Alex Bain's Blog

Some thoughts on Superbowl XLII

Here's what I have to say about the game last night:

• The game called to mind the quote from Varsity Blues (but substitute Matt Light or Ellis Hobbs for Billy Bob):
  

  Oh, Big Billy Bob Crybaby!? You cost me my perfect season. How's it feel? My quarterback is off limping, and to top it off I got watch you cry about it?

• The Pats worst offensive player, Matt Light, and worst defensive player, Ellis Hobbs, both really cost the team. Even if Light couldn't have held off the impressive Giants D-line, it'd have been great if he could have remembered the snap count. Likewise, I know that covering Plaxico is a tall order for Hobbs, but it's not like he forced him to make a super-human catch on that final touchdown; he practically broke his ankles when Plaxico threw one juke at him, and he watched the catch from the ground as the game slipped away from us.
• Writers are going to write articles about how we lost because of the bad karma from "cheating" in game 1.
• Writers are going to write articles about how beautiful it is that two brothers won consecutive SuperBowl MVPs. these will be crappy articles.
  
• Some writer will eventually write an article about how, even though we lost, the 2007 Pats still have to be mentioned among the greatest all-time teams.
  
• It was a curious decision not to kick a 48 or 49 yard field goal earlier in the game, opting instead to attempt to convert on 4th and 13. I'd have to love to have had those 3 points at the end of the game, but perhaps Belichick knew something about our kicker that I don't.
• I don't know why the refs forced the Giants to run that final play to get the last second off the clock. That was a crappy move, and some idiot writer will claim Belichick should have sat around and watched it.
• No rational person could have predicted that the Giants would win the game, and just because they did doesn't prove those people right.
• I've heard people mention that this game may have been the biggest upset of all-time. This drives me crazy. People in the media must not want to mention Vegas for fear of sounding like a degenerate gambler, but gambling lines are necessary to back statements like "biggest upset" or "we get no respect". By definition, the Pats win over the Rams was the biggest upset of all time. If one wants to argue that yesterday's win was a bigger upset, they must acknowledge the smaller spread in their argument. You couldn't argue that America really became independent in 1805 without mentioning what went on in 1776.
• As I thought back on painful losses I've endured before, I remember how badly the Sox stung me in 2003. What's nice to remember is that, because we came back and won the next season, I don't exactly carry around 2003 like baggage that haunts me. It makes me think that, if the Pats come back with a vengeance in the Fall 2008, we'll easily be able to put this loss behind us.
• Had we won yesterday, Belichick and Brady have have retired earlier than they might as a result of the loss. I don't know if I would trade a few more years with these guys for a perfect season, but it's a nice consolation prize to think we'll probably have at least 3-4 more years with them as opposed to 1 or 2.
• It sure was fun while it lasted. I had an absolute blast these last 4-5 months just reveling in our dominance. Even if we didn't win it all, these last few months were real, even if it may feel like we imagined it after that crushing loss. I'm still glad I got on the roller coaster. It reminds me of the Miami Vice quote when Crockett calls his ex-wife (the one Bill Simmons once pointed out, watch until the 1:45 mark):

"Caroline, I just gotta ask you something. Me and you, not how we are now,........but then.....it was real right?"

Holiday parties

I love holiday party season. The cookies, the music, the fact that everyone is about to go home and see their family ... It all just puts me in such a good mood.

I caught a great moment from a holiday party last night. We were at my friend Paul's house, and a festive little beer game was taking place, and I happened to be filming during the climactic conclusion:

Johnny27: This is fantastic!

A friend of mine recently invested in a new startup called Johnny27, and it's a great product.

Here's the idea: you send a text message with any question you can think of to 272727, and you get a response in ~5 minutes or less with the answer. Questions can be broad, or really specific. The answers are thoughtful, typed by a human, and better than I could usually do with a laptop and a bunch of time to explore Google.

Examples form my Q&A with Johnny:

• Q: How much has Patriots player Rodney Harison [sic] been fined in his NFL career?
• A: Rodny Harrison has been fined $350,000 during his career. His last fine was $5000 during the Ravens game for tuanting [sic] the Ravens Coach.
• Q: Where is the best place in Cambridge to get a massage in Cambridge, MA, 7 where is the best pedicure? [Lisa was curious to see what they'd say]
• A: For a massage try Healthworks Fitness, they have a great spa 617-970-4454. They are also rated highly for their fabulous pedicures. Enjoy the spa!
• Q: What is a good recipe for eggnog?
• A: 1 qt. Whipping Cream. 1 qt. Bourbon Whiskey. 1 pt. Whole Milk. 1 pt. Brandy. Punch cup Rum, 12 eggs. Separte [sic] Yolks and Whites, mix separate & Combine
• Q: What's a good substitute for vermouth if I'm cooking and I'm out of vermouth?
• A: White win is a good substitute for vermouth in cooking. Try sauvignon blanc, if possible.

