Blog Feed: The Mighty Quinn Media Machine

Trivia Will Be Tuesday Next Week, No Matter What

Published on 2012-05-25 12:08:00

The NBA announced the Eastern Conference Finals schedule, even ahead of today's Game 7 between the Celtics and 76ers. There will be no game this coming Tuesday, so we will definitely have Trivia Night at Professor Thom's on Tuesday night, May 29th at 9 PM.However, if the Celtics are playing in the East Finals, and the series goes beyond Game 4, Trivia Night for the following week will be on Monday, June 4th, at 9 PM, as Game 5 would be the next night. (And if the Celtics are eliminated tonight, [..] > read more

Bottom Guys Do All The Heavy Lifting

Published on 2012-05-24 10:07:00

The Red Sox ended their "20 games in 20 days" jaunt with a 6-5 win in Baltimore, to take their second straight road series, and end the eight-game road swing at 5-3.Daniel Bard had another one of those "not bad but not great" starts, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs. He allowed single runs in the first and second innings, and he could have given up more. He left the game with a 5-2 lead. Andrew Miller cam on and in the 7th allowed a two-run homer to Nick Johnson, the first runs Mill [..] > read more

Youk's Back & Provides All The Offense

Published on 2012-05-23 10:12:00

It was one of those nights when the Red Sox offense was completely neutralized, and by a fine pitching performance by the O's Brian Matusz.The Sox got just two hits all night, and one was in the second at-bat of the newly-returned Kevin Youkilis. Youk was activated and played first base, while Adrian Gonzalez returned to right field. (Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney were both put on the DL, and Scott Podsednik was brought up from AAA last night.)Felix Doubront pitched another fine game, striking out [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 22

Published on 2012-05-22 23:49:00

We had 17 teams in Professor Thom's on what was a bit of a slow night, but everyone seemed to enjoy the Trivia. The scores were strong for Q-Tip Trivia and SNL Characters Trivia (very few people knew who Leonard Pinth-Garnell was: Bad Trivia Players!) but they were a little weaker for General Knowledge.IQ Trivia saw a little bit of controversy, as for the question about the only country outside Europe that was completely surrounded by one country, a number of my regulars swore that Swaziland was [..] > read more

Sox Win As Injuries Mount

Published on 2012-05-22 10:07:00

The Red Sox grinded out an 8-6 win over the O's in Baltimore last night, their first win over the Orioles in 2012.Clay Buchholz looked sharp the first two innings, but the wheels came off in the 3rd, as he walked in two runs, and allowed four for the inning. > read more

Q-Tip Returns & SNL Characters Featured

Published on 2012-05-21 10:35:00

Trivia Night at Professor Thom's this week will feature "Q-Tip Trivia", a recurring category we haven't done in a little while. That is when I ask you seven general knowledge, multiple choice questions, and the answer can be 1, 2, 3, all 4, or none correct. You will get a point for each correct answer. However, if you give any incorrect choices, you will get zero points for that question, so you have to be careful. (If the answer is "none" and you get it right, you get one point.)The Q Train lig [..] > read more

OK, Make It Eight Out Of Ten

Published on 2012-05-21 10:15:00

The Red Sox keep on rolling, and took the weekend series from the Phillies, 5-1, behind another sterling effort by Josh Beckett.Mike Aviles (pictured) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia blasted home runs off losing pitcher Cliff Lee. Aviles' led off the game for the second straight game, and Salty's was of the three-run variety. Not bad for a guy who had gotten 12 stitches in his head just a couple of days earlier. Aviles has 8 homers on the year and Salty has 7.Beckett went seven excellent innings befor [..] > read more

Seven of Nine

Published on 2012-05-20 10:28:00

I've been playing softball pretty steady on Saturday nights, so once again with the Red Sox playing a night game in Philly, I was doing plenty of checking on the iPhone.And most times the news was good. The Sox belted four home runs: Mike Aviles, David Ortiz (recovering from the flu), Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (recovering from a nasty cut to the side of the head). They led the entire way on Saturday.I got home in time for the bottom of the eighth, so with the TV muted (would yo [..] > read more

The Pestilence of Interleague Begins With a Loss

Published on 2012-05-19 09:55:00

Yep, interleague play is back. Ugh.Daniel Bard put the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole last night in Philly, a hole that turned out to be too much, as the Phillies went on to a 6-4 win.Bard walked three in the first, and all came around to score.Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Cody Ross both left the game with injuries, and both are day-to-day. The Sox hit three home runs, but they were all solo shots by Mike Aviles, Cody Ross (pictured) and Adrian Gonzalez. It was 5-4 in the 8th when Freddy Galvis hit a homer [..] > read more

"Major League Dads"

Published on 2012-05-18 10:20:00

I just finished reading an interesting book about MLB players and the long road they take to get to the Promised Land, called: "Major League Dads: Baseball's Best Players Reflect On The Fathers Who Inspired Them To Love The Game."This book is centered on the fathers who gave current players the love of the game they have. Over 100 current players, as well as recent ones who left the game were interviewed for the book, which was written by Kevin Neary and Leigh Tobin.Each remembrance is just a pa [..] > read more

The Night of the Rodeo Clown

Published on 2012-05-18 09:48:00

The Red Sox gained a split of their brief two-game series at Tampa Bay with a 5-3 win. The man who blamed himself for the loss on Wednesday night turned out to be Thursday night's hero: Cody Ross.Ross blamed himself for the lead run scoring on Wednesday when he stumbled catching Luke Scott's sacrifice fly. But the man who has always wanted to be a rodeo clown hit his 7th home run of the season and drove in four of the five Red Sox runs, including a single to bring in two in the eighth.Marlon Byr [..] > read more

Balk Parade

Published on 2012-05-17 10:09:00

Another good start from Clay Buchholz on Wednesday night, as he allowed just two earned runs in five plus innings.But the first run was balked in in the second inning, and Tampa Bay scored the second run when they loaded the bases in the sixth, and Matt Joyce scored from third when Cody Ross slightly stumbled making a catch in shallow right.Daniel Nava had an RBI single in the fourth for the only Red Sox run.Buchholz' balk was one of three called on Sox pitchers on the night. Both Matt Albers an [..] > read more

Beckett Superb On Wake Day

Published on 2012-05-16 10:29:00

On a day when the Red Sox honored one of their all-time greats, Josh Beckett showed everyone flashes of the great pitcher that led them to a championship in 2007.Beckett opened the game against Seattle with six strikeouts of the first nine hitters. He then went on to pitch seven innings, and was never in any serious trouble. The Mariners only got one runner past second base all day. The bullpen was flawless as the Red Sox coasted to a 6-0 win, and their fifth straight win.My friend Eddie called [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 15

Published on 2012-05-15 23:47:00

We had 20 teams in on our triumphant return to Tuesday night, and it was a crowded, noisy bar as well.The numbers were a bit lower than I expected in the first three categories, but most teams did really well in the final two. The two teams that were tied for second place ran the table in the final round, and wound up tied for first with 48 points, so we went to a tie-breaker question: "How many satellites does Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, have?" The answer was 63, and the te [..] > read more

Legends Take "The Field of Dreams" Game

Published on 2012-05-15 10:40:00

Last Saturday night, there was a special game played in Columbus, Ohio called "The Pepsi Max Field of Dreams Game."It featured a team of Hall of Fame baseball legends pitted against a team constructed by a Pepsi Max contest winner named Tim Wisecup, who put his own squad together. The Hall of Famers included Johnny Bench, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson, Pedro Martinez and Ozzie Smith.Here's more about the game, which was won by the Legends, 12-11.My friend Andrea had the [..] > read more

Clicking

Published on 2012-05-15 10:04:00

I am really enjoying those comfortable Red Sox wins again.This time it was a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Fenway, with Jon Lester going all the way. He retired the first eleven hitters before allowing an infield single to Ichiro Suzuki. The shutout disappeared with two outs in the ninth. It was Lester's best outing of the season since the opener in Detroit. He struck out 6, didn't walk anyone and it was his first complete game win since 2010.The Red Sox pitching is really hot right n [..] > read more

We're Back On Tuesday, For Now

Published on 2012-05-14 10:49:00

I'm happy to say that Trivia Night at Professor Thom's will be this Tuesday night at 9 PM. We had to move over to Monday the last two weeks, due to the Boston Celtics playoff games being on Tuesday. But the NBA has taken pity on us, and not scheduled any games in the second round on Tuesday. That also means that Trivia Night next week will also be Tuesday, May 22nd.Should the Celtics progress to the next round, we'll see happens to Trivia Night then.This week, the Special Category will be "May 1 [..] > read more

Nice and Easy On Mom's Day

Published on 2012-05-14 10:35:00

It was a nice Mother's Day for the Red Sox on Sunday, as they strolled to a nice, easy 12-1 win over the Indians to take 3 of 4 in the weekend series.Daniel Bard had some early trouble, as he walked in a run with the bases loaded, but got Travis hafner to bang into a double play to keep the game at 4-1.The Sox scored four in the first off former Sox hurler Justin Masterson, and were on their way. Big day for Will Middlebrooks (pictured), who hit his fourth home run, Daniel Nava hit two doubles a [..] > read more

England's "Mets" Are Champions

Published on 2012-05-13 12:07:00

Manchester City won the EPL championship today, and in incredibly dramatic fashion.City was down 2-1 to Queens Park Rangers as the match headed into added on time. Manchester United, England's "Evil Empire", defeated Sunderland just moments earlier, 1-0, and was poised to grab the title.But City wouldn't surrender. They scored two dramatic goals, one by Edin Dzeko and another by Sergio Aguero, and City had their first league title since 1968. Here's more from ESPN Soccernet.The way City won it r [..] > read more

One of the Better Nights of 2012 So Far

Published on 2012-05-13 09:47:00

I was playing in my Saturday night softball league last night, and could only follow the Red Sox-Indians game on my iPhone. Looks like I missed one of the best games the Sox have played this season.Felix Doubront (pictured) continues to be one of the best things about 2012 for the Red Sox, as he allowed just one earned run and three hits, as the Sox took their second straight from the Tribe, 4-1.The bullpen was impressive last night, after the shaky outing of Friday night. Andrew Miller, Vicente [..] > read more

Trivia Night Will Be On Tuesday The Next Two Weeks

Published on 2012-05-12 10:23:00

The NBA announced the complete Celtics-76ers schedule for the remainder of their second round series, and there will no games played on Tuesday nights.So that means Trivia Night at Professor Thom's will take place on the next two Tuesday nights, May 15th and May 22nd, at 9 PM.The Sneak Peek question and Special Categories will both be posted on the blog the previous Mondays.Thank you NBA. > read more

My Kingdom For An Easy Win

Published on 2012-05-12 10:15:00

It had all the feeling of a game the Red Sox would let get away, but it didn't happen, and Clay Buchholz did not give up at least five earned runs. It was a trial to watch but the Sox prevailed, 7-5.At the start it looked like he would. Buchholz gave up a run to the Indians and they had the bases loaded, but he got out of it. The Sox answered back with two runs in the bottom of the first on a Will Middlebrooks bases loaded double, and added two more in the second, on a Dustin Pedroia bases loade [..] > read more

The Anti-Wakefield

Published on 2012-05-11 10:14:00

The Red Sox will be honoring Tim Wakefield with a night to remember one of the classiest men ever to wear a Red Sox uniform this coming Tuesday night. It is well-deserved, and I would hope that number 49 will go into the pantheon of numbers the club has retired.It will surely take away for a short time what has been transpiring on the field this season, the abject disaster that is 2012. And the poster boy for it all is Josh Beckett.Last night, he turned yet another stinker, and brought back horr [..] > read more

Trivia Is Back On Tuesday Night Next Week!

Published on 2012-05-10 22:27:00

The Celtics wrapped up their playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks tonight in Boston, and will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round beginning Saturday. The NBA announced that Game 2 will be next Monday, May 14th, so that means that Trivia Night next week will return to its regularly scheduled day and time: Tuesday night, May 15th at 9 PM.The NBA has not released the rest of the series schedule yet, and when they do, I will pass along when the following week's Trivia Night will be.The [..] > read more

On The Road To Nowhere

Published on 2012-05-10 09:59:00

The Red Sox lost another series last night, to the equally-inept Kansas City Royals, 4-3.Lousy defense in a rotten first inning ultimately cost the Red Sox another game. They are now 12-18. They've dropped seven of their last eight, to the A's, Orioles and Royals.Not exactly the cream in the American League bottle.Is anyone out there really confident this ship will turn around for the better? Bobby Valentine leaves me no confidence, and the starting pitching even less. And now we hear that Josh [..] > read more

Fenway PA Announcer Carl Beane Dies In Car Crash

Published on 2012-05-09 15:57:00

I was shocked and saddened to hear that Carl Beane, the Red Sox public address announcer, was killed on Wednesday in a single-car accident in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. He was 59 years old.Mr. Beane was the Red Sox PA announcer since 2003. I didn't know him personally, but he was a friend of mine on Facebook.Here's more from MassLive.com.My deepest sympathies to Mr. Beane's family and friends.It's a sad day for all Red Sox fans. Fenway has lost its voice. Godspeed, Mr. Beane. You will be missed. > read more

Have a Meatball, Courtesy of Matt Albers

Published on 2012-05-09 09:59:00

The name Matt Albers doesn't exactly fill me with a lot of confidence. And I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that way.He threw a meatball down the middle of the plate to Billy Butler in the 8th inning with two on and a one-run lead, and Butler made him pay, and the Sox went down to a 6-4 defeat.Daniel Bard was staked to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and wunderkind Will Middlebrooks did it again: he doubled and scored the first run. He's now played in five games, and gotten an extra base hit i [..] > read more

Hit The Road, Start Winning Again

Published on 2012-05-08 10:12:00

I was doing Trivia for a good part of last night's Red Sox game in Kansas City, but I couldn't miss the heroics of a possible star in the making: Will Middlebrooks.The rookie blasted two home runs, including a three-run shot right down the line in the first inning. He's now hit in all four of his MLB games, and gotten an extra base hit in all four (the first Red Sox rookie ever to do so), including three home runs and nine RBI.I even added him to one of my fantasy teams last night.Felix Doubront [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 7

Published on 2012-05-07 23:43:00

For the second consecutive week, we had to move Trivia Night over to Monday night, and we had a similar crowd to the one we had last Monday: 13 teams took part.A few of the players said to me that the Last Film Roles Trivia was a little too hard, and the numbers reflected it. Teams either did really well or really lousy. But the numbers rebounded nicely for most teams with General Knowledge.The team called X was in first place all night, and capped off their night with a perfect score in IQ Triv [..] > read more

They STILL Can't Help Embarrassing Their Loyal Fans

Published on 2012-05-06 19:02:00

How many times have I written that blog post headline this year on this blog?More than once. More than twice.Sunday's ending was an absolute joke. A total farce. And I don't blame Darnell McDonald at all. He's not a pitcher.And under absolutely no circumstances should a position player be in pitching in a tie game in extra innings. None. (And I don't care if the Orioles did the same thing. The moment I saw McDonald in the bullpen, I could see disaster coming.)The Boston Red Sox are a complete an [..] > read more

Celebrating Mothers & Dead Movie Stars

Published on 2012-05-06 10:38:00

In honor of next Sunday being Mother's Day, we will have "Mothers Trivia", seven questions connected to mothers of all kinds, as the Special Category on Monday for Trivia Night. We are having it on Monday again this week due to the Celtics playoff game on Tuesday night. (Right now, we have no idea about the day next week, as how the Celtics do this coming week will dictate that.)The Q Train lightning round will be "Last Film Roles Trivia." I will give you the names of ten famous movies and the y [..] > read more

Stinko On Cinco

Published on 2012-05-06 10:18:00

Aaron Cook's return to MLB with the Red Sox on Saturday was a total disaster, as he was spiked by Chris Davis in the second inning covering home on a passed ball. The NESN cameras caught a chunk taken out of his left knee. He needs 11 stitches to close it up.But Cook tried to tough it out, and stayed in the game. I won't second-guess Bobby Valentine on this, as he had a pen that was used up from the night before.But the Orioles whacked him for six more runs in the third, and went on to an easy 8 [..] > read more

4 1/2 Hours of My Life I Won't Get Back

Published on 2012-05-05 10:23:00

Another frustrating night at Fenway for the Red Sox, as they dropped a 13-inning game to Baltimore, 6-4.They've dropped four of the last five, and seem to have a lot of trouble winning at home, now having dropped eight of the last nine at the Fens.Jon Lester had two leads given to him by the Red Sox, but gave them right back.Alfredo Aceves was devastating in relief, and struck out the side in the 10th and 11th innings. With the exception of Clayton Mortensen, the entire bullpen was used. Ugh.Man [..] > read more

The Yankee You Least Despise

Published on 2012-05-04 10:10:00

Has the road finally come to an end for Mariano Rivera?As everyone now knows, the Yankees closer was injured yesterday when he was shagging fly balls in the outfield before the Yankees game in Kansas City, and in trying to make a catch, he tore the ACL in his right knee and is likely lost for the rest of 2012. There was speculation during spring training that Rivera would call it a career after this season, so we may have seen him throw his last pitch.Rivera will be 43 by next Opening Day, and i [..] > read more

The Worst Call In Baseball History

Published on 2012-05-03 10:27:00

Here is Exhibit A of the state of umpiring in MLB.Many of you may have seen this, but this could well be the worst call in baseball history.Umpire Tim Welke called Dodgers outfielder Jerry Hairston out on a play at first that Rockies' first baseman Todd Helton was at least three feet off the bag yesterday.Take a look for yourself: That takes my breath away. Once again, umps shouldn't be treated like Supreme Court judges. The bad ones should be weeded out, like what the NFL does. That was an em [..] > read more

Middlebrooks & Mortensen Impress

Published on 2012-05-03 10:18:00

It was a pretty incredible sports day yesterday: Jered Weaver pitched a no-hitter, three games ended in their final at-bat, the New York Rangers won their playoff game in triple overtime, the shocking and incredibly sad news about the death of Junior Seau, and the Will Middlebrooks Era in Boston began.The third baseman of the future was called up as Kevin Youkilis hit the DL, and made quite an impression. He was tearing up AAA, and drew a walk in his at-bat last night, and promptly stole second [..] > read more

Damp and Dreary

Published on 2012-05-02 10:11:00

It was a cold and dreary night in Boston on Tuesday, with a misty rain falling through most of the evening. And the results for the Red Sox weren't much better, as the fell to the A's, 5-3.It was a mixed bag for Felix Doubront. He struck out a season-high eight batters, but allowed five runs in four innings. The bullpen shut down Oakland the rest of the way.The Red Sox could do little with A's rookie pitcher Jarrod Parker, who allowed just one run into the seventh inning.The Sox rallied in the n [..] > read more

Trivia Will Be Monday Next Week

Published on 2012-05-01 22:09:00

The Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks tonight, 87-80 in Game 2 of their playoff series, so that means that there will be a Game 5 in their series, which will be played next Tuesday night. So that means our Trivia Night at Professor Thom's will happen next Monday night, May 7th, at 9 PM.I will post the Sneak Peek question and special categories on the blog here on Sunday.Hope to see many of you for another edition of Trivia Night next Monday at 9 PM. > read more

April Ends at 11-11

Published on 2012-05-01 10:02:00

The Red Sox concluded the month of April last night with a record of 11-11 with a laugher turned nailbiter, an 11-6 win over Oakland. It was also the first April since 2009 the Red Sox left April with at least a .500 record.Not bad for a team that was 4-10 nine days ago.David Ortiz continues raking, as he hit two more home runs and Darnell McDonald had three hits including his second home run, and fell just a triple short of the cycle.It was 11-1 Red Sox by the seventh inning, and then the A's r [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 30

