A few non-Red Sox related thoughts as we recover from the post-ALCS sleep deprivation:

• What is the deal with the Patriots? They looked really bad against the Chargers out in San Diego last weekend, then were reminiscent of last year's 16-0 regular season team in Monday night's 41-7 beatdown of the Broncos at the Razor. Will the real Patriots please stand up? Are they a Super Bowl contender or one of a number of teams contending for a playoff spot?
• J. wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe for his birthday dinner, so we went Saturday night. It was my first visit to the Boston Hard Rock since it moved from the Back Bay to the Quincy Market area. I have to say, I wasn't impressed. I thought the new location lacked character as compared to the one in the Back Bay. Other than the rock 'n roll memorabilia on the walls and the loud music, I felt like I could have been in any chain restaurant (in fact, this was the site of an Uno's prior to the Hard Rock moving in). The food was fine and they made a big deal out of J.'s birthday, so he was happy, which was kind of the point. I don't think I'd go rushing back there again.
• In fact, I'm pretty sure the last time I went to a Hard Rock was nine years ago, when I visited the Seoul restaurant on my trip to bring R. home.
• One more Hard Rock note. I thought that the Disney pins (which typically go from $6-8) were a bit of a ripoff, but they have nothing on the Hard Rock. We told the kids they could have a souvenir from the gift shop and they each got a pin. Imagine my surprise when the cash register rung up $26 for two pins!
• I just heard that Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden delayed getting surgery to remove a skin cancer growth from mid-June until after the season ended. This was unbelievably stupid, as the cancer spread to a second area on his forehead. Doctors say he is cancer free after the surgery, but I don't understand how he could do this. When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a few years ago, I was on that operating table as soon as they could schedule me. No job, not even an MLB general manager, is worth risking your life for.
• As I mentioned last week, I think a Rays-Phillies World Series is going to be a lot of fun to watch. I won't be staying up until midnight to watch every game, but I'll certainly be tuned in.
• I got an important form via email yesterday that I needed to sign and return overnight. What file format was it in? .pdf? Microsoft Word? No. WordPerfect. Fortunately, Word was able to open it, but I didn't know anyone still used WordPerfect.