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Let the games begin
Olympics | The summer Olympics, set to open Aug. 8, are filled with inspirational athletes and great stories. But what many hoped would be the best Olympic story of all, the liberalizing of host nation China, hasn't happened yet
Cruel summer
Are the Olympic Games effecting change in China? Ask Federation House Church chairman Bike Zhang and his wife, after Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers forced them from their home July 6 and made them live on the streets, harassing and threatening any hotels or friends willing to offer shelter. According to reports from China Aid, government officials justify their actions as a response to Zhang having "met the Americans and destroyed the harmony of the Beijing Olympic Games."
That kind of totalitarian action hardly squares with the public face China is presenting to the visiting world. The Beijing Olympic organizing committee has opened the door for the free circulation of Bibles in the Olympic village. The British Bible Society in partnership with China-based Amity Printing Company has plans to distribute 50,000 Gospel booklets, 30,000 New Testaments, and 10,000 complete Bibles, an unprecedented allowance from a government that remains hostile to Chinese Christians.
Organizations closely connected to the house-church movement in China call such religious freedom part of a government scheme to curry international favor and hide its repressive practices. The International Olympic Committee hoped to expose and remedy such behavior in awarding the Games to China. IOC president Jacques Rogge proclaimed that the Games will open a fifth of the world's population to the idea of Olympism and provide media pressure for China to clean up its human-rights abuses: "This will have a good effect for the evolution of China. We believe that the Games are a great catalyst for change."
But history may suggest otherwise. In 1936, United States Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage fiercely opposed all calls to boycott the Games in Hitler's Berlin. Two years later, the Avery Brundage Company received a contract to build the German embassy in the United States. That kind of backdoor business dealing has shrouded the Olympic Games ever since, according to IOC critic John Hoberman, who has spent 30 years studying the impact of so-called "Olympism" and emerged a cynic.
Masked in calls for inclusiveness and global unity, the Olympic Games, Hoberman contends, are more about big business than big ideals. The chair of Germanic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin says this year's Olympic Games represent the fifth time the IOC has gone into business with an authoritarian regime, never with the kind of positive results promised: "They flattered themselves that they and their Olympics would change China and now comes the backlash. All of the news coming out of the relationship between the IOC and China shows that the Chinese have been giving nothing and taking everything. They are using the purported terror threat and their -determination to control political life in China as reasons for cracking down rather than easing up."
Indeed, television news companies are concerned over tight restrictions on reporting from Beijing. An unnamed IOC commissioner recently admitted to The New York Times that had "those vested with the decision to award the host city contract known seven years ago that there would be severe restrictions on people being able to enter China simply to watch the Olympics, or that live broadcasting from Tiananmen Square would essentially be banned, or that reporters would be corralled at the whim of local security, then I seriously doubt whether Beijing would have been awarded the Olympics."
Hoberman believes that multi-national corporate pressure contributed to the IOC's decision. NBC, which paid $900 million for the broadcast rights to the Games, stands to ingratiate itself with the Chinese government, potentially leading to greater inroads and profits that would dwarf what it expects to make in Olympic advertising revenue. Companies like Nike and Adidas, the official sportswear providers for the Beijing Games, are using the Olympics to tap a booming market -second only to the United States.
When the two weeks of international competition and talk of global peace have run their course, what benefits of Olympism will remain for the Chinese people and those in Tibet longing for freedom from China's grip? The seeds of democracy? Or shoes?
Defenders of the Games' lofty ideals point to 1988 in Seoul, Korea, where the Olympics coincided with the emergence of a burgeoning democracy. Hoberman calls that turn of history a fortunate coincidence that the IOC could not have predicted when awarding the Games years earlier. He says IOC officials are well-intentioned but misguided about their role in international politics: "These people flatter themselves that they are global diplomats, that they can make history and bring the world together. They believe they have a mandate to be inclusive and universal the way the United Nations does. I think that's a canard."
But for all his criticisms, Hoberman is not unlike most Americans: unable to take his eyes off the competition.
On the run for fun
This year's slate of American runners, leapers, and throwers offers plenty worth watching. From sprinters Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix to decathlete Bryan Clay, the chance for U.S. gold is strong. But at least one American athlete on the track will press viewers to ponder more than elite sport. The final 1,500-meter leg of Lopez Lomong's long journey from Sudan to Olympic glory promises to pack all the emotion and memories of his gut-wrenching story into 3½ minutes.
