Blog Archives
Bring On the Rays
Tampa Bay has won three straight games in three different cities to get to Boston for the ALDS. Whoopity do! I understand the Rays have good pitching and defense but just because the Red Sox have had the week off doesn’t mean they’re any less ready to whoop some ass. They won 97 games (most in the AL), the American League East title and secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs if they make it that far. They also went 12-7 against the Rays this year. Bring on Tampa, bring on Oakland, bring on Detriot. The bearded warriors don’t care, so let’s stop all the talk and play some October baseball.
– Ryan
Cheaters, A Rhode Island Institution, Is Closing
(Source) PROVIDENCE — A strip club where a missing Boston 15-year-old girl was found dancing in July is up for sale — along with the adjoining adult bookstore, strip club, gay bathhouse and “personal service club.”
Cheaters Gentlemens Club, at 245 Allens Ave., faces a possible closure by the city license board for hiring an underage girl and for the arrest of a dancer who allegedly solicited an undercover detective.
The big pink strip club is part of the “adult entertainment center” listed on stripclubs4sale.com with an asking price of $8 million. The ad says the business and real estate — strip clubs, bookstore, megaplex club, “personal service club,” and two vacant spaces — are valued at $11.23 million.
“This is an outstanding business opportunity that offers cash flow in excess of $2.5 million!”
The ad doesn’t give the exact location in Providence or reveal the names of the businesses, but the description only fits the Allens Avenue properties owned by H. Charles Tapalian and registered to him and his family: Cheaters, Studio 253, Mega-Plex, Adult Video & News, and The Body Shoppe, all listed at 245, 253, and 257 Allens Ave.
Tapalian refused to speak to a Providence Journal reporter Thursday regarding the sale.
The advertisement went up on July 22, a week before the police found an underage Boston girl dancing at Cheaters. The teen was accompanied by a Massachusetts sex offender, who the police say put her to work in the club and was acting as a pimp for her and another 15-year-old girl.
The Providence police say that the teen solicited an undercover detective — and a week later, on Aug. 8, one of the veteran dancers did the same, saying the fee was payable to her and “the house.”
Tapalain closed Cheaters the next day, and a sign was hung on the door that the club was “closed for renovations.” There are no recent permits for renovations at the property on file at the city Building Department.
The city license board is expected to hold a hearing on Cheaters on Sept. 16. Providence police Capt. Anthony Sauro said the police want the club shut down. He says the club violated state law and city ordinance by hiring an underage girl and violated the city ordinance against chronic nuisance properties.
Cheaters came under investigation in 2009, after a 16-year-old runaway from Boston told Providence police that she’d been working at the strip club. That led to a city ordinance and state law banning anyone under 18 from working in the adult entertainment business. Licensed establishments that violate the ordinance face fines of up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for subsequent offenses.
City Council President Michael A. Solomon, who sponsored that ordinance, plans to introduce legislation next week to require the sex businesses to get criminal-background checks on prospective employees to verify their ages.
Is nothing sacred? Cheaters is where dreams came true. I got my first lap dance there at 16 and I wasn’t even the youngest one there. That’s an important moment in a young mans life, and now you’re my throwing my memories in the trash. I’m legitimately heartbroken. Although I never knew they had a gay bathhouse on site. Turning down an offer from a stripper to head into the bathhouse now ranks pretty high on my list of things I’m glad I refused to do.
– Ryan
P.S. Imagine the surprise of the out of town businessman who reads that ad in the paper and shows up to Cheaters. I’ve heard you get syphillis just by looking at the stage.
