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BY JIM DAWSON, OCTOBER 6, 2020 ONE QUARTERBACK AWAY – PATRIOTS LOSE TO KC 26-10 Against all odds: No Cam Newton at QB after testing positive for COVID-19. Same day flight to KC (3 hours in air) on two separate jets. Injuries to OL. No Sony Michel (IR). Despite these bad odds (the Pats started the week as 7 point underdogs; after the loss of Cam Newton the spread was 11 points), the Patriots played a great game against the high scoring Chiefs and their MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Forget the final score of this game. Instead, consider that the score was 6-3 KC at the half and that was only because interim QB Brian Hoyer pulled a rock and was sacked instead of throwing the ball away as time ran out (with no NE timeouts left). That error from a veteran quarterback deprived the Pats of attempting a short, tying field goal (the ball was on the KC 13). I was ready to replace Hoyer after the half with Jarrett Stidham. Bill Belichick, who probably felt the team had the best chance of winning with Hoyer, didn’t make that move until the end of the 3rd quarter. Why was Hoyer finally replaced? Because he didn’t get rid of the ball on a blitz, was sacked and fumbled on the KC 10 (field goal range). That fumble led to KC’s 1st TD and a 13-3 lead. Time for Stid the Kid. Behind the running of Damien Harris (a 41 yarder), the Pats drove to the KC 24. Stidham’s first pass was intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu in the end zone but Mathieu was called for pass interference on N’Keal Harry and the ball was placed at the KC 8. On 3rd and goal, Stidham lofted a perfect fade to N’Keal Harry for the TD and it was 13-10 with most of the 4th quarter left. Then the Pats Defense needed a stop. Instead, successive penalties on Kyle Dugger (on a 3rd down pass to Kelce) and a horrible one on Deatrich Wise Jr, who grabbed Mahomes’ shoulder out of bounds gave KC the ball at the NE 40. A TD pass to Mecole Hardman made it 19-10 (Butker missed the extra point). From the NE 25, Stidham’s 1st down throw went off Edelman’s hands and Mathieu had a gift pic six. 26-10 KC. Game over. This after the score was KC 13-10 with 13:45 left in the 4th quarter. POINTS AFTER Stidham’s stats weren’t great – 5 for 13 with 2 INTs. However Edelman should have had the throw that broke the game open. Facing a big deficit, NE was one dimensional and KC’s pass rush attacked Stidham leading to his 2nd INT. Hoyer’s stats were better – 15 of 24. However he messed up the play before half that cost them 3 points, and then his 3rd quarter fumble on the KC 10 led to KC’s first TD. Hoyer also overthrew TE Izzo and was intercepted with the ball returned to the NE 23. Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins, but Stephon Gilmore punched the ball out with JC Jackson recovering. If not for that, Hoyer’s miscue could have led to more KC points. If I’m Belichick, Stidham is the backup QB and Hoyer never sees the field again. As if the Pats didn’t have enough going against them, they had to re-shuffle the Offensive Line. The week before it was LT Wynn, LG Onwenu, C Thuney, RG Mason and RT Eluemunor (with help). Monday it was LT Wynn, LG Thuney, C Ferentz (off the practice squad), RG Onwenu and RT Herron, the latter two rookies. Mason was Inactive and Elumenor was active but didn’t play. Despite that disruption to the O Line, the team ran for 185 yards (to KC’s 94). 2nd year man Damien Harris (just activated off IR) led the way with 100 yards. The Patriots were jobbed by refereeing in the 2nd quarter with the score 6-3 KC. Winovich sacked Mahomes at the KC 35. The ball popped out and Shalique Calhoun grabbed it. Romo said it was either a fumble or INT. Gene Steratore, the officiating analyst, said it was an INT. The ref ruled that he blew the play dead as Mahomes was in the grasp. It was a terrible call and costly to the Patriots. And it was non-reviewable. You knew this might not be the Patriots night when Devin McCourty missed an INT on the very first KC series. It could have been a pic 6. The Pats often used a 3-man rush, dropping 8 defenders. It helped to slow down KC. James White returned after the car crash death of his father and led the team with 7 catches on 8 targets. Byrd had 5 on 10 targets. Edelman and Harry had 3 on 6 targets. There was a great catch by Gunner Olszewski, just off IR, who caught a deflected pass off Edelman’s hands. Edelman isn’t the same Jules and looks to be playing with injuries. On the play before Hoyer was sacked by Taco Charlton (who with Frank Clark beat LT Isaiah Wynn a few times), and Hoyer fumbled, FB Jakob Johnson was called for a false start. Johnson is from Germany. I swear that I heard Tony Romo sat ‘That’s the Kraut.” EMAIL Good Zine Jim. I enjoyed Zevon's Bad luck streak in dancing school! Vic Vic, if you haven't heard it yet, look for Zevon (on Letterman, I think) doing Mr. Bad Example. - Z My trivia guess... Simon and Garfunkel Kristin Kristin, good guess but no, not Simon and Garfunkel. - Z Jim, Great stuff! You are writing better than ever. I’m going through the great duos over the years whether I liked them or not doesn’t matter stuck on Simon and Garfunkel, Righteous Brothers, Everly Brothers for an answer I think I’ll go with S and G. Garry Gillett Garry, thanks for the support. All your duos are good choices but none of them are the correct answer. - Z Great zine, Jim, and thanks for the half point nod on last issue’s music trivia. This time around I’m going with my gut on the trivia- Simon and Garfunkel? Mark Allio Mark, Simon and Garfunkel are an excellent choice but unfortunately incorrect. - Z Dang- will put on my thinking cap- it better not be Brooks and Dunn! Mark Allio No it's not Brooks and Dunn, either, Mark - Z . Trivia question - another educated guess; Simon & Garfunkel.  # of hits and albums seem about right, HOFs stuff a no-brainer - Hollywood WOF no clue. Peter Bortolotti Nice try, Peter, but no, it's not Simon and Garfunkel. - Z Jim, Good 'Zine ! Glad to see the Patriots' running game 'bust out'. Eric Wilbur (Globe writer) didn't have many kind things to say about Sony Michel recently....after only 2 games into this crazy season. I responded to Wilbur's article to say give the kid a chance and don't judge someone after just two games. I know that many players on the Pats dedicated the last game to James White. Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz The Celtics were beaten by a good Miami team....some excellent shooters on the Heat. Hope the Celts can reload (they have 3 picks in the first round of the NBA Draft....which I believe is now in November. Red Sox might have two future solid starters in Houck and Pivetta. They need the help. I'll try The Everly Brothers for the quiz question. Brad Brad, Everly Brothers is a good answer but incorrect. - Z Jim, Thank you for another week of coverage and lightening the mood around all of the chaos in medicine, politics, and weather (drought & wildfire out west). We sure need a break from all of that baloney. Looks like the Lakers are gonna steamroll the Heat if they continue unchecked on defense. They just have too much depth, experience, and muscle to be denied another banner. LeBron seems to be unstoppable when the fourth quarter rolls around (that and he gets the "elite" calls from the refs on D and well as the O side of the ball). Another abbreviated season over. Good for the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Cup. I'm certainly glad that they defeated Dallas. I would have chosen Brayden Point for the Conn Smythe. As I explained in an earlier communique to you, they are not in my list of favorite hockey franchises. I still think they stole one when Brett Hull poked the puck home while he had a skate in the crease (a violation) and by Hasek for the game 7 winner many years ago over Buffalo (they have never won the Stanley Cup). Learned that Bob Gibson died yesterday from the scourge that is pancreatic cancer. He and Don Drysdale were a pair of the most intimidating pitchers that dominated during their times in the majors. Gibson was a sphinx off the field and a demon when on the mound; his speech was slow and measured, his face unemotional, and lived games in silence from his teammates, opponents, and even the umpires. He and Lou Brock were the tag-team that just killed my expectations that the Sox had in the '67 World Series. Total physical and mental intimidation from one of the most focused competitors ever...in any sport of any era. Butkus also comes to mind. His statistics are of legend. He even hit well when pitchers actually stepped into the box. Rest well, Bob. So, on to music trivia.  Simon and Garfunkel is my answer for this week's question. Ding ding? "Big White" Bill LaPlante Hi Bill, have not watched the NBA Finals but was glad to see the Heat won Game #3. I saw a blurb that if the Lakers win, they'll tie the Celtics with 17 NBA championships. However 5 of those were when they were the Minneapolis Lakers, so does that really count? Well as you know Paul and I were rooting for the Lightning so glad that they won the Stanley Cup. Brayden Point was good. Their goalie was even better. The '67 Red Sox might have won the World Series if not for Bob Gibson. R.I.P. to one of the most ferocious competitors ever, in any sport. Gibson had a 'death stare'. Good guess on the quiz but no it's not Simon and Garfunkel. Now that a Florida team has won the Stanley Cup, wouldn't it be funny (or fluky) if a Florida team won the NBA (Miami), MLB (the Rays or Marlins) and the NFL (Tampa Bay)? - Z As much as I want to say Hall & Oates I think the correct answer is Simon & Garfunkel.  I own the collective works of both so its a win/win for me.   Matt Dawson Hi Matt, your first guess is the correct one. - Z Hi Jim - Another great football weekend, eh? Bills scared the hell outta me - 4th qtr. was CRAZY! Thanks for the ink! Got me to guessing this week's trivia, but all I could come up with is The Everly Brothers, or maybe Hall and Oates. Buffalo Steve Lenz Good guesses Steve, it's the latter group. I was hoping that the Bills would lose since they are 1 up on the Pats but it wasn't to be. Stupid Rams come all the way back and lose with 15 seconds left. Aargh! Still trying to figure out what happened to that Buffalo defense. - Z Hello Jim, Great work as always. I’m going to go with Hall and Oates for this week’s quiz answer. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve been forwarding the Zine to my son Tommy and a friend and Pawtucket native Jeff Blais. Jeff texted me yesterday and said to go with Hall and Oates and I can take that to the bank. If that’s correct I’m already giving credit where it’s due. Cheers, Tom Robinson Tom, your friend Jeff gave you good advice. The answer indeed is Hall and Oates. Glad you are sharing Sportzine with your son Tommy and friend Jeff. You both will get a mention. - Z THE HOT CLUB My thanks to Dr. John for loaning me two DVDs – Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays and The Last Play at Shea – Billy Joel. I recommend both to readers of the Zine. The Billy Joel DVD covered not only Joel’s musical career but also the history of Shea Stadium which closed at the conclusion of the ’08 season. That did mean that I had to watch the replay of the 10th inning of Game #6 in 1986. Joel’s concert was the last event at Shea. Kristin admitted that many times she wears only one of her contact lenses. Friday she said she had both in. Captain Jack said to her (of him and me): ‘We must look twice as good then.’ We were talking about the issue of whether Tom Brady or Bill Belichick has had the most impact on the Patriots dynasty. I said that you have to give Belichick the credit as the greatest NFL coach, and I pointed to the year that Brady got hurt and Belichick had Matt Cassel as his QB and the team still won 11 games. Some of us felt that the last couple years, we’ve seen Brady aging and his skills start to erode. Referring to the last few years and the effect on Belichick, Bob said “Brady sucked the life out of him.” Mark Allio was stumped about last issue’s trivia question answer until I gave him an extra clue – the duo is known for blue eyed soul. Mark knew it was Hall and Oates. Jack Moore was similarly stuck until I gave him the info that the duo hails from Philly. Jack instantly said Hall and Oates. So Mark and Jack get partial credit for getting the answer. ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION So who is the duo that has sold almost 40 million albums, have had 6 #1 hits, 7 platinum albums and 6 gold albums plus are in the Songwriters and Rock Halls of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Hall and Oates. Tom Robinson, with help from friend Jeff Blais, had the answer. Matt Dawson and Steve Lenz get ½ credit since they submitted the names of two duos. Al Vallese got it after saying he didn’t think it’d be Hall and Oates, and I smiled. THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This band started out with 5 platinum albums. In fact, their debut did so well they had to wait to release their 2nd album which had already been finished. They were named by Rolling Stone as Best New Artist (’78), and won MTV’s Video of the Year (’84). They are in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Name?

