January 2009 Archives

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

With another season on the plus side, or at the very least on the breakeven point, locked up, Slick is finally ready to chime in with the final selection of the NFL season.

The masses have been patiently waiting, the gambling line holding pretty steady, for the smoke signals to rise out of the Vegas Vatican. The choice has been made. Prepare to see the oddsmakers scramble and the line to drop.

(Drum roll please) Slicks pick, for Super Bowl XLIII is.........

Arizona (+6 1/2) over Pittsburgh

Conference Championships: 1-1
Season record: 52-51-1

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

I woke up this morning with a feeling of hope for the United States of America, but was immediately ripped back down to reality.

No, I’m not talking about bad news from Wall Street or Washington, but from “Down Under”. Andy Roddick lost to Rodger Federer in straight sets, again (6-2, 7-5, 7-5). Roddick is now 2-16 versus the Swiss master, and in my mind Roddick has become one of the biggest disappointments in U.S. tennis history.

I grew up a die-hard Agassi fan, and have never really embraced Roddick as a player or personality. However, I took solace in the fact that when the great Andre retired, there would be another powerful American to take his place, Roddick. While his serve and forehand are indeed powerful, his mind is definitely not.

Despite my skepticism, I stayed up past 1:30am on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to watch an extremely fit Roddick run circles around 3rd seed Novak Djokovic. By the second set, a Roddick victory was inevitable, as Djokovic simply couldn’t handle the 130+ degree heat of Melbourne, Australia.

Anyone who’s watched Roddick play in the past knows he has the skills of a champion, just not the makeup. He’s played in four Grand Slam finals, with only one victory in the 2003 U.S. Open. But guess who he lost to in three Grand Slam finals? Iceman himself, Rodger Federer.

However, he seemed to be in the best shape of his career. “Maybe he has finally turned the corner,” I thought, “His mental ability has finally caught up to his incredible physical gifts.”

Unfortunately, I was wrong. I pushed the past aside and put faith in my fellow American. I thought he would at least give Federer a run for his money. This is the last time I give him the benefit of the doubt.

To make things worse, there don’t seem to be any American “greats” on the horizon. James Blake can be thrown into the same category as Andy Roddick, disappointment. Young guns like Marty Fish, Sam Querrey, and Ameir Delic, are solid players, but none appear to possess the ability to contend in every tournament. They don’t have that intangible “something,” the mental edge that separates the best from just being really good.

If anyone has a chance at greatness out of that group I think it’s Fish, but I won’t be placing bets anytime soon. For now we’ll have to be content with European domination, and do our best to endure this American tennis recession. OK, let’s just be honest and call it a depression.

Any thoughts or comments on Andy Roddick, Rodger Federer, U.S. Tennis, or the Australian Open?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Boston Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine said prior to tonight’s game that he expects to miss at least a week to ten days after sustaining his second concussion in a three day span.

Scalabrine, a seven-year veteran now in his fourth season with the Celtics, suffered a concussion in Sunday afternoon’s game against the Dallas Mavericks and then another during practice on Tuesday.

“I got my bell rung two times in three days, not too good of a week for me,” Scalabrine said. “I went to the doctor. The CAT Scan was good. I got a concussion, going to miss some time. I’m more disappointed about that because I felt like as a team we’ve been playing some good ball, and I feel like I’ve been playing some good ball.”

Scalabrine had averaged more than 23 minutes per game in the past eight Celtics games, and he started six games this season.

The 6-foot-9 USC product said he had suffered a concussion last season in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. Still, he insists he is not worried or concerned about this developing into a larger problem.

He said was able to drive himself to the TD Banknorth Garden for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings, but he does feel a little lightheaded and slight dizziness when walking up stairs.

The injury coincides with the return of Celtics swingman Tony Allen, who has been sidelined since Jan. 4, with an ankle injury.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers did say Scalabrine’s absence would affect the substitution patterns, and which players he’d be able to put on the floor together.

Scalabrine said he wasn’t sure how soon he’d even be allowed to work out.

“We got great players here, and guys are going to do what they do,” Scalabrine said. “I feel like I’ll probably have to go back and earn that spot, and that’s okay. Competition is always a good thing in the NBA. When you have that competition, it makes guys better.”

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

The stage is set, the teams are waiting, and the Boss is ready to go at halftime. But will there really be any drama on Sunday?

We made it through Super Bowl Media Day with no major controversies, ignorant sound bites, or guaranteed victories, and now all that’s left of the NFL 2008-2009 season is the game itself. Two weeks ago, almost no one thought the Arizona Cardinals had a chance, yet here they are in Tampa gearing up for Super Bowl XLIII. It’s a true Cinderella story, right? While I was one of the few claiming they had a good shot to take down the Eagles, let me assure you that this week it’s just not in the Cards. They’re about to get decked.

Yes, they have a former Super Bowl MVP who can throw the ball to two different dynamic receivers. But they lack a few key ingredients that are necessary when cooking up a championship team: defense, postseason experience, and an effective running game. Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers’ defense are, without question, the best unit to take the field this postseason. They’ve limited the opposition to 244 total yards per game, and will render the powerful Arizona attack completely one-dimensional.

It will be up to Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor to put the hurt on aging quarterback Kurt Warner and shut down wideout Larry Fitzgerald. If they can achieve that goal, or at least contain the two, Pittsburgh should cruise to victory. The last time the Cardinals made the playoffs was over 10 years ago, in 1998. This year, they have only five players with Super Bowl experience, the most important being Warner. And while Warner’s resume is impressive, it doesn’t make up for the other inexperienced starters — most prominently, rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Rodgers-Cromartie has shut down every receiver he’s been assigned to during the playoffs, including Steve Smith and DeSean Jackson. However, he’s on the grand stage now. Will he be able to lock down Santonio Holmes or Hines Ward when the pressure is on? I just don’t think so.

His one-on-one play is one of the main reasons why the Cardinals have been able to apply so much pressure to opposing quarterbacks, and if he fails their defense will crumble. They will be unable to stop Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore from running rampant, enabling the Steelers to control the clock, and inevitably the game. As usual, the Pittsburg D will render the opposition’s running game useless, with a little help from an ineffective Edgerrin James.

Despite Warner’s best efforts, Arizona’s inexperience will succumb to the vast number of Super Bowl veterans lining up opposite the football on Sunday. My prediction is a relatively boring, 34-17 Pittsburgh victory.

What are your Super Bowl predictions?

It looks like nearly a complete win-win situation for the Red Sox concerning catcher Jason Varitek. Signing Varitek for one year plus an option perfectly suits the club’s needs.
They get a hard-nosed veteran catcher who knows the pitching staff and knows how to get the most out of it for 2009, giving Mark Wagner and their other young catchers in the system another year to develop. If Varitek’s bat bounces back, the Red Sox have an option to bring him back in 2010.
About the only thing that can go wrong is that Varitek has a strong year with the bat and decides to reject the option in hopes of getting a better financial deal with a stronger bargaining position. But if he looks like he still has some pop left in his bat, the Red Sox would likely tear up their option and try to negotiate a new deal that would pay him something closer to the $10 million he used to earn.
It’s an indication just how soft the market is for Varitek that if he signs the deal the Red Sox have offered, he’ll make only half of what he did in 2008. The Sox can exercise their option to bring him back in 2010 at $5 million, or Varitek can take a $3 million buyout and test the market again.
If Varitek accepts the deal by Friday's deadline — and he probably will — you have to wonder if Theo Epstein and his cohorts on Yawkey Way will be smirking over beating uberagent Scott Boras ... again.
Varitek probably could have gotten close to $10 million again had he accepted arbitration. Boras and his client rejected that, ostensibly because arbitration contracts are not guaranteed and Varitek could have been released in spring training. The reality was that the Red Sox are over a barrel when it comes to catching, and there was virtually no chance of them releasing Varitek.
This is a little bit of payback for Boras shopping Mark Teixeira to the Yankees at the last minute after the Red Sox appeared to be the front-runner for the first baseman. The Red Sox also left Boras with sukiyaki on his face when they called his bluff on Daisuke Matsuzaka and signed the Japanese star for about half what Boras was seeking back in 2006.
The only tough part of this is that Varitek is caught in the power play between the club and the agent, and for all he’s done for the Red Sox he deserves better, much better than a 50 percent pay cut.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell women's basketball game against Merrimack College has been postponed due to the pending storm. The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at 7 p.m., will take place on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Costello Gymnasium.

The two teams haven't played yet this season. UML hosts Southern New Hampshire on Saturday.

