Sports of Boston » Celtics

Philly Writer Calls Boston Sports Fans “Bigoted” and “Racist”

KC Downey — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:25:18 +0000

Are Boston sports fans racist? Bigoted? Why are we asking this question again?

Well, take a moment (that’s all it will take) to read Philly.com sportswriter John Mitchell’s 243-word (wow!) masterpiece of a “column” titled “KG: ‘fair-weathered’ beats bigoted any day.”

West Philadelphia born and raised, as the writer so eloquently describes in his biography, Mitchell did not take kindly to the words Kevin Garnett had about his beloved fanbase.

“You’ve got (Boston) fans and then you’ve got fairweather fans. Take it how you want it,” said Kevin Garnett after Monday’s Game 5 win.

So, Mitchell used KG’s comments as an opportunity to open up a can of worms he didn’t really need to open up.

“You think we’re the fair weather type, do you? Ok, to that I say that it’s better to be fair weather than to be anything remotely akin the cretins that unleashed their racist vitriol via Twitter upon Washington Capitals defenseman Joel Ward, a Black hockey player, last month after he eliminated Boston’s Bruins from the NHL playoffs with an overtime goal,” Mitchell wrote.

You tell him, John! Wait, what does this have to do with basketball? Or Philadelphia? Or Kevin Garnett?!?

Mitchell, of course, is referring to the disgusting tweets made after Ward’s game-winning goal to beat the Bruins in the first round of the NHL playoffs last month.

The tweets ignited a national conversation about race with the microscope again focused on the Boston area, but what Mitchell and several others fail to realize is that a majority of the few dozen people who sent out the tweets were not from Boston. They hailed from Canada, Connecticut, and other parts of the U.S. and world. Some were from Boston, but several weren’t.

So, that makes Boston a racist town? Or, did Mitchell (like several others before him) just paint the city with an unbelievably broad brush? I’ll acknowledge the city has a history of racial conflicts and some race-charged incidents, but if we’re talking about right now (which we are), I’ll go with the latter.

Mitchell then takes his column down a disgusting path with a largely empty threat to Kevin Garnett, who is black, if he cannot win an NBA title this year.

“So my advice to you, KG, is that you’re better off winning this series, the next one and then the next. Because if you let those stalwart fans down, who knows what they’ll unleash on you. We do know what they are capable of. Take that how you want.”

It’s just dangerous to accuse a large group of people (in this case, millions of people) of something so inflammatory. It’s even more dangerous to write an equally inflammatory column threatening an active player.

And it’s downright baffling Mitchell struggled to hit the 250-word mark about a topic he’s clearly passionate about.

(For those counting, I’m at 477 words.)

The Felger & Mazz Agenda: Not Fact Or Opinion

gcain — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:24:39 +0000

A year and a half ago when the ratings at WEEI began to falter, Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti offered something refreshing. It was an alternative to what had become the Big Show’s stale rhetoric on WEEI. Also, by starting out as an FM station and adding the Bruins broadcast rights, 98.5 immediately gained street credibility with the hockey fan. Timing could not have been more perfect for The Sports Hub as the Bruins immediately established themselves as a daily sports radio topic. First, they did this by historically blowing a 3-0 series lead in May 2010. Then, the next season, they achieved their historic redemption to win their first Stanley Cup in 40 years.

Felger, a longtime hockey fan, can be credited for making hockey talk a constant in the Boston sports scene. He has always seemed to be in his element on the Sports Hub, but the same cannot be said for Massarotti. From day 1, Mazz has been more Ed McMahon than Chris Russo. It could be the pairing itself because Massarotti and Felger either share the same outlook on sports or are trying to play the role of the “sensationalistic sportscasters.” I don’t think it’s translated well to the radio, but given their recent dominance in their time slot I don’t expect any changes in the near future.

Overexposure, by its nature, can be a dangerous thing for a sports media personality and when you pair that with a overinflated ego, the result often is a show that isn’t about sports discussion but about the narratives and agendas of the hosts themselves. The ratings are there, but over the last year, the agendas and personal attacks are on the rise with very little facts to back up the diatribes. Here are some of Felger and Mazz’s takes on the four major teams in the last year. The educated sports fan has to start questioning if these guys are the best, then who are the worst? As Bob Ryan said, “What are we trying to accomplish here?”

