June 2007 Archives

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

According to www.twincities.com, the Bruins have acquired goaltender Manny Fernandez from the Minnesota Wild for AHLer Petr Kalus and a future fourth-round draft pick. -According to Pioneer Press, the Wild/Bruins are waiting for league approval before making the announcement.

Fernandez posted a 22-16-1 record last year for the Wild with a .911 Save Percentage and 2.55 GAA. Manny missed the last 10 games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs because of a knee injury. Fernandez shared goaltending duties with Niklas Backstrom for the past two seasons as one of the best one-two tandems in the league.

Fernandez's $4.33 mil salary is sure to stop the Bruins from making any big free agent signings when the market opens tomorrow.

Kalus played nine games for Boston last season where he registered four goals and one assist. In 43 games in Providence the Czech forward had 30 points (13 goals, 17 helpers).

Fernandez may just be the number one netminder the Bruins have been lacking for the past several years - he and Tim Thomas should make a decent tandem and give the club the chance it needs to make a run at the playoffs. Think this is a good move by the Bs? Is Manny good enough to give the Spoked-Bs a shot at the playoffs?

Unlike Kevin Garnett, Takeru Kobayashi is not one to back down from a challenge. The 6-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion and the world record holder confirms he will return to Coney Island this July 4th to defend his crown.

Kobayashi has been suffering from a jaw ailment and there were strong indications he would skip out on this year’s event to heal the injury. Those reports sent shock waves through the hot dog eating community because American Joey Chestnut had eclipsed Kobayashi’s record of 53.75 hot dogs by woofing down 59.5 weiners in a recent competition. Chestnut had also pushed the Japanese champion to his limits during last year’s Independence Day event, before finally running out of steam…or saliva, whatever the case may be.

Many believed the jaw injury was a way for Takeru to skip out on the competition and keep his record intact. However, thanks to extensive rehabilitation and encouragement from supporters, Kobayashi will show up in the Big Apple and try to keep America from celebrating on its birthday. While medical experts doubt he can catch up with the new record, the pride of Nagano, Japan sounds like he relishes the challenge.

All kidding aside, if you’ve never seen one of these competitions, you don’t know what you’re missing. It is both fascinating and disgusting at the same time, as we reported after last year’s showdown between these two. If you can sneak away from your cookout for a few minutes on the 4th, check it out on ESPN.

You’ll never look at a hot dog the same way again!

Remember that old song by Terry Cashman? I always thought it was kind of catchy, even if the ‘EEI crew gets their yucks dumping on the guy.

Anyway, SunTalk Live is talking baseball this Monday as SportsTalk broadcasts live from LeLacheur Park during the Lowell Spinners game vs. the Tri-City Valley Cats. We’ll be talking to owner Drew Weber and GM Tim Bawmann about the team and what makes Lowell’s NY-Penn League entry such a smashing success. We’ll also be sure to catch up with anyone else of note at the ballpark, especially if there are any Red Sox representatives or scouts on hand.

We’d also love to hear from you. The good folks with the Spinners have been kind enough to give us a luxury box for the night, so look for the SunTalk Live banner in the concourse area behind home plate and stop on by to say hello. If you want to participate in the show or just listen in, the number to dial is (978)364-TALK (8255). The fun begins at 7pm sharp.

Play ball!

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Here is the quick and dirty on the two players selected by the Celtics in the second round of last night's NBA Draft, Gabe Pruitt and Glen Davis.

Pruitt, a guard, was selected 32nd overall and Davis, a power forward, was picked 35th by the Seattle Supersonics and traded to Boston as part of the deal that sent Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and Jeff Green (the fifth pick) to Seattle.

Full Name: Gabriel Michael Pruitt
Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 6-4 / 170
Birthdate: April 19, 1986 (Los Angeles)
High School: Centennial HS (Compton, Calif.), then Westchester HS (Los Angeles)
College: University of Southern California

The Skinny: Played mostly as a combo guard of small forward … He shoots well … Pruitt, who entered the draft after his junior year, finished third in scoring for USC in 2006-07 with a 12.5 average … He also led the team in assists with 113 and steals with 47 in 26 games … He also led USC in free throw shooting (80.0 percent) … During the 2006-07 season, Pruitt became the 32nd Trojan in history to reach 1,000 career points scored and currently ranks 27th all-time at USC in scoring with 1,102 points … He also ranks fourth all-time at USC in three-pointers made (179) and sixth in steals (158).

Full Name: Ronald Glen Davis
Position: Forward
Height/Weight: 6-9 / 289
Birthdate: January 1, 1986 (Baton Rouge, La.)
High School: University HS (Baton Rouge, La.)
College: Louisiana State

The skinny: Overpowered smaller players in college with his size and strength … Missed four games this season with a strained quadricep muscle … He averaged eight rebounds or more each of his three college seasons … Led the SEC in rebounding this year with 10.4 boards per game … Davis was third in the league in scoring at 17.7 points per game and in the top 10 in field goal percentage (48.4 percent) … He is just one of five players in LSU history to block 100 career shots and is third all-time behind only Shaquille O'Neal (412) and Stromile Swift (130) on LSU’s career list with 110 bocks.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

-I like the Ray Allen trade. It’s not the best case scenario, but considering the worst case draft lottery scenario, this is about as good as we could have hoped for other than Garnett or Marion. The former UConn star might be turning 32-years old next month, but if last year was any indication, he has a few more years of top level ball left in him, averaging a career-best 26.4 PPG in the ’06-’07 season. His game is generally from the outside, so he won’t get in the way of Paul Pierce’s slashing to the hoop game and might even keep Pierce from settling for too many outside shots.

Allen’s acquisition didn’t really cost all that much. Nothing at #5 had me overly excited, other than Joakim Noah. Delonte West is a combo guard off the bench at best. Wally Szczerbiak had a lousy contract and never really fit in here. Theo Ratliff’s contract is still Boston’s, which gives Danny Ainge a valuable bargaining chip in future deals. A team comprised of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Jefferson and Perkins, with Gomes, Allen, Telfair and whatever big man Ratliff’s contract can help bring in is definitely a contender in the Eastern Conference, though still a bit away from being a title contender. However…

-I guarantee you Ainge is not done with big name acquisitions. With established stars Pierce and Allen plus up-and-comer Al Jefferson on the roster, others might take another look at the C’s and realize it’s not as bad a situation as they’ve been led to believe (are you listening Mr. Garnett?). There are still plenty of quality players on the market (Garnett, Marion, Rashard Lewis) who might now be willing to play alongside Pierce and Allen in a very weak conference. And even if those three I mentioned aren’t possibilities, rest assured there are still plenty of solid contributors who can be had for the right price. There’s a growing epidemic in the NBA (all sports, for that matter) where athletes who aren’t good enough to carry others to the Promised Land seek to find success elsewhere. Which brings me to…

-I’ve lost some respect for KG. I’ll have more on my feelings about his “I don’t want to play in Boston, I want to play in Phoenix” routine in a future column, but suffice it to say I’m starting to understand why his Minnesota teams only got out of the first round once. Leadership takes balls, and I’m not talking the kind you dribble. If you really believe in yourself as a player, if you’re really one of the all-time greats, then you accept a challenge instead of running from it. Coming to Boston and helping resuscitate this once glorious franchise would have cemented Garnett’s legacy forever. Wanting to play in Phoenix and riding Steve Nash’s back is the easy way out. It also doesn’t guarantee you a title. Just ask Karl Malone. (This may sound like sour grapes for my bad prediction the other day, but I articulated these same thoughts last Monday on SportsTalk Live, before we realized he wouldn’t be coming here)

-Glen “Big Baby” Davis is a steal with that #35 pick acquired from Seattle. Huge upside there, and I’m not talking about his waist. This kid is an animal who really gets after it on the glass. I was actually upset they didn’t take him at #32, but they lucked out and were still able to grab him. While Ainge generally has pretty good success with his later picks, I thought he should have grabbed Fazekas and Davis, giving him a pair of young bigs to help the weakest spot on the team. I don’t really see where Pruitt fits in. Don’t we have enough young point guards who still need to learn the position?

-How about that Lynn Worthy fella, tossing up a bunch of posts while still making deadline for his next day story in The Sun AND getting a breaking news story on LowellSun.com...way to work Lynn!

What did you think of the Celtics draft day performance? A step in the right direction? A step backward? Or treading water?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Confirmed. The Celtics added Ray Allen, USC's Gabe Pruitt (32nd pick), and LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis (35th pick).

Gone are Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak.

We'll have more on the blog on Friday as well as in The Sun, including the comments of the parties involved.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Associated Press is also reporting that the trade included the 35th pick going to Boston.

If accurate, the Celtics now have the 32nd and 35th picks later on tonight.

Stay tuned.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Seattle Sonics general manager, and Concord-Carlisle High School product, Sam Presti is commenting on the trade that has yet to be confirmed.

He told the Associated Press:

"We are thrilled to have Kevin. But at the same time, to make the decision to move a player — and a person — like Ray Allen was tremendously difficult. Boston really pursued this. What started as a smaller conversation became fulfilled. Their pursuit was impeccable.”

Presti was not the only one commenting.

“I want to personally compliment Ray Allen; Ray Allen the person and Ray Allen the outstanding, professional player,” said team chairman Clay Bennett. “We appreciate the career of Ray Allen in this market. And we wish him the very best.”

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

No confirmation from the Celtics or the NBA yet that the trade is official.

In the meantime, this is how the options shook out for the Celtics as far as if they were drafting for themselves:

Al Horford went well ahead of the fifth pick, as expected, being chosen by Atlanta with the third pick.

Jeff Green, Yi Jianlian (sixth pick, Milwaukee), Corey Brewer (seventh pick, Minnesota), Brandan Wright (eighth pick, Charlotte), and Joakim Noah (ninth pick, Chicago) were all available to Boston.

Florida State’s Al Thornton, who Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said may be the second-best scorer in the draft, went 14th to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics selected Jeff Green with the fifth overall pick in tonight’s NBA Draft.

ESPN’s Andy Katz is reporting that the Celtics have agreed on a trade with the Seattle Supersonics in which the fifth pick (now Jeff Green), forward/guard Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West will go to the Sonics in exchange for guard Ray Allen.

Green is a 6-foot-9 235-pound swing player out of Georgetown who was selected this past year as a Third Team All-America as well as the Big East Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA East Regional.

Stay tuned for more. It figures to be a while before the Celtics confirm the trade.

PLAYER CLUB OVERALL TODAY THRU 1 Phil Smith Vesper +1 +2 18 2 Doug Parigian LM +3 Even 18 3 Shawn Scott LM +6 +6 18 4 Ryan Friel Vesper +11 -1 18 5 Dean Demitropoulos Vesper +12 +9 18

See you next year!

