Playoffs, Championships and Parades

Spring is here and in Boston, that means sports galore. The Bruins and the Celtics are playoff bound and the Red Sox are in full swing.

Bruins

I have a great feeling about how the Bruins will fare in the playoffs this year. They hit a little funk about a month ago, but have come back with vengeance. The last game against the Habs was more like the Haggler / Hearns fight back in the 80s, not a hockey game. I think it'll be the B's and the Sharks in the finals - the two top teams, beating the crap out of each other for the right to hoist that heavy peice of metal over their shoulders. That would be an instant draw and GREAT marketing opportunity for the NHL as Joe Thorton would make his return to Boston to try and beat the team that traded him away a few years ago.

First test will be those pesky Canadiens. B's in a tough and physical six games.

Celtics

If the Celtics are going to repeat, it's looking like their road to another parade might start against Philly and finish in LA (with a pretty good detour in Cleveland). Both LA and the Cavs are playing great ball. The Magic are a threat in the East, but I just don't think they are physical enough to stick with the C's in seven. I do worry about KG's knee and the depth of this team that's taken a hit because of injuries. Then again, Doc might just be holding the walking wounded back so that they come back in full force come playoff time.

Red Sox
It's way to early to talk about the Red Sox because I'm focused on the C's and B's. However, I was able to snatch a couple of opening day monster seats. That experience alone got me thinking about when baseball really kicks in for me, which is about after the NHL and NBA playoffs (once our teams have been eliminated or won). I will mention one thing about the Sox that's ticked me off so far...starting pitching? All the starters look like AAA pitchers, with the exception of Beckett who pitched a gem on opening day but then earned a six-game suspension by throwing at Bobby Abreu's head in his last start.

Championships
Speaking of playoffs and championships, I have to tip my cap to the Boston Unviersity Terriers. It hurts to say that as I'm a Northeastern University Husky, but their dramatic overtime win in the men's hockey national championship was quite a thrill to watch. It also helps knowing that the Huskies were beat by the national champion. (I still owe @jimrattray a 12 of Magic Hat #9s via a Bean Pot bet).

Maybe, just maybe, the Terriers are kicking off parade season in Boston.

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Celtics and Superman

The Celtics are back to their winning ways. Everyone can get back in their cars, drive safely off the Tobin bridge and go home. And as Kevin Garnett put it, apparently the Celtics have been saved by Superman:



Thank goodness Pierce is not THIS Superman:

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Year of what ifs

11-5 doesn't get you into the playoffs so I ask:

- what the hell is up with the play calling of the Jets?

- will Brady be able to return in 2009?

- are the d|Dolphins legit?

- why couldn't the Jags step up?

- is Scott Peoli headed elsewhere?

- what is to happen of young Matt Cassell?

- has the tide turned in NE sports where it is now all about the Bs and Cs?

I am boycotting the NFL playoffs.

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Will the Celtics need a mid-season trade?

One of things I've been thinking about since the Celtics have lost two in a row is the fact that the second unit has been flat - lots of role players, but not one solid scorer. We need Eddie House off the point in those situations and need Tony Allen driving to the bucket versus handling the ball. He's turnover prone.

Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a we miss James Posey post, because we really don't. What we really need to Tony Allen to play smarter. He's the guy that needs to drive that second unit. If Tony isn't going to cut it, I'm afraid that they'll have to trade Tony and maybe someone like a Walker from the D-league and/or a draft pick to get a legit second unit scorer.

The question I pose to you C's fan is, who should that second unit scorer be? Read more!

It's ok Celtics Nation

Hey, we lost two in a row. Let's not all jump off the Tobin at once. It's two games. Relax.

The Celtics will regroup and come back stronger. This is good for them. The Celtics need to lose some games and get beat in the fashion that they have against LA and the Warriors. It builds character. It will help them in the long run. They will secure home court advantage throughout the playoffs and repeat.

