Tonight the Patriot’s secondary couldn’t cover their grandmothers, Kevin Faulk couldn’t catch a ball if he was the North Pole and the ball was a magnet, and Tom Brady couldn’t hit Boston Harbor from the backside of Anthony’s Pier 4. On the other hand, Indianapolis looked to be on cruise control. I swear Tony Dungy has them play to win, but never to embarrass. The only consolation was watching Adam “Show Me the Money” Vinatieri miss two field goals. And the Pats couldn’t even take advantage of that. 🙁

Some months ago I asked a bunch of friends if there was any doubt who would win the World Series, American League or National League. It was unanimous that the American League team would win, as the AL was trouncing the NL in games at that time. Fast forward 3 months and I’m watching the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate a World Series win. Okay, so I was wrong. Detroit literally threw this series away, the pitchers most notably.

But I’m glad to see Tony LaRussa win a series. He deserves it and I’m glad the Cards management stuck with him. 

As an aside, Fox’s coverage was terrible. The announcers were obviously biased. Inexcusable for a supposedly “balanced and fair” network.

Fair is fair. A little over a month ago I was braggin’ on the Red Sox and naively predicted a run to the pennant and beyond. I even signed up for MLB.com’s live service. Since then the Sox have looked like a bunch of frat boys in a sandlot game. At times it’s comical, and at others it’s downright depressing. Last night was the worst. It’s baffling how a team that can put together the win they got that night in June can look so inept now. Much is due to injuries to key players, but it also seems like they’ve lost faith in themselves. The rest of this season may be too painful to watch. But as a New England sports fan, I’m used to the roller coaster ride. The Sox do it, the Patriots do it. So hope lives on. A couple of years ago they were down 3-0 to the Yankmees and things looked utterly hopeless. But Yogi is right, it ain’t over till it’s over.

I’ve been a Red Sox fan since the days of Carl Yastrzemski. When I was a kid playing ball, like all kids of those days, I held my bat way high over my head like Yaz did. I had a number 8 shirt, too. Then in 1975 there was the awesome Carlton Fisk walk-off homer in Game 6 to tie the series against the Reds. I was watching that one with my folks and we all went nuts when it cleared the foul pole. No miracles the next night, though. I was listening on Armed Forces radio in Germany in ’86, ready to celebrate a long awaited World Series victory when the ball went through…well, you know. And I was almost in tears just like every other Sox fan when the ’04 Idiots finally pulled it out against the Yankmees and then walked past the Cards. But tonight against the NY Mets, I saw a team that had it all working at the basics level. They hit big; they hit small. The got the typical clutch homer from Ortiz and they manufactured runs when they needed to. Schilling was strong and Timlin/Papelbon were stingy as ever. But the sense that this is going to be a World Series year for the Sox came with this incredible catch by Coco Crisp. Un-be-lievable.

This is a mature team with all the heart and soul they need to make a run for the pennant. They have it all this year and they put on a master class tonight.

This weekend at the Mid-Ohio Grand Am race, driver Joey Hand was bumped off the asphalt and onto the grass. His car hit a newly (and foolishly) installed raised access road and was launched into the air. It nose-dived into the grass and flipped eight times, coming apart in the process. Hand was able to crawl out of the wreck on his own and suffered no serious injuries.

Hand has been in wrecks before and probably will be again. He plans to continue racing and was back at the track the next day. Some may say he’s a tad insane for his willingness to risk life and limb again, but today Joey Hand is feeling especially alive; more so than many of us have ever felt. It’s that feeling of living on the edge, I think, which drives people to risk everything for the sport they love.

This wreck also shows how a well-built car and proper safety gear can mean the difference between survival and certain death. It’s a pity so many folks refuse to learn that lesson.

Here’s the full video of the crash.