7:33 Smith puts the exclamation point on his victory with a birdie on #17. Parigian and Scott both par, but this thing is O-V-E-R.

7:26 The thunder is moving in closer. It's going to be touch and go here to see if we can get all 18 in.

7:24 Three groups remaining on the course after Steve Jackson turns in 81 (235), Scott Pare 80 (234) and John Breen 85 (239).

7:21 Smith and Parigian par #16. Scott bogeys to drop another stroke back. With 2-holes to play, Phil Smith is sitting pretty with a 3-stroke lead.

7:18 Another group in. Jeff Monahan 83 (237)...Eric Okvist 83 (237)...Mark Lemond 84 (238)

7:08 The tournament is over for all intents and purposes. Shawn Scott just took a quadruple bogey 8 on the par-4 15th. Phil Smith bogeyed the hole and Doug Parigian held par to move into a tie for 2nd with Scott.

Correction: I miscounted somewhere along the way. Parigian is actually alone in 2nd place at +4 for the tournament, 3-strokes behind Smith.

7:03 Dean Koravos 78 (232)...Peter Harrison 82 (237)...Keith Caples 82 (237).

Ryan Friel is still your leader in the clubhouse, and even though his +11 won't win the tournament when all the scores are in, he's already made a huge climb in the final standings with only 5-groups remaining out on the course.

6:56 One more group has gone final. John Dixon 76 (231), David Walshe 79 (234), Keith Stone 76 (232)

6:51 Apologies, again, for not being able to provide hole-by-hole updates on the 2nd to last grouping of Perrin, Demitropoulos and K. Micavich. They are about a hole ahead of the final threesome, and since none of them are making a charge, both Dave Pevear and Rick Harrison are staying with the final group.

6:48 Stop me if you've heard this one before. Smith, Scott and Parigian all par #14, the third consecutive hole the trio has parred. Smith still leads by a stroke.

6:43 We have a new leader in the clubhouse. Vespers Ryan Friel cards the first score below the break even point today, a 1-under 71, good for 227 on the tournament and first place temporarily. The rest of the group has Bushnell carding a 76 (232) and Dan Villemaire 82 (234).

To give you an idea of how well these kids are playing, Larry Martin once won the tournament with the same +11 (227) score Friel just turned in.

(The most recent entries appear on this page. To read what has already transpired, just click on the "Read Full Entry" link below)

Did I get your attention there? I thought so!

No, the trade has not happened (yet) and no, I do not have any inside info. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you that I now strongly believe Kevin Garnett will be in a Boston Celtics uniform next year. Here’s why;

Despite all the teams and names being thrown around as possibilities in 3-way, 4-way, 21-way talks, whatever talks are ongoing, the best possible deal for the Minnesota Timberwolves is still the one with the Celtics. The Lakers don’t have enough to get it done. The Suns don’t unless they include Amare Stoudemire, which they don’t want to do. The T’Wolves don’t want Garnett playing in the Western Conference. The 4-way deal bringing Indiana into the mix ended when the Celtics walked away because they aren’t going to include Al Jefferson in any deal that doesn’t land Garnett. Kevin McHale clearly thinks Jefferson and that #5 pick are the best possible deal for his team, barring a change of heart in Phoenix about including Stoudemire. Danny Ainge realizes he has to do something big or Paul Pierce will demand a trade, ruining any leverage the C’s might have in trade talks involving their existing star. Put all the pieces together, and it becomes clear that the Boston-Minnesota deal has to get done because it’s in the best interests of all parties involved.

For all the criticism Dealer Danny has earned around these parts, I think he’s done an outstanding job setting up for just this scenario over the last few years. In the sweepstakes to acquire the best available player on the market, the Celtics have more desirable assets than anyone else willing to make the trade. Ainge is the one who acquired those assets. He’s the one who smartly backed out of the 4-way deal, realizing he still has what McHale really wants, so why give it up for Jermaine O’Neal. I’m sure Danny would have gladly taken O’Neal if it only meant giving up #5 and Gerald Green, but not Big Al. And even if he doesn’t land KG, Ainge will come out of Thursday with either Shawn Marion or Pau Gasol without giving up Jefferson, to satisfy Pierce, because he has the most cheap, tradable assets of anyone.

Kevin Garnett is definitely coming to Boston. Remember, you heard it here first! (Feel free to tell me that you think all this dizzying trade talk has made me finally go insane!)

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

You think you were shocked when you found out Bruins General Manager fired Dave Lewis, how do you think the players of the team felt? I had the opportunity to chat with goalie Tim Thomas and forward Mark Mowers about Claude Julien and other things Bruins.

"It was a surprise when Coach Lewis was fired, I don't think too many people knew that was going to happen," netmider Thomas said. "I got to see Claude Julien (Thursday) night and he seemed like a nice, genuine guy. Noone is happy when a coach gets fired but having said that, reality is we have another coach and hopefully we're successful under him."

Mowers was equally as shocked.

"Yeah, you could say that. I think because of the timing of the whole thing and I don't think I was the only one who felt that it was a shock," Mowers said. "It was disappointing because I know Dave and I know he means well. He was trying everything he could to turn things around last year. With that being said, it's part of the business, so we have to move on."

Mowers was the only player on the team last year to play previously for Lewis in Detroit and Mowers explained some of the differences.

"I know it's different, it's a completely different situation than what we had in Detroit," Mowers said. "You know a lot of veteran guys that have been there a while - he had a pretty good core there that he could coach. Here it was 12 or 13 new faces, it was new coaches, everything was new to him. Also, I'm sure it was pretty difficult for him trying to get things together, bringing the chemistry together. I think that was part of the reason we weren't successful."

Mowers also added, the team itself was dealing with trying to build the chemistry on and off the ice.

"That was one of the reasons we just couldn't get it together for long stretches last year," Mowers explained. "It's just tough. You don't know what guys bring to the table; we weren't consistent in what we were doing out there as individuals and definitely knowing each person's personality and how you get along with guys whether it's short periods of time or throughout the duration of the season."

With that said, Mowers thinks training camp this year and the season itself will be more affective because the guys know each other better.

"It's going to be huge for us," Mowers said. "I think Axelsson and Murray were the main veteran guys who came back (last year) and (Bergeron) had two years, but was a young kid so I think you'll see a difference. I think we'll see it as a team in the locker room more than people on the outside.

"It will be a little sense of relief (heading into camp this year) because you do know guys and you won't be walking on your toes and looking over your shoulder. You do have a new coach and a new staff and obviously things didn't go well last year so you are starting over and it's going to be a fresh start for all of us because we don't want to repeat what happened last season."

Mowers like Thomas had the chance to meet and talk with Julien and sees similarities between his new coach and Lewis.

"To be honest with you, talking with him he seems, his overall big picture seems similar to Dave some differences ou know, but he's not a guy that's going to slap you across your face if you're not doing your job," Mowers said. "I do think he brings some accountability to it. He's a laid back guy. He wants to have fun. He wants to bring an upbeat atmosphere in the locker room and during practices and guys not being stressed and worrying all the time. We'll see how it goes. I think it's just us coming together as a team and hopefully he can find a way to bring us together as a strong group."

Considered an adopted native because he played his four years of college hockey at UNH, Mowers said one of the things he was most excited about signing in Boston was having the opportunity to make hockey and the Bruins relative in the Hub again.

"The bottom line in sports, I think, is you have to win to attract the fans," Mowers said. "It's tougher these days than I think in the 70s and even in the 80s, when the ticket prices weren't as expensive. So I understand as a family and a hockey fan, why would I want to go and see a bunch of guys lose game? I think it's up to us as players to go out there and put out a good product, whether it be to be a much grittier team that's harder to play against or a team that's free wheeling, making pretty plays, putting more pucks in the back of the net.

"It was one of the things I was most excited about when I had the chance to sign in Boston was bringing it back, bringing that feeling back because I know there are so many hockey fans in this city. And for me, I'm getting older, I'm in my 30s now, to be a part of rejuvenating hockey in Boston would be an unbelievable feeling. Like I said it's up to us. Hopefully it can happen because I think it would be pretty exciting in this town if we even actually get into the playoffs and getting that feeling back again."

Thomas also puts it on the team to bring the fans back to the Garden.

"Wins is the biggest thing, play exciting hockey," Thomas said. "Play in your face hockey. Be aggressive all over the ice and don't back down to anybody."

Thomas said he knew of the rumors circulating that GM Peter Chiarelli was looking to trade for a top tier goalie and the current netminder said whether or not they are successful in trading for Manny Fernandez or Ilya Bryzgalov it doesn't change his mindset.

"I've never really competed against the other goalie on my team," Thomas said. "I've always kind of thought about it in the way is the team needs to win the most games no matter who's playing. Obviously, I'd be going into camp trying to do the best that I can to help the team out the best that I could when I get to play or even if the coach decides that I'm not playing that night. So it doesn't really change how I feel going into camp. My job is to show up in shape and be the best goalie that I can."

When asked if he were the GM of the Bruins, Mowers picked the fellow former Hockey East skater among the list of Scott Gomez, Daniel Briere and Chris Drury.

"If I was the GM, they're all great players, either one you're going to be alright, but I would probably take Drury," Mowers said. "I played against him four years in college and I've played against him in the pros now. He's a winner, he knows how to get it done and he does everything for the game. He's rugged, he gets his nose dirty and obviously he can score some goals, that's who'd I go for. I don't know if it's possible for us this year, but it would be nice."

I have to say I agree with Mowers, I would love for Chris Drury to sign in Boston when the free agency market opens on July,1. Who would you sign if you were Peter Chiarelli?

The theme of the week; There's a lot to like about Lowell.

Maybe we’re not Boston, but where else in the Massachusetts, or the United States for that matter, can you find so many entertainment options in a city this size? Most big cities dwarf their surrounding areas, gobbling up all the events and leaving nothing but small-time local or school alternatives for residents who don’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of a metropolis.

Those of us who turn to the sports pages first have it even better, a point driven home while reading a pair of articles about the Lowell Men’s City Golf Tournament in Sunday’s Sun. Despite being contested for the 82nd time, “The Cities” never grows old. And though it’s steeped in tradition, the tourney keeps up with modern times by chronicling that history on a dedicated website at www.lowellcitiesgolf.com.

Web surfers get an added bonus this year when yours truly packs up the laptop Wednesday and heads over to Vesper Country Club. If you can’t sneak away from the home or office but want up-to the minute final round updates, this is the place to be. The best part is you can interact with me by offering your questions or thoughts in the “comments” section and I’ll be more than happy to chat.

Now then, because I’m not one to keep an opinion to myself, how about I offer up my personal favorite while running down the list of contenders;

The New England Collegiate Baseball League features a good brand of baseball, but the Lowell All-Americans have too much competition from another local diamond entry to bat any higher than 7th on this list. Ditto for the New England Riptide, who might climb a few spots if they could just convince Jenny Finch to show up at Martin Field.

