Just because someone is a professional basketball player doesn’t mean that he’s mastered all the ins and outs of the game as yet. Take San Antonio’s DeJuan Blair, he forgets that on defense you’re trying to STOP the other team from scoring and decides to help out the Celtics and tip the ball into the net for them. Isn’t that sweet?!
Archive for the 'Boston' Category
Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is one of the fastest players in the NBA, able to go coast-to-coast in practically no time. Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans has quickly become one of the best running backs in football, running a 4.24 40 time and just blowing past defenders. Never one to avoid a challenge, Rondo let it be known he wants to race Johnson.
According to Johnson’s Twitter feed
America needs to see this race! I hope this happens, we could soon see a whole new era of sports competition with super-athletes matching their physical prowesses against one another.
Peter Gammons spoke with Dustin Pedroia recently and his most recent comments only endear him to me more. After mentioning that the Red Sox had approached Pedroia regarding whether he thinks he could play shortstop he had nothing but confidence.
“When the idea of moving back to shortstop was floated to me, I welcomed it,” Pedroia says. “I’m excited. Tell Derek [Jeter] to enjoy the gold glove and silver slugger awards while he can. Obviously, I’m not serious about the fun I have with Derek, but I’m never stopping believing in the goal. I believe I can play shortstop and help get the Red Sox back where they belong.”
Goddamn I love that cocky son-of-a-bitch.
[ESPN]
Early in the 4th quarter of Friday’s Celtics/Raptors game Boston captain Paul Pierce drove to the hole and powered a dunk down over All Star Chris Bosh. While going up for the dunk Pierce’s knee was at a weird angle and drove directly into Chris Bosh’s man-parts; score that 2 points for Pierce, 2 pained areas on Bosh’s body.
I’m not surprised that Eddy Curry got violent during his return to action for the Knicks, I’m just thankful that he didn’t eat Rajon Rondo in addition to punching him in the back of the head. To be fair, clearly Rondo deserved this, I mean, how DARE he try for a rebound. That’s EDDY’S ball.
In the waning seconds of the first half in Wednesday’s Celtics/Warriors game Kevin Garnett grabbed a rebound and, after a nifty spin move, launched up a 75-footer. The ball was definitely still in his hands when time expired and the refs rightly waved off the basket, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t totally cool. Because it was. Watch.
12
Nov
09
Belichick Wears a Mic
I love insider-y stuff, getting the chance to listen to Bill Belichick on the sidelines during a game is exactly the type of thing I’m interested in.Now, obviously the audio gets edited by the NFL before they release it, but it still is a totally cool way to see/hear/understand the game, particularly from a football genius like Belichick. I’d love someday to be the guy in the truck who gets to hear the whole, unadulterated version because I bet THAT is super-interesting. Oh well.
[NFL]
05
Nov
09
Swine Flu Forechecks the NHL
In a press release today, the Boston Bruins announced that young future-star center David Krejci has a confirmed diagnosis of Swine Flu, making him at least the 4th confirmed case in the NHL.
“Like most people, we are taking many precautions to try to prevent our players and staff from contracting the H1N1 virus,” said Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli. “Our medical staff is working with David to get him healthy as soon as possible, and our players and staff will continue to take precautions with hopes of preventing the spread of the virus to others in the organization.”
So far Krejci is the only Bruin thus diagnosed, and hopefully the only one. It’s a shame the Bruins don’t play in Calgary, because there the entire team were given swine flu vaccines, much to the chagrin of the thousands of patients outside a clinic waiting for their shots.
The Alberta government has since fired a senior staff member at Health Services for giving the Flames, the players’ families and the front office preferential treatment and the vaccines over the rest of the population who waited in line.
“I am deeply offended that this circumstance has occurred,” Ken Hughes, chairman of Alberta Health Services, said in a news release. “The decision to allow preferential access to the Flames and their families was a serious error in judgment.”
Believing they had gone through the appropriate channels, Flames president Ken King defended the Flames, saying that because of the players extensive travel schedules and the close-contact of hockey that it was a priority for the team to get vaccinated. He didn’t offer an explanation why the players families or the front office also deserved preferential treatment. King also offered that the Flames players receiving the shots in a private location was done to prevent the mass hysteria that could happen if the players waited in the clinic’s line.
Alberta has since run out of vaccines and was forced to shut the program down on Saturday. Unlike the Flames, the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Raptors and even the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos have reported that they have not sought out preferential treatment for their players.
