Playoff Extravaganza of Epic Proportions or Other Cliche and Oversized Title

By Jim Chandley

Roughly translated, that headline means it’s time for me to pick the NFL playoffs from start to finish.  Here goes nothing…

The Jets and Bengals kick things off today at the penitentiary.  Sadly, I think the Jets can and will win this game.  I hope I’m wrong.  I want to be wrong.  But I won’t be wrong. Jets 21-Bengals 14

This leads us to Eagles/Cowboys III.  After winning in their own building on Sunday, the ‘Boys get to host Philly again and this time it’s win or go home.  I say the Igles haven’t emptied the war chest.  They pull 0ut some things that they conditioned the Cowboys to react to in a certain way last weekend and move on.

On Sunday, the Patriots host the Ravens for the second time this season.  Although the Pats will have a tougher time than before (no Wes Welker) so will the Ravens (Gillette Stadium in January).  I say the Pats win in a messy, ugly game. Patriots 17-Ravens 12

The last game of wildcard weekend gives the are-you-kidding-me-NFL Arizona Cardinals a chance to HOST the Green Bay Packers.  Green Bay is just better.  End of story.  Packers 34-Cardinals 14

So the bracket is set with eight teams remaining.  The Pats/Chargers and Jets/Colts play to reach the AFC Championship game.  Same on the other side with the Eagles/Saints and Packers/Vikings.  This really is a pretty great slate of games.  You know me, I have no reason to pump up the NFL, but these games would be great.

I’m guessing the Jets and Colts go first.  The Jets will have won 4 in a row (beginning with beating Indy before anyone else) while Indy will be playing their first meaningful game in a month.  This is exactly when you want the Colts.  And they can’t play the Patriots in this game, the only team that might light that extra fire under them.  They are perfectly set up (is there any such thing as a “trap game” in the playoffs?).  Seyton Manning gag job. Jets 21-Colts 18

Next should be Eagles and Saints in the Big Easy.  The Saints are done.  If you’ve been watching, they are about as lively as the Republican Party is right now.  Eagles 24-Saints 7

Pats at Chargers will be interesting.  I want to say the Pats win, because I love them and Norvell Turner is a waste of space and time.  But I can’t.  The Chargers are much more talented than the Patriots, they’re playing better than the Patriots are, they ARE better.  Chargers 17-Patriots 14

Packers at Vikings.  Does it get any bigger than this?  I guess if it were at Lambeau, that would be bigger.  I think Green Bay is playing much better right now.  Despite my hatred for him, I have to admit that Brett Favre changes almost every game he plays in.  He wins a lot of games for his team, and he loses about as many for his team.  But either way, which Brett Favre shows up determines a lot.  I believe that on an average day, the Packers are better than the Vikings.  I’m picking the Pack and figuring that beast/warrior/freak-of-nature/Highlander/Tasmanian devil Brett Favre doesn’t show up.  Packers 24-Vikings 10

Championship Games!

The NFC will play at Green Bay, the 5 seed.  So they have a big edge.  I think Philly has the better QB, perhaps the better offense overall.  Green Bay’s defense is better, although not as much better as many think.  I will say Eagles win.  Eagles 24-Packers 17

And the Jets travel to San Diego to get killed.  There is no reason for the Jets to get to this game.  But I put them there (deal with it).  Now, it’s time for them to die.  San Diego 43-Jets 7

Superbowl:

READ MY LIPS: NORV TURNER LOSES THIS GAME FOR THE CHARGERS.

The Eagles will win 24-21.  They have a team with less talent, including a slight edge to the bolts at QB.  They will be playing in warm weather.  They will have a well rested and healthy team.  There will be every reason for them to win the big one.  And Norvell will mismanage something critical, sending Philly fan to get drunk with those guys from Always Sunny.

The Wrong Side of History Indeed

By Jim Chandley

Nicholas Kristof writes in today’s New York Times about the arguments being raised against healthcare reform today and how little they differ from the attacks on Social Security and Medicare before each became laws in 1935 and 1965.

