Well I know one place Bron Bron will have absolutely no interest in coming when he’s a free agent in 2010. He has to hate Boston more than any other athlete right now right? They blocked his route to the finals and robbed him of a LeBron vs. Kobe showdown for the NBA and Best Player on Planet Earth titles. I can’t think of anyone else that would loathe the hub more right now than King James.
I’d just like to thank David Stern for bringing us an opening night that had the Celtics playing the Cavs at the Garden, during which the Celtics got their (totally sweet and classy) championship rings and raised banner number 17 to the crowed rafters.
For a borderline meaningless game one of 82 last night was rife with subplots. Like I said you had the blood boiling hatred I would imagine LeBron has for Boston, you had the history of the Celtics and their return to prominence on full display with the ring ceremony and then you had 48 minutes of LeBron and Pierce going shot for shot once again.
I realize that the Big Three aren’t exactly spring chickens but this has become a good rivalry game and will be as long as LeBron is in Cleveland.
LeBron did a lot to become one of those guys that fans in Boston love to hate. He forced the Celtics to a game seven doing everything humanly possible to end their dream season and last night he stayed in the locker room until after the Celtics ring ceremony.
I think that was a great move by LeBron. I know every team that wins a championship does the ring presentation and banner raising on opening day and there is always a team that has to stand there and watch. I loved LeBron’s ‘f that’ attitude, I don’t blame him I wouldn’t want to watch either. And you knew he was sitting in the locker room fuming and ready to throw down when he hit the court.
Unfortunately for King James he stuggled through a tough 9-for-21 shooting night and the Celtics shook off the emotion of the pre-game festivities to hold the Cavs to just 13 third quarter points to take the win.
LeBron did have a chance to win it late but he drove the lane and missed a shot then missed two free throws and had to watch Paul Pierce drop 27 to take another win away from him.
Pierce obviously loves his life right now. Before the game they were showing highlights from last season on Comcast Sports Net and I saw the Garnett-Allen-Pierce press conference and Pierce has a shit-eating grin the entire time. No wonder he took the mic and rambled on during the pregame. He suffered through some tough times in Boston and even though he asked for a trade two years ago (don’t blame him) he stuck it out and now he’s finally able to truly be looked at as a Celtic great.
As far as the Celtics go you’re not great without winning a championship.
p.s. my guy Rajon Rondo had 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals. Plus he was 4-of-5 from the floor. To those Kentucky kids in Daytona that gave me crap for being happy that Rondo came out early…he’s better than you gave him credit for. He might not be a great shooter but he hits most of the shots he needs to.
Oh and you go Leon Powe.
Is there a guy with a bigger smile on his face than Danny Ainge right now? After changing his approach to the team about 15 times he not only totally redeemed himself (with some help from Kevin McHale) by getting KG and Jesus Shuttlesworth but he drafted well getting Rondo and Powe and made great moves to bring in Eddie House, James Posey and PJ Brown.
Long story short Danny was getting killed two years ago and now he has the same job title as Red…and Rich Pitino…hopefully it will continue to travel down the Red road and not veer off into Pitino territory.
1-0…one step closer to banner number 18.
Showing posts with label Celtics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celtics. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, June 29, 2007
He Got Game
I Need another 20
Its funny how quickly a fan’s tune can change, mine changed a matter of hours. Yesterday I was talking about how anti-climatic the NBA draft was going to be for the Celtics, no matter what there wasn’t anything the C’s could do that would instantly make fans feel better – like getting Durant or Oden would have.
I guess deep down I was hoping the Celtics would pick Corey Brewer, assuming he was available (which he was) but I would have been alright with a player like Jeff Green too. Either guy would have helped the team but nothing was going to make them an instant contender.
I guess deep down I was hoping the Celtics would pick Corey Brewer, assuming he was available (which he was) but I would have been alright with a player like Jeff Green too. Either guy would have helped the team but nothing was going to make them an instant contender.
Well after all the trade talks one finally went down that sent Delonte West, Wally and the fifth pick (Jeff Green) to Seattle for Jesus Shuttlesworth (a.k.a. Ray Allen). I might be the only Celtics fan who is ok with moving on from D-West and as much as I like Wally he sucked in Boston and it’s good to see his contract numbers go. With that said my reaction to the trade was simply confusion.
I don’t see how adding Ray Allen immediately helps the Celtics. Now I’ve heard that the Celtics brought him in as a way to try and entice Kevin Garnett to come to Boston (my sources are Joey Hegarty, The Herald and WEEI on that one). If you have Pierce, Shuttlesworth and Garnett then the Celtics are an instant contender. Plus the rumored deal would send out Al Jefferson (remember I said rumored), Theo Ratliff’s contract and Bassy Telfair to Minnesota. I’d be pretty happy with that since getting Ratliff and Wally off the books frees up some money to go after another point guard, which the Celtics need. Of course if that deal does turn out to be rumor then I am still very confused about the Celtics draft day.
It’s one thing to make a move for a proven scorer and veteran player like Ray Allen. Even if it seems like Danny Ainge was trying to appease Paul Pierce. It’s quite another to proceed the rest of the way like Boston did. Now I’m not Steven A. Smith or Danny Ainge or any other “expert” or GM but Corey Brewer was available, he can play D and has the ability to score at times, to me he would have been a safe pick at five, but I digress.
The trade gave Boston a second, second round pick. At 32 and 35 the Celtics surely had some solid players available and I’m willing to give Gabe Pruitt and Glen “Big Baby” Davis their shot, what do we have to lose at this point? I can’t help but feel like Pruitt wasn’t the right pick to make. Personally I was hoping for Tauren Green, he’s a point guard with a decent shot that can run the floor, he was the point on two national championship teams, and he looked like a good fit to play behind Rajon Rondo. Don’t get me wrong I’ve been saying Rondo was a great pick from day one but he’s not going to play 48 minutes every night. The Celtics need a back up point guard not another three point shooting two-guard - And no Bassy isn’t going to cut it, I don’t like to just rip on people but he was awful last year.
