Much has been written about our love of sports. And there are as many reasons as there are sports fans. One reason has to be that it creates an instant source of collegiality among us. Even rabid fans can engage in entertaining banter with casual fans whenever the Sox are winning (or losing), or the B’s and C’s are in the playoffs. 

I am no arbiter of civility, but some of my friends have suggested that I use this “curmudgeon conveyancer” column for something other than whining and complaining. I’m good at whining and complaining, but perhaps I can use the column to share some constructive criticism aimed at improving civility among the members of the bar. Real estate lawyers are known for their civility, but there is always room for improvement. So, send me your suggestions and I will try to incorporate them in a future column. Meanwhile, here are some ideas some of my friends have suggested:
 

Did you see the recent article in The Boston Globe reporting that mortgages lenders are looking for taxpayer assistance to bail them out of the mortgage crisis?

Do you listen to sports talk radio? Does it drive you crazy? Me too. Notwithstanding that it was great to attend two Game 7s within a week, the results were very disappointing and hard to reconcile. In their aftermath, I was listening to a talk radio discussion regarding the Celtics vs. Orlando series and the show hosts were debating whether the NBA made a mistake when it adopted the three-point field goal in 1979.

Those of us who regularly practice in the area of real estate development have come to expect that municipal land use boards will attempt to extract a quid pro quo in exchange for the permits and approvals that they are bound, statutorily, to issue.

It is somewhat of a hollow victory whereas ticket prices have increased significantly over the years making attendance at a sporting event a luxury that many families cannot afford. For example, a lower level ticket for a regular season Celtics game that now costs $105.00, was priced at $66.00 ten years ago.

By Paul F. Alphen, Esq., James M. Burgoyne, Esq., and Charles N. LeRay, Esq.
On June 22, 2009, the Supreme Judicial Court clarified the meaning of language in Section 9 of the Zoning Act, G.L. c 40A, concerning the lapse of special permits. That language provides that:

We expect our athletes to be perfect. This column has nothing to do about golfers, by the way. When Randy Moss dropped a few passes, the sports pontificators and the talk-show-shut-ins immediately became certain that Randy was not trying hard enough.