I'd just like to take a moment to welcome back an old friend that has been gone for quite some time now. The real Boston Red Sox are finally back. The last time they were seen was in 2003, walking off the field after Aaron "expletive" Boone blasted the game winning shot in game 7 of the ALCS.

For the last 7 years, these Clone Sox have sullied Boston's "good" name. Winning 2 World Series titles in dramatic fashion, first by becoming the only team to ever come back from a 0-3 hole in the playoffs and defeating their arch nemesis and greatest sports team of all time, The New York Yankees. And then again in 2007 when it looked like all hope was lost once again down 1-3 to a Cleveland Indians team with Cy Young winner CC Sabathia, lighting stuck again as the Sox go on to win their 2nd title in 4 years.

But now Bostonians can rejoice. Your long bright days are over. The "Nation" has crumbled, your identity restored. In one short month, God took his very own Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (aren't those things incredible, I mean how the hell to they work anyway, there's no liquid or cleaning solution, just add water, but I digress) and wiped out the last 7 years with one unfathomable, stupendous, monumental, heart wrenchingly painful EPIC COLLAPSE!

I was only 3 months and 2 days old on October 2nd, 1978. And all my life I've heard about that infamous Red Sox team that let the Yankees come back from 6 games down, culminating in the creation of Bucky Dent's colorful middle name. But I could only hear the stories and watch the film. I could only imagine how it felt to actually see a team melt down and create a glorious, colorless rainbow of sadness.

Now I have my own crash and burn story about the Red Sox to tell my children someday. 9 games up in the month of September, 2011.

Welcome back Red Sox, we've missed you.
Peace and Love, Peace and Love.

Larry Officially revives the Curse!

With My Fantasy team back in good hands knowing Knoshon Moreno will return soon, I finally have some free time and thought I would post back on the dojo. First, I want to bring to everyone's attention (Not that it is needed) but the most highly anticipated 30 for 30 airs tonight on ESPN.........."The Cursed" episode featuring Bartman and Buckner. I am hoping we can get a Koko's review on this one as well.

Secondly, Have you seen that RedSox fans are now blaming the Buckner "Curb" Episode as the new curse. As the RedSox have taken a tailspin dive ever since it's airing on Sept. 4th. What a brilliant move by the devious Mr. David.......

Those Yankees have such deep pockets they even paid Larry David to help out the cause......it is simply not a level/fair playing field anymore.

Well, At least the Mighty Brew Crew are back in the Playoffs looking for a showdown in the World Series with the Yanks. The last time the Crew were in the World Series they beat out the Yankees for one of the Crews many AL East titles. Go Brewers!

A new edition of "Reel Reviews with Koko" has been posted for your reading pleasure.

For the second time in 2011, a New York Yankee has made baseball history. Merely a formality, the great Rivera notched his record breaking 602nd save putting him alone at the top of the record book.

Perhaps even more impressive than this seemingly impossible feat is the amount of saves not included in this total. The tally of Rivera's postseason saves can be found simply by looking at the back of his jersey. 42 saves in the playoffs and World Series, another record that will be old and dusty before it's ever approached. That is, IF it's ever approached.

And what may be even more incredible than either Jeter's or Rivera's individual milestones this season is that they are current players playing on the same team who are the greatest to ever play their respective positions. How many teams can ever say they have one, let alone two, players who would fill their slots on a greatest all-time team?

Some of you may remember my friend Ryan from my wedding, he was one of my groomsmen. Really funny guy. He just started doing some stand-up comedy.

In this pic, I'm at the top of the screen to the right of the guy in the blueish (Dolphins?) jersey. Navy shirt w orange Bears logo.

After 3 years of ridiculous rhetoric and campaign lies, I finally have regained my hope for the future. Although there are many things that I don't agree with Governor Perry on, his contention that Social Security is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme is so refreshing. After all, don't we all know that logic tells us that as life expectancy goes up and the retirement age stays the same, there is no way that this system can be sustained.

Can't we also agree that watching Obama speak now most resembles a fish flopping around when we take it out of its bowl and put it on the table! Watching him unveil a (once again) poor attempt to create jobs and run us more in debt resembles an overmatched Chaleston Southern team trying to keep up with UCF team .

