June 2009 Archives

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Honoring the greatest entertainer of my lifetime, or anyone else's, while running down the "ABC's" of what happened in the sports world over the weekend:

Despite rumors galore (and an incorrect prediction in this space last week), the Celtics and Bruins didn't wheel and deal during their respective drafts. However, that doesn't mean there won't be major changes to either team's roster.

The C's, in particular, are rumored to be in the hunt for Jason Kidd, which indicates Rajon Rondo is still on shaky footing with Danny Ainge. Don't be surprised if sometime later this summer, Ainge tells Rondo to "Beat It" out of Beantown.

Thanks to a save Saturday in Atlanta, former Lowell Spinner Jonathan Papelbon now sits just one behind Bob Stanley for the top spot on the Red Sox all-time saves list. The BoSox closer might be a bit "Off the Wall," but when all is said and done, he's going to go down as one of the best closers in history, never mind just Boston.

How funny it is to hear Julio Lugo is unhappy with his diminished role on the Sox. Hey Julio, you have nobody to blame but "The Man in the Mirror." Besides, you must be a pretty "Smooth Criminal" to swindle the normally frugal Theo Epstein out of $36-million over four years.

The USA-Brazil match certainly was a "Thriller," but coughing up a two goal lead is about as "Bad" a choke job as you'll see in soccer.

If she wins three more matches this week, Venus Williams will tie "Billy Jean" King with 6 Wimbledon singles titles. (Yeah, I know...really starting to reach now!)

By turning left faster than all other competitors at Loudon, 19-year old Joey Logano became the youngest driver to ever win a Sprint Cup race. While he might be the hottest "Pretty Young Thing" in NASCAR right now, in some states Logano still isn't allowed to drive after dark without an adult in the car.

Watching Phil Smith move around a golf course, you'd never believe he could walk 18-holes, never mind shoot the scores he does. Yet there he was again Saturday, hoisting the Lowell City Golf Tournament trophy a 4th consecutive time and 5th time overall.

Despite saying before the tourney he was likely to give up competitive golf for a couple of years, Smith now says he'll very likely be back to challenge Doug Parigian's record of 5-straight titles. Apparently, Smitty's tune changed from "She's out of My Life" to "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough."

Finally, let me just say that Michael Jackson was as eccentric as they came. The dude did some flat out weird things, and that's without even getting into the sleepovers with young boys. But in the studio, on the dance floor and under a spotlight, there simply has never been a musical performer more talented or creative.

Rest in peace MJ.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns reached an agreement which will send center Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland to team with NBA MVP LeBron James, according to reports by both the Arizona Republic and Cleveland Plain Dealer websites.

Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic will reportedly go to Phoenix in the deal.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

A few peaceful protests while wondering if demonstrators are at least allowed to read sports blogs, now that Twitter and Facebook are being blocked in Iran:

-Being a firm believer in the "where there's smoke there's fire" theory, expect Danny Ainge to pull off something major, if not before Thursday's NBA Draft, then shortly thereafter. There are too many rumors involving the Celtics floating around out there to believe Dealer Danny's protestations to the contrary.

Personally, I wouldn't include both Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen in any package that brings back Amare Stoudemire. One of them, along with a few spare parts and draft picks? In a heartbeat!

-Watch for the Bruins to also do their share of wheeling and dealing prior to Saturday's NHL Draft.

Most likely big name to go? Phil Kessel, who while incredibly skilled, plays at a size and with a style that doesn't translate well to playoff hockey, or to a healthy, long-term career. If a very good puck-moving defenseman can be had in return, the Black and Gold have to think about pulling the trigger, especially in this day and age of salary caps.

-Forgive me for being cynical (thank you to all the cheats and enablers who've done this to the great game of baseball), but what kind of eye drops has David Ortiz begun using? Haven't seen a cure-all this effective since Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

-My thoughts on Donald Fehr stepping down as Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director? Good riddance!

-Don't be so quick to give up on Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Has he been dreadful this year? You bet. Are his marathon 5 1/3 inning starts maddening? Enough to make you want to put a size 11 through the television set.

Just remember, those 33-wins in the first two years of his career didn't come by accident or by luck. Not many pitchers of any experience or background post those win totals in today's era. An awful lot of skill went into those wins. A little more rest, a little less stubbornness, and Dice-K will play a key role before the 2009 season is said and done.

