Pedroia Propels Red Sox

In this a US Presidential election year, the phrase “As Ohio goes, So goes the Nation” will be trotted out in every newspaper column and shouted out by every talking head on television. The theory behind that particular mantra is that you cannot become President of the Untied States without having Ohio on your side of the ledger come election nights end. Indeed, no Republican candidate has ever won the race to the White House without taking victory in Ohio. That makes Ohio important, it separates whether a candidate wins or losses. The same can be said for the Red Sox and Dustin Pedroia

In the off season as new Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine, was doing some research on his players, David Ortiz filled the new boss in on what to expect from second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Get ready to see the best baseball player you’ve ever seen,” Ortiz said.

Valentine, would have to agree with his designated hitter assessment, after witnessing Pedroia will his team to their first victory last night in Toronto.

Trailing 2-0 heading into the sixth inning and looking listless at the plate, the Red Sox needed a spark, some energy. Up stepped Dustin Pedroia, the equivalent of the Duracell bunny after it downed a six pack of Red Bull. Petey as he is affectionately known by fans and team mates alike sent a neck high fast ball in the right field stands to cut the deficit to one.

Pedroia, was not done however, as in the 9^th he started the game winning three run rally with a leadoff double off Toronto closer Sergio Santos.

The Red Sox as the currently are constructed are a professional team. A bunch of corporate middle mangers who are good at their job, yet lack that X factor that would see them rise up the ranks. Pedroia is that X factor for this team. If his team mates are suit and tie kind of guys then Petey is ripped jeans and t shirt.

At times this Red Sox team displays the energy of a retirement home at nap time, Pedroia is the exception. A throw back player to the “Idoits” of 2004 that won the world series, Pedroia plays the game hard and with fun. While Kevin Youklis stomps around the dugout throwing Helmets and bats after every failed at bat, Pedoria is working on unique handshakes which each individual teammate.

While other players avert their gaze hastily to their Ipads, or field fake phone calls on their phones when they see a member of the media make their way to towards them, Pedroia is more than happy to become the voice of the team.

In an amusing moment during last nights game, Red Sox play by play announcer, Don Orsillo , revealed that Pedroia had come up to him during spring training and requested that whenever Petey hit a home run that Orsillo yell out La Luna meaning the moon.

People might construe the fact that Pedroia would request such a statement to be arrogance or cockiness, It is not, just another example of Pedroia trying to provide a a moment of levity for a fan base and teammates stressed about the Red Sox losing start to the season.

No only did Pedoria talk the talk last night but he also walked the walk. If The Red Sox are to reach the postseason this year Pedroia’s will to win and talent will go along way to determining their fate. As they say “As Pedroia goes, So does the Red Sox.

Four Tim Tebow Song Parody ideas

Ever since John Parr released an updated version of his classic song St.Elmo Fire as an ode to Tim Tebow
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAIQWzW1MIc[/youtube]
it has got me thinking about what other songs would be suitable to pay homage the Broncos QB. With Tebowmania running wild even in the aftermath of saturdays crushing loss, it seems the market is ripe for a flood of Tebow related songs to hit the airwaves and cash in. Below are a few songs I think would fit the bill:
What if Tebow was one of us by Alanis Morissette
Morissette's hit song deals with the theme of believing in God, a subject which fits in perfectly with the furore that surrounds Tebow and his overt religious beliefs. Indeed a recent poll in USA Today showed that 42% of people polled thought Tebow was getting a helping hand from God himself. Along with that connection the chorus of the song is incredibly catchy and the idea of a packed Mile High Stadium singing the following makes this song a strong choice to be Tebowed.

Yeah, Yeah, Tebow is great, Yeah, Yeah, Tebow is good, Yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Tebow Time by Chico
Remember Chico? Don't worry nobody else does either, but the one time X Factor reject did manage to squeeze out a number one hit with this self penned ditty. Silly and infectious(not necessarily in a good way) the song would prove the perfect retort to those critics who got upset about Tebow's lack of ability to throw the ball with accuracy, all the while Timmy was winning games.

You can get delirious if you take life too serious, it's Tebow Time!

Living on a Tebow by Jon Bon Jovi
Let's face it Tebow is not the most, shall we say, conventional quarterback around. However, it is because of that trait that people love him. Sure it would be nice for a Bronco fan if they had a trigger man who could carve open opposing defences with surgical precision but that kind of thing is boring, with Tebow you never know every time he drops back to pass whether it will be an 80 yard touchdown bomb or a ball that hits a wide open reciever in the shin. Either way there is nothing else in sport quite like the sight of Tebow with the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter driving for the win regardless of the outcome.

Tebow says: We've got to hold on to what we've got, 'cause it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not, we've got each other and that's a lot for Denver - Tebow Will give it a shot.

I believe I can Tebow by R Kelly
No one can dispute the fact that Tim Tebow and R Kelly are not exactly likely to travel in the same circles but there is no denying that part of Tim's mystic is his Touchdown celebration. Affectionately known as "Tebowing" the move requires a person to get on bended knee and raise their hand to the forehead in a moment of quiet reflection. NFL opponents have used this to mock the great Tebow but it is only a matter of time before it spreads to other sports. One day soon hopefully we will see the likes of Rory McIlroy break out the Tebow after sinking a winning putt or the boys in green in Poland this summer after scoring the winning goal

I believe I can Tebow, I believe I can touch the sky, I think about it every night and day, bend my knee and pray away, I believe I can soar, I see me running through that open goal, I believe I can Tebow.

Santorum-Mania Runs Wild

When Rick Santorum fell just eight votes shy of winning the Iowa Caucus earlier this week it sent a shockwave through the American media and political system. The previously little know candidate whose presence in the race was overshadowed by former speaker of the house, Newt Gingrich, Tea Party darling and Sarah Palin light, Michelle Bachman and Texan Governor  Rick Perry suddenly has found himself to be the new flavour of the month for the media.

Santorum-mania is running wild and one can only imagine the circus that would have evolved around Santorum if reports in the New York Times prove to be true that he was the victim of a new age hanging Chad, a typo in a spreadsheet denied him victory in Iowa.

The Times are reporting that Mitt Romney was the recipient of twenty two in the heavily conservative precinct of Washington Wells according to the Iowa GOP official spreadsheet. However, Edward True a voter present at the caucus who assisted in the count claims that Romney only received two votes.  Indeed Mr. True’s claims can be backed up by polling numbers from the like minded precincts around Washington Wells, where Romney received as little support as only two votes in one precinct and in another no votes at all.

The twenty votes allowed Romney to emerge victorious by the slimmest of margins and yet if you deduct those votes from the former Governor of Massachusetts it is Santorum who would have emerged victorious by twelve votes.

When questioned about the report on various US Cable news shows on Thursday Mr. Santorum seemed to laugh off the matter in an “aww shucks” kind of way reminiscent of The Simpson’s episode in which a judge, regardless of how heinous Bart’s crimes were, would just dismiss them with the words ”boys will be boys”

Santorum’s indifference towards the dubious result may be explained by the fact that in the 1980’s Santorum himself was used to work on behalf of a company whose very foundations were established on rigged results.

According to the Wrestling Observer Website Mr. Santorum worked for the law firm of Kirkpatrick and Lockhart as a lobbyist for World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980’s in the Pennsylvania area. At the time the backstage antics of the wrestler’s would make even Keith Richards blush never mind the social conservatives who make up Santorum’s voter base. Indeed WWE was more Caligula than Family Ties and one has to wonder how supporters would feel to know that Mr. Santorum was once lobbying on behalf of men who popped hard drugs as if they were Tic Tics and traded women amongst themselves in the same manner old college buddies, who haven’t seen each other in a while, swap stories.

Romney squeaks a win while Santorum gets a huge moral victory

The race for the US presidency started last night with Iowa the first battleground in the fistfight to the White house. Mitt Romney overcame rival, Rick Santorum by eight votes in the closet caucus battle the state has seen since George Bush Sr defeated Ronald Regan in 1988 by 2 points. The result is a blow to Romney as he had hoped to gather early momentum to steam roll his way to the nomination in rapid fire time. Questions still surround Romney's conservatism with fellow nomination hunter, Newt Gingrich calling Mitt a liar earlier this week. “He’s not telling the American people the truth,’’ Gingrich said. “It’s just like his pretence that he’s a conservative.’’



Santorum who had gathered support in the days leading up to the Caucus is the main beneficiary from those who doubt Romney's conservative credentials. The New York Times reported that Santorum got the nod from voters who ranked being a "True Conservative" as their number one character trait in a candidate. Santorum a vocal pro-Life support and openly devout evangelical Christian is much more palatable to conservative republicans than the Mormon and pro abortion rights Romney.



