In 1986 the Massachusetts Legislature passed into law Chapter 194. The effect of that law resulted in the cities and towns in the commonwealth gaining authorization to establish a scholarship trust fund. It also allowed those communities to include a voluntary check-off contribution system on each tax bill produced by the communities who adopted the legislation.
That legislation came to the attention of long time school committee member, Joan Miles. She had read an article in one of the Boston newspapers about Arlington’s efforts in adopting the provisions. Joan sprung into action with a call to town treasurer Brian Curtin and between the two of them an article was soon crafted and placed before town meeting.
The town subsequently adopted the legislation by a vote of town meeting in May of 1988. Out of the creation process came the Burlington Community Scholarship Foundation. This was the structure that was created for operation, investment, scholarship selection and distribution criteria. These actions would begin a 16 year labor of love for Mrs. Miles that would see the Foundation endowment as well as scholarship distributions grow dramatically.
With the corporate tax exempt shell in place, the Foundation was up in running and 1989 marked it first full year in operation. The results were modest as the endowment finished the year with a balance of $10,000 and a total of $2,000 in scholarships were awarded. The chief source of income was the tax check-off system which generated a total of $7,000 and other fund raising efforts came in at $5,000 but well short of goals. Now the president of the foundation, Joan made note of the shortfall in fundraising efforts but also threw down the gauntlet in this fashion. Joan said, “If the town of Wakefield can raise $32,000 and Marblehead can raise $62,000 in a single year, then certainly Burlington can do as well them or better.” In the ensuing years Joan and the Foundation board would make that challenge ring true.
By 1993, the Foundation endowment had grown to nearly $60,000 and in this nearly fifth full year, the fledgling organization began to gain traction in the community at large and its search for various sustainable fund raising formulas began to bear fruit.
The annual Phone-a-thon was joined by the Foundation and Business Partnership which soon became known as the Adopt-a-class program. The program encouraged businesses and other groups to develop an ongoing relationship directly with students in the classes that they adopt.
That direct involvement included things beyond just fund raising. Mentoring and shadowing programs and career path exploration and as well as supplying speakers to acquaint students to the real world work requirements and expectations .
Three classes were adopted that year and those ground breaking companies who made the initial steps possible were Lahey Clinic foundation, Continental cablevision and Somerset bank.
1993 was also note worthy as it marked the arrival of Ernie DeMartinis on the scene. As the Director of Media Services at the high school, Ernie was instrumental along with students Susan Dunford and Julie O’Connel in the creation of the Adopt-a-Class media presentation. This was used as a marketing tool when approaching prospective Adopt-a-Class business partners.
1995 Marked a turning point in the fundraising efforts of the foundation. That point came with the retirement of Ernie DeMartinis from the Burlington School system. What was a loss for the school system became a boon to the Foundation. Ernie immediately jumped in and provided a tireless effort in changing the phonathon to a telethon. Ernie’s effort joined the goals of the telethon with the emerging power of local access television. The first telethon proved that point by becoming the largest single source of contribution up to that point in the Foundations history. The total raised was over $18,000.
1996 proved to be another significant milestone as the Adopt-a-class program was completed by having all grades Kindergarten through 12 gaining a partner.
1997 was another first as the endowment rose significantly to $172,000 as a result of a significant bequest. The estate of Ann Mulhearn Ellis donated $72,000 for the establishment of an annual scholarship in lasting memory of Ann’s husband Harold R. Ellis. Harold had been an employee of the Burlington School system during the 1960’s
2000 was significant as it marked the successful joining of the Burlington High School program under the umbrella of the Burlington Community Scholarship Foundation’s Dollars for Scholars program.
The Telethon continued to gain momentum under the leadership of Ernie. The theme of a Rich Past and Bright Future was in concert with the town’s bicentennial. With Jack Ferren and Dan Brothers acting as master’s of ceremony the telethon grossed $34,000 which again set a mark as the most successful effort to that date. The result lifted the endowment to over $282,000.
2001 marked the thirteenth year of the Foundation and was a lucky year indeed for Burlington scholars. The endowment fund took a quantum leap forward as the value rose to over $625,000. This result was largely through the generosity of 1956 Burlington High graduate Jack Blais. Harold Dulong had invited Jack to a scholarship breakfast meeting and after hearing Joan’s presentation regarding the Foundation, Mr. Blais pledged $200,000 on the spot. In addition Mr. Blais promised to match dollar for dollar any proceeds raised in the 2001 telethon. Burlington’s business people and residents enthusiastically responded to Mr. Blais by raising over $58,000 to be matched by Jack.
