August 2, 2004

     I didn't get to write after Thursday morning because we broke down the office on Friday, but
Thursday was a fairly interesting day. I was sent back to the Fleet Center in the early afternoon looking
for Michael Moore. Rudy Guiliani had given a press conference in Boston on Thursday morning at which
he said that he "didn't need Michael Moore to tell him about 9/11." I had to get Moore's reaction to all
this.
    Unfortunately Thursday was the one day that he was nowhere to be found. He later turned up on the
Tonight Show, which made me feel at least I hadn't missed him.
     But I did see Peter Jennings, and Dennis Kucinich and Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware). I stopped by
Al Franken to see if Moore was on with him. He had Robert Reich the former Secretary of Labor under
Bill Clinton on. But no Michael Moore.
A few times I was tempted to go up to guys like Jennings and get their autographs, but I was there to
work, not star gaze. Still, I was had to admit it was tough seeing people you watched on TV all your life
right there in front of you.
   I sat down in the seats of the Fleet Center one more time to drink it all in before I left. It's an expirence
I'll never forget.
     My boss up there told me that we would be working all day, so if wanted to take a break to do so in
the afternoon. I went out to get a sandwhich when I heard an explosion. I ran to where I heard the noise
but no one was running for their lives. Ends up there was a suspicious package that was nothing but they
detonated it anyway. Then there was a protest that had resulted in arrests. Of course the arrests were
happening while I was investigatintg the package. Still I followed the protest from the Fleet Center all the
way to Boston Common. It was all uphill too. I was a sweaty mess. And no more arrests. So I returned
with an empty notebook.
    There were a few interesting gossip stories while I was up there. For starters, Ben Affleck was
everywhere. And supposedly John Kerry's daughters were more interested in which one of them he would
nail first than in their dad's campaign. Big Ben had written an article about Alexandra and Venessa Kerry
in the new issue of Harper's Bazaar. He describes the girls as "funny, smart, and  absurdly beautiful.

He describes Alexandra as having ``soft features, brown hair and a gentle, willowy carriage that
complements her demeanor.''
She's pretty, but she wouldn't make me run out to my corner bodega if she posed in Playboy. Same
thing for Vanessa, but Ben saved his best lines for her:
    ``She looks, with her flaxen hair, almost like a Nordic milkman's child.''
    There isn't enough LSD in the world that would have inspired me to come up with lines like that. A
nordic milkman's child? What is he suggesting ?
   Anyway according to the Boston Herald's Inside Track, (their version of Page 6)  the sisters were
practically beating the crap out of each other to get with Affleck. Read the story here:
http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=37686.

     As for Kerry's speech, well I thought he did a good job. He actually showed some fire. And he
suggested that while he'd work to improve our relationship with other countries, he wouldn't let others
dictate our foregin policy. That's what I've been waiting to hear all year.
     He should have saved his breath when he asked Bush to campaign positively. Neither Bush, or
anyone in his administration has ever done that, what makes them think they are going to start now? With
thier backs to the wall.
      Our office was made up of three rooms. There was the front room, with couches and two TV's, the
kitchen, and the main office, where there were TV's and computers and phones. I was watching the
speech on CNN in the front room with Russ the computer tekkie, when we started to hear the floor
manager saying "Get ready with the baloons" I thought mothing of it, till he started yealling I need the
balloons. Russ and I looked at each other and he said "maybe you should let them know" I ran back to
tell them when Russ came running in "Did you hear that? He said What the fuck is going on up there,
where are the balloons?" The reporters had turned the sound down so they could analyze the speech.
CNN was apologizing and Matt Drudge was asking for a tape of the feed. I was hoping since I semi
broke the story that I could write it up, but they let Deb Orin do it. Oh well.
     I figured I take one more swing for the fences at one of Boston's bars. I hit a few places but nothing
looked promising at any of them. I finally found one place that had alot of girls plus a dance floor, but
the magic was gone. I had my one moment in the sun. I'm down to about one good one a year.
      I was up early on friday and I went over to the place and helped pack up the office. Then for good
measure, it took me 45 minutes to get to I-90 so that I could escape from Boston. Once I got on the
Mass Pike, I sailed home in about 4 hours with 2 stops.

BASEBALL AT THE TRADE DEADLINE

    I hated to give up Ty Wigginton, but to get back Kris Benson I figured it was worth it. But they also
gave up tiop pitching prospect Matt Peterson. Then in a move I really don't get, they traded their A
number 1 Prospect Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. That made no sense. The Mets are done. They
can't hit and most of all they can't field. If your team can't throw and catch, it doesn't matter if you have
Randy Johnson or Walter Johnson. You're not going to win.
      While I was up in Boston, I talked to a number of fans who wanted to get rid of Nomar Garciaparra.
My pal Mike from the Clask n' Flagon said "They gotta get ridda Nomah" So they traded him to the Cubs
and ended up with Orlando Cabrera, Doug Mientkiewicz and Dave Roberts. Cabrera has been a bust all
year but a change may do him good. Mientkiewicz is a solid player who will only help. Nomar had
become a distraction, which is a shame because he could have been up there in the annals of Boston
sports lore with Bird, Orr and Williams.

       Even though I was shot after work on Saturday, I still ended up at afterours. Folks I turn 31 years old
on Thursday. If I want to make it to 35, I have to avoid after hours.

It's good to be home, I hope you enjoyed my Boston stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Have a Great Week
Wild B.