Tag: 260115

Pats D smothers LA 16-3

The Big Story – Patriots Move to Round II: So much for “they’re only there because of an easy schedule.” Weird game in that it was close most of the way, but the Pats seemed in control the whole way. It wasn’t a thing of beauty. But if you’re from the “a win is a win is a win” club, it was, as they took out their ancient AFL rival from a supposed stronger division in the 16-3 win over the L.A. Chargers. Either way, they now move on to face the Houston-Pittsburgh winner in Round II.

Sports 101: Three head coaches have won a college football national championship and a Super Bowl. Name them.

News Item – Patriots vs. Chargers

• Key Defensive Stat: The L.A. offense was 3-14 converting third and fourth downs into first downs.

• Key Offensive Stat:Drake Maye threw for 278 yards and a TD, but his running was more pivotal. He saved two scoring drives with scrambles for first down as he ran for 69 yards on 10 carries.

• Backslide – O-Line: Maye was under pressure all night.

• Game Ball – Defense: Their best game for holding Justin Herbert to just 207 total yards and FG.

News Item – Pats Or C’s: Which was less conceivable on their opening days? The Patriots finishing tied with the best record in the NFL, or the Celtics climbing up to fourth in ESPN’s weekly NBA rankings last week?

The Numbers:

4 – ridiculous number of colleges Bill Belichick’s new QB Billy Edwards will have played for (Wake Forest, Maryland and Wisconsin) after transferring (again) to North Carolina.

18 – point lead blown by Green Bay to let archrival Chicago rally from down 21-3 at halftime to beat them 31-27 in their wild card playoff game.

… Of the Week Award

Har-Dee-Har-Har Moment of the Week – Jerry Jones: My friend George Copadis, the biggest Cowboys fan in NH, must have gotten a big laugh hearing the Cowboys owner say last week his goal is to retire with the most SB wins ever. Pretty funny when you consider in the 30 years since the architect of his three SB wins, Jimmy Johnson, walked out the door in 1994, they have never gone to even an NFC title game once. No shot.

Help Wanted – Chip Kelly: Nice to see he won’t be spending next year in Pago Pago unemployed after being hired as the Offensive Coordinator at Northwestern.

Random Thoughts – On CFP:

After Notre Dame’s tirade they deserved to be in the tournament over a team with the same record, who beat them head to head, ND looked even dumber when Miami beat Ole Miss to get to the championship game.

We haven’t seen the level of demolition of opponents by any school ever in CFP history like Indiana rolling up a 94-25 point differential in its wins over Alabama and Oregon. Which sets up IU as 7.5 favorites Monday night.

I’m betting Alabama already has IU head man Curt Cignetti on speed dial to be ready for the inevitable firing of Kalen DeBoer after next year for not being Nick Saban/Bear Bryant enough.

If you’re looking for a good underdog omen, Monday is the 51st anniversary of one of the biggest upsets in college sports history when Notre Dame beat UCLA to end its 88-game basketball winning streak.

Indiana 35-16.

Sports 101 Answer: The dual winning coaches are Pete Carroll (USC and Seattle), Jimmy Johnson (U of Miami and Dallas) and Barry Switzer (Oklahoma and Dallas).

Final Thought – The Alex Bregman Saga: There’s certain guys you just don’t like when they play for a rival team and he was of them. A whiner with Houston in the 2018 playoffs, in the middle of the Astros cheating scandal (with no apology I know of), a Scott Boras client with no loyalty and while good last year before getting hurt, he did get hurt again with the same kind of injury that derailed his 2020 season.

So the Red Sox losing him does not bother me even though they have no third baseman or real clean-up hitter with spring training five weeks away. And only partly because I don’t like him. The RBI totals of 55, 93, 97, 75 and 62 in the last five seasons do not bode well for giving a 32-year-old a five-year contract. Let alone at $35 million per, which he certainly is not worth now, let alone at 36.

But it does make me look stupid. Despite all the evidence he wouldn’t re-invest the money saved in the Devers trade in a big hitter like Pete Alonso, I gave him the benefit of the doubt he would. But, true to recent form, he didn’t. Instead it was just a salary dump. Now all that’s left is hearing lap dog/ president Sam Kennedy’s latest pathetic spin effort telling all how hard the Sox tried to keep AB.

