Tonight's the Night

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.

The (Gimpy) Man

Every now and then, something happens in this crazy Wide World of Sports of ours that makes us veer away from the normal topics. Today is one of those days.

Thanks to West Coast golf, I was able to watch the last nine holes of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines (San Diego) last night, and what a fortuitous decision it was.

It started when I was at the gym, watching Tiger - hobbling due to a recent knee surgery - lining up a seemingly impossible two-putt from a mile away from the hole. Of course, he drilled it right in the middle of the cup for an eagle, prompting yours truly to let out a 'woo-hoo' loud enough for the whole gym to hear. But Tiger wasn't finished. As he limped up the 18th fairway, the fans let him know how much they appreciated the effort - and he rewarded them with yet another eagle putt. In the span of six holes, he went from even par to 3 under. All on a bad wheel. Absolutely amazing.

Happy Dad's Day to all, especially the new Dad down there in Sarasota.

How Sweet It Is

More than 24 hours later, it's still awfully damn sweet isn't it? The Celtics staged one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history Thursday night, storming back from 24 down to beat the Lakers and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Not to go all sappy on you, but this game epitomized why we watch sports in the first place. The odds were stacked ridiculously against our team most of the night, and yet when it was all over, they didn't give up and they stole a game that we'll be talking about until we're six feet under, and well after that.

I mean, think about it. You had a sore-ankled Rajon Rondo, whose game revolves around his Ellsbury-like speed. (Like to see those two in a footrace.) You had Kendrick Perkins walking off the floor seemingly holding his shoulder together. You had Lamar Odom (Lamar Odom!) finishing off baskets and wagging his tongue at everyone. You're on the road, which hasn't been kind in these playoffs. The best player on the planet is on the other team. And, to top it all off, it seemed like somebody had nailed a piece of plywood over the C's rim in the first half. Honestly, this one deteriorated so quickly that I was watching U.S. Open golf highlights during the first half, and how many people do you know that went to bed? My college roommate tucked in early, and said his 8-year old son told him Friday morning that "they won." "Who won? The Red Sox?" "No, the Celtics." "What?!? No way..." That conversation was probably pretty common.

Personally, I stuck with it even though I had bricks on my eyelids. I started nodding off a little at the start of the fourth, but somebody up above must have given me a good nudge for the ending. Sitting alone in my family room, I honestly can't remember the last time the Celtics gave me such a thrill.Even better, they do it in front of hater Spike Lee and all the fake Hollywood celebs. C's completed this improbable comeback in front of haters like Jack Nicholson and Spike Lee. (Editor's aside: Lee recently questioned why Clint Eastwood hadn't portrayed any black soldiers in his movie about Iwo Jima. Dirty Harry's response: "Tell Spike Lee to shut his face." Love Clint.)

This game once again showed why this current C's team is just that -- a team. Beginning with the Atlanta series (seems like eons ago), then through Cleveland, Detroit, and now LA, think about how many bench guys have come up big at certain crucial times. James "Pocketful of" Posey. Eddie House. P.J. Brown. Hell, I can even remember Sam Cassell connecting on some important shots. As I've been saying all along, one through twelve the Celtics were/are clearly the better team.

And now? Well now we've got another potential t-shirt and hat game coming up tomorrow - on Father's Day no less. I've debated back and forth with some pals on whether we want the C's to win it all out in LA, or if we'd be okay if they lost Game 5 and won it at home in Game 6. As much as I'd love to see a championship victory on our home turf (that's the only thing missing from this incredible run), I'm also fully aware that you have to kill Kobe and those guys while they're down. That's an easy one. Get the Duck Boats gassed up.

Big Game, Bigger Problem

For all intents and purposes, tonight's the Big One in this series. A Celtic win puts LA in a tough hole; a Laker win results in a complete momentum shift, with another game in Botox-land. It's as simple as that. In terms of storylines - and we'll get to the whole referee mess in a minute - there are plenty.

Most seem to believe that we won't see another 8 for 35 combined from the field for KG and Pierce. I concur. Shank Shaughnessy actually pens a pretty decent article this morning imploring KG to work more inside. He's been nailing his mid-range jumper throughout the playoffs, but he was cold the other night. But when you look at the Laker bigs - namely Gasol and Odom - it's hard to believe KG can't assert himself more in the paint. I think we see a return of the jumper falling tonight, mixed in with some slashing to the net. As for Pierce, we'll settle for half the guy we saw in Game 2. You also have to wonder about the fatigue factor, flying to LA, etc. Hopefully a little rest does these two some good.

Rajon Rondo is another question mark. He rolled his ankle pretty good the other night, and spent most of the remainder of the evening wearing warm-ups and watching Eddie House fire away. He told the media that he's ready to go for Game 4, but we'll see how much it affects him. Kendrick Perkins is on record as saying that Rondo's the key and I agree wholeheartedly. When he's penetrating, dishing, hitting that baseline jumper, and agitating the other team's ballhandlers, the C's win.

Next topic: Sasha Vujacic. Damn, he killed us the other night. Bet Doc didn't dream that he'd have to put some specific thinking into how to stop this dude. He's been the balance between the disappointing performances so far of Gasol and Odom. I'll just reiterate here what I've been saying to a few buddies all along. Personnel-wise, from 1 to 12, this Boston Celtics team is flat-out better than this Lakers team. I truly don't think there's much room for debate. It's up to Doc and the C's to make that play out in the end result.

