Special Event Designations

Posted by revseye April 30, 2008 at 10:59 am

Where Are We Going?

Posted by Mike Giardi April 30, 2008 at 10:39 am

If you are reading this blog, or the previous incarnation of it, you know I occasionally go on non-sports related rants. I’ve already professed my love for the Banana Chocolate Chip muffin. Now let me throw this out there: The Raconteurs new album “Consolers of the Lonely,” is pretty good. Jack White is so ridiculously talented that he can crank out an album in about 4 minutes. Must stink to be that talented. Clearly, I wouldn’t know (go ahead, insert cheap shot here). A shout out to Regan PR maven Sean Flanagan for pointing me in the direction of this album.

On to the headlines today. We’ve got ourselves a meaningful Game 5 between the Celtics and Hawks. I still can’t fully fathom that this is happening, and I’m surprised the NBA took no action on KG, Zaza, Kendrick and Marvin from Monday’s affair. But then again, Jason Kid tried to kill Chris Paul in the Mavs/Hornets series and David Stern didn’t say boo. When did Stern and Stu Jackson stop caring about their sport?

I guess they’re doing a “Green Out” at the Garden, You know, everyone wear Green in support of the C’s. Have things in New England gotten so bad fans need to be instructed on how to respond to their team? Whether its the Jumbotron telling people to cheer, or the breaking out of thundersticks a couple of weeks ago, I’m beginning to wonder if we haven’t lost our identity. Celts fans don’t need to be cheesy. Just make noise, and provide the energy necessary to help a close game become a blowout, or turn a 5-point loss into a 5-point win. The Garden faithful did that in the day, and they didn’t need no stinking Jumbotron to figure it out. Yeah, I just preached there. I don’t feel real good about it, but come on! A man can only stand so much.

Been a bad week for sporting icons in this city. First, the passing of Don Gillis, then the final broadcast by WBZ’s Bob Lobel. Don was a true gentlemen. Once came into my office back when I was a 23-year old sports editor of the Falmouth Enterprise and told me what a wonderful job I was doing. I  could barely manage a thank you. I was in awe. Years later, I got to intern at Channel 7 and Don’s son, Gary, was a sports reporter there. For my money, Gary was/is the best storyteller in the biz and also veryy much like his Dad. I don’t think there’s a bad bone in his body. I tried to learn as much as I could from the man, and the day Gary was not renewed by 7’s Brass was a dark day for me.

As for Lobie, Sports Final was appointment viewing every single week. He asked the right questions, had on all the right guests and made that program a tremendous half-hour. Part of why I’m doing what I am today is because of Lobie, and Don Gillis, and Gary, and so many others who’ve graced our airwaves - Lavanchy, Lynchie, Ammo. All excellent at their craft, and all good people as well. The brotherhood (and sisterhood) just got a little less crowded this week, and that’s not a good thing.

Gang Green Is Back at the Garden

Posted by ssilva April 30, 2008 at 10:32 am

There May Be Blood, Sweat, and Tears, but the Celtics
Don't Want to See the Choke Sign After Tonight

Herald: Rev: Paul Pierce Should Pay for Foul Play
Globe: Pierce Message Still Isn't Clear
Shaughnessy: From Unrivaled to Unraveled
Photos: Pierce Through the Years

Barks and Bites: Rusty Hardin must be asleep at the wheel again because surely he would be trotting this out today: Clemens probably never set foot in Fort Myers in 1991, according to ABC 7 News in Fort Myers. The Daily News has been reporting that country star Mindy McCready met Clemens at a Fort Myers karaoke bar in '91, but the Red Sox were still in Winter Haven that spring and Clemens probably didn't make the trip to play the Twins because he did not pitch the one time the Sox visited Fort Myers. In the meantime, the Daily News continues to crush Clemens, with Mike Lupica doing the honors today. The Herald reports that Roger made a local pitch to a waitress at the Palace as well back in the day. And he didn't tip or pay his bar tabs to boot. He wasn't quite Jon Lester last night but old friend Joel Pineiro pitched 7 innings of one-hit ball for the Cardinals. And very old friend Ron Mahay picked up a win for the Royals as well. From his appearance on WEEI's D&C today: The President of Red Sox Nation will open a Jerry Remy's Sports Bar in the old WBCN building on Boylston Street. He hopes to be up and running for the '09 home opener. Further down Boylston Street, it looks like there's another green monster in town. Seacoastonline.com has a nice feature on the radio voice of the Red Sox, Dave O'Brien. Finally, hats off to the hardest working crew in the business, the Boston.com sports dept., for being named an Editor and Publisher EPpy Award finalist for "Best Sports Web Site with over 1 million unique monthly visitors" along with much bigger boys CBSSports.com, ESPN.com, USATODAY.com. Detnews.com was also nominated. The short goodbye: So long Lobie.

