Image by photosbyfletch from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.
Hurricane Earl is weaker than it was, and Governor Deval Patrick says it could drop to a Category 1 storm before it hits Massachusetts. Gov. Patrick did declare a state of emergency.
The storm is still headed for the Cape and Islands, regardless. The Globe said some residents of Martha's Vineyard are worried about Earl. The Coast Guard seems concerned, too. Captain V. B. Gifford Jr. ordered all ports closed in the southeastern New England region.
The Back Bay Hotel has a special rate for the storm: the price equals the top wind speed.
There is also a hurricane playlist. Check your iPod.
Is September going to turn into one long Monty Python skit for the Red Sox? Is it going to be one long month of the fans/media/Rays/Yankees trying to claim they're dead, only to be met at every turn with "it's just a flesh wound" or "we're getting better"? Well, we love Monty Python, so bring it on.
Not everyone they're going to see this month are the Orioles, unfortunately. The Sox took the series in Baltimore last night, 6-4, on some solid pitching by Daisuke Matsuzaka (!) and Scott Atchison (!!). They smacked O's starter Brad Bergesen for five early runs, the key hits being a HR by Adrian Beltre and a two-run single by David Ortiz. Daisuke was chased in the 6th (OK, we exaggerated earlier) when Baltimore scored four, but Atchison struck out Nolan Reimold to end the inning, then coasted through 1 2/3 more. Even Hideki Okajima recorded an out on the only batter he faced. Maybe the ship is turning around.
Earl permitting, the ship comes home tonight to face the White Sox, and deal with all those conflicted emotions again, since Chicago is bringing Manny Ramirez back to town. He's already got a barber's appointment in town, and the local columnists are already taking advantage of this extra opportunity to throw metaphorical bags of pee at our old left fielder. We wonder where Shaughnessy is and why he's missing out on this pigpile.
The Patriots shaved off some of the time-of-possession discrepancy that had everyone in Foxboro holding their noses last week, but they still lost 20-17 to the Giants in their last preseason game. Instead of having the ball for 16 minutes like they did against the Rams, they held it for 26 minutes. The defense is still not giving anyone reasons to book Super Bowl travel yet, but at least they're not going to have to face NYG QB Rhett Bomar (171 yards passing) in the regular season.
When we saw the headline "Baker turns to 'Caddyshack' actor to loosen up image", we were confused. Bill Murray's too busy being Brooklyn's oldest hipster. Chevy Chase hasn't been seen in years. Rodney Dangerfield and the great Ted Knight are both...well...past the point of stumping for any candidate on this planet.
No, Charlie Baker went for a deep cut off the Caddyshack cast, recruiting John F. Barmon, Jr., who played Spaulding Smails, the idiot manchild grandson of the villainous Judge Smails. Barmon may have been busy since 1980, but not in Hollywood. Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too.
You can watch Baker and Barmon as they stopped by Fox25 earlier this week. Baker kind of fails on an impromptu Caddyshack trivia quiz, but we'll let it slide because (a) he admits he hasn't seen it in a while, and (b) most of the funniest stuff from the film would be unseemly for a Republican to mention on live television. Though if Baker had followed up a wrong answer with an exclamation of "Double farts!", Bostonist would have pledged our vote right there and then.
Barmon was cagey on TV about what he's been up to, saying only that he met Baker while "moonlighting" at a restaurant somewhere downtown. Good for him for keeping his chin up and being able to smile while his shorts are too tight for his seat. They're planning to do a couple of fundraisers together, so Barmon will be in the public eye quite a bit in the weeks to come. Fifty bucks says the kid picks his nose.
One of the best things about the Internet is you can gawk at car crashes from the comfort of your favorite chair.
A speeding SUV careens into the Four-Mile Country Store in Westfield, Mass. after the driver apparently fell asleep. She passed a field sobriety test. No one, not even the driver or her four-year old daughter who was a passenger, was seriously injured.
The crash happened on Sunday, August 15. No idea why it took over two weeks for the crash clip to make its YouTube debut. The store is repaired and back in business.
