1. Celtics:

* Hate to say it but Doug Collins is out-coaching Doc Rivers
* Would you trade Rajon Rondo and Michael Pietrus for Steve Nash, Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley?
* You need Moore or Dooling to get knocked out and tell them they are Gary Payton when they wake up
* Take away Garnett and the game is over
* I agree with sentiment I heard on the radio – I’d rather the Celtics lose Game 7 if they can’t beat Miami (which they can’t)

2. Red Sox:

Last year’s Opening Day Lineup:

Ellsbury – CF
Pedroia – 2b
Crawford – LF
Youkilis – 3B
Gonzalez – 1b
Ortiz – DH
Cameron – RF
Salty – C
Scutaro – SS

Wednesday’s team on the field:

Avilies – SS
Pedroia – 2B
Ortiz – DH
Gonzalez – RF
Youkils – 1b
Middlebrooks – 3b
Nava – LF
Posednik – CF
Shoppach – C

3. Patriots:

Some interesting punting averages:

* Adam Vinatieri – 2 punt / 29 yards
* Matt Bahr – 1 punt / 29 yards
* Tom Brady – 1 punt / 36 yards
* Babe Parilli – 5 punts / 36 yards
* Matt Cassell – 1 punt / 57 yards

4. Bruins:

The Bruins got knocked out over a month ago (April 25th) and the Stanley Cup Finals haven’t started.

5. College Baseball:

Teams above the Mason Dixon line ranked in the Top 50:

5. Oregon
15. Purdue
47. Michigan State
48. Indiana State

6. Shaq a GM?

If Shaq could be considered GM of the Orlando Magic who he left high and dry for the Lakers – how about some other suggestions for Front Office jobs:

* Donovan McNabb – GM of the Redskins
* Lebron James – GM of the Cavs
* Pat Sullivan – GM of the Raiders
* Pedro – GM of the Yankees
* Derek Sanderson – GM of the Rangers
* Ron Artest – GM of Detroit Pistons or OKC
* Mickey Rivers – GM of the Red Sox
* Billie Jean King – the GM of Augusta National Course

7. Amazing Stat:

The best season by a goalie since 1930 – Tony Esposito in 1969 had 15 shutouts in 63 games (Hasek had 13 in 1998)

8. Old School:

In the B’s 1973 Stanley Cup season, the following players played at least 76 of the 78 games:

* Phil Esposito – 78
* John Bucyk – 78
* Fred Stanfield – 78
* Carol Vadinais – 78
* Dallas Smith – 78
* Don Awrey – 78
* Nick Beverley – 76
* Wayne Cashman – 76

(Bobby Orr played in 63)

9. Just a Little Bit Outside:

In honor of Memorial Day – how about some real heroes – Medal of Honor winners from Iraq war – Thank you is sufficient – awe and admiration is my emotion:

* Paul Smith – (4/4/03) – Held off Iraq company with grenades, anti-tank weapons and machine gun while organizing a defense. In the end, 50 enemy soldiers were killed and countless Americans saved

* Michael Monsoor (9/29/06) – In the midst of an enemy attack, Monsoor took a grenade off his chest and then jumped on the grenade sacrificing his life and saving his two comrades.

* Ross McGinhis (12/4/06) – When a grenade was thrown in his armored vehicle, he pinned the grenade between himself and the armor causing his death but saving four comrades

* Jason Dunhill – (4/14/04) – When an insurgent attacked on a suicide mission, he wrestled him to the ground and then leaped on a live grenade saving at least two Marines and sacrificing his life.

10. Randomocity:

* Green Acres, Jeffersons, Alice and One Day at a Time all stunk
* Traffic getting bad again during commutes
* Vanderbilt must have been bad for morale on F Troop
* Bee Gees, Donna Summers, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson – somewhere Bill Veeck jinxed them
* Under the theory that Michael Jordan was suspended for a year for gambling – maybe Josh Beckett was healthy but was suspended for five days by the Red Sox
* If I’m Curt Schilling and am concerned about my legacy – I lose 100 pounds and pitch again for incentive contract and make $10mm and give it back to the state and then I do signings, birthday parties, auctions until I give back every cent. Man of honor or a fraud – those are his two choices…

© Michael for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Top Story.

Forgive the cliche, but it’s nearly game over for Curt Schilling’s video game company, 38 Studios.

The company laid off all of the employees on Thursday, one week after it was unable to make payroll. The company had nearly 400 workers.

38 Studios was founded six years ago in Maynard, Massachusetts, but later moved its headquarters to Rhode Island, where officials issued the company a $75 million loan guarantee in 2010.

Last week, Rhode Island officials held emergency meetings two weeks after the company was unable to make a $1.1 million loan payment back to the state. The company later bounced a check before actually making the payment.

