John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud

John Rooke - Thinking Out Loud

Thinking Out Loud…while trying to figure out all of the great things that could be home-delivered, now that fast food is stepping out…

• So far, we haven’t heard a lot of noise from the Baltimore Ravens before the AFC title game Sunday against the Patriots. Does this mean T-Sizzle (Terrell Suggs), Ray Lewis and company have grown up, or that they just don’t want to make the Pats mad? YAWN…

• New England is 6-1 all time against the Baltimore Ravens. The one loss, of course, was in the 2009 playoffs – at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots are also 6-1 all time in AFC Championship games, including 3-0 at home…

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

• Yes, two of the top (maybe THE top) NFL offenses lost last week – Green Bay and New Orleans. But not because the Giants or the 49ers stopped them. Turnovers did them in…as they will for the losers this weekend…

• Rob Lowe tweets this week that Peyton Manning will retire? What’s next – Jon Bon Jovi tweets that Tom Brady’s shoulder is really hurt and won’t play against the Ravens? Would Bill Belichick let that slip to his buddy?

• Not for nuthin’…but having celebs for friends doesn’t seem to me to have great benefits. Other than an occasional ticket maybe, or saying you “hang” with someone important…forget any real privacy. In this internet day and age, how could you trust anyone with your “friendly” conversations? Any second thoughts, Jim Irsay?

• This will make the UKPatriots happy – the Pats are headed back to London next season, as the road team for a St. Louis Rams home game at Wembley Stadium on October 28th…

• This weeks’ sign of the apocalypse: Craving a Whopper? Burger King is testing the home-delivery market in the Washington DC area, following in the footsteps of pizza restaurants, grocery store chains and dry-cleaners everywhere…

• My only question – what the heck took you so long to decide this stroke of brilliance?

• Great. We spend years trying to eliminate obesity and heart disease in this country, and now you can have burgers, shakes, fries, cholesterol and fat actually delivered to your doorstep for immediate consumption and self-gratification…

• And what’s wrong with that? It’s what we do, as Americans. We search for convenience, we consume, we self-gratify. Every day. It’s the American Way…

• Now, wake me up when real restaurants (no offense, beloved fast food) decide to start home delivery services. Will there be any reason to ever leave the house again?

• In the “Now I’ve seen it all” department – Marshall head basketball coach Tom Herrion (a former PC assistant coach) recently took a flop to the floor when Central Florida player Isaiah Sykes’ elbow grazed him. And his flop earned a flagrant foul call on the player, giving his team two free throws. They hit one – and won the game by one point. Now THAT’S taking one for the team…

• Sometimes, the bigger lesson comes from what you do off of the floor, rather than on it. The one-game suspension for Friar guard Vincent Council was one of those “teaching moments” that hurt in the short run, but should pay dividends down the line…

• Let the good times roll? The Friars are inching ever-so-close to nailing down some big commitments from some big players…to add to a national Top 10 recruiting class for next year…

• Big East surprises this year? Seton Hall’s performance rates a nod, and Cincinnati’s rebound from the fight fiasco with Xavier is another. But Pittsburgh and Villanova’s descent to the bottom of the league standings is almost jaw-dropping, considering where the two programs have been recently…

• Saw where Texas A&M guard Jamal Branch recently decided to transfer to St. John’s for next season. And he played AGAINST the Red Storm earlier THIS season. Hmmm…New York or College Station, TX? Tough choice…

• How about home delivery of legal services? I’m sure someone could come up with a catchy phrase like “ambulance chaser” that would work here…

• Lost in URI’s current sub-par basketball season is the fact the Atlantic 10, as a whole, is having a pretty good one. Currently 7th among the 31 conferences in RPI ranking, Temple, Dayton and Xavier are Top 50 teams, with Saint Louis and St. Joseph’s not far behind. And the league ranks higher than the BCS-bolstered Pac-12…

• Why do celebrities name their children wacko names like “Moon Unit,” “Rumer,” and “Sage Moonblood?” Now, Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z have named their child “Blue Ivy.” What? Is there even such a thing? I’ve seen green Ivy hang from a few walls…

• Just in case you were wondering – Moon Unit Zappa (daughter of rocker Frank Zappa), Rumer Willis (daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, sister Scout is a student at Brown) and Sage Moonblood Stallone (son of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone) are real names. I wouldn’t blame these kids for their faults…blame their parents for starting them…

• Is it a requirement for stardom and celeb status to make certain you have a screw loose somewhere, or lack common sense? Just sayin’…

• The sports world also has its fair share of unusual names…Chone Figgins, LaceDarius Dunn, Wacey Rabbit (a former P-Bruin), Just-in’love Smith (really. He played basketball for Siena) and God’s Gift Achiuwa, who currently hoops for St. John’s. Just the tip ‘o the iceberg…

• I’ve heard many Patriots fans say they don’t want to face the NY Giants in the Super Bowl because they couldn’t take losing to them again – like in 2008, where the freakish loss ruined a potential perfect season. Really? You get punched in the nose and run away?

• Another example of the NFL’s runaway popularity…a record 65 players with remaining college eligibility have declared early for the NFL draft this year…

• Is it just me, or did the Texas Rangers’ deal with Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish for six years and $60 million smell like a Red Sox deal? Once upon a time…

• Or home delivery of gasoline to fill your vehicle tank? That would kind of defeat the purpose of getting the car out to begin with, wouldn’t it? But it’s a thought…

• And home delivery of newspapers? Yeah, that would be nice. Wait, what are newspapers again?

• This week’s mailbag question comes from John in Manchester, NH via Facebook: “Has there been any discussion on how (Patriots) practices are going this week?” John: Typically, the Patriots are very low key about preparations, as you probably know. They only allow the media in for a very short portion of practice, but the fact that little has been said means one thing to me – focus. And that’s a good thing, right?

• Interested in having your questions on local RI sports (including the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Send ‘em to me! It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions and comments to [email protected]. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Follow me on Twitter, @jrooke0722…and on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...