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.







_

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.