Super 7

Posted by Mike Giardi May 25, 2008 at 10:08 pm

1. I think the Celtics have turned the corner. I think that win at the Palace may be a trigger, a consistent return to what we saw during the regular season. There was a confidence and swagger that had been lacking during those 6 previous road losses to Atlanta and Cleveland. You can see it in the smiles that showed up at the podium, and again today after the walkthrough. That which was lacking is here again.

2. That said, the Pistons will be full of sound and fury tomorrow night. This is it. They have been here and done this twice before; fall down 2-1 in a best-of-7 series then win 3 straight. They did it versus the Indiana Pacers the year Detroit won the title, and they did it again a couple seasons ago when they toppled the Miami Heat to reach the Finals. Here’s the one difference. Chauncey Billups isn’t nearly the same player, and that hamstring/groin injury is killing his explosion and - in turn - Detroit’s shot at another title will fall by the wayside.

3 Hard to get too upset with the Red Sox’s play, even after getting swept by the A’s in Oakland but…I will. The bullpen is so…sketchy, if you will. Other than Papelbon, no one elevating. We know all about Okie’s struggles with inherited runners, which might not be so pronounced if any of the trio of Delcarmen, Hansen or Aardsma were throwing consistently. Alas, they are not. So what Francona to do? Just keep sending ‘em out there, hoping that in between, the Pitcher’s Whisperer, John Farrell, gets them fixed. Helpless? Not quite, but who knows how many games then pen has cost a team that’s tied for first-place. I suspect the Sox would be up by at least 4 or 5 games. What month does Justin Masterson become part of the bullpen? July? August? Based on past history, it feels like a stone-cold lock, doesn’t it?

4. Julio Lugo committed his 12th error this season, and is hitting the quietest .295 I can remember. This hasn’t gone anywhere near as well as Theo would have predicted when he took the 4-year, 36-million dollar dip a couple offseasons ago. Oh sure, I know he was part of a World Series winning team, but he didn’t build up enough cache last year to escape criticism. Truthfully, my expectations have been lowered to the point that I’ll accept solid glovework, the occasional base knock and a few stolen bases. You?

5. I don’t know if the Tampa Rays are in this for the long haul, but have won 15 of their last 16 at the Trop. In that run, they’ve swept 4 series, including the Sox and Angels. I think they may emerge as a strong rivals to the boys from Boston, so long as Kazmir, Shields and Matt Garza live up to their potential. And on that note, rookie Evan Longoria hasn’t hit for average, but has had a couple of game-winning knocks, including today. If he’s not a 10-time All-Star, its a terrible waste.

6.  As for the Yankees, a 5-game win streak has them an even 25-25. Joba Chamberlain is making the transition from pen to rotation, and you wonder if this is the right move. If he can be an 18-to-20 game-winner, absolutely. But does he have that kind of secondary stuff? We’re about to find out, but I think that if the Yanks were thinking, they wouldn’t have thought that. Bonus points if you know what movie I’m referencing there.

7. What’s the over/under on Willie Randolph? Another week? Maybe 2? The Mets manager should have been let go at the conclusion of last season - when the Mets had the greatest collapse in baseball history. That said, I don’t think this is his fault. GM Omar Minaya loves the big names, but he’s created a combustible clubhouse and has a bunch of underachieving big ticket players who are past their prime. Sounds like something the Sox would have done in previous regimes. Its Omar who should be in search of a new gig long, but Willie ends up playing the fall guy.