The company produced one video game called “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning” and had a new massively multi-player online game on the way for 2013 tentatively titled “Copernicus.” The game, still in development, has already cost the company tens of millions of dollars to produce.

With the online game on the way, 38 Studios has tried hard to find additional investors to keep the company afloat, but has failed so far.

“I have not given up,” Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee told Boston.com. “But I am also a realist. What we’ve learned from (industry) experts is grim news. Very, very grim.”

The state of Rhode Island has already given Schilling’s company $49 million.

Schilling has poured more than $30 million of his personal fortune into the company, but he, too, is tapped.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Red Sox, Top Story.

Sources told the paper that Gisele’s dress size has changed, leading many to expect that a baby bump is on the way.

Sure, file this one under the “I don’t care” department. That’s fine.

But, you may start caring if the baby is born during the NFL season. If Gisele is two months pregnant, and we’re in May, that would mean the baby would be due around December, if my math is correct.

Gisele and Brady’s first child, Benjamin, was born in December of 2009.

Brady has another son, John Thomas Moynahan, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Now!, Patriots.

1. Red Sox:

* Josh Beckett should be an option to pinch hit
* See the sign held by a fan behind the Red Sox dugout that read “Fried Chicken”?
* Phillies pitcher Qualls should be fined for walking Nick Punto, who is hitting .135
* Alfredo Aceves is an insane specimen – waste like Twiggy / back like Hagler
* With Mike Aviles now on a pace for 32 HR and 107 RBI and more-than-sufficient range – I would trade him right now and bring up Jose Iglesias, who is now over .280
* Sox are now on pace to win 80 games
* David Ortiz looked more than adequate at first – might want to think about pushing Adrian Gonzalez to the outfield if production is lacking
* Absolute bomb by Salty

2. Celtics:

* They will win the Philly series but cost themselves the next series with their disgraceful performance Friday
* Doc Rivers’s worst coaching job as a Celtic
* Avery Bradley should cover any player other than a center/power forward that hits two straight shots
* Would you trade Rajon Rondo for Pau Gasol and Ramon Sessions?
* Ray Allen is looking like the end is coming (I’d offer him two years, $8mm)
* Worst thing for the Celtics was Rondo hitting a three pointer early in the series – now he thinks he actually has that type of range
* Paul Pierce had a great 20-second dribble

3. The New NFL:

Similar to evaluating the tenuous status of a player with strikes against him because of negative drug tests, teams will have to assess past concussions (ie. Wes Welker)

4. Watched the NFL Network’s show 10 Guttiest Performances:

1. Jack Youngblood – plays in the NFC Championship, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl with broken leg
2. Dan Reeves – coaching two weeks after a heart attack
3. Ronnie Lott – cuts off finger to play

5. Most hits by active players:

* Derek Jeter (38)………..3,147
* Omar Vizquel (45)…….2,843
* A-Rod (36)………………2,815
* Johnny Damon (38)………2,732
* Chipper Jones (40)…….2,646

6. Facebook’s IPO

With Facebook in the news for its IPO, how is WWE’s (World Wrestling Entertainment) stock doing:

$16.31 per share on 4/26/10 — Friday’s closing at $8.75

7. Amazing Stats:

The last triple crown winner Affirmed (1978) was the Great, Great Grandson of Triple Crown winner War Admiral (info from Wikipedia)

8. Old Laments:

Who were we cheated from watching:

* Ted Williams during the war years
* Bobby Orr after knee woes
* Len Bias and what would have been the Celtics second dynasty with at least five championships
* Babe Ruth
* Frank Lahey and Tom Coughlin as coach of Boston College football
* Marvin Barnes and Jimmy Piersall

9. Just a Little Bit Outside:

From two PBS specials (once you turn them on, you can’t turn them off)

* 112 workers died building the Hoover Dam
* Park developer Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the Emerald Necklace in Boston and Central Park in New York, also designed the grounds at McClain Hospital and then ironically was admitted there at the end of his life.

10. Randomocity:

* I was surprised to read in the Globe that minor league baseballs are different than those in the majors (raised seams)
* Lance Stephenson of the Pacers, who made the choke sign at Lebron, will be released within two weeks of the Pacers’ season end
* From Baseball Tonight – Pirates struck out 41 times in the three game series in Detroit
* Should ESPN have Mark McGwire footage with Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron for their Going, Going, Gone segment? (considering he didn’t hit many of his home runs… some chemist did)
* I love Ozzie Guillen’s comments on what he would do if one of his players talked to him the way Dwyane Wade talked to his coach
* Mike Mussina struck out David Ortiz 27 times in 74 at bats

© Michael for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | 4 comments
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Top Story.