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BY JIM DAWSON, OCTOBER 6, 2020 ONE QUARTERBACK AWAY – PATRIOTS LOSE TO KC 26-10 Against all odds: No Cam Newton at QB after testing positive for COVID-19. Same day flight to KC (3 hours in air) on two separate jets. Injuries to OL. No Sony Michel (IR). Despite these bad odds (the Pats started the week as 7 point underdogs; after the loss of Cam Newton the spread was 11 points), the Patriots played a great game against the high scoring Chiefs and their MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Forget the final score of this game. Instead, consider that the score was 6-3 KC at the half and that was only because interim QB Brian Hoyer pulled a rock and was sacked instead of throwing the ball away as time ran out (with no NE timeouts left). That error from a veteran quarterback deprived the Pats of attempting a short, tying field goal (the ball was on the KC 13). I was ready to replace Hoyer after the half with Jarrett Stidham. Bill Belichick, who probably felt the team had the best chance of winning with Hoyer, didn’t make that move until the end of the 3rd quarter. Why was Hoyer finally replaced? Because he didn’t get rid of the ball on a blitz, was sacked and fumbled on the KC 10 (field goal range). That fumble led to KC’s 1st TD and a 13-3 lead. Time for Stid the Kid. Behind the running of Damien Harris (a 41 yarder), the Pats drove to the KC 24. Stidham’s first pass was intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu in the end zone but Mathieu was called for pass interference on N’Keal Harry and the ball was placed at the KC 8. On 3rd and goal, Stidham lofted a perfect fade to N’Keal Harry for the TD and it was 13-10 with most of the 4th quarter left. Then the Pats Defense needed a stop. Instead, successive penalties on Kyle Dugger (on a 3rd down pass to Kelce) and a horrible one on Deatrich Wise Jr, who grabbed Mahomes’ shoulder out of bounds gave KC the ball at the NE 40. A TD pass to Mecole Hardman made it 19-10 (Butker missed the extra point). From the NE 25, Stidham’s 1st down throw went off Edelman’s hands and Mathieu had a gift pic six. 26-10 KC. Game over. This after the score was KC 13-10 with 13:45 left in the 4th quarter. POINTS AFTER Stidham’s stats weren’t great – 5 for 13 with 2 INTs. However Edelman should have had the throw that broke the game open. Facing a big deficit, NE was one dimensional and KC’s pass rush attacked Stidham leading to his 2nd INT. Hoyer’s stats were better – 15 of 24. However he messed up the play before half that cost them 3 points, and then his 3rd quarter fumble on the KC 10 led to KC’s first TD. Hoyer also overthrew TE Izzo and was intercepted with the ball returned to the NE 23. Mahomes hit Sammy Watkins, but Stephon Gilmore punched the ball out with JC Jackson recovering. If not for that, Hoyer’s miscue could have led to more KC points. If I’m Belichick, Stidham is the backup QB and Hoyer never sees the field again. As if the Pats didn’t have enough going against them, they had to re-shuffle the Offensive Line. The week before it was LT Wynn, LG Onwenu, C Thuney, RG Mason and RT Eluemunor (with help). Monday it was LT Wynn, LG Thuney, C Ferentz (off the practice squad), RG Onwenu and RT Herron, the latter two rookies. Mason was Inactive and Elumenor was active but didn’t play. Despite that disruption to the O Line, the team ran for 185 yards (to KC’s 94). 2nd year man Damien Harris (just activated off IR) led the way with 100 yards. The Patriots were jobbed by refereeing in the 2nd quarter with the score 6-3 KC. Winovich sacked Mahomes at the KC 35. The ball popped out and Shalique Calhoun grabbed it. Romo said it was either a fumble or INT. Gene Steratore, the officiating analyst, said it was an INT. The ref ruled that he blew the play dead as Mahomes was in the grasp. It was a terrible call and costly to the Patriots. And it was non-reviewable. You knew this might not be the Patriots night when Devin McCourty missed an INT on the very first KC series. It could have been a pic 6. The Pats often used a 3-man rush, dropping 8 defenders. It helped to slow down KC. James White returned after the car crash death of his father and led the team with 7 catches on 8 targets. Byrd had 5 on 10 targets. Edelman and Harry had 3 on 6 targets. There was a great catch by Gunner Olszewski, just off IR, who caught a deflected pass off Edelman’s hands. Edelman isn’t the same Jules and looks to be playing with injuries. On the play before Hoyer was sacked by Taco Charlton (who with Frank Clark beat LT Isaiah Wynn a few times), and Hoyer fumbled, FB Jakob Johnson was called for a false start. Johnson is from Germany. I swear that I heard Tony Romo sat ‘That’s the Kraut.” EMAIL Good Zine Jim. I enjoyed Zevon's Bad luck streak in dancing school! Vic Vic, if you haven't heard it yet, look for Zevon (on Letterman, I think) doing Mr. Bad Example. - Z My trivia guess... Simon and Garfunkel Kristin Kristin, good guess but no, not Simon and Garfunkel. - Z Jim, Great stuff! You are writing better than ever. I’m going through the great duos over the years whether I liked them or not doesn’t matter stuck on Simon and Garfunkel, Righteous Brothers, Everly Brothers for an answer I think I’ll go with S and G. Garry Gillett Garry, thanks for the support. All your duos are good choices but none of them are the correct answer. - Z Great zine, Jim, and thanks for the half point nod on last issue’s music trivia. This time around I’m going with my gut on the trivia- Simon and Garfunkel? Mark Allio Mark, Simon and Garfunkel are an excellent choice but unfortunately incorrect. - Z Dang- will put on my thinking cap- it better not be Brooks and Dunn! Mark Allio No it's not Brooks and Dunn, either, Mark - Z . Trivia question - another educated guess; Simon & Garfunkel.  # of hits and albums seem about right, HOFs stuff a no-brainer - Hollywood WOF no clue. Peter Bortolotti Nice try, Peter, but no, it's not Simon and Garfunkel. - Z Jim, Good 'Zine ! Glad to see the Patriots' running game 'bust out'. Eric Wilbur (Globe writer) didn't have many kind things to say about Sony Michel recently....after only 2 games into this crazy season. I responded to Wilbur's article to say give the kid a chance and don't judge someone after just two games. I know that many players on the Pats dedicated the last game to James White. Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz The Celtics were beaten by a good Miami team....some excellent shooters on the Heat. Hope the Celts can reload (they have 3 picks in the first round of the NBA Draft....which I believe is now in November. Red Sox might have two future solid starters in Houck and Pivetta. They need the help. I'll try The Everly Brothers for the quiz question. Brad Brad, Everly Brothers is a good answer but incorrect. - Z Jim, Thank you for another week of coverage and lightening the mood around all of the chaos in medicine, politics, and weather (drought & wildfire out west). We sure need a break from all of that baloney. Looks like the Lakers are gonna steamroll the Heat if they continue unchecked on defense. They just have too much depth, experience, and muscle to be denied another banner. LeBron seems to be unstoppable when the fourth quarter rolls around (that and he gets the "elite" calls from the refs on D and well as the O side of the ball). Another abbreviated season over. Good for the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Cup. I'm certainly glad that they defeated Dallas. I would have chosen Brayden Point for the Conn Smythe. As I explained in an earlier communique to you, they are not in my list of favorite hockey franchises. I still think they stole one when Brett Hull poked the puck home while he had a skate in the crease (a violation) and by Hasek for the game 7 winner many years ago over Buffalo (they have never won the Stanley Cup). Learned that Bob Gibson died yesterday from the scourge that is pancreatic cancer. He and Don Drysdale were a pair of the most intimidating pitchers that dominated during their times in the majors. Gibson was a sphinx off the field and a demon when on the mound; his speech was slow and measured, his face unemotional, and lived games in silence from his teammates, opponents, and even the umpires. He and Lou Brock were the tag-team that just killed my expectations that the Sox had in the '67 World Series. Total physical and mental intimidation from one of the most focused competitors ever...in any sport of any era. Butkus also comes to mind. His statistics are of legend. He even hit well when pitchers actually stepped into the box. Rest well, Bob. So, on to music trivia.  Simon and Garfunkel is my answer for this week's question. Ding ding? "Big White" Bill LaPlante Hi Bill, have not watched the NBA Finals but was glad to see the Heat won Game #3. I saw a blurb that if the Lakers win, they'll tie the Celtics with 17 NBA championships. However 5 of those were when they were the Minneapolis Lakers, so does that really count? Well as you know Paul and I were rooting for the Lightning so glad that they won the Stanley Cup. Brayden Point was good. Their goalie was even better. The '67 Red Sox might have won the World Series if not for Bob Gibson. R.I.P. to one of the most ferocious competitors ever, in any sport. Gibson had a 'death stare'. Good guess on the quiz but no it's not Simon and Garfunkel. Now that a Florida team has won the Stanley Cup, wouldn't it be funny (or fluky) if a Florida team won the NBA (Miami), MLB (the Rays or Marlins) and the NFL (Tampa Bay)? - Z As much as I want to say Hall & Oates I think the correct answer is Simon & Garfunkel.  I own the collective works of both so its a win/win for me.   Matt Dawson Hi Matt, your first guess is the correct one. - Z Hi Jim - Another great football weekend, eh? Bills scared the hell outta me - 4th qtr. was CRAZY! Thanks for the ink! Got me to guessing this week's trivia, but all I could come up with is The Everly Brothers, or maybe Hall and Oates. Buffalo Steve Lenz Good guesses Steve, it's the latter group. I was hoping that the Bills would lose since they are 1 up on the Pats but it wasn't to be. Stupid Rams come all the way back and lose with 15 seconds left. Aargh! Still trying to figure out what happened to that Buffalo defense. - Z Hello Jim, Great work as always. I’m going to go with Hall and Oates for this week’s quiz answer. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve been forwarding the Zine to my son Tommy and a friend and Pawtucket native Jeff Blais. Jeff texted me yesterday and said to go with Hall and Oates and I can take that to the bank. If that’s correct I’m already giving credit where it’s due. Cheers, Tom Robinson Tom, your friend Jeff gave you good advice. The answer indeed is Hall and Oates. Glad you are sharing Sportzine with your son Tommy and friend Jeff. You both will get a mention. - Z THE HOT CLUB My thanks to Dr. John for loaning me two DVDs – Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays and The Last Play at Shea – Billy Joel. I recommend both to readers of the Zine. The Billy Joel DVD covered not only Joel’s musical career but also the history of Shea Stadium which closed at the conclusion of the ’08 season. That did mean that I had to watch the replay of the 10th inning of Game #6 in 1986. Joel’s concert was the last event at Shea. Kristin admitted that many times she wears only one of her contact lenses. Friday she said she had both in. Captain Jack said to her (of him and me): ‘We must look twice as good then.’ We were talking about the issue of whether Tom Brady or Bill Belichick has had the most impact on the Patriots dynasty. I said that you have to give Belichick the credit as the greatest NFL coach, and I pointed to the year that Brady got hurt and Belichick had Matt Cassel as his QB and the team still won 11 games. Some of us felt that the last couple years, we’ve seen Brady aging and his skills start to erode. Referring to the last few years and the effect on Belichick, Bob said “Brady sucked the life out of him.” Mark Allio was stumped about last issue’s trivia question answer until I gave him an extra clue – the duo is known for blue eyed soul. Mark knew it was Hall and Oates. Jack Moore was similarly stuck until I gave him the info that the duo hails from Philly. Jack instantly said Hall and Oates. So Mark and Jack get partial credit for getting the answer. ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION So who is the duo that has sold almost 40 million albums, have had 6 #1 hits, 7 platinum albums and 6 gold albums plus are in the Songwriters and Rock Halls of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Hall and Oates. Tom Robinson, with help from friend Jeff Blais, had the answer. Matt Dawson and Steve Lenz get ½ credit since they submitted the names of two duos. Al Vallese got it after saying he didn’t think it’d be Hall and Oates, and I smiled. THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This band started out with 5 platinum albums. In fact, their debut did so well they had to wait to release their 2nd album which had already been finished. They were named by Rolling Stone as Best New Artist (’78), and won MTV’s Video of the Year (’84). They are in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Name?

