The Juiced Edition of Barstool Friday

With the Mitchell Report finally issued yesterday, I write this morning with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the Red Sox emerge relatively unscathed (though the early reports rumoring that Captain 'Tek would appear on the list were disconcerting). On the other, we have the state of baseball as a whole. While I think that ultimately there were no real surprises, either in the names that were named or in the blame cast on MLB for letting it get so out of control, how this impacts the game at large remains to be seen. No longer can feigned blissful ignorance let the sun always shine on a field of dreams. No, a dark cloud has passed in front of the sun and darkened the skies of the baseball landscape over the last 20 years. One would have been naive to not have foreseen what the report revealed, bt it is only now that we must come to grips with what it really means.

Baseball stands at a cross-roads, only it has already sold its soul to the Devil, leaving it without many bargaining chips. Here's the thing. There will be many lines in the sand drawn here, so-and-so isn't as bad as whatshisname, because so-and-so took steriods before they were banned by baseball, but whatshisname took them after. JohnDoe isn't as bad as Whosimawhat, because JohnDoe took HGH to recover from an injury when Whosimawhat took it to pitch better on short rest. Arguing these points is futile at best and flat out denial at worst. The fact of the matter is that for the better part of two decades some baseball players have be using substances to give themselves some sort of competitive edge or to speed recovery. And for the better part of those two decades, Major League Baseball turned a blind eye to it and allowed it to go on. It is far reaching. From the clubhouse gopher to the Commissioner of Baseball, from bat boy to GM, from September call-up to staff ace...they all knew. You cannot seperate one from another, it was all wrong.

You also cannot allow your individual feelings on the substances themselves cloud your perspective on this situation. I have heard compelling arguments for why HGH should be allowed if prescribed by a doctor to aid in recovery from injury, as long as the player isn't active at the time. Hell, I can get HGH prescribed for this reason. I have heard compelling arguments that a person should be allowed to take steroids if they want, as long as they are made fully aware of the short- and long-term effects of its use. Personally, the first argument holds water for me, the second doesn't, and I'll say in all honesty that I both recognize the potential hypocrisy of that statement as well as its legitimacy. But again, my opinions on this matter are irrelevant in the sense that we cannot dwell on the past here, but rather must focus on the future.

I beleive that, as former Senator Mitchell called for, we must let the cloud of this revelation sit over the past but we do not need to take massive, sweeping disciplinary action against those whose names appear within the pages of the report. Why? Simple. This is not a comprehensive list, a culture of secrecy pervades sports in general and this is no exception. Conservative reports suggest that 5% of MLB players are or have used "performance-enhancing drugs", reality suggests this number could be as high as 25%, or even more. Making 70 or 80 players the scapegoats is ineffective, and frankly, Selig would be a hypocrite to discipline them and not himself. MLB cannot take it out on these players, particularly since some of the evidence is hearsay at best, without looking into the mirror. Again, this problem was pervasive, and reaches every level of the game. The players rightly deserve a measure of blame, but to blame them alone is to fail to take the entirity of the report under consideration.

It is time for baseball to move forward. We need a clear and comprehensive policy on what is and isn't a "performance-enhancing" substance, when and if the use of a particular substance is permitted, a clear and comlete, universal testing policy, and a firm and unwavering set of disciplinary actions. Only when such a program is implemented and adhered to will baseball be able to fully move on from the Steroids Era.

I have long said that I think it is unfair for athletes to be expected to be role-models, but I don't think it is unreasonable to ask them to uphold the principles of good sportsmanship. When it comes right down to it, baseball is a game, and games retain their purity through clearly prescribed rules. It is an athlete's only charge to uphold these rules to the best of their ability, and the governing body's resposibility to call them on it if they don't. The players and the League have failed miserably in this responsibility in this era, and the time is now to change. I hope that this will be the beginning of a new era in Major League Baseball, an era of honesty, honor, and sportsmanship. I only wish I could fully believe that this will come to pass.













The Boston Celtics will win their 12th home game of the season, tying the team record for home wins to start a season, tonight against the Bucks. We get out first glimpse of Chairman Yi, he gets his first glimpse of the Big Ticket shutting him down. And of course, the Big Game comes Sunday, where despite the weather, the New England Patriots will crush the Jets by 3 touchdowns, minimum.

Have a great weekend, folks. Have a few pints if you like, but with this weather, I'm thinking Scotch. A nice single malt, maybe a Macallan or Balvenie. Enjoy.




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It's Been A Long Time Comin'

Yes Croz, it has been a long time comin', but there'll be no long time before the dawn. No, dawn came at about 11PM last night as the UMass Minutemen defeated the hated Boston College Eagles, 83-80. I've never been shy about my dis-taste for our cross-state rivals, and as such the 21st century has not been kind to me when it comes to the Commonwealth Classic. Last night, Gary Forbes, Ricky Harris, Chris Lowe and company vanquished this dread foe, and for the second time this season, made a statement that this will be a team to be reckoned with.

In beating Syracuse and Boston College, UMass will head into a stretch of non-conference games against teams looking to topple a giant as opposed to the other way around. The Minutemen will no longer be able to sneak up on anyone. After tilts with Toledo and Central Connecticut, the maroon and white will face BU, Houston and Vandy before the A-10 regular season commences in January. Of those games, only Vanderbilt is a road game. That mean 4 straight in The House That Calipari built for a team that is feelin' it right now. Can the boys go into the A-10 slate at 11-3 or, dare I say it, 12-2? That remains to be seen, but given the defensive effort shown in the wins over Marist and BC, it isn't hard to imagine. While UMass started the season as an offensive juggernaut that simply ran other teams off the floor, they have shown over the past couple of games that they can lock it down if they need to.

We heard that this was a "re-building" season. We heard that it would take time to implement Travis Ford's new, up-tempo style of play. We heard this crop of Minutemen would struggle to compete with the loss of Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lasme to France and the NBA respectively. We heard it, but apparently nobody bothered to mention that to the team.

For Love Of The Game

Professional sports (and to some degree, high level collegiate athletics, too) have a lot of things going for them. Talented athletes, dramatic rivalries, championship runs, victory parades. There is the ever-present possibility that you could witness a moment so sublime that it will be replayed in minds and on film for generations. For those of us who get especially geek-y over these things, there is also the business of the game, the player movements that provide hope for the future and fodder for talk radio. Sports can consume your day in this age of instant access, and few enjoy that reality more than myself. But, there is something that is undoubtably absent from sports at the highest level- innocence.

I started coaching my daughter's basketball team this year, and while a bunch of 8 and 9 year old boys and girls may lack the finesse and honed skills of the athletes we watch on TV, they do exhibit a kind of unbridled joy and innocence about the game. It isn't about contract extensions, bling-bling, endorsements or even championship rings. It is sports in its truest form. These kids are out there for no grander reason than to have fun running up and down an 84' x 50' stretch of hardwood with their friends and a bouncy ball. Sure, we try to teach the finer points of defense and boxing out, of passing to the open teammate and squaring the shoulders to shoot, and that's fine. But to the kids, that's the "boring" part. Once you hand them the ball, it is all about the free-form romp on the court, a controlled frenzy that in some way resembles that game they see on TV but is entirely within their control. You try to hand them the tools that they need to play within the rules, but ultimately they are free to take the game as it comes to them. They may be playing a 2-1-2 zone, and they may even be playing it well, but they don't care. It is just a game.

It is probably hard for non-parents to fully understand this, unless their memory is better than mine and they can recall the joyous moment when your shot sails- or more likely bounces, rolls and clangs- through that net, but I can see it in the face of every kid out there. And I can see it when they pass the ball to no one and it rolls out of bounds, eliciting laughter from kids and coaches alike. The coach will certainly point out that this is probably not the most effective offensive strategy, but oh well, we'll get it next time. I can't tell you how many times I've shouted "hands up on D!" and seen a more enthusiastic response than in any NBA game. OK, it will only be a few seconds before I have to shout it again, but I'll get that same enthusiasm when I do. And you can't hope to understand the look of terror on a kid's face when they realize they've picked up their dribble and there is no one to pass to, followed by the relief, as though the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders, when someone finally breaks free and they can get rid of that ball! Nope, you won't get it unless you see it for yourself. Watch a 4' tall kid execute a behind-the-back cross-over with a ball half the kid's size, and you can't help but laugh. It was a nice move, to be sure, but it looks funny. And the kids have no idea what the coaches are laughing about.

I have long been a fierce competitor, I loathe losing. I can't stop myself from diving for a loose ball even though I'm playing pick-up with a bunch of out of shape 30-plus guys, supposedly for "fun". It isn't in my nature to do it any other way. The kids though, it is different. They do want to win, they understand it, but it isn't all about that. It is sports in its purest form. The kids are out there for one reason, and only one reason...they play For The Love Of The Game.










The C's and Pats continue to roll, UMass soccer plays in the NCAA Final Four on Friday, UMass hoops takes on BC tonight at 9 and UMass hockey is among the best in the nation. Life is good. Stay tuned for a full breakdown on the grown-up's games for Barstool Friday.

Everybody's Everything

Carlos Santana climbed the charts with this tune back in 1971, and this week, another Santana, Johan, seems to be Everybody's Everything, at least as far as baseball goes. However, the latest rumor out of Minneapolis is that he may soon become Everybody Else's Nothing and the Red Sox will fall into that feared "wait, they got better?" territory. Tell me this wouldn't make the Red Sox hands-down favorites to be the first team to repeat as World Series Champions since the Bronx Bummers at the turn of the century (I like to say it that way, it makes it seem so long ago!). The rumor mill says the Red Sox will be giving up Jon Lester, Coco Crisp and minor-leaguers Jed Lowry and Justin Masterson. Can you imagine a starting rotation of Santana, Beckett, Schilling, Matsuzaka and Wakefield/Buchholz???? Plus, it means the Yankees DON'T get Santana. I love this.