Someone at WBZ must have checked their calendar, or simply read Bostonist, because they already moved the first guberatorial debate to avoid a conflict with the Jewish New Year. The start of Rosh Hashanah is one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar. The first debate was initially scheduled for September 8 at 7 p.m. It's now set for September 7 at 7 p.m. The debate includes Governor Deval Patrick, Republican Charles D. Baker, state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, an independent, and Green-Rainbow candidate Jill Stein, who is Jewish. We love it when people, or TV stations, simply do the right thing.
You know that final preseason game between the Patriots and the New York football Giants? The you planned to skip because you figured the regulars we...
You know that final preseason game between the Patriots and the New York football Giants? The you planned to skip because you figured the regulars were not playing much, or at all. Well, Bill Belichick says his starters will play. Shalise Manza Young of the Globe tweeted from the new Meadowlands that Tom Brady is in "full uniform." Who knows if Laurence Maroney will play?
Earlier today, we reported on the murder of a Domino's Pizza delivery man. Including this incident, three men were hurt and two died in a violent night in the Hub.
-- A 28-year old Everett man was arrested for assault and battery on Thursday for the alleged stabbing of two 22-year olds. Police stopped the suspect in the North End. Universal Hub referred to the victims as "gang members."[BPDNews.com]
-- Two 18-year old males were shot early on Thursday on Blue Hill Ave. in Roxbury. One victm later died. Police knew both victims. Contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470. [BPDNews.com]
-- Lakeisha Gadson was sentenced to six months in the Suffolk County House of Correction for misleading police regarding the shooting death of her son, Liquarry Jefferson, by her nephew. Defense attorney Peter Krupp said: "Miss Gadson has already lost her son. It's a punishment greater than any punishment the court could impose.'' [Globe]
-- Thomas Mortimer IV was held without bail during his arraignment in Woburn Superior Court. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing his wif, two children and mother-in-law. [WBZ]
Remember Beck's "Restoring Honor” rally on Saturday? (FYI - Bostonist doesn't believe Beck's claim that the date of his rally just happened to fall on the same date, 47 years later, as Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream Speech." It was clearly on purpose.)
The rally has become an issue in the Massachusetts gubernatorial race.
On Wednesday on the “Jim & Margery Show” on WTKK-FM, Gov. Deval Patrick was asked about the location of Beck's rally. He said he wished it should not have been at the Lincoln Memorial. His words: “It’s a free country. I wish it weren’t, but . . . it’s a free country. You know, you got to, you got to respect that freedom."
Tim Cahill, obviously looking for a way to avoid talking about his tax "oversight," took the opportunity to pounce on the Governor's poor choice of words. He said "It’s pretty unbelievable and typical of the far left. When they don’t like what the other side says, they want to close down free speech."
That's ridiculous. Patrick doesn't think Beck shouldn't have his rally. He thought a different location would be better. Patrick's problem, to us, is that he waited until after the rally to comment on it.
Beck also is planning a trip to Alaska on September 11.
Bostonist thinks Beck had the right to have his rally where and when he did. We know the time and place wasn't an accident.
A Domino’s Pizza driver was killed last night while making a delivery to 742 Hyde Park Avenue in Hyde Park. Boston police found the delivery car, a 1995 green Subaru, today behind St. Adalbert's Church in Hyde Park. Police are seeking three suspects in the stabbing. Another Domino’s Pizza deliveryman was killed Saturday after his car was hit by a man being chased by Chelsea police.
Just a week after questioning Senator Scott Brown's conservative values, Sarah Palin lost out to Massachusetts' other Republican, Mitt Romney, in a 2012 presidential poll. Yes, the GOP is polling for 2012 with no declared candidates.
According to Public Policy Polling, 20% of Alaskans want Romney for president. Palin tied Mike Huckabee at 17%
Ironically, the Globe referred to "rugged pickup truck conservatism" to describe Alaska's politics in their story about the poll. Brown's campaign symbol was his truck. Romney has a truck now, too.