Ok - now turning to the giant elephant in the room. First off, who would have thunk that bumbling Bud Selig would show more command and balls in a time of crisis than David Stern? I understand that the stakes are incredibly high and Stern has to reject everything Tim Donaghy says. The NBA is his baby and it's surely done well under his watch. But the commish must know that at the very least, he's got a huge perception problem on his hands with the credibility/integrity of his refs. In my humble opinion, he's doing himself and the league a huge disservice by not staying out in front of this and offering solutions. Maybe he takes a different tack when the Finals are over.

Oh, and by the way - why isn't ESPN devoting the same amount/level of coverage to this scandal as it did to Spygate? And where's Senator Sphincter? (Oh right - the Sixers weren't involved). This latest sports scandal is far more serious than Spygate, steroids, Pete Rose, maybe even the Black Sox throwing the World Series in 1919

And with that, one more note on tonight's game - the focus on the refs in the last few days should help the Celtics. Will there ever be a more scrutinized group of officials than the ones who will ref the next few games?

This is Gonna Be a Good One

So I'm sitting here in ample family room, with my ample arse parked on my ample sofa, next to my ample buddy Bopper, and we're watching Game 3 of the Finals. First quarter is almost over, and the Celts have survived some Laker momentum. Nice play just now with Kobe going behind the back to the Spanish Slug, who got a Mr. Wilson sandwich in his face from KG. This has got all the earmarks of a good one. You boys out there? This is live TV, dammit...

Game 3 on Tap

After having to wait almost three full days between Games 1 and 2, it's nice to have another game tonight. The universal opinion of most "experts" is that the calls and bounces go the Lakers' way tonight, and Kobe ends up going 27 of 28 from the foul line. While I do agree to some extent, I'd simply point out that you have to get to the basket to get the whistles. To my untrained eyes, it looks like the Celtics' D has figured out how to frustrate slashers like LeBron and Kobe by clogging up the lanes. No matter what happens the rest of the way, take this one to the bank: defensive guru Tom Thibodeau will be a head coach somewhere next year. But back to the very exciting present. The Celtics are in the drivers seat with a 2-0 lead, and really, all they need to do is win at least one of the three games in LA. Even if it's 3-2 heading back to Boston, you have to like the C's chances. That said, I hope they go for the jugular and try to end this thing out in Hollywood.

Just some assorted notes and observations to get you primed for Game 3:

* Paul Pierce - an LA homeboy - is averaging 28.5 points a game in his career vs. the Lakers. Great story in today's New York Times about Pierce's Cali roots...

* Rajon Rondo - 16 assists, one turnover in Game 2 (read it and weep, Toddie)

* I didn't realize how smarmy Phil Jackson can be - what a sarcastic prick

* And while we're on the subject of pricks, I also didn't realize the full extent of Kobe Bryant's douchebaggery. For some proof, believe it or not, we turn to blogger Curt Schilling, who filed this report from courtside during Game 2. Some interesting tidbits on Kobe and KG.

* I enjoy reading Bill Simmons just like the next guy, but his latest missive on his experience during Game 2 was even "too much Boston" for me.

* Sticking with the media for a moment, think the Globe regrets its decision to let hoops writer extraordinaire Jackie MacMullan go? Now we have to read Shank Shaughnessy's tired act.

* Was that not the most obvious travel you've ever seen the other night, when Vladimir Whatever quick-stepped his way from the foul line to the basket? I mean, my friggin' wife was giving the traveling sign!

* Here's hoping the high-wattage celebrities come out to play for this one. I've had my fill of Donnie Wahlberg, and various Pats and Red Sox players. I hate to say it, but I need my dose of Jack.

* And last but not least, because I don't work and don't have a family to worry about, I'm going to attempt a little live-blogging tonight during the game. Come check it out and leave comments throughout the game. C'mon - it'll be cool. Really.

Blam!! Bam!! Ka-Powe!!

And the beat goes on here in the Hub of All Sports. Since we last chatted, nothing much has happened - unless you count Paul Pierce being wheeled off the court in a wheelchair in Game 1 of the Finals at the Garden, Coco Crisp igniting an all-out brawl against the Rays across town at Fenway, Manny and Youk going at it a bit in the dugout during the same game, and the C's going up 2-0 last night on the Lakers, who suddenly find themselves in desperate straits - as nothing much.

Let's cover the high points:

The Coco thing had been simmering from earlier in the Rays' series, when he slid into second on a steal and the shortstop was covering the bag with his leg. Evidently, this is one of those no-no's in baseball etiquette, and Coco let everyone within earshot know about it. He then chose to take matters into his own hands, and almost decapitated Akinori Iwamura later with a hard slide into the bag. It was definitely a slide with a purpose - the only problem is that it wasn't Jason Bartlett, who had angered Coco on the other play. This got the Rays pissed off, and on Thursday night James Shields decided to plunk Coco with his second pitch (he missed him on his first try). Coco knew it was coming, paused a moment (he said to 'get the catcher off him a little bit') and then charged the mound. Shields unleashed a huge right hook that Coco miraculously ducked away from - and thank God, because he would have been seriously hurt. Shields is a bid dude, swinging downhill. After that, Dioner Navarro had Coco wrapped up on the ground, and a couple of cowardly Rays took multiple punches, most notably Jonny Punkass Gomes and Carl Crawford. Suspensions will be forthcoming.

