April 2009 Archives

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

BOSTON -- Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon is still a little unsure about his how much he can do with his strained hamstring, but he appears willing to test it out tonight in Game 5 of the first round NBA Playoff series with the Boston Celtics.

Chicago's leading scorer said he was about 50/50 on playing around 5:55, but a few moments later Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro said Gordon would be in the starting lineup and they'd go from there.

"It's frustrating, but I just go to deal with it," Gordon said of the injury.

Gordon, who leads the Bulls in scoring this post-season with 24.8 points per game, injured his left hamstring in the fourth quarter of Game 4 on Sunday. Team physician Brian Cole diagnosed him with a strained hamstring, and MRI confirmed that on Monday morning.

Prior to tonight's game, Gordon did some shooting and some light work. He said that he loosed up somewhat, but he also said he thought he'd need to stretch more and that he still has pain particularly when changing directions or planting his leg and pushing off.

There apparently has been no significant change -- for the better or for worse -- in the injury since Sunday.

Del Negro said the team's game plan won't change with or without Gordon. Kirk Hinrich could see an increase in minutes, but Del Negro stressed that they'll wait to see how Gordon feels and then make decisions based off of his feedback.

An exercise bike will be on the sideline and heat pads will be available for Gordon to attempt to stay warm an loose when he isn't in the game.

"It's not going to get better until he gets some rest," Del Negro said. "Let's just keep our fingers crossed, get him out there, hopefully it will loosen up a little bit for him, he won't injure it worse, and he'll give us what he can give us. It's the playoffs and he definitely wants to play. We need him to play well."

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon has doubts if his hamstring will allow him to play in tonight's playoff game against the Boston Celtics, according to a report on the Chicago Sun-Times website today.

The Bulls play the Celtics at the TD Banknorth Garden tonight in Game 5 in the opening round series in the NBA Playoffs. The teams enter play tonight tied with two wins apiece.

"I'm going to see how I feel and go from there.,'' Gordon told the Sun-Times. ``It's my call. They said to do what I think is best and go off how I feel and decide from there.

``Hopefully, I can play tonight. If not, we have Game 6 at home [Thursday]. I'm just going to try and make the best decision possible.''

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

A hamstring injury has Chicago Bulls starting guard Ben Gordon listed as day-to-day heading into Game 5 of the first round NBA Playoffs series with the Boston Celtics at the TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday night.

The series is tied 2-2 with both Bulls wins coming in either overtime or double overtime.

According to the team's website, Gordon injured his left hamstring on in the second quarter of Game 4 on Sunday. He was evaluated by team physician Dr. Brian Cole of Rush University Medical Center and found to have a strain to his left hamstring. An MRI on Monday morning confirmed the diagnosis.

Gordon, the team's leading scorer during the regular season and the playoffs, has averaged just under 25 points per game (24.8) in four games in the series against Boston. He scored 42 points in the most recent contest in Boston (Game 2).

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

A couple of observations while waiting for Celtics defensive stopper Tony Allen to actually stop somebody:

-With or without Kevin Garnett, the Chicago matchup was going to be tough on the C's. The Bulls are young, athletic and very talented. You knew the light was going to click on at some point and as with the Hawks last year, that point came when they qualified for the playoffs. That the KG-less Celtics happened to be first up was simply a stroke of misfortune for Boston.

While Boston is still likely to advance, the opening round is showcasing the main weakness in the defending champs, a weakness that even Garnett's presence wouldn't be enough to overcome: The C's simply don't have a shutdown defender to slow down shooting guards or small forwards. (If I see Tony Allen play the role of matador to Ben Gordon one more time, I'm going to hurl!)

Paul Pierce is being asked to do the job right now, but chasing the likes of Gordon is killing his offense. The Captain looks more gassed than Pontiac late in tight games. He's getting his jumper blocked by guys half a foot smaller. (When did you ever see that happen before?) Just imagine what will happen when/if he's asked to cover LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

(Repeat after me...James Posey should have been re-signed)

-Can't really find fault with the Patriots draft strategy. They obviously weren't enamored with any of the options available at the bottom half of the first round, or at the very least, correctly figured the players they wanted would be available in the second round anyway. So why pay first round money?

The other thing the Pats accomplished by hording second and third round picks is they gave themselves some developmental depth in case players like Vince Wilfork opt for greener pastures in the coming years. One of Ellis Hobbs' comments after learning of his trade really caught my eye.

"I think with that situation [in New England] there are a lot of guys that are coming up that are going to need to be paid. I think it has kind of moved from that echelon where there is a lot of guys out there who are not going to take the [bottom] dollar for the win. Guys really want to get what they deserve and each one of those guys that are coming up in the next year or so deserve every dollar they are going to get."

In other words, if you think people are willing to take home town discounts or less money to play for the Patriots, think again.

Now, maybe Hobbs is just upset about being traded. However, his words echo what Mike Vrabel said about the players not seeing any money from the construction of all those shops that make up Patriots Place. Vrabel was, perhaps not coincidentally, shown the door soon thereafter.

Vrabel was a respected locker room presence who didn't complain for the sake of complaining. I'm willing to bet he was speaking for many of his teammates when uttering those words. Perhaps Bill Belichick realizes the same thing, hence the need to load up on players who might be more likely to contribute in 2010 than 2009.

That's the view from here...how do you see things?

The Red Sox tied the game up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. Kevin Youkilis stroked a one-out single, and one out later Jason Bay launched his fourth homer of the season near the flagpole in center field to tie the game at 4-4.

