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Published: April 21, 2008 12:54 am PrintThis
Advice for Boston Marathon spectators
By Dan Guttenplan
It’s the best day of the year to be in Boston. Time to take stock of your friends and relatives. Someone you know must be running in today’s Boston Marathon. If not, it’s OK to pretend.
Having run the marathon in 2003 and attended several others as a spectator, I’ve been on both sides of the fence. To be honest, I’m a better spectator than a marathoner. So here are my tips for watching the race.
Yes, it’s Patriots Day, and that means it’s a day off from work for Massachusetts employees. But do not mistake this as an opportunity to sleep in. You really need to be showered, dressed and ready to commit yourself to a day of spectating by 8 a.m.
That’s when the marathon coverage begins on just about any Boston-based television station. For my money, I’m going with WBZ’s Bob Lobel in what will be his final marathon broadcast for the station. Lobel, who recently learned he’ll be laid off by the station in the coming weeks, has the perfect demeanor for a fun marathon broadcast. Spend an hour with Lobel reporting from Hopkinton, and you’ll be ready to make the commute to Boston.
Now, having a friend or family member in the race gives you an excuse to cheer. But more importantly, you need a friend or family member who lives along the course. Keep these friends for as long as they live there. Even if these friends drive you crazy 364 days a year, you’ll thank me every Patriots Day.
My friend lives in Newton at the 21-mile marker. It’s a great spot for spectating, but not the best spot for runners. It’s basically right in the middle of Heartbreak Hill. So I never expect warm embraces from people I know running in the race. The longer I’m waiting for friends to pass, the less likely it is that I’ll even get a high-five. Four or more hours of waiting, and I can expect an angry glare. Sometimes — particularly if I have food in hand — I won’t even have the guts to make eye contact.

newburyportnews.com

By Greg Parks, PWTorch Contributor
WWE Smackdown review
Taped 3/25/08 in Fayetville, N.C.
Aired on the CW
Report by Greg Parks, Torch Team Contributor
1- KANE vs. GREAT KHALI vs. CHUCK PALUMBO vs. MARK HENRY- OVER-THE-TOP-ROPE CHALLENGE
These are four of the participants that will be in the Battle Royal for the ECW #1 Contendership on Sunday. Chavo Guerrero was on commentary. Kane started by fighting off all three heels. DDT on Henry. Palumbo was eliminated less than a minute in. The heels did some double-teaming and Michael Cole picked Henry to win the battle royal. Khali did the double-handed chokeslam. Henry picked Kane up and threw him out. Khali and Henry stood face-to-face and Khali chopped him in the head. Henry impressively grabbed Khali and tossed him out for the win.
WINNER: Henry, at 2:46. Surprising result.
After the match, Chavo Guerrero ran in to attack, but Henry caught him coming off the top and slammed him.
-Coming up, Edge will conduct a burial service for the Undertaker’s undefeated streak.
-Backstage, the final three diva contestants were talking it up in Teddy Long’s office. Long walked in and recapped things for them (but mostly, for the fans). Some humming sound distracted Teddy before he announced that Eve was eliminated. Suddenly, Victoria appeared and taunted Eve. Teddy saw a problem here and wanted to solve it with a Wet-and-Wild water fight. Makes sense.
2- CM PUNK vs. JOHN MORRISON
A briefcase hung over the ring as a reminder of the match these two are involved in on Sunday. Morrison landed a unique back-kick to the head, but that only angered Punk. A snap-suplex got a two count for CM. Punk hit a cross-body that sent him AND Morrison over the top rope to the outside. Match will continue after break.

pwtorch.com