Sports Chowdah Recap for Feb 3-9; Lassiez Les Bon Temps Roulet, Saints Win In 1st SB Showing; Original Sux, B's Skid Ends After 10th Straigh Loss

No doubt most of you had caught the big game with the week worth of hype and media frenzy leading up to it. And it no doubt lived up to its hype the other day as Boston College held off a late rally by the BC Terriers to win the Beanpot 4-3.

While I'm thinking about it, that damn poll is STILL up. -->
(Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

Oh yes....there was some sort of football game on Sunday, too. I actually had to work for a few hours during Super Bowl Sunday, but I caught alot of the pivotal plays later on in the game (as well as some of the ads being hyped).

Indianapolis came into the game as 5 point favorites according to the oddsmakers and not surprisingly, the Saints fell into an early 10-0 hole in the first quarter before kicking two field goals to make it a 10-6 game at halftime. Something tells me I didn't miss much by not seeing the halftime show. Now, granted I missed much of the third quarter, but I tuned in just in time to catch Jeremy Shockey haul in Drew Brees' short TD pass, the 2-point conversion attempt that was ruled incomplete and then reviewed by the officials and ruled a completion to put the Saints up 24-17. And wouldn't you know it- with the Colts driving, the man who had picked off Brett Favre to force overtime in the game that ultimately sent New Orleans to the Superbowl came through again when DB Tracy Porter picked off Peyton Manning and ran some 74 yards untouched to put the Saints up 31-17, which would be the final score.

So many clutch players for the Saints- a purportedly washed-up Jeremy Shockey hauling in the go-ahead TD, Tracy Porter making that pick 6 when Indy was putting together another long, methoidcal drive, Garret Hartley coming on mid-season to replace veteran kicker John Carney and making three FGs on three attempts; the closest of which was from 44 yards. But Drew Brees was 32-39 for 288 yards, 2 TDs and zero turnovers to garner the Super Bowl XLIV MVP award.

Congratulations, Crescent City. Put away those paper bags- you've got the best team in the NFl.

[I don't feel quite as bad about that beatdown the administered to New England back in November now- NANESB!]

After dropping a head-scratching 10 games in a row, the Bruins have been on a two-game mini win streak of late and it looks like we have Tukka Rask to thank for that. After shutting out the Canadiens 3-0 at Montreal on Super Bowl Sunday, Rask had 43 saves and was the shootout winner against the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC arena Tuesday Night. Danny Paille had both goals for the Bruins in regulation (both coming in the 1st period) while Derek Roy and Tyler Myers maaged to tie the game for Buffalo. Sabres netminder Ryan Miller faced 34 shots and gave up shootout goals to Marco Sturm and David Krejci, while Rask only gave up the one shootout goal to Jason Pominville to give the Bruins the 3-2 win. The Bruins will travel to Tampa to take on the Lightning Thursday Night.

The Celtics, on the other hand, are on a mini 2 game slide after losing to Orlando and on the road to New Orleans. Perhaps the highlight of Wednesday night's game was when coach Doc Rivers quipped that residents of the Big Easy might've mistaken Louisiana native Glen 'Big Baby' Davis for a Mardi Gras float when he went to see the Saints victory parade on Tuesday. Actually, no 'perhaps' about it, since the Hornets would go on to beat the Celtics 93-85. This was the last game before the All-Star break this weekend in Dallas. Kevin Garnett has been named a starter while Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce were also selected. After the break, the C's will travel to California's Capital to take on the Sacramento Kings.

Oh yes....and Truck Day is Friday!

Not Another New England Sports Blog! is unable to confirm at this time reports circulating that Lisa Kelly will in fact be responsible for moving the Red Sox equipment from Yawkey Way to Ft. Meyers.

Come to think of it, the last trucks I saw around Fenway were setting up for the broadcast of the 2010 NHL Winter Classic.

Also on Friday are the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Congressman and Blood Libel Purveyor John Murtha Dead at Age 77

The Pennsylvania Democrat who became the first Vietnam Veteran elected to Congress was suffering complications from earlier gallbladder surgery. After more than 30 years as a US Representative, he passed away at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va today.

Already, misleading headline such as US Representative Murtha, Supporter of Troops, Dies at Age 77 or Pa. Dem Murtha Remembered as Military Advocate are circulating. I'm sorry, but selling out young Marines to get in good with Code Pink and the kook fringe of the anti-war American left negates whatever good he might've done as a representative.

