Cassell a Chief

Matt Cassel’s days as a New England Patriot are officially over as The Boston Globe now confirms that there is a trade in place to send the quarterback to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots compensation is not yet known but it is believed that the two team's trade yesterday that included the sending of Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs is also a part of the Cassell trade.

Busy Days for U2

It would be hard to imagine a more busy time in the lives of U2 than the one they are currently facing. Next Tuesday marks the release of their latest effort, No Line on the Horizon, which will be promoted heavily by the band’s week-long turn as house band for David Letterman and followed up by the band’s first ever morning show appearance that Friday (March 6) on Good Morning America. All of this U.S. promotion comes on the heels of a week-long blitz from the band through the United Kingdom where they seemed to be omnipresent on Britain’s BBC.

If all of this excitement was not enough, this week has found the band in a firestorm back in their homeland for the band’s decision to withdraw a portion of their business from Ireland to the Netherlands in order to capitalize on more beneficial tax policies. The controversy stems from the fact that in his work advocating for expanded financial support to African nations from the Irish government, Bono is acting hypocritical by taking business away from Ireland. The dispute has been around for a few years and only time will tell if the band can lay it to rest.

In addition to all this, this week produced confirmation of a start date for the 2010 Broadway production of Spider-Man the musical which Bono and the Edge wrote the music for. No confirmations on the cast of the musical was made at this time.

2009 is off to a fast start for U2 and it seems as though things are just getting started for the Irish rockers.

Busy First Day of Free Agency for Patriots

The Patriots wasted no time during the first day of NFL free agency by signing Fred Taylor to a free agent contract. Terms of the contract weren’t immediately available but The Boston Globe reports in the article that Taylor would be holding a 6:00 PM press conference to discuss the details of the signing. Taylor is the Jaguars all-time leading rusher and was forced out of Jacksonville as a salary cap casualty.

In other Patriots news, veteran linebacker and team leader Mike Vrabel saw his time as a Patriot come to a close when he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick. Vrabel whose presence in the Patriots locker room has been touted by many former and current players will leave Patriots fans with many fond memories probably none more so than his ability to switch from defense to offense and become a dangerous touchdown threat.