Today is the first day of training camp for the New England Patriots.  (and, rumor has it, for more than thirty other NFL teams–but we needn’t concern ourselves with such trivialities.)  

On paper, the Patriots appear to be utterly fabulous, but it is more fun to win a championship by playing actual games.  And, like any sports team, keeping your key players healthy generally determines the outcome of the season.

 That said–ever so politely, it’s hard not to be mighty excited about the Patriots’ prospects this year.  I’ve never liked Randy Moss, but now, he’s one of Our Guys, and so, I’m willing to keep an open mind.  So far, he has been a model citizen, and let’s hope it’s another Corey Dillon story.  For that matter, it’s worth remembering that Rodney Harrison was not a popular NFL figure, and yet has now assumed the position of Wise Elder, along with the likes of my two favorite players, who–I just noticed–share the same initials: Troy Brown and Tedy Bruschi.  So, for that matter, does the gifted quarterback who really needs to rethink some of his fashion choices.

So, in order to celebrate the day properly, here are some fun and easy ways to keep up with the team second only to the Beloved Ones in my heart:

Patriots 1

Patriots 2

Patriots 3

Patriots 4

In other matters, I don’t generally agree with Charles Krauthammer, since he tends to be much too conservative and reactionary, but his editorial about Barack Obama today is well worth reading.  It very nicely sums up many of the same not-ready-for-prime-time concerns I’ve been having about his candidacy, although a favorite writer of mine, E. J. Dionne Jr.,  is spinning the exact same incident in an entirely different direction.    I actually don’t think Mr. Dionne on target with this one, but there’s no question that Hillary really does need to come up with an effective “okay, this is why I voted to go to war in Iraq” answer, or it will dog her forever.  Going with something like, “well, obviously, I had grave reservations, but I honestly never believed that Colin Powell would flat-out lie to the world” might be a way to go.