My brother and I attended the first Patriots practice of the year in July.  I remember us laughing at some dudes that were a little too excited that day.  One of them proclaimed, “Best day of the year!”  Looking back today, he was right.  On that day, hope, promise and expectation were higher than at any point in the season.  At the very end of the practice, a hard rain began to fall and everyone scrambled to get back to their cars.  I should have known that it was a harbinger for the awful ending the season would have.

I left the tailgate a little early to get a head start on the walk up to the seats.  A few weeks ago, I hurt my knee after slipping on the ice while out on a walk with Miley.  It is fine now (just a little sore), but on Sunday it didn’t feel so great out in the cold all day.  I got to my seat a little too early and was one of the first people in my section.  As I sat there by myself, I don’t think I could have been happier.  I could have sat there all day.  After just missing the playoffs last year, my team was back in the dance.  I don’t think there was anywhere I would have rather been at that moment.

While they were down 24-0, I realized that there aren’t many quarterbacks in the history of the NFL I would rather have on my team than Tom Brady.  Even that far behind, with #12 on my sideline the game wasn’t over.  Although it is en vogue to belittle Brady these days, he did just come off his best season statistically save for his record-setting 2007 season.  As it always goes in football, the quarterback gets too much of the credit when times are good and too much of the blame when times are bad.

My disappointment lies not in the fact that they lost, but how they lost.  Nobody could have ever envisioned the Patriots spotting the Ravens a 24 point first quarter lead.  I had no delusions of grandeur for the 2009 Patriots.  It was evident after the Saints game that they just didn’t have “it” and a banner marked 2009 would not hang in the Blade next to the other three.  However, I was at least hoping they could win one playoff game.

There are some good things about the Patriots losing.  The end of their season signified my last link to the sh*tshow otherwise known as 2009.  Also, it was hard not to feel happy for the Ravens fans.  They are the best and most spirited opposing fans I’ve seen come into Foxboro over the past eight seasons while attending the games.  And furthermore, who can hate a team that picked up and left Cleveland?

The Patriots will be back and the off-season begins.  The draft will be in a few months, then July and training camp will hit, and before you know it that month I wait for all year will arrive.

September, hurry up and get here!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bengals over Jets, Eagles over Cowboys, Pats over Ravens and Packers over Cardinals.

A special NFL playoff weekend edition of The Truth About Mike.

Two words that could accurately describe me are “stupidly loyal.”  Once you’re in with me, unless there are some really strange and extreme circumstances, you’re in for good.  I’m as loyal as a puppy dog, to people, places and even things.

I am the same when it comes to watching the local news.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve watched WBZ News which is Channel 4 here in Boston.  I remember watching them back when they were the NBC affiliate before they switched to CBS.  Channel 4 has stuck with me because of their sportcasters.  I grew up watching Bob Lobel and part of what makes Super Bowl XXXVI weekend the best weekend of my life was seeing a smashed Lobel, all by himself, being held up by the wall at Pat O’Briens in New Orleans.

I also have two favorite memories of their current sportscasters.  Upon leaving Game 3 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, my brother and I saw a despondent Steve Burton walking with his head down outside of Fenway Park.  I said hello and in his response, you could hear his utter devistation in his voice as a result of that game.  My favorite Dan Roche moment was hearing him ask a player from the Carolina Panthers minutes after the 2003 NFC Championship Game if he had any “message for the New England fans.”  It is my favorite attempt at baiting, like ever.

As you all know, I’m a big fan of Twitter.  It is how I hear, well read, pretty much every breaking story.  I was surprised to see one of my favorite sportscasters post (in my mind) the worst tweet ever last Wednesday:

We go 1-on-1 w/SB42 Giants hero David Tyree(now w/Ravens) at 5:30pm on WBZ TV 4.

What?

Who would do this to promote their station on the virtual eve of the NFL playoffs.  What Patriots fan would ever want to watch that interview?  It is like Amalie Benjamin with one of her many subtle Twitter taunts at Red Sox fans.  In my opinion, David Tyree is the biggest Boston sports villain ever.  To me, he’s worse than Bill Buckner, Aaron Boone and Grady Little, combined.  I wish no ill will on the man, but if I never hear about him again it will be too soon.