I can't wait until 2012 so we can rid ourselves of this overmatched, uniquely unqualified president and move ourselves towards recovery. Let's just hope that Obama can escape the stigma currently reserved for Jimmy (peanuts) Carter as "worst president of all time"

Looks like Nike is set to deliver at least one piece of Marty McFly's 2015 technology on time.

2011 Pre-Season Power Rankings have been calculated. For the 3rd year in a row, it's the Whaling City Clippers with the top spot. Perhaps this is the year it translates into a playoff run for them.

Also, this year I will be calculating weekly power rankings throughout the season. This will be done by recording a cumulating Win/Loss record for how each team would have faired against every other team week by week.

2011 Lombardi's Party Pre-Season Power Rankings
1. Whaling City Clippers
2. 40oz to Freedom
3. Clark Koko
4. Team Snarf
5. Mr. Papageorgio
6. Jack Knows Thai
7. Disco Inverno
8. The Fighting Turtles
9. Johnny Blaze
10. Team Subbert
11. The G.O.A.T.
12. Orlando Drinkers
13. Chedderhead Revival
14. JuanJose's Pendehos


And for last year's reference:


2010 Lombardi's Party Pre-Season Power Rankings
1. Whaling City Clippers
2. Team Snarf
3. 40oz To Freedom
4. Jack Knows Thai
5. The Fighting Turtles
6. Disco Inverno
7. Orlando Drinkers
8. The Chedderhead Revival
9. The G.O.A.T.
10. Mr. Papageorgio
11. Team Stubbert
12. Johnny Blaze
13. Juan Jose's Pendehos
14. Clark Koko


2010 Final Standings
1. Juan Jose's Pendehos
2. Mr. Papageorgio
3. The Fighting Turtles
4. Jack Knows Thai
5. Orlando Drinkers
6. Team Snarf
7. Clark Koko
8. The G.O.A.T.
9. 40oz To Freedom
10. Team Stubbert
11. Johnny Blaze
12. Disco Inverno
13. The Chedderhead Revival
14. Whaling City Clippers

He's at it again, and I have been one to defend Lucas over and over again, declaring that we would not have Star Wars at all if not for Lucas, they are his vision and he has every right to perfect it in any way he sees fit.

I was wrong.

We need to find this man and immediately throw him into a Sarlacc Pit.

The new Star Wars Saga Blu Ray sets are coming out next week and we are just finding out that George has once again been tweaking the films.

Small, insignificant things like these are fine and no one really cares if Ewoks have blinking eyes and replacing that horrible excuse for a Yoda puppet in Episode I to the CGI Yoda from Episoded II and III is actually a welcome upgrade.

I can even deal with this ridiculous new scream Obi-Wan has to scare away the Sandpeople in Episode IV.



But this . . .

This actually makes me want to go on Amazon and cancel the pre order I've had since February.



And I'm not at all alone. There's actually now an entire thread discussion on Amazon of people logging on and cancelling their pre orders all because of that one scene.

Lucas seems to have lost all concept of what good film making is. The silence in that original scene and the audience wondering what Vader is thinking at that very moment is the culmination of the ENTIRE fucking story surrounding Anakin Skywalker's internal conflict. Think of the first time you watched that scene. You had no idea what Vader was going to do. The Vader mask looking at Luke and then looking at the Emporer back and forth and then finally lunging toward and picking him up is the most important moment of all 6 of these films that have taken up way too much of my life.

And now it's been completely marginalized and deflated with "Nnnnoooooooooooooo!" Ironically that's the sound I made when I first saw this. Actually I was more like, "WWWHHHYYYYYYY?!" Is Lucas that bored? Why does he feel the need to take one of the most powerful scenes in the history of sci-fi and dwarf it down to a 3-year-old level? Is there not one person in his life with any balls in their sack at all to tell him he's gone batshit?

I guess I'll need to learn how to edit blu ray video and reburn it back to the disk so I can remove this abomination myself.

A new edition of "Reel Reviews with Koko" has been posted for your reading pleasure.