Ski and Party With SnowRiders?

So I got an email from these guys at SnowRiders. They are new UB readers, and they are looking for UB to potentially join them for their Sunday River College Week. I mean, I don't foresee myself organizing any kind of UB group to attend this, but if a lot of people are interested, we might potentially be able to work out further discounts with SnowRiders. Who knows. But either way, you can watch this video of their last event and you can read the details on the website linked above. I'll need some feedback -- how many people would be interested in this?
 

It's Been More Than 5 Hours

If you read DRob's article regarding Crawford, you will note that my pre-teen take on the situation was given at the end. I said that the bullpen can wait for 5 hours. Well, it's been about 5 days, and that is far too long.

The winter meetings are over and the Red Sox are the clear winners this winter. The line-up just got exponentially better and scarier. Theo has worked his magic and brought huge talent to Beantown.

But more work needs to be done. For example (the only example, really): the bullpen.

We don't have one. Well, a full one, anyway.

Papelbon should (I hope...ugh) have a good final season in Boston. But it will be his last. He's going to walk and try to make some money. Bard still remains, so the 8th and 9th innings shouldn't be any problem (the word 'should' is making me cringe).

Phillies Land Lee

After the Red Sox grabbed Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford over the winter meetings, many baseball pundits, and myself, were about 95% sure that the New York Yankees would land ace lefty Cliff Lee.

Well last night, after countless days of experts going between the Yankees and Texas Rangers as the top contenders for Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies nabbed the pitcher who had left the team for Seattle only a year before. Lee's move to the Phillies will be the fourth time he is moving in the past two seasons. Can you say journeyman?

The addition of Lee makes the Phillies rotation un-Godly. Lee will be joining aces Roy Oswalt and Roy Halladay (two Roys, that's funny) and a top level starter in Cole Hamels. I mean, the Phillies rotation looks like one that would be in an MBL 2k game with fair trades off. Can we give the NL to the Phillies now? They have the best rotation in a pitcher-friendly league. They are going to absolutely dominate on defense this season, bank on it.

The best part about this? The Yankees are left without the biggest free agent ont he market this off-season. Their best signing? 36-year-old Derek Jeter, who is past his prime and overpaid. What an awesome off-season for Sox fans; Gonzalez and Crawford come to town, and the Yankees are thwarted in their attempts to grab a top-level free-agent. It seems as though players aren't biting on the Yankees money-flashing ways anymore.

I cannot wait until opening day.
  

Study Break

My goal is to be this kid after Saturday afternoon. However, this kid couldn't simultaneously keep up a Boston sports blog while achieving these high academic marks! Therefore, I am taking my second notable vacation from Ultimate Boston. I mean, it kind of started already in the sense that I haven't been posting as frequently. But from now until Sunday, I wouldn't expect anything from me. My fellow bloggers may have finals, too -- so I can't make guarantees. But just because you aren't reading the blog, that doesn't mean you can't play your part. Don't forget to VOTE for the 2010 ULTY Awards. People, you can vote up to 25 times per valid email address. I know you have several emails for spamming and whatever. Use that to your advantage. Get your votes in now. How can you miss the giant memo at the top of the blog? Beats me. Anyway, get voting and I'll see you Sunday. Go Bruins (vs. Habs Thursday night).
  

Makes Total Sense

Not surprisingly, the big news around the NFL this Monday morning was not about how the Patriots absolutely shellacked the Chicago Bears. It was about Jets strength and conditioning coach tripping Dolphins' corner-back Nolan Carroll during a routine punt-return. Alosi intentionally stuck his knee out to trip Carroll, as the tape and picture (above) show.

ESPN was shocked at the actions of Alosi. Not I, I say. My first reaction was "makes total sense." Because it does. The Jets are a gritty, borderline dirty team, from the players to the coaches. Whether it's Braylon Edwards doing the "dougie" in front of Devin McCourty for a penalty (he's not dancing now, especially after losing to Miami) or Alosi's sophomoric trip, the team really is cheap. Almost like the "Dirty Dozen." And lest we forget the most recent season on "Hard Knocks."

I'm surprised Carroll was only tripped and not hit with a crowbar or something, because the Jets are not only dirty, but they are now a desperate team. They had everybody fooled with there rough-and-tough act, and people were putting them in the Superbowl already. But after an ass-beating by the Pats and a tough defeat by Miami, the team has regressed it seems. I mean, they barely beat the Texans and Browns, but they've still regressed. Though the team will most likely make the playoffs, this tripping incident is another dirty chapter for the NFL's dirty dozen.
 

Streak Over, Yahoo Confused?

297 straight games. That's the number that will officially be etched into the record books with Brett Favre's name next to it. I'm not going to hate on Favre in this post. It will be the only time I honor him. But first, I can't help but wonder -- is Yahoo on foreign drugs?

The above screen shot is from the Yahoo homepage. In the little tab, they have it correct: Brett Favre's streak ends. That would be a suitable name for the article; however, in the enlarged version, the title reads Water main breaks, encases house in ice. I searched for the metaphoric representation in the ensuing description, but it just doesn't make sense. When you click through to the story, it brings to you a regular old article honoring Favre's accomplishment. Weird. Those damned Yahooligans.

Jealous of Snow, Not Football Squad

Sure, I'll admit it -- I'm jealous that Chicago has awesome snow storms right now and New England has warm, gross, December rain. But just to clarify -- Chicago's snow is the only thing I'm jealous about.

One would have suggested I may have been jealous of their football squad after today's game between the Patriots and Bears. After all, in such horrible conditions, the Bears would have the advantage via their ability to pound the rock on the ground and play tough, rugged defense. Once reality transpired, though, fans saw New England convincingly take down a 9-win opponent for the second straight week. And the total score in those two weeks? A mere 81-10 advantage for the hometown heroes.

For anyone who questioned which team was the best in the NFL right now, that question was loudly answered today. In a hostile environment with less than favorable weather conditions, the Patriots put on a massacre of the Bears from the start. After a 33-0 score at the half -- already the most points Chicago had given up all season -- and the rest was history.

How's Your Eye?

After months of trash-talking on TUF 12, claims of greatness, and more trash-talking, Georges St. Pierre finally shut the cocky Josh Koscheck up at UFC 124, in which GSP defeated Koscheck by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45, 50-45), retaining his welterweight championship.

As a huge GSP fan (and an ardent Koscheck hater), this was about as satisfying as a victory goes. Would a knockout have been more satsfying? Well, yes, but look at Koscheck's right eye. That's where GSP mechanically hit him throughout the five -round rout. That image is satisfying enough for me.

And The Winner Is ...

USA Today - Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was the runaway winner of the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. Newton beat out other finalists Andrew Luck of Stanford, LaMichael James of Oregon and Kellen Moore to become the 76th winner of college football's top individual honor.

I must say, I'm pretty excited about this. Not because I got the prediction right (because anyone with two eyes that's ever seen a college football game could have predicted this), but because I love the way that Cam Newton plays and I respect him for pulling through this year when his team needed him the most. Now we just have to wait until January for his (perhaps final) college test.