Northeastern = Fitchburg?

A most excellent winter of Northeastern University sports reaches one of its high points tonight when the Huskies tussle with Boston University in the finals of the Beanpot.

NU has had an excellent winter on the ice, leading Hockey East as late as I can remember in the last 20 years, and ranked No. 3 in the country. In hoops, the Huskies are in first place in the Colonial Athletic Conference, and are in the mix for a NCAA tourney berth. It would be the first trip back to the tourney since 1991.

Tonight, NU goes up against BU, and one of two things are going to happen. NU is going to get smoked, or everyone is going to walk out of the building thinking they just saw one of the best hockey games they’ve ever seen. BU isn’t going to get blown out. It isn’t going to be a 4-1, 5-2 kind of boring game. Blowout or nail-biter.

The funny thing is, for Northeastern fans, this excellent hockey ride now reaches an apex, and we’re scared to death. Everyone’s talking up the Huskies, and that makes us nervous. NU hasn’t won the Beanpot since 1988, so most of the NU people I know have never enjoyed a late night at Punter’s Pub celebrating the championship. After 21 years, we’ve been conditioned to expect the worst on one of the first two Mondays in February, especially when BU is involved.

BU, of course, is the Darth Vader of the Beanpot. (And that’s being generous. I can’t put into words how much I dislike BU, and “dislike” is charitable.) They’ve won half the time, and are a very tough out the other half. They will bring they A game tonight. They are beatable. But the Northeastern folk will have to see it to believe it.

However, tonight, we have hope. Perhaps the most hope going into a Beanpot final in 21 years. Since 1988 the Huskies have been in the final a handful of times, and each time they were the significant underdog. This is the first time in 21 years they have a realistic chance of winning this thing. While Northeastern fans and alumni are excited and looking forward to tonight, we’re holding a piece back because we know there’s a good chance that embarrassment or heartache is three periods away. We want to drink all the cheap Punter’s beer we possibly can tonight, but we know we must put up an insulator before we get there. It’s better to say “I thought this might happen,” than sit and watch in horror -- again -- as it goes down the way it always has.

In a lot of ways, rooting for the Huskies is like living in Fitchburg. The news has so bad for so long, that you don’t want to embrace the good. Destare moves downtown? Great, but it will be gone within a year. CoCo Key? Nice, another place for the dirty kids to go swim and pee in the water. Industrial development along Airport Road? Fine, but who really wants to move a business there?

And so goes. After riding out bad years like bad teams, or watching potential squandered, Fitchburg residents are conditioned – like Northeastern fans – to expect the worst. Even when something looks good, we expect it to go bad

Fitchburg has started to build itself back up in recent years, but there’s still a long way to go. Re-creating a city is a lot harder and bigger job than rebuilding a hockey program. Tonight, Northeastern goes into the Beanpot final with a chance – a good chance – to restore that faith and announce its return to prominence. For a Northeastern fan living in Fitchburg, a win tonight will illustrate that, yes, good things can happen, even in places where all hope seems lost.

Is tonight the night? I don’t know. But I hope so. Is now the time for Fitchburg? I don’t know, but I hope so. A Husky win tonight does nothing for Fitchburg, except stand as an example that rebuilding can happen, even in the face of giant obstacles, and it’s OK to hope for and want success.

One more thing: BU sucks.

Why Yesterday Doesn't Matter

Christmas? No, yesterday Celtics-Lakers tilt.

As Mrs. Save Fitchburg and my buddy Bigs can attest, I was smelling a loss last night. At some point the law of averages win out, and a long winning streak at some point comes to an end. They were on the road on Christmas Day (an absolute travesty. The champs should be home on Xmas, period. The NBA needs to make that a rule). The Lakers are a very good team, and yesterday meant a lot more to them than it did to the Celts.

Want proof of that last one? Well, right after the game, I felt perfectly fine with the loss. When the home team wins and lets streamers go off after a game in December, you know it meant a lot more to them than to the other team.

So good for the Lakers. The national media, which has an unending lust for LA and its, um, ethically challenged leader, has another reason to get all hot and bothered for the Lake Show. Pau Gasol proved he can come up big in the 30th game of the season. Which is nice for him. Five months too late, but nice for him. At least he acted like he had been there before. Or not.

Of course I wanted a win last night. The Celtics have done an amazing job of putting teams in their place early this year (hello, Cleveland, Detroit and Orlando). They are playing as well as they were in the Finals last year, and if Rondo keeps it up, they're better than they were last year. Throw in Ray Allen's improved performance (if you thought he was good last year -- and he was good -- he's extraordinary this year. He plays with a beautiful grace that can not be overstated. He's beautiful to watch right now. Beautiful), and the Celts are going to be just fine.

They've played better games than last night, but they had a number of things going against them last night, and it was tied with 3 minutes left. That was the best punch the Lakers could deliver, and as we learned last spring, they can't make that effort six times in a row. So I'm not sure yesterday matters much, except the Lakers got a chance to (finally) fire off some streamers.

Back to the Celtics

I've had a Celtics post brewing for awhile. Sorry, I'm still hooked.

First, they are kicking ass. No two ways about it. They're demolishing bad teams, and sucking the life out of would-be challengers (say hello, Detroit and Atlanta). They took care of business the right way against Indiana the other night, smacking around one of the two teams that beat them this year. They're 18-2, and the national NBA writers are busy loving LeBron and 2010, and Kobe. Let them love them. I'm not sure the Celtics are "better than they were last year," because they were very, very, very good in the Finals. But they are better now than they were at this point last year.

