Big Ol' Bite of Sports Chowdah- Bruins Bite Back in Game 3; Sox-Yanks Resume in Bronx

STANLEY CUP FINAL- Wow- I'm pretty sure what happened on Monday night was what most people would call a 'statement game'.

Things got pretty quiet not too far into the first Stanley Cup final game to take place in Boston in 21 years after a late, open-ice hit by Vancouver's Aaron Rome on Nathan Horton. With his neck in a brace, the winger was wheeled out on a stretcher and Vancouver was shorthanded for 5 minutes, a penalty on which the Bruins weren't able to capitalize.

As it turns out, it was one of the few power plays on the night that the B's didn't score, including a couple of Canucks power plays.

Andrew Ference would break the scoreless deadlock just 11 seconds into the 2nd period. This would be followed by Mark Recchi's power play goal 4 minutes and 22 seconds in to make it 2-0.

Now- as glad as most Boston fans were that the Bruins got out the the early lead, they were also acutely aware of the Bruins inability to hold onto even bigger leads in significant games, and the last thing they wanted was to fall into an 0-3 series hole at home.

Brad Marchand allayed those fears with a nifty shorthanded goal at the 11:30 mark and just to make things even more interesting, David Krejci tallies and even-strength goal with just over 4 minutes remaining in the second.

And oddly enough- they were just getting started. The onslaught continued into the second half of the 3rd period, with the B's getting on the board thanks to ANOTHER shorthanded goal, this time from Daniel Paille at the 11:38 mark to make it 5-0. The Canucks would get their only goal of the night on a Jannik Hansen tally, but the Bruins would close out the game with three MORE goals (Recchi, Kelly and Ryder) to end Game 3 with an exclamation point and an 8-1 final. Boston takes a bite out of the Canucks series lead and now trails 2 games to 1.

Tim Thomas stopped 40 of 41 shots faced while Roberto Luongo allowed 8 goals on 38 shots on goal- leading some at the sports bar I was nursing a few Sam Adams to wonder if a cardboard cutout of The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis advertisements might be able to spell Luongo for a bit.

Although it took a little longer than I had hoped, I'm glad to see such offensive production coming from the Bruins after getting shut out in Game 1 and losing in cringeworthy fashion in Game 2. Hopefully this is something they can sustain and Vancouver will have a difficult time adjusting to.

Alex Burrows seen postgame

OTHER STANLEY CUP BITS: Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome has received a 4-game suspension for his late his on Nathan Horton. Horton is expected to miss the rest of the Stanley Cup finals with a severe concussion.

Canucks winger Alex Burrows had managed to avoid suspension earlier in the series after biting the gloved finger of Patrice Bergeron during an altercation in Game 1.
MLB: The Red Sox trip to Yankee stadium got off to a promising start on Tuesday night when Boston got out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a solo homer by Jacoby Ellsbury to lead off the game, followed by an Adrian Gonzalez RBI triple that plated Dustin Pedroia and a Kevin Youkilis sac-fly.

The Bronx Bombers were able to get a run back in the bottom of the 1st on a Robinson Cano RBI single, but the Sox managed to chase Yankees starter Freddy Garcia from the mound after a 2-out Dustin Pedroia RBI single made it a 4-1 game.

Luis Ayala came on to replace Garcia for an inning and a third (only giving up a walk) before being spelled by Hector Nosei who went 6 inning, giving up 3 hits- although one of them was a David Ortiz 2-run homer to make it a 6-1 game briefly.

Lester, in turn would give up a 2-RBI double to Nick Swisher in the bottom of the 5th and the Yankees would eat into Boston's lead to make it a 6-3 game. New York would get another run back in the bottom of the 9th with a Jorge Posada 2-out RBI single to plate Brett Gardner, but Papelbon would strike out Alex Rodriguez to end the ballgame. Red Sox hang on to win by a 6-4 final with Lester going six innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 earned runs, striking out five and walking one.

Although it wasn't pretty, Papelbon's save was the 12th of the season and career save #200. Papelbon reached that milestone in his 359th career game, becoming the quickest pitcher to reach that mark in the MLB (previously it was longtime Yankees closer Mariano Rivera who reached in 382 games).

Wednesday's game will be televised on ESPN at 7:05 ET and features Tim Wakefield (2-1; 4.40 ERA) going up against AJ Burnett (6-3; 3.86 ERA).

