We had a good time at the Red Sox game last night. The kid got a nice foam #1 finger, boyfriend’s mouth narrowly avoided writing a check his butt couldn’t cash (as in he almost got into a fight), and I got an up close and personal view of Papelbon and Varitek joking around in the bullpen. Big Papi’s walk-off home run was just that much sweeter considering I was exhausted and didn’t really want to sit there for extra innings.

Though it was a fun night, one tragic incident occurred… boyfriend, and don’t ask me how he did this, accidentally dropped my cellphone in his cup of beer. Dead. Gone. Crossed over to the big purse in the sky.

My cellphone had been with me since 2006 and I stubbornly refused to upgrade despite looking like Lameo Lamerson with a lame old phone every day. Tear. I’m now forced to upgrade and spend way more money than I have – and than a crappy piece of plastic is worth – to get a new phone.

I guess if one does have to die, at least my lame phone was able to do so in a cup of beer. That’s a pretty badass method of death.

*The photo above is one of the final images captured by my now deceased phone. Sniffle.

When I heard the Montreal Canadiens fans booing the “Star-Spangled Banner” in unison last night, I thought to myself, “C’mon Bruins, give ‘em something to really boo about.” Thanks, Bruins. That was awesome. I haven’t been this excited about hockey since the 1998 USA Women’s Olympic Team (Sandra Whyte is from my hometown).

Best of all, the game ended just in time to catch Ray Allen’s two-seconds-left three-pointer to lift the Celtics over the Bulls in Game Two. All this after I spent my afternoon listening to the Sox score 12 runs over hapless Baltimore.

But it all got me to thinking (I know, ouch, my brain hurts), if the Bruins were able to go on and win the Cup, ending their 35+ year championship drought that would mean the team with the longest period of time since its last championship would be… gasp… the Patriots. Could that even be possible?

Even though we didn’t achieve the desired result last night in Game 7 of the ALCS, this year’s defeat doesn’t sting like it had in years past *cough*2003*cough*. They fought hard with what they had and for that, I’m grateful. I’m not sure what would have put them over the edge but my dad is convinced. I’m not going to say his thoughts for fear of inciting a riot but all I’ll say is it starts with an “M” and rhymes with “Fanny.”

But now that it’s over, with the sound of cowbells still ringing in my ears, in a small way I am almost happy for the youngins in Tampa.

Why it’s OK to root for the Rays:
* It’s not like it’s been 86 years since we last won a championship.
* They are the anti-Yankees.
* It’s their first time.
* You have to admit, they are pretty talented.

That’s all I can think of. Either way… GO PATS!

8 billion years ago I subscribed to Sporting News and for some crazy reason, they keep sending it to me despite not having renewed the subscription for the last 7 billion years. Not that I’m complaining though… I like Sporting News, especially since its recent retooling.I’ve got all my old editions with Tom Brady as the “Sportsman of the Year” and all the years Boston was selected as the “Best Sports City of the Year.” You can imagine how excited I was Friday afternoon when my copy of SN was jammed through my apartment’s mail slot and I saw that Boston had once again received this prestigious honor. It would’ve been nice if Dan Shaughnessy hadn’t written the article but whatever. No complaints.

But then I read through the other 400 cities Sporting News ranked. A random assortment of cities were highlighted with famous figures writing a blurb about why their hometown is #1 and I noticed our old friend, Daniel Graham, former Patriot and current tight end for the Denver Broncos wrote about why Denver is the Best Sports City in America.

“I don’t like Boston,” he writes. “I hate the Celtics, and I hate the Red Sox. I really wasn’t too much into baseball, but they make you choose, you know? Red Sox or Yankees. So I was a Yankees fan.”

OUCH! I guess Vince Wilfork never invited him to a Celtics game.

Daniel Graham adds, “They weren’t selling out anything in the basketball arena, but all of a sudden the Celtics got some good players and they’re all basketball fans again.”

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN! Although, I can’t really argue that one. B.K.G. (Before Kevin Garnett) they really weren’t selling out. But then again, who wants to spend their hard-earned cash on a team with the most losses in the Eastern Conference? It was also depressing given the history of the team.

I just didn’t realize Graham hated us so much. Maybe he’s just bitter about all the times he dropped gimmie passes from Brady in the end zone? Who knows.

Since there was no football on last night, I chose to watch the Red Sox battle the Tampa Bay Rays for American League dominance. I actually watched the whole thing too, except for the few instances I had to switch it because my boyfriend was FREAKING OUT (A Dice-K outing has that effect on him). There were a few things I noticed…

* What the hell is up with Tropicana Field?! For the record, due to my work schedule I have listened to more Red Sox games than I have watched so I couldn’t fully grasp the dumpitude of The Trop.

* Last night was the first time I was ever able to use the words, “Tampa Bay Rays” and “fans” in the same sentence.

* In all the years I have had this website, I have received comments of an unpleasant nature from various professional sports fanbases. Most notably, NY Jets, NY Giants, NY Yankees, and Pittsburgh Steelers. I am proud to announce for the first time in the seven-year history of this here website, I was heckled by a… get this… Tampa Fan!

* The “Ray-Hawk” might just be the dumbest thing I have ever heard of…. OH WAIT… THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE DUMBEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD OF IN THE HISTORY OF ALL DUMB THINGS I HAVE EVER HEARD OF. via universal hub. But now I’m left to wonder, will these fine ladies be showing off their “ray-hawks” during the game?

* OK, someone explain to me the proper strategic use of a cowbell. Do you ring your bell when your pitcher is on the mound, or when your hitters are at-bat? I don’t really get it. I’m used to football homefield advantage… the crowd roars for its defense and silences for its offense. But last night, the cowbells were chiming for everything. I’m confused.