-Don't want this to come off as crass, as Phil Mickelson has far more important things to worry about than a couple of missed putts. But the reason Tiger Woods has won 14-Majors versus only 3 for Mickelson has nothing to do with distance off the tee, nothing to do with ball striking ability and nothing to do with the short game.

It all comes down to the ability to consistently sink makeable putts when it counts. Plain and simple: Tiger makes them, Phil doesn't. You know it, I know it, and Mickelson probably knows it, too. Is there any doubt Woods would have drained the 3-foot putt on the 15th hole and the 8-footer on 17 that cost "Lefty" a chance at the U.S. Open?

And where did David Duval come from? Seems like he hasn't won a tournament since Iranian students were protesting FOR an Ayatollah.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

...there's usually fire.

That's my take on all the rumors out there about the Celtics and potential trades that could result in the likes of Ray Allen, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo wearing different uniforms next year.

Danny Ainge has proven he's not afraid to shake things up, and he's also proven he knows when a team is not a legit championship contender, as evidenced by the fact he broke up the Jim O'Brien/Chris Wallace team that only a year earlier had gone to the Eastern Conference Finals. He might be on the verge of doing the same thing here.

Look, I'm as big of a C's fan as anyone. I bleed Green. But I'm a realist, and I can tell you that Kevin Garnett or no Kevin Garnett, they weren't going to beat the Lakers this year. They simply had NO bench, which is a killer in a long playoff run. Hell, they were so desperate, they prayed "Starbury" would be the answer.

I believe Ainge is going to make a big move this offseason, likely before the draft. Provided KG and Paul Pierce are healthy, they can compete next year with the addition of another key piece of the puzzle, provided that piece of the puzzle is young. Whether it takes Perkins, Rondo or Allen's expiring contract to bring in that puzzle piece remains to be seen.

Would I do Rondo for Stoudemire? Maybe, though I'd first explore what I could get for Perk. You could replace Perkins and Allen a lot easier than you could replace a young, top-tier point guard, which Rondo is poised to become with the addition of an outside shot and a little more consistency.

Danny Ainge has some tough decisions to make. The good thing is, he's shown he's not afraid to make them, and he's shown a knack for making the right one more often than not.

That's the view from here...how do you see things? Who would you trade and who would you try to bring in via trade or free agency? How about the draft? Or would you not make any moves and assume a healthy Garnett is all that's needed for another championship?

Rookie Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth as the Red Sox beat the Marlins 8-2. Tim Wakefield went six innings to register his ninth win.

The Marlins picked up their second run of the game in the fifth on back-to-back, two-out doubles by Bonifacio and Coghlan, making the score 8-2. Bonifacio's ball appeared to have been a home run as it seemed to get over The Wall before a butterfingered fan dropped it back onto the field. But no one on the Marlins asked for a review by the umpires.

The Red Sox broke the game open with six runs in the fourth. David Ortiz ignited the rally with his fifth homer of the season and fourth in the last 10 days, lining a Volstad pitch into the Florida bullpen. After Mike Lowell lined to second, Ellsbury singled and stole his 27th base and raced home on a double by Green. George Kottaras singled home Green to put the Red Sox ahead 5-1.
A single by Dustin Pedroia and a two-out walk to Youkilis loaded the bases and finished Volstad.
Reliever Burke Badenhop walked Bay, the first batter he faced, to force in another run as the Red Sox finished batting around in the inning. Ortiz lashed a two-run single to center, his second hit of the inning, to cap the scoring and put the Sox comfortably ahead 8-1.

The Red Sox retook the lead in the bottom of the third against starter Chris Volstad. J.D. Drew lashed a one-out single and took second on a groundball to third by Kevin Youkilis. Jason Bay ripped a single to left, scoring Drew for his league-leading 62nd RBI of the season and putting the Sox ahead 2-1, before being caught in a rundown between first and second.

The Marlins used some speed of their own to tie the game against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the third. Emilio Bonifacio beat out an infield hit to third base and quickly stole second, from where he scored on a single by Chris Coghlan, knotting the score at 1-1.

Jacoby Ellsbury's speed paid off with the first run of the game in the second inning. Ellsbury drilled a two-out single and stole second, his 26th steal of the season. Nick Green chopped a ball over the mound on which second baseman Dan Uggla tried to make a bare-handed play. He missed the ball, and it rolled out into shallow center field as Ellsbury streaked home from second base to put the Red Sox in front 1-0.