Speaking of Everybody's Everything, UMass basketball and UMass soccer proved to be everything to fans of the Maroon & White yesterday as the hoops guys upset the Syracuse Orange and soccer dumped #1 Boston College on their ass and sent them home in the NCAA soccer tourney. The hoopster's 107-100 trumping of the 'Cuse at the Carrier Dome was a joy to watch, a fast, run-and-gun game exhibiting the Minutemen's new style of play. It seems Coach Ford has put together a squad that can play his way, and to watch these guys, it seems they are loving it. This win may mean UMass won't be able to sneak up on anyone this year, but at least they'll be able to run away from them.

More tomorrow for Barstool Friday, hopefully with news of a completed trade for Senor Santana.

Maybe this year, Charlie Brown...

My sister recently accused me of being an optimist on these pages, and while I'll admit to an optimistic tone, I realized that an explanation was in order. If you are over 30 and a New England sports fan, you grew up in a time of perennial disappointment, a time where only the Celtics hung banners and even that came to a crashing halt 20 years ago. You learned to expect to be strung along, only to taste the bitterness of loss, the agony of defeat. The '67 Sox, the '75 Sox, the '85 Pats, the '86 Sox, Bird's back, Len Bias, Reggie Lewis, the '95 Sox...these are the burden of the sportus fanaticus Bostonian, a weight that perhaps can never be completely lifted. But things have changed. It started improbably with the Patriots, then the Red Sox, and now, maybe, the Celtics too. The air has changed, and we must change with it. In this way, much of what I write here is intended to carry forth a new spirit, to express the urgency to Believe, because if we Believe, it will lead our teams to the promised land.

All that said, don't mistake me for an optimist. It is the willful suspension of disbelief. It is the ability to, for a few hours, ignore everything history has ingrained into us and Believe. It's Charlie Brown. Every year, Charlie Brown charges that football, intent in kicking it. He knows Lucy will pull it out of the way at the last second, she always has before. But in those last moments before he starts running, he somehow convinces himself that THIS is the year. Well, for Charlie Brown, he's landed flat on his back since 1973 (and that's only on film!). And we New England sports fans landed flat on our backs for longer than that. Only it isn't that way any more, and it is time we started to accept that fact.

Look, I sit on the edge of my seat for more games each year than is probably healthy. There is no telling how many years the Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots have collectively taken off of my life. I still worry about Beckett's blisters (done), Lowell's contract (done), Paul Pierce having no help (done), and every other seemingly minor transaction, transgression, or transcendence that might befall my Hometown Teams. And by my very nature, I assume that all of them will come back to bite us on the ass. The thing is, lately they haven't. Just when you thought the Patriots had blown another Super Bowl chance in 2001, Brady drove the team 48 yards in 1:21 without a time-out to set up the game winning filed goal. They've gone on to win 2 more and may run the table this year. The 2004 Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees in the ALCS, and 4-3 in the ninth inning of Game Four. But Dave Roberts stole second and the Sox won 8 straight and their first World Championship in 86 years. 3 years later, we're World Champs again with virtually the same team returning next year. And the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics? Well, time will tell, but we're already a third of the way to last year's win total with 5 months left to the regular season. So every once in a while, you have to forget what history has taught us and simply Believe.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving airs at 8 PM tonight on ABC. I suggest you all watch. Maybe this year Charlie Brown, maybe this year.





I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. When you sit down at that table and give thanks, be sure to think of all you have and how blessed we all are. And right before you start stuffing your face with turkey and all the fixin's, give thanks that you are here to witness the Greatest Era In Boston Sports History. It ain't World Peace, but it sure is a lot of fun.






...see y'all next week.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!

The Boston Herald is reporting at this hour that the Boston Red Sox and third basman Mike Lowell have agreed to a 3 year contract worth between $12-13 million. Buster Olney and ESPN.com are also reposting the same thing. The official announcement should come tomorrow.



While I'm here, I'll also note that my predictions about the Celtics have been spot on, UMass football is on its way to the playoofs and UMass hoops are off to a respectable 4-1 start and the Patriots are the Greatest Football Team Ever.



More to say tomorrow in my last column before taking a short break until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

It's So Easy, Being Green...

On Barstool Friday, or any other day, It's So Easy, Being Green (sorry, Kermit). The Celtics are 7-0, their best start in 35 years. If you haven't tuned in to watch because you are still sour from the last two decades or have been shunning technology in an effort to better the environment, it is time to get on board. These guys are an offensive and defensive juggernaut that couldn't have been predited. Sure, we all knew that Pierce, Allen and Garnett would be a powerful trio, but everybody on this team has stepped up. Rajon Rondo is starting to look like the second coming of Cousy (OK, that's a stretch, but the kid shows flashes of Cooz for sure), Kendrick Perkins seems to have figured out where he fits in this picture and has been rock-solid, Posey and House off the bench have been clutch, Scal is the early front-runner for the "Guy Who Gives You More in 6 Minutes A Game Than Anyone Else in the League" Award, Big Baby plays hard, and Tony Allen has started to come around, especially defensively. The C's average margin of victory? Over 17 points per game, about 8.5 PPG more than their nearest competitors in this category- the Hornets, Mavs and Jazz. While the Green are undefeated, no one else in the league has fewer than 2 losses. As I said last week, I'm under no illusion that this team is running the table, it doesn't happen in this sport. But the franchise record 68 wins could be in jeopardy.

Time for your Barstool Friday Bullet Points:

• A-Rod is going back to the Yankees. Great, you can have him. I didn't want to have to figure out a way to cheer for Mr. April (thanks, Stu). Besides, a 10 year contract is ridiculous. And, we can keep on using "A-Fraud" and "Jeter and the Cheater".

• Mike Lowell on the other hand...ugh. More often than not, I give Theo and the Baseball Ops guys the benefit of the doubt. This time I'm not so sure. They have taken far bigger risks with time (J.D. Drew), money (Drew, Renteria), performance (Drew, Gagne) and the fanbase (Nomar, Damon) than they would giving Lowell 4 years in the $55-60 million range. Sometimes you need to take your nose out of the stat sheets and birth certificates and look at everything a player brings to the table, not just what you can read on a piece of paper. Really, if Lowell gets into the 4th year of his contract and has fallen off, can't you bench him as a utility guy at first or third to spell Youk and whoever else you put out there? Or just buy him out, we know this organization isn't afraid to do that. Not everything can be formulaic, even in baseball. SIGN MIKE LOWELL.

• Barry Bonds has been indicted. Now, in this great country, you are innocent until proven guilty but you have to figure the Feds have a pretty solid case if their are bringing him up on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. But here's the thing, I, unlike what seems to be a large number of the sports fans out there, just don't care. I've told you what I think of Bonds, I've told you how I feel about his claiming the home run record. Now I just want it all to go away. If he broke the law, let him suffer the consequences. Barry's ego is too large for him to come out and admit what he's done, too large for him to do the right thing and perhaps salvage a small corner of his legacy. No, he's sealed his fate and I'm quite happy to let him live that out with no further commentary from me or the rest of the sporting world. It won't happen, of course, but I'm done with it.

• I've really enjoyed the wake of the Patriots bye week. The endless chatter about spying, running up scores and tainted dynasties has subsided. Now we can move on and enjoy the fact that we are watching what may very well be the Greatest Team In NFL History. We parade into Buffalo Sunday night to face the Bills in the snow and move on to 10 and 0. I hate Sunday (and Monday) night games, they are just too late. But with this team, they are sure to keep me awake. Who thought complete domination could be so much fun...

• ...oh yeah, the Celtics did. I know I lead off with praising the C's, so I'll keep this short. Here's the make-or-break match-ups for this weekend's games. Tonight vs. Miami: Perk against Shaq. If Perk just holds his own against the Big Fella, this one is a cake walk. Sunday vs. Orlando: KG against Dwight Howard. This might be the biggest knock-down, drag-out battle we see the Celts in until we meet Detroit a week before Christmas. I'd predicted last week that this might be the C's first loss, but having watched 4 games since then, I'm backing off on that call. These guys are so determined, I see them being totally fired up for this affair. I'm seeing a tight game till about midway through the third quarter and then the Green pull away for a 12-15 point W. It's gotten to the point where it almost seems inevitable. Which really makes me wonder when they will lose. The Lakers are a one-trick pony, same with the Cavs. Nobody really worries me till the afore-mentioned Pistons game. That would be a 22-0 start. Could happen.

• The Revolution face the Dynamo Sunday at noon for the MLS Cup. By the way, the Dynamo ranks up there as one of the all-time worst sports franchise names. The game is actually on TV (on ABC even!), so you could watch it or you could catch the Kraft's free bus ride down to the game. I'm guessing game day tickets won't be a problem. Unfortunately, the game is at RFK which has all the warmth and charm of UMass' McGuirk Stadium, only 5 times the size. Personally, I think I'll tune in sometime around the 89th minute. That way you get to see the replay of the one goal 87 times AND enjoy the post game celebration, which in soccer consists of a bunch of guys taking their shirts off and hugging each other. On second thought, maybe I'll rake the lawn.

