Media Movement All Over The Place

Posted by Bruce August 15, 2008 (6 days ago) at 8:30 am

Last night we learned about the changes at the Globe, which included Tony Massarotti moving over from the Herald, and Chad Finn earning himself a sweet promotion.

This morning, David Scott has more on the move, but also reports on new hires at weei.com, which include Jeff Goodman, Alex Speier and wait for it…Ron Borges.

Ron Borges? 

Seriously? Ken Powers wasn’t available? Mike Barnicle turned them down? Patricia Smith wasn’t interested?

My interest and enthusiasm in their new venture just sunk considerably. They were doing things right all the way up until that point. Michael Felger, Rob Bradford, Goodman and Speier are all relatively young guys who understand how things work in the new age of sportswriting. For the most part they have a fresh perspective on things, and don’t stir up stuff just to get noticed (well, except for Felger.)

Borges throws all that out the window. The quotes from Dennis and Callahan in Scott’s piece are just nauseating. Yeah, I’m sure Bill Belichick is shaking in his shoes at the thought of Borges back in Foxboro. That’s provided of course that he knows how to get there. He hasn’t been seen down there in a long time, even before his (wink wink) retirement from the Globe.

I had high hopes for this new weei.com. Borges just about kills it for me. You hire him, you lose your credibility. Simple as that.

Bad move, guys.

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The Red Sox hitters are surely sorry to see the Texas Rangers pitchers leave town. Boston finished off the sweep of the Rangers with a 10-0 victory at Fenway Park last night. The Red Sox scored 37 runs in 3 games off the Rangers…

Globe beat reporter Amalie Benjamin has the game story. Jeff Horrigan has the Red Sox continuing their hot hitting since the Manny Ramirez trade. Paul Kenyon has the Red Sox finishing off their roundup of the Rangers. Jeff Goldberg has Daisuke Matsuzaka once again letting the runners on, and once again not letting them score. Bob Stern has the Red Sox pounding the Rangers one more time. Garry Brown has more on the demolition at Fenway. Phil O’Neill has another big inning leading the way for Boston.

Tony Massarotti has David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis proving to be a formidable 3-3 combination. Barbara Matson has Ortiz especially sorry to see the Rangers go. Ortiz has regain his power stroke in this series, and even enjoyed an early departure last night. Still, I can’t help but remember the reaction from the media when Pedro Martinez left the ballpark early after a start. I’ve got absolutely no problem with Ortiz (or Pedro) going home early, but it’s interesting to note the difference in reaction. Steven Krasner analyzes the lack of success by the Rangers pitching in this series. Massarotti says that the Blue Jays will provide a much stiffer test for the Boston bats.

Marty Dobrow has a minor league notebook in the Globe, and examines a rash of oblique strains in the Red Sox organization. Rich Thompson’s minor league notebook has Bartolo Colon on the road back to the majors.

Benjamin’s notebook has Jon Lester trying to help out Clay Buchholz. Horrigan’s notebook has Dice-K once again walking a tightrope last night. The ProJo notebook has more on Matsuzaka. Goldberg’s notebook says that Kevin Youkilis is making a case for league MVP. Brown’s notebook has Paul Byrd getting ready for his first Red Sox start tonight. O’Neill’s notebook also makes the case for Youkilis as AL MVP.

Patriots

Over on Patriots Daily, Scott Benson examines whether the Patriots can or will carry five running backs on their roster.

Christopher L. Gasper has a look at the Patriots signing of veteran safety John Lynch. Christopher Price has more on the Lynch signing. Carolyn Thornton says that Lynch could end up being a big presence in the Patriots secondary. Eric McHugh thinks Lynch should fit well here. Jennifer Toland writes that Lynch could fill the void left by Tank Williams being placed on IR. Mark Farinella looks at this year’s carbon-dated addition to the Patriots roster.

Karen Guregian says that adding Dom Capers to the coaching staff might be the best move the Patriots made in the offseason. Thornton has rookie QB Kevin O’Connell doing all he can to learn from Tom Brady. Guregian has more on the rookie learning how to play the position in his first NFL camp. Farinella has a look at Kenny Smith, who gets a feature written about him for the second day in a row. Thompson has punter Chris Hanson secure in his role with the team.

Price tells us what to watch for during Sunday night’s game. Ian M. Clark has a Ruud family reunion on tap for Sunday night. Mike McMahon looks at former Boston Patriot Daryl Johnson going into the Morgan State Hall of Fame.