After 12 consecutive games against teams that were in first place -- during which the Red Sox posted an impressive 9-3 record -- they get a little break in the schedule against the Florida Marlins, who play at Fenway tonight, tomorrow, and Thursday. It's only a little break because the Marlins -- who feature 2002 Lowell Spinners Player of the Year Hanley Ramirez at shortstop -- are not that bad a club. The Marlins take a 32-33 record into the series, are riding a three-game winning streak, and have won six of their last 10.
Tonight will mark only the fifth game in the last 26 that the Red Sox have not faced a team with a current winning record. The Red Sox went 16-9 in that stretch.
The Sox are also 25-19 this season against teams currently boasting winning records.
The Sox also own the best home record in the majors (21-8) and play 12 of their next 15 games at Fenway. This presents them with an opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Rays, who are all bunched five games apart.
Tonight's lineups:
Marlins
Chris Coghlan, lf
Ross Gload, 1b
Hanley Ramirez, ss
Jorge Cantu, dh
Jeremy Hermida, rf
Dan Uggla, 2b
Cody Ross, cf
John Baker, c
Emilio Bonifacio, 3b
Chris Volstad, rhp

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

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Nuggets to chew on while wondering what's more rigged: Iranian elections or Don King promoted title fights.

So Phil Jackson finally surpassed Red Auerbach's total of coaching championships. So what!

I give Jackson all the credit in the world. It's easy to say he only won his titles because a couple of guys named Michael, Shaq & Kobe were on his team, but you have to remember, Red never had to win without some guy named Russell.

What I think separates the two is that Auerbach actually had to build his teams, while Philosophical Phil got to sit back and coach Jerry Kraus' and Jerry West's handiwork.

What might be a better argument than Red vs. Phil is Celtics vs. Lakers.

Until it had been pounded into my head incessantly by the broadcast crews this year, I'd almost forgotten the Lakers were appearing in their 30th championship series, having now won 15 of them.

While Boston has more rings with 17, the C's have only made the Finals two other times in their history, both of them series losses to their rivals from Los Angeles. It's also true the Celtics have been positively horrible from time to time, whereas the Lakers have been consistent contenders. Going back to the 1959 season when they were in Minneapolis, the Lakers have only missed the playoffs four times: 1975, 1976, 1994 and 2005.

Which begs the question: given those statistics, which team is the model NBA franchise?

I wonder if George Steinbrenner wakes up some mornings wondering if his kids sold the Yankees. Because right now, the Red Sox absolutely own their rivals from The Big Apple.

I got to meet Bernie Carbo Friday night at an event sponsored by the Lowell Hellenic Institute. A couple of observations:

1) Carbo is a fascinating guy, having overcome personal issues to become a devout Christian and role model to groups he travels the country to address. His inspirational story and message is one worth listening to.

2) Carbo actually has fond memories of Don Zimmer, who many of us grew up believing was responsible for running Bernie out of Boston. According to Carbo, he and Zim got along very well, and it was actually Haywood Sullivan who traded him not once, but twice.

Carbo also believes that had he stayed with the Sox, Bucky Dent wouldn't exist. The pinch-hit hero from Game 6 of the '75 Series was an accomplished clutch bat off the bench during his career, which the Sox sorely lacked during that fateful '78 season. According to Carbo, the BoSox didn't have any pinch-hit RBI's that year. Even a single clutch hit at any point that summer would have made the playoff game against the Yankees, and thus Bucky "Bleepin" Dent, unnecessary.

Lord Stanley's Cup will soon have the name of another former Lock Monster engraved on it. Mike Zigomanis, who played in Lowell on and off from 2001-2006, skated in 22-games with the Penguins this season.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Celtics governor, managing partner and CEO Wyc Grousbeck talked with Sports Radio WEEI's Dale and Holley Show this afternoon. The conversation touched on a wide range of topics, including Grousbeck's reaction to watching the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate winning the NBA Finals on Sunday night.

Here are a few quick highlights from the interview:

• Kevin Garnett is excited about how his rehab is progressing, and as a result the organization is excited.