Have No Fear Celtics Fans: Walter McCarty Is Your New Assistant Coach
“Walter McCarty, who spent nearly eight seasons with the Boston Celtics during a 10-year playing career, confirmed to ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman on Tuesday that he will be an assistant coach on Brad Stevens’ staff. The 39-year-old McCarty landed in Boston in October 1997 after being traded by the Knicks before his sophomore season. He emerged a fan favorite here and “I love Walter!” became a familiar catchphrase for television broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn. McCarty helped Boston to three playoff appearances from 2002-04 before being traded to Phoenix for a second-round pick midway through the 2004-05 season. James Posey, another beloved former Celtic, and McCarty were believed to be the two top candidates to round out Stevens’ staff as it appeared he was seeking a former player. Comcast SportsNet first reported McCarty’s hiring. McCarty joins the staff of the 36-year-old Stevens, who had previously brought on Ron Adams, a longtime NBA assistant, and Micah Shrewsberry, one of Stevens’ former assistants at Butler. Assistants Jay Larranaga and Jamie Young were carried over from Doc Rivers’ staff. Boston ties have served McCarty well as he immersed himself in coaching. He served as an assistant under former Celtics coach Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville in 2007. McCarty moved on to be an NBA assistant under former Celtics coach Jim O’Brien in Indiana during the 2010-11 season, but was let go a season later when the Pacers hired Frank Vogel. McCarty has been a familiar presence in Boston, often sitting courtside during games the past two seasons.” – ESPN
Perfect. Rebuilding a historic franchise? Bring in mediocre fan favorite players from the past to get the fans behind you again. I’m completely judging a book by it’s cover here, but McCarty doesn’t look like he’d be a good coach. He seems like the kind of guy who would goof around at practice then try and out drink the whole team at bars on the weekends. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe McCarty is the next John Wooden. All I know is the Celtics better have an oxygen tank at the announcers table for every home game because Tommy Heinsohn is going to lose his shit with Walter now on the coaching staff.
– Ryan
Is Ben Affleck A Red Sox Jinx?
Ben Affleck is undoubtedly the man. Oscar winning screenwriter and director. Handsome. Big time Red Sox fan. That’s the trifecta in my book. However, he does have one flaw: he was born on August 15th. Since his oscar winning film Good Will Hunting premiered in 1998, the Boston Red Sox are 0-14 on Affleck’s birthday. 14 losses in a row seems like more than just a coincidence to me. I propose one of two things: either Affleck changes his birthday to sometime in the off season or the Red Sox get a scheduled day off every August 15th. It’s hard enough beating professional athletes, they shouldn’t have to deal with this voodoo witchcraft as well.
– Ryan
P.S. What is with the Red Sox and curses. We finally win a few world series’ and now one of our biggest supporters is a curse? Heresy.
Don & Jerry: America’s Greatest Comedy Team
Abbott and Costello. The Marx Brothers. Penn and Teller. There is no doubt in my mind that Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy are America’s newest comedy dream team. Not only are they the best broadcast team in baseball, but they are also the most entertaining. Last night during the Red Sox/Astro’s game, Don and Jerry donned foam cowboy hats to try and spark a Red Sox rally. While the hats were long gone in the top of the 9th, I have a funny feeling that they helped Stephen Drew hit that game winning home run. Whether they’re wearing funny hats, discussing each other’s chest hair or catching fans in a touchy feely moment like the video above, they make watching a baseball game fun.
– Ryan
P.S. How bout them Red Sox! Love that dirty water.
Welcome To Boston Mr. Peavy
Red Sox making the biggest splash at the trade deadline so far landing White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy late last night. Although Peavy has been injury prone, I love the move. He’s not being brought in to be a savior, but rather fill a specific role. When Bucholtz returns from the DL, the Sox will have 7 legitimate starting pitchers, which means two will head to their over worked bullpen. The flip side of this trade is the loss of Jose Iglesias. A gifted fielder, Iglesias never truly found his bat in a Red Sox uniform. He did get off to a hot start, winning AL Rookie of the Month in June, but his batting average has tumbled almost 100 points in July. Add in the fact that the Red Sox signed veteran SS Stephen Drew in the offseason, and Iggy basically became the odd man out. He’s going to be a joy to watch in Detroit, and I think I speak for everyone in Red Sox Nation when I say I wish him all the best. As for our own playoff race, I’m excited we added a proven veteran arm for the home stretch. If only the Rays would lose a game once in awhile, we’d be in good shape.
– Ryan
P.S. His new nickname is Jake The Snake right? That can’t even be a question. Jake The Snake it is.