1. Celtics:

* The Celts need Brandon Bass to give them a percentage of what James Posey did
* KG’s best four-game stretch in Celtic career
* Paul Pierce was yelling like Maria Sharapova
* Trade Rondo after the season
* Have a funny feeling that Ryan Hollins was tough in class as a kid

2. Red Sox:

* 3:16 for a regular nine-inning game
* Felix Dubront throwing like an ace
* Will Middlebrooks down to .259

3. Jonathan Papelbon:

Papelbon is 11-11 in save opportunities.

4. Larry Bird:

Bird is a three-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year – anyone else close?

* Only Joe Torre and Kirk Gibson has won Coach of the Year and MVP (Jerry West never won MVP, but he won Executive of the Year twice)

5. Eddie LeBaron:

Do you think former quarterback Eddie LeBaron ever said he only gets 18 days off? The 5’7″ star was a four-time All Pro with the Redskins who also served in Korea where he was wounded twice, received two Purple Hearts, was the Medal of Honor winner.

6. Doug Flutie:

In the season 1993, 1994, 1997 – Doug Flutie threw 139 touchdown passes in the Canadian Football League.

7. Amazing Stats:

I heard on one of the broadcasts that the Celtics are 20-1 in Rondo’s 21 triple doubles

8. Old School:

In 1946, Tom Yawkey was named Executive of the Year / In 1953, Lou Perini was named Executive of the Year of the Braves

9. Just a Little Bit Outside:

In honor of the Queen of Disco’s passing – some actors from Thank God It’s Friday (Donna Summer’s song Last Dance won the Oscar):

* Jeff Goldblum
* Deborah Winger
* Otis Day
* The Commodores

PS: Budget was $2.2mm

10. Randomocity:

* The only halftime show I listen to is TNT with Shaq, Kenny Smith and Charles
* Jeff Van Gundy isn’t as good without Mark Jackson
* How many times is LeBron going to throw up on Dean Wormer
* How cool was it when Billy Jack hit the sheriff in the face?
* The New England Baseball Journal is a nice publication
* Wonder if Isiah Thomas said “Larry Bird is just an average Executive who is white”
* How fun would it be if another year goes by with LeBron winning
* Revolution are 4-6 and averaging 1.2 goals a game

© Michael for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Top Story.

Only four teams remain in the NHL playoffs. The Devils try to continue their run against another powerful divisional rival while the Kings and Coyotes each try to cap off a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

And here at SoB, it’s looking like it’ll be the Rangers and Kings meeting for the Cup. The Devils did get a vote as well, and the Rangers have been through two seven-game series, so there may be something too that too.

So be sure to check below for the complete set of picks, and check back one the Stanley Cup Finals are set for the results.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, NHL, Now!, Opinion.

After a rough first round, the second round is now underway. The 76ers are trying to continue their run in a dogfight against Boston, while the injuries continue to hit key players with Chris Bosh straining an abdominal muscle. Unfortunately for the Pacers, two of the Big Three are as healthy as ever.

As far as our selections go, things are looking quite similar to the first round. Once again, all our panelists are unanimous in selecting division winners for all but one series. Once more, the highest seeds are thought to cruise through relatively quickly, while the closer seeds are thought to have a more drawn out series.

So there you have it. Check below for the complete picks, and check back after Round 2 for the results.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, NBA, Now!, Opinion.

The NHL is down to its final four teams, including an improbable #8 seed. There’s also a #1 seed on the other coast bringing elite goaltending (among other things) to the table, so the next round should be full of surprises.

But for now, the second round wasn’t too kind to our experts. The Coyotes and Devils each pulled off big upsets. The Rangers and Kings did come through for the majority, though. Perhaps the toughest part was figuring out how many games each series would last. In fact, only one set of picks had any right.

That keeps everyone about the same point totals apart as before, but there’s still enough action to change all of that. So check below for the results, and check back later for the next round’s pick.

Table Legend:

• Two-point picks are bolded.
• One-point picks are italicized.
• Zero-point picks are crossed out.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, NHL, Now!, Opinion.

That was a thrilling first round. We saw a #8 seed upset a #1 for the second year in a row, New York briefly stopped their historic playoff losing streak and a pair of Game 7s matching up with two sweeps out West. That will be sure to make a big difference in the next round.

But for the last round, it was easy enough to pick most of the winners. The 76ers were the biggest surprise, of course, and a minority of experts picked the Clippers, but there were no other surprises. It was more difficult overall to pick the lengths of series, but there were still a good amount of successful picks there.

So what does that mean for all our panelists? The standings are very close; in fact, everyone is within four points of each other. And most are even closer than that. So check below for the results, and check back later for the next round’s selections.

Table Legend:

• Two-point picks are bolded.
• One-point picks are italicized.
• Zero-point picks are crossed out.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, NBA, Now!, Opinion.