It’s about time someone drew this comparison in such a well thought out manner.

I have been raising the topic in conversation for some time.  Long before he became President, Ronald Reagan made a record financed by the AMA about the evils of socialized medicine.  Famously used in Michael Moore’s Sicko, this record was the first of many forays into voyeurism for the young politician.  It was at best a compilation of all the worst fears that people could possibly have about socialized medicine (which was not even a topic on the table).

Today, the right is playing the same game and the public has had the same reaction.  The status quo is treated not as one of many possibilities, but as the only acceptable way to proceed.  I applaud Mr. Kristof’s piece, where is the rest of the middle-ground media on this one?

WTF US SENATE?!

Why is this Baucus bill even being voted on?  I don’t know who elected these people, but I’ve had it…

Real analysis to come on the healthcare bill if/when it moves on.

Will 38 Potato Pancakes be the next Junior Senator from Massachusetts?

By Jim Chandley

According to 38pitches.com, former Red Sox great Curt Schilling has ’some interest’ in running for the late Edward M. Kennedy’s senate seat.  Whether or not Schilling will throw his hat in the ring remains to be seen.  But one thing is certain, this is a scary prospect for liberals in the state of Massachusetts.

Year in and year out, the Democratic party in the state can count on one thing; the only fighting for offices will be within the party.  They have plenty of problems; they are largely incompetent, they lack serious leadership for the future, and they are largely unpopular west of route 495.

But a serious challenge for the United States Senate is a relative unknown to this party.  When Paul Tsongas was elected in 1979, the Party began a run of holding the state’s two senate seats that is still ongoing.  Today, I believe that reign is in jeopardy.

Curt Schilling is personable.  He is a good speaker and an intelligent individual.  But that isn’t what scares me.  What scares me is that he can work neighborhoods in Boston and get votes purely on what he did as a baseball player.  He will win the majority of the western 2/3 of the state without much difficulty, as he is famous and a conservative.

We could legitimately be looking at the Democrats losing a senate seat simply because the Red Sox won the 2004 world series.

Are you nervous?  I am.

The War? 10 Reasons Why WEEI Will Remain on Top Despite the Emergence of 98.5 the Sports Hub

By Jim Chandley

A few weeks ago, I heard the only mention of this new station on the airwaves of AM 850 WEEI.  They called it ‘the war’ because then WBCN morning hosts Toucher and Rich were taking shots at the hosts of the Big Show in WEEI’s 2-6PM slot.  They said it only a few times, each time it was met with genuine laughter from everyone on the air.

Many sports junkies in the area are watching with interest, wondering which station (if either) will dominate the other.  Some have a favorite, some don’t.  Personally, I could not care less.  Both stations have their strong points, both have irritating shortcomings.

But the fact is, WEEI is going to win this ‘war.’  It is so one-sided that I don’t expect it to take a full year.  Here are 10 reasons why.

10. The Whiner Line

It’s a small part of a day’s programming.  It is not very substantive, nor is it labor intensive for the station.  But let’s face it; the Whiner Line is the best 15 minutes of sports radio in the market every Monday through Friday.

WBZ doesn’t have it, WEEI does.  Quite simply, people will not give up the Whiner Line, even if they switch to WBZ for the other 11:45 a day.

9. Entrenched Relationships with Important People

WEEI has friends in high places.  Terry Francona does a weekly segment with Dale and Holley while his team is playing.  Bill Belichick does the same with the Big Show.  Various players, past and present, count themselves ‘friends of the station’ and will simply not interview with anyone from WBZ.

Some large members of the media such as Ken Rosenthal have connections to the station and will feel the same loyalty.  WEEI will continue to bring in the A-list guests while WBZ rounds up whatever is left.

8. Team Broadcast Contracts

The Red Sox and Celtics call WEEI home.  WBZ gets the Patriots and Bruins.  In any other sports town, you probably give the nod to WBZ because they have an NFL radio contract.  Even more importantly, they have the contract for a successful NFL team.