2002 was a major milestone as the endowment level exceeded one million dollars. The telethon set an all time record of $78,000 which was again matched by Jack and Shelby Blais. The students also responded to Mr. Blais as under the direction of Peter Halvorson the telethon recruited more students for the phone bank than ever before.
2003 marked the continued success of the telethon but was a sad year indeed as it marked the passing of Foundation Board member and Telethon producer Ernie Demartinis.
Ernie was an enthusiastic advocate of children, education, and the entire scholarship concept. President Joan Miles acknowledged Ernie’s contribution by simply stating that “we would not be experiencing the success that we have without Ernie".
2004 and 2005 Marked additional dramatic changes to the Foundation. Long time president and Foundation visionary Joan Miles, after achieving her dream of a million dollar endowment, opted for a well deserved retirement to Florida with her husband Steve. In retrospect, the Scholarship Foundation was just one of the many contributions Joan Miles made over her many years of public service to the Town of Burlington. The torch of leadership of the Foundation passed to new President Steven Preston. Steven has a long history of involvement in education and the town of Burlington during his long tenure as the Principal of the Pine Glen School.
The Foundation suffered another loss of a more tragic nature as long time dedicated supporter Harold Dulong was killed in an accident.
As we complete 2006, the Foundation continues on its mission. Despite losses of key members, other new members as well as the core of long term contributing members have stepped forward to fill new roles. Many of the names have been involved since the inception of the project. Brian Curtin, Jack Ferren, Debbie Keene, Joan Corrao, Janet Modesto Julliette Mott Lucy Damiani, Tom Killilea Rosemarie Tieri, Robyn Miliano, Connie Skourtis and many more form the core of the support and assure this dedication to Burlington students in the future. BCAT has continued to be a strong partner through the efforts of Jen Dodge, Dick Linder and Trisha Hicks.
The endowment has grown to 1.3 million dollars but more importantly to date has contributed $427,000 to 295 high school and 40 adult residents.
Please help the Burlington Community Scholarship Foundation continue this work.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Boycott Citgo
What happens when a salesman tells his best customer that he is a jerk and a danger to mankind? First, he should have his head examined but after that he should have his business negatively affected as a punishment for his stupidity.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made just such a faux pas at his recent appearance before the U.N. His speech can be read here. '>http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10315.htm">
Apparently it it did not matter to Mr. Chavez what affect his comments might have on Citgo, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.(PDVSA) which is a world energy corporation, owned by the Venezuelan State.
A visit to the Citgo site has this interesting bit of information. " Citgo exports 54% of its production to the U.S. and Canada". The fall out from the rather bizarre actions by Chavez are just beginning to be felt.
This week a publicity seeking Boston politician suggested that the Kenmore Square Citgo sign should be covered in the American flag. More importantly than foolish symbolism however is Boston businessman and independent candidate for governor Christy Mihos' comments. http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=158894
Mihos ownes a chain of convenience stores that use Citgo as the primary provider of his gasoline. It has been suggested that Mihos position is simply pandering for votes however what it really indicates is that Mihos has got a better head for business than Chavez does. He knows that there now is a group of people just like me out in consumer land who would now rather walk than buy Citgo gas.
The price of oil closed Friday down another dollar to $60.50. Judging from inventory levels as well as declining economic activity expected in the United States we can be pretty sure that the slide in oil will continue. Falling prices and anti Citgo feelings are bound to take a toll.
Mr. Chavez may have rocketed Noam Chomsky to the top of the best seller list at Amazon but he may have dropped Citgo to the bottom of the best seller of gasoline list. We may not see Mr. Chavez on the world scene much longer if he continues his current ways.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made just such a faux pas at his recent appearance before the U.N. His speech can be read here. '>http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10315.htm">
Apparently it it did not matter to Mr. Chavez what affect his comments might have on Citgo, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.(PDVSA) which is a world energy corporation, owned by the Venezuelan State.
A visit to the Citgo site has this interesting bit of information. " Citgo exports 54% of its production to the U.S. and Canada". The fall out from the rather bizarre actions by Chavez are just beginning to be felt.