In 1991, a government-backed militia abducted Lomong and other children in the south Sudanese village of Kimotong. Just 6 years old, he remained in custody for three weeks, watching others dying around him of dehydration and disease. Three teenagers who knew Lomong's family helped him escape to a Kenyan refugee camp, where he spent the next 10 years among the "Lost Boys" of Sudan.
In 2001, Lomong wrote a letter detailing his story and plans should he be among the several thousand selected for a resettlement program in America. The letter landed him in the household of an adopted family in upstate New York. Six years later, this past Christmas, having captured three high-school state running titles and an NCAA crown in the 1500, Lomong received assistance from the HBO program Real Sports to return to Sudan and reunite with his biological family.
On July 6, he raced to third in the 1500 meters at the U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore., qualifying for the Olympic team. "I came a long way, for sure," he said, "from running through the wilderness to save my life, and now I am doing this for fun."
Team effort
American speed skater Joey Cheek is heading to Beijing for the Olympic Games this month. But he isn't confused about the season-nor is he mistaken in donning the colors of Team Darfur. Everything Cheek has done since winning an Olympic gold medal in Turin, Italy, two years ago has smacked of intentionality-the more than $1 million raised from fellow athletes, the creation of a multinational nonprofit, the open letter to the Chinese government, and now the call for an Olympic truce in Darfur.
With almost 400 world-class athletes behind him, 72 of whom are competing in Beijing, Cheek intends to parlay every last bit of international attention surrounding the Olympic Games into greater awareness and action against the genocide in Western Sudan. Many of the athletes connected to his Team Darfur organization plan to speak out in Beijing, calling on China to suspend all weapons trade with Sudan, rescind interest-free loans, suspend debt forgiveness, and use its large oil investments to pressure the government in Khartoum to disarm militias and adhere to ceasefire agreements.
Such demands are unlikely to engender much movement on the part of the Chinese government, but Cheek is optimistic that his efforts will kick-start broader international pressure on China. He's likewise hopeful about his group's proposal that the Sudanese government and rebel groups honor a longstanding tradition of laying down arms during Olympic competition. "Despite the fact that this may be a bit of a long shot, I think there's some chance, and I think it's something worth fighting for," he said. "To me, nothing seems more fitting and more of an ideal way to live up to the potential of the Olympic Games."
Cheek is sensitive to the reality that for many athletes, competing in the Games is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. He does not view Olympic competition as solely political. Nor would he shame any athlete for declining to speak out on political issues. Even some members of Team Darfur, while happy to let the group use their names, have no plans to address Chinese connections with Sudan in interviews or press conferences.
For those athletes who do plan to make political comments, Team Darfur is careful to avoid anything that might violate IOC rules or codes of conduct. "We tell the athletes, 'You've spent your whole career doing this. We are the last people who want you to jeopardize that by breaking a rule or wearing something that you're not allowed to,'" Cheek said. Restrictions on organized dissent could prove prohibitive as the Beijing Olympic organizing committee has recently established protest zones several miles away from any athletic venues.
Still, Tracy Mattes, a former hurdler and modern pentathlete traveling to Beijing with Team Darfur, views the Games in China as an opportunity to effect change, not a misguided gift to a reprehensible government. "All the talk about boycott, that's never the answer," she said. "The whole concept behind the Games is to bring people together. That's the idea behind the Olympic truce, that people would lay down their weapons and battle it out on a playfield."
Trouble is, none of the Sudanese militia men or Chinese government officials are planning to suit up come game day.
Marathon man
Behind some olympic stories of endurance, inspiration, and grit there are stories of strong faith in Christ. Stories like that of Ryan Hall, who at age 25 is already the fastest American-born marathoner ever and the best hope for U.S. gold in the men's race since Frank Shorter won the event in 1972.
Hall's tale begins on the lonely highways of Big Bear Lake, Calif., a mountain town 100 miles east of Los Angeles. It was there at 7,000 feet that the two-time high-school state cross-country champion logged the thousands of miles necessary to become a world-class distance runner.
