that be? I'll bet the Patriots will lose one or two draft picks, and be fined six figures. I also wouldn't be surprised if the sanctions include restrictions on who the Patriots can have on the sideline and how many sideline credentials the team can pass out. I wouldn't be stunned if Bill Belichick were suspended for a game or so.

Tags: New England Patriots NFL cheating

Rodney Harrison: Cheat

When I was in high school, I had a history teacher who used to say "a cheater is a liar and a thief."

Meet Rodney Harrison. Cheater, liar, thief.

In announcing that he was about to be suspended--reportedly for using Human Growth Hormone--Harrison attempted to mitigate the damage:

I want to make it clear that not once did I use steroids. I did admit to the commissioner that I did in fact use a banned substance. My purpose was never to gain a competitive edge. Rather, my use was totally for the purpose of accelerating the healing process from injuries I sustained playing football.

Liar. Oh, I suppose it's technically accurate. But "making it clear" that he didn't use steroids blurs the fact that he is reported to have used HGH, which is at least as bad, if not worse, than anabolic steroids. And I don't see how "accelerating the healing process" is not a competitive edge.

I understand that I’m a role model to high schools, colleges, young kids. I don’t condone my decision, my behavior. I’m very, very embarrassed by it. I’m disappointed in myself. And to any young person, any high schooler, any college athlete, I sent the wrong message with my actions and I would want to be the example to them to never jeopardize what they believe in, never jeopardize their health. And they always have to love themselves.

Thief. One can make the argument that athletes aren't role models, but to his credit Harrison doesn't try that. However he does acknowledge taking on the trust of many young athletes and frittering that away. (And I have no idea what the whole "they always have to love themselves" stuff has to do with anything).

As a Patriots fan, I hope he helps the team succeed as he has for the past four seasons. One of the nicest moments of the win in Super Bowl 38 was seeing Harrison with his broken arm in a sling, tears of joy streaming down his face as he is engulfed by confetti.

But he's cheated the game, and I have no use for that. I'm not rooting for him anymore. I'm rooting for the laundry.

Tags: New England Patriots NFL Rodney Harrison HGH

Which NFL games will we get each week? 2007 Edition

Every year I try to look at the NFL schedule and guess which games we in the Boston area will get to see on local TV week-by-week. Last year I was right on 70% of the games that were up for grabs (afternoon and flex games not including the Patriots). The formula I use to pick the games is explained here. Here is the expected TV schedule:

WEEK 1
Thursday, Sep. 6
8:30 PM NBC New Orleans at Indianapolis
Sunday, Sep. 9
1:00 PM CBS New England at N.Y. Jets
1:00 PM FOX Philadelphia at Green Bay
4:15 PM FOX Chicago at San Diego
8:15 PM NBC N.Y. Giants at Dallas
Monday, Sep. 10
7:00 PM ESPN Baltimore at Cincinnati
10:15 PM ESPN Arizona at San Francisco

Notes: An easy week to pick the FOX games. These should be the two top games, and there are no compelling alternatives.

WEEK 2
Sunday, Sep. 16
1:00 PM FOX Green Bay at N.Y. Giants
1:00 PM CBS Indianapolis at Tennessee
4:15 PM CBS N.Y. Jets at Baltimore
8:15 PM NBC San Diego at New England
Monday, Sep. 17
8:30 PM ESPN Washington at Philadelphia

Notes: With the Pats in prime-time, all three Sunday afternoon slots are up for grabs. The Giants and Jets games are given. Colts-Titans should be CBS top early game. This will be a good test to see if WBZ sends us the top game, or if they stay in the division with Buffalo-Pittsburgh.

WEEK 3
Sunday, Sep. 23
1:00 PM CBS Buffalo at New England
4:15 PM FOX N.Y. Giants at Washington
8:15 PM NBC Dallas at Chicago
Monday, Sep. 24
8:30 PM ESPN Tennessee at New Orleans

Notes: Since the Pats are home on CBS and it is a Fox doubleheader, we only get one game in each Sunday slot. The Giants game is an obvious choice over Carolina-Atlanta.

WEEK 4
Sunday, Sep. 30
1:00 PM CBS N.Y. Jets at Buffalo
1:00 PM FOX St. Louis at Dallas
4:15 PM CBS Denver at Indianapolis
8:15 PM NBC Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants
Monday, Oct. 1
8:30 PM ESPN New England at Cincinnati

Notes: With the Pats in prime-time, all three Sunday afternoon slots are up for grabs. The two CBS games should be the top games in their time slots (although Kansas City-San Diego is a pretty good 4:15 games as well). Rams-Cowboys will probably be the #1 FOX game, although Green Bay-Minnesota is a possibility.

WEEK 5
Sunday, Oct. 7
1:00 PM CBS Cleveland at New England
4:05 PM FOX Tampa Bay at Indianapolis
4:15 PM CBS San Diego at Denver
8:15 PM NBC Chicago at Green Bay
Monday, Oct. 8
8:30 PM ESPN Dallas at Buffalo

Notes: Since the Pats are home on CBS, we’re forced to get the 4:05 FOX game, and Bucs-Colts is the only option. Chargers-Broncos will be the #1 CBS game.