Well there you have it. The UMass Minutemen hoops squad is 3-1, the football squad 7-1. All is right in Amherst, well, except for the students being on strike and all. Have a great weekend and down a pint or 3 for me. BBC's Holidale should be appearing in a store near you (if you live in Western Mass. anyway) in the coming days, and trust me, it's good. Get out and grab yours, they won't last long.



PS - Track the Celtics season against the 72-win '95-'96 Bulls HERE

The 82-0 Edition of Barstool Friday!

OK, I admit it, the Celtics aren't going 82-0. But a man can dream, no? After Wednesday night's complete domination of the Denver Nuggets, even the biggest skeptics are forced to admit that this Celtics team is something to be reckoned with. I cannot remember a game in the last 20+ years that has featured so much unselfish play. 77 points, 72% from the field..in the first half! 20 steals in the game. Text-book passing. Incredible. I'm looking forward to seing how they take care of a hot Atlanta team tonight. Good grief...the last time anybody looked forward to a Celts-Hawks game, two guys named Bird and Wilkins were playing.

5 Quick Hits for your Barstool Friday:

1. Expect a Mike Lowell deal, roughly 3 years at $14 million, to be announced by Monday. I think both side want to see this done, and neither is really all that interested in letting this get into the free agency fray. After that, any thing the Red Sox do this Hot Stove Season is gravy. I'm so confident, I'm going to predict right now that the Red Sox repeat as World Series Champions. Hey, I'm serious...wipe that look off your face!
2. I'm looking at the Celtics' schedule right now. If we can come out of New Jersey tomorrow night with a W, I'm looking at the game at Orlando on the 18th as the first stumbling block. So that makes a 7-0 start. I'm only picking the Magic game for a loss because we all know it has to happen sometime. I do think we can take the 2 early season games off of the Nets to start pulling away in the Atlantic Division before the first month of the season is out.
3. At this point, is there anyone in America who doesn't believe, even if they won't admit it, that the New England Patriots are going undefeated?
4. For those of you not paying attention, the Revolution won last night, placing them in the MLS Cup Championship game and setting up our second title for New England this year. Of course, no one noticed and even ESPN Soccernet doesn't have the game on its front page. Still, Taylor Twellman's decisive bicycle-kick goal was pretty impressive, in that "if I'm only going to see one score in 90+ minutes, the guy who makes it should at least be upside down when he does it" kind of way. Really, it was cool. I swear.
5. Tiger Woods will win 3 Majors in 2008. Yeah, I know, I know. But really, baseball is over and there isn't any "Guy From Japan We Never Heard of Until This Week But Suddenly We Really Need To Get" Watch, the Pats have a bye week, I've got to save up some adjectives for how great the Celtics are to get me through the rest of the season, I've already written about soccer twice this week, the Bruins are (not surprisingly) faltering, and I still haven't learned the names of all of the new guys on the UMass basketball team to write about them (although they do tip off the 2007-2008 regular season at 4:15 today against Cal Poly in Cedar Rapids, Iowa...and no, of course it isn't televised despite the fact that there is absolutely nothing more complling to broadcast at 4:15 on a Friday afternoon - who runs these networks?). Give me a break.

UMass vs. UNH tomorrow in what should cement the Minutemen's trip to the D1-AA Playoffs. As always, this will be a battle, and it will be key to both teams' seasons. Expect the Minutemen to return to form after last week's tough loss to URI in 4 feet of rain.

Have a great weekend, I'm saving my Barstool sitting for Saturday night this week. But I willbe having a BBC oak-barrel aged Scotch Ale later this afternoon. Ah yes, it is nice to know I've retained some special priviledges.

A Curt-ain Call, A Ressurection, And History In The Making

It's like Christmas everyday here in New England, and while I am going to focus on the big 3 sports today, let's not forget the Revolution are about to compete for the Eastern Conference Championship and even the Bruins are better than expected (get well, Patrice Bergeron). It seem it has been feast or famine in New England sports over the last couple of decades, so let's pig out while we can.

• A Curt-ain Call: Well, it is official, Curt Schilling will climb the mound for the Boston Red Sox once again in 2008. It is as it should be. The terms of the contract, while perhaps unique, both reflect Curt's commitment to the team and to being the best pitcher he can be and the team's commitment to the aging super-star who has shed (literally) blood and tears to bring 2 World Championships to the Friendly Confines of Fenway. It seems only fitting that his Hall Of Fame career should wrap up here. #38 will be a perfect compliment to our rotation of young guns, bringing leadership and a revitalised arsenal of pitches to a team that hopefully will remain mostly intact from this season's run. Which, of course, brings us to Mike Lowell. Mikey was the World Series MVP, but that's just icing on the cake. Consistent at the plate and in the field, Lowell may have had a career year but he shows no signs of it being a complete aberration. I expect Lowell to play at a high level for a few more years, and hope Theo and company will recognize the intangibles he brings and pony up the fourth year, which is apprently the sticking point. Lowell, like others before him, seems willing to take a little less money for what it means to play in Boston these days. While it would be nice to have something to write about all winter, I'd really prefer to see this locked up by the weekend - before other teams get to negotiate with him. And what happens then? Well the A-Rod chatter dies down by about 80%, which is just fine with me. Look, the guy is the best regular season talent in baseball. He will likely set any number of offensive records before he says good-bye to the game. And maybe, 10 years from now, people will be saying "A-Rod at $35 million per is a steal", as we now do with the contract of Manny Ramirez. But any team willing to sign ANYBODY to a 10 year contract is nuts. In this day and age, where loyalty only lasts as far as your last at bat and few players wear one hat for an entire career, such a commitment is foolish from both a financial and baseball operations stand-point. Locking up a roster spot for such a long time for such a large sum is irresponsible, and seems contradictory to the way the Red Sox (J.D. Drew aside) function. If you won't give Mike Lowell 4 years, why on earth would you give Rodriguez 10? While I'll readily admit that the prospect of a line-up featuring David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez is enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the most stalwart of pitchers, I don't think it is worth it. We don't need Alex Rodriguez, and you only have to go back 10 days for proof. One last request though...could he please go to the National League?

• A Resurrection: When we last hoisted a banner to the hallowed rafters of the old Boston Garden, the Boston Celtics were a team of destiny, arguably the most dominant sports franchise in history. We had 16 Championships in 30 years. We had the history of Russell, Cous, Heinson, Havlicheck, the Jones boys and of course Red. We had the present of the Big 3- Bird, Parrish and McHale. Not one of us could have, or would have, predicted what the next 20 years would bring upon the franchise. Bird's back, Len Bias, Reggie Lewis, Tim Duncan, Rick Pitino...dark days indeed. And at the end of a dismal 2006-2007 campaign? What appeared to be a glimmer of hope, one more chance for the ping-pong balls to bounce our way...and then on May 22nd, dreams shattered, one more leaf falling off the Celtics' clover. Or so it seemed. Then we heard that Ray Allen, sharp-shooter extraordinaire, would join Paul Pierce and the kids. OK, we thought, at least it is something, at least it is a veteran presence to help stave off a defection of The Truth. And then it happened. I remember getting up that morning and listening to WEEI on the way to the office. Wait...who wants to come to Boston? Kevin Freaking Garnett????? It was July 31st, and all of Boston was talking about the Celtics again...no, all of New England and a good part of the rest of the country were talking about the Celtics again...in the middle of summer. If you have watched the first two regular season C's games, you have seen 3 super-stars play together in harmony, each shining as needed, deferring to others when possible. You saw Paul Pierce go for 28 while The Big Ticket posted 22 and 20 in a thorough dismantling of a Wizards team that is pretty good, on paper at least. You saw Ray Allen light it up for 33 including a game-winnning OT trey to seal the deal against last season's Atlantic Division champs, the Toronto Raptors. Tonight we face 'Melo, AI, the Camby-man and the Nuggets at the new Garden. The Celtics have been resurrected, the Celtics are relevant again. I've waited a long time for this. We aren't going 82-0, but this is going to be one hell of a season.

• History In the Making: While the C's won't go undefeated, it is looking more and more like Your New England Patriots might. We may be witnessing the greatest team in NFL history. Don Shula is wrong, there should not, and will not, be a "*" placed next to the Patriots name when they enter the record books at 19-0 in clinching their fourth Super Bowl Victory. Thanks to the "Spy-gate" garbage, the Patriots have played this season under Roger Goodell's NFL Licensed Magnifying Glass, and have eaten the competition alive. Sunday's remarkable victory over the Colts said every thing that needs be said about this team. They can win pretty, they can win ugly. They can pick you apart for 60 minutes, or beat you into submission in the final 10. They will burn you with a Randy Moss one-handed grab, or with Tom Brady's patience and poise to find the open man in the flat. They can deflate your offense with non-stop pressure or perfect coverage deep. This is the only football team I have ever seen that appears to have no weakness, whose only downfall could be at their own hands. There are a lot of people out there who hate the Patriots now, and that's OK. I understand that greatness breeds hatred, I understand that my favorite football team has become the New York Yankees of the NFL. But to all of you haters out there, step back for a moment and look at what you are witnessing. This is History In The Making. You are watching the Greatest Team In NFL History. Sorry Mr. Shula, to you and the rest of the '72 'Fins. You were a great team, but no longer the greatest. The only Champagne flowing this season will be in Foxborough.

Well there you have it, 3 Teams, One Region, Pure Dominance. I'm loving every minute of it.

One last note, congratulations Kevin Youkilis on your first Gold Glove. May it be the first of many. See y'all Friday.