In my opinion Danny Ainge is rapidly running out of chances to fix this mess that the C’s have become. They definitely over achieved when they went to the Eastern Conference Finals but they were better then 24 wins that’s for sure. Of course all of this could change if the Garnett rumors were to come true that would buy Danny some extra lives. Especially since they’d instantly be a contender, even with a poor coach. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, I’m pulling for Gabe Pruitt, Big Baby and Jesus to prove me wrong…after all he got game.
I don’t see how adding Ray Allen immediately helps the Celtics. Now I’ve heard that the Celtics brought him in as a way to try and entice Kevin Garnett to come to Boston (my sources are Joey Hegarty, The Herald and WEEI on that one). If you have Pierce, Shuttlesworth and Garnett then the Celtics are an instant contender. Plus the rumored deal would send out Al Jefferson (remember I said rumored), Theo Ratliff’s contract and Bassy Telfair to Minnesota. I’d be pretty happy with that since getting Ratliff and Wally off the books frees up some money to go after another point guard, which the Celtics need. Of course if that deal does turn out to be rumor then I am still very confused about the Celtics draft day.
It’s one thing to make a move for a proven scorer and veteran player like Ray Allen. Even if it seems like Danny Ainge was trying to appease Paul Pierce. It’s quite another to proceed the rest of the way like Boston did. Now I’m not Steven A. Smith or Danny Ainge or any other “expert” or GM but Corey Brewer was available, he can play D and has the ability to score at times, to me he would have been a safe pick at five, but I digress.
The trade gave Boston a second, second round pick. At 32 and 35 the Celtics surely had some solid players available and I’m willing to give Gabe Pruitt and Glen “Big Baby” Davis their shot, what do we have to lose at this point? I can’t help but feel like Pruitt wasn’t the right pick to make. Personally I was hoping for Tauren Green, he’s a point guard with a decent shot that can run the floor, he was the point on two national championship teams, and he looked like a good fit to play behind Rajon Rondo. Don’t get me wrong I’ve been saying Rondo was a great pick from day one but he’s not going to play 48 minutes every night. The Celtics need a back up point guard not another three point shooting two-guard - And no Bassy isn’t going to cut it, I don’t like to just rip on people but he was awful last year.
In my opinion Danny Ainge is rapidly running out of chances to fix this mess that the C’s have become. They definitely over achieved when they went to the Eastern Conference Finals but they were better then 24 wins that’s for sure. Of course all of this could change if the Garnett rumors were to come true that would buy Danny some extra lives. Especially since they’d instantly be a contender, even with a poor coach. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, I’m pulling for Gabe Pruitt, Big Baby and Jesus to prove me wrong…after all he got game.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Twenty Second Time Out - T-Minus Draft Day
Why do no NBA players want to come to Boston? I know it’s a lot to ask that all four of your cities major sports teams be at the top of their respective leagues. I’m not going to lie I’m pretty content with the Sox lineup right now and the Patriots are going to be codes, but I don’t think it’s asking too much to have your NBA franchise be relevant and competitive. I wrote about how unacceptable the Celtics season was after the lottery but as we sit here and hour away from the draft and the way the rumor mill has been swirling I simply can’t help myself.
I realize that everything that’s been on SportsCenter has been rumor but over and over again I’ve heard (Fill in NBA player name here) doesn’t want to go to Boston. It can’t just be because the Celtics suck, I know they do but so do a lot of other teams. I’ve also heard it’s a racial issue. Boston is not a place young black athletes jump at the chance to go to. If you look over the history, there is a precedent for that attitude. When Randy Moss first signed with the Pats I remember hearing a lot of talk about how it could be rough on him because Boston isn’t the greatest on polarizing black athletes. Which is true, Boston doesn’t have the best history. The Red Sox were the last team to integrate and the Boston media, newspapers and sports radio especially have been pretty tough on black players in this town.
Black players are often painted as selfish, lazy and or money hungry, like Deion Branch and Asante Samuel. Personally I have nothing against those guys, I do wish they’d play with out holding out but they also play a sport with the shortest average career length. If you look at it that way I can see where Asante is coming from with his “’Get Paid” tattoo.
This nobody wants to play in Boston sentiment is just another example of how far the Celtics have fallen and how Danny Ainge has failed (too this point – I still have a hint of optimism – surprisingly). At this point the draft is going to be anti-climatic for me. Without getting the one or two pick it almost doesn’t matter who they get. Obviously it will have implications for the future, like if they draft the Chinese guy we’re in trouble, unless the other NBA teams start signing chairs to play defense then we’ll be ok.
If asked me a month ago I’d say please God don’t take Joakim Noah, now I don’t see the Celtics winning more than 40-45 games so why not take Joakim at least he’s a winner. Ok I’m still not really sold on Joakim but that’s my point a month or two ago I was ready to swing over the NBA draft. Now I’m not sure how much I really care. Am I going to be pissed if we get Joakim, probably not, but I’m not going to be too stoked if we get Jeff Green, Al Horford and Corey Brewer or trade the pick. Since everyone apparently hates the idea of coming to Boston (easy Shawn Marion – not sure who you think you are) I guess they will just have to pick. I’d like to see Horford, but he probably won’t be available I think I’d honestly be the happiest with Corey Brewer; he really impressed me in the final four. Either way the draft is in 40 minutes, unfortunately it’s not going to be the block party we all hoped it would be a few months ago. Here’s to another couple of months of talking to the three Joe’s and trying to convince ourselves that if everyone stays healthy and the kids come together this team could surprise people… J
I realize that everything that’s been on SportsCenter has been rumor but over and over again I’ve heard (Fill in NBA player name here) doesn’t want to go to Boston. It can’t just be because the Celtics suck, I know they do but so do a lot of other teams. I’ve also heard it’s a racial issue. Boston is not a place young black athletes jump at the chance to go to. If you look over the history, there is a precedent for that attitude. When Randy Moss first signed with the Pats I remember hearing a lot of talk about how it could be rough on him because Boston isn’t the greatest on polarizing black athletes. Which is true, Boston doesn’t have the best history. The Red Sox were the last team to integrate and the Boston media, newspapers and sports radio especially have been pretty tough on black players in this town.