Connoisseurs of the sport took notice on Oct. 8, 2006, when Hall broke the American 20 kilometer record by 48 seconds. And the racing world double-took three months later when he became the first American ever to crack one hour in a half marathon.
By April 2007, the soft-spoken athlete had generated considerable buzz heading into the prestigious Flora London Marathon, his first try at the 26.2-mile distance. His time of 2:08:24, a mark faster than any Olympic gold medal run in history, launched Hall to stardom and sparked whispers of American resurgence in an event long dominated by Africans and Europeans.
Such success brought more attention and a platform to speak. Hall was ready: "It isn't the records, championships, or medals that make life fulfilling. It's the life of following Christ."
That vision, one birthed from the painful lessons of disappointment at having missed the U.S. Olympic trials due to injury in 2004, pressed Hall to train and compete differently. In the run-up to last November's trials in New York City, the reborn athlete posted a video online of a recent training run with voiceovers of his testimony. He spoke honestly of his struggle to keep running in perspective as a means of worship, not the object of it.
"Now as I prepare for my first Olympic trials, I feel God calling me to run free, to run free from having to make the team, free from the worries of needing to prove myself, free from the riches of this world, free to run with a heart full of passion and praise for God, free to pour myself out for Him, not for me."
That freedom proved evident Nov. 3 over the final miles of the Central Park course as Hall pumped his fists and pointed to the sky en route to a winning time of 2:09:02, a U.S. trials record. Five months later in April of this year, he returned to London and scorched the pavement with a personal best of 2:06:17, less than two minutes off the world record. On Aug. 24, Hall will compete in the final event of the Olympic Games, chasing a gold medal in just the fourth marathon of his young career.
Beijing Games schedule (all times Eastern)
By The Editors
August 8
Worth a look Opening ceremonies: Will any athletes make protest statements, a potentially disqualifying offense? (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC) August 9
Don't miss Swimming: American Michael Phelps begins his quest for a record eight gold medals with the 400 meter IM final. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 10
Don't miss Swimming: The men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay is among the most exciting events at the Games. (7 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 11
Worth a look Equestrian: New Zealander Mark Todd, 52, returns after eight years in retirement to compete in the humidity of Hong Kong. (6-8 p.m., Oxygen)
August 12
Don't miss Gymnastics: The U.S. women's team is a heavy favorite to win gold. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 13
Don't miss Gymnastics: With defending gold medal winner Paul Hamm out due to injury, the U.S. team will have its hands full trying to upset China's Yang Wei. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 14
Don't miss Gymnastics: Shawn Johnson, 16, looks to become the next American darling to grab gold in the women's all-around. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 15
Don't miss Track and Field: American Tyson Gay meets Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell in a 100-meter race for the ages. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 16
Don't miss Swimming: Phelps takes his last shot at gold in the 4x100 m medley relay. (7:30 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
Worth a look Swimming: American Dara Torres, 41, swims for a medal in her fifth Olympic Games. (7:30 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 17
Worth a look Rowing: American Anna Mickelson and company look to improve on their silver medal in Athens. (7 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 18
Worth a look Table Tennis: The Chinese team is out to prove its dominance to the home crowd. (2 a.m.-noon, USA)
August 19
Don't miss Diving: American Troy Dumais goes for gold in his third Olympic Games against a powerful team of Chinese divers. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 20
Don't miss Beach Volleyball: Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh seek to defend their Athens gold and perhaps exit the sport on top. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
Worth a look Track and Field: Gay goes for gold in the 200 meters. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 21
Don't miss Track and Field: American Allyson Felix looks to improve on her silver medal finish in Athens in the 200 meters. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
Worth a look Track and Field: American Jeremy Wariner looks to defend his gold from Athens in the 400 meters. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 22
Worth a look Track and Field: American Brian Clay competes for the title of best athlete on earth in the men's decathlon. (8 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
August 23
Don't miss Marathon: American Ryan Hall chases a medal in just the fourth marathon of his young career. (7:30 p.m.-midnight, NBC)
Worth a look Basketball: Team USA looks to avoid embarrassment and capture gold with a roster of NBA stars, including Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade. (12:30-5 a.m., NBC)
August 24
Worth a look Closing ceremony: One last chance for protest. (7-11 p.m., NBC)


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Steer Income Your Way By Renting Out Driveways, Garages
Americans love their cars. After all, this is the country that gave the world the Model T -- and the Corvette. And thanks to our automotively affectionate culture, some homeowners have the potential to generate income from renting out their garages or driveways.

