My brain isn't firing on all cylinders today. The synapses are a little slow doing the math, which may stem from last night's beer drinking endeavor in a Boston parking lot. After Thursday night's 12-4 loss for the Spartacus softball juggernaut, the team gathered in the parking lot to drown our sorrows with a few suds.

Late in the evening or early in the morning, when there were only two of us left in the parking lot, Spartacus hurler, Johnny Mac, turned to me and exclaimed, "Look at this!"

Why is Johnny Mac showing me the same photograph, on his iPhone of his oldest daughter, that he just showed me a half-hour ago?

"Yeah, that is a nice picture."

"No, look at the time. It's 2:53. My wife just texted me asking, 'where are you'?"

2:53 in the morning and I'm standing in a Boston parking lot holding a Bud Light in my hand. The homeless man, Tom, who collects our cans and bottles had already bid us adieu. How did it get to be 2:53? Our game ended at 10:20 pm and now it's 2:53 am. I don't think the Beer Summit lasted this long in the nation's capital.

After the initial shock had worn out, I replied, "We need to get the hell out of here."

On To The Friday Fish Fry

Love this quote from Skip Gates in the New York Times: “We hit it off right from the very beginning,” Professor Gates said. Laughing, he added, “When he’s not arresting you, Sergeant Crowley is a really likable guy.”

Beer aficionados are criticizing the beers consumed during the Beer Summit, which is sort of missing the point, but life is too short for bad beer. This is from the same guy, who was drinking a Bud Light in a Boston parking lot at 2:53 am.

Maybe the President can invite Big Papi and Manny to the White House for a Steroids Summit?

Does the Big Papi revelation really surprise anyone? It shouldn't be shocking when any major leaguer's name is linked to steroid use.

On Saturday, the citizens of Massachusetts will see the state's sales-tax increase from 5 percent to 6.25 percent. Only Rhode Island will have a higher sales-tax than Massachusetts. Hmmmm ... sort of think this increase isn't going to dramatically affect my quality of life, but it may impact how much I budget for the tanning salon.

Brett Favre re-retired. Let's spell it out: D-o-u-c-h-e-b-a-g

Brazilian authorities have issued a finding that boxer Arturo Gatti committed suicide by hanging himself. Something sure smells fishy in Brazil.

Tomorrow folks living in New Jersey will pay more for booze and cigarettes. Alright, the state budget is facing a shortfall, let's raise the sin tax. It's 2009 and state legislatures throughout the nation cannot come up with something a little more creative to raise money.

How about a tax on steroids or marijuana? Oops, they're both illegal.

The Toronto Blue Jays failed to deal Roy Halladay before major league baseball's trading deadline. If you listen to sports talk radio, consider how much time you spent listening to Roy Halladay trade rumors and then whack yourself in the head.

Lance Armstrong lost the Tour de France, but he never expected to win. Armstrong returned to the Tour to raise cancer awareness. If you believe that, you need to whack yourself upside the head. Lance was in it - to win it. Cancer awareness - is cancer a secret?

Sarah Palin gave a bewildering farewell speech to the citizens of Alaska. Of course, it was all the media's fault. If Sarah wants to blame someone, she should blame John McCain for placing her in the national spotlight.

David Spade and Chris Rock attended Tuesday's AC/DC concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. AC/DC's video screens showed the pair in what appeared to be front row seats. Spade was captured by the camera rocking out to "The Jack." Spade and Rock are in Massachusetts making the Adam Sandler movie, "Grown Ups."

If you want more feel good news from the Garden State, a jury convicted 18-year-old, James Zarate, to the next 72 years in state prison for the 2005 murder of his 16-year-old neighbor, Jennifer Parks. James Zarate and his older brother, Jonathan, killed Jennifer Parks in the basement of their home, dismembered the girl in the house and then stuffed her remains in a trunk. After attending a birthday party with Jennifer Parks' remains in the back of their car, the brothers were apprehended by two Secaucus police officers trying to throw the trunk, off a bridge, into the Passaic River. 

The murder occurred in my hometown - Randolph, NJ.

For the full read: NJ.com