Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Putin and the Pats ... It's rare that sports and international politics intersect directly, but according to the Globe that's :

It could be an international incident of sorts, a misunderstanding of Super Bowl proportions. Or it could be a very, very generous gift.

Whatever the case, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is out one championship ring, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia has scooped up some very flashy bling.

At a meeting of American business executives and Putin on Saturday in Russia, according to Russian news reports, Kraft showed his 4.94-carat, diamond-encrusted 2005 Super Bowl ring to the Russian president, who, after trying it on, put it in his pocket and left.

It was unclear yesterday whether Kraft intended to give Putin the ring. It was just two weeks ago that he presented this year's championship baubles to Patriots players at his Brookline manse. A Patriots spokesman said yesterday that Kraft was still traveling overseas and could not be reached for comment.

Now, I generally try to keep my personal biases separate from the public statements I make on this site. But this is ridiculous.

If Putin wants to he can seize Lukos, play coy with China, even build a nuclear reactor in Iran. I won't like it but I'll let it slide. But one thing Putin cannot do is pocket a Pat's super bowl ring.

Does he have any idea how hard we -- and oh yes I do mean we -- worked for our three championships? The blood, the sweat, the tears? The generation that came before mine, filling seats and cheering in freezing winds at BU, Harvard, and Foxboro? The six years of torture I personally endured among rabid New Yorkers, blocked-out from even watching the Pats play?

I don't know about you, but it seems pretty clear to me: this calls for war.

____

Update: I'm only half-kidding. We even have a picture of him stealing the thing. Didn't we invade Iraq for less?

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