Boston Celtics

Expectations for the Celtics this season weren’t high. The Big Three’s run seemed to come to an end last year in Miami and now was just on borrowed time. After the lockout ended, the consensus was that aging Celtics would struggle in a 66-game condensed season. The Celtics started the season 16-17 and the call from many was for Danny Ainge to “blow it up” at the trade deadline. A recent report showed that Ainge did indeed try to do so, but you can argue now that it would have been a mistake at least in the short-term.

Now Felger has been a basketball hater since he came to town. Often, people are usually basketball guys or hockey guys, and he’s a hockey guy. That being said, he has been unable to hide his contempt for the NBA game or his friends in the media’s coverage of the team. It’s a perplexing situation not because of his opinion, but for the mere fact he works on the same network that broadcasts the Celtics television rights.

A few of Felger & Mazz’s takes on the Celtics and the NBA:

Kevin Garnett

Felger has been calling Garnett a “fake tough guy for years.” “Tough guy” is one of Felger’s favorite phrases or maybe just one of the few he knows. He often refers to Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett as the “Texas tough guy.” Felger attacked Garnett early in the season while the Celtics struggled, calling him an aged version of a once great player.

Once Garnett starting hitting his stride and playing great basketball, Felger downshifted and began to bring up that it was a Garnett “contract year.” This is a familiar flip-flop by Felger when one of his arguments fails. Garnett was all done, and now he’s playing for a contract. Felger just can’t admit that maybe Garnett still is a great player and like many great players, turns it on when the season hits its most crucial points. Also, he was one of many veterans affected by the lockout.

Rajon Rondo

Rondo has been a target of Felger and Mazz from the get go. Felger has said the Celtics should get rid of him if for no other reason than “he’s kind of an a-hole.” Massarotti said after one of Rondo’s recent triple doubles that this was further proof “he wasn’t a great player.” Are these facts? No, they’re extreme conjecture. The fact is Rondo, despite ongoing trade rumors for two seasons, remains a top 5 point guard and one of the great, unique players in the league. Is he going to win Ms. Congeniality? No he’s not, but neither did Manny Ramirez, who Felger slobbered over for years. The fact is, Felger and Mazz really aren’t informed enough to make these assertions. So they instead have attacked Rondo’s character.

NBA Game

You will often hear Felger refer to the NBA as “that league or that sport.” That commentary is perfectly acceptable; all broadcasters do not need to love the local teams to be credible. Where Felger loses credibility is when he extols the virtues of the NHL while condemning the NBA. I like both sports, but I shake my head at the barbarism going on in the first round of this year’s NHL playoffs. From one player pouncing on another and punching him while he’s on the ground to the constant head shots in a league where concussions are rampant. It’s a sport I wouldn’t let my daughter watch now, and it needs to start doing something about the viciousness when brain injuries are finally being focused on in sports.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are always a divisive discussion in New England, whether it’s with the media, the fans or the bloggers. They are very much a victim of their own success and their “Patriot Way” is taken by some as an arrogant and hypocritical mantra. Regardless, they have been the most consistent winner we have seen in this town since the 1960’s Celtics.

Felger and Mazz started attacking the Patriots beginning with the 2009 season. Felger mid-way started on how perhaps the “Patriot Way” was dying and maybe Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum’s new approach to the NFL might be not just another way of doing things but the better way. Felger has backtracked many times on this point. Sometimes, he’s said it’s better and sometimes he’s said it was merely another approach. Massarotti has parroted Felger’s every point in regards to the Patriots and thrown out his catchphrase “this defense sucks!” numerous times. Felger has admitted he uses the Jets as an instrument to aggravate Patriot fans, which shows a flaw in his character. He also has hinted that the Patriots were cheap and, at times, incompetent.

Felger backed down this season, often using a wait and see approach on this team. He predicted a Super Bowl victory when many thought the Giants had too much firepower. However, when the Jets imploded he did a double take. First he compared this year’s Jets to the 2009 Patriots. There was very little comparison other than the fact that Patriots had some locker room issues. He also, said the Jets implosion validated what he had said for years, and it took the Patriots four years to go farther than the Jets. This whole argument was of course disingenuous. The 2009 Jets should not even have been in the playoffs if not for a cowardly Colts tank job. Also, Felger likes to say the Jets “kicked the Patriots ass” in the 2010 playoff game when in fact it was a seven-point game. Felger just couldn’t say he was wrong about the Jets.

