Army changes its mind, Campbell can’t play in NFL

Posted by NECN - Sports July 24, 2008 (4 weeks ago) at 9:47 am

(NECN/ABC) - Caleb Campbell will not get a chance to play for the Detroit Lions because of a change in military policy.

Campbell was a seventh-round draft pick for the Lions in April.

At the time, Army policy would have allowed the West Point graduate to serve as a recruiter if he made the team.

Now the Army is saying that Campbell must serve in active duty until 2010, when he would be eligible to ask for leave to play football.

Any extensive time away from the game would hurt Campbell's chances of playing in the NFL.

Nuggetpalooza

Posted by Rob Bradford June 26, 2008 at 4:35 pm

Headed for the airport en route to Houston, but wanted to give you some time to digest another round of Nuggetpalooza from Gary from Chapel Hill …

Stats are through Wednesday.  Thanks to Baseball-Reference!
 
* - Jon Lester has now allowed 4 ER or fewer in 22 consecutive starts dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the majors.  Jake Westbrook (18) has the second longest active streak.  The longest streak (since ‘56) by a Red Sox pitcher is 32 starts by Pedro (’99 through ‘00) and Clemens (’90-’91).  It’s interesting that in all 32 starts in Clemens’ streak, Roger allowed THREE earned runs or fewer.   Lester has quite a ways to go to catch the longest streak ever recorded:  106 straight starts by Greg Maddux from 1991 through 1994. 
 
* - Jonathan Papelbon’s K% with the bases empty:  38.6% this year versus 39.0% last year.
 
* - Jonathan Papelbon’s K% with runners on:  25.5% this year versus 34.9% last year.
 
* - Teams have only stolen 5+ bases in a game 8 times all season and the Red Sox claim 3 of them.  No other team has done it more than once.  Before this season, the Red Sox had only stolen 5+ bases in a game six times in the last 50 years (none since 2002).
 
* - The Red Sox have thrown 6 shutouts in 33 interleague games since the beginning of 2007.  That’s the most in the majors (Detroit, 4) during that time.
 
* - On Wednesday, the Red Sox allowed just 4 total bases to the Diamondbacks.  They have now won 24 straight interleague games in which they’ve allowed 8 or fewer total bases (dating back to 2002).
 
* - Last Sunday, the Cardinals’ Aaron Miles had 5 hits, but didn’t score or drive in a run.  It was just the 18th time in at least the last 52 years that it has happened in the major leagues.  It was the 2nd time that it was a Red Sox opponent.  13 of the 18 such occurrences have been by a visiting player.
 
* - Also on Sunday, Kevin Youkilis became the 45th player to have 3 or more multiple HR games in his Red Sox career.  Jim Rice had 35 such games, while David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have 29 and 28, respectively.
 
* - JD Drew is going to have to rally late to set the June slugging percentage mark.  He is currently at .885, while the top two are Mark McGwire (.915 in ‘96) and Norm Cash (.901 in ‘61).  He still has a great shot at the Red Sox’ June record of .784 (Jackie Jensen, ‘58).
 
* - Since the beginning of 2007, the Red Sox have put up a major league best .859 OPS in the 8th inning when tied or trailing by three runs or less.  Their 5 for 7 performance (with a double) in Tuesday’s rousing comeback is included.  The Rockies (.828) are second and the Yankees (.790) are third.
 
* - Happy 26th anniversary to Mrs. Gary from Chapel Hill!  Maybe we’ll go to a ballgame to celebrate!

Belichick flaunts his Celtic Pride

Posted by NECN - Sports May 29, 2008 at 3:13 pm

(NECN: Foxboro, Mass.) - Apparently, there is a way to get Bill Belichick to be a chatting machine, and even smile! The secret? Don't ask him about the Patriots.

Belichick talked up his Celtic Pride today at the team's passing camp, praising the team for their Game 5 win over the Detroit Pistons, which he and Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi took in from courtside Wednesday night.

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Lester shares AL Player of the Week

Posted by Extra Bases May 27, 2008 at 3:48 pm

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, May 25, the league announced today. He shares the award with Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordoñez.

On May 19 against the Royals, Lester became the 18th pitcher in Red Sox history to throw a no-hitter. The 24-year-old left-hander threw 130 pitches and struck out nine batters on the night. He also earned both his first complete game and shutout.

For the week, Lester went 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 14.0 IP. This is the first such award he has earned in his career
.

Can’t Spell Defense without the “D”

Posted by Mike Giardi May 27, 2008 at 10:12 am

A disappointing performance by the C’s in losing Monday’s Game 4 in Detroit. People will point to the 75 points and 32% shooting and exclaim, “that’s it!” No question throwing up bricks didn’t help the cause, but once again, this defeat was all about defense.

For the second time this series, the Pistons lit up the Green team like a Christmas tree. 51.4% from the floor is an obscene number, especially when you consider how stingy the C’s have been all year. Point to any win this postseason, and you can definitively say its was the “D” that drove the Celts there. Its this team’s calling card, more so than the “Big 3,” or “New 3,” or whatever the heck you want to call them. Last night, it only reared it heads during a couple of periods, and not surprisingly, that’s when the C’s crept within 4 right at the end of the opening half.