Posted By, Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

The only thing left for the Boston Red Sox to sort out this off-season is who will be behind the plate on opening day. By Friday they’ll know if captain Jason Varitek is returning, or if they’ll have to explore other options. The offer that currently sits on “Tek’s” table is a $5 million one-year deal, with a club and player option of $5 and $3 million respectively for 2010.

What does that mean exactly? If Varitek wants to play in Boston he’ll be forced to take a cool five mil, and if the team wants to keep him for ‘10 they pay him another five. If they don’t feel like it’s necessary to keep the Cap’n (similar to this year) then he’ll have the option of taking $3 million to stick around.

To be honest, it’s not a bad situation for a guy who hasn’t hit above .255 since 2005 (and .220 last season), but to think that only a month ago he rejected $10-12 million in arbitration is now laughable. I have to say, this situation makes me so happy I can hardly contain myself. While I do feel a little bad for Varitek, he knew this was a risk and that Boston probably wouldn't budge. Now, I can’t help but giggle to myself, a Scott Boras client is going to get screwed! Kudos to Theo for finally sticking it to the guy I like to call “Satan of Swat”.

Unfortunately for Boras, things look equally as grim on the west coast, where the market for Manny looks is just as dry. I can’t wait to see how much money Ramirez will lose after passing on arbitration, and when that happens, we can all laugh in the faces of Boras and Manny!

What do you think about Varitek, Boras, and Manny? Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

-Curt Schilling isn’t yet ready to say he’s retiring, but the talkative right-hander has already transitioned into his future role: that of sports media personality.

“Curt on the Car Phone” is now a weekly contributor on sports radio, not to mention tying his 38Pitches blog into WEEI.com. If Schilling’s early work is any indication, he’s going to be very popular with the fans, and not-so popular with many players and management types.

In a recent blog posting arguing in favor of the Red Sox re-signing Jason Varitek, Schilling advocates trading Clay Buchholz and a pair of minor leaguers for Texas catching prospect Taylor Teagarden. Without getting into the merits of the trade, how do you think young Mr. Buchholz feels about his former, if not future, teammate openly pushing for him to be shipped out of town? Such speculation and open rooting for trades about guys you’ve shared a locker room with is considered taboo for athletes.

It says here that if Schilling is going to take up media roots in Boston, then he’s likely done as an athlete in this town. Such brutal honesty won’t win him many favors in the clubhouse. However, it’s going to make his blogging and radio appearances “must stop shopping” for sports fans.

-For those who believe the NBA regular season is meaningless, I call attention to the league standings as of Monday:

In the Eastern conference, the Celtics are 37-9, percentage points behind Cleveland at 34-8, with Orlando close by at 33-10. Out West, it’s the Lakers running away from the pack with a 35-8 mark. As we found out last spring (and as those of us who remember the 3-way battles with the Lakers and 76ers in the 80’s can tell you), home court advantage in the playoffs is HUGE when teams are so evenly matched.

I’m not overly concerned with the Magic, but I can tell you right now the Celtics will not beat LeBron James and the Cavs in a seven game series where the deciding game is played in Cleveland. And judging by what I saw Christmas Day, I’d have to give the Lakers the edge if they earn home court advantage.

-By the way, save me a seat on the Stephon Marbury bandwagon. Forget the position listing, we all know “Starbury” is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body, and if there’s one thing the Celtics need, it’s another gunner off the bench not named Tony Allen.

However, let’s not be so quick to anoint this as exactly the type of move Red Auerbach used to make in bringing a malcontent onto a winning roster filled with veterans who’ll whip him into shape. Red made these types of transactions in the off-season, when the team had training camp and a full regular season to integrate the new blood into the system. While the C’s are saying all the right things about welcoming the troubled Knicks player into the club, there’s a very good possibility the adjustment to Marbury and might not be as smooth.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Who says boxing is a dying sport?

The Golden Gloves, which already had to add a Friday night fight card to alleviate the logjam of bouts that have made Tuesdays a loooooong night for those in attendance, have added another night of boxing to the docket.

With 31 fights scheduled next week, organizers scheduled a "Thursday Night Boxing" night at Lowell Memorial Auditorium this week. Tournament Director, Bill Hoar, is pleased at the number of young fighters taking up the sport and willing to put themselves out there in such a public and prestigious tournament.

So if you can't make it on the regularly scheduled night Tuesday, perhaps you might want to head down to the box office Thursday and take in yet another night of exciting ring action. Take it from someone who knows...there isn't a more exciting sporting event around!

Posted By Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

While my two female predictions to fare well in this year’s Australian Open were promptly eliminated from contention today, there was a much more serious cause for alarm at Melbourne Park Friday.

Shortly after third seed, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, outlasted Bosnian-born, American Amer Delic in a fourth set tiebreak, pandemonium broke loose. Just steps outside the arena, still in the park confines, Serbian and Bosnian fans began to riot. Chairs were hurled back and forth, and police had to step in. Reportedly, about thirty people were involved, and eventually escorted out of the park. Check out the video here on ESPN.

A day before the match even began Delic, 26, had urged fans through multiple media outlets to remember his match against Djokovic was about tennis, and only tennis. In fact, Delic and Djokovic are friends, hugging after their grueling and passion-filled match.

The conflict between Bosnia and Serbia has been raging for years, and was previously a problem at the Open in 2007. When approximately 150 fans were ejected from the park for a giant brawl involving any weapon at hand.

There are few appalling things about sports, but this display of so-called patriotism or support is ugly and unwarranted. There’s no place for such extreme violence and hatred in sports, especially one that’s supposed to be as upstanding and courteous as tennis. Passion for a team or player is understandable and encouraged, but the intermingling of politics leads to issues too incendiary.

While no one was seriously injured during yesterday’s incident, such events have the capability to escalate very quickly. What if someone had been stabbed or beaten to death? It’s disappointing, sad, and maddening that that people harbor such hate. The violence needs to stop.

Politics and sports have always had an interesting and sometimes volatile relationship, but events like today’s prove that the two should be separated. Sports are sports, not political gatherings or events. It’s unfair to place political pressure and responsibility on athletes who just want to play the game.

What do you think? Is there a place for politics in sports?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The college basketball season has reached the point of déjà vu. The UMass Lowell men’s and women’s basketball teams hit their first encore performance against Northeast-10 Conference opponents as they’ll both host Franklin Pierce on Saturday.

Potential changes in roster (injuries), style, bench rotations and starting lineups always make the second meeting of a season interesting. Not to mention the continuation of a chess match between coaching staffs that started months ago.

Here are how the two squads did the first time around against opponents (the women have yet to play Merrimack or Southern New Hampshire and the men haven’t played Southern New Hampshire yet either).

UML Women - The First Time around:

- Franklin Pierce (L) 83-80
- Stonehill (W) 75-73
- Bentley (L) 61-45
- Saint Anselm (W) 67-64
- Assumption (L) 65-54
- St. Michael’s (L) 63-62
- Lemoyne (W) 62-57
- St. Rose (L) 84-79
- Pace (L) 68-54
- Southern Connecticut (W) 81-68
- American International (L) 53-50
- New Haven (L) 66-59

UML Men - The First Time around:

- Franklin Pierce (W) 64-44
- Merrimack (L) 85-79
- Stonehill (W) 66-49
- Bentley (L) 72-64
- Saint Anselm (L) 87-72
- Assumption (W) 74-65
- St. Michael’s (W) 83-47
- Lemoyne (W) 76-65
- St. Rose (W) 81-70
- Pace (W) 71-64
- Southern Connecticut (W) 83-73
- American International (W) 63-58
- New Haven (W) 77-70

Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted By Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

For the first time in nearly five months there won’t be any football this weekend, and I’m sure there are many people like myself, who need something to fill the void. Luckily I’ve found a shot of unheralded entertainment…The Australian Open. Okay, if you’re already scoffing, take a second and hear me out.

If you’ve never played the game, you probably don’t realize that tennis is a game of finesse and power, just like the NFL (minus physical contact). However unlike any team sport, tennis is a true test of mental and physical toughness. There is no one else to lean on after a blown call or a bad shot. Not even a coach to calm you down or strategize with during breaks in play.

Just one solitary person, pitted against another with millions of dollars on the line.

How about that for dramatic? On any given day a person can crumble. A bad serve turns into a bad game, which turns into a bad set, which turns into an upset. The difference between good players and the best is mental toughness. The ability to forget mistakes, “what-if’s,” and frustration is often more important than having a 150+ mph serve.