subset: commoncrawl


text: ATHENS - AUGUST 15: Starting pitcher Lisa Fernandez #16 of the United States throws to first for the final out against Australia in the preliminary softball game on August 15, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Softball Stadium in the Helliniko Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece. The United States defeated Australia 10-0 after five innings. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lisa Fernandez


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Up to [NetBSD Developer Wiki] / wikisrc / ports
Request diff between arbitrary revisions
Keyword substitution: kv
Default branch: MAIN
update for 7.0.1
do the sed dance for a new release (GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR)
english fix
update for 6.1.5
the latest binary release is 6.1.4 for all of these ports. some of these haven't been updated since 6.0 :\
update for 6.1.3 release
* Introduce pkg_rel for pre-build binary package release link etc. * Bump to 6.1.2 release
Note ACA500 support.
Note X-Surf 100 support.
update device list
fix a footer link
add amiga and hp300, hp300faq needs to be ported; amiga news needs a home (like regular news


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There are a large number of log and event management solutions within the market—more than 20—and they by no means all offer comparable capabilities. The sorts of features to look for include: integration, real-time analysis, forensics and compliance monitoring, infrastructure, performance and scalability.
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Well...I picked both games right...as both the Ravens and 49ers covered the spreads in their games. But, that's very small consolation. This was indeed a tough loss to take, especially since it came at the hands of the hated Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore embarrassed the Pats by outscoring them, 21-0, in the second half, en route to a 28-13 win. Congratulations to them. I offer no excuses. The Patriots were out-hit, out-played, and out-coached. Here are my grades:
I. OFFENSE: This unit did a fabulous job of moving the football...between the 25 yard lines. But, once in the vicinity of pay dirt, the wheels came off.
1.) QB: Tom Brady has had better games. But, he wasn't as bad as many here appear to be claiming. As stated above, he moved his team well inside the 25 yard lines. But, some costly drops, poor execution in the redzone, and some poor play calling did him in. Perhaps the turning point in the game came on the Pats initial drive in the second half. Facing a 3rd and 8 at the Baltimore 34, Wes Welker dropped a perfectly thrown Brady ball, that would have continued the drive, giving the Pats a first and 10 at the Baltimore 22. THOUGH Brady will never be confused with Colin Kaepernick, his inability to run proved costly, when those opportunities presented themselves. In the 3rd quarter, a pressured Brady also failed to get the ball to a wide open Wes Welker on the right, on a very well set up flanker screen...that could have produced some big yardage. THEN came the 3rd and 2 blues, as the Pats failed to convert on that down and distance on four occasions...three of them coming in the first quarter. The three first quarter failures prevented the Pats from seizing the momentum, and jumping off to a wide early lead. The third quarter 3rd and two failure killed a badly needed scoring drive, as the Pats trailed at the time, 14-13. Here's a listing of the Pats' terrible third and twos: (1) On a 3rd and two from the NE 42 on the Pats' initial drive of the game, Welker failed to haul in a difficult but catchable ball at the Baltimore 20. It was a play eerily similar to the catch he failed to make in SB 46. (2) There was a failure to convert on a 3rd and two from the Baltimore 12 when, for some reason, the Pats called a dive play up the middle to Ridley. Ravens' CB Corey Graham came off the edge on a run blitz, and stopped the play for no gain...ending the drive, and forcing a FG attempt. (3) Another failure to convert on a 3rd and 2 occurred at the Ravens' 45 when Brady threw an low, short, incomplete pass, to Brandon Lloyd. (4) Finally, midway in the 3rd quarter, the Pats were faced with yet another 3rd and 2 from their own 33. Though they seemingly had converted on a 4 yard completion to Danny Woodhead, the play was nullified due to a Nate Solder holding penalty on the hated Terrell Suggs...leading to a punt. FOR the game, Tom completed just 29 of 54 passes for 320 yards, one TD, and two interceptions. Both of those picks came with the Pats trailing, 28-13, in the 4th quarter. The first came on a tipped pass with about 7 minutes remaining in the game, and the last came in the Baltimore redzone, late. GRADE: C-;