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A Worthwhile Read

Just a quick note for today, full Celtics and Patriots coverage tomorrow, as well as updates on the contract status of Curt Schilling and Mike Lowell and my opinion on the A-Rod situation. It does look like Schilling will be in a Red Sox uniform in 2008 though, all indications are that the deal should be announced today.

For all of you in Red Sox Nation, get a read of the 2003 Letter from the Red Sox Organization to Curt and Shonda Schilling. If that doesn't speak volumes about the class of this management group, I don't know what does.

Until tomorrow, the Mike Lowell watch continues.

Do you believe in Dog?

RIP Ruby 2/2/94-10/18/04

Everyone knows that sports is ripe with superstition. Players have unique routines to prepare for games, good luck charms that they can't play without. Some have specific dining rituals, others spiritual practices that they feel are integral to their performance. Perhaps in no other arena is there such devout adherence to superstition and ritual as there is in sports, at least with such little cynicism. We are perfectly willing to accept our players foibles, actually just as willing to buy right into them. I wonder how many necklaces Phiten has sold to non-athletes over the past 5 years? I'm guessing it is an impressive figure.

Fans are no different though. We have our own rituals and superstitions that we adamantly defend in the belief that we can influence the outcome of a game or series through our devotion to these odd behaviors. Mid-summer I was on the lawn tractor mowing the yard, and as I passed under a low tree, my beloved Red Sox cap was snagged by a branch and before I could dis-engage the blades, swallowed up in a cruel fashion, rendered to shards of fabric strewn across the lawn. This cap saw me through the 2004 World Series, was worn proudly at Opening Day at Fenway in 2006, and witnessed many, many other games along the way. The Red Sox promptly lost 3 games. Riddled with guilt, I bought a new cap and hoped it would be imbued with the same powers of the old one. The Sox won again that night. Phew.

It goes beyond me. My friend Don ate shrimp 7 times this post season. It was what he had for dinner before Game 5 of the ALCS, and you don't mess with what works. I myself wore the same Red Sox red jersey (and the new cap, of course) for those 7 games. You all know the results, feel free to thank us for our efforts. I'll wear my Paul Pierce jersey Friday night when the C's tip off for the 2007-2008 season, and you can bet I'll be sporting the Brady top for the Showdown In Indy on Sunday. These things work, for reasons that are as mystical and unexplainable as anything in the universe. We don't question them, we just Believe.

See, here's the thing. On the afternoon of October 18th, 2004, we were forced to make what may have been the hardest decision of my life, emotionally. My beloved companion Ruby had been ravaged by cancer, and it was time to let her go. We ventured to Springfield, Massachusetts and said good-bye, holding her as she was put down. In deep sorrow, we wandered over to The Student Prince for a couple of steins of Spaten Oktoberfest to ease the pain. The Boston Red Sox were down 3-0 to the dread New York Yankees, our chances looked bleak. I remember as we prepared to leave the bar, the teams were just taking the field. I looked over at the TV as we walked out and said "Come on guys, Rally For Ruby". They never lost again and under that blood-red moon captured their first World Championship in 86 years. Thanks Ruby.

Fast forward to 2007. With the Sox down 3-1 to Cleveland, I called my buddy Chomper, trying to remain positive. When I got him on the phone, he told me the bad news. His dog Cleetus, suffering with cancer himself, had to be put down the day before. I consoled him, having been there myself not so long ago. And then I reminded him of 2004, of Ruby, and of the Red Sox. I told him then it was time for the boys to Rally For Cleetus. And as fate would have it, the Red Sox won 7 straight, and here we are, celebrating another Red Sox World Championship. As any good dog owner can tell you, our dogs know us better than we know them. They feel our joy, our anger, our pain. And in our hours of longing and loss, they knew to give our team a boost, and us along with them.

So I guess all I'm saying is...Do YOU believe in Dog?











Rolling Rally starts at noon. That's right, they are Your 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox. That never gets old.

Your 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox!!!!!!!!

Wow. It happened again. I thought hard about a creative title for today's column, but I just like the ring of what's above better than anything else I could come up with. Now we know what it is like to have the Red Sox win TWO World Championships in our lifetime. It feels a lot different than 2004. It doesn't have the drama of 2004, with a comback against the Yankees for the ages to set up the sweep. It doesn't have the history of 2004, wiping away 86 years of heartbreak. 2004 was about Faith Rewarded. But 2007? 2007 was all about vindication.

As Jonathan Papelbon's final pitch crossed for a strike, every thing changed forever. This 2007 World Championship vindicates everything that the '04 team represented to Red Sox Nation. The 2007 team vindicates the ownership and its devotion to investing in fielding a winning team. 2007 vindicates the entire 2004 squad, showing they were not a fluke, that the Red Sox are loveable losers no more, no longer the team that couldn't get it done on the biggest of stages. 2007 vindicates a strong minor league program, say hello to Pap, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury (do you think Manny would have caught that ball in the ninth?). It vindicates front office moves that sometimes drew the consternation of the Nation...Beckett, Lowell, Matsuzaka, Okajima...hell, even J.D. Drew came through. But more than anything else, it vindicates the Boston Red Sox. We are fully immersed in what will be the Greatest Era In Sox History since we won 4 Championships in 7 seasons...yeah, that would have been from 1912-1918. They had Tris Speaker and Smokey Joe Wood, we've got David Ortiz and Curt Schilling. They had Babe Ruth (it's OK, we can say that name now), we've got Manny Being Manny and Josh Beckett being Josh Beckett.

Your World Champion Boston Red Sox. I like that way that sounds. I like the fact that our kids have no idea what it has been like to be a Sox fan for the better part of the last century. I know that in the eyes of many people, this victory brings us into Evil Empire territory, but I'm good with that. It comes with winning. The Celtics had it in the '80s (ok, the Celtics pretty much had it from '57 through '88, 30 years of domination, we'll never see anything like that again), the Patriots have it, and now the Red Sox have it. Everybody hates a Winner, except the winners fans. I like being a fan of Winners. I've tried the other side, and trust me, this is better.

There are a lot of great stories that will float around Red Sox Nation in the wake of this Championship. There is the story of two cancer survivors...one (Jon Lester) getting the win in the decisive Game 4, the other (Mike Lowell) is the World Series MVP. There is the story of two guys from Japan, Daisuke and Hideki, making their MLB debuts and ending up coming up big in October. There is Curt Schilling re-inventing himself and becoming the aging warrior who must win with guile, not with gas. There's the rookie who's head was being called for in April who went on to become a force at the plate as well as at second base. There's the story of the ailing Big Papi fighting through the pain. There is Manny and his hair, secondary to his bat. There is the September call up of the Native American rookie Jacoby Ellsbury, who gets inserted into the line-up only to see the Sox win 7 straight by the largest combined margin of victory in history. There is the story of shutting down a Colorado Rockies team that came into the Series having won 21 of 22, only to fall flat after an 8 day lay-off.

2004 ended an era, an era of heartbreak, of curses, of 86 years of frustration. 2007 ushers in a new era, hopefully like the one that started back in 1912.

It is a great time to be a part of Red Sox Nation. Enjoy the bubbly, we've earned it.

We're Cancelling Barstool Friday This Week...

That's right, you read correctly. We're cancelling Barstool Friday this week in favor of Catch Up On Your Sleep Friday. I'm recommending everyone leave work early today, go to the nearest pub and have a couple of pints and then go home and get some sleep. We've got Saturday, Sunday and (possibly) Monday night games that are going to cut right into your beauty sleep, so rest up while you can. So here are a few thoughts for you to contemplate as you drift off into La-La Land.

• Josh Beckett has been unbelievable. Clearly destined to be seen as one of the greatest Big Game pitchers not only of this era, but of all time. He's the reason this thing doesn't go past Monday night.

• Thank you, Curt Schilling. Who knows what will become of #38, but you can't say Schill hasn't given his all this post-season. I've noted before that his amazing re-invention of himself deserves a lot of credit, and he's riding it right on through. You can disagree with his politics, you can wish he'd just shut up, but you can't complain about what he brings to this team. He knows where his place is, and he loves it. He also knew that this might be the last time he suits up before the Fenway Faithful, and he gave us every thing he had. Regardless of where Curt ends up this winter, his Red Sox legacy is secure. The picture above tells you all you need to know.

• Hideki Okajima. 7 batters, 4 strike-outs to good-night. Pap picks off Holliday (the only runner he's picked off in his major league career) to end the 8th and then gets it done once again. So much for scouting reports! I doubt there's a scarier 1-2 punch to close out games in all of baseball.

• My biggest concern heading to Colorado isn't the thin air in Denver, the balls in the humidor, or the Rockies home-field advantage. It is how long Matsuzaka and Lester can stay in the game. At least one of them needs to take his game into the seventh to keep the guys in the 'pen fresh.

• I do wonder though, if the Red Sox go up 3-0, will Tito juggle the rotation and let Beckett go in Game 4? Do you give your ace the chance to close it out, and all but guarantee himself the World Series MVP? It will be very interesting to see what would happen here. History tells us that Francona will stick with the plan and pitch Lester, but the temptation to pitch Beckett in Game 4 will be strong. First of all, he's obviously our best shot to close out the sweep. Second, if he were to pitch Game 4 and lose, he's on track for a potential Game 7 start should the Rockies watch video of the 2004 ALCS and decide that they have a chance. I predicted elsewhere that Beckett would get the ball in this situation, but I only did so to stir up controversy. I'm not a believer in that scenario. I can see it happening, but it seems unlikely to me. But tell me you wouldn't like to see that!

