Winter Hibernation

So I completely slipped on my plan to blog my thoughts on the most influential hip-hop songs in race relations. I had planned on doing it this weekend, but I got up early yesterday to go to a basketball tournament, and then today was sports madness with BU-Vermont hockey, USA-Canada hockey and Nuggets-Lakers. So it didn't happen. Maybe next year? But over the past couple of weeks, I've been reemerging from my winter music hibernation. I copped Wale's "Attention Deficit," Clipse's "'Til The Casket Drops" and Method Man & Redman's "Blackout! 2," three discs that I had put off buying for quite some time. I also picked up a bunch of singles, and downloaded Tapemaster Inc's "This Is Hip-Hop 10" off of datpiff. And then in this month's Playboy there was an eMusic free 25 songs offer that I just couldn't turn down. I used it to grab a bunch of older songs that we can play for the baby. And since I can never buy/download any music without compiling them into a mix cd or two. Here's the playlists. Feel free to turn it into your own mix!

Winter Hibernation, Disc 1:
1. Wale: World Tour f/ Jazmine Sullivan
2. Janelle Monae: Tightrope f/ Big Boi
3. Juelz Santana: Swimming in Money
4. Clipse: Counseling f/ Nicole Hurst
5. Nas & Damian Marley: As We Enter
6. Freeway: Battlefield
7. Lloyd Banks: Beamer, Benz or Bentley f/ Juelz Santana
8. Wale: Pretty Girls f/ Gucci Mane & Weensey
9. DJ Kay Slay: Self Destruction f/ Sheek Louch, Bun B, Papoose, Busta Rhymes, Uncle Murda & Jay Rock
10. Styles P: Try Sleepin' With A Broken Heart
11. Michael Jackson: Rock With You (Q-Tip Remix)
12. Method Man & Redman: Hey Zulu
13. Clipse: Footsteps
14. Mariah Carey: Up Out My Face f/ Nicki Minaj
15. Wale: Beautiful Bliss f/ Melanie Fiona & J. Cole
16. Rihanna: Hard f/ Jeezy
17. Kid Capri: Turn It Out
18. Young Money: BedRock f/ Lloyd
19. Clipse: Freedom
20. Method Man & Redman: Four Minutes To Lockdown f/ Raekwon & Ghostface Killah
21. Snoop Dogg: I Wanna Rock Remix f/ Busta Rhymes & Styles P

Had to toss in Rihanna and Young Money into this even though I got them awhile ago. That Michael Jackson cut is woefully out of place, but since Q-Tip remixed it, it had to be included. I wasn't aware Kid Capri was still alive, so that was a nice surprise. Also, I didn't know what would happen first, a good Nas "concept" project with another artist, or a good Juelz Santana song. This mix has both. Historic! Also, I'm in love with Tightrope (Pitchfork would be proud of me) and the "Self Destruction" cut is a nice change of pace, especially for the artists involved.

Disc 2:
1. Van Morrison: Brown Eyed Girl
2. Teena Marie: Square Biz
3. Yarbrough & Peoples: Don't Stop The Music
4. Go West: King Of Wishful Thinking
5. SWV: I'm So Into You
6. The Spinners: I'll Be Around
7. The Isley Brothers: Caravan of Love
8. Chaka Khan: Through The Fire
9. TLC: Baby-Baby-Baby
10. The Delfonics: La La Means I Love You
11. The Isley Brothers: That Lady
12. SWV: Weak
13. TLC: What About Your Friends
14. Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes: If You Don't Know Me By Now
15. The Isley Brothers: Between The Sheets
16. Herbie Hancock: Chameleon

Yup, I'm all over the place on this second one. From jazz, to classic rock, to 70's soul, to 80's cheesy rock, to 90's R&B. My baby is going to know it all, just like his big poppa!

The Celtics' Most Important Game of the Year?