[Boston Bruins and AP]
He can be a blow-hard sometimes but Curt Schilling wrote something today on his blog that I thought was especially interesting in light of this World Series. Few people can adequately talk about what it is like pitching on short rest in the postseason but Curt is one of them. This is a man who lost an entire year (at least) due to his putting it all on the line for the 2004 postseason, something I don’t think he’s ever regretted.
It’s October baseball (November, actually). The rules go out the window, right? The season is 27 outs from being over … literally, every game.
That’s the mindset I always felt worked for me in October. You do whatever you have to, whenever you have to, to have one more run than the other team.
From a starting pitcher’s standpoint, three days’ rest in October was never an issue, because from the time you’re 5 years old, doing that “World Series” replay in your back yard, it’s the game, the innings, the at-bats you’ve always dreamed about having the ball in your hand for.
[snip]
I guess for me it comes back to the player. I always felt the need to make sure the manager KNEW I wanted to do it, and ya, I’d put up a fight to get the shot to be able to do it. If as a player you don’t assert this, you leave the manager sitting there in a no-win, really. If he does it, and you don’t do well, it’s his fault for pushing you. If he doesn’t do it, and you lose, it’s not your fault because he didn’t ask. That’s the easy way, I think, and I’ve watched guys take it more than once. Being the “quiet type,” I never could. You may never be there again, and the belief that in October I could not be outpitched, regardless of whether it was true or not, made me push to get the ball in my hands if at all possible.
I mean, it’s the World Series, there are no more games after this, right? Nine innings in October can change the lives of every person in the organization. How cool is it to know that power rests in the ball being in your hands? Scary? Hell, yes. But that’s why it’s so damn fun. On the biggest stage, with the most on the line, let the rest of the world shrink back or cower — me? I’m good with letting it all hang out, and letting the chips fall. I’ve done my work, in the weight room and the video room, now it comes down to execution.
Read the full post because Schilling writes rather eloquently about the subject and about his thoughts before warming up for game 7 of the 2001 World Series. While the New York media is howling about Girardi’s choice to go with a 3-man rotation for the entire postseason, what did they want, Chad Gaudin in the World Series? Joba back in the rotation? There aren’t any better options for this team right now, with their offense and their stadium all they need is for Pettite to keep them close and they’ll always be in it. After all, there’s always Mariano in the ‘pen.
04
Nov
09
Rajon Goes Over the Backboard
Fresh off agreeing to a 5-year $55 million contract, Rajon Rondo and the 4-0 Celtics took on the woeful Philadelphia 76’ers last night. The Celtics ran the Sixers all over the floor, the Celts were kicking so much ass that their stars like Garnett barely logged any minutes; there simply was no need. One of the highlights of the game was this circus shot from Rondo over the backboard which reminds me of the old clip of Larry Bird doing the same.
Larry’s shot took place when I was all of 4, but I do remember seeing clips of it run constantly during Celts games and I spent a hell of a long time mastering that shot. For the record I fucking OWN that spot just behind the backboard.
28
Oct
09
Nobody Bites My Wife But Me
In June of 2008, while visiting an art gallery in Hingham, MA, Stacey Wakefield, wife of Red Sox knuckleballer Tim was bitten by an English mastiff, Gabriella, that is the pet of the gallery’s owners. Last June ANOTHER woman was bitten by the dog.
With those two incidents in hand, the Hingham Board of Selectman unanimously voted to have that 8-year-old bitch euthanized.
In rendering their decision the Selectman called the gallery owners, Robert and Megan Ullman “irresponsible.” However, the Ullmans insist their bitch isn’t violent and intend to appeal the decision.
I wouldn’t expect much sympathy from another judge, this dog could have injured the WIFE of a PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER, that kind of negligence just can’t be allowed. Next time it could be the girlfriend of a hockey player, and I just WON’T stand for that.
[WBZ]
While everyone else on the Patriots showed up for their trans-Atlantic flight in casual comfortable clothes, Tom Brady, the 2007 Esquire Best Dressed Man rolled up in a super stylin’ grey suit looking dapper as ever. Look at that pocket square, PERFECTLY folded, seriously, this man knows how to dress to impress. 
Tom wasn’t the only star Patriots player to be in top form, Randy Moss apparently was running late, but managed to get his lunch and still make the flight, even if it was touch and go for a bit.
Those fries look tasty.
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