The only way to dominate a sport like tennis is to out-will your opponent every time you step on the court. It’s very similar to golf, where strength of mind can win championships (even if you are forced to do it on one leg). Like Tiger, there are characters in tennis that have that capability, and have raised themselves above the rest.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the two best players on tour, and not coincidentally are the most interesting and fun to watch. Federer, possibly the greatest the game has ever seen, has the opportunity to tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam victories if he is able to win it all Down Under.

It’s rare to see the greatest player of any sport play in his prime, but we all have the chance with Federer. Like usual, his main competition is Rafael Nadal. The two compose perhaps the greatest rivalry of all-time, having faced each other in a record six Grand Slam finals.

If I haven’t piqued your interest by now don’t give up hope, there’s another attractive aspect of the game that may reel you in…just look left. The best part about these eye-catching individuals is that they can flat out play. There's not a better combination in tennis than looks and skill.

Unfortunately for everyone, Maria Sharapova, my favorite tennis player on the planet, is not playing due to injury. However there are others, more than capable of filling in for her. In particular, fifth seed Ana Ivanovic (above) and 19th seed Daniela Hantuchova (left) are not only stunningly gorgeous, but also two incredibly gifted athletes. Both face tough matches Friday, but win or lose, they will do it with style.

Former New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells was fond of saying: “You are what your record says you are.” But UMass Lowell junior goaltender Carter Hutton might have a difficult time believing that.
Going into tomorrow night’s game against Merrimack College, Hutton is the 11th-ranked Division goaltender in the country with a 1.99 GA average. But his won-loss record was 3-6-0, even though he has not given up more than three goals in a game this season, and then only twice.
You have to scroll down the list of Division I's top goalies to No. 23 to find another one with a losing record. Michigan’s Billy Sauer is also 3-6-0 but has a 2.33 GA average.
If Hutton were to graduate today, his 2.53 career GA average and .904 save percentage would both be the best figures in UML’s history. Yet his career record is 13-27-7 because the River Hawks simply don’t score very often when he’s in the nets.
So if it’s a matter of choosing what record your record says you are, Hutton would rather be recognized for being one of the top goalies in the country.

UMass Lowell defenseman Maury Edwards, the sophomore with the rocket shot, is the leading scorer among defensemen in Hockey East and sixth overall in the league’s scoring race.
Just over halfway through the season, Edwards, who made the Hockey East All-Rookie Team last winter, has already matched his freshman output of eight goals and is within two points of last year’s total of 19. He’s tied with junior wing Kory Falite for the River Hawks’ scoring lead with 17 points.
With 15 points in league play, Edwards is only three points behind co-leaders Viktor Stalberg of Vermont and Colin Wilson of Boston University.
Edwards has a good shot of becoming the first UML defenseman to score 10 goals in a season since Ron Hainsey — now with the Atlanta Thrashers — in 2000-01. The team’s Division I record for goals in a season is 13 by Dave Barozzino in 1995-96 and Anthony Cappelletti in 1998-99.
The school’s all-time record for goals in a season by a defenseman is 27 by Paul Lohnes in 1981-82. Lohnes won the Division II Hobey Baker Award that winter.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some notes and news related to the UMass Lowell women's basketball team that didn't fit into the latest game story.

- TAKE THE LID OFF: Three basketballs can fit inside a rim at one time, but you’d never know it based on recent evidence. The U Mass Lowell women’s basketball team must have ticked off the spirit of Wilt Chamberlain somehow because something is preventing the ball from going in the basket.

The River Hawks did lose a bit aggression in the second half, driving to the basket with less frequency and relying more on jump shots.

“Yeah, we were settling for a lot of jump shots, but we just, we weren’t making anything in the second half,” River Hawks point guard Rahshala Valentine said. “We defended well. I think they went eight possessions without scoring. We just couldn’t score.”

What special defensive innovations did the Yellow Jackets concoct to force this performance? Uh, they didn’t.

“We were getting open looks,” Valentine said. “We just weren’t converting. Even layups, we’re missing them.”

UML has shot 39.2 percent in the last three games, and that does factor in a 50 percent shooting night against Southern Connecticut.

- IT’S SINKING IN: Defense took over the River Hawks' focus last week, and it showed up on Saturday against AIC. UML forced 16 turnovers, held the Yellow Jackets to 35 percent shooting, allowed just 14 points in the paint and limited AIC to 15 free throw attempts.

The River Hawks really clamped down late in the second half. AIC scored its 51st point with seven minutes left in the game, and the Yellow Jackets finished with 53 points.

- ANTONNEA KNOWS THE WAY: River Hawks senior forward Antonnea Robinson initiated offense on several occasions on Saturday, putting the ball on the floor and making the Yellow Jackets' defense react to her working off the dribble. She ended up on the foul line for seven attempts (she was 6-of-7). Along the way Robinson grabbed five rebounds and went 2-for-4 from the field in 24 minutes of action.

Don't just take our word on it. Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some notes and news related to the UMass Lowell men's basketball team that didn't fit into the latest game story.

- DOWN THE STRETCH: Saturday’s close contest was relatively out of the ordinary. The River Hawks have rolled though opponents by an average of 15 points per game in the last 10 games, and they‘re scoring margin for the season is +11.4 points (second-best in the Northeast-10 Conference).

Sure, UML has played in tight games, but until American International College paid a visit, the River Hawks had yet to be in a one-possession game with less than a minute left to play.

“That was a one-point game down the stretch, and we do, probably not enough, but in practice we do situations just like that,” River Hawks head coach Greg Herenda said. “But our kids, we’re on them every possession, so at the end of the game they kept to the script and did what they were supposed to do. I put it on the board before the game, ‘Players make plays’ and (Kyle) Caiola was able make that play at the end of the game. Thank God.”

- GOTTA SCORE TO WIN: The UML defense has allowed 61.4 points per game during the 10 game win streak. Along the way, the defensive-oriented team has seen it’s offense pick up steam as the River Hawks have scored 76.6 points during the same stretch.

Individually, junior forward Victor Colon has moved into the top 10 scorers in the NE-10. He enters this week averaging 14.6 points per game (10th in the NE-10). Caiola is also climbing the scoring charts as he’s up to 15th in the conference with 13.8 points per game.

- WELCOMING COMMITTEE: UML plays the newest member of the NE-10, the University of New Haven, for the first time this season. The Chargers haven’t received the warmest welcome to this point in their inaugural season. UNH enters play on Tuesday sporting a record of 4-11 in the conference (6-11 overall) in the midst of a four-game losing skid.

Don't just take our word on it. Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

In the spirit of inauguration day, I Teddy Panos do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of sports blogger, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the sometimes ridiculous opinions expressed here:

--Patriots fans better hope for an Arizona victory in Super Bowl XLIII (that’s 43 for you Roman numerically challenged readers out there) or else there’s going to be a lot of “cheating” talk emanating from Steelers country about which team was the true dynasty of the decade. I can almost hear it now:

“Well, you guys won three Super Bowls to our two, but if you didn’t illegally videotape and steal our signals, we would have won the two AFC Championships on our home field and those titles would have belonged to Steel town.”

And you know what? If the roles were reversed and we were in their cleats, New Englanders would probably say the exact same thing, justified or not.

--The only ones standing between Pittsburgh and a record 6th Super Bowl win are the Arizona Cardinals, the same Cardinals who came to Foxboro in December and laid an egg. No matter which angle I gaze into the crystal ball from, I have a hard time envisioning any other scenario except for Ben Roethlisberger and company hoisting the Lombardi Trophy amidst the falling confetti in Tampa.

The only hope I see for Arizona is that head coach Ken Whisenhunt and his assistant Russ Grimm do to Big Ben and the Steelers what Jon Gruden did to the Oakland Raiders six years ago. You’ll remember Whisenhunt was Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher, and Grimm the assistant head coach, but both were passed over for the top job when the Rooney family decided to go with Mike Tomlin. So if anyone outside of the Steelers locker room knows the team’s weaknesses, it would be those two guys. Problem is, Whisenhunt and Grimm don’t have the same monster defense Gruden had with Tampa when he completely dismantled MVP Rich Gannon and the Oakland offense.

--You have to give the Steelers organization a ton of credit. Counting Tomlin, they’ve had only three head coaches in the last 40-years, a model of stability completely unheard of in pro sports. When replacing Cowher two years ago, the obvious choice would have been to promote one of the deserving candidates from within. Instead, they thought outside the box, went outside the organization and hired the 36-year old Tomlin. Now, just two years into his tenure, the former Vikings defensive coordinator is a win away from becoming the youngest head coach to lead a team to an NFL title.

