The Death of the Boston Sports Fan?

Is this the obituary for the Boston sports fan? You know, the real fan who did the right thing? It just might be.

I haven't been to a Patriots game since they lost to the St. Louis Rams in 2001 (it was the last game that team lost on their way to the first Super Bowl). I'm not a Pats fan, and tickets are so hard to get, so whatever. But for the last few years you've heard some complaints about the crowd not being what it once was.

In the two games I went to this month, I'm thinking that comfort level has leaked into two other teams.

Earlier this month, I went to Game 3 of the ALCS. The game, frankly, stunk. The Sox lost, 9-1. The game was out of hand by the middle innings. It was a nice day in Boston, but by the 4:30 start time the wind was up and it was getting cool. By the middle innings, it was downright cold. Some fans -- likely people who never go to Fenway -- wore shorts or no heavy jackets. They were gone by the 6th. The exodus only picked up in the 7th and the 8th.

There's probably something to be said for leaving early when your team is getting smoked. But I'm willing bet for every person at that game (roughly 39,000), there were 100 who would gladly take their spot. Instead of sticking it out, it got awfully empty late. By the 9th, I was sprawled over about three rows and 10 seats. And no one was even close to me.

Of course, the big stories revolve around Game 5. Mayor Lisa Wong admitted -- awkwardly, uncooly -- at last week's press conference that she left early. She tried to laugh it off, but it was a really uncomfortable moment. As Wong rambled on, Andy Roy (who went to another beating in Game 4) and I were not amused. On the other hand, by brother who also lives in Fitchburg stuck it out. He was a happy boy when he called me leaving the ballpark. Wong wasn't alone in doing the wrong thing. At least my brother did the right thing and was rewarded for it. How do you leave early what might have been the very last game of the season?

That brings me to last night, when the Celtics handed out rings and raised Banner 17 to the rafters. It seemed like a good crowd -- the place was packed in advance of the ceremony, and it was good and loud from the get-go. But the posers were outed halfway through the fourth quarter, when the place started to empty out. The Celts were only up by 6 or so at that point. The real drain began in the last two minutes, even with it being a one-possession game for much of that time. Yeah, it was 11 o'clock, and the national TV timeouts were painfully long, but it was the home opener for the defending world champions (no, I can't write or say that enough), and the place was more empty than full by the final buzzer. There wasn't even the usual backups on the stairways getting out.

Outside of New England, the sports world hates our guts. Our teams win, a lot, to the point where we shrug off an ALCS appearance as nice, but not really special. Last night's display was really lame. It would be borderline for the Bobcats in January. But the Cavs on banner night? Good Lord.

It's frustrating to have to clear out a winter weekend and hope you get lucky just to get two crappy seats to a crappy mid-week Sox game. I can't remember the last time I went to a weekend game for the Sox, tickets are so hard to get. It stinks that Mrs. Save Fitchburg and I spent a good hour poring over the Celtics schedule and made a gameplan just short of D-Day to score three or four Celtics games this year. It stinks to beg, borrow and steal your way into a legitimate, unqualified Big Game, and see the collective crowd treat it like just another random game.

So, this month may have signaled the death of the old Boston fan. The ones who didn't stay late at Fenway just to sing "Sweet Caroline." The ones who stuck it out just because that's what you do. The ones who appreciated the moment, the opportunity, and the specialness of the times.

See You Saturday Night

The scene, the Save Fitchburg mansion. The inning, the bottom of the seventh. Me: "If they don't score four runs here, I'm going to bed." A few minutes later, "Papi could hit 10 times between now and tomorrow morning and not get four runs across." A few minutes later: "Papi's going to f--- me here, hit a home run, and I'm gonna have to stay up."

It's already cost me a good 90 minutes of shut-eye, and probably another half-hour or so to settle down, but if you bagged it after six, oh, baby, did you miss a miracle of a finish tonight.

About Tonight, And Last Night

When was the last time the country was so into a vice presidential debate? When was the last time a veep debate had so much promise for drama? When was the last time we cared this much?

I'm not sure about the answers to any of the above, but I do know this: More people than usual are very intrigued by tonights Palin-Biden faceoff.