In any other town, you’d be right.

But this is Boston.  It has been a baseball-first town since 1967.  The Red Sox built WEEI.  Of course they didn’t literally build it, but they were the reason for it.  There is no one team in this country that has as many avid followers in one radio market as the Boston Red Sox.  Yes there are more Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakers fans than there are Boston Red Sox fans.  But the Sox fans can all be reached by one, two or maybe three radio frequencies.

If the Red Sox are the rock upon which WEEI built its church, they will stand as long as they have the Red Sox contract.

7. WEEI.com

So I did my homework on this piece.  Or at least, I tried to.  I still don’t know what WBZ 98.5’s homepage is.  There is a shoddy looking website where you can listen online.  There are a handful of online station reviews.  But there is nothing that even approaches what WEEI.com was two years ago.  That was before Rob Bradford was put in charge and asked to revamp the entire thing.

Now, WEEI.com is a juggernaut.

It will take WBZ years to build a comparable website that generates similar content.  Those are years that WBZ does not have.  This website needed to be built before the station.

6. Simple Lack of Competition

For what it’s worth, this is what Yankee fans used to say about the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry.  “It’s not a rivalry man, we don’t care about you.  We don’t hate you we feel sorry for you…”  WEEI makes less mention than this of its new competition.

I literally only heard three minutes of talk about WBZ on WEEI, as I mentioned previously in this column.  While WEEI goes about its business, WBZ has a quiet obsession with its immediate competition.  It’s only a war if both sides recognize it.

5. Established Incumbency Status

It holds true in politics, biology, sociology, the list goes on; if you get there first, you’re tough to knock off.

WEEI has built a following, woven itself into the culture and become a part of people’s routines.  WBZ isn’t just fighting another radio station.  It is fighting against the status quo, which is a very powerful force.

4. Exactly What ‘Choice’ are Listeners Being Offered?

WBZ continues to claim that ‘Boston Sports fans now have a choice.’  But do they?  There are at least three WEEI castaways on the WBZ staff.  The clocks and calendars are the same.  THE PHONE NUMBERS FOR GOD’S SAKE are almost identical (617-779-0850) vs. (617-779-0985).

Building a station to compete is one thing.  But building a carbon copy of the existing station and trying to compete with that station is not the best of strategies.

3. Worst vs. Worst

I was initially ecstatic when I heard there would be a new sports station in town because I would get to permanently dump Dennis and Callahan and never again listen to their politics (which are just to the right of Hamurabi) and their 24 talk (which is usually a spoiler for me because I catch up online often).

But a few days after I learned of the new station, I found out that the morning show would be Toucher and Rich of WBCN.  These are two shock jocks who feign some degree of sports knowledge.  For all of their unwillingness to talk about sports, at least Dennis and Callahan offer some legitimate points about sports when they get around to it.

Lining your worst up against their worst is not a good strategy for WBZ.  You should mix that up and try to win another matchup.  Like fans who want to shift the pitching rotation entering a given series to insure one win, you let Roy Halladay beat Brad Penny, then you throw Beckett against whoever they have next.

2. Best vs. Best

Same bad idea repeats itself immediately following the morning slot.  The ONLY show on the Boston airwaves that has any hint of intelligent discourse is the Dale and Holley program from 10-2 on WEEI.  They are  really very good together and offer some legitimate analysis.  They also have (in my opinion) the most important regular radio guest in the market in Terry Francona.

WBZ’s programming lineup is not all that bad.  They have Gary Tanguay and Scott Zolak on the list which is not a bad get.  The only problem is that they have matched them up with Dale and Holley in that midday time slot.  Again, insure yourself one win.  Put Tanguay and Zolak up against the Big Show or Dennis and Callahan and sweep the ratings by a 20% margin.