Sadly, it's not free. I'm in the middle of a beta period, where I get to try it for free, and then it becomes $1.99 per question. The price shoes up in my phone bill at the end of the month. I won't be using it for such trivial information, but I can definitely imagine using this to find a good restaurant when traveling, to settle bets over obscure sports statistics when out late with guys, or to get recommendations for all sorts of things I don't know much about (hotels, gift ideas, etc.). I'm pretty facile with Google on my iPhone, but there are situations where either I'm out of range from the EDGE network and can't surf the web or I am in the middle of something else and can't be bothered to tune everything out and stare at my phone. This is perfect for times like that.

It costs nothing to sign up. What do you have to lose? Check it out.

I know that dog!

I saw the Sox clinch the A.L. East!!!

Before Friday night, there were 6th graders in Boston who had never seen the Sox win the A.L. East!

Well, I was at Fenway and saw something extraordinary. The team won the game handily, in less than 3 hours. The fans cheered on their way out, and wondered if it was possible that the Orioles might come back from a 6-9 deficit in the 8th inning to win the game.

The remaining fans in Fenway numbered ~2,500 when the jumbotron operator all of a sudden decided to televise the Baltimore vs. New York game for anyone still around. What happened next was nuts.

The Orioles squander the 8th, but rally for 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th off the Yanks closer, Rivera. They fend off a charge from the Yankees in the top of the 10th, and win the game in the bottom of the inning, with a suicide squeeze bunted right at A-Rod. Incredible!

The fans in Fenway were freaking out, realizing that we'd finally won another pennant title. The jumbotron showed our team watching the game in their locker-room, and popping champagne when the title was theirs. We screamed and high fived, and thought the night was over. The poor stadium crew members must have been frustrated with the jumbotron guy for lengthening their workday, but they were far from going home.

A few of the Sox started coming up from their lockers and out onto the field to spray bubbly on the fans who were still there and to thank us for our support all year. The fans loved it, and more and more of the players started running out to party with us. The whole thing was unbelievable and so spontaneous. It almost felt the same way my viewing of the Pacers-Pistons brawl did, where everyone was thinking "What could possibly happen next?"

The players were in various stages of casual wear, ranging from sweats to underwear, but almost all were wearing swimming goggles to protect their eyes from the booze flying everywhere. These guys looked like they may have started drinking before the outcome of the game was known, because they were making total asses of themselves while enjoying the moment... (in a good way)

My personal highlights from the celebration were:

• Seeing Papelbon dance an Irish gig
• Noticing that no idiot fans were running on the field. I'm proud of Boston for keeping this classy. No fans tried to insert themselves into someone else's moment.
• Seeing Youklis perform some ridiculous choreographed number that all his teammates seemed to be familiar with. Must be an inside joke on the squad.
• Seeing Ortiz work to include everybody in the fun, especially members of the media. They doused the women reporters from NESN really well with champagne and beer.
• The moment some brilliant player (not sure who) decided to pour beer down the "mouth" of our mascot, Wally. If there were any kids watching, that must have scarred them for life.
• The 10 minutes where Papelbon was wearing a Coors Light box on his head, but acting otherwise normally.
• The moment where 5 players all teamed up to dump champagne on a cop, who took it really well. That punctuated the lawless feeling of the night.
• Looking around at a virtually empty stadium and thinking, "90% of the people who were at this game are sadly missing this nonsense. I bet they'll later claim they saw it."

That was a night I'll remember the rest of my life. To put the extent of the shenanigans in context: the game ended ~9:40, and we didn't leave the park until almost midnight.

Here's the link to my pics, and below is the video I shot:

Dice stacking: I'd love to see this in person

What I love about this is how casual the guy looks the whole time:

From Boing Boing.

Furio & the Red Dot

All cats are hunters, but Furio hasn't had much opportunity to refine his skills. Here he chases a mischievous Red Dot around the RumpusRoom™:

Furio & the Red Dot from alexander_bain and Vimeo.

My favorite Boston history blog

I've mentioned more than once how much I love Boston history, and books on the topic.

Well, I've been reading a blog on the topic lately, and they recently had a post with a picture that blew me away. Isn't this a neat shot of the Public Garden?

I can't decide if I find the differences or the similarities more fascinating.

None of the buildings are very tall on Beacon Hill, and neither are the trees in the shot.

He reads it for the articles

Not only did I spot our cat with some very "mature" content last night, but today I caught him hitting the bottle with a very guilty look on his face:

I've got good news!!!

Engaged!

I asked, and she said "Yes"

We were up in Vermont, at my mom's cabin in Stratton. We had had a nice morning up in Manchester, exploring the outlets and hitting up our favorite sandwich shop. We returned to the cabin, popped a bottle of champagne, and jumped in the hot tub. We were just enjoying the fact that we had escaped from work for the weekend, and we were together.

Here are the pics.