Published on 2012-04-30 23:33:00

Whenever we have to move Trivia to another night, the crowd is always less, and that was the case on Monday. But we still had a respectable 14 teams come out, including some regulars, many of whom also enjoyed Professor Thom's lobsters and the Red Sox win over the A's.I thought the scores might be a bit higher for the Clint Eastwood Film Trivia, but I guess Clint isn't as popular among the Trivia regulars as I might have thought. The scores were strong for Dead Rock Stars Trivia though.The team [..] > read more

Stink Floyd

Published on 2012-04-29 21:17:00

The Red Sox ran into a buzzsaw on Sunday in their attempt to sweep the White Sox and the seven-game midwest road trip.Gavin Floyd (pictured) retired the first 14 batters of the game before he walked Cody Ross. The no-hitter was still intact until the 7th, when Dustin Pedroia hit a clean single. The Red Sox got their first run on David Ortiz' double and Ross single. They had the opportunity to tie the game up, but left runners at second and third.Josh Beckett had a very inauspicious start, giving [..] > read more

Clint & the Dead Featured This Monday

Published on 2012-04-29 09:58:00

Due to Tuesday night's Celtics-Hawks playoff game, we will be having Trivia Night this week on Monday, April 30th at 9 PM. (And next week as well, if the series does not end in a sweep for either team.) The crowds are anticipated to be rather large on Tuesday night, so doing Trivia will be nearly impossible with so many focused on the game. So on Monday night, the Special Category will be another edition of "Dead Rock Stars Trivia." I will ask you seven questions about rock (and other pop) stars [..] > read more

Back Even

Published on 2012-04-29 09:42:00

The Red Sox got back to .500 last night as Jon Lester pitched a gem, and Alfredo Aceves was money in the ninth, as the Red Sox won their sixth straight in Chicago, 1-0.Unfortunately, it was another of those games I had to follow on my iPhone, as I was playing softball last night, but every time I checked, the news was good.Lester did have to escape a jam early on in the first, and had to throw 122 pitches in seven innings. But it was a gutty performance, showing why he is one of MLB's best lefth [..] > read more

Five Straight

Published on 2012-04-28 13:28:00

The Red Sox lost their fifth straight game in amazingly embarrassing fashion last Saturday. It seemed it could not get any lower than that.The Sox have not lost since.They won their fifth straight since last Saturday, with another 10-3 thrashing of the White Sox in icebox conditions last night in ChiTown.Daniel Bard went seven solid innings, allowed three runs, two earned.It was a big night for Darnell McDonald, who hit a bases loaded double that untied the score at 3, and then hit a solo homer [..] > read more

Red Sox Bomb Mr. Perfect

Published on 2012-04-27 10:49:00

The Red Sox got the whoopin' sticks out again last night, and hit "Mr. Perfect." No, not Curt Hennig, who is pictured here (he actually died a few years back), but Philip Humber for nine runs in five innings, as the Sox coasted to a 10-3 win.Kevin Youkilis belted a grand slam and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit two home runs to pace the attack. They got to Humber, who pitched a perfect game last Saturday in Seattle, for two runs in the first, and Felix Doubront took over from there. He went six inning [..] > read more

Trivia Will Be This Monday, April 30th

Published on 2012-04-27 10:17:00

The NBA just announced their schedule for the first round of the playoffs, and the Celtics will be playing the Atlanta Hawks for Game 2 on Tuesday, May 1st. Since we can't schedule Trivia opposite any of their playoff games as the crowds are too big, we will be moving Trivia Night over to Monday, April 30th at 9 PM.And if the series goes to a Game 5, that will be on Tuesday, May 8th. If the series isn't a sweep, we will be doing Trivia on that Monday, May 7th.I hate having to move Trivia Night, [..] > read more

"Wherever I Wind Up"

Published on 2012-04-26 10:26:00

I recently completed reading New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey's new book "Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest For Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball."If you are going to read any baseball book this year, read this one.Dickey has been known as quite the renaissance man, as his climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro last winter gained him lots of national attention. But he has lived quite a life, from former first round pick to journeyman pitcher to the current pitcher in the Mets rotation.Dickey lets it [..] > read more

And a Six Run Lead Nearly Disappeared

Published on 2012-04-25 23:24:00

Oh brother. I can't take much more of this.The Red Sox got the bats out on Wednesday night, and staked Clay Buchholz to a six-run lead by the fifth inning, 7-1. Mike Aviles blasted a three-run shot in the second, and Dustin Pedroia had a single, double and triple. It looked like another laugher against the Twins.Then, Buchholz, who was struggling most of the evening, faltered in the sixth, and left with one out and a 7-2 lead with the bases loaded. In came Scott Atchison, who gave a sharp single [..] > read more

Another Nine Run Lead. Doesn't Disappear This Time.

Published on 2012-04-25 10:44:00

As I was doing my Trivia Night last night, the Red Sox were scoring early and often, and every time I looked up, it seemed they were pouring it on.Then I looked up to see the Sox up 10-2 in the bottom of the sixth, with two outs. Josh Beckett had just thrown his 99th pitch, and I realized something: it was nearly the exact same line as Felix Doubront had last Saturday.8-run lead in six innings, 99 pitches thrown.Uh-oh.Fortunately, Beckett struck out the last batter of the inning on his 100th pit [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 24

Published on 2012-04-24 23:42:00

It was another big night of Trivia, with 23 teams taking part. The Red Sox and Celtics both had games going on, but it was an overwhelmingly pro-Trivia crowd at Thom's.The scores were better than I would have thought for US and World Geography Trivia, but they were a bit less for True or False Trivia. No one got the "mintonette" question in General Knowledge, and almost every team said "badminton" (it was volleyball). Heck, I would have said badminton, too!We had three teams within three points [..] > read more

Ross To The Rescue

Published on 2012-04-24 10:45:00

Cody Ross gave the Red Sox a huge boost last night, blasting the tying and game-winning home runs as the Red Sox came from behind to beat the Twins, 6-5.Jon Lester had one bad inning, the fourth, when he gave up four runs, including a two-run homer to Danny Valencia. He settled down and retired the final seven he faced after Minnesota added another run in the 5th.The Red Sox got their first five runs off Jason Marquis, whose last appearance against the Red Sox was fairly notable: the Sox beat hi [..] > read more

Places From Near & Far Featured This Week

Published on 2012-04-23 10:30:00

Trivia Night on Tuesday at Professor Thom's will feature "US and World Geography," seven questions about places around this planet and country of ours.The Q Train lightning round will have "True or False Trivia."The Sneak Peek question for this week is:"What organ of the body produces cholesterol?"We will get started around 9 PM. There is a Celtics-Heat matchup tomorrow night at 8 PM, so I am not exactly sure of the precise starting time. We will see. But I do encourage you to get to Professor T [..] > read more

Prayed For Rain. Wish Answered.

Published on 2012-04-22 15:00:00

The best possible thing for the Red Sox happened today. A rainout.I was hoping for one, as I'd rather play a four-game series with New York in either July or September. (July would be better as I'd hate to lose off days in the last month of the season.)No specific makeup date has been announced.Now it's off to Minnesota and Chicago, as the Red Sox try to get some dignity back. > read more

At Least I Saw "Knuckleball!" Yesterday

Published on 2012-04-22 10:34:00

I did a very smart thing on Saturday. I was invited to the "Knuckleball!" premiere at the Tribeca Drive-In last night, and even before it started, something told me not to watch the Red Sox-Yankees, and just follow it on my iPhone.I'm so glad I did.I saw the film at the Tribeca Drive-In, which is in the shadow of the World Trade Center site on the Hudson River, just off Vesey Street. I was thinking of a special friend while looking up at the under-construction 1 World Trade Center. A nice crowd [..] > read more

The Kiss of Death

Published on 2012-04-22 02:00:00

Red Sox owners John Henry and Larry Lucchino met with Bobby Valentine and Ben Cherington in Valentine's office after Saturday's debacle.Cherington, on Valentine's job performance:"Very satisfied. He makes the lineup out, makes decisions during the game. The players will always influence wins and losses more than anybody else, and that's no different here. He's doing the best he can with the roster he has. It'll get better, He knows that and I know that, and along the way if changes need to be ma [..] > read more

A Complete and Utter Disgrace

Published on 2012-04-21 22:16:00

The only good things I can say about Saturday's game are: Felix Doubront pitched very well, and I did not witness one pitch of this entire travesty.Last September wasn't bad enough. The crap over the winter wasn't bad enough, either.You guys simply can't resist embarrassing your loyalest fans enough, can you?Last April, I was a bit worried about the bad 2-10 start, but I knew they were a far better club than they showed. I had faith in Terry Francona and things would turn for the better. They di [..] > read more

Some People Have No Shame. Anything For Publicity.

Published on 2012-04-21 12:22:00

There was one drawback to yesterday's celebration of the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park at the Fan Cave.It was the presence of one of the worst media whores in New York. (And no, I'm not talking about myself.)I will not name this person, as I don't want to give him any more publicity, which he undoubtedly craves.When I got to the Fan Cave, he was first in line to get in. He loves to be "first in line" for everything, and get his name in the papers or on TV by talking to the media. (He's even b [..] > read more

A Day For Memories

Published on 2012-04-21 10:06:00

It was an incredible day on Friday, at both Fenway Park and Greenwich Village.The Red Sox hosted an amazing ceremony before Friday's game, bringing out more than 200 former players, coaches and managers to honor Fenway's 100th birthday. With the scores of "Field of Dreams" and "The Natural" both playing, Jim Rice was the first player to come out, from the left field garage, and he was followed by Dwight Evans and Bill Buckner (without the stache!). The players came out just with the music and th [..] > read more

A Century of Fenway

Published on 2012-04-20 09:28:00

The old gal turns 100 today.Tom Seaver said it best during a game about 20 years ago when he called Fenway "the palace of baseball."The Red Sox take on the Yankees in the 100th anniversary game at Fenway today. Both teams will wear throwback uniforms to that original game in 1912, that the Sox won over New York, 7-6 in 11 innings.I will be at the MLB Fan Cave today, as they will be hosting Red Sox fans in the New York for a special viewing party of all the festivities and the game. I was at the [..] > read more

As The Boobirds Get Louder and Louder

Published on 2012-04-19 10:48:00

Let's just say Bobby Valentine isn't inspiring a lot of confidence right now.He was booed lustily (love that adjective) by the Fenway Faithful in the 8th inning after leaving Franklin Morales in too long in the 8th, another head-scratching move in a long series of head-scratching moves The Smartest Guy In The Room has made in his first 12 games.Another loss, a 6-3 one to the scary-good Texas Rangers and their one-man Red Sox wrecking machine, Mike Napoli.Positives last night? Josh Beckett pitche [..] > read more

Tito's Returning. Melancon's Leaving. DC Departs.

Published on 2012-04-18 16:16:00

No, it's not what you think.But Terry Francona has had a change of heart, and will be attending the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park this Friday.Now who do you think will get the loudest and longest ovation that afternoon?Here's more from ESPN Boston.And Mark Melancon, he of the ERA of nearly 50.00, will not be witnessing the anniversary celebrations live, as he was optioned to Pawtucket today, and Junichi Tazawa will replace him on the roster.And a fond farewell to the legendary Dick Clark, who [..] > read more

Henry Hill Puts Last Night Into Perspective

Published on 2012-04-18 10:48:00

Jon Lester had nothing, and gave up seven runs. Mark Melancon gave up three home runs and didn't get an out, and now has an ERA of 49.50. (And a ticket to Pawtucket coming?)The Red Sox lost and lost butt ugly, 18-3 to Texas.Reformed gangster Henry Hill (as played by Ray Liotta) said it best in the classic film "Goodfellas": "Every once and a while I'd have to take a beating. But by then, I didn'tcare. The way I saw it? EVERYBODY TAKES A BEATING SOMETIME."But hopefully not this bad again.(It w [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 17

Published on 2012-04-18 00:22:00

We had 22 teams in on a busy night that saw the Red Sox get their heads handed to them by Texas. Seems like every time I looked up the Rangers were putting up a crooked number.Anyway, we had a noisy crowd in, and some strong numbers in most categories throughout the evening. Most folks knew who their dead and living celebrities were.I did make General Knowledge and the IQ Trivia rounds harder than last week, but the numbers were still good. The top two teams, Squam Rock Land Trust and A Special [..] > read more

"Knuckleball!"

Published on 2012-04-17 09:41:00

My friend Lisa Swan over at Subway Squawkers is holding a contest to win a chance to sit in the VIP section for the premiere of the film "Knuckleball" this coming Saturday at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan.I will be attendance for the film, which is a documentary centered on knuckleballers Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey, and it was filmed during the 2011 season. You can also get a chance to win an autographed movie poster, signed by Wake, R.A., Charlie Hough and Jim Bouton.If you'd like t [..] > read more

I See The Sox Lose On Tape-Delay

Published on 2012-04-16 19:05:00

Today I had an interesting gig in my background acting job. I did a photo shoot inside Madison Square Garden for Chase. It was really cool, as the basketball court was up for tomorrow night's Knicks-Celtics game. I walked across it, and called my dad in Florida from the middle of center court: "Hey Dad, you'll never guess where I am?" It is a place with so much history, and it was a lot of fun.But that meant I was going to miss today Patriot's Day game between the Red Sox and Rays. But I did som [..] > read more

Three Things You Can't Avoid: Death, Taxes & Trivia

Published on 2012-04-16 06:06:00

The Special Category for Trivia Night at Professor Thom's this week will be "April 17th Trivia." It will be seven questions about the date in history. (Remember, April 17th is also the deadline for getting your taxes in this year, as April 15th falls on a Sunday. So you'll only have about an hour to get them in when we finish Trivia that night. Don't forget now...)The Q Train lightning round will be "Dead or Alive Trivia." I'll give you the names of ten famous people and you will tell me if they [..] > read more

Another Day, Another Blast Across Lansdowne

Published on 2012-04-15 19:28:00

The Red Sox on Sunday were the ones who let a four run lead get away against Tampa Bay, but they made a good accounting of themselves and pulled out a 6-4 win over the Rays on Sunday.The Sox opened the scoring on a three-run blast in the second inning by Cody Ross, a ball that went across Lansdowne Street into the parking lot. Dustin Pedroia hit one in nearly the same spot on Saturday.They added another in the fifth on Kelly Shoppach's double, and another an inning later when the red-hot David O [..] > read more

A Sad Day

Published on 2012-04-15 10:53:00

Remembering today:Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated 147 years ago on this day.The 1400 victims of the Titanic, which sank a century ago today.The 96 Liverpool fans who were killed at Hillsborough Stadium on this date in 1989.Joey Ramone, who left us too soon on this day in 2001.And earlier this week, I neglected to mention another sad anniversary that had passed. It was 20 years ago last Tuesday that the great Sam Kinison was killed in a car accident in Nevada. I saw him twice live in concer [..] > read more

Four Down In The First? No Problem.

Published on 2012-04-15 10:42:00

Last night was Opening Night for my Saturday night softball league on Hudson Street in Manhattan, so I was able to catch just the first four innings of yesterday's Red Sox-Rays game from Fenway.I caught the remainder on my iPhone, and the news on it about the game was always good.It looked like another day when Clay Buchholz just din't have it, as he gave up four Tampa Bay runs in the first, including a three-run homer by every Sox fan's favorite, noted "birther" and charter member of the Stupid [..] > read more

15-6 At The Fens

Published on 2012-04-14 10:27:00

My second Opening Day at Fenway Park was a memorable one, as the Sox battered Tampa Bay 12-2. (That's Yours Truly above before the game began yesterday.) I went up to Fenway with the BLOHARDS, and it was a great trip. 100 or so us New York City-based loyalists made the trip up in two buses. We were out in Section 3 of the RF Grandstand, which many thought was one of the better seats we've ever had on Opening Day.It was my 21st ever game at the Fens, and the 15th time they emerged victorious. Tim [..] > read more

Ellsbury: Out Six Weeks, Maybe More

Published on 2012-04-14 09:50:00

I'm guessing Red Sox fans might be feeling the way Vincent D'Onofrio's character "Gomer Pyle" from "Full Metal Jacket" felt after the news that Jacoby Ellsbury will be out a minimum of six weeks with a shoulder dislocation he suffered trying to break up a double play in yesterday's opener:We should know more about Ellsbury's injury today. He was placed on the 15-day DL and outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin was brought up from Pawtucket.Just what the Sox need: more injuries. > read more

Season 101 At The Fens Begins. And I Am There.

Published on 2012-04-13 04:01:00

Today I am off to Fenway Park for my second Opening Day ever at America's Most Beloved Ballpark.I am heading up there on a bus trip with the BLOHARDS, the New York City-based Red Sox fan group. I'll be in Section 3 of the RF Grandstand, and I'll have plenty to write about I am sure, and it will be up here on Saturday. (I was there for my first Opening Day in 2010, a Sunday night win over the Yankees.)This will be my 21st game ever at Fenway Park. My first was on May 20, 1986, when the Sox played [..] > read more

A Meeting of the Blogger Minds

Published on 2012-04-12 11:25:00

Three of the best Red Sox bloggers on the Internet, Jere from A Red Sox Fan From Pinstripe Territory, Allan from Joy of Sox, and Red from Surviving Grady, got together for a podcast at Surviving Grady for a cool 45-minute discussion about the life of being a Red Sox blogger.Good stuff and definitely worth the time to listen. Go here to check it out. > read more

No Tito At Fenway Next Friday

Published on 2012-04-12 11:13:00

The hurt is deep, and still very raw.Terry Francona said earlier this week that he will not be a part of 100th anniversary celebrations of Fenway Park next week. He told the Curly Haired Bastard (known also as Dan Shaughnessy) that he'd feel "a little bit hypocritical" going back to Fenway now and "start hugging people."Tito, who his currently working on a book with CHB about his time as Red Sox manager, will be at Fenway the following Sunday (the 100th anniversary celebration will be on Friday) [..] > read more

1-5. I Guess It's Better Than 0-6.