This week a publicity seeking Boston politician suggested that the Kenmore Square Citgo sign should be covered in the American flag. More importantly than foolish symbolism however is Boston businessman and independent candidate for governor Christy Mihos' comments. http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=158894
Mihos ownes a chain of convenience stores that use Citgo as the primary provider of his gasoline. It has been suggested that Mihos position is simply pandering for votes however what it really indicates is that Mihos has got a better head for business than Chavez does. He knows that there now is a group of people just like me out in consumer land who would now rather walk than buy Citgo gas.
The price of oil closed Friday down another dollar to $60.50. Judging from inventory levels as well as declining economic activity expected in the United States we can be pretty sure that the slide in oil will continue. Falling prices and anti Citgo feelings are bound to take a toll.
Mr. Chavez may have rocketed Noam Chomsky to the top of the best seller list at Amazon but he may have dropped Citgo to the bottom of the best seller of gasoline list. We may not see Mr. Chavez on the world scene much longer if he continues his current ways.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The crutch
One of the more aggravating things about local government is the frequent unwillingness of local officials to make a personnel decision. The most convenient cover that an official can get is the "nationwide search". What usually happens is that a position opens up and rather than look internally for a qualified candidate who knows the operation and has earned a shot a the top job, the board or committee will look to form "an inclusive" array of self interested people who have some vested interest in an outcome. If a committee was needed for decision making what the Hell did we elect the official for?
In the end what happens is that after a lot of power exchanges and cries of influence the board or committee will opt for somebodies favorite or worse they will appoint the person who should have gotten the job in the first place had the board had any intestinal fortitude. This is a no win situation because the cry will then be what a "bag job" it was and why was all the money spent in the sham search?
Just such a situation is developing in the quest to replace Burlington's out going superintendent Dr. James Picone. Picone has been a breath of fresh air in the job and he will be sorely missed. In addition to losing him it is anticipated that the high school principal, Linda Hayes will also be opting for retirement.
Waiting in the wings are qualified replacements who have earned a shot at the top spots through performance and loyalty. Just such a person is Katie Spinos. It is rumored that the school committee would like to name Ms. Spinos as the acting superintendent while a "search" is conducted for a new one.
I am no personnel consultant but if I am Ms. Spinos there is no way in the world I would take the responsibility of running the system while the powers that be search for some one to replace me. What is to be gained if I take the temp job and apply for the job and then don't get it? What do I say in my next interview for a top job someplace else. "Yeah I was the temp in the place I did my best work but they didn't choose me for the top job".
In answer to the question of why am I so sure about the results of the search my reply is that I am not sure that we couldn't find somebody "super". However I do know that there is a very dramatic shortage of superintendents in the commonwealth and people we have passed over previously as being unacceptable have landed jobs in our neighboring communities.
There is no doubt that if Spinos is passed over she will likely be a candidate somewhere else and will leave our systems. That will make vacancies in the three most important jobs in the system.
So the end result of a search may be that we waste time and money, hire an unknown and then lose additional talent of our own. Not to mention what message we send to the rest of our home grown talent.
We elect people to lead. We don't elect them to be led around by fringe players who think they know best.
In the end what happens is that after a lot of power exchanges and cries of influence the board or committee will opt for somebodies favorite or worse they will appoint the person who should have gotten the job in the first place had the board had any intestinal fortitude. This is a no win situation because the cry will then be what a "bag job" it was and why was all the money spent in the sham search?
Just such a situation is developing in the quest to replace Burlington's out going superintendent Dr. James Picone. Picone has been a breath of fresh air in the job and he will be sorely missed. In addition to losing him it is anticipated that the high school principal, Linda Hayes will also be opting for retirement.
Waiting in the wings are qualified replacements who have earned a shot at the top spots through performance and loyalty. Just such a person is Katie Spinos. It is rumored that the school committee would like to name Ms. Spinos as the acting superintendent while a "search" is conducted for a new one.
I am no personnel consultant but if I am Ms. Spinos there is no way in the world I would take the responsibility of running the system while the powers that be search for some one to replace me. What is to be gained if I take the temp job and apply for the job and then don't get it? What do I say in my next interview for a top job someplace else. "Yeah I was the temp in the place I did my best work but they didn't choose me for the top job".
