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 [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Bill Belichick has been the centerpiece of the Patriots dynasty since being hired as head coach in 2000. As a member of the Bill Parcells coaching tree one of his strengths has been the NFL draft. So here we will take a look at the Patriots’ top five draft picks in the Bill Belichick era.
I know you think Tom Brady will be number one on this list, and normally you’d be right. The quarterback from Michigan was drafted in the sixth round, number 199 overall has won an MVP, two Super Bowl MVPs, and has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times.
Yes, he is the coach’s and the team’s best draft pick ever. So it would be too easy to name him number one.
So I left him off. It makes it more interesting. The picks will start at the 5th best and countdown to number 1 (a different number one besides Brady).
5. Julian Edelman, WR. Drafted: 2009, seventh round, number 232 overall.
The quarterback from Kent State that many felt the Patriots took to possibly run the Wild Cat was turned into a wide receiver and a mini-Wes Welker when the real version went down [...]

By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Ten years ago this week, Bill Belichick was named head coach of the Patriots.  In his first five years with New England, Belichick’s squad won three Super Bowls.  The Patriots were the newest NFL Dynasty.
But since beating the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, the team hasn’t won a championship.  And the dynasty is dead.
Yes, the team has had good seasons; they made it to the 2007 AFC Championship Game (which they lost to the Colts after leading by 18, the biggest comeback in NFL playoff history), and they went 16-0 in the 2007 regular season (before losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl).
But to be a dynasty, a team needs to win championships, and New England hasn’t done that in five years (and AFC rival Pittsburgh won 2 in 4 seasons since New England’s last win).
Looking back, the dynasty died in the minutes after Super Bowl XXXIX ended.  Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel accepted the Browns offer to be their head coach, and Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis, Tom Brady’s mentor, took over at Notre Dame (he had accepted the job earlier in the season, but remained in Foxborough until the final snap of the season).
While [...]

By: Dave Cheng, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Try telling the teams playing in the Beanpot tournament that the games really don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of the NCAA hockey season.  Just try and you may end up face down on the ground, or ice, depending on where you choose to do so.
Four local teams will square off in the 58th year of the college hockey tournament known as the Beanpot in order to win bragging rights for another year.  Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern will lace up their skates and hit the ice (and probably each other) in a one and done style tournament beginning Monday, February 1.
For the Boston University Terriers, who are not only defending Beanpot champions but also defending national champions, the team has the opportunity to make up for what has been a lost season so far.  With high hopes for a repeat championship at the beginning of the year, the team is now sitting three games under .500 at 6-9-2 and are long shots for another national title this season.  The team will look forward to taking some of their frustrations out on their local rivals as some call the tournament the “Boston [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Since the horrible accident in October that left Charlie Davies with a lacerated bladder and fractures in his tibia and fibia in his right leg, his left elbow, and facial fractures, United States soccer fans have been asking one question: Who will replace him in the lineup going into the World Cup?
Well a new candidate has emerged and his name is: Charlie Davies.
“That’s what’s been driving me this whole time,” Davies told ESPN.com’s Ives Galarcep. “I’ve been looking at Web sites the whole time and they’re always saying, ‘We need to find a replacement for Charlie. We need to find someone because he’s not going to be back.’
“These people don’t know,” Davies said. “They don’t know me, and if they just knew me alone, let alone the determination and will I have now, you guys don’t know.”
The Boston College alumnus had become the U.S.’s top option at forward, his speed creating chaos for opposing defenders and opening up space for midfielders Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.
However, after his car accident just the day after he helped the Americans qualify for their sixth straight World Cup appearance, many wondered if Davies would be able to play [...]

Just a few quick updates from the Talkie around Yawkey Way.
BC surprises everyone. Just when people might have been giving up hope, BC gets themselves a key win. They defeated #21 Clemson 75-69 last night. This gives them their third ACC win (the other two against Miami) and they are now tied with Clemson 3-4 in the ACC. Just a few weeks ago Clemson took the game far away from BC, beating them 72-56. The real question is whether Clemson (on a three game losing streak) is just slumping or is BC finally showing some spark?
X-Red Sox gets dumped: He gets boo’d every time he’s at Fenway Park. Johnny Damon, who left Boston for the dark side (Yankees) is currently without a job. The Yankees seem to be pretty set with their outfield, leaving Damon hoping someone else picks him up. KARMA’S A BITCH, MAN. At least now maybe he can grow that beard back?
Bad, Bad Bruins. The Bruins have dropped to 10th in the Eastern Conference and are on a five-game losing streak. They are currently one-point out of a playoff spot.

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
It’s no secret that the Bruins have been gliding on thin ice for weeks now, fighting to maintain their wobbly grasp on a spot in the Eastern Conference’s top eight–a spot that even the most skeptical of fans thought was guaranteed heading into the season.
But after a humiliating 5-1 loss to the bottom-feeding Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, the ice has officially cracked. In fact, the Bruins have fallen straight through to the bottom with a resounding thud.
Losers of five straight overall, Boston has now slipped from fifth in the conference to ninth in a matter of one week. More damage is possible during the next four days–the Bruins are idle until Friday night and could potentially be leapfrogged by four more teams over that span. Yes, that means that it is entirely feasible that the Boston Bruins will be thirteenth in the Eastern Conference come Friday, an absolutely stunning fall from grace for a team that once harbored Stanley Cup expectations.
Assessing the carnage is a lengthy task. Defensively, the Bruins are a mess, starting with the captain. Zdeno Chara has just four goals on the season and has struggled in all aspects of his defensive [...]