Interestingly, I think many Celtics fans though this would be The Year they broke through. Last year would be the transition year, and this year would be the year they went for it all. They were good enough to win it all last year, and look like (injury free) they'll be right there again this year.

A few observations: Ray Allen is playing great ball right now, and when he's playing well, he is just beautiful to watch. Just a joy to behold. Kevin Garnett hasn't lost an ounce of intensity, and that trickles down. When Rondo is playing well, the Celtics are probably unstoppable. Just too much. And Paul Pierce is playing at a whole new level. The guy takes over games now with the confidence of a champion. He's totally believes he can win a game when he needs to. It's pretty cool to see.

I finally got off the dime to write this one after reading S.L. Price's excellent, excellent story on Pierce in this week's Sports Illustrated. Some of it is old news to Celtics fans -- his yelling out the names of the guys drafted in front of him, for example -- but it's a better look at what makes Pierce tick than anything else I've read on him. Ever. He's clearly not a darling little angel, but he's also supremely driven and legitimately gives a damn. Can't ask for much more at this point. Love him or not, definitely worth a read.

Football Tonight

If you didn't get enough football on Thursday -- and how could you, football rules -- Fitchburg High is back at it tonight, tussling with Shrewsbury over at Oakmont in the first round of the playoffs.

I'll be lurking around the sidelines, so if you're there, say hello between plays and my furious scribbling. If you can't make it, check out Pride website when it's all said and done for coverage. You'll be glad you did.

The Death of the Boston Sports Fan?

Is this the obituary for the Boston sports fan? You know, the real fan who did the right thing? It just might be.

I haven't been to a Patriots game since they lost to the St. Louis Rams in 2001 (it was the last game that team lost on their way to the first Super Bowl). I'm not a Pats fan, and tickets are so hard to get, so whatever. But for the last few years you've heard some complaints about the crowd not being what it once was.

In the two games I went to this month, I'm thinking that comfort level has leaked into two other teams.

Earlier this month, I went to Game 3 of the ALCS. The game, frankly, stunk. The Sox lost, 9-1. The game was out of hand by the middle innings. It was a nice day in Boston, but by the 4:30 start time the wind was up and it was getting cool. By the middle innings, it was downright cold. Some fans -- likely people who never go to Fenway -- wore shorts or no heavy jackets. They were gone by the 6th. The exodus only picked up in the 7th and the 8th.

There's probably something to be said for leaving early when your team is getting smoked. But I'm willing bet for every person at that game (roughly 39,000), there were 100 who would gladly take their spot. Instead of sticking it out, it got awfully empty late. By the 9th, I was sprawled over about three rows and 10 seats. And no one was even close to me.

Of course, the big stories revolve around Game 5. Mayor Lisa Wong admitted -- awkwardly, uncooly -- at last week's press conference that she left early. She tried to laugh it off, but it was a really uncomfortable moment. As Wong rambled on, Andy Roy (who went to another beating in Game 4) and I were not amused. On the other hand, by brother who also lives in Fitchburg stuck it out. He was a happy boy when he called me leaving the ballpark. Wong wasn't alone in doing the wrong thing. At least my brother did the right thing and was rewarded for it. How do you leave early what might have been the very last game of the season?

That brings me to last night, when the Celtics handed out rings and raised Banner 17 to the rafters. It seemed like a good crowd -- the place was packed in advance of the ceremony, and it was good and loud from the get-go. But the posers were outed halfway through the fourth quarter, when the place started to empty out. The Celts were only up by 6 or so at that point. The real drain began in the last two minutes, even with it being a one-possession game for much of that time. Yeah, it was 11 o'clock, and the national TV timeouts were painfully long, but it was the home opener for the defending world champions (no, I can't write or say that enough), and the place was more empty than full by the final buzzer. There wasn't even the usual backups on the stairways getting out.

Outside of New England, the sports world hates our guts. Our teams win, a lot, to the point where we shrug off an ALCS appearance as nice, but not really special. Last night's display was really lame. It would be borderline for the Bobcats in January. But the Cavs on banner night? Good Lord.

It's frustrating to have to clear out a winter weekend and hope you get lucky just to get two crappy seats to a crappy mid-week Sox game. I can't remember the last time I went to a weekend game for the Sox, tickets are so hard to get. It stinks that Mrs. Save Fitchburg and I spent a good hour poring over the Celtics schedule and made a gameplan just short of D-Day to score three or four Celtics games this year. It stinks to beg, borrow and steal your way into a legitimate, unqualified Big Game, and see the collective crowd treat it like just another random game.

So, this month may have signaled the death of the old Boston fan. The ones who didn't stay late at Fenway just to sing "Sweet Caroline." The ones who stuck it out just because that's what you do. The ones who appreciated the moment, the opportunity, and the specialness of the times.

See You Saturday Night

The scene, the Save Fitchburg mansion. The inning, the bottom of the seventh. Me: "If they don't score four runs here, I'm going to bed." A few minutes later, "Papi could hit 10 times between now and tomorrow morning and not get four runs across." A few minutes later: "Papi's going to f--- me here, hit a home run, and I'm gonna have to stay up."

It's already cost me a good 90 minutes of shut-eye, and probably another half-hour or so to settle down, but if you bagged it after six, oh, baby, did you miss a miracle of a finish tonight.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Over the last week or so, the word everyone used about the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez was "marriage." As in, "their marriage might soon be ending."

Don't be silly, they were never married. They never could make that commitment to each other.

Instead, they were boyfriend-girlfriend, always considering marriage, but never getting there. They constantly fought, put up with each other, and finally, they broke up.