The 2007 Patriots had a chance to become the greatest NFL team of all time.  Right or wrong, Tyree is the living symbol of the 2007 Giants victory in Arizona.  If the Patriots had defeated the Giants that day, there would have been no rational counter-argument to 19-0.  The 1986 and 2003 Red Sox were not playing for sports immortality and I’ve never seen a game affect local fans more than that Super Bowl loss.

So in one single, solitary tweet, Dan Roche made one of his most loyal viewers watch the competition for one night.

It felt dirty, but it was something I just had to do.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Davis, Boston.com

Sometimes it really sucks being a fan of a team that is very successful.  The fan base becomes spoiled, entitled and wilts at the first sign of any trouble.  The chicken littles were out in full force yesterday and quite frankly, it was embarrassing.  I really need to learn to avoid Facebook, Twitter, sports radio and internet message boards at times like these.

Yes, Wes Welker got hurt yesterday and is gone for not only this season but probably a portion of next season as well.  Yes, it really sucks.  It happens.  It’s football.  It was on the first series of the game and could have literally happened at any time.  It was simply a case of bad luck, nothing more.  I have no problem with Bill Belichick playing the starters in what essentially was a meaningless game.  They have done it countless times before.

To be completely honest, I am more concerned with the team’s play on the road and the defense’s inability to hold a fourth quarter lead rather than losing Wes Welker.  The road woes are a huge concern and they existed long before Welker tore up his knee.  To get to the Super Bowl, odds are that the Patriots will have to beat one of the best teams in the NFL away from Foxboro.  This prospect is much more worrisome to me than losing Welker.

One thing I do have a problem with is how the Patriots game plan was all over the map yesterday.  At times it seemed like they were going all out and at other times, it seemed like they were “Indianapolis Colt-ing” the game.  I thought about this pretty much all yesterday afternoon and I came up with a theory to explain it:

When it was learned that Welker was lost for the year at halftime, Belichick brought Brady back into the game to work with the other receivers.  I think they adapted on the fly because of what happened early in the game with Welker.  As for the last drive of the game, Belichick pulled Brady because he preferred the four seed as opposed to the three seed.  The Pats played Indy very well and San Diego looks like a team of world beaters right now.

That’s my story.  It gets me through the day and I’m sticking to it.  There are a lot of moving parts to my theory, but it seriously is one of the few things that prevents me from driving my car off of the Zakim Bridge right now.

Here are a few others:

- On January 12th, 1986, the Patriots beat the Dolphins 31-14 to go to the Super Bowl.  Before that game, they had lost 18 consecutive times in Miami dating back to 1966.  I was 13 years old and proudly sported a “Squish the Fish” t-shirt that day.

- On February 3rd, 2002, they won the Super Bowl with Troy Brown, Fred Coleman and David Givens lining up at wide receiver.

- During the 2006 campaign, they almost made the Super Bowl with Reche “Bug-Eyes” Caldwell as their primary wide receiver.

- Last season, they went 11-5 and didn’t even make the playoffs.  This season they went 10-6 and we get at least one more game to watch!  Making the playoffs in the NFL is not easy.  Even though the Pats have done it a lot recently, this fact is certainly not lost on this particular fan of the New England Patriots.

- Most importantly, to quote Kevin Garnett, anything’s posssssiiibbbblllllleeee in the playoffs.  Just ask the 2001 Patriots, 2007 Giants or any number of a myriad of teams.

Is it Sunday 1pm yet?

Go to 2:12 of this youtube. Stat.

Taken from my brother’s facebook wall, a post from our friend Mark:

I’m at the Bengals vs. Bears game and we’re up 31-3 at halftime and some random Bengal fan YELLS…..”SO THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A PATRIOTS FAN!”

I love love love it.

One of the worst feelings a sports fan can have is the one Patriots fans had last night.  It is the realization that your team is not a championship caliber team.  All year, I had high hopes for them.  Tom Brady had returned to form and the young Patriots defense was improving every week.  Heck, even embattled running back Laurence Maroney had shown flashes of brilliance.