As for the Manny-Youk flare-up, it was originally speculated that Youk was all over Manny because the dredlocked one was quite late to the pile at the mound after Coco got smothered. It came out the next day, however, that some players have been on Youk this year for his antics after striking out or making an out. The Sox could be up 10-0, and if Youk K's on what he feels is a bad pitch, you'd think he just got word that his dog died. I can see how some players feel it makes him look selfish. We'll see if there's any improvement in the histrionics.

And finally, keeeping with the Sox for one last moment, they swept the Rays and then bid them good riddance for the lowly Mariners this weekend. Sox took 2 out of 3 from Ichiro & Co. and have leapfrogged over the Rays for the division lead. Off day today and then back into action with Baltimore at Fenway tomorrow night.

Okay, onto the NBA Finals, where the Celtics have built up a shocking 2-0 lead on the heels of their tenacious D. The first game was pure drama, with Pierce getting hurt early, being carted off in a wheelchair and then bounding back onto the court moments later as if nothing had happened. The Lakers - particularly Phil Jackson - were dubious, but here's my take. Pierce has waited 10 years for this. He heard a pop in his knee. He was scared, and they took every precaution possible. Sure, it looked embarrassing as hell - but in the end, who cares? Of course, if that was Kobe, we'd be all over him so call me a hypocrite.

Naturally, Pierce led the charge in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and he was on his game last night as well, even after a couple days of wondering whether he'd play. He was nailing threes and driving to the basket, but it was Leon Powe (rhymes with 'eat CROW' Phil Jackson) who was the hero of the night in Game 2. Powe - who was banished to DNP-CD status for much of Rounds 1 and 2, was fully unleashed last night and he showed off his strong inside game. In the end, Powe finished with 21 points, and as Jackson pointed out in the post-game presser (after mispronouncing his name) Powe shot more free throws in 14 minutes of play than the entire Lakers team did all night. That, my friends, is downright startling and you can bet it will change in LA. If you're into that sort of thing - betting, that is... you might be inclined to place a Mike Donaghy Memorial Wager on Game 3 because Kobe will be reacquainted with the charity stripe many times in Game 3. Bank on it.

T-Minus 10 Hours and Counting...

It's only 11:00 but I'm already pacing around, thinking about what Pau Gasol brings to the table, and wondering what the refs will have up their whistles for tonight's Game 1 of the NBA Finals at the Garden. I've also been thinking a lot about how cool it would be to have Red Auerbach see this, especially with LA coach Phil Jackson attempting to beat his record of 9 NBA titles. Red's watching over everything, so look for a little "bounce" or two to go the Celts' way. (Editor's note: It's supposed to be 90 degrees in Boston on Sunday for Game 2 - could we have some HVAC shenanigans, maybe, say, in the Lakers' locker room?)

Even if you don't root for the Celtics or the Lakers, how can you not be fired up for this series? It's obviously got the history angle going for it, but more importantly it's the best offensive team going against the best defensive team. This is the 2007 Patriots going against the 1986 Bears.

I ain't no analyst, but let's look at the personnel. The Lakers will start Lamar Odom and Vlad Radmanovic at forward, Pau Gasol in the middle, and Kobe and Derek Fisher at guard. For the Celtics, it'll be Garnett and Pierce at forward, Perkins at center, and Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo at guard.

Kobe's going to get his, but it will be interesting to see if Doc unleashes Pierce on him like he did with LeBron in Round 2. I don't think we want to see Ray Allen guarding Kobe. The rebounding battle between Perkins and Odom will also be very interesting to watch. Just going by the talent alone on the floor at the start of the game, it seems like the Celtics have the edge. Lakers have the edge in coaching, and maybe give a slight edge to the Celts' bench. So I guess it'll be C's in 4.

And of course, it won't be. This one's going the full 7 - a view I feel even stronger about after hearing Bill Simmons say on the radio today that the NBA makes $80 million per Finals game. Not to suggest that there's anything sketchy going on here, but would you not be surprised to see the refs maybe calls things a little differently as the series evolves? Let's hope when it's all said and done that we're talking more about great plays and players than about referees and blown calls. Enjoy.

Say It Ain't So

You know, I've thought a lot lately about how easy it must be for "professional" sports media types here in Boston to do their jobs. I mean, the radio shows and columns just kind of write themselves on a daily basis, don't they? The Pats going 18-0, the Super Bowl, the Celtics with the biggest one-year turnaround in NBA history, Spygate, the renewal of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry on the big stage, Manny's 500th... and now 501 and 502... it's truly a non-stop carousel.

The latest addition to the sports news shuffle isn't a very uplifting one. Over the weekend in Baltimore, David Ortiz swung at a pitch and felt a pop in his left wrist. An MRI yesterday showed that he's got a torn tendon sheath (look it up on WebMD), and projections have him out of the lineup for at least a month. It's never good to have the big feller out of the lineup period, but this timing hurts because Big Papi was just heating up after a slow start, and he was starting to foil the right-field shift a lot of teams employ by going to the opposite field. Still, the Sox are obviously doing the right thing by proceeding with caution. They're saying surgery isn't an option, but with a guy who makes his living with some powerful flicks of his wrists, it's not the best injury to have. For the time being, we'll probably see lots of Manny at DH which allows Francona to field a better defensive outfield of Ellsbury, Drew and Crisp. Also look for a Brandon Moss call-up. Moss was getting into a groove here a while back before he had to have an emergency appendectomy. He's killing the ball again down in Pawtucket.