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BY JIM DAWSON SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 PATRIOTS RAID LAS VEGAS 36-20 Ooh Las Vegas...Patriots fans were concerned coming into this game as their Center David Andrews had been put on the IL with a reported broken thumb in his right, hiking hand. What would Team Belichick do? Well, they switched LG Joe Thuney to Center and put OL Mike Onwenu (6th round pick in 2020) at LG. Thuney had played Center at NC State, but that was a while ago. The Pats got off to a slow start going 3 and out and what would have been another 3 and out except for a Raiders penalty that earned them only 3 more plays. Meanwhile the Raiders Josh Jacobs was running well getting 6 yards or more a carry. However after LasVegas got to the NE 12, LB Shilique Calhoun stripped Jacobs of the ball and JC Jackson recovered. It was the first NE BAP (Big Ass Play) of the game. Then Cam Newton, who did not have a great game throwing the ball (he threw a near pick forcing it to Edelman who had 3 guys on him), was intercepted and the Raiders had it at the NE 14. The Pats D stiffened and Las Vegas settled for a FG. 3-0. On the next NE possession, they put 5’6” JJ Taylor in at RB and that sparked the running attack. Newly activated Isaiah Zuber helped with an end around for 13 yards helped as did a facemask on one of Taylor’s runs. It led to a tying FG. 3-3. Next came the 2nd Pats BAP as Chase Winovich stripped Carr of the ball and Lawrence Guy recovered. Behind Taylor’s running, the Pats got another FG, 6-3. Taylor’s running seemed to inspire Sony Michel as he started to run harder and Burkhead began his awesome day with a screen pass which he carried into the end zone vaulting over the Raiders’ Nevin Lawson. It was 13-3 with 34 seconds to the Half. Then the Pats Defense did the inexplicable – allowing the Raiders to score a TD. A bad penalty on Stephon Gilmore set the Raiders up at NE’s 33. Two passes to Hunter Renfrow set up their TD. Aargh! 13-10 NE. Las Vegas had the ball to start the 2nd half and got close enough for a 41 yard FG try but Daniel Carlson missed it. The Raiders would be held to a FG and a late meaningless TD. After that missed Raiders FG, the Pats drove for the TD that made it 20-10 behind a 38 run by Sony Michel and the receiving and running of Burkhead who ran it in from the 5. The Pats held and added to their lead with another Folk FG of 32 yards. Sony Michel had a 48 yard run that set up the score. 23-10. Next came the Raiders FG that made it 23-13. They had reached the NE 7 and had 4th and 5. I thought they should have gone for the TD, but was glad they didn’t. The Patriots would then salt the game away in the 4th quarter as they had an 86 yard drive for a TD. This time Cam Newton contributed by hitting N’Keal Harry for 27 and Rex Burkhead for 11. Cam then scrambled for 21. Burkhead ran for 14 and 2 for the TD. It was the first 3 TD game in Burkhead’s career. His effort was something to behold. Just in case Derek Carr and company thought they could rally, NE snuffed out that delusion when Carr was stripped of the ball in his own end zone by Shalique Calhoun and Deatrich Wise, Jr. with Wise getting the TD. BAP! With 5:09 left, and the score 36-13, it didn’t matter when Las Vegas scored another TD. POINTS AFTER The Patriots found another way to win on a day that Cam Newton struggled throwing the ball much of the game. They amassed 250 yards rushing with Sony Michel having 117, Burkhead with 49 and Taylor 43. Keys to the game were holding bruising RB Josh Jacobs in check (71 yards) as well as scary TE Darren Waller (2 meaningless 4th quarter catches). The Pats double teamed Waller most of the game. Jacobs had 54 of his rushing yards in the 1st half. After coming in with only 6 penalties in 2 games, the Raiders matched that in the game. Bill Belichick used all 3 of his 2nd half timeouts by the beginning of the 4th quarter. I had never seen that happen. Someone like Andy Gresh may have some insight into that. Jon Gruden is now 0-3 versus the Belichickian Patriots. He lost the ‘Tuck Rule’ game as Oakland’s head coach, another with Tampa Bay and yesterday’s with Las Vegas. Nick Folk hit on 3 field goals. He missed an extra point. I hope that Justin Rohrwasser gets healthy soon because Folk’s range is only from about 45 yards out. My good friend Paul asked me if the NFL might do away with the extra point try. I said I didn’t think so because since they’ve moved that kick back to the 15 yard line, there have been misses and blocked tries. Yesterday, besides Folk, Washington, Arizona and Atlanta missed extra points. Dallas, Carolina and Tampa Bay had extra points blocked. BULLETS • Once the Celtics got down 3-1 in games versus the Miami Heat, you knew they were in trouble. Sunday, the Heat ended the Celts’ ‘bubble season’ winning Game #6 125-113. Inconsistent defense, Miami’s zone and their hellacious 3-point shooting contributed. • Now that Chaim Bloom has let Ron Roenicke go as manager, will Alex Cora return in that role? I’m willing to forgive Cora for his transgressions. He has a special bond with many of the Red Sox players. This team needs Cora. Roenicke as Cora’s bench coach? • The Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont (9/27) had a great interview with Derek Sanderson. Sanderson had a drinking problem and thought he lost his two Stanley Cup rings. His business partner at Daisy Buchanan’s, Joe Cimino, had taken them for safe keeping. Sanderson was thrilled that Cimino had them. His two sons now have those rings. EMAIL Top of my head, Muddy Waters.  There is no Queen Album called Bohemian Rhapsody. It is a Night At The Opera, and it is a classic and in my top five.  The best albums are always by the Beatles. The top two, non-Beatles, albums are Live At The Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers and Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. Matt Dawson  Muddy Waters is incorrect but thanks for the correction on A Night At The Opera which was named after the Marx Brothers movie because Queen loved them. - Z Hi Jim, love the “long-format” zine. For this issue’s music trivia quiz, I’m going with B.B King! Mark Allio Hi Mark, good guess but No, it's not BB King. Thanks for the kind words. - Z Quick guess on the trivia question: Paul Butterfield. Saw in Newport (I think it was the '69 Jazz Festival that also had Jethro Tull, but my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be.)   Glenn Dewell Hi Glenn, Paul Butterfield is a good guess, but incorrect. - Z Good writing James. I’m thinking Muddy Waters is the answer to your quiz. Don’t know when he was at the Newport event, but possibly our compadre Wild Bill Shea was there!   Mike Curtis Mike, a good guess but incorrect. Did more research as you are a Blues savant. I researched Muddy Waters vs. my answer. The one difference I could find is that McKinley Morganfield aka Muddy Waters does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (based on a list I found – I looked under both names). Other than that, Muddy would have fit the description. Muddy Waters has a star but at a different place in Hollywood. https://totally-la.com/rockwalk-the-walk-of-fame-for-rock-stars/ - Z Hello Jim, outstanding Zine this week. Great story about Terry Nau and Fleet Pete. Quiz guess would be BB King. Keep up the good work. Tom Robinson Hi Tom, sorry but BB King is not the answer to the quiz. Thanks for the kind words about the Fleet Feet Pete and Terry Nau story. While Pete is from Foxboro and Terry originally is from the Pittsburgh area, they have lived here long enough that they can be considered Rhode Islanders. You've heard of Kevin Bacon's 6 degrees of separation. In Rhode Island, it's 1 degree of separation. - Z The RI - 1 degree of separation gets even better in that story. Terry Nau was the Sports Editor of the Pawtucket Times. That job was held for many years by Ted Mulcahey, my father in law and Mike’s (Tanya McIntyre and the Professors) Dad .I’ve attached a great picture of Ted from what had to be the late 50s. I know two of the people but I’m still trying to figure out the guy on the right. I’ve been thinking that it’s possibly Manny Almeida. Any idea? It’s a small world. Tom Robinson Tom, besides Mike's dad Ted Mulcahey, that's Rocky Marciano on the left. My guess is the man on the right is either a boxer or a boxing promoter. Will send to Terry Nau and see if he has any idea. Tom, Terry emailed: “That is Jim Murphy, a Times editor, father of Sheila and Greg, who confirmed this.” - Z Thanks Jim - sure this will go over well with the gang! LOL. Trivia educated guess: by your description three names popped into my head - Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Willie Dixon. I think John Lee Hooker. Peter Bortolotti You deserve it. Yes it's John Lee Hooker. One bourbon, one scotch, one beer. - Z Is this the longest Sportzine you’ve ever written? No wonder you were “late”.  And BTW...it was terrific. Richard Flinn Rich, yes I think it is the longest regular Sportzine- 7 pages. I think special edition #700 was 8 pages because of the photos. Lately I have been getting more email and putting them in the Zine as I think they inform. Also after Peter made that connection with Terry Nau I felt like that had to be in there. I even left out a photo of that beer race with Peter smack dab in the middle. Thanks as always for your positive feedback and kind words.-Z Hi Jim - Thanks again for another awesome 'zine, even though there was absolutely NO mention of the (current) AFC East leader...😜 (I wonder how long THAT will last, eh?) No, not gonna try the quiz again - I hit my limit with one win. Just wondering if you're still accepting "favorite album" input? If so, and now that you've opened it up to ALL music, here are four of my all-time faves: Miles Davis-Kind of Blue, Billie Holiday-Lady Sings the Blues, Bob Dylan-Nashville Skyline, and Beatles-Abbey Road. Oh - and anything Bach! Stay safe, my friend! Buffalo Steve Lenz  Steve, great album choices. While Buffalo is 2-0, they gave up 17 points to the Jets and 28 to Miami. What happened to that defense? - Z Great 'Zine, Jim. Even though we lost yesterday, I can see some encouraging signs for the Pats. Cam looked OK but he can use some additional receivers. And we need to stop the big pass plays. We almost pulled it off but we have had some close games with Seattle over the last few years (Malcolm Butler comes to mind). Lots of injuries around the NFL yesterday, especially involving the knees (something I am very familiar with at the present time). Brady had his problems yesterday but the Bucs still won. The lack of a preseason is responsible for a lot of this. Still a long season. I feel confident in the Pats. Walt Dzialo Walt, we'll see if the Pats trade for a veteran receiver. I was heartened at how many catches Harry and Byrd had. Cam has been working hard with these guys. Brady never trusted the young receivers that much. He still looks off in his passing game and winged one so high over Gronk's head that even he couldn't catch it. A lot of this (Brady and Brees looking human) has to do with the lack of proper preparation because of COVID-19 shutting down camps. The injuries are also starting to accumulate, much of them for the same reason. - Z The Pat’s last play was predictable. Even I called it. Russell Wilson was truly amazing. May we meet again. Mike Hunt Mike, I agree that the last play was telegraphed. Would like to see a pass/run option. - Z https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_League Mark Allio Thanks Mark, I wondered about that 31 teams (See the Hot Club section). Now I understand. Las Vegas was the 31st team. There will be a 32nd in 2021. - Z When I was going to college in Toronto from 75-77, I went to York University and its Glendon College (the original York), created to emulate the Canadian ideal of a bi-lingual bi-cultural society. It was comprised equally of French and English Canadians. I was the only Yank followed by my brother Paul a year later. I ran mainly with the Quebecois, and we would attend hockey games played by the Nordiques from Quebec City. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Nordiques. They never won a Stanley Cup, and in 1995 the franchise was sold to Colorado, who promptly won the Stanley Cup in their first year! Some Canadians think that the US has taken over Canadian hockey, a sore spot to discuss indeed.  Mark Allio While writing this Sportzine I listened to John Prine’s last CD, 2018’s The Tree of Forgiveness (great music and a fitting conclusion to a fantastic career). Also I played Robbie Robertson’s solo debut album released in 1987 (thanks Peter). Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz THE HOT CLUB Brought up that I had seen Warren Zevon at the Paradise Theater in Boston many years ago. ‘Waddy’ Wachtel was his lead guitarist/band leader. Session man Rick Marotta was the drummer. On the stage there were stairs going to a dressing room beneath. During Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, a roadie down below threw fire crackers onto the stage. Marotta got down from his drum kit, descended the stairs and you could hear punches – bap, bap. Marotta came back up, and resumed playing drums on the song. So Dr. John told us about when he was at UMass-Amherst and in a band with Taj Mahal. They were playing a gig at Dartmouth and were the last band on. By then all the college kids in the audience were drunk. So the band huddled up trying to figure how to get the attention of the audience. Voila. Taj threw a cherry bomb and that got their attention. They then played The Twist. John said they were invited back every year. We were talking about the Stanley Cup Finals between Tampa Bay and Dallas. I noted that once again a Canadian team would not win the Cup. I said it must be 15-20 years since a Canadian team won the Cup. Mark looked it up – Montreal won it in 1993. So actually 27 years ago. Mark asked how many Canadian teams there are – we checked – there are 31 teams. 24 are American, 7 Canadian. That led us to the American Olympic hockey team winning in 1960 and 1980. Peter pointed out that professional hockey got a big boost when the NHL allowed their players to go to the Olympics. We checked – it was 1998 and continued thru 2014. ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION So who was that blues man who debuted at the Newport Folk Festival, is in the Rock and Blues Halls of Fame and who has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame? Peter Bortolotti was the only one who got it, with Mark Allio getting half credit for saying that John Lee Hooker came to mind but he didn’t think it was him (HC). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock n’ Roll had John Lee debuting in Newport (1960). Hooker was in The Blues Brothers movie. Two of his songs, Boogie Chillen and Boom Boom, are in the Rock Hall of Fame’s list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. R.I.P John Lee. THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This duo has sold close to 40 million records. They’ve had six #1 hits (Billboard Hot 100), 7 platinum albums and 6 gold albums. They are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock Hall of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Name the duo.