This is where it gets tricky. The Lowell Spinners provide an opportunity to catch future members of the Red Sox in action, and the Ripken-esque streak of consecutive sellouts is testament to their wild popularity. My hunch is they win the voting, though they’ll have to settle for runner-up status on this ballot.

Why, you ask? Because I’m a sucker for boxing’s electric atmosphere. The Golden Gloves may currently lack the star local attractions of the glory days, but even a bout between a pair of no-names has the entire crowd on its feet when the combatants let loose in a flurry of flying fists. If you’ve been there for one of those donnybrooks, you know there isn’t a sporting event in the city that matches it.

Your list may vary, and I’m sure you’ll be more than happy to tell me why. But there’s one thing we can’t argue about; When it comes to quality sporting events, you don’t have to stray far from home.

Lowell is as big city as it gets.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The New England Riptide roster is still a little fluid, but they will likely have all their players together for the remainder of the season.

The Riptide were without slugger Tarrah Beyster and pitcher Erica Beach on Friday night.

Beyster, who is an assistant softball coach at Indiana University, and Beach, an assistant coach with the Ohio State Buckeyes, were both hitting the recruiting trail while New England hosted the Chicago Bandits in the second game of a four-game set.

Rookie outfielder Alex Sutton stepped into the starting lineup on Friday night. Sutton blasted her first home run last week against Venezuela. She is currently hitting .292.

Friday night also marked the return of third baseman Jackie Pasquerella. She is a teacher during the off-season. The New York native did play in games earlier in the season, but had to return to the Big Apple to fulfill her job commitments.

Bandits digging a whole

While the Chicago Bandits have had the best regular season record in each of the last two seasons, they find themselves in the NPF cellar entering today’s game with a record of 7-12 (.368 winning percentage).

The Bandits have been short-handed for a lot of the early stages due to college players arriving late as well as Vick Galindo and Jennie Finch leaving for Team USA.

They’ll be in and out as the U.S. National Team schedule dictates.

“It‘s difficult to say bye to a Jennie Finch or a Vicky Galindo,” said Bandits head coach Mickey Dean. “Not knowing you’re going to have them for a month, month and a half, but you wish them well. You hope they do great things, and I know they will.”

They don’t make the schedule

After the conclusion of this week’s series, the Riptide welcome in Philadelphia (5-6, .455) for four games before going to Philly for another four. The Force currently sit ahead of Chicago and behind the Riptide (9-6, .600) in the standings.

Back-to-back-to-back series against the current bottom feeders of the league could provide New England the opportunity to gain ground in the standings.

Among the leaders

Riptide players are among the top five in batting average, RBI, stolen bases, wins, and strikeouts.

Shanel Scott is third in batting average (.385), and leads the NPF in stolen bases (13). Lyndsey Angus is second in RBI (16), Erica Beach’s four wins tie her for fourth, and Eileen Canney’s 42 strikeouts rank fourth among pitchers. Canney has pitched just 25 1/3 innings.

Boy, it’s been a while since the Celtics have dominated the New England sports discussion, hasn’t it? But that’s exactly what’s been happening these past few days, and the intensity only figures to increase as next Thursday’s NBA draft approaches.

With that in mind, we have a great SunTalk Live show in store for you Monday night. Lynn Worthy co-hosts the hour long hoops hysteria. Concord, New Hampshire’s Matt Bonner joins us in the opening segment to discuss the San Antonio Spurs championship run and what the future holds in store as he enters free agency.

Next up, Rick Alonzo of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (a sister publication of the Lowell Sun) phones in from Minnesota to catch us up on the latest Kevin Garnett trade talk. Is there still life in the KG to Boston trade talks? We’ll find out from a hoops writer living in the land of 1,000 lakes.

If that isn't enough, we'll then hear from Rich Hammond. Hammond writes for the Los Angeles Daily News (another Sun sister paper) and maintains a blog called Inside the Lakers. He's been on top of the Kobe Bryant upheaval and will have the latest info on what's going on there.

As always, the lines are open for you folks to chime in with your thoughts on what the Celtics should and shouldn’t do on draft night or to ask our guests any questions. One word of warning, however; Lynn and I don’t always see eye to eye on the direction the C’s are heading, so watch out not to get caught in the crossfire! (I kid, of course. Lynn’s a great guy, even if he knows nothing about basketball…LOL!)

Showtime is 7-8pm…as always, dial in a few minutes early if you want to talk to our guests…the number is (978)364-TALK (8255). We've worked hard to put such an oustanding lineup together. Join in and see what all the fuss is about!

1) Garnett Not Ga-Ga for Green: Do you now understand the dilemma Danny Ainge and the Celtics face in trying to become relevant again?

Celtics fans (and all fans in general) have a way of overvaluing their own team and talent. But as you can see from Kevin Garnett and Shawn Marion expressing no desire to come to Boston, the rest of the league isn’t exactly enamored with our young players and their potential to become champions in the future. That’s why acquiring a Garnett is so important; you have to be perceived as a championship caliber team to entice championship caliber players to come play for you instead of other franchises.

P.S. I don’t believe the KG trade is completely dead yet. Obviously, Ainge and McHale worked out an agreeable package. If other teams don’t step up, the T’Wolves could just tell Garnett he’d have to spend another year in Minnesota and a situation that is worse than Boston’s. Sure, he’d like to force a trade to the Suns (who wouldn’t?), but if KG realizes that’s not going to happen, he might very well change his mind on coming to the Celtics. After all, the T’Wolves don’t exactly have any Paul Pierces on their roster to make Garnett’s life any easier.

Tejada fractured a bone in his left wrist after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday night, but came to the plate Thursday and feebly attempted a bunt before being immediately removed from the game. The shame is, the fracture will probably end the shortstop’s streak of 1,152 consecutive games played soon enough. It wasn’t necessary to injure his reputation in the process and make a mockery of what is already an impressive accomplishment even if he gets nowhere near Cal Ripken, Jr. It was a bush-league maneuver, something the Orioles should never have allowed if they were concerned about the integrity of the game.

No wonder Joe Girardi said “thanks, but no thanks” to Baltimore’s offer to manage the team.

What do you think gang? Is the Garnett deal dead? How can the Celtics ever hope to contend if they can’t seem to win the draft lottery and no All-Star players want to come here? Were you embarrassed for Tejada and the Orioles after that stunt? Do you think he’s going to try to play through a fractured wrist and make an even bigger mockery of his streak? Will the Orioles allow it?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Days after TSN-Canada and other media outlets were announcing Claude Julien would be named as the 28th head coach of the Boston Bruins, the club held a press conference at TD Banknorth Garden to make it official.

"First of all I’d like to thank the Jacobs family, Peter and the organization for giving me the opportunity to be part of a team that has obviously a great history and rich tradition," Julien said. "I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing this team to the level of expectation that the organization, the players and most importantly the fans want."

Julien, 47, was quick to respond when he was asked what his impression of his new team was.

"This team has a lot of potential and has a lot of great players. We all know what this team has and some great leadership as well," Julien said."And basically I want to come in here, as I’ve done with many of my teams in the past, and be a team that’s well structured and be a team that’s going to work together as a group pulling in the same direction."

Julien added he wants his team to be a harder team to play against.

"Obviously, defensively we want to certainly cut down on the goals against and limit the scoring chances," Julien explained. "Also harder to play against can be the physical part of it and offensively we want to be able to go at them by finishing our checks and driving hard to the net and doing the things that it takes to score goals. You want to be gritty in all areas and I think that’s what we want to establish here and we established that now with just a few players but with the whole group."

When asked if the Bruins would play the "trap defense" the New Jersey Devils made famous, Julien explained what "trap defense" really means.

"When you look back at the game tapes, everyone plays what every calls the 'trap', obviously some are more aggressive but I think the bottom line is we want to be a team, as I mentioned earlier, that’s going to be hard to play against and you want to be aggressive you want to recover the puck as quick as you can its always important that your first forechecker goes in there hard and finishes his checks and I think people want to see physical part of the game which we want to implement but at the same time we have to realize the rules in this game have changed. You have to have some adjustments made because of the rule changes," Julien said. "Nonetheless I think we want to be aggressive we want to be a physical type of team as physical as we can be within the rules but nonetheless the bottom line is we’re going to have a structure that’s going to have everybody playing the same way and if we do that I think we’re going to be a harder team to play against."

Julien touched on the fact that he has coached Patrice Bergeron and being from Ottawa has seen Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara play on numerous occassions and that was another reason he chose to coach here, besides the rich history.

Julien said the club is not looking to reinvent the game.

"We’re going to establish a system here that is comfortable for everyone, its going to be simple, I don’t think we’re looking to complicate the game, we’re not looking to reinvent it," Julien said. " All it is, is good execution and I think if you can get that stability and making sure the players understand and they don’t have to think too much, it becomes automatic and that’s when your team becomes successful."

What exactly does Julien think of his captain Zdeno Chara?

"Well I think first of all the Boston Bruins should be so excited to have a player of his nature on (their) hockey team," Julien said. "He’s such a great competitor; he's such a great player and obviously when maybe things don’t go as well as you’d like them to go as a team a lot of times the pressure is put on the leaders and I think if you look at his game last year you can never criticize his work ethic and I think part of it is if everyone around him plays better we know that he’s also going to be an even bigger impact and a bigger asset.

"I have no worries that Z will be a big part of this hockey club and be a great leader and no doubt, I’m telling you right now, he will have a great season."

Julien has posted an NHL coaching record of 119-95-24 during three seasons with Montreal and one with the Devils. His playoff record is four wins and seven losses - the four wins came against the Bruins when the Candiens came back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Bs in the opening round of the 2004 playoffs.

General Manger Peter Chiarelli said Julien has always "had the ability integrate youth into the line-up."

"He has the ability to elevate their level of play and that was one of the factors in deciding on him," Chiarelli said. "In short, Claude is a very task driven and determined individual who displays a passion for discipline and I’d like to welcome him to the organization."

Chiarelli aslo noted that Julien's record in his first year in Montreal (2003-2004) was the best record the Canadiens had had in 10-years. Chiarelli did not comment on the lenght of the Julien's contract. He did say both himself and Julien would work together in naming an assistant coach.

Julien is the seventh coach for the Bruins since 2000 (Mike Keenan, Robbie Ftorek, Mike O'Connell, Mike Sullivan and Dave Lewis) - will he have what it takes to lead the Bruins to the level of play that brings success? With a new coach in place, what else do the Bruins need to do? New York Post hockey writer Larry Brooks gave his take on WEEI this morning.

"I don't think they're a playoff team," Brooks said on the Dale and Holley Show. "They still have holes from the back all the way up."