Gasper’s notebook has Jason Webster getting close to returning to action for the Patriots. Guregian’s notebook has more on the signing of Lynch. Toland’s notebook has Dean Pees talking about some of his young players on defense. McHugh’s notebook examines the impact on he safety depth chart that the Lynch signing will have.

Misc

Steve Bulpett and Marc J. Spears report on the Celtics signing first round pick J.R. Giddens.

Spears also has the United States’ men’s basketball team taking care of business with Greece yesterday.

Mark Blaudschun has a media column on NBC Sports reporter Bob Neumeier. Neumy mentions that WEEI wasn’t “fair” in their contract offer to him, which is why he left his show with Dale Arnold.  

And the Winner Is…

Posted by Mike Giardi July 14, 2008 at 12:47 pm

So James Posey’s suppose to be in Boston this afternoon/evening for the Celtics Champion ship DVD party at the TD BankNorth Garden . I think this is a private event. Or semi-private. What I’m wondering is, will Posey show up if he signs elsewhere, which may happen sometime today, according to his agent.

Now according to the article by the Globe’s Marc Spears, it appears the C’s don’t want to go beyond two years with their super-sub. I’d be stunned if that’s enough. Heck, if you’re Posey why would you accept that? This is likely your last chance at a bigger payday, and if the Wizards or Hornets step up with 3 or 4 years, doesn’t he have to walk? Posey’s already got two rings, and both the aforementioned teams are on the rise (one would think). I could totally see him fitting in in either locale, and being an important player these next couple of seasons.

Me personally, if giving the choice, I’d be in New Orleans in a heartbeat. The chance to play with Chris Paul, the second-coming of Isiah Thomas (the player, not the bungling GM), would be one heck of an allure. Plus David West is blossoming, and Tyson Chandler is very solid inside. That’s a team that could win the West next year. Heck, they could win a title with Posey healthy and contributing. Am I wrong? I guess we may find out in a few hours. I’m not one who usually looks forwards to the DVD/red carpet things. It’s not my style. But I’m anxiously awaiting this evening, and the chance to speak with Posey. Again, that is, if he’s here.

Anyone for a Skinny Center?

Posted by Mike Giardi July 11, 2008 at 7:32 pm

The Celtics finally got their man. Unfortunately, that man is not named James Posey (still unsigned) or Corey Maggette (now property of the Golden State Warriors). Instead, welcome former lottery pick Patrick O’Bryant into the fold.

Fox Sports Jeff Goodman is the first to report the story. O’Bryant is a true 7-footer, and weighs around 260 pounds (allegedly). The C’s worked him out a week ago and liked enough of what they saw to give O’Bryant a two-year deal, although the second season is a club option.

O’Bryant barely played in Golden State, averaging 1.7 ppg and 1.3 rpg in his brief two-year career, including just 25 games this past season. Still, someone managed to find enough plays to do a highlight reel to Mos Def, I believe. That proves two things: 1. YouTube is probably robbing America of its will to work and, 2) my musical tastes aren’t solely limited to grunge. So there.

Dressed Up and Playing Her Tune

Posted by Bob Ekstrom July 1, 2008 at 8:57 am

Welcome to July, the summer queen who is supposed to separate baseball’s cream from its crop, right? Well, our beloved Red Sox begin the month a game and a-half behind the Tampa Bay Rays, courtesy of last night’s 5-4 loss at Tropicana Field. It’s not the old Trop anymore says Jeff Horrigan, who has Justin Masterson (4-2) struggling with his command for the first time this season. Jeff Goldberg says the Sox start this series in a very different state than the Rays, which was evident from literally the first pitch, a B.J. Upton homer. Sean McAdam says the Rays were opportunistic in building their AL East lead last night. Bill Ballou reminds us it’s been all downhill since Boston’s high-water mark on Saturday night, when the Sox sat mightily atop the division. Gordon Edes can’t remember the last time the Rays’ crowd outnumbered Sox supporters at the Trop. Tampa has undoubtedly been reignited from the Tribune’s tips for fans , where Marc Lancaster reminds everyone the Sox are the new Evil Empire. Rob Bradford says there’s a different feel to the Trop this year, as the surreal setting last night illustrates.

In the wake of Saturday’s shoving incident, Bradford’s Red Sox Beat has the New Manny image already in the shop for repairs. McAdam has both Manny and skipper Terry Francona in damage control mode, trying to downplay the incident. Dan Shaughnessy calls out the Sox organization as “spineless” and labels them Manny enablers after this latest chapter.