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Perkisabeast.com photoshop contest - second entry

Thought I would give the Perkisabeast.com photoshop contest another shot. I did the Ali one yesterday, here's one with the original Boston Beast, Marvelous Marvin Hagler:

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Perkisabeast photoshop contest

I'm a big fan of the Perkisabeast blog. They are running a photoshop contest. Here's my entry for Perk In History:

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FINAL: Celtics 93, Blazers 78

So the Celtics took on the much heralded Portland Trailblazers last night and handled them like they were playing East Boston High (no disrespect to EBH, but the C's would roll). The final was Celtics 93, Blazers 78 but the game felt more like Celtics 200 Blazers 50. The Blazers had about 50 points going into the fourth, or some score ridiculously low like that.

There's just no stopping the C's this year. Oden got into early foul trouble and really wasn't a factor when he WAS on the court.

Can't we just get to the playoffs now? Why go through the 82 games? If the Celtics stay healthy, they will repeat. It'll be the Celtics and the Lakers again. The C's will get home court advantage and this time, win it in L.A. - officially kicking off another decade of heated Celtics/Lakers match-ups. We might even see a couple of beefs. Imagine Perk cloths-lining Kobe as he drove to the basket.

Sound familiar?



Ah, the old days. Love it. Bring 'em back (with the exception of the short shorts. Read more!

Cousy let go by CSN

I was never a fan of Cousy being a color commentator. It was sort of painful to hear him try and keep up with the game. He would always talk about how his game - the way hoops was played back then - was more of the way the game should have been played. He always crapped on athletes today, the money they made, etc. He was just too old school for my liking.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/10/cousy_let_go_by.html Read more!

Theo, Hot Coffee and Colored Leaves

Fall, by far, is my most favorite time of year. The weather gets crisp. Baseball steams ahead towards the playoffs. Football is just getting underway. And all eyes are on New England as the leaves on the tree turn various shades of orange, red and yellow.

Today is one of those "it feels like fall days." Specifically, here's why:

Red Sox are in the hunt for a playoff run. They are one game out of first and have trailed the DRays most of the year. They had the opportunity last night, but just couldn't muster up one more run. Also, looks like Theo is going to get a raise. Good for him. The guy has been the mastermind behind all the moves the Red Sox have made since the 2004 season and his hard work has paid off in the form of two championship parades (and being in position to possibly go back to back this year).

I was feeling some hot coffee this morning so headed to D&D. I'm not a Starbucks kind of guy. I find the menu to be too intimidating. I can't pronounce venti without it sounding like something I caught while waiting in the doctors office. I typically would get an iced coffee, but because of the crispness in the air, I decided to go with hot. Good call on my part I think. It hit the spot. I hardly drink hot coffee when the weather is warm so by ordering a hot coffee today, I think we're moving into long pant weather vs. cargo shorts and T's.

I have a couple trees on my property and I can already see the transformation in color. It's not a ton of color change, but I can see on the fringe of some leaves that the process is starting.

Next thing you know, we'll be shoveling out cars from underneath two feet of snow. That's ok though, because at that point, we'll have already celebrated the Sox back to back championships, will be watching the Pats and the Sons of Cassel int he playoffs, hoisting banner #17 to the rafters (reference to the Celtics championship just in case any of you were sleeping at the wheel), and hoping that the Bruins step their game up and get with the Title Town program. Read more!

Pierce living the Viva La Vegas dream, almost gets locked

Seems as if our reigning NBA Final's MVP was living it up in Vegas yesterday and almost got locked for boozin' and drivin'.

I has gotta be hard for these guys. They are young, rich, champions and feel like the world is at their disposal. For the most part it is, but when you're someone of Paul's stature, you might want to second guess having a few cold ones and getting behind the wheel.

Doesn't he have a posse or something? I'm sure he has someone in his left pocket that can play DD and cart is butt around town.

Now that the Paul has one a ring, he's going to be scrutinized even more. He'll be followed by autograph seekers more. He'll be photographed by paparazzi even more. And he'll have more opportunities to get arrested if he isn't careful.

Gotta be smart Paulie. Let's keep it real, but safe. We need a few more parades in Beantown. Read more!

One year ago today, in Celtics land

One year ago today, in Celtics land, a story started to be told that would end with a trophy and a parade.

And what a story it was.

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Sports on the mind this morning

I haven't done one of my all-sports round-ups in a while and the fact that I'll be headed to Fenway tonight for my first Sox/Yankees games in a long time, I'd figured I would pump one out now. So here goes.

