So Long, Red

Logging on to Yahoo! tonight to check out my college football pick 'em scores (7 of 18 with Rutgers-Connecticut to go - I don't want to talk about it), I was saddened to see that former Celtics coach and front office stalwart Red Auerbach had passed away at the age of 89.  Auerbach was the Celtics, serving the team in a variety of roles for more than fifty years, during which time he made deals that brought a full roster of Hall of Famers to Boston and built the teams that dominated the NBA with eight consecutive championships in the 1960s.  A member of the Hall of Fame himself, he was almost as well known as Larry Bird, Ted Williams, Bobby Orr or any of the others greats who passed through Boston during his time in the city.  His presence (and omnipresent cigar) will be sorely missed.  (Yahoo! Sports)

Movie Night

I've heard a lot about the movie Million Dollar Baby, which won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor in 2004.  Some of the word on the street has been bad and some has been good, so I figured I'd pick it up (I have a major sports movie infatuation anyway and it was $10 at Target) and give it a look.  It's about halfway through right now and not bad.  Hillary Swank isn't my favorite actress, but you really can't go wrong with Morgan Freeman (even in a supporting role), Clint Eastwood and a good story.

Fading 'Cats

A month ago, the University of New Hampshire Wildcats football team was the dominant squad in Division 1-AA college football, winners of five consecutive games to start the season (including a victory over 1-A school Northwestern) and owners of a number one national ranking.  The dream of a national championship has faded in the past three weeks, however, with consecutive losses to James Madison and Northeastern and a narrow escape against Hofstra.  The key may be the play of junior quarterback Ricky Santos, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as a sophomore and a favorite this season.  If Santos can put the team on his back and carry them through a pair of big match-ups against Massachusetts and Maine in the coming weeks, the Wildcats will be in good position for a lengthy playoff run.  On the other hand, Santos may not matter if the defense can't cut back on 362.1 yards allowed per game.

Movie Night, Part II

Hmmm...not sure I saw that coming.  This movie certainly wasn't cheerful, that's for sure.  It also wasn't a ringing endorsement for boxing.  With that said, I still enjoyed it.

This Is A True Story

Earlier tonight, I watched the end of the Texas-Texas Texas Tech game and explained to my wife that in order for me to earn a point for the game in my college football pick 'em, Texas had to win by 10.5 points.  When she asked how a team could win by .5 a point, I explained to her that if an extra point attempt hit the crossbar, it counted for half a point.  She believed me.

When It Rains, It Pours

Former major league pitcher Joe Niekro died yesterday of a brain aneurysm at the age of 61.  Like his Hall of Fame brother Phil, he used his knuckleball to win over 200 career games and pitch well into his forties, only retiring after spending the 1988 season with the Minnesota Twins, his seventh and final major league team.  He was outstanding in the post-season, throwing twenty scoreless innings over three series, including a two inning appearance in the 1987 Fall Classic.  His son, Lance, is a part-time first baseman for the San Francisco Giants.  (Yahoo! Sports and Baseball Reference)