After watching last night's Cowboys-Raiders snoozefest, I'm pretty sure Richard Seymour (three tackles, allegedly) is the first player since the Lions' Aaron Gibson in 2000 to play an entire game in a tryptophan coma. What a culture shock it still must be for him, going from playing for the guy on the left over there to Tom Cable.

Anyway, no Black Friday for me -- as usual, it's Chat Friday, and we gladly talked turkey (sorry) about the Sox shortstop situation, why we should be skeptical about the Halladay gossip, Pats-Saints, and even some media matters.

Click the replay button below to read the transcript.

During our weekly chat this afternoon, we discussed the Red Sox' hot stove options, whether Rex Ryan will be crying again come Sunday evening, and why a "Pirate Looks At 40" suddenly resonates more than ever.

Be sure to stop by our weekly chat at noon Friday, during which we'll discuss the Red Sox' hot stove, the Patriots' annual (at least) showdown with the Colts, the usual media matters, and perhaps even why "Joan -- good idea" might be our favorite line from the most fulfilling hour of television in a long time.

During our strangely meta noon chat, we discussed the beginning of the Jeremy Hermida era, whether Mariano Rivera ever plans on aging, and how bizarre it is to be answering questions about "The Office" while John Krasinski is chatting 20 feet away. Click on the "replay" button to read the transcript.

During our chat at noon, the conversation began and ended with our old friend Pedro's return to the Bronx. To read the transcript, click the replay button below.

During our always fun and sporadically informative weekly chat today, we discussed last night's Angels-Yankees epic, who might be playing left field for the Red Sox next season, and what it would be like to have Michael Scott as a stepdad, among many other topics. To read the entire transcript, click the "replay" button below.

During our usual Friday afternoon chat, the emphasis was on the Red Sox -- especially potential future Red Sox. Yes, the Hot Stove season has started even before the playoffs are over. Gotta love it. To read the transcript, click the "replay" button below.

During our weekly chat -- bumped to 2 p.m. by leadoff hitter/opening act/fellow Mainah Adam Kilgore -- we discussed exactly what you'd expect: The state of the Sox after last night's loss, and the chances of Josh Beckett coming up huge on the October stage tonight. To read the entire transcript, click the "replay" button below.

Be sure to stop by our weekly chat Friday at noon, during which we'll surely discuss our eased concerns about Jon Lester, all things Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics, and the usual media mishmash as well.

Okay, that might be my weakest intro yet, which is saying something. So let's go simpler: Stop by. It's always fun, at least for me.

(I'll keep working on it. Just let me take a sip here from my "World's Greatest Boss" mug . . . )

During our weekly Friday afternoon chat, we discussed Clay Buchholz's recent imitation of Zack Greinke, Tek's chances of catching Beckett in the postseason, and the usual chatter about "The Office." Trust us, it was a good time. Click the "replay" button below and find out for yourself.

During the occasionally anticipated weekly TATB chat this afternoon, we discussed certain catchers with a weak five-hole, the comedic stylings of Rex Ryan, interns who look like Alan Thicke, and the usual media mishmash as well.

If that doesn't sell you on clicking the "replay" button below for a transcript, nothing will.

During our usual Friday afternoon marathon chat, we discussed why the Jeter Love has become annoying again (hint: he's more than 1,000 total bases behind the Iron Horse), the horrors of an auto-pick fantasy football draft (Brandon Marshall, anyone?), and how Theo Epstein has redeemed himself (where would they be without V-Mart?). To read a transcript, click the "replay" button below.

During this Friday's chat, we discussed the Pats' probable 53-man roster, our growing belief that this Red Sox team is well built for October, and just about everything else that arrived from your keyboard to ours. To read the transcript, click the 'replay' button below.

If you stopped by you may have chimed in on such topics as whether Nick Green has better stuff than Takashi Saito, which Patriots may have played for the jobs Friday, and the usual sports media nattering.

Topics in Friday's chat may or may not have included Sox-Yankees, Pats-Bengals, and whether any of Randy Cross's artwork made the cut for the montage at the end of "Superbad." Click the replay button below to find out for sure.

Be sure to stop by today's chat at noon, during which we'll discuss Tom Brady's mostly impressive return, the Red Sox' lineup puzzle, and anything else on your sports-addled mind.

During today's epic 2-hour chat, we began writing the epitaph for John Smoltz's career (I said epitaph, not epithets) while trying to solve the Red Sox' various troubles. Click the "replay" button below to relive the fun.

Friday's chatters had Victor Martinez, Adrian Gonzalez, and Roy Halladay on the brain. Well, one out of three ain't bad.

Aiming to post my first column in far too long sometime this afternoon. In the meantime, check out the replay of our usual Friday chat, during which we discuss whether the Sox should give up Clay Buchholz for Victor Martinez. (I vote yes . . . for now), what it would take to land Roy Halladay, and anything else that floated your boat.

Today, our longtime dream of having Julio Lugo's Red Sox come to its overdue conclusion while we were in the middle of a chat was gloriously realized. Click the "replay" button below to revel in the moment, as well as various other sports and media related topics.