You can be forgiven if you turned off after an inning or two. Jon Lester, the Sox' most reliable pitcher, had come down with We're-Doomed-itis and was in a 5-2 hole to the Orioles. You may have changed channels. It's OK.
But the Sox didn't want to let Lester's 12-0 lifetime record against the O's to die last night, and they got their revenge on Baltimore's bullpen. Marco Scutaro hit a 2-run homer off Mark Hendrickson (tying the game at 5), then Victor Martinez doubled in a run off Alfredo Simon, and Adrian Beltre soon followed with a 3-run homer. "We were able to put it together when we needed to," who seems not to have gotten the memo that fans and the media have largely checked out of this season. Neither did Lester, who got through his miserable first couple innings ("For some reason, it was kind of like a rainstorm came through early on,...I was slipping a little bit," he explained) and wound up striking out 10 for his 15th win.
The big baseball news happened yesterday in Miami, where for the first time in history, a bench-clearing brawl outnumbered the paid attendance. It had something to do with Washington's Nyjer Morgan (who has apparently gone loco in the cocoa getting thrown at and then stealing bases and angering the Marlins, who then threw at him again. If nothing else, watch for the superb clothesline by Florida's first baseman.
First reactions are in to the Celtics' re-acquistion of Delonte West, and they're mostly pretty good. Kelly Dwyer at Yahoo! says the C's veterans could really help him grow up. Danny Ainge tells Gary Washburn he wished he never had to trade Delonte in the first place. Jeff at CelticsBlog is also hoping for the best, while Bill Simmons tweets, in so many words, that this is all about getting under LeBron's skin.
Hurricane Earl is apparently coming to Massachusetts on Friday. Save yourselves!
The storm could produce winds close to 100 miles per hour. As a result, the Bay State is preparing already.
The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for the Cape and Islands, eastern and southern Plymouth county, and southern Bristol county. A tropical storm watch was issued for eastern Essex County, Suffolk County, eastern Norfolk County, and interior Bristol and Plymouth Counties.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has issued emergency tips to prepare for Earl. Tips include getting canned goods and nonperishable foods, cover windows with plywood, trim back trees, fill your gas tank, protect your important insurance documents, and have a family communication plan.
Saturday marked the third annual Boston GameLoop, an "unconference" for game-makers, which drew 195 people from 39 companies to Microsoft's NERD Center. By special correspondent Caroline Himmelman.
The full-day event at Microsoft's New England Research & Development Center gathered to network, and give and listen to improptu talks on topics ranging from game scripting to narrative design.
Aside from being actively involved in their own game projects and companies, organizers Darius Kazemi and Scott MacMillan are responsible for two of Boston's great resources for developing the local video game community, Boston Post Mortem and Boston Indies, respectively. GameLoop represents a growing trend of community-building and openness in the Boston area for game studios and entrepreneurs.
The format of the "unconference" was fairly simple: Attendees started the day welcomed by coffee and pastries (and unconventionally attractive t-shirts for early registrants), then made their way into the largest conference room where they began suggesting ideas for sessions in a large group format. Kazemi and MacMillan took notes on a whiteboard while throwing in enough humor to make it worth the 9 a.m. start-time.
Next, whiteboards were rolled into the halls, and everyone entered into an informal vote for their most interesting sessions, with top hour-long talks making the schedule. More than 50 organized discussions or talks took place throughout the day.
Conan O'Brien was last seen serving as a Jimmy Fallon punchline, and a nominee, at the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday.
His next appearance might be the premier of "Conan," his new talk show on TBS scheduled for November 8. Yes, the new show's name is the host's first name.
The man also called Coco revealed the name on YouTube today in a 2:03 clip in a very blah office. He wrote the name on a piece of white paper, and accidently - on purpose - said the show starts in December and not November. He appeared to write "Conaw" instead of "Conan."
The 2010 season for the New England Revolution hasn't been too memorable with a 6-12-3 mark in MLS play.