Massarotti railed on the Patriots all season, only really letting up during the Super Bowl weeks. Then after what was a productive but not spectacular free agent period by the Patriots he stated, “I don’t know if they got any better.” Brandon Lloyd being added to this offense alone made the offseason a success but Massarotti didn’t agree, because it just didn’t fit his agenda.

I expect a critique of the Patriot draft philosophy is sure to work its way into the broadcasts in the waning days of April. This will happen even though Felger and Massarotti admit they don’t follow college football and really don’t know anything about the players coming out of the draft. They seem to wear that claim like a badge of honor. I consider it a little embarrassing, but that’s just me. I tend to like my hosts to know a lot about sports, and not just the sports they like. I mean come on, how much prep does it really take? Your job is to watch and read about freaking sports!!!

Boston Bruins

Felger and Mazz have spent most of the season in praise of this year’s Bruins, with a few exceptions. There was Felger’s political attacks after Thomas’s own political attacks. Felger stated he was somehow bipartisan despite saying daily, “those people that watch Fox news” as if “those people” didn’t have a political connotation to them. Massarotti completely went off the rails on Thomas, saying he should move to Finland because he disagreed with the President. It was Massarotti’s lowest point on the radio and it should have received more criticism.

Let’s not forget as recent as Game 2 of last year’s Eastern Conference finals against Tampa, Felger was hinting that Julien should not be coaching because he had not handled Tyler Seguin’s rookie season correctly. In the end, every point the “hockey expert” made last season was wrong. Tim Thomas did win a Stanley Cup playing an unorthodox style of goaltending. Zdeno Chara could win a seventh game and Claude Julien’s approach could win you a Stanley Cup. Shawn Thornton summed it up well by saying “suck it Felger” after their Game 7 win over Vancouver. Felger did admit he was wrong but he often puts disclaimers on the Bruins win, citing the Penguins were without Crosby and Malkin and Philadelphia had goaltending problems. Those little points, are his benign way of saying, “I wasn’t completely wrong.”

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have been criticized from everywhere since the debacle of last fall. All the criticism has been more than deserved. With their unremarkable offseason, a 4-8 start, and early club house problems, much more criticism is to follow.

The narrative you will hear from Felger and Mazz is going involve a lot of character assassination from Josh Beckett to Dustin Pedroia to the Red Sox front office. Their overreaction to the Opening Day loss was a clue of what was to follow. That reaction wasn’t about one loss – it was about a vindication of the narrative that because the Red Sox were “cheap” in the offseason, they will stink this season. Most of the problems are all about personnel and lack of young talent, which has been a result of SPENDING not FRUGALITY, but Tony feels so good about his portfolio commentary you are sure to hear it throughout the season.

There will also be constant discussion about the clubhouse, when in reality, the team on the field is not very good. Their Opening Day starter (Jon Lester) is not an ace. Their 2nd and 3rd starters are constantly battling through injuries and inconsistency and the back end of the rotation have never started before. The dynamic duo spent last year stating how fragile the psyche of Daniel Bard was. Then, they spent the first week screaming for him to be made the Sox closer. The Red Sox are going to be easy bones to pick at throughout the season. In the end, they don’t have the talent on the field.

Conclusion

We like to call Boston a knowledgeable fan base. However, we seem to be trending toward anger. Is that a direct result of the influence of the Sports Hub? Sports ratings in this town took off on WEEI with the success of the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics from 2001 through 2008. WEEI then got fat and happy and digressed to political talk, Patriot and Red Sox homerism and indifference to NHL Hockey. The Sports Hub gave the town a shot in the arm, but they left the needle there.

Now, the “Primetime” show is repeating the mistakes that WEEI made. False narratives, opinions not backed up by facts, and a disdain for callers. I am hoping, but not optimistic, that the listening audience can start to see through some of this minutia. Maybe then we can get away from “Entertainment” and on to some real sports discussion.

My general view is that we as sports fan are fueled by winning not by controversy. The next month features the NBA and NHL playoffs, the Red Sox and the NFL Draft; it will be interesting to see what sells.

Strong 3rd Quarter Powers Celtics Past Nets

John — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 02:54:58 +0000

Boston got a good challenge from lowly New Jersey, but even the presence of Rex Ryan couldn’t get the Nets past Boston (who took the win 94-82). Boston had trouble getting ahead of New Jersey early, and couldn’t get past a five-point lead in the first five minutes without New Jersey immediately making a move back. Perhaps flustered, Boston went 2:54 without a point (and 3:56 without a field goal) to give New Jersey a six-point lead, which expanded to nine and settled at six by quarter’s end.

