February 2009 Archives

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Well, it didn't take long for the Patriots newfound close relationship with the KC Chiefs to show itself.

A day after trading linebacker Mike Vrabel to Scott Pioli and Kansas City, the NFL Network is reporting the Pats have sent QB Matt Cassel to the Chiefs for a 2nd round draft pick in the 2009 Draft and a conditional draft pick next year.

A lot of folks might be disappointed that a 2nd rounder was the best New England could do for Cassel. There was a lot of speculations about a 1st rounder and maybe even another 3rd rounder or something else thrown in. To be honest, I think they were lucky to get what they got.

I mean, it was only last September when Pats fans were calling for Bill Belichick to cut the career backup after a horrid pre-season. And despite a very good season stepping in for the injured Brady, the salary cap cost of franchising Cassel to maintain his free agency rights gave the Patriots a lot less trade leverage than they normally would have had. If Belichick had held out for a 1st rounder, teams would have still balked at the price and New England would have been hamstrung by that $14+ million cap number. To get a high second round choice PLUS a conditional selection next year is about as good as could reasonable have been expected when you consider this was once thought to be a worthless asset.

The view from here shows a good move by New England. And I also see a sign of confidence in Tom Brady's physical recovery.

So, what do you think of the trade? Now that the Pats have some financial flexibility again, what do you think they should do in free agency? A lot of the big names have already signed, so who should they target? What should they do on draft day? How about the loss of Vrabel? Will his leadership be missed? Does Fred Taylor have anything left in the tank?

(UPDATE: It appears the Cassel trade is part of the Mike Vrabel trade. According to a statement released by the Pats, the trade is Vrabel and Cassel for a 2nd rounder)

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Stephon Marbury beat everyone to his first interview, posting on his website a video interview in which he said goodbye to New York Knicks fans and expressed excitement about joining the Boston Celtics.

“I’m so excited about this opportunity to be able to go play for the world champs,” Marubury said while wearing a Celtics tee-shirt in an exclusive video on his website. “My mother always said, she always said, ‘Stephon it’s one thing when you want to go some place, but it’s another thing when somebody wants you. When somebody wants you, that’s the best thing in the world.’ Now with me leaving New York and going to Boston and knowing that they want me to come there and play basketball, it’s a beautiful thing.”

He described the upcoming run with the Celtics as a rollercoaster ride that will be fun, and he added that he knows fans in Boston are ready for another championship. Marbury also said his motive has always been to win a championship.

He ended the video by wishing the Knicks well and saying, “Boston here I come. I can’t wait to play. Peace.”

Click here to link to the video

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

It is official. The Boston Celtics signed former New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury today. Marbury will wear number 8 for Boston.

"We are very excited to have a player of Stephon's caliber joining our team. Our entire organization is confident in the belief that Stephon can play an important role in helping us to win another championship," Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations, said in a statement.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Northeast-10 Conference announced today that UMass Lowell men's basketball sophomore captain Max Kerman has been named Defensive Player of the Year, freshman point guard Kyle Caiola was named Freshman of the Year, and first-year head coach Greg Herenda was selected as NE-10 Coach of the Year.

Junior forward Victor Colon was also named to the NE-10 Second Team All-Conference. Caiola was both a NE-10 Second Team selection and an All-Rookie Team selection.

Caiola became the second UMass Lowell player to earn Freshman of the Year honors in the University's nine-year membership in the NE-10. He averaged 13.9 points, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting .468 from 3-point range and .762 from the free throw line. Caiola also ranks first in the NE-10 in steals, and he is in the top 15 in scoring (12th), free throw accuracy (12th) and assist-turnover ration (1.1, 15th).

Kerman is the first UMass Lowell player to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors. Kerman has registered 8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting .768 from the free throw line (11th in the NE-10) and .382 from long range.

Herenda led UMass Lowell from a 12-17 team in 2007-08 (8-14 NE-10) to the third-ranked team in the East Region.

"To win this award amongst the tremendous coaches in this conference means a great deal to me," Herenda said in a release. "I have so much respect for all of the coaches and the integrity of this conference.

"First and foremost I have to thank my staff. They have been as loyal and hardworking as any staff could be," he added. "But without my players and their commitment and perseverance this could never have happened. They play so hard everyday - they are very special to me. I have said it before but everyday is like Christmas to me. I am a very fortunate coach."

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

There seems to be only one relatively controversial story this spring for the Red Sox, and it’s the position battle for shortstop.

The contestants are veteran Julio Lugo and sophomore Jed Lowrie, who split time last season due to Lugo’s quad injury (261 at bats for Lugo and 260 for Lowrie). Lugo is projected by many to be the starter, and boasts a higher batting average (.268), on base percentage (.355), and stolen base total (12) from last season.

However, Lowrie is not far behind Lugo in most categories hitting .258 with a .339 OBP and a steal. Additionally, he drove in 46 runs (24 more than Lugo). The RBI’s can’t realistically be attributed to batting order position, as both men hit near the top or bottom of the order. Even if Lugo hit at the top of the order more often, Lowrie also scored 7 more than Lugo (34 total).

And yet, I still haven’t gotten to the most valuable aspect of Mr. Lowrie. His defense.

Lowrie played 49 games at shortstop last season, and didn’t commit a single error. By contrast Lugo played 81 games at short, and committed 16 errors. Lugo’s .945 fielding percentage pales in comparison to the likes other top shortstops, even the increasingly defensively challenged Derek Jeter (.979).

Sure it might be easier to give the job to Lugo because he has more experience and because Lowrie selflessly devote himself to a bench role. But shouldn’t manager Terry Francona be thinking about wins and production?

Lowrie provides the Sox with better numbers on both sides of the ball, and the 24 year-old has much more room for improvement than Lugo, 33. Given the opportunity, Lowrie could very well blossom into the division’s top all-around shortstop.

The good news is that no matter which direction Francona goes, there won’t be a media circus.

There are no contract disputes, major injuries (don’t worry I was knocking on wood before even typing that), and best of all there’s no Manny being Manny.

This is a classic case of no news being good news. GM Theo Epstein has put together a well oiled and hard working machine, that I believe, will pump out runs and wins with surprising efficiency.

Dustin Pedoria, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jason Bay have emerged as the new leaders in Boston and, unlike stars on the past, use their performance on the field to do a majority of the talking. I don’t anticipate any whining about trades or effort this season, something that can’t be measured by statistical experts.

This incalculable and mysterious element, often referred to as “chemistry,” is what will enable the Sox to surpass the Yankees. In Joe Torre’s book The Yankee Years, he cites clubhouse chemistry, a desire to win, and hard work as the foundation of his 1990’s dynasty teams. Do those elements sound pleasantly familiar to anyone else?

In “Yes We Can” news, it’s safe to say there was a collective sigh of relief throughout Red Sox Nation last night after seeing Josh Bard effectively catching, blocking, and smothering every single Tim Wakefield knuckleball.

No need for previous stats here, everyone remembers the steady stream of passed balls in 2006. Repeat after me, “Yes. He. Can.”

Who's your pick for the starting shortstop position, and how do you think the Red Sox and/or Josh Bard will fare this season?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Things have officially got interesting for the Boston Celtics.

For better or worse, things are changing. These aren’t last year’s Boston Celtics. These aren’t even January’s Boston Celtics.