Don't look now, but the Toronto Raptors are only four and a half games behind the Celtics. Here are the conference standings 2-5 as of this morning:

Team.........GB
Orlando.....5
Boston.......6.5
Atlanta......7
Toronto.....11

Toronto has only 26 games on their schedule left to overtake the C's, so they still have a ways to go. But it is imperative that the C's avoid being overtaken. If Toronto were to move ahead of the C's, they would inevitably slide to fourth or fifth place in the East. And the other team waiting for them in the four-vs.-five first round match-up will also inevitably be Orlando or Atlanta (their race is much too close to call at this point). And that's horrible news for Celtics fans. This season, the Celtics have outscored all non-Atlanta and Orlando opponents by an average of 5.83 points. But in their eight games with Atlanta and Orlando, the C's were outscored by 4.88 points, almost the complete inverse. And with the C's ever-slowing pace of game, the problem could only exacerbate itself (unless Nate Robinson really is the savior).

Add all that up, and the most important game of the season may just be the C's last game with Toronto - April 7 in the province of Ontario. Lord knows that on April 7 most of the TV sets in New England will be turned to the early-season showdown with the Bronx Bombers, but the C's may just be fighting for a chance to not be broomed out of the playoffs early elsewhere on the dial.

Blogging Super Bowl XLIV: Fourth Quarter

6:59 - So, Peyton Manning hasn't played poorly or anything, but his last TD pass was 31 minutes of game time ago.

7:01 - There's just been a lot of un-Manning-like throws in this one, and that deep ball was example numero uno.

7:03 - After Wayne had just one catch for five yards in the first three quarters, Manning threw to hinm on three straight plays, including the fourth-and-two.

7:04 - And the Austin Collie for Super Bowl MVP campaign takes another hit with the two play combo of an "oof" of a screen pass, and then Vilma beating him in coverage 30 yards downfield. Not a good sequence for Collie.

7:05 - That missed field goal was the momentum shift the Saints needed. I have to think the Colts should have gone for it again.

7:07 - That was a good effort by Pop Secret and Emerald Nuts, and while I'm interested to see if they made some sort of crossover product, the ad just wasn't funny enough.

7:09 - I'm glad they explained that Stover replay. That was a bit confusing. In other news, Brees is officially having a better game than Manning. I didn't expect that at all.

7:14 - The Saints made that look way too easy.

7:15 - The Saints should challenge it. He was down (and in) with possession before it was knocked out.

7:17 - And they did. Good call by the Saints. Lance Moore needs to be rewarded for that inhuman effort, and it's a good TD the second the ball breaks the plane.

7:18 - YES! Although I'd love to know how the line judge blew that call. It was pretty obvious.

7:22 - This has been the perfect storm - the ads were better in the first half, and the game has been better in the second half. Also, it's been more than 40 minutes of game time since Manning threw a TD pass. When was the last time that happened, even across two games?

7:23 - Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So close.

7:25 - These defenses have to be pretty tired at this point. There's been a lot more YAC in the fourht quarter.

7:26 - Austin Collie misses another pass, and then in true Colts style, gets up and asks for the flag. Typical.

7:27 - What the hell is the Green Car Journal? Whatever it is, it's not nearly half as cool as Charles Barkley. But why waste Lamar Odom there? Taco Bell should have come up with some sort of candy item for him to pump!

7:28 - Phil Simms - "I would keep the extra guys in coverage." Saints blitz six, and they get the pick six. Sorry Peyton. WHO DAT!!!! Geaux Saints!!! That is how you jump a route.

7:33 - Just as an aside, the Doritos Warrior was awesome, the Bud Light Book Club was awesome, but the E-Trade baby is no longer cute. Time to move on E-Trade.

7:34 - Best text of the night from a friend - "Brady just got his first non-Gisele related woody since 2006."

7:35 - The contrasting styles really came into play tonight. Colts didn't go for it on fourth down and suffered with their missed goal, whereas the Saints have taken just about every chance possible. The Saints played to win, and the Colts played to not lose.

7:37 - I'm still flummoxed by this Joe Montana endorsement by Skechers. First, he doesn't appear in the ad, but his quote and his voice does, which is strange to start. Second, he has no reason to try and get in shape since he's never been fat. Third, I seriously doubt Joe Montana fans are Skechers' target market. That ad is the height of "how can we pretend to make our ad special for the Super Bowl?" Just a half-@$$ed attempt.

