First Pitch of Spring

The Red Sox open the 2008 season with their first Spring Training game against the Minnesota Twins tonight!

Notes from the Coast:

With Defensive backs Asante Samuel and Eugene Wilson hitting the open market and probably leaving the Patriots soon, there is a rumor that Ty Law may want to come back to Foxboro. In his 13th season, Law is defintely on the down-side of his career but still might perform effectively within the Pats' defensive schemes and could help tutor young players like Brandon Merriweather and Mike Richardson. Also, a return to the Patriots could improve Law's chances of entering the NFL Hall of Fame one day.

• I think Bartolo Colon was a nice pick-up for the Red Sox. The cost is minimal and as Theo always says, it's a long season and you can never have enough pitching. Now with Schilling out for an undetermined amount of time, the Sox will have Colon, Buchholz, Tavarez, and Snyder to help fill in the gap.
• The Sam Cassell watch continues. Should a Clipper buyout occur, it appears the Celtics are the team Sam Cassell would most want to sign with. However, time is crucial because Cassell must be on another roster by March 1 to be eligible for the playoffs. Also, once a buyout is finalized Cassell still would have to sit through a 48-hour period to clear waivers and like sharks in the water, both the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets also appear interested in Cassell's services and have as much as $2-$4 mill more to offer him under their exceptions.
• Interesting to note how the New York Jets are the first team to covet (and at times illegally pursue) Patriots' personell, yet when Jets' Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was granted permission to seek a trade this off-season, the only team he was told not to talk to was the Pats.
• Why is having the best record so important to the Celtics? Because whoever finishes with the second best record in the East has to play LeBron James and the much improved and healthy Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA play-offs.
• Congrats to Terry Francona on his much deserved contract extension. Hard to imagine that his year Francona will become the first Red Sox Manager to skipper the team for 5 consecutive years since Joe Cronin did it 60 years ago. Tito even passes three Managers (Dick Williams, Darrel Johnson, and John McNamara) who all took the Red Sox to the World Series.

Make a Move!

Celtics' GM Danny Ainge earned a high grade for his off-season moves but now its time for him to do something in-season to earn an NBA title. Teams that are interested in winning are fortifying their rosters for the play-offs. Jamaal Magloire is now with the Dallas Mavericks and they are still planning on going after Brent Barry or Sam Cassell for their final roster spot. The San Antonio Spurs just added Kurt Thomas and the Suns added Shaq yet both teams' GMs are also courting Brent Barry. We have a 2-3 year window with the new 'Big 3' and still have 2 roster spots open. To compete for a title, the Celtics still need a back-up point guard and another big man. The heck with chemistry, this is about winning, so do something already!

Celts' West Coast Woes

So how good are these Celtics anyway? They were 16-0 against Western Conference teams before their West coast road trip after the All-Start break. During this recent trip the Celts went 2-3 against teams who, except for maybe the Nuggets, are currently not playing their best ball of the season. On top of that, the Celts' two victories were against teams who had or sustained major injuries to their top players. Brandon Roy got injured when the Celts were coming back from a 17 point first half deficit against the Blazers and the Clippers were without 4 of their top 6 players when the Celtics beat them to close out the trip. The three teams that beat the Celtics (Suns, Nuggets, and Warriors) all lost their next game and to make matters worse, the Suns were blown out at home on National TV by fellow Eastern Conference rival Detroit.

Now one can argue that these teams all brought their 'A' game against the team with the best record in NBA but you also can't deny that the Celts' defense and shooting is becoming more inconsistent as the year goes on. Also, it seems that if 2 of the 'Big 3' (Allen, Pierce, KG) have bad shooting nights, then it's nearly impossible for them to win. Even more discouraging is that the Celtics were 7-2 without Kevin Garnett and now only 2-3 with him back in the line-up. As the Celts return home to play the improved Cavs, I guess only time will tell if this trip was just a blip on the radar or a major turning point in the season.

Notes from the Coast:

With the NFL Combine happening this week in Indianapolis, I still can't understand why USC's Rey Maualuga decided to return to school for his senior year. He has already won a National Championship at USC, had a great junior year, a monster Rose Bowl game against Illinois, and his stock may never be higher. To make matters worse, Maualuga is the pure M/ILB the Patriots need to succeed Tedy Bruschi. Also, he could've learned the nuances of the position from former USC star and current Patriot Junior Seau. Now it looks like the Pats may trade down from the 7th pick and draft a CB.