Another change may be on the horizon as the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury finally separated on Tuesday.

The Knicks and Marbury released a statement last night which reads: “A comprehensive agreement was made this afternoon between the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury. Under its terms, the grievance has been resolved and the Knicks have requested waivers on Stephon. No additional terms will be disclosed.”

Reports have Marbury's signing with Boston as a matter of time. Marbury told the NY Post last month that he had a verbal agreement in place with the Celtics.

Marbury, a 6-foot-2 205-pound guard, is a veteran of 12 NBA seasons. The two-time All-Star has averaged 19.7 points, 7.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game in a career which has included stops in Minnesota, New Jersey, Phoenix and New York.

He played in just 24 games in 2007-08, while butting heads with then coach Isaiah Thomas, suffering the death of his father, and ending his season with ankle surgery.

He started 74 games in 2006-07.

Marbury has not played a single regular game for New York this season. He was suspended one game without pay on Nov. 28, for “refusing to play when called upon” against the Detroit Pistons, a claim Marbury publicly disputed.

He played in seven preseason games including a pair of contests against the Celtics. Marbury averaged 13 points and two assists in those meetings with Boston.

What's going on with the Celtics? Is it a path to repeating as NBA Champions? The road to ruin? Is everyone overreacting? Click the Comments link below to add your thoughts.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

1) If nothing else, the Celtics imminent signing of Stephon Marbury and the signing of Mikki Moore shake up the dynamic.

The way I see, the C’s are a step behind the Lakers and Cavaliers. Last year’s post-season win over Cleveland largely came down to home court advantage, with the Cavs coming much closer to winning at the Garden than Boston did at the mistake by the lake. As for the Lakers, they’ve shown they can beat the Green home and away this year. There’s no reason to believe that will be different come June. The intimidation factor is no longer applicable, since the boys from LA know they can come in here and win.

What Marbury, and to a small extent Moore, do is change the dynamic. If the enigmatic guard comes in and fits in (no guarantee, by the way), then the C’s end up with renewed confidence that they’re new acquisitions are enough to reverse the tide. After losing to the Lakers at home, KG and the rest of the gang paid the proper lip service about still being the champs till someone knocks them off. But a look at their faces on and off the court that night revealed a team that had lost the intangible that comes when one team “owns” another physically. The Lakers stood toe-to-toe with Boston, didn’t flinch, and ultimately punched back more effectively. And this doesn’t even begin to take into account how easily Cleveland has handled the C’s when playing in Ohio.

Hopefully, Marbury and Moore make a difference.

2) I’m still not sure which way this Red Sox season is going to go.

Sure, they’ll be in the hunt, with another World Series not out of the question. Yet, I could just as easily envision them finishing third in the AL East, behind Tampa and New York.

A lot will depend on the health of John Smoltz and Brad Penny. If they’re healthy, especially in October, this team has the best pitching in the league. However, even that might not be enough if Big Papi and Mike Lowell don’t rebound, or barring that, Theo Epstein can’t find a big bat via trade.

The guess here (or perhaps just the hope): Theo finds a team in July that wants to unload a big bat to save a few bucks, and is willing to do so without demanding anything in return other than salary relief. If you can look into your crystal ball and tell me exactly WHO that bat is, I can tell you whether to plan for an October parade or September funeral.

3) Bring on the Madness

You March Madness Bracketologists stay tuned...our 2009 contest is just weeks away. But if you'd like to sign up for our group early, visit the following site:

http://lowellsun.collegehoops.upickem.net/collegebasketball/fans/grouphome.asp?Group=MyGroupNew&groupguid={0A646FFD-0453-47E1-A9CD-4DB232271CCB}

The league name is: SunBlog Madness
The password is: lowellsun

Good luck...see you when the Madness begins!

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced today that the club signed free agent center/forward Mikki Moore. He will wear number 7 for The Green.

“Mikki’s length, energy, skill and experience, along with his enthusiasm to come to Boston, will be a great boost for us.” Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations, said in a release from the team.

Moore, the 7-foot tall 225-pound 11th year man, has averages of 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 54.8 percent from the field. This is Moore’s second stint with the Celtics after he spent a portion of the 2002-03 season with the team.

He played in 46 games (20 starts) for the Sacramento Kings this season with averages of 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds while playing just over 16 minutes per game.

Now that the River Hawks’ 2 1/2-month road trip is just about over, we hope they took pictures. Their journey was really that good.
On December 6 the UMass Lowell hockey team began an odyssey that would see them play 14 of 17 games on the road, more than half of them (8) against nationally-ranked teams. The River Hawks were 8-6-0 at the time and stumbled out of the gate, losing their first five games, all by one goal.
But they went 6-1-1 in their next eight road games, in addition to a 1-1-1 record in their three odd games at the Tsongas Arena during that arduous stretch.
The River Hawks were in seventh place in Hockey East after the first game of their journey. Now they’re solidly in fifth and only two points out of third. They are 12-9-2 in Hockey East and 15-13-2 overall.
They have one road game left, at nationally-ranked Northeastern this Friday, before playing their final three games of the regular season at home.
The River Hawks have killed off 27 consecutive enemy power plays over the last five games while tallying three shorthanded goals themselves. Their penalty-killers have also had streaks of 19, 15, and 12 consecutive kills this season.
With his fifth career shutout Saturday night at sixth-ranked Vermont, Carter Hutton has tied teammate Nevin Hamilton for third on the school’s all-time shutout list. Cam McCormick holds the record with eight, and Division II goalie Brian Doyle is second with six. Hutton and Hamilton are both juniors.
The 1-0 victory was the sixth in UML history and first since Hamilton blanked Northeastern 1-0 on Feb. 8, 2007.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Lowell resident and Tilton School basketball standout Alex Oriakhi will be one of 12 of the nation's top high school basketball players representing the East Team in the McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game.

The 6-foot-9 240 pound big man has committed to play for the University of Connecticut next season. He earned a spot on the Sporting News High Honorable Mention high school All-America Team in the annual Sporting News College Basketball Preview Magazine this fall.

Earlier this month Oriakhi was named one of 20 high school seniors to participate in the 2009 Jordan Brand Classic, presented by Foot Locker, at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 18.

Oriakhi was the only Massachusetts resident chosen as a McDonald's All-American. A total of 48 players were chosen for two boys teams (12 players on each roster) and two girls teams (12 players on each roster) from approximately 2,500 nominees.

This year's game will be played on April 1 at the BankUnited Center in Miami, Florida.

Some of the past participants chosen for the prestigious game include NBA players such as Alonzo Mourning, Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony.

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

“Baseball” and “salary cap.” The two just don't seem to fit very well together.

After raking in $420 million in salary from the Yankees alone this off-season, I'm sure the Players' Association despises the idea. However, Red Sox ownership isn't on the same page.

Wednesday, team president/CEO Larry Lucchino and owner John Henry revealed that they're in favor of a salary cap for Major League teams. Initially I was shocked to hear that the Red Sox, who last year possessed the fourth largest payroll in the Majors, wanted to limit their spending.

Why pull yourself down towards teams like the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins, and Tampa Bay Rays? Boston's ability to throw $100 million-plus at top free agents, in any given year, is an advantage few teams can boast. With a salary cap, there'd be significantly less money to spend.