Published on 2012-04-11 21:04:00

Before this season began, I thought that it was important that the Red Sox open with a decent start. I know they have a brutal schedule in April. But to put last season in the rear view mirror and move forward, they needed to break from the gate with a good record.1-5. It's better than 0-6. After Sunday's disaster, I thought we might actually see a repeat of last season. But we were just a ninth inning comeback on Monday night from seeing that happen again.Jon Lester pitched well again on Wednes [..] > read more

Not a Bad Debut In The Rotation For Bard

Published on 2012-04-11 11:01:00

I was doing Trivia last night, so I was bit preoccupied and missed a good part of Daniel Bard's debut last night in Toronto's 7-3 win.My friend Dave, a fine lawyer and sabermatrician, sent me an email last night about his start, and I'll share it with you. He thinks Bard was better than it may at first appear:Bard's line (5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 6K) looks pretty good except for one thing: > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 10

Published on 2012-04-11 00:44:00

We had another huge crowd Tuesday night with a Red Sox game on as well. 22 teams took part in the festivities.It was one of those nights when the Trivia overall was not that difficult. (I don't do that consciously I assure you.) Exactly half the teams ended up with at least 40 points. The toughest round was Maritime Disasters Trivia by far. The scores were close all night, especially heading into IQ Trivia. The top six teams were separated by only two points. Most teams got at least 3 of the 5 q [..] > read more

Pitchers & La Luna Put Sox In The W Column

Published on 2012-04-10 10:06:00

Thank goodness there won't be an 0-6 start for the second consecutive year.Felix Doubront (pictured) gave the Red Sox a shot in the arm last night, going five innings and allowing just two runs in his first ever MLB start in Toronto. He didn't get the victory, but had just one shaky inning, the third where he allowed the two Blue Jays runs.But the two heroes of last night's 4-2 Red Sox come from behind win were Dustin (La Luna) Pedroia, who hit his first home run of 2012, and doubled and scored [..] > read more

The Sox Bullpen Can Expect This If They Don't Get Their Act Together

Published on 2012-04-09 10:16:00

This is an amazing video from Greek television. Apparently some protesters broke into a TV studio and didn't like that some right-wing guy was being interviewed, so they pelted the host with eggs and yogurt live on the air. (I can't understand a word of this clip. It's all Greek to me. Sorry, I couldn't resist.)Do they allow fans to bring eggs and yogurt into Fenway? > read more

Sunken Ships Featured This Tuesday

Published on 2012-04-09 10:09:00

This Tuesday night, Professor Thom's Trivia will feature "Maritime Disasters Trivia," seven questions about ships that met terrible fates at sea. We're doing it in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's fateful collision with an iceberg in the North Atlantic, which is this coming Sunday.The Q Train lightning round will be "True or False Trivia."The Sneak Peek question for this week is:"The three famous cartoon 'Chipmunks' were named Alvin, Simon and what other name?"We get started just [..] > read more

I've Seen This Movie Before. It Doesn't End Well.

Published on 2012-04-08 17:41:00

Good Lord.Bobby Valentine has two guys at the front of his bullpen who threw batting practice with the game on the line today, and now Mark Melancon and Alfredo Aceves each have their first BS of the season. (That stands for "blown save" folks. But another "BS" can certainly apply here.) I can just hear the cries of "Make Daniel Bard the closer right now!" and "I wish we still had Papelbon!"And once again, the Red Sox open a season getting swept. 12 runs today wasn't good enough.I'm so pissed of [..] > read more

Monty Python Wishes You a Happy Easter

Published on 2012-04-08 07:00:00

One of the funniest scenes from my favorite movie of all-time, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."For this Easter, the "Killer Rabbit" scene:Happy Easter Everyone! > read more

First Garbage Can Game of 2012

Published on 2012-04-07 19:15:00

If Josh Beckett wants to get the fans' trust back, he'd better stop turning in piss-poor efforts like the one he did on Saturday in Detroit.The Tigers hit five homers off him, two each by Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera. Bobby Valentine yanked him in the fifth inning with the score 7-0.Take nothing away from the Detroit Tigers. They are a very good team that could easily end up in the World Series. However, it would have been nice had the Boston Red Sox shown up to play at least.It was a lousy [..] > read more

Lester Was Terrific; Sox Won't Go Undefeated

Published on 2012-04-05 21:41:00

It was Opening Day in Detroit for the Red Sox, and a matchup of two of the game's best pitchers was on tap: Jon Lester vs. Justin Verlander.They did not disappoint.The game was scoreless until the seventh, when Detroit finally broke through, on back-to-back doubles off Lester. Jon was very impressive: he allowed just one run, six hits, three walks and four strikeouts.But Verlander was even better. The Sox got only two hits off him in eight innings. Detroit scored another run in the eighth, and t [..] > read more

The 25

Published on 2012-04-04 21:26:00

Here is the 2012 Red Sox Opening Day roster (12 position players, 13 pitchers):Pitchers: Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Daniel Bard, Alfredo Aceves (who was named the closer by Bobby Valentine), Mark Melancon, Matt Albers, Franklin Morales, Michael Bowden, Vicente Padilla, Justin Thomas, Scott AtchisonPosition Players: David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Aviles, Kevin Youkilis, Nick Punto, Cody Ross, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Sweeney, Darnell McDonald, Jarrod [..] > read more

A Lot To Prove

Published on 2012-04-04 17:36:00

They embarrassed their city.They embarrassed their fans.They embarrassed themselves."They" is the 2011 Boston Red Sox. They had one of the worst Septembers in franchise history and it cost them dearly. The Sox lost everything, and it was one of the worst collapses in baseball history. (The 1964 Phillies still own the worst one. By far.)There was plenty of bloodletting after it was over. Terry Francona departed. Theo Epstein departed. A new regime has taken over. And everyone associated with the [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 3

Published on 2012-04-04 00:00:00

We had another big crowd in for Trivia on Tuesday night, and 20 teams took part. The crowds haven't been as big as they were in early March, but they have picked up again for the second straight week.The numbers for Current Events were lower than I thought, as I was thinking I had made it too easy. (No one knew that "Pennsylvania" was the answer to the very first question.) But the next three categories featured a lot better numbers, with some perfect scores in both MLB Trivia and General Knowle [..] > read more

Blue Fenway

Published on 2012-04-03 10:19:00

Fenway Park was among many of the world's great structures that went blue on Monday, in honor of World Autism Awareness Day.Fenway joined the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House in going blue to recognize the fight against the scourge that is autism. I have two nephews who are affected by autism and it is a cause close to my family's heart.It now looks as though Andrew Bailey will open the season on the DL, as he needs surgery on his thumb, and it may happen as ear [..] > read more

Hardball Trivia This Week

Published on 2012-04-02 10:31:00

This Tuesday night, the Special Category will be "MLB Trivia," in honor of Opening Day occurring in various cities and days this week. (Yeah, I know the MLB season started in Japan last week. That's what happens when you sell your soul to television.) It will be seven multiple choice questions about the National Pastime.The Q Train lightning round will be "Country Nicknames Trivia." I will give you the nicknames of ten well-known nations of the world, and you will tell me what country that is.Th [..] > read more

Giorgio Chinaglia: 1947-2012

Published on 2012-04-01 11:33:00

I was saddened to hear just moments ago that Giorgio Chinaglia, the great Cosmos and Lazio striker of the 1970s, died at his home in Florida today at the age of 65.I was a huge New York Cosmos fan back in the 1970s and 1980s, and Chinaglia was brought over to the NASL in 1976 at the top of his game after he had worn out his welcome in Italy. He was born in Italy, raised in Wales, and was a great, but very temperamental and egotistical player. He even had a run-in with Pele, the greatest player o [..] > read more

It's Doubront and Bard

Published on 2012-04-01 10:50:00

The Red Sox have finalized their rotation, and the last two spots will go to Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard.The rotation's order is officially: Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, Doubront and Bard. Doubront and Bard will make their rotation debuts when the Red Sox reach Toronto in the second series of the season. Alfredo Aceves will pitch out of the bullpen, where he really belongs. He was an incredible find giving the Sox effective innings even when the rest of the staff went south last S [..] > read more

The Omnipotent Q's Top 30

Published on 2012-03-31 23:08:00

After reading the last post I did about my iPod, you might have been asking yourself, "I wonder what are the most popular artists in The Mighty Quinn's iPod?"Well, wonder no more. I did an update on the top artists in my iPod tonight, and here they are, in the order of the most songs:1. The Beatles (433)2. Elvis Presley (347)3. The Rolling Stones (339)4. Paul McCartney (327)5. Bill Evans (270)6. The Who (259)7. Bruce Springsteen (240)8. Dave Brubeck (211)9. Frank Sinatra (187)10. Elvis Costello [..] > read more

15,374

Published on 2012-03-30 10:32:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I love music. It's always been a big part of my life. I worked in the music industry for nearly 20 years. And for a long time, I resisted getting an iPod. What was I thinking?I finally got one in 2008. And I think it is one of man's greatest inventions. The music you want to listen to, right at your fingertips. I caught the "iPod disease" right after I got it. It made me go out and get a lot of the music I didn't own, first through iTunes, but then I went out bought a [..] > read more

Reason #4627 Why I Detest Sports Radio

Published on 2012-03-29 14:52:00

I was coming home on the subway late last night, and I looked up at the ads they have posted on the trains, and came across a real beauty, from the "Boomer and Carton" morning radio show that airs on WFAN:"Always Give Your Seat To a Pregnant Woman, Unless She's Wearing a Red Sox Hat."Schmucks.Sports talk radio: A haven for imbeciles. Always has been. Always will be. > read more

So, Will The Sox Play At Anfield One Day?

Published on 2012-03-29 10:31:00

Liverpool announced yesterday they will play an exhibition tour of North America this summer, and one of the dates announed will be a match at Fenway on July 25th against Roma of Italy.It will be Liverpool's first appearance in the United States since 2004.Here's more from ESPN Boston.The sewer that is the collectibles industry seems to be a bottomless pit, and Pete Nash at Hauls of Shame has another story about a so-called Walter Johnson-autographed ball that eBay's Fraud Team pulled off eBay b [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 27

Published on 2012-03-27 23:42:00

We had 18 teams in on Tuesday night, and it was a rather quiet night compared to the huge crowds Thom's has had in the previous six weeks on Trivia Night.It was definitely a tougher night in terms of scores than it has been over the past few weeks. It was also a rare night in that not one team all night had a perfect score in any round. But it was still a competitive night, and we had seven teams separated by six points going into the IQ Trivia round. The team in fourth place, Pian's Late and We [..] > read more

"Baseball Fantography"

Published on 2012-03-27 10:41:00

I recently came across a fascinating new book that was written by Andy Strasburg, and put together by the fans. It's called "Baseball Fantography: A Celebration In Snapshots and Stories From The Fans."Strasburg, who was a San Diego Padres executive from 1975-96, began the project when he found a picture of himself posing with Roger Maris at Yankee Stadium in 1966. He put out the word he was looking for fans with similar photographs and stories of meeting their heroes."Baseball Fantography" is a [..] > read more

This Special Couldn't Air Tonight? And Why Thursday at 1 AM?

Published on 2012-03-26 10:52:00

There's a PBS special called "Inside Fenway Park: An Icon at 100" that debuts tonight on stations around the country.I'm certainly interested in seeing it, but when I went to check the TV listings for my local PBS stations (WNET Channel 13), I discovered something interesting.It won't debut on Channel 13 until this coming Thursday morning, March 29th at 1 AM. My DVR is set for it.I don't believe in conspiracy theories, but the fact that a New York station (actually based in Newark, New Jersey, b [..] > read more

Q-Tip Returns

Published on 2012-03-26 10:33:00

This Tuesday night, Trivia Night at Professor Thom's will feature "Q-Tip Trivia", which we have not done in quite some time. That is when I ask you seven multiple choice, general knowledge questions, and the answer can be 1, 2, 3, all 4 or none of the choices given. You will get a point for each correct answer given. (If it is "none" you get one point.) However, if you give even one incorrect one, you will get no points for that question, so you have to be careful.The Q Train lightning round wil [..] > read more

Red Sox Beat Yankees, 4-4

Published on 2012-03-23 10:16:00

I know Spring Training counts for very little, and I don't talk about it much here on the blog.I was forced to check out Red Sox-Yankees on the YES Network last night, as it was blacked out on ESPN. I would have loved to have had that feed, as Terry Francona was doing his first game in the booth with his ex-club.YES showed him a couple of times in the booth. I had no idea what they were saying, as I had the TV on mute. (I refuse to listen to any game that includes Michael Kay in the broadcast bo [..] > read more

Wake On The Big Screen

Published on 2012-03-22 10:42:00

A couple of months ago, I read Tim Wakefield's book, "Knuckleball," and it was an enjoyable read about the great Timmeh's journey from a minor league first baseman who didn't have much of a bat to a World Series champion knuckleball pitcher. (I read just before he announced his retirement.)Well it turns out that Wake's final year in the bigs will be coming onto the big screen, as filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg followed him around in 2011, as well as the Mets' knuckleballer R.A. Dickey [..] > read more

Mel Parnell: 1922-2012

Published on 2012-03-21 10:03:00

I was saddened to learn this morning that the great Mel Parnell, one of the Red Sox all-time greatest lefties, died at the age of 89.He pitched ten seasons with the Sox, from 1947-56, and was the last Red Sox lefthander to win 20 games, 21 in 1953. His best season was 1949, when the Red Sox narrowly missed winning the pennant, and Parnell won 25 games, with an ERA of 2.77. He won 123 games in his career, and still holds the team records for wins, games started and innings by a lefty. A torn musc [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 20

Published on 2012-03-20 23:52:00

We were originally going to have Trivia this week on Monday, but we were able to move it back to Tuesday night just about 36 hours before it happened. So I had a feeling the crowd would be down after the amazing numbers we have been doing the last month. We had a good number of UMass basketball fans who came in for the NIT quarterfinal game (which UMass won in a great comeback), and 15 teams in for Trivia after it ended. It was exactly half the number of teams from last week. (And no one had any [..] > read more

Lester Gets The Ball On April 5th

Published on 2012-03-19 21:20:00

Bobby Valentine announced today what every Red Sox fan had pretty much known: Jon Lester will start the Opening Day game in Detroit on April 5th.Josh Beckett will start the Fenway Park opener on April 13th against Tampa Bay. That is the seventh game of the season, and it will be Beckett's second start of 2012. Yours Truly will be in attendance that day, my second ever Fenway opener in person.They are both pitchers with a lot to prove in 2012. > read more

The Mets: NY's Other Team For Years To Come

Published on 2012-03-19 10:50:00

It's a very dark day for Mets fans everywhere today.The news came down today that Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, the owners who have successfully run the New York Mets into the ground, have settled the lawsuit brought against them over the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme.The Mets owners will pay $162 million, and won't have to do it for three years.This settlement tells me that they would have lost this suit, and probably would have been forced to sell the team.Yes, these clods will continue to run the M [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 13

Published on 2012-03-14 00:18:00

It was yet again an amazing night at Professor Thom's, as for the third time in the last two months, and in two consecutive weeks, we set another new record for teams, with 30. The bar was simply packed, and again it reminded me of a Red Sox playoff game. We had a group of 30 who came in and divided into six teams, and that is a new record too!The scores were generally very good throughout the night, but they were especially good in IQ Trivia, as we had 10 teams got all five correct. That is als [..] > read more

Six Great Years

Published on 2012-03-13 10:39:00

It was six years ago today that Yours Truly woke up one morning and thought, "I should be a blogger." And poof! I was one.I thank all of you who have made writing The Mighty Quinn Media Machine a real pleasure, especially to those of you who come back frequently.Most folks come here for the Red Sox and Trivia stuff I write about, but I check the phrases that are googled every so often, and they run the gamut, from the New York Daily News' writer who calls himself "The Mighty Quinn" (that's not m [..] > read more

March 17th Is More Than Just St. Patrick's Day

Published on 2012-03-12 10:30:00

This Tuesday night, Trivia Night at Professor Thom's will feature "March 17th Trivia," seven questions connected to St. Patrick's Day in history. A lot more than just parades and people drinking green beer has happened on the day.The Q Train lightning round will be "Name the Decade: First Albums Trivia." I will give you the names of ten well-known pop artists, and you have to tell me the decade they released their first album. And if you can give me the exact year as well, I'll give you a bonus [..] > read more

Nobody Ever Said Crooks (Or Auction Galleries) Were Smart

Published on 2012-03-10 10:55:00

My friend Pete Nash has an interesting article over at Deadspin about a Ty Cobb autograph on baseball that that was once up for bids at an auction house in Dallas. The reason why it was no longer up for bids is that the ball was discovered to be made at least 15 years after Cobb's death in 1961!It was a really pathetic attempt at a forgery, and somehow the Heritage Auction House actually had it up for bids at one time.Also, Allan at The Joy of Sox has his annual contest up and running, and if yo [..] > read more

Fenway Is Finally "Historic"

Published on 2012-03-08 09:34:00

Funny, I always thought it was.Yesterday, Fenway Park was officially named a National Historic Landmark, as it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, on this its 100th anniversary year. > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 6

Published on 2012-03-06 23:58:00

We had yet another amazing night of Trivia on Tuesday night. We had a new record for teams: 29. The bar was nearly as crowded as it is for a Red Sox playoff game!And I want to encourage all of you to try to get to Thom's a bit earlier in the coming weeks. The tables get taken quickly, and on Tuesday they were all gone by about 8:15 PM. Incredible.The scores were very strong for Super Tuesday States Trivia and General Knowledge (I may have made them a bit too easy). IQ Trivia was a bit tougher, a [..] > read more

Test Your Sox Knowledge

Published on 2012-03-05 10:45:00

My friend Harvey Frommer has a cool Red Sox quiz that he just posted at Bleacher Report. I encourage you all to check it out. And I am proud to say I contributed to the quiz, as I wrote some of the questions of the 18-question test.Harvey is also the author of the fine "Remembering Fenway Park" book that I contributed to as well.Good job as always, Harvey. > read more

"SNL" & "Super Tuesday" Trivia This Week

Published on 2012-03-05 10:23:00

This week's Special Category for Trivia Night will be "Saturday Night Live Trivia," seven questions about the legendary late night comedy show, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the passing of John Belushi, which is today. (I was originally going to do "Q-Tip Trivia" this week, but that will be moved to a Trivia Night later this month.) They will be various questions about the show through its history.The Q Train lightning round will be "Super Tuesday States Trivia." I will ask you ten questio [..] > read more

A Terrible Waste of a Great Talent

Published on 2012-03-05 10:04:00

The great John Belushi died 30 years ago today. He was another of those great talents who went too far overboard, and a lethal mix of cocaine and heroin took his life at the Chateau Marmont in L.A. It's a shame to think what he might have gone on to do had he lived. John was only 33 at the time of his death.There are so many great Belushi clips to choose from, but here are two of my favorites, both brief ones from "Animal House." First, Bluto gives Kent Dorfman some advice. Never ceases to crack [..] > read more

Gotta Start Someplace

Published on 2012-03-04 11:11:00

The Red Sox beat up on the college boys in Ft. Myers yesterday: 25-0 over Northeastern and 6-3 over Boston College.It was their first two-game winning streak since last August.They take on real MLB competition today against the Minnesota Twins this afternoon (that is, until the guys with football numbers dominate the game) at 1:30 PM. The game will be shown tonight at 8 PM on the MLB Network.And this is the 3,800th post in the history of The Mighty Quinn Media Machine. 200 to until Four Grand. W [..] > read more

Sox Add Billy Buck & Get Mock(ed)

Published on 2012-03-03 10:36:00

The Red Sox keep adding pitchers, and they added a guy with a familiar name: Billy Buckner.No, he's not related to the guy you're thinking of.Buckner's numbers are nothing to get excited about. He had an ERA over 6.00 for the Colorado Rockies AAA club last season, and his career ERA is 6.25 in over 138 career MLB innings.The Sox also added Garrett Mock, whose numbers ain't great either. He last pitched for the Nationals AAA team last year, and his ERA was 6.28 in 12 starts. Both pitchers were as [..] > read more

It Ain't Broke, So Break It Anyway

Published on 2012-03-02 15:13:00

As you all know by now, MLB announced today that it is going to a format where ten teams will make the postseason in 2012, and not just eight. A wild card is being added to each league, and there will be a wild card playoff game between to the wild cards to determine who moves on to the division series.I don't like it at all. It's an artificial money grab by MLB, and makes the regular season even less important.My friend Adam, who has commented on my blog a few times in the past, sent me a terri [..] > read more

Davy Jones: 1945-2012

Published on 2012-02-29 12:45:00

I was very saddened to hear about the passing of Davy Jones, one of the lead singers for The Monkees, of a heart attack at his Florida home at the age 66.Like many of you out there, I grew up with the Monkees. I watched "The Monkees" when the show first ran in the late 1960s, but I remember them more when she show went to syndication in the 1970s. They were on every Saturday, and I always watched them. The show was always fun.The Monkees are proudly in my iPod, and the music is really timeless. [..] > read more

George Was No Fan Of Leap Day

Published on 2012-02-29 10:36:00

The late, great George Carlin gives his brief thoughts on Leap Day: > read more

Trivia Q&A: February 28

Published on 2012-02-29 00:04:00

We had another huge crowd in for Trivia on Tuesday night, as 25 teams took part. The crowds continue to be simply amazing, and I thank each and every one of you who make doing Trivia Night such a joy for me.We had some very good numbers for Leap Day Trivia and True or False Trivia. We had three teams going into IQ Trivia separated by a single point, and it was equally close when IQ Trivia ended. The team in first, J-Lo's Aereolas, held on by getting three of the five correct and won by just one [..] > read more

Captain 33. Thank You.

