Note: I wrote this yesterday, but didn't get a chance to post it. Unless there's a significant change in the way things are going, it looks like we've got four more years of George Bush.

Election day.

I went to vote this morning and posted my ballot for John Kerry. I've discussed my rationale for voting for Kerry here prevously. It's really much less a vote for Kerry than a vote against Bush. John Kerry simply doesn't impress me. However, George Bush scares me. His inability to admit mistakes, the intelligence screw ups that led us to the war in Iraq and his mishandling of the economy (particularly the giant budget deficit) have proven to me that he is not the man to have the most important job in the world. Maybe John Kerry won't be much better, but I don't think he can be worse.

OK, that's it for politics. Back to the important stuff...

What does it say about the magnitude of the Red Sox win that the issue of Time Magazine appearing on newsstands the day before the election has the Sox on the cover?

I dropped a big wad of cash on Red Sox "stuff" over the weekend. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, the special issue of Sports Illustrated. I'm also looking forward to the books that will be coming out in the next few months, particularly Stephen King's and Dan Shaughnessey's.

The number one question that came out of the Red Sox victory seems to be how Red Sox Nation will handle success. After losing the unique distinction that goes along with the curse, will the Sox become just another franchise?

My opinion is no. I don't see Red Sox fans becoming less rabid now that the team has finally won the World Series. If anything, a taste of victory may bring even higher expectations next season.

Another point: we've heard about the Curse of the Bambino for years, and the Cubs have the Curse of the Billy Goat. How come no one ever talks about the White Sox? The South Siders last won a World Series the year before the Sox, but no one ever chants "1917". The curse there, of course, would be the Black Sox scandal that occurred during the 1919 World Series, but it never seems to get the play the Red Sox and Cubs do. Maybe it's because they haven't lost in the mind bending ways the Red Sox have over the years, nor are they as lovable as the Cubbies. They've just been mediocre for decades. Nothing romantic about that.

The Patriots finally had the spotlight back on them after the Red Sox victory parade and what happens? They lost, breaking the record 21 game winning streak. Actually, they got their butts kicked by the Pittsburgh Steelers and ended up losing 34-20. It was bound to happen eventually. I had been saying before the game that this was a good candidate for them to lose one. The Steelers are a good team, they were playing at home and they were coming off their bye week. So the steak is over, but lets see if the Pats can start another one in St. Louis next week.