Black players are often painted as selfish, lazy and or money hungry, like Deion Branch and Asante Samuel. Personally I have nothing against those guys, I do wish they’d play with out holding out but they also play a sport with the shortest average career length. If you look at it that way I can see where Asante is coming from with his “’Get Paid” tattoo.
This nobody wants to play in Boston sentiment is just another example of how far the Celtics have fallen and how Danny Ainge has failed (too this point – I still have a hint of optimism – surprisingly). At this point the draft is going to be anti-climatic for me. Without getting the one or two pick it almost doesn’t matter who they get. Obviously it will have implications for the future, like if they draft the Chinese guy we’re in trouble, unless the other NBA teams start signing chairs to play defense then we’ll be ok.
If asked me a month ago I’d say please God don’t take Joakim Noah, now I don’t see the Celtics winning more than 40-45 games so why not take Joakim at least he’s a winner. Ok I’m still not really sold on Joakim but that’s my point a month or two ago I was ready to swing over the NBA draft. Now I’m not sure how much I really care. Am I going to be pissed if we get Joakim, probably not, but I’m not going to be too stoked if we get Jeff Green, Al Horford and Corey Brewer or trade the pick. Since everyone apparently hates the idea of coming to Boston (easy Shawn Marion – not sure who you think you are) I guess they will just have to pick. I’d like to see Horford, but he probably won’t be available I think I’d honestly be the happiest with Corey Brewer; he really impressed me in the final four. Either way the draft is in 40 minutes, unfortunately it’s not going to be the block party we all hoped it would be a few months ago. Here’s to another couple of months of talking to the three Joe’s and trying to convince ourselves that if everyone stays healthy and the kids come together this team could surprise people… J
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Danny Can You Hear Me?
The fifth pick, seriously? Good joke NBA but really where are the Celtics picking in the draft next month? Oh you weren’t kidding, they are actually picking fifth. How did this happen? Wasn’t fifth the worst case scenario?
In the back of my head I was nervous that the worst could definitely happen. That’s the cynical Bostonian in me, but I was more excited than I was nauseous. I was fully prepared and ready to go into talk people (a.k.a. my two green bleeding friends Joey & Joey) off any ledges they may have been near if the C’s didn’t get one of the top two picks last night. Then it happened for real, and I lost it. Things are not going to be okay.
The number one and two picks in this year’s NBA Draft are franchise changing players and realistically those two players, Oden and Durant, were the only thing that should be able to save Danny Ainge’s career and life. I, like many others, including the Boston media have been blinded by a likeable coach who says all the right things and a group of talented youngsters that are supposed to be full of tremendous upside potential. How in the name of Red Auerbach is 24-58 an acceptable record in this town? How could a coach with a career record of 273-312 and one winning season in three years get resigned to a new deal? How has no one requested, wait requested, fuck that, demanded Danny Angie’s head on a stake yet?
Danny took over a team that went to the conference finals in 2001-02, blew the team up getting rid of pretty much every player with the exception of Pierce and for a short time Antoine Walker and has since run the team into the ground. What other executive can get away with this. I feel like every baseball writer during the 1998 season they all felt like something was up but never spoke up now the whole steroid thing has become a shit show. Well that’s what has happened to the once proud Celtics.
The ultimate demise of the Celtics can’t completely be blamed on Ainge, some blame falls on Rick Pitino and just general bad luck. Lenny Bias and Reggie Lewis aren’t Danny’s fault but he hasn’t exactly done a bang up job either. Blowing up the 2001-02 Celtics didn’t seem like a horrible idea at the time. The team was full of likeable players that got the job done but they had probably gone about as far as they were going to go with guys like Walter McCarty and Erik Williams.
The number one and two picks in this year’s NBA Draft are franchise changing players and realistically those two players, Oden and Durant, were the only thing that should be able to save Danny Ainge’s career and life. I, like many others, including the Boston media have been blinded by a likeable coach who says all the right things and a group of talented youngsters that are supposed to be full of tremendous upside potential. How in the name of Red Auerbach is 24-58 an acceptable record in this town? How could a coach with a career record of 273-312 and one winning season in three years get resigned to a new deal? How has no one requested, wait requested, fuck that, demanded Danny Angie’s head on a stake yet?
Danny took over a team that went to the conference finals in 2001-02, blew the team up getting rid of pretty much every player with the exception of Pierce and for a short time Antoine Walker and has since run the team into the ground. What other executive can get away with this. I feel like every baseball writer during the 1998 season they all felt like something was up but never spoke up now the whole steroid thing has become a shit show. Well that’s what has happened to the once proud Celtics.
The ultimate demise of the Celtics can’t completely be blamed on Ainge, some blame falls on Rick Pitino and just general bad luck. Lenny Bias and Reggie Lewis aren’t Danny’s fault but he hasn’t exactly done a bang up job either. Blowing up the 2001-02 Celtics didn’t seem like a horrible idea at the time. The team was full of likeable players that got the job done but they had probably gone about as far as they were going to go with guys like Walter McCarty and Erik Williams.
I’ve heard people say they were good in 2001-02, you’re wrong they weren’t. The Celtics, and the Nets for that matter, overachieved. As far as good teams go the 2001-02 Celtics weren’t a good team. They were a group of role players that complimented Pierce and Walker and they were certainly fun to watch but they overachieved and they probably weren’t going to get much better. So when Danny took over the team we as fans were pretty optimistic, even if he did get rid of Jim O’Brien and Antoine.
At first you had to agree with Angie’s moves, by bringing him in the new ownership forced douche bag former GM Chris Wallace to a different role. Yes, the Chris Wallace that brought in Vin Baker. With the situation that the Celtics were in blowing up the team was something we were convinced was necessary. However six years later it hasn’t really shown much promise.