Celtics
I was very disappointed to see Posey leave and go to the Hornets. He was a big part of the championship. What I find interesting though was the spin the team put on the Tony Allen signing. The PR machine for the Celtics are saying that Tony is going to have a break-out year. He's 100% healthy, he started to turn the corner at the end of last year, etc. Not sure about all that, but we'll see. Once you have a knee injury, you never really fully recover. I think the team will be overall improved from last year believe it or not. I say this because of the free agent signings they've had as well as this draft class. Repeat? Looking pretty good.

Patriots
See the story in the Globe the other day about Tom Brady basically taking it easy during this training camp? I guess the golden boy can do no wrong. He's his own PR machine.

In terms of the team itself, I think the Pats could possibly run the table again. Have you seen their schedule? The toughest games on the docket are the Colts and Chargers on the road, both teams we've beaten on the road in previous years. They've also signed a number of key defensive players and recently a journeyman running back that just might turn some heads this season. And oh yea, don't forget about Sammy Morris who was on a tear at the start of last year, but was injured. I don't want to be too aggressive, but I really think that this team is much better than last year's team overall. The biggest reason is because of the improvements the team has made on defense. Also, don't overlook the fact that Dom Capers will be helping out the D-backs this year. The guy is a defensive wizard.

My Prediction: 17-2 (yes, that's a Superbowl victory with two regular season losses)

Bruins
Don't fall over and kick the bucket because I'm writing about the Bruins. I've been following their off season moves and have been somewhat impressed. The biggest news in this department I think is the parting of ways with Glen Murray. I'm a big Murray fan. He's a gamer. He's a proven scorer but has had a rough go at it over the last couple of years. The brass decided to buy him out and the GM explains it here. I'm not in agreement with him, but I do agree that the team needs to flow with this new direction and really purge all the old-school type Bruins players. Let's get new talent in here. Get the young kids flying around and bring back some of the rough and tumble style of hockey that win's championships. I'd love to see how the city would react to a surging Bruins team in the playoffs. The bandwagon would get really stuffy quick. (See the Celtics championship this year).

And oh, did you see that the Bruins have the "Ice Girls" now? Are you serious? Talk about a marketing tactic.

Red Sox
We are now at the part of the season where all games count (yea, I know that they ALL count), but is when people start paying attention because it's the only game in town (the Pats will soon take care of that thankfully). With the Sox two games behind the DRays for 1st in the division and the Skankees right on our heels, Red Sox Nation is starting to panic. We've lost two out of three to the Sons of Steinbrenner over this weekend and come into tonight's game with the fear of getting swept (I'm subsequently going to tonight's game and will post something after this as to where my seats are).

We're also dealing with yet another Manny situation. He's been in the habit of taking himself out of the line-up over the past couple weeks and his teammates are getting tired of answering questions about him and his antics. See the Dustin Pedroira comment when asked about Manny. That's (and other similar comments by the team) is a tell tale sign that they are tired of his crap. Will the Sox make an effort to keep Manny? Is it worth all the hassle? From a offense perspective it is. I would suggest that the team think about trading him at the deadline to get a truck full of players with talent. Who's not going to entertain trade talks with Manny being involved? Just trade him to the National League please. I don't want him in pinstripes of he becomes a free agent. You just KNOW he'd love to play in NY and come back to Fenway and absolutely murder us. He's that type of player or should I say, he's that type of Clemens. See him chatting with PayRod yesterday? Here's a gist of their conversation:

PayRod: "Hey man, keep doing what you're doing. Get your numbers. Then get paid."

Manny: "I hear ya man."

PayRod: "Then you come to the Yankees. You'll be closer to where you grew up. You'll love it here. Yea, the media is just as bad as it is here in Boston, but because there is so much other stuff going on in the city, you sort of get lost in it. You only get into the problems if you start cheating on your wife and especially if you're shagging a global music icon who's nearing retirement more so than the glamor runway. But, hey man, it's all good."

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Good bye James Posey. Thanks for the ring.

It's really dissapointing that Posey went for the money and went to the Hornets. I'm guessing his agent pressured him into signing the contract.

Yea, the Hornets have Chris Paul, but that's really it. Are they really going to compete for the championship? Why would he go to a small market club, when he could have increased his popularity even more so than it is now in Boston. Hello endorsements.