Published on 2012-02-28 09:47:00

Jason Varitek will indeed be calling it a career, and will be doing it on Thursday at JetBlue Park.Tek calls it a career after 15 seasons, and only Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams and Jim Rice played longer on the Red Sox without playing for another team.It was clearly time for the Red Sox catcher to call it a career. He will stay on with the club in a capacity that has not yet been announced. I would guess that the Sox will have a day for Tek in 2012, either with or without the also-retiring Tim [..] > read more

Celebrating Leap Day This Tuesday Night

Published on 2012-02-27 09:35:00

This Tuesday night, the Special Category will be "Leap Day Trivia," seven questions about February 29th, the day that occurs every four years, and will happen this Wednesday. You'd be surprised that more has occurred on this day than you'd think.The Q Train lightning round will be "True or False Trivia."The Sneak Peek question for this week is:"An otoscope is used for an examination for which part of the human body?"We will get going shortly after 9 PM. The crowds continue to be huge over the la [..] > read more

Finally, Some Hardware On Merseyside

Published on 2012-02-26 22:45:00

Liverpool won the English League Cup for a record eighth time at Wembley, winning 3-2 on penalty licks after a thrilling 2-2 tie after extra time with underdog Championship side Cardiff City.It was Liverpool's first trophy since their FA Cup Final win over West Ham United in 2006. Here's more on the win from Soccernet.Hopefully, this is the start of more hardware to come, as Liverpool are in the FA Cup quarterfinals, against Stoke. > read more

The First Six

Published on 2012-02-25 23:32:00

It was 19 years ago today that the World Trade Center was attacked for the first time, and six innocent people were killed and hundreds injured when a bomb detonated in a parking garage below the buildings.Say a prayer today for those victims and their families.May they never be forgotten. > read more

Happy 69th, George

Published on 2012-02-25 10:20:00

Today would have been the 69th birthday for the late, great George Harrison.To celebrate the day, here is a really cool YouTube clip from Eric Idle's "Rutland Weekend Television" program, from 1975. George appears as "Pirate Bob", and later as he's about to do "My Sweet Lord" with the band, he breaks into "The Pirate Song." Great stuff. (Neil Innes, who was in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" as one of "Robin's Minstrels" is in this clip.)BTW, Rutland Weekend Television morphed into "The Rutles [..] > read more

"The Mets: A 50th Anniversary Celebration"

Published on 2012-02-23 10:23:00

It's going to be a long year at Citi Field this year. Potentially, a VERY long year. Not a single Mets fan I know has any optimism whatever. It could be a year they drop 100 games. It's reminding me a lot of the darkest era in Mets history, the late 1970s.If you're a fan of the team and want to escape from the team's travails, I recommend you pick up "The Mets: A 50th Anniversary Celebration," a new hardcover coffee table book chronicling the long, strange trip over the last half-century of the [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: February 21

Published on 2012-02-21 23:43:00

We had 21 teams in on Tuesday night, and yet another crowded bar enjoying the Trivia. I was joined on the night by my dear friend Renee, who went to grammar school with me about a hundred years ago. It made the night even more special.The numbers were very good for the first two rounds, but I surprised they weren't as strong for The Q Train, which was "Oscar Winners' Film Trivia." I didn't think I made it that tough. Oh well.We had two teams who ran the table and had a perfect score in IQ Trivia [..] > read more

No, Not THAT Chris Carpenter

Published on 2012-02-21 10:36:00

The whole Theo Epstein-to-the-Cubs compensation mess has finally concluded, and the Red Sox will receive right-handed pitcher Chris Carpenter from the Cubs as compensation.No, not the Chris Carpenter you're thinking of. He pitches for the Cardinals and won a championship last season. (BTW, both players are named Christopher John Carpenter. Weird.) Or the "Cris Carpenter" who pitched for the Cardinals from 1988-92. (Boy, this is getting confusing.)This one is a relief pitcher ten years younger th [..] > read more

Tek AWOL, Probably Retiring

Published on 2012-02-20 10:59:00

The Red Sox pitchers and catchers all officially reported to Ft. Myers yesterday, but there was one noticeable absence: Jason Varitek.Speculation is running wild now that Tek will go the same route Tim Wakefield went last Friday: he will shortly announce his retirement from MLB.And I hope he does. He has an invite to camp on a minor league deal, but the fact that he's not in right now tells me Tek's ready to hang it up.He might just be waiting for some time to pass after Wake's announcement to m [..] > read more

How Much Do You Know About Oscar?

Published on 2012-02-20 10:47:00

This week's two revolving categories will both be on the same subject: Sunday's upcoming Academy Awards. The Special Category will be "Oscar Trivia." (No, not the Oscar pictured here unfortunately. I should do a round of "Odd Couple Trivia" someday.) Seven questions about the Academy Awards and its history, and it will be a mixed bag of questions: multiple-choice, true or false and multi-point questions all in one category.And the Q Train lightning round will be "Oscar Winners' Movies Trivia." I [..] > read more

Someone Will Wear 47. No One Will Wear 21.

Published on 2012-02-17 23:01:00

Pete Abraham had a column at Extra Bases the other day about the numbers the new Red Sox players and coaches will be wearing in Spring Training. Here's the list:CoachesBobby Valentine 25Bob McClure 22Alex Ochoa 36Jerry Royster 43New 40-man roster playersNick Punto 5Cody Ross 7Kelly Shoppach 10Ryan Sweeney 12Mark Melancon 37Andrew Bailey 40Clayton Mortensen 59Will Middlebrooks 83Che-Hsuan Lin 85Drake Britton 87New non-roster pitchersJesse Carlson 58Aaron Cook 35Justin Germano 50Will Inman 79Doug [..] > read more

Wake Retires

Published on 2012-02-17 11:24:00

Tim Wakefield will announce his retirement later today in Ft. Myers at a news conference.One of the classiest guys to ever wear a Red Sox uniform leaves the game after 19 seasons, 17 with the Red Sox, 200 wins (186 with the Sox), 256 strikeouts and a career 4.41 ERA. Wake did everything asked of him as a pitcher and more: starter, middle reliever, mopup man and closer. (He also had 22 saves) He didn't reach the Red Sox career record for wins, as he is third behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens. But [..] > read more

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Kid

Published on 2012-02-17 10:58:00

My friend Chris Jaffe at The Hardball Times has an excellent column about the career of the late Gary Carter (that still seems so hard to believe).I never knew that Carter made his MLB debut for the Montreal Expos in September 1974 against the Mets. (And who was the starting pitcher for the Expos that night? The infamous Mike Torrez.)That and a lot more facts about the career of one MLB's greatest catchers.Definitely check out this column, it's interesting reading for any Gary Carter fan. > read more

So Long, Kid

Published on 2012-02-16 16:59:00

I was saddened to hear that the great Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter lost his battle with brain cancer today. It had been a tough for fight for him and he was just 57.I'll never forget the night the Mets made the trade for Carter in December 1984. It came out of nowhere, and you knew the Mets were serious about winning when they pulled it off.My favorite Carter moment was the home run he hit in the 10th inning of Opening Day at Shea in 1985, his first game in a Mets uniform. It won the game, a [..] > read more

Trivia Q&A: February 14

Published on 2012-02-15 00:18:00

We had 16 teams in for Trivia Night, and a lot of the bar was focused on "Linsanity" early on, as there were a few Knicks fans in watching their fourth quarter comeback, topped by Jeremy Lin's three-pointer. There was a good crowd as usual, but a number of folks weren't into playing Trivia. Odd.Current Events was a tough round, but the scores rebounded in the next two rounds. We had the top three separated by five points heading into IQ Trivia, but the team of Where Do Broken Hearts Go? To Trivi [..] > read more

The Great Bob Zupcic

Published on 2012-02-14 11:39:00

My friend and blogger Jere put up a cool YouTube clip today on his site, A Red Sox Fan From Pinstripe Territory, of the great Bob Zupcic. You older Sox fans will remember him as the early '90s Red Sox outfielder and fan favorite. (Bob played with the Sox from 1991-94, and the 1992 team he played on in this clip may very well have been the weakest hitting Sox team in my memory. How weak? Tom Brunansky led the team in home runs with 15. The Sox finished dead last that year under the guidance of Bu [..] > read more

A Happy Valentine's Day To You All

Published on 2012-02-14 05:00:00

And if he wins a championship in Boston, do we start referring to him as "St. Valentine?" > read more

The Most Successful Musician & Composer In Pop Music History

Published on 2012-02-13 11:30:00

My friend Adam put up an interesting post on Facebook this morning, and it was about how many folks (mostly of them young and of the teenage variety) wrote on Twitter last night, after seeing Paul McCartney close out the Grammy Awards, were wondering: "Who is Paul McCartney?"That makes me shake my head.And it's an even more damning indictment of the current state that pop music is in. I don't watch the Grammy Awards, as I've always detested them. Most of the award winners can't put two words tog [..] > read more

Presidents and Valentines This Tuesday

Published on 2012-02-13 11:15:00

This Tuesday night's Special Category for Trivia Night will be "Presidential Trivia", in honor of next Monday's Presidents Day holiday. It will be seven questions about the men who have held the highest office in this land. It was also be multiple choice.The Q Train lightning round will be "Valentine's Day True or False." It will be ten statements connected to Tuesday's holiday, and you have to tell me if they are real or not.The Sneak Peek question for this week is:"The Volvo and Saab automaker [..] > read more

A Perfect Nine-For-Nine

Published on 2012-02-13 10:58:00

Throughout this winter, I thought the 2012 contract for David Ortiz was simple. He wanted $16.5 million, and the Red Sox offered $12.65 million. Just split the difference and both sides could avoid arbitration.And that's just what they did.In the final hours before both sides were heading to the arbitration table, Ortiz and the Sox agreed to a one-year, $14.575 million deal. Papi was looking for a multi-year deal, but that didn't happen.The Red Sox record of avoiding arbitration remains intact, [..] > read more

Is There a Garbage Barge Lackey Can Be Dumped Off On?

Published on 2011-07-04 18:22:00

After all, he's pitching like a garbage-time pitcher.MLB's worst starting pitcher lived up to his reputation on the Fourth of July by putting the Red Sox in a 7-0 hole by the third inning against Toronto.The Red Sox scored four in the fifth and three > read more

Happy Fourth

Published on 2011-07-04 12:03:00

To all my friends in cyberspace, I want to wish you all a wonderful July 4th holiday.My thoughts and prayers today are with all our military, who put their lives on the line for our freedom and security every day. And I especially want to mention my > read more

Post-July 4th Trivia On Tuesday

Published on 2011-07-04 10:50:00

Trivia Night on Tuesday will feature a category we did a while back, and here it is again: "Name The Decade Trivia." I will give you seven events from the 20th century and you have to tell me which decade it occurred in. And if you really know your s > read more

The Travesty of Interleague Is Over. Thankfully.

Published on 2011-07-03 18:59:00

The Red Sox today went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.They left 12 men on base.So how did they do?They won 2-1 over the hapless Houston Astros. They did everything humanly possibly to keep Houston in the game, but the Sox finally found a w > read more

Houston, You've Got Big Problems

Published on 2011-07-03 10:31:00

The Red Sox jumped out to any early 3-0 lead on Saturday night, and they made that stand up, as they coasted to a 10-4 win over the hapless Astros.Another fine performance by Andrew Miller. He looked shaky to begin with, allowed Houston a quick run b > read more

Watch Out For Flying Bricks, "Buck"

Published on 2011-07-02 10:54:00

The New York Daily News has a story of a bar owner in New Brunswick, NJ who decided to change his bar name to "Buck Foston's" (clever, huh?) and apparently he's in a tussle with the mayor, who as it turns out is a Red Sox fan.The bar owner, Larry Bla > read more

On a Pace For 94 Wins

Published on 2011-07-02 10:16:00

It looked to be another interleague crapfest in an NL park on Friday night. Marco Scutaro led off the game with a home run, but that lead didn't last against the worst team in baseball, the Houston Astros. Houston scored one in the first and two in t > read more

It Gets Better

Published on 2011-07-01 17:41:00

The Red Sox have become the third MLB team to release a video message against anti-gay bullying, joining the Cubs and Giants in helping the It Gets Better Project. Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek and Terry Francona all appear in the one minute video.Ni > read more

700

Published on 2011-06-30 15:22:00

The Phillies may have a buzzsaw in Cliff Lee, but the Phillies met the Red Sox version on Thursday afternoon in Jon Lester.The Phillies couldn't lay a glove on Lester, who went seven strong innings, allowed just two hits and two walks in seven inning > read more

OK, Lackey Wasn't Terrible On Wednesday

Published on 2011-06-29 23:40:00

Yeah, John Lackey went 7 2/3 innings, and allowed just two runs, and took a tough loss. 2-1.Lackey was also the total Red Sox offense, as he drove in the lone Red Sox run with an RBI double.Papi played first, and Gonzo played right field.This interle > read more

JW's Trivia Q&A: June 29

Published on 2011-06-29 23:39:00

On our second Trivia Night at Josie Wood's, we had six teams come out and enjoy the festivities. We had a small but enthusiastic crowd,and hopefully this will build into a successful night the way Tuesday night at Professor Thom's has become.The Team > read more

At Least He Wasn't Wearing a Yankee Uniform

Published on 2011-06-29 00:44:00

Cliff Lee was simply overpowering on Tuesday night as the Red Sox could manage just two hits against him as the Phillies rolled, 5-0.I really thought Lee was going to throw a no-hitter. (I was waiting for the name "Chris Bosio" to surface during the > read more

PT's Trivia Q&A: June 28

Published on 2011-06-29 00:06:00

We had 20 teams in for Trivia Night, and the bar had a nice crowd watching Cliff Lee take a buzzsaw to the Red Sox lineup. But it was still a great night of Trivia, and it was nice to see some old friends back at Thom's I hadn't seen in a while. It w > read more

Trivia Returns to Josie Wood's on Wednesday

Published on 2011-06-28 17:18:00

Our second Wednesday Night Trivia at Josie Wood's will be happening tomorrow at 8 PM, and the Special Categories will be "1-2-3-4 Trivia" and "True or False Trivia." The latter category will be ten questions where the answer will be the numbers one, > read more

Sad News From Raleigh

Published on 2011-06-28 10:43:00

I was saddened to hear that Lorenzo Charles, the hero of the 1983 North Carolina State NCAA basketball championship game, was killed in a bus crash in North Carolina yesterday.I always remembered Lorenzo because he brought some pride to us Brooklyn T > read more

In Honor of Birthday Number 235

Published on 2011-06-27 10:06:00

Since we are not having another Trivia Night at Professor Thom's until July 5th (after this Tuesday night, that is), I thought it might be a good idea to have a round of "July 4th Trivia" this coming Tuesday night. So that will be our Special categor > read more

Salvage Job

Published on 2011-06-26 16:28:00

The Red Sox avoided the embarrassment of being swept this weekend by the Pirates by pulling out a 4-2 win on Sunday.Nice job by Andrew Miller, who went six innings, and got the win. He allowed both runs. The bullpen was stellar in the final six innin > read more

Did They Really Lose a Series To The Pittsburgh Pirates?

Published on 2011-06-25 21:33:00

Yes, they did. And I'm glad I missed it.6-4. Four straight losses for the Red Sox. An unhappy return for Tim Wakefield to Pittsburgh.Second straight series they've dropped to a lousy or mediocre team.New York's win over Colorado now puts the Red Sox > read more

Another Night of Waste

Published on 2011-06-24 22:31:00

Three straight losses to the Padres and Pirates. Bloody hell.And another night of leaving runners EVERYWHERE. One run scored, 11 men left on base, Sox were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.Jon Lester retired the first six hitters, then strug > read more

No More Sox Games For You!

Published on 2011-06-24 09:48:00

The moment I heard that Whitey Bulger got nailed by the FBI in Santa Monica, my first thought was:I wonder if he hung out at Sonny McLean's watching the Red Sox games?And BTW, do you suppose he has brothers nicknamed "Honky" and "Cracker?" (That's an > read more

Useless, Useless

Published on 2011-06-22 23:26:00

The dying words of John Wilkes Booth of April 1865 can certainly apply to one John Lackey of June 2011.Another miserable performance by one of MLB's worst pitchers, this time against one of MLB's worst offenses. The Red Sox actually lost a series to > read more

JW's Trivia Q&A: June 22

Published on 2011-06-22 23:13:00

Wednesday Night Trivia at Josie Wood's made its debut last night and I have to call it a successful one. We had seven teams come in for it, and that was exactly the number of teams who were in for my debut at Professor thom's in 2006.Martin, Josie Wo > read more

Ace Walk Parade Dooms Sox

Published on 2011-06-22 10:22:00

It was one of those nights.Alfredo Aceves, subbing for the ill Josh Beckett, couldn't find home plate and gifted the San Diego Padres two runs in the second inning. He did something you rarely see: he walked five men in a row. And thoughts of the mov > read more

PT's Trivia Q&A: June 21

Published on 2011-06-22 00:24:00

We had another huge crowd in on Tuesday night, as 21 teams took part in Trivia night. It was a pleasure to see Kelly and Lindsey, who do comedy every other Monday in Professor Thom's Loft (and are doing a special benefit there on Friday night). And I > read more

A New Night of Trivia Debuts On Wednesday

Published on 2011-06-21 10:07:00

I'm proud to say that my second Trivia Night will begin tomorrow night, June 22nd, at 8 PM at Josie Wood's, a bar located at 11 Waverly Place, right off the corner of Mercer Street, one block west of Broadway.I'm really excited about doing a Wednesda > read more

Once Again The Sox Stomp Their Foes In The 7th

Published on 2011-06-20 23:23:00

Andrew Miller made his Red Sox debut on Monday night and made a decent accounting of himself, pitching five scoreless innings. But he allowed a three-run shot to Orlando Hudson, who hit his first home run of the season for the Padres. Miller wound up > read more

No Chicken Or The Egg Questions On Tuesday

Published on 2011-06-20 07:53:00

The Special category this Tuesday night at professor Thom's Trivia Night will be "Which Came First Trivia." I will give you two events that happened relatively close to each other and you have to tell me which occurred first.The Q Train lightning rou > read more

200

Published on 2011-06-19 21:52:00

Clay Buchholz was placed on the 15-day DL before Sunday's game with a stiff back. It was necessary due to Buchholz having left the last few games early, and with Andrew Miller being brought up on Monday to me=ake the start versus the Padres at Fenway > read more

Godspeed Big Man

Published on 2011-06-19 12:09:00

We'll miss you Clarence. Here he is at his best, from Emirates Stadium in London in 2008 doing one of his most famous solos, on "Born to Run":Thanks for all the wonderful, unforgettable music, Mr. Clemons. > read more

A Fine Day For Boston Ends Badly

Published on 2011-06-18 23:43:00

The day began in triumph for Boston, as the Bruins showed off their Stanley Cup to a million fans on the streets of the city.But as the day progressed, the news just got worse, as Carl Crawford was put on the DL with a hamstring strain. It is not con > read more

Close Early, Rout Late

Published on 2011-06-17 23:20:00

Friday night's game had all the makings of a 10-9 game, as the first inning took 45 minutes to play, with the Red Sox and Brewers each scored two runs. And with John Lackey giving up 4 in the first three innings, I could see a four-hour game on the h > read more

Jed to the DL; Pap Sits For Two

Published on 2011-06-17 16:19:00

The Red Sox placed Jed Lowrie on the 15-day disabled list today with a shoulder injury, and recalled Drew Sutton to backup Marco Scutaro at shortstop.Clay Buchholz' next start is being pushed back a couple of days because of his recurring back proble > read more

8-1

Published on 2011-06-17 09:49:00

I would have been satisified with a 5-4 road trip through the AL East for the Red Sox these past ten days. But last night the Sox put the cherry on top of the sundae with a 4-2 win over Tampa Bay and will return to Fenway with just one loss in the la > read more

My Trivia Empire Is Expanding

Published on 2011-06-16 10:00:00

I'm proud to announce that I will now be doing a second night of Trivia every week.I will be the Trivia host at Josie Wood's, a cool bar in Greenwich Village that is located on Waverly Place, just off the corner of Mercer Street. It's exact location > read more

So How Do You Top This Night, Boston?