It didn’t stay tied for long. Hideki Okajima relieved Lester at the start of the seventh and couldn’t get anyone out. Jeter started things with a double off J.D. Drew’s glove along the right-field fence. Damon put down a bunt that Okajima fielded, but he was slow to get it out of his glove and Damon beat it out. Mark Teixeira blooped a single into center field to put the Yankees ahead 3-2.
It was only the second time this season the Red Sox bullpen has failed to protect a tie. (The relievers have held every lead). Jorge Posada finished Okajima with a bloop single to right that loaded the bases, still with nobody out.
Manny Delcarmen relieved Okajima and retired Nick Swisher on a fly to shallow left, but Robinson Cano hit a sacrifice fly to left on which Jason Bay made a diving catch. Damon scored to make it 4-2. Melky Cabrera grounded out to end the inning.

After rapping into four double plays in the first five innings, the Red Sox tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Lowell started the rally with a one-out double off The Wall, and Jason Varitek lashed a single to left. Nick Green slashed a single to right to tie the game and knock Chamberlain out of it. But lefty reliever Phil Coke came out the bullpen to retire Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia and keep the game tied.

The Yankees had baserunners in each of the first four innings against Jon Lester, including two each in the second, third, and fourth. Third baseman Mike Lowell made a diving stop of a line drive off the bat of Nick Swisher, robbing him of a double to keep the Yankees off the scoreboard in the third.
But in the fourth the Yankees finally capitalized. Melky Cabrera singled with one out, and Lester walked light-hitting Jose Molina for the second time in the game. Cody Ransom yanked a double inside third base, scoring Cabrera with the tying run. Molina put the Yankees ahead 2-1 when he scored on Derek Jeter’s ground out.

Through three innings tonight the Red Sox led the Yankees 1-0.

Jacoby Ellsbury singlehandedly gave the Red Sox a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Ellsbury led off with a single and was awarded second base on a balk by Joba Chamberlain. Ellsbury then stole third, and when Chamberlain’s pitch eluded catcher Jose Molina for a passed ball and went to the backstop, Ellsbury kept coming and slid behind Chamberlain’s tag at the plate.
Chamberlain seemed rattled and walked two of the next three Red Sox hitters but got out of further trouble when J.D. Drew rapped into a double play.

Tonight’s Lineups
The lineups for tonight’s game between the Red Sox and Yankees at Fenway Park:
Yankees:
Derek Jeter, ss
Johnny Damon, lf
Mark Teixeira, 1b
Jorge Posada, dh
Nick Swisher, rf
Robinson Cano, 2b
Melky Cabrera, cf
Jose Molina, c
Cody Ransom, 3b
Joba Chamberlain, rhp

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
David Ortiz, dh
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
J.D. Drew, rf
Jason Bay, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
Jason Varitek, c
Nick Green, ss
Jon Lester, LHP

The Red Sox have won seven in a row ... Mike Lowell has a seven-game hitting streak with at least one RBI in every game. He has 12 RBI in the streak.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Called them cowards in my last post....and they certainly lived up to it.

The Canadiens laid down like dogs last night, beaten into submission by the Bruins...in front of the home crowd, no less. The series sweep doesn't make amends for years of painfull losses to Les Habitants, but it does add another layer of sugar to what has been a sweet season for the Black and Gold.

Next up....the lowest remaining seed in the Eastern Conference, which will be the Rangers if the New Yorkers can finish off Washington. If the Caps rebound to win that series, Carolina might be the next foe if the 'Canes knock off the Devils. And if both top seeds, Washington and New Jersey advace, the B's get the winner of the Penguins-Flyers series.

To be honest, the one team I DON'T want to see is Pittsburgh. Let somebody else deal with the Crsoby-Malkin dynamic duo....at least for now!

That's the view from here...how do you see things? Did you expect such total domination of Montreal? Which team do you fear most in the Eastern Conference?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced a limited amount of playoff tickets for Round 1, Home Game 3, to be played on Tuesday, April 28 at the TD Banknorth Garden, will go on sale Wednesday, April 22 at 11 a.m. There is a four (4) ticket limit per customer and seats start at just $12 in the Rite Aid Family Section.

The time of Game 5 will be announced on Celtics.com in the coming days. Celtics fans will be able to purchase on April 22 by visiting Celtics.com, by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX (800-462-2849) or by visiting the TD Banknorth Garden Box Office.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Boston Celtics legendary coach and general manager Red Auerbach died on October 28, 2006. Bill Russell, the five-time MVP and star center on the Auerbach teams that won eleven championships in thirteen years, has said little in public about the passing of his coach and mentor. Russell tells the story of their relationship in RED AND ME: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend, which goes on sale on May 5 (Harper Collins Publishers).

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Professional hockey is a game played by incredible athletes able to do things on skates and ice that normal human beings can’t do in sneakers and dreams. It has a rich and storied history dating back to the early 1900’s.

So why hasn’t the sport ever experienced a run of popularity comparable to what baseball, basketball and football have enjoyed at various points in history? Because the National Hockey League has historically been run by a bunch of bush leaguers.

The latest example of incompetence? Bruins star forward Milan Lucic getting suspended for Monday’s Eastern Conference Playoff Game 3 against the Canadiens.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Lucic’s crime, delivering a cross-check to the face of Montreal’s Maxim Lapierre, certainly deserves harsh punishment. A ten minute misconduct and a hefty fine? You bet. A one game suspension? Only in the Bizzaro existence of the NHL.

Look, the entire hockey world can see exactly what’s going on in this series. A clearly inferior team is doing anything and everything it can to equalize the playing field/skating rink, trying to get the other team’s more skillful players off the ice by instigating situations that lead to retaliation penalties and/or injuries.