1. Celtics:

* Never seen the Celtics block so many shots
* Avery Bradley is the best Celtic shot blocker from the guard position since Dennis Johnson, who used to get it from behind
* When is the NBA going to force cameramen off the baseline? – players are rolling the ankles and in danger
* Should Dick Stockton be calling Chris Webber – C Webb?
* Mike Fratello hates the Celtics – get him off their games
* Trade Rondo quickly after the season

2. Red Sox:

* In early May – Will “Crampy” Middlebrooks has 13 home runs and 40 RBI’s between Pawtucket and Boston
* Josh Reddick is a on a pace for 38 HR / 91 RBI / .291 AVG with the Oakland A’s
* Josh Beckett sitting in the dugout, at best eating seeds and at worst drinking beer, does not consider this one of his 18 days off this season (he should go work in a coal mine for a day and see how tough he is)
* Orlando Hudson of the Padres has more triples than the Sox (5 – 4)
* Pawtucket is in first place / Portland in last place
* Right now, your staff order of effectivness is Dubront, Bard, Lester, Beckett, the Necklace wearer
* What’s the odds someone had to explain the purpose of the pink gear to Bobby V?

3. Tours Players stuff:

* PGA event not the same without Tiger or Phil
* Nice run by Davey Jones (oh, that was Fowler) – he rimmed out a putt on 18 for a 32 on back nine
* The 17th island hole was relatively tame with a 3.049 average (0 eagles / 84 birdies / 268 pars / 48 bogeys / 21 doubles)
* The longest drive of the day was 359 yards by Carl Petterson

4. Kemp/Hamilton:

Matt Kemp and Josh Hamilton could both win triple crown this year – how do their stats project for the season?

• Kemp: 59 HRs, 133 RBI, .365 AVG
• Hamilton: 86 HRs, 195 RBI, .402 AVG

5. Capitals:

Of the fourteen playoff game the Washington Capitals played in, 13 were decided by a one-goal differential.

6. Red Sox Prospects:

Cool site for Red Sox fans – Redsoxprospects.com

There top ten prospects right now:

1. Will “Crampy” Middlebrooks (3B) – Pawtucket / Red Sox
2. Xander Bogaerts (SS) – Salem
3. Anthony Ranaudo (P) – Salem
4. Matt Barnes (P) – Salem
5. Jose Iglesias (SS) – Pawtucket
6. Ryan Lavarnway (C) – Pawtucket
7. Ryan Kalish (OF) – Pawtucket
8. Jackie Bradley (OF) – Salem
9. Bryce Brentz (OF) – Portland
10. Brandon Jacobs (OF) – Portland

7. Amazing Stats:

Lebron won his third MVP. Of those who have won at least three, how many championships do they have?

8. Old School:

As pointed out by reader Ben C. – the value of Paul Pierce is his ability to get to the line. With that said, of the top five Celtic scorers of all time, how many of their points were from the free throw line?

• John Havlicek: 26,395 points, 5,369 from the line = 20.3%
• Paul Pierce: 22,591 points, 6,101 from the line = 27.0%
• Larry Bird: 21,791 points, 3,960 from the line = 18.1%
• Robert Parish: 18,245 points, 3,279 from the line = 17.9%
• Kevin McHale: 17,335 points, 3,634 from the line = 20.9%

9. Just a Little Bit Outside:

In honor of Mother’s Day – how about some sports mothers:

* Lebron’s mother maybe dates teammate of LeBron Delonte “Wet Willie” West
* Steve McNair’s mother arrested for DUI with his kids going to his Monday night game
* Michael Phelps mother gets more air time than the swimmer
* Ray Allen’s mother in her diamond stud Ray shirt

10. Randomocity:

* The most compelling last day in league sports history as Manchester City scored TWO goals in extra time to win the title for the first time since 1968
* As reader Jerry M. pointed out – UMass Lacrosse was #1 in the country but got a 6th seed in the tournament and then was upset by Colgate – if you want to be a national powerhouse, then you need to challenge yourself during the regular season
* Tough off-season for Arkansas Football, who was a top 5 preseason rated team: Coach goes Evil Knevil with mistress on back / starting wide receiver and tight end arrested for stealing from dorms
* Reader Jerry M. went to Pawtucket Saturday night to escape crazy, drawn-out Major Leagues and got caught watching Dice K in a 3:30 game
* There is zero chance Ochocinco is back in Foxboro…
* Jeremy Lin ready yet?
* I say this once a month, I know, but Adam Sandler is the most overrated comedian in movies of all time
* It seems like months since the Bruins played
* After watching that elbow by World Peace – that should have been a 25-game suspension

© Michael for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | 5 comments
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Top Story.