OTHER SOX/YANKEES NOTES: SS Marco Scutaro returned from the DL and a rehab stint in Pawtucket, where he was hitting .455 in 3 games. Scutaro went on the DL May 16th with a strained oblique and went 1 for 4 in his return to Boston.

-Yankees 1B Mark Teixera was struck by a pitch along the knee in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday night. He was helped off the field and Jorge Posada pinch-ran for him. X-Rays came back negative, although he will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.

- Papelbon faces a three game suspension for his conduct during Saturday's game against Oakland at Fenway Park after the closer rushed towards home plate umpire Tony Randazzo and bumped him while arguing balls and strikes. Papelbon is appealing the suspension and can still play until the appeal is dismissed.

-Sox Relief pitcher Bobby Jenks threw just 4 pitches on Tuesday night's game before leaving with back spasms. The pitcher is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday.

Weinerpalooza- Summer Kicks off With Epic Weiner Roast

Glenn Foden/Townhall.com

Wow- so much schadenfreude in this one, I'm not sure where to start.

Apparently at some point over the Memorial Day weekend, an alert Twitter user had discovered that Congressman Anthony Weiner (D- NY9) sent a message from his official account that contained a blurry snapshot of what appeared to a closeup of somebody in their underwear with an erection. The image was apparently intended for a Seattle-area coed identified as Genette Nicole Cordova who followed Weiner's twitter account [on top of everything else, the image was apparently sent to Cordova unsolicited- NANESB!].

I'll spare NANESB readers the widely circulated image of Weiner's namesake and instead post an image of the attractive college student Wiener had sent the picture to via Twitter.


The strident and bombastic liberal Congressman representing parts of Queens and Brooklyn immediately denied any wrongdoing and followed up his claims of innocence with what would have to be categorized as the world's most perplexing series of damage-control interviews with a normally adoring and compliant media.

Even by the most objective standards, Weiner's behavior was bizarre, vague, combative and evasive when faced with simple and direct questions as to whether or not it was his crotch in the picture or whether or not his account was hacked (which would require the involvement of the FBI if that were the case) as he had earlier claimed. Liberal bloggers and groups such as the Daily Kos, Media Matters and Little Green Footballs unquestioningly and reflexively swallowed Weiner's version of events, with the latter fabricating some bizzaro-world CSI-style forensic proof that Weiner's Twitter account had definitively been hacked, implying that certain conservative bloggers and pundits had arranged exactly such a scenario.

Things took an even more bizarre turn on Monday when Congressman Weiner announced a press conference for 4PM ET in New York. However, while the assembled media was waiting for the Congressman to appear, conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart took to the podium to announce that more women who had been 'sexted' by Congressman Weiner had come forward with even racier pictures. During a 10 minute back and forth with reporters, Breitbart demanded an apology from the Congressman and the various media outlets and bloggers who had claimed Breitbart himself was behind the hacking.

Weiner's appearance at his own press conference was basically an afterthought, but he tearfully confessed to sending sexually explicit messages and photos to various women both before and after his marriage to Huma Abedin in addition to lying about his account being hacked before apologizing to his wife, Breitbart and his constituents [altho' it seemed more like he was sorry he got caught more than anything else- NANESB!].

However, he also said at the press conference that he didn't intend to resign even though House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Damascus) formally requested an ethics probe of Weiner's conduct [which means we'll likely be seing more of the words 'Weiner' and 'probe' together in the same sentence in the foreseeable future- NANESB!].

While Weiner's Congressional seat may be relatively safe for the near-term, the scandal has all but assured that Weiner's mayoral ambitions will remain unfulfilled. But that's only as long as there's a seat for him to hold on to- the State of New York is set to lose three congressional seats through redistricting before 2012. There's an outside chance that Wiener's district could be one of the ones that ceases to exist.

That said, there's a case to be made that both Democrats and Republicans might benefit from Weiner remaining in office. The Democrats might rally around him on general principle, or he could serve as a distraction for their abysmal handling of the deficit, jobs, entitlement reform, the budget and the economy. Heading into the 2012 election cycle, Republicans could benefit from the skeevy, loudmouth, obnoxious and duplicitous Congressman continuing to serve- protected thanks in large part to his party's elite- being held up as an example of the prototypical democrat.