• Grousbeck was asked where he came down in the Phil Jackson vs. Red Auerbach question. Predictably, he came down on Auerbach's side. Grousbeck pointed out that Auerback was part of 16 NBA titles, not just the nine as a coach. Grousbeck also pointed out that times were different, and Auerbach did everything himself from driving the team, to setting up travel overseas, to coaching solo with no assistants, to signing players.

• As far as trade rumors, Grousbeck didn't shoot down the idea that there were talks going on, instead he said that discussions go on every day in the NBA and insisted that's the job of general managers. At the same time, Grousbeck said the Celtics got off to a record-setting start to this NBA season and it only make sense to want to keep that core together and add to it.

• In regard to a the forecast that the Celtics should have a slow draft night as they hold the 58th pick, Grousbeck cited general manager Danny Ainge's track record of draft day deals and added he expected Ainge to have several different possibilites/discussions going on leading up to the draft.

• Talking about the economic impact on the Celtics, Grousbeck pointed to sustained fan supports as the team has had 110 consecutive sellouts, the TV ratings have nearly tripled, new corporate sponsors have joined the organization, and the team was able to keep season ticket prices flat this past season.

Jonathan Papelbon retired the Yankees in the ninth to register his 15th save of the season as the Red Sox held on to beat New York 6-5 and take over sole possession of first place in the AL East with a 35-24 record. It was the seventh straight win for the Red Sox over the Yankees this season and eighth straight dating back to last season.

The Yankees muscled their way back into the game in the seventh against reliever Ramon Ramirez, who took a 1.27 ERA into the game. Damon greeted him with the third home run of the night into the Sox bullpen, and Teixeira follow by slamming another homer into the right-field grandstand, his fourth hit of the night. Ramirez had allowed only one previous homer in 28 1/3 innings of work this season.
A two-out single by Posada knocked Ramirez out of the game. Hideki Okajima took over and fanned Matsui for the final out, keeping the Red Sox ahead 6-5.

The Yankees kept pecking away in the fifth. Mark Teixeira led off with his third hit of the game and second double and came around to score on groundouts by Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano, closing the gap to 6-3.

The Red Sox scored for the fourth straight inning against Yankees pitching in the bottom of the fourth, upping their lead to 6-2. Drew tripled high off The Wall in left-center, and Youkilis slammed his 10th homer of the season into the home bullpen, becoming the second Soxer of the night to reach double figures in homers this season and fourth overall.

The Yankees inched back to two runs in the fourth. Matsui and Swisher drew one-out walks, and Cabrera lined a single just out of the reach of second baseman Pedroia to cut the Red Sox' lead to 4-2. Wakefield retired Derek Jeter on a fly and fell behind Johnny Damon on the count 3-and-0 before getting him to foul out and end the frame.

For the second straight night a Yankees starter lasted just 2 2/3 innings as the Red Sox took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Lowell led off with his 10th home run. Kotsay drilled a one-out single, and Wang, who was on a pitch count, was lifted after fanning Green for the second out of the inning. Wang and A.J. Burnett, combined to throw 153 pitches in 5 1/3 innings in the first two games of this series while being charged with nine runs.
Phil Hughes relieved Wang and struck out Kottaras to end the inning.

The Red Sox jumped back on top 3-1 in the bottom of the second. Green led off with an infield hit and raced home on a double by George Kottaras. Dustin Pedroia followed with a ground rule double to score Kottaras.
Pedroia moved to third on a groundout by Drew, but Wang suddenly found his slider and struck out both Youkilis and Bay to keep his deficit at two runs.

The Yankees quickly responded in the second to tie the game and also could have had more. Jorge Posada blasted his ninth homer into the Sox bullpen to start the inning, and Hideki Matsui doubled. Nick Swisher beat out a surprise bunt to put runners at first and third with still nobody out.
But Melky Cabrera lined to shortstop Nick Green, who doubled Swisher off first base, and Derek Jeter was retired on a routine fly to center.

The Red Sox struck first against Chien-Ming Wang, who brought an 0-3 record and 14.46 ERA into the game. Seventeen of Wang's first 26 pitches were balls, and he walked three batters. But he got out of the inning allowing just one run as the Red Sox left the bases loaded.
J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis drew one-out walks, and Jason Bay banged a single into left for his AL-leading 56th RBI.
After Mike Lowell flied out, David Ortiz took a walk to load the bases. Wang fell behind Mark Kotsay 3-and-0 but came back to work the count full and retired him on a grounder to second and end the inning without more damage.