Much of it, of course, is wrapped up in the Curious Case of Sarah Palin. From mega-star to mega-worry in a month, this is Palin's big night. She struggled through her hyped interview with Charlie Gibson, and she absolutely bombed in her much-hyped interview with Katie Couric (a chunk here. You can find the rest if you haven't seen it).

Palin has proven to be everything you kind of thought she'd be: Overly scripted, short on details, and trying so hard to stay on message that she blows it when pressed on specifics. Her inability to name one newspaper or magazine she read regularly was disturbing. Her insistence on answering follow-up questions with the same programmed response is even more disturbing. In short, I think she's sucked so far in her one-on-ones.

Biden, of course, is a whole other ball of fun. He says the wrong thing quite often (the whole debacle over him saying a campaign ad was terrible, then backtracking was particularly bad), and can stray off the talking points too much and get into trouble.

All that said, I think by tomorrow morning the storyline is going to be "the return of THE Sarah Palin." Debates offer the opportunity for more generalities, with little follow-up for specifics. Palin can stick to the message, and work her charm and likability. While she offered little depth in her convention speech, it was a winner. I expect that kind of performance tonight. I think Biden won't go for the jugular, and will instead hope she hangs herself. I also think it's more like Biden makes a big mistake than Palin.

While Tina Fey and "Saturday Night Live" have been absolutely killing Palin -- and I'd say more people have watched that online than on TV -- it might be the best thing for Palin. Expectations are low for tonight for Palin, and I think she's going to surpass them easily.

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I haven't written one word this year about the Red Sox. A big chunk of that is due to my unhealthy obsession for the first half of the season with the Celtics (by the way, Mrs. Save Fitchburg wins the award for Wife of the Year/Decade/Century/Eternity with her procurement of C's opening night tickets. Unbelievable). There was also kind of a, you know, complacency in the Sox this year.

That said, I was up until 1:30 this morning watching the Sox put the Angels to bed in Game 1 of the AL Divisional Series. Jon Lester was massive. Jason Bay was clutch. Jacoby Ellsbury was great.

I need a nap, but before I hide under the desk for a snooze, I've thought for about a month now that if the Sox can somehow get past the Angels, they're going to win the World Series. I think the White Sox are flawed, and I'm gambling that at some point the stage gets too big -- and the collars too tight -- for the Rays. Although the Cubs are damn good, I have little fear of the NL. Too many World Series sweeps, I guess.

So, here we go. Hopefully another month of late nights and big wins. Much of it likely depends on Josh Beckett staying healthy, and getting the rust off J.D. Drew and keeping Mike Lowell on the field wouldn't hurt. But after last night, you can't help be excited by the potential.

Restoring Radio Contact

Sorry for not posting much lately. Between vacation and the unbelievable chaos at work since returning, I've had little time to even think about what's going on, forget come up with decent thoughts about it. And considering the unending litany of comments, I figure I'm at least the stupidest asshole in Fitchburg, if not all of New England, and it's a fight I don't have the energy, time or patience for.

Anyway, here's a couple of random thoughts from the stupidest asshole in New England:

I was looking for a reason not to vote for Barack Obama. As much as I was sort of resigned to pulling the trigger for him, I didn't really want to, and was hoping John McCain would give me a reason to vote for him.

Instead, McCain pretty much pushed fulling to Obama with the Sarah Palin pick. It has nothing to do with the whole teen pregnancy business, and everything to do with the fact that McCain would be putting one heartbeat away someone who was essentially the mayor of Ashby two years ago. So unprepared, so not ready. Such a bad pick. It makes me seriously question McCain's judgement, and I really question how well this pick was vetted. If you can't get this right, what can you get right?

The state Senate election is 13 days from now. What a snorefest. Why? Is it just assumed Flanagan has it in the bag? What am I missing? For a race that last winter seemed rock-em-sock-em robots, it's been dullsville.

On the other hand, it seems like the Red Sox are putting together at just the right time. Five series wins in a row, and getting good ball over the place. Dustin Pedroia is ridiculous right now. Imagine if they could get fully healthy. They're not catching the Rays (although the throw-away tix for next Tuesday's game that is part of my package is looking very good right now), but they're likely making the playoffs. If they can beat the Angels in the first round, I like their chances against Tampa/Chicago/Minny/all of the NL. Hopefully they play this well the rest of the way.