• As such, I'm still saying Sox in 5. Matsuzaka wins a tight one courtesy of the Boston bats, Lester goes in Game 4 and gets rocked for 3 or 4 runs in the 3rd or 4th, the bullpen holds on and the Sox lose, something like 5-4. Beckett goes in Game 5, pitches 8 strong and gives it over to Papelbon to clinch the World Series. As usual, remember you read it here first.

• Getting away from baseball for a minute, because even though this isn't officially Barstool Friday, I know that at least one of you (Chomper, I'm lookin' at you here) won't take my advice and rest up tonight. Let's talk about the undefeated New England Patriots. The Washington Redskins are the only team that Tom Brady has never beaten. While you'll never hear Tom or Belichick say it, you know the guys in the locker room are fully aware of this. Look, he has to win this game. Before I realized this little bit of NFL trivia, I said it would be OK for the Pats to actually lose this game. Not that I expected it, mind you, but it is a non-conference game and a loss gets the "undefeated" monkey off your back. But get this, Peyton Manning goes for the same honor on Sunday and Brett Favre does the same next week. I don't need Tom Brady to be the only guy in league history to have defeated all 31 other teams, in fact, I hope Favre succeeds when he faces KC next week, the guy deserves it. But the Patriots (barring a serious reversal of fortune in D.C.) won't meet up with the 'Skins for another 4 years. If Manning and the Colts beat Carolina on Sunday, he becomes the first guy to beat all 31 teams (Colts play at 1, Pats not till 4). Can you really handle 4 years of listening to the Peyton ass-kissers saying "well Peyton has beaten all 31 other teams and Brady hasn't"? I can't. Patriots 42-17.

• The New Three, GPA, The GAP Band, The PGA Tour. They all suck, but I'll give people credit for trying. When Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen take to the parquet tonight for their pre-season tilt against the Cleveland LeBrons, it will be the final warm-up before the regular season tips off next Friday against the Bullet..er, Wizards. In the quest for Green 17, I don't really care what you want to call them, I'm planning on calling them Winners.

• Good news from UMass: Liam Coen is expected to start in this week's game against William & Mary. The Minutemen look to move to 7-1, 7-0 in 1-AA (yes, I refuse to call it the "Football Championship Subdivision").

• Bad news from UMass: The Minutemen hoops squad was picked to finish 8th in the A-10 pre-season coaches poll released yesterday. While it is probably a reasonable placement given the loss of Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lasme, I think it is fair to say expectations amongst the faithful are a bit higher. It is going to be an up and down season for a young team running a new system, I'm hoping Travis Ford can bring them up to speed quickly and Gary Forbes can display the skills he exhibited in the Tourney of the Americas and emerge as a vocal leader for the team. It's going to be an interesting season, that's for sure.

• And back to baseball, the Boston Herald is reporting that the Sox are planning to Keep Mikey Lowell around for a while. GM Theo Epstein has said re-signing Lowell is "a priority for the off-season, and I'm sure we'll be able to get something done." That's the way it should be. Lowell is the perfect combination of defense, offense, maturity and leadership for this team. What do you think A-Rod thought when he heard that news?

Well, that's a wrap for today folks. It is going to be another stretch of late nights as the Red Sox prepare to claim the 2007 World Series trophy. Enjoy every minute of it and ready the victory cigars. I can't wait to know what it feels like to watch your favorite team win another World Series in your lifetime.


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Tonight's The Night

I wonder if Neil Young is a baseball fan? If he is, I'm sure he's looking forward to tonight's World Series Game 1 at Fenway. The Boston Red Sox square off against the Colorado Rockies for the right to be called World Champions. New England is electric right now. As I noted on Monday, Red Sox Nation is a different place after 2004, and that spells trouble for the Rockies. As Bill Simmons points out, moments like Lofton's double in Game 7 used to deflate the Fenway Faithful. Today, they ignite us. I'm not saying that these games don't leave me on the edge of my seat (and not only because it helps me stay awake), but the feeling of dread has gone away. I don't expect a collapse the way I used to.

I'm calling this one Sox in 5. Between Josh Beckett and Fenway Park, Games 1 and 2 go decidedly to the Sox. Beckett has shown himself to be one of the most dominant play-off pitchers of this generation, if not all-time. Add to that quirky Fenway and a "this could be my last game in Fenway as a Red Sox player" Curt Schilling, and it is hard to make a solid argument against the Sox taking a quick 2-0 lead in the Series. This kills the Rockies for Game 3. The Rocks were the hottest team in baseball over the last 3 weeks of the regular season and that carried over into the NL playoffs. But these guys just sat for 8 days. The last time they had this much time off was last February. The flight from Boston to Denver will be the longest of these players lives, they will start to believe that the lay-off sapped their momentum. This sets up a Daisuke-Okie-Papelbon Game 3 W in Coors Field. The Rockies have enough talent that they won't get swept though, especially with a projected Game 4 start for Jon Lester. Lester is going to be a good pitcher, but he's almost a place holder in this game. Which brings us to Game 5, and back to Josh Beckett. I don't think I need to expand upon this. So when you are celebrating another Red Sox World Championship on Monday night (or more likely for those of us on the East Coast, early Tuesday morning), take a moment to reflect upon the fact that I told you so.

Speaking of taking moments, I'd like to take a moment here to thank Tim Wakefield. The longest tenured Red Sox player, Wake took one for the team and announced yesterday that he will not be on the World Series roster. This has to be a tough pill to swallow for the knuckle-baller, watching from the sidelines, unable to contribute. Wake once again shows us what a class act and consumate professional he is, feeling that his taking up a roster spot is "unfair to the 24 guys" on the card. Who knows what will come of Wakefield, the team option for next year is there, but will he choose to shut it down or not? Only time will tell, but no matter what happens, thanks Wake, for everything.

Now, with Tim not on the roster, we'll see Kyle Snyder take up a spot in the bullpen. I wasn't surprised by this, but I was a bit surprised to see Eric Gagne on there. I don't know to many of the denizens of Red Sox Nation who wouldn't have preferred to see the smiling face of Julian Tavarez out there, for comedic effect if nothing else. Whatever, as long as we don't actually need him to pitch.

There you have it. Tonight's The Night. The Red Sox are about to win the World Series...for the second time in our lifetimes. Did you ever think you'd be able to say that?

The 2007 American League Champs? OUR Boston Red Sox!!!!!

It is a glorious, glorious morning in New England. The trees are ablaze with color, the farm stands full with apples and pumpkins, the skies bright and clear. Of course, no one noticed that this morning because the Boston Red Sox are the 2007 American League Champions!!!!!!!!!!! True to form, the Red Sox once again proved that you can never count them out. Matsuzaka to Okajima to Papelbon to the World Series. Schilling was Schilling, 10-2 lifetime in the playoffs now. J.D. Drew...J.D. DREW!?!?!!!!!!! Pedroia, Youk, Jacoby. Manny, Papi, Mikey Lowell. And of course, Josh Beckett, the deserving MVP of the ALCS. All of a sudden, every thing is clicking, every piston firing, and not unlike 2004, it all suddenly feels like our destination.

I could run down the statistics from the series and bore you with analysis but you could find that on any number of other websites with bigger budgets and more geeks to pull that stuff together. I could comment on how I so accurately predicted how the AL playoffs would come down (which, I will point out, came down just as I had said except the Yankees were even worse than I had expected). These are things I could write about, but I won't. No, today is all about Our Boston Red Sox, and the Faith of the Nation.

I was speaking to my buddy JO early this morning, regaling in our Pennant victory, and he noted that our kids won't understand what it was like to be a Red Sox fan in our lifetime, or the lifetimes of our parents and grandparents. Most anyone under 25 can't really understand what it was like. 2004 changed everything, and if you aren't old enough to remember '75 or '86 or '95 or even 2003, you won't get it. You don't understand the desperate hope to win masking the sickening expectation of loss. And I'm happy for you. Red Sox Nation doesn't feel like that anymore. Today, we feel like our team can win anytime it matters most and as a result, the Red Sox are headed to their second World Series in 4 years.

I'll have a complete World Series preview later this week. Right now I'm just going to sit back and enjoy this feeling that was rarely known in these parts for so many years. Victory.

It is that time again...

That's right, Barstool Friday!!!!!! Now, let me assure you, my lack of commentary this week has not come because I haven't had anything to say. Quite the contrary, I'm sure I could have written volumes this week, but alas, I've been on the road working and not in front of a computer. And as I'm about to head out again, a few parting shots to get you through the weekend.

• Becks was fabulous last night. The Sox WILL take this.

• However, if they don't, I've got a few bleeps to add to Bucky Bleepin' Dent and Aaron Bleepin' Boone.

• Start Jacoby Ellsbury tomorrw night in place of Coco. Please.

• Did you see the Celtics-Knicks game the other night? OK, it was pre-season, but it felt more like the Harlem Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals. Learned two things, the Celtics will be a lot of fun to watch this year, and the Knicks are awful.

• The Patriots stuck it to the Cowgirls on Sunday. That was beautiful. Anybody think the Dolphins will be withing 3 touchdowns on Sunday? Yeah, me neither.

See you Monday for a World Series preview. Have a pint for me. And finally...

R.I.P. Cleetus. You, Ruby and the Creed rally the Sox for us, OK?