To be honest, I thought the Congressman was a vile, contemptible human being long before it was known that he was texting images of his junk to girls 25 years his junior. Among the more recent examples was his pom-pom shaking for 0bamacare back in 2009 before requesting a waiver from the Department of Health & Human Services for all five boroughs of New York City earlier this year- a move that many saw as an indicator for his preparing to run for mayor of New York City.

Weiner is also infamous for racking up in excess of $2000 worth of parking tickets in Washington D.C.- a fine he only recently paid off when New York City media outlets caught wind of the story. With the scrutiny he's come under because of 'Weinergate', it also was learned that the Congressman apparently hasn't renewed his vehicle's registration since 2007.

Aside from the execrable Weiner, I must also confess that I'm enjoying seeing the Congressman's unthinking defenders in the progressive blogosphere fall flat on their face after a week of furious spinning, over the top conspiracy theories and baseless accusations. To quote Ace of Spades, its as though some of them have decided to 'double down on the stupid and wrong' if not try and change the topic altogether.

Stick around, though. This summer's just getting started and that's the best time of the year for a good old-fashioned Weiner roast.

[Hat tip- Ace of Spades, Big Government, Leg-gal In-sur-rec-tion, Lonely Conservative, Diary of Daedalus]

Volcano Eruption Prompts Evacuations in Chile, Grounds Flights in Agrentina

Francisco Negroni- AgenciaUno

Authorities on southern Chile evacuated approximately 3500 people in the Los Lagos region (approximately 600 miles South of the capital city of Santiago) after a series of earthquakes and a volcanic eruption on Sunday in the Andes along the Chilean/Argentine border.

Authorities initially said the Puyehue volcano was involved, but later said the eruption was occurring about 2 1/2 miles (four kilometers) from that peak.

A rift more than six miles (10 kilometers) long and three miles (five kilometers) across was torn in the earth's crust, officials said Saturday night.

Authorities had put the area on alert Saturday morning after a flurry of earthquakes, and the eruption began in the afternoon.

The National Emergency Office said it recorded an average of 230 tremors an hour.

About 600 people were evacuated when the first alert went up and hundreds more left their homes after the eruption began.

Reuters photo

The wind carried the plume of ash to the east and across the mountains to western Argentina. Officials on the Argentine side of the border had to close down airports in Nequen and the mountain resort town of Bariloche while advising residents to stock up on food and water before sheltering in place.

Getty Images

The eruption also prompted the closure of Chilean national Highway 215, one of the few cross border highways in the region that are paved and open to commercial vehicles. Local officials were working to clear the accumulation of ash with bulldozers and heavy equipment while Carabineros (Chile's national uniformed police) were inspecting roads and bridges in the evacuation zone for any damage.

D-Day, The Higgins Boat & The Big Easy

Today marked the 67th anniversary of D-Day, the day the Allied assault on fortified coastal German positions in occupied Northern France began in earnest after months of preparation.

The decision to establish a National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, LA was influenced in large part by the then-ubiquitous barges used to ferry troops and supplies to shore for the Allies, not only on D-Day, but throughout the Pacific Theater as well. These craft were called 'Higgins Boats', named after Columbus, NE native Andrew Jackson Higgins.

In the 1920s, the woodworker left his native Nebraska to set up shop in New Orleans where he started an import/export lumber business. He also used some of that lumber to build shallow draft boats for trappers and oil men along the Gulf coast.

During the Great Depression, Higgins used his own capital to start up his own boatmaking business and had persistently lobbied the US Navy to demonstrate small craft of his design. Eventually the Navy relented, and while they were pleased with the performance of his 'spoonbill' bowed-craft during trials in the late 1930s, there was still the matter of men and equipment having to disembark by climbing over the sides of the craft, leaving them exposed to enemy fire in the process.


However, the US Navy learned of Japanese landing craft during the Manchurian invasion that featured a ramp for troops, supplies and vehicles to disembark via the bow once in shallow water or the beach. Higgins and designers from his shop were able to incorporate the front-end ramp into his design. The new craft was approved by the Navy and was known as the LCVP (short for Landing Craft- Vehicle, Personnel). However, the Higgins factory in New Orleans would turn out around 20,000 such boats throughout the course of the war- giving them the moniker 'Higgins Boats'.