Do you think this is a good move by Chiarelli and the Bruins? What does Julien truly bring to the rink? Will he have more success with this team than Lewis?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The New England Riptide got official word this week that the three rookie players invited to tryout for the Women's National Team will not be leaving throughout the season.

Outfielder Gina Carbonatto, infielder Garland Cooper, and pitcher Eileen Canney were not selected as part of the 17-player roster for Team USA, allowing them to spend the entirety of their rookie NPF seasons with the Riptide.

USA Softball announced the selections on Monday. The Women's National Team schedule this summer includes the Canada Cup (June 28-July 8), the KFC World Cup of Softball in Oklahom City (July 11-16), and The Women's Pan American Games in Brazil (July 17-30).

In 2005, the Riptide lost ace pitcher Jocelyn Forest, pitcher Leigh Ann Ellis and shortstop Jessica Merchant to the U.S. Elite as well as first baseman/outfielder Kellie Wilkerson to the U.S. National Team. Pitcher Mariangee Bogado left to join Venezuela's Women's National Team in 2006.

Well, my dream Celtics scenario isn’t quite reality, but at least other outlets are talking about it now. So with Danny Ainge acknowledging he’s at least spoken to Minnesota about Kevin Garnett, here’s a little question for those (and according to the comments on CelticsBlog.com, that would be the vast majority of you out there) who don’t want to give up Al Jefferson and the #5 pick to land KG; ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN’ MINDS????

Hey, look folks. I love Big Al, too. Heck, I could even fall in love with that 5th pick, provided it’s the right player. I like Delonte West, Ryan Gomes, Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Gerald Green and every other lovable loser on the current C’s roster. They’re all nice guys and nice little players who can contribute under the right circumstances. You know, circumstances like IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THE GREATEST PLAYERS TO PLAY THE GAME ON YOUR TEAM!!!!

For the love of God, people! Has it been that long since the Celtics have been relevant that you’ve all lost your minds about what it takes to be a good NBA team? Please spare me the Al Jefferson is the future of this franchise garbage. He’s a good player who will only get better with time. I wouldn’t trade him for Pau Gasol, Shawn Marion or Rashard Lewis. I’m so glad Ainge didn’t trade him for Allen Iverson. But by the time Jefferson gets to his peak, Paul Pierce will be dipping his dentures in Poly-Grip.

I realize it’s a long shot. But when you have an opportunity to get a 31-year old superstar to pair alongside a very good 29-year old player and match them up in a pathetic Eastern Conference, you have to make that deal. Even minus Big Al, the #5 pick and whatever else the T’Wolves desire, there will be enough extra pieces to make the C’s a legit title contender for at least the next 3-years. And that doesn’t take into account the scores of veteran contributors who will flock to Boston for the chance to earn a ring playing alongside Garnett and Pierce. Remember all the vets who flew south to Miami to play alongside Shaq and Wade?

We’ve spent the last two decades worrying about the Celtics future. I say the hell with that. I want to win. The future is now!

What are your thoughts on the latest Kevin Garnett rumors? Can anyone give a logical argument why you don’t make the deal in a heartbeat?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

According to the Associated Press, former Celtics big man and University of Hartford graduate Vin Baker, 35, was spotted driving erratically after leaving Foxwoods Resort Casino, according to a state police report. He failed a sobriety test and was charged with driving while impaired.

Baker has battled depression and alcohol issues for several years. He was released by the Celtics during the 2003-04 season.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed this afternoon that Celtics general manager Chris Wallace has accepted the general manager's position with the Memphis Grizzlies.

"Chris has been great for me, very loyal," Ainge said following pre-draft workouts in Waltham. "Under the circumstances that I came in, he was very deligent and loyal to the Boston Celtics and me for keeping him on board and giving him an opportunity to resume his career. We have a great friendship, a great trust and Chris will be missed. We'll have to rally internally."

Ainge also added that it could be as late as August or Septemeber before decisions are made on promoting and or hiring to fill in the loss in the basketball operations staff.

He was unaware of details as to how soon Wallace would start his duties with Memphis.

In a 2002 “thriller,” Jodie Foster starred as a mom desperately trying to protect her daughter (or was it son?) from a band of Forrest Whittaker-led robbers by hiding out in a specially designed safe shelter within her house. Unfortunately for those who wasted big bucks seeing this bomb at the theaters, the only thing thrilling about Panic Room was when the final credits rolled.

That poorly constructed plot (almost as poorly constructed as the beginning of this column) pales in comparison to the ridiculous story lines playing out around these parts prior to the Red Sox weekend sweep of the Giants. As great an actress as Ms. Foster is, even she can’t come close to portraying the fear on the faces of the faithful when the Evil Empire closed to within single digits in the American League East.

“June Swoon” screamed the headlines. “The Yankees are coming” shouted the pink hats. “They’re ruining our summah” cried talk radio hosts and callers. Panic had set in, and there wasn’t a room safe enough to hide in till the bad guys went away.

Well folks, take it from someone who knows a thing or two about negativity; Relax! Take a chill pill! Your Boston Red Sox are still the best team in baseball. They are still the odds-on favorites to bring home another championship in October. And no matter how much closer the Yankees get in the standings, Boston’s Boys of Summer will still enter the post-season chase as AL East champions.

Quite frankly, I’m a little surprised at all you worry warts out there. I thought 2004 cured everyone of this nonsensical talk about collapses and curses. I don’t care how many times prior to that magical autumn the Sox had coughed up a lead, the incredible manner with which they crawled out of a 3-love hole to vanquish their tormentors should have finally put this inferiority complex to bed.

So take my advice and enjoy your summer. Work on the tan. Hone the golf swing. Take off on that long-awaited vacation. When you come back after Labor Day, the Sox will be exactly where they are right now; comfortably ahead of the Yankees and setting up the rotation for the playoffs. If you don’t heed my advice, you’ll be asked to skip dessert and sent directly to your room.

The panic room!

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting today that Chris Wallace, the general manager of the Boston Celtics, has been hired to take over for Jerry West as the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The announcement could come as soon as today, according to the report.

Wallace, who served as the general manager of the Celtics for the past 10 year, has worked under Danny Ainge since Ainge's arrival as director of basketball operations. Prior to his tenure in Boston he was the director of player personnel for the Miami Heat. Wallace has also worked in various capacities for Portland, Denver, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is stirring up trade talk again with a reported visit with owner Jerry Buss in Spain as well as a post on Kobe's website today.

Bryant writes in the post :

"The more I thought about the future, the more I became convinced that the Lakers and me just have two different visions for the future. The Lakers are pursuing a longer-term plan that is different from what Dr. Buss shared with me at the time I re-signed as a free agent. I have seen that plan unfold for the last three years and watched great trade opportunities come and go, and have seen free agents passed on. That has led to the Lakers not winning a playoff series. All of that was frustrating in itself, but then, this week to have someone "inside" the Laker organization try to blame me in the media for us not being a contender right now -- that is what brought me to my current position today.

"I want it to be clear that I still love, with all my heart, the Laker Legacy. From Mikan to West to Goodrich to Wilt to Kareem to Magic. That will never change. And the support my family and I have gotten from Lakers fans is undeniably the best. I will also always believe that."

Click here to read the full post from Bryant.

Let the rumors and speculation continue. It's open season on Kobe talk once again.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Offensive production hasn’t been a problem around Martin Field this week as the New England Riptide have scored 28 runs in the last three games leading into this afternoon’s fourth game against Team Venezuela.

The Riptide have upped their scoring average to 4.1 runs per game coming into today. This from a team that scored zero runs through the first two games of the season, and a squad that was held to five runs through the first four games.

The overall run production is almost identical compared to this point last year (through 11 games last year they were averaging 4.2 runs per game), but the potential for improvement is undeniable.

The 2006 National Pro Fast pitch (NPF) Player of the Year Lyndsey Angus summed it by saying that this year’s team won’t be able to get all the great bats they have in their lineup on certain days because there’s simple “no room.”

Angus, last year’s RBI leader with 23, has already piled up 13 RBI. The most runs scored by any Riptide player last year was 19. So far this season, two players, Carri Leto-Martin and Shanel Scott, have already recorded nine runs scored.

One of the major aspects that sets this Riptide team apart is speed, head coach Sharon Drysdale pointed out after Thursday’s game.

This season is shaping up as the year the base paths at Martin Field turn into a track meet. Lindy Winkler had a franchise-high eight stolen bases last season. Scott, the Oklahoma State speedster, has already swiped seven bases through 11 games.

Skeleton crew
The offensive production has come despite a lineup that featured several tweaks and adjustments this week as Drysdale didn’t have the full roster available.

Third baseman Jackie Pasquerella had to fulfill previous commitments that kept her from being with the team for the entire series, while newcomers Gina Carbonatto, Eileen Canney, and Garland Cooper were at tryouts for Team USA.

As a result, Lisa Iancin saw a lot of time at third base as opposed to second base, Leto-Martin stepped into second base, and the outfield was primarily roamed by the rookie trio of Alex Sutton, Scott and Lisa Modglin.

Sutton, the Riptide’s third pick in this year’s draft, and Modglin each hit the first home runs of their pro careers this weekend.

The Ritpide signed Shelly Porchaska a catcher player who graduated from Oregon State in 2003. This will be her first season in the NPF. Prior to her signing, K.J. Kelley was the only catcher on the Riptide roster though Angus had played the position in college.

A trip to the Beach
Pitcher Erica Beach has looked like the ace of the pitching staff early on. She came in to stop the bleeding as the Riptide pulled out a 9-8 victory against Venezuela on Thursday. Beach followed that up with a complete game on Friday in which Venezuela managed just two runs on five hits.

She is currently sporting a team-best earned run average of 2.20, while her wins (3) and strikeouts (22) put her amongst the top five in the NPF.

Beach, who was signed late last June after two seasons with the Arizona Heat, went 2-4 in seven starts in 2006.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Boston Bruins General Manager confirmed former Bs head coach Mike Milbury has been interviewed for the vacant position behind the bench.

"I talked to three or four candidates and Mike is one of them," Chiarelli told Greg Dickerson and Sean McAdam during an WEEI interview earlier today.

When he was asked what he likes about Milbury, Chiarelli responded with:

"He is very confident in his ability to judge and deal with a player, on a player to player basis; whether it be motivating or controlling and that's one of his fortes."

The GM may have confirmed one candidate, but that was it.

"I'm not confirming anyone else," Chiarelli said with a tone that told his interviewers and the listeners he would not budge.

He also wouldn't comment on whether or not he was going to be conducting more interviews this coming week.

When it was implied the Bruins needed to make "a big splash" in order to make the fans happy, Chiarelli was quick to nip that in the bud so to speak.