Not surprisingly, many mainstream media outlets sugar-coated his 2006 blood libel of US Marines in Haditha, Iraq as 'being an outspoken critic of the Iraq War'. In their Sy Hersh-like urgency to find My Lai: The Next Generation in Iraq, TIME described a skirmish between United States Marines and insurgents outside the village of Haditha as a 'massacre' that left 24 Iraqis and one Marine dead. In May 2006, Congressman Murtha went on national TV and announced that the Marines involved were guilty of 'cold-blooded murder' before any official investigation or judicial procedures were concluded. All charges against the accused Marines were eventually dropped. One of the Marines- Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt- filed a slander suit against Murtha in September 2008.

Murtha was also known as an unindicted co-conspirator in the FBI's 1980 'Abscam' sting in which FBI agents posed as officials and businessmen from the Middle East, soliciting political favors in exchange for money.

More recently, the FBI raided the offices of a defense contractor in Murtha's district in January 2009. Murtha had provided the company with millions of dollars worth of earmarks to Winber, PA-based Kuchera Defense Systems. The company was being investigated by the FBI, Department of Defense and IRS Criminal Division over whether or not it was falsifying the number of employees working on projects to secure additional funding as well as skirting campaign contribution laws while regularly donating to Murtha's campaign.

Five Killed, Twelve Injured in Connecticut Power Plant Explosion

An explosion at an under-construction power plant in Middletown, CT on Sunday has killed at least five workers and injuring at least a dozen.

Officials at both the Middletown Police and Fire Departments said they received an e-mail that said testing was going be to conducted at the plant on Sunday morning. Officials said when they received the emergency call, they believed it was all part of the test. They did send crews to the scene and discovered it was not a test.

The explosion left huge pieces of metal that once encased the plant peeling off its sides. A large swath of the structure was blackened and surrounded by debris, but the building, its roof and its two smokestacks were still standing. Rescue crews had set up several tents alongside the site, which is a few miles from Wesleyan University on a wooded and hilly 137-acre parcel of land overlooking the Connecticut River.

Investigators are currently investigating to determine the cause of the blast and identify those killed.

Blue State Graft Watch: Issues Galore in Early Round of Illinois Elections

My my....just like I started up the 'Blue State Graft Watch' segment fully anticipating the loathsome Kwame Kilpatrick to make the headlines at some point, I figured it was only a matter of time before Chicago made an appearance as well.

Now.....where to start?

Illinois State Treasurer and one-time Obama fundraiser Alexi Giannoulias was the winner of this weeks Democrat Primary for the US Senate seat left vacant by President Obama's election.

While running for state treasurer, Giannoulias touted his experience as vice president and chief loan officer of Chicago-based Broadway Bank. However, records show that the financial institution loaned an estimated $12 million to convicted pimp and bookmaker Micheal 'Jaws' Giorango and another $10 Million to father and son Russian mobster duo Boris and Lev Stratievsky. Convicted influence peddler, developer and then-Senator Obama's personal real-estate agent Tony Rezko bounced a series of six-figure checks from his Broadway Bank account while in Las Vegas. Giannoulias' father, the Broadway Bank's CEO also donated $10,000 to disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich

However, the DNC candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois has some issues of his own. The Chicago Tribune revealed that the unelected Pat Quinn's running mate Scott Lee Cohen, aka the Pawnbroker, faced domestic battery charges in 2005 for holding a knife to the throat of this then live-in girlfriend prostitute. The Chicago Sun-Times also learned that Coen reportedly owes his ex-wife nearly $54,000 in child support, was taking steroids and had a restraining order filed against him by his ex-wife in 2005.

Correspondence Committee contributor 3wood thinks that this was more or less by design on the part of the Chicago press for the benefit of Pat Quinn's campaign:

Notice how the Chicago media did not break this story until the day after the election. They knew about it, but pretty much sat on it.

Also telling was the Chicago media's nearly mute reaction to Nobel Laureate and former Polish President Lech Walesa's visit to the city that's home to over 1 million Poles this week. While in Chicago, the anti-communist leader endorsed longshot Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski, issuing the following statement:

“I still remember when some 30 years ago, my opponents were similarly critical of my lack of political background. History has shown, however, that in order to create real change, new factors are sometimes necessary.”

Maybe it was just a slow news week in Chicago, nothing more.