The Red Sox have beaten the Yankees in seven straight regular-season games, dating back to last September, for the first time since 1984-85. They beat the Yankees -- then nicknamed the Highlanders -- 17 straight times in 1911-12. With sole possession of first place in the AL East at stake tonight, Tim Wakefield tries to keep the streak going against Chien-Ming Wang.
The starting lineups:
Yankees
Derek Jeter, ss
Johnny Damon, lf
Mark Teixeira, 1b
Alex Rodriguez, 3b
Robinson Cano, 2b
Jorge Posada, c
Hideki Matsui, dh
Nick Swisher, rf
Melky Cabrera, cf
Chien-Ming Wang, rhp

Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
J.D. Drew, rf
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Jason Bay, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
David Ortiz, dh
Mark Kotsay, cf
Nick Green, ss
George Kottaras, c
Tim Wakefield, rhp

Josh Beckett and relievers Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez, and Daniel Bard combined on a two-hitter tonight as the Red Sox blanked the Yankees 7-0 and pulled into a tie for first place in the AL East.
The Red Sox are 6-0 against the Yankees this season.

The Red Sox made the score 7-0 in the seventh when Nick Green cracked his second homer of the season off reliever Jose Veras.
Josh Beckett pitched an overpowering six innings for the Red Sox, allowing one scratch hit while fanning eight batters and walking two. The only hit off Beckett came with two outs in the fourth when Robinson Cano pulled a ball into the hole between first and second. Pedroia, whose glove work preserved Clay Buchholz's no-hitter in 2007 and made another nice play on Saturday night to keep Jon Lester's perfect game going until the seventh inning, ranged wide to get to the ball. But he couldn't pick it up cleanly, and Cano reached.

The Red Sox continued to pad their lead in the fourth against Tomko. Youkilis ripped his second hit of the game with one out and stole second base. After Bay walked, Lowell lashed a single to center to score Youkilis and make the score 6-0.

After a 43-pitch second inning, Burnett continued to struggle in the third and couldn't finish the inning.
Jason Varitek started the two-out rally with a walk, and Mark Kotsay drilled a single. Nick Green lashed a double to left-center, scoring Varitek and putting the Red Sox up 5-0. It was Burnett's 84th pitch in just 2 2/3 innings and his last. Brett Tomko took over and got the final out.
The Red Sox might have had more in the inning. Lowell led off with his second walk, and after Ortiz flied out, Lowell was nailed easily at second on what appeared to be a blown hit-and-run play with Varitek at the plate. Varitek swung and missed the pitch.
In two starts against the Red Sox this season Burnett, who had never been beaten by the Sox, has been banged around for 13 hits, 8 walks, 3 home runs, and 13 runs in just 7 2/3 innings.

Belting his second homer in three games, David Ortiz keyed a four-run second inning against A.J. Burnett. Mike Lowell started the inning with a walk, and Ortiz jumped all over a fastball right down the middle of the plate and drove it into the center-field bleachers for his third homer of the season. The homer also extended Ortiz' modest hitting streak to seven games.
Mark Kotsay kept the inning going with a one-out walk and took second on an error by third baseman Alex Rodriguez. After getting Dustin Pedroia to ground out, Burnett got ahead of J.D. Drew 0-and-2 but couldn't finish him off. Drew hit Burnett's next pitch high off the Green Monster for a two-run double, putting the Red Sox ahead 4-0.
Kevin Youkilis followed with a single, but third base coach DeMarlo Hale stopped Drew at third, and Jason Bay flied out to end the inning.

The Red Sox and Yankees battle in the first of a three-game series tonight with first place in the AL East at stake. The Yankees lead the Red Sox by a game in the standings.
The Red Sox are 5-0 against the Yankees this season. Josh Beckett, who pitches for the Red Sox tonight, is 4-0 in his last six starts with a 1.94 ERA.
Red Sox pitchers have fanned 10 or more batters in seven of their last 10 games. Red Sox pitchers lead the AL with 433 strikeouts and also have the top-ranked bullpen in the majors with a 2.76 ERA.
Tonight's lineups:
Yankees
Derek Jeter, ss
Johnny Damon, dh
Mark Teixeira, 1b
Alex Rodriguez, 3b
Robinson Cano, 2b
Jorge Posada, c
Nick Swisher, lf
Melky Cabrera, rf
Brett Gardner, cf
A.J. Burnett, rhp

Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
J.D. Drew, rf
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Jason Bay, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
David Ortiz, dh
Jason Varitek, c
Mark Kotsay, cf
Nick Green, ss
Josh Beckett, rhp

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Change fills the air in the Northeast-10 Conference this off-season. If the pending addition of Adelphi to go with New Haven this past year wasn't enough, new coaches will be roaming the sidelines during women's basketball contests next winter.

