Random Thoughts

Introducing Cole from Baton Rouge. Yup, this is Hazel Mae's replacement for NESN. Interesting to say the very least. Oh and have I mentioned we've had a slowdown in smokeshow nominations. So unless you like looking at bald guys send us your nominations to randomthoughts@barstoolsports.com

PS - The Molly cheerleader thing is over. Basically the website running the competition made it impossible to vote anymore so it's not even worth it. Apparently only the Kentucky chick was allowed to vote an unlimited amount of times for herself. Once we alerted people to the trick they shut it down. Typical anti Boston bias. I hope their happy with their winner.

DENVER - Police say what started as a domestic violence call early Wednesday morning turned into a SWAT situation after a man was sprayed by a skunk. Denver Police say they received a report of domestic violence at around 3 a.m. They responded to East 38th Avenue near Newport Street where a man was holding his girlfriend hostage with a machete.  The suspect had been arguing with his girlfriend and then went into the backyard where he ran into a skunk. Police say the skunk sprayed the man, which upset him even more, and he grabbed a machete and dragged his girlfriend into the backyard.  That's when police say they arrived on the scene.

Ah it's a story as old as time itself. Man gets skunked and immediately takes hostages as retaliation. Seriously though talk about a tough break.  It sounds like this guy was trying to do the right thing here.  He got in a fight with his girlfriend and walked outside to cool off and take a deep breath.   And then BAM a skunk comes out of nowhere and sprays his ass.    The damn thing might as well just have put the machete in his hand.   Gandhi himself wouldn’t have been able to control his rage in this situation.   I mean getting skunked will make you do crazy, crazy things and that’s when you’re in a good mood.  Never mind getting blasted right after getting in an argument with your significant other.    If anything this guy should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for not killing her.

- thanks to Austin for the story

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards said he holds no animosity toward Marshall after running into a service cart in the back of the end zone and breaking his leg in a game against the Thundering Herd. A Cabell Huntington Hospital spokesman said Edwards was in good condition Wednesday following surgery. Edwards told The Associated Press from his hospital room in Huntington that he didn't see several carts that were parked against a grass embankment. "I just saw the ball in the air and once it came down, I hit the cart and flipped over it," Edwards said. He doesn't blame Marshall but said the Conference USA officiating crew should have ensured that the carts were moved away. "They are supposed to check and see if everything is off the field," Edwards said. A Conference USA spokesman and Marshall athletic director Bob Marcum didn't immediately return telephone messages Wednesday.

This vaguely reminds me of the time I ran into a grill in my backyard playing football and broke my ribs.   And if my memory serves me right I think I sued my dad when that happened and he settled out of court.   So if I was this guy I’d be suing everybody.  Referees, the Marshall AD, The coaches, fans, announcers etc.   Honestly how do you have a service cart sitting in the back of the end zone?    It’s inexcusable.

(Front Page photo of ESPN NBA Preview)

Reader Email

The current front page of ESPN (Tuesday afternoon) features a preview of the upcoming NBA season, with Kobe, Bron Bron, and Lebrons grandfather..Oh wait that’s Greg Oden. Anyway I'm sure you've seen it, but ESPN has picked its champion, of course, the Lakers. I'd love it if you commented on how much of a joke espn is, and how the Lakers are the brettfarve of the NBA. 5 of the 18 "Reporters" and "analysts" pick the Celtics. Only 5!! (I'm surprised the "sports guy" formerly known as "the Boston sports guy" wasn't on there hyping up the Lakers) This is exactly what happened at the start of the NBA finals last year, and yet its happening all over again as if they are completely blind to what happened last June.

 A couple ridiculous quotes...

  "Chris Palmer, ESPN The Mag: There is still no single player in the league who has a greater drive or desire to win than Kobe Bryant. No way will he get denied two years in a row."

 -How on earth can you possibly say that Kobe has a greater drive than KG?  It's embarrassing, talent? Sure he's got plenty, but they make themselves look so ridiculous with Laker propaganda.

 Boston's own... "Jackie MacMullan, ESPN.com: GM Mitch Kupchak will make another midseason deal to put them over the top."

 - That’s a great piece of reporting by McMullan. Predict the Lakers to win the NBA championship based on the possibility the GM makes a trade deadline move. Awesome.

And the last thing id love to rant about is Andrew Bynum.  Sure, he is a talented center who will give them a dozen points and 10 rebounds a game, but he is 20 years old, unproven in the playoffs, coming of an intense knee surgery. The Lakers are not even willing to sign him in a contract extension.

 http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers17-2008oct17,0,3176928.story

 Both Jackson and Kupchak are not 100% sold on Bynum, so why are these espn analysts? I guess I'm just too excited for the game tonight, can’t wait to see that banner up there. Enjoy the night.

 Matt Rhone

Great email! Preach on brother! Here is the thing. ESPN is filled with idiots who hate everything about Boston. So it doesn't matter whether it's the Pats, Celts, Sox or the Stool, we're never going to get the respect we deserve. Luckily for me I don't let it bother me anymore. It just makes it that much sweeter when we kick everybody's teeth in at the end and the rest of the country has to eat crow. Just remember they hate us because they want to be us....

Click Here For the Answer

"Mix in some free parking and stuffed animals and this could be the new Green Spot"

- Thanks to Marc for the pic

I keep waiting for great pictures of the Pats cheerleaders in their Halloween costumes to surface, but so far this is all I've got. Where is Don Chavez when you need him? I want to do my annual ranking of their costumes, but I need more to go on. The only thing I will say is that if some chick comes to our Wicked Halloween Party on Friday dressed like cat woman did in the first photo there is a 75% chance I end up in jail at the end of the night. Those pants are so hot my dick can't breathe.