Danny has drafted “well”, at least that what we’ve been told. Actually we’ve been badgered with the fact that Al Jefferson and Gerald Green are the next NBA superstars. Unfortunately it seems like Celtics fans are the only ones that have bought into that line of thinking. Maybe now that we are picking fifth in the Draft we’ll start to wake up. Jefferson is a solid player he could definitely be the next great Boston star, but what’s the next move for this team?
We were willing to give Danny a pass if they got one of the top two picks, but they didn’t, so what happens now? Are we willing to wait on these young kids and see if they can turn things around? One thing is clear and that is the fact that the current path the Celtics are on is not working and needs some kind of change. The Celtics and their fans were dealt a devastating blow by losing the lottery. The Celtics also lost a chance to buy themselves some time by resigning Doc Rivers. The C’s could have dumped Rivers and hung some blame on him, that most likely would have bought Danny another year to make some moves and try to get this team back to at least the playoffs.
Now I don’t think just making the playoffs is going to be enough. Fans need to see some results. We’ve waited for Danny’s plan to come to fruition and now it might be time to make some moves and either try to bring in veteran help or move Paul Pierce. Either way Danny Ainge has run out of time.
What has happened to the fans that ran Rick Pitino out of town on a rail? Are we this complacent? Imagine if Theo Epstien had run the Red Sox into the ground, there would be riots. And maybe that is part of the issue. The Celtics have dropped so far off the casual fan radar that Danny Ainge can get away with turning the team into the NBA’s second worse.
The Celtics storied history is exactly that a storied history. They don’t have the pink hat wearing casual fans that the Red Sox or Patriots have. The team that turned Boston into a basketball city has gone by the wayside with fans and it’s not going to get any better. I’m 22. I was too young to remember when the Celtics were a dominant team but the Patriots and Red Sox have been contenders for the majority of my sports fan-formative years. I’m still a big C’s fan but I think people like me that are around my age have forgotten about them because they’ve been so irrelevant lately.
The NBA needs the Celtics to be competitive again because the league is losing out on one of its most prominent basketball cities. The Celtics need to be competitive again because they are rapidly losing ground to the other teams in the region. Before you know it the Celtics and Bruins will be all but forgotten tenants in the FleetCenter/TD Banknorth Garden or whatever the hell it is called now.
It’s time for a change. Danny has had his chance and hasn’t delivered. It’s a desperate time for the Boston Celtics and as likeable this group of players may be something drastic needs to happen. Do you need to blow the team up again? Maybe, or maybe not, regardless I think there are going to be a few of our favorite lovable losing youngsters on different teams at the start of next season.
At first you had to agree with Angie’s moves, by bringing him in the new ownership forced douche bag former GM Chris Wallace to a different role. Yes, the Chris Wallace that brought in Vin Baker. With the situation that the Celtics were in blowing up the team was something we were convinced was necessary. However six years later it hasn’t really shown much promise.
Danny has drafted “well”, at least that what we’ve been told. Actually we’ve been badgered with the fact that Al Jefferson and Gerald Green are the next NBA superstars. Unfortunately it seems like Celtics fans are the only ones that have bought into that line of thinking. Maybe now that we are picking fifth in the Draft we’ll start to wake up. Jefferson is a solid player he could definitely be the next great Boston star, but what’s the next move for this team?
We were willing to give Danny a pass if they got one of the top two picks, but they didn’t, so what happens now? Are we willing to wait on these young kids and see if they can turn things around? One thing is clear and that is the fact that the current path the Celtics are on is not working and needs some kind of change. The Celtics and their fans were dealt a devastating blow by losing the lottery. The Celtics also lost a chance to buy themselves some time by resigning Doc Rivers. The C’s could have dumped Rivers and hung some blame on him, that most likely would have bought Danny another year to make some moves and try to get this team back to at least the playoffs.
Now I don’t think just making the playoffs is going to be enough. Fans need to see some results. We’ve waited for Danny’s plan to come to fruition and now it might be time to make some moves and either try to bring in veteran help or move Paul Pierce. Either way Danny Ainge has run out of time.
What has happened to the fans that ran Rick Pitino out of town on a rail? Are we this complacent? Imagine if Theo Epstien had run the Red Sox into the ground, there would be riots. And maybe that is part of the issue. The Celtics have dropped so far off the casual fan radar that Danny Ainge can get away with turning the team into the NBA’s second worse.
The Celtics storied history is exactly that a storied history. They don’t have the pink hat wearing casual fans that the Red Sox or Patriots have. The team that turned Boston into a basketball city has gone by the wayside with fans and it’s not going to get any better. I’m 22. I was too young to remember when the Celtics were a dominant team but the Patriots and Red Sox have been contenders for the majority of my sports fan-formative years. I’m still a big C’s fan but I think people like me that are around my age have forgotten about them because they’ve been so irrelevant lately.
The NBA needs the Celtics to be competitive again because the league is losing out on one of its most prominent basketball cities. The Celtics need to be competitive again because they are rapidly losing ground to the other teams in the region. Before you know it the Celtics and Bruins will be all but forgotten tenants in the FleetCenter/TD Banknorth Garden or whatever the hell it is called now.
It’s time for a change. Danny has had his chance and hasn’t delivered. It’s a desperate time for the Boston Celtics and as likeable this group of players may be something drastic needs to happen. Do you need to blow the team up again? Maybe, or maybe not, regardless I think there are going to be a few of our favorite lovable losing youngsters on different teams at the start of next season.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ramblings and Patriots Day
Work has been incredibly busy over the last week and it’s probably not going to change too much but there’s been a lot of stuff going on so I have to say something about it all. With that said I give to you another installment of the ramblings
Can’t start off with anything but Red Sox talk…the Sox are 6-4 after the first two weeks of the season and we’ve already seen some stuff that makes me worrisome and a bunch of stuff that has me pumped for a monster 2007 season. Except the weather is hideous right now so who knows when the Sox will actually play again. Patriots Day, a.k.a. the coolest unique game in all of sports has already been pushed back at least two hours if not more…lame.