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And So It Begins...the LCS Edition of Barstool Friday

This is what it is all about, right? The Red Sox playing for the American League pennant (we still call it that, don't we?). The culmination of six months of watching, cheering, swearing, cheering, looking over our shoulders, cheering, blasting J.D. Drew, and more cheering. Scratch that, let's make that eleven months. This might have been the longest stretch of non-stop baseball talk in this history of The Nation. From the first rumblings over Daisuke Matsuzaka last November until today, there has been a continuous buzz around the Boston Red Sox. I can't remember anything quite like it. And tonight at 7 o'clock, it is Faith Rewarded. Our Red Sox take the field at Fenway to face the Cleveland Indians for the right to go to the World Series. And as such, I'm going to pass on talking football (Patriots over Cowboys, 38-24), basketball (Celtics looked good in EuroLive games, Midnight Madness at UMass tonight) or anything else today. Barstool Friday is all Red Sox this week, as it should be. But before I continue, I'd just like to point out the my predictions for the ALDS were exactly correct, although even I didn't foresee Beckett's complete game. That was masterful. I didn't do so well with the NL, but since I might have seen one or two NL games all season, I was working from a disadvantage. Oh well.

Let's get on to this series. First of all, this is once again the real World Series. Both Cleveland and Boston have the pitching to dominate whoever comes out of the National League. Don't dwell on this, just accept it. Josh Beckett takes the mound tonight agains CC Sabathia. It should be a pitchers' duel. It should go down as a fantastic battle between two Cy Young candidates. Don't count on it though. These things never go as scripted. I'm thinking 9-6 Red Sox victory with neither starter going more than 5, maybe 6 innings. The game will be decided with bats and bullpens, both of which go in favor of the Sox.

Tomorrow night's game will be really interesting. Curt Schilling, 9-2 lifetime in October, faces Fausto Carmona, the young stud. Schill looked brilliant against the Angels. He's an amazing story, the aging ace who re-invents himself, mid-season no less, and comes back to give his team a boost when it matters most. I had been calling this game a coin toss up until last night, and then I got a feeling. I was stacking wood in the rain, you know, getting it done despite the challenges, just because it HAS to be done. That's Schilling. When you have to win, he does it. It doesn't matter what stacks up against him, when it is win or go home, Curt wins. So there you have it, Red Sox lead 2-0 by Sunday. I'm not even going to argue the point.

Of course, I'm also going to stop making predictions on the games now. Look, Boston is not sweeping this series. The Indians are too strong of a club, but they can't stay with the Sox over a 7 game series. Even if they battle valiantly, they cannot win this series. There are many reasons, but ultimately, there are only two words that need to be said so you can understand why a Red Sox trip to the World Series is inevitable. Those two words?

Joe Borowski.


This guy SUCKS. Look at the Boston line-up. Manny. Papi. Mikey Lowell. Captain 'Tek (yeah, he may not have the best batting average, but look at his late game with runners on numbers...unbelievable). The speed of Coco, Lugo and Ellsbury. Tell me what you see when you look at all that and then look at a closer with an ERA over 5. Destination, as Manny would say. Destination. Seriously, even if you consider the Red Sox and Indians dead even in every other category (which, by the way, I do not), there is simply no way you can look at this guy and think he presents a chance for an Indians victory. And his counter part on the Red Sox staff? Jonathan Papelbon. Need I say more?

Well that's my take on it all heading into the weekend. Colorado will win the NL, whatever that's worth, setting up Manny & Papi for something like a combined 200 home runs before the series is over. Enjoy it all folks, this is what we've been waiting eleven months for, and it will have been worth every minute. Remember, always have a pint for me...I'll be enjoying mine on Cape Cod this weekend. Adios!

It's an LDS Barstool Friday!!!!!!

Good morning, we'll get right to it to prepare you for a weekend of beer-swilling, pretzel chomping, and baseball arguing. Without further ado, here's your Barstool Friday!!!!!

• Man, did Josh Beckett look amazing on Wednesday night. The Sox totally dominated the Angels, as The Ace worked a magical outing. The fact that Becks set up a rested bullpen to back up Matsuzaka tonight is huge. This means that Tito doesn't have to debate yanking Dike-K if he struggles. Especially with another off day tomorrow. I think we are going to see a great performance from Matsuzaka tonight though. First, he has not faced the Angels this season, which certainly is more to his advantange than theirs, given that Varitek calls a masterful game. Second, the Sox offense has been hot lately and putting up runs early. If we can give him a lead to pitch with, he can settle in and just pitch his game. I'm sticking with my original prediction, this series is over come Sunday night. Schilling will be his October self and put up a performance that will keep the Angles bats in check long enough for the Boys to pull this one out.

• I'd said earlier in the week that Cleveland was a tough team, and would take out the Yankees in 4. But if the Indians play like they did last night, they may even be able to weather the Yankees offensive onslaught I predicted for Game 3 and take a broom to this one. They quickly negated Johnny Damon's first inning dinger and kept piling it on, raising doubts again as to Chien Ming Wang's qualifications as the squad's "ace". The Yanks put Pettitte on the mound this afternoon against the dangerous Fausto Carmona. By the time the Sox take the field tonight, Cleveland will have a 2-0 lead on the Bronx Bummers. This will lead to Cleveland's chance to sweep at House That Ruth Built against a questionable Roger Clemens. Ask yourself, based on what you've seen this season, would you put money on Clemens going more than 4 innings? Yeah, didn't think so.

• Over on the Senior Circuit, the Colorado Rockies look like world beaters so far against the Phillies. I predicted a Rocks victory in this series, but I didn't see the thorough dominance of the Rockies' offense over the Phillies pitching. And that has been IN Philly! If the Rockies keep this up, they might score 20 runs on Saturday when they return to the thin atmosphere of Coors Field. Could we see sweeps in 3 of the Division Series?

• Or maybe even all 4? The D-backs have looked similarly dominant over the Cubbies. I really wanted to see the Cubs make some noise this post-season and they have sorely disappointed. Now normally, one might cling to the hope that your team is about to come home. Home to storied Wrigley Field. Except for one thing. Cubs fans don't seem to care. They expect to lose. I haven't seen or heard any rallying cry eminating from the Windy City, its denizens reclusive as Steve Bartman. It is as if they have resigned themselves to this being their fate. Of course, as Sox fans, we can relate (a little) to low expectations. But the thing about Sox fans is that we are capable of mustering every ounce of team loyalty to rise to the occasion, we can temporarily forget the past and live in the moment (at least until the moment is over, then we can go back to self-doubt). So come on Cubs fans, feed this team, it will be an uphill battle, but your team still has a chance. Believe...miracles happen, just ask any Red Sox fan.

• Final thought on the weekend's baseball. At least 2 series are going to end in sweeps, and I'm picking the broom-wielders to be Boston and Colorado. I won't be surprised though if there is at least one other series that ends in 3. So what does this really mean for baseball? Nothing. It just goes to show, in my opinion, that the Wild Card works. Yes, it may have somewhat diminished the significance of being divisional champs but it is further proof that in most years, there are 4 teams in each league that can legitimately compete to be World Champions. While I can still make a legit argument for contraction, I like the Wild Card. And no, not just because it helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series. I swear.

• By the way, the New England Patriots play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Pats average margin of victory this season is 25 points. TWENTY FIVE POINTS!!!!! Somehow, I don't see this average droppin come Monday. Sorry Browns fans...you've still got the Indians and the Cavs...

• Which, however deliberately, brings me to basketball. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is excited to see KG, The Truth and Ray Allen don the Green for their first game together this afternoon in Rome, right? Right? Helloooooooooooo?

Well that's it for this Friday folks. It's all baseball, with some football and hoops tossed in for good measure. As always, Keep The Faith, Red Sox Nation...

(...and yes, I know I failed to mention that the Bruins open their season tonight)

Have a great weekend folks, throw back a pint for me.

Less than 2 1/2 Hours...

The Rockies are already cruising over the Phillies. We're less than two and a half hours from the first pitch of the Red Sox 2007 Quest For The Championship. I'm already on the edge of my seat. I remain confident in my predictions, but I've got that playoffs chill going. It is a strange feeling. Not so much nervous, just anxious. It is almost like you just want it to be over with already, except even that doesn't help, because there is another game on Friday. It's a viscious cycle. I'm only typing this right now because there isn't anything else I can do. If you are a player, you can go through your pre-game routine, keep your mind on that. I'm not a player. I don't have a pre-game routine. I just turn on the TV a few minutes before the game starts and watch. That's fine over 143 games of the regular season (yes, I know there are 162 regular season games, but we have 19 against the Yankees, and there is nothing regular about a Sox / Yankees game). But this is the play-offs. This is what we trudged through the last 6 months for.

The Ride is about to begin, o' Fenway Faithful. Say it with me now...LET'S GO RED SOX...LET'S GO RED SOX...LET'S GO RED SOX...

Looking Forward...It's Sox-tober!!!!!

Usually, you all are privileged to read it here first, but today you'll have to read it here second. I've already made these predictions elsewhere this morning, but just for you, I'll fill them in a little more, just because I can. So, here's the It Takes Balls 2007 MLB Playoff Predictions Show!!!!!!!

~National League~

Colorado is going to beat the Phillies in 4 games. As much as my unfortunate Philly fan friends refuse to admit it, the Phills edged into the playoffs on the back of the Mets historic collapse (let's take a moment here to thank the Mets for taking on a dubious honor and relieving the '78 Sox of the burden). I am well aware of the Phillies excellent run to finish out the season, but don't discount the fact that 3 of those games were against the dying Mets, and 7 of your last 10 were against the Nats. Look fans of Philadelphia sports, I feel for you, I really do. I understand the suffering. I wish I could offer you hope for this series. But the Rockies are hot, and they are taking you down.