How can I be so sure about what’s going on? Because I’ve seen this game plan before. The Bruins spent most of the 70’s and 80’s trying the exact same strategy against the Canadiens.

It’s a time honored hockey tradition. If you can’t beat them, beat them up. And if you can’t beat them up, at least take the cowardly road of goading them into penalties.

Suspending Lucic only rewards Les Habitants. Watch highlights of the second game, and check out what the Bruins are doing immediately after scoring a goal. They’re hesitating slightly before celebrating, their heads on a swivel as they peek to see if a Canadiens goon is going to hit them with a sucker shot while their arms are raised.

Did you see what happened immediately after Phil Kessel scored the empty net goal to cement the Game 1 victory? Lapierre gave Kessel a completely unnecessary cheap shot, leading Lucic to defend his teammate. Did the NHL take immediate action to stop this behavior, behavior league honchos know would only escalate?

Of course not. So there was Lapierre again Saturday night, in the midst of scrum after scrum, eventually leading to the incident that cost the Black and Gold one of their best players for a game that could very well put the nail in the Canadiens coffin.

In 1993, notorious NHL bad boy Dale Hunter delivered a cheap shot on a celebrating and defenseless Pierre Turgeon immediately following a series winning overtime goal. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder, knocking him out for the rest of the playoffs.

While Hunter had never previously done anything so stupid, he’d made a storied career out of being a Grade “A” jerk. Rather than discourage his style of play, the NHL encouraged it, routinely lauding guys like Hunter and Ken “The Rat” Linseman as “gamers” and showcasing them in All-Star games.

I’m sorry. Hockey doesn’t need “Rats” and cheap shot artists to escape its bush league image. It needs guys who play the game with skill and toughness, but play it cleanly. Until he took matters into his own hands the other night, Milan Lucic was one such player. Had the folks who run the NHL done the right thing and penalized Montreal’s nonsense early on, Lucic would have been on display to a national audience in Game 3 instead of Lapierre.

Then again, that’s probably why it’s easier to find a cheerleading competition on cable sports channels than an out-of-town hockey game.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for the Red Sox. giving up an infield hit to Ty Wigginton to start the inning and then retiring the next three Orioles for his third save of the season. The Red Sox won 10-8. Ramon Ramirez was credited with his first victory in a Red Sox uniform.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for the Red Sox. giving up an infield hit to Ty Wigginton to start the inning and then retiring the next three Orioles for his third save of the season. The Red Sox won 10-8. Ramon Ramirez was credited with his first victory in a Red Sox uniform.

After being down seven runs in the second inning, the Red Sox roared back to take a 10-8 lead in the sixth.
Pedroia led off with a single, his third hit of the game. After Ortiz fanned, Youkilis took a glancing blow off the helmet and was awarded first base. Drew walked to load the bases with one out. After fouling off a couple of 2-and-2 pitches, Bay lofted a sacrifice fly to center to score Pedroia with the go-ahead run. Lowell lined a single to center to score Youkilis and cap the rally.

The Orioles, who once led 7-0, gave up their lead in the fifth. After Guthrie retired the first two batters, Drew tripled off the center-field wall, and Bay and Lowell drew walks to load the bases. Varitek skimmed a grounder that first baseman Aubrey Huff booted for an error as Drew scored, and Nick Green slammed a double off the center-field wall to tie up the game at 8-8 and finish Guthrie. Reliever Danys Baez got Ellsbury to ground out with the go-ahead runs on second and third and end the rally.
All the Red Sox runs were unearned.

Penny was lifted after issuing his fifth walk of the game, a free pass to Jones leading off the fourth. Markakis quickly picked up his fifth RBI of the game, greeting reliever Manny Delcarmen with a double to left-center that scored Jones from first and upped the Orioles’ lead to 8-5. Penny was charged with 8 runs in 3-plus innings.

The Red Sox continued to make a run at Guthrie in the third when Drew led off the inning with his third homer of the season, another shot into the Baltimore bullpen that trimmed the Orioles’ lead to 7-5. Guthrie retired the next three hitters.

The Red Sox sawed a big chunk off Baltimore’s lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring four times off Jeremy Guthrie.
J.D. Drew led off with a walk, and Jason Bay launched his third homer of the season into the Baltimore bullpen. Mike Lowell walked and went to third on a single by Jason Varitek that struck the second-base bag. After Nick Green flied out, Jacoby Ellsbury dumped a single into center off the glove of the onrushing Jones, scoring Lowell.
Dustin Pedroia beat out an infield hit to load the bases, but the best David Ortiz could do was hit a sacrifice fly to center, cutting the Orioles’ lead to 7-4. Kevin Youkilis grounded out to end the rally.

The Orioles exploded for seven runs in the second inning against an ineffective Brad Penny to seize a quick 7-0 lead.
Ty Wigginton started the rally with a ground single to left, and Luke Scott slapped another single inside third base. Penny walked Gregg Zaun to load the bases and then walked Ryan Freel on four pitches to force in the first run.
Cesar Izturis lined out to third for the first out, but Brian Roberts lined a single to left to make it 2-0 and keep the bases loaded. After another four-pitch walk to Adam Jones forced in another run, Nick Markakis blasted a grand slam into the center-field bleachers to cap the uprising.