--Other than Central Catholic’s 6-foot-10 giant Carson Desrosiers, who by his sheer size alone alters the course of a game, the biggest game-changer in Merrimack Valley Conference boys basketball is Lowell High’s Nate Simpson. Next time you’re at a Red Raiders game and its close at the start of the fourth quarter, don’t follow the ball. Watch Simpson instead. You’ll be amazed at how many things the kid does well at both ends of the floor. And as an added bonus, you won’t lose track of the basketball for long, either. Nate’s always around it come crunch time.

--Finally, a personal shout out to Westford Academy’s Peter Lynch on notching his 1,000th point last Friday night, the same night teammate T.J. Jann broke the 40-point barrier. With that dynamic duo and a solid supporting cast, Ed Scollan’s Grey Ghosts are going to be a tough out come March.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Now that he's back on the plus side of the ledger, our friend Slick is so close to a third consecutvie winning year, he can taste it. In fact, all our fearless football forecaster needs to ensure at least a breakeven mark is one win in the final three games.

On with the Conference Championship picks:

Arizona (+4) over Philadelphia
Baltimore (+6) over Pittsburgh

Last week: 3-1
Season record: 51-50-1

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some notes and news related to the UMass Lowell men's basketball team that didn't fit into the latest game story.

- LIES, DAMN LIES, AND STATISTICS: The Owls came into Costello Gymnasium with a 1-13 record, sad shooting numbers (39 percent from the field, 26 percent 3-pointers), not taking care of the ball (20.4 turnovers per game) and not scoring a heck of a lot (55.6 points per game). So it figures they’d put the River Hawks on their heels for stretches by using.

“If you look at their record, they should win a lot more games,” UML junior center Ali Kanaan said. “They got some good players that are probably underrated. They’re a good offensive team.”

UML head coach Greg Herenda said it didn’t take long to realize what the River Hawks were in for on Wednesday, saying, “We had the lead the entire night, but they were -- we didn’t scout them live, we scouted them on tape -- they were better (than advertised). Once that game started, I knew that if we didn’t really play hard and well, that team was going to beat somebody. We were just hoping it wasn’t going to be (last night), but that team will win a game and will beat a good team soon.”

- INSIDE PRESENCE(S): The River Hawks weren’t their normally solid shooting selves from outside (5-for-19 3-pointers) and it made the play of Kanaan (15 points, six blocks, four rebounds) and Victor Colon (26 points, eight rebounds) made a bid difference. Freshman guard Marcus Johnson (11 points) is another player who tends to get his scoring done inside, putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket. UML scored 42 points in the paint and 22 points from the free throw line.

- WALT-ON: Freshman walk-on guard Robbie Walton, a product of Boston Latin and the Dual County League, played some quality minutes of the bench for the River Hawks. In fifteen minutes he managed to impact the game in a myriad of ways as indicated by the box score. He only took one shot (and made it), but he got to the free throw line and made good on three of four chances to finish with five points. Walton also had two rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

Don't just take our word on it. Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some notes and news related to the UMass Lowell women's basketball team that didn't fit into the latest game story.

- IN THE ZONE: The Owls zone defense paved the way for shooting guard Megan Berry’s 21-point night which included 5-for-7 from behind the three-point line. Perhaps a head-scratching decision for some in attendance, the Owls stuck with a zone or various zone looks for a large chunk of the contest in which UML shot over 50 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Berry was simply taking advantage of what the defense and her teammates gave her to work with.

“In the first half I made a couple and they came and played me tight,” Berry said. “The second half the didn’t play me tight and I hit some and then they started to play me tight, but my teammates were able to get me open for the last couple that I shot.”

- WHERE YOU GOING WITH THAT BALL: The UMass Lowell women decided to re-emphasize defense and on Wednesday they reaped the benefits of Rahshala Valentine stepping up. UML head coach Kathy O’Neil praised Valentine for playing individual defense and not losing sight of her help defense responsibilities, something he had struggled with at times. Point guards Valentine and Tamaria Menefee had a very respectable night as the first line of defense as they combined to snatch six steals.

- HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Freshman center Kristin Nalivaika celebrated her birthday by scoring the first four points of her collegiate career on Wednesday. She netted a pair of layups in the final 30 seconds to finish with four points on 2-for-2 shooting and one rebound in one minute of play. Each of her scoring plays prompted raucous cheering from the River Hawks’ bench. The 6-foot-2 Worcester native had played in just three games prior to the Southern Connecticut game. She is now shooting a perfect 100 percent from the field (2-for-2) this season.

Don't just take our word on it. Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Maybe I’m way off. (OK, given my track record, I probably am way off!) But am I the only one scratching my head wondering why, after all these years of teams going after him, Scott Pioli finally left the Patriots?

Pioli has been in demand since that Super Bowl upset of the Rams. The demand only intensified after those back to back championships over the Panthers and Eagles. Pretty much every time there was an opening for a Head of Football Operations anywhere in the NFL, Scott Pioli’s name was one of the first mentioned. A few teams made serious enough runs that there was speculation he’d finally fly the Bill Belichick nest.

Yet each and every time those flirtations occurred, the man who helped build the Patriots ultimately said “thanks, but no thanks, I’m perfectly happy here in New England.”

So what happened? Why this year, when the speculation started about jobs in Cleveland and Kansas City, did most “people in the know” suspect this time would be different, that Pioli would actually take one of those jobs?

You want to know my theory? (I know, it’s just a theory…no facts to back it up…and I know you’ll all tell me I’m nuts) I wonder if Scott Pioli realized it was time to leave because the chances of winning that next Super Bowl aren’t any better in New England than they are elsewhere.

Silly as it may sound, think about it for a second; it’s been 4-years since the Pats won it all. If you look back at the history of the great dynasties, they disappear from the title chase for decades before having a chance to recapture past glory.

The 60’s Packers didn’t again win till ’96. The 70’s Steelers had to wait till the 2005 season. The 90’s Cowboys can’t win a single playoff game, never mind a Super Bowl. Even those back-to-back Broncos squads of ’97 and ’98 haven’t had a sniff. Only the ’94 Forty-Niners went as short a period as five years before adding on to their team’s championship legacy through the 80’s. And that was before free agency and the salary cap really had a chance to sink in as the established system designed to create parity.

It’s no secret I think the Patriots dynasty is dead. I told you that before Tom Brady got hurt, ironically against the Chiefs. It died that fateful day last February when the Giants shocked the world (DAMN! It still hurts to say that!). I think Scott Pioli knows it, and I think he knows the team that calls Foxboro home is in the same rebuilding mode as the team he’s about to join in Kansas City.

No, the Pats don’t have as far to go as Kansas City does right now. But the reality might very well be that they’re not done falling, and that at some point in the next couple of years, Scott Pioli and his Chiefs will pass them on the way up.

That’s the view from here…what do you think? Why did Pioli finally leave? Why was Kansas City, after all the suitors that had come calling in previous years, finally able to get an “I do!”

Posted By: Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

It began with a simple conversation between coworkers casually discussing football, and ended with a barrage of adamant proclamations in favor of the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to multiple sources this is apparently “McNabb’s year.” One coworker, who for his own sake will remain nameless, even went as far to compare McNabb’s postseason with Elway’s late career Super Bowl victory. C’mon the man’s good, but he’s no Elway.

Lately I’ve been feeling like I’ve traveled some 320 miles southwest and landed in Philadelphia. Everywhere I turn all I hear is “Donovan McNabb” this and “Eagles” that. One Sun photographer even took a few pictures of a Bald Eagle, right here in Lowell. They're everywhere.

It seems like all the Pat’s fans I know miss the postseason so much, they’ve rallied behind McNabb. Weird things happen when there’s no football in New England past December. In the words of Mugatu, “I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!” The reason being, no matter who the Eagles might play in Tampa, they will lose.

Before I even get into Super Bowl predictions, I have to convince myself that the Eagles will beat the Cardinals on Sunday. At first I laughed at the Card’s chances, but after breaking down the numbers and match-ups, I think it’ll be a lot closer than people think. Look to Vegas for a more realistic outcome, where the Eagles are favored by a mere three and a half points.

One of the major issues for Philly is the fact that Brian Westbrook (the true heart of the Eagles offensive attack) re-injured his knee against the Giants. It’s clear that even if he does play, he won’t be 100%. This is bad news for the Eagles, and will give the red-hot Arizona D a better shot overall.

The same can be said for Arizona tough guy Anquan Boldin, who would give the Cards an incredible boost if healthy enough to play. The way he came back from a broken face, literally, earlier in the season bodes well. I’m not going to guarantee an Arizona victory, but I don’t think they get enough respect, especially former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner.

However, this whole debate may be pointless because whoever wins the AFC should demolish the NFC champ. As a fellow Miami University (of Ohio) alum, I have to side with the odds here, in favor of Big Ben and the Steelers.