- Thanks to Foxboro at Heart for the photos

LOWELL -- A 62-year-old Lawrence barber, who was described by his attorney as a "person of peace," pleaded guilty yesterday to involuntary manslaughter for the 2004 slaying of a Lowell man, as well as the wounding of two others, during a drunken shooting rampage after a Red Sox-Yankees playoff game.  In explaining the reduction from murder to manslaughter, prosecutor Elizabeth Dunigan acknowledged that one of the key witnesses is dead and several others can't be found. Dunigan said Rodriguez and several friends had begun a night of heavy drinking by piling into a minivan and attending a cockfight in Boston before catching the final innings of Game 5 of the Red Sox-Yankees American League Championship series at a Lynn bar. When the group was driving along Interstate 93 in Wilmington, the group began talking about the outcome of the game and teasing Rodriguez, a Yankees fan, about his team, Dunigan said. Rodriguez suddenly stood up, pulled a gun from his waistband and fired a shot into the floor. The others in the van told him to sit down, but no one took the gun from him. Instead, seconds later, Rodriguez stood up and began firing again.  When the minivan finally stopped, Jose Rivera, aka Danilo Sosa, 33, of Lowell, had been shot in the chest. He died a short time later.  In sentencing Rodriguez, Judge Kenneth Fishman noted that while the incident was a tragedy, Rodriguez has no criminal record and that, other than Rodriguez's aberrant behavior on that day, by all accounts he has led a "peaceful and hardworking life.''

I really don’t like talking about stories in which people ended up getting killed because there is no humor in that.   But at the same time I’m dying to know where there are cock fights in Boston?   This must be where Megan McCain is hanging out right?    Regardless let this be a lesson to all the Stoolies out there.  Next time you’re piling into your buddy’s minivan to go to the cockfights and then onto the Porthole afterwards maybe you should think twice about it because nothing good can come of the night.

PS – If I ever kill a guy I want this judge to hear my case.   I’ve never heard of a sentence being reduced before because the defendant killed the witness.  Also he seems to have a pretty liberal definition of a peaceful.  I mean the defendant did pack heat to a cock fight and starting shooting wildly in a mini van.   Other than that he’s like Gandhi.

Double PS - Back in the Spring Break of 98 a bunch of my buddies and I went to Puerto Rico.  And being the degenerate gambler I am one of my first stops was to the local cockfighting ring.   It’s a decision I’ve regretted for the rest of my life.  Not only couldn’t I figure out how to place a bet, but cockfighting is some fucked up shit.  It’s the only place I’ve ever been in my life where you could literally smell death.   Here’s the thing they don’t tell you about cockfighting on the brochures.   9 out of 10 times one of the roosters doesn’t want to be in the ring.  It doesn’t matter how many times they hit him in the face with the fake rooster before the fight (which they really do to work them into a rage) the guy just doesn’t want to be there.   So what happens is you end up watching the most lopsided fight in the history of mankind.  It’s worse than round II of Drago vs. Apollo Creed.   But unlike the movies the corner doesn’t even think of throwing in the towel.   One rooster just gets his ass kicked until he dies.   Gruesome doesn’t even begin to describe it.  In fact, I still have a couple blood stains on the tshirt I wore to the fights.  To be honest, I think I would have been okay with it if the ref would have just stopped the fights when it was obvious that one rooster was out on his feet, but they never do.   There is no such thing as a TKO in the world of cockfighting.

Got to fucking love Youk rocking the polo with the loose fitting long sleeve underneath it at the Celts game last night. I haven't seen that since my buddy Nolan wore that to our 8th grade middle school dance. Kudos. A nice improvement from the last shirt he wore when he was trying just a little bit too hard.

Who the fuck does this guy think he is...the Hammer? And yes I will use any excuse to post The Hammer video. It's still one of my favorites. "I told ya I hated The Hammer"

First of all sorry it took so long for us to address this latest Patriot transgression. Pres had is his paper route yesterday and I have a job. But it's safe to say this was the #1 story emailed to us this week.

Anyway, about eight or so years ago, back when Boston was "Loserville," all I ever wanted was to see a local team win another championship before I died. Obviously I've gotten my wish a half dozen times over and undoubtedly more are on the way. So now I've got another wish. One that I'm afraid I probably won't ever see come true. Once... just once... just one goddamned time before I shuffle off this mortal coil and go to my great reward, I'd like to see the Patriots beat someone and have the losing coach, players, front office and fans say "We got beat by a better team. The Patriots are real good football team. They're well coached. We gave them everything we had, but they stepped up and made the plays when it counted and our hats are off to them. Congratulations."

It's not unheard of. It goes on all the time in sports. Without looking up the exact quote, that's more or less what Terry Francona said about the Rays after Game 7. Why is no one in the NFL capable of the same? The Rams got beat by a team minus the best QB ever, their starting RB, their No 2 and No. 3 RBs, their Hall of Fame Safety and with the rest of their secondary dropping like the troops at Antietam. But don't give the Pats credit. Nooooo... They only won because the fix was in. It had nothing to do with the fact that when you're playing proper technique there's no need to commit penalties. It's because Bill Belichick gives Roger Goodell a case of the warm fuzzies that the commissioner had the refs put the whistle away. Like Quintas tells Maximus before the opening battle in Gladiator, "A people should know when they are conquered."

More Carin here...

Who do you want to Wake Up with? Ub@barstoolsports.com