The lineups for tonight’s game between the Orioles and the Red Sox at Fenway Park:
Orioles
Brian Roberts, 2b
Adam Jones, cf
Nick Markakis, rf
Aubrey Huff, 1b
Ty Wigginton, 3b
Luke Scott, dh
Gregg Zaun, c
Ryan Freel, lf
Cesar Izturis, ss
Jeremy Guthrie, rhp

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
David Ortiz, dh
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
J.D. Drew, rf
Jason Bay, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
Jason Varitek, c
Nick Green, ss
Brad Penny, rhp

After the players on all major-league teams wore 42 on Wednesday in honor of Jackie Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier in 1947, the Red Sox honored their first black player, Pumpsie Green, before tonight’s game. It was almost 50 years ago that Green joined the last major-league team to integrate. He made his debut on July 21, 1959.
Jacoby Ellsbury, who earlier this season set a Red Sox record by playing 179 consecutive games in the outfield without an error, broke another one on Wednesday. The former Lowell Spinner has handled 433 chances without an error in the outfield, breaking Coco Crisp’s record of 426 set from 2006-08. Ellsbury’s errorless game streak stands at 182.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

It is official. Former Detroit Pistons star Isiah Thomas has accepted the head coaching position at Florida International University.

Thomas spent the past five seasons prior to this year as the President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks. The last two seasons he also served as head coach. A two-time NBA Champion and a member of the NBA Hall of Fame, Thomas had three seasons as head coach of the Indiana Pacers (2000-03).

Thomas' run with the Knicks included some controversy. He and current Celtics point guard Stephon Marbury butted heads last season with Marbury eventually leaving the team during a road trip in Phoenix (Marbury claimed Thomas told him to leave, Thomas claimed he went AWOL). Prior to his final season, Thomas was named in a sexual harrassment suit which ended up costing the Knicks (not Thomas personally) $11.6 million in a settlement.

Thomas' college career at the University of Indiana included a NCAA Championship in 1981 (Thomas was the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament). He was drafted by the Pistons with the second overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft.

Thomas won NBA titles with the Pistons "Bad Boys" teams in 1989 and 1990, winning the NBA Finals MVP in 1990. He finished his NBA career with 18,822 points, 9,061 assists and 1,861 steals. He was selected to be an NBA All-Star 12 times.

Thomas replaces Sergio Rouco who has been reassigned from his position as men’s basketball head coach to another position within the FIU Athletic Department. In five seasons as men’s basketball head coach, Rouco led the Golden Panthers to a 55-94 record. This past season FIU went 13-20.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Clearing out space in the mind’s oven to transition from the Easter Ham to the Easter Lamb:

Speaking of cooking, and I hate to say this, it might be time to stick a fork in David Ortiz as a fearsome hitter…he looks done.

I realize we’re only one week into the 2009 season, but whether it’s the knee, the wrist or the body type, Big Papi hasn’t packed a big wallop at the plate in a long time. Having him clog up the third spot in the batting order is really handicapping the Red Sox offense right now.

The 3-hole is where a team’s best all-around hitter should be, and that’s clearly Kevin Youkilis at this point. And while we’re tinkering, it might be time to move Jason Bay to a spot in the order where he can do some real damage.

Just the Bruins luck, but in Montreal, the Black and Gold drew the worst possible first-round playoff opponent.

The opening round of hockey’s playoffs is normally nothing more than a tune-up for the top seed in the conference. Instead the B’s face an icy Jihad, a nightly holy war against a foe that hates them and worse, doesn’t fear them.

Do I like Boston’s chances of advancing past Les Habitants? Sure, though I can also envision a scenario where the Canadiens pull off the upset. And even if the Bruins advance, the emotional and physical toll the series takes could very well come back to haunt them as the postseason progresses.

Wasn’t it just a couple of years ago that national scribes were commenting about Hockey East and the conference’s inability to hang with the big boys from the Midwest? A Boston College and Boston University national championship later and such talk has been silenced.

We’re very fortunate here in Lowell. The quality of college hockey we see at Tsongas Arena night in-night out is as good as any in the country. Expect that point to be driven home next year when the young and improving UMass-Lowell River Hawks fly right into the playoff excitement.

Why didn’t Kevin Garnett just have knee surgery when he was originally hurt? Wouldn’t the Celtics be better off getting their superstar’s knee fixed when he first hurt it, nearly two months ago?

Unless of course, the “minor” knee injury that didn’t require surgery is really a major problem the Green have been trying to disguise all along.

Tell me you weekend hackers out weren’t somewhat heartened watching the Masters final few holes and playoff.

There weren’t any poster boys for health clubs fighting it out for that extra large green jacket. Those guys looked gassed! Looked more like a couple of buddies and me marching up the 18th hole at Hickory Hill, dying to get to the “refreshment” stand.

And who’s the wise guy who cut and pasted Angel Cabrera’s head on my body?

That's the view from here...how do you see things?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

BOSTON -- Celtics forward Leon Powe looked good in his workout. He feels good. He pleasantly surprised head coach Doc Rivers with the way he is rehabbing from a strained right knee, yet he should not expect to see game action until the NBA Playoffs get underway.

When asked prior to the game against the Heat if Powe might make an appearance in one of the final regular season games, Rivers responded, “No. We’re just not going to take the chance. It is possible, but it’s just not worth taking the chance with Leon. I’m not going to do that.”

Powe said he felt fine after a 30-minute workout with assistant coach Clifford Ray, but Rivers was adamant that the third-year man out of the University of California won’t be getting into game action.

“He’s the biggest risk out of those three playing because of his knee,” River said of Powe. “We won’t take that chance.”

Powe, a 6-foot-8 big man, averaged 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. He said he’s been jumping, cutting, running, dunking and his soreness has been gradually decreasing. The biggest problem he has is that he doesn’t like playing with a knee brace, which the medical/training staff is forcing him to do.

“They just told me to protect it to make sure I can go the rest of the season without nobody bumping into it and making it twist like what happened,” Powe said.

