September 2007 Archives

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Vs.

Glenn Murray gave the Bruins the 2-1 lead just 1:14 into the second period on a beautiful feed from Marc Savard.

Mike Comrie tied the game just about five minutes later.

Mark Stuart is not only fighting for a spot on the big club; he took on Bill Guerin for the second fight of the game.

Fernandez is back in net for the Bruins for the third period along with DiPietro for the Islanders.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Vs.

David Krejci struck first giving the Bruins the early 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the period.

PJ Axelsson and Andrew Ference each recorded an assist on the goal.

Miroslav Satan beat Manny Fernandez to tie the game at one with just under three minutes to play in the opening frame.

Andrew Alberts took off the gloves and took on Brenden Witt after a clipping penalty was called; Alberts received a 10-minute misconduct for instigating and did not return until the second period.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Vs.

Unfortunately, Zdeno Chara is not in the line-up as the Bruins take the ice against the New York Islanders today at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Line-ups based on warm-ups are:

ISLANDERS

Goaltenders

39 Rick DiPietro

34 Wade Dubielewicz

Defensemen

32 Brendan Witt – 24 Radek Martinek

25 Andy Sutton – 47 Marc-Andre Bergeron

4 Bryan Berard – 8 Bruno Gervais

Forwards

26 Ruslan Fedotenko – 89 Mike Comrie – 13 Bill Guerin

16 Jon Sim – 18 Mike Sillinger – 7 Trent Hunter

11 Andy Hilbert – 63 Josef Vasicek – 81 Miroslav Satan

15 Jeff Tambellini – 10 Richard Park – 27 Darryl Bootland

BOSTON

Goaltenders

35 Manny Fernandez

30 Tim Thomas

Defensemen

41 Andrew Alberts – 21 Andrew Ference

45 Mark Stuart – 44 Aaron Ward

48 Matt Hunwick – 38 Bobby Allen

Forwards

16 Marco Sturm – 91 Marc Savard – 27 Glen Murray

72 Peter Schaefer - 37 Patrice Bergeron – 12 Chuck Kobasew

11 P.J Axelsson - 46 David Krejci – 81 Phil Kessel

53 Jeremy Reich – 13 Glen Metropolit – 22 Shawn Thornton

Will be checking in as the game goes on....

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

After stopping all 11 shots he faced in the third period against the New York Islanders in the preseason match-up Wednesday night, goaltender Frank Doyle has been placed on waivers by the New Jersey Devils.

The former Maine University goalie had a 20-24-4 record in 49 games last season for Lowell.

Also placed on waivers are defensemen Ian Moran and Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre; forwards Grant Marshall, Noah Clarke and Ryan Murphy. If any of the players clear waivers they will be assigned to Lowell.

Some familiar faces are returning to Lowell for the upcoming AHL season: goaltender Jordan Parise, Mark Fraser, Olli Malmivaara, Jason Ryznar, Barry Tallackson, Stephen Gionta and Petr Vrana.

Andy Greene, Niklas Bergfors, David Clarkson, Rod Pelley and Mike Mottau are all fighting for spots with the parent club.

Lowell is action tonight at the Tsongas for their preseason opener against Bridgeport.

The regular season for the AHL club gets underway on on Oct. 6 when the team travels to Portland to face off against the Pirates.

The Devils host Bridgeport in their home opener on Oct. 13.

Are you happy to see some familiar players returning to Lowell? What are your thoughts on Doyle? Did his play last season warrant him being placed on waivers?

I know, I know! In the grand scheme of things, you could say it was kind of meaningless. But you must admit, it certainly was fun watching the Red Sox celebrate their division championship, wasn’t it?

And I won’t say it was totally meaningless. Winning the division was important on a number of levels, not the least of which is guaranteeing at least one series of home field advantage in the playoffs. I think that will be huge against the Angels, and I’d still love to see the Sox go all out for the best record and home field throughout the playoffs. (Good luck to Terry Francona finding enough players who aren’t hung over today to win a ballgame!)

It was also symbolic, if you ask me. The Yankees dynasty has been pretty much dead anyway, but finally taking away their division crown is one less thing their obnoxious supporters can crow about. Though the Sox buried most of the ghosts in 2004, there were still whispers from a few souls out there about Boston choking in August and September and being unable to stand up to the Evil Empire. Well, the Red Sox held up quite nicely, thank you, and we can officially proclaim what we’ve been calling here since the latter part of spring;

The Boston Red Sox are the 2007 American League East Champions!

4-0!

The only victim last week was the point spread as our pigskin prognosticator too the wood to all the oddsmakers. Of course on this end, if you followed my advice and went against The Victim, you no doubt suffered a blow to the bank account. The only good news for believers in the system is that even with that stellar 4-0 mark, the season total is still in the 50-50 range, so a couple of losing weeks for our fearless football forecaster will have you right back on the plus side.

On with the picks (you can get the Monday night pick by listening in to SportsTalk Live):

Dallas (-13) over St. Louis
NY Jets (-3 ½) over Buffalo
Indianapolis (-9 ½) over Denver
Philadelphia (-3) over NY Giants

Last week: 4-0
Season record: 8-7-1

News Flash: The Red Sox announced today that rookie Clay Buchholz will not pitch again this season. The promising rookie, who tossed a no-hitter against the Orioles September 1st, is reportedly being shut down, not because of reaching an innings limit, but because strength testing revealed “fatigue” in his pitching arm.

View from Mt. Olympus: I’m not sure if I’ve heard a bigger bunk of B.S. in my life.

Theo Epstein and staff don’t want to jeopardize the kid’s future, which is understandable, but you mean to tell me a few post-season appearances would ruin him? Especially since he’s barely pitched at all this month? No wonder the kid’s arm is showing weakening…he’s barely used it to throw a ball in September!

It was almost comical listening to poor Terry Francona explain the situation. I’m willing to bet that this decision came from above, but the poor manager was the one left to answer the questions, many of which had nothing to do with game strategy and everything to do with organizational decisions and physical tests.

Tito said there’s no injury, just a fatigued arm, which is normal with lots of young pitchers. No kidding! Imagine that! A tired pitcher in September. Cause I’m sure the veterans are as fresh as spring chickens!

Contrast this to the Yankees decision this week to start pitching Joba Chamberlain on back-to-back days from here on out, due to the importance of every contest, and you have a stark contrast in philosophy. One team is going all out to win this year. The other would LIKE to win, but isn’t willing to risk the future.

I’m sure the sarcasm tells you what I think of this…what are your thoughts? Are you disappointed that perhaps the team’s 4th best starter and a potential weapon out of bullpen won’t be available during the World Series run? Or is this the right decision?

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Monday night shapes up as a big, bit night for fans of SportsTalk Live. Not only will the show take place live from Hookslide Kelly’s (which, by the way will have WBCN in-house for a Monday Night Football promotion), but we have a lineup that’s sure to rock the house.

We start things off with a Monday Night Lights preview of the Wilmington-Masconomet High School football matchup. Both squads enter play this weekend undefeated, and could very well be 4-0 when they face the following week. Wildcats head coach Bob Almeida will dial in and he promises to bring a player or two with him, probably Ernie Mello, he of the 14-touchdowns on the season so far.

After that, we check in with our pro teams. Dave Pevear dials in to help preview the big Patriots-Bengals Monday Night contest. We haven’t checked in with Dave since pre-season, so there’s a lot to talk about including Cameragate, the Pats explosive start, and the rejuvenated Randy Moss.

Not to be left out, the Red Sox open the American League Division series next week, and we hope to have Chaz Scoggins check in to talk about Boston’s Boys of Summer and their hopes for the Fall Classic.

Finally, The Victim offers his “guaranteed” winner against the Monday Night spread. Coming off a 4-0 week, our pigskin prognosticator is sure to be feeling his oats.

So don’t be left out of the talk. If you can’t visit us in person, dial in to (978)364-8255 to offer your thoughts or to just listen in. Showtime is 7-8pm (if you’re chatty enough, maybe we’ll even work a little overtime!).

Talk to you then!

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge aren't the only ones with reason for great optimism and anticipation about the upcoming season. The business side of the Boston Celtics organization has also had a summer to remember.

For anyone planning on fighting the I-93 traffic or hoping to hop on the Commuter Rail and ride right into the TD Banknorth Garden, you'd better have your tickets already or have a solid plan on how to get them.

Celtics president Rich Gotham said yesterday afternoon that the team is projecting to sell out all of their home games this season -- with the understanding that club seats/suites are still available.

"Winning is the best marketing," Gotham said at the Celtics Waltham practice facility. "The hope of winning is the second-best marketing."

Season ticket sales have gone up by roughly 40 percent so far and now account for about 80 percent of the tickets sold, Gotham said. Individual ticket sales are already equal to the amout sold two and a half months into last season.

No game has more than 1,000 seats remaining, and most of the games not sold out are from late March and on.

Prices have stayed relatively stable. Fifteen percent of tickets have gone up in price (not to be confused with a 15 percent increase in prices), according to Gotham.

Despite the sales explosion, the Celtics plan to have 300 day of game tickets will be available after Ticketmaster windows close.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Not only did the fans at the Tsongas get to see future Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur in net for the Devils, they welcomed back Hockey East and Boston College stand out Brian Gionta.