Edes’ Red Sox Notebook has last night’s security beefed up in the wake of threats directed toward Manny and Coco Crisp, although they aren’t related to last month’s brawl with the Rays in Boston. Horrigan also has an account of the stepped-up security measures. Horrigan’s Red Sox Notebook has Big Papi on a slow recovery and officially out of this year’s All-Star Game. In his Red Sox Notes, Ballou has Ortiz reporting he won’t need surgery.

The C’s

With every title in Title Town comes the hangover and, as James Posey’s declaration for free agency yesterday attests, the Celtics are not exempt. Mark Murphy says that tight cap space around the NBA, coupled with Posey’s midlevel salary expectations, will make him hot this summer. Marc J. Spears says Posey will be the top offseason target for the C’s, who also failed to make Tony Allen a qualifying offer yesterday.

Pats

Karen Guregian features Randy Moss’s weekend work with youth, culminating with his golf tournament to raise funds for providing learning centers in West Virginia. With the good, comes some bad. Christopher L. Gasper has the details on Willie Andrews’ busy offseason, capped by his second arrest yesterday.

Odds & Sods

Tom King has former Sox infielder Brian Daubach returning to the area as hitting coach for the Nashua Pride. As the Sox tangle with the Rays in Tampa this week, Dan Duggan recalls Daubach’s involvement in an infamous Tropicana melee eight years ago.

Kevin Provencher has New Hampshire Motor Speedway GM Jerry Gappens dog tired after his first NASCAR Sprint Cup event last weekend, the 27th consecutive sellout in Loudon.

The Telegram updates us about Derek Jeter’s bat woes - not only in swinging them, but in holding them as well. Kind of a slow sports day.

Bruce will be taking some time off this week, so we guest bloggers will try to fill his shoes. Join us each day throughout the week and, as always, send me your comments at bob02878@yahoo.com. Thanks.

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Get Me Back to Boston

Posted by Mike Giardi June 16, 2008 at 10:20 pm

A travel nightmare today may prove costly to the Celtics tomorrow. If you’ve been watching us at all this evening, you know that the C’s charter had mechanical issues out in Los Angeles. So instead of being in the comforts of their own homes early this afternoon, the Green Team was still stuck on the West Coast. Word is they weren’t leaving until after 5:30…and that was on a 757 that had to be flown to them! That’s a shot somewhere south of the equator.

Now I know what you’re thinking. These guys don’t travel the same way we do. They don’t have to go through long security lines and sit in uncomfortable seats in some over-packed terminal. I agree. What they do and what we do are not even comparable. But a long day of waiting, especially a long day of waiting when you know what lies ahead - and what you have left to accomplishment - makes this a potentially harmful day for the C’s.

Making matters even worse, everything I can garner from this Kendrick Perkins injury situation is that even if he does play in Game 6, he won’t be able to play like Perk can; which is to say, physical. The job he had done defensively really came to light last night in his absence. The big fella may not look like he’s a force, but on that end of the floor, he really is. Just ask Kevin Garnett how much he missed Perk.

Odom Still Stinks…

Posted by Mike Giardi June 12, 2008 at 9:42 pm

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Anyway…

Remember how I said Lamar Odom is one of the biggest teases in pro sports? Tonight we’re seeing the reason why people still talk about him in positive terms. He is absolutely feelin’ it, to the Celtics detriment. 6-for-6 in the opening quarter. All coming from the same guy who didn’t record his first field goal in Game 3 until late in the third.

This is why the fans/media who were quick to write off the Lakers, claiming that Kobe is a one-man team, were crazy. Even if you’re trying not to focus that much attention on Kobe, you do, simply because he’s too good to guard 1-v-1. That leads to open looks for the supporting cast, and they picked it up in Tuesday’s game and just aren’t missing tonight.

One quarter in the books…LA by 21.

KG Needs to Settle the Score

Posted by Mike Giardi June 10, 2008 at 10:29 pm

I’m not one of those media guys or basketball analysts who will demand that Kevin Garnett live down on the block. That would be stupid. As we’ve learned KG’s game this season, its pretty evident that he’s not your classic back to the basket post scorer. I mean, he can score from down there, and his quickness in the paint makes him a hard guard. But Garnett’s big ticket is that 18-to-20 foot jumper. He is usually deadly from that range. In fact, one of those great stats that we are privy to has KG’s percentage on jumpers from outside the key but inside the 3-point line 9th in the NBA. 9th!! For a 7-footer (minus an inch or two)!