Football season starts tomorrow night. I'd be psyched if the Raiders finished 8-8. Sad, I know, but that's the way it is. I am excited to see Darren McFadden, and worried to see JaMarcus Russel. They're on MNF (late game) next Monday. I guess the Pats will be good, too.

Eh, that's it. It's quiet on the city side, no?

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Over the last week or so, the word everyone used about the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez was "marriage." As in, "their marriage might soon be ending."

Don't be silly, they were never married. They never could make that commitment to each other.

Instead, they were boyfriend-girlfriend, always considering marriage, but never getting there. They constantly fought, put up with each other, and finally, they broke up.

When Manny signed with the Sox almost eight years ago, the Red Sox were fairly good looking, but not the handsome stud they are now. Manny, however, was the It Girl. Beautiful beyond belief. The Sox did everything they had to do (if you can find the ESPN show with Dan Duquette all but begging, check it out) to make Manny their girl.

Ever since, Manny has acted like he knew the Sox would never dump the hot chick. The Sox thought about breaking up a few times (the closest was probably that waiver-wire winter stunt a few years back), but could never pull the trigger.

And that's the thing. Sometimes it's clear to everyone else that you need to drop that girl, but there's something that makes you want to make it work out. In the case of Manny and the Sox, it's pretty clear what that was. No matter how clear it was to the world -- even the Sox -- that they were better off without Manny, the Sox couldn't cut the cord. The fans are the same way. We loved Manny, even though we knew he wrong for the team and for us in so many ways.

But eventually everyone gets there in their own time. In a lot of ways, it's kind of sad. What seemed so obvious for so long, what seemed like the best thing for the Sox to do, ends up being messy and depressing. The Sox finally got to the point where their desperate desire to make things work out was overwhelmed by the obvious need to move on. It's never easy, but they finally did it.

And to do it, they had to do it ugly and messy. Manny went ballistic in recent days, and the Sox (admittedly) overpaid to break up with him. Craig Hansen never quite found his way here, and Brandon Moss is a nice player. But when you give up the best righthanded hitter of a generation and $7M to pay his salary, throwing in two more ML-ready players is a heavy price to pay (Note: What the hell were the Florida Marlins looking for? From all reports, they wanted more than Manny and the money. Hansen and Moss weren't good enough? Lordy. Who the hell do they think they are?)

So, the Sox get Jason Bay in return. I almost want to describe him as a slightly better Trot Nixon, based on all reports. Sounds like a dependable 25-30 HRs, 100ish RBI, .290ish hitter who plays good defense. Sound familiar? Maybe Bay is JD Drew without the fragile history and all of Philly hating him. They also get a bit of financial maneuvering in the future. Bay has one more year on his contract, but you'd have to think the Sox will try to sign up to a longer deal. Let's say it's in the $10-$12 million range (he's at $7.5M or so right now). That leaves $8M on Manny's team option for next year. I vote for a high-quality reliever, but that's just me. The point is, the Sox have a few extra dollars to spend.

Consider the next two (hopefully three) months the Sox rebound phase. Maybe they come out of this relationship strong, make the playoffs, and even go deep into October again. Maybe they don't get it together, miss out on October, and move on next year.

That's the thing when you finally come to your senses and break off a long-term relationship. You don't know what's going to happen on the other side, and that fear that it will be worse than it is now is one of the things that keeps you hoping for the best. But then you realize that that hope is better served for the future, and the only way you get there is to put the past behind you. More often than not, that hope turns into a better future. It might not this be October, it might be next year, but even if it means a rocky few months on the rebound, the Sox are better off than they were yesterday.

Do the Sox Lose the World Series Today?

I haven't written one word about the Sox this season so far. My Celtics obsession took over all sports talk. But today seems like a good day to talk about them.

Of course, they've been stinking out the joint lately. But they're still firmly in the playoff mix. But they might lose the World Series today. The Manny Ramirez rumor mill is on high alert this morning, and likely will be all day. Update boston.com relentlessly, y'all.

Manny's gone before the 2009 opening day. It might not be until after the season, it might be today, but he's very much gone, from all reports. But if it happens today, the Sox might knock themselves out of the World Series before we get into August.