On to the Sox, first and foremost is the starting pitching, I one-hundred percent believe that you can never have enough starting pitching but I think that the Red Sox are in a pretty good position. At the very least they are in better shape then any other AL East team right now.
I’ve heard talk about Schilling not being an ace anymore which at times I’ll admit I agree with he’s not the pitcher he was in 2004 or before then. He’s going to have his nights and he’s going to have shitty nights, like opening day for example, but he’s still a guy you have confidence in when he trots out to the mound every fifth day.
Josh Beckett is the ace of the staff in my opinion. Forget about 2006 he is poised to have a big time year. He’s looked great in his two starts. He had some killer stuff in KC and just steamrolled the Mariners in the home opener. I don’t know if he’s going to take home the Cy Young award but I did predict a batting title for Youk so call me a homer I guess. Regardless I feel like he’s poised to have a good year and it seems like he always takes the mound with something to prove. Plus he is insanely intense, like Papelbon.
Then there is Dice-k, granted he had his Fenway opener crashed by King Felix but he’s been pretty solid in his first two outings. The guy isn’t going to go 30-0 but hopefully more often then not he will end up on the winning end of games where he is only giving up a couple of runs. So far, so good with Dice-k though, his stuff has looked pretty good and one this to remember is that the weather has not been friendly and he’s a guy that pitched most of his games in a dome. If the weather ever warms up here in New England or the US for that matter I think he’ll be even better since he’ll be more comfortable. No one wants to do anything when its cold and your body react differently. Sounds dumb but seriously keep it in mind.
Wake is pretty much the same as he has been over the last few years. You have to win when he pitches well or it will come back to bite you. Wake’s knuckle ball is bizarre and sometimes it works great other times guys get it or it’s not doing what he wants it to and he gets rocked. In my opinion, he’s still going to get 10-12 wins but the Red Sox have to win on nights when he’s only giving up 2-3 runs because there are going to be nights when he gets shelled and gives up 6 or 7. I know it’s early but the other night in Texas, games like that really can’t happen.
What can you say about Julian Tavarez? I don’t really I know I just hope he can hold down the fort and not totally fuck everything up until Lester is ready to come back. I’ve said it before the addition of Lester midway through the season could be like adding a pitcher at the trading deadline so hopefully Tavarez can get the job done. I think he’s proven that he can be effective but he’s going to need run support like any pitcher, if he can keep his ERA between 4-and-5, he’ll be fine the Sox have enough pop in their lineup that they should be able to put up at least that night in and night out.
Couple more Red Sox notes before we get into the rest of my semi-coherent ramblings…
I never realized that how we take the Red Sox broadcast teams for granted. Being from Boston I’m a bit of a homer for homer announcers, everyone loved Johnny Most, even if he sounded like he was gargling hot asphalt, and most people like Tommy Heinsohn. Jerry Remy is a bit of a homer especially when it comes to Wally the Green Monster. My point is that Jerry and Don are very, very good in the booth. I’ve always disliked Tim McCarver and Joe Buck and I only hear Joe Morgan and John Miller once in a while but they suck.
I’ve always maintained how much I like Jerry and Don but I am just realizing that I’ve always taken the Sox radio team for granted. Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano were a great team, they had great chemistry and really knew the Sox and their fans. Trup’s “WAAAY BAAACCK” was deceiving but overall they gave you all that you could want from the radio. When it was first announced that he wasn’t going to be doing the broadcasts anymore I wasn’t real happy since I catch a lot of games on the radio during the summer.
INANE BANTER ALERT - Cheruiyot takes the marathon, he didn’t fall at the finish line this time but the camera bike just absolutely dumped right behind him and no one seems to care.
The first week of the season I listen to chunks of games on the radio in the car and guess what. Dave O’Brien is awesome. I was skeptical after hearing he’d replace Trup, since he does a lot of soccer, but the guy is great, I love listening to him and even though it will take some time for him and Joe Castiglione to develop chemistry he’s a great replacement. As for Glenn Geffner, I’ve got nothing against the guy, he does an ok job but O’Brien is an everyday player in the majors, I think Glenn is still playing triple A right now. I’m not one to talk since I’m rocking the college wooden bat league and maybe it’s a bit of an unfair comparison but still when I hear Geffner instead of O’Brien it’s a little bit of a let down.
The Celtics clinched the second worst record in the NBA. They’ll still probably get the fifth pick. I don’t want to talk about this right now, but if they don’t get the first or second pick I think they have to try and trade for a veteran like Garnett or something the Celtics don’t need another young guy that has great potential. I guess maybe you could go with one of the NBA ready guys from Florida like Corey Brewer but I don’t want Joakim Noah I want Oden or Durant. At some point someone has to be held accountable for this miserable state of the Celtics. I blame whoever came up with those “God is a Celtics Fan” commercials from a couple years ago…prick.
I think I might start throwing up some stuff about TV now that I work five (or seven) days a week I’ve started to watch more TV at night with more regularity. Obviously 24 and Prison Break but I’ve added some others and why not write about it. For example Entourage is excellent and I’m not sure how but South Park continues to get funnier with each episode. I’m thinking regular weekly TV columns might be in order. (Stay tuned for a why 24 has not jumped the shark…its coming, seriously)
Just wanted to touch on Jackie Robinson Day real quick
People really have Dice-k fever here, after missing one game due to miserable weather everyone is already counting out days to see if Dice-k will miss a scheduled start with the Yankees. Also every time someone Japanese was on camera during the marathon coverage Bob Lobel felt it necessary to mention Dice-k. For example we had this tidbit from Bob when the wheelchair leader, who was Japanese, was rolling (literally) through Cleveland Circle.
“Boston really is turning Japanese…and if Dice-k is watching from the clubhouse I’m sure he’s very proud.” Maybe I should have watched the marathon on versus.