When Manny signed with the Sox almost eight years ago, the Red Sox were fairly good looking, but not the handsome stud they are now. Manny, however, was the It Girl. Beautiful beyond belief. The Sox did everything they had to do (if you can find the ESPN show with Dan Duquette all but begging, check it out) to make Manny their girl.

Ever since, Manny has acted like he knew the Sox would never dump the hot chick. The Sox thought about breaking up a few times (the closest was probably that waiver-wire winter stunt a few years back), but could never pull the trigger.

And that's the thing. Sometimes it's clear to everyone else that you need to drop that girl, but there's something that makes you want to make it work out. In the case of Manny and the Sox, it's pretty clear what that was. No matter how clear it was to the world -- even the Sox -- that they were better off without Manny, the Sox couldn't cut the cord. The fans are the same way. We loved Manny, even though we knew he wrong for the team and for us in so many ways.

But eventually everyone gets there in their own time. In a lot of ways, it's kind of sad. What seemed so obvious for so long, what seemed like the best thing for the Sox to do, ends up being messy and depressing. The Sox finally got to the point where their desperate desire to make things work out was overwhelmed by the obvious need to move on. It's never easy, but they finally did it.

And to do it, they had to do it ugly and messy. Manny went ballistic in recent days, and the Sox (admittedly) overpaid to break up with him. Craig Hansen never quite found his way here, and Brandon Moss is a nice player. But when you give up the best righthanded hitter of a generation and $7M to pay his salary, throwing in two more ML-ready players is a heavy price to pay (Note: What the hell were the Florida Marlins looking for? From all reports, they wanted more than Manny and the money. Hansen and Moss weren't good enough? Lordy. Who the hell do they think they are?)

So, the Sox get Jason Bay in return. I almost want to describe him as a slightly better Trot Nixon, based on all reports. Sounds like a dependable 25-30 HRs, 100ish RBI, .290ish hitter who plays good defense. Sound familiar? Maybe Bay is JD Drew without the fragile history and all of Philly hating him. They also get a bit of financial maneuvering in the future. Bay has one more year on his contract, but you'd have to think the Sox will try to sign up to a longer deal. Let's say it's in the $10-$12 million range (he's at $7.5M or so right now). That leaves $8M on Manny's team option for next year. I vote for a high-quality reliever, but that's just me. The point is, the Sox have a few extra dollars to spend.

Consider the next two (hopefully three) months the Sox rebound phase. Maybe they come out of this relationship strong, make the playoffs, and even go deep into October again. Maybe they don't get it together, miss out on October, and move on next year.

That's the thing when you finally come to your senses and break off a long-term relationship. You don't know what's going to happen on the other side, and that fear that it will be worse than it is now is one of the things that keeps you hoping for the best. But then you realize that that hope is better served for the future, and the only way you get there is to put the past behind you. More often than not, that hope turns into a better future. It might not this be October, it might be next year, but even if it means a rocky few months on the rebound, the Sox are better off than they were yesterday.

Do the Sox Lose the World Series Today?

I haven't written one word about the Sox this season so far. My Celtics obsession took over all sports talk. But today seems like a good day to talk about them.

Of course, they've been stinking out the joint lately. But they're still firmly in the playoff mix. But they might lose the World Series today. The Manny Ramirez rumor mill is on high alert this morning, and likely will be all day. Update boston.com relentlessly, y'all.

Manny's gone before the 2009 opening day. It might not be until after the season, it might be today, but he's very much gone, from all reports. But if it happens today, the Sox might knock themselves out of the World Series before we get into August.

This isn't a defense of Manny, just a defense of his 30-something homers and 100-something RBI. The big rumor this a.m. is a three-way deal that ends up with the Sox getting Jason Bay from the Pirates. Bay has some 30-HR, 100-RBI seasons in his recent past, and by numbers he'd replace Manny's thump in the middle of the lineup. But can he get settled in a new league -- and more importantly go from meaningless baseball to the game's biggest pressure cooker -- and perform? It's a question that you have to consider.

Most other options for the Sox at this point is the usual buffet of prospects. Rarely do you get even money when you trade a superstar. And while a bucket of prospects for Manny might be a long-term decision, it means the end of this season. And if they offer Manny arbitration in the offseason, they'd get two sandwich picks for him, which is a nice little haul.

Trying to see past the current lackluster stretch, the Sox lineup is keyed around the 3-4 spots (nothing too revealing there). Losing Ramirez means it's quite likely Ortiz sees fewer quality pitches in the 3 hole. It means, perhaps, that Jason Varitek moves back up a spot in the lineup. It likely pushes Youkilis back down in the order. And so on.

The chance to win a World Series is precious, despite what recent history might tell us. If the Sox trade Manny today, they might be throwing away a chance to win it all. In the end, I hope Manny stays through the end of this year, and then they say goodbye in the fall and find a big bat to get in the lineup. I like the Sox' chances a lot more with him than without him this year.

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I have very minimal interesting in touching off a public rehashing of yesterday's chaos. But if anyone has questions about how I operate or what I'm trying to do here, you can send me a comment with your e-mail address or e-mail me at savefitchburg@hotmail.com. I won't post either the comment or the e-mail (when I said "minimal," what I realy meant is "no interest at all," but I will discuss things with you. Also, while I'm here, barring a disaster today Save Fitchburg will get its 300,000 hit in less than three years. Good stuff.

Let's Go Celtics

In the early 1980s, I lived in St. Petersburg, Fla. The only local sports team was the Tampa Bay Bucs, and they stunk on ice.

So, the first team I truly loved was the Boston Celtics. I was 9 when Larry Bird won his first title, 15 when he won his third and last in 1986. By then, I was living in Maine, so was somewhat regional.