This isn't a defense of Manny, just a defense of his 30-something homers and 100-something RBI. The big rumor this a.m. is a three-way deal that ends up with the Sox getting Jason Bay from the Pirates. Bay has some 30-HR, 100-RBI seasons in his recent past, and by numbers he'd replace Manny's thump in the middle of the lineup. But can he get settled in a new league -- and more importantly go from meaningless baseball to the game's biggest pressure cooker -- and perform? It's a question that you have to consider.

Most other options for the Sox at this point is the usual buffet of prospects. Rarely do you get even money when you trade a superstar. And while a bucket of prospects for Manny might be a long-term decision, it means the end of this season. And if they offer Manny arbitration in the offseason, they'd get two sandwich picks for him, which is a nice little haul.

Trying to see past the current lackluster stretch, the Sox lineup is keyed around the 3-4 spots (nothing too revealing there). Losing Ramirez means it's quite likely Ortiz sees fewer quality pitches in the 3 hole. It means, perhaps, that Jason Varitek moves back up a spot in the lineup. It likely pushes Youkilis back down in the order. And so on.

The chance to win a World Series is precious, despite what recent history might tell us. If the Sox trade Manny today, they might be throwing away a chance to win it all. In the end, I hope Manny stays through the end of this year, and then they say goodbye in the fall and find a big bat to get in the lineup. I like the Sox' chances a lot more with him than without him this year.

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I have very minimal interesting in touching off a public rehashing of yesterday's chaos. But if anyone has questions about how I operate or what I'm trying to do here, you can send me a comment with your e-mail address or e-mail me at savefitchburg@hotmail.com. I won't post either the comment or the e-mail (when I said "minimal," what I realy meant is "no interest at all," but I will discuss things with you. Also, while I'm here, barring a disaster today Save Fitchburg will get its 300,000 hit in less than three years. Good stuff.

About Last Night

The Boston Red Sox won the World Series. And this time, it's fun, not a relief.

And suddenly, the Red Sox are the best organization in baseball (despite Rupert's earlier beliefs. Note: Lugo hit .400 in the WS, and Drew was fantastic in the playoffs. Discuss), and you have to wonder if this might happen again in the next three or four years.

Whatever part of that Red Sox history that was lingering, just kind of hanging on, has to be gone. While I advocated that the past was the past (see my constant posts through the summer saying the Sox were going to win the division), some folks got all anxious as the Yanks made their late-season charge. Sometime in mid-September, an office colleague said she was "done with the Red Sox." I haven't seen her this morning, but I'm sure that's not the case this morning.

Anyway, despite 2004, despite the evidence that the Sox are right now constant champion threats, some folks couldn't let the past go. It's time, people, once and for all, to forget about the ancient history.

It would be foolish to tab the Sox as the favorites for next year. Repeating so damn hard. Not only do you have to be good, but you have to be lucky. Not just in the playoffs, but along the way. Winning 96 games isn't easy, but it was important, as it turned out, to have home field in the ALCS. Not that it mattered, but winning the all-star game -- purely a luck situation if there ever was one -- could be important one of these days (note: Not all WS are sweeps).

The Sox fan's biggest concern right now -- behind coming up with the believable excuse to skip work for the parade (please pass along any and all potential excuses. I'm gonna need one), and whether or not Mike Lowell comes back (a giant concern for 2008) -- is not becoming the Yankees. It's pretty much too late -- two World Series in four years will do that -- but becoming the obnoxious, entitled fan like the Yankees (and the Patriots, it should be noted) should be avoided, if possible.

That said, it's time to sit with the satisfaction of watching the Sox win the World Series, without burying any kind of curse or history. They led essentially wire-to-wire, smacking everyone around for the first few months of the season, going through the usual troubles that a baseball season presents, and then just ripping the heart out of the Angels, manning up against the Indians, and then just overwhelming the overmatched Rockies. As someone who watched at least a chunk of probably about 150 games (and listening to some others while on the road), it's been a fantastic ride. This one was far more enjoyable than the drama and anxiety of 2004.

Now, the future. Look around. Youkilis and Pedroia are set on the right side of the infield. Lugo is competent and worthy at short. Bringing Lowell back would be wonderful. You have Manny for one more year in left (his bat will be missed someday, but his $20M would go a long way toward a decent replacement). You have a wonderful problem in center with Crisp/Ellsbury (you have to figure Crisp is on the block), and Drew can only get better, right? That lineup over the next two or three years can be pretty much set, and very good that way.