Anyhow, the Cubbies will take care of the Diamondbacks, also in 4 games. This sets up the NLCS between the Rockies and the Cubs, a series that the Cubs will win for one simple reason. You can only ride a wave for so long before it peters out or you end up crashing on the beach. The Rockies have been ridiculously hot. It can't last, that's just the way it is.

~American League~

Well Red Sox Nation, here we go. The Sox break out the brooms for the first series, dismissing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in quick fashion. I actually was figuring on the Angels taking one game in this series until I heard that Daisuke was pitching Game 2 and Schilling getting Game 3. We know the Sox won't lose at Fenway, and Schilling is one of the greatest Big Game pitchers of all time. So this is a fait accompli.

Moving on, the Evil Empire faces the scary dangerous Cleveland Indians. And they lose. It will be a 4 game series, because you know that the Yankees will put up something like 11 runs in Game 3 after being dominated by Sabathia and Carmona. But despite a strong second half, the Yankees pitching remains suspect and I can't see them being able to take the Indians. And there you have it.

The ALCS is going to be interesting...really interesting. Cleveland is a strong team. A team that will battle the Red Sox mightly. The Sox WILL prevail, but it is going to take 6 or 7 games. I can't even predict exactly how it is going to go, because the pitching match-ups are tough to argue definitively one way or the other. This is a series where offense will end up winning it, and that's how the Sox get the nod. This all sets up...

~The 2007 World Series~

It comes down like a fairy tale. The Once Cursed versus The Still Cursed. The Boston Red Sox against the Chicago Cubs for the honor of hoisting that World Series trophy. The Cubs are standing on the brink, the Cubs can get the goat off of their collective backs. History will be re-written.

Except, there is no fairy tale ending. The Red Sox sweep the Cubs, Steve Bartman must continue to be a recluse and goats all over the mid-west fear for their lives. Meanwhile, here in New England, we notch title #1 in the quest for the Greatest Year In Boston Sports History.







I'll quickly cap this column with a note about that last phrase. The Patriots once again looked like they are in their own league last night, prohibitive favorites to win it all (again). And Friday at 2:30, Live From Rome!, your 2007-2008 Boston Celtics take the court together for the first time. Yeah, it is pre-season, yeah, it's the Raptors...but I'm setting the DVR. Some things need to be seen.

Enjoy the ride folks, this maybe something very, very special.

Barstool Friday...Division Titles, Upsets & Minny Transplants

Big weekend in sports. The Sox Magic Number is 2 with three to play. UMass football takes on Boston College. The Celtics take flight to get NBA Euro Live going. The Patriots face a high-flying offense Monday night against the Bengals. Let's take a look, and arm you for a weekend of showing everyone at the bar how smart I am.

• I've never hidden my dis-taste for Boston College. I was personally slighted by this institution 20 years ago, or so I like the story to go. It bears little importance though, my personal grudge, upon this weekend's trip out the Turnpike to Chestnut Hill, where the undefeated UMass Minutemen will attempt to pluck the BC Eagles. The National press, of course, dismisses this game as nothing more than an exhibition. I'm sure most of the Eagles players, comments to the contrary aside, are looking past this game. History certainly does not favor the Maroon and White. UMass last beat BC in 1978, and the last time they beat a D1-A team was 1984 when they upset Ball State. BC is also undefeated this year, and are ranked #12 in the Nation's elite college football "sub-division". They have Matt Ryan, a legit Heisman candidate. A UMass victory, however, would signal the team's best start since 1975 in a week where the Trustees agreed to move forward with a study into a UMass migration to college football's more prestigious "Bowl Championship Sub-division" (stupid friggin' name). I think this is a much tighter game than people expect. First of all, this is a UMass squad that is coming off of a dominating performance against Maine. We have a quarterback in Liam Coen who has Tom Brady-like poise. We have a team that has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Face it, if UMass loses this game by 3 touchdowns, essentially nobody notices. They are supposed to lose this game. But if the Minutemen play this one tight, they take some of the shine off of a BC team that is enjoying its highest national ranking since 1993, a team that would acheive its first 5-0 start since 1954. And better yet, if UMass WINS this game, not only is it egg in the face of BC (which I, of course, would enjoy thoroughly), it also validates the power of a UMass offense that has scored 35 points in each of its first 4 games (sounds a bit like a certain NFL team from the area, doesn't it). In the 125 year history of UMass football, that has never happened. Hey look, I'm not expecting an upset here, but I've been following this team closely, and I also won't be surprised if they DO win. 1:00PM tomorrow. I'll be listening.

• First of all, take a look back at the Good, Bad & Ugly column from earlier this month. You'll note that I assured you that David Ortiz would go for 35/100+. Big Papi clocked #34 last night. 3 games to go. Even Khalil Gibran would call me a (sports) prophet. Anyhow, the Magic Number is 2. It would be nice if the Sox could take care of business tonight and if the Yankees would falter so I could relax a little bit this weekend. Not that I'm afraid we'll lose the division at this point, but as we in Red Sox Nation know, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. I cut my finger-nails short this morning to prevent biting. But no matter how you slice it, a new season starts next week. Let's hope we start the second season like we did the first. Oddly enough, this time, we actually have to worry about our pitching. Which, by the way, provides me a perfect opportunity to plug Josh Beckett for the Cy Young award again. Becks has been our undisputable ace this season, and if they weigh last night's start too heavily and he doesn't collect the hardware, expect some screaming from these parts. Keep the Faith, Nation...the fun starts in just a few days.

• The New England Patriots are prepping for a showdown Monday night with the Bengals. Cincy has a potent offense that can put up points. But so do the Patriots. This could be one of those games that ends with a college basketball score. How do I like the Patriots chances? Let's just say the '72 Dolphins will still be sweating next week. Rudi Johnson is out for the Benglas, taking a little bit of juice out of their O, and providing an additional advantage to the Pat's D. It is going to be a shootout, to be sure, but look for the Patriots to prevail, 45-31, something in that range. As usual, you heard it here first...tell your friends.

• Helloooooooo...Europe? The Celtics take off for Rome this weekend to begin training camp and participate in Year 2 of the league's "NBA Europe Live" tour. It should be a good couple of weeks of bonding and sorting out the new look C's. I'll come clean here and admit to being a basketball geek extraordinaire. Yes, I watch pre-season games every year but it is usually just because, hey, it IS basketball after all. But this year, well, October 6th is going to be a little different. It has been a LONG time since we've been able to look at a Celt's pre-season game with enthusiasm for the up-coming year. It is going to be a treat to see, Kevin, Ray and Paul grace the court together in a game that means nothing on one hand and so much on the other. Our expectations are huge. Finally, after months of waiting, we're going to get our first look at reality. I can't wait. I feel sorry for the Raptors. Victim #1.

• Finally, I posed the question that other day: "If the Red Sox win the World Series again, the Patriots win the Super Bowl again and the Celtics win 2 of the next 4 NBA Championships, which Minnesota tranfer is a bigger hero in Boston...David Ortiz, Randy Moss or Kevin Garnett?" While none of you could be bothered to let me know what you think, it doesn't really matter. The winner is Kevin Garnett, hands down. Why? Well, a couple of things and thanks to my friend Don for helping to crystalize the first point. You have to remember what it was like here when the Celtics mattered. You have to be old enough to remember what it was like in the '80s when Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish roamed the parquet. It was INSANE. New England was Green in winter back then. KG, Ray and The Truth can bring that back. I've lived through a Red Sox World Series win, and it was undeniably the Greatest Sports Moment of my life, but the next one won't quite be the same as the 2004 one was. That was a magic year, and it can't be duplicated. Add to that the fact that while Big Papi is, well, Big Papi, a World Series victory is dependent on many factors and many players, and pitching plays a huge role in the outcome. As popular as Ortiz is, he alone can't have the impact on a Championship that Garnett can. And look at the Patriots...do they need Randy Moss to win another Super Bowl? Hardly. Sure, I'm happy to have him and he makes the trip a lot smoother, but his impact is icing on the cake. He's not taking them from bottom-dweller to Champs. He's just helping to add another chapter to the Dynasty. So there you have it. Sorry 'Sota.

Well there it is, Barstool Friday. Have great weekend watching the Sox claim the AL East crown for the first time in well over a decade. Enjoy one of the biggest college football upsets in ages. Take a good look at how grea the Pats are...and break out the shamrocks, your 2007-2008 Boston Celtics take the court.

• 
  

Three...is the magic number!!!!!

Just a few quick comments today. While I certainly slept better after the Sox clinched a play-off spot on Saturday, I'm still consumed with the quest for the AL East. A nice game last night, Schilling looked good, Manny and Youk returned and Big Papi was...well, Big Papi. Tampa Bay continues to play well, which is great since we don't have to play them again this season. They kindly disposed of the Yankees to put the Sox a solid 3 games up in the race for the division. This makes it so that (quick kudos to Schoolhouse Rock and De La Soul here) 3...Is the Magic Number!!! Any combination of Red Sox wins and Yankees losses equalling 3 seals the deal. All the pieces are falling into place. We could have this thing locked up before the weekend.

For those of you who weren't paying attention, the UMass Minutemen football team thoroughly DOMINATED Maine on Saturday, scoring 21 points in the first five minutes of the game. I'm looking forward to Saturday's tilt against the loathesome Boston College. Nothing would make me happier than the HUGE upset that a UMass win would be. More on this for Barstool Friday.