Extra points

Posted by Reiss' Pieces April 30, 2008 at 10:00 am

WHEATLEY WRITES ON DRAFT EXPERIENCE: Second-round draft choice Terrence Wheatley writes a diary on his draft experience for the Rocky Mountain News. One part of note is how the Patriots called Wheatley while the Cowboys were on the clock at No. 61. "They were waiting to see if Dallas was going to take me or not, so I was on hold for about 15 minutes," Wheatley wrote. "I was just sitting there on hold, waiting, waiting and waiting through the Dallas pick. And then New England's turn came up and they didn't really wait, my name flashed across the [television] screen as going to New England, I still had the phone in my hand. They just came back on the line and said, "Congratulations, you're a Patriot."

RUUD REFLECTS ON DRAFT CALL: Sixth-round draft choice Bo Ruud of Nebraska talks with the Columbus Telegram about his draft-day experience, and what he was thinking as he received the call from Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

RANDY MOSS & NASCAR: Patriots WR Randy Moss has announced the formation of Moss Motorsports LLC, the Associated Press reports. "We don't have all of the details in place just yet, but I am very excited about Moss Motorsports becoming a part of NASCAR. I am by nature a very competitive person and this is an outlet for me to compete at another level," Moss said.

QUICK HITS: Ole Miss running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis will sign with the Patriots as a rookie free agent, the Daily Mississippian reports. ... Illinois defensive lineman Chris Norwell talks to the Community Press & Recorder about joining the Patriots as a rookie free agent. ... Former Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson talks to the Tampa Tribune about his move back to cornerback with the Buccaneers.

Patriots.com News Blitz - 4/30/2008

Posted by New England Patriots News Feed April 30, 2008 at 9:00 am The Pats owner shares some thoughts on the NFL Draft. Plus, Wheatley's present, O'Connell's future, and Slater's past are examined in today's Patriots.com News Blitz.

Foxboro YMCA to get Kraft Family Center

Posted by New England Patriots News Feed April 30, 2008 at 9:00 am New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, wife Myra Kraft and Josh Kraft, President of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, toured the Foxboro Branch YMCA and its Phase II construction site with other lead donors Tuesday.

Showcase Live! unveiled

Posted by New England Patriots News Feed April 30, 2008 at 9:00 am The Kraft Group joined National Amusements on Tuesday to announce the launch of the first Showcase Live! at Patriot Place.

Sox Walk Off With Win

Posted by Bruce April 30, 2008 at 8:08 am

The Red Sox got back into the win column after Kevin Youkilis singled in David Ortiz from second in the bottom of the ninth off Roy Halladay to score the one and only run of the ballgame last night. Jon Lester pitched eight shutout innings, but didn’t get the win, as Jonathan Papelbon came in for the top of the ninth.

Jeff Horrigan has the Sox managing to put an end to their slide, even if the offense hasn’t returned yet. Amalie Benjamin looks at the decision to send Ortiz for the winning run, and at the performance of Lester. Jeff Goldberg looks at an old-fashioned pitching duel at Fenway last night. Paul Kenyon says that great defense in the top of the ninth and clutch hitting in the bottom of the ninth meant a win for the Red Sox. Bob Stern has the losing streak getting stopped in style with the walk-off win. Ron Chimelis has the Sox pitching trying to hold the fort until the heavy lumber awakens. Paul Jarvey notes that we saw the Jon Lester that the Red Sox have been waiting for last night. Joe Haggerty has more on the Sox shutout win at Fenway.

Bill Burt says that Jon Lester passed a huge test with his performance last night. Steve Buckley looks at the gem thrown by Lester last night exactly when the Sox needed it. Lenny Megliola looks at Lester and the Sox rescuing Boston fans from a streak of losing misery. Sean McAdam looks at Halladay, who is a throw-back pitcher, finishing what he starts on the mound. Last night was his fourth straight complete game for the Blue Jays. Jon Couture has the Sox happy that this rough stretch is over for now.