Even better, look at the pitching: Beckett, Matsuzaka (who will get better next year), Lester, Buchholz, with Schilling/Wakefield/starter TBD. That's a nice rotation that is very young. I don't think any of those guys are older than 27. Okijima is 32, but clearly has plenty of gas in the tank. Delcarmen is coming on and should be an excellent set-up guy next year (he was very good this year until the playoffs, where he struggled some). And I think we all know the ninth is in good hands.

The best team in baseball won the World Series this year, and it has the potential to be the best team in baseball for the next few years, at least. If you haven't done it already, it's time to bury the past.

See you at the parade.

No More Turns

The horserace that is this election cycle has left the final turn and is in the homestretch. The final kick starts tonight, when the mayoral candidates meet for a little hot debate action.

The debate is sponsored by the Fitchburg Pride, FATV, and AM 1280 "The Blend." The Pride will have live coverage on its website, barring any kind of technical difficulties. The debate will be aired live on FATV and on "The Blend."

And don't worry, the 7 p.m. start time and 60-minute timeframe means there is plenty of time to watch, and then get your Sox on (more on that in a minute, I think).

But, what to expect tonight? The last time Lisa Wong and Tom Donnelly met, it was Oct. 1. Wong was flush with a big victory, and Donnelly was trying to refind his footing after the surprising preliminary election results.

Almost four weeks later, now what? The big buzz has kind of been taken out of this race. While the candidates are still grinding away with door-knocking, standouts and appearances, much of the big publicity -- and water-cooler talk -- has shriveled up. A big lead can do that. Throw in an pretty interesting at-large council race, and attention has started to divide up and down the ballot.

But, tonight, the spotlight gets turned back on the top-of-the-ballot race. So, who does what tonight (warning, golf analogies ahead)?

For Wong, another confident, fairly strong performance is the obvious answer. A month, we were begging a candidate to step up in the last debate before the preliminary and go for the green. Tonight, Wong probably only needs to keep it in the fairway and get on the green in regulation. If she makes a birdie or two, all the better for her. She needs to avoid bogies.

For Donnelly, he needs to shoot for the pin. He can't layup on the par-5s. He needs to put the pressure on early and keep the pressure on. He needs to try to fluster Wong, move the debate to his ground, and keep hammering. He can't sit back. He can't. He'll need to question everything she says, and offer a smart alternative. Of the three debate performances I've seen, he hasn't been particularly outstanding in any of them. He's even said in debates he's not the best debater or speaker. Tonight, he's going to have to be.

It's not a make-or-break night for Donnelly, but it's a night where he can try to gain some momentum, and get people thinking he's still in this race. The simple math from the preliminary election means he's running from behind, and he won't have many opportunities to gain ground in a hurry. Tonight, though, can be one of those nights when he can, if he makes it happen. That will be the question of the night.

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Actually, the question of the night might be, can Curt Schilling be any good tonight? The Sox obviously got off to a good start last night, but going to Colorado 2-0 would be huge. For the last four days, the Rockies have heard they don't have a chance in this series. Last night went a long way to making that talk seem like reality. Another win tonight would make for a looooong plane ride back to Denver after tonight's game.

Simply, the National League is a lot worse than the American League. Also, Colorado got here by beating a lucky-as-hell Phillies team that wasn't very good, and an Arizona team that was only marginally better. Who would you rather take, Cleveland or Arizona? Thought so.

That said, let's not start making parade plans just yet. Remember 1985? In the Memorial Day Massacre, the Celtics killed the Lakers, absolutely killed them, by 30 in Game One (Scott Wedman went 11-for-11 that game, I believe), and then lost the series, 4-2.

Good start, but let's see what happens tonight.

An Update

I'm on jury duty at least through Wednesday, probably, which will hamper activity here. But in the meantime, two things:

--There's a debate Thursday night, 7 p.m. Live on FATV and AM 1280 "The Blend," with live analysis and coverage at the Fitchburg Pride website. This will be a 60-minute debate, so we can all be home in time for ...

