Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Disney's dire year at the box office continues with Haunted Mansion flop. Go woke go broke! 

- Over 100 universities, including some Power 5, still require vaccines. You'd think Brony James' cardiac arrest might put an end to this madness.

- People used to drink 4-times as much alcohol than us in the Middle Ages. We're really lightweights.

- Matt Cassel with a great Bill Belichick story.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations

The trade of Matt Cassell and Mike Vrabel to Kansas City was a good trade for the Chiefs and a necessary trade for the Patriots. It should be remembered that not only will the Pats be getting the Chiefs 2nd round pick (34th overall) but New England also gets the cap room back. Cap room which can be used to add another impact player. It really was a two player for two player trade... Tom Jones is playing at the House of Blues in Boston. I saw the ad and couldn't help but laugh. To me it seems that Tom Jones has gone from the "I f*cked your girlfriend" vibe to the "I f*cked your mom" vibe... Cubs broadcasting legend Harry Caray would have been 95 today. Here's how I like to remember him. And yes - I would eat the moon if it was made of ribs...

Top 5 - New England Patriots Personnel Decisions

Here are the top 5 players who are free agents for the Patriots and whose situations are the most pressing.

1. Matt Cassel QB - he hit the jackpot. Do the Pats try to sign him long term (as insurance against Tom Brady not making a successful comeback)? Do they franchise him and then trade him?

2. LaMont Jordan RB - he was a very important part of the Pat's depth at RB. He's sure to see offers but I hope the Pats bring him back.

3. Pierre Woods LB - with all of the injuries at LB this season the depth of having a guy like Woods became self-evident.

4. Chris Hanson P - there wasn't much talk about the Pats punting game this season and that's good news. The Pats should bring back Hanson to keep the kicking game a strength of the team.

5. Rodney Harrison S - I don't care if he can play. Harrison is worth it to the team just for his leadership and example he provides. James Sanders is also a free agent at S and I think he comes back.

Mike Reiss has a complete breakdown on the Pats roster. Worth the read.

Football Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous football thoughts and observations.

OK - I'll say it. The Patriots are not a Super Bowl team with Matt Cassel at quarterback and for the long run they are better off missing the playoffs this year. To some that seems like an obvious statement but others have had their reason clouded by a couple of 400-yard passing days by Cassel. I'm not down on Cassel because of yesterday's performance - it's just the way it is. Tom Brady does make this team a Super Bowl contender (if not favorite) and a higher draft pick this year in the long run is more beneficial than making the playoffs this season... The Patriots are a completely different team with Tom Brady at QB. Same too the Cowboys with and without Tony Romo. I just wanted to mention that I first heard of Romo when he was at Eastern Illinois where he won the Walter Payton Award his senior year (2002). I say this because Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross could very well be the next Tony Romo. Randolph is one of the 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award this season. I've been on the Randolph bandwagon for a long time. Remember where you first heard his name when he gets drafted by an NFL team this spring... I can easily see the Eagles dumping both Coach Andy Reid and QB Donovan McNabb and replacing them with Patriots' Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels and free agent QB Matt Cassel. Reid and McNabb have brought that team as far as they can and everything else is going to be downhill. McDaniels and Cassel would bring a fresh energy to the team and the fanbase. I think Philadelphia would be a Super Bowl contender with the new duo. They have a better overall team than New England. They have a better defense and they have Brian Westbrook (Walter Payton Award winner in 2001). Romeo Crennel may also be available to be McDaniels' Defensive Coordinator at the end of the year. Tell me Philly fans wouldn't get excited about those changes?... Remind me not to bet on a game where either the Denver Broncos or New York Jets are involved. You never know what team will show up... Plaxico Burress has played his last game for the New York Jets. Maybe the strict Catholic Tom Coughlin had his prayers answered? "Dear God - can you please do something about Plaxico Burress? I don't want him hurt bad but I would really appreciate it if you could get him out of my life."

Football Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous football thoughts and observations.

East Carolina has had a funny season so far. They have not lost a game where they were the underdog and they have not won a game when they were the favorite. Yesterday they were once again the favorite (by 6.5 over Virginia) and they lost outright. Maybe Skip took in those Dr. Holtz underdog pep-talks but missed the Dr. Spurrier how to win when favored talks... Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatric is supposed to start today for the Bengals against the Jets. He can't be any worse than what Carson Palmer has done this season. I'm pulling for him. Am I the only one who finds it amusing that the most effective former USC quarterback in the NFL never started for USC? Palmer has been a wreck, Leinart isn't even starting but Cassel has been very good so far... The linesmakers in Vegas continue to amaze. USC was favored over Arizona State by either 28 or 28.5 points. The Trojans won 28-0... Kellen Winslow is upper upper class high society. God's gift to ballroom notoriety. Winslow always fills his ballroom. The event is never small. The social pages say Kellen Winslow's got the biggest balls of all...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

On one hand you have to feel for Patriots back-up QB Matt Cassel because he's always a bridesmaid and never a bride. Cassel was a back-up in college (at USC to Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart) and now he's a back-up to Tom Brady. You know the guy wants a shot to show people what he can do. On the other hand - being back-up to Tom Brady has to be a great gig to have... Today would have been Jackie Robinson's 89th birthday... Plaxico Burress's prediction of a 23-17 Giants victory will help the Patriots in a subtle way. I'm thinking that the Patriots will make it a point to bump, push, and shove Burress at every opportunity. This extra contact could wear down the receiver just enough so that he's slow on a route or maybe drops a pass. The refs will probably let the Patriots get away with a little extra because subconsciously they might think that Burress brought it on himself... Today is Nolan Ryan's 61st birthday.. Professional back-up Matt Cassel should take comfort in having a better pro career than Heisman Trophy winners Danny Wuerffel - 1996, Chris Weinke - 2000 (who holds the NFL record for most consecutive losses by a quarterback in a season at 14), Eric Crouch - 2001 and Jason White - 2003 (who never even got a regular season snap in the NFL)... I played cards last night and a guy at my table saw the Georgetown / St. John's halftime score and said "Wow - St. John's is getting beat 41-14." Another guy at the table asked, "Is that a women's game?" The first guy then shouted over to a friend at the next table, "Hey Joe - did you see the St. John's score? They're getting beat 41-14." A guy at the second table asked, "Is that a women's game?" The final score ended up being 74-42. St. John's should have kept Kevin Clark as coach.