Gordon Edes writes about the ups and downs of the life of Bryan Corey, who was designated for assignment again yesterday to make room for the return of Mike Lowell. Steven Krasner examines the decision not to pinch-run for a hobbled David Ortiz in the ninth inning last night. Alex Speier says that the Sox have needed to be resilient already in this young season. Buckley looks at Jacoby Ellsbury sitting out last night with a aggravated groin. Sarah Green says that the AL East is officially bizarro land now.

It took a lot for Nick Cafardo to write his article criticizing Roger Clemens this morning, I’m sure. Cafardo says Clemens has badly mishandled things since the Mitchell Report was released and could’ve avoided a lot of the negative publicity that keeps coming.

The Globe notebook has Kevin Youkilis praising Roy Halladay. Horrigan’s notebook looks at the return of Lowell to the Red Sox lineup. Goldberg’s notebook has more on the return of Ortiz and Lowell to the Red Sox lineup. The ProJo notebook has Corey having to go into limbo again with the return of Lowell. Chimelis’ notebook also focuses on the return of Lowell. Jarvey’s notebook has the Sox dropping down to 12 pitchers with Corey’s release. Stern’s notebook has more praise for Halladay from Youkilis.

Celtics

It would appear that the honeymoon is over for the Celtics. When Dan Shaughnessy and Gerry Callahan come after you on the morning of a playoff game, you can say that the team has officially arrived on the Boston sports landscape. Callahan in particular is harsh, talking about this being “the worst collapse in Boston sports history.” Tony Massarotti also wonders if the Celtics are just a collection of front-runners, rather than true champions.

On the BSMW Full Court Press, Kevin Henkin says that the Celtics are just Another Team in Search of Its Soul.

Marc J. Spears reports that there will be no suspensions for Monday’s night activities between the two clubs. Bill Doyle also reports on that topic. Steve Bulpett says that the Celtics need to get back to what worked in the regular season. Scott Souza has the Celtics keeping cool, but almost sounding overconfident heading into tonight’s game. Tim Weisberg says that the Celtics need to show some poise the rest of the way and not get drawn into skirmishes with the Hawks.

Shira Springer feeds the obsession with the Paul Pierce gang sign.

Peter May assures us that Tony Allen is not the cure-all on guarding Joe Johnson moving forward. Mark Murphy says that the entire Celtics team needs to tighten up their defense, not just whomever is guarding Johnson or Josh Smith. Mike Szostak has the Celtics recognizing that their defense is the problem here. Mike Fine has the Celtics happy to be out of Atlanta.

Sarah Meinecke has the confident Hawks not at all surprised by their success. Jim Fenton has the Hawks handing the Celtics a major dose of adversity.

Spears’ notebook has Doc Rivers saying that his team needs more than just the home crowd to fuel them on tonight. Massarotti’s notebook has more on Garnett avoiding punishment from the league for his run-in with Zaza Pachulia. Szostak’s notebook also reports on the Celtics escaping any suspensions. Fenton’s notebook has more on the teams avoiding punishment.

Misc

Shaughnessy pays tribute to Bob Lobel, who signed off on his last Channel 4 sportscast last night.

David Scott has a few thoughts on HBO’s special edition of Costas Now, which focused on sports and the media. I hope to have something on this show when I get a chance to see more. Right now it’s on my DVR. In the short bit that I saw, I witnessed Mike Tirico say something along the lines of “The fans might just want to know about what’s happening in the game, but if we don’t explore every possible storyline and angle, we’re not being true to our journalistic callings and integrity…” That was enough for me to disgustedly turn away for the night.

Dave Heuschkel looks at entertainment value coming to Foxboro with Patriot Place.

Mark Farinella thinks that Bill Belichick might be doing some planning for the future, as well as building some insurance with the drafting of QB Kevin O’Connell.

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Baseball Today: Wednesday, April 30

Posted by Projo SoxBlog April 30, 2008 at 7:46 am

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl

'WHAT A GAME': Those were the words out of Jerry Remy's mouth less than two seconds after David Ortiz had crossed the plate with the only run of the night, and how true they were. A 0-0 battle between the grizzled vet and the up-and-coming youngster; a game-saving defensive play with two outs in the top of the ninth; a game-winning rally started with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth. Baseball, as the old saying goes, like it oughta be.