Once the 2nd quarter started, the teams essentially swapped roles. Now, it was New Jersey starting off by attempting to hold off Boston; no team had a lead even equal to the six points that was the difference at intermission once Boston hit the first bucket. Boston did an excellent job clawing their way back into the game, but a buzzer-beating three allowed New Jersey to tie the game heading into halftime.

But that’s where the very close nature of the game came to an end. Boston scored the first nine points of the second half and never looked back. New Jersey’s baskets were limited, while Boston had the much better field goal percentage, including consecutive threes from Avery Bradley. The lead was extended all the way to fifteen with half a minute remaining in the period, allowing the Celtics to get some extra rest for their regulars the rest of the way.

While neither team was especially impressive in the final 12 minutes, the Celtics were still able to match New Jersey, who never got the deficit back into single digits. They did briefly manage to get it down to 10, but with 1:04 remaining at the time, the towel was all but thrown in for New Jersey.

C’s Stud of the Game: Kevin Garnett

KG led the team in scoring and rebounds, and even tied Greg Stiemsma for the lead in steals.

C’s Dud of the Game: Ryan Hollins

In 3:31, pretty much all Hollins manage to do was pick up four fouls (one every 52.75 seconds).

Game Notes:

Scoring Leaders: Kevin Garnett (BOS 21), Brandon Bass (BOS 18), Avery Bradley (BOS 18)
Field Goal Leaders: Kevin Garnett (BOS 8/16), Brandon Bass (BOS 7/12), Avery Bradley (BOS 7/14)
Three-point Leaders: Avery Bradley (BOS 3/4), Gerald Green (NJ 3/6), five others with one
Free Throw Leaders: Deron Williams (NJ 6/7), Kevin Garnett (BOS 5/6), Brandon Bass (BOS 4/5), Paul Pierce (BOS 4/5)
Rebound Leaders: Jordan Williams (NJ 14), Kevin Garnett (BOS 12), Brandon Bass (BOS 11)
Assist Leaders: Rajon Rondo (BOS 15), Deron Williams (NJ 14), Paul Pierce (BOS 4)
Steal Leaders: Jordan Williams (NJ 3), Anthony Morrow (NJ 2), Greg Stiemsma (BOS 2), Kevin Garnett (BOS 2)
Block Leaders: Gerald Green (NJ 2), Greg Stiemsma (BOS 2), Brandon Bass (BOS 2), Paul Pierce (BOS 2)
Foul-outs: none
Technical Fouls: Deron Williams (NJ, 4:13 remaining in 1st), Avery Johnson (NJ [head coach], 8:56 remaining in 3rd), Mickael Pietrus (BOS, 3:46 remaining in 4th)

Video: Mickael Pietrus Injured, Leaves Celtics-76ers Game on a Stretcher

KC Downey — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:54:20 +0000

The Celtics lost to the 76ers 99-86 Friday night…but they lost much more than a game.

Swingman Mickael Pietrus suffered a dangerous head injury and needed to be taken off the court on a stretcher.

Watch the video (after the jump)…

Fortunately, he was NOT admitted to the hospital. He was to spend the night at the team hotel in Philadelphia.

What A Week It Was: NBA Trade Deadline

gcain — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:00:44 +0000

It’s been a strange NBA season to say the least. We had the lockout to start the season and that produced this ridiculous condensed schedule. There have been countless injuries, and of course the endless free agency speculation involving Magic center Dwight Howard. Despite all that, TV ratings are up over last year and the teams that were predicted to challenge for the championship, Miami, Chicago, Oklahoma, and the Lakers are right there atop their conferences. So for the first time in awhile the NBA trade deadline was rather quiet.

Dwight Howard, who has been rumored to be leaving Orlando for two years decided to re-up for one more year subjecting us to more endless whining and for another season. Meanwhile, Deron Williams the other top free agent prize, sits in New Jersey counting the days till free agency begins.

There were some moves – the Lakers jettisoned long time guard Derek Fisher and picked up point guard Ramon Sessions and big man Jordan Hill. Fisher will get bought out by the Rockets, and thanks to a new rule, he cannot end up back with the Lakers. The Spurs swapped small forward Richard Jefferson for troubled but talented Stephen Jackson in the other major deal of the day among contenders. The NBA is the one sport where the cream almost always rises to the top, so I expect the championship matchup to include a combo of Miami, Chicago, OKC or the Lakers.