Gionta led the Devils to a 6-1 routing of the New York Islanders via the hat trick, two of which came on the power play.

John Madden (2 goals) and Travis Zajac added the other three goals.

Those in attendance were also treated to some old time, black and blue hockey as they saw four different Devils drop the gloves.

David Clarkson, Matthew Corrente, Arron Asham and Mike Rupp stepped up to the challenge as they threw down the gloves and took on Darryl Bootland, Tim Jackman and Gordie Dwyer

Jackman had a rough night considering he faced off against Corrente and Ashman.

Brodeur made 14 saves on 15 shots before giving way to Frank Doyle at the start of the third period.

Doyle was perfect in net stopping all 11 shots he faced.

Dwyer scored the lone goal for the Isles.

The Lowell Devils hit the ice tomorrow for their first practice before hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Saturday night for their first preseason tilt at the arena; face off is 6:05 p.m.

Assistant Sports Editor Barry Scanlon will make his way to the rink for the Devils first practice on Thursday. Be sure to pick up The Sun or read his words on the Lowell Sun website and stay here throughout the season for all the Lowell Devils news.See you at the rink; until then keep reading here for Lowell Devil up dates.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

David Clarkson and Matthew Corrente both dropped the gloves for New Jersey in the second period as they faced off against Darryl Bootland and Tim Jackman respectively.

Brian Gionta scored his second goal of the night on the power play just 52 seconds into the period.

The Islanders finally got one past Martin Brodeur when Gordie Dwyer beat him in front of the crease.

Jackman is having a rough night for the Isles as he dropped the gloves against Aaron Ashman as time expired in the period.

Goaltending changes to start the third:
Joey MacDonald took over in net for the Isles to start the third and Frank Doyle made his way into the Jersey crease in relief of Brodeur.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

After 20 minutes of hockey, the Devils scored three goals on their first four shots of the game; the first coming off Brian Gionta's stick 35 seconds into the game.

New Jersey's other two goals came from John Madden and Travis Zajac.

Martin Brodeur faced 11 shots and stopped all of them, the only threat being a breakaway from Richard Park after he picked up a loose puck inside his own blueline.

Brodeur showed just how strong he is in net sliding post to post, sprawling on his back to make the leg save.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Just a quick update from the Tsongas before the New Jersey Devils host the New York Islanders ...

Martin Brodeur led his team onto the ice indicating he would be playing at least one period.

Other notable New Jersey players on the ice for warm-ups are Zach Parise, Brian Gionta, John Madden and Sergie Brylin.

Some of last year's Lowell squad on the ice for warm-ups include: Frank Doyle, Mike Mottau, Barry Tallackson, Andy Greene, Nicklas Bergfors and Rod Pelley.

I will make updates throughout the game for those of you not in attendance.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The hype is about to end, and the games -- even though it's preseason -- are quickly approaching. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge, general manager and director of basketball operations, are ready to get the season underway.

It's been an important off-season for the Celitcs. The entire outlook of the franchise was turned around, and that extends further than ticket sales and sports talk radio shows. Players and coaches have all of a sudden been injected with renewed fire and fervor.

Ainge said earlier today that his highlight of the summer was "to see the enthusiasm and rejuvenated spirit in the eyes of Doc (Rivers) and Paul (Pierce)."

For Rivers, entering his fourth season as Celtics head coach, this year will be both a process and an opportunity.

The "process" will include molding the team dynamic both on and off the court with a roster that features nine new players. Rivers openly admits it is still unclear exactly how much the additions of Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen will change Pierce's game. It will be one of the many details to be worked out in preseason and throughout the regular season.

The "opportunity" aspect of this season is pretty self-explanatory. Rivers has gone from coaching a team of developing players -- several who may only develop into serviceable NBA players -- to a coach with three established all-stars and several experienced veterans coming off the bench.

"Last year, when we had one of our first player meetings and you go around the locker room and you ask about goals, one of our young guys said 'I think we can win a world championship,'" Rivers said. "Last year, you would've said that's unrealistic. You know what I'm saying. This year, I don't think anyone's saying that. If someone says that (winning a championship), they wouldn't say that's unrealistic. For me it's just a great opportunity."

While Ainge put together the team that has uplifted basketball in Boston from the second-tier behind the Red Sox and Patriots, championship expectations and projections of success appear to have have left Ainge somewhat conflicted.

On the one hand, Ainge said a big concern is expectations of a team that "hasn't done anything." At the same time, he insists that the organization will not shy away from the expectations.

"I'm not afraid of high expectations," Ainge said. "I want our coaches to have high expectations. I want our players to have high expectations."

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Media day was anything but ordinary for the Bruins when Executive Vice President Charlie Jacobs introduced NHL Hall of Famer Cam Neely as Vice President of the club.

He may not be wearing a Bruin sweater this season or lacing up the skates, but having Neely in a front office points the franchise in the right direction.

"I understand what the fans are looking for as far as what they want from their team," Neely said. "I'd like to feel I can help in any way that they ask and get that back in this organization."

General Manager Peter Chiarelli said one of the things he likes most about Neely is his bluntness when he talks about the Bruins and hockey in general, the bluntness was apparent as Neely spoke to the media.

"Quite frankly, I'm not really happy with what's gone on," Neely said of the franchise.

Neely's role as Vice President will be mainly in hockey operations working closely with Chiarelli giving his advice and thoughts on personnel as well as assisting the Jacobs in different areas of the franchise as a whole.

Neely said he is ready to accept the challenge his new role with his former club will entail after spending a year as one of the Bruins' Ambassadors.

"When I accepted the role as the ambassador of the Bruins, Charlie was hoping I would be more involved then," Neely said. "But, unfortunately the timing wasn't right for me. Being an ambassador it allwowed me the opportunity to get involved in some what of a limited basis and I really got excited about being involved with the Bruins again.

"I feel at this particular time in my life I can commit more time to working with the organization. [...] I'd like to be able to try and help and get things back on track."
Neely echoed Chiarelli's words of the Black and Gold needing to be harder to fight against.

"One of the things (Chiarelli) has been stressing is the team needs to be harder to play against and I felt that for a long time," Neely explained. "I think the people that are fans of the Bruins expect that. They expect their team to play that way and it hasn't happened so much in the past. I think it's a big step in the right direction for the players to understand what it means to be a Bruin and understanding the type of work ethic that you have to have to play on this team."

Neely went back to his playing days when he said, "You may not play well every night, but you can work hard every night."

When asked if he thought the fans were disappointed, mad or taking a wait and see approach, Neely said it's "all of the above."

"I think for the most part (the fans) are dying to support the team," Neely said. "I think that's part of the process we're in right now. We need to take the time to show them that we understand what we have to do to get the team back to where we'd like. It's not going to happen over night but I think we're all heading in the rigth direction."

Neely said he knows the game has changed since he was a player, but the approach as a player should not.

"I think if you have the opportunity to take the body, you have to take the body," Neely said. "You can still hit in this league. [...] With what Peter's mantra has been, I think that's a great direction for the team to go in and as far as I'm concerned that's the direction we need to go in here. Right from your top player down to the guy that's on the fourth line. You got to take the body when you have the opportunity. You can't be afraid to take a hit to make a play; everybody's got to be accountable for those situations that are on the ice."

Is this simply another PR move by the owners of the Bruins, or is Neely the right person to help get this team back on track? Regardless, Neely will be welcomed by the fans, media and everyone in between.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The 2007-08 NBA season just might feature a new Paul Pierce. At least that's what the Celtics captain seemed to be getting at in his comments this in a conference call this afternoon.

Pierce says he's prepared to score less and contribute more in other aspects of his game, whereas he has carried most of the offensive burden in the past few seasons. Several times made reference to "sacrifice" and pointed out that he knows he, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen won't each be able to average 25 points per game.

Last year's NBA champion San Antonio Spurs had just one player, Tim Duncan, average 20 points per game during the regular season, and the same can be said for the high-scoring Phoenix Suns and their up-tempo offense. The Washington Wizards trio of Gilbert Arenas (28 ppg), Antawn Jamison (19.8), and Caron Butler (19.1) couldn't all get past the 20-point hump.

Pierce averaged 25 points in an injury-plagued 2006-07 season. He led the Celtics in scoring, rebounding, and assists in 2005-06 season.

As has been the case in most of his public statements since the acquisitions of Allen and Garnett, Pierce seems to welcome the change. He's even made repeated references to a load being lifted off of his shoulders.

"I'm willing to do whatever I got to do to win a championship," said Pierce, who stated he felt like the Eastern Conference was wide open.

One specific area of focus this off-season?

"Probably just my defense," Pierce said. "I know I'm going to play a different role defensively."

Pierce added that he thinks he is an "underrated defender" and that he is preparing for the challenge of taking on some of the best players in the league.

Most, if not all, members of the Celtics have been working out together at their Waltham practice facility for the last two weeks, according to the Celtics captain.

The biggest goal for the preseason and training camp, according to Pierce, is simply going to be learning. That is learning the system the coaches want to put in place as well as learning the ins and outs of his new teammates' games.

