Patriots

Which came in response to this video from Baltimore.

Dan Shaughnessy writes about the matchup, but Dan Shaughnessy Watch concludes:

If you were expecting Shank's standard half-hearted mail-in column, you won't be disappointed. ...

Shank shanks Randy Moss.

No word how close he was to scoring before he was intercepted; cops refused to give him a pass.

No, that didn't happen.

35-34? Really? What?

Paul Keleher was at Gillette yesterday.

Posted under this Creative Commons license and in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Did anybody manage to finish today's Shaughnessy column, in which Danny Boy just can't keep from marveling that few people in London have ever heard of Tom Brady?

Dan Shaughnessy Watch valiantly tries, also noting Shank's continuing disdain for Stateside Patriots fans.

Ed. note: Yes, I admit it: I've been waiting for the right moment to use that line from that eTrade baby commercial.

Angela has a lot to be happy about this morning, including:

...Laurence Maroney ran like he should. For the first time in a while, he wasn't auditioning for "Dancing With the Stars". ...

Not the best of days for Boston sports fans.

Who'd think a train to the Patriots game could cause so much trouble? But let's follow the tweets:

At 4:40, Jon Fournier tweets from Back Bay:

Stuck behind Patriots train. Chaos at Back Bay. Lv it to T to make smthng so simple so freakin' complicated.

At 5:11, Fournier gets out this word:

Herd of patriots fans boards Franklin train in Dedham. Told to get off at Walpole & "wait for train."

At 5:21, Ben Jackson explains:

Just got an alert. Pats train skipping stations due to overcrowding. Another train is coming later for those stations.

At 5:25, David Stopforth posts a photo of Pats refugees at a waystation somewhere in Walpole.

If you hurry down to your nearest RMV office:

As Paul Keleher discovered.

Posted under this Creative Commons license in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Traded to the Raiders.

So long, Tedy. You've been the heart of the Patriots for many years.

Boston. com

Newsday.com

Ron Borges

He's set to announce his retirement.

John takes an early look at the Patriots' chances this year.

It's table-turning time as Ian Rapoport is interviewed by Boston Sports Media Watch's Bruce Allen.

If then Patriots owner Chuck Sullivan hadn't gone bankrupt financing Jackson's 1984 Victory Tour, the team might never have wound up in the more capable hands of Robert Kraft.

Via.

Pats pass on past Pat Pat Pass

(Headline stolen from Fark, but it was so good that I had to share)

Cassel to the Chiefs, just like Vrabel.

Angela keeps repeating: In Bill I trust.

Angela: I think I speak for everyone when I say, "Holy $%*!@...!"

Why did Tom Brady have a rotten season? Why won't he be the same when he returns in August? According to Dan Shaughnessy, it's because he's gone soft. And he hasn't gone soft by sniffing wildflowers and professing his love for kittens in meter and rhyme; no, the real reason is because (and please make sure you're sitting down before your eyes behold the startling truth) Gisele Bundchen was feeding him during their Mexican vacation.

The U.S. Marshal for Boston and a federal lawyer improperly arranged government motorcades for the two Fox blabcasters during the 2007 World Series, according to a report by the Justice Department's inspector general.

The report centers on Joseph Band, an attorney for the U.S. Marshal's office in Washington:

Our investigation revealed that Band attended the 2007 World Series games as a paid, part-time sports statistician for Fox Sports, and arranged transportation from both games in an USMS vehicle for himself and for a Fox Sports colleague from one game. In addition, the OIG determined that Band arranged a USMS motorcade escort for the broadcasters' private limousines from Fenway Park following both games. We concluded that Band's conduct violated the standards of ethical conduct for federal employees and USMS policy governing the use of government vehicles.

Yvonne Bronner, acting U.S. Marshal for Boston, assigned deputy marshals to help Band in his Fox work at the two Boston games, the report says.

Oh, but wait, there's more: Seems Band got similar escort treatment at the 2008 Super Bowl, an NFL playoff game in Tampa and a college bowl game in Phoenix in 2007. However, the report says the U.S. Marshal in San Francisco refused to let Band get a motorcade to the 2007 All-Star game in that city.

The report concludes that the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston declined to bring any criminal charges.

NotErnie notes Gil Santos's retirement from WBZ, wishes he would retire from Patriots games as well:

... In the last few years, I have become increasingly frustrated at his inability to correctly name the down, distance or where on the field the ball is even marked. He's got a great voice and when he gets things right, he's tremendous. But he gets too much wrong. ...

Hey, look at Brady and Bledsoe. Don Martelli explains why it might make sense.

Channel 4: Brady may not be 100 percent for 2009.