Friday, March 23, 2007

More Papelbon Goodness


"For me, it's been a thing that I've been thinking about all spring," Papelbon said. "I hadn't been sleeping well since the whole Spring Training started. I felt that there was always that feeling deep down in my heart that I wanted to close.

"For me, it just kept getting at me and getting at me until finally I went to our captain [Jason Varitek] one day and I said, 'Tek, I'm not sleeping good at night. I've got to do something about it.' Basically I told him, 'Man, I think I want to close -- that's what I want to do.'

"Tito happened to be walking by. We came in and I told Tito, 'If you want to give me the ball in the ninth inning, I want it,' and that's basically it."


I do not really care if this is the absolute truth when he said it, the fact that it's what he said is good enough. It is about damn time an athlete said the right thing and put the team first. More than that even, this move really solidifies the Sox as a force in the AL East. I think we stack up well against anyone now. I cannot wait for the season to begin. Any true fan of the Red Sox and the "Dirt Dog" mentality should be running out to buy a #58 jersey to support this boy right now.


GO SOX!


TomC

Romeo Y Julieta Bully

5" X 50, Natural

Appearance: A very pretty firm, rather tightly rolled cigar. This cigars tasty looking tan wrapper was smooth and had a nice little sheen to it, it was quite inviting.

Pre-Light: Clipped easy and produced a forgiving draw. Pre Light notes of cinnamon and ginger. This cigar practically begged to be lit.

Burn/Draw: Perfect. This is a very well constructed cigar and it shows. In the picture below you can see that it burned razor straight, and in this aspect it continued for the length of the cigar. The ash was light grey and quite firm and held for a long time. The draw was a tad tight but not a problem in any way and still produced adequate smoke billows. On the whole all these things enhanced the smoking experience.
Flavors: This was one smooth, tasty cigar. I have been revisiting the natural wrappered cigars again that I largely ignore now recently, and I must say it has been a fulfilling experience! This cigar has notes of molasses and brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger, and other sweet caramelly goodness. It is firmly medium in body and medium in strength, and at no point did it ever get harsh. If you are looking for a powerhouse this is definitely not for you but if a nice mellow smoke to accompany a mellow cup of coffee or tea is what you need, give this one a try!

TomC

The Sweet Sixteen!


In a matchup of a #1 Seed versus a #5 seed Ohio State survived a 20 point first half deficit to pick off the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee, 84-84, and advance to the Elite 8. Senior Guard Ron Lewis scored 25 points and the Buckeyes survived a thoroughly mediocre performance by star freshman center Greg Oden (9pts - 4 fouls) to advance to the Elite 8 where they face the Tigers of the University of Memphis.

While I am glad that they won, they can't have another game where they spot the opponent a bunch of point, and Oden is unimpressive, and expect to win. They BETTER play better, and I think they will.

GO BUCKS!

Also, here is another update on the race for 66th best! The final four in that Tournament is set Mississippi State will play West Virginia, and Air Force will play Clemson. here is an updated 2007 NIT Championship Bracket:


There you go your Basketball Fix for tonight!

TomC