They can redeem themselves in tonight's 2010 SuperLiga title game against Mexican Primera Division squad Monarcas Morelia at Gillette Stadium. "(Tonight) we have a chance to bring a SuperLiga title back to Boston and we’re going to give it our all.,” midfielder Shalrie Joseph said.
They do well in SuperLiga games, especially against Mexican teams. The Revs won the 2008 SuperLiga tournament, the only time an MLS team won it. The Revs record in SuperLiga play is 8-1-4, including 7-0-1 against Mexican teams.
The Revs might be in an uphill battle against Morelia as Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi won't be with the club. They're playing for Gambia in this week's African Nations Cup qualifier.
-- MBTA Transit Police have arrested the suspect in Tuesday's stabbing on a bus on Ruggles Street headed toward Tremont Street. [Universal Hub]
-- A Lynn police officer was indicted by an Essex County grand jury for assault and battery and witness intimidation related to an incident in July. The suspect's girlfriend was also indicted on two counts of witness intimidation. [WCVB]
-- The FBI charged Martin Raffol with campaign finance-related charges in a corruption investigation that initially focused on ex-state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson. Raffol used to work for developer WinnCompanies. [Herald]
-- A 10-year old is headed to Juvenile Court for stealing a bike. [BPDNews.com]
Image by mer-made from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.
State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill's campaign committee failed to pay about $15,000 in state income taxes. Does his campaign need a new treasurer? [Boston Globe]
A report from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office determined CEO Paul Levy's "inappropriate personal relationship" "endangered" the reputation of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. [MassHighTech.com]
A commuter rail station in Chelsea is inaccessible to commuters in wheelchairs. [WCVB]
Senator Orrin Hatch supports the Ground Zero mosque project in New York. He compared it to building a Mormon temple in Belmont. [Boston Globe]
A Chihuahua given the name Gandhi is being cared for by the MSPCA after being found in a Lawrence dumpster on August 13. The MSPCA believes Gandhi is almost 12-years old. [WBZ]
The State Police Bomb Squad investigated and cleared three suspicious briefcases at Petco in Natick. [MetroWest Daily News]
Hurricane Earl might be visiting New England by Friday. [WCVB]
City taxpayers bought lots of food for city workers. [Boston Herald]
DCist reports on the hostage situation at the corporate headquarters of the Discovery Channel. [DCist]
When last we saw Delonte West, he was being shipped to Seattle as part of the Ray Allen trade that launched the Celtics late-00's juggernaut. Since ...
When last we saw Delonte West, he was being shipped to Seattle as part of the Ray Allen trade that launched the Celtics late-00's juggernaut. Since then he's been arrested, suspended, rumored to be romantically linked to LeBron James' mom, and indirectly blamed for LeBron leaving the Cavs, and thus the total annihilation of the Cleveland franchise, if not the city (Seattle also had its franchise destroyed, but that wasn't Delonte's fault). But on the court, we never stopped missing his scrappiness, willingness to get tough, and good court vision. And now he's back...well, he will be once he serves his 10-game suspension for weapons possession. And then he can give Rondo a rest once in a while.
Rep. Barney Frank made one of his fairly regular visits to “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on Tuesday. He seemed subdued to Bostonist, but still had his moments.
He fortunately didn't really know who Kim Kardashian is, and said he doesn't care for reality television because he deals with reality as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. "Reality hasn’t been all that great lately,” Frank said.
Leno discussed Iraq with Frank, who said he wanted all the soldiers brought home. He's happy the "combat mission" is over. It's more complicated, though. "If there’s no combat, then I don’t know what they’re doing there," he said.
Frank supported legalizing marijuana on Leno's show.
President Barack Obama's speech regarding the "end" of combat operations in Iraq seemed as apolitical as it could have been, and it still wasn't good enough for Republicans. He thanked the troops and promised to support them at home, he graciously mentioned President Bush, and expressed his desire to focus on domestic issues.