--What's really important these days. The Red Sox are in the World Series. And Rupert said it couldn't happen.

The nice part: Last night, when I finally went beddy-bye at about 12:15, it kind of hit me: The Sox were in the World Series. After watching them dig a 3-1 hole, and then get out, the prize at the end was kind of lost in the haze. But now that things have cleared, wheee-ha. Awesome.

Colorado, of course, is ridiculously hot. Hopefully the eight days off cooled them off some. Hopefully. But on paper, the Sox appear dominant. One question: Does Wake go in Game Two. I really can't see him going in the thin air in Denver, so it makes sense to pitch him here Thursday night. Let's see what happens there.

OK, a prediction: Sox is 6. I'm too chicken to take 'em in 5.

Live from Fenway (Last Night)

Yes, that's Mrs. Save Fitchburg and me, on the good side of the wall at Fenway last night. We're at the bottom of the photo, right near the wall. For some reason, we're actually looking at each other (the photo is from Boston.com).

I'm guessing we were deep in this conversation:

He: Silly girl, Beckett is the man, and his Uncle Charlie is filthy tonight.

She: You're right. You're so smart.

He: Yes. And I have good taste in women.

She: Again, you're right. You're the best.

Or something like that. Getting settled in for Game 2. Let's hope it goes like last night.

Sometimes, I Am Smart

I wrote this on July 31. It alludes to an earlier post that says the same thing, but for some reason I can't find it:

We talked a few months ago about the Sox's hot start, and holding off the
Yankees. Without going into the archives, I remember Rupert K saying the Sox
would be caught. We went to the numbers to figure out how tough it would be for
the Yanks to make up the ground. After this brutal week for the Yankees, I
figured it was time for an update:The Red Sox are 48-26. We figured all along
their good for about 95 wins. They need to go 47-41 the rest of the way to get
to that mark. And yes, we're ruling out the rest of the division, which doesn't
have the horses for a run. The Sox have a few problems -- they can't hit
sometimes, the middle relief is due for a rough stretch one of these days, and
they're starting pitching has gotten nicked up. But, if you believe Beckett has
had his DL stretch, and that Schilling is halfway through his, how can you not
think the Sox are going to win at least 95 games this year? Even if Schilling is
out for a while, 95 seems a minimal goal.So...The Yankees are 36-37. Yup, back
under .500. Unbelieveable. The Yankees would have to go 59-30 the rest of the
way to get to 95 wins. 59-30. Basically, they'd have to win every series the
rest of the way. Can they do it? Well, yeah, I guess. They certainly had a nice
two-week stretch there a few weeks ago. But that's an awfully, awfully, tough
task. And that's assuming the Sox only go 47-41 the rest of the way.To sum this
all up: I made plans to be away the weekend of Sept. 15-17, forgetting I have
tickets for the Sox-Yanks game on the 15th. At this point, I'm confident I can
be away and not miss anything. I don't think things will change over the next
two-and-a-half months.

Why do I bring this up? The Sox won the AL East tonight. The same night they won their 95th game.

A Laundry List of Items

It's been awhile, and not much has really gotten me in a lather lately. But a bunch of things are worth noting, so here we go...

--The news that the city ran a $60,000 isn't particularly disturbing to me. Here's why: It was no secret the city was pretty much spending every single dime in had last year. There was pretty much no wiggle room. $60G is less than one-tenth of a percent in a $95 million budget. It's like one of us needing to come up with $50.

This isn't something worth cheering, of course. It's a product of the shaky foundation on which the budget sits. But when you've given yourself no margin to work with, these kinds of things are going to happen. It just as easily could have been $60,000 in the black. Still nothing to cheer about, but just that slight change would keep all this off our radar screens. Forget the $60K, and look at how we got there. That's still the story.

--Far more disturbing is the situation with enterprise fund running a deficit. This is a situation that need prompt and appropriate attention. Someone needs to figure out what the problem is and solve it. Pronto.

That said, Ted DeSalvatore said this week the "whole enterprise business" needs to be investigated. Maybe, but it's not a problem with the "business." Enterprise funds are a regular way of operating, and work. You need to think long and hard about killing the enterprise and moving the program into the general budget. The city needs to figure out how to fill this current gap, but if you move the fund into the budget, suddenly the best and obvious way is to transfer money from other departments. It's the last thing the city needs right now.