Over the last 22 years, deep down, the Celtics were still my true sports love. Basketball is my favorite sport. Sure, I had my appropriate affair with the Red Sox, and that has been good fun over the years, but the Celtics were always the one for me. Before the playoffs started, I said here the Celts winning it all would be bigger for me than either Sox World Series wins. After last night, I haven't changed my mind.

The last 22 years, of course, have been difficult. I was shooting hoops behind my parents' barn when my dad told me Len Bias died. I was a senior at Northeastern when Reggie Lewis died, and spent the next day putting out a special edition. (I met Reggie a handful of times, including a few times when he stopped by the NU Sports Information office, where I co-oped. He was also extraordinarily kind, and I was thinking about a few of those chance, quiet meetings last night.)

Beyond the tragedy, however, there was some outright sucky seasons. I was covering the Celtics draft for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel when they picked Acie Earl, who plummeted from a Top-10 pick to the Celts (picking at 17, I think). The universal feeling in the room was that it was not just the obvious choice, but a steal. Yeah. A steal alright.

It just never seemed to get better. For a stretch, Kevin Gamble was the best player on the team. Then came the Pitino Era, which seemed like such a good idea at the time -- kind of like Acie Earl, now that I think of it. Pitino's lasting legacy is one of the great tantrums of all time -- and little else.

Up until last night, my best Celtics moment in the last 20 years was Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002, when the Celtics came back in the fourth against the Nets. I sat in the very last row of the FleetCenter -- stood in the very last row of the FleetCenter -- and watched one of the great comebacks ever. It was probably the loudest Celtics crowd since 1986 until last night. That crowd last night was absolutely phenomenal. In the first quarter and first half of the second, you could tell it was on its game and just ready to explode, just needing that little burst to get going. They got it, alright.

Obviously, all the bad times -- all the sitting through the M.L. Carr era, the ups and downs of Antoine Walker, the sad fade of the Big Three -- came to an end last night. Paul Pierce got what he deserved, a permanent place in Celtics legend. Kevin Garnett got the validation he desperately needed. Ray Allen gets the last piece to his Hall of Fame puzzle. The fans got order restored in the basketball world.

No more remembering Acie Earl or Ron Mercer, (as my pal Jon mentioned last night/this morning, Dontae Jones). No more hoping Tony Battie would "reach his potential" and no more wondering what could have been if Joe Johnson hadn't been traded, or Pierce had been.

For too long, the Celtics were an afterthought. For years, I'd go to the FleetCenter, see a crowd of 12,000, and think it was a pretty good attendance. For too long, the NBA was sucky, the Celtics suckier, and nobody cared. What can be worse than not caring? What can be worse than getting excited for the draft lottery year-in and year-out? What can be worse than sitting through a series of 35-win seasons (or worse) with hope years away?

Instead, a season that began in Rome ended in Boston, and the NBA's longest-running empire is back on top. Since 1986, Celtics fans have given more than they received. Last night, the ledger was finally balanced. Who's up for Banner 18?

24 Down, 2 Up, 1 to Go

So, I started the third quarter last night playing a PSP, and peeking at the game. I figured I'd give the Celtics a shot to get back in the game, but after a horrible first half wasn't really expecting much.

Then the Celts quickly got it to 11, so I put the PSP down. Then it was back down by 20, so I picked the PSP back up. And then, quickly, the Celts went to work. I quietly played my Tiger Woods while really watching the game (my round of video golf when in the dumper right fast). Mrs. Save Fitchburg wasn't really a fan of my seeming disinterest, but at that point I wasn't sure the comeback was fully legit, and I had some small superstitions working.

The PSP got put away for the fourth quarter, and you know the rest. After toying with taking the lead, the Cs went down four about halfway through the fourth, and then a little mini-spurt got them a lead they wouldn't give up. The Celtics are one game away from the title.

Considering how last night, there's not much to say, except starting to decide whether or not I should play hooky some day next week.*

If you're a Lakers fan, you're devastated. The Lakes finally played to their full potential, and looked amazing. It was the high-level quality of basketball they had to think they were capable of. But in the last 18 minutes, all their inadequacies -- the things on a smaller scale lost them Games 1 and 2 -- were bare to the world. They couldn't defend. Odom went from all-world to on the missing person's list. Gasol was his consistent non-factor. Kobe couldn't get to the rim, and the offense ground to a halt. Vujocovic (or whatever) looked like he was going to cry on the bench. Obviously it was their 18 minutes of the series (of the season?), but the problems were the ones they've had all series.

Phil Jackson put the right scheme in place when he put Bryant on Rondo. Poor Rondo, exposed to the world. But Doc Rivers (who has pushed all the buttons in the last two week -- reminicent of Francona in the 2004 playoff run) made the (semi-gutsy) move to go with Eddie House and Posey and spread the floor. You'd have to think we'll be seeing a lot of that lineup the rest of the way. The C's don't need too much in terms of power and bigs against this team, so that lineup has potential the rest of the way.

Paul Pierce said after last night he wants to finish it on Sunday, Father's Day. That's absolutely fine with me.

*-Yes, yes, I know this series isn't over yet. Yes, yes, everytime I hear the "28 times a team has gone up 3-1 in the Finals, and all have won the series" I think of "No MLB team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit," but at this point you have to believe, right?

Opportunity Lost

As Joe Castig would say, it was "a giant squander."

The Celtics lost a winnable game last night. I'm as ticked as I am optimistic, weirdly.

You have to figure that last night was the night the Lakers put on their Sunday best. They were coming home, they were desperate, they had a legendary coach bitching about the officiating and had a great ref crew to rely on. They had everything going their way.