The Celtics start training camp on Sep. 30 in Rome, Italy. The first preseason game against the Toronto Raptors is on Oct. 6 in Rome. The regular season opener will be against the Washington Wizards at the TD Banknorth Garden on Friday, November 2.

Posted by Teddy Panos

A busy sports day around these parts continues with news that Manny Ramirez will return to the Red Sox lineup for the first time since August 28th.

Manny will play left field (Jacoby Ellsbury is on the bench) and bat second, which I'm guessing is a move designed to get him an extra at bat before he's removed from the game. Ordinarily, players rehab in the minors and don't play a full game the first time back from injury, but since the Sox don't have any active minor league clubs to send him to, he'll rehab at Fenway.

Now, I don't mind the fact he's not going to play the entire game...no sense in getting him re-injured. However, this batting second thing is really silly. At most, he'd only play one more inning in the field if they didn't bat around to him the second or third time up (whenever he's going to be removed), and he very well could be removed in the same inning anyway. Shouldn't the most important thing be to win games right now?

I know there's a fine line between going all out to win the division and giving weary players enough rest heading into a playoffs they've already qualified for. But shouldn't winning the division and getting home field be the top priority as long as the possibility exists?

As for the idiot brigade accusing Manny of quitting on his teammates, please note that Ramirez returned in less than a month from an injury that typically takes 4-6 weeks to heal from without facing significant risk of re-injury. Depending on the severity, some return quicker, others take longer. Mike Timlin missed about 6-weeks with a similar injury earlier this year.

Update: In a senile moment, I completely forgot to mention the main reason why I posted this in the first place; The Red Sox were 12-12 in Manny's absence. Don't ever let anyone tell they're better off without him!

Hockey East’s pre-season coaches poll is out, and the UMass-Lowell River Hawks are picked to finish 9th in the conference.

Perennial powers Boston College(84-points) and New Hampshire(84) finished tied atop the poll, splitting the 10-first place votes evenly. As seems to be the case every year, Boston University(77) and Maine(61) round out the top four, coming in third and fourth respectively. The rest of the poll has Vermont(54) and Massachusetts(54) tied for 5th, Northeastern(43) 7th and Providence(39) 8th. The River Hawks(25) and Merrimack(19) round out the ten team conference.

The numbers show how tough a challenge Blaise MacDonald faces just to get his squad into the playoffs. There’s a pretty good sized gap between what the coaches think of the final playoff team (Providence) and the River Hawks. True, these polls don’t really mean anything once the games start, but it’s pretty safe to say the top four will finish that way in some order (don’t they always?), while Vermont and UMass are clearly better than Lowell right now. That doesn’t leave much margin for error, and the River Hawks are going to have to win as many games as possible against Northeastern, Providence and Merrimack. Squandering opportunities to pick up points against those teams will almost surely doom UML to another spring without playoff hockey.

That’s the view from Mt. Olympus…how do you see Hockey East playing out? Do you agree with the top of the poll? How about the River Hawks place in it?

Bruins media day featured a little more news today than the usual meaningless soundbites and photo ops.

Gayle Simone was at the event and phoned in to say the B’s named Cam Neely Vice President of Hockey Operations, essentially taking over the duties of Harry Sinden. Whether this means Peter Chiarelli will report directly to Neely as opposed to the Jacobs boys remains to be seen. Gayle spoke with the former #8 and will have a more detailed post as soon as she gets off the highway and in front of a computer. But since I have no life and live in front of my laptop, we figured we'd break the news to you ASAP…LOL!

Till then, feel free to chime in with your comments. The cynic in me sees just another PR maneuver by a team desperate to become relevant again. However, I'll wait to read more of what Gayle has to say before passing further judgment.

In our never-ending quest to bring you the best local sports coverage, here’s the debut of our newest feature…TheSunBlog Pigskin Party.

Each week, we’ll post some items about the previous weekend’s high school football games, a picture here or there, highlight outstanding performances, you know, stuff like that. You’ll also be able to see how your team is doing by visiting the standings page (to see them, just click on the “view full entry” link below.

But most of all, this is just another vehicle for you to show your school pride, boast about your team’s big victory, or just rag on your biggest rival. I expect those comments to fill up!

Stars of the week:
Ernie "The Fantasy Football Machine" Mello (Wilmington): In a 47-33 victory over Lawrence, Mello rushed the ball 41-times for 375-yards and 7...yes, I said 7...touchdowns. As if that wasn't enough of a workload, the senior running back also hauled in 2-receptions and returned two kicks. He now has 14-TD's on the season as Wilmington is off to a 3-0 start.

Derek "Catch this Sinkerball" Lowe (Tewksbury): A week after returning two kicks for touchdowns, Lowe broke loose for TD runs of 55 & 73 to lead Tewksbury to a big 23-3 win over Lowell. On the day, Lowe ran the ball 6-times for 156-yards and also caught 3-passes for 28-yards.

Questions of the week:
Can anyone stop the Bishop Guertin machine?
Is Billerica for real?
Can Tewksbury keep it going against Chelmsford?

A few talking points while awaiting my invitation to address the Columbia University School of Journalism (must have accidentally been sent to Tehran);

Yesterday’s announcement by the Drug Enforcement Administration that 120-people were arrested as part of an 18-month international investigation into illicit steroid labs is going to send shock waves through the sports world. The DEA reportedly has more evidence than they know what to do with at this point, and the scope of this sting dwarfs the Albany, NY investigation that outed Human Growth Hormone users Rodney Harrison and Rick Ankiel, among others.

That collective gasp you hear is coming from locker rooms throughout the country. Athletes mistakenly thought they could get away with using HGH because they’re only required to take urine tests, assuming they’re tested at all, which can’t detect the substance. What they didn’t count on was the labs used to purchase drugs being busted and having their records confiscated.

If only they were smart enough not use their own names. Then again, the brain is one body part HGH can’t strengthen or heal!

For the record, I find Rodney Harrison to be one of the more interesting, eloquent and stand-up athletes I’ve ever covered. Despite finding out he made steroid purchases as early as 2003 (if not earlier), I still think he’s a good person, and an even better teammate. That said, any of you who’ve denounced Barry Bonds yet plan on applauding Harrison solely for the purpose of showing support are a capital H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E, no better than the San Francisco sycophants who cheer BALCO Barry’s accomplishments.

On a related note, a rather remarkable streak ended this weekend. I’ll bet only fantasy leaguers fighting for a championship cared that Hank Blalock hit a home run off Chad Bradford Saturday. (Of course, if you have either Blalock or Bradford on your fantasy team, chances are you aren’t competing for a championship!) I’ll also bet you didn’t know that was the first homer allowed by Bradford in 128-games, the longest such streak in 51-years.

How is that related to the steroid talk in previous paragraphs? Well, because Bradford’s accomplishment is even more remarkable when you take into account the rampant cheating going on in baseball these days. And yes, I fully realize pitchers are doing the stuff as much, if not more than hitters.

Speaking of fantasy sports, pretty solid advice I handed out about not expecting big things out of Randy Moss this year, wasn’t it? In my defense, I had Wilmington High’s Ernie Melo (7-rushing TD’s vs. Lawrence) and Tewksbury’s Derek Lowe (he sank Lowell with TD runs of 55 and 73 yards) in my schoolboy league. (Wink, wink)

That was a pretty classy move by the Boston College football team Saturday, standing behind Army during the playing of their song, then shaking hands with the Cadets and thanking them for their service. Shows me that head coach Jeff Jagodzinski gets it.

Barry Scanlon’s article a couple of weeks ago about Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel struggling since leaving Foxboro reminded me of a discussion I’ve had with a few friends about the Patriots success beings a “chicken or the egg” argument. Is it mostly due to Bill Belichick, who wasn’t exactly a “genius” until a certain 6th round pick appeared on the scene? Or should most of the credit go to Tom Brady, a relative nobody until a certain head coach got his mitts on him?

Try broaching that one next time you’re hanging around with friends and family. Or better yet, right here! Guaranteed, you’ll get an argument either way!

By Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

First of all, yes I am alive and secondly... is it hockey season yet?

While most of you are still following the Red Sox/Yankees race in the East or have already moved onto the Patriots; I am not so patiently waiting for opening night of the upcoming NHL season - I know most of you are probably thinking right now "I thought we got rid of this girl talking about hockey all the time" - sorry to disappoint, but that will never happen.

Wednesday night will be the first live hockey game for me when I attend the Devils/Islanders game at the Tsongas. I'm looking forward to seeing which players from New Jersey will play and also hoping to get a glimpse of this year's Lowell roster.

Selfishly, I am hoping to see Jordan Parise in net with his brother Zach playing in front of him since I have not had the opportunity to see the brothers play on the ice together.

Hope to see some of the regulars here at the game.

Even though we have hockey right here in Lowell, I am very much excited about the upcoming Bruins season, yes I think the Black and Gold will be fighting the other team on Causeway to be the number one Boston team this winter - to put it frankly, neither winter team is no longer irrelavant.

The Bruins made some good moves during the off season and even though they have not faired well in preseason play. Keep in mind the players taking the ice in preseason may or may not be on the ice come Oct. 5 when the team opens on the road in Dallas.