Ryan Does Fenway
Polo on Saturday. Fenway last night. The life of kings. Boston is hands down my favorite city in the world. While I can’t call myself a Celtics, Bruins or Pats fan, I am a dirt dog, die hard Red Sox fan. I still count being at Fenway for Trot Nixon’s walk off home run in the 2003 ALDS as one of the best moments of my life. Being a Sox fan definitely hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. While I got to experience two world series wins so far in my lifetime, the previous 10 years (and the 76 before that) were pretty much the worst stretch a professional fan base has gone through (I know the Cubs still haven’t won a world series, but they just suck. The Red Sox had really good teams that drove knives through your hearts in October). Now that the 2013 Red Sox seem to be back to their winning ways, me and slippery Mike decided to make a trip to Fenway. If you’ve never been, you owe it to yourself to visit “The Cathedral of Boston”. On a Red Sox game day, the energy around the ballpark is unmatched. Stop by Copperfield’s, Boston Beer Works, Cask N’ Flagon or any number of bars for a pregame beer or six. Your next stop should be to scan your ticket and embrace Yawkey Way with the best sausage and pepper sandwich you’ll ever eat. With a satisfied stomach and an unlimited amount of beer at your disposal, the only thing left to do is take in the sights and sounds of the ballpark and watch the Red Sox kick some ass. Trust me on this one: if you go to Fenway, you’ll be itching to go back again and again. If, like last night, the Red Sox happen to lose, make sure you get a good consolation prize:
– Ryan
P.S. I’m just glad this trip went better than the last time I traveled to Fenway..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H__XiWvmJb0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Slightly Less Than 1/3 Of The Way Through The Season Report Card
Probably not the greatest title for a blog post, but I think it’s time we show a certain team from Boston some respect. While diehard fans and every hot girl within 100 miles of Boston are praising the Bruins, I’ve been quietly watching my Red Sox play their best baseball in 3 years. Everyone knows about the 2011 collapse, as well as their 2012 campaign with quite possibly the worst manager in the history of sports (Bobby V). That’s all in the past. During the offseason, they hired a no nonsense manager (Farrell) who understands the city and the goals of the team due to his prior stint with the ballclub as Tito Francona’s pitching coach. They also went back to former GM Theo Epsteins successful approach that won them two world series’. Instead of breaking the bank on free agent signings (Crawford, Gonzalez) they signed quality guys to reasonable contracts who are accustomed to winning and won’t bitch when things don’t go their way (Victorino, Napoli).
In just 59 games, they’ve completely changed the perception of the team. It’s truly amazing. They’ve gone from the laughing stock of the league to division leader, and while we still have a lot of baseball to play, I’d rather be in 1st after 59 games than last. They’re winning with good pitching, timely hitting and have created a positive vibe around the ballpark. Pedrioa and Ortiz are hitting better than at any point in their careers, while the emergence of Daniel Nava and recent success of Jose Iglesias have been welcome surprises. Clay Bucholz and Jon Lester are a combined 14-2, while Andrew Bailey, Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara have solidified the bullpen. The most impressive aspect of this team is their ability to succeed while major parts of their team have been hurt. Joel Hanrahan, the all-star closer Boston signed in the off season, was a total bust. He had just 4 saves and an ERA near 10 before he blew out his elbow and was lost for the season. Bucholz and Lackey have both missed starts, while closer, setup man and now closer again Andrew Bailey also spent time on the DL. With Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino both on the DL, the Sox have posted a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, the last 4 without CF Jacoby Ellsbury. Maybe you can contribute this to an easy schedule. The Sox are currently in a stretch where they play 32 games in 34 days, which, warm weather or not, is quite draining. The Sox are 1st in the AL in runs, 3rd in batting average, and 2nd in on base and slugging percentage. They’re currently 36-23, which is good for 1st in the A.L. East, 2 1/2 games ahead of the surprisingly good Yankees. The Bruins may currently have Boston’s heart, but I for one am glad the Red Sox are back.
– Ryan
P.S. If the Red Sox go on any type of losing streak in the next week I will never write about them again.
