Dice-K finally takes the mound in a BoSox uniform. Sure, its only against Boston College. Sure, its only the pre-season. But, many of us have been waiting to see what this kid from Japan can do for a while.

Oh ya, Manny will be making his Spring training debut today against the Blue Jays.

The Revs carried the play for most of the game, controlling the midfield and creating pretty well. That being said, it was still 0-0 at the end of regulation, and it looked for sure once overtime started that we’d be going to penalty kicks. I mean, the Revs hadn’t scored a goal in the run of play in 3 cup games, and timewise nearly 4. So I was settling in to watch Reis turn away a couple shots, nail one himself, and get us the win.

Then all of a sudden Twellman’s open on the left side and pots a beautiful goal just barely inside the far post. Finally, the Revs have managed to break their scoreless streak. There’s 6 minutes left to go, and the Revs are really good at packing their end in and defending a lead. I was busy quieting my daughter, who was wondering why I’d jumped half out of my seat and disturbed her nap, when I heard Ching score. A quick rewind revealed the stark horror…one good bound, some really lax defending, and that “I can’t believe they finally won it!” feeling was gone.

The penalties really seemed like a formality at that point, despite the fact that they were close up until the final kick, which Heaps seemed to flub. The Revs had lost as soon as Ching headed that equalizer in, a mere 40 seconds after Twellman’s goal.

The only thing I could think of as I deleted the game from my tivo was “so this was what it was like to root for Jim Kelly’s Bills teams.” 3 cups in 5 years, 5 consecutive conference championship appearances, and they just couldn’t finish the job. Worse, it’s really likely that we’re going to lose two of our top players, Clint Dempsey (the only American to score during the run of play in the World Cup), and our top midfielder, Shalrie Joseph. They’re both very likely headed for Europe next season. And while I can see the Revs replacing Dempsey’s offense, or at least compensating for it, I just can’t see them replacing Joseph. Especially not now that they also lost Pepe to the expansion draft.

Goddamn horrible way to end a season.

Since Remy’s claimed dominion over beer, I suppose I better make a grab while the grabbing’s good, and start writing some sports articles. Otherwise all that’ll be left is interpretive dance and basketweaving.

So, a quick reminder to everyone that we have a soccer team we should be cheering for. A really, really good one. The Revolution are playing DC United in the Easter Conference Championship game this Sunday at 4. That makes it their 5th straight conference championship game, including trips to the MLS cup in 2002 and 2005. The first of those Cup games was attended by yours truly, Remy, and more people than had ever attended a soccer game in the US that wasn’t a World Cup game.

Wanna guess who the owner is? I’ll give you a hint: his other team will be hosting the Colts later that night. And it’s the Revs’ sustained success over the last five years that makes me really appreciate the kind of golden touch Kraft has. Want to guess their winning strategy? Strong, fast defense, and a couple of ridiculously talented scorers. Oh, and also the best goalie in the league.

I know, I know, you’d rather watch the Steelers-Broncos game. But seriously, Big Ben is just going to get pummelled, Champ is going to shut down Ward, and it’s going to be a snoozer by halftime. Once you’re good and bored, why not flip over to ESPN2 and watch the Revs stomp on DC?

Look, you want to know how much fun they are to watch? They made it to the conference finals after winning the previous round on penalty kicks. Not only did our keeper block 2 of the four shots he faced, he also took one himself and scored.

Update 11/6/06: The Revs won it 1-0 on a 4th-minute Twellman goal, and will play the San Jose Earthquake Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup next Sunday.  ABC will carry the game, which starts at 3:30.

I grew up in a Celtics family. My grandparents were huge fans, and I still remember running up the stairs to their apartment after dinner to sit and watch the game with them. Two of my uncles split season tickets for years, up until the prices went through the roof when they moved to the new Garden. Going to a game with them involved parking at an MBTA building near the Museum of Science and walking along the train tracks, even along a bridge over a part of the Charles at one point, to get there.

I grew up knowing Red Auerbach’s name almost before I knew Larry Bird’s. He was the Celtics, plain and simple. Hell, his brother is the one who designed the classic Celts logo. You cannot overstate his importance to the team, to the league, or to the sport. When I heard over the weekend that he’d died, it was one of those “a little bit of your childhood just died” moments for me. And I never even met the guy. I just grew up playing and watching a game that he’d worked tirelessly to turn into an international sport, one that his team always won at.

16 championships, including 8 in a row, and 9 in 10 years. The NBA’s coach of the year award is named after him. First coach to draft a black player, first coach to field an all-black starting five, first GM to hire a black coach (his successor, player-coach Bill Russell). Orchestrator of the most lopsided trade in sports history. I could go on and on, but I have to get back to work. You can find a number of tributes at the Globe and Herald, at ESPN, from the Celtics and the NBA, and I’m sure in sports blogs all over the web. For some offline reading, I can’t recommend “Let Me Tell You A Story” enough. It’s part biography, and part a simple account of dozens of stories Red told the author, John Feinstein, at his famous Tuesday lunches in DC’s Chinatown.

Red, you’ll be sorely missed.