The knee injury occurred during a game against the Chicago Bulls as guard Ben Gordon fell on Powe’s knee.

Powe, Brian Scalabrine (post concussion syndrome) and Kevin Garnett (strained right knee) will all travel with the team this weekend as they play in Cleveland on Sunday on ABC. None of those three will be available to play against the Cavaliers. Garnett is the lone one of the three who might get playing time prior to the playoffs. The Celtics plan on Powe fully participating in practice -- including full contact -- for the first time on Monday.


* * *
Celtics owners Wyc Grousbeck, Stephen Pagliuca and Bob Epstein presented guard Ray Allen with the Red Auerbach Award prior to last night’s game. Allen is the fourth recipient in the award’s history. Previous winners were Garnett, Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson.

The Celtics created the award named after legendary former coach, general manager and team president Arnold “Red” Auerbach to honor the player who “best exemplifies the spirit of what it means to be a Celtic.

“I kind of understood just form listening to people talking about the players and the Celtics’ history, now with a championship you know what it really means to embody a Celtic,” Allen said. “And delivering the tradition ourselves, this organization, this team, this group of guys, its an honor everyday to come here and play in front of these fans, so to be able to be recognized is a great honor for me.”


* * *
The Eastern Conference playoff picture remains fluid as the Celtics (60-19) and Orlando Magic (58-21) entered play tonight within a game of each other (Orland lost to New York last night). Boston finishes up the regular season by traveling to Cleveland on Sunday before playing in Philadelphia on Tuesday and wrapping up the regular season at home on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.

Orlando closes the regular season with games at New Jersey on Saturday, at Milwaukee on Monday, and at home against Charlotte on Wednesday.

At the other end of the playoff picture, the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons occupy the final four playoff spots in the Eastern Conference race. All four teams came into play tonight separated by three games.

Posted By: Kevin Jacobs, Sun Staff

What’s your first thought when someone asks, “How good is Miami’s ice hockey team this year?”

If your response sounds something like, “I didn’t think Florida colleges played hockey,” you’re missing out.

Miami University will face off with Boston University on Saturday at 7 PM for the NCAA National Championship, and I couldn’t be more excited. I also refuse to put "Ohio" after the school's name like all the television networks do. After all, there is only one Miami University and it was founded 36 years before Florida was even a state!

I’m assuming my personal profile has gone mostly overlooked by readers, but if you happened to click on it, you’d find that Miami is my Alma mater. After spending 4 years supporting the team as a fan and covering them for the school paper, I grown to love everything about Miami hockey.

Football has always ruled the Ohio sports world. However, it’s become an afterthought in Oxford, Ohio since “Big” Ben Roethlisberger graduated (sadly the year before I began as a freshman).

It’s the first time the RedHawks have ever made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament, and they will meet an intimidating Terriers team who bravely thwarted a potential upset by Vermont.

I’ll be watching the game in the heart of enemy territory, with a few of my good friends from the BU men's crew team. I look forward to a hostile environment, cheering my squad on, and can only hope for the opportunity to shamelessly rub a win in their faces, as the Miami fight song triumphantly trumpets from the television speakers.

One of the most endearing traits of Boston sports is the overconfidence exuded by fans, however those watching will be unpleasantly surprised with Miami’s impressive abilities. I won’t go so far as to guarantee a Miami victory, however I can ensure you that it’s a game you won’t want to miss.

Do you think BU will emerge triumphant? Let us know what you think.

Manager Terry Francona eschewed pinch hitting for Jason Varitek with the Sox trailing 4-2 in the ninth, and his faith was rewarded when Varitek led off the inning by slamming his second homer of the young season into the visiting bullpen off Troy Percival. But Percival got through the rest of the inning undamaged, retiring the red-hot Youkilis with David Ortiz aboard as the Rays held on for a 4-3 victory and took two of three games in the season-opening series.

The Red Sox made a late run at the Rays in the eighth inning after Garza left the game, having allowed four hits and one run in seven innings.
Youkilis drilled a one-out single — the seventh straight time he’d reached base and making him 8-for-11 in the series — off Brian Shouse. Joe Nelson took over with two outs and walked Bay, then gave up an RBI double to Lowell that chopped Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-2. But with the tying runs in scoring position, Nelson struck Lowrie out swinging on a 3-and-2 pitch to get out of the jam.

While Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka got cuffed around and only Opening Day starter Josh Beckett was consistently dominant in the first series of the season, the three Red Sox starters did notch 20 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings against the defending AL champion Rays.

The Red Sox, limited to two singles over the first five innings by Garza, finally broke through in the sixth.
Kevin Youkilis led off with a double, his sixth consecutive time on base (five hits, one walk), and took third on a fly by J.D. Drew. Jason Bay jumped on an 0-and-2 pitch and blasted it into the center-field triangle for a triple, trimming Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-1.
But the Sox couldn’t get Bay home from third as Mike Lowell lined to second and Jed Lowrie flied to left.
Matsuzaka threw 100 pitches in 5 1/3 innings before being relieved by Manny Delcarmen. Seven of the nine hits Matsuzaka allowed went for extra bases. He also walked three batters, hit one, and tossed a wild pitch.

The Rays continued to burn Matsuzaka with the longball, homering for the third straight inning and padding their lead to 4-0 in the fourth.
Backup catcher Shawn Riggans blasted a homer into the Red Sox bullpen leading off the fourth. It was the second time in Matsuzaka’s major-league career he had given up three homers in a single game. The other time was July 8, 2007 in Detroit when Matsuzaka was a rookie.
All four Tampa Bay runs had come on homers. Five of the Rays’ six hits in the first four innings were for extra bases.