"I didn't make this decision to make 'a big splash'," Chiarelli said. "I made this decision to improve our coaching staff."

Guess some of the rumors are actually true - Chiarelli has already confirmed Milbury; could Taz be next? They were the last two Bs coaches to lead the team to the Stanley Cup Finals. How great would it be to have one of those two behind the bench again leading the Black and Gold?

1) No need to panic: I couldn’t believe how many people I spoke with this week that were beginning to panic about the Red Sox “slide” and the Yankees “resurrection.” Of course, the media doesn’t help by trumpeting headlines like “June Swoon” and pushing the panic button on sports talk radio.

Folks…New York needed to win 9 in a row just to get over the .500 mark and pull within 7 ½ games. Doesn’t that tell you all you need to know about how much of a struggle their season is going to be? And it’s not like they were ripping it up against the iron of the league during that stretch. The first time they run into a good team, the Mets shut them down 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. Believe me, their old pitching staff won’t stay healthy long enough to allow too many of these long winning streaks.

Meanwhile, do you realize the Red Sox longest streak of the year is 5? That’s kind of amazing when you consider their major league best .636 winning percentage. Rest assured, at some point (probably when Manny and Papi go on a tear) Boston’s Boys of Summer are going to heat up and rifle off their own 9-game run or 17-of-18 stretch.

Relax! Enjoy your summer. And enjoy watching the best team in baseball this year!

2) Time for another mea culpa; Dustin Pedroia is a good little player, and he’s only getting better.

I love watching him play…love his swing for the fences approach. A lot of smaller players play too small, settling for little punch hits here and there. This kid refuses to settle for that, never getting cheated on a swing. After a 5-for-5 night, he’s currently batting .331, and while he may not stay at those heights all year long, the move to the top of the order should help his productivity with Papi and Manny protecting him. He’s a marked improvement over Mark Loretta offensively and defensively.

Once again, I was wrr…I was wrrwrrrwrrrwrr….I was wrong!

What's your take on the state of the American League East race? Will there by any suspense this summer? How about Pedroia? Did anyone expect this kind of productivity?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

The night after rookie Phil Kessel received the Masterton at the NHL Awards ceremony; Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has relieved head coach Dave Lewis and associate coach Marc Habscheid of their coaching duties and will reassign them with in the organization.

Chiarelli said, in a 20-minute conference call, one of the things he evaluated during the process of coming to this decision was the inconsistant play of the 2006-07 team.

"We'd go through long stretches of good play, then we'd have long stretches of poor play," Chiarelli said. "I know the hockey season is full of ups and downs, but it showed me a level of play we could attain. I don't expect to be at that top level, but pretty darn close. That signaled it was time to make a change."

Chiarelli touched on the fact that he went through a review process of the team that included the coaching staff and players and "came to the conclusion that change needed to happen."

Nearly three months ago Chiarelli had said Lewis would be back as coach - but obviously he changed his mind.

"I did say they'd be back, but in fairness, I wanted to assess it myself," Chiarelli said. "I thought it would be unfair to make any decision at that time. I went through the process and came up with this result."

Chiarelli said Lewis and Habscheid were not completely to blame for the team's lack if success last season.

"These two individuals are not completely to blame," Chiarelli said. "The players have to shoulder some of this."

Lewis was the 27th coach in Bruins history and finished the season with a 35-41-6 record.

Chiarelli said he already has a list of candidates to take over behind the bench but would not disclose who was on that list, but did say he would like to have the new coach in place by July 1 - the first day of free agency.

"Any free agent that is going to consider a place to play, especially in this new system…they want to know who the coach is and what the coaching staff consists of," Chiarelli said.

Chiarelli added how important the coach's role is to the success of a team.

"Coaching is so important," Chiarelli said. "And you have to get it right."

Chiarelli did say he is looking for a coach that will be more aggressive on the forecheck and will hold the players more accountable than Lewis did.

"The players have to respond too," Chiarelli said. "And in fairness to Dave he came over from a team that had a lot of success ... Dave had his way of doing things and I made the assessment he wasn't compatible with our guys."

Chiarelli would not comment on whether or not Providence coach Scott Gordon was a candidate to fill the position with the big club, but did say he saw "A lot of good things in Scott. He's an impressive coach."

Assistant coach Doug Houda is being retained, but is not being considered to take the helm according to Chiarelli. Goaltending coach Bob Essensa is also staying on with the team.

So who could be on the short list of candidates?

Rumors are already flying (on the internet and various radio stations) that among the candidates could be Pat Quinn (who reportedly told a radio station in Toronto today he regretted not taking the job last year when he had the chance), Claude Julien (who was fired from New Jersey earlier this season) and former Bruins coach Mike Milbury.

I have to say that I was disappointed with Lewis and I'm glad he's gone. He never gave the lines a chance to gel before breaking them apart and never pushed the guys to their potential - JMO.
Chiarelli added he would not stand in the way of Lewis or Habscheid to pursue other options if they wanted. He also said he has "great respect" for both of them.

What do you think? Was Lewis made the fall guy or was Chiarelli's decision warranted after the poor season the Bruins had? Who would your choice be? I still wish some how, some way Chiarelli could convince Scotty Bowman to come out of retirement. What about Terry O'Reilly? Think he would ever consider coming back?

“If/when the Cavaliers advance to the finals, it’s easy to write them off as fodder for Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Don’t be so sure. LeBron finally gets it, and when the best player on the court KNOWS he’s the best player on the court, strange things tend to happen. Don’t forget, the NBA has been waiting for James to ascend the throne as well. I fully expect the refs to finally give King James the royal treatment in the playoffs, which could make all the difference in the world when a tight game enters the final minutes.”

Yup, you read that correctly. The paragraph is copied word for word from my post on June 1st. Not only did the Cavs get swept, but LeBron couldn’t get a foul call even when Bruce was intentionally trying to molest him in the final seconds of Game 3.

How much longer before Bud Light makes one of those Real Men of Genius radio ads poking fun at bloggers who think they know what they’re talking about?

On a serious note, congratulations to Spurs Forward and Concord, New Hampshire native Matt Bonner. "The Red Rocket" was kind enough to make a 1/2 hour guest appearance on SportsTalk Live over the winter. At the time, San Antonio was flying under the radar, battling to maintain home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. While most pundits had already buried them under an avalanche of praise for the Suns and Mavericks, Bonner spoke about the Spurs quiet confidence and how there didn't seem to be any panic. He said the team knew what needed to be done and how to do it. Lo and behold, he was right.

We like it when good things happen to good people!

Bud Selig, baseball’s favorite ostrich, is at it again, telling Jason Giambi to cooperate with George Mitchell’s steroids investigation or else. The “or else” is assumed to mean face suspension.

What’s apparently fueling Selig’s tough talk is Giambi’s quote in a USA Today story last month along the lines of everyone involved should have just stepped up and apologized for the things they were doing, meaning steroids. The Commissioner has since been working with the Players Union and Giambi’s reps to get the injured Yankees slugger to talk, and now feels emboldened enough to start rifling off threats.

I’d applaud Selig for his efforts here, except I find his tough stance with Giambi incredibly hypocritical when he’s doing nothing about the rest of the admitted steroid cheats, especially the one coming to Fenway this week as he gets closer to breaking the most storied record in all of baseball. He’s no better than those frauds in Yankees management who keep trying to weasel out of the ridiculous contract they gave Giambi when he’s struggling. They didn’t have a problem with Giambi when he was belting home runs left and right last summer, only when he’s batting under the Mendoza line. Notice how Yankees management didn’t have a problem with Gary Sheffield’s steroid use?

Take a stand, Bud! Get as tough on Bonds and the rest of them as you are getting with Giambi. Order them to speak to Mitchell. Threaten them with suspension. When the media asks if you’re going to attend Bonds’ record breaking moment, don’t respond with a “no comment” or an “I haven’t made up my mind yet.” Say you won’t be caught dead anywhere near the history making home run because it’s a disgrace to the grand history of the game you so dearly love. Take a cue from Bart Giamatti, who basically went to his grave early because he didn’t want a slimeball like Pete Rose to ruin baseball’s image. That’s what a “leader” does.

An ostrich keeps his head buried in the sand, peeking out only to attack an already fallen prey.

What do you think of Selig's threats against Giambi? Should he be forced to testify if the rest of the guilty parties aren't forced to?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

You’ve heard plenty of talk about Spurs guard Tony Parker if you’ve been watching the NBA Finals, but according to the ratings, not many of you are.

Even so, USA Today had a feature on Parker yesterday that delved into his upstaging of LeBron James, his rise to one of the elite point guards and his pending marriage to Eva Longoria.

Of note for Celtics fans is how Parker has transformed himself offensively while dramatically deemphasizing the three-point shot.

Perhaps Parker is a blueprint for the type of game the Celtics should hope for point guard Rajon Rondo to develop.

From Yesterday’s USA Today, story by Greg Boeck:

"It's a mind-set," Parker says, "the way you think and the way you approach the game, the way you forget about misses. I use my penetration, and when they stop it, I use my jump shot."

Parker, who at 6’2” and 180 pounds is just slightly bigger than Rondo (6’1” and 171), has a career three point shooting percentage of 31.8 percent. In his worst three-point shooting season, 2004-05, he was hitting at a 27.6 percent clip.

This season Rondo, who played in 78 games, shot 41.8 percent from the field, but was just 6 of 29 (20.7 percent) from downtown.

He shot 28.3 percent from behind the arch (49.3 percent overall) in two seasons at the University of Kentucky.

While Sebastian Telfair still remains on the Celtics roster, he doesn’t figure to play prominently into the team’s plans. Danny Ainge has said previously that they’re not looking to draft a point guard, and the team hasn’t worked out any point guards and hasn’t expressed any intention of doing so.

The door appears open for Rondo to take center stage. He has shown flashes such as this preseason and last year in the NBA’s summer league in Las Vegas.

If nothing else comes from the NBA Finals, Celtics fans may see the sort of standard being set for how successful a smaller guard like Rondo can be offensively.

Click the comments link below to share your thoughts.

On the heels of the Shawn Marion to the Celtics possibilities, I thought I’d throw out this rumor picking up steam on internet sites like CelticsBlog.com; Seattle’s Rashard Lewis to the Celtics.