Published on 2011-06-15 22:08:00

Congratulations to my all my friends who support the Boston Bruins, as they won their first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years with a 4-0 whitewash of the Vancouver Canucks on the road in Vancouver.The Bruins become only the third team to win a Gam > read more

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Published on 2011-06-15 00:00:00

The nine-game winning streak is over. I had a feeling the Red Sox weren't going to win by double-digits three straight games.They ran into a buzzsaw in James Shields, who pitched a five-hit shutout. Adrian Gonzalez had three hits, and everyone else h > read more

Trivia Q&A: June 14

Published on 2011-06-14 23:52:00

We had 22 teams in for Trivia Night on its regular night again, and it was good to see so many of the regulars back. No worries folks, we are back on Tuesday night to stay!The scores were generally high, and I think most of the questions before IQ Tr > read more

I'm Not a "Believer" Either

Published on 2011-06-14 14:03:00

With all the genuflecting at the altar of Derek Jeter going on as he approaches the 3,000 hit mark, the Sporting News has a column called "Skeptic vs. Believer" and the topic is "Derek Jeter is the greatest shortstop in MLB history" and two writers t > read more

How Hot Are The Red Sox Right Now?

Published on 2011-06-14 09:36:00

So hot that they gained ground on a night they didn't play, as both New York and Tampa Bay lost.The Red Sox lead the AL East by 2 1/2 games, as they face the Rays in St. Pete tonight.They are expected to activate Darnell McDonald from the DL tonight > read more

Back Where We Belong: On Tuesday Night

Published on 2011-06-13 10:09:00

Trivia Night at Professor Thom's returns to Tuesday night to stay this week, and thank goodness for that. No more moving around!Once again, I thank you all of you who followed Trivia Night to the various nights we had to move to (Sunday, Monday and T > read more

No Prisoners Taken. Again.

Published on 2011-06-12 16:12:00

Another day, another slaughter north of the border.So, how do you top winning by 12 runs on Saturday? Win by 13 on Sunday.The Red Sox continue to be the hottest team in MLB right now, winning their 9th straight game, 14-1 against the helpless Toronto > read more

A Runaway Freight Train

Published on 2011-06-11 15:59:00

That would be a good description of the Boston Red Sox right now, as they totally dismantled the Blue Jays today, 16-4, in Toronto.It was a good day to score a lot of runs, as John Lackey took the mound. But he wasn't bad at all. He allowed four runs > read more

At Least One Boston Team Won In Canada Last Night

Published on 2011-06-11 10:27:00

Clay Buchholz shrugged off the tightness in his back and gave the Red Sox seven solid innings last night. He struck out six and gave up just one run on three hits.Seven straight wins, as the Red Sox went into Toronto with very little sleep and beat t > read more

Nobody Ever Said Sportswriters Were Smart

Published on 2011-06-10 10:06:00

I was enjoying the Yankee schadenfreude over at Joy of Sox this morning, when Allan put up this quote from some New York Times writer named Ben Shpigel:Babe Ruth was a 17-year-old pitching prodigy at the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. The Re > read more

A Bronx Massacre. Once Again.

Published on 2011-06-10 00:46:00

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.Another sweep. In the Bronx. Another ass kicking.Red Sox score seven in the seventh against New York's ace after a 3 1/2 hour rain delay.8-3 final. 25-12 in the series. The Sox win the last two games by five runs apiece. I > read more

A Bizarre 25th Anniversary

Published on 2011-06-09 13:44:00

My friend Chris Jaffe has a good article up at The Hardball Times about a truly strange injury Wade Boggs suffered on this day in 1986 that cost him a shot at hitting .400.It involves him taking off his boots in a hotel room in Toronto and falling an > read more

Is Pedey Out?

Published on 2011-06-08 22:44:00

Rumors are flying that Dustin Pedroia may need knee surgery and be out a month.Dustin is returning to Boston on Thursday to have his right knee examined and won't be available for the finale in the Bronx. The injury goes back to the one he suffered a > read more

Asses Kicked. Names Taken.

Published on 2011-06-08 22:14:00

The Red Sox will be playing with the house's money on Thursday.11-6 win in The House The Taxpayers Built on Wednesday night. Papi goes deep again in the first inning. Carl Crawford and J.D. Drew both also left the yard.Tim Wakefield pitched into the > read more

Phil Dunphy's No Clown (Or John Sterling Fan)

Published on 2011-06-08 10:03:00

My buddies at Surviving Grady put this YouTube clip up today, and I will also. The cast of "Modern Family" (one of the few network shows I watch with any regularity and is absolutely hysterical) appeared on Inside the Actors Studio and James Lipton a > read more

200 Means First Place

Published on 2011-06-07 21:40:00

First blood drawn in the Bronx.Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz go deep. Sox open with three in the first and never look back. Jon Lester goes six innings, allowed eight hits and three runs, is rather shaky but gets win number eight.Alex Rodriguez goe > read more

At Least I Haven't Seen Anyone Grade These Picks

Published on 2011-06-07 10:45:00

The Red Sox drafted four players yesterday in the first-year amateur draft's first round (and supplemental round). And they are:Matt Barnes-RHP, University of Connecticut (19th pick)Blake Swihart-C, Cleveland High School, Rio Rancho, New Mexico(26)He > read more

Lackey: Not Bad Really

Published on 2011-06-05 23:01:00

As John Lackey was making his return to Red Sox rotation today, I thought I was glad that the Red Sox had already won the series, as this one could get ugly, and I wouldn't be too upset.But Lackey turned in a decent performance, going 5 2/3 innings, > read more

Trivia Q&A: June 5

Published on 2011-06-05 22:07:00

We had 26 teams in last Tuesday, and on Sunday night we had the opposite end of the spectrum: just 7 teams were in to play. That wasn't a great surprise, as we've had turnouts like that before on Sunday nights we have had to do it. But those who came > read more

Tony Randazzo's Flying Circus

Published on 2011-06-04 23:14:00

OK, Jonathan Papelbon was awful in the ninth inning, and he was mostly responsible for Saturday's game going into extra innings. And Dustin Pedroia botched what looked like a sure double play grounder to end the game in the same inning. (I didn't see > read more

MLB Extra Innings Ruins Baseball, Too

Published on 2011-06-04 12:07:00

The Red Sox have just begun their Saturday afternoon game at 1 PM with the Oakland A's, and I am not watching it.I'm not seeing it because MLB Extra Innings isn't showing it.The game was originally going to be broadcast at 7 PM, but the Red Sox graci > read more

Trivia On Sunday Night? Why Not?

Published on 2011-06-04 10:52:00

As many of you know, the Bruins Stanley Cup run has played havoc with Tuesday Night Trivia, as we've had to move it to different nights when it falls on a Tuesday. This week they are playing on Monday (Game 3) and that will bring out a huge crowd. Bu > read more

Clutch Carl To The Rescue Again

Published on 2011-06-04 10:36:00

This night sure didn't start off good.I was making my way back from another of my acting gigs when I checked my cell on the subway and saw the score of the Red Sox game after one inning was 4-2 Oakland. I thought that Clay Buchholz' back problems mus > read more

"All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records"

Published on 2011-06-02 21:13:00

Actor Colin Hanks, son of Oscar winner Tom Hanks, is currently putting together a documentary called "All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records", and to the say the least, I can't wait to see this when it comes out.Colin is appealing t > read more

Junk From Weiner

Published on 2011-06-02 10:45:00

The congressman is bringing lots of pride to us fellow Brooklyn Tech alumni these days, wouldn't you say? > read more

The 2011 Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame Class

Published on 2011-06-02 10:30:00

The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame announced their inductees for 2011, and six men will be going in: MLB Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan, Big Ed Walsh and John McGraw, Yankee trainers Gene Monahan and Steve Donahue, and singer Terry Cashman (best kn > read more

The End For Dice-K In Boston?

Published on 2011-06-01 22:49:00

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported tonight that Nikkan Sports in Japan is saying that Daisuke Matsuzaka has elected to have Tommy John surgery performed on his ailing right elbow.It would end his 2011 season and possibly a big part of the 2012 > read more

Marty Foster Needs a Seeing Eye Dog

Published on 2011-06-01 22:29:00

How could Foster, the second base ump, miss this tag that Dustin Pedroia made on Juan Pierre today? (Photo is from the Boston Globe.)From this angle, it doesn't appear Foster was blocked off on the play. The level of umpiring incompetence in MLB cont > read more

Why Can't The Red Sox Beat Chicago At Home?

Published on 2011-06-01 16:31:00

Well, that wasn't too embarrassing, was it?Swept at home by the lowly White Sox, 7-4. They haven't beaten Chicago at Fenway since late 2009, a span of seven straight games. A rotten umpire's call at second that ended up costing the Red Sox two runs s > read more

Nothing To See Here Folks. Move Along.

Published on 2011-06-01 00:42:00

It got ugly in a hurry at Fenway on Tuesday night, and just when I started to think Alfredo Aceves might possibly have some future as a fifth starter. Silly me.I had Trivia Night to distract me a bit, but 10-1 became 10-7 in the last two innings, and > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 31

Published on 2011-06-01 00:27:00

It was an historic night in the five-year history of my Trivia Night, as we tied the record for most teams, as 26 of them came in. It didn't look like we'd come close, but the folks kept coming in as the time to start approached. Thanks to all of you > read more

One-Third The Way Done

Published on 2011-05-31 10:51:00

The 2011 season is now 1/3 completed for the Red Sox, and it fell on Memorial Day. They are 30-24 at this juncture. They are on a pace to win 90 games, but I think if they avoid losing 10 of 12 twice more, they should easily reach 90 wins.Jon Lester > read more

Splitsville

Published on 2011-05-30 09:52:00

The Red Sox split the two games they played on Sunday. And I'll take it.David Ortiz hit his first pinch-hit home run since 2003 in the ninth inning of Game 1 to give the Sox a 4-3 win in the opener. Six innings from Clay Buchholz, and he left the gam > read more

Trivia's Back On Tuesday (At Least For This Week)

Published on 2011-05-30 07:31:00

Trivia Night returns to its regularly scheduled day and time this Tuesday, May 31st at 9 PM. We've been moved around due to the Boston Bruins and their successful playoff run. But it will be nice to return to Tuesdays for a change.And this Tuesday, t > read more

I Hate Day-Night Doubleheaders

Published on 2011-05-28 21:45:00

The Red Sox-Tigers Saturday night game was rained out tonight (I wouldn't have seen it here in NYC anyway because of inane Fox and their regional coverage), and it will be made up tomorrow as part of a doubleheader.No, not a single admission DH, but > read more

Yankees of England Go Belly Up

Published on 2011-05-28 15:36:00

European Champions League Final from Wembley: Barcelona 3, Manchester United 1.So United, take your 19 English championships, your arrogance and entitled attitude and shove 'em.Nice work, Barca.Go Liverpool. > read more

Alone Again (In First). Naturally.

Published on 2011-05-28 12:11:00

Another night. More runs.Once again courtesy of the red-hot Carl Crawford.He and Jacoby Ellsbury both took Rick Porcello over the wall as the Red Sox whipped up on the Tigers, 6-3. It was a two-run shot, and Crawford is now 9 for his last 12 at the > read more

First

Published on 2011-05-26 23:07:00

Talk about kicking ass and taking names.The Red Sox were doing it once again on Thursday afternoon in Detroit, as like on Wednesday against the Indians in Cleveland, they laid two touchdowns on the Tigers. 14-1.Wow.Carl Crawford had his second straig > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 26

Published on 2011-05-26 22:59:00

On a rare Thursday night, I was pleasantly surprised to see 14 teams come out for Trivia Night, and many of them were regular teams who adjusted their schedules and took part. I thank you all so much for your undying loyalty to my Trivia Night.We had > read more

Two Touchdowns

Published on 2011-05-25 22:39:00

I worked as an extra on "Boardwalk Empire" on Wednesday at Ft. Tilden Park in Rockaway (playing a veteran of the Spanish-American War; it was a cool gig), so I missed all of the Red Sox-Indians finale at Cleveland on Wednesday.It was another one of t > read more

Let's Go Back To The '80s On Thursday

Published on 2011-05-25 07:00:00

We're having a special Thursday edition of Trivia Night on Thursday, and at a special time of 8 PM. And our Special Category that night will be "1980s Trivia," seven questions about that decade we all miss. And the category will be multiple choice as > read more

Finally, A Win In Cleveland

Published on 2011-05-24 21:42:00

Josh Beckett brought back some very pleasant memories of the 2007 ALCS with a terrific performance over the Indians in Cleveland, as the Red Sox went on to a 4-2 win. It was the first Red Sox win over the Tribe in Cleveland this year after four strai > read more

Play Golf With Tek This July

Published on 2011-05-24 10:32:00

Jason Varitek will once again host his "Celebrity Putt Putt" fundraiser this coming July 21st, to benefit Journey Forward, to help those people with spinal injuries.It is being held on July 21st at Athletic Evolution in Woburn, MA. Tickets are $50 an > read more

I'm Officially Worried About Daniel Bard

Published on 2011-05-23 22:00:00

There goes another opportunity to go into first place.Clay Buchholz pitched a splendid game tonight in Cleveland, as he held the Indians to one run over seven innings, but the bullpen cost him the game as Daniel Bard blew another save, and it wound u > read more

A Reminder: Trivia Is On Thursday This Week

Published on 2011-05-23 10:54:00

Just a reminder to all of you Trivia players out there that Trivia Night this week is Thursday, at a special time of 8 PM.I won't be around tomorrow, as my role in "Boardwalk Empire" is scheduled to film on Tuesday.The Sneak Peek and special categori > read more

Vintage Wake

Published on 2011-05-23 10:31:00

Tim Wakefield gave the Red Sox and their bullpen a shot in the arm last night, as he pitched 6 2/3 innings of solid ball, allowing just one run as the Sox took the series from the Cubs, 5-1.Adrian Gonzalez went 4-for-4, Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit firs > read more

Post Non-Rapture Blues

Published on 2011-05-22 10:23:00

On second thought, maybe I should thank Fox I missed Saturday's Red Sox-Cubs game.I got home in time after softball to put on the radio with the Red Sox holding a 3-1 lead after the bottom of the 7th. Alfredo Aceves gave the Sox five solid innings an > read more

Sox Enter Eternity Winning Seven Straight

Published on 2011-05-20 22:52:00

The Red Sox pulled out the whoopin' sticks against the Cubs at Fenway, and won their seventh straight, 15-5.Kevin Youkilis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia went deep, Adrian Gonzalez continued his torrent hitting and is up to a league-leading 41 RBI. Jacoby > read more

Fox Ruins Baseball #5482

Published on 2011-05-20 18:44:00

I was really looking forward to tomorrow night's Red Sox-Cubs game at Fenway, as both teams will be wearing throwback uniforms of the 1918 World Series, when both teams met each other, with the Red Sox winning it in six games.I saw it was a 7 PM star > read more

My First Pilgrimage To The Fens: 25 Years Ago Today

Published on 2011-05-20 10:10:00

It was 25 years ago today that Yours Truly stepped foot into the Hallowed Grounds that is Fenway Park for the very first time.Dates always stick with me, especially important dates like this one. 1986 was a very different time, and I got the tickets > read more

Third Time In May Is a Charm For Carl

Published on 2011-05-19 21:55:00

It was a night of a big time pitching matchup at Fenway Park on Thursday night, with Josh Beckett taking on Justin Verlander, who recently no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays.Beckett went six innings and allowed just one run before leaving with neck tightne > read more

Then Again, Maybe "The Bronx Bombers" Are Terrorists

Published on 2011-05-19 10:01:00

In past years in this blog, I have done the odd comment about some of the really dumb "letters to the editor" I see in the local papers. I haven't been reading the papers much recently, but I did stumble across the "Voice of the People" column in tod > read more

Two Over and Rolling

Published on 2011-05-19 09:51:00

Five straight now for the Red Sox as they won in the rain and fog, 1-0.Clay Buchholz was superb over seven innings, stranding the bases loaded once and throwing a career-high 127 pitches.Jarrod Saltalamacchia accounted for all the offense needed, ban > read more

"Shot You In The Face"

Published on 2011-05-18 10:17:00

Here's a funny clip from last night's "Late Show With David Letterman" featuring the great comedian Martin Short singing a song on piano called "Shot You In The Face" to the tune of "Candle In The Wind" about the Navy Seals killing Bin Laden: > read more

Shuffling The Pitching Deck

Published on 2011-05-18 09:59:00

The Red Sox put struggling starter John Lackey on the DL with an elbow strain the other day (probably more for his mind than his body, with his wife's cancer treatment currently going on), and they will put Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL today as well. > read more

The Gonzo Rampage Continues

Published on 2011-05-17 11:42:00

It looked like a tough night last night. We had Trivia Night on a rainy Monday night, and that meant the crowds at Professor Thom's would be down (and they were). After I finished preparing for the night, it was already 2-0 Orioles in the bottom of t > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 16

Published on 2011-05-17 00:24:00

We had just 10 teams in on a special night of Trivia, with the Bruins playing on Tuesday night we had to move nights yet again. But it was nice to see a few of the regulars who were able to change their schedules and come on out.The numbers were gene > read more

A Sweep. Simply Brilliant.