--Mayor Dan Mylott is moving forward with the idea of placing the city's pension fund in the state's program, and doing the same with city employee insurance. Two most excellent ideas, as I've been screaming for months now. Particularly on the insurance side. This will save the money, if the unions don't try to screw it up.

--I watched the Ted DeSalvatore interview on FATV's "Inside Fitchburg" last night. I haven't watched any of the others, but I will. Host Bill Gates is mostly ignoring the policy and politics, and getting the candidates to talk about their backgrounds, how they grew up, and what kind of people they are. He does a good job, and it's the rare opportunity to get beyond handshakes, standouts, and policy bloviating.

--Football season starts tomorrow. I can't wait.

--Finally, some Sox talk. For some reason, I can't find the initial post from the spring, and it kills me, because I really want to get Rupert K out in the open on this one. Way back, when the Sox were killing teams, I said 95 wins would win the division. As of this morning, they'd need to go 11-13 the rest of the way to get there. For the Yankees to catch the Sox, they'd need to go 18-4 the rest of the way. That's right, 18-4, and with Clemens suddenly achey, they might need to go back to Mussina, which most Yanks would rather not see happen.

Yes, the Sox made it interesting -- and sweep by the Yanks next weekend would probably again throw New England into a tizzy -- but it certainly appears the Sox are in good shape. Rupert argued the Sox were doomed. I thought he was wrong then, and he certainly appears wrong now.

That said, I'm not totally comfortable with this team in the playoffs. A little more clutch hitting would be nice. Some semblance of a reliable Schilling would help. A health Manny is important. That and the fact that the Yankees lineup makes them dangerous in the postseason and the Angels are just flat-out good, makes me wonder about the playoffs. But, most importantly, they're in, and that all that matters for now. We can worry about matchups later.

The Future Is Now

UPDATE (4:55 p.m.) There's a slight change in the Garnett deal from what I have below. Rajon Rondo stays, Bassy Telfair goes. So long, Bassy, we hardly knew ye. That said, the more I think about it, the more I like that trade. A bunch of people have mentioned it to me today, and it's great that the Celts are relevant again. That alone might make it a great trade.

More importantly at this point, the Sox just finished a trade for Eric Gagne. That means in October, you'd better be beating the Sox after six innings, because Okijima, Gagne and Papelbon are waiting after that. Yikes. Sure, Gagne's back my cripple him any day now, but whatever. That bullpen is now ferocious.

I know, I know, you don't want to hear it. If you don't want to read about the Celtics, you're free to go. But....

My first reaction to the megatrade for Kevin Garnett was immediate anger. I didn't want to see Al Jefferson go away. Throw in two serviceable players (Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes), the C's best trade bait (Theo Ratliff's contract) and apparently the starting point guard (Rajon Rondo) -- and a top pick, and that's quite a bounty.

My negativity -- Rick Pitino would be so proud -- was that fact that the Celtics traded away the future we've had to sit through and nurture over the last few years. Coming on the heels of the Ray Allen trade, I was done with Danny Ainge yesterday afternoon.

In the long term, this might not be a good trade for the Celtics. In three years or so, when Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are all in their mid-30s, this will be an old team (hello, late 80s/early 90s Celts). There is so much money wrapped up in those three players that there will be little cash to flesh out the roster. By the way, who's the point guard? The team's two "best," Delonte West and Rondo, are gone.

But for the next two or three years, the Celtics suddenly matter. A lot. And for 82 games a year, we get to watch a star (Pierce) and a superstar (Garnett) on the same court for the same team. Cool.

More importantly, for the next two or three years, the Celtics are in fact contenders to at least make the Finals, if not win them. Part of that is because the Eastern Conference stinks. Bad. A Celtics team of its latter-day Big Three, me, and Dan Mylott would make the playoffs (allegedly Mylott is a great spot-up shooter).

Cleveland won the conference this year, and that team was a one-man band. Detroit's on the downside, Chicago is a player short (Allen or Garnett would be huge there, in fact), Miami could be dangerous if Shaq muscles up, but that mystique is fading fast. In short, the Celtics are suddenly in the mix.