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BY JIM DAWSON SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 ONE PLAY AWAY – SEATTLE EDGES PATRIOTS 35-30 The Patriots had the ball on Seattle’s 1 yard line after a 12-yard catch by N’Keal Harry. .03 seconds left. Cam Newton tried to run behind fullback Jakob Johnson, but a Seahawk submarined him (Adams?), and Cam was stopped short by LJ Collier. Earlier Seattle had seen Cam score behind FB Johnson’s block, and Cam had passed to Johnson for a 1-yard TD. The Seahawks were probably keying on Johnson as a result. To me this loss has a silver lining for the Pats. Should they meet again, NE knows that they can beat Seattle. When you are down 35-23 with 4:32 left in the game, you shouldn’t be one play away from winning. One play. Of course, it’s good to have Pete Carroll as the coach on the other sideline. After the Pats had scored to make it 35-30 with 2:16 left, Seattle had a 3rd and 1. They tried a long pass to Lockett who was well covered by Jonathan Jones. The Seahawks had at that point 154 yards rushing and Chris Carson had 72 of those. Naw we’ll pass. Thanks Pete. If you look at the stats, you wonder how the Patriots were in this game, never mind one play away from winning. Russell Wilson was 21 of 28. He hit 5 different receivers for TDs: Metcalf for 54 yards against Gilmore. Moore for 38 vs Jason McCourty. In my notes, I wrote ‘Great pass’ or ‘hell of a pass’, including a 16 yarder to Lockett that also beat Jason McCourty. 21 yards to Swain. 18 yards to Carson. 154 yards rushing. The Patriots ran for 67 yards. Cam Newton again led the pack with 11 carries for 47 yds. However Cam also was 30 of 44 passing for 397 yards (to Wilson’s 288). Both passers had 1 INT with Devin McCourty returning it 43 yards for a TD (a deflection off Olsen). The Pats had a lead twice at 7-0 and 14-7, but each time the Seahawks and Wilson came roaring back. Seattle was more versatile with 22 first downs – 10 rushing and 11 passing (1 by penalty). The Pats had 29 first downs, 5 by the run and 22 by pass (2 by penalty). What Cam did with this thin receiving core is a sight to behold. That said, they need to trade for a veteran receiver. Edelman had 8 catches on 11 targets for 179 yards! Harry had 8 catches on 12 targets. And they didn’t have Harry for a while after a helmet to helmet hit by Quandre Diggs put Harry in concussion protocol. Diggs was thrown out. Damiere Byrd had 6 catches on 9 targets. The one Newton INT was a pass slightly off which Dunbar intercepted. Byrd needed to fight for the ball more so that if he doesn’t get it neither does the defender. Burkhead had 6 targets and 4 catches. A key here was the team missing James White who is a dual threat, running and receiving. White’s parents were in a horrible car crash that killed his father and put his mother in critical condition. May his mother survive and return to good health. POINTS AFTER Seattle strong safety Jamal Adams (a gift from the Jets) had a monster game. He blitzed to stop Cam on the two point conversion and also on a 3rd and goal which caused the Pats to settle for a field goal. He had 6 tackles and 4 assists (10) and had the only sack. The Pats were led by John Simon 5/3 (8) and Jonathan Jones 7/0 (7). Calhoun had a sack. Winovich and Rivers (who may have gotten hurt) split the other sack. The team had 8 QB hits, but time and again Wilson either ran or passed his team to a 1st down. There was a strange play where Cam Newton scored on a run and the refs totally missed it. Then Bill Belichick threw a challenge beanbag and the refs missed that too! So Newton calmly ran the ball in for a TD on the next play. Devin McCourty was miked for the game. When he returned his INT for a TD, he looked at the camera and said “28 We love you.” James White wears #28. Rookie DB Kyle Dugger got into the game and was in the line of vision of Wilson for a throw to the receiver who caught it. Had Dugger raised his arms, he might had deflected or intercepted the ball. BULLETS • R.I.P Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who after a long, courageous fight against cancer succumbed to complications from pancreatic cancer at age 87. Ginsburg is an icon to many for her life’s work and her tenure on the Supreme Court. She was a champion of women’s rights and gender equality. She graduated at the top of her Columbia Law School class but no law firm would hire her. That didn’t stop her. She was a giant at 5’1”. R.I.P. RBG. (Source - Wikipedia) • The Celtics overcame a locker room squabble and Miami’s zone to win Game #3 and now sit at 1-2 with the next game not until Wednesday. The other Final has to catch up. • The Atlanta Falcons need a new coach. Yesterday they blew a big lead to Dallas in the 4th quarter allowing the Cowboys to score two TDs and then a winning FG after the Falcons botched the onside kick. Falcons players failed to jump on the Zuerlein onsider which had not gone 10 yards until it had gone 10 yards and then the Cowboys recovered. • The San Francisco 49ers won a Pyrrhic victory yesterday as they thrashed the Jets 31-13. The 49ers had injuries to QB Jimmy Garoppolo (high ankle sprain), RB Raheem Mostert (knee), DE Nick Bosa (torn ACL?) and DL Solomon Thomas (torn ACL?). The Niners complained about the turf at the Jets Met Life Stadium. (per NY Post). • Tom Brady still doesn’t look comfortable to me in his new setting in Tampa Bay. He was 23 of 35 with an interception (a high throw over Gronk’s head). He also threw some passes into the ground in front of his receivers. SPOTLIGHT ON TALENT – PETER BORTOLOTTI Some of you may know Peter Bortolotti as a Marketing Professor at Johnson & Wales for 19 years (he just retired). Others may know Peter as the lead guitarist and singer in the rock band Tanya McIntyre and The Professors. Here is a different side. Peter went to U. Conn on a track scholarship. After graduation, he headed to Penn State to train with two former PSU grads including high school teammate Charlie Maguire and Greg Fredericks. Peter ran the 3000m Steeplechase. He was good enough to go to the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon in 1976. Fredericks made the 1980 Olympics team but that team never went to Moscow. Peter also got his Teaching Certificate (English) at PSU and did some MBA work there. Last Friday at the Hot Club, I mentioned to Peter that I was reading Terry Nau’s book Reluctant Soldier...Proud Veteran about his experiences serving in Vietnam with the US Army. Peter immediately recognized Terry’s name and knew that he had written sports for a Pennsylvania newspaper. He asked me to contact Terry. Terry Nau is the esteemed ex-sports editor of the Pawtucket Times. When I contacted him, he indeed remembered Peter. Terry said he was the sports editor for the Pennsylvania Mirror at the time that Peter was at Penn State. Every year a fraternity would hold a charity fundraiser called the Phi Psi 500. According to Terry, the race was run through the streets and back alleys of State College’s bar district. Calder Alley, Beaver Avenue. Bars included the Rathskeller and Phyrst. It was a mile race and the runners had to stop along the route at 6 bars, chug one beer in each bar and then continue running. Peter said he ran the ‘mile’ in 5:13, with beers included. Pete said the Phi Psi 500 race motto was ‘Chugging for Charity’. In an email, Terry had this to say: “The Phi Psi was a fun race that began in the mid-1970s. People who could run and drink beer were good at it and Peter was the best. He beat a few serious runners along the way and set a course record, too. You should ask him what it was like to chug six beers and run a mile at the same time. Some of the smarter runners learned to just run into the bar, throw the beer into their face, and take off...Glad you are honoring Pete in the Zine. He is still a legend back in State College.” EMAIL Hey Jim…..it’s great to see football back, but it is weird to be rooting for a team led by Cam Newton. Who’d have predicted that? For this week’s quiz I’m going with Toots Hibbert of the Maytals. I’m not sure if he’s credited with naming the genre of Reggae but he certainly fits the time frame. I was at the Providence Civic Center in 75 or 76 when Toots and the Maytals were the opening act for The Who. They opened up with Country Roads by John Denver and were promptly booed off the stage. I guess RI wasn’t ready for a Reggae pioneer that night! Keep up the great work! Tom Robinson Yes Tom, the answer is Toots Hibbert of the Maytals. You are not only the first to get the answer but the first to respond to the trivia question. Your batting average is on the rise. Fortunate to see Toots a few times. He died last week at age 77 and it might have been from COVID-19. Thanks also for the kind words. - Z Frederick Hibbert. According to Meg Griffith (Sirius Radio/ Deep Tracks) Toots died of complications from Covid 19. Ken Forestal Right you are Ken. It's Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert. He coined the term reggae in one of his songs. Sad that Toots died of COVID-19. He and another legend, John Prine, were felled by that disease. - Z Trivia: "Toots" Hibbert seems to fit those credentials that you listed. One of the founding fathers of the reggae sounds coming from the sunny confines of Jamaica way. He was loved by Keith Richards and Otis Redding. The cult classic film "The Harder They Come" played at the Orson Welles Theatre in Harvard Square many a Saturday night for years during the early 70s when the air was filled with fun and the unmistakable scent of ganga during the film. "Pass it on, please" was the request of the night. Cough, cough...good shit man, thank you. Only saw it about 7 times with other nefarious hipsters of the night. Pretty rough and primitive cinematography, but it fit the Trenchtown backdrop of Kingston perfectly. Bill LaPlante Bill, yes the trivia answer is Fred 'Toots' Hibbert. Saw The Harder They Come a few times. Toots is in it and they play Sweet and Dandy and Pressure Drop in the movie. Some people think that the Jimmy Cliff character is based on Toots. - Z Jim, good Sportzine. I hope Cam Newton only runs the ball when necessary....we all know what can happen to run happy QBs (You don't have to refuse to go down Cam, unless it's the last yard for a first down!), but that ability of his will keep opposing defenses honest. If the Celtics play their hard-nosed defense against the Heat and contest their three point shooters...they'll advance to the Finals. The Celts have played better 'D' in the playoffs.  And rebounds, rebounds, rebounds. Which reminds me of an article in the Globe (I believe) which pointed to how Pat Riley and Danny Ainge have never liked each other.  Riley once said to his playoff team..."No rebounds, no rings!". My answer to the quiz this week is Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals. The movie, which we saw together (at the Palace in Providence?) and was part of a double feature, was "The Harder They Come" in which 2 of Toots' songs were part of the killer soundtrack. Do I get any bonus points for remembering the first feature film that night....the obscure...."Smile Orange"? We, of course, saw Toots and The Maytals together at the last version of Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel. Slainte, Brad Yes Brad, it’s Toots Hibbert and the movie was The Harder They Come. I did not remember that movie Smile Orange. Toots always put on a great show. - Z  Jim: Back in '85, I worked a gig at Lupo's, with EmmyLou Harris playing. It was her 40th birthday. After the show, I was serving b'day cake & showed her a picture of our then, less than 1 year old son. She liked it and signed a balloon for him : " To Adam - Sweet dreams, EmmyLou Harris." I still have the balloon, which is now the size of my thumb! And may I say, she was as sweet as the icing on her cake! Tom Wallis Great story Tom. I have seen Emmylou a bunch of times including once at Tanglewood. I liked her so much I thought Willie Nelson was opening for her that night until I heard the strains of the first song. - Z What is your guesstemit on how many Pat fans were rooting against Bucs yesterday? Ken Forestal Hi Ken, good question. Cara is rooting for Tom Brady. Monica and Walt are not. I'm not rooting for him, just curious as to how he will do. He did not look good yesterday. Besides the two INTs, he threw 2 balls to the sidelines that were the worst I've ever seen him throw. No one could have caught them, not even Tacko Fall. Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz That Tampa Bay OL seemed to wilt as the game went on. My feeling is that Brady made a serious mistake leaving the Patriots. History will reveal if he was forced out or just stubborn about a 2 year contract. Going to a different team where you don't know the players is a huge disadvantage. He had a comfort factor with the Pats,knowing the offensive players especially the receivers and OL. Doubt that Gronk is going to help him much. I predict Gronk gets hurt early this 'season'. Go Pats! - Z Well, it's down to Dallas vs. Tampa Bay for Lord Stanley's prized silver Cup. I'll be rooting for the Lightning to take it in six games; I'm just not a fan of the Stars. I have always appreciated the play of Radulov for his savvy with the puck up the boards and behind the net. Jamie Benn is also a factor as a leader and just being in the right position on both ends of the ice. Pavelski? Have never liked him as he is a sneaky little shit who throws a slash here and there that doesn't get called enough. He reminds me of Chris Draper who used to play for Detroit during their many wars with the Avalanche.  