Celtics VS Lakers again

This was not expected. The Celtics looked at times during the season like they were done. Doc Rivers has done a masterful job with the team and they appear to be still fresh. The Lakers have played very well. The questions about Andrew Bynum make one wonder if the Celtics will be able to dominate inside but one should not forget how impressive a player Pal Gasol is. Kobe Bryant is a better player than Lebron and has shown an ability to carry a team when it counts that Lebron has not.

I would love to see the Celtics win, not sure if they will. However it cannot be overstated what a great run this has been for the Celtics.

Big Roy--What Do I know

Roy Halliday pitched a perfect game Saturday. Perhaps the pitch count is not such an issue

Roy Halladay

Is a great pitcher. Most would agree the best in the game. However the Phillies seem to think he is indestructible. Lets hope he is. All these complete games, some in games well in hand. Last night Halladay pitched 132 pitches in a 2 to 1 loss. Let's hope it does not catch up with him. I think this is very bad judgment.

Celtics Rebirth

A team is never as good as it looks when things are going well and never as bad as it looks when things are going----not well. The Celtics cannot be this good. One wonders however if anyone will stop them. The rotation of the Big 4, the improved play of Glen Davis and Tony Allen makes one wonder if they might be able to win this championship. If so I will be on the record as having been wrong. My blog post of a few months ago declaring the Celtics dead. No matter what happens I was clearly wrong.

What a pleasure it has been to watch this run led by Rondo

Bruns Collapse

There is little that can be said about this. It was as if the Bruins were playing above their heads and once that overtime goal went in the net in game 4 the bubble burst. How frustrating.

Someday will come. Just not this year

Superstar Treatment in the NBA

We all know traveling is all but allowed in the NBA. What is allowed now by the Superstars such as Lebron and Kobe is laughable. As a Celtic fan we know that Pierce and Bird have in the past received same the treatment. But what Lebron does now is travel consistently, and commit an offensive foul almost every time he touches the ball. The game is physical, so be it. The problem is by allowing this in the first half and then taking it away in the second half even Lebron is confused. The NBA is not the NHL but it is now a sport where the refs could call a foul anytime they wanted.

Tiger's Pain in the Neck

Tiger Woods withdrew yesterday with neck pain. He was well behind and clearly not playing well. That said we have no reason to believe he is not telling the truth. Statistically we can see that his driving distance was last in the field. A healthy Tiger Woods would not have this be the case.

We can all agree we like Phil more. But those of us with charity in our hearts can wish Tiger well. This might be a lost year for him.

When Tiger comes back let us hope he is healthy and playing well.

Rondo

The Celtics evened the series with the Cleveland Cavs yesterday and there is no doubt the best player on the court was Rajan Rondo. Yesterday was not the first time i have marveled at some of the passes and plays I have seen Rondo make. Yesterday however he reminded me in his ball handling and passes of what i have only read about from the stories of Pete Maravich. Rondo will never be the shooter that Maravich was but he does think that make me look not twice but over and over.

His thread the needle passes thru the lane have become commonplace, his cradle that can lead to a layup or a pass can keep defenders and his behind the back " I see you coming Lebron pass" yesterday was one for the ages.

Can the Celtics win. Yes. Will they win? Most likely not. Has Rondo for the second year in a row cemented himself as a great player who is even greater on the big stage. Without a doubt.

Boston Red Sox April - One Month In

The Red Sox after being swept on Sunday sit 5 games behind the Yankees and 7 behind the Tampa Bay Rays. When one looks at the Red Sox roster the sum of the parts should be greater than what has thus far happened on the field. They have, however, had significant injuries. I am not sure that the Sox can compete for the division and or wildcard. I suspect they will, in the end, be in the running. What I a most concerned about is a panic move or two where the Sox makes moves that in the short term might make them more competitive but break the plan they have worked toward.

At the end of this season fat contracts to David Ortiz and Mike Lowell expire, while lesser ones like Adrian Beltre, Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez expire as well.

The Sox do have Lester, Lackey, Bucholz and Beckett under their control for many years to come. The bullpen is not as strong as one might have expected, Daniel Bard for his radar gone prowess is still a work in progress.