I went to bed angry at the Celtics. With six minutes left, I declared the game lost. Four minutes later (at least in game time), I announced to Mrs. Save Fitchburg that the Celtics are winning this series.

Simply, the Lakers came in last night knowing they needed their A-game. It appears they got a lot of the things that constituted their A-game: Kobe was great, a role player stepped up, they played with aggression (missing: Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, but I'm starting to wonder if they'll ever play very well for an entire game in this series), and Phil Jackson threw in a puzzling adjustment (Kobe on Rondo).

If this was the Lakers' A-game, it's time to start stitching Banner 17.

The Celtics should have won last night. The offense stunk, and Garnett and Pierce were chief el stinko offenders. Pierce forced every shot he took, I think, and Garnett missed some "bunnies" while taking some bad shots. Ugh. Why didn't Ray Allen get the ball more down the stretch (or, for that matter, why was Eddie House getting contested looks late)? The Celtics played probably a C game (they played an excellent third quarter, and did enough to have a shot late). A B, and they're up 3-0.

The Celtics need to get the flow back to the offense tomorrow night, and they need to find a way to get around this Kobe-Rondo thing. It gives Kobe freedom to roam, and really exposes Rondo. It's almost embarassing to see Rondo passing up 17-footers. Win or lose this series, you know what Rondo's working on this summer. It was an unexpected wrinkle, and one the Cs need to solve before tomorrow night (I'd want Allen to go after Derek Fisher, but that's just me).

I'm taking the optimistic view. I felt going into the series the Cs needed to hold serve in Games 1 and 2, and then take one of the next three. After last night, you gotta feel good about that happening. At least I do, even though I'm pissed they let a golden opportunity to lock this up go by.

Halftime Adjustments

As the interminable halftime drones on, what I'd be looking for in the second half:

Just some more shutting off of Bryant to the hoop. When he's got the ball crossing halfcourt, he's thinking getting to the basket. They need to slow him down a little bit. They don't need to junk the defense, just tighten it up a little bit.

They need more flow on offense, but really, they need Pierce and Garnett to take good shots and make them. That's it.

Down 6, 24 minutes to go. A win tonight -- still within reach despite a bad first half -- would be so, so, so big. Let's go get 'em.

Let's Talk Hoops

Nope, the weekend did nothing to lessen my obsession with the Boston Celtics. In fact, it was a distraction all weekend.

Part of the problem is that for the last six weeks, the Cs were playing an every-other-day schedule. No game last night was a little weird. I had been conditioned for one day on, one day off. Whatever, I cleared up some of the "Lost" backlog (no discussion, please. Still three episodes away from being done. Yes, I stink).

Anyway, it's time to talk hoops.

Of course, for the Celtics, dealing with Kobe Bryant is issue number one. Of course, he can go all LeBron and drop 40 at a moment's notice, but it seems as if his playoff MO this year has been to get 30 or so, but get them in bunches when it matters. Taking over games is his speciality. That's a problem.

You'd have to assume they're going to run something similar as they did with James, doubling way up high and stopping him before he gets a head of steam. Part of the problem, though, is that Bryant has a dependable jump shot, which James doesn't have. Also, Bryant has a better supporting cast, namely Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom (who can disappear at times, however). Derek Fisher is a troublesome spot-up shooter.

Set aside the Kobe situation for a second, and there are still problems. Gasol is very, very good, and will keep Perk busy (Garnett has to go on Radmonovic, to be a free to wander). Odom will be a significant problem. He's big at 6'10 for Pierce to cover, but it's gotta be Pierce, which means Pierce can't cover Bryant, forcing it on Ray Allen. Doc Rivers should note that bringing James Posey in for defense isn't a bad idea if the offense is clicking OK (see Friday night's fourth quarter), and I'd think about bringing in Posey regularly to try to keep Kobe down as much as possible (good luck on that one).

The short answer is the Lakers are a very, very good offensive team. The good news is the Celts are the best defensive team in the NBA. This won't be the slogfest of the Pistons or Cavs series, although the Spurs did keep the score in the high-80s/low-90s a few times.

The good news is that the Lakers aren't in the same league defensively as the Cavs and Pistons, and the Celts will provide some matchup problems equal to those the Celts face. Rondo is much quicker than Fisher. If Rondo can play his confident game, he should be effective on both ends. Kobe is going to have to cover either Allen or Pierce. In either case, the Celts have to make Kobe work on the defense end, either chasing Allen from one side of the court to the other, or having Pierce grind him away by going to the basket and running him off pick-and-rolls.

More importantly, perhaps, the Lakers' best chance at guarding Garnett might be Odom, but the Celtics are looking at a significant mismatch in Garnett vs. Laker X. Maybe a Luke Walton brings some high-energy, change-of-pace D to the game, but for the most part the Celtics need to see Garnett has a super-quality option in this series -- particularly in the post and his now-patented elbow jumper. It just might end up being the key to this series.

One more thing: If Phil Jackson wins this series, he ties Red Auerbach for most titles as a coach. This can't happen. It just can't. Not on the Celtics' watch. I expect this plotline to become bigger, but the legacy of Red must be protected.

So, in the end, here's a fan's prediction: Celtics in 6. They take the first two at home, win Game 4, and then finish it at home in Game 6.

The Playoffs Start Now

I was going to write this after the Celtics dispatched the Hawks, because like everyone else, I figured this series would be five games tops, with the Hawks squeaking one out to save a little face.

But everything changed last night, very late in the game, when Al Horford got up in Paul Pierce's face as the Hawks were running away with Game 3. You don't let that happen without some retribution.

