Weekend Thoughts

Here are a few thoughts for the weekend:

Governor Deval Patrick tried and tried last night to capture the excitement his 2006 campaign brought to Massachusetts. And while his attempts were not completely wasted, the duty of legislating is never quite as exciting as the art of campaigning is. Patrick’s personal story is a strong one and he is right to use it; however, the next year must bring more legislative accomplishments for him or else we may have to hear it retold in full each January while he remains in office. After struggling to overcome an initial learning curve within Beacon Hill during his first year look for Patrick to have far greater success in 2008 than he did in 2007. Patrick is too charismatic and intelligent to be kept back forever and look for him to form several political partnerships in order to have his agenda met. This may begin with a partnership with Senate President Murray regarding casinos within the commonwealth.

Minnesota Timberwolves games are now becoming a sort of family reunion for Boston sports fans, even more so for those of us with Boston College ties. If you tune in to tonight’s game at 7:30 PM on FSNE you get the multiple pleasures of seeing all those poor ex-celtics who went from the cold of Beantown to the even colder climate of Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett only to see their former team emerge into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. In addition to checking in with old Celtic friends Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomez, Jerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, and Theo Ratliff, fans will be able to witness former fan favorite and oft-traded Antoine Walker return once again in another team’s uniform. The game will finally mark a return visit from former Boston College star Craig Smith who is finding a definite role as a second year forward in Minnesota.

Saturday’s 4:00 PM tip-off between Boston College and Virginia Tech will be a crucial opportunity for the Eagles to put themselves back on the winning track against the Hokies of Virginia Tech. The Hokies who lost 81-62 to Duke Thursday night will have less than 48 hours to prepare for the game while the Eagles have had one full week to focus on Virginia Tech after their embarrassing defeat in Charlottesville last Saturday. Hopefully the young Eagles squad will be able to take the frustrations of last Saturday’s defeat out on the Hokies and improve BC’s ACC record to 4-1.

Saturday’s Democratic Primary in South Carolina still appears to be Barack Obama’s to lose. As the campaign becomes more and more heated, Obama must stay strong and hold on in South Carolina to ensure life moving towards “Super Duper Tuesday” on February 5.

With the Super Bowl off week, I’ll be taking the first football free Sunday I’ve had in a while to go see “Spamalot” at the Boston Opera House this Sunday afternoon. The matinee performance will mark the end of Spamalot’s nearly two week stay in Boston. And while this scribe has a long way to go in his Monty Python education, it is a safe bet that the musical’s comedy will ensure an enjoyable afternoon.