7:41 - Wow, that was pretty blatant offensive PI. But I'm still surprised it got called.

7:43 - Reggie Wayne developed a case of alligator arms at the worst possible time. Geaux Saints! I've rarely been so happy for a team that wasn't my own to win.

7:45 - Aside from the Saints, the big winners in this game are Tom Brady and Joe Montana (his strange Skechers ad aside), because now it's hard to put Manning in their group now.

7:47 - I agree with the Twitter-verse - Sean Payton is the real Super Bowl MVP. But also Brees. Brees will win.

7:48 - Well, it was fun to give this a whirl. If you actually read this, and I doubt any of you did, I hope you enjoyed yourself! I know I did.

Blogging Super Bowl XLIV: Third Quarter

6:20 - So Bill Simmons is having a so-so prop bet game overall. Manning didn't throw a second quarter TD., but Garcon won him the jersey number prop bet. But Austin Collie has only one catch.

6:22 - Onside kick!!!!!!! And the Saints get it, after one of the most unorganized pile-ups ever. Wow. Just wow. We've got a game now. Hank Baskett blew it! Kendra's gonna be pissed!

6:24 - Just an aside - nice of CBS to come back from the break with "Run This Town," a completely relevant song, which as my wife said, would have been perfect for the halftime show. Shows that The Who wasn't CBS' idea.

6:25 - Freeney still getting taped on the sideline. That's another huge win for the Saints' onside kick decision. The Colts were unprepared.

6:26 - That's the perfect way to come out. Those are the Saints we love. Foot on the gas pedal. Balls to the wall. Great individual effort by Pierre Thomas.

6:28 - I love Megan Fox. There, I said it.

6:30 - Megan Fox, Tracy Morgan, Stevie Wonder, and screaming chickens...all ruined by Doogie Howser. Ugh.

6:32 - Still laughing at the ladder sequence in the Megan Fox ad. "You got me?" "Ya."

6:33 - Nice work by Addai. Could he be in line for Super Bowl MVP if the Colts win?

6:35 - That was an "I'm Peyton 'F***ing' Manning" throw.

6:38 - If Addai wasn't in line for Super Bowl MVP before, he certainly is now.

6:41 - Punk-@$$ Colts didn't have the brass to onside kick.

6:45 - Wow, just throw it away Drew.

6:48 - Nice analysis on the deep routes there by Simms. Call me crazy, but I don't think Aikman picks up on that.

6:49 - Nice kick by Hartley there, but I was really hoping for the fake field goal. I mean, Payton has pulled just about every other trick out of his hat, why not the fake field goal?

6:51 - Hartley looks pretty upset for a dude that just made three tough field goals.

6:53 - I can't decide if I love or hate that Kia commercial. But I think, overall, the ads were a lot funnier in the first half. However, the Google ad was awesome. As future parents, I liked the how to put together a crib at the end. My solution? Pay the people you buy it from, which we just did earlier today! $50 for delievery and assembly, or hours of frustration followed by years of angst because you're not sure you put it together and just know that today is the day it falls apart with your baby inside? Yeah, tough call. Bring on the fourth quarter.

Blogging Super Bowl XLIV: Halftime

5:53 - In the interests of completeness, I'm going to endure what is sure to be a horrible halftime show. The Who, proving once again that you can go 24 years without releasing an album and still be considered culturally relevant by the NFL!

5:55 - Halftime snacks - Triscuts and home-made garlic dip courtesy of my wife.

5:56 - I still hate Bill Cowher. Is that so wrong? His hairline continually frustrates and vexes me. Get some plugs, get a piece or start shaving your head. Unreal.

5:58 - The halftime show that they are setting up in the background looks craptastic. Glowing lights? Wow, I'm impressed. But I never get tired of the CBS guys yelling their points in a hurried manner. I'd love to know how their analysis would be different if they were in the studio.

6:00 - "You can't find synergy Lemon, it's bigger than all of us." Nice work by CBS with the Big Brother-Amazing Race tie-in.

6:02 - God, if I was The Who I'd be thoroughly embarrassed right now. Do you think they passed out a lyrics sheet to everyone in the crowd before halftime?