[Hat tip: 3wood, Friends of Ours]

UPDATE:Founding Bloggers has more on the Lech Walesa 'non-events' in Chicago.

Blatant Conflict of Interest Watch: GM's Majority Owner Bears Down on Toyota Motors

Already reeling from a massive recall underway concerning accelerator problems, Toyota Motors [NYSE: TM] has been contemplating a second recall over the brake-pedal in their Prius and Lexus hybrid vehicles. This comes on top of Obama Administration officials blasting the Japanese automaker for their slow response leading to last month's recall. Earlier this week, Toyota said the decision to stop manufacture and sales of the affected vehicles was entirely their own with no pressure from the government.

The Department of Transportation is reportedly considering civil penalties against Toyota.

"Since questions were first raised about possible safety defects, we have been pushing Toyota to take measures to protect consumers," [Transportation Secretary] LaHood said in a statement.
"While Toyota is taking responsible action now, it unfortunately took an enormous effort to get to this point."

Now, I should point out that I'm neither a Toyota Motors shareholder nor do I drive a Toyota. And while I do think some government oversight is necessary, the reaction from Washington so far has been to threaten and browbeat Toyota while trying to take credit for measures the automaker was already implementing.

Making matters even more convoluted is the fact that the United States Government is still the majority owner of competing automaker General Motors. In other words, one of Toyota's competitors in its biggest market has judicial and regulatory power over not just them, but other automakers.

Perhaps even more sinister and self-serving at first glance is the fact that Toyota's manufacturing and assembly facilities in Texas, Mississippi, Kentucky, West Virginia and Indiana are non-union. During the last election cycle, the United Auto Workers raised more than $2 Million in campaign contributions for a slew of Democrat candidates. The current crisis Toyota is experiencing could be exploited by some of the UAW's benefactors to pressure Toyota to unionize their plants in the USA [Anybody looking at this current situation and saying to themselves "Boy- Toyota could've just avoided all this trouble if their USA plants just went Union"?- NANESB!]. A sort of incremental Card Check, if you will.

Perhaps this is being seized upon by some as an illustration of why we need even more government in this era of expanding government. Or perhaps I'm reading too much into this. But what I see right now is an automaker with a reputation for long-term quality trying to fix a problem [of it's own making, granted] while being hounded by a government and media with long-standing credibility issues themselves.

[Hat tip: Lonely Conservative, Washington Examiner]

Senate Election Certified by Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Scott Brown Sworn In

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has certified the results of last month's election for the US Senate that saw state Senator Scott Brown (R-Wrentham) defeat Attorney General Martha Coakley for Ted Kennedy's former seat.

Brown was sworn into office by VP Joe Biden today, a week ahead of schedule.

Earlier today, Brown resigned his state senate seat. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin announced that the special election to replace the seat vacated by Brown will be held May 11th, 2010 with the party primaries taking place on April 13th.

Scott Brown defeated Marth Coakley in the January 19th special election after a late surge and campaigning on being the pivotal 41st vote to block President Obama's increasingly unpopular healthcare legislation as well as other controversial measures the President has expressed support for such as Cap & Trade or Card Check.

Today's Train of Thought- Hot & Cold, Feb 4th 2010

Well....that little rodent Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow earlier this week and ran off and cowered like the scared little girl we all know him to be. As you all know, the end result of that highly scientific process means most of the nations is in for six more weeks of winter.

That's ample opportunity for the intrepid photographer to venture out into the winter lansdcape like railpictures.net contributor trainmasterrob did to catch scenes just like this one of CSX GP40-2 #6459 making its way through the freshly fallen powder on the Shenandoah subdivision at Wadesville, VA in January 2004.

Of course, if that idyllic yet snowy scene left you wistfully thinking of someplace warmer- such as Miami or Las Vegas, then here's some imagery of Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron, on the runway at the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas this weekend. I'm actually a little sorry that I missed the pageant- reliable sources have informed me that not only did I miss Rush Limbaugh (one of the judges) bust a move to Lady Gaga, but apparently Miss Cameron is a talented musician in her own right.

(Getty images)

While not as kick-ass as Katrina Hodge [then again, who is?] we here at Not Another New England Sports Blog! would like to extend our most sincere congratulations to Ms. Cameron.