I'll give them both their due being good teammates to their club and help in winning games, but there is something about them being a little too cagey for a tip of my cap. Vasilevskiy might just be the difference in the series over Bishop between the pipes. Will just see where it all leads in the next ten days or so; it'll be a good diversion from the rest of the babble surrounding the election. Bill LaPlante Hi Bill, should be a fun Stanley Cup series. Paul and I also like Tampa Bay. Have seen some 3rd periods of the games though not the 2 OT clincher by the Lightning. I saw the Dallas win when Khudobin (ex-Bruins goalie) stopped 38 of 40 shots. Not sure if it's he or Bishop in goal for Dallas. - Z It will be a good series to watch. I’m with you, Bill, on hopes that the Lightning take it. I worry about all the overtime periods they have put in. Dallas will be rested while Tampa has played at least 3 extra GAMES to get to Lord Stanley’s cup. Hope they have the legs. Paul Beaudette Jim, Well, the Celts have dug themselves a hole, I guess. I was hopeful that their defense, which had improved during the 'bubble playoffs', would be stout, but in these first two games vs Miami it has been sporadic. Key shots by Dragic and Butler at the end of the game were killers....and I believe Robinson shot 50% from 3 pt range during the game. The Celtics' 3rd quarter was atrocious. Brad Stevens said the zone D that the Heat has been using has given the Celtics trouble. I would say. Maybe, the Celts can bounce back on Saturday (like the Raptors did in the previous series Game 3) and extend this to a full 7 game series. They better do so or Pat Riley will be wearing a big grin that Danny Ainge would cringe at seeing. Brad Dawson THE HOT CLUB Well, we resumed the Name your 10 Favorite Albums. Originally I said rock albums. However Kristin didn’t like my expansive definition of ‘rock’. Said she was peacefully protesting by not offering any more of her choices. So we’ll change it to favorite albums. I did preface the session by stating that you couldn’t name a Greatest Hits album. Mark Allio’s next 2 picks were Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and The Band’s The Band album. Peter Bortolotti opted for The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and The Beatles’ White Album. My choices were Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run and Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms. Dr. John also liked Springsteen’s Born to Run. His second choice was The Doobie Brothers’ The Captain and Me. Capt. Jack liked Billy Ocean’s Suddenly and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Big John Wayland was absent when we started this, so he was allowed to make 4 picks. He came up with 2: Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II and The Beatles’ White Album. We were talking about the ProJo and local news. Dr. John said that local news is ‘a little blood, a little dirt and a little peak under the skirt.’ Kristin said that the best part of fighting with your companion is ‘make up sex’. ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION Last time I asked you about a pioneer who performed music for 6 decades. He’s credited with giving a music genre it’s name. He was in a groundbreaking movie and two of his band’s songs were on the soundtrack. A couple of you got it: Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert of the Maytals. Tom Robinson, Ken Forestal, Bill LaPlante, my brother Brad and Peter Bortolotti at the Hot Club all had the correct answer. Toots’ 1968 song Do the Reggay is widely credited with giving the genre it’s name. Hibbert was a multi-instrumentalist who could play every instrument in his band. Sadly Toots died of COVID-19 on 9/11/20. R.I.P. Toots. Thanks for the great music. (Source – Wikipedia). THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This bluesman made his debut at the Newport Folk Festival. Many artists have covered his songs. He’s in the Blues and Rock HOFs. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Name?

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BY JIM DAWSON SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 PATRIOTS RUN OVER DOLPHINS 21-11 It was not a surprise that with a so so receiving corps that Josh McDaniels would unleash a running attack against Miami, especially with Cam Newton, a running QB. Well, Cam had 75 yards on 15 carries, and that’s the most yardage by any Patriot QB not named Steve Grogan. Two of those carries, one for 11 yards and one for 4, resulted in touchdowns (Newton’s 59th and 60th rushing TDs , an NFL record). Newton got help as the Pats ran for 217 yards as a team. No other NFL team came close to that Sunday. NE got running contributions from Sony Michel (37 yards and a TD), Burkhead (32 yards), White (22) and undrafted free agent J.J. Taylor (28). Other than Cam Newton’s two TD runs, the other important run came from Julian Edelman. After N’Keal Harry was stripped of the ball and it went through the end zone for a turnover, Miami mustered a 4th quarter drive that resulted in a TD and with a 2-point conversion 8 points that brought them within a field goal of tying. On the Pats next possession, McDaniels called for an Edelman jet sweep (we called it an end around). Edelman went for 23 yards and when he was hit out of bounds by Jerome Baker (who had stripped Harry), 15 more yards were added for a 38 yard gain. The Pats then had runs by White, Burkhead and especially Cam Newton, who made a 1st down on 4th and 1 near the end zone. NE scored an important TD by Sony Michel with FB Jacob Johnson leading the way to make it 21-11. A 10 point lead with 5:23 left. Ryan Fitzpatrick overcame the Pats only sack (Derek Rivers) and led the Dolphins down the field aided by a Stephon Gilmore interference call (his 2nd of the day) as time ran done to under 2 minutes. Then JC Jackson intercepted Fitz (his 3rd of the day) in the end zone to seal the deal. JoJuan Williams got away with interference on the play. Cam Newton was 15 of 19 passing. As Tony Romo observed, Miami finally brought all 11 men up to the line to stop the Pats running attack. When they did, Cam went to a passing attack. If Harry doesn’t fumble through the end zone, this game would have been over earlier as the Pats would have had a 21-3 lead with just the 4th quarter to go. A solid win with good help from the Defense. POINTS AFTER Edelman had the 600th catch of his career. He was targeted 7 times and had 5 catches. Harry had 6 passes come his way and caught 5. A good day except for that fumble. No other Pats WR had a catch. TE Ryan Izzo had 1 catch on 2 targets (for 25 yards). Up only 7-3 at the half, NE ran 20 plays to Miami’s 6 in the 3rd quarter. For the game, the Pats had the ball for 34:49 vs 25:11 for Miami. While the Pats didn’t put enough pressure on Fitzpatrick early, the interceptions by Stephon Gilmore and Adrian Phillips were aided by strong pass rushes. Jarrett Stidham was inactive so the backup QB was Brian Hoyer. On Defense, Adrian Phillips led with 8 tackles and 1 assist (9). Also Winovich 4/2(6), Gilmore 4/1 (5), Bentley 3/2 (5), Devin McCourty 3/2 (5) and Terrence Brooks 3/2 (5). Doug Kyed/NESN.com (9/14) had the snap counts: LT Wynn, LG Thuney, C Andrews and RG Mason played all 64 snaps. RT Eluemunor (48), Onwenu (22) and Herron (2). BULLETS • The Celtics won a grueling Game #7 over the Raptors. They now play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals starting Tuesday. Go Celtics! • Philly blew a 17-0 lead to Washington and never scored in the 2nd half. Losers. • The Panthers had a crucial 4th and 1. New coach Matt Rhule didn’t use his best runner Christian McCaffrey and Carolina didn’t pick up the 1st down. Dumb. They lost. • Dallas had the ball on the Rams 11, down by 3. On 4th down, new coach Mike McCarthy went for it on 4th down instead of kicking the tying FG. Ah Mike, huh? • Arizona’s Kyler Murray ran 13 times (91 yards), was 26 of 40, and led his team to a 4th quarter TD over SF. He hit DeAndre Hopkins a career high 14 times for 151 yards. • Oops: Bengals kicker Randy Bullock missed a 31-yard tying FG as Cincy lost. • Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew went 19 for 20 in an upset win over the Colts. Dolts. • Double oops: rookie WR D’Andre Swift dropped a sure TD in the end zone and the Bears beat Detroit. Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz EMAIL Jim, I rarely if ever take part in your music trivia contests, but I'm going with Emmylou Harris. Bob Kumins Bob, congratulations! Yes, it's Emmylou Harris. Way to go. - Z Hi Jim, thanks for sending the ZINE. I have been enjoying horse racing during this pandemic, it has been going on uninterrupted. My trivia guess is Emmylou Harris. David Annese Great answer David and you're right - it is Emmylou Harris. - Z Hello Jim, the only way to get a hit is to keep swinging….is Linda Ronstadt the answer to this week’s question? Tom Robinson Good guess Tom, but No, not Ronstadt. A buddy of hers though. - Z, I’m coming back to the plate to take another swing at this question……how about Emmylou Harris? Tom Robinson Yes, Tom, Emmylou Harris is the correct answer. Your batting average is on the rise.- Z Great zine, chockablock full of interesting content. But alas, my credit for picking Barbra Streisand at our in-person HC session on Friday was nowhere to be found! Maybe slip me a nod in the next issue.  In the meantime, I’m offering up Emmylou Harris as this week’s music trivia pick (though I have a sneaking suspicion it could be someone else). Fingers crossed! Mark Allio Will give you props next issue for Barbra Streisand. Emmylou Harris is correct. Congratulations, Mark. - Z Jim, great zines. And a really well stated statement on BLM. Keep up the good work amigo. Believe the answer to your quiz is Emmylou Harris. Mike Curtis Right you are, Mike. It’s Emmylou Harris. - Z Jim, a few things! First I’m gonna make a guess at Emmylou Harris because I remember her singing with Neil Young at one time. As far as my 2 albums- I wore out Hot Rocks —I think I bought the vinyl 3 times, at least 2 cassettes of it and right now I have 2 copies of the CD set. But that is a greatest hits so I would think you would rather not do greatest hits. I will refrain because I probably would give you 10 Stones Albums and that would even be difficult so I may limit that too. So I’ll start with Sticky Fingers and Led Zeppelin IV off the top of my head. Good idea in doing two a week—more time to think. As far as baseball injuries, David Cone stated it well. “The month says August but the pitchers arms still are in April.” I assume the same is true for the non pitchers. Over 162, those can be overcome as Yankees showed last year with all the new guys coming up and doing really well. They did well over time —60 games —not enough time. Also so sick of hearing about exit velocity, angle and all that crap. I like old baseball where not so many strikeouts and batters “hit em where they ain’t”. And managers make decisions by what they feel —like Torre and Zim—not what a notebook says to do. Not just home runs or strikeouts! Jim Dwyer Hi Jim, first off, you are correct - Emmylou Harris is the answer to the trivia question.  You know that a Stones album would be in my Top 10. I just looked at their discography and would have a tough time making a pick among 3 albums. The first that came to mind was Sticky Fingers. However Beggars Banquet is a personal favorite and then you have Let It Bleed. How do you pick 1? You are right about eliminating Greatest Hits collections from the picks. That was unsaid last Friday but may have been understood. I will bring this up in the future.  Like you, I'm old school when it comes to baseball. I can see the need for some of the new stats like WAR and some of the defensive metrics. However I have always believed that if you use your eyes, you can get a good assessment of what is going on. The Red Sox, I believe, still lead MLB in walks. However it appears that many teams are struggling with too many walks. At the end of this 'season', let's see how many walks teams have and extrapolate that over a 162 game season. There is too much concentration on hitting homers instead of just getting a hit. There was a great story about Sox prospect Triston Casas. He's 20. 6'5, 250. He said that he patterns himself after Joey Votto and when he gets 2 strikes, he chokes up on the bat. Brilliant!. From a 20 y/o!  - Z Thanks James….hope the Celts win tonight…..temp here was 55 today, down from 85 yesterday (Editor’s Note: Minneapolis)….weird. Just talked to a friend in Sacramento…its double there 110. David Knudson Thanks as always David. The Celtics made mince meat of the Raptors last night. Hopefully they will make them extinct on Wednesday. 55 degrees, eh. It's not even fall. Stay well and stay warm. - Z https://www.nfl.com/news/sidelines/sink-or-swim-bucs-tampa-are-all-in-with-tom-brady Jack Wallace The keys for Tampa Bay: their offensive line protecting Brady and their defense. THE HOT CLUB I brought up the Celtics vs Raptors Game #6 which Toronto won in double OT. I pointed out that when Jayson Tatum threw a pass out of bounds, it may have been caused by the Raptors’ coach Nick Nurse. Nurse was standing in the corner of the left three point line on the black out of bounds lines. That is not where a coach is supposed to stand. A check shows the game was tied with 48 seconds left in regulation. Nurse should be fined. Bob had to leave early last Wednesday. I said ‘Stay out of trouble” and Bob responded “I’ll try to.” Dr. John said “At your age, you’d be lucky to find some.” Capt. Jack confirmed that he passed last week on a second album in our Name your Top 10 albums (thanks Mark). Jack did say he chose Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours as his 2nd album. We didn’t do another round as Peter was absent since he was playing a benefit. Dr. John was talking about attending an event at Meehan Auditorium. I mentioned that I had seen Bob Marley there with his wife as a back up singer. I added that I had also seen Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh and Toots and the Maytals. Today I saw that Toots died. Jack uses Dark Sky as his weather app. He refers to it before he goes out on his boat, and has always spoken highly of it. However I sent him an email about Apple buying the app but discontinuing it for android phones. Apple will continue with it on I Phones until the end of 2021. Jack was in disbelief that Apple would do this. I agreed. ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION So who was the singer that started out sitting in with David Bromberg and Jerry Jeff Walker before moving into country and who won 14 Grammys? A passel of people knew it was Emmylou Harris: Bob Kumins, David Annese, Jim Dwyer, Mark Allio, Mike Curtis and Tom Robinson. Emmylou (I have more CDs by her than any other singer or band) is in the Country Hall of Fame, and in 2018 she was presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Harris was the first to have recorded a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s Pancho and Lefty (1976). Source – Wikipedia. THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This pioneer performed for 6 decades. He’s credited with giving a genre it’s name. He was in a groundbreaking film in which two of his band’s songs were played. Name?

