Sports Ramblings

I have an itch to write about some sports. Once upon a time I was a sportswriter, so I guess it doesn't really go away. Anyway, here goes.

Admission: I'm not a Patriots fan. I'm a Raider guy (begin rant here). That said, the psychological importance of last weekend was lost on me until late this week, when Pats fans still said they weren't going to watch the Super Bowl.

That point was rammed home yesterday, when I talked to a Leominster guy in Iraq. Still smarting from the Colts loss, the guy wasn't planning on watching the Super Bowl. Even though this guy misses home -- and what says America like the Super Bowl (both good and bad) -- he's probably skipping the game because he's still down about the Pats.

I didn't think much about it after the game -- I went straight to bed while Mrs. Save Fitchburg stewed for another hour or so -- but looking back, what a monumental loss for the Patriots and their fans. If they weren't the Yankee fans of this century, I'd feel even worse for them.

The Bruins stink. I don't know what else to say.

The Celtics stink, but at least they have a reason. And that's the real impetus behind my ramblings. The Celts have lost 14 straight, but if they haven't been in every game, they've been in 12 or 13 of them. They haven't been able to finish. Would that have been the case with Paul Pierce on the court? I'm sure they would have won a handful of these games.

So, that's the difference between this year's team and that god-awful team 10 years ago that ML Carr rode into the ground to try to get Tim Duncan. This team -- with a spry Al Jefferson, a tough Delonte West, and a growing Rajon Rondo -- has potential. They lost a superstar, but they still play competitive, tough ball.

There's no use at this point trying to salvage the season. Be bad, hope to get one of the first two picks of the draft, and get Oden or Durrant.

This team was never more than a 35-40 win team with hopes of stealing the 8th spot in the playoffs. At this point, pack this season away, but watch the kids play a lot and get better. Find another solid vet in the offseason, add a stud through the draft, and maybe they're a 45-50 win team next year.

As for the Red Sox, that's a different post later on.