Published on 2011-05-16 09:19:00

Oh, how I do enjoy the smell of Yankee schadenfreude in the morning.The Red Sox hit the .500 mark for the first time in 2011 with a sweep of New York in the Bronx last night.Jon Lester was rocked for 4 runs in the first two innings, as the Sox fell b > read more

Some Good Reading On The Posada Meltdown

Published on 2011-05-15 16:23:00

Two blogger friends of mine on opposite ends of the fence, Paul Sullivan and Lisa Swan, both have excellent takes on the weird and strange Jorge Posada saga that is unfolding in the Bronx.I am of the opinion that Posada quit on his team by letting hi > read more

Trivia's Back On Monday This Week

Published on 2011-05-15 10:37:00

The Boston Bruins are in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and their Game 2 is Tuesday night at 8 PM. So we will have Trivia Night tomorrow night, May 16th at 9 PM.The Special Category will be "1970s Trivia," seven questi > read more

Life Is Good At The Moment

Published on 2011-05-14 21:57:00

The Red Sox take the series from the Yankees, 6-0.Josh Beckett has now pitched 14 innings against New York this season, and has not allowed them an earned run. His ERA for 2011 is an astounding 1.75.Adrian Gonzalez continued his "en fuego" act by bla > read more

Good Start To a Weekend In The Bronx

Published on 2011-05-13 22:08:00

Huge, big time win in the Bronx on Friday night.Adrian Gonzalez is unstoppable, blasting yet another home run, his sixth in the past week.Clay Buchholz was solid for seven innings, allowing just a two-run homer that tied the game in the 5th. The bull > read more

With Quinnah, You're a Winnah!

Published on 2011-05-11 23:01:00

I had the pleasure last night of hanging in Professor Thom's with Nick Stevens, who is best known for his alter ego Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald, and his terrific web site, "Townie News."Nick is also currently working for MLB Network, and he's doing some > read more

Is Playing .500 Ball Too Much To Ask Of This Team?

Published on 2011-05-11 22:19:00

An awful two nights in Toronto.A 10th inning loss on Tuesday night, and a nine-run outburst by the Jays against the worst free agent signing in Theo Epstein's reign as Red Sox GM. And God only knows why Terry Francona stayed with John Lackey as long > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 10

Published on 2011-05-11 00:45:00

We had 19 teams in on a night where we didn't have to worry about a Celtics or Bruins playoff game on a Tuesday night in some time.We had some strong numbers for 1-10 Trivia, with 10 teams getting a perfect score. We also saw 5 teams get perfect scor > read more

There Is Never "Closure."

Published on 2011-05-10 11:06:00

This morning I received an email from the 9/11 Families For a Secure America. Its president, Peter Gadiel, lost his son in the 9/11 attacks, and he wrote a really terrific op-ed piece for CNN about the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Mr. Gadiel sums up m > read more

Clutch Carl Wins It Again

Published on 2011-05-09 22:09:00

Can we send SEAL Team Six to get Angel Hernandez?The World's Worst Umpire struck again on Monday night, calling a BS balk on Alfredo Aceves, and that led to the tying run scoring by the Twins, and eventually sending the game to extra innings.Granted, > read more

Back To Normal (I Hope)

Published on 2011-05-09 10:03:00

This Tuesday night there will be NO Celtics playoff game, and NO Bruins playoff game.Just Trivia. Thank goodness.So that means we start at the usual time of just after 9 PM. And this week's Special Category is "May 10th Trivia," seven questions about > read more

Another Mother's Day Miracle

Published on 2011-05-09 09:45:00

Another Mother's Day miracle you ask? Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed three runs in the first inning, and wound up a winning pitcher yesterday.It looked like the Evil Dice-K was making an appearance on Sunday to upset all mothers out there, but the offense > read more

Iglesias Heading to Fenway?

Published on 2011-05-07 21:54:00

I was only able to watch the first two innings of the nationally televised Red Sox-Twins game on Fox, as a two-hour rain delay (what, again?) forced Fox to show the end of Rays-Orioles and leave when that was completed, due to "contractual obligation > read more

The Fans Deserved Their Money Back

Published on 2011-05-06 22:12:00

The Red Sox are leaving me shaking my head right now. Another truly awful, worthless affair on Friday night. Two critical errors, two runs balked in. Lethargic offense. Lethargic effort. I have no answers.Granted the amazingly bad umpire tag-team of > read more

Can We Send Team Six To Get Lackey?

Published on 2011-05-05 15:53:00

Just when you want to like John Lackey, he turns in a miserable performance on Thursday afternoon, giving up 8 runs in 4 innings as the Sox settled for a split of their series with the LA Angels.Lackey was undefeated against his old team since coming > read more

Long Night's Journey Into Morning

Published on 2011-05-05 10:34:00

Yep, I was one of those crazy fools who stuck it out watching the Red Sox game until its conclusion this morning at 2:45 AM.As soon as I saw Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound in the 13th inning, I knew trouble lie ahead.I thought, along with Don Orsillo > read more

Still Undefeated In May

Published on 2011-05-04 10:19:00

I was busy last night getting my Trivia Night going in Professor Thom's last night, with a big crowd watching the Celtics game, so I could only catch the Red Sox game in spurts.At first, I didn't like what I saw, as Dan Haren of the Angels had the Re > read more

Trivia Q&A: May 3

Published on 2011-05-04 00:46:00

We had a full bar watching the Celtics defeat in Miami on Tuesday night, and when it concluded, 17 teams took part in Trivia Night. (I stayed outside a good part of the night as the regulars were coming to Thom's, just to let them know that yes indee > read more

Thank You, Mr. President

Published on 2011-05-03 14:57:00

As many of you may know, I am not a big fan of Barack Obama. But let me just say that I could not have been any prouder of my President for what was accomplished in Pakistan on Sunday.Obama took a huge risk in sending in 40 Navy Seals to get Bin Lade > read more

Big Win On An Emotional Night At The Fens

Published on 2011-05-02 21:43:00

It was an emotional night at Fenway, with the military on hand and a moment of silence for the 9/11 victims in a pregame ceremony after the stunning killing of Bin Laden on Sunday. The clubs lined up along the baselines and the giant American flag wa > read more

In Honor of May 5th...

Published on 2011-05-02 13:34:00

Trivia Night this week will happen on Tuesday for a change, and I believe we will be doing it in the Loft upstairs for the first time. There is a Celtics game going on that starts at 7 PM. We'll see what happens.Anyway, the Special Category this week > read more

An Appropriate Quote For Today

Published on 2011-05-02 10:20:00

"I've never wished a man dead, but I've read some obituaries with great pleasure."--Mark TwainWith thanks to my friend Kim for alerting me to the quote.And I'm also pleased that the last thing that evil terrorist saw before meeting his Maker was Navy > read more

No Cheers Tonight. Just Tears.

Published on 2011-05-01 22:58:00

Bin Laden is dead.3,519 days after the worst day in our history.Thank you, Mr. President, and to our heroic military who got him.Please say a prayer for the 3,000. And their loved ones.We miss all of you always. > read more

The Sun, Clutch Carl Help Sox Avoid Sweep

Published on 2011-05-01 18:46:00

So, who would have guessed? A game started by Felix Hernandez, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and Tim Wakefield, making an emergency first start, would be won by the Red Sox?A really thought a sweep by Seattle was on the horizon.Wake was superb, go > read more

Another Night Without RemDawg

Published on 2011-04-30 21:45:00

Jerry Remy posted this on Twitter today:“I’m OK. My previous health issues have everybody concerned. Please don't be."I had a lot of hits on my blog today with fans looking to see what was wrong with the Red Sox announcer. He missed his fourth st > read more

.212

Published on 2011-04-30 21:28:00

This Saturday night was the first softball game in my Saturday night league, and I missed everything but the bottom of the ninth inning of the Red Sox-Mariners game.Am I glad I did. Sounds like John Lackey didn't pitch badly, but no one bothered to s > read more

Trivia Night Next Week Is Now Tuesday Night

Published on 2011-04-30 10:05:00

Another change next week to Trivia Night. It is now TUESDAY NIGHT, May 3rd at 9 PM, and it will be happening upstairs in The Loft, with the Celtics game happening downstairs.I apologize to all of you for all of this flip-flopping.I will also say that > read more

It's Official. Bobby Jenks Is A Stiff.

Published on 2011-04-29 21:19:00

Despite sitting out tonight suspended for bashing the umps on Twitter, Ozzie Guillen's probably having a good laugh in Chicago tonight.His former least-favorite reliever Bobby Jenks led the Red Sox Bullpen Arsonists in handing a win to the Seattle Ma > read more

14-0

Published on 2011-04-29 10:46:00

That football-like score (and I don't have the slightest idea what that photo I put up means) is the current record Jon Lester now possesses against the Baltimore Orioles, as he became the first pitcher ever to defeat a team 14 straight times without > read more

Trivia Night's Happening Again Next Monday

Published on 2011-04-28 16:32:00

Well, both Boston playoff teams were successful in their opening round playoff series, and the Celtics will play the Miami Heat next Tuesday in Game 2 of their series. So that means that Trivia Night will once again be happening on a Monday night, Ma > read more

The 8th: Great Top, Lousy Bottom

Published on 2011-04-27 22:38:00

I was out having dinner with a friend on Wednesday night and I missed all but the top of the ninth of the Red Sox-Orioles contest.First time I checked on my cell the Sox were in a 4-0 hole in the 6th, on home runs in the 4th inning by Adam Jones and > read more

Buch Had Problems Tuesday. Carl Has a Bigger One.

Published on 2011-04-26 21:20:00

It was a night that Clay Buchholz really didn't have it. Allowed four runs on twelve hits in 6 2/3 innings in Baltimore.Red Sox five-game winning streak ends, 4-1. Jed Lowrie and Carl Crawford both took the collar.Buchholz was in trouble it seemed li > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 25

Published on 2011-04-26 00:03:00

We had a much smaller crowd on this Monday night's special edition of Trivia Night than we had last Monday, as there were no sporting events involving Boston teams on Monday. 11 teams came in and took part in the night's festivities.The scores were g > read more

Live and In Person With Harvey Frommer

Published on 2011-04-25 11:43:00

Harvey Frommer, the author of "Remembering Fenway Park," will be embarking on a tour to promote his terrific book (which Yours Truly is proud to be a part of). I thought I would alert you all where he will be appearing, from May 4th until June 19th. > read more

Under The Rug

Published on 2011-04-24 18:28:00

On the same day the Celtics swept the Knicks out of the NBA playoffs, the Red Sox did the same thing to the LA Angels, with another shutout, 7-0.Another game on the West Coast, another terrific performance by John Lackey: eight innings, no runs allow > read more

Another Monday Night of Trivia

Published on 2011-04-24 12:14:00

I want to wish you all the blessings of this Easter Sunday, and I hope the Easter Bunny was good to you all.We're having another Monday night edition of Trivia this week, due to the Bruins NHL Game 6 playoff game on Tuesday night (and a possible Game > read more

Dice-K Turns Out The Lights Again

Published on 2011-04-24 12:01:00

Another Dice-K start, another one-hit shutout.Yep, the Japanese righthander went eight innings against the Angels last night, allowing just one hit. He was aggressive, struck out nine and walked three. He was never in any serious trouble. He became t > read more

A Nice Present For Tito: Win Number 8

Published on 2011-04-23 02:38:00

It was a rare night that I missed most of a Red Sox game, because I had to arise at an ungodly hour the next morning for an early-morning movie shoot I'm doing in Manhattan. But I guess in some ways I'm glad I did.I turned in with the Sox holding a 1 > read more

Have You Ever Considered The Arithmetic?

Published on 2011-04-22 10:42:00

On this Earth Day, I'll leave it to the late, great George Carlin to sum it all up: > read more

The Commander Shines Again

Published on 2011-04-22 10:21:00

I thought it was going to be another one of those nights last night.The Red Sox put runners everywhere in Anaheim last night, and left an entire army on the basepaths (15 stranded in 11 innings). Josh Beckett was superb last night, and didn't allow a > read more

Finally In The Road Win Column

Published on 2011-04-20 23:09:00

The Red Sox dropped their first seven games away from Fenway Park this season, but finally got a road win on Wednesday to conclude the series with the A's, 5-3.The fearsome Jed Lowrie went deep again, and was joined by Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew in > read more

Trivia Night Will Be Monday Again Next Week

Published on 2011-04-20 19:34:00

We at Professor Thom's decided today that our Tuesday Night Trivia next week will happen this Monday night, April 25th at 9 PM. It appears that there could be both a Bruins Game 6 and a Celtics Game 5 of their playoff series next Tuesday night, so we > read more

Sox Killer Anderson Dominates

Published on 2011-04-20 09:47:00

The Red Sox started the nine-game road trip in Oakland last night, and ran into a buzzsaw called Brett Anderson.He's given the Sox fits in his young career, and did so again last night, going eight solid innings, and allowed just four hits and no run > read more

Hangin' With Rollie, Ozzie & Schmitty

Published on 2011-04-19 16:52:00

Last week, I received an invitation from my friend Andrea to attend an event at the new MLB Fan Cave in Greenwich Village that was held yesterday at noon.It was to say the least a very memorable day.Andrea is one of my Red Sox fan friends from Profes > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 18

Published on 2011-04-19 00:58:00

On a special Monday night edition of Trivia, we had 14 teams in on a night when there was a Bruins playoff game in Montreal. Lots of B's fans turned out, so we started Trivia Night in-between the second and third period of the game (and did two categ > read more

Baseball. Like It Ought To Be.

Published on 2011-04-18 16:46:00

Back in their glory days of the mid-1980s, the Mets had as their team slogan: "Baseball. Like It Ought To Be." I couldn't help but think of that line as the Red Sox were putting a serious whipping to the Toronto Blue Jays on Patriots Day today.The ho > read more

First Winning Streak of 2011

Published on 2011-04-17 21:02:00

Two straight for the Red Sox: 8-1.Jon Lester gave another excellent performance, going six innings, allowing Toronto just one run. Was it me or did Lester looked pissed off the entire game? He looked angry at some home plate umpire's calls he thought > read more

The NBA Playoffs Moves Trivia Night Again

Published on 2011-04-17 10:19:00

This week Trivia Night is happening on Monday, April 18th at 9 PM, due to the NBA playoff Game 2 between the Celtics and Knicks. Professor Thom's will be jammed with roundball fans on Tuesday, so having Trivia that night would be impossible. (And if > read more

The Red Sox Won a Ballgame!

Published on 2011-04-16 17:51:00

The title of this post refers to a line the great Warner Wolf used to say when one of the New York teams, who were probably rotten at the time, surprised us all and got a "W". (Second time this week I have made a Warner Wolf reference. And this is no > read more

England's "Mets" Whip England's "Evil Empire"

Published on 2011-04-16 13:14:00

As many of you who follow this blog know, I have never been a fan of Manchester United (especially after they signed a marketing deal with the Yankees many years ago). I've always referred to them as the "English Evil Empire."Like Yankee fans, United > read more

Excruciating. Again.

Published on 2011-04-15 22:03:00

I'm at a complete and total loss to explain this. Four hours of torture against Toronto at Fenway. And yet ANOTHER loss.2-10. Weren't the Red Sox supposed to just show up and head right for the World Series? It's like I expect them to lose every nigh > read more

Fear The 'Fro

Published on 2011-04-15 11:12:00

Here's our old friend Coco Crisp, supporting an Afro reminiscent of Oscar Gamble of the 1970s, before last night's Oakland A's game.Coco said his braids made his head "itching", and he took them out.Here's more from Yahoo Sports. (BTW, according to t > read more

Gonzo Deal Announced Today

Published on 2011-04-15 10:26:00

The expected megadeal that the Red Sox and Adrian Gonzalez have reached will be announced today.It's a seven-year deal worth $154 million. It has been delayed until now due to the fact the Sox don't want the salary counted towards MLB's competitive b > read more

Trivia Night Will Be On Monday Next Week

Published on 2011-04-13 23:01:00

The NBA announced the schedules for the first round playoff series between the Celtics and Knicks on Wednesday night, and Game 2 of that series will take place next Tuesday night.So that now means that our Trivia Night will take place on Monday night > read more

A Friendly Rainout

Published on 2011-04-13 20:41:00

The Red Sox may have gotten a gift from above on Wednesday, in the form of a rainout.They have a day off on Thursday, so they will now have two full days off before facing the Blue Jays at Fenway on Friday night.The rainout also means that John Lacke > read more

Fight Cancer & Win a Cool Jersey

Published on 2011-04-13 20:00:00

My friend Ian O'Malley, who is a popular disc jockey on radio station Q104.3 here in New York City, informed me of a cool auction now going on at eBay.The auction is a "Team Staal" jersey from the NHL All-Star Game from earlier this year, and it is a > read more

Good or Bad Thing? You Tell Me.

Published on 2011-04-13 12:10:00

Tiger Blood himself thinks things will be fine with the Red Sox:"I'd tell everybody to shut up, that they'll bounce back. It's a long season and there's a ton of talent there and a really bitchin' hitter's park they play in. Relax."When the Red Sox > read more

Time to Get Up, Go To My Window, Open It, Stick My Head Out...

Published on 2011-04-13 01:20:00

I think I speak for every Boston Red Sox fan when I say: I'm sick and tired of watching bad baseball.When the score became 3-1 Tampa Bay in the fifth, I turned to my friend Jim and said, "It feels more like 13-1 right now." He agreed with me. It just > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 12

Published on 2011-04-13 01:02:00

We had another huge crowd turn out for Trivia Night, with 24 teams taking part. It rained a good part of the night, but it sure didn't keep the crowds away.We had some strong scores for General Knowledge, but they were just so-so for Civil War Trivia > read more

Take My Fifth Starter. Please.