Paul Kenyon provides the details, with heavy emphasis on Jon Lester (above, who scattered one hit over eight innings) and Dustin Pedroia's ninth-inning dive to snare the headed-up-the-middle shot by Vernon Wells, which turned what would have been a run-scoring single into an inning-ending out. ("Superman at second base," is how Wells described Pedroia in the Toronto Globe and Mail.) Gretchen Ertl has the story in pictures, and we've been remiss in not pointing to these brilliant nightly slideshows; from now on, you'll see more of them. Sean McAdam details the hard-luck night of Roy Halladay, a throwback to the days when pitchers finished when they started; this was his fourth straight complete game (though, unfortunately for him, he's lost three of them). And Steven Krasner goes Inside The Game on a number of topics, including why the Sox didn't run for Ortiz in the ninth, Pedroia hurting his shoulder on his ninth-inning play (hint: those two items are related), and J.D. Drew's 2007 imitation.

Quite a night. Like we said: Baseball like it oughta be.

HE'S BACK: Last night also marked the return of Mike Lowell, chronicled here by Kenyon and Krasner. The notebook includes the latest health news, including Drew having to leave the game because of a quad strain.

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl

TIP OF THE HAT: Kevin Youkilis (shown hitting the ninth-inning single that scored Ortiz) had nothing but praise for Halladay after the game: "[He's] going to be a Hall of Fame pitcher."

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE . . . "You know we always get up to play the Red Sox," said Gregg Zaun on his blog prior to last night's game (www2.sportsnet.ca), but being up for the game didn't prevent the struggling Blue Jays from suffering their 15th loss in 26 tries. It's getting so bad that John Gibbons' grandmother, who lives on Boston's North Shore, asked him if he was going to be fired. (Toronto Star)

IT HAPPENS: But it's like Jim Rice said on his Ask 38 blog: Sometimes you just get outplayed. Look at the Sox last weekend in Tampa.

BUMP IN THE ROAD: Craig Hansen hadn't allowed a run in Pawtucket all season, but he gave up three in last night's 9-3 loss at Rochester. (projo.com)

TOO EXPENSIVE: Padres general manager Kevin Towers has asked about Coco Crisp, but says the Red Sox' asking price -- Triple-A left fielder Chase Headley -- is too high. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

SMOKIN': Luis Tiant has introduced "El Tiante" cigars to the South Shore. (wickedlocal.com)

AD MAN: Joe Haggerty reports Manny Ramirez spent Monday's off-day filming a series of commercials at ESPN. (hackswithhaggs.com)

PHIL OF DISASTER: Somewhere Hank Steinbrenner is seething. Phil Hughes was shaky yet again and the Yankees fell to 2-9 in games started by Hughes and fellow rookie Ian Kennedy as the Yanks lost to the Tigers, 6-4. (New York Daily News) The Post's Joel Sherman is the first to call for Hughes to be sent back to the minor leagues, and the Daily News' John Harper thinks it will take a minor miracle to save Hughes' season.

IN THE GOOD-NEWS DEPARTMENT . . . Joba Chamberlain's father is out of the hospital. (New York Post)

IN THE BAD-NEWS DEPARTMENT . . . When they were struggling early last season, Baseball Musings' David Pinto continually expressed the opinion that the Yankees would break out of it and make a run at a postseason berth . . . and he was right. This year, though, he thinks the Yanks "just [don't] have it."

A-LIST: The dreaded strained quad has forced Alex Rodriguez to the disabled list. (New York Post)

LUCKY DRIVER: Johnny Damon gave Gary Sheffield a ride to Yankee Stadium yesterday. After Sheffield slammed a two-run homer last night, he's going to ask Damon for another ride today. (New York Post)

ON THE RISE: ProJo's Fantasy Blog thinks Damon is turning the corner and starting to play better.

LOOKING TO THE STARS: The Yankees and MLB announced plans for July's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. (mlb.com) If you'd like to be there, bring your wallet . . . and maybe somebody else's, too. (The Journal News)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: We expressed the sentiment yesterday that Roger Clemens -- had he an ounce of self-awareness, which is questionable -- should rue the day he decided not to admit to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, ask for forgiveness (which he would have gotten, same as everyone else), and disappear into the sunset. Today, the Globe's Nick Cafardo writes the same thing, especially since Clemens' bullheaded insistence on fighting an unwinnable fight is leading to his reputation -- and who knows, maybe his personal life -- being shattered into a million pieces. Today's Daily News revelation: He had extramarital relationships with plenty of women other than Mindy McCready. (And just to bring it even deeper into the gutter, the Boston Herald reports that Clemens also hit on the wife of former wrestler Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake.) As yahoo.com's Tim Brown said yesterday, none of this would have been looked into had Clemens' against-all-odds exhortations that he's telling the truth, and everyone else is lying, invited -- indeed, demanded -- further examination into his affairs. Mike Lupica tears Clemens and his lawyer, Rusty Hardin, to shreds: "Clemens and Hardin were going to bully everybody and roll over everybody, and how has that worked out for both of them?" (New York Daily News)

Not too well, Mike. Not too well.