If Joe Flacco and the Ravens D are able to oust Pittsburg, then they become the favorites in my mind. Ed Reed is all but guaranteed to have an interception or two and most likely a touchdown in every game, imagine him playing in a Super Bowl. Scary.

Personally, I think the Steelers will win Sunday, and then again two weeks later, no matter how much Campbell’s soup McNabb can shovel down his throat. But I still can’t rationalize why there are so many Philly fans currently in Boston. It’s not like they’re playing the Tampa Bay Rays…again.

What are your thoughts?

If the Red Sox had had a healthy Curt Schilling in their rotation at the end of the 2008 season, they might have won their third World Series in the last five years.
Schilling, of course, owned an 11-2 career record in post-season play, and he was 6-1 for the Red Sox. But he missed all of last season with a shoulder injury and will likely retire.
Enter John Smoltz and his 15-4 lifetime record in the post-season with a 2.65 ERA and a record 194 strikeouts. No one has won more post-season games in baseball history than Smoltz.
The Red Sox made it clear at Smoltz’s introductory press conference today that they’d much rather have him pitching in October than in April. So they have no plans to rush him back into action following his off-season shoulder surgery.
“I don’t know if John would say this, but we feel if we absolutely had to have him in for April, physically he’d be capable to do that,” GM Theo Epstein said. “But we’re looking at the big picture here. I see him starting important games for us late in the season and, hopefully, into October.”
It was the same role they envisioned for Schilling at this time last year before it was learned he would be unable to pitch. The plan was to begin using Schilling in mid-season. And they missed him down the stretch when they finished two games behind the Rays in the AL East and in the post-season when the Rays eliminated them in the ALCS in seven games.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

A few odds and ends from around Costello Gymnasium/the UMass Lowell men's and women's basketball teams. The River Hawks host Southern Connecticut on Wednesday night.

MAX MIA?: Captain Max Kerman was absent from this weekend’s box score for the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team. The River Hawks went on the road and defeated Pace University on Saturday, but the Watertown native did not play in a game for the first time this winter.

The sophomore is dealing with an oblique injury. He’d started all 14 games coming into Saturday. Kerman has posted averages of 8.4 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game (second on the team) while shooting 43 percent from the field.

Freshman big man John Corbacio also suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s game and had to leave the game in the first half.

OFFENSE ON TAP: Wednesday’s game between the UML women’s basketball team and Southern Connecticut figures to be an offensive showcase as the River Hawks and Owls are two of the bottom three teams in the Northeast-10 Conference for scoring defense (SCSU ranks last). Southern Connecticut also resides in the cellar in terms of field goal percentage defense. The first squad to D-up might just pull ahead.

The Owls have allowed 70 points or more in their last four games.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

In today's Lowell Sun, Carmine Frongillo wrote a nice feature on high school hoopsters Peter Lynch and Alex Haines.

Westford Academy's "twin towers" have been a team for a long time now, and the dynamic duo forms the nucleus of the Gray Ghosts team. Lynch averages over 21-points per game and is a strong candidate for Player of the Year honors.

I've already gone on record as saying Central Catholic is the best team in the Merrimack Valley (big stretch there...LOL), if not the entire state. But if there's one team in the area that has a chance to dethrone the defending state champs, its this outstanding Ghosts squad.

So check out Carmine's article, then head on back here and tell us what you think. Do the Gray Ghosts have a chance to knock off the Raiders? If not Westford, who? Or is Central simply too strong? How about your alma mater? Tell us where you went to school and how your old team is faring this year?

Dick Berardino, who presented Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie with the Lowell Spinners Distinguished Alumni Award named in his honor tonight at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Lowell, knew Jim Rice was a major-leaguer the moment he first set eyes on him.
Berardino was Rice’s first manager in the minor leagues at Williamsport in the New York-Penn League in 1971. Rice, the Red Sox’ first-round draft pick that June, was elected to the Hall of Fame earlier today.
“My first impression was that he was one of the strongest 18-year-old kids I’d ever seen,” Berardino said. “He could hit a fastball, too, and you can’t teach anyone how to hit a fastball. He couldn’t hit a curveball with a paddle, though, and he still wasn’t hitting them at the end of the season. But you can always learn to hit a curveball, and he did.
“He had a great work ethic, too,” Berardino continued. “He scuffled in the outfield at first, but he made himself a better outfielder as the season went on.”
Rice’s numbers at Williamsport weren’t flashy. He hit only .256 with five homers and 27 RBI in 60 games.
“But there was no doubt in my mind he was going to be a major-leaguer,” Berardino said.
Rice hit .291 with 17 homers at Class A Winter Haven the following year, then swatted 27 homers and won the Class AA Eastern League batting crown with a .317 average in 1973.
At age 21 Rice won the Class AAA International League Triple Crown, hitting .337 with 25 homers and 93 RBI and finished the 1974 season with the Red Sox, with whom he spent the remainder of his career.
“That gives me two players I managed in the Hall of Fame,” Berardino said proudly.
Berardino managed Wade Boggs at Elmira in the NY-PL in 1976.
Former Red Sox star Rico Petrocelli, who also attended tonight’s banquet, was thrilled to see Rice get elected. Petrocelli played with Rice from 1974-76.
“I’m very, very happy for him,” Petrocelli said. “I has been a long wait. But the main thing is that he did get in.
“One of the great things about him was that he didn’t only put up big numbers. I’m sure there were times when he was hurt, but he played every day and never made excuses. He was a great teammate.”
Petrocelli was the third baseman when the Red Sox won the pennant in 1975 and rookies Rice and Fred Lynn were dubbed “The Gold Dust Twins.”
“Jimmy had power, great power,” Petrocelli said. “But he was also an outstanding hitter. Freddie was the MVP in ‘75, but Jimmy was a very big contributor.”
Rice hit .309 with a team-leading 22 homers and 102 RBI that year before Detroit’s Vern Ruhle broke his hand with a pitch late in the season. Rice missed the ALCS and World Series.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Northeast-10 Conference named UMass Lowell freshman point guard Kyle Caiola men's basketball Freshman of the Week today. The native of Parma, Ohio, helped guide the River Hawks to a 3-0 week as UML extended it's win streak to eight games to improve to 12-3, equaling last season's win total.

Caiola averagee 21.3 points, five rebounds, 3.3 assists and two steals while shooting 59.4 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from 3-point range and 85.7 from the free throw line.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

He was down to the final strike, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. And just as he did 382-times during an illustrious 16-year career with the Red Sox, he hit one out of the park.

From here on out, Jim Rice becomes “Hall of Famer” Jim Rice.

The fearsome slugger, who usually flew the fences by a mile, just barely cleared the wall that had stymied him for so long. In his last at bat, Rice needed 405 votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. He got 412, becoming the first player selected in his final year of eligibility since the Pirates’ Ralph Kiner in 1975, the same year the Sox phenom burst onto the scene with Rookie of the Year teammate Fred Lynn.

Why it took so long is a mystery to me. Those writers who voted against him will tell you its all about the numbers. Put them under truth serum, however, and I’ll bet most of them would tell you its all about Jim Ed being as scary with a microphone in his face as he was with a bat in his hands.

How else does one explain why players with far inferior resumes already have plaques in Cooperstown, while the 54-year old Rice had to spend the last decade trying to reshape his image from scowling slugger to gracious gabber? Where he once ran from or intimidated his interviewers, Rice now engages them with words or a smile.

Not that it should have mattered. Baseball’s Hall of Fame is loaded with nasty people and racists, degenerate gamblers and cheaters. The Sox leftfielder was a saint compared to many of those already enshrined.

The arguments about longevity don’t hold water, either. So what if Jim Ed only dominated for a decade? The point is; he dominated. Jim Hendrix’ run didn’t even last a decade, but was there a better guitar player over that short period than the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer?

Actually, Rice’s career more closely parallels another music star with a space in the Hall; Elvis Presley. Sure the latter years weren’t always pretty or great, but when he was on, nobody brought fans out of their seats like a young Elvis. Until he got older and lost the ability to get the hips around on a fastball, Jim Rice had the same effect at a ballpark.

I could bore you with statistics, those averages and totals that have been debated ad nauseam since his first year of eligibility. When judging Hall-worthy athletes, however, I like to trust the eyes. My second time ever at Fenway, back in 1976, a Rice home run accounted for the only score in a 1-0 win over the Tigers. I never sat down again at Fenway as long as #14 was in the batter’s box.