There were previous rumors involving a Boston-Seattle deal focusing on Sonics Center Robert Swift (long a Danny Ainge favorite) which didn’t particularly excite me. The most interesting aspect of the Lewis talk is that the C’s think they have a chance to get it done without sacrificing the #5 pick, allowing them to use that as leverage for another trade or keep it and select who they want. Of course, the sticking point for the Sonics on this one is that they DO want the #5 pick in any deal. On the surface, it sounds foolish that Ainge could land a young player of Lewis’ quality without including that draft choice, but here’s why it might work;

Lewis controls the trade game here. He is a free agent. All he has to do is sign with a team and Seattle loses him without getting anything in return. The one bargaining chip the Sonics possess is that the team Lewis wants to sign with might not have the salary cap space to give him top dollar (the Celts don't), which is why the way these things normally go down is to have the player sign with his original team for max money (teams can pay whatever they want above the salary cap to sign their own players), then get traded to the team he REALLY wants to sign with for some previously agreed upon compensation package that is usually nowhere near the actual value of the player in question. Of course, Lewis could just decide to play in Boston for whatever room the C’s have under the cap, meaning Ainge doesn’t have to give up anything in return, but we know that’s not how things work in free agency, don’t we? Further complicating a possible trade is talk that Lewis is buddies with Gerald Green and wouldn’t agree to any swap that includes Green going to Seattle. Got all that?

Here’s what we do know about Rashard Lewis; he’s a soon-to-be 28-year old, smooth shooting, 6’10” 215-pound small forward who’s been in the NBA for 9-years (didn’t realize he’d been around that long until I looked him up) after entering the league straight out of high school. He’s averaged 16.6ppg, with a career-best 22.4ppg in 2006-07.

My take? Straight up, I like Shawn Marion better. However, if you can get Lewis AND keep the #5 pick, I take that one in a heartbeat and never look back.

Now then, what do you think? Is this (or the Marion thing) a real possibility? Or am I still walking around in a fog after the May 22nd draft night kick in the jimmy and just looking for something to grasp onto?

Some arresting thoughts while wondering exactly what Paris Hilton has accomplished in life to warrant helicopter coverage of her car ride (Hey, at least O.J. won a Heisman Trophy, set a few rushing records and jumped over suitcases in an airport before his chopper chase);

Hearing that our favorite heirhead cried for mommy in the courthouse confirms something I learned covering famous athletes. Despite their celebrity status, when you get right down to it, they’re really no different than you or I when it comes to messing up. In fact, the spotlight actually works against them because the youthful indiscretions they were rarely punished for suddenly become adult crimes that must be prosecuted to set an example, as Michael “The Dogfather” Vick will soon find out.

Other than Sheriff Lee Baca, the person who’d most like to forget Paris this week is Roger Federer. Can any tennis players out there explain to me how a guy can so dominate every other surface, yet be less competent with clay than Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun 2 ½?

Reports out of Foxboro indicate Randy Moss consistently finished last among receivers in conditioning sprints. That tells me one of two things, and I’m not sure yet which one is more troubling; 1) He’s still the same loafer he was with the Raiders or 2) He’s lost a lot of the speed that made him special for a big receiver. Fantasy Football owners using a high draft pick on Moss are going to be more disappointed than fans of The Sopranos.

The good news is the Patriots have a much better receiving corps than last year, even without the man on the moon. I wonder which new arrival Tom Brady is going to be more excited about, the Stallworth-Welker combo or his soon-to-be-born first child?

‘Tis the season to play in charity golf tournaments, as anyone who’s tried in vain to make a Monday morning tee time can attest. With that in mind, here’s some tee-to-green advice to help put together an unbeatable scramble foursome;

Which brings us to my shameless plug of the week; the 5th Annual Hellenic-American Academy Golf Tournament, taking place this coming Monday at Andover Country Club. The bash benefits the school’s endowment trust and boasts one of the best prize raffles to be found, not to mention an incredibly diverse collection of hackers. They even managed to convince our church priest, Father Strongilis, to tee it up for a few holes last year…in 95-degree heat! Thankfully, he had a collared shirt.

At last check, there were a couple of open foursomes. For more info on how to sign up or contribute, call Kathy at (978)502-9936.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Danny Ainge let it be known on the night of the lottery that the Celtics would listen to suitors for the fifth pick in this month's NBA Draft.

On Thursday, he indicated that not much had surfaced in terms of serious trade possibilities, saying, “Everybody’s kind of posturing and feeling it out. The people who are interested in the fifth pick are probably interested in the third and fourth pick as well. So there’s a lot of posturing. There really isn’t solid offers, but there’s been lots of discussion.”

The draft isn’t until June 28, and last year’s deals didn’t take place until the day of the draft. After the draft it also looked like the Celtics might make another deal (remember, Allen Iverson talk was popular). Different trade rumors might continue to creep out up until draft night and after the draft.

In the meantime, the Celtics will continue to prepare as though they're selecting fifth overall. This morning the Celtics will work out Brandon Wright from the University of North Carolina, Joakim Noah of Florida and Courtney Sims of Michigan.

But since it was floated out there…

Some quick notes on Shawn Marion also known as “The Matrix.”

Marion, an All-Star and one of the three Suns’ captains this past season, is scheduled to hit the free agent market following the 2008-09 season.

Last season with Amare Stoudemire out, he played a lot at the power forward despite being just 6’7” and being listed at 228 pounds.

This year in the playoffs the Suns even tried him out defensively on San Antonio point guard Tony Parker.

He was fourth in this year’s Defensive Player of the Year voting, but somehow wasn’t selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team.

Marion averaged 17.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season, while shooting 52.4 percent from the field (31.7 in three-pointers).

The seven-year veteran out of UNLV was among the top 25 in the NBA in a myriad of categories this season as he ranked eight in steals, 12th in double-doubles,14th in rebounding, 21st in minutes per game, and 24th in blocked shots.

Today’s Boston Globe reported on something we had touched on here during the back on forth of an earlier Lynn Worthy post; namely, the Celtics possible pursuit of Shawn Marion.

I had mentioned at the time, based on things I’d been reading over the last six months on some NBA blogs, that one of the more popular landing spots should the Suns look to unload the forward’s contract was Boston. With the disastrous lottery results, I’d figured Kevin Garnett was out of reach, but the #5 could be enough to entice Phoenix, along with Theo Ratliff’s expiring contract and Delonte West, a guy always mentioned in possible trades. Sure enough, the Globe story confirms the deal as a very real possibility.

As I said then, I think "The Matrix" might be the best the C’s can do with that pick. With the emergence of Rajon Rondo over the second half of the year, the oft-injured West might be expendable, provided you can find a veteran backup at point or if Sebastian Telfair stops playing with guns long enough to work on his floor leadership skills.

The 29-year old Marion fits a lot of Boston’s needs; veteran, fantastic athlete, good rebounder, decent scorer despite not being an outstanding shooter and, most importantly, a great defender. He's a 3-time NBA All-Star, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team and is also on USA Basketball's current roster.

It’s not a perfect scenario. Then again, only Kevin Garnett or Pau Gasol are better players among those possibly available. In my mind, a lineup featuring Jefferson, Marion, Szczerbiak, Pierce and Rondo, with Perkins, Allen, Gomes, a veteran point guard and Green coming off the pine puts the Celtics on a par with the Bulls and Pistons (behind LeBron’s bunch) in the Eastern Conference.

If I’m Danny Ainge, I jump on this unless Garnett is still a possibility. We should even be able to get one of the Suns late first round picks included in the swap.

What do you think, gang? Is Shawn Marion a possibility? Would he make a big difference in the Celtics fortunes?

Monday’s SunTalk Live takes you behind the scenes of negotiations to keep the Lowell Devils and River Hawks at Tsongas Arena for at least one more year.

The Lowell Sun’s Michael LaFleur has been on top of both stories. He joins in with details on the new agreements, what it took to get a deal done, and what the future holds in store. City Manager Bernie Lynch is playing in the Boys and Girls Clubs Golf Tournament Monday afternoon, but if he can get off the course in time, he’ll phone in as well to discuss the deals. (Invitations were extended to and politely declined by UMass-Lowell and Devils representatives)

This topic has generated a lot of heat on this blog and throughout the region, so I expect the phone lines to burn up. Here’s your chance to weigh in on the subject and get your questions answered. Showtime is 7-8pm…the number to dial in, as always, is (978)364-TALK (8255).

Hear that ringing sound coming from the cash register? That was the sound of Curt Schilling stopping yet another Red Sox losing streak.

We touched on this a lot during spring training and early in the season, but on the heels of yesterday’s near no-no, it's worth revisiting to see if any of you have changed your mind. Did the Red Sox make a mistake by not taking Schilling up on his offer to play one more year at the same rate as this year, $13-million? (Rather than waste space repeating the same arguments, here’s a quick link for those who forgot what was said in the previous discussion or missed out on it completely)

The common refrain from the “No” voters was that we should wait and see how the right-hander performed before committing another year. The “Yes” votes countered that the price could only go up if Schilling pitched well. After 13-starts, Big Schill is 6-2, with a 3.45 ERA and 1.25 WHIP…very good numbers for any American League hurler, never mind a 40-year old.

If those stats aren’t enough to change your mind, try this one; The 2007 Boston Red Sox have only had four losing streaks, 3 that lasted 2-games, and 1-lasting 4-games. You know which pitcher has ended all of them? Yup…#38. And if that isn’t the definition of a stopper, I don’t know what is.

The funny thing about Schilling is he’s never been the most dominant pitcher in the league. He’s never won a Cy Young because there’s always been at least one guy more deserving of it. He’s really only had 3 or 4 Hall of Fame caliber years, which is why right now he’s probably on the outside of Cooperstown looking in. And yet, name me one guy you’d rather have on the mound in a must-win situation ever since Mr. 38 Pitches discovered himself in Philadelphia. One game. Life or death. Can you think of anyone you’d trust more?

In this out of control market, it’s very difficult to put a price tag on a 40-year old arm. Unfortunately, it’s even more difficult to put a reasonable price tag on a true stopper, as Theo Epstein and the Red Sox will find out come November.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics held their first round of pre-draft workouts in Waltham this morning.

Florida’s Corey Brewer, Florida State’s Al Thornton, South Carolina’s Brandon Wallace, and Nikita Shabalkin of Russia were all auditioning under the watchful eyes of director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, general manager Chris Wallace, head coach Doc Rivers and members of the Celtics coaching and personnel staff.

Brewer and Thornton are both projected as lottery picks in the NBA Draft on June 28.

Thornton led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in scoring with 20 points per game and hauled in seven rebounds per game. Brewer averaged 13 points per game and grabbed just under five rebounds while earning a reputation as one of the best defenders in college basketball.

These individual workouts come after last week’s NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando, Florida.

The consensus today from the Celtics appeared to be that the workouts will be more of a chance for the coaching staff to learn more about the players and get an idea of how they might fit in with their team, while Ainge and the scouting staff already have a firm grasp of the players.

“I learn more,” Rivers said about the workouts. “Danny knows the guys. Danny has been to practices. He’s seen them live. You know, head coaches -- like I’ve told you before -- we just get in screw the thing up most of the time because we fall in love with a guy from a two-on-two workout and then we start putting pressure on the GM. You know this is who we want. They actually know. They’ve seen the guys enough.”