So, today, fresh off a mini-vacation, I'm taking the optimistic outlook. Even at best, a fully matured Jefferson with Pierce and other parts would be looking at a two- or three-year window to compete -- in two or three years. That timetable just got moved up, and this team is more solid.

Obviously, it's better to have your teams always competitive and able to just reload through its monster resources (the Red Sox) or its smarts (the Patriots, although they're not my team. I'm a Raiders fan). To think Ainge and Doc Rivers will be able to reload this team is still not a trustworthy situation. So you have a two-year window to sit back and watch three stars try to get the Celtics back to basketball's biggest stage. That would be cool.

At Least We Have the Red Raiders

If you missed the story in the Globe on Saturday, after a $3 million override failed in Stoneham, officials eliminated the entire high school athletic department, which costs roughly $750,000 a year.

What does this have to do with Fitchburg? Well, not much. But...

The Stoneham situation is another reminder that things are tough all over around the state. Communities are looking at overrides to help fill in the gaps, and when it doesn't happen they are resorting to some fairly Draconian cuts. Stoneham sports = Fitchburg Library?

I'm not a big fan of the "we're cutting all sports" move. It stinks of politics and municipal extortion. The message is, give us money or kid won't run track this year. Instead, I think Fitchburg is doing the proper and appropriate thing by trying to maintain at least parts of everything. That might change tonight with the library. At least one councilor thinks the council might vote to close the library tonight. That councilor doesn't agree with that idea, but thinks it might happen. 'Nough said on that.

Finally, as usual, you hear folks around the city mention receivership. Some think it's a good idea, some think it's merely destiny based on the city's financial condition. While that condition isn't very good, it's not receivership level. When the city ends the year millions of dollars in debt, or is making cuts triple or quadruple what is making now, then we'll talk about it. But there's a big difference between the current situations in Fitchburg and Stoneham and receivership. Just getting that out there.

Finally, a couple of sports matters while I have your attention....

The Celtics seem to be getting closer to wanting to draft Yi Jianlian on Thursday night. Combine the mock drafts, rumor mill and this Globe feature, and you have wonder if this is their guy.

In short, ugh. First, they should be trading this pick for a veteran. Not sure the AK-47 rumor floated by Peter May yesterday does the trick, but it's close. I just can't get excited about Kirilenko. Anyone?

If they don't trade the pick, Paul Pierce is likely to go nuts. Use the pick on Jianlian -- who no one knows and is considered a "prospect" -- and you might as well put Pierce in solitary, so as not to infect the rest of the inmates.

But with Garnett not wanting to come here, and the Celtics, ahem, braintrust deathly afraid to trade young talent lest they become very good somewhere else (the ghosts of Chauncey Billups and Joe Johnson live), you can count on the Cs hanging on to the pick Thursday night. Grrrrrrr.

We talked a few months ago about the Sox's hot start, and holding off the Yankees. Without going into the archives, I remember Rupert K saying the Sox would be caught. We went to the numbers to figure out how tough it would be for the Yanks to make up the ground. After this brutal week for the Yankees, I figured it was time for an update:

The Red Sox are 48-26. We figured all along their good for about 95 wins. They need to go 47-41 the rest of the way to get to that mark. And yes, we're ruling out the rest of the division, which doesn't have the horses for a run. The Sox have a few problems -- they can't hit sometimes, the middle relief is due for a rough stretch one of these days, and they're starting pitching has gotten nicked up. But, if you believe Beckett has had his DL stretch, and that Schilling is halfway through his, how can you not think the Sox are going to win at least 95 games this year? Even if Schilling is out for a while, 95 seems a minimal goal.

So...

The Yankees are 36-37. Yup, back under .500. Unbelieveable. The Yankees would have to go 59-30 the rest of the way to get to 95 wins. 59-30. Basically, they'd have to win every series the rest of the way. Can they do it? Well, yeah, I guess. They certainly had a nice two-week stretch there a few weeks ago. But that's an awfully, awfully, tough task. And that's assuming the Sox only go 47-41 the rest of the way.

To sum this all up: I made plans to be away the weekend of Sept. 15-17, forgetting I have tickets for the Sox-Yanks game on the 15th. At this point, I'm confident I can be away and not miss anything. I don't think things will change over the next two-and-a-half months.