• Coco Crisp says he wants to start over Jacoby Ellsbury in CF. Crisp should understand that playing time is directly related to production. Coming over from the Indians, Crisp has dropped from .300 avg. & 16 HR's a year to .265 avg. & 6 HR's with the Red Sox. Granted Crisp is only 28 years old, but based on his stats the last two years, he is a fourth Outfielder.
• There were no moves for the Celtics before the trade deadline. No surprise since they really didn't have any pieces to deal. However, there is still a chance the Clippers could buy-out and release Sam Cassell before the play-offs.
• You can see both sides of the Curt Schilling shoulder controversy. Following last year when Schill was a free agent, he elected not to have surgery, passed his physical, and signed a contract with the Red Sox. Now he belongs to the Sox and the chances are he will not pitch this year should he have surgery now. On the other hand, Schill probably realizes that this is truly his last year in the bigs if he doesn't have surgery right now because any procedure following this season will make it even harder for him to pitch for a team next year.
• The NBA is defintely going through a revival. The Celtics and the Lakers are once again successful, the new stars in the league are both relatable and marketable, teams in the West are collecting top NBA talent in anticipation of play-off showdowns, All-Star weekend was fun again, and 20, 711 people attended the Celtics-Warriors game Wednesday night setting a record for basketball attendence in California.

Who is Matt Walsh?

If Senator Arlen Specter has his way, Matt Walsh will blow the lid off Spygate and possibly discredit all the Patriots success since Bill Belichick arrived in 2000. However, the Senate investigation may prove just as painful for Walsh as his motivation will be called into question and his credibility possibly destroyed.

Walsh's background is very cloudy to say the least. His Bio says he worked for both the Scouting and Video depts for the Patriots while some sources report that he never worked in the Pats' Video dept. His resume says he worked for the team until 2003 while his wedding site claims he left in the Pats in January of 2001, a few weeks before the infamous taping of the Rams walk-through. Either way, the big question is why he left the team in the first place and why as a Golf pro in Maui he still has Patriots' video tapes dating back to 2001.

Walsh claims he left the organization voluntarily because of a job offer with the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe. Considering how much Belichick likes to keep the braintrust intact and promote from within (Jets Head Coach Eric Mangini once served as his ball boy), it seems a huge stretch that Walsh left the Pats on his own for a position in Europe.

Pats' GM Scott Pioli recently admitted that Matt Walsh was dismissed because he was caught taping phone conversations in the front office. Based on this info, it seems Walsh may have begun a blackmail campaign in an effort to cover-up some issue he had with the team back then. This would also explain why he still has the video tapes with him over 6,000 miles away in Maui. Also, his wedding site shows Walsh with bunch of official NFL footballs that he likely didn't buy and unless the Pats routinely give away 'game balls' to low-level employees, videotapes might not be the only thing Matt Walsh "borrowed" from the franchise when he left.

Finally, Walsh's Bio also states that after an All-State high school playing career, he went on to play golf collegiately at Springfield College, yet no one can find him listed on any Golf teams at the school. Also, it claims that upon graduation he trained with the United States National Bobsled team in Lake Placid, along with working in professional hockey for two seasons. It seems the only thing Walsh hasn't done is tell the truth.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may have already known the extent of Matt Walsh's credibility since he tried to make the taping of the Rams' practice a non-issue. However, now that Sen. Specter has re-opened the investigation, he will soon learn that his 'star witness' has an inconsistent past.

Celtics Midterm Report

The Boston Celtics are a remarkable 41-9 at the All-Star break, so it's a good time to look back at a successful first half of the season and hand out some grades. Below are some individual grades and coments based on their expectations coming into the year.

Kevin Garnett (A+): A tremendous talent and inspirational leader both on and off the court. He is the soul of the team and makes Doc's job a whole lot easier.

Paul Pierce (A): Finally becoming a great team player with his defense and passing this year.

Rajon Rondo (A-): Playing with more confidence in his second year at the point and should average a triple-double in the future with his rebounding skill.

Eddie House (A-): Shooting lights out off the bench and even brings the ball up for the second team. His spark reminds me of Vinnie "the Microwave" Johnson of the old Pistons.

James Posey (B+): As advertised, good 3-point shooter and great defender. Even has the rest of the team taking offensive charge fouls.

Leon Powe (B+): Developing into a good and athletic low post player in his second year. He contributed mightily while KG was injured.

Glenn Davis (B): As a rookie, has had some inconsistent nights but his energy, hands around the basket, and his recent defense on Tim Duncan have made him a second round steal in the draft.

Ray Allen (B): Great presence on the floor and has hit some clutch shots but still trying to determine his role in the offense and having his worst shooting year thus far.

Kendrick Perkins (B): Improving his low post game every day but still benefits greatly when KG is in the line-up.

Tony Allen (C+): His injured knee and defense is getting better every game but still needs to drive more and shoot less.

Brian Scalabrinie (C): A role player who needs to have better hands around the paint.

Scot Pollard (D): A "D" for too many DNP's. Must contribute in the second half of the season.

Coaching Staff (A): With all the leadership on the team, Head coach Doc Rivers' day-today job is much easier this year. However, where he contributed the most is when he united a team with superstars and new players in the offseason. Along with Posey and KG, the addition of defensive guru Tom Thibodeau as Assistant coach has turned the Celts from the worst to the best defensive team in the league.