A short analysis of the team.

Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia have both been solid. Pedroia has actually been carrying the team offensively while Youkilis slumping a little will certainly rebound.

Youkilis might well be missing Jason Bay behind him in the order.

Marco Scutaro has been a pleasant surprise. His defense has not been superb and Alex Gonzales in Toronto having an offensive explosion makes one wonder if the Sox kept the right shortstop but Scutaro has been fine.

Adrian Beltre has batted over 330 but just last evening hit his first homerun. Just as importantly this, best fielding third basemen we have seen, has made six errors and certainly not saved the runs we had been promised. Beltre also does not walk and simply put goes against the philosophy the Red Sox hitters are expected to take. Beltre will be a one and done player. The Sox must be careful not to let his plate appearances cross the point where they are on the hook for the full ten million next year.

Jacoby Ellsbury has been hurt much of the year as has Mike Cameron. This has been a significant loss and one that should not be underestimated. J D Drew just now coming out of his slump will put up his normal numbers.

Victor Martinez, if there were not a player named David Ortiz would be the teams biggest disapointment. His ability to throw our runners, or lack thereof, has become a huge issue and he has thus far driven in seven runs. Perhaps Martinez is suffering under the pressures of being a catcher. In anycase his future as a Red Sox at the end of the year is becoming much cloudier.

Jason Varitek playing a couple of times a week has been a monster, hitting home runs at a clip that makes one wonder if he should play more.

David Ortiz seemingly is a guess hitter at this point, if he rebounds such as he did last year in the second half perhaps this will be forgotten, but it is a sad ending to a player who was close to legendary in Boston.

The sad fact is that David Ortiz has shown in the last two years that it seems likely his steroid use was more prevalent than he remembers but certainly again emphasizes the importance of Manny Ramirez batting behind him.

Pitchers later

Celtics let one slip away

A couple of months ago I wrote that the window was slammed shut on the Celtics. They would be one series into the playoffs and out. I was wrong. The Celtics dominated Dwayne Wade and the Heat and started their series against the Cavs Saturday night.

It was a game the Celtics could have won. Leading by as much as 11 in the 3rd quarter they let the game slip away and Lebron led the Cavs home.

One can choose to be disheartened but I believe that the series showed many positives. The Celtics can compete with the Cavs. Lebron will not get all the calls in Boston. If you want to win on the road in the playoffs you need to win by more than 1. I am not commenting on the way the officials call the game. It is a long game, if one call makes or breaks it then you should have played harder.

Do I think the Celtics will win this series. No. Do I think that it is possible. Yes. Do I think Game 2 is a must. Surely.

Marc Savard has a well deserved moment.

Marc Savard who is a very gifted hockey player. For the last two months however he has been trying to survive, stay out of the sun and fight off the post concussion syndrome he has dealt with as a result of a very questionable hit two months ago.

Saturday, cleared to play by the medical staff he was inserted into the lineup for Game 1 of the Bruins match with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins blew a late lead and the game went to overtime.

Late in the first overtime Savard put one over the glove hand of the besieged Flyer's goalie to win it. His complete unadulterated joy shone on his face like the sun and I have to say this was one of the moments which explain why people attach themselves to sport.

For me it might be my sports highlight of they year, it is thus far and I think I might well speak the same next year when we are reviewing. As they say on Sportsnation it is surely Nominee number 1

Red Shirt your 5 year old

My son is 14 and is one of the youngest kids in his class. He has always been a good athlete but now that he has gone to high school he reminds me that if he had been held back a year it would have been to his advantage athletically. When I look at his 6 foot 2, 140 pound body I remind him that another year will probably still not make him anything less than skinny unless he works at it, however it is true that with boys these things make a difference.

In his summer baseball league which is consistently based on age and not grade he has played in a class with children that are mostly 8th graders. As he points out to be, do I realize how much he would dominate in 8th grade this year.

I do. He was ready for school socially. But yet I do see the point. For boys it is all about confidence. Not just in sports but in all things. That extra year might make a huge difference to many kids. Many kids in my sons class were held out a year so have a full year or more on him.

If I had another son I would surely consider it.