Published on 2011-04-11 22:04:00

Right now, I'd trade Daisuke Matsuzaka for a used ball bag and a few broken bats.And I'd consider it an upgrade.The team with the worst offense in baseball after nine games, the Tampa Bay Rays, gets healthy in a hurry against the onetime phenom, nail > read more

Playoff Teams That Started April Slowly

Published on 2011-04-11 16:22:00

My friend Adam sent me a good email today about good MLB teams that started slowly to begin a season that actually finished strong and made the playoffs in the last decade. Check this out:The two teams that swept the Sox to start the season--Texas an > read more

Sesquicentennial Trivia On Tuesday

Published on 2011-04-11 08:00:00

The Special Category for this week's Trivia Night is "Civil War Trivia." This Tuesday marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the war with the firing on Fort Sumter (pictured). So we will do seven questions connected to one of the worst calamitie > read more

Buzzsawed

Published on 2011-04-11 00:23:00

Nice to see the Josh Beckett of the 2007 postseason pitching Sunday night, and he held New York to just 2 hits and no runs over eight innings. He retired the last 14 New York hitters, and brought back pleasant memories of both the 2003 and 2007 playo > read more

Pitch Better

Published on 2011-04-09 22:32:00

Another ugly Red Sox loss on Saturday, and thankfully, another one I did not witness.I went to the Statue of Liberty with my British friends, sightseeing once again. (Boy, the security to get on the boat is enormous, like going through airport securi > read more

So Long, Manny

Published on 2011-04-08 22:27:00

I was surprised. And I wasn't surprised.I heard the other day that Manny Ramirez had a "personal issue" to deal with and miss the Rays game in Chicago on Thursday. And as I was checking the scores on my cell on Friday afternoon and the Red Sox were a > read more

Undefeated At Home

Published on 2011-04-08 18:43:00

Never has a "W" looked so good in April. Great to hear the crowd was fully behind the Sox during pregame introductions. (As if there was really any doubt about that.)Here's a streak to be proud of: The Red Sox have now won seven straight home openers > read more

From The Sage Second Baseman

Published on 2011-04-08 11:18:00

Dustin Pedroia:"It'll be good to have someone cheering for us for a change. You're either two feet in now or you're two feet out. Let us know now, because we're coming."The Mighty Dustin always makes me feel better.The Red Sox made some bullpen cha > read more

I Wanted To Jump

Published on 2011-04-07 19:48:00

OK, let me get the facts straight.The Boston Red Sox were just swept by the awful Cleveland Indians, the finale in a game that was their best pitched game so far. But the offense didn't show up yet again, and they managed just four hits against a pit > read more

It Hasn't Killed Us, So We Must Be Stronger

Published on 2011-04-06 22:42:00

In the immortal words of one Archie Bunker, "Patience is a virgin."And my patience is being sorely tested right now.0-5. Dropping series to lowly also-rans like the Cleveland Indians at ANY time of year is galling, but doing it when your win column s > read more

Sorry Colonel, I'm Strapped

Published on 2011-04-06 09:41:00

Got this in my email this morning. Guess who's asking me for money? (BTW, didn't I hear Pineapple Face has like $30 billion hidden away somewhere? And he's asking ME to help him get $98 million?)I'm Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the embattled Libyan Presi > read more

Spring Training's Over, Guys

Published on 2011-04-06 09:22:00

0-4. First time since 1996. (I'm seeing that awful year more and more lately with regard to the Red Sox. That has to stop.)It's one thing to lose a series to a team flying the "2010 American League Champions" banner. It's another to lose to the Immor > read more

Trivia Q&A: April 5

Published on 2011-04-05 23:33:00

We had one of the biggest crowds of the year on Tuesday night, as there was both a Red Sox and Celtics game on. (And the Sox melted against the Immortal Josh Tomlin. More on that in the next post.) 22 teams came in, and because of the crowd size, we > read more

The Governor Has Left The Building

Published on 2011-04-04 13:20:00

My buddy and Governor of Red Sox Nation for New York State, Chris Wertz, has officially left Professor Thom's to pursue other goals in his life, as of last Friday.I'm going to miss him on Trivia Nights and during Red Sox games at Thom's, as Chris alw > read more

America's Grand Old Game Featured This Week

Published on 2011-04-04 10:16:00

This Tuesday night, we will feature as our Special Category, "Baseball Trivia," seven questions about America's Pastime in honor of the start of the 2011 season this past weekend. And for those of you not big baseball fans, the questions will all be > read more

We've Been In 0-3 Holes Before

Published on 2011-04-03 16:26:00

I'll do my best to forget this lost weekend in Texas.Before I do:9 home runs allowed by Red Sox starters (4 by Clay Buchholz in Sunday's 5-1 loss), 11 homers by the staff, almost no clutch hitting, Jonathan Papelbon up to his old tricks in the 8th, a > read more

Strange Logic

Published on 2011-04-03 12:04:00

Mohammed Al-Fayed, owner of Fulham of the English Premiership League, has erected a statue of Michael Jackson at Craven Cottage in London, Fulham's home park.Jackson was buddies with the owner, and attended one match there in 1999.That was his comple > read more

Stealing The Red Sox Money

Published on 2011-04-02 22:29:00

Tonight's start by John Lackey: 3 2/3 innings, nine earned runs. Can't describe Lackey's Red Sox career so far any better than the title of this post.0-2. And another crappy start to begin 2011. (I'm not worried about Jon Lester. April is never his m > read more

Today Is World Autism Awareness Day

Published on 2011-04-02 11:44:00

April is Autism Awareness Month, and today is World Autism Awareness Day.I have two beautiful nephews, Joe and Matt, who are afflicted with this condition.Wear blue today in honor of those who afflicted and those who care for them.The Empire State Bu > read more

There Goes Another Undefeated Season

Published on 2011-04-02 11:18:00

Well, Jon Lester always does start out slow.I caught the first three inning of yesterday's 2011 opener in Texas with my compadres at Professor Thom's before having to go to work last night, and followed the rest on my cell phone. I saw the best of th > read more

Lou Gorman: 1929-2011

Published on 2011-04-01 11:15:00

My deepest sympathies to family and friends of Lou Gorman, the former Red Sox general manager who passed away today at the age of 82.He will long be remembered as the architect of the team that came within one out of the World Series championship in > read more

Everyone Has Hope Today

Published on 2011-04-01 10:33:00

It's Opening Day today, ladies and gentlemen. Hope you all enjoy the day. I'll stop in at Professor Thom's with my Red Sox friends to usher in the 2011 season. Unfortunately, I have to leave after the first three innings or so, as I have a background > read more

Old Hoss Wishes You a Happy Opening Day

Published on 2011-03-31 15:37:00

My buddy Pete Nash has a great retrospective of Opening Day pictures, including a great one of Old Hoss Radbourn flipping the bird to the camera (top row, far left) on Opening Day, 1886.Check it out at Deadspin. > read more

Bill Madden is a Big Fat Idiot

Published on 2011-03-31 11:56:00

Most baseball pundits are picking the Red Sox in 2011 to win the World Series, AL Pennant or AL East (or some combination of the three). I am as optimistic as just about any of them.But of course, you'll always have your doubters, and in that categor > read more

Your 2011 Opening Day Lineup

Published on 2011-03-31 11:08:00

For tomorrow afternoon at Texas. Courtesy of Extra Bases:Jacoby Ellsbury CFDustin Pedroia 2BCarl Crawford LFKevin Youkilis 3BAdrian Gonzalez 1BDavid Ortiz DHMike Cameron RFJarrod Saltalamacchia CMarco Scutaro SSJon Lester PJ.D. Drew sits with C.J. Wi > read more

My Old Stomping Grounds Is Now...

Published on 2011-03-30 14:05:00

The home of the MLB Fan Cave.The former site of Tower Records Greenwich Village on the corner of East 4th Street and Broadway is now the new home of the "MLB Fan Cave."You may have heard that two people would be picked to watch every single MLB game > read more

As The Bell Is About To Ring For 2011

Published on 2011-03-30 10:50:00

My friend Adam, who I have quoted many times on this blog, sent me his thoughts on the Red Sox for 2011 today, and I thought I'd pass them along to you.I still see the AL East as a close three-team race. A lot will depend on injuries. The Sox look > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 29

Published on 2011-03-30 00:20:00

We had a lighter crowd than last week, with 13 teams taking part in Trivia Night. But we had a very vocal crowd as well.We had some strong scores for Elizabeth Taylor Trivia, as I guess many folks went straight to Wikipedia right after I announced th > read more

Cute, and Not So Cute

Published on 2011-03-29 10:47:00

Here's a cute item for the young tyke in your life who loves baseball: baseball flash cards.Doug Keith has put together the 26 letters of the alphabet in the shape of players and fans alike on flash cards called "B is for Baseball: Alphabet Cards." F > read more

Here's The 25

Published on 2011-03-28 10:39:00

The Red Sox have set their 25-man roster for Opening Day. They have settled the bullpen, sending Alfredo Aceves and Hideki Okajima to Pawtucket (how the mighty have fallen), and purchased the contracts of Dennys Reyes and Matt Albers.So here is the 2 > read more

Remembering An Icon On Tuesday

Published on 2011-03-28 10:26:00

The Special Category for this Tuesday night's Trivia will be "Elizabeth Taylor Trivia." In honor of the passing of the iconic actress last Wednesday (we ironically had her in a question last Tuesday) we will have seven questions on her life. We've do > read more

The Chasshole Smears Stan The Man

Published on 2011-03-27 18:08:00

Murray Chass, who was once a sportswriter and is now a bitter old man who despises bloggers but has a blog of his own, wrote a shameful column about Stan Musial recently getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama and how he didn't > read more

There'll Be Other Trophies To Win In 2011

Published on 2011-03-26 21:17:00

Twins 9, Red Sox 8. 8-1 lead in the eighth goes up in smoke thanks to some lousy Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks pitching and some equally lousy defense by some guys who won't be on the Opening Day roster.The four-time defending Mayor's Cup (pictured) w > read more

Give Kids a Break This Summer

Published on 2011-03-26 11:03:00

My friends at The Fresh Air Fund are looking for families to sponsor kids and give them a summer they will never forget.If you'd like to take part, please click this link, and it will tell you how to make it possible. The Fresh Air Fund has been help > read more

T Minus Six Days

Published on 2011-03-26 10:53:00

The Red Sox trimmed their roster down yesterday by sending Ryan Kalish, Andrew Miller, Randy Williams, Rich Hill, Brandon Duckworth, Michael Bowden and Scott Atchison to the minors. Kalish makes sense as he'll get far more at bats at Pawtucket than h > read more

Pedro's Heading For The Smithsonian

Published on 2011-03-24 11:36:00

A painting done of future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez is heading to the Smithsonian Institution, courtesy of Peter Gammons.No, Gammo didn't paint it, but it was purchased by him and he is donating it to the museum. It was painted by Susan Miller-Ha > read more

I Report. You Decide.

Published on 2011-03-23 07:00:00

A new video debuted recently called "This Is Boston" which is the "anthem" for the 2011 Red Sox season. It features all different Red Sox players and fans in it.Any video that includes Heidi Watney has its merits.But I must admit I am no fan of rap m > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 22

Published on 2011-03-23 00:40:00

We had a wacky night of Trivia on Tuesday night, with 18 teams coming in and filling up Professor Thom's. Once again it's great to see so many folks coming in on Tuesdays and enjoying the Trivia Nights!We did "Celebrity Math" for the first time, and > read more

Trying To Get Back To Respectability

Published on 2011-03-21 11:41:00

The Mets took a couple of small but necessary steps to gain some much needed respectability the last few days when they released two players who summed up their recent futility: Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez.They are the symbols of the regime of Oma > read more

Two Special Categories Are Better Than One

Published on 2011-03-21 11:21:00

We're going to something a little different this week with Trivia Night.The Q Train will take this week off, and we will instead have two Special Categories. The Q Train will return next Tuesday night.The first one will be the March edition of "Q Are > read more

Did We Ever Get Mooned Or What?

Published on 2011-03-20 21:44:00

Just wondering something. That was one helluva moon out the past two nights.When the sun shining bright outside, it's sunny.When there's lots of clouds in the sky, it's cloudy.When the rain is coming down hard, it's rainy.So when we have a moon like > read more

Spring Begins Tomorrow; The Regular Season Looms

Published on 2011-03-19 20:10:00

Just 20 days until the Red Sox opener at Fenway against Those Guys!With thanks for to my cousin Mary for the image. > read more

Lackey's Number Two

Published on 2011-03-18 11:41:00

A bit of a surprise that John Lackey was picked as the number two starter in the Red Sox rotation by Terry Francona. That also means he will pitch the opener at Fenway Park on April 8th against the Yankees.Jon Lester is the ace, followed by Lackey, C > read more

Jealousy, Plain and Simple

Published on 2011-03-18 11:04:00

Did you hear about this lame article that GQ did about the "Worst Sports fans In America" that said that Red Sox fans were the second worst baseball fans in America? Only the Phillies fans, who were number one in the poll overall, topped the Sox fans > read more

Liberace Wishes You a Happy St. Patrick's Day

Published on 2011-03-17 11:25:00

From his 1950s TV show, the late, great Liberace doing "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover":Thanks to my friend Ellen, who posted the clip on Facebook.May those who love us, love us and for those who don't love us may God turn their hearts: And if h > read more

2011 Irish American Baseball HOF Nominees

Published on 2011-03-17 00:53:00

Earlier this week, the nominations were made public by Foley's NY Pub and Restaurant for the 2011 Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame, and what better day than St. Patrick's Day to put up a post about it?Here is the complete list of those being cons > read more

Yo Adrian: Slaves Don't Get Paid

Published on 2011-03-16 11:52:00

I love Adrian Peterson to death, but he really put his foot in his mouth yesterday when he compared the locked-out NFL players to "modern-day slavery."Is it just me, or whenever pro athletes get into a labor dispute, someone pulls out the "we're just > read more

New York's Greatest Athlete?

Published on 2011-03-16 11:20:00

Siena College recently took a poll of New Yorkers to find out who they think the greatest athlete in the history of New York sports is. Now, off the top of my head, the first players that come to my mind are: Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Jo > read more

Lester Opens In Texas

Published on 2011-03-16 11:08:00

In a move the surprises no one, Terry Francona has named Jon Lester as the Red Sox' Opening Day starter in Texas on April 1st. The mantle has officially been passed and now you can Lester the Red Sox ace.His Hollywood story continues.Both Daisuke Mat > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 15

Published on 2011-03-16 00:52:00

I was very pleased to see 19 teams and a full house at Professor Thom's for Trivia on Tuesday night. Great to see the consistent terrific crowds come out. Let's hope it keeps going.The scores for Green Trivia were very solid (and I got through the la > read more

The Only Color That Matters Is Green

Published on 2011-03-14 09:50:00

Trivia Night this week will feature as the Special Category "Green Trivia" in honor of the celebration of St. Patrick's Day this Thursday. It will be seven questions that in some way relate to the color green. (No, there won't be any environmental q > read more

Still a Going Concern After 5 Years

Published on 2011-03-13 11:20:00

It was five years ago today that Yours Truly formed The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, and after all these years we're still going strong.Whether it's my Red Sox rantings, my Trivia Night wrapups, my 9/11 remembrances, funny Irish Christmas messages or > read more

A Unique Way To Make a Buck

Published on 2011-03-12 11:06:00

As many of you know the iPad 2 went on sale yesterday at the Apple Store. And whenever something like this makes its debut, it attracts a crowd that just has to be first to get it.A woman named Amanda Foote was first at the store in line, and she was > read more

Players Coming, Players Going

Published on 2011-03-12 10:09:00

The Red Sox made their first round of cuts to their roster, sending a whole slew of players to their minor league camp. No real surprises here:Catchers Ryan Lavarnway and Tim Federowicz; Infielders Oscar Tejeda, Brent Dlugach and Hector Luna; Outfiel > read more

I Love a Challenge

Published on 2011-03-11 10:32:00

And here it is: can a Red Sox fan like me write an impartial review of a Derek Jeter book?I'll do my best.The good folks at Press Box Publicity offered me a copy of "Derek Jeter: From the Pages of the New York Times". At first I was reluctant as you > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 8

Published on 2011-03-09 00:26:00

On the night of Mardi Gras, we had 21 teams in for Trivia Night, a really loud and boisterous crowd as well. (Strange thing. I handed out 27 sheets, and I thought we might set a new record for teams at Trivia Night, as the current high is 26. But six > read more

Vino For a Good Cause

Published on 2011-03-08 11:03:00

My friends over at Longball Cellars are releasing two more Red Sox player wines that benefits charity, and this time features two of the newest mainstays of the Red Sox rotation: Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester.Both wines will go for $14 a piece, and th > read more

Odd Numbers On An Even Numbered Night

Published on 2011-03-07 11:27:00

This Tuesday night we will be featuring a category that we do from time to time: this day in history. So our Special Category will be "March 8th Trivia." It will be seven questions connected to the day in history in some way, shape or form.The Q Trai > read more

Does "The Winner" Really Own The Babe's Ring?

Published on 2011-03-06 10:28:00

Everyone knows what a circus Charlie Sheen's life has become since he took to the airwaves and decided to go after everyone who has done him wrong in the whole "Two and a Half Men" mess.But my friend Pete Nash has a really good article at Deadspin ab > read more

Good Guys In Red 3, British Evil Empire 1

Published on 2011-03-06 10:14:00

The biggest match of the season for Liverpool happened today at Anfield, and their opponent was their longtime rival Manchester United.It was like the Red Sox vs. Yankees at Fenway. And it was no contest.It was a case of Men vs. Boys, and Liverpool d > read more

Beating the Westboro Bastards

Published on 2011-03-05 11:46:00

Nice clip here of a group of biker veterans forming a human shield at a fallen soldier's funeral in Kansas to protect the family from those miserable, publicity-seeking creeps. They do it with flags and patriotic music:There's just not enough bad thi > read more

Bench Guys 5, Other Team's Stars 3

Published on 2011-03-05 11:01:00

It was good to see the Red Sox playing for the first time last night, against the Yankees at Tampa. 2011 baseball is finally under way.I watched it at Professor Thom's with many of my comrades in Red Sox Nation-New York. But this being New York City, > read more

Putting The Heated Rivalry Aside

Published on 2011-03-04 11:18:00

Here's a nice story from the Wall Street Journal the other day about the horrific injury Red Sox first base coach Ron Johnson's daughter suffered last year, and who came to the family's aid when they needed help: the New York Yankees.Ron's daughter l > read more

"Scorecasting"

Published on 2011-03-03 11:00:00

I recently read a very interesting book called "Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won" by Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim.They are childhood friends: a college professor from the University of Chic > read more

Happy Birthday Compact Disc

Published on 2011-03-02 19:27:00

It was 28 years ago today that the compact disc was introduced to the world, and it revolutionized the music industry.And it put vinyl records (remember them?) out of business.Billy Joel's "52nd Street" album was the very first pop album released on > read more

Henry Was Fined By Thin-Skinned MLB Overlords

Published on 2011-03-02 10:46:00

John Henry revealed yesterday that he was fined $500,000 by MLB for comments he made back in 2009 about baseball's revenue sharing system.With thanks to the Joy of Sox, here is a story from the Boston Globe from December 2009 about what Henry origina > read more

Trivia Q&A: March 1

Published on 2011-03-02 00:18:00

We had 14 teams in for Trivia Night on Tuesday. It's been like a pendulum lately: one crowded night one week, the next week a bit less. Haven't been able to finger on exactly why.The numbers for Current Events were as low for that round as I have eve > read more

An Unlikely Rivalry

Published on 2011-03-01 14:58:00

My good friend and Governor of Red Sox Nation for New York State Chris Wertz has a terrific article on his site "The Governor's Sox" about an interview he did with the late Otey Clark, who pitched for the Red Sox in 1945 and was one of the oldest liv > read more

A Fraud, and Some Good Stuff

Published on 2011-03-01 11:21:00

Another fascinating article from Pete Nash and Hauls of Shame. This time the auction house Sotheby's sold a fake Jimmy Collins Red Sox jersey to a Boston collector in 1999 for $26,000. Collins is a Hall of Famer and one of the great third basemen in > read more

The Ricky Vaughn Trainwreck Tour Is In Full Swing

Published on 2011-02-28 21:02:00

It would be hilarious if it didn't portend such a disasterous ending. He's now going from show to show, and each one is more bizarre than the previous one. Somebody needs to stop him. Now.Here's Charlie Sheen on Good Morning America on Monday.By the > read more

Q Tip Trivia Kicks Off March

Published on 2011-02-28 11:15:00

The Special Category for Trivia Night this Tuesday is the monthly installment of "Q Tip Trivia." That is when I ask you seven multiple choice general knowledge questions and the answer can be one, two, three, all four or none of the choices. You get > read more

So Long Duke

Published on 2011-02-27 20:45:00

I was saddened to learn tonight of the passing of a true Brooklyn icon, the great Duke Snider.He is the answer to a great trivia question: "Who hit the most home runs in the decade of the 1950s?" Most people wouldn't think of Snider right off the bat > read more

Teaching Those College Boys a Lesson

Published on 2011-02-26 15:15:00

It's now 21 straight over Boston College, as the Red Sox cruised to a 6-0 win over the Eagles at Ft. Myers today. The Red Sox pitchers allowed just one hit, in the seventh inning, and Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat in the > read more

Remember the 2/26 Victims

Published on 2011-02-26 11:28:00

It was 18 years ago today that an explosion rocked the underground garages below the World Trade Center that killed six people and injured hundreds.The six people were John DiGiovanni, Robert Kirkpatrick, Stephen A. Knapp, William Macko, Wilfredo Mer > read more

Happy 68th George

Published on 2011-02-25 10:33:00

Today would have been George Harrison's 68th birthday. Still hard to believe that he's been gone nearly a decade now.The Quiet Beatle also had a great sense of humor, and was also a huge Monty Python fan. He was the executive producer of "The Life of > read more

Matt & Ben Want To Swap Unis To Swap Wives

Published on 2011-02-24 16:12:00

I heard about this film a while back. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Academy Award winners who've never been confused with being Yankee fans, are attempting to make a film about the infamous wife swap that Yankee pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson > read more

Old Time Hockey, Futuristic Music

Published on 2011-02-23 15:20:00

Here's a cool clip from one of my favorite films. It's a trailer from "Slap Shot", with the music of Hans Zimmer of "Inception", who is nominated for the Best Score Oscar for the film this year.With thanks to the Hanson Brothers on Facebook for alert > read more

Trivia Q&A: February 22

Published on 2011-02-23 01:03:00

Tuesday night was the biggest night of Trivia so far in 2011, as we had a huge crowd and 24 teams took part. It took nearly 2 1/2 hours to complete, but everyone seemed to enjoy the night.The numbers for Oscar Trivia were pretty good, but only one te > read more

More Tito News: He'll Head The Ship Through 2013

Published on 2011-02-22 14:54:00

Jon Heyman tweeted today that the Red Sox will pick up Terry Francona's two-year option for 2012 and 2013 at $9 million. If it's true (it's from Heyman of course, but I bet it will happen shortly), it's another smart, no-brainer move by the Sox brass > read more

Tito's a Hall of Famer

Published on 2011-02-21 21:18:00

He might get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame one day, but Terry Francona can now call himself a Hall of Famer. Today he was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Dick Groat, Tim Wallach and five other oustanding collegiate > read more

Not One But Two Movie Categories This Week

Published on 2011-02-21 10:00:00

We have a rare event for Trivia Night this week, as both rotating categories will be on movies, in honor of the Academy Awards ceremony being held this coming Sunday night. The Special Category will be "Oscar Trivia." No, there will be no questions a > read more

Can't Tell The Players Without a Scorecard

Published on 2011-02-19 16:05:00

For those of you curious about the new Red Sox players in 2011 and what numbers they'll be wearing, here they are, courtesy of Pete Abraham of the Globe and The Joy of Sox:Carl Crawford - 13Adrian Gonzalez - 28Andrew Miller - 30Matt Albers - 32Dan Wh > read more

The Greatest Catch I've Ever Seen

Published on 2011-02-19 15:39:00

Jim Edmonds announced his retirement from MLB yesterday after 18 seasons with six teams. I'll always think of him as being the man who made the second out in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 World Series, when Keith Foulke struck him out.Edmond > read more

Two Comic Legends Leave Us

Published on 2011-02-18 11:23:00

The weather's better here in New York, and it was an amazing 62 degrees yesterday, and it will be close to that again today. (And 34 degrees with snow showers on Tuesday. Winter ain't done yet.)The position players are now in camp, and the first spri > read more

An Overreaction, No?