What I saw there and on television was the most feared hitter in the game. He could hit for average and he could hit for power. Boy could he hit for power. Before steroids made pint-sized second baseman blasting opposite field home runs a more common occurrence than a teenager text messaging, Rice could muscle a ball out of any part of any park in America.

That legendary power is still on display at golf courses throughout the area. Rice was invited to hit the ceremonial first tee shot at a charity golf tournament I attended a few years back. I’d heard the stories from others who’d shared a golf cart with Big Jim, though I suspected there might be some tall to those tales.

Uh-uh. He absolutely crushed that dimpled ball the same way he crushed the stitched cowhide ones over his career. You really had to see it to believe it. The eyes don’t lie. Much like they didn’t lie all those years I saw Jim Rice as a Baseball Hall of Famer.

The only shame is it took some voters so long to open their eyes and see the same thing.

That's the view from here...how do you see things? Does Rice belong in the Hall? Why did it take so long for him to get there? Taking steroids out of the equation, has there been a better right-handed hitter since his retirement?

The Red Sox may be putting together one of the scariest bullpens in baseball.
We won’t know how the roster shakes out until the club heads north in April, and not everyone who’s in the running for a bullpen berth is going to make the club. But whomever Terry Francona decides to keep, opposing batters are going to be experiencing a lot of discomfort in the late innings of games.
As the roster stands now, there will be six strikeout artists in camp this spring who between them averaged 9.36 strikeouts per nine innings last summer and have averaged 9.50 strikeouts over the courses of their respective careers.
Some of the relievers are already familiar to Red Sox fans. Jonathan Papelbon, of course, averaged 10 strikeouts per nine innings last year and has averaged 10.57 during his career. Manny Delcarmen averaged 8.72 and Hideki Okajima 8.71 last year. Okajima has averaged 8.45 and Delcarmen 8.32 during their brief careers.
David Aardsma averaged 9.06 K’s in 2008 and has averaged 8.65 over his career.
During the off-season GM Theo Epstein has added a couple more power arms to the mix.
Despite elbow problems last year that limited him to 47 innings, Takashi Saito fanned 60 batters for the Dodgers and averaged 11.49 strikeouts. That’s a shade under the 11.62 he has averaged in the majors.
Unheralded Ramon Ramirez averaged 8.79 strikeouts for the Royals last season and has averaged 8.39 during his career.
There will almost certainly be a spot in the bullpen for soft-throwing Javy Lopez, who had an excellent season in 2008. And Justin Masterson, who will probably strike out more batters as he gains experience, likely has an inside track for a seat.
But no matter who’s in the bullpen in 2009, there are going to be a lot of frustrated hitters around the American League.
Now consider that the Red Sox’ top three starters — Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka — have averaged 8.21 strikeouts over their careers, and there’s a very good chance Red Sox pitchers are going to lead the league in strikeouts.
If John Smoltz pitches, either as a starter or out of the bullpen, he’ll make things even tougher on enemy hitters. Smoltz has averaged 7.98 K’s over his career and has more than 3,000 strikeouts on his resume.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

As we told you in Sunday’s paper, Jamael Lynch headed to France in pursuit of hoop dreams. The native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and former member of the UMass Lowell men's basketball team has been working to fine tune his game and prepare to compete at the professional level.

In the process, Lynch was featured in a video with Virgil Aponte, a personal trainer in the New York City area for more than 10 years and a former assistant on the strength and conditioning staff for the WNBA‘s New York Liberty.

The video starts with Aponte briefing viewers on Lynch’s desire to play professionally and Lynch’s demonstrating a desire to work. It goes on to show snips of workouts starting around the 2:45 mark (you’ll notice Lynch is sporting a UMass Lowell Basketball shirt).

Click here to link to the Lynch column

Click here to link to the video.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Darius Miles' signing with the Memphis Grizzlies apparently made waves in Portland.

The third overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft inked a deal today, but the folks in the Trailblazers organization are apparently up in arms about the salary hit they're on the hook for because of Miles' contract dating back to his Portland days. Click here for the AP story with the details.

In case you forgot, Miles entered this year looking to land with the Boston Celtics, who waived him during preseason (on October 20).

At the start of training camp, Miles seemed upbeat and greatful for another chance to play.

“(I’m) more mature,” Miles said on Celtics Media Day when asked how he'd changed since he'd last played. “I think I’m better than what I was. This is the first time I’ve felt real healthy with no problems in
like four years.”

Miles admitted that he had doubts about making a comeback after what had been termed a "career-ending" knee injury. He hadn't seen game action since the 2005-06 season when he averaged a career-high 14 points per game with Portland.

“I had to think hard about it, but I knew once I put my mind to it to play again, I’d be playing,” Miles said. “I just didn’t know what team I was going to playing for. It’s a blessing to come from not playing at all and having a career-ending injury to playing for a team who just won a championship last year.”

Part of the reason he said he'd decided he wanted to play was because he wanted his son Bryce (eight months old back on Media) to see him play.

It was somewhat revealing though that Miles said he'd been healthy enough to play last year, but the organization didn't want him to play.

When asked if he got to a point where he thought he might not play again, Miles said, “It wasn’t a point where ‘it wasn’t going to happen’ it was more a point of did I want to play basketball anymore. I was healthy enough to play last year. It was just that, unfortunately, they didn’t want me to play. So it was a long hard decision to decide if I wanted to play again because the politics of the game just kind of drained me out. It was the first time in my life that I didn’t care about playing basketball.”

Who was the they he said didn’t want him to play?

“The team didn’t want me to play,” Miles said. “I was ready to play in December.”

He elaborated on the experience, saying, “I ain’t never been on a team that really didn’t want me to play,”

Don't just take our word on it. Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Baltimore (+3) over Tennessee
Carolina (-9) over Arizona
Philadelphia (+4) over NY Giants
Pittsburgh (-6) over San Diego

Last week: 2-2
Season record: 48-49-1

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Though Boston’s Boys of Summer missed out on the fancy pinstripe suit named Mark Teixeira, they’re having no problem accumulating a drawer full of Sox that might be old and have a few holes in them, but if properly stitched, could help fill big shoes come playoff time.

On top of the Brad Penny and John Smoltz acquisitions for the starting rotation, the Red Sox have now added Takashi Saito to the bullpen. Fantasy geeks will recognize Saito as the former Dodgers standout closer who missed much of last year with elbow problems. The 39-year old Japanese righty saved 39-games for LA in ’07.

Now, I wouldn’t go planning a World Series parade, but I like all three of these signings, plus the acquisition of Rocco Baldelli. If even one of these guys can stay healthy, they’ll be a significant addition to the roster. The money is short. The contract lengths even shorter (all 1-year, incentive laden deals). If the players are done, no big loss. You cut your ties and re-enter the recycling bin next year in search of the next bargain pickup. If there’s something left in the tank, you’ve added a major piece of the puzzle at little cost.

Again, I love the moves. Just don’t go crazy with your expectations. I still have a hunch that when we really need them, we’re going to go through that whole Brett Saberhagen “how long can his arm hold up” drama all over again.

What do you think of the signings? Worth a shot? Why even bother? Which one has the best chance of making a major contribution?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced today that they've recalled rookie guard J.R. Giddens and rookie forward Bill Walker from their NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash.

Giddens played in 13 games for the Flash averaging 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 rebounds, 1.46 steals, and a team-high 1.54 blocks. Giddens had a field goal percentage of 53.5%.

Walker appeared in 15 games for the Flash averaging a team-high 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.33 steals. Walker shot 55.7% from the field.

Don't just take our word on it. Click ont he Coments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Billerica's Gary DiSarcina, the former All-Star Anaheim Angels shortstop, says he is enjoying managing the Lowell Spinners, the Red Sox' affiliate in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League.
DiSarcina will become the first to manage the Spinners for a third season in 2009.
"One of the things I like is that the Red Sox pretty much let me play who I want to play," he said before the dinner. "I talked to some of the managers in the league, and they get their lineups from the front office every day.
"The Red Sox give me priorities on which players they want to play the most, but they leave the actual lineup up to me."
DiSarcina was at the 70th Annual Boston Baseball Writers Dinner last night to receive a Special Achievement Award for guiding the club to its first-ever division title and playoff berth in its 13-year history.
But the Stedler Division crown wasn't the most exciting thing about the season for DiSarcina. The development of outfielder Luis Sumoza was.
"He was a fourth or fifth outfielder when the season began," DiSarcina said. "He hadn't done very much after being in the system for four years, and he almost got released in spring training."
But DiSarcina played Sumoza anyway. He hit a walkoff homer in the first series of the season and was hitting .301 with 11 homers and 38 RBI in 51 games while slugging .549 when the Red Sox traded him to the Braves in late August for Mark Kotsay.
"That says a lot about a player like that who almost gets released and then ends up getting traded for a major-league player. I was thrilled for the kid.
"To me, that was the highlight of the season."
The disappointment?
"The disappointments are always the same," DiSarcina said. "I want every one of our players to make it."