To put it in perspective, Marc Savard, Glen Murray, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and others have yet to play in the same game.

Either way, I am psyched hockey officially starts next week!

On a side note, I will be in the Sun Talk Live studio with Teddy tonight as we welcome Kevin Bartl of the Lowell Devils. So let's have some hockey fans out there call in and ask questions or listen to the show.

With that said, I look forward to discussing hockey with all of you again and hope to see a few of you at Wednesday's game. See you at the rink.

Final Score
Bills 7
Patriots 38

View from Mt. Olympus: Yawn! Ho-hum! Another day at the office!

Bring on the Colts. Let’s play a best of seven series, winner take all. Let the rest of the teams play out the schedule, minus the Patriots and Colts matchups, so everyone can make their money and give fans something to do. But I think at this point we all know the Super Bowl winner is going to be one of these two teams. So why mess around. Let’s get it on!

Seriously, this has been ridiculously easy. The Pats have scored 38-points in every game, but this week, the defense decided to change things up by holding Buffalo to seven, instead of the fourteen surrendered to the Jets and Chargers. It’s tough to find any negatives right now (though I think I have one…LOL!) and the positives are getting positively redundant.

OK, the negative; I’m beginning to wonder if Bill Belichick has lost faith in Stephen Gostkowski. Why else would the Pats go for it on 4th and 7, when clearly in field goal range? And it’s not like it would have been a 50-yarder or anything. The coach likes to say if you don’t have faith in your kicker, he shouldn’t be on the team. Well, what’s going to happen when the time comes (and you know it’s going to despite the recent blowouts) when a game comes down to a field goal situation and you won’t even try one in an early season game that turns into a blowout?

Now that I’ve written that, I have to say that if that’s the only thing to worry about right now, the Patriots are in darn good shape.

Shining Stars: As Yogi Berra once said; it’s déjà vu all over again.

3-games…a third star on the forehead for Tom Brady (23-29, 311-yards, 4-TD’s & 0-Int’s), Randy Moss (5-115, 2-TD’s), Wes Welker (6-69, plus provided the spark when the Pats were sleepwalking early) and the Offensive Line (only 1-sack allowed and big holes for the running backs). If this paragraph sounds familiar, it should. The same folks have earned honors in the previous two games.

However, this week we’re going to belatedly move Ben Watson to the front of the class for catching a TD pass in a 3rd consecutive game and Laurence Maroney for breaking the hundred yard barrier on only 19-carries (19-103 to be exact).

On the other side of the ball, it was another great team effort. Adalius Thomas led the way with 7-tackles, so he gets extra credit, as does Ellis Hobbs for a key early game sack/forced fumble and a pretty nice play to break up a long pass later in the contest. And finally, how about a career-achievement award to Junior Seau, who moved into second place on the all-time list for games played by a linebacker with 244. He passed BC Bill Romanowski, and now trails only Clay Matthews, who appeared in 278-games. Doubt Junior will top that mark, but you never know. The physical freak of nature puts a lot of younger guys to shame.

Quality Quote: "Nope. I haven’t overthrown him yet."--Tom Brady, when asked if he thought he'd overthrown Moss on the long touchdown

"I don’t think that was the best play that I’ve ever seen; let’s put it that way. When the players have the ball out there, they have to make the plays and it’s their job to do what they think is best. Being aggressive and trying to make plays is good. Being careless and not taking care of the ball is bad. I’ll talk to Wes about it and see exactly what he saw. I don’t think we want to make a habit of that. In that case, it worked out for a few extra yards. It’s hard to get on him, but we’ll try. We’ll get on him anyway."—Bill Belichick when asked what he thought about Welker’s lateral to Moss.

See. The coach has a much easier time coming up with negatives than I do!

That’s the view from Mt. Olympus…how do you see it? I’m half-joking about the Pats-Colts best-of-seven thing, but admit it; it would be awesome, wouldn’t it?

Almost fell off my seat when I saw the SI.com report that Larry Brown came mighty close to joining the Celtics coaching staff as an assistant. The strangest part was that Doc Rivers was the one pushing for it. What the heck was he thinking?

In my opinion, there isn’t a coach in the NBA with a smaller margin of error this year than Doc. You have a fan base and ownership that expects winning, and winning big, thanks to the additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. You also have a coach (Rivers) who’s never won a playoff series. Why on earth would he want to hire his replacement?

You know the first time the C’s went on any kind of losing streak, the calls for Doc’s firing and Brown’s promotion would start. Hell, I don’t even think a losing streak would be necessary. If you’re Danny Ainge, why on earth wouldn’t you want Larry Brown to coach this team if you had the chance? Obviously, there’s a loyalty factor there towards Rivers, but come on now. You don’t think it would only be a matter of time before a change was made?

I admire Doc’s self-assurance in pushing for this. He must really be confident he can go all the way with this team within a year or two. However, if he wants to last even that long, I think it’s for the best that Brown turned down the offer. But if I were Doc, knowing that Brown is out there dying to get back into coaching (so much so that he’d even consider an assistant’s job temporarily), I wouldn’t be so confident about remaining head coach in Boston once that first 3-game losing streak comes.

That’s the view from Mt. Olympus…how do you see it? Would Brown have been a good fit as an assistant on the C’s bench? Should Ainge have just offered “The Traveling Man” the job in the first place?

Whoever said show me a good loser and I’ll show you a LOSER obviously never met The Victim.

Au contraire, our fearless football forecaster has made winners of us all. After a year of killing the line, this pathetic pigskin prognosticator has returned to his losing ways, meaning those of you who took my advice and bet against his picks are on the plus side of the ledger. Particularly enjoyable were the 4th quarter comebacks last week by the Titans and Jets, just another indication that bad karma has returned to our gridiron guru. The only thing missing was the meaningless TD in the final seconds. But those will surely follow. It’s only a matter of time.

Let’s hope the trend continues (I’m betting it will) with this Sunday’s NFL picks. Remember, to get the Monday night game you’ll have to dial in to SportsTalk Live:

New England (-16 ½) over Buffalo
NY Giants (+3 ½) over Washington
Dallas (+3) over Chicago

Last week’s record: 1-4
Season record: 4-7-1

The movie keeps getting bigger and better!

Reports out of La-La Land have Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt prepared to step in as the newest cast addition for The Fighter, the movie about Micky Ward’s boxing career. Pitt is in negotiations to play Dickie Ecklund, a role Matt Damon was originally in line for, but had to bypass due to scheduling conflicts. Mark Wahlberg is already on board as Irish Micky.

September of 2008 is the newest target date to begin shooting. It was originally hoped filming could begin late this summer, but scheduling conflicts and a script re-write have pushed the timetable back.

Reached by The Lowell Sun, Ward says he’s in periodic contact with Wahlberg, who tells him everything is on track, though in Hollywood nothing is a done deal until all the “I’s” and “T’s” are dotted and crossed. Ward is also in constant contact with Scott Silver, who is reworking the script. The two spoke yesterday, and Silver told Micky “he’s close to being done.”

Still no word on where filming will take place, though Lowell is still an option thanks to new legislation passed this year that gives tax breaks for movies shot in Massachusetts. However, Ward still expects Wahlberg to stay in the Mill City for a period of time, shadowing the former Jr. Welterweight champion and studying his character. Whether Pitt will do the same with Dickie remains to be seen.

The Lowell Devils take to the Tsongas Arena ice next week for training camp, but you’ll be able to check in on them first on Monday’s edition of SportsTalk Live.

Media Relations Director Kevin Bartl is scheduled to be in-studio from 7:00-7:30 to preview the upcoming season and take your questions. It’s your chance to find out what the Mill City’s AHL franchise has in store on and off the ice this year. (If you can't join in but want a question answered, add them to the comments section here or fill out the form on the SunTalk Live website)

Following that segment, Monday Night Lights previews the big Andover-Billerica football game scheduled for September September 28th. And don’t forget to listen in for The Victim’s Monday Night pick. Our fearless football forecaster has regained the losing form that made his advice a sure thing…as long as you go against it!

Showtime is 7-8pm. The number to listen in or participate is (978)364-8255.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Comcast SportsNet is now the new home for Celtics basketball. Comcast and the Celtics held a luncheon today in Burlington to announce the new partnership that begins when FSN New England officially becomes Comcast SportsNet on October 1.

Comcast will begin it’s Celtics coverage with broadcasts of preseason games in Europe. A total of 87 Celtics telecasts are on the schedule, including preseason and 79 regular season games.

The first broadcast will be Saturday, Oct. 6, as the Celtics and Toronto Raptors butt heads at PalaLottomatica in Rome, Italy.

Highlights of the changeover will include:

· Thirty-minute pre-game and post-game shows with Donny Marshall and Gary Tanguay.

· Play-by-play from Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn with Greg Dickerson as the sideline reporter, including road games (for the first time).

· A new weekly magazine show beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 6, highlighting the off-the court lives of the players.

Download Comcast SportsNet schedule

OK…now it’s time to panic! I've preached patience and calm all summer, but no more. It's time to sound the alarm!