WEEK 6
Sunday, Oct. 14
1:00 PM CBS Cincinnati at Kansas City
1:00 PM FOX Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets
4:15 PM CBS New England at Dallas
8:15 PM NBC New Orleans at Seattle
Monday, Oct. 15
8:30 PM ESPN N.Y. Giants at Atlanta

Notes: Pats-Dallas will be CBS top game. Eagles-Jets is an obvious choice for the FOX slot. There are only three CBS games at 1:00, Miami-Cleveland is the only other possibility, but that game should be such a dog that WBZ will send us Bengals-Chiefs even though a Pats’ rival is also on at 1:00.

WEEK 7
Sunday, Oct. 21
1:00 PM CBS New England at Miami
1:00 PM FOX San Francisco at N.Y. Giants
4:15 PM FOX Chicago at Philadelphia
8:15 PM NBC Pittsburgh at Denver
Monday, Oct. 22
8:30 PM ESPN Indianapolis at Jacksonville

Notes: The Pats game is usually the only one on in a given slot, but since the Pats are on the road and FOX has the doubleheader, we get an offering opposite New England. The Giants are the obvious choice (although Minnesota-Dallas will be their #1 game at 1:00). Bears-Eagles will be FOX top game of the week.

WEEK 8
Sunday, Oct. 28
1:00 PM CBS Indianapolis at Carolina
1:00 PM FOX N.Y. Giants at Miami (London)
4:15 PM FOX Washington at New England
Monday, Oct. 29
8:30 PM ESPN Green Bay at Denver

Notes: The game in London will most likely be the top Fox game, but since it features the Giants and a Pats’ rival, we’d get the game if it were played in Pittsfield. The CBS 1:00 game is a tough choice, Steelers-Bengals is another good game in that slot.

WEEK 9
Sunday, Nov. 4
1:00 PM CBS San Diego at Minnesota
1:00 PM FOX Washington at N.Y. Jets
4:15 PM CBS New England at Indianapolis
8:15 PM NBC Dallas at Philadelphia
Monday, Nov. 5
8:30 PM ESPN Baltimore at Pittsburgh

Notes: Again a couple of good options on CBS at 1:00. Jacksonville-New Orleans could easily be the choice over Chargers-Vikings. Bengals-Bills could also be an option if Buffalo is any good. The Jets game on Fox is a given.

WEEK 10
Sunday, Nov. 11
1:00 PM CBS Buffalo at Miami
1:00 PM FOX Philadelphia at Washington
4:15 PM FOX Dallas at N.Y. Giants
8:15 PM NBC Indianapolis at San Diego
Monday, Nov. 12
8:30 PM ESPN San Francisco at Seattle

Notes: With the Pats on their bye week, all three Sunday afternoon slots are up for grabs. Every 1:00 game is between division rivals, so depending on how races shape up, these could change. Unless both the Bills and Dolphins are out of contention, that will probably be the CBS game, though Denver-Kansas City or Jacksonville-Tennessee look like better match-ups. FOX will probably send us the NFC East game, although Atlanta-Carolina, Minnesota-Green Bay, and St. Louis-New Orleans are all attractive games. Cowboys-Giants will be FOX #1 game.

Beginning Week 11, all Sunday games are subject to change because of flex scheduling. I’ve laid out how I expect the games to be broadcast based on the current schedule, and have noted where I think the flex might come in.

WEEK 11
Sunday, Nov. 18
1:00 PM CBS New England at Buffalo
1:00 PM FOX Washington at Dallas
4:15 PM FOX N.Y. Giants at Detroit
8:15 PM NBC Chicago at Seattle
Monday, Nov. 19
8:30 PM ESPN Tennessee at Denver

Notes: The Pats game is usually the only one on in a given slot, but since the Pats are on the road and FOX has the doubleheader, we get an offering opposite New England. Carolina-Green Bay is the only other good FOX option at 1:00, so I think Redskins-Cowboys is a pretty secure bet, unless it gets moved to 4:15. Rams-49ers is probably FOX top 4:15 game (another reason to expect a possible change) but we’ll probably get sent the Giants just the same. Bears-Seahawks is an obvious choice to stay at 8:15.

WEEK 12
Thursday, Nov. 22
12:30 PM FOX Green Bay at Detroit
4:15 PM CBS N.Y. Jets at Dallas
8:15 PM NFL Indianapolis at Atlanta
Sunday, Nov. 25
1:00 PM CBS Denver at Chicago
1:00 PM FOX Minnesota at N.Y. Giants
4:15 PM CBS Baltimore at San Diego
8:15 PM NBC Philadelphia at New England
Monday, Nov. 26
8:30 PM ESPN Miami at Pittsburgh

Notes: With the Pats tentatively scheduled for prime-time, all three Sunday afternoon slots are up for grabs. Ravens-Chargers is the only 4:15 game, so that is the choice, although Denver-Chicago is a pretty good option to move to the late slot (or to 8:15 if the Pats or Eagles are no good). New Orleans-Carolina or Seattle-St. Louis are possibilities for the early FOX game.