Locally, there was a lot of pressure for the Celtics to “blow it up.” Last year the Celtics led the trade deadline headlines with the Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green deal. This year, GM Danny Ainge opted not to move any of the Big Three despite rumors to the contrary. Details are sketchy on what the Celtics were offered but the media rumors were that few teams were willing to give the Celtics what they wanted, #1 draft picks or young up and coming talent. The lack of any real detail didn’t prevent “The Sports Hub” for criticizing Ainge for not making a deadline move for sake of making a move. Michael Felger on his weekly radio show and Damon Amendolara on “Sports Sunday” were openly critical of Ainge for not “blowing it up.” Unfortunately, like has been the case with the local media, no one challenged them on what Ainge should actually have done. As Terry Francona once said to Mike Felger, “Not having all the facts hasn’t stopped your from having an opinion.”

The faultiness of the NBA system is a column for another time. It’s a heavily flawed league where seven teams have advantages over the rest of the league based on location or celebrity culture. It’s also a league that takes endless years to rebuild which is why I think it is a sport headed to individual rooting interests as opposed to team. The fans will associate themselves with individual players almost like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on the PGA tour. Bob Ryan said it best last week when he told Celtic fans to get ready for some lean years.

Chris Wilcox to Have Heart Surgery, Out For Season

KC Downey — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:14:08 +0000

No player on the Celtics bench has shown more heart this season than maybe Chris Wilcox, but ironically, the big man will have to miss the rest of the season due to his need for heart surgery.

“While we are saddened that Chris will not be able to play again this season, the most important thing is his health, and we were fortunate to have access to an amazing team of specialists to evaluate Chris’s case,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said in the statement. “The entire Celtics family supports Chris during this difficult time in his career.”

Wilcox will undergo surgery for an enlarged aorta on March 29. He has had an “aortic abnormality” that remained stable throughout his NBA career.

Wilcox is the second Celtic to need heart surgery this year. Jeff Green underwent heart surgery back in January after his issue was discovered when he took the team physical.

As a result, Green’s contract for this season was voided.

Tom Brady Sports Glasses at Celtics-Lakers Game – Good Look?

KC Downey — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:06:20 +0000

Oh, hey Tom Brady:

Tom Brady was seen at the Celtics-Lakers game. (Photo from Boston.com)

What do you think of this faux hipster look? (Is it hipster that used the word faux?)

Does Brady now have impaired vision?

Does anyone care?

Weigh in below…

Rasheed Wallace to Sign with the Lakers

KC Downey — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:10:31 +0000

The lasting memory Boston fans have of Rasheed Wallace is him giving everything he had left in the Finals against the Lakers in 2010. Playing with some bigtime aches and cramps, Wallace filled in admirably for the injured Kendrick Perkins, finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in the closing moments of the Game 7 loss.

Wallace has not played an NBA game since, but that’s about to change. According to several reports, Wallace has agreed to sign with the Lakers.

CSNNE’s A. Sherrod Blakely reported that the Celtics were not interested in re-signing the 37-year-old Wallace, and he wasn’t interested in returning.

Wallace retired after the 2010 season and agreed to a buyout of the two years remaining on his contract with the C’s.

He won an NBA title back in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons.

Rajon Rondo Replaces Joe Johnson on All-Star Team

KC Downey — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:37:27 +0000

Rajon Rondo will be joining teammate Paul Pierce in Orlando this weekend.

No, he’s not on a trip to recruit Dwight Howard (though, that would be nice). He’s going to be an Eastern Conference All-Star, replacing injured Hawks guard Joe Johnson (knee).

Rondo, who missed eight games this season with a sprained wrist, has made his third All-Star team.

This season, the point guard has averaged a career-high 14.6 points and 9.6 assists in 22 games.

It would appear that Rondo’s two-game suspension for throwing a basketball at an NBA official had no bearing on his All-Star status.

Do you think Rondo is an All-Star?

Video: Rajon Rondo Throws Ball at Referee, Gets Suspended

KC Downey — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:11:40 +0000

Rajon Rondo received his first career ejection during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons for throwing the ball at a official Sean Wright.

Rondo felt he was fouled. The official did not blow his whistle, and Rondo started to argue his case. He then underhanded the ball at the official, hitting him in the chest.

On Monday, the NBA decided to suspend Rondo for two games (starting against the Mavericks Monday), but does the punishment fit the crime?

Check out the video for yourself: