Archive for the ‘Boston’ Category
Progressive Hicks in the New England Sticks
Via Yglesias, here’s a cool map demonstrating granular county level voting patterns. Matt writes:
…the Republican parts of the country form a largely contiguous bloc while Obamaland is an incredibly fragment archipelego…it’s an interesting dramatization of the Democrats’ base in cities and inner suburbs. I wonder if anyone’s familiar with any good work on what accounts for the anomalously progressive views of rural New England. What’s the matter with Maine?
I think one way to answer that question is to look into who really is “rural” in New England and who isn’t. Maine certainly seems a pretty rural place when you’re driving through it, but Portland, Augusta, Lewiston, Bangor etc are perhaps more accurately described as urban — even though individually they’re pretty small urban areas. Heck, I suspect something like half of Maine’s population is within plausible commuting distance to greater Boston (not downtown Boston, mind you, but an office park in Andover, MA is a feasible commute for someone living near Kittery or York). This is doubly true for New Hampshire, whose southern portion — where nearly everybody lives — really is a bonafide extension of the Boston suburbs.
My point is, northern New England appears rural, but its genuinely rural parts are home to vanishingly small numbers of voters. The vast majority of voters in the region actually reside in small cities, or liberal college towns, or in the exurban spillover of Boston.
Even highly dense Massachusetts is a good example. The portion of the state west of Worcester makes up something like half the land area, but something like 10-15% of the population. If you remove Pittsfield, Northampton, Springfield and Amherst, you’re down to what, two or three percent of the state’s population? You’ll no doubt find a decent number of Limbaugh fans from amongst this small cohort, but they’re not sufficiently numerous to nudge Western Massachusetts’s political culture rightwards.
I know the image of the reasonable, centrist/liberal, libertarian Yankee living in the wilds of New England is a comforting one to us liberals, but as a life long New Englander, I doubt it’s a very real image.
And in other news…
Average temperatures once again begin to increase in Boston starting tomorrow. This for me is a considerably more important day than the winter solstice. While I like light, I guess I like heat even more. Although, for what it’s worth we have, I think, already gained a good twenty minutes or so of late afternoon daylight (I guess the truth of the matter is I greatly value both the increase in daylight and the rise in temperatures). In another two or three weeks, not only will the longer afternoon daylight be a lot more noticeable, the aforementioned warm-up should become more apparent as well. Nothing dramatic, mind you, but the three or four degrees we’ll gain in terms of afternoon high temperatures by the mid-point in February is welcome, and recognizable if you’re want, as I am, to cherish every sign of spring no matter how subtle. Indeed, by, say, Saint Valentine’s day, the winter just seems less oppressive from a psychological perspective, because, by that juncture, one is able to say (or think) things like “Gee, a week from such and such is March X.” and “Hmm, a week from next we’ll return to daylight savings.” You didn’t remember that, did you? Daylight savings now returns in early March (second week?). By that time, it should start remaining fairly bright out until 6:30.
Yup. I can almost taste it. Winter is nearly over. And February, as you’ll recall, is the shortest of the twelve months (though unreasonably lengthened by a day due to the unadvisable actions of some long-dead pope).
When I die…
…I really really really hope the Good Lord allows me to come back as Tom Brady.
B-slapping the Chisox
The events unfolding on Chicago’s South Side over the last few days have, to my recollection at least, constituted the most dominating series performance by any Red Sox team, ever.
David Ortiz hit a two-run homer, and J.D. Drew and Bobby Kielty ended long homerless droughts to back Julian Tavarez’s first win since late June as the Boston Red Sox finished a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with a 11-1 victory Sunday…The Red Sox outscored Chicago 46-7 in the series, dropping the White Sox to 18 games under .500. Boston has won four in a row, improved baseball’s best record to 80-51 and increased their lead over second-place New York to 7 1/2 games in the AL East.
Emphasis mine. Now bring on the (cough, slumping, cough) pinstripes.
Overheard on a Celtics online discussion board
Somebody made the point that, even if things don’t turn out all that well for Danny Ainge’s rebuilding strategy, the Boston Celtics will actually be in a pretty good position to quickly rebound back into contention. Why? Because each of the three monster contracts they’re currently paying will become extremely valuable commodities entering their respective final years. So, if, say, Garnett doesn’t quite work out, somebody’s bound to want to unload a younger, talented player in the middle of a multi-year deal to Boston in exchange for the Ticket’s expiring contract (which comes off the cap as it expires, thereby freeing up megadollars that can be used to sign a top player).
Is it possible that Danny Ainge has gone from goat to Auerbachian genius in just a few months?
The Monkey off their back
The Cs finally take one on the road against the Spurs. This is the first time since Timmy entered the freakin’ Association that Boston has actually managed to win one in San Antonio (16 games!) and the first time in eighteen games they’ve beaten the Spurs, period.
It was a solid performance by Boston. Rajon Rondo hauled in fourteen rebounds. The Celtics are now 6-4 in the their last ten games. They seem to have clearly turned the corner. In some ways this season is turning out just perfect. I mean, if you can’t make the post season, you might as well get a high percentage shot at obtaining the services of either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. And should they actually haul in one of these two studs and at the same time finish strong, it’s kind of the best of both worlds: they’ll benefit from a huge increase in talent (provided their highly heralded pick is the real deal) and they will have managed to put an optimistic sheen on the current roster’s abilities.
Still, I think there is some cause for disquiet now: Boston is playing well. I think it’s entirely possible the Celtics could go, say, 10-6 in their final sixteen games. That would put them at 30-52. It’s not out of the realm of possibility they could go from their current perch in the Oden/Durant sweepstakes — the second worst record in the NBA — to, oh, the eighth or ninth worst record.
That would suck.
On the bright side Memphis defeated Chicago.
Le printemps arrive à Boston
Well, at least I hope spring is arriving. Surely the gaggle of Canada geese I spied in the Fenway today is a sign that things are moving in the right direction. This photo was taken on Park Drive. A number of the creatures were even so bold as to slowly make their way across the street — forcing hurrying Boston drivers to slow down in the process.
How I spent Sunday afternoon
Waiting in line on a very chilly March day in Boston to board Big John.
Good point
Somebody on the radio just made the following point: given the events six years ago that started in this city, the proper reaction to the recent marketing scare is an overreaction.
Can’t say I really disagree.
Take courage, oh ye faithless New Englanders
Yes, the Pats won’t play another game until August, but on the brighter side, average temperatures are now starting to increase again, after six months of decline.
Jasper Smith 