The Sox are finally back home tonight, with a 7:00 start time against the team they're chasing, believe it or not, the Tampa Bay Rays. Justin Masterson - who's pitched two beauties in spot duty this year - gets the ball for the Sox. Matt Garza for the Rays.

Hello, Old Friend

As if we aren't blessed enough around here with our sports teams, the Celtics did it the other night - beating the Pistons on their home turf to win the East in six games. Next up: a hugely delicious championship series against... are you sitting down?... the Los Angeles Lakers. Once again, the two best teams in the Association are the Celtics and Lakers, and the stars have aligned to put them in the Finals for the whole world to see. This is gonna be fun.

As we sit here on a beautiful Sunday morning to begin the month of June, you just know the Globe and the Herald are busy preparing special Finals sections. Get ready for an absolute onslaught of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem, Gerald Henderson stole the ball, McHale clotheslined Clark Kent Rambis, Jack Nicholson, the heat game in the '84 finals at the Garden, Wilt, Russ, Auerbach, West, Johnny Most, Chick Hearn, Hollywood vs. blue-collar Boston. It's going to be loud, it's going to be frequent, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The other beauty in all of this: the only way I've been able to convince my wife to watch the games (she hates basketball because of all the foul calls - smart girl) is to see some of the big celebrities in the good seats on high-definition. The other night it was Ellen Pompeo from Gray's Anatomy and that went over big. So this is going to be heaven for both of us.

I'll be back with a post on matchups, but for now, I think we all need a little basketball break. Game 1 is Thursday night at the Garden with a ludicrous 9:20 start time.

Perk, "33", the Sleeve and the Refs

I can't believe I'm about to type these words but the Boston Celtics are one win away from going to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987. This is all thanks, of course, to the huge Game 5 victory the other night that saw KG put up 33 (33 - a good omen?), Ray Allen re-discover his shooting touch - with a new fashion accessory no less, and Kendrick Perkins showing off his beastly talents in the paint. There were certainly some tenuous moments - as the Celts frittered away an 18-point lead and let the Pistons climb back into it - but they held on for a 106-102 win.

KG - as he has been all postseason, save for Pierce's explosion against the Cavs in Game 7 - has been the best player on the floor. In Game 5, he continued to show the outside scoring touch, but also was more aggressive inside and didn't fade in the fourth quarter. Allen was immense, particularly down the stretch when he nailed a crucial long-range jumper and hit some free throws to ice it. Ray Ray showed up wearing a white sleeve on his non-shooting arm, and whatever it was meant for, it worked. And what can you say about young Perk? You can see him getting better each game, and he just took over in Game 5, putting up 18 points and grabbing 16 boards, many of which came at big junctures momentum-wise.

One other quick observation - have NBA referees always had this much of an imprint on the game? Aren't they supposed to be seen and not heard? From what I've seen in these NBA playoffs of 2008, David Stern ought to take a very hard, close look at his refs and make some changes. I understand fouls are going to be called and they're part of the game, but they shouldn't completely take over the flow of a game with their omnipresent whistles. It's been extremely annoying to watch, kinda like watching a Dice-K outing. Anyway, Game 6 tonight at the Palace.

As far as the Sox, yeccch. Their offense took a major siesta during last week's Oakland/Seattle road trip - which saw them win one game out of six, and be outscored 25-14. They were shut out twice, and were one-hit and two-hit by A's and Mariners pitchers. Does Youk mean that much to the lineup? He's been out for a few games with a sore wrist, but here's hoping he's back in there tonight against the Orioles in Baltimore. Probably the lone highlight of the trip - Manny hit No. 499, so we're about to witness some history.

Fastballs will be popping tonight at Camden with Josh Beckett going against Daniel "Wild Thing" Cabrera.

The Way Life Should Be

That's what the sign says on the highway when you officially enter into the state of Maine, which is where I find myself at the current moment, watching to see if the Celtics can seal the deal in Detroit and win their first road game of this (seemingly eternal) postseason.

Just to set the scene quickly: There's 2:17 left in the game, and KG's on the line with a chance to put the Celtics up by 10, which he does. Believe it or not, Boston has held as much as a 24-point lead over Detroit at various points tonight, and have thoroughly played their asses off. When Kendrick Perkins is juking people in the post and hitting turnaround jumpers, things is going good. We're now down to 1:38 left, Pistons with the ball, down by 10. I'm liking our chances. KG makes a huge shot to make it a 12-point lead and this one's over. The Celts are going to take home their first road win, baby! I can't believe how flat Detroit looked tonight. A huge, huge win for the C's, especially in terms of confidence after going 0-6 on the road in the first two rounds. Final score in this one, and it's a certifiable stunner: Celtics 94, Pistons 80. KG's the player of the game with 22 points, 13 boards and six assists.

By the way, I'm liking the Mike Breen/Jeff Van Gundy/Mark Jackson trio on ESPN. The mark to me of a good journalist - be it a columnist or a broadcaster - is if he teaches you something new every now and then. Van Gundy and Jackson explain things well, and Breen's a very good pilot. Or maybe I'm just so used to hearing Joe Morgan that anybody sounds good.

(That, my friends is one hell of a transition to baseball and the Red Sox...)

