The Patriots and Maine Real Estate

    Heresy!  The undefeated New England Patriots are playing the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship game this Sunday. And  America's Mortgage Broker, Brian Brady from San Diego has come up with a novel reason why folks should be rooting for the Patriots to lose. 

   It seems that when an AFC team wins the Super Bowl, the real estate market goes down.  When an NFC team wins, the real estate market goes up. Hence anyone interested in the real estate market should be hoping for an NFC victory in the big game.  Since this Sunday's game is not the Superbowl but the AFC title game, I guess what Brian is saying is that it would be OK for San Diego to win because then they would lose the Super Bowl? Hmm.  If I didn't know how hard Brian works I'd say he was spending a little to much time in the sun.

   It should be a good game though.  The Chargers have some great players on both sides of the ball and feature former UMaine standout Stephen Cooper in the middle of their defense.  But these are the Patriots were talking about, maybe the greatest football team to ever walk the planet.  Some people (me) even refer to them as the Newcastle Square Realty of football. In the end Tom Brady will be too much for the surfer dudes, Patriots 38-35.

Jim Cosgrove

Almost Heaven, Maine Autumn

    Now really, where would you rather be today?  North East Ohio or North East New England? 

   For the sportsman or woman this time of year is just about heaven with cool nights and warm sunny days, the ducks are flying and the deer are moving about in the woods.  The golf courses are open and uncrowded and for those that didn't rush to get their boats out of the water the scenery is just beautiful.

   For the sports fan, New England is the center of the universe with the Red Sox heading to the World Series, the Patriots a perfect 7-0 and Boston College ranked #2 in the nation.

   As if that's not enough reason to live here, prices are as low as we've seen in a long time and there are plenty of great properties to choose from.  Call now, brokers are standing by!

 

Jim Cosgrove

Real Estate Report

    I can't even begin to think about real estate.  We've got more important things to worry about.  The Red Sox lead over The Team Whose Name We Shall Not Write is down to 7. And they no longer have the best record in all of baseball. 

   I know what you're thinking.  "What's his problem?"  "They still lead the A.L. East and they are 7 games ahead not behind."  "It's only mid July."  Clearly you don't understand.

   The warning signs are all there. Over the last 45 games the Red Sox record is something like 21-24. The trouble apparently started when Dan Shaughnessy wrote an article May 30 in the Boston Globe in which he just about crowned the Sox winners of this years World Series.  Faithful fans will recall that Shaughnessy is the kiss of death for any successful Boston team, our own version of the SI cover jinx.

   Now friends from New York who were conspicuously silent when the lead was 14 games, are only too happy to be in touch.  Oh sure, they try to make it sound like it's just old friends getting together but we all know what's going on.  They smell blood in the water and the sharks are beginning to circle.

   I thought when the weather got warmer Big Papi would start to hit but instead we're hearing about "torn meniscus" and "playing in pain".  J.D. Drew was supposed to make us forget about Trot Nixon but he's hurt (big surprise there) and even when he was healthy I didn't see anything that said "I'm worth $70 million" .  Willy Mo can hit a fast ball no doubt about that but the pitchers in the A.L. East have figured that out and he's getting a steady diet of breaking balls and other junk which he can't hit. Julian Tavares was forced into the role of 5th starter when Theo couldn't find a closer and had to move Papellbon back to the job.  Papelbon is doing his job but it's time for Tavares to go back to the pen and bring one of the young arms up from Pawtucket (Jon Lester?).  The little guys (Lugo, Crisp and Pedrioa) at either end of the order are getting on base and playing pretty good defense and Mike Lowell continues to make the Marlins look dumb for saying he was all done but as a team there are way too many runners being stranded on the bases and the starting pitchers are prone to that one bad inning (see:Matsusaka, 6th inning last night) that can kill a comeback.

   So don't tell me that the lead is still 7 games.  Remember  a certain 5 game homestand last August?  Remember a ground ball to first in Game 6?  Remember Bucky F. Dent?  I want to see Manny slowly rounding the bases.  I want to see Papelbon breathing fire and pumping his fist to end games.  I want a huge lead and I don't care if it is July.  Everything changed after 2004.  We can't go back to the way things used to be.

   Honestly, it's enough to drive a man to drink.  And I don't mean Moxie.

Jim Cosgrove