The Rays extended their lead over the Red Sox to 3-0 in the top of the third when Matsuzaka surrendered his second homer in as many innings. Pesky Akinori Iwamura opened the inning by drawing a walk and stealing second while Carl Crawford struck out. Evan Longoria lobbed a homer into the Monster Seats, his second homer of the series and giving him five RBI.
Matsuzaka allowed only 12 homers in 167 2/3 innings in 2008.

The Rays grabbed an early lead against Daisuke Matsuzaka when Matt Joyce led off the second inning with a home run into the visiting bullpen in right field. The Rays led 1-0 with the Red Sox coming to bat in the bottom of the second against Matt Garza, who beat them in the seventh and deciding game of the ALCS last October.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and its reigning Most Valuable Player, added to his rapidly growing collection of awards in a pre-game ceremony today at Fenway Park.
Pedroia received both his 2008 Gold Glove and 2008 Silver Slugger Award.
Pedroia is only the second Red Sox second baseman to earn a Gold Glove since the award was instituted in 1957. Doug Griffin won it in 1972. It was also the 37th Gold Glove won by a Red Sox. First baseman Kevin Youkilis was the previous winner in 2007.
Pedroia is the first Red Sox second baseman to win a Silver Slugger Award, which goes to the best offensive player at his position.

The lineups for today’s series finale between the Rays and the Red Sox:
Rays
Akinori Iwamura, 2b
Carl Crawford, lf
Evan Longoria, 3b
Carlos Pena, 1b
Willy Aybar, dh
Matt Joyce, cf
Gabe Gross, rf
Shawn Riggans, c
Jason Bartlett, ss
Matt Garza, rhp

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
David Ortiz, dh
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
J.D. Drew, rf
Jason Bay, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
Jed Lowrie, ss
Jason Varitek, c
Daisuke Matsuzaka, rhp

The Rays picked up another run in the ninth off reliever Javier Lopez. Kapler doubled with one out but was nailed by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury trying to go to third on a bloop single by Iwamura, who took second on the throw. Bartlett singled Iwamura to third, and then Iwamura scored when Lopez couldn’t find Crawford’s comebacker at his feet and reached on an infield single.
The Red Sox were retired in the ninth and lost 7-2 as Lester’s 11-game winning streak at Fenway came to an end.

The Red Sox made a bid to tie the game or go ahead in the eighth against the Rays’ bullpen. After singles by Ortiz and Youkilis — his third hit of the game — off J.P. Howell, Jason Bay doubled into the left-field corner to produce a two-out run, trimming Tampa Bay’s lead to 6-2. Howell then hit Mike Lowell with a pitch, loading the bases and bringing the tying run to the plate as Grant Balfour took over. Balfour fanned Jed Lowrie to end the threat.

Takashi Saito, the erstwhile Dodgers closer, made an inauspicious debut for the Red Sox in the eighth. AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria welcomed him to Boston by launching a homer into the Monster Seats leading off the inning, padding the Rays’ lead to 6-1.

The Rays roughed up Lester for four runs in the fifth to grab a 5-1 edge. Gabe Kapler started things off with a walk. With Kapler running on a 2-and-2 pitch and shortstop Jed Lowrie covering the bag, Iwamura slashed a perfectly placed single over Lowrie’s abandoned position, putting runners at first and third with nobody out. Bartlett dropped a bunt in front of the plate that Lester hesitated to field, thinking catcher Jason Varitek would come out to get it. But Varitek held the plate, and Bartlett was credited with a bunt single as Kapler scored to put the Rays back on top 2-1.
Crawford followed with a bloop single that Lowrie couldn’t hold onto after a long run, loading the bases, still with nobody out. Longoria grounded into a double play as Iwamura scored, and Carlos Pena blasted a 3-and-1 pitch into the center-field bleachers to a two-run homer to cap the big inning.

The Red Sox quickly retaliated in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 1-1. Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia ripped a one-out double to left-center, the first hit off Kazmir. After David Ortiz was called out on strikes, Youkilis grounded a single up the middle to chase home Pedroia. Youkilis was caught in a rundown between first and second to end the inning.

The Rays pushed across a run in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead against Lester, who struck out five batters in the first two innings.
Akinori Iwamura sliced a double off The Wall to start the inning, the second Tampa Bay hit, and Jason Bartlett reached on an infield hit to shortstop. After failing to get down a bunt, Carl Crawford lashed a ball in the hole between first and second that first baseman Kevin Youkilis snagged. Youkilis gambled he could get a force at second but couldn’t. The throw hit the sliding Bartlett and ended up in shallow left field as Iwamura scored. Lester got Evan Longoria to rap into a double play and got out of the inning without further damage.

Jon Lester takes an 11-game winning streak at Fenway Park into tonight’s start against the Rays. In his 16 starts, including five no-decisions, during the streak, Lester has compiled a glittering 2.28 ERA in the fabled Graveyard of Lefthanders.
Lester’s home winning streak is the longest by a Red Sox pitcher since Jack Kramer won 14 in a row from May 11, 1948 through September 13, 1949.
The last pitcher with a longer home winning streak anywhere was Johan Santana, who went 17-0 for the Twins at the Metrodome from August 6, 2005 through April 2, 2007.