WEEK 13
Thursday, Nov. 29
8:15 PM NFL Green Bay at Dallas
Sunday, Dec. 2
1:00 PM CBS N.Y. Jets at Miami
1:00 PM FOX Seattle at Philadelphia
4:15 PM FOX N.Y. Giants at Chicago
8:15 PM NBC Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Monday, Dec. 3
8:30 PM ESPN New England at Baltimore

Notes: With the Pats playing in prime-time, all three Sunday afternoon slots are up for grabs. Giants-Bears is the only 4:15 game. Seahawks-Eagles is the only good 1:00 FOX game. The Jets-Dolphins is the choice assuming at least one of them is still in the running for the division crown. Otherwise, Jacksonville-Indy or San Diego-Kansas City are also good choices. If the Bengals and Steelers are having down years, any of the games listed here could be good options to move to the NBC game.

WEEK 14
Thursday, Dec. 6
8:15 PM NFL Chicago at Washington
Sunday, Dec. 9
1:00 PM CBS Pittsburgh at New England
4:05 PM FOX Arizona at Seattle
4:15 PM CBS Kansas City at Denver
8:15 PM NBC Indianapolis at Baltimore
Monday, Dec. 10
8:30 PM ESPN New Orleans at Atlanta

Notes: Chiefs-Broncos will probably be CBS #1 game, although Cleveland-Jets could be WBZ’s choice if the Jets are still in contention for the division. The Pats-Steelers game would also be a candidate to move to 4:15 if the currently scheduled games aren’t good. Fox is required to send a 4:05 game. Cards-Seahawks could be an important divisional game, so that is the choice, but it’s a tossup whether this game will be better, or whether Minnesota-San Francisco would be.

WEEK 15
Thursday, Dec. 13
8:15 PM NFL Denver at Houston
Saturday, Dec. 15
8:15 PM NFL Cincinnati at San Francisco
Sunday, Dec. 16
1:00 PM CBS N.Y. Jets at New England
4:15 PM FOX Philadelphia at Dallas
8:15 PM NBC Washington at N.Y. Giants
Monday, Dec. 17
8:30 PM ESPN Chicago at Minnesota

Notes: Since the Pats are home on CBS and it is a Fox doubleheader, we only get one game in each Sunday slot. Eagles-Cowboys is an obvious choice (over Detroit-San Diego), although I wouldn’t be surprised to see that game swapped with the 8:15 game. Seattle-Carolina might also be a candidate to move to 4:15 or 8:15.

WEEK 16
Thursday, Dec. 20
8:15 PM NFL Pittsburgh at St. Louis
Saturday, Dec. 22
8:15 PM NFL Dallas at Carolina
Sunday, Dec. 23
1:00 PM CBS Miami at New England
4:05 PM FOX Tampa Bay at San Francisco
4:15 PM CBS N.Y. Jets at Tennessee
8:15 PM NBC Philadelphia at New Orleans
Monday, Dec. 24
8:00 PM ESPN Denver at San Diego

Notes: I’m going to go out on a limb here and guarantee that the Bucs-49ers game will not remain in that NBC slot. I’d expect Philadelphia-New Orleans to be moved to 8:15. If that happens, Bucs-49ers would move to 4:05 and replace Falcons-Cardinals locally. Baltimore-Seattle will be the top 4:15 game on CBS and will be the choice if Jets-Titans is meaningless to the Patriots.

WEEK 17
Saturday, Dec. 29
8:15 PM NFL New England at N.Y. Giants
Sunday, Dec. 30
1:00 PM FOX New Orleans at Chicago
1:00 PM CBS Pittsburgh at Baltimore
4:15 PM FOX Minnesota at Denver
4:15 PM CBS San Diego at Oakland
8:15 PM NBC Kansas City at N.Y. Jets

Notes: With the Pats playing in prime-time, all four Sunday afternoon slots are up for grabs. Chargers-Oakland is the only 4:15 CBS game currently scheduled. I’d expect another game (possibly Steelers-Ravens) to be moved to 4:15. New Orleans-Chicago is the best FOX game, although Dallas-Washington is also a 1:00 tilt and could be the choice if it’s more important to the playoff race.

Looking at the schedule, I'd suggest fans of the Giants, Cowboys, and Eagles cancel the DirecTV Sunday Ticket, since they're going to get nearly the whole schedule anyway. As with last year, we should get every team in the NFL at least once.

New England 16
NY Giants 13
Dallas 12
Philadelphia 11
Chicago 10
Indianapolis 10
NY Jets 10
Denver 9
Washington 8
Baltimore 7
Pittsburgh 7
San Diego 7
Green Bay 6
Miami 6
New Orleans 6
Buffalo 5
Cincinnati 5
San Francisco 5
Seattle 5
Minnesota 4
Tennessee 4
Atlanta 3
Kansas City 3
Arizona 2
Carolina 2
Detroit 2
St. Louis 2
Tampa Bay 2
Cleveland 1
Jacksonville 1
Houston 1
Oakland 1

Tags: New England Patriots NFL Television Schedule