For Celtics fans like me who grew up in the 1980s, it's hard not to look back at those mid-80s teams these days. And those teams never, ever, would have put up with that. Horford should probably be careful tomorrow night, and Pierce might go off.

At least, that's what should happen. This is yet another test for this team. They had to prove from opening night that the three stars could play together and succeed. Check. They had to prove they had depth, as GM Danny Ainge cobbled together a bench. Check. They had to prove they could stand up to the better teams in the East. Check. They had to prove they could take on the teams in the West. Check. Rajon Rondo had to prove he could play big-boy ball. (Giant) check. Beyond that, the Hawks took it to the Celts last night. The Celts looked, well, old. They looked slow, frustrated, and confused. That can't happen again.

Now, they have to prove that that playoff dead-eyed killer mentality. They have to make sure that even the slightest insult (and Horford went above "slight") is dealt with with harsh repercussions. They have to send the message that for the next two months, you don't screw with the Boston Celtics.

I figured the playoffs would start in the next round, when the C's would have to wrestle with LeBron James. Al Horford decided last night that the playoffs start now.

By the way, I think I've decided I'll be more fired up about a Celtics title this year than I was for Sox wins in 2007 -- and 2004. That's how much of a Celtics geek I've been the last 25 years or so, and that's how much I want them to win now. So, the playoffs start tomorrow night. It's time to make the Hawks pay.

Another One for the W4 Councilor

I think, in a moment of extreme dread and oncoming depression, I mumbled -- not yelled -- "oh, no, not that guy," at about 11:05 last night.

At that point, Kevin Garnett had thrown the ball away and it ended up in the hands of Robert "Big Shot" Horry. But last night, Big Shot didn't come through, and the Celtics did. And this morning, whooo wheee, I'm here to write about a great game and team that might just be a real, live, title contender.

Whenever you beat the defending champs, that's good stuff. Whenever you beat the defending champs in their place, that's very good stuff. Whenever you beat the defending champs in their place when they clearly bring their A-game, that's great stuff. Whenever you beat the defending champs in their place when they clearly bring their A-game and you're down 22 in the second quarter, that's ridiculously amazing stuff.

Winning, of course, makes watching more entertaining, but last night's game was an absolute delight. It was entertaining, energized, full of passion and big plays. It was physical, it was bumpy, it was one of the better games you'll see this year.

The Spurs played a ridiculously beautiful first quarter. The Celtics played with fire in the second, and played some of the best six minutes of the season at the beginning of the third. The fourth quarter bogged down toward the end, but it was tense, big shots were made, and it was worth staying up for.

For Celtics fans, this was, of course, a quality, quality win. Not only did the team win, but Rajon Rondo played Tony Parker to a virtual draw. He was phenomenal after a slow start. Sam Cassell carried the Celts in the second quarter, and hit essentially the game-winning three late in the fourth. It looked like he might have -- might have -- done a slight version of his big balls dance. Which rocks. I love Sam Cassell, and that won't be the last big shot he hits this year. Garnett was shaky in the last minute (missed jumper, that bad, bad throwaway) but his energy picked the team up when down 20, and his defense was outstanding throughout.

For non-fans, you missed a good one, and it was a good example of how the game has changed for the better. The Celts' two biggest crunch-time shots were threes from Eddie House and the Cassell bomb. Both (particularly House's) were created through ball movement. The days of isolation drives are fading fast. Particularly for the Celts.

The best news? It's pretty clear the Celtics are title contenders. The road will be tough. They'll likely have to get by LeBron James in the second round, and the Pistons in the East finals. Neither is an easy chore. But from what we've seen over the last month (12-of-13, Garnett back healthy, a strong bench, huge pickup in Cassell, the further growth of Rondo, solid minutes from Tony Allen), the Celts should be a strong favorite to get out of the East. The question is, can they hang with a West team for seven games? The West is far, far superior, but the C's have shown enough -- particularly last night -- to increase the hopes that they can make it happen.

All that said, they're back at it tonight, and all signs point to them taking the loss. At Houston, second game of back-to-back, and Houston has a nice little (22-game) winning streak. Such is life in the NBA, but like their title chances, you have to think that maybe tonight they can pull it off.

For the Ward 4 Councilor

For months, Kevin Starr has been on me to write about the Celtics. Here you go. If you don't care, we'll see you later.

After last night's beating of the Clippers, the Celts are 43-12. Good lord. I was a pretty strong advocate of the over (50.5) going into the season, but I didn't expect 43-12 after the West Coast trip (2-3).

Obviously, the Celts got off to a ridiculous start. Ridiculous enough that local fans still full of Red Sox glory and obsessing over the unbeaten Pats took just enough time to realize the Cs were playing crazy ball. Contrast that with the Bruins, who are giving away Montreal tickets (!), and at least local fans realize something's up with the Celtics. Not enough to, you know, actually watch some games and realize the NBA is significantly better and more watchable than its been in 20 years, but whatever.

We've learned a few things this year: Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen meant it when they said they weren't in it for themselves, they just want to win a championship. Rajon Rondo was well worth keeping. Glen Davis is a very good seventh or eighth guy on a very good team. Posey, House and the rest of Ainge's reject pickups have been very savvy moves. Tony Allen is getting better, and is absolutely a very good player. In short, this is a very good team.

What we haven't learned is, how good, or can they win a title? I'm leaning toward "no," but I have a lot of hope.

Consider: Games with the Pistons have been all-out wars, and both teams won on the road. That portends to a fantastic potential playoff series, but not one you'd be very confident in the Celtics winning. In the meantime, the Cavs are starting to put it together, and LeBron James is just ridiculous. Look at what he did last spring, and you have to think he can will the Cavs to the Finals again, no? The East playoffs are no cakewalk for the Celts, but they are winnable.