The lead is down to 2 ½, but more importantly, the Red Sox look like a beaten team while the Yankees are surging. Hell, they even have Mike Mussina pitching well again.

Meanwhile, Boston’s Boys of Summer are Fall-ing. The bullpen looks shot…the offense has too many easy outs…and some of the older guys have worn down. (Has anyone seen Jason Varitek’s bat?)

The Sox are still post-season bound, and I guess in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter whether you get in as a wild-card or division champ. However, the ability to choose your playoff schedule (a new thing this year) makes it a distinct advantage to finish with the best record in the league because you can give your starters an extra day’s rest or just go with a 3-man rotation in the first round. Not to mention, I’d rather have home field advantage throughout.

Hold on to your pink hats, folks. We have a pennant race after all!

What do you think? Can the Sox hang on? Does it really matter how they get in?

Thought I’d share some thoughts from the big weekend while figuring out where to hide my sports memorabilia in case O.J. gets out on bail anytime soon;

First there was “Cameragate,” followed by accusations of jammed radio frequencies and planting microphones on defensive linemen. To the rest of the football world, Bill Belichick has been transformed into a cross between J. Edgar Hoover and Richard Nixon. While the Patriots coach deserved a one or two game impeachment, I mean suspension, it’s time to cease and desist with all the piling on.

Not since the Zapruder film has so much attention been paid to a video recording. Now the commissioner is demanding all notes and tapes from the Patriots vault be turned over to the league. If he looks closely enough, Roger Goodell just might find evidence of a second gunman in the grassy knoll.

After he puts the Patriots in their place, Goodell’s next target should be the idiots who embarrass the league by celebrating every meaningless play, even when their team is getting croaked on national television. I kept waiting for Tom Brady to tap Shawn Merriman on the shoulder and point to the scoreboard. I’d say act like you’ve been there before, but Merriman’s never even won a playoff game, so maybe he should act like he’s never been there before.

Did you ever imagine that O.J. Simpson would become a bigger caricature in real life than his Nordberg character was in the Naked Gun trilogy?

I’ll admit it. I don’t want to face the Yankees in the playoffs. Just as the Sox weren’t afraid of them in 2003 and 2004, the Yanks don’t fear Boston now, no matter what the standings are. The fear factor is gone for both teams. Where other squads might get intimidated coming into Fenway, the New Yorkers relish the challenge, and vice versa. Even the unbeatable Jonathan Papelbon is mortal against the Evil Empire. I’ll feel much safer if the Indians or Angels do the dirty work for us.

Speaking of Little Papi, did he actually say that his “head wasn’t in the game” when he blew the save Friday? Um, if you can’t get focused for Yankees-Red Sox at Fenway in the middle of September, exactly when can you get focused? Personally, I’d like to see less of the “pull the hat down-stare in menacingly-and pump the fist” histrionics out of a closer. It’s worked pretty well so far, but a more level-headed approach might work better in October. Perhaps Papelbon should study old tapes of that #42 guy in pinstripes.

While those of us in Red Sox Nation like to think of David Ortiz as Mr. Clutch, Big Papi pales in comparison to Derek Jeter. I used to think Captain America was overrated, but the most telling stat on Jeter in my eyes is that he’s hit six of his eleven home runs this year against the Red Sox. Two more came against the Mets. You think he knows when the spotlight is on?

Barring a complete and total collapse in his last two starts, Josh Beckett clinched the American League Cy Young Award with his gem Saturday. As it turns out, he very well may have saved the American League East title, too.

The summer onslaught of charity golf tournaments is behind us, but you hackers out there still in need of a scramble fix have some outlets available. One of them is the 8th annual St. Jeanne D’Arc School tournament, scheduled for September 24th at Trull Brook in Tewksbury. Lunch and a raffle/auction loaded with goodies follow afterward. For more info, contact Sherri McCormack at (978)454-7038.

Programming Note: UMass-Lowell hockey coach Blaise MacDonald and AD Dana Skinner will appear on tonight’s SportsTalk Live program. If you have anything you want to ask or discuss, be sure to dial in a few minutes before 7pm to get in line. The number to call is (978)364-8255.

Also scheduled; a Monday Night Lights preview of the Lowell-Tewksbury high school football matchup. Coaches Al Pare and Brian Aylward will represent their respective squads, and we’re hoping to have a player or two on board as well.

Finally, The Victim offers up his “guaranteed” Monday Night Football winner between the Redskins-Eagles. If you paid attention to his Sunday selections, you’ll notice our pigskin prognosticator dropped a couple due to a late game, back door cover, a sure sign he’s back to his losing ways…losing for him, but winning for us, that is!

Talk to you tonight!

Final Score
San Diego 14
New England 38

View from Mt. Olympus: Motivation!

Most sports teams thrive on motivation, but Bill Belichick’s England Patriots have turned it into an art form. They don’t even need any real slights to get upset about. They’re generally pretty good at inventing them for whatever situation arises. So as you can imagine, when they have legitimate reason to feel disrespected, someone is going to pay the price. That someone was the San Diego Chargers Sunday night. Anyone else who gets in the Pats way from here to Super Bowl XLII is going to pay as well.

You could see this one coming all week. It was bad enough that the rest of the league was piling on because of “Cameragate,” but the Chargers running their mouths all week (all offseason, for that matter) only gave the Patriots added reason to kick some serious ass on the football field. How on earth can an opposing coach allow players to comment on another team’s problems with the league to the extent San Diego players (especially LaDainian Tomlinson) did all week? It’s stupid for the Steelers and Eagles to be chiming in, never mind a Chargers team that happened to be playing in Foxboro in the coming week.

DUMB! DUMB! DUMB! DUMB!

But then, what else would you expect from a squad that has the like of Shawn Merriman prancing around like a jackass while his team was deteriorating into a 24-0 halftime deficit. I was praying Tom Brady would tap him on the shoulder at one point and point toward the scoreboard. Roger Goodell's next move to improve the game should be to only allow those who've actually won a playoff game to act like they've accomplished something.

In all, a great victory for the Patriots, one you could really tell they wanted for their embattled coach by the way they embraced him on the sideline. As I said last week, this team is scary good. I predicted 14-wins. I may have lowballed the total!

Shining Stars: With all his new toys, Tom Brady is going to have so many stars on his forehead by the end of the season, his bean is going to resemble one of those Ohio State Buckeyes senior’s helmets, the ones with all the little stickers on them. The stats (25-31, 279-yds, 3-TD’s, 1-Int) were great. The surgical precision with which he picked apart a very good defense was even better…Randy Moss (8-105-2) and Wes Welker (8-91) step to the front of the class again this week. After playing in Oakland and Miami, they must feel like they’ve died and gone to heaven…In fact, we have an exactly duplicate of last week’s offensive shining start by throwing in the O-Line which once again did a very good job protecting Brady early in the game, allowing the QB to set the tone and control the tempo.

On the other side of the ball, the biggest “name” free agent acquisitions of the Belichick era were absolute monsters. Roosevelt Colvin, more than anyone else, took the Chargers trash talking to heart, telling them through the media that it’s time to shut up during the week, then shutting them up on the field with 2-sacks, an interception and 2-forced fumbles…A 270-pound man isn’t supposed to run as fast as Adalius Thomas did on his interception return for a touchdown. We got our first glimpse at why the Pats moved so aggressively on the free agent market to snag the former Raven.

Quality Quote: "Hearing some of the things that were said about our teams, this team, past teams, this victory was for all Patriots past and present. This the most satisfying [win] because I’ve never been in a situation where people have doubted what we’ve done with past teams.”

“I’ve never had another logo on the side of my helmet. It’s only been a Patriots logo. I think I care about that logo as much if not more than anyone in this locker room. I care about the way it’s perceived. I care about what people say about it.”—An emotional Tedy Bruschi calling this the best win of his career.

Considering he’s won 3 Super Bowls, I think this quote best sums up what was going on inside that locker room during the week!

That’s the view from here…how did you see this game?

Indianapolis (-7) over Tennessee
Green Bay (+1 ½) over NY Giants
Baltimore (-10) over NY Jets
San Diego (+3 ½) over New England

Last week’s record: 3-3-1
Season record 3-3-1

*To get The Victims’s pick for the Redskings-Eagles matchup, dial in to SportsTalk Live Monday Night

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Celtics guard Tony Allen appears to be well on his way back from the second knee surgery of his career. He told The Sun that he hopes to be able to play in one of the Celtics preseason games next month.

“I might be back for preseason camp, hopefully I‘ll get to play a few games,” said Allen, who spent the off-season in the Waltham area rehabbing at the Celtics training facility. “I don’t want to come back too early, but I’m at full strength. Not at 100 percent, but lets say 70 percent. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time. My rehab was great and that’s all part of strengthening and conditioning myself to get to the tip-top notch shape.”

Allen had anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery along with cartilage repair to his left knee in January.

In 2005-06 he worked his way back from surgery on his right knee following the 2004-05 season (his rookie season).

“Basically, my mindset was getting healthy,” Allen said. “I didn’t think about the previous injury or nothing. I was just focusing on this injury. By my going through that injury it did make me mentally tough for this one, but I wasn’t thinking about the last one.”

