This was a disappointing sports week around these parts. On Monday, the Red Sox were oh so close to forcing a deciding game 5 in the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros, only to have their bullpen implode and blow a late game lead. This, of course, lead to their second straight opening round loss in the playoffs, and the firing of manager John Farrell. Also on Monday, I took my son to […]

This has been a tough week. The senseless shooting in Las Vegas has left me grasping for something to write. But I just don’t even know what to say. However, this is not the appropriate place for me to step up on my soapbox, so I’ll share something my colleague Steve Banker said in his opening keynote at MercuryGate’s user conference in Las Vegas earlier this week. Steve said he was glad that the conference […]

Last night I saw Roger Waters perform at the TD Boston Garden as part of his Us + Them Tour. This was my second time seeing Roger Waters, the first time being on his Wall Tour from a few years ago. The Wall was an amazing show, especially given that it has long been one of my favorite albums. However, the Us + Them Tour is a best of the best kind of show; Waters […]

Monday, September 18, marked the 47th anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix. While his short-lived career lasted only four years, he is universally recognized as the greatest guitarist in rock n’ roll history. He released three studio albums and one live album, but since his death, more than 10 posthumous albums have been released, including a number of live albums. The live event is where Hendrix shined; he wasn’t just a singer/songwriter/guitarist. He was […]

The boys are back and they’re looking for trouble. The 2017-18 NFL season kicked off last night, with my hometown Patriots raising Super Bowl banner number 5. In a move that surprised some fans, Roger Goodell made the trip to Foxboro, much to the delight of the crowd and their clown towels. The night did not go exactly as planned however, with the Chiefs pulling off the upset 42-27. I had the chance to go […]

This weekend is Labor Day weekend in the United States. It represents the creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. Now, the holiday is celebrated annually on the first Monday in September. The Labor Day weekend also represents the […]

This summer in the Boston area has been an interesting one. We have seen temperatures fluctuating in a bizarre pattern that I cannot ever remember, with a few days in August only reaching a high temperature of the upper sixties. So, when the leaves started changing colors in early August and dropping off the trees, I couldn’t help but wonder if the cooler temperatures this summer were bringing an extremely early fall. It turns out […]

Wednesday marked the 22nd anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia’s death. Whether you are a fan of the Grateful Dead, or any of the large number of side projects he worked on, Jerry Garcia is a cultural icon and a very talented guitarist / songwriter. I actually never saw him play, and outside of hearing Touch of Grey hit mainstream radio in the summer of 1987 while on a West Coast road trip with […]

The 2017 Tour de France concluded this past Sunday after 23 days, 21 stages, 2,200 miles, and over 86 hours of riding. To put some perspective on the logistics behind the Tour, the race consisted of 198 riders, 167 of whom would finish the race. There are generally somewhere in the range of 10 to 12 million spectators that will line the roads during the course of the event. There are 40+ team cars, dozens […]