The Sox, meanwhile, are about to lose their second straight game to the A's in Oakland, and this one was ugly. They got one hit against Justin Duscherer and Huston Street and lose 3-0. Three runs in two games to a team that's just not very good.

But who cares about the A's? There's another Sox-Yankees-David Ortiz saga brewing that is just as laughable as the Curse of the Shirt. Evidently, Big Papi has signed up with MLB and State Farm to do a promotion during the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, where Ortiz will "call his shot" by pointing to the stands and trying to hit a home run there. The Yankees - specifically jackass extraordinaire Randy Levine - have expressed their discomfort in having the guy who singlehandedly caused the greatest choke job in sports history play such a prominent role in the ceremonies. Not very gracious if you ask me, SINCE WE'RE THE ONES WHO F'ING GAVE YOU BABE RUTH IN THE FIRST PLACE. Ass. The Yanks' "leadership" team is starting to bear a resemblance to Arlen Specter. A joke, a disgrace, and far too consumed with idiotic matters when your main interest (your team/your country) is circling the drain. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. If MLB caves, they should be ashamed.

Hey, did I mention the Celts won? On the road? Game 4 Monday night in Motown.

Justin Case

Man, the Sox' pitching depth is truly showing after the last couple of days, eh? Last night, Justin Masterson (right) made another spot start and once again pitched very well. Even better, the bullpen didn't give it up this time and the kid gets his first MLB victory. Methinks young Mr. Masterson might be our 7th-8th inning answer before too long. Sox win 2-1, and tonight we get to see if Bartolo Colon can give us anything.

Oh yeah - there was another game going on in town last night. The Celtics opened up against Detroit, and if you didn't know better you would have sworn the Pistons had just finished up a grueling 7-game series. The Celts had the fresh legs and Detroit looked old. Garnett and Rondo were the offensive stars and Ray Allen continued to shoot like a blind man. In the end, C's win 88-79. Game 2 is tomorrow night.

Embarrasment of Riches

You know, we all need to exhale every now and then and realize just how good we have it with the current Boston sports scene. On a seemingly mundane Monday night - with the Red Sox in action against the Triple-A Royals and the Celtics across town preparing for tomorrow's night's Eastern Conference Finals opener against Detroit - wouldn't you know Jon Lester and Jason Varitek would make a little history.

Lester became the second Sox pitcher in 2 years to throw a no-hitter, blanking the hapless Royals 7-0. It was the first no-no by a Sox southpaw in 52 years, and followed Clay Buchholz' masterpiece last Labor Day against the Orioles. It was also the fourth no-hitter Varitek has caught in his career, which sets a new MLB record. Tek has now caught no-hitters thrown by Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Buchholz and Lester. Not too shabby.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are getting ready for another brutal series after beating LeBron James and the Cavaliers yesterday in another Game 7 at the Garden. It was a great game, with Paul Pierce and LeBron both submitting heroic performances. While it wasn't pretty, the bottom line is the Celts are still alive. Anything can happen against the Pistons. As for the Cavaliers and their young superstar, you've gained my eternal respect, LBJ. You're a treat to watch play the game, and your postgame comments after a tough loss - actually, your demeanor during the whole series - was classy. Remember in Game 3 when Pierce and KG went crashing into LeBron's mom, and he started yelling at his mom to sit down? The whole arena was rapidly turning on Pierce for his hard foul on LeBron, and LeBron just went over to Pierce, patted him on the shoulder and made everything cool. Every set of eyeballs in the stadium saw this gesture, and it completely defused what could have quickly become a hostile sitchy-ayshun.

Spygate-Free Zone

After getting rained out last night, the Sox and the Brewers will play two today, with Game 1 starting at around 4 and Game 2 at 8:30. Gonna be a long evening of baseball, which is always a good thing. There's also a big playoff basketball game at the Garden tomorrow, but unfortunately it's another Game 7 as LeBron and the Cavaliers once again beat the C's in Cleveland last night.

Some quick thoughts on all the sports news swirling around:

- The biggest subject in the NBA playoffs so far is the incredible home-court advantage that teams have had. Going into last night, I think visiting teams were 1-18 or something like that, and for the Celts that trend continued. The Lakers, playing in Salt Lake City, bucked the trend and beat the Jazz to advance to the West finals. Why the big discrepancy? It's hard to ignore the difference in the calls the refs make depending on which arena they're in. The Cavs last night got the better of the late calls - one a goaltending that should have been whistled; another the Pierce/LeBron collision where James got the call. In all, Cleveland went to the line 25 times to the Celts' 13, and that's a pattern that has been pretty consistent so far in the playoffs. It would be interesting to see if David Stern's guys are looking into this, because it's starting to become patently obvious.

- Before the day off Thursday and the rainout last night, the Sox were struggling, having lost 3 of 4 in Minnesota and both games in Baltimore. The problem has clearly been the bullpen, with even Okajima looking mortal so far this year. He's been especially piss-poor with inherited runners, though to give him some slack, he's also come into some hellish situations. Either way, you can bet Theo's trying to figure out a way to reinforce the 'pen because the trend can't continue. The first game today is on Fox at 4:00 with Daisuke Matsuzaka (6-0, 2.45) going against Jeff Suppan (2-2, 4.63). Nightcap on NESN at 8:30 has Tim Wakefield (3-2, 4.25) vs. Dave Bush (1-4, 6.06).