There have been some murmurings that Allen, who was the team’s best one-on-one defender, may even see time at the point guard position as opposed to the small forward or shooting guard spots he primarily manned last season.

He says those conversations haven’t been had with him yet.

“It’s really just a big old hoopla right now,” Allen said. “I haven’t gotten word from anybody. So I’m just basically trying to get healthy, and that’s my biggest concern. I'm happy about the new teammates I have and I‘m looking forward to just contributing.”

Allen and former Celtic and two-time NBA Champion Cedric Maxwell visited Hudson, N.H., today. They dedicated a basketball court in the driveway of a Hudson family who won an essay contest, and they also held a free basketball clinic at the Hudson Community Center.

John Collins has the story for The Sun.

(Click the link below for a couple other odds and ends from Tony Allen as camp approaches.)

Judge Goodell has issued his ruling; Bill Belichick is fined $500,000. The Patriots must pay an additional $250,000 and forfeit their 2008 1st round draft pick (I won’t bother discussing the possibility that they’ll keep the 1st rounder but lose a 2nd and 3rd rounder should they fail to make the playoffs…I think we all know how that one’s going to turn out.)

In my opinion, Belichick and the Patriots got off light!

If the commissioner really wanted to put an end to any such future shenanigans, he’d have given the Jets a forfeit victory. I can guarantee any coach with a “cameraman” on his staff would immediately find another use for that assistant. A more reasonable, but harsh, solution would have been a 1 or 2 game suspension of Belichick. Goodell chose neither, saying he believes the loss of draft pick will have a longer lasting effect than a one game suspension. (Full text of NFL press release courtesy of ColdHardFootballFacts.com)

Really? So a team with two first round draft picks (they lose theirs but get to keep San Francisco’s which will be a higher selection) and an already tricky salary cap situation is supposed to cry over the loss of a first rounder? Please, they probably would have traded that selection away anyway. (If you want to read a good piece from a guy who’s not known as anti-Patriots, check out Peter King’s take on SI.com)

However, if Goodell suspended Belichick for a game or two, the Patriots would have a harder time winning that/those games, especially if the penalty was immediate and forced New England to take on the dangerous Chargers without their leader on the sidelines. An extra loss, particularly in that contest, could very well cost the Patriots home field advantage in the playoffs.

Which punishment do you think the Patriots preferred?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Portland Trailblazers website has officially announced the details of Greg Oden's knee surgery, which Teddy referenced in the previous post.

Oden was selected first overall in this June's NBA Draft after his freshman year at The Ohio State University.

The release on the website reads:

An exploratory arthroscopic surgery performed on Greg Oden today revealed cartilage damage to the Portland Trail Blazers rookie’s right knee. Oden is likely to miss the 2007-08 NBA season.

"Greg had an arthroscopy and a micro fracture surgery today," said team physician Dr. Don Roberts, who preformed the surgery. "He was found to have articular cartilage damage in his right knee. The area of injury was not large and we were able to treat it with micro fracture, which stimulates the growth of cartilage. There are things about this that are positive for Greg. First of all he is young. The area where the damage was is small and the rest of his knee looked normal. All those are good signs for a complete recovery from micro fracture surgery."

Click here for the full statement

Oden's agent Mike Conley Sr. said on ESPN Radio this afternoon that Oden was looking forward to getting back 100 percent healthy after the wrist injury that hampered him last year at Ohio State. Conley called this "another obstacle," but expressed confidence that Oden will work hard to return.

"Next year's NBA season," Conley said in reference to a timetable for Oden's return. "I feel confident that he'll be back for that."

I once viewed the May 22 draft lottery “kick in the jimmies” as the latest in a string of horrible luck for the Boston Celtics. As it turns out, the bad bounce of the lottery balls was actually the first day back at work for the leprechaun who watched over this franchise from the ‘50’s through 1986.

Danny Ainge parlayed that 5th pick in the draft into Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, making the C’s an instant contender. Had they won the lottery, the Celts most likely would have taken Greg Oden at #1. That’s Greg Oden as in “out for the year due to knee surgery” Greg Oden.

Yup, the player who slipped out of our grasp is done for the year with his second serious injury (wrist) in the last 3-years. Perhaps Ainge could still have landed Garnett even if he’d drafted Oden or Kevin Durant, but the urgency to do so wouldn’t have been so great and it’s more likely Boston would have stuck with Al Jefferson and the youth movement. Talk about ironic!

Now if in the next year you read about Durant suffering some serious injury (not that I’m rooting for it) or turning into a flop, I want you to remember this post about May 22, the day we thought was a continuation of the Celtics horrible luck, actually being the day that turned the franchise around.

News Flash: ESPN is reporting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has determined the Patriots violated league rules by having a cameraman videotaping Jets defensive signals. While an NFL spokesman denies any decision has been reached, ESPN is also reporting the Pats are being investigated for a violation involving radio communications. The network also speculates Goodell could impose serious sanctions, including the loss of multiple draft picks due to the severity of the offense.

View from Mt. Olympus: Well, that certainly puts a damper on an impressive victory over New York Sunday!

I waited to comment on this story until there was some conclusion one way or another by the league on the allegations. Frankly, I was hoping the charges weren’t true, while all along having a sneaking suspicion they were, since other teams have complained about New England in the past. You know what they say about where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

If true (and again, we should wait for an official announcement and possible Patriots explanation before passing final judgment), I’m bitterly disappointed in the team I root for. I’d like to believe the Pats players are good enough to win without cheating, that Bill Belichick is a good enough coach without resorting to these types of tactics, and that Bob Kraft runs a legitimate enough ship so as not to allow this to go on under his watch. Sadly, as the Rodney Harrison situation showed, “our” guys aren’t above it all.

The entire thing seems rather silly to be honest. How much of an advantage can you gain doing it? It’s not as if the cameraman can instantly transmit signals to the bench. Or can he? And since I’m sure other teams engage in similar tactics, I’m going to guess most NFL coaches guard against this by changing up their signals during the course of a game, much like in baseball, so by the time the Pats studied what the film showed, the information might be useless anyway. (Please, someone explain to me how I could be so wrong and just how this could be a tremendous advantage)

I guess the thing that bothers me the most, however, is that the Patriots have gone from a model franchise that everybody in the country could root for, to a team most people root against and revel in their losses. Granted, part of that has to do with winning so much, but when that many teams accuse the Pats of cheating and you have near-altercations with the Chargers after what was one of the greatest wins in team history, something has gone terribly wrong with the model franchise Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick have created.

They’re still “my” team (along with the Cowboys), and I still think they’re good enough to win this year’s Super Bowl. But should they do so, some of the shine will be missing from the Lombardi Trophy, and I have a hunch Bob Kraft won’t be able to stand on that podium next to the commissioner and declare; “tonight we are all Patriots.”

That’s how I see it…what’s the view from where you’re sitting at? Do you believe there’s a chance the allegations are false? Is there a reasonable explanation for what the cameraman was doing? Do the Patriots really need the competitive advantage that badly? How, if at all, will this affect the rest of the season?

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

The Victim made his SportsTalk Live debut last night, offering his Monday night selections and receiving a promise from me that if he finished the season above .500, we’d forever change his name to The Victor. (For the record, our pigskin prognosticator finished the inaugural week of the season 3-3-1)

(Click here to listen to the show)

We also heard from Chelmsford coach Bruce Rich and Acton-Boxboro coach Bill Maver about their upcoming high school matchup. Bruce’s son Tim, a senior quarterback for the Lions also joined in to discuss how important this rivalry is for the participating schools.

Kicking things off, we heard from Fish House Foundation founder Al Perkins, discussing the big charity golf tournament and concert taking place the weekend of September 24-26 and featuring Hootie and the Blowfish in concert. Unfortunately, scheduled guest Russ Francis was unable to join us to help promote the event and talk some Patriots, but it was an action packed hour of fun nonetheless.

You River Hawks hockey fans will want to dial in next week when head coach Blaise MacDonald stops by for a chat about the future of the program and the DUI incident that led to his suspension over the summer.

A few lyrical compositions while wondering what kind of cheese Kanye West served with his whine at MTV’s Video Music Awards:

Tell me Tom Brady didn’t look like a maestro conducting a fine tuned orchestra the other day. New England’s offensive conductor has done just fine without a stellar receiving corps in the past. Just imagine what kind of sweet music Tom Terrific is going to compose with this band of wideouts. Not to mention an offensive line that gave the proud new papa enough time in the pocket to show off photos of John Edward Thomas (JET) Moynahan if he wanted to.

You have to admire the way Bill Belichick keeps even the most free spirited players in line. Randy Moss, known to march to the beat of his own drum, is already well-versed in Patriots-speak as evidenced by his automaton answers after that “I told you so” performance at the Meadowlands. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear the Patriots playbook has a section on media responses for every situation, and that players are made to run laps if they blow their assignments. Come to think of it, I don’t know better.

Say what you will about the controversy surrounding Al Pare’s hiring as Lowell High football coach, but you can’t deny the jolt of energy he’s brought to the program. I’ve had a number of people who normally attend only the Thanksgiving Day game tell me they plan on heading to Cawley Stadium multiple times this year because they loved playing with, or for the man at various levels. Pare’s enthusiasm is infectious. If I ever own a used car dealership, he can sell for me anytime. And that’s meant as a compliment.

