Hardball Heaven

At least it better be. We don't need no stinking Game 7 again. Uh-uh. I'd describe the mood in Boston as confident but cautious. There are so many little things going against the C's - Rondo not 100%, Perkins probably out, Ray Allen dealing with a family issue, the team's plane being delayed yesterday in LA for several hours, etc. On the other hand, I think this team has shown that it's deep enough to beat the Lakers without Rondo/Perk, and I keep going back to the fact that they were one Kobe poke away from beating them on their home floor in a must-win game. Either way, it's exciting to have a chance to win the trophy at the Garden, and I can't wait to watch the scene unfold should the night go our way. My one little prediction for tonight is that KG absolutely goes off.

With all the focus on the Celtics lately - and rightfully so - we haven't talked much about the Red Sox. They're into their intraleague schedule, having played a weekend series in Cincinnati and now they're in Philly. Taking 2 of 3 from the Reds - including a win against their young ace Edinson Volquez - was impressive, especially without Papi and Manny in the lineup. I didn't get to see much of the game last night, but it looked like the Phillies laid the lumber on Bartolo Colon. Some people are speculating that this could be a preview of a big October matchup.

The other baseball story right now concerns the age-old debate over AL pitchers batting in these NL games. Yanks' starter Chien Ming Wang hurt his foot running the bases the other night, and could be out until September. And as you might suspect, Hank Steinbrenner is up in arms about it. It's a worthy debate. I mean, if you go to a game, would you rather see a rumpled Bartolo Colon strike out four times, or would you rather see another guy in the lineup who actually hits for a living? It's a no-brainer to me, baseball purists be damned. For a major professional sports league to have two different sets of rules is completely inane.

I guess the other thing to talk about - and what can be said anymore? - is the incredible Tiger Woods. And I should add the amazing Rocco Mediate. The two played in a playoff yesterday for the U.S. Open championship, and the older, bad-backed Rocco gave Tiger everything he could handle. In the end, Woods wins his 14th major and on the whole, it's a tournament that we'll remember for a long, long time.

Here's hoping Green 17 means more than just John Havlicek's retired number after tonight. If not, things could get a little, ah, skittish around here.