Political lessons from the New England Patriots

Set aside the friendships between Donald Trump and New England Patriots MVP quarterback Tom Brady, or coach Bill Belichick or owner Bob Kraft (who, as a young man, stood with his late wife as leading progressive Democrats), there's still plenty of inspiration to be found in last night's epic comeback by the Pats in defeating the tough, aggressive, skilled and energetic Atlanta …

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Tom Brady weasels out on important issue

Tom Brady, who can execute with finesse virtually any move a quarterback could dream of, apparently can't make the most basic of all moves, standing up and taking a position against domestic abuse.  Asked in his weekly WEEI interview about Dallas tight end Greg Hardy's beating up his girlfriend, Brady executed that famous insider sidestep, telling …

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Tom Brady’s punishment – Oh, nooooo

I long ago gave up my belief in the Easter bunny. (The rabbits who regularly destroy my garden took care of that.) Santa Claus is a relic of a decades-past childhood. But now, harsh reality demands that I can no longer cling to the idea of Tom Brady, man god. Mr. Perfect.  The National Football …

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Deflate-gate calls for willing suspension of disbelief

To enjoy the performance at the movies and in theater, audience members often have to suspend their connection with reality.  So, too, with another form of entertainment, professional football.  Is it really possible that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, legendary masters of detail and planned execution, knew absolutely nothing about the under-inflation of footballs?  Remember Captain …

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Myra Kraft, a grand and grounded lady

Back on January 14, 2006, after winning three successive Superbowls, the New England Patriots lost the AFC Divisional playoff to Denver by a score of 27 to 13. For days most New England fans felt depressed, hung over, a knot in the pits of their stomachs.Two days after the loss, I stood behind Myra Kraft …

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Headline wishes for 2011

My colleague Tom Waseleski, editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, always prepares for New Year’s Day an aspirational list of headlines from which we could all benefit. Here, with my own imprint, are the headlines I’d like to see in 2011.Economic Recovery Narrows Federal DeficitRepublicans Back Off Attack on New Health Care LawCongress Passes …

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Making Head Start Kids Part of the Brady Bunch

Tom Brady has a head start on a wonderful life.  He has the golden touch. But why couldn’t he also give a head start to the program by that name? Monday’s Boston Herald had an interesting juxtaposition, a story about a huge Head Start backlog in Massachusetts opposite a Peter Gelzinis column noting how Tom Brady, …

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