Last week the Patriots now famously donned pads and beat the hell out of each other at practice in preparation for the 1-14 Dolphins. This week, Bill Belichick has elected to go easy on his charges before traveling to the swamps of New Jersey to take on the Giants.

The G-Men, meanwhile, have been engaged in their usual soap opera antics and had been expected to rest their starters, what with a wild card game on tap for the following weekend. Not so fast. The dictatorial Tom Coughlin has decided, against all rational thought, to go for broke against the Pats. Huh? (more…)

Your condensed guide to today’s daily papers.

Because, God forbid, you wouldn’t be able to text message for a few minutes:In a continuing effort to make sure people are never separated from their wireless devices for too long, another service provider offers a signal that works underground. [Globe] (more…)

Chronicling the past week via quick links and pithy commentary (You say Alpha, I say Omega edition)

The strange saga of Alpha Omega: Raman Handa and family leave the country.

Alpha update from late Friday: A bankruptcy attorney retained by Alpha says, “We are working extremely hard to put Humpty Dumpty back together.”

Here I am, rock you like Curt Schilling: We’re just glad someone didn’t dig up our yearbook.

The most under-appreciated man in Boston: Is Charlie Savage.

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It’s holiday rush time! Just in time for the beginning of the Christmas travel weekend, Logan experienced heavy delays yesterday that are affecting today’s flights. But now the Logan-related delays aren’t limited to the tarmac. Channel 5 reports that the Ted Williams Tunnel is closed due to a crash.

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Sports Illustrated can give its Sportsman of the Year to Brett Favre based on the sentimentality of Baby Boomers if they wish, but the Associated Press cares not for emotion. Cold hard facts are all that interests the AP, and so when it was time for the news organization to bestow its Male Athlete of the Year award, all it had to do was pick the best athlete.

Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Brady is your winner. (more…)

We’re going to make like Mitt Romney and talk semantics for a moment. While we generally refer to the team as the Pats, the full name of our band of beloved football warriors is the New England Patriots. Which means, if we’re arguing for a literal interpretation, the team represents Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

But the NFL Network is taking the Romney-like figurative interpretation, which means that Rhode Islanders may not be able to see the final Patriots game of the regular season.

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It’s the weekend. You can spend it fighting another shopper for that last iPod Touch, or you can just buy them a Nano and enjoy it. Here are some suggestions for your precious two days of total freedom, prepared for you by Boston Daily.

Tonight
Retailers expect this weekend to be insane due to last week’s snowstorm and the rush of last-minute shoppers. Stay home, but still shop locally, by taking advantage of South End favorite Lekker’s free shipping offer on its funky European housewares.

Hannah Montana continues her reign of terror sellout concert dates by rocking Worcester’s DCU Center.

New Year’s Eve is a little more than a week away, and you’re not sure what kind of bubbly to sip when 2008 begins. Take a break from the holiday rush and conduct some research at Aujourd’hui. The chic restaurant offers a selection of sparkling wines every Friday night.

Irving Berlin may have dreamed of a White Christmas, but after three snowstorms in eight days we’re over it. If you can’t get enough of the white stuff, check out White Christmas at the Wang.

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In November, the Cambridge Arts Council selected Peter Payack at the city’s first Poet Populist. Aside from the Soviet-sounding title, the Poet Populist gets a $1,000 stipend and gets to make public appearances. Apparently, the title also gets your work published in the Cambridge Chronicle.

Payack’s poem is titled “Santa and the Ho-Ho-Ho Zone.” As you can imagine, it only gets worse. (more…)

Here’s one left-over thought from Wednesday’s casino revenue hearing at the State House: It’s unfortunate that the Globe decided to run a story on the front of its Metro section reporting on an investment banker’s forecast of how much money a Boston casino could generate.

The numbers quoted in the story are at best, wildly optimistic, and at worst, posturing by a group with a vested interest in getting the casino legislation passed. Despite the fact that the Globe’s Matt Viser dutifully reported skeptical views of Bear Stearns banker Kenneth Shea’s prognostications, Gov. Deval Patrick and his cabinet members were still smitten enough with the numbers to reference the story in the hearing. (more…)

Yesterday, we noticed that the Herald was a little bit star-struck by Republican presidential candidate John McCain. He took time out of his campaigning to stop by the offices to chat up the tabloid’s staff. It seems the face-time paid off, since the Herald endorsed McCain for president today.

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