From the player’s standpoint the workouts are a chance to differentiate themselves and to display their individual abilities more than they may have in college.

“It’s the first time we’re going to be able to show our individual skills,” Brewer said. “You just have to show that you can play hard and that you do have skills and that you’re able to play in any kind of system because we played in a system (at Florida) based around our talents, really. We only did a couple of things, but it was all about winning. That’s what we were about. Now we have to show different things we can do.”

As for the decision-maker, Ainge went so far as to say he felt Thornton was the second-best offensive player in the draft this year. He also said he believes Brewer is a more NBA ready defensively at this point.

Other workouts

The Celtics plan to bring the group back again tomorrow. Other players they plan to have in before the Draft include Joakim Noah and Brandon Wright, they’ll also go to see Jeff Green.

Ainge and Rivers traveled to see Yi JianLian at a workout in Los Angeles yesterday.

Brown officially joins Milwaukee

Tony Brown officially accepted a head coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Brown was the top assistant on Doc Rivers staff.

He spent three years with the Celtics as an assistant coach. Brown joins the staff of his former teammate Larry Krystkowiak who is the Bucks head coach. The two played together during Brown’s time as a member of the Bucks in 1988-90.

Why in the world has Joakim Noah’s draft stock plummeted so much since last year?

The Celtics are working out Noah’s Florida teammate, Corey Brewer, and Florida State’s Al Thornton today. Danny Ainge has identified the duo as two of the six players they’re considering if they keep the #5 pick, along with Al Horford, Yi Janlian, Brandan Wright and Jeff Green. All are scheduled to or, in the case of Yi, have already worked out for the C’s.

Where is the Noah's name on this list? Am I missing something? Was Noah not the best player on the best college team of the last decade? Does he not play an unselfish, team game? Does he not hustle at both ends of the court? Does he not have the wingspan of a 747? Is he not a natural leader? And most importantly, is he not a W-I-N-N-E-R?

Noah could very well have been the #1 pick had he come out after his junior year. At worst, he probably would have gone #2 to Chicago. He stays in school for one more year, leads his team to another national title with all the pressure in the world on him, yet drifts downward in the eyes of most player personnel types. I don’t get it.

Don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be so quick to hope for a trade out of the #5 spot if I knew the Celtics were seriously considering drafting a player with good size, rebounding skills, good passing and shot blocking ability, team-first attitude, non-stop energy and hustle, and the heart of a lion.

Help me out here, hoops heads. Why isn’t Joakim Noah getting more serious consideration in the top-5? Don’t you think he’d fit in perfectly in the Celtics lineup, doing all the dirty work so many of our other power forward/center types don’t seem able to do?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Concord-Carlisle High School graduate and former Emerson College basketball standout Sam Presti is set to be named the new general manager of the Seattle Supersonics on Thursday, according to a report on the Seattle Times website.

Presti was most recently serving as the San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager under R.C Buford.

He started as an intern with the Spurs in 2000. He moved up to special assistant (2001), assistant director of scouting (2002),director of player personnel (2003) and assistant general manager in 2005.

Presti is credited with leading the design and implementation of the Spurs scouting database.

The Sonics have scheduled a press conference for Thursday at noon (Pacific) to announce the hiring of their new general manager.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

The team that was originally named after a Disney movie 14-years ago, when they became an NHL expansion team in 1993, lived up to their former name and showed just how "Mighty" they can be when the Anaheim Ducks clinched the most coveted trophy in all of sports - THE STANLEY CUP.

Led by the net minding of Jean-Sebastian Giguere, the offensive prowess of Andy McDonanld and Ryan Getzlaf, the defensive play of Scott Niedermayer (who won the Conn Smythe), Sean O'Donnell and Chris Pronger and all around team discipline; Anaheim became the first champions from the West Coast when they defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-2 in Game 5 of the finals in front of their home crowd.

I had predicted a five-game series but unfortunately I picked the wrong team. Truth be told it was one of the better, most entertaining Cup Finals I had seen in a long time and I didn't want it to end at five - I wanted seven. I was hoping and praying the Sens could force a game six and even game seven because the series was that good.

One of the best moments of the playoffs however was when NHL Commish Gary Bettman walked down the red carpet, after the Ducks and Sens had the traditional end of series handshakes - and was greeted by boos of the Ducks' fans.

"It's OK, I'm bringing a gift," Bettman told the hostile crowd (good to know the discontent for Bettman goes across the country LOL).

What bothered me about this series was the fact Pronger was allowed to play Game 5 after being suspended for Game 4 after his hit to Dean McAmmond's head (a cheap hit). Did the powers that be forget the fact that he had been suspended for a cheap, dirty hit to Detroit's Tomas Holstrom during the Western Conference Finals????

The other thing that bothered me was Neidermayer winning the Conn Smythe - did the league forget that McDonald was the leading goal scorer of the series or the fact that Giggy was by far the better goaltender??? Sorry, but I don't think Niedermayer deserved the MVP simply because he logged the most ice time (which was the reason Bettman gave).

Now that the season is officially over many questions come to mind. Starting with .... Does Anaheim reward Giggy with a new deal or do they let him walk as a free agent this summer? How good would he look in a Bruins sweater? How about other free agents and teammates Daniel Briere and Chris Drury - where do they fit in? Buffalo or with a new team? Can the Sabres afford both? If you could have Giggy or Drury ... which would you pick? The NHL Draft is around the corner (June 22 and 23) ... What do the Bruins need the most? Oh, and by the way - who deserved the Conn Smythe in your eyes?

By the way - I'm technically on vacation which is the reason for the short blog (and lack there of)... but I will be checking for feedback - com'on hockey fans I know you're out there! Let me know what you really think.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Necus Mayne, a member of the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team from 2002-06, was named to the River Hawk coaching staff, UML head coach Ken Barer announced on Tuesday.

A native of Chicago, Ill., Mayne was a part of the most successful four-year period in UML history, in which the River Hawks made three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including the Elite Eight in 2003 and 2004 after winning the NCAA Tournament Northeast Regional.

UML won the Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament championships in 2003 and 2004, and put together a four-year record of 95-31 (.754).

“I am very excited to be back at UMass Lowell,” Mayne said in a release from UML. “I know we had a down year last year, but I will give anything I can to get this team back on track. I don’t think there is any reason why we shouldn’t be back at the top of the Northeast-10.”

Mayne spent last season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Evanston Township H.S., to head coach Paul Pryma. He was a regular in working camps and clinics in the Chicago area and also served as the head coach of the Chicago Demons, a 17-and-under AAU team.

Mayne replaces Will Seward, who spent two seasons with the River Hawks, became the director of basketball operations for the Boston University men's basketball team on May 14.

“It is an awesome feeling to be able to hire one of my former players,” said Barer. “Though Necus has little practical experience, he knows me, he knows my expectations and how I want things done. He was a two-year captain who went to two Elite Eights. I don’t have to teach him those things.”

Mayne is the second player under Barer to pursue coaching. His classmate, Brandon Arnette (2002-06), is entering his second year on the staff at Pace University.

“Necus has an old soul,” Barer added. “People who really know him understand the tremendous individual he is, and that’s who I want in our program. That is who I want within our team.”

After seeing limited action his first two years, Mayne was named captain and emerged into a starter his junior year, and helped UML to an 18-10 clip (14-8 NE-10/fourth). As a senior, started 19 of 31 games, and helped the River Hawks to a 21-10 record (15-7 NE-10/seventh) and as far as the NCAA Tournament Northeast Regional title game (round of 16).

Mayne, who was known as a defensive stopper and for his leadership and intangibles, averaged of 1.1 points and 2.4 rebounds.

“As a player, nobody worked harder, no one was more coachable and no one was more dedicated to the concept of team than Necus,” Barer said. “He is one of the most durable players we ever had. He was a phenomenal athlete and a very intuitive kid.”

Mayne graduated in 2006 with a degree in liberal arts.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Anna Maria College and the New England Riptide announced today that they've joined in a unique, cooperative effort. The College will award two $5,000 scholarships and, along with the Riptide, will raise money for the college’s Molly Bish Center for the Protection of Children and the Elderly in the process.

The Riptide will sell raffle tickets for $1.00 apiece at its home games from June 14 through July 28. On the evening of Sunday, August 12, two ticket holders will receive $5,000 scholarships to Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass., for either the 2008-09 or 2009-10 academic year. All proceeds from the sale of the raffle tickets will be donated by the Riptide to the Molly Bish Center. The scholarships are transferable. However, the recipient must meet the college’s admission requirements.

The Molly Bish Center was named for 16-year-old Molly Bish who was abducted from her lifeguard post in the small Central Massachusetts town of Warren. Molly’s remains were found three years later five miles from the site of her abduction. Molly’s parents, John and Magi, work closely with the Center to provide training and community outreach to prevent similar tragedies.

Michael LaFleur reports on LowellSun.com that City Manager Bernie Lynch has reached agreement with the University of Massachusetts-Lowell to keep the hockey team at Tsongas Arena for at least one more year. You can read the full article here. More details are sure to follow in tomorrow’s Lowell Sun.

The deal eliminates the University’s $50k payment to the city, along with giving the River Hawks a bigger slice of food and beverage sales, a piece of advertising revenues from the outside sign, and some scheduling assurances. The main parties involved (Lynch, UML AD Dana Skinner and incoming Chancellor Marty Meehan) hope the agreement paves the way for a more long-term deal after 2008.

My quick take: Nothing really surprising here. I never believed this was a situation that couldn’t be resolved reasonably by people interested in the all-around well-being of the city of Lowell. It also fits in with the belief that once the Devils are out of here, a more lucrative deal for both sides can be ironed out.

Of course, the Devils still insist publicly that they also want to be here long-term. But I have a hunch once they get a load at how bad attendance is going to be now that most of the community has turned on them, they won’t be able to get out of town fast enough.

Anyone surprised at this announcement? Is it a one year reprieve or the first step in a long-term solution? And here’s an interesting question; is it still possible for both the Devils and River Hawks to co-exist in the same building?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

After a rough opening series down in Washington for the New England Riptide, reinforcements appear to be on the way.

Riptide pitcher Danielle Henderson is expected to be back soon as she recovers from a pulled muscle in her lower back, and the Riptide’s top two draft picks and college teammates Eileen Canney and Garland Cooper wrapped up their college careers on Sunday as Northwestern bowed out of the Women’s College World Series.

Both of the Wildcats have officially signed deals with the Riptide this week.

Canney, Cooper and Gina Carbonatto have also been invited to tryout for the United States National Team so they will join the team this week against Rockford, but they are not expected to be with the team for the home-opening series starting on June 14.

Cooper, a California native and a three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, crushed 23 home runs (a Big Ten Conference single-season record) while hitting .362 and driving in 70 RBI. She also had a team-high on base percentage of .492. Cooper also leaves as the Big Ten’s all-time home run leader.