The lineups for tonight's game between the Rays and Red Sox:
Rays
Jason Bartlett, ss
Carl Crawford, lf
Evan Longoria, 3b
Carlos Pena, 1b
Pat Burrell, dh
Dioner Navarro, c
Ben Zobrist, rf
Gabe Kapler, cf
Akinori Iwamura, 2b
Scott Kazmir, lhp

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
David Ortiz, dh
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Rocco Baldelli, rf
Jason Bay, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
Jed Lowrie, ss
Jason Varitek, c
Jon Lester, lhp

The southpaw Kazmir has been tough on the Red Sox in the past, fanning 132 batters in 119 career innings against them with a 3.62 ERA. His 3.02 ERA at Fenway Park is the lowest by any visiting active pitcher, righthanded or lefthanded, who has pitched at least 50 career innings here. By replacing the lefthanded-hitting J.D. Drew, Baldelli gives the Red Sox another strong righthanded bat in their lineup.

Jonathan Papelbon picked up the save as the Red Sox beat the defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Opening Day.

After Beckett finished the afternoon with seven two-hit innings and 10 strikeouts, the Rays reached the Sox bullpen for a pair of runs in the eighth.
Hideki Okajima hit Bartlett and walked Iwamura to start the inning before fanning Carl Crawford. Justin Masterson took over. Bartlett and Iwamura stole third and second, respectively, without drawing a throw from Varitek, and Longoria singled both of them home, cutting the Sox’ lead to 5-3.

The Opening Day throng of 37,057 extended the Red Sox major-league record of consecutive regular-season sellouts to 470 dating back to May 15, 2003.

The Red Sox added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth. Jason Varitek, who batted only .201 lefthanded last year with 8 homers and 29 RBI, yanked a Shields’ pitch inside the right-field foul pole for a homer. The solo shot put the Red Sox ahead 5-1 and kayoed Shields.
Varitek did hit five homers in 51 at-bats in spring training, all of them lefthanded. But he batted only .216 overall in the Grapefruit League.

The Red Sox tallied three times in the bottom of the third to reclaim the lead.
Pedroia walked, went to third on a single by Kevin Youkilis, and scored when Drew grounded to first base. Rays first baseman Carlos Pena may have robbed Drew of extra bases by diving in front of the bag to snare the ball, but had he not made the play the ball might have gone foul.
Bay singled home Youkilis, and Lowell made it 4-1 with an RBI double off The Wall.
Jed Lowrie dumped a single behind third base that should have scored Lowell from second easily with two outs. But Lowell has evidently lost a lot of footspeed because of his injury and could only get as far as third base, where he was left stranded.

After retiring the first seven batters of the game with ease, fanning three of them, Josh Beckett couldn’t find the plate, allowing the Rays to tie the game at 1-1 in the third.
Walks to Gabe Gross and Jason Bartlett and a single by Akinori Iwamura loaded the bases, and Carl Crawford tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

The Red Sox grabbed a quick 1-0 led in the bottom of the first inning but could have had more.
AL MVP Dustin Pedroia hit James Shields’ seventh pitch of the game into the Monster Seats. The Sox later loaded the bases on a single by David Ortiz, a double by J.D. Drew, and a walk to Jason Bay. But Mike Lowell, in his first official at-bat since the torn labrum in his hip prematurely ended his 2008 season, popped up to end the inning.

The lineups for the delayed Opening Day at Fenway Park:
Rays
Akinori Iwamura, 2b
Carl Crawford, lf
Evan Longoria, 3b
Carlos Pena, 1b
Pat Burrell, dh
Matt Joyce, cf
Dioner Navarro, c
Gabe Gross, rf
Jason Bartlett, ss
James Shields, rhp

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
David Ortiz, dh
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
J.D. Drew, rf
Jason Bay, lf
MIke Lowell, 3b
Jed Lowrie, ss
Jason Varitek, c
Josh Beckett, rhp

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

A few opening day pitches, postponed yesterday’s edition of the Sun due to rain:

Can anyone give me one good reason, just one, why the Red Sox-Rays season opener was scheduled for Boston instead of Tampa?

The rest of the opening day schedule had cold weather teams traveling to warmer weather or dome sites. The only exceptions were Kansas City traveling to Chicago (not that anybody cares if that series gets postponed) and Atlanta traveling to Philadelphia. At least that one can be explained by having the defending champs opening at home.

But to have the defending American League champs open on the road, in Boston no less, was downright silly. There has to be a way to program common sense into the scheduling computer.

So now Tom Brady is having gunshots fired at his wedding. Can a rap album be far behind?

Count me among those who miss the days when Brady was simply the all-world quarterback of the New England Patriots. The TMZ and magazine cover stuff is starting to get silly. Imagine the laughs we’d have at another QB’s expense if he were photographed being fed on a picnic blanket. Granted, the “feeder” is a supermodel, but can we please keep the schmaltz behind closed doors?

Bruins maybe…Celtics no way. That’s the view from here on Boston’s winter sports entries and their title chances.

As long as Tim Thomas doesn’t completely fall apart, the B’s are a legit threat to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time since 1972. He doesn’t necessarily have to stand on his head or play at the amazing level he’s played at during the regular season. Solid, mistake-free netminding should be enough to get this young, talented cast of Black and Gold skaters at least to the Conference Finals against Washington. Beyond that, who knows?

As for the Celtics, don’t hold your breath waiting on banner 18. Kevin Garnett took a month off, came back to play limited minutes, only to go back on the shelf. Oh, he’ll be back for the playoffs, we’re told. Except we can be pretty sure the guy wearing the green and white #5 C’s jersey won’t be the same KG needed to get past an improved Cleveland squad or the revenge minded Lakers, who already beat Boston twice this year WITH a healthy Garnett in the lineup.

All that time and effort put into filling out my March Mayhem bracket for the Sun’s NCAA Basketball Tournament pool, and it turns out the only research necessary was finding out which teams had the most players getting fitted for caps and gowns next month.

Of the twenty starters participating in the Final Four, twelve were seniors. Add juniors to the mix, and you account for 18-of-20.

