Hardball Heaven

This has to be what sports spectating is like up in heaven. At around 8:30 p.m. tonight, I saw Tom Brady hit Ben Watson for a quick-strike touchdown against the hated Chargers in Foxborough, and then I flipped the channel and saw Sox rookie wunderkind Jacoby Ellsbury steaming around third and scoring the Sox' first run against the hated Roger Clemens and the Yankees at Fenway. What a nice moment - and really, we owe it all to Bob Adler and the guy who raised his hand in a meeting and said 'we need a 'last' button on this remote control thingy.'

It's a cool night here in Boston - fall weather has most definitely arrived - and us sporting junkies have a fun double bill going on tonight with the Patriots and Chargers playing on national TV and the Red Sox and Yankees playing at Fenway. The sappy Dan Shaughnessy column tomorrow will be front page, bet your bottom dollar. In addition to good rivalry games, they both have some added drama - with the spying story revolving around BB and the NEP - not to mention the lingering bad blood from last year's playoff win over the Chargers - and Roger Clemens on the mound for the Spanks in what could be his last-ever appearance in Boston.

Right now, the baseball game is a lot closer than the football game. The Patriots have come to play tonight - this is a big-time statement game for them - and they're leading the Chargers 31-7 late in the 3rd. Two more Brady to Moss TD's. A sweet interception and return by freak of nature Adalius Thomas. The Sox game is currently 1-1 in the top of the eighth. Schilling vs. Jeter, second and third, 2 out... Schilling has pitched a great one... Jeter fouls it off for a 2-2 count... this is probably Big Curt's last inning so he could get a nice serenade if he can just get this last out. Obligatory closeup of Joe Torre. The man's nose is supernatural. Big moment right here, right now. And Jeter hits a three-run homer over the Wall. Sheeee-it. Not the way Schilling wanted to end what otherwise was a great outing. 4-1 Yanks, but we've always got the Pats.

It's 31-7 Patriots at the end of three, with the Chargers on the verge of punching another one in. And they just got it - Rivers hits Antonio Gates in the corner and it's 31-14. Need to throw lots of Maroney and Morris at 'em right now, burn some clock, eat up some real estate... and then throw a quick-hit to Randy for another score.