Front Office (A-): By getting Ray Allen, KG, Posey, House, and Thibodeau in the offseason, General Manger Danny Ainge earned his salary and may have secured the GM of the year award. Now he must try to bolster the team for the stretch drive to earn an NBA title.

Notes from the Coast:

Spring training finally opens this week! Pitchers and Catchers all report by the weekend and the rest of the team a few days later. Let's hope the sight Johnny Pesky signing autographs and the sounds of wooden bats and Japanese reporters will alleviate the pain of a bad Super bowl loss.

• On that note, good thing I didn't watch the NFL Pro Bowl game last Sunday. Asante Sammuel dropped a game saving pass in the Super bowl but had a great hit in the Pro Bowl. Also, Logan Mankins, Matt Light, and Dan Koppen played terrible in Arizona but I heard they played great in Hawaii. That said, had I been watching the Pro Bowl I probably would have put my fist through the TV.
• Hard to believe that everyone from the Nanny to the Clemens' dog was using HGH, except Roger. Clemens may never come back to pitch again but he does have a chain of sports bars called "Rocket's" in development. Even though jell-o shots out of a syringe could still work nicely within the bar's theme, this may be another reason why Clemens is holding so tight to his lies.
• Senator Arlen Specter is not content with NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell's answers on Spygate and now wants the Senate Judiciary committee to investigate further. My first thought is doesn't Congress have better things to worry about like the war, terrorism, and the recession than spygate and HGH? My second thought is bring it on. Now we will find out how trivial this practice of 'taping' truly is, how many teams also do it, and how reputable Matt Walsh is as a witness.
• How bad are the Knicks? The Celtics were up by 27 points on Wednesday night with only one big man left on the roster...and Leon Powe is only 6' 8"!
• Must see TV: After the All-Star break this weekend, it will be a mad scramble for the NBA crown. KG, Perk, and Pollard come back for the Celts; Jason Kidd will soon be wearing a Dallas uniform; Andre Bynum joins a new Laker line-up with Pau Gasol in March; and Shaq's first game in a Phoenix Suns uniform will be against Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers.

Happy V-day Debbie Clemens!

To my darling wife,
who saved my life...
The Hall of Fame is my direction...
Now that you took my fall and the HGH injection...
sorry for all the congressional fuss...
and for throwing you under the bus...

Love, Roger

The World Champion Sox are Red...

NBA Finals preview?

The Celtics defeated the San Antonio Spurs yesterday for only the second time in the Tim Duncan era. What made it even more impressive was that both Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins did not play. If you include Scott Pollard who was a DNP, that is 3 ‘bigs’ out of the line-up for the Celtics against arguably the best big man in the game today. It was a great win but let’s not forget that the Spurs were without Tony Parker and Brent Barry yesterday. The Spurs are a much better team with Parker at the point, and with everyone healthy on both teams you would have to give the edge back to San Antonio.

That said the Celtics still need to make a move before the trading deadline on Feb. 23rd. The Lakers have improved themselves with Pau Gasol, the Spurs with Stoudamire, the Warriors with Chris Webber, the Suns have changed it up with the addition of Shaq, and both Dallas and Cleveland are hot after Jason Kidd. Even with KG, Perk, and Pollard coming back, Danny Ainge will still need to get some more support at the point and maybe another big man if the Celtics are to continue their success against the West and make a nice run in the NBA play-offs.

Notes from the Coast:

Johan Santana has finally found a new home and it’s in the National League, so now the Red Sox can move on. With Brandon Moss waiting in the wings and the recent signings of Bobby Kielty and Sean Casey, it looks like Coco Crisp’s days in a Sox uniform are numbered. I am still hoping for a deal to the Oakland A’s for reliever Huston Street but don’t expect anything until Spring Training when the Sox brass can make sure that Jacoby Ellbury is their everyday centerfielder.

• Reportedly, Tom Brady and Randy Moss pulled out of the Pro Bowl in Hawaii due to injury. After their disgraceful performance in the Super bowl, Matt Light and Dan Koppen should pull out of the Pro Bowl due to embarrassment.
• Can’t wait until after the NBA All-Star break when Kevin Garnett and Scott Pollard return to the line-up and Sam Cassell may finally be in a Celtics uniform.
• On that note, I got a little excited when I heard Cassell was pulled out of the Celts-Clippers game last night. I thought it was because a trade or buyout had been consummated by the two teams until I heard it was due to a flagrant foul ejection.
• Also, judging by his recent quotes, Cassell doesn’t seem as eager as Damon Stoudamire was to back-up Rajon Rondo saying it’s “who finishes the game not who starts that counts.”
• Finally, Red Sox equipment trucks leave for Fort Myers, Florida this Saturday; a ritual that has become a harbinger of spring more reliable than a Groundhog’s shadow or the appearance of a Red-breasted Robin.