In answer to the question of why am I so sure about the results of the search my reply is that I am not sure that we couldn't find somebody "super". However I do know that there is a very dramatic shortage of superintendents in the commonwealth and people we have passed over previously as being unacceptable have landed jobs in our neighboring communities.
There is no doubt that if Spinos is passed over she will likely be a candidate somewhere else and will leave our systems. That will make vacancies in the three most important jobs in the system.
So the end result of a search may be that we waste time and money, hire an unknown and then lose additional talent of our own. Not to mention what message we send to the rest of our home grown talent.
We elect people to lead. We don't elect them to be led around by fringe players who think they know best.
Painful medicine
Oil is more than a source of energy around the world. It is also one of the more potent forces on the global political scene as well as directly into every home in the world on the local scene.
Light crude oil prices hit a low of $62.50 a barrel this week before closing at $63.33. These numbers are down from the recent high of $78. There has been no formal reaction by OPEC in terms of cutting production as of yet but that is sure to be on the table over the next several months as oil prices will inevitably continue to crash. OPEC may find they are the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike.
The geo political and domestic economic benefits of such an event are most welcome however the high of $78 dollars per barrel and gasoline and home heating prices in excess of $3.00 per gallon may well be looked back upon as watershed events for the U.S. consumer. That price will perhaps be viewed as the straw that broke the camels back in the over all importance of oil. Was it enough to jilt the average American out of their drunken oil stupor?
In the near term high energy prices coupled with foolish interest rate policy by the Fed will most certainly result in a U.S recession in 2007. Any U.S. economic slowdown will reverberate through out the rest of the world. With the U.S consumer dedicating more of their disposable income to heating, driving and the higher cost of money, there won't be as much money left to spend on cheap Chinese imports.
Since the industrialization of China is a recent phenomena it will be most interesting to see how that country deals with its first post modernization economic slowdown. If it is severe enough could it result in social unrest?
Iran is also likely to feel the sting of crashing oil prices. The little fanatic, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is likely to feel a good deal of pressure as prices and consumption fall. How will the Iranian population react to a reduction in domestic government programs while their government attempts to support an expensive nuclear program as well as trying to rebuild a smashed Hezbollah in Lebanon?
Venezuela is another example of reduced influence as prices decline. Will Hugo Chavez spend more time at home dealing with domestic unrest or on the global road whipping up anti Americanism?
We are not out of the woods yet because $62.50 is still an aberration and is still filling the coffers of oil companies and oil producing states. The question becomes how low will it go? We can look back just three years ago and see that oil was selling at a post 9/11 recession level of $28 a barrel. Some would argue that it is unlikely to reach those levels again because of the rapid growth of India and China and the strong demand they have placed on global production.
Just as important is this demand on production so to has been developments on the consumption side that may very well off set India and China. None more so than the American consumer and consumers in other Western countries realizing that reliance on foreign oil has an unacceptable impact on a country's foreign policy. As a result of strategic and economic concerns, conservation is now happening in every household throughout those countries.
Other factors have contributed significantly as well. It is no surprise that the oil price tumble coincided with the discovery of a huge new deep water reserve in the Gulf of Mexico that reportedly added over 60% to known U.S. oil reserves. America is not the only country busily exploring for oil. The Russians as well as other former Soviet Union countries have been ramping up exploration as well as production dramatically over the past year.
Old wells have also been brought onto line to add to an increasing glut. Wells that were unprofitable at $28 a barrel have been greedily pumping away every minute that the price exceeded that number.
Alternative fuels impact may lessen over the next year or two as oil prices crash, however the alternative fuel genie is now out of the bottle. The historic rise in oil prices resulted in huge investment into ethanol and bio diesel. We saw this once before and that nascent industry withered a bit on the vine but this time it has gained traction via law. With the mandated adding of ethanol to the gasoline mix it guarantees that ethanol will remain on the scene. In addition the public has started to embrace the idea of hybrid consumption vehicles. Once production lines have been set up for such vehicles it will be difficult for the auto makers to turn back.
All in all it has been a very painful year for us but in the long run it may have turned out to be painful but effective medicine.
