Sports Redux: All Is Right In Randyland, At Least For Today

David Duprey / Associated Press It wasn’t pretty. But an unpretty win is better then an unpretty loss, especially when (for a few days at least) we can relax knowing that Randy Moss is still willing and able to be a functioning member of the New England Patriots. On a cold but sunny afternoon in Buffalo, Randy was a bright light in an otherwise sludgy day. #81 pulled in five catches for 70 yards and a TD. Combine that with the Bills’ propensity for shooting themselves in the foot, and it was enough to overcome a banged-up defense and a performance by Tom Brady that certainly won’t be appearing on any DVDs of the Great Performance of Tom Brady. The new pop threw for only 115 yards and was kept almost silent in the first and fourth quarters, but it was enough. To beat Buffalo, anyway. After the game, Moss had a prepared statement. "You all did your talking, now let me do mine," he started, finishing with, "I’ve been in this league 12 years, and I’ve been through a lot. And these shoulders that I have on my body, you can put the earth on it. So just to let you know, I bounced back. I appreciate it." That wasn’t enough for Dan Shaughnessy , though, who flogs his "Moss-Shank Redemption" meme to the point where even aliens from Neptune who don’t know anything about football get the point. With the win, and losses by the Jets and Miami, the Patriots have all but assured themselves of an AFC East crown, and just need to

beat Jacksonville or Houston to make it official. Then we’ll see whether it’s Denver or Baltimore, or one of the six dozen teams hanging around the fringes of the playoff picture like so many sullen youths loitering outside the 7-11, who will come to Foxboro for the first round. Say what you want about the Celtics this season, but when they dig in, they look awfully good. True, their opposition last night came from the godawful Timberwolves, but the C’s handled them as a good team should handle a bad team, thumping the Wolves in a 122-104 win. Paul Pierce’s parade of threes helped him lead the team with 29, but if you watched the game, you’re probably still buzzing a little about some of the play off the bench, most notably Eddie House’s tip inbounds to a driving Tony Allen, and Allen’s sweet pass underneath to Kendrick Perkins to set up another dunk. Were the Celtics motivated not to lose two in a row to inferior competition? Part of the motivation was simple, said Paul Pierce: "I really got tired of Kevin yelling at me." Garnett retorted, "It wasn’t a yell. It was a real strong, stern voice…sometimes that’s what teammates are for." That finishes a two-game sweep of Minnesota, who with Kurt Rambis and Bill Laimbeer on the sidelines, leads the league by far in "Coaches Who Have Been Memorably Punched By Celtics In The Past". Though Phil Jackson is coming to town next month…

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Sports Redux: All Is Right In Randyland, At Least For Today