Heartbreak Hill challenging to all

Posted by NECN - Sports April 21, 2008 at 4:37 pm

(NECN: Josh McElveen, Newton, Mass.) - Heartbreak Hill is arguably the toughest part of the Boston Marathon race for the runners. It's also the place where the runners get a lot of help from the sidelines to make it through.

Heartbreak Hill is an ascent over one-half mile of the Boston Marathon course, between the 20 and 21 mile marks, in the vicinity of Boston College.

It is the last of four "Newton hills", which begin at the 16 mile mark. The Newton hills confound contestants by forcing a late climb after the downhill trend of the race to that point.

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Celtics Bring in the Numbers for CSN

Posted by Bruce April 21, 2008 at 4:25 pm

Comcast SportsNet’s Celtics-Hawks Game 1 telecast earned a 7.3 rating (175,000 households), the highest rated Celtics game on Comcast SportsNet since the 2002 Celtics-Pistons Round 2, Game 5 game earned a 10.1 (234,000 households).

Despite sharing the telecast with TNT, Celtics-Hawks Game 1 easily surpassed Comcast SportsNet’s ratings high for the past seven seasons which was a 5.7 (136,000 households) for the Celtics-Pistons on March 5, 2008. Combined the Celtics-Hawks Game 1 earned a 10.2 rating (244,000 households).

“It was an amazing sports weekend in Boston and fans chose to end it with the Celtics on Comcast SportsNet. This is a great start to the playoffs and the excitement can only build,” said Bill Bridgen, Comcast SportsNet executive vice president and general manager.

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Buchholz notches first win of season

Posted by Ian Browne April 21, 2008 at 4:24 pm The Red Sox? They just keep rolling. With a lineup that had a less-than-imposing 7-8-9 combo of Julio Lugo, Kevin Cash and Joe Thurston, the Sox completed a four-game sweep of the Rangers with a stress-free 8-2 victory behind Clay Buchholz's best outing of 2008.

Inside the Game — Sox 8, Rangers 3

Posted by Projo SoxBlog April 21, 2008 at 4:06 pm

BOSTON – Clay Buchholz is only 23 years old and, as a rookie, he will go through a few trials and tribulations.
But he’s wise beyond his years when it comes to mixing his pitches and keeping the opposition off-balance.
Two early Texas at-bats speak to that pitch-selection maturity, aided, of course, by the calls of the catcher, in this case Kevin Cash.
In the second inning, Buchholz thoroughly confused Rangers’ designated hitter Jason Botts. Buchholz slipped a 93-m.p.h. fastball past Botts for strike one, and then Botts flailed and badly missed a 76 m.p.h. curveball for strike two.
Botts clearly was expecting another curveball, or something offspeed. Buchholz, though, delivered a 93 m.p.h. fastball, and Botts missed it, his swing late.
One inning later, Buchholz befuddled Josh Hamilton, who entered the game batting .299. Hamilton swung through a 76 m.p.h. changeup for strike one. Then he couldn’t hold up and foul-tipped a 74 m.p.h. changeup.
Down, 0 and 2, Hamilton, who had waved and missed a 76 m.p.h. curveball for a whiff in the first, apparently was looking for another offspeed pitch. He didn’t move a muscle as Buchholz whipped a 91 m.p.h. fastball past him for a called third strike.

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David Ortiz had a few big hits in the four-game series with the Rangers, showing flashes of his dominant presence at the plate.
Still, he hasn’t yet found a consistent groove, as evidenced by his ups and downs yesterday. He’s not quite locked in, though he’s getting closer.
In the third inning, for instance, Big Papi came to the plate with runners at first and third and none out in a 0-0 game. It was gimme RBI opportunity for Ortiz, who has knocked in at least 117 runs in each of the last four seasons.
The count reached 1 and 2 when Texas reliever Dustin Nippert hung an 83 m.p.h. slider on the outer half of the plate. It was a pitch that, when he’s in his groove, Ortiz crushes to left-center. But Ortiz pulled off the ball and barely stayed alive on a foul tip.
Nippert’s next pitch was away, too. This time it was a 93 m.p.h. fastball. Ortiz again pulled off the pitch and was unable to reach it, swinging and missing for a strikeout.
Ortiz wasn’t able to drive the ball to left field in his next at-bat, either, but he got a break when Milton Bradley lost his routine high fly ball in the sun, the ball falling behind the outfielder for a gift RBI double, capping the Sox’ five-run rally.
But in the fifth, Ortiz managed to keep his front shoulder in and drive a pitch on the outer half of the plate off the Green Monster for a two-run double that put Boston on top, 8-0.