Light crude oil prices hit a low of $62.50 a barrel this week before closing at $63.33. These numbers are down from the recent high of $78. There has been no formal reaction by OPEC in terms of cutting production as of yet but that is sure to be on the table over the next several months as oil prices will inevitably continue to crash. OPEC may find they are the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike.
The geo political and domestic economic benefits of such an event are most welcome however the high of $78 dollars per barrel and gasoline and home heating prices in excess of $3.00 per gallon may well be looked back upon as watershed events for the U.S. consumer. That price will perhaps be viewed as the straw that broke the camels back in the over all importance of oil. Was it enough to jilt the average American out of their drunken oil stupor?
In the near term high energy prices coupled with foolish interest rate policy by the Fed will most certainly result in a U.S recession in 2007. Any U.S. economic slowdown will reverberate through out the rest of the world. With the U.S consumer dedicating more of their disposable income to heating, driving and the higher cost of money, there won't be as much money left to spend on cheap Chinese imports.
Since the industrialization of China is a recent phenomena it will be most interesting to see how that country deals with its first post modernization economic slowdown. If it is severe enough could it result in social unrest?
Iran is also likely to feel the sting of crashing oil prices. The little fanatic, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is likely to feel a good deal of pressure as prices and consumption fall. How will the Iranian population react to a reduction in domestic government programs while their government attempts to support an expensive nuclear program as well as trying to rebuild a smashed Hezbollah in Lebanon?
Venezuela is another example of reduced influence as prices decline. Will Hugo Chavez spend more time at home dealing with domestic unrest or on the global road whipping up anti Americanism?
We are not out of the woods yet because $62.50 is still an aberration and is still filling the coffers of oil companies and oil producing states. The question becomes how low will it go? We can look back just three years ago and see that oil was selling at a post 9/11 recession level of $28 a barrel. Some would argue that it is unlikely to reach those levels again because of the rapid growth of India and China and the strong demand they have placed on global production.
Just as important is this demand on production so to has been developments on the consumption side that may very well off set India and China. None more so than the American consumer and consumers in other Western countries realizing that reliance on foreign oil has an unacceptable impact on a country's foreign policy. As a result of strategic and economic concerns, conservation is now happening in every household throughout those countries.
Other factors have contributed significantly as well. It is no surprise that the oil price tumble coincided with the discovery of a huge new deep water reserve in the Gulf of Mexico that reportedly added over 60% to known U.S. oil reserves. America is not the only country busily exploring for oil. The Russians as well as other former Soviet Union countries have been ramping up exploration as well as production dramatically over the past year.
Old wells have also been brought onto line to add to an increasing glut. Wells that were unprofitable at $28 a barrel have been greedily pumping away every minute that the price exceeded that number.
Alternative fuels impact may lessen over the next year or two as oil prices crash, however the alternative fuel genie is now out of the bottle. The historic rise in oil prices resulted in huge investment into ethanol and bio diesel. We saw this once before and that nascent industry withered a bit on the vine but this time it has gained traction via law. With the mandated adding of ethanol to the gasoline mix it guarantees that ethanol will remain on the scene. In addition the public has started to embrace the idea of hybrid consumption vehicles. Once production lines have been set up for such vehicles it will be difficult for the auto makers to turn back.
All in all it has been a very painful year for us but in the long run it may have turned out to be painful but effective medicine.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Patrick for Governor
When discussing Deval Patrick with my friends some reply that he might be to liberal. Having lived in Massachusetts my whole life I can't imagine that being a concern for a politician. Forget labels for a moment and simply focus on the man himself.
I recently was involved in a Patrick event in town and I addressed the gathering with the following line, "he is destined for the burden of leadership". It really is that simple. Take a hard look at his resume and you can see a 50 year old man with a consistent record of achievement at every check point in his life.
He has been a scholar, a humanitarian, a successful businessman and has navigated the halls of power in Washington in the federal bureaucracy. At every level he appears to be a consensus builder who can get things done.
In the political world the most telling point is his campaign itself. To be a relative unknown and be able to put together the most effective grass roots organization that the state has ever seen is a pretty impressive achievement in a state that considers politics to be the national past time.
This is a man that inspires people on a visceral level and for those of us more cynical he bring a ray of hope that government can be energized by a leader with a vision for our future.