In 2008, the average MLB team's salary was about $87.6 million, compared to Boston's $133,440,037. If a salary cap was instituted, I'm guessing it would be somewhere near the league average (maybe $90 million for 2008).

Using this example, that's almost $45 million that the Sox could have saved in one year alone. No matter what the exact cap number, in the long run it would likely save ownership hundreds of millions of dollars.

But not being able to splurge on top free agents will hurt though, right?

While having deep pockets has been one of Boston's big advantages, it is far from their most important asset. The reason the Red Sox broke “The Curse,” and have since had success is because they are smart. Wicked smart.

The more I think about it, the more sense it makes for Lucchino and Henry. Together with GM Theo Epstein, the three have formed one of the most potent and efficiently run franchises in the game.

Unlike the impatient organizations in New York, the Sox have built their core using the draft and minor league development. Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Jed Lowrie, Clay Buchholz, and Justin Masterson have all been developed by the Sox's system, with most of them traveling through Lowell.

Not only have the Sox been able to find and develop the talent, they've been able to keep it, by signing young players like Youkilis and Pedroia to long-term deals. (And word from Fort Myers is that Papelbon may be the next to sign a long-term deal).

Believe it or not, a salary cap could be an advantage for the Sox. Money that formerly was spent on payroll could be used to improve their already impressive scouting and player research departments. I'd be willing to bet anything, that the guys upstairs at Fenway are salivating at the prospect.

As a Red Sox fan, I'd place my trust in Lucchino, Henry, and Epstein. I have no doubt that they will continue to outwit the other MLB franchises, and put a potential winner on the field every year.

A salary cap would enable the Red Sox to become an even more efficient team, and therefore more dangerous, every single year. We'd all be getting richer, especially John Henry.

What do you think about the potential for a salary cap and its good/bad effects?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced today that the club traded 15-year veteran guard Sam Cassell and cash considerations to the Sacramento Kings for a future conditional second round draft pick.

The 39-year-old point guard did not appear in a game for the Celtics this season. He averaged 4.5 points and 1.2 assists in 12.6 minutes per game during the 2008 NBA playoffs.

Boston re-signed Cassell in September. The 6-foot-3 193 pound guard originally signed with the Celtics last March after being bought out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Sam was an important piece of our championship team last season. His profound knowledge of the game and his infectious personality will be missed from our locker room. We wish Sam the best of luck.” Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, said in a statement.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

According to New England Recruiting Report, former Lexington High point guard and current Tilton School floor general Scott Tavares signed a letter of intent to play basketball for UMass Lowell next season.

Lowell High fans may remember Tavares as the 5-foot-9 lightning quick point guard who gave the Red Raiders fits in the Division 1 North quarterfinals. Lowell pulled out the victory, but Tavares netted a game-high 24 points in the loss.

After the game, Lowell standout Fernando Perez raved about Tavares, saying, "That kid is real good. You couldn't really double him because then he could pass it, and he's real fast. Mainly, we were trying to get him out of the middle. Somehow he was getting to the middle, but when you get him out of the middle it's a lot easier to stop him and stop their offense."

Tavares has manned the point for a Tilton squad that featured Lowell resident and University of Connecticut bound big man Alex Oriakhi.

The UMass Lowell athletic department and its staff don't officially comment on recruits until they've been admitted to the university.

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

It seemed too good to be true.

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to have a few days off and attend NBA All-Star weekend with my father, purely as a fan. No interviews, no deadlines, and to my chagrin, no press pass.

Before this weekend I’d never had the opportunity to attend any All-Star festivities, but it just so happened that the NBA superstars were in Arizona, where my parents now spend a majority of their winters.

I have to admit that while I was looking forward to watching all the great players like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, there are other All-Star games I would rather attend given any opportunity. Nothing against the league or its players, it is simply not one of my favorite sports to watch live.

No matter what sport, All-Star weekends have always contained more glitz, glam, and marketing than any other “game” on athletic calendars…it’s all about the show, and this year’s results could have won some Oscars.

Kobe and Shaq sharing an MVP trophy and Dwight “Superman” Howard emerging from a phone booth, to face off against an emerald-clad “Kryptonate” Robinson in the finals of the dunk contest. These storylines couldn’t get any juicer, even if A-Rod was there.

I was expecting to be mildly entertained by both Saturday and Sunday night, but also somewhat bored and disappointed. To my surprise, I found myself yelling, gasping, and jumping up with the rest of the fans. The place was rocking, especially on Sunday. It all seemed to work out perfectly for the NBA. Maybe too perfectly.

The dunk contest in particular, seemed to be totally scripted, and oddly rehearsed. I felt bad for Rudy Fernandez and J.R. Smith, both of whom probably could have dunked from half court, blindfolded and still received lower marks than either Howard or Robinson.

Howard received two sets of perfect 50’s from the panel of Suns “greats,” for dunks that were no better than Fernandez’s first two. Granted it took Rudy a while to get his second, albeit spectacular, dunk to flush, but he received the lowest scores of the night on both his attempts.

The way that Howard and Robinson waltzed into the final was simply ludicrous, a fact that Ludacris, who was ironically in attendance, would undoubtedly agree with. There was something too convenient about it all. Howard’s custom rim, Robinson’s green uni, shoes, and ball. They all screamed, “Media Stunt!”

As far as the MVP goes, I’m not sure why Kobe had to share the honor. Was it Shaq’s entrance dance with the “Jabbawockeez” that put him over the hump? (Check out the video, here, on YouTube, it's worth a laugh). While it was fun to watch the “Big Shaqtus” break it down, he only played 11 minutes, and Kobe had a much greater impact.

However, this type of problem hasn’t been limited to the NBA this season. Did anyone watch the NHL shootout contest? Maybe not, but I was one of the few who did and was appalled by Alexander Ovechkin’s “winning” goal. It was terrible, he didn’t even score on his first whack at the puck. He won only because he has the biggest name in the sport.

Bryant, O’Neal, Howard, and Robinson had success this past weekend for the very same reason…to make the perfect headline. All-Star games are a popularity contest, similar to high school proms, we’ve known that for a long time. But isn’t the competition, despite a lack of defense, supposed to be real?

When it was all said and done however, I had fun. More fun than I had expected, and the same was true for my Dad. To be honest, does it really matters all that much anyway? After all it’s just the All-Star game.

What did you think about the NBA Dunk Contest and All-Star game? Was it all too good to be true?

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

“Springing” forward into that baseball state of mind:

Early reports out of Fort Myers have David Ortiz taking conditioning a bit more seriously this offseason. “Not So” Big Papi looks noticeably thinner, having dropped 15-pounds from a frame that had grown a bit too large for an athlete in his 30’s.

The loss of weight can only help the knee problems. What still concerns me, however, is the wrist problem. No amount of weight loss is going to help the situation should an awkward swing of the bat trigger the same issues which plagued Papi at the plate in ’08.

Speaking of injuries, good to see J.D. Drew wasted little time coming up with his first malady of the spring. Am I the only one thinking this is the injury-plagued year we’ve been fearing since the fragile right-fielder signed that big money deal?

Injuries and offensive questions aside, Boston’s pitching staff has the potential to be phenomenal. Assuming good health, expect a rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Brad Penny and Tim Wakefield to break camp as your starters. Waiting in the wings are John Smoltz, Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson. That’s some pretty good depth, even if/when the injury bug inevitably bites.