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Good things happen to good teams. And vice versa.
The Red Sox are a good team. The Rangers are not.
Take a look at the bottom of the fourth, when Boston pushed across five runs for a 5-0 lead.
It started with a four-pitch walk. Then Nippert balked him to second, wheeling to make a throw to first and then inexplicably holding the ball. Lowrie tried to sacrifice. It was a terrible bunt, popped up. But the placement was perfect toward the shortstop grass, the ball falling for a single. Lugo bounced a 15-hopper up the middle, perfectly placed over the bag between the shortstop and second baseman for an RBI.
Lugo committed a mistake and was trapped off first on Kevin Cash’s weak popup/liner to second, a seemingly easy double play, but Kinsler’s throw to first short-hopped Ben Broussard and got away for an error, allowing a run to score.
Ellsbury reached when shortstop Michael Young fielded his roller in the hole and threw wide to first. Pedroia ripped a two-run double to right-center for the only hard-hit ball of the inning. Then Ortiz and the Sox got a gift RBI double when left fielder Milton Bradley lost Ortiz’ high fly in the sun, the ball almost hitting Bradley on the head as he sank to the turf, trying to protect himself.

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Baserunning instincts – the good and the not so good.
* J.D. Drew showed good instincts in moving from first to second on a wild pitch in the second.
As Kason Gabbard delivered his pitch to the plate, Drew moved out to his secondary lead. Then, seeing the ball was going to be in the dirt, Drew started his momentum toward second, just in case the ball got away from catcher Gerald Laird.
The ball did indeed bounce up on Laird and roll only a few feet away. Not every baserunner would have then dashed toward second. But because Drew had anticipated the ball would hit the dirt, he was able to take off and make it to second base without a throw even though Laird quickly pounced on the wild pitch.
* Jacoby Ellsbury, who generally makes outstanding baserunning decisions, got caught in no-man’s land between third and home and was tagged out on a double play that was scored 8-2-4-2 on Kevin Youkilis’ fly ball to center with runners at first and third and one out.
Ellsbury tagged, went halfway to the plate and then retreated to third as Dustin Pedroia attempted to take second on the throw home. When the Rangers threw to second to try to nail Pedroia, Ellsbury started home again as Pedroia raced back to the uncovered first-base bag. Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler saw Ellsbury, had him trapped and threw to catcher Gerald Laird for the putout.
* Jed Lowrie scampered quickly from first to third on Julio Lugo’s chopper over the second-base bag in the fourth, making a nice, crisp turn at second and easily beating a throw to third. Most baserunners would have stopped at second.

-- Steven Krasner

Patriots Day Afternoon Links

Posted by Bruce April 21, 2008 at 3:48 pm

Robert Cheruiyot won his fourth Boston marathon today, while the Red Sox finished off a four game sweep of the Rangers with a 8-2 win at Fenway today.

Some links from around the web:

Bill Simmons finds himself watching hockey again with the Bruins’ comeback against Montreal. He still vows not to put a penny into the Jacobs’ pockets though…

Darren Eliot examines what the Bruins can accomplish with a win tonight in Montreal.

Former Bill Belichick colleague Michael Lombardi describes what the Patriots coach is looking for as the draft approaches.

Peter King has his mock draft in Monday Morning Quarterback.

Chris Sheridan has the Celtics celebrating their win last night by playing wack-a-Powe.

Jeff Goodman says Rajon Rondo gives the Celtics yet another weapon.

Arash Markazi talks with Bob Cousy about the Celtics return to glory.

Richard Deitsch checks in with a new edition of Media Circus.

Our own Ken Fang has his collection of Monday media links.

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Armstrong trades in bike for running shoes

Posted by NECN - Sports April 21, 2008 at 3:41 pm

(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was among the runners in the 112th Boston Marathon. He finished 496th in 2:50:58.

Armstrong ran in celebration of Nike's LIVESTRONG Collection.

100% of the profits raised from the collection will go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fight cancer.

Click here to check out how some other famous faces did in the race!

Let’s Go Bruins!

Posted by Projo SoxBlog April 21, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Now that the Red Sox game is over, the 37,539 in attendance at Fenway Park just started chanting "Let's Go Bruins!"

The Bruins will face the Canadiens in Game Seven of their first-round playoff series tonight in Montreal.

The Red Sox dispatched the Rangers, 8-3.

Cheruiyot prevails in Boston

Posted by NECN - Sports April 21, 2008 at 3:18 pm

(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - Two-time defending champion Robert Cheruiyot won his fourth Boston Marathon in near-ideal conditions. The Kenyan covered the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Copley Square in 2 hours, 7 minutes and 46 seconds, missing the course record he set two years ago by 33 seconds.

Tune wins in thrilling finish

Posted by NECN - Sports April 21, 2008 at 3:14 pm

(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - When Dire Tune couldn't pull ahead of Alevtina Biktimirova with a few miles left in the Boston Marathon, she decided to bide her time and outkick her opponent at the end.

The pair ran shoulder to shoulder from Heartbreak Hill on, exchanging the lead from time to time before Tune pulled away on the final turn to win in 2 hours, 25 minutes, 25 seconds on Monday to take the closest women's race in Boston Marathon history.

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Buchholz, Red Sox complete sweep over Texas, 8-3

Posted by NECN - Sports April 21, 2008 at 3:00 pm

(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - There was only one good thing for the Texas Rangers about the 11am start for today's final game of their four-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway.

They get to leave town faster.

Rookie Clay Buchholz shut out the Rangers for 6 innings, and the Boston Red Sox cruised to an 8-3 win in the annual Patriots Day game at Fenway Park.

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