The Red Sox game finally started at 12ish and NESN is really pushing this Sox Appeal dating show, relax NESN I’m going to watch it just make sure I know when it starts and I’ll be watching. How could you not watch this? It’s going to be the highest of high comedy, like NEXT but with kids that had thick Boston accents and chicks that swear every fourth word and call every Yankee player a faggot on air, I’m pumped for this, but you already knew that. By the way casting starts this week at participating Bob’s Stores…there is one is Middleton…giddy…yup.
The Substitute 4 is on TV right now…they made four of those movies…seriously people. Oh wait; I’ve definitely seen this before…wow I may need to reevaluate my TV habits. Okay time for the Patriots Day game.
Can’t start off with anything but Red Sox talk…the Sox are 6-4 after the first two weeks of the season and we’ve already seen some stuff that makes me worrisome and a bunch of stuff that has me pumped for a monster 2007 season. Except the weather is hideous right now so who knows when the Sox will actually play again. Patriots Day, a.k.a. the coolest unique game in all of sports has already been pushed back at least two hours if not more…lame.
On to the Sox, first and foremost is the starting pitching, I one-hundred percent believe that you can never have enough starting pitching but I think that the Red Sox are in a pretty good position. At the very least they are in better shape then any other AL East team right now.
I’ve heard talk about Schilling not being an ace anymore which at times I’ll admit I agree with he’s not the pitcher he was in 2004 or before then. He’s going to have his nights and he’s going to have shitty nights, like opening day for example, but he’s still a guy you have confidence in when he trots out to the mound every fifth day.
Josh Beckett is the ace of the staff in my opinion. Forget about 2006 he is poised to have a big time year. He’s looked great in his two starts. He had some killer stuff in KC and just steamrolled the Mariners in the home opener. I don’t know if he’s going to take home the Cy Young award but I did predict a batting title for Youk so call me a homer I guess. Regardless I feel like he’s poised to have a good year and it seems like he always takes the mound with something to prove. Plus he is insanely intense, like Papelbon.
Then there is Dice-k, granted he had his Fenway opener crashed by King Felix but he’s been pretty solid in his first two outings. The guy isn’t going to go 30-0 but hopefully more often then not he will end up on the winning end of games where he is only giving up a couple of runs. So far, so good with Dice-k though, his stuff has looked pretty good and one this to remember is that the weather has not been friendly and he’s a guy that pitched most of his games in a dome. If the weather ever warms up here in New England or the US for that matter I think he’ll be even better since he’ll be more comfortable. No one wants to do anything when its cold and your body react differently. Sounds dumb but seriously keep it in mind.
Wake is pretty much the same as he has been over the last few years. You have to win when he pitches well or it will come back to bite you. Wake’s knuckle ball is bizarre and sometimes it works great other times guys get it or it’s not doing what he wants it to and he gets rocked. In my opinion, he’s still going to get 10-12 wins but the Red Sox have to win on nights when he’s only giving up 2-3 runs because there are going to be nights when he gets shelled and gives up 6 or 7. I know it’s early but the other night in Texas, games like that really can’t happen.
What can you say about Julian Tavarez? I don’t really I know I just hope he can hold down the fort and not totally fuck everything up until Lester is ready to come back. I’ve said it before the addition of Lester midway through the season could be like adding a pitcher at the trading deadline so hopefully Tavarez can get the job done. I think he’s proven that he can be effective but he’s going to need run support like any pitcher, if he can keep his ERA between 4-and-5, he’ll be fine the Sox have enough pop in their lineup that they should be able to put up at least that night in and night out.
Couple more Red Sox notes before we get into the rest of my semi-coherent ramblings…
I never realized that how we take the Red Sox broadcast teams for granted. Being from Boston I’m a bit of a homer for homer announcers, everyone loved Johnny Most, even if he sounded like he was gargling hot asphalt, and most people like Tommy Heinsohn. Jerry Remy is a bit of a homer especially when it comes to Wally the Green Monster. My point is that Jerry and Don are very, very good in the booth. I’ve always disliked Tim McCarver and Joe Buck and I only hear Joe Morgan and John Miller once in a while but they suck.
I’ve always maintained how much I like Jerry and Don but I am just realizing that I’ve always taken the Sox radio team for granted. Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano were a great team, they had great chemistry and really knew the Sox and their fans. Trup’s “WAAAY BAAACCK” was deceiving but overall they gave you all that you could want from the radio. When it was first announced that he wasn’t going to be doing the broadcasts anymore I wasn’t real happy since I catch a lot of games on the radio during the summer.
INANE BANTER ALERT - Cheruiyot takes the marathon, he didn’t fall at the finish line this time but the camera bike just absolutely dumped right behind him and no one seems to care.
The first week of the season I listen to chunks of games on the radio in the car and guess what. Dave O’Brien is awesome. I was skeptical after hearing he’d replace Trup, since he does a lot of soccer, but the guy is great, I love listening to him and even though it will take some time for him and Joe Castiglione to develop chemistry he’s a great replacement. As for Glenn Geffner, I’ve got nothing against the guy, he does an ok job but O’Brien is an everyday player in the majors, I think Glenn is still playing triple A right now. I’m not one to talk since I’m rocking the college wooden bat league and maybe it’s a bit of an unfair comparison but still when I hear Geffner instead of O’Brien it’s a little bit of a let down.
The Celtics clinched the second worst record in the NBA. They’ll still probably get the fifth pick. I don’t want to talk about this right now, but if they don’t get the first or second pick I think they have to try and trade for a veteran like Garnett or something the Celtics don’t need another young guy that has great potential. I guess maybe you could go with one of the NBA ready guys from Florida like Corey Brewer but I don’t want Joakim Noah I want Oden or Durant. At some point someone has to be held accountable for this miserable state of the Celtics. I blame whoever came up with those “God is a Celtics Fan” commercials from a couple years ago…prick.