2.) RBs: The RBs ran hard and well, on the rare occasion when they had some daylight. Stevan Ridley finished with 18 carries for 70 yards, and a key fumble in the third quarter. But, in fairness to Ridley, that fumble came about on perhaps the hardest, most vicious hit of the season, by that villain of all villains, Bernard Pollard. Ridley was knocked out on the play, as if he had been hit kicked in the head by a mule. Very disappointed that Shane Vereen didn't get more touches, particularly as a receiver. He finished with just 4 carries for 16 yards, and 2 pass receptions for 22 yards. He also suffered a drop in the left flat, in the second half. Danny Woodhead contributed 3 rushes for 11 yards, including a big conversion on a direct snap, on a 4th and one play. He also had one catch for 12 yards...and another, as discussed above, for four yards, that would have picked up a first down on one of the Pats' terrible third and twos...which was nullified due to a Solder holding penalty. GRADE: C;
3.) OL: The Big Uglies had their moments...but not nearly enough of them. They failed to consistently open holes for their RBs...though, for the most part, they afforded their QB adequate protection. As mentioned twice above, a costly holding penalty by Nate Solder killed a 3rd quarter drive. This group also allowed Raven lineman the space to get their hands up and jump on passing plays. This served to block Tom Brady's vision, and clogged his passing lanes with hands and arms. This in turn resulted in two tipped balls, one of which was intercepted. GRADE: C-;
4.) TEs and WRs: Aaron Hernandez played fairly well overall, finishing with 9 catches for 83 yards. But, he wasn't a factor in the redzone, and, for some reason, failed to run out of bounds in the dying seconds of the second quarter, after making a catch to give the Pats a first and 10, at around the Baltimore 15 yard line. This cost the Pats a shot at a TD, which would have put them up at the half, 17-7. Instead, they ran out of time, and had to settle for a FG. No doubt, in this game, Gronk was sorely missed...particularly when the Pats were in the redzone. IT was an up and down day for Wes Welker. Though Wes finished with 8 catches for 117 yards, including a couple of big plays of over 20 yards, he had three costly drops. The aforementioned one in the 3rd quarter really hurt the cause. Brandon Lloyd played well in a supporting role, finishing with 7 catches for 70 yards. GRADE: C;
II. DEFENSE: For the most part, the "D" could not generate any pressure on Ravens' QB, Joe Flacco. The hamstring injury suffered by Aqib Talib at around the 5 minute mark of the first quarter seemed to cripple the Pats' secondary...as physical Ravens' WR Anquan Boldin had a field day in the second half.
1.) DL: When playing against a good QB, especially one blessed with quality receiving options, it's imperative that the DL mount some sort of pressure against that QB. Unfortunately, save for two Rob Ninkovich sacks, the Pats' front line didn't get a whiff of Joe Flacco...and Flacco made the Patriots pay. This group did a decent job of containing Ray Rice and the Ravens' running game, til later in the game. Credit the Ravens' OL for neutralizing Vince Wilfolk...who destroyed them last year. GRADE: C;
2.) LBs: Had their share of trouble with TE Dennis Pitta, and with Ray Rice, on screen passes. Both Jarod Mayo and Dont'a Hightower missed tackles on Rice on his second quarter, two yard TD run. Pretty good job by Brandon Spikes against the run, as he led the team with 11 tackles (6 solos). Mayo had 8 tackles (5 solos), including a beheading of TE Dennis Pitta, in the 3rd quarter. But, Pitta had the last laugh, with 5 chain moving catches for 55 yards, and a TD. GRADE: C;
3.) SECONDARY: Once Aqib Talib went out, this group seemed at the mercy of Flacco, and his receivers. Anquan Boldin, who had been shut out in the first half, was a terror in the second...finishing with 5 catches for 60 yards, two redzone completion TDs, and a 26 yard pass play. Torrey Smith added 4 catches for 69 yards, including a 25 yard play. It was a tale of two halves...as the great majority of the Flacco damage was done post Talib. A questionable PI call on Alfonzo Dennard didn't help the cause, as it got the Ravens out of poor field position, and kick-started a 3rd quarter TD drive. GRADE: D+;