As for me, I’m like that song from The Who — I won’t get fooled again.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/01/15

In the spirit of Adam Sander

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has announced the winners of the Second Annual NHDOT“Name a Plow” Contest. “Granite Staters shared their creativity and voted on fun and memorable names for our snowplows this winter season,” the DOT reported on dot.nh.gov. This year’s plow names are Wicked Plowah, Plowabunga, The Blizzard Lizard, Winniplowsaukee, Sled Zeppelin, Happy Plowmore, and Skarupa Snow Scoopah.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the NHDOT, more than 600 name suggestions were submitted for this year’s contest and there were more than 1,800 votes.

A snack that is its own toothpick

As reported in a Jan.12 online article by New Hampshire Public Radio, the town of Durham has found an innovative solution to dispose of discarded Christmas trees. This year the town sent its trees to Hickory Nut Farm, a goat farm in Lee. As it turns out, unlike many animals, goats can not only digest evergreen needles and twigs but actively enjoy eating them, the article said.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to the story, the 11 goats can go through two or three trees a day.

A fife and drumroll, please…

Jan. 5 was the 250th anniversary of New Hampshire’s declaring its independence from Great Britain. The first of the 13 colonies to break away from its home country, New Hampshire declared its independence five months before the colonies as a whole. As reported by the Concord Monitor in a Jan. 7 online article, the occasion was marked by a “dramatic reading of the state constitution at a celebration at the New Hampshire State Archives in Concord.”

QOL score: +1

Comments: According to the Monitor story, the document read at the celebration is “just under 1,000 words long, and established the state legislature and democratic elections for a number of positions. It was replaced in 1784 with a second version that remains in effect today.”

QOL score: 52

Net change: +3

QOL this week: 55

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/01/15

MLK Day

In the coming days, local organizations will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with special programming. In Manchester, the Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., will be open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature curator-led tours of Black American artists in the Currier collection, art-making for all ages and “a keynote presentation with Jada Hebra, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Southern New Hampshire University,” according to an email from the museum. See currier.org.

The NH Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition will hold its 2026 MLK Jr. Community Celebration “Uplifting Resistance through Community” on Monday, Jan. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial High School in Manchester featuring a choir, according to mlknh.org.

“Let Freedom Ring for All” will take place Saturday, Jan. 17, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at the Portsmouth Senior Activity Center, 125 Cottage St. in Portsmouth, according to a press release. The program will feature local musicians and speakers including “Sharon Jones, Randy Armstrong, Kent Ally, Carol Coronis, the Leftist Marching Band, TJ Wheeler, Hatrack Gallagher, Poor Howard Stith, Kiyoshi Imani, Fran Calo, Bruce Pingree, Bob Moore, Katie Hart & the Voices of Hope, David Holt and others,” the release said.

Art contest

The New Hampshire Children’s System of Care, an organization focused on children’s behavioral health care services, is accepting submissions through April 26 for its Magnify Voices Expressive Art Contest for students in grades 5 to 12, according to a press release. The works can be visual art, writing or other media that “express their experience with mental health,” the release said. Submissions can include short videos of two minutes or less, an essay or poem of 1,000 words or less, or visual art such as sculpture, photography, painting or diorama, the release said. An exhibit of the submissions will be featured at a May 27 event at the Kingswood Art Center in Wolfeboro, the release said. A panel of judges will choose 12 finalists who will receive a $250 cash prize, the release said. See nhcsoc.org/participate.

GM leaves

Tim Bechert has left his role as General Manager of the SNHU Arena in downtown Manchester, according to a Jan. 8 press release. “Bechert, who led the facility since its opening in 2001, is transitioning to focus on community-oriented endeavors,” the release said.

Commish retires

New Hampshire Department of Transportation Commissioner William J. “Bill” Cass will retire at the end of February, according to a Jan. 7 press release from the office of Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Cass has worked for the state for 40 years, the release said. “The Governor’s Office will begin an immediate search for a replacement commissioner,” the release said.

Open captions

Red River Theatres in Concord was slated to kick off its Open Caption Wednesdays with screenings on Wednesday, Jan. 14, according to a press release. Wednesdays will feature open captions — on-screen text of dialogue and relevant no-dialogue sounds — on all screenings where the caption files are available, the release said. See redrivertheatres.org.

The Queen City Rotary’s Comedy Bowl will feature Kyle Crawford, Will Noonan and headliner Mark Riley on Saturday, Jan. 31, at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Manchester, with doors opening at 5 p.m. for a social hour, a buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. opening remarks, according to queencityrotary.org, where you can purchase tickets.

A new DMV branch opened to the public on Jan. 12 in the Raymond Shopping Center at 17 Freetown Road in Raymond, replacing the Epping office on Calef Highway, which closed on Jan. 9, according to press releases from the NH Department of Safety. To make an appointment at a DMV office, see dmv.nh.gov.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!