Interesting question came up the other day. If the Red Sox win the World Series again, the Patriots win the Super Bowl again and the Celtics win 2 of the next 4 NBA Championships, which Minnesota transfer is a bigger hero in Boston....David Ortiz, Randy Moss or Kevin Garnett? Think about it, I'll post my thoughts on Friday. Feel free to post a comment with your pick.

That's it for today, see y'all Friday! Go SOX!!!!

Is there anybody out there? It's Barstool Friday!

Hi there. I could have spent the last several days lamenting the state of the Boston Red Sox. I could have dissected that incredibly frustrating Yankees series. I could have ranted about the pathetic 3 game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays. I could have questioned coaching decisions and general game management. I could have broken down the poor performance of the bullpen of late. I could have chosen to ignore all this and talk about the rest of the sporting world. I could have talked about the Patriots, VideoGate (a dead horse) or the continuing woes of Rodney Harrison (*sigh*), or even this weekend's game against the Bills (an easy W by the way). I could have discussed the impending start of Celtics training camp and how bright this season looks (make room for a new banner), or even my thoughts on the training camp trip to Europe. I could have talked about how great UMass football looks (dominated Towson, big game tomorrow against Maine), or about the upcoming basketball season and how we have games scheduled at the Cage and against AIC (hellooooooo 1957!!!!). Hell, I even could have mentioned that the Boston Bruins played a pre-season game last night (which, predicatably, they lost), not that anyone cares. Yes, there are all these things that I could have talked about this week, but I didn't. Because sometimes in life it is best to just Go Dark. Like during an air raid. Or when your favorite baseball team is on the verge of a collapse to rival one that happened in a year I refuse to mention.

Look, the Red Sox are going to make the playoffs, barring something more tragic than any Shakespeare play. And last time I checked, everybody starts the playoffs with the same record. They may very well still win the division. We ARE still in first place, despite what it has felt like here in New England over the last week. And for those of you who have short-term memory loss, the 2004 Red Sox were the AL Wild Card entry, and we all know how that turned out. Still I can't help but face the next 10 days with some sense that we have to make a little run, something more symbolic than statistically significant. I'd love to see Manny being Manny, a few good measure homers from Big Papi, and some dominating performances from Becks, Dice-K and Big Schill. I'd love to see J.D. Drew benched in favor of Jacoby Ellsbury. Conventional wisdom tells me that this won't happen, and while I loathe the conventional, I admit I understand it. Papi needs to rest that knee, Manny needs to be 100% for the play-offs and the bullpen needs some R & R. When (yes, I said when) the Red Sox clinch a playoff spot this weekend, expect to see a lot of minor leaguers on the field for the Oakland and Minnesota series. Prepare yourself for the distinct possibility that the Evil Empire will take the AL East crown for the 8 billionth season in a row. While I would love to grab that banner, to break the choke-hold, eleven days from now it won't matter. Honestly, there is only ONE thing that matters now. There is only one way that this Red Sox season can be measured as a success. My friends in Philly will surely disagree, but there is no success for the Sox in 2007 without one fitting occassion. We do not build teams to hold "the most days in first place". We built this team for one purpose...


The 2007 World Series.




Keep The Faith, Red Sox Nation.

Time for another Barstool Friday!!!!!

I contemplated a witty lead-in the today's edition, but frankly, there's just too much to talk about so I'll get right to it. Here we go, the September 14th Edition of Barstool Fridays!!!!!!!!!

• It is time to Fulfill Our Destination, as Manny would say. My beloved Boston Red Sox hold a 5 1/2 game lead over the Yankees for the AL East crown. The Magic Number is now 11. We have the Best Record In Baseball. And as we have come to expect, we have a decisive 3 game series in Boston in September against Those Guys From New York. I could probably produce an entire column on tonight's game alone, and it is the game that worries me the most. Daisuke has struggled mightly of late, posting an ERA of over 12 for his last 3 starts. He faces the always dangerous Andy Pettitte, a guy who understands what this all means. Sure, The Young Man From Japan has pitched some big games in his life, and he has a reputation for stepping it up when those contests come along. But this is the Red Sox versus the Yankees, in September, and there is more at stake here than a Win. As anyone in New England with a pulse can tell you, this is the series that will make or break a Red Sox season. No, they don't hand out hardware based on what happens over the next 3 days but we all know that momentum is one of the intangibles in sports, and regardless of what the standings may say when the weekend is over, the team that claims this series waltzes through the final 2 weeks of the season with a Sizeable Swagger. So Matsuzaka takes the mound tonight with a hefty weight on his shoulders. A Red Sox victory in the first game of the set will set the tone for the weekend. It will change the air in Fenway. The Friendly Confines are different when Sox fans have The Faith. We've been down this road too many times before. A loss tonight will shake the Foundation of the Nation. Doubt creeps in. A sense of "here we go again" pervades New England. So I'm here to tell you, denizens of Red Sox Nation, Keep The Faith. Dice-K will pitch a different game tonight than he has over the last few starts. The Captain will have him mixing his pitches and throwing breaking stuff in fastball counts, keeping the Yankees on their heels. The Bats will make contact, and if it comes down to crunch time, The Man With The Broad Shoulders, Mr. Clutch, Big Papi will carry us over the finish line. This is The Way It Is in the new Red Sox Nation. So after we take care of busines tonight, let's look ahead to how we put this thing away for good. Tomorrow afternoon (don't forget, it is a screwy 3:55 start tomorrow, unfortunately on Fox) we get The Aces. Beckett against Wang. 18-6 versus 18-6. Cy Young in the balance. The Battle for #19. Except Beckett owns #19. It is one of those superstitious sports number treats. And it is, of course, one that clearly plays to our advantage. It is Our Destination. There you go, Game #2 also goes to the Sox. Which brings us to Sunday, Glorious Sunday. Curt Schilling faces Roger Clemens. At Fenway. A Match-up for the Ages. Two of the greatest pitchers of the last 20 freakin' years...both of whom have rightfully earned permanent placement in Red Sox lore. Two competitors at the tail ends of their careers. Both with something to prove. Both Big Game Pitchers, digging in to place one more note in the storied history of the Greatest Sports Rivalry of All-Time. Who will emerge victorious? Well, I leave that to you to decide, I've got to get get my broom...

• Speaking of those guys in pinstripes, I've heard it said several times this week, the New England Patriots "have become the New York Yankees". As nauseating as that thought is, I can understand where it comes from. The Yankees are hated because they were so good for so long that people got sick of hearing about them. Nobody likes a perennial winner in sports, it tarnishes the mystique, steals hope for The Underdog, diminishes competition (real or percieved). It is increasingly hard in professional sports to reach these heights, for reasons of parity, salary caps, thinning of the talent pool through over-reaching expansion franchises and a disolving sense of loyalty between team and player. The Celtics had it in the '50s and '60s, winnig 11 Championships in a row, a feat that will never be topped. By the '80s, as great as those Celtics teams were, we also had the Lakers. The Steelers in the '70s, Niners in the '80s, Cowboys of the '90s and of course MJs Bulls. They all had it, but it is fleeting. But as the Patriots set out to win their 4th Super Bowl of this millenium, they resemble those teams, and of course the Yankees of the, well, last century. And most of those teams were hated by everyone outside of their own fans. Jordan, beloved as he was, might have transcended it a tiny bit but go talk to fans in Cleveland or Utah and you'll see even his shine isn't as bright. So I'll take the hatred for the Pats. It just means we've become one of the all-time great franchises...and I can live with that.

• Of course, now that I've said that, we have to address VideoGate. Bill Belichick and the Patriots got served their punishment yesterday for a "scandal" that is both serious and silly. Yes, my favorite football team cheated. Yes, we'll lose some draft picks as a result, and justifiably so. The Rules are the Rules, and they must be followed. But what I find silly about this is that while the Patriots Haters will cry foul and wish that harsher actions could topple them from this pedestal, everybody steals signs!!! This is common practice, people. The Patriots were just brazen (and foolish) about their execution. When Sunday night rolls around, I promise you Belichick will have staffers again stealing signs from the Chargers coordinators, just as Norv Turner will have his staff stealing signs from the Pats. The only thing that will change is nobody will be out there with a video camera. All I can say to the Haters is take a look at yourself and measure your outrage at the infraction against your loathing for the team. And then let's get back to football (where, by the way, the Patriots will efficiently dispose of the Chargers and continue their journey to the Super Bowl).

• I feel sorry for Greg Oden. The kid shows so much promise, and to be sidelined for what realistically will be closer to 2 full seasons, has got to be eating him alive. I hope he has a strong support structure around him, because he will have a harder time fighting the depression that he will tackling the rehab. But I couldn't help thinking about something. When the Kevin Garnett trade went through, I could imagine the Ghost Of Red Auerbach visiting Kevin McHale one night and saying "Look kid, I MADE you. Now it's time for you to pay me back". Now I have to wonder if ol' Red didn't have a few hands holding down the ping-pong balls in New York this spring, knowing that the Celts need to Win Now wasn't happening with the top pick in the draft. Red always had a way of knowing how things would work our before anyone else did. Training Camp is right around the corner. The Big Ticket, The Truth and Ray Allen have already arrived (voluntarily!) in Waltham and are building chemistry and schooling the young guns. The Quest for Green 17 begins anew.

Recap of the weekend's action on Monday with a full breakdown of Sox/Yankees, Pats/Chargers and some UMass talk, both football and basketball. Remember, 3:55 tomorrow and 8:05 SUnday for the Sox, strange times for Strange Times. Warm up those thumbs, a lot of flipping back and forth Sunday night. It is gonna be a great weekend. Enjoy.