Published on 2011-02-16 12:51:15

I was looking at some YouTube videos yesterday, and stumbled across this one. English soccer has a yearly tournament called the FA Cup, and it is the world's oldest soccer knockout tournament. Not only the pros take part but hundreds of amateur teams > read more

Trivia Q&A: February 15

Published on 2011-02-15 23:48:00

It looked like we would have the smallest crowd for Trivia Night in some time on Tuesday night, but fortunately we had some folks come in as we were playing, and had 11 teams take part in total. (My friend Jim had a theory before the night started th > read more

A Cool Fenway E-Guide

Published on 2011-02-15 09:35:00

I was recently contacted by a baseball fan named Kurt Smith, who has written an e-guide to Fenway Park.Officially called "Ballpark E-Guides: Fenway Park," Kurt has written a terrific guide to America's Most Beloved Ballpark, and he's really done his > read more

Love

Published on 2011-02-14 11:37:00

On this day, a simple, beautiful song from John Lennon sums it all up. > read more

We Hail The Chiefs On Tuesday Night

Published on 2011-02-14 10:40:00

This Tuesday night, we'll have as our Special Category "Presidential Trivia," in honor of Presidents Day, which will be next Monday. We will have seven questions about those men who have occupied the White House, with the last question being a specia > read more

Fresh Air Is Good For You

Published on 2011-02-13 15:29:00

My friends at the Fresh Air Fund are looking for runners to compete in the New York City Half Marathon, which will be held on March 20th. They are some good folks doing some very good work for the youth of New York City.Please check out this link if > read more

Welcome to Florida

Published on 2011-02-13 15:22:00

The weather's getting better, the dirty snow on the street's finally melting, and pitchers and catchers reported to Ft. Myers today for the Red Sox.The first workouts will be held on Tuesday, and the position players will report this coming weekend. > read more

A Quirky Little Film

Published on 2011-02-12 10:31:00

Last night I had the pleasure to attend a viewing of the new movie "Certifiably Jonathan" at the Quad Cinema in Manhattan. I had heard so much about the making of the film from my good friend Matt Fortnow, who was an executive producer on the project > read more

Don't Mess With The Babe

Published on 2011-02-11 10:37:00

Another fine article from Hauls of Shame recently went up about the crumbling reputation of the late Barry Halper, and this one is about what appears to be a fake Babe Ruth autograph (pictured) on his famous "500 Home Runs Sheet," which includes the > read more

"Certifiably Jonathan" Opens This Friday

Published on 2011-02-09 10:29:00

A good friend of mine, Matt Fortnow, has been working on a project for six years that is finally coming to fruition called "Certifiably Jonathan", which is a film taking its audience on "a surreal trip through the mind of a comedy legend", namely tha > read more

Trivia Q&A: February 8

Published on 2011-02-09 00:24:00

We had another fine turnout on a really cold night in Manhattan, with 18 teams coming for the Trivia. It was close all night, with some very high scores for the Grammy Winners Trivia. But they were brought down a bit by General Knowledge, as the most > read more

A Blessed Truck Day To You All

Published on 2011-02-07 23:01:00

Amid all the snow and cold of this depressing winter, a little light at the end of the tunnel has arrived.Today is Truck Day. It leaves from Fenway Park with all the gear at noon today.Baseball for 2011 is officially under way.Thank goodness. > read more

Any Excuse To Play Music On Trivia Night

Published on 2011-02-07 09:41:00

This Tuesday night's Special Category for Trivia Night will be the February edition of "Q Are You?" where I give all of you clues to the identity of a current celebrity and you have to tell me just who I'm talking about.The Q Train lightning round wi > read more

I'm Proud

Published on 2011-02-06 21:37:00

Yes, I am tonight. Why?Because on Sunday afternoon, I did not watch one single, solitary second of that Super Bowl pregame show. (Didn't it start at 6 AM or something?) I turned on the game just as the kickoff happened, so I missed Christina Aguilera > read more

A Lost Tradition I Wish Would Come Back

Published on 2011-02-06 10:42:00

I miss the great Jonathan Schwartz' "Salute to Baseball," an hour-long tribute he used to do every Super Bowl Sunday on his WNYC New York radio program.Jonathan's a huge Red Sox fan who was born in New York, and has been a fixture on New York radio f > read more

Red Sox Add Reyes

Published on 2011-02-05 11:20:00

No, not Jose Reyes, but Dennys Reyes, the 33-year-old hefty reliever from Mexico who has pitched for just about everyone: Dodgers, Reds, Rangers, Rockies, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Royals, Padres, Twins and Cardinals.Team number 11 could be the Red Sox, > read more

Whatever Happened To This Commercial?

Published on 2011-02-04 21:41:00

Last August I did a commercial for AT&T with about 200 other extras on Staten Island, at the Yankees single A affiliate ballpark. It was a commercial that featured two Yankee players: the newly-retired Andy Pettitte, and Nick Swisher.I had to pos > read more

Taco Boy Shocks Admitted HGH User

Published on 2011-02-04 10:49:00

There is no joy in Yankeeland today, as Andy Pettitte has officially called it a 16-year career. Now the debate starts about whether he's heading into the Hall of Fame or not. Remember he made an admission a few years back that will surely come back > read more

Happy 71st, Fran

Published on 2011-02-03 10:51:00

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite all-time athletes, Fran Tarkenton. He is a big reason why I became a Minnesota Vikings fan in my youth. He was the NFL MVP in 1975, led the Vikings to three Super Bowls, and retired as the all-time leader i > read more

My Childhood, In Seven Minutes

Published on 2011-02-02 23:01:00

On Wednesday night, I was on Facebook, and Pat Dinizio of The Smithereens, who I am friends with on FB, posted a really terrific clip and it brought back some absolutely wonderful memories for me, and for any us who grew up in New York City in the la > read more

Cursed To Obsess Over Curses

Published on 2011-02-02 08:00:00

When are these dimwit Yankee fans going to let stupid nonsense like "curses" go?Probably never. Talk about being obsessed.Some schmuck named Sam Cook (I bet he can't sing a lick) wrote an article for something called News-Press.com in Ft. Myers, FL s > read more

Trivia Q&A: February 1

Published on 2011-02-02 00:08:00

On yet another lousy weather evening in New York, we had a really good turnout of folks wanting their Trivia, and 15 teams took part in the festivities. People have to have their Trivia!We had strong scores throughout the night, especially in General > read more

Note to Self: Eat No Beans While Visiting Malawi

Published on 2011-01-31 11:04:00

The African country of Malawi is set to make breaking wind a crime.Yes, farting in public will be dealt with severely in that small African country. No word yet on what the penalties will be, but I've wanted some justice handed out to some of those w > read more

Super Night of Super Trivia On Tuesday

Published on 2011-01-31 10:51:00

With that big football game bearing down on us next Sunday (and do we really need two weeks between the conference title games and the final? I say no) , our Special Category for Trivia Night will be "Super Bowl Trivia." it will be seven questions co > read more

A Dream For Mets Fans?

Published on 2011-01-30 16:23:00

My friend Evan over at MLB Facts and Rumors has an interesting article about how Martin Luther King III, son of the legendary civil rights leader, is getting a group together in an attempt to buy majority control of the New York Mets. King claims to > read more

Putting a Wrap On The Week

Published on 2011-01-29 11:19:00

As more snow fell here in the East and my prayers for more and more warmer temperatures seem to go unanswered, here are some odds and ends from the week about to conclude.Sorry to hear that Rocco Baldelli (pictured) has now officially called it a car > read more

Happy Birthday Harry Doyle

Published on 2011-01-27 16:00:00

A Happy 76th Birthday to one of my favorites, Bob Uecker. He's had some heart problems over the last few years, but I hope he's getting his health back and returns to the Milwaukee Brewers radio booth next season.Here's two of Ueck's greatest moments > read more

Hell With The Snow: Here's Something To Look Forward To

Published on 2011-01-27 14:59:00

Yeah, it's really abominable outside. Snow on top of snow on top of snow. Here in Brooklyn we've had snow on the ground for 33 consecutive days (the last time there was a snowless street where I am was on Christmas Day). It's depressing and it makes > read more

The Return of Hankenstein

Published on 2011-01-26 10:56:00

Yes, Hank Steinbrenner (pictured) is still alive.He was great fodder for all of us on the Internet with all of the stupidity that came out of his mouth a few years back. But then the Yankee brass made a smart move for them in shutting him up. But Han > read more

Trivia Q&A: January 25

Published on 2011-01-26 00:38:00

We had a nice turnout on Tuesday night, with 14 teams taking part in Trivia Night. We had some strong scores early on, especially for Q-Tip Trivia. The Q Train was a little harder than I originally thought it would be, and the scores for General Know > read more

Lots of Zeros On Tuesday

Published on 2011-01-24 11:00:00

Trivia Night on Tuesday will feature the January edition of "Q-Tip Trivia." That is when I ask you seven general knowledge questions which will all be multiple choice, and four possible answers. The answers can be 1, 2, 3, all 4 or none correct. You > read more

Steelers-Packers For All The Marbles

Published on 2011-01-23 21:11:00

Earlier today, my father asked me who I would be rooting for in the NFC championship game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Well, since both teams swept my Minnesota Vikings in 2010, I could only come up with one answer.Neither.Like th > read more

Manny & Judas Land In The Same Place On The Same Day

Published on 2011-01-21 19:43:00

And that spot is: St. Petersburg, Florida.The Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly signed not One but Two of the 25 from 2004 on Friday: Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Damon will be signed to a one-year deal worth $5.25 million, and Ramirez will also sign > read more

The Trophy Returns To Thom's. Well, Next Door Is Close Enough.

Published on 2011-01-20 22:19:00

Tonight I found out that the World Series trophy won by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 is coming to the place the Giants once called home this weekend: New York City.And it will be on display for Giants fans in NYC to see at Finnerty's, which is th > read more

What Should I Do?

Published on 2011-01-19 23:29:00

I have to admit this Brett Favre parody commercial is very funny.But, be careful, lots of colorful language and subject matter in this: > read more

Trivia Q&A: January 18

Published on 2011-01-19 00:02:00

We had 15 teams in for Trivia Night on a rainy night in Manhattan. We had some strong numbers for the One Time Oscar Nominees category, but they were a lot less for Female Vocalist Trivia. (I honestly didn't think I made it that difficult.)IQ Trivia > read more

Theo's Still Perfect

Published on 2011-01-18 14:19:00

Today was the deadline for teams and players to avoid arbitration, and once again, Theo Epstein kept a perfect record of never going to a hearing with a Red Sox player since he took over as GM in 2002.In what could be his final contract with the Red > read more

Loopy Wally's At It Again

Published on 2011-01-17 15:30:00

Wallace Matthews, who for some reason has a job writing for ESPN New York, wrote a really hilarious column on Saturday, and he now believes that the Yankees have "won" the off season when they signed Rafael Soriano, and are now the favorites to win t > read more

Oscar Nominees & Female Singers On Tuesday

Published on 2011-01-17 10:43:00

Trivia Night this week will feature as the Special Category, "One Time Oscar Nominees Trivia." I will give you seven recent Oscar nominees from the four major acting categories and you have to tell me what film they were nominated for, and if they wo > read more

Foot Man 28, Mumbles 21

Published on 2011-01-16 19:47:00

It's a rough day for all of you out there who are New England Patriots fans, and you have my sympathies. Getting beaten by a rival from New York in an important postseason game is never an easy thing to handle.They were simply outplayed by a hungrier > read more

Stuff For a Chilly Saturday

Published on 2011-01-15 11:00:00

My friend Pete over at Hauls of Shame has an update on a now-infamous picture from the cover of a 1985 Sporting News edition that featured a number of former players wearing classic old time uniforms that were allegedly worn by some of the game's gre > read more

Words We Can All Live By

Published on 2011-01-13 11:18:00

"Perhaps we question whether we are doing right by our children, or our community, and whether our priorities are in order. We recognize our own mortality, and are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealt > read more

Trivia Q&A: January 11

Published on 2011-01-12 00:25:00

On a night when yet another snow storm was about to come down on New York, we had a tremendous turnout once again on Trivia Night: 18 teams braved the conditions because they had to have their Trivia! (And I appreciate every one of you who came out.) > read more

Geddy's Back As Ramirez Departs

Published on 2011-01-10 23:51:00

The Max Ramirez Era in Boston has come to very fast end, after just five days, as the Red Sox lost the catcher they picked up last Wednesday to the Chicago Cubs. They put Ramirez on waivers so they could add the recently-signed Hideki Okajima on the > read more

Q Are You? Debuts For 2011

Published on 2011-01-10 11:35:00

The monthly category "Q Are You?" makes its first appearance in 2011 this Tuesday night, and that is when I give you clues to a current celebrity and you have to tell me who in the world I'm talking about. Always a fun category.The Q Train lightning > read more

"Remembering Fenway Park"

Published on 2011-01-09 11:16:00

Earlier last week, I pleasure to meet the noted author Harvey Frommer, who is the author of 41 books, mostly about sports, specifically baseball. His last book was the well-received "Remembering Yankee Stadium" in 2008. His newest project is called " > read more

Happy 70th, Gray

Published on 2011-01-08 11:45:00

Today is of course, the birthdays of rock legends Elvis Presley and David Bowie. But it is also the 70th birthday of the late, great Graham Chapman, one of the genuises behind Monty Python. It's hard to believe Graham has been gone over 21 years now, > read more

Henry Fires The Manager. No, Not Tito.

Published on 2011-01-08 11:01:00

John W. Henry made his second firing of a manager, and it wasn't someone in a Red Sox uniform. (You remember the first, don't you? The guy who left Pedro in too long. The name escapes me at the moment.)It was Liverpool's manager Roy Hodgson, who left > read more

Sox Get Ramirez. No, Not THAT One.

Published on 2011-01-05 23:28:00

The Red Sox picked up catcher Max Ramirez off waivers from Texas yesterday. That name may sound familiar, as he was the player going to the Sox from the Rangers last year in the aborted Mike Lowell deal.Ramirez batted .217 in 25 games at Texas last y > read more

Circle Bert a Hall of Famer

Published on 2011-01-05 13:44:00

On his 14th attempt at the Hall of Fame, the great Bert Blyleven was finally elected today, along with Roberto Alomar, who was on the ballot for the second time.Alomar received 90% of the vote, and Blyleven 79.2%. Barry Larkin was third and he receiv > read more

Trivia Q&A: January 4

Published on 2011-01-05 00:35:00

We had a terrific turnout for the first Trivia Night of 2011, with 18 teams taking part in the festivities. The scores were generally strong throughout the evening, and they were particularly good in January 4th Trivia, which was our Special Category > read more

Welcome Back Billy Buck

Published on 2011-01-04 11:30:00

I was surprised to learn today that Bill Buckner is returning to baseball, but this time as manager of the Brockton Rox of the independent Cam-Am league.The Rox have a colorful history connected to the nearby Red Sox (who they have no official affili > read more

You Could Get Red Sox Replica Gear In 1919

Published on 2011-01-03 10:50:00

My friend Pete over at Hauls of Shame web site has a very interesting article about how Red Sox gear was available to the buying public as early as 1919, and it even has Babe Ruth featured in a Boston Globe ad, shortly before his infamous sale to You > read more

They Made Films Memorable Kicks Off 2011

Published on 2011-01-03 10:33:00

This Tuesday night we will have our first edition of Trivia Night for 2011. As the Special Category, we will have "January 4th Trivia," stuff that happened on that day in history. And no, there will be no questions about the Trivia Maven's birthday. > read more

The Brett Favre Era Finally Ends. I Guess.

Published on 2011-01-02 18:57:00

The disaster that was the 2010 Minnesota Vikings season came to a merciful end and with a thud as the Detroit Lions beat the Vikings, 20-13, for their fourth straight win at Ford Field in Detroit.Brett Favre was once again inactive and briefly took i > read more

Bet You Weren't Expecting This

Published on 2011-01-01 10:28:00

I always observe many traditions on this, the first day of the New Year.I run up and down my block like a madman just after midnight (although I really could do that this year due to the icy street) to usher in the New Year. I also put out my three d > read more

Hello Ball. Goodbye 2010.

Published on 2010-12-31 17:05:00

This is the 635th and final post of 2010 for The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, and I want to thank all of you who come to my blog, and especially to those of you who come here on a regular basis. It is one of the joys of my life to write this blog and > read more

New Lefty, Same As The Old Lefty

Published on 2010-12-31 17:00:00

It appears that the Red Sox will bring Hideki Okajima back for one more season, as they are close to signing him to a one-year deal.He will join Andrew Miller, Rich Hill, Lenny DiNardo and Felix Doubront as lefties trying to earn a spot in the new an > read more

Catholics Dominate Convicts

Published on 2010-12-31 16:41:00

Notre Dame came out firing today at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, as they totally dominated Miami in winning, 33-17.Michael Floyd was one of the stars of the game, as he caught two TD passes from Tommy Rees in the first half, including the first one on th > read more