I mean, how many times can you give Antonio McDyess that jumper a couple feet beyond the foul line? A majority of the time, that shot wasn’t even challenged! Note to Tom Thibodeau and his charges: that’s Antonio’s favorite shot! Not quite as easy as a layup, but damn close. It was McDyess who set the tone offensively for Detroit in the opening minutes of the game, allowing them to build a quick double-digit lead and bring the crowd very much into each and every possession, something that didn’t happen in Saturday’s Game 3.

As for Ray Allen’s perimeter defense on Rip Hamilton, the less said, the better. Ray can be upset at his teammates for not getting him more involved in the offense, and you can sort of see where he’s coming. Ditto when he pins that on his coach. But in no way, shape or form should that disrupt his play at the other end; if anything, Allen should be more intense, hoping for some steals and easy buckets in transition. Instead, Rip has owned him in 3 of the first 4 games of the series. That’s not becoming an All-Star and, as some would suggest, a possible Hall of Famer (don’t get me started on that one).

Okay, so now its back to the Garden, and quite frankly, the pressure is all on the C’s. They lost that aura of invincibility on the parquet when they dropped Game 2. Can they regain the edge and get one step closer to a trip to the NBA Finals? Only if they remember to spell defense with a big “D”.

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.

Adjust the Bass and let the Alpine Blast…

Posted by Mike Giardi May 25, 2008 at 11:37 am

23 points from the Celtics bench. Another 12 and 10 from Kendrick. My call to the bench boys was answered last night and, not surprisingly, the Celts are now at the wheel of that shiny Cadillac Escalade with the $50,000 rims. Or if you prefer, a big ole Benz. Me, I’ll take the family truckster, but that’s how I roll.

Anyway, hard to believe that was the same team we saw get abused by the Pistons on the previously pristine Garden floor, but I checked the tape, and the faces were the same. It was just the performances that changed.  The C’s supporting cast has been a question  mark in the second season, alternately shying away from, then embracing key moments. Last night, Posey, Cassell, P.J. and Big Baby hugged it out, and now the Green team has recaptured home court advantage.

You knew it was going to be different in the opening quarter. Both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen got hit with two quick fouls, and Doc had no choice but to rely on these guys. But unlike in Game 2, the bench responded quickly and productively. They helped answer a 13-0 run by Detroit with a 10-0 whitewashing themselves. Posey dropped in a  big 3 from the corner, then Cassell got an open look at the top of the key and softly coaxed it in. That didn’t happen Thursday, especially for Cassell, who was rooted to the floor with that awkward looking wrap engulfing his back and logged yet another DNP-CD.

Perkins deserves credit as well. “Molasses” may not be the most fluid athlete we’ve ever laid eyes on, but he’s a decent shooter, and we know he can rebound and supply a defensive presence in the paint. At least, we’ve seen him do those things for stretches during the regular season and even in the playoffs.

Last night was arguably his best performance in May. Perk went 6-of-7 from the floor, had 10 boards and made life difficult for anyone who dared venture into the paint. I’d like to see him do it again Monday, but I have to remind myself that the big fella is still young in experience, despite having several seasons of NBA life under his belt.

So now what lies ahead? A chance to stagger Detroit by taking another one at the Palace. As Paul Pierce and Garnett said following last night’s victory  - and I’m paraphrasing - why come here for just one win? That’s the right sentiment, now let’s see if the Green team and its bench boys deliver the same kind of 1-2 punch.

Key to Game 3

Posted by Mike Giardi May 24, 2008 at 7:00 pm

I don’t know if you’ve heard this, but the Celtics have yet to earn a postseason road victory. We in the media obsessed about it during the Atlanta series, then even more so during Round 2 against Cleveland. But it didn’t matter. Seriously. As long as the C’s took care of business at home, they could still win an NBA title. Now, that premise has changed. The Celts no longer have the aura of a invincibility at home, losing Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night. That means - in order to win this series and get to the NBA Finals - Pierce, Garnett, Allen and company must win at the Palace in Auburn Hills. Is it possible? Without question.

If you’re a C’s fan, you gotta remember January 5th of this year. And I’m not talking about just looking at the box score. That was the night the Green team had a score to settle, and that’s exactly what they did. A 7-point win, which is probably best remembered as the coming out party for Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

But here’s the key. It could have been anyone. Leon Powe. P.J. Brown. Even Kendrick Perkins, who once got 10 and 20 against Detroit this season. That was sorely lacking Thursday night. The bench scored just 8 points total in 57 minutes. I mean, I realize the C’s are built around the ”Big 2″ and Ray Allen, but 8 points?! Just 11 shots?!? That crew has to be more aggressive. Heck, put Sam Cassell out there. At least he won’t be shy about hoisting it up. I’m not kidding, despite my earlier critiques of that noted gunslinger. Someone from the second “5″ has to be willing to step up, or the Celts will find themselves stepping out, a round earlier than they should.

Celts won’t let lack of rest bring them down

Posted by Allison Sonfist May 20, 2008 at 6:03 pm

Detroit is at Boston tonight for Game 1 of the best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Though the Pistons have had plenty of time to rest up for the series, the Celtics are ready to rumble.