Well, thanks James. I appreciate the D on Kobe. Thanks for busting your butt to help us win a ring and have a parade. You'll be missed, but we'll forget about you soon enough. That's how this town works.

We just want to know when the next parade is going to be. Read more!

Red Auerbach Death Threat

Seems as if the good ole boys were out to get Red Auerbach back in the days because he drafted the NBA's first African-American (Chuck Cooper in 1950), became the first NBA coach to start five black players in a game (in the 1963-64 season), and appointed the league's first black coach (Bill Russell in 1966).

Chilling to think that if this looney sent the letter to a coach that was of the same mind-set, the sick and twisted plan might have been carried out. Read more!

Celtics #17: The truth about The Truth

If anyone has earned this championship, it's Paul Pierce. He was the most consistent player on the team all year and busted his behind all playoffs long. Yea, he had a few duds, but when it was time to step up he did it. Just think where we were last year. Was Paul even going to be on the team? Where would he be traded to? Who would we get in return?

It's such a great story, one that will be woven into the fabric that will make-up the #17 banner that's to be hung in the rafters.

As they say, what a difference a year makes. Let's hope that this time next year, we're doing it all over again. Die hard C's fans would love nothing better than to see more pictures like this in the coming years:

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Celtics #17: My desktop wallpaper superstition

Those who know me will tell you that there are basically three things in life that are important to me: One, my family; Two, my sports teams; Three, good food.

In keeping #1 in mind, you'll always find my desktop wallpaper to be a picture of my kids. That's how I roll. However, since the start of the Celtic's season, I decided to go with a different look. I never changed it throughout the season, but I might just have to make a switch today.

Here's what I've had as my desktop for months now:



Looks like I can finally change it. Maybe this will work:

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Celtics #17: TOP OF THE WORLD!!!

I sit at my desk this morning exhausted. I'm working on about 3.5 hours of sleep still jacked up from the Celtics CRUSHING the Lakers in game 6 to claim their 17th World Championship. What a performance by the entire team and coaching staff. What a season. Three other championship moments rank up there with this emotional win.

They are:

- Doug Flutie's hail mary in the orange bowl
- Patriots winning their first superbowl
- Red Sox coming back from 0-3 to beat the Yankees.

I was in good company last night, hanging out with friends and family. I couldn't have asked for a better ending. We were glue to the TV from start to finish. Since I recorded it via Tivo, I'll probably watch the game again just because it's one of those moments you never want to forget.

Some highlights that will stick with me:

- Pierce's determination all game long
- Rondo's sticky fingers
- Garnett's aggressiveness in driving to the hoop
- Ray Allen jacking up seven threes
- Posey SHUTTING DOWN Kobe
- Big Baby man-handling Gasol
- The look on Kobe's face as the clock ticked down
- Pierce holding the MVP trophey
- KG talking about what it felt like - "finally beating up a bully"
- Doc Rivers taking the "Big Three" out of the game at the same time at the end to a huge standing O
- Pierce dousing Doc with gatorade

I could go on and on, but the person who sums it up the best is Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe.

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Looking back at ESPN expert pics for Celtics Lakers series

The Celtics are on the verge of claiming their 17th championship. I've been around for five of them, I really only remember two of them though (early 80s). So it's been a long drought since then and it makes me smile when I look back at "expert" picks before this series started.

All but one of the ESPN "experts" picked the Lakers. Goes to show you that no one is really an expert at sports. Yea, maybe these folks have a little more inside knowledge about the players and the game, but at the end of the day, the players still have to PLAY the game. What we see on TV is what they see in person. That's what we judge our opinions on.

People who know me will tell you that I've said Celtics in 6. I've predicted each outcome of the series (not the huge come back win, but a win nonetheless in game 4).

Maybe ESPN should hire me.

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Simmons finally comes around

I've been hating on Bill Simmons for a bit now because he picked the Lakers in 7. He basically crapped himself during game 5, like we all did. He has one line in his most recent column that is perfect and squashes all the Kobe talk.

The Kobe-MJ thing ... done. Over. Jordan never would have let that happen in the Finals. Ever. Under any circumstances. Nobody is ever allowed to bring this up again.

I couldn't agree more. One win away from greatness. I can't believe it.

C's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read more!