I think I might start throwing up some stuff about TV now that I work five (or seven) days a week I’ve started to watch more TV at night with more regularity. Obviously 24 and Prison Break but I’ve added some others and why not write about it. For example Entourage is excellent and I’m not sure how but South Park continues to get funnier with each episode. I’m thinking regular weekly TV columns might be in order. (Stay tuned for a why 24 has not jumped the shark…its coming, seriously)
Just wanted to touch on Jackie Robinson Day real quick
People really have Dice-k fever here, after missing one game due to miserable weather everyone is already counting out days to see if Dice-k will miss a scheduled start with the Yankees. Also every time someone Japanese was on camera during the marathon coverage Bob Lobel felt it necessary to mention Dice-k. For example we had this tidbit from Bob when the wheelchair leader, who was Japanese, was rolling (literally) through Cleveland Circle.
“Boston really is turning Japanese…and if Dice-k is watching from the clubhouse I’m sure he’s very proud.” Maybe I should have watched the marathon on versus.
The Red Sox game finally started at 12ish and NESN is really pushing this Sox Appeal dating show, relax NESN I’m going to watch it just make sure I know when it starts and I’ll be watching. How could you not watch this? It’s going to be the highest of high comedy, like NEXT but with kids that had thick Boston accents and chicks that swear every fourth word and call every Yankee player a faggot on air, I’m pumped for this, but you already knew that. By the way casting starts this week at participating Bob’s Stores…there is one is Middleton…giddy…yup.
The Substitute 4 is on TV right now…they made four of those movies…seriously people. Oh wait; I’ve definitely seen this before…wow I may need to reevaluate my TV habits. Okay time for the Patriots Day game.
INANE BANTER ALERT - Patriots Day is celebrated to observe the ride of Paul Revere and the battles of Lexington and Concord.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
20 Second Time Out
Welcome to my 20 Second Time Out...from now on anytime I write any NBA or basketball related column it will be filed under a 20 Second Time Out...Michael Holley is giving them out so I'm taking them.
Gerald Green’s win of the dunk contest was awesome. Anytime you have three props for one dunk and that dunk pays homage to the Dee Brown ‘Reebok pumps, cover your eyes dunk’ you should automatically win, especially when you jump over Nate Robinson.
I’m not sure how Nate Robinson was in the finals, his dunks were cool but Dwight Howard’s sticker dunk was awesome it should have been Howard vs. G-Money in the finals that would have been a great final. Also why was the NBA against bringing in a 12 foot hoop, that would have weeded out Robinson, who as I said before, eats, but it would have been a great show between Green and Howard.
Gerald’s first two dunks were awesome, his two dunks in the finals were also excellent but the fact that he didn’t miss once almost made it less exciting. Then again when you think about it, it just shows how much better he was then everyone else. Boy it’s a sad day when the most encouraging thing about the Celtics is the fact that one of there players won the dunk contest…woof.
The NBA needs to bring HORSE into the All-Star Saturday that would be incredibly entertaining to watch; more so than watching some guy I’ve never heard of win the three-point shootout or watching Lebron and Kobe half-ass the skill competition.
I’m not sure how Nate Robinson was in the finals, his dunks were cool but Dwight Howard’s sticker dunk was awesome it should have been Howard vs. G-Money in the finals that would have been a great final. Also why was the NBA against bringing in a 12 foot hoop, that would have weeded out Robinson, who as I said before, eats, but it would have been a great show between Green and Howard.
Gerald’s first two dunks were awesome, his two dunks in the finals were also excellent but the fact that he didn’t miss once almost made it less exciting. Then again when you think about it, it just shows how much better he was then everyone else. Boy it’s a sad day when the most encouraging thing about the Celtics is the fact that one of there players won the dunk contest…woof.
The NBA needs to bring HORSE into the All-Star Saturday that would be incredibly entertaining to watch; more so than watching some guy I’ve never heard of win the three-point shootout or watching Lebron and Kobe half-ass the skill competition.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
The Lost Boys go to a Celtics Game
Incase you haven’t noticed the Celtics are terrible. They weren’t very good to begin with but they had the potential to be a playoff team and now most of the Celtics fans I know are more concerned with whether or not Kevin Durant and Greg Oden will go to the draft and what pick the Celtics will end up with in the lottery.
I had the err…pleasure of taking a C’s game on Friday and it turned out to be pretty much exactly what I was expecting. A 100-89 loss to the LA Clippers, the Celtics hung tough for most of the game but fell apart in the fourth quarter…huh weird.
February was a late date for my first C’s game of the season but regardless I was excited to see them, granted I was fully expecting a loss but seeing Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston play sounded cool and it’s always fun to see a game even if your team is miserable.
Things got off to a rough start when Boston announced their starting small forward, Brian Scalabrine…woof. However there were a few positives amid the suffering. Rajon Rondo played 42+ minutes and scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, that’s 63-percent, who says he can’t shoot.
Okay so that is sugar coating the loss since Elton Brand lit up the Green and it was the Celtics 14th loss in a row, a franchise record (and I was there!). There is more to attending a game then just the final score so I enjoyed myself and noticed a couple things I’d been missing out on since I started rooting for them to lose.
For starters the biggest problem is the Pierce injury, obviously. Since he went down it’s been rough and at this point it’s almost so bad that he might as well just stay out until he is absolutely 100 percent healthy even if it’s the rest of the season.
The other big problems, Bassy Telfair is playing awful, Wally is still hurting so he can’t play big minutes and that leaves guys like Ryan Gomes and Rondo playing 40 minutes a game. Both are solid players but they are role players. Gomes would be great off the bench but he’s not the kind of player that can log 40 minutes a night.
D-West is the same way he’s a good role player to complement Pierce but he’s not going to carry the load. There are a couple of positives that I’ve noticed and the biggest one is Big Al. He’s been playing well and he continues to develop into the player everyone though he would be the last two years.
Unfortunately watching the Celtics falter over the final 12 minutes from the balcony of the Fleet TD Banknorth Boston Garden Center or whatever it’s called now showed one thing very clearly. Things are not going to be getting better anytime soon. The kids will be better for being thrust into this position but the management needs to do something.