- Everyone knows the NBA is a star league. You need the one guy who can absolutely take over a game for stretches of time. Kobe in LA. LeBron in Cleveland. Chris Paul in New Orleans. Based on what you've seen so far in the playoffs, is KG one of those kinds of guys? He's clearly been our best, most consistent players, but has he shown spurts of dominance? I say no, only because he just hasn't established his presence down low. It's easy to see why he might be conflicted between the inside and outside game, though - he's got an unreal touch for a 7-footer.

- Wally Sczerbiak recently had a son and named him Maximus Jack Sczerbiak. Just something I thought you might want to know.

- How about the Yankees' abrupt turn to mediocrity? Their pitching has been positively atrocious, A-Rod's been out with an injury, and ol' Hank Steinbrenner is starting to voice his frustratoins publicly. It will add some salt to the wound when Johan Santana faces them today, the guy they could have gotten for the disappointing Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

- Had to love the Manny high-five play in Baltimore. If you haven't seen it, the Orioles have guys on first and second with one out. Manny tracks down a deep fly to left, and runs up the wall in the process. At the top, he briefly slaps hands with a Red Sox fan, then comes down and fires the ball back in and they double the guy off first. Incredible.">.

Road Worriers

Before I get to the Spygate crap happening today, I must expend a few words on the Celtics - whose frustrating loss last night in Cleveland tied the second-round series up at 2 games apiece.

I do not profess in any way to be a basketball junkie, nor would I describe myself as having one iota of intelligence regarding hoops strategy, but I did watch the C's all year long and I stayed in a Holiday Inn last night. And one thing that stands out like a sore thumb is that the Celtics aren't sticking with the blueprint that helped them make NBA history during the regular season.

Personally, I think the additions of P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell - particularly Cassell - have had a negative effect on the team. Doc Rivers had to force-feed them into their roles on the fly, and it feels like he's giving them way too much leeway in the postseason. We're not seeing Leon Powe, Eddie House, Big Baby or Tony Allen much, and unless Powe is injured, the fact that we didn't see him down the stretch last night is a horrible coaching call on Doc Rivers' part.

Looking strictly at the Big Three, Pierce and Ray Allen have been disappointing, and KG - while he's carried the team in the playoffs - seems out of his element as well, taking way too many long-range jumpers and hanging out around the perimeter. I'll give Pierce somewhat of a break because he's the one chasing LeBron around all night - and that has to be exhausting - but he needs to do more on the offensive end. And Allen? He showed his scoring touch a bit last night, but he's been getting torched on the opposite end by - UGH - Wally Sczerbiak. Watching ex-Celtics Joe Johnson, Delonte West, and Wally light it up the last few weeks has been about as fun as getting a paper cut.

In a way, winning the 66 games and making history is working against this team. They weren't pressured at all during the year, didn't have to play in hostile arenas, and their unmitigated success has made their fans set the bar extremely high for this postseason. We'll see what happens going forward, but this much is clear, even to the ignorant observer that I am. If this keeps up, and they're lucky enough to advance to play Detroit, they're going to be Motor City roadkill.

*****

Just a brief note on the Sox - they lost again last night in Minnesota as Clay Buccholz got roughed up. Manny hit No. 498, and Youkilis - arguably the hottest hitter in the American League right now - took a night off. The boys are in Baltimore tonight for a quick two-gamer, with Josh Beckett going against Jeremy Guthrie.

*****

And finally, Spygate. You know my opinion on this whole charade, which several media outlets - and individual writers - have been hellbent on prolonging. Matt Walsh had his much ballyhooed (good word) meeting with NFL commish Roger Goodell this morning, and as expected, there were no big "gotcha's." The league actually set up a couple of flat-screen TV's to show the videos Walsh handed over, and it was pretty much what Fox' Jay Glazer showed on the air back when - offensive and defensive coaches windmilling their arms in nonsensical fashion. Must have been riveting TV. There was also some up-close footage of some of the San Diego Chargers' cheerleaders, which greatly pleases me - though I'm not sure if the league opted to show that on the TV's. Walsh also told Goodell that a Pats player on injured reserve back in 2001 was practicing with the team (a no-no), and that he assisted some players and coaches in scalping Super Bowl tickets. That's about it. Walsh is now meeting with Senator Sphincter, who will also hold his own little press conference immediately thereafter. Can't wait to hear what this blowhard has to say. Again, I advocate for the impeachment process to start now.

One last note - if you find yourself having a bad day over the next week or so, just remember this - your name could be John Tomase. He's the Herald beat writer who broke the Rams' walkthrough tape story by citing a single, unnamed source. Tomase may be looking for work elsewhere pretty soon.

Mike Fish Wants So Desperately to Be Our Generation's Woodward and Bernstein

So as you probably know by now, word leaked out this week about the contents of Matt Walsh's videotape collection, and as many people suspected there was no smoking gun - i.e., a tape of the Rams' walk-through before SB 36. Thankfully, the Spygate stuff can now end.

Or can it? If it's up to ESPN, Mike Fish, Gregg Easterbrook, Arlen Sphincter, and Walsh's attorney, they're going to do everything in their power to keep the story alive. You want proof, you say? The second headline on ESPN.com right now says 'Tapes show Patriots also stole offensive signals' - written by, shockah of shockahs, Mr. Douche, ah, Fish. That was preceded by another story by Fish this morning with the headline 'NFL might be interested in certain aspects of tapes'. I mean, are you shitting me? ESPN has slowly deteriorated over the last few years, but this is just irresponsible, biased reporting. ESPN's hatred for Belichick and the Patriots' dynasty is pretty obvious, which is shameful.