1. The Clocks Line-up

In ‘the business’ the clock is synonymous with the break schedule.  The clocks for the two stations are almost identical.  I only say this anecdotaly.  I have no access to their exact schedules and would not even know where to find them.  But when WEEI goes to break, I flip to 98.5 (or vice versa) and that station is going to break as well.

This can not help WBZ.

If listeners could listen to both, WBZ might cherry pick some people at different times during the day.  But if the listeners are faced with a choice, they are going to stick with the station they know, the hosts that have been on for almost ten years, and the callers they’ve been hearing for months.

So there you have it.  WEEI will win, and we will return to the single station sports market.

So What Brings the Fanatic Out of Hiding?

By Jim Chandley

I know you’ve all missed me as much as I’ve missed you.  (I know there is probably no one left checking to see if there is new content up anymore).  But, long story short, I wrote for the Cape Cod Baseball League’s PR office all summer and was working a real job while taking a class online and running back and forth between home and Bourne, MA.  So writing just wasn’t going to happen.

The obvious question is, what brings me out of my slumber to again offer obnoxious opinions on events of the time?

It’s not the return of Tom Brady.  It’s not the accusations that David Ortiz used steroids.  Nothing stupid that happened in Pawtucket, Boston or Rhode Island politics, although there’s plenty there.  It’s nothing that I usually get my kicks out of complaining about.  Actually, it’s the guy I campaigned for last year.

I made three trips to New Hampshire in 2008.  I watched with pride as the whole map seemed to go blue on election night.  I was happy because it was a moral victory, a triumph of ideaology that took place that night.  But as a few days went by, I realized that this wasn’t just a moral victory.  Democrats in Washington now had an open door; the skids were greased to put through anything and everything we wanted to.

Nothing, no bill or idea we had ever discussed,was more important than healthcare reform.  (If there was a more important action to take, it was repealing the Bush tax cuts.  So we’re 0-2).

Obviously, the lack of a healthcare bill at present is not all the president’s fault.  It’s not even mostly his fault.  The GOP ‘death eaters’ as they’ve come to be called by most of MSNBC, deserve a lot of credit.  They have almost pushed this thing to the midterms.  Brilliant politiking.  It’s impressive.

The Bluedog caucus deserves a fair amount of blame.  They needed to swallow their ‘mandate’ and realize that they wouldn’t have their current comfy chairs without the party funding that put them there.

But these people, for all their faults, have not dropped their principles.

The GOP wants people to pay through the nose for healthcare and then tell them they’re poor because they’re not working hard enough.  The Bluedogs want to ‘faithfully represent moderate groups of people throughout the United States.’  They are doing exactly what they set out to do.

This administration is the only one betraying its own principles.  I understand compromise.  You can’t get everything you want.  But the fact of the matter is, if you have the bully pulpit, you should be the one waiting for someone else to initiate compromise.

If your name is Barack Obama, it is the year 2009, and you don’t have laryngitis, then people listen to you!!!!

They’re telling lies about healthcare; LIE BACK.  They’re dancing around the issue; CALL THEM OUT.  Do not say that the public option is ‘a sliver’ of healthcare reform.  It isn’t.  You know that it isn’t.  Fight for the public option or don’t.  Make it happen or give in.  But in 2012, don’t look me in the eye and tell me that you stuck to your guns on healthcare if you drop this now.  Don’t you dare Mr. President.  Because you won’t just lose my vote, you will lose my respect.

Do You Know Who Your SGA Will Be?

Dan Darcy often emails the student body on Monday nights asking, “At 12:15 tomorrow (the SGA’s normal meeting time) do you know where your SGA will be?”  As the SGA has been encouraging contested elections this year, turnover looked like a definite possibility in last weeks contest.  Perhaps the question would need to be revised…

By Jim Chandley

Intro to SGA:

The SGA at Emmanuel College is responsible for the allocation of money to clubs on campus.  Each student pays a student activities fee (recently raised to $150 a year) which makes up the SGA budget.  With an approximate enrollment of 1,700 undergraduate students, that means a budget of about $255,000.  There are 45 clubs on campus, which means an average of over $5,000 per club.  When a pie that big is being divided up, it is a wonder that more students aren’t interested in helping divide the money up.