It's tough to see the Celts winning the Finals, although you'd have to give them a punchers' chance. The West is so, so good. The Spurs are the Spurs, Phoenix is looking for harmony, and the Lakers are very tough after getting Gasol (and you'd have to think Kobe would be super-human if he could drag the Lakers back to the Finals).

There are teams in the West 10 games over .500 who might not make the playoffs. There teams in the East that might get in 10 games under .500. That shows just how much better the West is. The Celts recovered to go 2-3 on the western swing, which is merely OK. Losing three in a row didn't do them any favors, and shows they are mortal. But they did go 2-3 in a five-games-in-seven-days stretch, and won the last two, which shows they are good and mentally pretty tough.

If the Celts can survive Detroit/Cleveland/both, you'd have to think at the very least they're going to get a chance to win. They haven't been blown out this year (absolutely amazing), so you'd have to think they'd have a chance to win every game. The biggest problem with Garnett would probably making sure he didn't get too excited. You'd have to think after sucking for long, Pierce would be out of his mind in the Finals. I don't like Rondo against a number of West points (Nash, Parker in particular) in terms of talent and experience, and while Davis has been very good, can he handle the big stage? How about Tony Allen? And they have to get a real all-star performance from Ray Allen, who has been good/very good but rarely great this year.

But here we are at the end of February, and we're talking about whether or not the Celtics can win the NBA Finals. I still think they're a year away, but this year is most certainly not out of the question. Nice.

Of Senate and Congress

First, the senate seat.

The field is starting to firm a little bit. Your contender list probably looks something like this: Brian Knuuttila, Dean Mazzarella, Jennifer Flanagan, and Harold Naughton. Will all four get in? Maybe. Flanagan is in. Knuuttila is all but there. Most folks expect Mazzarella to jump in, but I wouldn't put his name in ink. Naughton needs watching, but why wouldn't he jump in at least for a little while? There will be some more names, and maybe, somewhere, somehow, a Lisa Wong surprise (not Wong herself, but a candidate similar to Wong).

Notice something? No one from Fitchburg. Dean Tran is kicking the tires, and he's trying out a "conservative Democrat" message. But Tran has two little kids and has said in the past he feels a little time-strapped (remember the mayor rumors?). He might not have the desire to give up a year of his life to campaign. But he might. I'm not banking on a run out of Tran. Who's left? There's a "Draft Jody" effort that has popped up here, but he's not making any (public) noises about a run. Former Mayor Dan Mylott took a pass, and someone else who was looking at it -- but never publicly staked a claim -- also took a pass.

So that leaves Fitchburg kind of the outside looking in, which is fine, but not great. It would be nice to have a strong candidate from the city, who could win the race and represent the city at the State House. Instead, as it has been for ages, someone else will likely represent Fitchburg in the Senate. It worked fine with Antonioni, but there would be a nice shot of civic pride if a Fitchburg resident could win the seat.

But the good news is that Fitchburg will be some decidedly fought-over territory. Candidates will need to run hard in an open Fitchburg, which is voter heavy (and recent history points to some active voters). Knuuttila can claim strong ties, and Naughton will try to stake a claim. Flanagan, her critics say, has been running for this Senate seat for four years, and will point to her successes at FSC, the commuter rail project, and elsewhere. Everyone and their mother knows Mazzarella (and has mayoral envy of Fitchburg's southern neighbor), but he'll need to make some self-introductions to what he is all about.

Now, on to Congress.

I missed Watergate, so the three best Congressional hearings I've seen were the Bulger hearings in Boston a few years back, the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, and yesterday's Roger Clemens hearing. Yesterday's to-do was gripping, entertaining, and laughable all at once. We heard about Clemens bleeding through his pants (ew), his butt abcesses (double ew), and way too much about lunch at Jose Canseco's house.

I'm not gonna lie (which is rare for the rest of the players in this little play), I want to see Clemens ruined by this, and I think he's lying his pants off. I don't believe him, and part of it is because I don't want to believe him. And Brian McNamee is nobody's hero. Rep. Elijah Cummings? I love that guy. And locally, John Tierney was excellent yesterday, and Steve Lynch was good, too.

But Andy Pettitte, whooo-weee. The worst part of yesterday for Clemens was Pettitte's deposition, which details conversations that were particularly bad for Clemens. Pettitte is Clemens' downfall in the end. Additionally, you can't think Mrs. Clemens was particularly happy with the last few days. And how did McNamee get hooked up with old Debbie without Roger knowing?

In the end, Clemens didn't answer the one question he has faced more than once, and knew would be coming: Why would McNamee lie about Clemens, but tell (some of) the truth about Pettitte? Why? Clemens has hemmed, hawed, stammered and blown that answer every single time he's given it. He also now has to answer Pettitte's deposition about HGH conversations, and he finally, something as seemingly as trivial as who was and wasn't at Canseco's house is a problem. What was Team Clemens thinking going after the nanny before giving her to Congress? Stupid.

Anyway, you went into yesterday's hearing on one side or the other, and nothing yesterday changed your mind. Today, you're either cheering Tierney and Cummings, or applauding Dan Burton (who, it should be noted, totally booted the Bulger hearings). But yesterday, the best (enhanced) pitcher of a generation -- one of the greats of all time -- was forced to sit before Congress and (likely) lie in an effort to save his reputation, his ticket to the Hall of Fame, and whatever goodwill he has remaining. It was a sight to see, all right.