That said, Garnett’s shot selection in the first half of Game 3 in LA has been brutal. One fadeaway jumper after another. And then when he did get inside, he was too strong on a couple of layups. I don’t get it. I mean, do we give LA’s defense credit? I’m not sure I can do that. I think KG is just settling, and I suspect he’s going to hear about that at the break. The good news is, I feel pretty good he’ll rebound in half number two. With the C’s down just 6…this just might be doable…despite the lopsided free throw total. Of course, you just knew was going to happen the moment Phil Jackson got all critical in the postseason press conference Sunday night. Tonight, it’s 22-7 in LA’s favor after one half.

Help Me Rondo

Posted by Mike Giardi June 9, 2008 at 5:19 pm

16 assists. 2 turnovers. If that wasn’t the very definition of what you want from a point guard, than I don’t know what is. Rajon Rondo didn’t shoot very often - reluctantly hoisting up just 4 shots - but he was, arguably, the reason the Celtics built up a 24-point 4th Quarter lead. It was a Jason Kidd type performance, except from a man much smaller than the aberation that is the Mavs floor general.

But I’m not here to toast Rondo. I treat point guards exactly the way Doc Rivers does. And if the second-year playmaker from Kentucky deserves praise for getting the C’s way out in front, he also deserves criticism for not seizing the leadership mantle and preventing the Lakers from making a nearly miraculous comeback. I mean, run the offense! Almost that entire final quarter was spent pounding the ball on the perimeter and watching the shot clock and the game clock. That took the C’s out of an incredible offensive flow.

It also sucked some of the energy out of the Green Team at the other end, and the next thing you know, Vladimir Radmanovic is the next coming of Larry Bird, dropping in 3’s like they were uncontested layups. To say it got uncomfortable in the Garden would be an understatement. There was a nervous buzz, a “this can’t really be happening” feel. Point the finger at the player with the rock in his hands.

I’ll tell you what, I would not want to be Rondo today and in tomorrow’s walk-through. That film session probably caused some bruises…physical and mental. One example of “here’s how you did it right,” followed by two of, “and this is what you did wrong.” Rondo has proven confident enough to handle it, and handle the responsibility of running a team that features three All-Stars. All he needs to do now is do it well two more times - simply by running the offense -and he’ll likely be feeling pretty good as that parade trickles down Boylston Street…

Heady time for the Celtics

Posted by Ted McEnroe June 9, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Pretty heady time for the Boston Celtics. They lead their series in the NBA finals with the LA Lakers 2 games to none, but there was a big complaint after the game from Laker coach Phil Jackson, who was disgusted with the disparity in foul calls. Celtics shoot 38, Lakers get  a 10. Leon Pow or Poe as Jackson corrected himself after messing up Leon’s name with more free throws. One player than the in the entire Laker group had as a team. Paul was very aggressive. He deserved those foul calls. On the hand, the Lakers weren’t aggressive at all, and that goes right on down to Kobe Bryant who surprisingly has not yet attacked a basket. You have to give the Celtics deense credit. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, James Cosy and even the bigs for sliding over and life difficult for Kobe. They continue this in those 2 wins, they might come in L.A, and then they wrap this thing up before having it come back to Boston for. listen

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Concerns Going Into Game 2

Posted by Mike Giardi June 8, 2008 at 4:01 pm

I am mere minutes away from departing Team NECN headquarters to make my way to the Garden for tonight’s Game 2 of the NBA’s Finals between your Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers. As I’ve mentioned in each of the past couple days, the first concern here is Paul Pierce’s right knee strain. I guess we should all feel better about his health considering PP and Sam Cassell had what was described as a spirited game of 1-on-1 at the C’s shootaround this morning/afternoon. I’ll be real interested to see his lateral movement/quickness on cuts and defensively. I also will be watching very carefully to see how Pierce explodes to the basket.

My 2nd area of concern..the health of one Kendrick Perkins. He wasn’t allowed to do jack squat this morning, and high ankle sprains are never good. Perk didn’t put up any kind of numbers Thursday night, but he did a good job defensively before getting hurt. Pau Gasol didn’t get an offensive board until midway through the 4th quarter. Is it any coincidence that Perk was out of the game at that point? I think not. If he can’t go, or can’t play for very long, that puts an extra burden on P.J. Brown and company. I’m not sure they can handle those kind of minutes.

Lastly, and simply, I wonder about Kobe. The C’s defense may not have gotten enough credit for how they played in Game 1, but Kobe is an assasin. I don’t think there’s any way he doesn’t bounce back in this game, big time. Now does he do it at the expense of his teammates, or can he still manage to go off and get everyone else involved?

Enjoy the game.

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