The bullpen looks solid, for once. Jonathan Papelbon is as good as there is in the 9th inning. Hideki Okajima seemed to rebound nicely over the second half last year to regain his ’07 form. Masterson provides quality depth until a rotation spot opens up. Ramon Ramirez, acquired in a trade for Coco Crisp, could be a dominant 8th inning presence if he can handle the switch to a pressure market where every pitch seems like life and death. And if Takashi Saito’s arm is healthy, you have a 37-save guy from two years ago without a guaranteed late inning spot in the pen.

What does it all mean? Well, you know that saying about pitching winning World Series? The 2009 Red Sox just might put that theory to the extreme test this year.

The way I see it, pitching AND clutch hitting win championships, and right now, I’m simply not confident enough that what steps into the batter’s box for Boston can complement what could be the best and deepest staff on a baseball mound.

Speaking of old adages, the reporter who broke the A-Rod steroids story for Sports Illustrated is apparently working on a book about the controversial slugger, a book that focuses heavily on his often tumultuous personal life which led to divorce last year. How does that old saying go? Something to the effect of “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?”

Lastly, some free advice for you Fantasy Baseball geeks out there (feel free to send any financial considerations in this direction should you take the advice and win your league): Avoid any pitcher who gets a heavy workload in the World Baseball Classic. Tired and rushed arms in the inaugural tournament of 2006 led to many disappointments in the fantasy ranks. The Sox would be wise to fabricate an injury that keeps Dice-K, who was the 2006 WBC MVP, out of the follow up competition.

Nevin Hamilton’s 27-save shutout against 15th-ranked Boston College last Friday night was the fifth of the junior goaltender’s college career. Hamilton is now in third place on UMass Lowell’s all-time shutout list.
Cam McCormick (1999-2002) is tops with eight. Division II goalie Brian Doyle (1976-80) is second with six.

When the UMass Lowell River Hawks blanked Boston College 6-0 last Friday night, it was only the second time they had ever shut out the Eagles in the 85-game series between the two schools and the first time in nearly 30 years. The first shutout nearly kept the team — then the University of Lowell Chiefs — out of Hockey East.
On Dec. 11, 1979, Division II ULowell played the Eagles in hockey for the first time. BC was the defending ECAC Division I champion and had not been shut out at the McHugh Forum, its home rink, in 20 years.
But Brian Doyle backstopped the Chiefs to a stunning 3-0 whitewash of the Eagles, who featured future NHL 500-goal scorer Joey Mullen on their roster.
As if the Eagles weren’t humiliated enough, the fans the Chiefs brought with them were particularly obnoxious that night. BC’s football team had just suffered through an 0-11 season and fired its coach, Ed Chlebek. Throughout the hockey game ULowell fans constantly chanted “BC football! BC football!”
BC athletic director Bill Flynn’s ears were burning that night, and he never forgot.
Three years later ULowell became a Division I program and applied to join fledgling Hockey East. Flynn lobbied to keep the Chiefs out, and when the charter membership of the new league was announced both ULowell and Maine were on the outside looking in. Only when St. Lawrence and Clarkson had second thoughts and dropped out to rejoin the ECAC did ULowell and Maine get accepted into Hockey East.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

For folks looking to keep tabs on the incoming River Hawks talent, The Mansfield News Journal did a story this week on Shelby High point guard Bri Calver, who signed a letter of intent in the fall to attend UMass Lowell and play for Kathy O'Neil and the women's basketball team.

Calver has been a distributor first during her high school career, but she has taken on a new role and expanded her scoring output to just over 16 points per game as of the date the story was published.

Click here for the full story

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men’s basketball team does expect to have junior forward Victor Colon back in action this week.

Colon did not play Saturday after suffering a leg injury on Tuesday night in a win against Stonehill. X-rays were negative, and he might even be back as early as Wednesday on the road against American International College.

Colon, 6-foot-3 native of Chicago, leads the River Hawks in scoring (14.5 points per game) and is second in rebounding (5.7 rebounds per game). He ranks 10th in the Northeast-10 in scoring and fourth in 3-point shooting, hitting at a 42.4 percent clip.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

It’s almost playoff time in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and as the tournaments in each respective sport begin to unfold, the Merrimack Valley is primed to crown a few state champs.

Besides the obvious contenders like Central Catholic’s boys basketball team and the perennial powerhouse of Lowell wrestling, there are contenders from the Valley in every sport. Any one of the trio of outstanding hoops squads from Central, Andover or Lowell is capable of running the table on the girls’ side. Westford’s boys can’t be discounted in Division 2. Several track stars are in line for individual gold, not to mention schools that could contend. There are also a handful of hockey teams with title aspirations, and I’m sure I’ve missed one or two along the line.

So the question is this: which team is likely to win a sectional crown, or even a state championship? Will you be attending any tournament games? Which sports do you follow more closely?

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

Even though it’s still mid-February I’m excited. Ecstatic is really a better word for it. Baseball is finally back!

With temperatures in the high 40’s and 50’s the past few days, it’s clear that Spring is knocking on our door, and with Wednesday’s sunny weather in particular, we all remembered why we love New England. But there’s something else that I’m even more excited for…baseball.

As of yesterday pitchers and catchers began reporting to their respective camps in Arizona and Florida. Yes, that means Josh Beckett, John Smoltz, Dice-K, Jonathan Papelbon, and even Jason Varitek are in Fort Myers to begin working out the kinks.

It’s a day I look forward to all year long, and I can’t help myself from constantly smiling as I write this. My co-workers probably think I’ve gone insane, “the Joker” style.

Over the next few days position players will begin filtering into the locker rooms, diamonds will be meticulously manicured, and the heavenly sound of wood impacting leather will reverberate throughout the country.

However, the athletes, general managers, and owners aren’t the only ones who will have all the fun this spring. Fantasy sports sites everywhere are finally opening registration for their baseball seasons, and I’m one of the millions of eager fans to come pouring though the virtual turnstiles.

Fantasy football claims to be the “ultimate” cyber sport, but personally I think it’s boring. Sure, it gives a meaningless Lions-Texans game some shred of importance, but really it’s for amateurs. With almost no knowledge of the game you can assemble a competitive team. Just watch one episode of SportsCenter and you’re ready to go.

Fantasy baseball takes knowledge of the game, it’s players, and a dedication to your team. With so many stats and positions the live drafts may take hours, but in the end they’re worth it. Every squad has it’s own personality, a unique touch provided by each virtual manager.

Maybe you like to go with a combination of speed, batting average, and strike-out pitchers. Maybe it’s stockpiling as many power hitters as possible, and punting the closer position. It all takes planning and strategy.

Personally, my favorite fantasy league provides me with a way to stay connected with friends I’m lucky to see once a year now that college is over. The 12 of us started the league five years ago, and plan to continue it… forever.

Some people complain about having to update their squads everyday, but I take pride in running out the best team possible on a daily basis. Just like the “real” sport itself, fantasy baseball is about more than just the game. It’s about pride, fun, and friendship.

After all, if I’m good enough I’ll be taking money from my best friends, which is always a good feeling.

If you’ve got any fantasy questions, sleepers, or top picks let us know!