Going into last night, I was really bullish on the defense.  Entering the game, they were third in the league in points allowed on the season.  The young secondary had shown signs of real growth.  Last night, they came crashing down to Earth.  The fact is, against the elite passers in the league, they are going to struggle.

Looking at the standings, it really wasn’t a bad loss.  It was a game the Patriots were supposed to lose and fans of many other teams would love to be 7-4 at this point.  In the grand scheme, a loss to an NFC team really doesn’t hurt your playoff chances.  The Saints were 10-0 and undefeated at home.

In reality, the Patriots were exposed as a good team, not a great one.  Furthermore, it’s hard to be upset when your team loses to a team like the Saints.  The Saints actually won the game more than the Patriots lost it.  They come from a city that could use a lift like this.  Furthermore, their roster is filled with class acts, none bigger than their all-world quarterback Drew Brees.

Now, the best the Patriots can probably hope for is the #3 seed.  This would even work out even better if Cincinnati could hold on to the #2 seed.  If that happens, the Pats would have a home playoff game and then would have to travel to Cincinnati during the divisional round.  As an astute follower of the Bengals, I’d would really like the Patriots chances of going into the Queen City and getting a playoff win.

The season isn’t over by any stretch, but the prospects of the Patriots winning their fourth Super Bowl were severely dimmed last night.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hello to everyone who arrived at this blog via a “Mike Oher” web search. I hope you enjoyed “The Blind Side” as much as I did.

I used to joke to my ex-wife that I was part Cajun.  I did this because I love New Orleans and every time I’ve been there I had a great time.  The vibe, the food, and the people all make New Orleans a special place for me.  The events of February 3, 2002 only exacerbated those thoughts.

The first time I went down to New Orleans was during a college Mardi Gras road trip.  It was a week or two after the Pats lost Super Bowl XXXI to the Green Bay Packers.  I remember taking a picture in front of a Super Bowl logo painted to the side of a building.  Looking up at that logo, I thought to myself that the Patriots would be back and that they would win it next time.

On 2/3/2002, the Patriots and I were back in New Orleans.  I was sitting in Section 636 in the very last row of the Superdome.  I was fortunate enough to be in attendance because of the generosity of my friend Mr. Baseball.  I’ll never forget him giving up his ticket for me.  He did this because he thought the seat should go to a true fan.

As Vinateri’s kick sailed through the uprights, I slumped down in my seat and dropped my head in my hands.  The guys next to me, some cool firefighters from Worcester, leaned over and asked if I was ok.  Looking up at them with tear-filled eyes, I told them I was fine.  It was the greatest sporting event I’ve ever been to and I couldn’t believe that the New England Patriots had actually won the Super Bowl.  The lives of Patriots fans had been changed forever.

Tonight, the Patriots return to New Orleans and the Superdome for the first time since that night.  Again, they come in as underdogs to a team with a high-powered offense that is on a roll.  While there will be no trophies handed out, the game result will be the same.

Pats 38, Saints 31

EDITOR’S NOTE: I have a replacement phone. Please text me your number if we have traded texts/phone calls before.

My Patriots playoff ticket invoice came in the mail yesterday.  As a season ticket holder, you have to pay for two playoff games and one of them is a potential conference championship game.  I haven’t lost complete hope that both of those tickets will be used.  Upsets happen every Sunday in the NFL.

I will concede that the game Sunday night was botched – no question about it.  I think Bill Belichick made the wrong call and the plays leading up to the call were just as curious.  After reading way too much on the subject, statistically, the fourth down call may have even been the right call.  A poster on SoSH put it best (and I’m going to paraphrase because I am not going back through all 27 pages of the thread to find his/her exact words):

What if the situation were reversed?  What if Indy decided to go for it on 4th and 2 against the Patriots to win the game?

I would have been terrified.  Giving Peyton Manning a shot to win the game by only getting two yards would have been a frightening proposition.  Belichick took a chance and it didn’t work out.