Sports Chowdah Update- Bruins Find Way Past Luongo, Fall in OT; Sox Complete Home Sweep of A's in Lackey's Return

Harry How- Getty Images

STANLEY CUP FINALS: Game two would turn out to be one of those 'good news/bad news' deals. The good news was that not only were the Bruins able to find their way past Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo, but were able to take a 2-1 lead for awhile on Saturday night.

The not-suspended Alexandre Burrows got the Canucks on the board at the 12:12 mark in the 1st, bur Luongo's 5+ period shutout streak came to an end when E. Vancouver-born Milan Lucic got the game tying goal 9 minutes into the second. The Venerable Mark Recchi would then put the B's on top with a power play goal to make it 2-1 Bruins.

However, Vancouver would get the equalizer in the 3rd from the Daniel half of the Sedin brothers to tie things up and eventually force OT. If you blinked, you probably missed the OT as Burrows was chomping at the opportunity to come up with the game-winning goal and exactly that just 11 seconds into the OT and giving the Canucks a formidable 2-0 series lead.

The series shifts to Boston with Game 3 set to get underway at 8PM ET, 5 Pacific from the TD Banknorth Garden. Game 3 will be broadcast on VS and the CBC.


RED SOX: The first two games of the weekend series against Oakland at Fenway were marked with late rallies and ejections, including Papelbon on Saturday after arguing balls and strikes in the top of th 9th after squandering a 4 run lead in Saturday's game (the Sox would go on to win on a JD Drew RBI single in the bottom of the 14th).

Sunday's finale would see John Lackey on the bump fresh from a rehab start in Pawtucket earlier this week while Boston's two main offseason pickups would provide the bulk of the run support for Lackey on Sunday. Carl Crawford belted a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 2nd inning to make it 3-0 Boston. Then, as the A's closed to within a run, 1B Adrian Gonzalez hit a 2-run homer into the Monster seats to make it a 5-2 game.

Lackey would end up going 5 and ⅔ innings and getting the W on Sunday, and Bard closed out the top of the 9th, completing the sweep of Oakland.

The Red Sox next travel to the Bronx to take on the Yankees on Tuesday night with Jon Lester (7-2; 3.94 ERA) going up against Freddy Garcia (4-4; 3.34 ERA). The game will get underway at 7:05 ET on NESN.

CNN Talking Head And Self Proclaimed Obama Foreign Policy Advisor: Founding Fathers, Constitution & American Exceptionalism Overrated

Last month, former Newsweek editor and current CNN talking head Fareed Zakaria had boasted that he had been advising President Obama on foreign policy matters concerning the Middle East.

One could be forgiven if one thought Zakaria's claims were mere bluster or hot air in an attempt to establish some credibility among peers in the media.

However, one look at this interview and I'm wholly convinced.

Note the derision and condescension directed at America's founding in Zakaria's smug monotone. After viewing that brief clip, I'm almost certain that not only is Zakaria advising President Obama on a number of domestic policy issues.

Although I'm just a lowly blogger and Zakaria is a highly-respected intellectual (who served as editor of a magazine that sold for $1), I would like to challenge Zakaria to find me what countries out there we're supposed to be learning from.

The European Union is an even bigger basketcase than the USA as far as finances and sovereign debt is concerned, with more productive countries like Germany and Holland having to bail out pseudo-welfare states like Spain or Greece.

While economic forces to be reckoned with, half the countries in the BRIC (Brazil/Russia/India/China) axis have an inglorious history of citizens being murdered by the millions in the last century- by their own governments, no less. While post-Apartheid South Africa didn't bring the full-fledged race war that so many had feared, high crime and the staggering murder rate has led to a massive 'brain drain' as sought-after professionals both black and white leave for more secure locales.

But like I said, as an intellectual Zakaria probably has an answer all lined up...perhaps even one of the aforementioned countries that he might view as a flawed gem. But I have one question for the naturalized citizen of America- and to be fair, it's the same question I ask of other American who hold similar views as he does: Why stay in America if you want it so badly to be like other countries?

Blue State Graft Watch: Former IL Secretary of State Employee Sentenced in Cash-for-Liscenses Scheme

Despite an ealier 8 year federal probe into an Illinois cash-for-drivers-licenses scheme that resulted in the criminal convictions of former Gov. George Ryan and a number of senior Secretary of state employees, cases of bribery and corruption continued at some Illinois licensing facilities.