The UMass Lowell River Hawks have won four of their last five games, but they sure haven’t made it easy on themselves. All four of their wins come by the thin margin of a single goal, and of the 12 goals the River Hawks have surrendered in those five games, eight have come from unlikely sources while UML’s defense has done a terrific job of shutting down the opponents’ most dangerous snipers.
A lack of attention to detail perhaps? Not one of those eight players had managed to score more than three goals this season before lighting the lamp against UML.
Three of those players — Merrimack’s Mickey Rego, Boston University’s Dave Warsofsky, and UMass Amherst’s Shawn Saunders — all netted their first goals of the season at the expense of the River Hawks. BU’s Joe Pereira and Merrimack’s Jeff Velleca both had one goal this season before doubling their totals against the River Hawks.
The difference in UML’s only loss in that stretch, a 5-3 setback against No. 1 BU, was the three goals scored by Warsofsky, Pereira, and John McCarthy. That trio had combined for three previous goals all season.

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

Guess what sports fans? I’ve found another February event that went overlooked in my previous post on the 5th. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It’s got “Sports” in the title, so it clearly has something to do with sports, right?

I consider it an educational and informing sports magazine with a few creative pictures thrown in. After all, those swimsuit designers have to sell their products somehow. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

But in all seriousness, it is rather curious how grand of an event one simple magazine issue has become. It’s spawned fan clubs, TV shows, and millions of loyal followers. The models behind the little bits of fabric and body paint have become more famous than most movie stars.

Pictures that were once confined to plastic, and the top shelves of magazine racks, have become widely accepted, largely because of some vague association to sports. But who’s complaining?

The annual edition has fascinated men and women alike, prompting a debate of which drop-dead gorgeous model should grace the cover. Personally, I know almost as many women who buy the issue as men. And all of them have their own personal favorites. Marisa Miller, Bar Refaeli, Brooklyn Decker, Veronica Varekova, Anne V, the list goes on and on.

In addition to these professional hotties, SI always throws in a few sexy female athletes to boot. Among this year’s crop are perennial part-time model Danica Patrick and my favorite Russian tennis vixen, Daniela Hantuchova (for a photo check back to my Jan 22 post).

Whatever excuse you use to pick up this year’s cover girl, Refaeli, doesn’t really matter. And even though I am one of some 65-plus million “sports” fans that will, I can help but feel a little self-conscious when flipping through the pages in public.

What are your thoughts on this year's SI Swimsuit Issue?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some quick notes heading into tonight’s women’s basketball game against Stonehill. UML knocked off then No. 5 Stonehill with a 75-73 victory in Easton on November 25.

- Some of the things that jump out about that game include the Skyhawks inability to deal with UML senior center Revital Carmon. She scored 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds.

- UML also benefited from an incredible shooting night at the River Hawks hit on 53 percent of their shots. Point guard Rahshala Valentine dropped in 15 points, while Megan Berry and Antonnea Robinson each added 11 points. Nine players scored at least two points.

- Points in the paint were dominated by UML, 40 to 8, and bench scoring also went to UML, 14-2.

- Turnovers were contagious in the last meeting as the River Hawks coughed up 21 times and the Skyhawks turned it over 20 times.

- Stonehill forward Kelsey Simonds scored a game-high 24 points with 11 points coming from the free throw line.

- The Skyhawks got to the foul line for 27 attempts, converting on 25. They had 18 free throws in the second half alone. UML took just 14 free throws all game.

- Stonehill also found success from behind the 3-point line, making 10-of-18 from long range. Kristen McWhirter was 5-for-10, and Emily Rousseau was 3-for-4.

Trending…

While Stonehill comes in with losses in the last two games (Franklin Pierce 81-71, So. New Hampshire 61-58), UML enters play after handling Merrimack in North Andover on Saturday.

The River Hawks played a near-perfect second half against the Warriors. The numbers prove the point as UML shot 57 percent from the field, 43 percent from 3-point land, 82 percent from the free throw line (18-of-22), while scoring 55 points and committing one turnover.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Some quick notes heading into tonight’s women’s basketball game against Stonehill. UML handed Stonehill its first loss of the season in Easton on November 25.

- The River Hawks shut down the Skyhawks from the jump, holding them to just 18 first-half points and a just five field goals.

- Stonehill shot just 35 percent for the entire game with 16 turnovers compared to 15 field goals. They finished with 49 points, and Randall Stallworth was the only player to reach to score 10 points or more (11 points).

- Someone might want to stop UML point guard Kyle Caiola. The UML freshman scored 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting (3-of-5 3-pointers) with two assists and one turnover.

- The River Hawks weren’t taken off the 3-point line. UML made 10-of-19 from long range as five different players sank shots from behind the arch.

- UML grabbed 10 steals, including four by center Ali Kanaan, who also had two blocks.

- Stonehill’s leading scorer A.J. Rudowitz scored nine points in 26 minutes in the previous meeting. He is averaging just under 14 points per game this season.

Trending …

Stonehill dropped its most recent game to So. New Hampshire, 67-48, but the Skyhawks have been road warriors this season. Stonehill is undefeated on the road, winning all nine games away from Easton so far this season.

UML comes off of a win against one of the Northeast-10 Conference powers in Merrimack College. The River Hawks held all-everything point guard Darren Duncan to just one point in the first half. UML overcame 29 turnovers in the game including four by Caiola, six by guard Kevin Carr and seven by Marcus Johnson.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Mea culpa. I was wrr-wrr…. I was wrrrrr…I was wrr-wrr, wrr-wrr-wrr. I was wrong!

OK! There, I said it! I WAS WRONG!

The Red Sox should not have made a free agency bid for Alex Rodriguez in 2007, as yours truly suggested. In retrospect, Boston’s Boys of Summer made the right move avoiding the troubled talent, even if giving Mike Lowell a big-money, long-term deal might not necessarily turn out to be a good move. Bringing A-Rod to Beantown would have been a bigger disaster than having Chris Brown as your date to the Grammy’s.

We could have lived with the ego and the constant need for acceptance. We would have overlooked the pathetic production over the last three postseasons (.158 batting average), assuming the mere donning of red hose would return Rodriguez to the production levels before the Evil Empire’s epic 2004 collapse. (How many of you remember he batted .421 in that ’04 postseason?)

We would have shrugged off the manly strippers and the messy divorce, while cracking jokes about the material girl and how after a fresh start in Boston, we’d dress him up in our love and make him feel like a virgin. Heck, we might have even started a run on purple lipstick at the makeup counter.

In short, even though we might never have grown to adore him, we would have at least accepted A-Fraud. A-Roid is an entirely different matter.

I know we still applaud Rodney Harrison, but he’s different. He was popular and, as far as we know, only used HGH late in his career. Hey, who can’t relate to an old man fighting back from injury and desperately trying to hang on to the game he loves.

A-Rod was different. He was the guy to save baseball in the eyes of history, the player to erase the asterisks placed in the record books by Bonds, McGwire and Sosa. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t likable. The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is loaded with jerks. As long as the jerk was a great player, we forgave pretty much any sin.

So when Jose Canseco started hinting about steroid use on the part of the best all-around player in the game, we looked the other way, not wanting to lump the tone physique of this graceful athlete with the muscle-head cartoon figures who came to represent the steroids era.

