WWW Wednesday – March 23, 2022

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

After seeing a New York Times review, my sister Andrea recommended The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk, a mystery set in the rare books department of a large university.

Goodbye, Mike!

I am very sad to see Mike Vrabel traded. I wish his career could have ended with the Patriots.

Picking Up the Pieces

There's always a sad empty feeling when the season ends, especially when your team should have trounced the Giants and instead wound up looking pitiful. Mike Lynch and Mike Dowling said it was almost as bad as when Aaron Boone hit that home run off Tim Wakefield in 2003. I can't help wondering if this is Tom's punishment for his behavior to Bridget but if so unfortunately he is not suffering alone. The media seems unwilling to blame Tom but are certainly eager to blame Belichick and certainly his leaving the field before time expired was classless.However, there is always something to look forward to - like Duke at Carolina on Wednesday night, and the long awaited return of Dickie V from throat surgery! If only I didn't have to worry about my nephews wearing Tarheel tee shirts in Virginia but I guess I can't blame my sister-in-law for wanting them to root for her school...

And let's not forget the Beanpot, where Harvard made the finals for the first time in ten years!

Rise in heart attacks found during exciting, key games

My high school classmate Carey Goldberg, a talented journalist for the Boston Globe, wrote today that "Intense athletic contests and equally passionate interest in those games can be hazardous to viewers' health." While she was trying to warn Pats fans not to get overexcited during the Super Bowl, I must admit there have been a few games where I too have had difficulty remembering it is only a game. However, that is more likely to occur during Duke or Red Sox games than watching the Patriots, whom I root for in a more detached way.

I doubt there will be much detachment in New England on Sunday! The local media has also gone crazy, sending dozens of reporters to provide nearly nonstop reports home and overall there were a record number of media credentials (4,786) for the game on Sunday. And they're getting desperate for news, with even an article on Tom Brady's hairdresser! I do like the slide show of fashion dos and don'ts, especially the comparison of Matt Light to Fabio!

Superbowl Bound!

I was rooting for Brett Favre and the Packers to join the Patriots in Arizona on February 3. Perhaps this is remnant fondness from the Green Bay Replay book I worked on at Avon years ago (and how I wished I had insisted on attending a game at historic Lambeau then when the late Dick Schaap was able to get us tickets). In 1997, I organized a sweepstakes for all the Barnes & Nobles in Wisconsin: as I recall, each store got a pair of tickets which were supposed to be given to the salesperson who sold the most books. Most of the contests I tried to organize related to books were quickly rejected, and even that one was not supported by management but the stores were thrilled and very cooperative when I called them (confirming my theory that the farther one got from NY the more receptive staff were to promotional ideas, so long as they weren't overly inconvenienced).

In any case, Eli Manning and the Giants somehow managed to win in OT, much to my disappointment (although I have nothing against Eli). However, since the Giants are my former boss Dean's beloved team, I am happy for him and Will Pesce (Will has the good sense to root for my Blue Devils when he is not cursing - I mean, rooting for - the Giants). The local Boston media appears delighted that we are facing yet another NY team in an epoch contest. It is hard to believe they enjoy hanging out with the likes of the miserable Murray Chass but maybe they are softened by William Rhoden's acknowledgement of Bill Belichick as the genius coach of all time. I guess they realize the ongoing rivalry between Boston and NY will give them something fresh (?) to write about during the endless next two weeks. Despite my mixed feelings about Belichick and Brady, of course, I want the Patriots to win! And everyone loves Tedy Bruschi! I would have thought Tedy or Mike Vrabel would be the captain of the team but to my amusement I see there are SEVEN captains which seems like overkill.

Jeff Brown, don't you wish you had listened to me in 1992 when I urged you to ask Bill Belichick to do a leadership book?

Miss Manners has this advice for non-sports fans. If there are any besides my grandmother.

Two unrelated thoughts

Here is the view from my new office (the brick building on the left is my old courthouse):

In a completely different vein, I was amused by a Boston Globe article this morning which begins, "Underneath the hoodie of Bill Belichick beats a human heart..." Well, who knew? And I am a little surprised that Tedy Bruschi (author of a great new book) , the soul of integrity and passion, supported his coach so wholeheartedly. One would have thought players like Bruschi and Vrabel would be so offended at any cloud overshadowing their play...

Pasta Protest

Italians call for 1-day pasta strike! Don't laugh - while everyone in Boston is worried about Bill Belichick and Tapegate and punishment handed down by Roger Goodell, there is a serious wheat shortage which could send the price of pasta skyrocketing!