Following an incredibly successful run at Franklin Pierce, head women's basketball coach Mark Swasey resigned last week to take over as the head coach of the women's program at California University of Pennsylvania. California-Pennsylvania lost to Franklin Pierce this past year in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

He replaces Heather Kearney, who left after one year to become an assistant at Appalachia State.

Franklin Pierce surpassed the program record for victories in each of the past two seasons, capturing two-straight NCAA Regional Championships and trips to the Division II Elite Eight. This past season the Ravens won a record 29 games en route to capturing the Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time. The Ravesn also made the program's first ever appearance in the Division II title game.

St. Anselm hired DeAnn Craft in May to replace Chris Leazier after the Hawks posted 10-44 record in the past two seasons (4-23 in 2008-09 and 6-21 in 2007-08).

Leazier resigned this March after just two seasons.

Craft, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, coached the University of Texas-Pan American the past six seasons. She leaves as the program's all-time wins leader.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

A few disharmonious thoughts while hoping Susan Boyle is alright (question for those blaming last week's breakdown on her newfound celebrity: did it ever occur to you that while the wheel was spinning, the hamster might have been dead all along?):

Could there be a bigger contrast in styles between NBA Finals coaches Stan Van Gundy and Phil Jackson? At the most tense moments, Van Gundy looks like he could go Fred Sanford on us and have the big one right there on the sidelines. Jackson, on the other hand, looks like he's about to ask someone to pass the Grey Poupon.

It's great to see Van Gundy succeeding despite criticism from a couple of egomaniacal former co-workers. The former UMass-Lowell head coach was all class when slick Pat Riley pulled the rug out from him in the middle of a championship season with the Heat, which is more than you can say about Shaquille O'Neal, who publicly ripped Van Gundy earlier this year.

Win or lose, you've done the Mill City proud, Stan.

How the heck have the Red Sox had so much success the last three years with the horrific situation at shortstop?

The old baseball adage holds that strength up the middle (catcher, pitcher, shortstop and center field) translates to wins. Well, I don't remember a single team in my lifetime with such a disastrous run of shortstops doing what the Sox have done.

They won a World Series with Julio Lugo, advanced to Game 7 of the League Championship series despite playing an injured rookie, Jed Lowrie, and career utilityman, Alex Cora. Now, they're attempting to do the same with a combination of Lowry, Lugo and the immortal Nick Green. It has to catch up with them at some point, doesn't it?

After a winter that seemed to last forever, it's comforting to realize the Spinners season opener is only a week and a half away. The acrimony of the lease negotiations can finally be put behind us and we can get down to the best summer night in the area: baseball at LeLacheur Park.

Thinking of buying an authentic, Vince Wilfork Patriots football jersey? You might want to hold off. They're going to be selling at a huge discount in February of 2010. The Pats nose tackle is as good as gone after this year.

Did I read that correctly: Tiger Woods hit every single fairway during his final round Masterpiece at The Memorial?

I don't even dream that good!

Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew got leadoff walks in the ninth, but Darren O'Day retired the next three hitters as the Rangers beat the Red Sox 5-1, ending an eight-game losing streak at Fenway Park. The Sox stranded 13 runners in base.

The Red Sox finally broke through against Texas starter Kevin Millwood in the eighth. Jason Bay reached on an error by first baseman Davis, Mike Lowell walked, and slump-ridden David Ortiz deposited a single into right field to make the score 5-1. Eddie Guardado relieved Millwood and retired the next three hitters.

The Rangers upped their advantage to 5-0 in the sixth, although if shortstop Lugo had any range at all Penny probably would have avoided being charged with another run.
Hank Blalock led off with a walk, and two outs later Byrd grounded a ball up the middle that an ordinary major-league shortstop would have reached in time to get an inning-ending force at second. Again the ball was just out of Lugo's reach, and Davis followed with a ground-rule double that scored the run and finished Penny.
Rookie Daniel Bard took over and got out of further trouble when Byrd tried to come home on a pitch that squirted behind Jason Varitek and was nailed at the plate by Bard.