We long ago learned not to be surprised by any name showing up on a list of performance enhancing drug users, but we hoped, for just this one time, that Canseco was wrong. How ironic that one of the biggest sleazes to ever grace professional sports might have been the most honest figure of the era.

Alex Rodriguez did the right thing, quickly admitting guilt after being caught. Whether he fessed up to the full extent of it is another story, but at least Rodriguez went the Andy Pettitte contrition route instead of the Roger Clemens drive to destroy all in his path.

Still, the damage is done. A-Rod did indeed turn out to be A-Fraud, in the purest sense of the word. He harmed his name and his game. In the process, he forced the few of us who still defended him to admit being wrr, wrr-wrr-wrr…..

I made a mistake!

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

Unfortunately for baseball, Alex Rodriguez is guilty. That much is clear. In today’s interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, Rodriguez said his piece and I’m guessing he’ll leave it at that. He did arguably the best thing he could in this situation. He took the Andy Pettite route rather than deal with all the twists and turns of the Rodger Clemens path. Kind of like tearing off a band-aid, his admission was quick and painful. But should we believe him?

When in doubt, I always go back to the stats. Stats are the nuts and bolts of baseball, at least in the mind of sportswriters, and normally provide some sort of answer. So when I recently went back to analyze Rodriguez’s stats I was expecting to find something telling.

From 2001 to 2003, the three years A-Rod admits to steroid use, he averaged 52 home runs, 131 RBI’s, a .305 batting average, 127 runs, 83 walks, 15 steals, and 126 strike outs. These numbers are remarkably similar to his career averages of 44 home runs, 127 RBI, a .306 average, 127 runs, 78 walks, 22 steals, and 130 strike outs. They’re actually nearly identical, except for the one big steroid category, home runs.

Over those three years Rodriguez averaged eight more homers than his career average of 44, and achieved his all-time season high of 57 in 2002. A result of steroid use, no doubt…right?

I wouldn’t be too sure. Remember that A-Rod was playing in Texas. The Ballpark in Arlington is arguably one of the better “hitter’s parks” in Major League Baseball, and eight more homers isn't exactly a crooked number. ESPN.com provides some interesting stats on Rangers Ballpark to back this up, here.

So it makes sense that A-Rod was able to pop a few more fly balls over the fence in Texas. Also, Rodriguez hit 54 homers in 2007 for the Yankees, in a park that’s not exactly kind to right handed hitters.

One thing that has made A-Rod one of the best players in history is his remarkable consistency. No matter where he’s played, whom he’s played with, or what the media has said, he produces in the regular season. But such consistency makes me wonder, is A-Rod telling the whole truth?

Wouldn’t we have seen some notable impact of steroids during those three years? A more noticeable jump in his numbers somewhere, like Barry Bonds’ 73 dingers in 2001? Maybe A-Rod is somehow immune to the effects of steroids. Or perhaps there were, and have been, more years of steroid use for A-Rod. Maybe he turned to performance enhancing drugs during his difficult times in the Big Apple, too.

After all, he’s faced more scrutiny and pressure there than any other time during his career. He’s been labeled a “choke artist” by fans across the country, especially in New York. Wouldn’t it make sense that he kept juicing?

Over the next few months his story will be tested, more users will be named, and possibly more light shed on the whole matter. Maybe he’s telling the truth, maybe not. But if you’re going by just the stats, Rodriguez’s numbers tell a different

What do you think? Is A-Rod telling the truth, or has is there more to his story? Take a second to let us know.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team just might be facing the best point guard in the nation on Saturday.

Merrimack College's junior point guard Darren Duncan was named one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top collegiate point guard. He is one of just two Division 2 finalists selected.

Duncan leads the Northeast-10 Conference in scoring (20.1 points per game) and assists (7.3 per game). He reached the 1,000 point milestone on November 24, and he currently ranks third nationally in assists per game and 25th nationally in scoring.

Joining Duncan on the final ballot from Division 2 is Virgil Buensuceso of BYU Hawaii.

Previous winners of the award include D.J. Augustin (2008) of the University of Texas, Acie Law IV (2007) of Texas A&M, Dee Brown of Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2005) and Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph’s University (2004).

The 2009 Bob Cousy Award Finalists are: Sheron Collins, University of Kansas; Darren Collison, UCLA; Stephen Curry, Davidson College; Toney Douglas, Florida State University; Levance Fields, University of Pittsburgh; Jonny Flynn, Syracuse University; Dominic James, Marquette University; Ty Lawson, University of North Carolina; Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth University; Patrick Mills, St. Mary’s College; Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga University; AJ Price, University of Connecticut; Jeff Teague, Wake Forest University; Virgil Buensuceso, BYU – Hawaii; Darren Duncan, Merrimack College; David Arseneault, Grinnell College; Sean Wallis, Washington University.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The NBA announced today that Celtics guard Ray Allen will replace Orland Magic guard Jameer Nelson on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, Ariz.

Allen will join Celtics Kevin Garnett (starter) and Paul Pierce (reserve) in the All-Star Game.

Nelson tore the labrum in his right shoulder this week and will not be available for the game. Allen was named to the Eastern Conference squad last year as a replacement.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have reassigned rookie guard J.R. Giddens to their NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash. This is the second time this season that Giddens has been assigned to Utah.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

In a move that comes as no surprise at all, the Patriots placed the franchise tag on QB Matt Cassel. The decision comes on the very first day teams could use the label on their own free agents. The designation means the USC understudy, who stepped up big-time when Tom Brady went down with a knee injury, could earn $14.65 million should he not get traded or come to some type of contract agreement with New England.

We've tossed this topic around previously, so I won't get back into the debate on New England's QB of the future. Instead, let's use this thread to talk about possible trade compensation should Cassel be traded. Unless, of course, you think Brady should be the one to go....LOL (sorry A-Train...couldn't resist)

So what about it gang...what could the Pats realistically expect to get in a trade?

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

Put down your remotes, fold up your football jerseys, and pack away the game-time goodies.

Unfortunately February is here, bringing with it absolutely no worthwhile athletic action. Take a second, sit back, and try to come up with one. Anything?

The Super Bowl, the highlight of February has already come and gone. You may not have even realized it was played in February, but XLIII was the one and only athletic event of significance until March. Sad, but true.

When you're addicted to sports, four weeks of deprivation isn't considered a withdrawal. It will leave you curled up in a gutter somewhere, begging for a fix.

Sure, 27 days may look short on paper, but living through them is another story, filled with frustration, anticipation and regular season basketball. There's nothing on ESPN besides relatively meaningless games and World Series of Poker re-runs.

OK, so there is NBA All-Star Weekend, but since when do All-Star festivities count as actual sporting events? It's fun to have LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul and Shaq all on one court, but the game itself is all show, no defense and minimal effort. Unless you're watching from the stands it gets boring.

You can make an argument that it's worth watching the dunk contest in its entirety, but even that has the potential to be disappointing. After all, Brent Barry has won the thing before. Hopefully previous championsHoward and Nate Robinson can provide some sparks, but they can hardly carry an entire month.

They will have help from the Duke Blue Devils when they host bitter rival North Carolina on the 11th. But won't the game in Chapel Hill on March 8 be more important? Not to mention what happens once March Madness begins, just a few weeks later.

In March, hope truly springs eternal. In addition to all the Madness, baseball is back. The boys of summer head down to Florida and Arizona, to begin gearing up for what can always be a successful season. And that's the beauty of the game. The potential for a greatness lies within every team.