Talented freshmen and sophomores might make better long-term professional prospects than marginal upperclassmen, but 2-3 years of physical development make all the difference in the world between the ages of 18-22.

Just ask Woody Allen.

That's the view from Mt. Olympus...how do you see things?

Sophomore defenseman Maury Edwards, already named to the New England College Hockey Writers All-Star team and the All-Hockey East first team, earned the River Hawks’ Most Valuable Player Award this afternoon at UMass Lowell’s breakup banquet. Edwards led the team in scoring for most of the year and finished second by one point to Scott Campbell, netting 11 goals and 29 points.
Junior defensemen Jeremy Dehner and Nick Schaus shared the Best Defensive Player Award, while freshman forward Michael Budd was named the team’s Most Improved Player from the start of the season to the end. Freshman center David Vallorani was named the River Hawks’ Rookie of the Year.
The Unsung Hero Award went to senior forward Nick Monroe of Groton, and freshman center Matt Ferreira, whose college career was delayed by a year because of a brain tumor, was given the Coaches’ Perseverance Award.
Senior forward Mark Roebothan won the Gus Coutu Award for exemplifying best the spirit of the UML hockey program, and junior forward Kory Falite of Billerica won the UMLHockey.com Award for the second straight year as the player who made the most contributions during home games.
Mike Kuenzler, who engineered the dramatic upswing in attendance at the Tsongas Arena, was honored with the Marc Connelly Award for having a significant impact on the program, and sophomore center Scott Campbell won the G. Harvey Chandler Award as the team’s top scorer. Campbell led the River Hawks with 30 points.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Sunday is the final day for fans to vote for the Boston Celtics 6th Star Award. Coming into the final 24 hours, a couple of hundred votes separate forward Leon Powe, the current leader, and guard Eddie House. Boston forward Glen Davis is also making a late charge.

Fans can vote online at www.newengland.comcastsportsnet.com.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo won the award in 2008 and Al Jefferson brought home the honor in 2007. Past winners also include Paul Pierce (1999), David Wesley (1996 and 1997) and Reggie Lewis (1989).

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Division II Bulletin named UMass Lowell freshman point guard Kyle Caiola to its All-Freshman Team on Thursday.

Caiola, the Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Year, averaged 14.1 points, 3.0 assists, 2.2 steals and 3.6 rebounds. He ranked among the top 10 in the NE-10 in steals (tied for first), free throw accuracy (ninth) and scoring (10th). Caiola started 28 of UML's 29 games, missing just one game with a hamstring injury.

The River Hawks' point guard was the lone NE-10 freshman to earn honors from the Division II Bulletin. Other selections were Kyle Baxter of Humboldt State, Raymont McElroy of Northern Michigan, Braydon Hobbs of Bellarmine, Jason Adams of Missouri Southern, Cody Schilling of Augustana College, Tony Fannick of Mansfield, Dale Minschwaner of Colorado Mines, Desmond Johnson of Lincoln Memorial and Derek Hellemann of Florida Tech.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Breaking news! The Boston Celtics aren't the same team, defensively, without Kevin Garnett. Oh, you knew that? Well, paying close attention to last night's game helped make that point crystal clear.

The Charlotte Bobcats didn't get the win, but they took the Celtics to double overtime and enjoyed an abundance of offensive success as well as winning the battles of interior scoring and rebounding. Hmmm, KG does pretty well in those areas, doesn't he?

The Bobcats shot 70 percent in the first quarter, and even as that number shrunk, they were able to pile up points in the paint (56) and on put-backs and second chance attempts (22 second chance points) that basically amounted to stealing baskets.

Seven Charlotte players recorded 10 points or more, and that’s from a team that only went to the free throw line seven times in a double overtime game (a franchise low). Boris Diaw (17 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) presented match-up issues with the range on his jumper and ability to penetrate with the dribble against big defenders at the power forward position. He also made every Boston defensive switch and adventure.

With Garnett’s presence Diaw would probably have been close to a non-factor.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers alluded to the match-up difficulties the Celtics now face prior to the game as he pointed to the recent Orlando game when Boston didn’t have a big to match up with Rashard Lewis’ size, athleticism and outside shooting ability, saying, “It just changes us defensively. I would say over all of them, it’s our pick and roll coverage and then our help-side defense. It’s a huge difference, not having him (Garnett).”

It took a late game switch to a small lineup featuring Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Eddie House, Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins for Boston to pull even with Charlotte.

Pierce’s ability to guard Diaw and to switch out on smaller offensive players helped Boston force the game into overtime as he made Ray Felton to shoot an errand fade away jumper with 33 seconds left in regulation and getting Diaw to miss a shot in the low block eventually leading to a shot clock violation with 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

While it worked out for Boston in the end, Rivers knows it’s not the ideal situation the Celtics want to be in defensively. He admitted that he went with the group somewhat unwillingly because they were trailing late and he knew they needed to create room for Rondo to maneuver on offense. At the same time, Rivers acknowledged they could easily have gotten punished, saying, “We don’t love that lineup because of second shots and post game. They just didn’t hurt us.”

Things go so much smoother with the Defensive Player of the Year holding down the fort. The Celtics sure will be happy when they get back to those days.

Use the comments link below to add your comments and observations on the Celtics win and their outlook down the stretch of the regular season.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics finally get to add a healthy body as swingman Tony Allen returns to the court tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Allen had been out since Feb. 11, with a left thumb injury, but he will play tonight with no restrictions on playing time. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said his observations of Allen in practice sessions had been that his legs were in shape, he had good wind and he just needs some games under his belt to get back to full steam.