The Rangers broke up a scoreless game with four two-out runs in the fifth off Brad Penny. Penny had allowed just one bad-hop hit through the first four innings. But with one out in the fifth Marlon Byrd reached on an infield hit to shortstop, and Chris Davis singled on an 0-and-2 pitch. After retiring Jarrod Saltalamacchia on a flyball, Penny got ahead of rookie Elvis Andrus 0-and-2 but couldn't finish him off. Andrus hit a ground single to left that was just beyond the reach of shortstop Julio Lugo, putting the Rangers ahead 1-0. Three pitches later Ian Kinsler lashed a 2-and-0 pitch into the Monster seats for his 15th homer.
Red Sox pitchers have surrendered seven three-run homers or grand slams this season, and Penny has yielded three of them.

The Red Sox and Yankees are tied for first place in the AL East going into tonight's game with the Rangers at Fenway Park. The Rangers lead the AL West by 3 1/2 games. The Red Sox, who have won four in a row, are in the midst of a stretch where they're playing 21 of 25 games against teams with winning records.
Tonight marks only the 10th time in their first 55 games that the Red Sox have had their entire regular lineup on the field, and the third time since the end of April.
The lineups:
Rangers
Ian Kinsler, 2b
Michael Young, 3b
Hank Blalock, dh
Nelson Cruz, rf
David Murphy, lf
Marlon Byrd, cf
Chris Davis, 1b
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c
Elvis Andrus, ss
Kevin Millwood, rhp

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

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

As another class of graduates comes and goes, here's what we've recently learned in our sports studies:

-Seeing Tom Brady throwing passes, even in non-contact drills, is a great sight for Patriots fans. Seeing Brady smiling on a football field might be an even better sight.

While most are concerned with how Tom Terrific responds physically to the first major surgery of his career, and rightfully so, I'm just as curious about how the Patriots quarterback responds to the first severe mental injuries he's suffered. And I'm not just talking about the knee injury against Kansas City.

Going back to the final handful of games of the fateful undefeated season that wasn't, Brady looked worn down mentally, as if football stopped being fun and had become a chore. Granted, a lot of his Patriots teammates had that same look before the Giants ended the undefeated run, but it was more noticeable with #12, who up to that point had always played the game with the same youthful exuberance of a 9-year old running around a snowy back yard with his grown up family members on Thanksgiving morning.

Here's hoping the year away, not to mention marriage to a supermodel, is just what the doctor ordered.

-With all due respect to Jonathan Papelbon and Hanley Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis currently gets my vote in the "best major league career by a former Lowell Spinners player" category. Ironically, he also gets my vote in the "which former Lowell Spinner is the most improbable major league all-star" category.

-Perhaps its time to reassess Kendrick Perkins and his value to the Celtics.

After seeing Dwight Howard absolutely destroy the Cavaliers, you have to appreciate Perkins' performance against Orlando's Superman. Big Perk did an admirable job, mostly straight up man-to-man, as the wounded and weary C's took the eventual Eastern Conference champs to the limit. I, for one, never appreciated what a force Perkins is on the defensive end.

-Any of you Kobe Bryant detractors out there want to put your money where your mouth is? Well, if you really believe the "Kobe will never win a title without Shaq" nonsense, hop a flight out to Vegas and make yourself a killing, because this is your big chance.

Word of advice, however: Don't take out a second mortgage. Lakers in five. Kobe rightfully assumes his place among the all-time greats.

-We all knew John Calipari was a slick operator from his UMass days. What we didn't know was how good a magician he was, too, specializing in disappearing acts.

First Coach Cal vanished from UMass before the NCAA cops came a calling. Eventually, the Minutemen's Final Four appearance in 1996 disappeared from the record books thanks to some shenanigans involving Marcus Camby and enough jewelry to make the royal family blush.

Fast forward to 2009: Calipari hocus-pocuses his way from Memphis to Kentucky, just before the college sheriffs blow the whistle on Derek Rose's bogus SAT test, which just might lead to the Tigers' championship game appearance in '08 being wiped from the history books.

Apparently, Calipari is Italian for Abra-cadabra.