I'm not quite convinced yet, but after watching Brad Penny's outstanding performance last night in sweeping the Yankees, I can understand the argument that the Red Sox should not trade him for the sake of clearing a spot in the rotation. Besides, on days like to today, it's fun to remind Yankees fans that he's had essentially the same career as A.J. Burnett, but is signed for roughly $75 million less. We discussed the Penny topic, as well as Dice-K, the Sox' shortstop situation, the pea-brained Orlando Magic, and various other topics, in our weekly chat. Click replay below to read the transcript.

Maybe I'm nuts, maybe it's just desperation, or maybe I'm on to something, but I swear I've seen glimmers of hope -- small glimmers, mind you, but still, glimmers -- that David Ortiz might just snap out of this awful thing soon. Did today's chatters agree? Click the replay button to find out.

The TATB chat returned to action Friday afternoon after a one-week hiatus, and fun was had by all. Topics of the day included possible solutions for the Sox' excess of starting pitching, some grand possibilities for the Patriots this season, and whether Jason Varitek's remarkable redemption will continue. Click the "replay" button below to read the full transcript.

(Note: Chad Finn's next chat will occur, Friday, May 29).

We've had a heck of a run of good fortune as Boston sports fans the last half-dozen years . . . but man, yesterday certainly was not one the many happy days in Sportstown USA. Scott Walker reminded us that the villain sometimes wins, Ray Allen and the Celtics played like Mouseketeers in Orlando, and Big Papi . . . well, it's tough to rationally discuss what's happening to him right now. But as always, we gave it our best in our weekly chat as readers brought their frustration, optimism, and everything in between. Click the replay button below to view the transcript.

The delusional few who believed Manny was taking a female fertility drug in an attempt to get himself pregnant were especially welcome in our TATB chat Friday afternoon, but the Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox were also fair game. To read the transcript, click the "replay" button below.

I'm too preoccupied watching this Ray Allen/Derrick Rose shooting exhibition to write my usual pithy intro. So I'll quickly remind you to stop by Friday at noon for our weekly TATB chat. Hopefully, we have a Celtics victory to talk about, because right now I've really seen about enough of Brad Miller, Spock Hinrich, and Joakim Noah.

First things first this morning: Anyone who is surprised by Paul Pierce's performance last night simply hasn't been paying attention the last few years. By hitting his first six shots en route to a blowout Game 3 win, he changed the entire tenor of the series. Just more proof that you've gotta respect The Truth.

That digression out of the way, here's your reminder to check out the transcript of our weekly TATB weekly chat, which took place at noon. With the Bruins wiping out the overmatched Habs, the Celtics showing their champion's will, the Yanks in town for their first battles of '09 with the Sox, and the NFL Draft just a day away, there was plenty to talk about, so we stuck around for an extra half-hour to cover it all. Heck of a time to be a Boston sports fan, isn't it? Sure seems like we've said that a lot the last few years.

To read the recap, click "FULL ENTRY" below.

After a week's hiatus -- we're not telling you where we were, but let's just say life as a Somali pirate wasn't quite as fulfilling as we thought it would be -- the wildly (okay, mildly) popular TATB chat was back in business Friday.

Topics included KG's knee, the state of the Sox, and the big, bad Bruins. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

During today's installment of the TATB chat, topics included the Celts' chances without KG, Jay "Tears for Fears" Cutler, and our high hopes for the 2009 Sox. Click the replay button below to relive the madness.

Topics in this week's TATB chat -- which, we should note, took an unexpected and tragic twist at the end -- included the best (and worst) announcers in Boston sports, the resurgent Clay Buchholz, Pam's bizarre loyalty to Michael, and various other topics on the edge of common decency. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

Friday means chat day here at TATB, and during this week's episode we discussed a phenom named Daniel Bard, Bill Belichick's hints about Julius Peppers, the NCAA hoops tourney, and anything else that demanded an answer. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

Had our usual crazy good time at our weekly Touching All the Bases chat, even though the real Jenna Fischer was a no-show yet again. Topics included Jonathan Papelbon's comments on Manny, the identity of the real most important Celtic, and the meanest e-mail ever to arrive in my inbox. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

Topics during this afternoon's TATB chat included the remodeled Patriots, the Red Sox' injury concerns, and why you should never accept a lunch date with Bob and Phyllis Vance. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

The main topic in today's TATB chat was the state of local sports-talk radio. Go figure. But we also found time for Starbury chatter, as well as questions about the depth of the Sox pitching and the possible lack of depth in the lineup. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

Here's the transcript of our always fun weekly TATB chat, where we mourned the end of the Patrick "Acie" O'Bryant era and fretted about KG's knee. Oh, and we talked a little Sox as well. Give it a replay already!

A-Rod and the Mystery 103 was the prevalent topic in today's TATB chat, but we also found time to discuss the creepy cat fancy of Angela from "The Office," the historical greatness of Pedro Martinez, as well as some suggestions regarding what Chad should get James Posey for Valentine's Day. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

During this afternoon's TATB chat, the name Varitek kept coming up -- go figure. But we did manage to find our way to a few other topics as well, including the long-awaited answer to whether I'm actually wearing a bib in that ridiculous mug shot over there on the right. Click the replay button below to check out the transcript.

Is the Jason Varitek situation ever going to get settled? Did James Posey ever get my flowers? And most importantly, is Hillary Swank hot? Your favorite "The Office"-obsessed dimwit blogger answered those questions and many more in today's inaugural TATB chat. Click the replay button below to check out a transcript, and let's aim do it again next Friday at noon.