Sports Chowdah Recap for January 27th - Febuary 2nd: LA Downs Boston, LA Downs Boston AGAIN, DAMMIT! BC & BU to Meet in Beanpot Final, Truck Day Looms

NHL Poll still Up- Probably would've been better off putting it up a month ago, but the poll asking visitors about next years Winter Classic is still open, so visitors are free to put in their 2 cents worth.

After winning a grand total of two games since the 2010 Winter Classic, the Bruins woes continued into February, where they were beaten by the Capitals 4-1 on Tuesday night. The win marks 11 consecutive for Washington- a franchise record- while the Bruins have dropped 8 in a row and are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games.

Curious phenomenon took place over the weekend. On Saturday, the Bruins hosted the Los Angeles Kings at the TD Banknorth Garden in a contest where Boston lost 2-3 in the shootout to the Kings. Then, 24 hours later, the Lakers came to the Garden and went ahead 90-89 with 7.3 seconds left in regulation to beat the Celtics.

The Bruins look to stop their 8-game freefall Thursday night while hosting Montreal (who is now 3 points ahead of them in the standings). Despite the skid, the B's are within 3 points of Les Habitants in the Northeastern division, while Ottawa's been riding a franchise-best 10 game win streak to pull within 3 points of the Division leading Sabres this week.

NBA: The Celtics, on the other hand, managed to snap a 3 game losing streak with a 99-88 win over an Agent Zero-less Wizards Monday and added to that with a 102-107 win over Miami Wednesday. Rajon Rondo was 6 for 13 with 22 points and Ray Allen was 7 for 15 with 23 points against Miami. The Celtics will next host the hapless New Jersey Nets on Firday night.

(metromix.com)

NFL: OK- show of hands.....how many people tuned in for the Pro Bowl? Even if I wasn't working, it's not as though I would've seen such NFL luminaries as Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger playing. The AFC topped the NFC 41-34 and Houston's Matt Schaub threw for 189 yards, two touchdowns, completed 13 of his 17 pass attempts was was named Pro Bowl MVP. San Diego WR Vincent Jackson caught a 48 yeard TD pass from David Gerrard and had 122 yards total Sunday.

NCAA Mens Hockey: Boston College beat Harvard 6-0 in the Beanpot semifinal Monday night while the Boston University Terriers had a tougher time against Northeastern, clinging to a 2-1 lead despite a 6 on 4 onslaught from the Huskies in the final 1:28 of regulation for the win. This sets up a BC/BU Beanpot final on Monday, Febuary 8.

MLB: Just a reminder that truck day will be Feb. 12th, 2010.

The Red Sox have signed journeyman pitcher Joe Nelson and catcher Gustavo Molina to minor-league contracts that include an invitation to spring training. Nelson was 3-0 with a 4.02 ERA in 40.1 innings of work for Tampa Bay last year.

The Detroit Tigers and starting pitcher Justin Verlander have agreed to terms on a 5-year $80 million contract, the Associated Press reports. Both parties had agreed to bypass arbitration.

Wine Country Boondoggle- Contractor For Napa Valley Railroad Stimulus Project Pockets $20 Million For Doing Nothing

(Amy Miller)

According to California Watch and the San Francisco Chronicle, a project involving a new bridge and track realignment for Northern California's Napa Valley Wine Train as part of the larger Napa River flood-control project was awarded $54 Million in stimulus funds. The Napa Valley Railroad is a privately-run tourist railroad that takes tourists and sightseers between Napa and St. Helena, CA and serves meals and wine in restored coaches. The Wine Train began operations when the Southern Pacific announced it was abandoning it's Vallejo to Calistoga, CA branch in 1985. Former Rice-A-Roni and Ghiradelli Chocolate President Vincent De Dominico and local entrepreneurs would purchase the right-of-way from Southern Pacific, four 1950s vintage former VIA Rail Canada/Canadian National Montreal Locomotive Works FPA4 diesels and some former Rio Grande passenger cars. The wine train began operations in 1987, and aside from ballast for the railroad's maintenance-of-way, very little freight is hauled over the line.

The current project and the contractor that was awarded the funding in a no-bid contract have come under scrutiny. Anchorage, AK-based Suulutaaq Incorporated was founded by Alaska tribes and enjoys special access to Federal Contracts including the Napa River Flood Control project.

However, Suulutaaq turned around and subcontracted the project to Peter Kiewit Sons, Inc.

