Spraying a champagne bottle worth of thoughts while hoping Jonathan Papelbon sobers up before the playoffs start:

OK, so the celebration was a bit over the top, and I can’t blame cranky old fogies (of which I’m usually one) who criticize the Red Sox for wildly celebrating when there’s still a lot of work to be done. But I have to admit, the Fenway drinkfest/dancefest Friday night was a lot of fun to watch if for no other reason than it once again demonstrates how, at heart, these grown men are really boys playing a kid’s game.

I will say this, however. Someday, probably right around the time he’s going to have warn his kids about the dangers of drinking, Papelbon is going to look at the footage of him prancing around the turf in his “spanx” and cringe. You can bet the producers of the Red Sox 2007 team video will work that dance routine in time and time again.

Did the Mets really just blow a 7-game lead with only 18-games remaining? Texas Hold ‘Em players dealt an offsuit 2-8 don’t fold that quickly!

Strangely enough, I didn’t take much joy in this Big Apple team’s demise. You never want to see a local boy like Tom Glavine have such a disastrous final week, and Pedro Martinez pitched pretty darned well in his return from shoulder surgery, so it would have been nice to see one of my personal favorites in the post-season again.

A few playoff predictions; J.D. Drew and Eric Gagne become fan-favorites…Roger Clemens re-injures his groin/hamstring/calf/quad/cranium, pick a muscle, any muscle…the average fan realizes just how awesome Chase Utley is…and the under-appreciated Terry Francona out-manages every other bench boss as the Red Sox beat the Cubs in a World Series featuring more over-blown nostalgia than a Ken Burns documentary.

That Jets fan suing Bill Belichick and the Patriots for fraud might want to think about sicking his attorney on Eric Mangini. The only people “deceived” are New Yorkers who thought their coach was a genius. Real men of genius don’t lose to 0-3 teams missing 11-of-22 starters, as Buffalo was the other day. That happens to be the same Bills team the Patriots plastered 38-7 a week ago, on a day where Bill Belichick’s boys didn’t exactly bring their “A” game.

“Mangenius” better rebound pretty quickly. Me thinks he’s burned a few bridges in the NFL coaching community, and there probably won’t be much of a rush to bring him on as an assistant when he’s canned as HC of the NYJ.

How about a little shout out (HOLLA!) to Shannon Hlebichuk and the UMass-Lowell Field Hockey squad. A pretty solid player in her own right (4th on the River Hawks all-time scoring list), the Nashua resident has taken it to a different level as head coach. Hlebichuk’s teams are working on a streak of four consecutive Final Four appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2003 and a National Championship in ’05. If that’s not a dynasty, it’s about as close as you can come.

This year’s edition, currently ranked 5th in the nation with a very good chance of moving up a spot in this week’s poll, features locals Michelle Perrault (Chelmsford), Jaime Hadley (Chelmsford) and Sammy Macy (Tewksbury). And in case you couldn’t tell, this is my way of telling you to stop by Cushing Field every now and then for a look-see, before some major college comes to its senses and swoops Hlebichuk away.