Federal prosecutors allege James Howell, of Chicago, started pocketing bribes while working at a licensing facility in Bridgeview in 2006.

On Wednesday, Howell was sentenced in federal court to two years in prison for accepting bribes of $100 at a time for fraudulently issuing licenses to mostly Chinese nationals.

Howell was so busy taking bribes that he didn't have time to administer road tests for the bribe-paying applicants, so he simply filled out their test scores for them to ensure they passed, according to his plea agreement.

Howell was one of two secretary of state employees snared in an investigation into a Chinatown phony-licensing ring that has led to 19 convictions so far.

During the scheme, Howell and co-defendant Timothy Johnson, a former secretary of state employee, pocketed up to $10,000 in bribes between them, prosecutors said.

While working at the licensing facility at 9901 S. King Drive on the South Side, Johnson also took cash bribes with three other employees, sharing in $40,000 in all, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty but has not yet been sentenced. The others haven't been charged.

After the bribery schemes came to light, the secretary of state's office ended up canceling the licenses of nearly 3,000 drivers, spokesman David Druker said Wednesday.

From the 1990s to 2002, the Illinois Secretary of State's office- which includes the DMV- was alleged to have sold phony licenses and vehicle registrations to unqualified drivers under Republican then-governor George Ryan. The ongoing scheme was busted up in a federal probe called Operation Safe Roads after the Feds approached two whistleblowers in the Illinois Secretary of State's office.

Sports Chowdah Update- Canucks go Luongo Distance; Red Sox on Wrong End of Sox Sweep; Shaq Packs it In

STANLEY CUP FINALS: For those of you who were wondering what it would've been like if the Bruins were on the losing end of that spectacular goalie matchup in Game 7 of the Eastern conference finals, Game 1 offered just a taste. With two Vezina-candidate goalies between the pipes, you had to figure it would be a low-scoring affair.

While they didn't score often (hell, nobody did) the Canucks scored late for the only goal of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals in Vancouver on Wednesday night. Raffi Torres put the Canucks on the board with less than 20 seconds left in regulation, eliminating the need for that pesky overtime.

The Canucks went 0-6 on the power play while the Bruins were 0-7 (including a 3 on 5 in the 2nd period) on the evening. So unlike Game 7 against Tampa Bay, the officials did take the whistle out of the pocket- although there were no penalties against either team in the 3rd.

Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo turned aside all 36 shots faced while Tim Thomas stopped 33 of 34 faced in regulation. Game 2 is set to get underway at Vancouver's Rogers Arena on Saturday night at 8 PM ET, 5 PM Pacific Time and will be broadcast on NBC and CBC.

Granted the stakes are much higher in this one, but it's a little early to freak out and collectively hang heads in despair over the outcome of Game 1. The B's got off to much worse starts in their series against Tampa Bay and Montreal, yet somehow made it to the finals.

OTHER STANLEY CUP FINALS NEWS: The NHL has ruled that Canucks forward Alex Burrows will not be suspended after biting the finger of Patrice Bergeron during an altercation at the end of the 1st period. Both players were given offsetting minor penalties for roughing to start off the 2nd period.

OTHER NHL NEWS: In what's likely the biggest news to hit Winnipeg since.....umm.....hmm.....I guess the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway or Trans-Canada highway [care to help me out on this one, Maintobans? -NANESB!], it was announced this week that the Atlanta Thrashers would be moving to Winnipeg, MB upon completion of the sale of the Thrashers to True North Sports & Entertainment.

Winnipeg was home to the Jets, a World Hockey Association that was absorbed into the NHL in the 1970s, up until 1996 when the team departed for Phoenix, AZ to become the Coyotes. There had been much speculation that the financially struggling Coyotes would in fact be the team that would move back to Manitoba, but the organization was able to reach a long-term deal with the city of Glendale, AZ regarding an arena.

After the Winnipeg Jets left town, the city played host to the Manitoba Moose of the IHL and later AHL.

MLB: After taking 3 out of 4 over the weekend from the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox travelled back to Fenway to take on the Chicago White Sox with Lester, Acves and Wakefield getting the starts over the last 3 games. Wednesday's game featured the White Sox rallying from a 3-1 hole in the top of the 5th to tie the game and eventually go ahead, winning by a 7-4 final. Wakefield went 6 innings in the loss, allowing 7 hits, 4 runs and getting no decision.