Her NU career records include topping the all-time lists in runs scored, hits, RBI, walks, doubles, total bases, slugging percentage and home runs, while she ranks second in career batting average.

Canney, another California product and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, won 33 games (33-11) and struck out 386 batters while allowing 167 innings pitched.

She finished with an earned run average (ERA) of 1.65, and tossed 34 complete games.

Canney leaves NU with the second-highest strikeout total in school history.

The only negative in a very positive Patriots offseason thus far isn’t likely to change.

Asante Samuel tells the Boston Globe he won’t be at training camp and will hold out until week 10 of the regular season. The 26-year old cornerback also played the “disrespect card” when describing the progress of contract negotiations.

If this is starting to sound a lot like the Deion Branch situation to you, well, it should. However, Samuel might even be in a stronger negotiating position than Branch. The wide receiver still had a year remaining on his contract and played a position much more easily replaced than shut-down corner. Unless there’s a hidden gem already on the roster, New England would have to give up a lot in money, players and/or draft picks to get a proven commodity like Samuel. It's not like those kind of guys grow on trees.

Either that, or risk having a gaping hole at one of the most important positions sabotage a probable Super Bowl run.

What do you think of this situation after hearing from Samuel? Has the situation gotten to a critical point yet? Will a compromise be reached, or will he end up like Branch…out of town?

A few observations while waiting for Roger Clemens to save the Yankees (you think Georgie Porgie will enjoy writing $18-million worth of paychecks so the Rocket can skip the Red Sox and White Sox to face the fearsome Pirates?);

Admit it. When you saw the guy with Rosie O’Donnell’s physique playing at LeLacheur Park for the Spinners, you never imagined he’d eventually become a great major league hitter. Yet make no mistake, that’s exactly what Kevin Youkilis has become right before our very eyes.

I don’t think the Greek God of Walks can get enough credit for taking a free pass with a 23-game hitting streak on the line Saturday. That kind of discipline won’t get you much ESPN play, but it’ll win you a batting title, not to mention win a few games for your team.

Keeping it on the diamond, kudos to the little dynasty Rick O’Brien has built with Lowell High Softball. Other schools must look at the playoff seedings and dread seeing the Red Raiders on their side of the bracket. Talk about a group of girls who know how to get it done when it counts.

Then again, why should we be surprised? Lowell faces playoff opponents virtually every game in their conference schedule. Methuen’s and Billerica’s girls give the MVC 3-of-8 Division 1 quarterfinalists, while Tewksbury and Central Catholic are still alive in the Division 2 Elite Eight. How’s that for a power conference!

I still can’t put the NBA draft lottery disaster behind me, and it only gets worse every time Tim Duncan appears on my TV screen. You know darn well we’ll be watching Greg Oden ten years from now and kicking ourselves at what might have been, just like we do with Duncan now.

And who’s the comedian in charge of the Vegas Summer League schedule? Celtics vs. Trail Blazers in the opener? Way to kick a man when he’s down!

Then again, it probably won’t matter. The Eastern Conference belongs to LeBron now. King James I is younger than Michael Jordan was for his first conference crown. Six years younger to be exact, and I’m guessing LeBron won’t take a three year sabbatical to chase fastballs, so he’ll get nine extra swings at a ring. With Oden and Durant heading to the left coast (Ouch…there’s that piercing pain through my skull again), who’s going to challenge him?

If the Stanley Cup falls in a forest and there’s nobody there to watch it on television, does it make a sound?
Isn’t it sad that Marquise Hill had to die before most of us found out what a nice human being he was? We should have acknowledged all his work on behalf of Hurricane Katrina flood victims before it was too late. For a 24-year old, he was very mature when it came to understanding the big picture.

Unfortunately, even heroes make mistakes. Because he wasn’t wearing a life vest, Hill was unable to save himself after helping rescue his friend. Here’s hoping the lessons learned save a few more lives somewhere down the road. Then his death might not seem so senseless.

And to think…we predicted Roger Clemens’ groin injuries to start AFTER he got slapped around on the mound.

The news that Clemens would miss his Yankees debut Monday with an achy groin would be downright comical if it wasn’t so predictable. This is the guy George Steinbrenner thought could rescue New York’s season? Stop it…you’re killing me!

When the Yankees announced they’d won the Rocket Sweepstakes, they were a mere 5 ½ games behind the Red Sox. On the day they announced the 44-year old Clemens would miss his start in Chicago, they were 12 ½ behind, about to be 13 ½ as I write this. They’re committed to paying him $18-million, plus the luxury tax hit, and you know darn well he'll be collecting his paycheck on the disabled list come September.

Absolutely comical!

Where are all our Yankees fans? You’re awfully quiet this year. Please don’t tell me you’re waiting for the big comeback, because surely you know it’s not happening, don’t you?

Allright…time to chime in on all the Alex Rodriguez controversy this week. Or at least part of it.

In the interest of full disclosure, A-Rod’s wife is related to me…not a close relative or one I’m in contact with, but if you’re at all familiar with Greek families, you know how tight we tend to be. I know her parents…am in contact with them from time to time...and am even closer to others from that side of the family who still live in Lowell. Despite some attempts, I have never spoken to, or had one-on-one contact with, Rodriguez other than to interview him the first day he was called up to the majors as a teenager with Seattle.

So with that out of the way, the only comment I’ll make on the personal controversy is a “no comment.” If that sounds like a cop out, so be it. I won’t deny anybody a chance to talk about it on this blog, because it would be hypocritical to jump all over people about the things you and I sometimes do here and not allow you to do so in this case.

As for the incident with the Blue Jays, I don’t get why it’s such a big deal. Frankly, I can’t believe Joe Torre chimed in Friday at Fenway to say A-Rod shouldn’t have done it, throwing even more fuel on the fire. What ever happened to publicly defending your players? How come this is such a supposed violation of baseball’s code while other questionable actions aren’t?

For example, baseball players have been doing anything they can to win for centuries. Stealing signs…corking bats…scuffing baseballs…pulling hidden ball tricks…mowing the lawn differently when there’s a sinker ball pitcher working…sticking steroid needles in teammates’ asses…you know, acceptable stuff like that. How come Joe Torre isn’t as public with his thoughts on Jason Giambi “dishonoring” the game?

Anyway, those are my thoughts (or non-thoughts). Tell us what YOU think!

The long-awaited coronation of LeBron James is nearly upon us. In fact, last night we may have witnessed the beginning of the ceremony that will ultimately crown James and the Cavaliers as the NBA's best player and team.

Now I realize Cleveland also took a 3-2 advantage over Detroit in last year’s playoffs only to eventually lose the conference semi-finals in seven games. However, 2007 has a completely different feel, and I’d be shocked if the James Gang doesn’t end it in Game 6. At the tender young age of 22, LeBron has finally learned when and how to take over a playoff game when it counts. What we witnessed last night was unheard of. In all his greatness, even Michael Jordan couldn’t do what the new #23 pulled off. Not only did James pour home his team’s final 25-points and 29 of the final 30, but he did so without a legitimate scoring threat playing with him.

Think about that for a moment. Jordan couldn’t take his team over the top until Scottie Pippen (voted one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All Time) and a decent supporting cast (Cartwright, Paxson, Armstrong) matured enough to help the cause. James did what he did with a collection of NBA riff-raff clogging the floor instead of lending a helping hand. It was better than the Bird-Dominique 4th quarter performance, even though this one was a one man show.

If/when the Cavaliers advance to the finals, it’s easy to write them off as fodder for Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Don’t be so sure. LeBron finally gets it, and when the best player on the court KNOWS he’s the best player on the court, strange things tend to happen. Don’t forget, the NBA has been waiting for James to ascend the throne as well. I fully expect the refs to finally give King James the royal treatment in the playoffs, which could make all the difference in the world when a tight game enters the final minutes.

As we’ve already found out, LeBron doesn’t need much help to get the job done!

What did you think of LeBron's performance last night? Was it the best ever in the playoffs? Can the Cavs close out the Pistons this time around? Do they stand a chance against San Antonio? Or am I being blinded by a historic showing?

If you’re looking for some great family fun this weekend, don’t forget about the 18th Annual Hot Dog Safari.

The event, hosted by “The Godfather of Sports Radio” Eddie Andelman takes place Sunday at Suffolk Downs between 9am-4pm. Andelman appeared on SportsTalk Live May 14th to promote the event, which features celebrities (Grand Marshall Al Jefferson of the Celtics), live Horse Racing, kid’s rides and all you can eat hot dogs, sausages and sundaes. It is the largest one-day radio charity event in the country.

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit the Hot Dog Safari’s official website.

High School Baseball and Softball step to the plate for this Monday’s edition of SportsTalk Live, which takes place live at Hookslide Kelly’s.

The Lowell Sun's Carmine Frongillo co-hosts as we chat with coaches from the various Merrimack Valley clubs still alive in the state tournament. Here’s your chance to talk up your favorite school and find out about their chances to bring home a state title. If you can’t stop by in person, the number to dial is (978)354-TALK (8255). Showtime, as always, is 7-8pm.

Talk to you then!

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

There were plenty of coaching jobs to be had in the NBA on Thursday morning, but there are quite a few less on Friday.

The Indiana Pacers and old friend Larry Bird, Pacers President, announced that the team has hired former Celtics coach Jim O’Brien as their new head coach.

In four years with the Celtics O’Brien compiled a record of 139-119 (.539) with playoff appearances in 2002 and 2003, including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002.

Billy Ball in Orlando

Billy Donovan, who is coming off of his second straight national championship at the University of Florida, was named the new head coach of the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Donovan, who was believed to be the top candidate for the Kentucky University opening, will take over for Brian Hill. He’ll be the eighth coach in the franchise’s history, but the sixth since 1997-98 ( the previous five in order: Chuck Daly, Doc Rivers, Johnny Davis, Chris Jent and Brian Hill).

Iavaroni gets his first shot

The Memphis Grizzlies officially announced on Thursday that have named Marc Iavaroni as the team’s new head coach.

This will be Iavaroni’s first head coaching job in the NBA. He has been an assistant under Mike D’Antoni the past five seasons with the Phoenix Suns. The last three and a half years he has been the team's lead assistant.

Kerr stepping into the front office?

Also, on Thursday the Associated Press was reporting that the Suns were close to naming Steve Kerr as the team’s new general manager. Kerr, who is currently an analyst for TNT, was drafted by the Suns in 1988. He played for six different NBA teams in his career from the 1988-89 season to 2002-03.

He would reportedly replace Mike D'Antoni, who held the titles of general manager and head coach. D’Antoni took over the title of general manager when Bryan Colangelo left to become the general manager of the Toronto Raptors.