10/11/07 FRAMINGHAM: A dismal rain falls today on New England, as expected following the Boston Blitz chess team’s loss to the New York Knights last night. Although the Blitz 1) didn’t field a full-strength team against New York and 2) still leads its division by a full point, the team’s formerly massive fan base was quick to jump off the bandwagon, ranting endlessly on WEEI this morning about the team’s lack of heart, lack of chemistry, weak bench, poor coaching, bad karma, bad luck, and The Curse of Friedel.
Asked for a representative comment, my coworker Scott could only sputter, “Friggin’ Wakefield!”
Reassembler 
The guys gave it %110. We had our chances but we let them slip away. We came up a little short. It just wasn’t meant to be. Turnovers killed us. etc. etc.
See http://www.sportscliche.com/losers.html for more.
Seriously, due to injuries both our GMs were unavailable (not really, they just couldn’t make it). I thought we played a great match, and if Chris won his game, which was certainly a possibility, we would have taken it. Oh well, we’re just thinking about the next game..
(Insert Belichick – Phelps comparison here.)
:)
-Matt
Matt — It is what it is. ;)
Question: Why wasn’t a draw by repetition claimed in the Shmelov-Bonin game? Was Bonin trying to play for a win?
On a new computer today without the defaults set. That last post was me.
At least the Blitz aren’t cheaters, like other Boston sports teams.
Or better phrased: At least the Blitz aren’t cheaters, unlike another Boston sports team.
Oh okay. So that’s how it’s gonna be around here now. [See previous post, Word of the day: Makebate] :)
Greg,
It’s likely that Bonin just missed it. Both players were in time trouble. Maybe he was playing for a win; I forget exactly when the repetition was, but at one point near the end, the cognescenti on ICC thought Bonin did have a win.
-Matt
You’ll see a lot of people “have a win” against Denys without actually winning. He’s an incredibly tough out.
They had to lose so the Red Sox can win tonight. It’s part of my spell.
The Texans are the best team currently playing–in any sport–I’m rooting for right now (well, let’s throw in the Gators). It’s not been a happy football season, so the best I can do is make people feel guilty about feeling good about their team.
@BDK: Good idea, but you should learn the spell that means the Red Sox “must” win, instead of “can” win.
BDK – That’s funny. (It’s supposed to be funny, right?)
Egg – The Texans have to be fun right now – no killer expectations but they’re pretty good and Young is exciting.
Oh, I just had lunch with Mark LaRocca. He said something to the effect that the Blitz players work hard every week to overcome the coaching. Not sure what that meant.
Ohhh…you’re thinking about the Titans. Young’s exciting, but I think he will end up being a decent, not great QB. The Texans have the not-terrible Matt Schaub.
We’d probably understand exactly what LaRocca meant if we were one of the players.
“Oh, I just had lunch with Mark LaRocca. He said something to the effect that the Blitz players work hard every week to overcome the coaching. Not sure what that meant.”
Mark is the Assistant Manager; he must be referring to himself.
:)
Oh duh. Titans, Texans, I actually do know the difference on the rare occasion that I stop and think. Sorry. Texans, no, very boring. :)
I’m just trying to get a rise out of Matt w/ the LaRocca bit.
Oh, it worked. (Kinda.)
Mark didn’t really say that. :)
Oh, I wonder how many consecutive comments we can start with Oh.
Derek — I thought the error was intentional. I know from my friend in Houston that the Texans’ decision to pass over VY in the draft is still very much a sore spot down there. I assumed that that was retaliation for LEP’s anti-Patriots comment. ;)
I’m so much more clever than I meant to be!
Postscript on Saturday morning:
BDK – great spell!