The Red Sox will go up against the Oakland A's at Fenway on Friday night at 7:10PM ET. Clay Buchholz (4-3; 3.41 ERA) will get the start against Josh Outman (1-0; 2.08 ERA).

DOWN IN PAWTUCKET: The Pawtucket Red Sox managed to rally against the Norfolk Tides on Wednesday night despite Kevin Millwood only going 2 and 2/3rds innings and allowing 4 runs. Outfielder Darnell McDonald went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs in the 8-7 win against the Baltimore Orioles affiliated AAA team, getting five runs in the bottom of the 9th.

On Tuesday night, John Lackey started for Pawtucket and went 5 and 2/3rds innings, allowing 3 hits and one earned run. Hideki Okajima came out of the bullpen and got the win in the 11-inning 5-4 win

OTHER RED SOX NEWS: Daisuke Matsuzaka is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, a Japanese news agenct reported. Matsuzaka had consulted with his family in Japan and got a 2nd opinion from a Los Angeles based doctor who confirmed the Red Sox diagnosis.

CELTICS: After an injury plagued season with the Boston Celtics, Center Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement on Wednesday. The 7ft 1 Lousiana State star had a NBA career spanning 19 season with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

On This Day in 1926, Norma Jean Mortensen- AKA Marilyn Monroe- Born

Today would mark the 85th birthday of screen legend and blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. I went into some of her background (as well as the late Josephine Baker's as a bonus) this time last year.


This year, aside from the fact that I thought it was pretty awesome she went on tour with the USO to visit American GI's in the Korean peninsula at the height of the Korean war, I figured I might as well keep relatively quiet and take in the scenery.
For those of you who are so inclined, I also put up a trivia question at the top of the page. Feel free to try and take a crack at it without using Google or Wikipedia.

If you stop and think about it, it's still rather amazing that she is still recognizable (and emulated to a degree) in the entertainment industry nearly 50 years after her passing.

Four Killed As Rare Tornadoes Touch Down in Western Massachusetts

Luke Rottman/eyewitness photo- Springfield Republican

Four people were killed and 33 were reportedly seriously injured after a series of tornadoes made their way across Western Massachusetts, including one that tore through the downtown area of Springfield, MA- the third largest city in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts State Troopers were going door to door and searching wreckage throughout Hampden County on Wednesday night in the wake of the twisters.

The storm pulverized or sheared off the tops of roofs on Main Street in Springfield, a city of more than 150,000. A mounted video camera captured dramatic footage of a debris-filled funnel as it swept into downtown from the west, then crossed the Connecticut River.

The Rev. Bob Marrone of The First Church of Monson said the storm cleared a view he's never seen across the valley where the town sits.

"I can see the plywood of roofs, and see houses where most of the house is gone," said Marrone, whose church's steeple was knocked down. "The road that runs up in front of my house ... There's so many trees down, it's completely impassable."

Thomas Walsh, a spokesman for Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, told The Associated Press he was looking out his City Hall window around 4:30 p.m. when he saw the funnel.

"I could see this massive cloud of debris floating around in a circular, cylindrical fashion," he said.

At least four people were killed from the storms, Patrick said. State police report 33 injuries in Springfield. Police said five of the injuries were reported serious and required surgery.

"It looked like birds were flying out of the trees and it was rubble," said Martha Vachon of Photography by Duval of Palmer, who was photographing the Minnechaug Regional High School prom in downtown Springfield, which went on as planned.

Around 55,000 customers National Grid, Western Mass. Electric and Unitil were reportedly without power.

State police said in addition to Springfield they have reports of tornadoes in the communities of Agawam, Charlton, Monson, Oxford, West Springfield, Westfield, Wilbraham and Sturbridge.

Gov. Patrick has declared a state of emergency and called up about 1000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard in the aftermath of the severe weather. A spokesman from the governor's office said the death toll was a preliminary number as rescuers worked through the night.

The tornadoes were part of a larger storm system along the East Coast that triggered severe weather warnings from Philadelphia to Maine.

Ongoing local coverage of the tornadoes and aftermath is available at the Springfield Republican homepage.