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BY JIM DAWSON SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 THE RED SOX As a Red Sox fan, I didn’t expect much from this bunch given the trade of David Price, and letting Porcello leave. They still had Chris Sale, Eduardo, Eovaldi and Martin Perez. Plus the bullpen was pretty good last year. Then Sale had Tommy John surgery. Eduardo got COVID-19, and it resulted in heart damage (myocarditis) which hopefully is not permanent. Eovaldi had a few good starts, but then got injured again. He may or may not come back from that calf strain. While I like Eovaldi’s pitching, his injuries every year are a concern. Perez has been better than I expected, but the loss of all those pitchers meant relievers would have to help out. Not in this poor excuse for a baseball season. On Sunday, one Andrew Triggs started. Per Steve Hewitt of the Herald (9/6), Triggs was the 13th different starter for the BoSox this season. I thought Triggs was a golf course in Providence. Triggs managed to get through 3 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 run. He was followed by Matt Hall who in 1 and 2/3 innings gave up 4 hits, 4 walks and 6 earned runs. Not to be outdone, Robinson Leyer, in 1/3 inning, surrendered 4 hits a walk and 3 earned runs. I had never heard of Triggs, Hall or Leyer before. Some of these pitchers should be on a golf course instead of a pitching mound. No lead is safe with these flame throwers. Instead of wiping out their opponents, however, they torch their own team. Recently I predicted that pundits like Michael Felger and John Tomase would call out the Red Sox for tanking. Unlike those two, a writer I respect, Peter Abraham of the Globe (9/6), captioned one column ‘Red Sox clearly in tank mode’ and stated “The Sox have embraced tanking for a better draft pick.” Abraham then reminds the faithful that Rob Manfred can determine how the draft picks are apportioned, and it doesn’t have to be based on records. Rob Manfred and the grand poobahs of baseball have shoved this disgrace of a season down the throats of fans starving for some semblance of a season. That’s not what we have. Look at all the injuries. The Yankees have been decimated by injuries to positional players. Just ask Yankee fans Jim Dwyer and Eben Bates. Pitchers have come and gone at a rapid pace. It is clear that players did not have enough time to ramp up activities and get in ‘baseball shape’ even in a sport not known for physicality. Can’t wait to see what happens when football starts up. Injuries? CELTICS Tonight the Celts play the Toronto Raptors in Game #5 with the series tied 2-2. It is a must win situation. The Celtics should have won Game #3 up 2 with .5 seconds left. However a great pass by Kyle Lowry over 7’5” Tacko Fall to OG Anunoby who hit a winning 3 pulled out a stunning win for Toronto. Then, the Green fell again in Game #4 as the Raptors shot well from 3 point land, Lowry got to the basket too often and the Green couldn’t hit an outside shot, especially from 3-point range. Toronto also was the aggressor and played better defense than our lads from Boston. Go Celtics! THE PATRIOTS Our Patriots open their ‘season’ this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. They have gotten down to their 53 person roster and expanded 16 player practice squad. Cam Newton won the starting QB job and the Pats kept 3 QBs (Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer). Hoyer is described as a mentor to Stidham. Bill Belichick pulled his usual ‘huh?’ moment by cutting both his kickers, Nick Folk and rookie Justin Rohrwasser. They are on the practice squad but expect one of them, probably Folk, to be added to the regular roster soon. The Pats have at least one player, DL Beau Allen, who will likely be put on IR. NE had to wait until today to make that move so that Allen can come back after 3 games. No one could possibly predict how this Cam Newton-led team will play, even if COVID-19 wasn’t around. The receiving corps is thin and has only the dependable but 34 y/o Julian Edelman. That means that NE will need to throw to RBs James White and Rex Burkhart, and hope that their rookie TEs Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene can catch as well as block. The Pats will have to count on their Defense in however many games are played. We’ll see how long this travesty of a football season lasts. Injuries? + cases? EMAIL Hi Jim, don’t know why but thinkin’ Dolly Parton! Garry Gillett Good guess Garry but no not Dolly Parton. - Z Hello Jim, My average can use a little boost so I’m going to take a shot at this week’s question….is it Whitney Houston? Tom Robinson  Sorry Tom. The answer is not Whitney Houston. - Z Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz Jim - bit of a guess at the trivia Q. I believe Madonna was the best selling female artist at one point if I recall correctly. Either best selling or most popular - not sure if there is a difference. Don’t know if anyone has surpassed her recently. Peter B. Good try Peter, but no, it's not Madonna. - Z Just getting around to last week’s Zine. I’ll take a trivia guess at Whitney Houston. Second guess would be Diana Ross. Sorry to see the Celts wasting opportunities after the first two games. Roger Boudreau Hi Rog. No, not Whitney Houston nor Diana Ross. I hope the Celtics failure to win Game #3 (and now #4) doesn't come back to bite them. They face a must win today. - Z Your first few paragraphs absolutely nailed it! I couldn't agree with you more, and if you don't mind, I'll quote you on some, most, or all of it, my friend! Singer / actress puts me in mind of either Barbra Streisand or Dolly Parton. Tom Wallis Tom, thanks for the kind words. The answer is Barbra Streisand. - Z Hi Jim - GREAT 'zine, once again! Thanks for all the ink - WOW! Now I'll take my usual wrong stab at the quiz answer: Streisand? Buffalo Steve Lenz Yes Steve, it's Barbra Streisand. You got game! Only one other person so far got her and he had two choices. Thanks for the kind words. Always glad to give you ink. - Z Hi Jim - OMG, I actually got one right? YES! Do I win a new car? 😂 Now I'm going to play my fave Streisand song - "Stoney End" written by the late, great Laura Nyro. Buffalo Steve Steve, yes you got the trivia, but no car, sorry. I also liked Laura Nyro who died way too early. - Z It's a guess but I'll say Barbara Streisand. Just because you said "actress/singer." Matt Dawson Right you are Matt. - Z 34 top 10 albums is shocking. I can only remember the one with Barry Gibb.  Matt Dawson Hey, Jim! Nice piece on John Thompson. I remember listening to him play for PC on my transistor radio laying in bed in Greenville.  In the early 1980's I was stationed at the Pentagon and attended grad school at Georgetown. I used to go to a few games a year and watched every other one on TV. Big John was a force of nature on the floor. He always had a towel hanging off his shoulder, yelling and barking at the refs. Great times, especially vs Syracuse. . I enjoy telling people Patrick Ewing and I graduated the same year! HAHAHA!  And then one of my girls had to go to Villanova!  Dave Burlingame Thanks Dave, only thing I forgot was that John Thompson won 2 NBA championships with the Celtics as the backup center to Bill Russell. Loved your Georgetown story. Who could forget John Thompson with that towel over his shoulder. When my daughter Cara was choosing a college, I took her to visit Georgetown. She ended up going to Loyola Marymount in LA. - Z Sox musings: Sox move Pillar-outfield now Verdugo/Bradley/Martinez?-Thought Vasquez gone-Mets big "wanters" GM says price too high (did Sox want pitching?)---good prospects gained with Phillies & Padres trades-Bloom has tipped his hat as to direction-I believe Vasquez gone if Swihart still around. Ken Forestal Ken, didn't know about Pillar trade. They also sent Josh Osich to Cubs. Both involve 'the player to be named or cash'. Just read that the ‘player to be named’ must come from the pool of 60 players of San Diego and Cubs. Martinez was hit on hand. Not in there tonight. Peraza in left. Not sure what they have for OF at Paw't. Doubt that Sox would trade Vazquez, unless blown away. Plawecki has been much better than I thought he'd be. Chaim Bloom's job is to rebuild the minors after Dombrowski emptied it (but did win a World Series). And to get pitching. - Z Jim, Tough loss for the Bruins in OT last night. The Avalanche hung in there for another game with hopes that this third string goalie can pull off another one tomorrow night. Bruins came up just a bit short; I think that Rask would have been a major factor in helping them onward. Halak is a good backup, but I think he's a bit less talented for what they needed to get them to the finish line. Back to Boston and clean out the lockers. I think that they'll stand to lose Chara and maybe Krug. They should keep Krug and let Chara go if it means that money on the table can be used for a younger defenseman.  Frankly, I think Chara is done as a top four defender and that they need some younger legs back there. Bill LaPlante Hi Bill, glad that your Avs are still alive (Editor’s Note: The Avalanche were eliminated by Dallas in Game 7). Agree that Chara is probably done. Not sure what happens with Krug. Guess it wasn't meant to be for the Bruins. They didn't look like the same team on their return. - Z THE HOT CLUB Friday night at the Hot Club got revved up after Mark Allio suggested that we all pick our Top 10 rock albums. There were seven of us. We eventually decided to each pick 2 albums and continue the Top 10 next week with each of us selecting 2 more. Here’s how it went: Kristin chose The Beatle’s White Album and then Aerosmith’s first album Aerosmith (with Dream On). Dr. John went with The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and The Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over. Captain Jack picked Michael Jackson’s Thriller and then passed on his 2nd pick. Peter B went with The Who’s Tommy and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Mark chose The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II. This writer chose Derek & The Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and The Band’s Music From Big Pink. So you readers out there are welcome to submit your first two Top 10 rock albums. We were talking about Love Story. Bob said that the story was about the wife of Erich Segal (who wrote the book and the movie screenplay) except the death part. Everyone knows the sappy line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Dr. John said he was at a wedding when the bride’s father gave the groom some advice: ‘When you’re wrong, say you’re sorry. When you are right, don’t say anything.” ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION Last time I asked you to identify the singer/actress who is the best selling female artist of all time, and who holds the record for the most Top 10 albums (34) of any female. Buffalo Steve Lenz and Matt Dawson knew it was Barbra Streisand. Tom Wallis gets half credit as he submitted Streisand and Dolly Parton. Barbra Streisand (per Wikipedia) has sold 68.5 Million albums in the US and a total of 150 Million worldwide. Streisand is one of only a few performers to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. In a RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) article from 11/2/14, it is noted that Streisand has had 10 #1 albums and has had a #1 album in 6 consecutive decades. Wow! THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This woman started as a folk/rock performer who sat in with David Bromberg and Jerry Jeff Walker, before eventually moving into the country genre. She has sung on records by Neil Young, Little Feat, and Bob Dylan. She has won 14 Grammys. Name?