Last season's Rays are a perfect example. While the people of Kansas City and Baltimore shouldn't get their hopes up too much, Red Sox fans know that feeling all too well. However, none will say it's anything but beautiful.

Baseball legend and one-time Boston Brave Rogers Hornsby said it best, "People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

There's no question, February is the worst month of the year. It's the black hole of the sports world, bereft of any significance. But don't let it bring you down. Strap in, tighten the flaps, and get out your cold weather gear. There's only one more month left, luckily for us, it's also the shortest of the year.

Do you agree? If not, when do you think the worst sports month of the year takes place?

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

Ok, so I'm a little late with this one, but to be honest I wanted to give the over-hyped picture as little press as possible. But when I heard that he may now face criminal charges, I couldn't help myself.

One thing is for sure, Michael Phelps has made a few big mistakes in his life (a DUI after Athens, and now this). A result of multiple gold overdoses perhaps? Maybe just simple immaturity? We'll never know for sure. Whatever the case, he’s definitely in hot water for his “regrettable behavior,” aka smoking a bong. But why?

The now infamous picture depicts Phelps taking a nice rip from the glass pipe, during a party in South Carolina (see left). Apparently the uber-athlete was too stupid or way too stoned to realize what such a picture would do to his image.

Everyone was waiting to hear what’s going to happen with Phelps’ sponsors, and to the media’s dismay it was all very anti-climactic. His sponsors gave him a light slap on the wrist, and Phelps is still in business. I bet Omega actually gave him a raise after getting their bling posted on every TV station and website known to man.

Lets remember that pot is not a new issue in the U.S., where it is legal in multiple states (for medical purposes only of course). I get that the picture is terrible for his pretty boy image, and his sponsors should be upset. What I don’t get are the criminal charges S.C. Sheriff Leon Lott are trying to drown Phelps with.

C’mon, criminal charges? Really? Has he ever seen the movie Super High Me? If so, comedian Doug Benson better run for the hills. Lott should go find a Phish cover band concert in Boulder, CO on April 20th (4/20/09), and just chill, man.

If Phelps weren’t famous this would just be one picture of some dude smoking weed, among millions, posted on the Internet. Really boring stuff, not proof of criminal behavior. In three years or so, as Phelps is taking home enough gold to fund an Obama stimulus package, it will be a non-issue anyway.

What do you think about Michael Phelps and his controversial picture?

The Red Sox continue to work quietly behind the scenes putting all the little pieces into place. The signing of free agent outfielder-first baseman Brad Wilkerson to a minor-league contract received little fanfare, but the 31-year-old lefthanded hitter provides some valuable insurance for the club in several areas.
If Mike Lowell, for example, is slow to recover from off-season hip surgery or suffers another disabling injury and the Red Sox have to move Kevin Youkilis over to third base, they now have either Mark Kotsay or Wilkerson to play first. Wilkerson has a lot more experience at that position than Kotsay and is better suited to handle it for an extended period of time.
If J.D. Drew goes down for a long stretch and Rocco Baldelli is physically incapable of playing every day, both Wilkerson and Kotsay give them depth in the outfield.
Wilkerson is coming off a poor year with the Mariners and Blue Jays, and he hasn’t hit as high as .250 since 2004. He’s a low-average, strikeout-prone hitter but with a good batting eye and power. But he hit 20 homers for the Rangers two years ago, has three 20-homer seasons in the majors, and four times has drawn 80-plus walks. His best season was 2004 when he batted .255 with 32 homers, 39 doubles, 67 RBI, 106 walks, and 13 stolen bases for the Expos.
Wilkerson is a lifetime .247 hitter with 122 homers and 399 RBI in 972 major-league games.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Andrew Bynum won’t be in action this week when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Celtics at the TD Banknorth Garden on Thursday.

The Lakers announced in a press release on Monday that an MRI revealed Bynum tore the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee.

“Bynum, who suffered the injury early in the first quarter of Saturday’s victory over Memphis after having scored seven of the Lakers’ first 13 points, will be out approximately 8-12 weeks,” the statement reads. “The MRI was performed Sunday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and Bynum was examined this afternoon by Dr. David Altchek.”

Bynum, a 7-foot 285-pound fourth-year player out of St. Joseph’s High School in New Jersey, played in just 35 games in 2007-08 because of a season-ending knee injury (his left knee) last January. He underwent arthroscopic surgery last May.

Los Angeles signed Bynum to a multi-year contract extension this fall. He averaged 14.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent through 46 games this season.

During an interview with Mike Trudell for the Lakers website, a fairly optimistic Bynum said he hoped his recovery didn’t take the full eight weeks and that his rehab would really pick up after the fifth or sixth week.

“I was worried until we got results of the MRI, because obviously I didn‘t want to miss the whole season again since I just did that last year,” Bynum said to Lakers.com. “After we got the results back he told me it was a pretty severe sprain, but it’s better than anything else that could’ve happened and no surgery needed. I’m just going to rehab it and get back out on the court.”

The Lakers currently have the best record in the Western Conference at 38-9.

How do you think this changes things in the Western Conference? In the NBA? Does this alter your thoughts about a potential Celtics-Lakers Finals match-up?

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Packing a suitcase full of thoughts while daydreaming about stowing away on the Red Sox equipment truck headed for Florida and an escape from this endless winter:

The gear begins its long journey to Fort Myers this Friday and I, for one, sure am glad Jason Varitek’s catching equipment is on it.

Let’s be honest here. The Sox could have continued to play hard ball with their captain. They might have even been able to squeeze another dollar or two in savings to exact revenge on Scott Boras for the Mark Teixeira negotiations. But then what?

Boston’s Boys of Summer believe they have a championship contender in October, with the pitching staff expected to lead the way. Did you really think they were going to entrust Josh Bard with their World Series hopes? As feeble as ‘Tek looked at the plate in ’08, there simply was no other alternative. Truth is, despite Varitek not having any other options right now, The Red Sox needed him as much, if not more, than he needed them.

-It’s funny to hear folks talk about how Jarrod Saltalamacchia is going to learn the ropes under the Sox veteran for a year, then take the reins behind the plate. Ummm, unless I’m missing something, don’t you have to, like you know, actually acquire him in the first place?

If the asking price for Salty (I refuse to type Saltalamacchia any more than I have to) or Diamondbacks prospect Miguel Montero was in Boston’s ballpark, wouldn’t Theo Epstein have already pulled the trigger on a trade? I’m guessing it’s going to take some combination of low level prospects, plus someone from the Buchholz-Masterson-Bowden trifecta to close the deal. That’s a price I’m not so sure Theo wants to pay right now.

-Remember when Super Bowls used to be blowouts of epic proportions, and the only reason people stayed interested in the 4th quarter was the gambling squares?

What a great, great game Sunday. You have to hand it to the Cardinals for almost overcoming the disastrous end of the first half. And you have to hand it to the Steelers for overcoming the late game collapse to drive for the winning score. Hate to say it, but very reminiscent of Brady leading the Patriots into Vinatieri field goal range after New England coughed up a 14-point lead against St. Louis.

-Seeing as he’s messed up the rest of his endorsement deals, perhaps Michael Phelps might want to have his agent approach a cell phone carrier about promoting its line of camera phones.

