By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
It has been a week of almost’s and close calls in Boston this week.
The Eagles almost upset Duke. The Blue Devils had a ten point lead at one point, but BC managed to cut it down and bring the game very much within their reach. Coming off a loss to Florida State but also a good win against Clemson a week before, the Eagles seemed to have the confidence to force an upset. The game ended 66-63, the Eagles just one missed three pointer away from beating the Blue Devils for only the third time ever. But that didn’t happen, and BC sits at ninth in the ACC.
The Celtics almost looked like their old selves and like they were going to beat the Magic, but then they just looked old. Going into halftime, the Celts were up by 11. Then the third quarter happened and the Magic outscored them 36-11 and closed out the game 96-89. More than just another loss, the Magic moved up into the Celts second place in the Eastern Conference. Just the week before, the Celts let the Magic and the Lakers take a lead out from under them, making [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Bill Belichick may be a drafting wiz, but he’s had his blunders too. As the yin and yang symbolizes there is always a good with the bad. Last week we gave you the good, this week the bad. So, while the good on the Patriots during Belichick’s rain have outweighed the bad, there were still some bad picks and I’ve identified the five worst. This list will start with the fifth worse pick, and countdown to the one that was just a complete disappointment. Lets hope Belichick does better this year, so next SuperBowl Sunday won’t suck as much.
5. Kevin O’Connell, QB. Drafted: 2008, third round, number 94 overall.
Since drafting Tom Brady the Patriots have selected four other quarterbacks: Rohan Davey, Kliff Kingsbury, Matt Cassell, and O’Connell.
Drafted out of San Diego State, he had the highest draft position out of any quarterback taken by Belichick, and the highest quarterback drafted since Drew Bledsoe was taken first overall in the 1993 draft. He spent one season there, appearing in two games and throwing six passes. Then in the 2009 preseason, after he threw two interceptions in a preseason game he was waived.
Why spend such a high pick [...]

By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Hey, it was a tough end to the season for Patriot Nation.  If the bashing by Baltimore kept you from watching the rest of the playoffs, here are five reasons why you should pick-up the remote and tune in on Sunday.

4- Battle of the Reality Stars: Sure, American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is singing the national anthem during the pregame.  But she might not be the biggest reality at the big game.  That honor goes to Kim Kardashian, girlfriend of Saints running back Reggie Bush.  Or it could go to Kendra Baskett (see picture), wife of Colts wideout Hank Baskett.  Kardashian stars in the E! series “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”  Kendra is a former playmate who starred in E!’s “The Girls Next Door” before moving to her own show, “Kendra.”  Let’s start celeb-insanity.
3- Ex-Pats abound: Randall Gay, David Thomas, Heath Evans, and Kyle Eckel all spent time with New England, and now play for the Saints.  Gay started seven games at corner for New Orleans, recording 37 tackles and an interception this season.  Thomas caught a career high 35 passes backing up Jeremy Shockey at tight end.  Not bad for players cast aside from [...]

By: Dave Cheng, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Boston College Eagles may have lost the Rose Bowl to the USC Trojans this past season, but they got a little revenge after winning the recruiting battle for four-star quarterback Chase Rettig.
Not a moment too soon either.  The Eagles have seemingly been lost after quarterback Matt Ryan got drafted by the Atlanta Falcons two years ago.  After a season of rotating freshman quarterbacks into the starting position, the Eagles are hoping that Rettig can fill the void left by Ryan, even if it may not be right away.  The 6’3 quarterback out of Sierra Madre, Calif., chose the maroon and gold over Lane Kiffen’s current team, the Trojans, and his former team, the Tennessee Volunteers.
According to ESPN, Rettig is a “big athlete with a big arm…with excellent athleticism to make plays with his legs when he needs to.”  A big part of what the Eagles were missing this season.
To help Rettig’s transition into the ACC, the Eagles were able to grab wide receiver Shakim Phillips from Wayne, NJ.  The 6’2 four star prospect is “a big, good looking prospect with long arms and quality straight-line speed…has very reliable hands both above his head and [...]

This video was shot by Joe Ballway and features coaches and fan reactions to Monday’s beanpot games. BC beat Harvard 6-0, and BU pulled off a tight win against Northeastern 2-1. Next week BC and BU (the reigning Beanpot champs) face off to see who takes home the trophy.

AP Photo
By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
There are two types of performances hockey fans love to see from their teams. There’s the lopsided ass-whoopings, defined by seemingly effortless goals, late-game scrums and a growing, impenetrable sense of swagger (see: 2008-09 Boston Bruins). Then there’s your standard nail-biters: the tight-scoring, hard-hitting kind of stuff that puts the crowd on its feet for the final minute—a minute that can seem like either an eternity or a second, depending on who you’re rooting for.
Round one of the Beanpot on Monday featured both of those kinds of games. On the one hand, BC fans got a taste of dominance: a 6-0 drubbing of an undisciplined Harvard Crimson team (sorry, Harvard fans–not that any of you showed up anyways). On the other hand, BU and Northeastern fans were treated to a fierce battle that went unresolved until the Terriers eked out a late third-period goal, eventually winning 2-1.
And on we go to another BC-BU final.
Next Monday’s championship game will mark BU’s 25th finals appearance in 27 years. BC heads to the championship game for the 8th time in 11 years. The two have combined to win the last 15 Beanpots—BU, of course, accounting for 12 [...]

By: Dan Massar, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Ouch.  What else can you say after watching the Celtics fail their three game test against three of the best teams in the NBA.  The Celts lost to the Magic, Hawks and Lakers in a span of four days.  Last week I wrote about the 5 questions the Celtics must answer in the second half of the season.  If these three games are an indication of how they are going to be answered, it’s not going to be a fun ride for Celtics fans.
On Thursday night in Orlando the Celtics were great for three quarters.  They led by 16 at one point before giving it all away in the 4th Quarter as they lost by 2.  The Celtics flat out ran out of steam.   A similar thing happened Sunday against the Lakers.  After a bad 1st Quarter the Celtics took a 5 point lead into halftime and led by 11 in the 4th Quarter.  But the Lakers hung around and stole this game from the Celtics.
Friday night was a little different as the Hawks were in control for most of the night.  Boston jumped out early but Atlanta ended the 1st Quarter up [...]