Here are some things I thought about this week when I didn’t have time to think of a proper column idea:

• Man, that Red Sox-Astros series got out of hand in a hurry, didn’t it? You had a feeling if Chris Sale didn’t revert to midsummer dominant form in game one, the series was a lost cause. He didn’t, and unless the Red Sox pull off a miracle comeback, it is.

Sometimes in life, you’re just overmatched. For the Red Sox, this is one of those times. You can try to pick apart the two games in Houston, itemize all the mistakes. Dustin Pedroia ran into an out, Mookie Betts dropped a fly ball and allowed a run to score. The starting pitching looked like a youth baseball team on the fourth day of a five-day tournament, tired and hittable. All those things are true, but they also go to the larger point. The Astros are a lot better than the Red Sox.

Since the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and 2007, I try to approach each season simply. All I want is for the team to entertain me all summer. Be competitive. Be in the pennant chase. Everything else is gravy. Most years, they’ve done this, and 2013 was glorious. The exceptions: 2012, 2014, 2015, and that putrid September in 2011, are large, but this attitude has helped my sanity and blood pressure.

As the season hangs its hopes on Doug Fister, console yourself with this: the Red Sox are a flawed but good team that kept your attention for six months. It could be worse, you could root for the Tigers.

• I haven’t been this eager for a Celtics season to begin in 10 years. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward joining Al Horford and the gang, this team is going to be fun to watch. Let’s worry about besting Golden State later and enjoy the ride.

• The Boston Bruins opening night 4-3 win over the Nashville Preadators was indicitive of how this season is going to go. At times, this young team is going to look strong, like the second period. Then there will be times like the final two minutes of the third period, when they allowed Nashville to score two quick goals and tighten up the game, when things break down and they look like, well, a young team.

It’s heartening to see that three of Boston’s four goals were scored by young guns. David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, and Charlie McAvoy are all 21 or younger. Each was a first round draft pick. It’s early, but like the Celtics, I expect this team to be entertaining.

• The University of Maine football team’s schedule has been absolutely brutal. Saturday’s game against Villanova, a 31-0 loss for Maine, was the Black Bears third game against a nationally ranked opponent in four games. The good news for Maine is it doesn’t have another game against a currently ranked team on the schedule. The bad news is the Black Bears play in the Colonial Athletic Association, the toughest Football Championship Subdivision conference. Another opponent could become ranked quite easily.

• The New England Patriots defense looked better in Thursday’s win over Tampa Bay, but man, those stupid penalties have to stop. Back-to-back roughing the passer penalties at the end of the half? Who does that? It’s a Hail Mary, let him chuck it. The Patriots got lucky in that those penalties didn’t bite them in the butt like the ones against Carolina in the previous game.

If these stupid penalties continue, Bill Belichick might cut a guy to prove a point. I don’t mean from the team. I mean with a really long, really sharp knife.

• I spent two days this week at Kennebec County Superior Court for jury duty. While I wasn’t selected to serve on a jury, it was an interesting two days and I enjoyed learning a little about the jury selection process. Another plus, it kept me from watching the early inning meltdown of the Red Sox Friday afternoon.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM