US – Wednesday, March 17
The Word
Today’s celebrity babies and breakups
It seems like a stork (probably an arrogant, drunk, yet hilarious, stork) stopped by Paddy’s Bar and knocked up Sweet Dee with Mac’s baby.
 
Sports
Kansas, ‘mammals’ among tourney betting front-runners
If you were hoping to root for New England schools in the NCAA tournament this year, you’re mostly out of luck.

 
New York
City gives eateries a lesson in ABCs
From Papaya King to Per Se, the city’s 25,000-plus restaurants will have to prominently display large report cards on their cleanliness starting in July.
 
Home/Boston
Boston’s Back Bay is ‘on fire’
Boston real estate brokers are saying the Back Bay market is “on fire,” with 69 sales since January with an average price of $1.4 million. “Many buyers feel the recession is ancient history,” says John Ford, owner of Ford Realty on Charles and Tremont streets. “Last year at this time, peoples’ investment portfolios were losing money. They’ve gained the losses from 2009. Now they are using their recouped losses, and have more confidence in purchasing luxury condos.”
 
Sports
Culture bracket is a ‘wonder’
We figured out why you love March so much. It’s not the basketball, it’s the brackets. We’ve come up with the ultimate sports and pop culture bracket. Sure, it’s a bit random, but it’s also a bit awesome. Here’s a breakdown of some key matchups:
 
New York
City sport: Turnstile jumping
From Harlem to the West Village, fare skipping on the subways is rampant, a new MTA audit finds. And it will only get worse as the MTA prepares to let 450 station workers go, transit advocates warn.
Ever since the 127th Street entrance at 125th Street station lost its token booth agent, the subway entrance has become notoriously easy to sneak into, say both MTA employees and straphangers alike.
 
Philly Sports
UConn a possibility again for Temple
The irony was not lost on Temple women’s basketball coach Tonya Cardoza.
 
Published 22:39, October the 14th, 2008
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Belichick: Cassel is our QB

Pats’ coach gives vote of confidence to signal-caller

Bill Belichick could not have been clearer.

When the Patriots coach was asked yesterday about the future of quarterback Matt Cassel — and whether or not he would look to backups Kevin O’Connell or Matt Gutierrez if Cassel continues to struggle — Belichick was as to the point as he could be.

“Matt [Cassel] is our starting quarterback,” Belichick said on a conference call with reporters. “He gives our team the best chance to win.”

Asked if he was still confident that Cassel can lead the Patriots going forward, quickly Belichick answered, “Yes,” a no-doubt endorsement of the 25-year-old who was taken in the seventh round of the 2005 Draft out of Southern Cal.

Cassel, who took over at quarterback when starter Tom Brady went down with a season-ending injury in the opener against the Chiefs, has struggled mightily at times as the Patriots have gotten out to a 3-2 start. He’s had some good games — including solid efforts against the Jets and 49ers — that resulted in New England victories. But there have been plenty of duds — on Sunday night in San Diego, he was 22-for-38 for 203 yards and an interception while being sacked four times in a 30-10 loss.

Offensively, it’s been a mixed bag for the Patriots. Even without starter Laurence Maroney for two games, the running game has shown flashes of success, thanks in large part to Sammy Morris (169 rushing yards, three touchdowns) and LaMont Jordan (4.4 yards per carry). But the Patriots’ passing game has been stuck in neutral — the only play of 20-plus yards for New England Sunday came on a 28-yard run from Morris.

Statistically, New England is in the bottom half of the league in almost every important category, including average passing yards per game (186 yards per game, 22nd in the NFL), total passing yards (931 total yards, 23rd in the NFL) and total passing touchdowns (three, 30th in the league).

Despite those numbers, Belichick sounded yesterday like a man who was going to stick with his quarterback for the foreseeable future.

“We all have to play better and coach better than we did last week,” Belichick said. “We have to do a better job than we did against San Diego. But he’s our quarterback.”

 
 
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