By: Dan Massar, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
You hear something? That’s the Celtics championship window beginning to close. Lucky for Boston fans, the window is not going to be easy to close and there’s still some time to feel a nice breeze from it. Ahhh, I love championship breezes.
We’ve gotten pretty used to them. So, lets not stop now. We want more parades.
As the Celtics open training camp this week in Newport, Rhode Island, they do so with the goal of winning another. But, they also open up camp knowing the Big 3 aren’t getting any younger. Kevin Garnett is 33 and coming off of a serious knee injury that kept him out of the entire 2009 postseason. Paul Pierce will be 32 in a few weeks and Ray Allen is 34 an age that isn’t usually very kind to shooting guards in the NBA. Throw in that new addition Rasheed Wallace is 35 and you’ve got a team full of guys who were old enough vote in the election that led to a President getting naughty in the oval office.
With an expiration on their careers coming quicker than we’re ready for, the Celtics need to win the title [...]
By Peter Karl, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
Well, they got in. It was an ugly road to the playoffs, but the Red Sox have clinched a postseason spot for the fifth time in the six-year Terry Francona era. After last night’s almost-enough-effort in front of the Fenway faithful, where the Sox gave up 3 homers for the first time since 2004, the Sox didn’t get to shower beer around Fenway just yet. Instead, they had to wait ’til one in the morning to celebrate without their fans, as the Rangers lost to the Angels in Anaheim, handing the Sox the Wildcard spot in the most unorthodox way possible.
So, thanks Angels. I guess you’re really looking forward to losing to us, again.
To say the Sox have stumbled into the playoffs is an understatement. In fact it is very reminiscent of the struggle Ace Venture once had trying to exit a mechanical rhino. You see the similarities? Despite losing their last five games (one fewer than the season’s longest losing streak), Boston is in and, of course, the players are promising better results in the playoffs.
Dustin Pedroia couldn’t have said it better, “It doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you’re in.”
With five games remaining in the season, (one more against Toronto tonight, and four against Cleveland) the [...]
By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
What a difference a week makes. A week after losing in New Jersey for the first time since Kelly Ripa replaced Kathie Lee Gifford as Regis’s co-host in early 2001, the team spoiled Boston College alum Matt Ryan’s homecoming with a 26-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Quarterbacks
Sure, Tom Brady only threw for 277 yards and a single touchdown. But he avoided making costly mistakes, and the team eventually won after he gave a fiery halftime speech. Brady also improved his play as the game moved on, and poor weather may have effected Brady’s accuracy on deep balls.
My grade: B-
Runningbacks:
New England’s running game put up an effort Frank Gifford (Kathie Lee’s husband) would be proud of. Fred Taylor ran for over 100 yards, becoming the first Patriot to do so since Sammy Morris against Oakland (who else?) last December. Taylor also punched in the Pats only redzone touchdown of the first half. Sammy Morris, the closest thing the Patriots have to a fullback, converted a key fourth and one.
My Grade: B+
Receivers/Tight Ends
The good news here is that Randy Moss broke out of his funk from last week, catching ten balls for 116 yards. But Brady and Moss [...]
By: Joshua Anderson, YawkeyTalkies correspondent
You know what, thank God the Patriots won on Sunday. The only thing worse than imagining the Patriots with a losing record (eeks!) is the inevitable media hoopla that would result from it. I personally couldn’t stand another entire week of Sports Center pundits making bold and dramatic assertions about how this isn’t the “old” Patriots team and how far they’ve fallen from grace after losing two out of their first three games.
I really had enough of that last week. Every mistake they made, especially that big mistake to not win, was replayed over and over again in brilliant high definition. It’s safe to say that the Patriots are by far the most scrutinized team in the league right now. But, I guess it’s something to be expected when the expectations for your performance are set so high.
Luckily this week, the Detroit Lions can steal the SC spotlight, for ending their 19-game losing streak, clouding over the Patriot’s mediocre performance against Atlanta.
The 2007 season was an anomaly that will likely never be reproduced. It was a perfect storm of a dominant defense, precise offensive execution and the benefits of a favorable schedule. Never again, should we [...]
What a game! BC wins 27-24 in overtime. Man, I wish I had kept a running journal while I was at the game to cherish the memories. Oh wait, I did! Sit back and enjoy the first-ever Massar BC football journal entry. (You can read it sitting up if you want.)
Saturday September 26, 2009
9:00 am: I wake up feeling pretty good. It’s early but I have to get up because we don’t have tickets yet for the game. Get a call from my friend Merc, says he missed his shuttle bus from Bentley to the city. We’ll now have to take 10 am bus. Not a big deal, I can get a little extra sleep. [...]
By Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
The Red Sox had a golden opportunity. Coming into the week, the Red Sox narrowed the gap between them and AL East leading New York Yankees. Before the three-game series that starts tonight, the Sox had four against the struggling Kansas City Royals, while New York faced off against the AL West leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Sox could’ve put themselves in a position to overtake the division lead with a good series against the Yanks.
Instead, they lost the first two games of the Royals series—both games by at least three runs—and now sit six games behind New York.
While there is still mathematically a chance to catch them, it looks like Boston will have to settle for the Wild Card.
But perhaps more importantly then the standings, a good series for either team could provide a huge psychological boost of confidence heading into October,.
The Red Sox started off the year with a huge mental edge against the Yankees, winning all eight games in the first half of the season, taking home three brooms to sweep up what was left of Yankee trash.
But, tables turned after the All-Star break, and the [...]
By: Evan Anderholm, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
If how last year ended for the Boston Bruins was any indication, there is still some unfinished business for the black and gold. One year removed from Scott Walker’s heartbreaking overtime winner in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bruins only have one objective for this season: taking a sip out of Lord Stanley’s Cup. It will be a difficult journey for this young squad, especially now that last year’s top scorer, Phil Kessel, is turning a new leaf in Toronto. However, still expect Boston to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
So far this preseason the Bruins have looked sharp and determined to improve as a team. Boston is currently 3-1-1 this preseason, coming off a loss in a shootout against Columbus, Tuesday. In the first five games, one major standout for the Bruins has been goalie Tuukka Rask. He’s the likely candidate to backup last year’s Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas. In two starts, Rask faced 58 shots and allowed only two goals and has only improved from the few starts he had last season. Meanwhile, Tim Thomas hasn’t had a noteworthy preseason. Give the guy a break though; he’s only played [...]
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