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BY JIM DAWSON AUGUST 31, 2020 A DIFFERENT DISEASE Back in March, the COVID-19 disease caused MLB, the NBA and the NHL to shut down until precautions could be put in place to protect players and staff from that disease. Last week, the NBA, NHL and MLB shut down because of a different disease – racism. After Jacob Blake, Jr. was shot in the back multiple times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, players raised their voices and called for an end to brutality unleashed by police against Black individuals. They and their teammates joined together in solidarity and games were canceled. I believe in our police forces in the United States. I also believe that there are racist cops on some of those police forces, and they need to be weeded out and fired. Those fired for racist beliefs and actions should not be allowed to go to another city or state and join a different police force. Black Lives Matter protesters have taken to the streets. Most of those protests have been peaceful, but some have turned violent with the burning of buildings, looting and shooting. This cannot be condoned under any circumstances. There are those who would use the protests for their own designs. These are the people who want to stoke the fires of rage. Social media is being used to call for these individuals to show up at the protests and their aim is to foment violence. A 17 year old from Illinois crossed over into Kenosha, Wisconsin with an AR-15 and killed two people and severely wounded a third. He was not arrested by police that were present. This country’s police cannot allow such vigilante behavior. They cannot take sides if there is to be equal justice for all. Those policemen that have killed or maimed Black people should be held accountable for their actions and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. A police person’s oath of office is to protect and serve. They should de-escalate situations that could turn violent, not contribute to them turning deadly. I stand for Black Lives Matter. I stand for those police who do protect and serve. SPORTS IN THE BUBBLE For sports fans, there has been resumption of baseball, basketball and hockey. As sports fans, we enter into the bubble of the sports world which affords us an escape from whatever ails us. What passes for sports now is strange. NBA players have been in the bubble of the Walt Disney Complex in Orlando. According to Doris Burke and NBC, those basketball players will now be able to have their wives and kids join them in that bubble. The NHL is using 2 Canadian cities – Toronto and Edmonton to serve as their bubble with players and staff confined to their hotels when not at the rink practicing or playing. MLB does not have a bubble. There have been multiple cancellations of games as players and/or staff have tested positive for COVID-19. Some teams will play an unequal number of games. Pretty strange, especially when some team doesn’t make the ‘playoffs’ because of that difference. However Rob Manfred and his minions don’t care about that. They still believe that they will have those ‘playoffs’ no matter how strange. What happens to that ‘playoff’ time schedule when participating teams have players test positive? How about if it’s during the ‘World Series’? There’s a better chance of winter setting in before baseball decides to quit this idiocy. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH The Bruins play Tampa Bay tonight down 3-1 in games. The chances of Boston winning 3 games in a row against this Lightning team seem pretty slim. The Bruins back when the season was halted due to the pandemic had the best record in hockey. Doesn’t matter. The Celtics looked good in their first game against the defending NBA champion Raptors. Basketball, so far, has been as close to ‘normal’ with no fans. The less said about the Red Sox the better. Pitching auditions continue. Alex Verdugo seems like the real deal. He leads AL outfielders in assists with 7. He can hit and has some power. Chaim Bloom just traded Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree for two pitchers, one of whom, Nick Pivetta, is in Pawtucket and may be brought up. The other, Connor Seabold, hasn’t played higher than AA. Yesterday Bloom moved Mitch Moreland for two young kids, 21 y/o Hudson Potts a 3B and 20 y/o Jeisson Rosario an OF. Potts was the Padres #16 prospect and Rosario their #19 per one evaluating service. (Source – Ian Browne/MLB.com – 8/30). BULLETS • R.I.P. John Thompson who coached Georgetown for 27 years (596-239), and led them to the NCAA championship in 1984 vs. the University of Houston. He was the 1st Black coach to win an NCAA championship. 97% of his Georgetown players stayed all 4 years and left with a college degree (Tim Darnell/Atlanta Journal-Constitution - 8/31). • The Bruins lost Game #4 when Jaro Halak let in a cheap goal and Nick Ritchie took a horrendous 5 minute boarding penalty. The Bruins almost killed off the penalty only to have Victor Hedman’s shot hit Par Lindholm and the puck deflected over Halak into the goal. Amazingly Coach Bruce Cassidy defended Ritchie and argued the hit wasn’t bad. • The golf tournaments have been great. Yesterday, the BMW Championship went into a playoff between Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm, after Johnson hit a spectacular 45 foot birdie on the last hole to tie. Rahm then sank a 65 foot putt to win on the first playoff hole. I almost rooted against Johnson when I saw NY Jets on his collar. It was Net Jets. EMAIL Hi Jim, something sports to read for my soul! Watching our red sox are like having a toothache  that you keep sticking your tongue in! Could the answer be Berry Gordy? Miss our conversations at the PawSox. If the world listened to us it would be a better place. Garry Gillett Garry, Berry Gordy is a good guess but not correct. I too miss the PawSox at McCoy and our conversations. - Z Trivia - Quincy Jones? Peter Bortolotti Good guess but no, not Quincy Jones, Peter. - Z . Jim, Chuck Connors came up through the Dodger organization. In 1949 he got into 1 game, and had 1 at bat. In AAA that year, he hit .319 with 20 home runs and 108 RBI.  His minor league batting average was .289. Bob Kumins Bob, I did not now that Chuck Connors got into one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. I used Wikipedia and they didn’t mention it. Should have used baseball-reference.com as you did. Then I would have found this: In 1949 Chuck Connors played 1 game for Brooklyn (he was born there). In 1951, he played 66 games for the Cubs. - Z Nice job again on the Zine…..as always…. Reading about the Celtics sweep jarred my memory.  My first NBA game was in the Big Easy…Celtics/Jazz…..Pistol Pete and Havlicek going at it….3 overtimes…..with John hitting a bank shot for the win. Think the Pistol had over 50….what a game!!! Afterwards, we went to Pat O’Riley’s and Dave Cowens was on my right in the bathroom urinal lineup….hahaha. Later, I asked him to say hi to the boys and he politely agreed. Peace bros….stay safe…. Dave ‘Cornbread’ Knudson (always liked the Maxwell dude too) Thanks David, nice story about your first time seeing the Celtics. In New Orleans. Pat O'Riley's where I had to drag out my buddy Jim Findesen so we didn't miss our flight home after the Super Bowl debacle against the Bears. Peace. - Z Subject: Milbury: what took so long? https://www.yahoo.com/sports/mike-milburys-day-of-reckoning-should-have-arrived-a-long-time-ago-175350014.html from Canada. Paul Beaudette Paul, Bill LaPlante was right. Milbury is a putz. Did you see that the Celtics and Raptors are saying they may not play because of Kenosha, Wisconsin and the Jacob Blake shooting? Doc Emrick instead of Milbury. Take that every time. - Z Hi Buffalo Steve, Hope you are well. Also hope that you saw that the Red Sox are playing the Blue Jays in Buffalo as Canada wouldn't let them play in Toronto. They are playing at the Buffalo Bisons' Sahlen Field. That's Toronto's AAA team's field. They had to change all the lights, replace the infield grass and the first 20 feet of the outfield grass. The Red Sox have not played a game in Buffalo since 1917 when they played an exhibition game there. - Z Yes, I've been following the Sox-Jays matchup at Buffalo's Sahlen Field (nee Pilot Field, Dunn Park, and a lot more!) It's a very beautiful park - right in downtown Buffalo, and it's truly major-league. Bob Rich (Bison's owner) had it built many years ago when MLB was expanding, and Buffalo was on the short list, but alas... The name Sahlen is from a Buffalo meat-packing company, famous for their Sahlen's Smokehouse hot dogs. AND, the PREMIER sliced ham at the Stop and Shop deli counter is Sahlen's Smokehouse ham. Buy some next time you go to S&S. I promise it won't taste like Buffalo! Buffalo Steve Lenz Interesting – how The Band got drugs: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cathy-smith-dies-sundown-muse-171452707.html Ken Forestal Hi Ken, ironic that you sent this. There's a lot of info that I did not know about Cathy Smith (including supplying the Band with drugs and being Gordon Lightfoot's girl friend and having inspired his song Sundown. I just saw an AXS program called The Final 24. It's about the last 24 hours of singers, celebs who have died. There's a lot more than just that (much bio). The one I just saw was on John Belushi. She was his drug supplier and a heroin addict. Belushi was in LA. Dan Ackroyd and Belushi's wife were in NY so they couldn't save him. Smith reportedly injected him with speedballs (a mix of cocaine and heroin) 3 or 4 times during the day and then night when he died. An addiction counselor showed a drawing of Belushi's body and noted all the marks where he was injected - arms, legs, multiple sites. So he concluded that it was not a one off when Belushi was injected by Smith with the speedballs. He had been doing them for some time. - Z Jim, The article on Cathy Smith did support 1 theory in film-Robertson & Hudson were not I'd as buyers of her wares-Hoyt Axton-he had his issues-"God Damn the Pusher Man " As to question of week-I can only think of Johnny Otis (DJ/SongWriter/Talent Scout)-he discovered Etta James (Joan’s favorite) & Big Mama Thornton--if I'm correct he wrote or co-wrote "Hound Dog" which Thornton sang first. Ken Forestal Ken, I knew that Hoyt Axton wrote The Pusher (first heard when Steppenwolf did it), but I didn't realize he had a drug problem. He also wrote a song called Snowblind Friend, which Steppenwolf did. I saw him in concert and he was great. Johnny Otis is a good guess but incorrect. I loved Etta James. She did a USO tour and I saw her while stationed in Turkey. Loved Tell Mama. Hound Dog was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.  - Z In 1952, while in Houston, Texas, Otis auditioned the singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. He produced, co-wrote, and played drums on her 1953 recording of "Hound Dog" (the first recording of the song); he and his band also provided the backup "howling" vocals. The song was co-written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Otis had a legal dispute with the songwriting duo over the credits after he learned that Leiber and Stoller had revised the contractual agreement before the singer Elvis Presley recorded a new version of the song, which quickly became a number 1 hit. Claiming Leiber and Stoller illegally had the original contract nullified and rewrote a new one stating that the two boys (who were both 17) were the only composers of the song, Otis sued. The judge decided the case in favor of the defendants, ruling that the first contract with Otis was null and void because they were minors when they signed it. (Source - Wikipedia) I knew from a PBS Doc on Big Mama Thornton-that Otis was involved with Hound Dog Ken Forestal Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz THE HOT CLUB I mentioned that a former co-worker had the infamous Farrah Fawcett swimsuit poster hanging in his cubicle. He was made to take it down. Dr. John said that when he was at Annapolis, they had that same poster in the hospital. Dr. John said that he had to defibrillate all the Admirals. Professor Peter said ‘If pro is the opposite of con, then progress is the opposite of congress.’ Per Peter, that’s one of Murphy’s Laws. So I brought up the famous quote about politics: “Politics is the last refuge for the scoundrel.” That was said by George Bernard Shaw (I looked it up). I added that some pundit changed that quote to: “Politics is the first refuge of the scoundrel.” Dr. John has been going to the Sunday outdoor concerts by Jack Moore and his band Western Stars (which I noted is also the name of a 2019 CD by Bruce Springsteen). Dr. John said one of his favorite songs that Jack’s band has done is “Don’t You Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes at Me”. Cap’t Jack said he had sampled a coffee beer made by Pabst. He said he tried to buy some at two different liquor stores but they were sold out. So I told him to tell Peter who is a Pabst fan. Then Jack mentioned a GIQ. Not everyone knew that was a Giant Imperial Quart (40 oz.) which I’m not sure they still make. We remembered Colt 45 having a GIQ. Peter looked it up and Colt 45 is owned by Pabst now. Dr. John said that there was a drink with Colt 45 and Ripple. Said they called it ‘Cripple’. ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION Who was the singer/songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout considered a seminal artist in soul and R&B, and who is in the Rock Hall and Songwriter’s Hall? No one got it: Otis Redding, the King of Soul. His Respect reached #35 on the US Pop chart (#2 on the R&B chart), but Aretha Franklin’s version reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 (with changes in the music and a few changes in the lyrics). Redding’s first #1 song (on both the Pop and R&B charts) was (Sitting on) The Dock of the Bay, which was released posthumously. Reading was born in Dawson, Georgia but grew up in Macon. His Beechcraft H18 crashed 12/10/67 killing him and all but one of the Bar-Kays. THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This singer/actress is the best-selling female artist of all time. She holds the record for the most Top 10 albums of any female (34). Name?