What people have also forgotten is that this wasn’t the first time Belichick has done this – this season!  He went for a short fourth down on his own side of the field in the second half of the Atlanta game.  Nobody remembers it because it worked out.  Sunday night, he was only being consistent in his thought process.

This is all we can ask of the coaches of our teams.  We want them to do what they think is best to win the game.  Every time.  If we don’t trust them to do this, then the wrong person is coaching our team.

The 4th and 2 call came down to this:

Belichick wanted the ball in the hands of his best player as opposed to the hands of his opponent’s best player at the most crucial part of the game.  He trusted his guy(s) to make the play and win the game.

After the game, like most Patriots fans I was pissed.  However, the more I have thought about it, the more I have started to admire the call.  Belichick had the gumption to go against conventional wisdom to try and get the win.  Some people call him arrogant, but I call him confident.  He had confidence in his team to get the two yards they needed.

Even though I don’t agree with the call he made, I still want Bill Belichick coaching my team more than any other coach or manager, in any sport.

At least to me it is.  I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since about Memorial Day.

Let me count the ways (all times EST):

FRIDAY:

8:00pm: Hawks at Celtics – The best team in the Association against a team from the worst sports city in America.  The Hawks are off to a nice 6-2 start, but it will be no match for what they will face in the Jungle.

SATURDAY

3:30pm: #10 Iowa at #11 Ohio State – My alma mater against the Hawkeyes of Iowa.  This game is essentially for the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth.  Iowa’s starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi is injured and will not be playing.  I don’t think it matters, though.  The Bucks will win this one going away in the ‘Shoe.

7:00pm: Celtics at Indiana Pacers – This is an appetizer for the battle royal occuring just 25.5 hours later in the same city.

7:30pm: Bruins at Penguins – This is an appetizer for the battle royal occuring just 17.5 hours later in the same city.

Approx 11:30pm: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto – I’ve written before about the Pride of the Philippines.  This is probably going to be one of Manny’s toughest fights and it is being held at the MGM Grand.  My brother said it best, “Every time Pac fights, it is like the Super Bowl.”

To Filipinos, John is exactly right.  He literally is the only thing Filipinos have to boast about.

SUNDAY

1:00pm: Bengals at Steelers – As many of you may or may not know, the Bengals are my second favorite NFL team.  The reason for this is because I spent my college years in Ohio and the Bengals and Browns were always on.  As many of you should know, I would never root for any team from the hellhole otherwise known as Cleveland (I really need to write a blog entry about Cleveland).  Since the Patriots were hardly ever on in Ohio, I watched the Bengals.

Anyhoo, the 6-2 Bengals are the best story in the NFL this year.  They have a rejuvenated running game with Cedric Benson and also the best personality in sports, Chad Ochocinco (who also happens to be back in fine form).  The perennial doormat Bengals are actually doing really well and a win in Pittsburgh would probably lock up a division title.

4:07pm: Mike’s organs vs Mike’s brain – This is just about the time when my body will start rebelling against me.  You’ll see why in the final paragraph.

8:30pm: Patriots at Colts – The game of the year in the NFL.  It is the most-hyped and most-awaited game.  It is NFL equivalent of the Celtics/Lakers.  A win here and the Patriots can put themselves in good position for a first round bye.  I just hope the Pats don’t eat the food at Lucas Oil Stadium.

There has been some great media attention on the Pats and Colts this week.  Sports radio 98.5 has been previewing it all week.  Gerry Callahan (I know, I know – his politics suck) had a great column this week comparing Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.  Michael Felger called this clip of Belichick Patriot porn (keep refreshing if the clip doesn’t play).  Also, Peter King wrote a solid piece on Manning.

Where will I be for this potpourri of sports goodness?

Vegas, baby.

Vegas.

The Flamingo, to be exact.  It is the only place to be on a sports weekend of this magnitude.  We’re not going to the fight, but will be watching closed circuit at the MGM Grand.  If I happen to hit it big at the tables tomorrow (yeah right), all bets are off on me being ringside.

Have a great weekend everyone! Make the most of every day.