Meanwhile, across state lines, another interesting gridiron tale is playing out at Bishop Guertin as Tony Johnson’s Cardinals shoot for a fourth consecutive state title. Leading the way is the substitute hero of last year’s championship game, Senior Quarterback Ryan Burgess. The first year starter from Dracut picked up where he left off, leading BG to a pair of victories by the combined score of 98-10. Burgess’ success doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the family’s athletic bloodlines. Ryan’s uncle was a pretty fair player in his day for the Middies. In fact, Brian Burgess made it all the way to Philadelphia Eagles training camp in 1976 before getting cut. While there, he happened to meet another player trying to stick in the NFL, a guy by the name of Vince Papale. You might remember the name from Mark Wahlberg’s portrayal in the movie Invincible.

A newsworthy summer for UMass-Lowell hockey is slowly creeping towards on-ice activity. The players are already hard at work in the gym, and the first official practice is only three weeks away. When the River Hawks open the home schedule October 26th against Alabama-Huntsville, they’ll do so in front of a standing room only crowd and with a season ticket base of 1,112 as opposed to 497 last year.

Much of the credit for that goes to Mike Kuenzler, who was asked by incoming Chancellor Marty Meehan to spearhead a ticket drive and came through with flying colors. Kuenzler will join UML Athletic Director Dana Skinner on next Monday’s SportsTalk Live show to discuss the progress made and prospects for the program’s long-term success.

Final Score
Patriots 38
Jets 14

The View from Mt. Olympus: We thought the Patriots offense was a force to be reckoned with. We now know they can be scary good.

Tom Brady has to feel like a kid in a toy store. “Oh, I like this one over here. How about that one over there. Wait, no. I think I’ll play with this one now.”

The Pats golden boy QB has never had a toy chest like this before. Wes Welker was the star of the first drive, but from then on out it was the Randy Moss show. And you just know that in coming weeks, Donte Stallworth, Jabar Gaffney and the rest of the crew will pay leading roles. Because as well know by now…repeat after me; Tom Brady’s favorite receiver is the open one.

The defense, minus Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour was very good. Special teams contributed a score as well. All in all, a very good performance for the Flying Elvis crew. Though I will say I don’t think the Jets are going to be very good this year. We’ll have a much better idea exactly what New England is capable of next Sunday night when LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers christen the 2007 season at Gillette Stadium.

Shining Stars: Brady (22-28, 297-yds, 3-TD’s, 0-Int’s) was like a maestro leading a fine tuned orchestra. What’s scary is he hasn’t gotten as much work with Moss and Stallworth as he’d like due to training camp injuries. I thought his best throw of the day was when he heaved it to a wide open spot and watched Moss shift into a higher gear to haul it in for a TD. It certainly didn’t look like there was a timing issue there…Moss (9-183-1) and Welker (6-61) set the tone early as the pair seemed to get open at will. I’ll admit to being a bit of a Moss skeptic at first. I think it might be time to admit defeat on that one...The offensive line also makes the honor roll for giving the proud new papa enough time in the pocket to admire wallet photos of his son had chosen to do so.

Mike Vrabel was a force on the other side of the ball, earning a star on the forehead for his 6-tackles and 2.5 sacks…What can you say about Jarvis Green (5-tackles, 2-sacks) other than an A+ effort. The guy just makes plays every time he steps on the field for an extended period of time, which is usually when someone is injured. It’s nice to have depth like that on the D-Line…And of course, we have to stick and extra big star on the forehead of Ellis Hobbs for his 108-yd kickoff return TD, an NFL record. Anytime you accomplish something never before done in this league, you move to the head of my class!

Quality Quotes: "He's aggressive and he made it work. I don't think anyone is going to say anything to him."--Belichick on whether he was upset with Hobbs' decision not to take a knee 8-yards deep in the end zone.

"I'll leave that up to you guys. That's what the talk shows and the game shows are for, to tell the people the nonsnese you all believe in. Like I said, I'm just happy and blessed to be in this position. I told you way back before I came to the Patriots that I wanted to showcase my talents, and I think today I did that."--Moss when asked if he thought he made a statement today. My question is; what does he have against Howie Mandel and Bob Barker?

That’s how it looks from Mount Olympus…what’s your view? Surprised it was a blowout? Were the Pats that good or the Jets that bad?

Much like the character made famous by Johnny Carson, I have in this here envelope the answer to the question every NFL fan wants answered about the 2007 season. And while I lack an Ed McMahon type human laugh track, that doesn’t make my predictions any less comical.

Of course, if you think you can do better, you're more than welcome to post your predictions and I'll be more than happy to compare notes with you after Week 17.

With that as a setup, here’s my very best Carson impression:

The answer:

AFC East
New England
Buffalo
NY Jets
Miami

AFC Central
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Cleveland

AFC South
Indianapolis
Tennessee
Jacksonville
Houston

AFC West
San Diego
Denver
Oakland
Kansas City

NFC East
Dallas
Washington
Philadelphia
NY Giants

NFC Central
Chicago
Detroit
Green Bay
Minnesota

NFC South
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Atlanta

NFC West
St. Louis
Seattle
San Francisco
Arizona

AFC Wildcards: Denver & Cincinnati
NFC Wildcards: Seattle & Tampa Bay

AFC Championship: New England over Indianapolis
NFC Championship: St. Louis over Chicago

Super Bowl XLII: New England over St. Louis

The question (opening the envelope): How will the 2007 NFL season appear in the history books?

It’s way too early to pass judgment. After all, one game does not a season make. But if Thursday Night’s gambling results are any indication, our favorite fearless football forecaster is back to the form that earned him the name that made him famous.

The final score in The Victim’s selection of New Orleans (+6) wasn’t even in the same area code as the spread. While that’s a promising sign that our pigskin prognosticator can return to his losing ways, what I really want to see before declaring last year’s successful campaign a fluke is one of those heartbreaking gambling defeats where a last minute freak play turns a cover into a loss. You know, those INT’s returned for a touchdown in an otherwise meaningless drive, or one of those prevent defense specials where a 13-point deficit ends up as a 6-point loss within the spread as the “D” gladly gives up a touchdown to milk the clock. Once I see that, I’ll be able to state with certainty that The Victim is back to normal.

Until then, on with the picks:

Philadelphia (-3) over Green Bay
NY Jets (+6 ½) over New England
San Diego (-6) over Chicago
Dallas (-6) over NY Giants

2007 record: 0-1
2006 record: 59-41

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Ever since Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli began aggressively pursuing pieces to plug the team’s most gaping holes, I’ve been predicting a Super Bowl title for the 2007 New England Patriots.

I’m still sticking to my guns, but I have to admit more than a little bit of awe at the Colts’ performance against New Orleans in the season opener. I thought Tony Dungy’s defense suffered one-too-many key losses, but if that exhibition against what’s supposed to be a great Saints offense was any indication, they might be even better than the playoff version that helped land Peyton Manning his first ever Lombardi Trophy. I see a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship, with home field being the deciding factor.

For now, let’s stick to my Pats prediction. A lot of people are concerned about the temporary (we hope) loss of Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour. Frankly, I’m not overly concerned. It’s not like Belichick hasn’t had to spend a good portion of his coaching tenure game-planning around injuries to these two, so I don’t think a four or six week absence will be a killer. Besides, this offense is well equipped to win shoot-outs, unlike the 2005 version.

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict a 14-2 record for the Patriots. If you remember (and if not, don’t worry…I’m about to remind you), I called for a 12-4 mark in 2006 and a loss at Indy in the AFC Championship. (Just call me genius, thank you!) Now, 14-wins may seem overly optimistic, until you stop to remember that the back-to-back titlists of ’03-’04 also finished with 14-2 marks, and this team is much, much better and deeper on paper. Also, that killer schedule that people keep talking about doesn’t look so killer to me. Let’s break it down;

Is there a game you can say with 100% certainty that the Patriots don’t stand a chance to win? I didn’t think so. The toughest, obviously, will be at Indianapolis. I’ll give New England a loss there, for the sake of argument, though I wouldn’t keel over in shock if Tom Brady and company emerge victorious. The other real tough ones are at Baltimore and the home opener versus San Diego in week 2. Again, I can very easily see the Pats winning both, but for the sake of argument, I’ll give them a loss in one of the two. That makes 2-losses.

Who else is going to beat them? Cleveland and Washington in Foxboro? Yeah, right! Toss out the Steelers, Redskins, Bills, and Dolphins in Foxboro, too. I doubt the Eagles have what it takes to win up here. Along with San Diego, that takes care of the home games.

Let’s look at the road (other than Ravens and Colts games we’ve already talked about); The Bills, I can’t see. Miami has been tough on Belichick’s boys in the past, but this has the makings of a pathetic Dolphins squad. The Cowboys and Bengals are borderline playoff teams, but New England has eaten those types of squads alive in the BB era. The Giants in the final week of the year? Not if home field for the playoffs is on the line. That leaves the Jets this Sunday. First of all, I don’t think the Eric Mangini and company can match what they did last year. Secondly, it won’t matter anyway. The Patriots are too good to lose to a team they’re clearly better than on opening week.