6:08 - My wife's list of non-offensive people who would be better right now - Taylor Swift, Jonas Brothers, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus..."there's just so many choices."

6:10 - Sorry, I don't even know this song. But the lights are purty!

6:11 - My wife wants to know who is on the committee to pick the halftime show performer and how far down the list was The Who. My response, I would hope very far. But obviously not far enough.

6:13 - Is there an applause sign?

6:14 - My dad summed up halftime the best in our traditional halftime phone call - "Well we didn't get to see Janet Jackson's nipple, but at least we got to see that guy's fat belly!"

Blogging Super Bowl XLIV: Second Quarter

5:11 - Let's start the quarter with a wifey comment - "It bothers me that so many people like 'How I Met Your Mother' now. It's such predictable humor. Agreed.

5:11 - Welcome to the game Marques Colston! Better late than never.

5:12 - Classic Reggie Bush bailed out by the late hit. Hey, take 'em where you can get them. Saints need points on this drive or this one could be over quickly. Bush barely got hit, but the intent, way out of bounds, was there.

5:13 - Nice toughness by Pierre Thomas on those two plays. The Saints need more of that.

5:14 - The Saints running backs seem to not understand that you can't run around the Colts D. They're too fast.

5:17 - I guess we can stop wondering whether or not Dwight Freeney is 100%. Horrible end to an otherwise good-looking drive. But at least they got some points. Need a stop on D.

5:18 - My wife is thoroughly amused by the name "Bushrod."

5:18 - Is there a situation where the Stripes music isn't hilarious? The ads tonight have been terrific.

5:20 - "Why the f*** is Mark Sanchez talking to me?" God I love my wife.

5:22 - Two straight commercials without pants? I love it. But I bet some people will think they're the same ad? Also, memo to Hyundai, Sears already ran the Favre joke into the ground. It's not funny anymore.

5:24 - First big play from the Saints D comes courtesy of Jonathan Vilma. First time Addai has looked like Addai of last year or so.

5:25 - HUGE drop by Garcon. Also, there's never been a punt return TD in the Super Bowl? Would not have guessed that.

5:28 - I was totally going to ask my barber for Tracy Porter's haircut this weekend, but I changed my mind at the last minute. Glad I did, I wouldn't want to look like a copycat!

5:29 - Nice pickup on the throw in the flat to Thomas. Still got something out of the play even though the coverage was good.

5:29 - Colston is really coming alive in the second quarter. That's a very encouraging sign for the Saints.

5:31 - Nice catch by Shockey.

5:32 - Just when I'm questioning why the Saints ran shotgun on third-and-short again, Lance Moore got so wife open you'd have thought he was in Idaho. Wow.

5:32 - And then they threw it all away with that end-around. You. can't. run. around. the. Colts. D.

5:33 - Two passes, two bad miscommunications by the Colts secondary.

5:34 - I hate it when d-linemen jump out of their stance and point at o-linemen. Nobody likes a tattle-tale.

5:36 - Nicely done by Dodge Charger. That ad had my complete attention.

5:38 - Why don't more people hate Papa John? I bet they would if his pizza wasn't delicious. Oh hey, a football game!

5:39 - My wife just started singing "cleats on the ground, cleats on the ground." That was the first time (I think) that the Saints didn't go shotgun on third and short.

5:41 - Punksatawney Polamulu! That was hilarious.

5:41 - This game's over. That was a mirror image of the Willie McGinest tackle in Indy many moons ago, right down to Gary Brackett's run off the field.

5:44 - I'd love to know why New Orleans didn't call a time out after first down.

5:45 - I thought I was going to get through the Harry Potter commercial without any comment from my wife, and then right as it ended, she turned to me and said "I want to go," ever so softly. Damnit. Oh well, I knew it was coming. I'd put the odds at 20% that our son's first trip is to Univeral Orlando.

5:46 - I have so many questions about FLO TV. It sounds expensive.

5:47 - Wow, Reggie Bush just hurt me on two levels. On one level, his return sucked. On a second level, he just caused my wife to start singing, "he was dancin' dancin'" ala the Jackson 5's "Dancin' Machine."

5:49 - "Jeffrey...come back."

5:50 - A good and bad play at the same time from Brees. Good - he got the ball out of bounds. Bad - it gained less than a yard.

5:51 - Hartley is keeping New Orleans in the game. But my wife isn't impressed. Of Hartley, she says, "he looks like a gay punk rocker." Well, alright.

Blogging Super Bowl XLIV: First Quarter

4:32 - Brees looks calm on first drop back despite a lot of pressure. Good omen?

4:33 - Nothing like a deep ball on 3rd and 2. Really overthrew him. What was the point of that? To beat Indy, you have to have some long drives. Not a good start. In other news, my wife is still trying to figure out why Simms and Nantz wore purple and orange, respectively. Her latest comment, "well, there's orange in the logo. But that doesn't explain Simms..."

4:34 - Such a typical demoralizing first play from the Indy offense. Cover Dallas Clark with a LB and you will pay.

4:35 - Wow, that's one hell of a neck beard.

4:37 - This is a clinic so far by Peyton Manning. Don't get greedy, just take what the defense gives you.

4:37 - Nice recovery by Harper on first down there. Also, isn't Tracy Porter the female NBA ref?

4:38 - Manning is hot. He's even hitting guys while back-pedaling? This could be a long night for the Saints D.

4:39 - First mistake of the night coincides with a third down. Lucky for Saints.

4:42 - "Oh, they're not empty." Nice.

4:43 - Snickers & Betty White - even better. You have to get creative to make "that's not what your girlfriend says," still be funny.

4:44 - Asked my wife what she thought of the Tebow ad - "What was it for?" Can't believe there was that much controversy over that ad.

4:45 - He was down. His elbow was down and there had been contact.

4:45 - What is the point of Hyundai? That ad sucked.

4:46 - BOOST MOBILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!

4:46 - That Doritos ad was strange. Maybe I'm too old to laugh at that? It's entirely possible.

4:48 - Head to the mountains. Lazy coverage by Hayden right there.

4:50 - Sorry, Marques, he'll hit you in the hands next time.

4:51 - I said to anyone who asked me all week that the Saints have to play a perfect game to win. So far, despite that downed punt, they are not doing that. Manning and Garcon messed up that third down throw. It wasn't anything the Saints did.

4:52 - Much better second effort from Doritos, and Dr. Marvin Candle/Dr. Edgar Halliwax for Bud Light? Good times. Liking the efforts so far from Madison Ave.

4:55 - Wow, I don't think the Colts running backs have combined for that much consecutive yardage in a long time.

4:57 - Two consecutive throws where Manning had to throw off his back foot, with two incompletions. But then Manning makes a great audible and they get another 10+ yard run out of Addai. When's the last time that happened?

4:58 - Who is this guy wearing #29 and what did he do with Joseph Addai?

5:00 - My wife is getting really upset with the choppiness of the camera.

5:01 - Comment just deleted by me - "Ok, Manning is no longer on fire." Just when you let up for a second, he burns you. Perfect balance by the Colts on that drive.

5:02 - Nice job, Coca-Cola. And once again, Go Daddy's ad makes incredibly little sense. Also, Go Daddy, they have this thing called porn now. I don't need to go to your website to see racy material online. Thanks though.

5:06 - Doritos casket? Genius. Bud Light auto-tune? Not so much. It would have been funny two years ago though.

Blogging Super Bowl XLIV: Pre-game

I'm going to give blogging a live event a shot for the first time. I figured since I'm not really emotionally invested in the outcome of this game - for the record I'm rooting for the Saints because one of my good friends is a Saints fan - this seemed like a good way to stay invested in the game, and also to try out my chops at the quick reaction world of live blogging. Although the sentiment will be muted since I don't have any sort of cool software to make that happen in real-time, so you'll just have to trust me. I will post updates quarterly, and my time stamps will be Mountain Standard Time, since that's the time zone in which I live.

4:17 - Pretty cool to do the Walter Payton Award right before the Super Bowl. The NFL does so many things better than the other pro sports, and that is certainly one.

4:18 - Queen Latifah singing America The Beautiful is another. I have chills. But what are the rules with players putting their hands over their heart for ATB? Some players are, some players aren't. I like the Reggie Bush approach, hands clasped behind his back. Save hand on heart for the Anthem. Also, Queen Latifah's coat is pretty shiny. Finally, was she rocking a behind-the-ear neck tattoo?

4:21 - Ugh, I can't stand Carrie Underwood. Love the 6-inch jumbo heels with the white zipper jacket zipped low enough that we can see your silver bra. You stay classy Carrie Underwood. Her voice also came dangerously close to cracking at the end, she was really forcing it. Definitely not the effortless range you should have to really knock the Anthem out of the park.

4:23 - Wait, was that the Last Airbender ad? It was only like 15 seconds...I purposely waited on watching it online so I could see it on the TV.

4:25 - I like the new take on the McDonald's ad. Go Larry!!!!

4:26 - I wonder how many of those Nurse Jackie promos I'm going to have to watch tonight? Let's put the over/under at 6. I'll take the over.

4:27 - Before we get going, my official prediction is Colts 27-Saints 20.

4:27 - Yet another great move by the NFL - having the new HOF inductees at the game. Congrats to Floyd Little - Mark Kiszla really did write a good piece on him a couple of weeks ago. That's the difference between Kiszla and Woody Paige - Kiszla is actually a good writer.

4:28 - Wow, I can't believe that call of heads worked.

4:29 - My wife's comment on Hyundai pre-game: If I was them, I would be pimping myself big-time right now because Toyota is f****d. Such language for a pregnant lady. Then she asked me what Tom Brady is doing today? Because I know...

Tweeting The Numbers Recap

Finally, the finish line. Here are all the posts in case you missed them: #'s 00-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-82 and 83-99.

Looking back on this project, one thing I can tell for sure is that football teams have an inherent advantage since they use the majority of the numbers from 1-99, whereas other sports mostly stop in the high 50's. To wit:

#'s 00-99, Favorite Players, By Team:
Patriots: 34
Red Sox: 18
Celtics: 13
BU Hockey: 7
Bruins: 5
General: 4
Rockies: 3

But when you knock out #'s 61-99, it's a far different story:

#'s 00-60, Favorite Players, By Team:
Red Sox: 17
Patriots: 15
Celtics: 13
BU Hockey: 6
Bruins: 4
General: 4
Rockies: 3

That Patriots number is more than halved. However, I am surprised to see that even in this scenario, the Pats sneak in ahead of the Celtics, whom I consider my second favorite team after the Red Sox (with the Pats being third). Although I suppose it shouldn't be that big of a surprise since there are only 12 players on a basketball team and 53 on a football team...

The Runner-Up, or "Apologies To" players were also in line with the second graph:

Runner-Up Players, By Team:
Red Sox: 45
Patriots: 31
Celtics: 29
BU Hockey: 21
Bruins: 15
Rockies: 13
General: 2

This seems to fit a lot better. The Sox are my first love, and I had a winner or runner-up for them for every number from 1-53, with the exception of #33 (I just couldn't bring myself to include Jason Varitek. I truly can't stand him, and he is going to further tarnish any legacy he once had with another season of back-breakingly bad performance in 2010, which will be his third straight such season and fourth in the last five years. One of the biggest mistakes of the Theo Epstein regime was his four year, $40 million contract after the '04 season. It would be THE biggest if not for the words "Edgar Renteria." But I digress.). The Patriots once again rank high due to the combination of sheer numbers as well as a decade-long dynasty, and the C's and Terriers finish strong. Though to be truthful, the Terriers would have probably done better had I not finished so many nights after a BU game at T's Pub or The Dugout. Looking through my old Images of Sports: Boston University Hockey book, there were several players who I knew I liked, but couldn't remember how much I liked them. And as many of my friends will tell you, I have a poor memory to begin with, and that's before you add $2 Bud Lights to the mix.

The most difficult numbers were definitely #24, #4, #8, #14, #15, #17 and #38. Comparing those players, and remembering others like Willie McGinest, Jason Allison, Troy O'Leary and Sherman Douglas were definitely a fun trip down memory lane. I would recommend it highly if you have a few hours to kill. And let's face it, after the Super Bowl this Sunday and the Beanpot final next Monday, with the Bruins and Celtics fading, the Patriots never talking about their draft/free agency plans and the Sox still a month or so from Spring Training games, every New England sports fan is going to have some time to kill this month.

Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 83-99

This is my seventh and final post on my favorite players of all-time by jersey number. It's been quite a journey. After this, I'll write a quick recap post as well.

#83, Wes Welker. Only player I found in q&d search w/ more recs than Welker's 346 in 3 yr span was M. Harrison w/354. J. Rice's best: 342.

#84, Shawn Jefferson. The deep threat. He led Pats in Y/C in all 4 seasons (min. 30 recs), including league leading 22.7 in '98.

#85, Nick Buoniconti. Apologies to: Jermaine Wiggins. The HOF linebacker was way before my time, but Pats only have so many HOF'ers.

#86, Stanley Morgan. The ultimate deep threat, he avg'd 20+ Y/C his first 6 yrs. When he ruined body on turf, Pats finally switched to grass.

#87, Ben Coates. Was so sad when "Winter" Coates was released. His 96 receptions stood as record for TE's for decade be4 Gonzalez broke it.

#88, Hart Lee Dykes. Apologies to: Terry Glenn. Only played 2 yrs due to knee & eye injuries, but avg'd 16.2 Y/C & could have been great.

#'s 89-92 - Nobody.

#93, Richard Seymour. 1 of key cogs in the Pats dynasty, his trade this yr signaled end of era, tho it took us til Jan. to admit it.

#94, Ty Warren. Seymour's book-end on the d-line, Warren needs to prove next year he can be healthy and effective at the same time.

#95, Roman Phifer. 1 of the key, if not THE key, veteran free agent addition in the heralded free agent group of the '01 season.

#96 - Nobody.

#97, Matt Gilroy. Apologies to: Jarvis Green. BU's 2nd Hobey Baker winner is a great story & it was fun to watch him mature into champion.

#98 - Nobody.

#99, Mike Wright. He's been only a role player, but a damn entertaining one. W/ 5 sacks this yr, maybe he can be more in '10 & beyond.

Tweeting The Numbers, #'s 61-82

Five down, two to go. Find the first five posts here, here, here, here and here.

#61, Clay Buchholz. Finally started to show the potential dominance last yr, & even w/ Lackey now in the fold, Sox need Buchholz in '10.

#62 - Nobody

#63, Joe Andruzzi. Apologies to: Paxton Crawford. Few moments in Patriots history will top when he was intro'd w/ his brothers after 9/11.

#'s 64-68 - Nobody.

#69, Eugene Chung. He actually was terrible, but we got a BIG kick out of making fun of him back in the day, & for that I love him.

#70, Logan Mankins. Hopefully we'll watch him for a long time, but I held my breath when I saw he was out of position in Pro Bowl last nite.

#'s 71-72 - Nobody

#73, John Hannah. The dean emeritus of Patriots offensive lineman, I always heard about him but he retired just before my conscious life.

#74 - Nobody.

#75, Vince Wilfork. Big Vince Wilfork had a spectacular debut, helping the Pats win the Super Bowl his rookie year. I hope he stays.

#76 - Nobody.

#77, Raymond Bourque. Apologies to: Mike Compton. 1 of last B's gms I went to was Ray Bourque night. Avs had no right to retire his # tho.

#78, Bruce Armstrong. Best Pats o-lineman of my conscious viewing life, I'm still jealous that my wife went to Bruce Armstrong Day w/out me.

#79 - Nobody.

#80, Troy Brown. My favorite Patriot of all-time. Troy Brown Makes First Downs. He did whatever was needed. Hire him as O-coordinator!

#81, Randy Moss. Say whatever you want about him, but he's always been entertaining. I'm overjoyed he was able to recharge his career in NE.

#82, Vincent Brisby. 1 of key Pats from early '90's wasteland years, Brisby was an afterthought by the time the Pats reached Super Bowl.

Next Up: #'s 83-99