SZ726

BY JIM DAWSON AUGUST 24, 2020 BRUINS The Bruins eliminated Carolina and now face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a much stronger opponent. Last night, Boston took Game #1 by 3-2 though they nearly blew a 3-0 lead in the 3r d period after Victor Hedman scored twice, the last with 1:14 left after the Lightning pulled their goalie. Both Hedman shots deflected off Charlie McAvoy so goalie Jaroslav Halak had no chance. Halak stopped 35 shots. Ironically, Hedman had gotten a 2nd period penalty which led to a Bruins power play goal by Pastrnak, who was set up by Kreji who found Pasta in the left dot. Charlie Coyle scored the first goal on a redirect of a Carlo shot. The Bruins got their 3rd goal early in the 3rd period as Bergeron stole the puck from Ryan McDonagh, got it to Pasta who then fed Marchand for the goal. So the #1 line of Marchand (goal and an assist), Pastrnak (goal and an assist) and Bergeron (assist) did their usual damage. Halak was excellent. The next two games are back to back – Tuesday and Wednesday. That could be asking a lot of the 35 year old Jaro Halak, but Tim Thomas did it in the 2010-2011 playoffs when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Thomas was 37 at the time. Will Bruce ‘Butch’ Cassidy go to young backup goalie Dan Vladar, who is 23 and never played in the NHL in that Wednesday game? The Bruins also face Game 6 and 7 being back to back. Go Bruins! (Source for the Tim Thomas information – Wikipedia). CELTICS The Boston Celtics did not let up against the 76ers Sunday and beat them 110-106 to sweep the series 4-0. The Boston D was strong once again and got contributions from the usual suspects – Kemba Walker (32), Jayson Tatum (28) and Jaylen Brown (16). They also got 15 points from Daniel Theis who did a good job against the 7’ Joel Embiid though undersized at 6’8”. With time winding down and the Celtics up by about 14 points, they started taking quick shots which allowed Philly to shave the lead to 6. Brad Stevens was clearly not pleased. ABC’s next game was scheduled for 3:30 and it was past that mark when Theis was called for a foul on ex-Celt Al Horford. Stevens challenged the call and won as replay clearly showed Horford hooking Theis’ arm. Then when the 76ers got it to 6 with about 16 seconds left, Stevens called a timeout to remind his team to finish. Around this time ABC analyst Doris Burke said “The end of this game feels like a bad date. It is taking forever.” Doris Burke is a great NBA analyst and you wonder why it’s taken this long to get her on telecasts of the men’s NBA games. She is a true gem. RED SOX Being the eternal optimist, I took heart when the BoSox ended their 9 game losing streak by beating the Phillies and then bested the Orioles in the first two games of a 4 game set. Then they reverted to form, losing Saturday despite a fine 7 inning effort by Martin Pérez who left with a 3-1 lead (Josh Taylor gave up a tying 2 run home in the 8th and yes he walked a man before the HR. Sunday was a bullpen game started by Zack Godley (5 walks) who didn’t get out of the 3rd inning, and was ‘relieved’ by Jeffrey Springs who allowed all 3 inherited runners to score. New guy Robert Stock helped the Sox’s demise by allowing 2 runs in the 7th in a 5-4 loss. So the pitching auditions continue. I’ve seen enough of Springs that he should be sent packing and not back to Pawtucket. Lefty or no lefty. BULLETS • After Mike Milbury criticized Tuukka Rask for leaving the NHL bubble to join his family, it was revealed that a reporter had interviewed Rask before he left and Rask admitted getting a call from his wife about one of his daughters having a medical issue. Milbury was not done putting his feet in his mouth. After co-analyst Brian Boucher commented on the bubble being a great environment for the players, Milbury said: “Not even any women here to disrupt your concentration.” That resulted in NBC suspending but not firing Milbury, who then decided it best to leave the bubble and go home. • Then there’s the case of Thom Brennaman, the play by play man for the Cincinnati Reds and for Fox NFL games. Brennaman was doing a Reds game when a hot mic caught him referring (reportedly) to a city or place as “the fag capitol of the world”. (Source - Karma Allen and Tony Morrison/ABC News). That got him suspended. • Chaim Bloom didn’t wait for the trade deadline as he sent closer Brandon Workman and reliever Heath Hembree to the Phillies for RHPs Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold. The Phils are also owed a player to be named or cash. 27 y/o Pivetta is in Pawtucket and we’ll see him at some point. The smart thing would be to work with Pivetta on his mechanics, pitch selection etc. before rushing him to the parent team. While he is projected as a starter, he may end up in the bullpen. The real key may be the 24 y/o Seabold as he has impressed at the minor league level and Arizona Fall League. Workman is a free agent at the end of the season. Interestingly, the Phillies got Pivetta from the Nationals for Jonathan Papelbon. • Reports are that the Patriots are bringing back K Nick Folk. Rumors are that rookie draft pick Justin Rohrwasser has an injury. EMAIL Hi Jim - According to my Sportzine archives, the last issue WAS labeled as SZ725, so this one should be SZ726. I just renamed this issue SZ725x in case something else changes. 😂 STILL laughing at Robin Williams' Scottish accent, and what a screwed up family Clifford Roberts came from - sounds like in-breeding to me... Could the quiz answer possibly be Kris Kristofferson? Still love the 'Zine - it definitely brightens my Tuesdays! Best, Buff Steve Hi Steve, what happened is that when I returned, I started with SZ716 after ending with SZ714a. I should have checked. So I should have returned with SZ715 and that's why the change in #'s. Glad you liked the Robin Williams Golf bit. Good guess on the quiz but no, it's not Kris Kristofferson. - Z Hey Jim, If you read your paragraph about the numbering of the Zine, I think you compounded your problem. You said it should be SZ715. But then you called it SZ725??  So which are we at??  LOL. Jim Dwyer Jim, the last Zine I did before my sabbatical was SZ714a. When I resumed, I started with SZ716. So it should have been numbered SZ715. I had done Zines from 716 to 725. But they weren't correct because I left out naming one SZ715. So I changed each one from SZ716 to SZ725 to a number one below. 716 became 715, 717 became 716, all the way to the last I had done which was SZ725. - Z I’m enjoying the Zine as always Jim. However, I can’t even watch the Red Sox this year. The level of play is almost below preseason quality. Nice win by the Bruins last night….at least they’re coming alive. Is the answer to this week’s trivia question Kris Kristofferson? If so, you can list helicopter pilot among his many talents. Legend has it that he actually landed one in Johnny Cash’s front yard to hand deliver a song that he had written. Keep up the good work! Tom Robinson  Hi Tom, yeah the Red Sox are difficult to watch given their poor play. I keep waiting and hoping they will bust out. That offense should be much better, but you can see that they all are pressing. Good guess on the quiz but no, it's not Kris Kristofferson. I like the bit about him helicoptering in to give a song to Johnny Cash. - Z. Darn….I could have been a winner! My average is right down there with Andrew Benintendi’s. PS….second stab – Glen Campbell? Tom Robinson Tom, also a good guess, but no, not Glen Campbell. - Z My colleague Jay Turner, who enjoys the FANZINEs I print out for him and another colleague, writes... “I’m wondering if the answer to Jim Dawson’s trivia Question is Phil Collins “Land of Confusion” ...” Richard Flinn Richard, good guess but tell Jay Turner, no, not Phil Collins for the music trivia. - Z Jim: I remember Chuck Connors as a commentator on "Monday Night Baseball." He played in the NYY organization & later starred in a TV series called "Branded", about a Civil War soldier, unjustly accused of treason. The Rifleman's son was Johnny Crawford and I think he had a hit song or 2, in the late 50's, or early 60's.  Can't remember the name(s) of his hit songs.  Tom Wallis Yes Tom, when I was checking on the 6'6" Chuck Connors, who played for the Celtics from 1947-48, I was surprised to see he played for the Cubs in 1951. Kevin Joseph Aloysius 'Chuck' Connors (4/10/21 - 11/10/92) had a 40 year career in film and TV. Don't need no stinkin' baseball and basketball! Johnny Crawford had 4 songs in the Top 30, and I don't recognize any of them. In 1962, he did Cindy's Birthday which reached #8. He then did Your Nose Is Gonna Grow #14, Rumors #12 and in 1963 did Proud #29. He was better as Mark McCain. - Z Crazy Heart has a R.I. connection to RIC professor Thomas Cobb, who wrote the book that the movie was based on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cobb_(author) Terry Nau Thanks, Terry, for that local connection to Crazy Heart. As for A Quiet Place, I did not know that John Krasinski went to Brown. - Z Thanks for the movie tips I am looking for something to watch.  Although, it will be hard to top one of your previous “classic” suggestions – The Hills Have Eyes!!  Lol   Lori Spooner Hi Lori, hope that my suggestion on The Hills Have Eyes was the original and not the remake. And the sequel wasn't very good either. I also liked Crawl which is a fun horror movie with a Florida hurricane and alligators in the basement. Crawl, A Quiet Place and Knives Out are all on Amazon. - Z Hi Jim, I know it’s a bad season for baseball! The players are lethargic at best and totally unable to have interest in the game. I can feel their pain! Sure they should always try to do their best, but in this case dead silence allows the mind to think about many things. Think about it the next time you find yourself in dead silence. Do you concentrate on one thing, probably not. These players are used to noise and I mean lots of noise! Now there is pretty much silence and perhaps a 3rd baseman is suddenly thinking about something else when the ball comes, and that player is charged with an error? Possible? Probable? You tell me. This damn virus has been a thorn in my side since day 1. Oh well, we all know that depending on the outcome of this election, it will all go away the first of November! Ted Bates Ted, last night with Gardner on 1st and no outs, a ground ball was hit to Devers and he didn't go to 2nd to get the lead runner and maybe even a double play. So yes the quiet is getting to Devers who needs to concentrate more. - Z Jim Well, my Canadiens couldn't pull off a second major upset and exited the playoffs against the Flyers.  The effort was there, but this kid Hart played as well as his counterpart and boyhood hero, Carey Price. Price kept Les Habitants in five out of the six games and pushed Philly to the limit. They just couldn't get the equalizers past Hart in three games, the last one being the elimination game last night. Kirk Mueller did a commendable job as interim coach; I believe that Claude Julien should retire and the reins handed to Mueller for next year. Canadiens are a couple of quality players short of a championship team and Price's clock is ticking along Now, I put all my eggs into the Avalanche basket to bring the Cup to Colorado once again. They will have to get by Dallas, which they have beaten several times this year.  If you have the chance to watch tonight's game, you'll see that these guys have bought into Bednar's system; they remind me of the Canadiens of the heyday when they were just flyin' from the first puck drop and never taking their foot off of the accelerator.  Fun to watch, especially MacKinnon. Stay cool, the heat out here is relentless every day.  We shall welcome fall with a Snoopy dance under the falling leaves. Bill LaPlante Sportzine is also available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz THE HOT CLUB Kristin expressed surprise and (mock?) indignation that I hadn’t included her email about the trivia concerning the first video to be shown on MTV (The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star). So here is what she wrote: “I know this one 100% so I will not throw my answer in the game. I worked for Rollins Cablevision and was in NYC for the MTV launch. Prophecy. - K”. There you go Kristin. We were talking about Restaurant Weeks which began August 16 and runs to September 12. The ProJo listed the participating restaurants and among them was one of my favorites: The Heritage Tap and Grille in Pawtucket which has been closed since the pandemic started. That got me excited that this small place with excellent seafood might have reopened. But since it was the unreliable ProJo listing it, I had my doubts. So I went to the Heritage on Grand Ave. in Pawtucket. Alas it has not reopened. On leaving the Hot Club, I ran into old friend Dale Rogers, who used to be a PawSox season ticket holder. Dale used to work for the Post Office. I mentioned to Dale and his 2 buddies that one day the HC personnel told me that I had a package sent to me c/o the Hot Club. A first! In it was a photo that Dale took of my then very young daughter Cara and me at our seats at McCoy Stadium. An act of kindness I never forgot. No one had gotten this week’s trivia by Friday, so I pressed Mark A and Peter B for an answer. When I gave them 2 clues, one got the answer. The singer songwriter is from the Midwest and he was born in Indiana. Peter quickly knew it was John Mellencamp. Dr. Jack has been here and there in his boat this summer. He showed us a sign from Chappaquiddick. It read “Warning: Seals attract sharks. Do not swim near seals.” Dr. John said that when he gets up in the morning, he reads the obits. If he’s not in them, he has his coffee.. ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION That singer/songwriter/guitarist with at least 22 Top 40 hits who is in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame? Only Peter Bortolotti got it (with help) – John Mellencamp. Starting in ’82, he had at least 9 songs in the Top 10 thru 1986. THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUESTION This singer/songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout is considered a seminal artist in soul and R&B. One of his best songs did even better on the charts when covered by a female singer. He’s in the Rock Hall and the Songwriters Hall. Name?