JUST WAIT: Doug Mientkiewicz, who played with him in Minnesota, says Mets fans haven't seen the real Johan Santana yet. (Newsday)

DECISION COMING? Vin Scully, who's been broadcasting Dodger games since 1950, says he'll talk to his wife when his contract expires at the end of the season and see if she wants him to retire. (New York Times)

END OF THE LINE: Matt Morris, released by the Pirates on Sunday, told his hometown newspaper that he's decided to hang 'em up. (Times Herald-Record) Across the continent in San Francisco, Giant pitching hopefuls Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum remember their ex-teammate and mentor fondly. (mlb.com)

YEAR TO FORGET: Travis Hafner is hitting .243 since last May 1, including the postseason, and he and the Indians can't figure out why. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

THE GREAT DEBATE: USA Today examines the spate of long-term contracts signed by younger players that appear to work in favor of the club, and frames the issue in the words of two agents whose philosophies appear to be diametrically opposed:

Paul Cohen: "To me, it's a no-brainer. Unless you want to live in the middle of Beverly Hills or Fifth Avenue, you're set for life. If you just get 5% of your investment, you never have to work another day in your life."

Scott Boras: "These deals are strongly club-oriented. I can only speak for our clients, but almost every client has benefited substantially from not signing those deals."

What a shock that Boras came down on that side of the argument, eh?

LOCAL BOYS: Chris Iannetta, pressed into action at a strange position (third base) because of a spate of Rockie injuries -- one of which is mentioned below -- had a game "I'll remember . . . for the rest of my life" as he homered and doubled and led Colorado over the Giants, 3-2 (mlb.com) . . . The White Sox' Paul Konerko, whose mother is a Rhode Island native and whose grandparents still live here, became a 10-5 man yesterday and how has the right to veto any trade. (Chicago Tribune)

MEDICAL REPORT: The Rockies may lose Troy Tulowitzki for a while because of the dreaded quad strain (Denver Post) . . . The Rangers' Jason Jennings had to leave last night's start in the third inning because of pain in his surgically repaired elbow (mlb.com) . . . Bobby Cox is happy that John Smoltz just needs rest, and not shoulder surgery (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Remember those worries that Moises Alou had a broken ankle? Well, he doesn't, and the Mets may reactivate him Friday (New York Post) . . . The A's Rich Harden will make a rehab start Thursday. (San Francisco Chronicle)

HERE AND THERE: The Daily Herald's Barry Rozner wonders if Ken Griffey, allegedly unhappy with the going-nowhere Reds, wouldn't be a good fit for the Cubs . . . Jason Botts, designated for assignment by the Rangers, wants to make a new start somewhere else (Dallas Morning News) . . . Ryan Freel is frustrated that he's not playing more in Cincinnati (frontier.cincinnati.com) . . . Mike Cameron had three hits in his Brewer debut (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Everyone says otherwise, but it sure looks like Shane Victorino has lost his starting job with the Phillies. (Philadelphia Daily News)

OLD FRIENDS: Joel Piniero allowed only one hit over seven innings as the Cardinals beat the Reds. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) As a last tribute to Bob Lobel: Why can't we get players like that?? (Boston Globe) . . . Todd Jones celebrates his 40th birthday by reminiscing about his long career on his blog. (sportingnews.com) He also got the save in the Tigers' win at Yankee Stadium last night (mlb.com) . . . Cliff Floyd, recovering from knee surgery, may be activated on the Rays' next homestand (St. Petersburg Times) . . . Bret Saberhagen's son Drew is playing well at the University of Tennessee. (tricitiessports.com)

-- ART MARTONE

Youk’s clutch hit lifts Sox over Jays

Posted by NECN - Sports April 30, 2008 at 5:49 am

(NECN) - Kevin Youkilis hit a walk off two-out RBI single to lift the Red Sox to a 1-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Youk was 2-4 with a stolen base, and the game's lone RBI.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win. Jon Lester, the game's starter, allowed just one hit and four walks over eight innings. Lester had six strikeouts on the night.

Roy Halladay pitched a full frame for a complete game loss. He got two quick outs in the ninth before walking slugger David Ortiz. Manny Ramirez followed Big Papi with a single, and Youkilis brought him home.

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