-I’ve seen the future of the Bruins Stanley Cup hopes, and the future’s name is Tuukka Rask.

We’ve beaten this “Bruins need a true #1 goalie come the playoffs” thing to death, but I’ve long believed Rask is the team’s best hope of breaking Boston’s longest championship drought. My only question was whether the 21-year old prospect from Finland is ready to lead a playoff charge. After watching that 35-save shutout of the Rangers over the weekend, I’m thinking he might be ready sooner, rather than later.

I also hope when Rask does get promoted to the NHL for good, he takes up residence on the second level of an apartment complex. That way, when he meets his neighbors in the lobby for the first time, he can tell them: “My name is Tuukka. I live on the second floor.”

Somewhere, Susan Vega groans!

Posted by Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

Would anyone like to venture a guess of how much money Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, makes for one year of work? $1 million? $3 million? I’ll give you a hint, it’s a lot more than you and me. Try $18 million!

I just read this little tidbit, here, on ESPN.com and was blown away. In 2007, granted before the recent economic woes, Selig was paid a total of $18.35 million for his services as MLB commish. Whhhhat!? I just don’t get it. If someone can explain this craziness please do so immediately.

Does the man bathe in Cristal on a daily basis? Sure he has dealt with the ongoing steroid scandal, and has pulled the league through multiple labor disagreements with few problems (at least compared to the NHL). But in all seriousness, what does he do to earn such an inflated figure, and will he make just as much despite the current economy?

In ’07 he got paid more than every single player except for A-Rod, Jeter, and Giambi. How does that make sense? Barack Obama, the President of the United States, is going to make only $400,000 this year.

On the other hand, Rodger Goodell is set to make over $11 million. But it seems to me that Goodell has more of a direct impact on the NFL. Just a few years ago Selig couldn’t decide how to end the All-Star Game.

I could be wrong about Selig, but I need to know the answer to this question…before my mind explodes.

Did you have a similar reaction or not? Let's hear it...

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.

BULL’S EYE: It is possible to be both the hunted and the hunter. At least if you’re the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team it‘s possible.

On Wednesday, they River Hawks will go to Waltham and play the role of challenger against defending Northeast-10 Conference champion Bentley. UML head coach Greg Herenda said his team will play like they’ve got nothing to lose.

Yesterday, Southern New Hampshire played the role of hunter, and the Penmen almost came up with a very large catch.

“They brought the energy tonight,” UML junior guard Kevin Carr said. “They brought the game to us, and we had to respond. It took us to the second half to actually respond. They jumped us early, and yeah, we were a little hesitant. I can’t even say anything to it because we were.”

Carr, who finished with 20 points, said he thought part of it had to do with UMass Lowell getting to the point where teams always give the River Hawks their best shot.

Southern New Hampshire led by as much as 12 in the second half, threatening to hand the River Hawks their first home loss since November in front of a crowd that included many former UML players.

“When you start to win games, other teams are going to have a target on your back,” Carr said. “They wanted to beat us. They brought the game to us. I don’t know why, but when you win games that’s what happens. You get that target on your back. We’re embracing that now.”

THE RETURN OF THE CAPTAIN: Watertown’s Max Kerman returned to practice on Thursday after missing five games with an oblique injury, and returned to form as one of UML’s go-to guys on Saturday. He did all his scoring in the second half as the River Hawks made their comeback, and his four-point play gave UML the lead with under four minutes to play.

Kerman played just 18 minutes, but he was 3-of-3 from the field and 1-of-1 from the free throw line for eight points. He also dished out an assist and grabbed four rebounds.

Herenda joked earlier in the week to Kerman that the team had been playing so well that there might not be room for him. I think we can forget that.

For his part, Kerman said during the week that watching was tough but that he was glad to see that there was no drop-off with any of the guys off the UML bench.

BING BANG BOWEN: UML may have faced the deadliest shooter they’ll face all season in SNHU’s Troy Bowen. He blitzed the River Hawks for 20 of the 34 Penmen points in the first half.

Bowen finished with a game-high 27 points, and he shot 5-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. He didn’t just score from outside though. Bowen finished the game 11-for-21 and had six rebounds. Herenda pointed out that Bowen came off another tremendous game against Franklin Pierce just two days earlier when Bowen scored 22 points (8-of-14 shooting).

St. Anselm sharpshooter Pat Luptowski made 7-of-13 3-pointers in a win against UML earlier this season. He finished with 21 points in that outing, but did all his scoring from behind the three-point line and needed 13 3-point attempts.

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.

FRUSTRATED WITH FOLLIES: The UMass Lowell women aren’t out of the running for the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, but they’d be on the outside looking in if the season ended today.

The frustrating part about that for head coach Kathy O’Neil has to be that the River Hawks have shown an ability to compete and match-up with some of the best Division 2 squads in the nation.

Stonehill and Franklin Pierce came into the week ranked first and second, respectively, in the WBC East Regional Poll. UML has beaten Stonehill (17-3) and has lost twice to Franklin Pierce (15-4) by a combined seven points.

That’s what prompts comments from O’Neil like “we need to learn how to win” following last week’s lost.

Then there are games like Saturday when they don’t play particularly well, but still remain in the game and keep within two or three plays of either making it a tight game or taking a lead. Somehow, things haven’t broke right for UML in most of those cases.

“We had some opportunities, even down the stretch,” ONeil said. “We missed some layups. That would’ve cut it from I don’t know I think it was nine or eight to four with two minutes to go. That becomes a very different game, but we just didn’t finish.”

O’Neil said she liked the quality looks her team got, but missing those shots hurt the River Hawks.

NOT A LOT OF "V" IN THE "O": The River Hawks junior tandem of Rahshala Valentine and Jen Valente have had offensive outbursts this season, and they tend to have the ball in their hands a lot for UML. But neither got a lot going yesterday on the offensive end.

Valente, who has been sick the past week, turned the ball over five times and took just three shots as she finished with two points in 12 minutes. A couple of the turnovers came from mishandling the ball in the post or at one point simply dribbling off her foot.

Valentine had flashes when she got out in the open court and drove all the way to the basket. She finished with a respectable six points and five assists in 31 minutes. Valentine only took six shots, but part of that can be credited to the fact that players like Megan Berry (10 points) and Revitale Carmon (12 points) were put in positions to take shots.

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DEFENSE: UML’s defensive performance in last week’s tight loss to Franklin Pierce. First, holding Pierce to 62 points is a solid performance considering their 74 points per game average.

While the Leedham sisters Johannah and Jennifer combined for 39 points, the River Hawks gave fits to Johannah Leedham, the reigning Player of the Year in Division 2. She had more turnovers (10) than field goals (seven), and she wouldn’t have surpassed the 20-point mark if UML didn’t throw away an inbound pass with 7.4 seconds left that resulted in a layup for the junior. She finished with 21 points (season average 23 points).

Unfortunately, the River Hawks were losing the battle for positioning against Southern New Hampshire, and that lead to layups and free throws while UML tried to overcome a deficit.

“I don’t think it’s a habit, I think it’s a positioning thing,” O’Neil said about sending their opponents to the free throw line 27 times. “I think we start to get back on our heels a little bit instead of play on our toes. We start to reach instead of move our feet because we’re trying to catch people instead of getting to where we need to be ahead of time.”

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