However, what Romney perceivably lacks in conservative values, he more than makes up for in organisation and money. The former governor of Massachusetts, has a huge war chest to go to battle with and while he had hoped to separate himself from the pack quickly sources in the Romney camp have reiterated the fact the he is prepared to go state to state to gather up every single vote.



With a strong lead in the next primary in New Hampshire, and the fact that Romney was the recipient of the highest percentage of votes from those who viewed a candidate to beat Obama as most important he is still the favourite to be the man chosen to face off against Obama come election night. The Iowa primary could yet prove to be a tiny blip on the radar but with Santorum emergence as a strong contender Romney could be dragged into having to address his social conservatism ideals in a bid to win over conservatives in his party's electoral base.



That is a conversation Romney wants to avoid at all costs. His appeal is that of a somewhat liberal Republican. A candidate who could appeal to independent voters and thus pose a real threat to president Obama. Yet, by not addressing those issues Romney runs the risk of sitting on the sidelines come election time a potential case of damned if you do damned if you don't.

Andrew Trimble's Ronny Rosenthal Moment

Sean Avery meet Paul Galvin

Meet Sean Avery Ice hockey player and sporting soul mate of Paul Galvin. You see although the connection between the Kerry man and the New York Ranger’s left wing may not appear obvious at first when you look more closely the two men you will find that they are in fact are mirror images of each other.

Both are highly skilled at their respective sports, both are magnets for controversy and are unafraid to engage in the more physical side of their sport be it legal or illegal. However while they may not share the same allegedly surly disposition towards mimics who parody them or accusing fellow members of the Ice Hockey brotherhood who are dating an ex girlfriend of enjoying their “Sloppy Seconds”.

  What really seals this connection is both men’s love of fashion. While Galvin toils away through mountains of thread and sea of sowing machines, Avery is already strutting his stuff on the catwalks of New York.

One can only hope that faith or perhaps the next time the GAA Football All Stars play in New York that Galvin and Avery can get together and exchange ideas on the growing Fashion trends and the best ways to annoy opponents.

Monday Night Football LIVE!!!

Due to a combination of insomnia and boredom I have decided to break out the first of what is hopefully a series of live blogs covering the last six weeks of the NFL season. Due to my unemployed status although I do prefer the term work challenged, I do not have to deal with trivial matters such as getting up before lunch time making this goal achievable. We kick things off with a match between the 6-4 New York Football Giants against the 7-3 New Orleans Saints or as ESPN will make it Eli Manning against the team his dad used to quarterback for. If you are looking for a quick way to get drunken just down a beer every time the show/mention Archie Manning, I promise you will have nice buzz going before the coin hits the ground during the Coin Flip.


I hate Chris Berman there I said it no doubt it will hurt my chances to one day work at ESPN but Berman only found out recently what the internet was wait till he discovers these new fangled devices called mobile phones a phone that allows you to make calls without a phone line genius.

Archie Manning is in the intro see I was right the first of a million Archie shots and if you are playing along at home the first of your many shots.

Do you think John Gruden practices his snarl? I have this imagine of Gruden grun in a mirror so he can get the muscles in his face lose for his snarl.

We just got a look inside the Saints Hotel from last night going over the game plan a fascinating look at the symmetry between Brees and Payton. I mean I think they were going over the plays that or ordering lunch in double Dutch.

From what I can gather the Giants better look out for the sticky dragon. Not Barney or Puff but Sticky.

The first series of the game sees the Saints go marching down the field ends up with a failed fake field goal attempt on the Giants ten yard line gutsy call from Payton but as Gruden noted The New Orleans coach is “up and atom” the Giants from the off.

Giants take over and Archie, sorry Eli Manning looks sharp. Hard to tell which Manning is playing judging by the Trico and co’s call.

INTERCEPTION!!! Eli just under cooked his throw to Tight End, Jake Ballard and the ball was picked off by the Saints in the end zone. Nearly a touchdown for the Giants but then again if my Auntie had balls she would be my Uncle C’est la vie.

End of 1st Quarter Giants 0-0 Saints Sporles’s electrifying running has Saints knocking on the door. Sporles is everything the Saints thought they were going to get when they drafted Reggie Bush. An elusive runner and dual threat in running and pass game.