Assuming the Celtics get one of the top two picks and they get Oden or Durant. Okay so they have another young guy that has the potential to be a star. The C’s need to give Pierce some help. They went out and got Wally but a ton of the guys on the team are younger than me or right around my age. The Celtics really need to make a move as much as I like the kids but they might have to take a chance they need to find an impact player, whether it’s Oden or Durant or they make a move.
I think I’d rather see them get the number one or two pick and that’s probably what they’ll be hoping for two. Unfortunately what will probably end up happening is that they’ll end up with the worst record, they’ll have the most balls in the lottery but they will end up with the fifth or sixth pick. I feel bad for Pierce, as a fan I’d love to see him on another winning team before he is done in Boston.
On a weird side note, there were a lot of people there. I mean a lot of people. I figured it would be pretty empty and we’d be able to move down at half time. We tried and failed thanks to Joey bobbling Jon’s attempt to pull him down into a seat when we got asked to move.
There were plenty of open seats but for the most part the place was pretty packed, I’m not sure how they do it, especially in Boston but despite the 14-game losing streak people are still going. Like I said there’s more to going to a game then the final score.
For me going to the games is almost a surreal experience, Friday night’s game I had a good time with some friends, we went to half-time pizza got some 32oz beers went into the game cracked jokes and genuinely had a great time. But anytime I go to a game, as dorky and lame as it sounds, I always take a minute or two to just look around the stadium and take it all in. No place feels the same as Fenway but I love the way going to a game of any kind can make you feel like a kid again.
There will definitely be more of that theme coming up as the Red Sox start playing. As crummy and decrepit as Fenway Park might be, I love the place and I can’t get enough of it.
Final thoughts on the Celtics; I hope Rondo develops into a solid point guard, Friday’s game gave me hope! The best Celtics news of the year…G-Money, Gerald Green has been added to the dunk contest. That is going to be great he has a great shot at being the first Celtic to win since Dee Brown in 1991.
I thought my friends and I were the only ones that called him G-Money but the Celtics webpage had the headline “G-Money gets Vegas nod” for the story of him being added to the dunk contest. God do I hope that nickname sticks.
I had the err…pleasure of taking a C’s game on Friday and it turned out to be pretty much exactly what I was expecting. A 100-89 loss to the LA Clippers, the Celtics hung tough for most of the game but fell apart in the fourth quarter…huh weird.
February was a late date for my first C’s game of the season but regardless I was excited to see them, granted I was fully expecting a loss but seeing Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston play sounded cool and it’s always fun to see a game even if your team is miserable.
Things got off to a rough start when Boston announced their starting small forward, Brian Scalabrine…woof. However there were a few positives amid the suffering. Rajon Rondo played 42+ minutes and scored 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, that’s 63-percent, who says he can’t shoot.
Okay so that is sugar coating the loss since Elton Brand lit up the Green and it was the Celtics 14th loss in a row, a franchise record (and I was there!). There is more to attending a game then just the final score so I enjoyed myself and noticed a couple things I’d been missing out on since I started rooting for them to lose.
For starters the biggest problem is the Pierce injury, obviously. Since he went down it’s been rough and at this point it’s almost so bad that he might as well just stay out until he is absolutely 100 percent healthy even if it’s the rest of the season.
The other big problems, Bassy Telfair is playing awful, Wally is still hurting so he can’t play big minutes and that leaves guys like Ryan Gomes and Rondo playing 40 minutes a game. Both are solid players but they are role players. Gomes would be great off the bench but he’s not the kind of player that can log 40 minutes a night.
D-West is the same way he’s a good role player to complement Pierce but he’s not going to carry the load. There are a couple of positives that I’ve noticed and the biggest one is Big Al. He’s been playing well and he continues to develop into the player everyone though he would be the last two years.
Unfortunately watching the Celtics falter over the final 12 minutes from the balcony of the Fleet TD Banknorth Boston Garden Center or whatever it’s called now showed one thing very clearly. Things are not going to be getting better anytime soon. The kids will be better for being thrust into this position but the management needs to do something.
Assuming the Celtics get one of the top two picks and they get Oden or Durant. Okay so they have another young guy that has the potential to be a star. The C’s need to give Pierce some help. They went out and got Wally but a ton of the guys on the team are younger than me or right around my age. The Celtics really need to make a move as much as I like the kids but they might have to take a chance they need to find an impact player, whether it’s Oden or Durant or they make a move.
I think I’d rather see them get the number one or two pick and that’s probably what they’ll be hoping for two. Unfortunately what will probably end up happening is that they’ll end up with the worst record, they’ll have the most balls in the lottery but they will end up with the fifth or sixth pick. I feel bad for Pierce, as a fan I’d love to see him on another winning team before he is done in Boston.
On a weird side note, there were a lot of people there. I mean a lot of people. I figured it would be pretty empty and we’d be able to move down at half time. We tried and failed thanks to Joey bobbling Jon’s attempt to pull him down into a seat when we got asked to move.
There were plenty of open seats but for the most part the place was pretty packed, I’m not sure how they do it, especially in Boston but despite the 14-game losing streak people are still going. Like I said there’s more to going to a game then the final score.
For me going to the games is almost a surreal experience, Friday night’s game I had a good time with some friends, we went to half-time pizza got some 32oz beers went into the game cracked jokes and genuinely had a great time. But anytime I go to a game, as dorky and lame as it sounds, I always take a minute or two to just look around the stadium and take it all in. No place feels the same as Fenway but I love the way going to a game of any kind can make you feel like a kid again.
There will definitely be more of that theme coming up as the Red Sox start playing. As crummy and decrepit as Fenway Park might be, I love the place and I can’t get enough of it.
Final thoughts on the Celtics; I hope Rondo develops into a solid point guard, Friday’s game gave me hope! The best Celtics news of the year…G-Money, Gerald Green has been added to the dunk contest. That is going to be great he has a great shot at being the first Celtic to win since Dee Brown in 1991.
I thought my friends and I were the only ones that called him G-Money but the Celtics webpage had the headline “G-Money gets Vegas nod” for the story of him being added to the dunk contest. God do I hope that nickname sticks.
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