Sometimes, I Am Smart

I wrote this on July 31. It alludes to an earlier post that says the same thing, but for some reason I can't find it:

We talked a few months ago about the Sox's hot start, and holding off the
Yankees. Without going into the archives, I remember Rupert K saying the Sox
would be caught. We went to the numbers to figure out how tough it would be for
the Yanks to make up the ground. After this brutal week for the Yankees, I
figured it was time for an update:The Red Sox are 48-26. We figured all along
their good for about 95 wins. They need to go 47-41 the rest of the way to get
to that mark. And yes, we're ruling out the rest of the division, which doesn't
have the horses for a run. The Sox have a few problems -- they can't hit
sometimes, the middle relief is due for a rough stretch one of these days, and
they're starting pitching has gotten nicked up. But, if you believe Beckett has
had his DL stretch, and that Schilling is halfway through his, how can you not
think the Sox are going to win at least 95 games this year? Even if Schilling is
out for a while, 95 seems a minimal goal.So...The Yankees are 36-37. Yup, back
under .500. Unbelieveable. The Yankees would have to go 59-30 the rest of the
way to get to 95 wins. 59-30. Basically, they'd have to win every series the
rest of the way. Can they do it? Well, yeah, I guess. They certainly had a nice
two-week stretch there a few weeks ago. But that's an awfully, awfully, tough
task. And that's assuming the Sox only go 47-41 the rest of the way.To sum this
all up: I made plans to be away the weekend of Sept. 15-17, forgetting I have
tickets for the Sox-Yanks game on the 15th. At this point, I'm confident I can
be away and not miss anything. I don't think things will change over the next
two-and-a-half months.

Why do I bring this up? The Sox won the AL East tonight. The same night they won their 95th game.

Some Good (Or Is It?) Fantasy Talk`

Yeah, yeah, there's an election in 25 days, but I just got through with two fantasy football drafts this week, and if you think I'm not writing about that, well....

If you don't care, good for you. If you're as big a dork as I am, feel free to read on.

First, the Mostly Married Guys League

This is a group of college buddies. Great guys. Good fantasy players.

Shaun Alexander is back for a fourth season (keeper league) with Thomas Jones probably the number two RB, but Marshawn Lynch will be warming up in the bullpen quickly. The highlight is grabbing Drew Brees in the third round. I think he's going to have another monster year. I'm thrilled about that. May be a little thin at wide out, with Donald Driver (already nicked up) at the top. But, I've got guys like Braylon Edwards and Vincent Jackson that might be ready for huge years. This might be an upside team with Edwards, Jackson and Lynch potentially getting a lot of time. I've also got the Losman on hand if Brees is a problem -- another upside guy.

I've been competitive in this league, winning the title two years ago and making the semis last year even with Alexander out for the middle third of the season. I should be right in the mix.

My other league, the boringly named Legal Engineers, is run by Ralph Romano, and is full of local guys who apparently don't play fantasy much, don't do research, or don't listen.

As in my other league, I targeted Brees for the third round, after two RBs. Didn't happen. One joker took Brady in the first round. In all, six -- six -- QBs went in the first 25 spots. Unheard of. Not really sure what these guys were thinking.

I took Willie Parker in the first round, but probably should have taken Reggie Bush. I think I'll regret that pick later. I got Maurice Jones-Drew in the second round. This league is weird, with a kicker going in the fifth round and Todd Heap going in the fourth. So I loaded up on quality running backs. Someone is going to come looking for a trade eventually, and I have five quality RBs, with DeAngelo Williams, Len Dale White and Ahman Green also on the roster. All are starters, and all will make tasty trade bait later. Wait and see.

With all the top-shelf (and second-shelf, really) QBs gone, I decided to wait until much later to grab a thrower. I took Roy Williams as a WR -- nice -- and Lee Evans, who was a beast last year. I stole Jackson, again, in the 8th round, which makes me happy. I also grabbed Mike Furrey in both leagues, who was sensational in the second half of last year.

In the 9th round, I took the The Kitna, who people forget was a pretty good QB before Carson Palmer around, and is in a great system in Detroit. I like that pick at that point. Good value, as the fantasy weirdos say. Losman, again, as a backup. While I don't have a top-flight guy at QB, I think I'll get one, eventually. Too many guys in this league are way thin at RB. If not, I'll take my chances with what I have. I also tucked Kurt Warner on the end of my bench. While I think Leinart will be a stud, I also think he's a strong hurt possibility, and he might flat-out suck (but I seriously doubt it).

Finally, in my last pick, I took Jacoby Jones, Houston WR. The buzz is building on this guy, and I wanted to stash him away on my roster. If nothing else, when he explodes in one of the first four games and someone goes looking for him waivers, my greatness will be fully explained.

There you go. More as the season goes on. For now, go Revenge of Lane Kiffin.

Annnnnnd... We're Back

Still catching up anything that might have happened in the last week, so if you're looking for some news, well...

Vacation was great. Especially with a first-time breaking of 100 in golf. I shot a fabulous (for me) 95, with all those trips to the driving range and broken-over-the-knee clubs finally paying off at the groovy Springbrook Golf Club. No, I couldn't be any prouder. Somebody once told me only 10 percent of people who have played golf have broken 100. That, of course, is a statistic that probably takes into account anyone who ever played one round, so I don't put much faith in it. But for a guy who put a lot of time into the game this summer, I'm glad to see it starting to pay off. Oh, I could go on and on, but no one wants to hear it.

One thing to look forward to: Starting this Friday, and for the next four weeks, the Pride op-ed page will feature a piece from a mayoral candidate. The order was randomly selected, and Ted DeSalvatore kicks things off this week. So, take a gander.

Should be an interesting month or so ahead. 36 days to the election.