TOUCHDOWN! Lance Moore, with the catch to give the Saints a lead. New Orleans Attacking weapons are like a human bat belt an answer for every question posed by opposing enemies.

Just Realised next Monday Night’s game is Jags v Chargers; this may be the first and last live Blog.

FIELD GOAL! Giants put together another nice drive but like a groom who gets too drunken and passes out on his wedding night, fail to seal the deal and have to settle for a field goal. 7-3 Saints

Dubious roughing the passer call on the Saints, it seems touching the quarterback at times is deemed illegal by umpires.

Eli starting to look frustrated, first hint of the Eli face after back to back three and outs.

ESPN are now playing the type of music usually saved for Award Show Tributes to those who have recently passed away, over pictures of Sean Payton tearing his ACL and MCL. RIP Sean Payton’s ACL and MCL.

TOUCHDOWN! Jimmy Graham obviously inspired by ESPN’s touching tribute to his Coaches long gone knee ligaments scores a touchdown to extend the Saints lead. Caught a slant pass from Brees. At 6’6 Jimmy Graham is a tough match up for defensive backs, part of a new class of tight end along with Gronk in New England who could redefine the position.

TOUCHDOWN! Saints, Lance Moore scores again as Brees puts on a master class with his accurate passes slicing and dicing the Giants defence with surgical precision, Saints on a roll Giants need the next score and quick to stay in this thing as the Saints look like they can score at will.

Lawrence Tynes misses a 61 yard field goal shot to nothing to bring the first half to a close. Giants defence needs to step up and get pressure on Brees. The saint’s quarterback has all kinds of time in the pocket and is punishing the Giants.

Second Half Kicks off and away we go with the Giants getting the ball first in a crucial set of downs. Isa Abdul Osaba just laid out Hakeem Hicks earning himself the adulation of the crowd, a penalty for his team and a hefty fine from the Commish in the process.

Mike Trico just pointed out the Giants like to call the Red Zone the Green Zone. Not because they are environmentally friendly no my friends the reason been green means go you see. Tom Coughlin a rebel.

TOUCHDOWN! Giants Brandon Jacobs rumbles in from two yards out to make 21-10 Saints.

BREAKING NEWS Gruden announces to the world that Sean Payton likes to stimulate Drew Brees, I knew they had a close relationship but I didn’t fully realise how close till now...



TOUCHDOWN Drew Brees unreal shows great mobility to run in for a touchdown .Used his Legs to keep the drive alive also earlier in the series. The more I see this Saints offense the more I think they could give the Packers some real problems if they were to meet in the playoffs. Would have no problems exchanging scores with the defending super bowl champs and Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams a mad Scientist of defensive schemes could stifle Aaron Rodgers just long enough for the Saints to sneak the win.

FUMBLE! Saints recover a fumble from the Giants and have a chance to stick a dagger in the men from New York on this Drive.

TOUCHDOWN! Dagger delivered! Brees finds Jimmy Graham deep down the field. Graham then shows balance like a tight rope walker as he tip toes his way in from 5 yards out. 35- 10 Saints big Statement game here from Saints. Giants need a strong finish or I fear a late season swoon could be on the cards.

Giant mess two near fumbles. Saints dialling it up!

I have no idea what Steve Weatherford was thinking there I don’t think he knows what he was thinking The punter decides to run on his own, would not be surprised if he is cut by Coughlin tomorrow.

TOUCHDOWN! Giants just as I was about to go to bed Eli finds Victor Cruz with a bomb to make it 35-17 Saints. Blown Coverage by the Saints, getting blitz happy and leaving huge hole in the backend for an easy catch and run.

Payback Jimmy Graham just took a vicious hit from Kenny Philips. Bent Backwards on the ground a head to head hit by Philips possible revenge for the Saints hit on Hakeem Hicks.

TOUCHDOWN! Thomas easy run in Giants look like they have quiet in this game and Saint all too easy touchdown and a 42-17 lead.

Don’t like what I am seeing from the Giants tonight the score and their inability to rush the passer or catch the ball are one thing but they look like they have giving up this could turn bowling shoe ugly in a hurry.

The Giants have quit and so will I with ten mins left in the fourth quarter the game is a done deal I terms of been competitive, only question now is how larger the winning margin will be for the Saints

One last shot of Archie before I go to bed. Drink Up