Friends of Dan: Clay Buchholz vying for 2010 spot

Well hello there!
A lot has been going on since I was last here, perhaps most notably the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver...what a great start the US is off too! I'm a huge fan of the Olympics, personally, and am quite excited to see Apolo skating around again - HUGE Apolo fan. Keep it up Team USA!!
In other news, more important for some people, the unofficial kickoff to the baseball season started today as Pitchers & Catchers reported for the Sox in Fort Myers.
It'll be a relatively quiet spring this year - we're a far cry from the daily stories perpetrated by the antics of guys like Manny Ramirez & Pedro Martinez - but one thing to keep an eye on is how the pitching rotation irons out. Keep an eye on Dan the Banners pal Clay Buchholz, who is coming into something of a do or die year. It's been a roller coaster ride for Clay since blasting onto the scene in 2007, then plummeting down to Earth with a horrible 2008. He had his ups and downs in 2009, but all in all it was a good season and he finished strong. I think he's prime for a break out in 2010 and will finally show the potential everyones been talking about for years on a consistent basis. Should be a good spring to watch, keep an eye out for Clay to tear it up this spring and hopefully carry that momentum to Boston in April.

Things may be picking up for Dan the Banner in the coming weeks. There's the potential for a busy March and I'm already getting ready for a great summer for the Banner. Keep an eye out around town, you never know where he might be!

Beanpot Returns to Chestnut Hill

For the second night in a row, a friend of Danny's will walk away champion. 9 1/2 months ago as I toted Dan the Banner around the beautiful BC campus taking pictures, I thought to myself "this exercise will lead directly to a Beanpot win for the hockey team in 2010." Ok, that's a lie, I didn't say that. But Boston College is a friend of Danny, and tonight is a big night at the Heights after yet another epic BC-BU battle on the ice. Rough first period, but BC took the reins in the second, keyed by a highlight reel goal by freshman Chris Kreider as he passed to himself between the legs of the (helpless) BU defender, swept across the crease and tucked the puck just inside the post to stretch BC's lead to 3-1. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but 2000-01: BC wins Beanpot, BC wins National Championship, 2007-08: BC wins Beanpot, BC wins National Championship...something to keep in mind. And this year, after getting a campus visit from Danny, it's almost not fair to the rest of the nation to try and take down the Eagles.

Who Dat Nation Champions of the World

The biggest day in sports is over, and the New Orleans Saints are the champions of the world, which I - personally - am pumped about. As expected, it was a great game with a great finish, and I believe Drew Brees officially lost his title of the Most Underrated Player in the NFL. Hey, I respect Peyton Manning, he's one of if not the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, but how great was it to see the old Peyton Manning face, dumbfounded after making a key mistake and once again coming up short in a big game. Ahhh, so nice to see it one last time to close out a decade in which it was so prominently featured in the domination of the Patriots.
Danny only had one friend take part in the game, and though David Thomas' final stats are a forgettable 1 catch for 9 yards, he had some key blocks throughout the game and will end up with a Super Bowl ring for his efforts - I don't think he's complaining.
So alas, the 2009 football season comes to an end...only 5 1/2 months til Training Camp 2010!
Congratulations to the Saints; go crazy Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras has started early this year.

News from the far west coast

For a change I have some news not about Dan the Banner, but actually about Dan the Man...as I learned about a day and a half ago from the man himself, Danny has gained entrance into the Hall of Fame at Mac's 24-7 Restaurant located in Waikiki, Hawaii (where he has been for the past month or so training). His claim to fame? Well big bro finished off 3 - count them 3 - FOURTEEN INCH pancakes. That's right: fourteen, 1-4, catorce, basically pizza size. And not only did he become just the 8th person to complete the challenge, my sources tell me he shattered the previous record of 49 minutes by finishing the feat in 36 minutes. Yikes. Wanna check out the task for yourself? Check out this youtube video where the Mac's 24-7 Pancake Challenge was featured on an episode of the Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food." Man those are some big pancakes.
So out Danny on the website's Hall of Fame page, and congrats Big Bro, it's good to see you're bottomless pit of a stomach is still going strong.

Big Day is Almost Here

So it's Thursday night, which means 3 days from now America will either know who will be crowned Super Bowl XLIV Champion or be glued to a tight game that comes down to the wire - for the record, I'm pulling for the Saints. I expect it to be a good game, and there are a number of former Patriots taking the field Sunday to be of interest in the New England area. The most decorated of course is Adam Vinatieri, though he won't be taking the field...and hey, most Pats fans aren't rooting for the Colts anyway. So to the Saints it is! Heath Evans will be sidelined, but Randall Gay will be one of a number of Saints defenders charged with trying to slow down Peyton & Company.
And you didn't think the biggest sports days of the year would take place with no friends of the banner did you?? Of course not. TE David Thomas will be suiting up in the black and gold, the only man taking the field who can proudly call himself a friend of Dan the Banner. So best of luck to you David - I have no doubts your meeting the banner this summer will lead you to great things in the biggest game of your life.