Former Red Sox slugger Jim Rice, already disappointed 14 times in balloting for the Hall of Fame and down to his last chance for election next week, says he will not be waiting by the telephone on Monday hoping it will ring and bring him the news he wants to hear.
"I'll be doing the same things on Monday I usually do," he said today before receiving the Judge Emil Fuchs Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball at the 70th Annual Boston Baseball Writers Dinner. "I'm not going to hang around the house."
Given his druthers, Rice, who lives in North Andover, would actually prefer to be at his other home in South Carolina.
"You think I want to be here in all this snow?" he laughed. "Man, if I were in South Carolina, I'd be out playing golf on Monday."
He's still in North Andover during the winter because his wife, Corinne, is a part-time teacher in the Lawrence School system.
If Rice isn't elected next week, he'll be dropped from the Baseball Writers ballot and be shunted off to the Veterans Committee, which has been reluctant to elect anyone in recent years.
"My numbers are still the same they were 15 years ago," he said.
Now he has to find out if they're good enough to get him into Cooperstown.

Posted By Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

On the heels of signing Brad Penny, Theo Epstein and the Red Sox have added the future Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz. At 41, he is nearing the end of his career, but seems far from finished. After two decades as an Atlanta Brave, “Smoltzy” will make the move north to Boston in search of his second World Series ring.

Before discussing his obvious benefits on the field, let me emphasize that Smoltz is one of the most passionate and hard working players to ever play the game. Along with Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, Smoltz will become one of the team’s strongest leaders in the locker room and on the field. Similar to the diminutive MVP, Smoltz has an intense desire to prove doubters wrong, and to simply be the best at his position.

The worry is that Smoltz missed most of last season due to a shoulder injury and eventually surgery. However, word is he’s healthy for now. And when Smoltz is healthy, he’s dominant. In just six games and 28 innings, Smoltz posted a 2.57 ERA with 36 strikeouts. From 2005-2007 he averaged 222 innings pitched, 14.7 wins, 192 K’s, and only 51.7 walks. There’s no dispute; the man can throw a baseball.

The good news is that Boston scouts have recently seen him throw, and have good things to say. He apparently looks healthy and ready to contribute. I love this signing simply because it provides Boston with so much flexibility, leadership, and depth. More importantly, the Sox didn’t have to shell out $100+ million dollars for an impact arm.

And when it comes to finding playing time for the now six legitimate starters, don’t be too worried about it. When you have oft-injured guys like Josh Beckett and Brad Penny in your rotation, odds are there’ll be plenty of room for other guys to pitch.

The Sox needed to respond somehow to the Yankees’ jaw-dropping spending spree, and although Smoltz won’t have the impact of Mark Teixeira, he does make Boston’s rotation the best in the AL East. And now who knows, maybe we’ll see Theo conjure up a few more crafty deals…maybe one for Jarrod Saltalamacchia??

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Short, sweet, pure and simple. He summed it up in one sentence as he walked away from the media to prepare for Wednesday night’s game against the Celtics.

“I was ready to come to your cold city, but they did not want me,“ Dikembe Mutombo said making reference to the winter weather.

The 7-foot-2 17-year veteran center and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year came extremely close to becoming a member of the Boston Celtics. How close? He put his thumb and index finger mere centimeters apart to show how close during an interview prior to last night‘s game.

Depth at the center position is one of the areas the Celtics admittedly would like to strengthen. Mutumbo being on the market seemed like a good fit. The two sides couldn’t link up, and he re-signed with the Rockets on Dec. 31. According to the 42-year-old Mutumbo, the reason rests mostly with the Celtics.

“I said okay, I’ve got about seven organizations here that want me, and this organization (the Celtics) I want to go to, I thought they wanted me, but they’re looking at somebody else,” Mutumbo said. “Should I be on the waiting list, or should I just go and take another offer that was on the table?

“I think by having talks day and night with T-Mac (Houston forward Tracy McGrady) -- he kept calling my phone and keep saying ‘come on man, we want you here.’ -- I said I should just go be with guys that are talking to me and want me to be part of their family.”

Mutumbo said he’d heard that Boston had interest in Alonzo Mourning, Joe Smith and PJ Brown and he decided, “Okay,I’m not going to get in the middle of this.”

Conversely, Mutumbo said Houston management and general manager Daryl Morey made a hard push for his services just before Christmas.

“We just couldn‘t pull the trigger as soon as he needed us to pull the trigger,” Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. “We liked him too. We just wanted to wait and see what was out there, and he wasn’t willing to do that and we understood that.”

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men's and women's basketball team host Northeast-10 Conference competitor Le Moyne tonight with the women scheduled to tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and the men set to go at 7:30.

The River Hawks women's squad comes in with a record of 5-6 (2-4 NE-10) while the Dolphins sports a record of 7-6 (4-4 NE-10). The UML men are 9-3 (4-3 NE-10) and will look to extend their win streak to six games. The Le Moyne men are currently 7-5 (4-4 NE-10).

WHO'S HOT?

UML Women: Junior forward Jen Valente posted averages of 13.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in the past three games and she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the San Diego Surf N’ Slam Classic.

Le Moyne Women: Junior forward Courtney Coryea averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in three games week. She had a career-high 26 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots in a 54-49 home victory over Southern New Hampshire.

UML Men: Freshman guard Kyle Caiola posted averages of 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and two steals per game while shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range.

Junior forward Victor Colon averaged 17 points and seven rebounds while shooting .450 from 3-point range. He capped the week with 19 points (7-15, 3-8, 2-2) and eight rebounds in an 83-47 victory over Saint Michael's.

Sophomore guard Max Kerman was named the Most Valuable Player of the Pace Holiday Classic with averages of 16.5 points and 12.0 rebounds while shooting .500 from the field (11-22), and .600 from long range.

Le Moyne Men: Junior forward Laurence Ekperigin was NE-10 co-Player of the Week, averaging 22 points (and shooting 90.5-percent), 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in a pair of victories for the Dolphins.

Freshman guard Chris Johnson averaged 18 points and two assists in a pair of victories.

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

It’s January 6th and the winner is?! Actually there’s still there’s no winner in college football and there won’t be for another few days, as we continue to wade through the muck that is this year’s bowl games. Scratch that, it’s more like the quicksand that nearly kills 66-year-old Harrison Ford during his latest jaunt as Indiana Jones. Unfortunately for viewers of both, the journey is extremely long, predominantly boring, and may not be worth all the hype.

If the BCS is really going to refuse switching to a playoff format (clearly the most fair and exciting solution), then they need to cut down on the number of bowls. Not only are the names ridiculous, but when you have nearly 70 teams playing in bowl games, what makes them special anymore? The magicJack Bowl? The Papajohns.com Bowl? The R+L Carries Bowl? Who wants to watch these games, their annoying endorsements, and more importantly who approved the names? Hasn’t the economy forced everyone to cut back? Apparently not college football.

From what I can tell, even the most dedicated fans have become apathetic. While there’s been lots of good football, the sheer quantity of games and shameless corporate endorsements have negated any feeling of awe or excitement. Sure it’s fun to see your favorite team annually fight for a bowl victory, but what did Oregon State and Pitt really get out of a 3-0 final in the Brut Sun Bowl? Pride? I know the fans didn’t get anything.

There have only been two or three games I’m truly interested in and just one has lived up to the hype thus far. Last night’s battle between Texas and Ohio State came down to the wire, and had me up out of my seat. It was the type of game all bowls should be, and that very few have been this season.

Let me emphasize again that there has been and will be great football this bowl season, there’s just been so much more meaningless crap. While there’s little doubt that Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford (just the second time ever two Heisman winners face off in a college game by the way), will put on a championship worthy display, lets “cut the fat” so to speak. At some point college football needs to realize that quantity simply does not equal quality.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some notes and news related to the UMass Lowell men's basketball team that didn't fit into the latest game story.

- ONLY HALF THE BATTLE: The funny thing about the UML full-court pressure that has quickly become a trademark of head coach Greg Herenda’s tenure is that you don’t sometimes see the results of the pressure until the opponent gets into the half-court set. St. Michael’s committed 23 turnovers, but a large portion of those occurred due to miscues after they broke the press or as a result of UML players pressuring the ball and getting in passing lanes simultaneously. Herenda pointed out after Saturday's game that part of the objective of their pressure is to wear down opponents.