As for the demented Senator from Pennsylvania - big Eagles fan they tell me - he felt he was important enough to issue a statement today on the Walsh tapes, saying 'let's not rush to judgment here' and claiming the NFL is already putting a 'nothing new' spin on Walsh's uneventful evidence. Congress actually ought to launch an investigation into Sphincter's work routine, because he's obviously not spending much time on the things that really matter. The evidence against this clown is overwhelming. Yes, he's a big Eagles fan, and of course, they all suck. It also just so happens that the NFL is in the midst of a lawsuit against Comcast Cable, one of Sphincter's largest political contributors. And I just read today that Sphincter's actually got a book out - probably called "Me and My Agenda" - that has sold, like, five copies. Specter is a disgrace to his office and to his constituents. He should be impeached, and then tarred and feathered immediately thereafter.

The other fraud in all of this is John Tomase, who broke the story about the Rams tape on the morning of the Super Bowl, and his employer, the Boston Herald. For months after Tomase's initial story, the Herald and a bevy of writers went out of their way to bash Belichick, Kraft and the Pats at every turn. It really was a sharp turn into overly negative coverage, and was very distinguishable from the Globe's more measured approach. Again, I understand the Herald is also a tabloid, but I believe they went over the line.

And after all the B.S., the Patriots will be exonerated but their reputation will wrongfully take a hit. Tomase's ill-timed, fraudulent story took the steam out of what should have been a historic Super Sunday, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he or the paper could face some type of legal action. I'd love to know what Kraft and his lawyers are thinking of doing. I'd sue the whole lot of them for slander. Make Tomase take the stand and identify the "source" that he was so confident in.

Oh, and one last note on the biased media coverage, this one actually made by Pete Sheppard on WEEI this afternoon. If it was a Patriots star player who was part of a shooting investigation that killed someone and injured a child, and it was proven that his gun was used in the killing, would he be getting the same pass Marvin Harrison is right now? Exactly.

Celtics-Cavs, Game 1

It's been like watching a Dice-K pitching performance, this tractor-pull of a playoff game between the Celts and the LeBrons. We're currently in the 4th quarter, with just over 4 minutes left, and the Celts are leading by a slim 3 points. It has truly been ugly, and when you consider that the Cavs are this close despite LeBron having only 4 points, it's a little scary. Mr. James could go off at any moment.

For the Celts, Garnett has been a one-man show, and Allen and Pierce have mostly been no-shows. Rondo has also played a good game so far. With 3 minutes now left, Pierce and Allen need to contribute down the stretch. Gibson just hit a three for Cleveland and we're all knotted up at 68. Pierce and Allen still can't get anything to drop. Allen looks, well, old.

The Cavs take the lead briefly, but KG nails a long-range jumper to tie it at 70. For a big man, Garnett's shooting range is pretty damn impressive. Uh-oh. LeBron's driving and slicing, and that big Russian dude - Z - is there to gobble up any rebounds. Celts now lead 74-72, and James Posey - who's been superglued to LeBron all night - hits two free throws to make it 76-72. Eight and a half seconds left, and let's hope we don't have a Detroit clock moment. And it's over. C's win. It wasn't pretty, which all the idiots on sports talk radio tomorrow will remind us, but they got it done. To be honest, this was the game I was worried about after the big win over the Hawks. Now the Celts can re-load and Pierce and Allen can get their shit together and take some of the load off KG. By the way, Allen scored zero points tonight, the first time he's been shut out since his rookie season in 1996. LeBron finished with 12 points on 2 for 18 shooting. Just a weird night all around.

Word has it some other pro sports team from Boston was also playing tonight. The Sox - on a quietly efficient little winning run here - beat the Tigers 5-0 behind Tim Wakefield. Wake's a notoriously quick worker when he's in a groove - tonight's game lasted only 2 hours, 10 minutes, or roughly the same time it takes a wicked fast Kenyan to win the Boston Marathon. It's hard to believe that the Tigers - who made a big splash by getting both Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis - are this bad. I'm liking how the Sox are looking - they're deep. Oh yeah - almost forgot - Papi and Manny both hit bombs tonight, back to back in the seventh inning. Manny's at 497 and counting.

Worth the Trip

What a difference a week makes. Last Friday night, I was in the stands at Tropicana Field watching the lifeless, flu-ridden Red Sox lose in extra innings on their way to being swept for the weekend. Rays starters Edwin Jackson and James Shields looked like the modern-day version of Koufax and Drysdale. Our hitters looked like they were standing at the plate in cement boots. Now the Rays are in Boston, the Sox' hitters have come to life, and the Sox are on the verge of returning the favor with a three-game sweep of their own. It's always fun to watch the Sox play on the road, so I thought I'd share a few observations on my Trip to the Trop, which overall was an enjoyable experience.

The stadium itself sits like a cratered flying saucer in the middle a working-class neighborhood. When we pulled into the parking lot, I immediately thought I was in Foxborough. Tailgating going on in every direction (imagine one big central lot at Fenway) with tons of Patriots and Red Sox jerseys walking around, with "Brady" and "Schilling" easily the most popular.