Patrick is going to be a leader somewhere doing something. So why not be a leader here? There is an old Boston sports cliche that is appropriate for this race for governor. When a former Red Sox player does something great (Anibal Sanchez no-hitter this week) we frequently say "how come the Sox can't get guys like him"?
Let's not let Deval Patrick get away. Vote Patrick in the democratic primary.
I recently was involved in a Patrick event in town and I addressed the gathering with the following line, "he is destined for the burden of leadership". It really is that simple. Take a hard look at his resume and you can see a 50 year old man with a consistent record of achievement at every check point in his life.
He has been a scholar, a humanitarian, a successful businessman and has navigated the halls of power in Washington in the federal bureaucracy. At every level he appears to be a consensus builder who can get things done.
In the political world the most telling point is his campaign itself. To be a relative unknown and be able to put together the most effective grass roots organization that the state has ever seen is a pretty impressive achievement in a state that considers politics to be the national past time.
This is a man that inspires people on a visceral level and for those of us more cynical he bring a ray of hope that government can be energized by a leader with a vision for our future.
Patrick is going to be a leader somewhere doing something. So why not be a leader here? There is an old Boston sports cliche that is appropriate for this race for governor. When a former Red Sox player does something great (Anibal Sanchez no-hitter this week) we frequently say "how come the Sox can't get guys like him"?
Let's not let Deval Patrick get away. Vote Patrick in the democratic primary.
Friday, September 01, 2006
It's all my fault
Back on July 11 I wrote an entry looking at the Red Sox at the All Star break. It was a piece filled with optimism and even some hubris over the fact that the Sox were in first place leading the evil empire by three games. What the Hell was I thinking? The ink wasn't even dry before Sox players started falling like rain.
It was like game four of the A.L. championship series in 04 might have been when I thought about changing my position on the sofa. I realize now that had I done so it would have resulted in a sweep instead of a world series victory.
I no sooner had written the piece when the wheels fell off the old town team. Wakefield gets a broken rib, Varitek needs knee surgery, then Nixon gets knocked out of the line up. That was followed by a road trip through Tampa and Kansas City in which the Sox lost 5 out of six including a sweep to the worst team in the league.
The hits kept coming. Manny's knee starts to act up, Ortiz is having heart palpitations and Wily Mo Pena's wrist flares up again. At one time this week the club fielded a team that did not have one player starting that had started last year.
The pitching was so bad it brought back memories of my own career as a windmiller. Some of the balls that were hit of me are still travelling.
So we finished August somewhere in the 9 and 20 range with the Yankees so far ahead that even the die hard optimists knew that a trading deadline deal was bound to be done. Last night it came to fruition with old David Wells being shipped out of town for the proverbial "player to be named later". It was a good deal for Boomer since he will be put into a heated National League race. It is rather an ignominious result for us die hards.
Well it has been a good run and it is back to the drawing board. Theo has a bit of a dent in his halo and he is probably a better baseball man as a result. I am no stranger to the following phrase, "wait till next year". I am also familiar with this one, Go Patriots" and I promise not to write anything positive about them.
It was like game four of the A.L. championship series in 04 might have been when I thought about changing my position on the sofa. I realize now that had I done so it would have resulted in a sweep instead of a world series victory.
I no sooner had written the piece when the wheels fell off the old town team. Wakefield gets a broken rib, Varitek needs knee surgery, then Nixon gets knocked out of the line up. That was followed by a road trip through Tampa and Kansas City in which the Sox lost 5 out of six including a sweep to the worst team in the league.
The hits kept coming. Manny's knee starts to act up, Ortiz is having heart palpitations and Wily Mo Pena's wrist flares up again. At one time this week the club fielded a team that did not have one player starting that had started last year.
The pitching was so bad it brought back memories of my own career as a windmiller. Some of the balls that were hit of me are still travelling.
So we finished August somewhere in the 9 and 20 range with the Yankees so far ahead that even the die hard optimists knew that a trading deadline deal was bound to be done. Last night it came to fruition with old David Wells being shipped out of town for the proverbial "player to be named later". It was a good deal for Boomer since he will be put into a heated National League race. It is rather an ignominious result for us die hards.
Well it has been a good run and it is back to the drawing board. Theo has a bit of a dent in his halo and he is probably a better baseball man as a result. I am no stranger to the following phrase, "wait till next year". I am also familiar with this one, Go Patriots" and I promise not to write anything positive about them.
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