So there you have it. My rationale for a 14-2 record. You might think I’m nuts, but I honestly think I’m being conservative there. I can very easily see wins over both San Diego and Baltimore, so 15-1 is not out of the question. And who knows what happens in Indy….

What's your view? Have I OD’d on the Kool-Aid? What do you think? I’ve seen your votes on the poll question…why don’t you back that up?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The New York Daily News is reporting that the same investigation that brought to light Rodney Harrison’s use of human growth hormone (HGH), has now implicated St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel returned to the Cardinals as an outfielder after fizzling out as a pitcher in 2004 at the major league level due to control problems.

After converting to the outfield in 2005, he finally worked his way back up to the majors this season with the Cardinals.

The NY Daily News reports that documents prove Ankiel received a 12-month supply of HGH in 2004.

Click here to go to the story

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

I'll post my Patriots season preview and prediction Friday, along with all my NFL division-by-division projections at some point this weekend. In the meantime, I'd like to hear how many wins you think Bill Belichick's boys have in store for the 2007 season. I'm going by the assumption that most of our readers are intelligent enough to realize this team is pretty darn good, so I didn't bother adding ridiculously low victory totals. If you'd like to be a contrarian, you can choose the 10 or less option and leave a comment giving the exact number. But I warn you...you'd better be ready to back it up!

As always, feel free to leave your reasoning and comments as to why you voted the way you did.

After a week off to celebrate Labor Day, SportsTalk Live returns to celebrate the start of football season.

The player Howard Cossell dubbed “All World” kicks things off for us. Former Patriots Tight End, Russ Francis, dials in from the west coast to talk about the Pats season opener against the Jets and to help promote the 11th annual Fish House Foundation Concert and Golf Tournament. The Foundation, named for and supported by Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish fame, helps raise scholarship money for deserving New Hampshire students. (for more info on the event, visit www.fishhouse.org)

Our attention then turns to “Monday Night Lights” as we preview the high school game of the week between Chelmsford and Acton-Boxboro. Coach Bruce Rich and Co-captain Tim Rich will represent the Lions, while Coach Bill Maver and Co-captain Eric LaForest dial in with the Colonials point of view heading into the big matchup.

We’ll also be sure to touch on the sports headlines of the day or whatever else you want to talk about. And finally, The Victim makes his SportsTalk Live debut to offer his “guaranteed winner” in Monday Night Football’s Arizona-San Francisco game. If you need a bail out after a rough weekend or want to pad the winnings, don’t call “The Man” before hearing what The Victim has to say.

Oh, by the way, it all comes to you live from our sponsor Hookslide Kelly’s. As always, you’re invited to participate or just listen in by dialing (978)364-8255. Showtime is 7-8pm. We recommend you call a few minutes early so as not to miss out on any of the fun. Or if you really want to get crazy, you can stop by Hookslide Kelly’s and visit us in person.

Either way, we’ll talk to you Monday!

Yessiree! It’s none other than our fearless football forecaster, rested, relaxed and ready for another season of picking NFL games against the number.

By now, I trust you’re all familiar with the story of The Victim, the magical transformation from lovable lifetime loser to peerless pigskin prognosticator. Which Victim shows up in 2007 is anyone’s guess, though I’m betting on 2006 being a fluke.

Sunday’s selections will appear at a later date, and as we told you earlier in the week, you’ll have to wait till the SportsTalk Live broadcast to find out the Monday Night Football pick. In the meantime, here’s the opening kickoff to another football gambling season…the season opening Saints-Colts matchup on Thursday Night Football:

The Victim’s Pick: Saints (+6) over Indianapolis

Last year’s record: 59-41

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

LSU product Glen “Big Baby” Davis finally inked a deal with the Celtics today.

The Celtics acquired Davis as part of the trade with the Seattle Supersonics on draft night. Seattle selected the 6-foot-9 289-pound native of Baton Rouge, La., with the 35th overall pick.

Davis led the SEC in rebounding as a senior with 10.4 boards per game, and he was third in the league in scoring at 17.7 points per game.

He scored 12 points per game during the summer league in Las Vegas and hauled in 9.8 rebounds per contest.

Roster Update

Newcomers to the roster and coaching staff are in italics.

Guards: Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Eddie House, Jackie Manuel, Paul Pierce, Gabe Pruitt and Rajon Rondo.

Forwards: Glen Davis, Kevin Garnett, James Posey, Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine and Brandon Wallace

Centers: Kendrick Perkins, Scot Pollard

Coaching Staff Update

Head coach: Doc Rivers

Assistant coaches: Kevin Eastman, Armond Hill, Clifford Ray, Tom Thibodeau and Dave Wohl.

(Note: Regular SunBlog readers will recognize parts of this posting from a previous entry introducing The Victim. Bear with me while I cater to those technologically challenged newspaper readers who only follow the print articles)

In the movie A Bronx Tale, Robert DeNiro plays a hard-working father trying to raise his son the proper way in a neighborhood where the role model is a local gangster. However, for those of us who enjoy testing our knowledge of the NFL, the character we most closely associate with is Eddie Mush.

Be it cards, dice or horse racing, Eddie Mush couldn’t pick his nose, never mind a winner. My favorite scene has the Wiseguys at the track, rooting on their favorite thoroughbred as he gallops down the homestretch with a huge lead. Just then, Eddie Mush appears, screaming encouragement for the very same pony. The Wiseguys leave in disgust, tearing up their tickets before the race is even over. Naturally, Eddie Mush is left staring in astonishment as the horse finishes out of the money.

Why am I telling you about this otherwise forgettable scene? Well, ever year, millions of football fans waste their hard-earned dollars seeking winning gambling advice from so-called experts who lie about their success rates. What people fail to realize is that the chances of picking football games correctly is like the chances of proposing to J-Lo and getting her to walk down the aisle…a 50-50 proposition at best. Unless, of course, you have your very own Eddie Mush….a person so incapable of picking winners, he can make you Marc Anthony instead of Ben Affleck.

Enter “The Victim.”

For years, I’d made a living placing “for entertainment purposes only” wagers against this pathetic pigskin prognosticator. You know how at key moments of games they pop up graphics saying something to the effect of; “Sammy Surefoot” hasn’t missed a field goal of less than 40-yards in 1,286 consecutive attempts? Well, if The Victim had wagered on Sammy Surefoot’s squad, you can bet that kick would be wider than John Daly’s Dockers. It was like stealing candy from a baby.

So as a service to loyal SunBlog readers, I began posting The Victim’s picks every week, advising them to go the opposite way and watch their bankroll grow. And how did this lovable loser repay me for the newfound fame? By going an unbelievable 59-41 against the spread, that’s how. Talk about an ingrate!

Seriously, 18-games above the breakeven point. Documented, right there on the pages of TheSunBlog on a weekly basis. It was like living in some sort of parallel universe, where black was white, up was down, and Kevin Federline was a more competent parent than Britney Spears.

Well, The Victim’s Picks return this year, but with a twist. We’ll still post the selections at TheSunBlog. However, if you want the all-important Monday Night “bail out” game, you’ll have to dial into our weekly SportsTalk Live show to get it. Of course, we’ll have to disguise the voice to keep The Victim’s identity secret (otherwise, they’d have to kill me), but you’ll get the pick directly from the horse’s mouth by dialing in to (978)364-8255 every Monday night between 7-8pm.

While waiting for The Victim’s pick, you’ll get to participate or listen in on our typically action packed hour of SportsTalk, with guests chiming in on newsworthy topics of the week. Plus, there’s another added bonus this fall; the debut of Monday Night Lights, a segment previewing our high school game of the week, where coaches and players from the participating schools call-in with their thoughts on the big matchup.

So if this sounds like another shameless plug, that’s because it is. Live guests, livelier conversation, Monday Night Lights and free football picks. You’ll be richer for the experience.

Provided of course, you can guess which Victim shows up this year; the lovable loser of days gone by or gridiron god of 2006.

I mentioned earlier in the week how I’m not comfortable with Tim Wakefield occupying a spot in the post-season starting rotation, and how I believe Clay Buchholz is more likely to play a significant playoff role than Jon Lester. Well, you’ll be happy to know Tito Panos has decided on Buchholz as his Game-4 starter in the ALDS.

The kid was electric in tossing his no-no Saturday night. Just two years removed from pitching for the Spinners and against Single-A batters, the 23-year old Texan completely baffled a decent Orioles lineup. Sure he got some help in the field (particularly on a great play by Dustin Pedroia), but did you get a load of that curveball? How great was it that he completed the no-no by freezing a very good hitter in Nick Markakis with ole Uncle Charlie?

I know there are issues with innings counts, and being hesitant to throw a 23-year old into the playoff fire. All I’m going to say is, if this kid proves himself over the final month, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to write his name in the Game-4 lineup card. After all, I remember another 23-year old Texan who fared quite well in the playoffs, at Yankee Stadium no less.

Perhaps Josh Beckett can tell Buchholz all about it someday!