Federal records show that Suulutaaq is paying Kiewit $28.1 million - 53 percent of the total stimulus contract. Suulutaaq is keeping about $20.4 million, or 38 percent of the total. The rest, about $4.7 million, goes to other subcontractors, all from the lower 48 states.

So that means Suulutaaq basically pockets $20 million of taxpayer funds by subcontracting a public works project that was closed to bidding. In other words, the company made $20 million without even lifting a finger.

Walnut Creek, CA contractor Robert G. Brosamer had planned to put in a bid on the proposed project as early as 2008, but was told that no bids were being sought at the time as it was looking like the project was a "done deal with an ANC [Alaska Native Corporation]".

Brosamer, the Walnut Creek contractor, said the public was paying a premium for the Wine Train project, saying, "It would have been a hell of a lot cheaper if they had put it out to bid."
"The reality is, Suulutaaq isn't doing much," Brosamer said.

However, as the article points out, very few of the jobs awarded to ANCs actually go to Alaska Natives:

Critics have complained that the no-bid contracts provide relatively few jobs and little investment income to the tribes while costing taxpayers a fortune.

Alaska Native corporations don't have to prove that they're socially or economically disadvantaged," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said at a 2009 hearing. "They don't have to be small businesses. And they can receive no-bid contracts worth billions of dollars."The companies employ few Alaska Natives and "rely heavily on non-native managers," she said.

The current CEO of Suulutaaq is Samuel Boyle, who burned through an estimated $14 million worth of venture capital as CEO of sailnet- an online retailer of sailing and boating equipment that went bankrupt in 2005.

"My comment to anybody connected to this thing - if Sam Boyle is involved, watch out," said Arizona venture capitalist Kent Mueller, who said he lost more than $1 million in Sailnet.

[Hat tip: Zombie]

Obama Administration Backs Away From Proposed Manhattan Trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Facing increasing opposition from New York City officials, the Obama Administration and US Justice Department backed down Thursday from a proposed trial of suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Manhattan Federal Court.

One would think this is good news, but Obama and Holder remain committed to the idea of a civilian trial for certain Guantanamo detainees.

"The President is still committed to trying Mohammed and four other terrorist detainees in federal court," spokesman Bill Burton said Thursday.

"He agrees with the attorney general's opinion that . . . he and others can be litigated successfully and securely in the Unites States of America, just like others have," Burton said.

Other locations in the New York metropolitan area are under consideration:

As you can see, moving the trial out of New York City would basically be a shell game. A change of venue to Governors Island, West Point or Orange County would not change the fact that the architect of the largest mass-murder in this country's history would be afforded the same protections under the US Constitution as a motorist pulled over for doing 37 MPH in a school zone.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the fact that this administration is willing to afford the accused 9/11 mastermind and murderer of Daniel Pearl the same legal recourse as any defendant in the Federal Court system mean that Mohammed and his counsel will have access to sensitive intelligence and military information through the discovery process in preparation of his defense?

Also, as much as I'd love to see KSM's lifeless corpse swinging from the end of a rope, wasn't the whole point of the Obama administration circumventing the military tribunals to show how much more fair and just a civilian trial in the Federal court system would be? If that really was the case, then why do we have White House officials already announcing a 'guilty' verdict?

"Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is going to meet justice and he’s going to meet his maker," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told John King on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning.

Look- I'm no legal scholar, but isn't a White House official going on a national TV network to declare a guilty verdict and death sentence well ahead of any trial for all the world to see and hear grounds for appeal- if not a mistrial?

But that's OK- if New York City doesn't want to host the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial, perhaps this administration can bribe another city into doing so.

The Obama administration is proposing a $200 million fund to help pay for security in cities that host the trials of suspected terrorists such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The mayor of the cash-strapped city of Newburgh, NY is interested in holding the proposed KSM trial in the city. Newburgh is on the western shore of the Hudson river about 60 miles north of New York City at the junction of the NY State Thruway (I-87) and I-84. Mohammed would likely be kept at the Stewart Air National Guard base on the outskirts of Newburgh for the duration of the trial.

Alexandria, VA has also been mentioned as a possible venue for a civilian trial.

"And let me say this, with respect to those who wish to harm us, I believe that our Constitution and laws exist to protect this nation - they do not grant rights and privileges to enemies in wartime. In dealing with terrorists, our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them, not lawyers to defend them."- Scott Brown (R-MA) victory speech, January 19, 2010.