The River Hawks recorded 15 steals as seven different players got in on the act.UML averages a conference-high 11.08 steals per game. The second-best team, Southern New Hampshire, averages 9.4 steals per game. Individually, four River Hawks players rank among the top 12 in the NE-10 for steals. Kevin Carr leads the league along with Merrimack’s Darren Duncan (2.2 steals per game) ,while Kyle Caiola is third, Max Kerman seventh and Craig Heatherly tied for 11th.

- FIRST GAME BACK: Junior center Ali Kanaan played in his first game since Nov. 25, at Stonehill. A broken bone in his left hand forced him to miss six games. Last Monday while the men’s team was in New York for the Pace Holiday Classic, he received clearance to get back on the court.

Kanaan scored six points and passed out five assists in 21 minutes against St. Michael‘s. He also logged two blocks and one steal coming off the UML bench. While he made just one field goal (1 of 3), he got to the foul line for four attempts and made good on all four.

- COSTELLO’S COMFORT?: The River Hawks had their second-biggest win of the season (36 points, they beat Mercy by 37 in opener) to improve to 9-3. One of the things the River Hawks hope to improve on this month is their record at home. Two of their three losses this season have come at Costello Athletic Center, and Saturday’s game started a stretch of nine games that features six home tilts for UML. Turning up the pressure on defense figures to go a long way. One sort of counterintuitive statistic to this point in the season is turnovers. The River Hawks actually do a better job of forcing teams into miscues away from Costello. UML has forced an average of 17.7 turnovers per game at home compared to forcing 19.6 turnovers overall.

- ALL-INCLUSIVE: In his quest to get as many people involved with the UML program as possible, Herenda continued his habit of inviting former players to talk with the current squad. Leo Parent and John Paganetti visit the post-game locker room following Saturday’s dismantling of St. Michael’s. The River Hawks also had some special guests taking the court at half-time as campers from the UML summer basketball camps were invited to participate in a knockout shootout during halftime.

Don't just take our word on it. Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

New year…new thoughts…same troubled mind:

People calling the 2008 Patriots Bill Belichick’s best coaching job need to go back and look at the roster of the Pats team that beat the Rams in the Super Bowl. No comparison at all. Other than Tom Coughlin winning last year’s title game with his bunch of dysfunctional Giants, I can’t think of a better coaching exhibition than BB put on in 2001.

Unless you want to include the people who brought Britney Spears’ career back from the dead.

Doesn’t the fact the Patriots are going to franchise Matt Cassel for about $14-million per year and tie up roughly 25% of their available salary cap space on one position tell you something about Tom Brady’s knee? Oh sure, they could try to work out a deal with some other squad for Cassel’s services. Of course, Cassel could turn around and immediately sign the offer, stay safely on the bench if Brady’s healthy (it’s not like he doesn’t have experience doing that) and sign a big money deal next offseason

Or maybe…just maybe…the fool who two months ago broached the subject of Cassel being the Patriots quarterback of the future might have been on to something.

Don’t buy the spin. Not signing Mark Teixeira was a blow to the Red Sox off-season plans. The team that grossly overpaid for J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo would now have us believe they can’t afford to compete with the Yankees.

Here’s an idea. Sell the NASCAR racing team and use that money to build a state of the art Fenway Park, which will then allow you to better compete with the Evil Empire. Either that, or stop crying poor-mouth when you lose out on a young power hitter who embodies your organizational philosophy on hitting and continue building overpriced bleacher sheets a mile above the current home plate.

Fear not. The Lowell Spinners and Drew Weber will be LeLacheur Park’s main tenant in 2009. The only question is how long of a lease they agree to with the city. It says here, the longer the agreement, the better. Stability, especially financial stability in these times of fiscal uncertainly, is not something to be gambled with.

Though I must admit, it would have been great drama had Weber exercised his right to shop the Spinners to other towns with ballparks at the same time Lowell was exercising its right to shop LeLacheur to other entities. With all due respect to the great baseball program they have over at UMass-Lowell, I never see more than a couple hundred fannies at LeLacheur on college game day. Which leads me to believe the park isn’t the main draw.

I’m REALLY starting to miss James Posey.

Antoine Walker got arrested on a DUI charge. We’re still trying to confirm reports that he would have been fine, except when asked to walk a straight line, he broke into the Antoine wiggle.

Finally, isn’t it great how Boston College is threatening to fire football coach Jeff Jagodzinski for interviewing with the Jets? The school with a history of betting and point-shaving scandals won’t allow Jagodzinski to gamble on his own career advancement. Am I the only one who finds this ironic?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some notes and news related to the UMass Lowell women's basketball team that didn't fit into the latest game story.

- TWO MINUTE WARNING: UML head coach Kathy O’Neil wanted better defensive execution in the final two minutes. What, specifically, did the Purple Knights get in that span? St. Michael’s went from down five points, 58-53, to hitting the winner at the buzzer. In between they scored 10 points on a three-pointer by Alexis Keller, a pair of free throws by Caitlin Quinn, a three-pointer by Michelle Otey and Keller’s game winner.

- HARD-NOSED PLAY: River Hawks junior point guard Rahshala Valentine finished with 12 points and four rebounds. She also left the game after a collision while scrambling for a loose ball. Valentine was helped to the sideline as blood dripped from her nose. She did return with a nostril plugged up to finish out the game. After the game, O’Neil said she thought Valentine may actually have broken her nose.

I guess that’s the sort of play that gets your picture on banners visible from Pawtucket Boulevard.

- PACING THEMSELVES: The Purple Knights were successful in making the game a largely half-court affair. The River Hawks, who professed a desire to be more of a running team since day 1, had their moments in the open court. The four fast break points in the official box score don’t necessarily include buckets that came off what some coaches call “early offense” when the opponent isn’t completely back or isn’t quite set on defense.

As O’Neil pointed out when asked about running more, UML didn’t get a lot of stops in the second half. Running off made baskets isn’t as easily accomplished. And if you thought UML wanted to slow it down to take advantage of match-ups with Revital Carmon and Jen Valente, O’Neil said that wouldn’t have slowed UML because those two usually get better looks when they run.

- AN EYE TO THE FUTURE: In case you missed it, The Sun’s Carmine Frongillo writes in Sunday’s edition about UML-bound Pelham senior Briana Szidat. She entered last night’s game against Bow with averages of 23.6 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots per game.

Click here to go to the story.

Don't just take our word on it. Click on the comments link below to tell us what you think or to pose questions.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

The NFL playoffs are here, and with them comes the time to separate the contenders from the pretenders.

All year long, our fearless football forecaster has been mediocre or worse…kind of like the San Diego Chargers. Yet the gambling gods have granted Slick a second life, a chance to redeem himself, to climb back above .500 and on the plus side of the ledger.

Is our peerless pigskin prognosticator up to the task? Can this underwhelming underdog beat the odds on a weekend where the NFL’s four home teams are all underdogs?

Let’s find out:

Atlanta (-1) over Arizona
San Diego (+1) over Indianapolis
Baltimore (-3 ½) over Miami
Minnesota (+3) over Philadelphia

Last week: 3-2
Season record: 46-47-1

Former UMass Lowell defenseman Don Parsons set the all-time minor-league hockey goal-scoring record on Dec. 27 when he netted the 678th goal of his 17-year career for the Central Hockey League's Bloomington Prairie Thunder. Parsons, who played his college hockey here from 1988-92, was primarily a defenseman at UML and wasn't converted to a forward until he turned professional.
Parsons scored his historic goal 20 seconds into the second period of a game against Flint. The goal came in his 981st professional game.
He broke the record set by Kevin Kerr in 2005.
Parsons scored 18 goals and added 40 assists for 58 points in 107 career games at Lowell.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell head men's basketball coach Greg Herenda confirmed this week that freshman guard Sean Romsek left the team at the semester break for personal/family reasons.

The 6-foot-3 Fowlerville, Michigan, native played in nine games for UMass Lowell. He averaged 7.1 points per game. Arguably the purest shooter on the River Hawks' roster, he shot 51.1 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from behind the three-point line.

An All-Capital Area Activities Conference (CAAC) Gold Division standout at Fowlerville HS, he was named the 2006-07 Livingston County Player of the Year and three-time all-county standout and was twice named to the MHSAA All-State Honorable Mention team. Romsek graduated as Fowlerville's all-time leading scorer with 1,430 points.

While things were going well at UML for both the player and the team, Romsek ran into a situation where he felt he needed to transfer to a school closer to his home and his immediate family, Herenda said.

UML granted him his release from his scholarship.