Spygate part deux

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league has already investigated the Patriots taping of the St. Louis Rams walk-through before Superbowl XXXVI and came up with evidence to the contrary (whatever that means). Also, NFL writer Michael Holley said on WEEI that he followed-up with multiple sources around the league and found that the allegations by former Pats’ employee Matt Walsh are absolutely false.

Matt Walsh didn’t even work in the Patriot's Video dept and could have a major axe to grind with his former bosses. However, if he does have evidence to support his claim, then you have to feel bad for the Kraft’s. This is the same family that wouldn’t draft certain players due their lifestyle in college, yet they could be caught in the biggest NFL scandal since Alex Karras and Paul Hornung were caught gambling on games 45 years ago.

Similar to what the NBA did when they found out their referees were gambling, I suspect NFL owners and possibly other Senators will pressure Arlen Specter to wrap-up his investigation quickly in attempt to avoid an embarrassing black mark on America’s newest pastime. You know Belichick will never ever attempt these covert opps again, so whatever the truth is, let’s find out soon and not let it drag on like steroids in baseball. The worst case scenario would be that the Patriots have to give back all their Super bowl victories but that is highly unlikely. However, if it should happen, then the Pats would set another NFL record, albeit a dubious one, of appearing in 6 Superbowls without a victory.

Super bowl Ads

On a lighter note, here are my top 3 Super bowl commercials from 2008:
#3. Bridgestone Tires "Nature Screams"
#2. E*Trade "Banking Baby"
#1. Bud Light "Jackie Moon"

Super bowl Hangover

Boston police today reported finding a body in the Charles River. The victim apparently drowned due to excessive alcohol consumption. He was described as wearing black fishnet stockings, a red garter belt, a pink wig, high heels, and a Patriot's jersey. The police graciously removed the Patriot's jersey to spare the family unnecessary embarrassment.

The Curse of Arizona

I guess you really can’t win them all, especially in Glendale, Arizona. Last night the Patriots joined a list of teams that have been upset in Arizona the last few years. The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #9 Boise St Broncos defeat #8 Oklahoma Sooners: 43-42. The 2007 BCS Championship Game: #2 Florida Gators defeat #1 Ohio State Buckeyes: 41-14. The 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #9 West Virginia Mountaineers defeat #3 Oklahoma Sooners: 48-28. Even the New York Yankees were upset in the desert by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series.

And now Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants (12-6) defeat New England Patriots (18-0): 17-14. You knew the Giants were destined for victory when Eli Manning dodged a sack in the last minute of the game and got off a pass to unknown receiver David Tyree who then caught it on his helmet for a first down, but in all honesty, it should never have gotten to that point. The Patriots play calling was bad and their Pro bowl Offensive line was worse. Brady was sacked five times and never truly got into a rhythm. Finally, when the Patriots scored the go ahead touchdown to Randy Moss they made the one mistake that has cost other teams in the past. They left to much time on the clock.

To see Brady and the Patriots not score the last points and walk-off the field of a Super bowl in defeat was surreal. To add insult to injury, now we will probably see the Manning brothers whore themselves out for even more National TV commercials. Worse yet, we have to hear Mercury Morris and the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins beat their chest for another year.

Between Spygate, Randy Moss, Giselle, and the undefeated record, it was a long exhausting season for both Patriot players and fans. It will be interesting to see how the organization handles this defeat. What moves they make and what happens to Samuel, Seau, Moss, Stallworth and Troy Brown next season, but no more football for now.

The Celtics still have the best record in the NBA and Spring Training starts in less than 10 days, so it’s time to move on from this GIANT letdown and put the long Pats' season behind us.

Let the Healing Begin

Congrats NFL Hall of Fame Inductee Andre Tippett!

Superbowl XLII Notes:

I thought I would pass along a couple of great articles regarding the Tom Brady. The Superbowl hero's path to icon status is chronicled in this piece by CNNSI's Lee Jenkins called "Self-made Man" and an ESPN article by Greg Garber called "Almost Perfect". They both show how Brady had his setbacks each step of the way but just kept working harder and never gave up his dream.

• Also, CNNSI.com's Dr. Z breaks down the Giants' and Pats' personell to show who has the edge position by position. Quick recap; the Pats dominate on Offense while the Giants have the edge on Defense.
• ESPN has an interesting article on Ernie Adams . The mystery man behind Bill Belichick and the Patriots' success.
• On Saturday of Superbowl weekend it will be announced whether former Patriots' Linebacker Andre Tippett will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here outlines a good case for his enshrinement.
• Finally, it seems Spygate won't die. In this NY Times article, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania now wants NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to explain why the confiscated tapes were destroyed. Seems ridiculous on so many levels.