We were pleasantly shocked as we were waved into the lot and told we could park for free. Evidently, when you go to the game with 4 or more people in your car, you get to park for free. Imagine that. We talked briefly with Al the Security Guy, whose badge told us he hailed from Needham, Mass. He gave us a quick lowdown on navigating the building, and also told us about a promotion after the game involving women, roller derby, and free beer. There are lots of Al's from Needhams working at the Trop. It's almost like it's become the retirement job to get, replacing starter-sitting-in-a-golf-cart at the nearby country club.

At the main entrance, the Rays have images of young stars like Carl Crawford and Scott Kazmir painted on the outside of the building, and the starting lineups are posted on a big board. Then you enter the mall. The whole ground floor of the Trop is ringed with shops and food stands, with little staircases on the right-hand side leading up to the field. There are stores specifically dedicated to Red Sox and Yankee gear. Walking up the ramp wasn't quite the same as seeing the Fenway green for the first time, but it's still always a cool feeling seeing a field for the first time. Even if it's an indoor abomination like this one.

The first thing I looked at when I walked in was the crazy structure that hangs from the ceiling of this bizarro building, the one with all the ladders and catwalks that has swallowed many a David Ortiz moonshot.Sure enough, Dustin Pedroia hit a ball up there in the first inning that never came down.

We had arrived early for the game, so we had some time to poke around the mall and observe. Always a nice plus if you can map out a food/beverage game plan for the whole night. We checked out a stand offering Corona, but with no limes. Egregious. We found the all-important sausage stand, and eventually the best beer bargain at the Trop, a 24-ouncer of Bud or Bud Light for $8. We checked out a souvenir store that carried only Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs gear. One fashion trend we noticed was that a lot of Rays fans like to buy the team jersey and put their first name on the back. This, too, is egregious. I always kid my wife that Maine is the personalized license plate capital of the world; the Trop is the personalized jersey capital of the world.

It being a Friday night and all, there was plenty of pre-game drunkenness. Some guy in a black satin shirt, jeans, black cowboy boots and a 70's haircut/mustache combo kept prancing in front of a largely Red Sox section during the game, belittling the Sox any chance he got. It became a pretty funny schtick as the night wore on.

The Red Sox scored first and the place erupted in cheers. I've always wondered if the pro-Sox crowds at the Trop and Camden Yards are as loud as they sound on TV and the answer - at least in St. Pete - is a resounding yes. I was watching some of the Rays players on the field, checking for any body language signs that they were disappointed in the cheers. They didn't show it, but the Saturday newspapers down there had some comments wondering why Rays fans don't show up.

They could be showing up in droves if the Rays keep playing well and the team can figure out how to get a sparkling new waterfront ballpark built. Tampa has a great young nucleus of players in Crawford, Evan Longoria, one of the Upton brothers (too lazy to look it up), Kazmir, Jackson, and Shields. They have the talent to finish at least third in the AL East, and they will most definitely be a royal pain in the ass for the Sox and Yankees all year. And if things really go right, they could be playing in a gorgeous new park on the water.

Another retiree who found work at the Trop - John from Watertown - was standing beside a table in the mall promoting plans for the Rays' new ballpark. All I can say is, yes please. Get it done. I tried taking a picture of the park, which hopefully comes through okay.

As for the game, it was tied up at 4-4 heading into the ninth and some ground rules were laid for extra innings. I was with my father-in-law, wife, and my wife's sister, and the girls had pretty much been troopers in coming along in the first place. They gave us one extra inning, and when it was still tied after 10, we left. Egregious, I know. But I justified it in my mind by envisioning the women's roller derby beer extravaganza. We were about halfway home when we heard David Ortiz ground into a killer double play, and then the Rays cooked up a run in the next inning to win it 5-4.

All things considered, while Fenway and the Trop are completely different animals, it was a cool experience. I like the direction the Rays are headed in - with new management, a good manager, and a very talented crew of young players. I wish they played in the National League, because they make you want to root for them.

Win or Go Home

That's the deal for KG and the Celtics, who are playing the Hawks in a shocking Game 7 today at the Gahden. Atlanta has won all three games in their frenzied arena, and the Celts now need to win all 4 in their gym. I guess home court is pretty important.

Boston's inability to put the final nail in the coffin on the road has been both frustrating and concerning at the same time. I mean, this is a 37-win Atlanta team who snuck its way into the playoffs. What's gonna happen when the C's are playing at Detroit? But credit to the Hawks, whose athleticism is what's been getting in the way of that final nail. Josh Smith, Joe Johnson (thanks Ricky P), and Al Horford are incredible talents. When he's on, Mike Bibby scares you. Josh Childress showed some things in Game 6. They've got a team on the rise.

In my humble opinion, and you may think I'm nuts, I think this particular Boston team really needed to go through some adversity like this as a big gelling, maturity step. I know that sounds like psycho-babble, but if you think about it, this team - and all of its new personalities - was never truly tested during the regular season as they cruised to the best record in the league and made history for the biggest one-year turnaround. Now they've put themselves in a position to erase a season's worth of good with one more loss. I think they win, and learn some valuable things about themselves as they head into a second-round matchup against Cleveland.

Oh, and note to Doc: let Rajon play dammit. Even though his airball three at the end Friday night was painful, the kid shouldn't sit in favor of Cassell.