III. SPECIAL TEAMS: Did a much, much better job of covering kicks...as pro bowl return specialist, Jacoby Jones, was a non-factor. Good job of punt returning by Wes Welker, aided in field position. One costly penalty nullified a decent return, and set the Pats back in poor field position. Good job by "The Ghost", who was 2/2 in FGs. But, frankly, I would have rather seen him disappear today...in a game where TDs, not FGs, are needed. Though Zoltan Mesko's punting average wasn't impressive, he pouch punted several punts, which penned the Buzzards inside their own 15 yard line. GRADE: B+;
IV. COACHING: Not one of BB's finest hours, in more ways than one. Though the offense moved the ball well within the 25 yard lines, they had no answers when they entered the redzone. Too many failures on third and short. A horrible call to run Ridley on a dive play, on a 3rd and two, at the Ravens' 12 yard line, in the first quarter. Where was Shane Vereen? After his great performance last week, I was surprised not to see him lined up more on the outside, as a WR. On defense, the Pats had to revert to that old "bend but don't break" defensive style of play, when they lost Talib. Though the Pats' did succeed in holding down the number of big plays, they weren't able to get any pressure on Joe Flacco...who slowly, methodically, picked their "D" apart. The Talib-less Pats had no answers for Anquan Boldin, in the second half. Disappointing that a team like the Patriots, who pride themselves on practicing "situational football" botched that closing drive in the first half, and had to settle for a FG. It was also disappointing to see so many third and 2 failures. FINALLY, there was boorish Bill's behavior after the game, in failing to appear for the postgame obitiary, always given by the losing coach. No one is, or has been a bigger BB backer than I , over the years. But...really. Childish behavior such as this makes the whole organization look bad: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/bill-belichick-stiffs-cbs-game-shannon-sharpe-rips-034609666--nfl.html. GRADE: C-;
V. PLAYER OF THE GAME: Joe Flacco, for a flawless performance, in which he completed 21 of 36 passes for 240 yards, and three (3) second half TDs.
VI. PLAY OF THE GAME: The Bernard Pollard hit on RB Stevan Ridley, knocking Ridley out, and causing a fumble. Like you, I can't stand Pollard. But, I must give credit where credit is due.
VII. FINAL COMMENTS: I'm a bit surprised and disappointed by many of the very negative comments I'm reading today...specifically about Tom Brady and Wes Welker. Folks, despite the loss today, Brady is still a great QB. But, at age 35, he needs more help, than perhaps he's needed in the past. He can't run...never really could. But, let's face it, Joe Flacco had better weapons to work with, and a better OL in front of him. He also had a better, more physical, and more experienced "D" backing him up. While I make no excuses, TE Rob Gronkowski is, second to Tom, the most important player on offense. He's a force as a run blocker, a deep threat down the middle, and the best redzone target in the game. Gronk commands constant attention, and would have freed up Wes Welker, Hernandez, and Lloyd, had he been able to play. I'm not saying that the Pats' would have won if they had a healthy Gronk. But, it likely would have been a closer game. As for Wes Welker, I doubt that the Patriots would have won 10 games without his significant contributions. KEEP in mind also that the Pats played Sunday without their best pass-rusher, Chandler Jones, and by far their best CB...Aqib Talib. Y'all saw how Anquan Boldin ran wild in the second half, once Talib had departed. Also, don't discount Julian Edelman, who was blossoming into a star as both a WR and punt returner when he went down, late in the season. TO win a championship, a team has to be both good, AND lucky. The 2012 Patriots were good, but they were not lucky...injury-wise. FINALLY, let's give some credit to the opposition, the Ravens. Not every team that the Patriots play are the Washington Generals! Other teams have good players, and good coaches, too. Credit the Ravens for taking advantage of the Pats' loss of Talib, and for shutting the Pats down cold in the redzone. Credit them for playing hard, hitting even harder, and for playing well. The Pats will be back strong next year and, if their best players can stay healthy, they will be capable of beating anyone.
Here are the games stats: http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=330120017.
As always, your comments and opinions are welcome.