Ponderous thoughts I was pondering while waiting for a new keyboard to be installed on the trusty laptop that followed me to the Patriots' last two Super Bowl appearances:

- I know radio stations and their talk-show hosts have to hype what's coming after the next break, to keep individuals like me from pressing another button and going elsewhere. But sometimes the teasers are so misleading, it's downright maddening.

For instance, I took a ride down to the Cape for a well-deserved day off Monday, but spent the ride clicking between Boston's two sports-gabbers. Just before a top-of-the-hour break, WBZ-FM's Gary Tanguay announced to the world that Patriots' coach Bill Belichick had engaged in a dust-up with the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian at the morning press conference, and that he and co-host Scott Zolak would have the audio for all to hear after the break.

Tanguay sounded quite animated about the audio that was to follow, so I decided to stay with "The Sports Hub" into the next hour. Tanguay and Zolak teased the Belichick-Guregian "smackdown" at least three times before the break, and followed it with a lengthy lead-in to what I assumed would be genuine fireworks between the coach and the veteran Herald reporter.

Of course, I was hooked. Knowing Karen to be a pleasant and even-keeled individual, I was compelled to listen because I just couldn't imagine her getting involved in a shouting match with Belichick (or for that matter, Belichick shouting at anyone, either). Anyway, here is what the Patriots issued as a transcript of the fireworks that Tanguay and Zolak promised, and it closely reflects the actual questions I heard:

Guregian: Is Fred Taylor still capable of carrying the load of the feature back or is he past his prime in that regard?

Belichick: Well, it looked like he carried the mail yesterday.

Guregian: I mean over the course of a season?

Belichick: Well, I don't know the answer to that. We've only played three games.

Four questions later, Guregian asked one more follow-up:

Guregian: Getting back to the running backs, it's kind of been a committee approach the last few years. Are you averse to having a feature back?

Belichick: Like when Corey Dillon ran for 1,600 yards? Would I be opposed to that? Yeah, I don't think so.

I heard the WBZ-FM version (which edited all of the running back questions together) and another recording, and I can tell you without fear of contradiction that while Belichick may have been a little dismissive in his responses, there was nothing in the exchange between him and Guregian that could even remotely be classified as "fireworks." But, as the old saying goes, never let facts stand in the way of a good storyline.

I know WBZ is new to the sports-talk game and it probably has to shout a little louder from time to time to draw attention to its programming, standing in the shadow of the WEEI behemoth as it is. But to sell that by-play between Guregian and Belichick as anything more than just another press conference exchange was taking self-promotion to an extreme - and I'm sorry I was suckered into listening to it. - As expected, Seekonk High's football game Friday night at Old Rochester has been changed to 1:30 p.m. Saturday because of continued fears over the Eastern Equine Encephalitis infection found in mosquitoes along the South Coast. That's OK, I love Saturday-afternoon football.

- By the way, during the Warriors' 17-7 victory at Apponequet last Saturday, the PA announcer continually pronounced Seekonk running back Joe Teixeira's name "Te-sher-a," like the New York Yankees' slugger. I don't believe the Seekonk lad pronounces it that way, but if not, I suppose it's not bad to err on the side of the famous.

- I drove a rented 2009 Chevy Malibu to the Meadowlands for the game against the Jets (wanted to keep the mileage down on my own leased car), and found it to be an excellent automobile - except for one little thing. It was a four-door sedan, and there was a huge plastic outcropping at the bottom of the driver's door opening that I kept smacking into with my left hip as I entered the car.

- After further review, I'm convinced that Franklin may be a worthy contender to break into the Hockomock League's top tier this year. Indeed, there are five teams worthy of contention and I would not be surprised to see the winner emerge with one or even two losses.

- Any more 3-hour, 12-minute high school games, however, and I'll be lobbying for 6:30 p.m. starts in the future. Interesting it is that the South Coast Conference is still content to play 10-minute quarters.

- On U.S. 1 southbound in Walpole, there's a billboard featuring the likenesses of Fox football analysts Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson, and a text box that changes each week to reflect the anticipated topic of the pre-game broadcasts. Last week, the text inside the box said, "What's wrong with the Patriots?!?" I'm sure that endeared Fox to the thousands of fans caught in traffic on their way to see the Patriots beat the Falcons, 26-10.

- Brandon McGowan is a man of few words, but he's letting his play at safety and special teams speak volumes for the Patriots right now. And I bet you thought the only good things to come out of Maine were former KP pitcher Joey Johnson, ex-Feehan hoops standout Missy Traversi and Poland Spring.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.