Candidates were asked to post their photo along with statement of candidacy in the Jean Yawkey Center prior to elections. Photo By Jim Chandley

Campus was littered with fliers, pictures, and statements from candidates.  SGA members were wishing each other luck, as were candidates who looked to gain office for the first time.  Six contested elections were about to begin, the most the SGA had seen in some years.

Each year, the SGA says that it wants contested elections and healthy debate before an election.  With students busy writing final papers, the debate portion of the program is usually left by the wayside, an unattainable goal.  Contested elections have also been elusive in the past.

If a position is not filled in April, a special election takes place in September to fill the post.  This is the most common venue for contested elections, since students are not as busy.  But the SGA’s initial push for competition in April is usually unrequited.  This year promised to be different.

The candidate photos and statements filled up two, eight square foot posters. Photo By Jim Chandley

With certain members of the SGA fairly entrenched in their positions, challengers picked their spots, running against lesser incumbents.  Nevertheless, the six contested elections that were about to take place were seen as a victory by the SGA.

“We’re thrilled to have so many contested elections,” said SGA President Amanda Donegan.  “We want as many people involved as possible.”

One hotly contested spot would be the Secretary post for the class of 2011.  Three candidates threw their hats in the ring; Thomas Cleary, Aaron Belli, and Alissa Burbine.  Whenever more than two candidates are involved in one race, a primary is held two days before the general election.  The two top vote getters remain on the ballot for the main contest.

“We’ve never seen anything quite like this,” said SGA adviser Dan Darcy after the primary resulted in a tie for second place.  “Given time constraints, we had no choice but to put all three candidates on the ballot for the final election.”

The SGA elections committee posted fliers reminding students to vote. Photo By Jim Chandley.

So an unprecedented situation led to three candidates appearing on the ballot for one position.  Surely the madness would end when Cleary, the winner of the primary, beat out the other two candidates in the final election.  Only the other two candidates were able to muster some last-minute support before the final election.

“What do you even say to that?” asked candidate Alissa Burbine, after the final election ended in an unprecidented three-way-tie.  “What do we do now?”

According to the SGA elections committee, there will be a special election at a later date to determine the winner.  Competition was the goal, and the goal seems to have been attained.  All of the races ended up being close, according to a member of the elections committee who declined to attach their name to statements about the proceedings.

Candidates posted their fliers all over campus to encourage peers to support them, like this flier from Deanna Broderick. Photo By Jim Chandley.

With competition achieved, did the competition’s cousin (turnover) make an appearance?

That is debatable.  Of the six contested elections, four incumbents were victorious, and one race had no incumbent.  Next year’s SGA will bear striking similarities to this year’s.  It would seem that turnover missed the elections.

Some students are unhappy about the lack of changes.  “I don’t even know our class Vice President, and she has held the position for two years now,” said one sophomore of Vice President Caroline Dias.  “I just think visibility is important for members of the student government, everyone in our class should know who she is.”  Dias beat out her opponent in the final election.

The SGA has never openly said that it wanted turnover in this year’s elections.  But a few members of the current SGA said on condition of anonymity that they would like to see new faces sooner rather than later.  That goal was largely missed this year.

...And this flier for the President/VP ticket of Amanda Donegan and Meghan Saunders. Photo By Jim Chandley.

Another problem for the SGA was that several positions went unfilled while others were contested.  The SGA Constitution was amended this year to expand the executive board from five positions to seven.  Despite several challengers for other positions, five executive board slots remain empty after the elections, leaving President Amanda Donegan and Vice President Meghan Saunders to solicit student leaders to take the vacant positions.

The position of commuter senator (the only qualifications being that candidates must be full time students who live off campus) was ignored by office-seekers altogether.  With hundreds of students living off campus, this was a small defeat in the SGA’s quest for participation.

Despite competition for some positions, each class’ President and Vice President was reelected most without opponents.  This is another example of the lack of contention that the SGA has sought to eliminate.

“I was hoping for some of the new people to win,” said Corey Major, a graduating senior (which does not allow him a vote in the elections).  “It’s always the same people and in the long run, that’s not usually good for the clubs on campus.  New voices need to be heard from.”

Wow, Vote Michael Flaherty for Mayor in 2009

By Jim Chandley

So I just got home from Fenway.  Yes, as previously advertised, I was camping out for tickets.  Just about a half an hour ago, some officers from the Boston Police Department kindly (not really) told everyone to get out of line.

I understand that the role of the police in American cities and towns is to keep law and order in the streets.  They are supposed to protect and serve the citizens of their respective cities and towns.

But there used to be a certain amount of laizze-faire granted to practices older than the hills.  There was a time when certain things were don’t ask/don’t tell.  And that time was not so long ago, because I remember it.

Apparently, that time is over.

I can’t imagine that Mayor Menino was awake at 1:30 AM today to send the troops out to get everyone off of Landsdowne Street.  But I doubt that they did so without his consent.  In fact, I would be so bold as to assume that the Mayor instructed the police force to make an appearance at some point tonight.

So I appeal to you, citizens of Boston, for your votes.

Please vote for councilman Flaherty to take the Mayor’s office this fall.  I don’t know if he will support the crowds outside Fenway.  I don’t know anything about the man.

But Mayor Menino has torn down ancient, sacred walls.  I would like to play vindictive politics tonight.  I want to take him down simply for being overbearing and ridiculous.

The crowds were not wild tonight Mr. Mayor.  They weren’t even loud.  They were just having a good time and waiting for game time.

When you are on a quest for reelection, you seem quite the fan of the local nine.  Where were you tonight?

Fanatic Goes Dark, Big Things To Come

By Jim Chandley

Two big notes; Firstly, there will be no posts until at least Monday night, probably more like Tuesday.  I will be writing the minute-by-minute journal of a night on Landsdowne as I wait for tickets to opening day.

Secondly, there may be an additional opinionator in the  near future.  Cliffhanger.

Also, make sure to go to the Fox Sports and check out the preaseason MLB picks from our omniscient staff.

I Owe Josh McDaniels an Apology…

Smile away Joshy-boy, you've earned it.

By Jim Chandley

Now, this could have been just dumb luck.  But I think (and maybe I am giving young Josh too much credit in my moment of guilt) that this might have been a brilliantly orchestrated play by the Broncos.

Jay Cutler is gone and the Broncos are not a better team this year because of it.  But it is McDaniels’ first year as a head coach, in a new system.  They were not going to win it all anyway.

That said, Denver has Kyle Orton to start at QB now.  He is not Jay Cutler, but if we can theoretically compare him to the disgruntled Cutler the Broncos would have had, his season will probably be very similar, as would the Broncos season.

But Denver didn’t just get Orton (thank you Mr. Wizard).  They got the 18th and 38th overall picks in this “very deep, high-second-round-is-equivalent-to-picks-11-20, you-should-trade-down-this-year” NFL Draft.  Oh by the way, they also got the Bears’ 1st rounder in next year’s draft.

The Broncos will probably make the playoffs in 2009.  They will be in contention for the AFC West with a definite chance to win it (depending on the enigma that is the San Diego Chargers).

But McDaniels isn’t playing this thing for 2009.  He can now build a cheap base of good young players (probably on defense) that he can win with until 2014.

This may not just be a lopsided trade.  It is definitely that.  It may be much more.

I believe this trade can be the catalyst needed to recreate the Belichick system in a new location.

I still think McDaniels is too young.  I would never have hired him in a million years and the Broncos should find the best offensive mind they can to take the play calling duties away from him sometime last week.  However, he knows the blueprint, and he has just made the first in a series of moves needed to build the dynasty.