Sen. John McCain continues to make himself unrecognizable with belligerent statements like "if we had done what President Obama wanted, we would have failed in Iraq." No. If we listened to President Obama, and Senator Kennedy, we wouldn't even be there.
Bostonist was wondering what sort gutless crap McCain would have said if President Obama didn't address the country last night.
Image by hmmlargeart from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.
We don't mean to pick on the GOP candidates for Congress in Massachusetts. Honestly. It's really hard to resist, though. Impossible.
There are some Republicans who believe President Barack Obama is a Muslim. Marty Lamb has some quirky policy issues he is campaigning on, and he even put his name on a barf bag, on purpose, because he thought it would help him.
We were surprised to find even more to snark on. Should we be? Perhaps not.
Jon Golnik is running for Congress in 5th congressional district, currently represented by Niki Tsongas. Both the Globe and the Herald reported Golnik had a drunk driving arrest in 2001 after an AC/DC concert. He reportedly had smoked marijuana that night, and was shirtless.
Jeff Perry is running to replace U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt in D.C. He earned a college degree from Columbia State University and it turned out to be a fraudulent online diploma mill. He no longer keeps it on his resume. We know it's not really his fault. He since earned a B.A. from Curry College and a law degree from New England School of Law.
There's also one guy who really dislikes Perry.
We can't speak of Republicans without mentioning Mitt Romney and Senator Scott Brown. Neither man is running for Congress. They'll both be running for stuff soon enough. We'll leave the Romney-bashing to Meghan McCain for now.
As for Brown, is he the best of the Bay State Republicans?
Like almost every other school in the Bay State, the Massachusetts Virtual Academy (MVA) in Greenfield cost less than the new Newton North High School did. The difference is the school doesn't exist, at least as a physical school. It's the first online-only public school in New England for grades K-12. The MVA includes about 200 students. The school plans to focus on students with medical or social issues that make attending a traditional school difficult.
Losing two to the Rays hurt. Getting pronounced dead by Shaughnessy hurt more. And now the lowly Orioles are dancing around near the freshly-dug grave of the 2010 Boston Red Sox. Now all we need is for Manny Ramirez to come into Fenway and hit six home runs this weekend to make our indignity complete.
Josh Beckett continued his frustrating season with a frustrating outing. He scattered seven hits over seven innings, but was more the victim of anemic offense and a key throwing error by Marco Scutaro than of his own inconsistency. We may never know, though; he joined the postgame stampede out of the clubhouse without answering questions. Hard to blame him; there's only so much you can say. Only Jed Lowrie's homer off Brian Matusz in the fifth kept it from being a shutout, and it finished 5-2 Baltimore, giving the miserable O's a winning record in August. Glad the Sox could liven somebody's day.
They did make one roster move yesterday, sending Manny Delcarmen to the Rockies for a minor leaguer and a couple of Denver omelets. Delcarmen's numbers were never horrible, but he got himself into more than his fair share of trouble on the mound over the years and Terry Francona kept starting and stopping showing enough confidence to put the kid into close games. Robert Manuel was called up from Pawtucket to fill the slot in the bullpen.
We know you've been wondering what Chad Ochocinco has in store for Week One of the NFL season in Foxboro. At least, we know the media has been wondering, since Ochocinco's good for a higher press-release-ink-spilled to actual-accomplishment ratio than anyone this side of PETA. Well, the wait is over; Chad Tweeted that he "will be taking the minute men rifle and firing as they do when the PATS score". He'll do well to save one bullet for Terrell Owens, who will probably be griping by then about not being thrown the ball.
It was a busy day for the Pats, who made the grim announcement that CB Leigh Bodden is gone for the year, leaving the shaky defense even more shaky. And rookie Brandon Spikes could be in a little hot water after some webcam indiscretions. Great, another Patriots videotape scandal.
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You can be forgiven if you turned off after an inning or two. Jon Lester, the Sox' most reliable pitcher, had come down with We're-Doomed-itis and was in a 5-2 hole to the Orioles. You may have changed channels. It's OK.
