September 2009 Archives

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

This winter the UMass Lowell women's basketball team will welcome Stacey Lajoie aboard four year's after she was originally recruited.

Lajoie, a native of Gardner, Mass., has been a standout on the River Hawks softball team for the past four years. That's why she never suited up for UML women's basketball coach Kathy O'Neil.

While taking graduate school courses at UML, Lajoie has decided to use her final year of eligibility to return to the hardwood. She used her four years of softball eligibility, but the NCAA allows athletes five years. She could not play softball for a fifth year, however, she is allowed to play another sport.

Lajoie was a four-time Northeast-10 Conference All-Star in softball, earning a spot on the NE-10 First Team in 2006, 2008 and 2009. The center fielder/catcher was on the Third Team in 2007. The NE-10 coaches selected her as the conference Rookie of the Year in 2006.

She wrapped up her softball career this past spring as the school record holder in career home runs (21), games played (208).

Lajoie is slated to play guard for the women's basketball team.

Frasor took care of the Red Sox in the ninth to record his 11th save as the Blue Jays held on for an 8-7 victory, handing the Sox their fifth straight loss and seventh in the last nine games. Ellsbury singled with one out and stole second with two outs, and Martinez drew a four-pitch walk. But Frasor caught Youkilis looking at a 3-and-2 pitch right down the middle to end the game and delay the Red Sox' clinching of the wild card for at least a few more hours.

The Red Sox made a run at the Jays in the eighth. Ellsbury had led off with a single off Jesse Carlson, and Dustin Pedroia greeted Shawn Camp with another single. After Martinez grounded into a double play -- the fourth of the night hit into by the Sox -- Youkilis brought home the run with a double off The Wall in left-center. David Ortiz lashed another double off the fence in front of the Red Sox bullpen, shaving Toronto's lead to four runs. Bay drew a walk to keep the rally going, and then Drew blasted a three-run homer, his 22nd of the season, over the Sox bullpen to slash Toronto's lead to 8-7.
Jason Frasor took over and got Casey Kotchman to foul out and end the rally.

Lind clouted his third homer of the game and 35th of the season off Takashi Saito in the seventh, a solo shot that rang off the right-field foul pole 301 feet from home plate. The Jays' sixth homer of the game and ninth of this series put them ahead 8-2.
Lind became the first visiting player to hit three homers in a game at Fenway Park in 13 years. Frank Thomas performed the feat for the Chicago White Sox here in 1996.
It was the first time the Red Sox have given up six homers in game anywhere since 2004 in Detroit when they surrendered seven, six of them off Tim Wakefield.

Buchholz retired the Blue Jays in order in the fourth, but he couldn't sustain his effectiveness for long. Lind led off the fifth with his second homer of the game into the center-field bleachers, a little deeper this time, the fifth of the night surrendered by Buchholz and eighth off Red Sox pitching in the first 12 innings of this series. Lind's 34th homer staked the Jays to a 7-2 lead, their largest of the night so far.

The long ball continued to bite Buchholz in the third as Kevin Millar jumped on a 1-and-2 pitch and deposited into the Monster Seats for his seventh homer of the year and fourth of the game, restoring Toronto's four-run edge at 6-2. Buchholz had given up just four homers in his previous 10 starts combined.

The Red Sox picked up a run in the bottom of the second. Jason Bay led off with a walk and J.D. Drew singled, but Casey Kotchman rapped into a double play as Bay took third. Bay then raced home on a Romero wild pitch, making it 5-2. Alex Gonzalez followed with a single, but Romero got out of the inning without further trouble.

The Blue Jays quickly got their four-run lead back in the top of the second when Aaron Hill lashed a -and-2 pitch from Buchholz over The Wall for his 36th homer of the season, upping their advantage to 5-1.

The Red Sox tried to immediately fight their way back into this one. After left fielder Travis Snider robbed Jacoy Ellsbury of extra bases with a sliding catch, Dustin Pedroia slapped a double down the right-field line and Victor Martinez brought him home with a single. But that was all they could get in that inning off rookie southpaw Ricky Romero.

Twenty-four hours after rookie Michael Bowden was slammed for four first-inning runs in an 11-5 rain-shortened loss to the Blue Jays, Clay Buchholz had a rocky first inning. The Jays hit two home runs and led 3-0 by the time Buchholz had thrown six pitches.
Jose Bautista slammed the former Spinner's first pitch of the game over everything in left for his 10th homer of the season. Following an Aaron Hill single, Adam Lind deposited his 33rd homer into the first row of the center-field bleachers. And the damage still wasn't done.
Lyle Overbay drew a one-out walk, and Kevin Millar and Travis Snider stroked two-out singles to make it 4-0 before Buchholz could get out of the inning. Buchholz had allowed just two runs in his previous four starts combined.

Four present or former Lowell Spinners received awards from the Red Sox before tonight's game against the Blue Jays.
Pitcher-shortstop Casey Kelly, who played for the Spinners in 2008, was selected as the organization's Pitcher of the Year after going 7-5 with a 2.08 ERA for Class A Greenville and Salem. Kelly played shortstop during the second half of the season.
Ryan Kalish, who played in Lowell in 2006-07, was named Offensive Player of the Year after hitting .279 with 24 doubles, 18 homers, 77 RBI, and 84 runs for Salem and Class AA Portland.
The Spinners' Derrik Gibson was chosen as Baserunner of the Year after leading the New York-Penn League in runs with 54 and stealing 28 bases in 33 tries.
Ryan Dent, who played for the Spinners in 2007-08, was picked as the Defensive Player of the Year after posting a .971 fielding percentage as the shortstop at Greenville and Salem.
Juan Rodriguez was named Latin Program Pitcher of the Year and Keury De La Cruz was chosen Latin Program Player of the Year. Both played in the Dominican Summer League.

The starting lineups as the Red Sox try to clinch the wild card against the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at Fenway Park:
Blue Jays
Jose Bautista, rf
Aaron Hill, 2b
Adam Lind, dh
Vernon Wells, cf
Lyle Overbay, 1b
Rod Barajas, c
Kevin Millar, 3b
Travis Snider, lf
John McDonald, ss
Rick Romero, lhp
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
Victor Martinez, c
Kevin Youkilis, 3b
David Ortiz, dh
Jason Bay, lf
J.D. Drew, rf
Casey Kotchman, 1b
Alex Gonzalez, ss
Clay Buchholz, rhp

A Red Sox victory or a loss by the Texas Rangers tonight would secure the wild card for the Red Sox.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

From the gridiron to the diamond:

-Quite an impressive defensive performance by the Patriots Sunday, wasn't it?

Bill Belichick's boys shut down a very good Falcons offense. With Jerrod Mayo already out of commission and Vince Wilfork hobbling off the field, the stage was set for an Atlanta offensive explosion. Instead, the Pats buckled down and put up their best showing against a quality offense in a long, long time.

-Good thing, because New England's scoring unit is still slightly out of sync. Wes Welker's injury is playing a major role in those struggles, as is Joey Galloway's calcification. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to find the once dangerous receiver on the waiver wire any day now.

-Perhaps Laurence Maroney getting banged up again (there's a shocker) might lead to the realization that this running back by committee nonsense needs to stop. Fred Taylor got to carry the ball 21-times and, not-so-mysteriously, a running game emerged. Freed from the shackles of shared playing time, Taylor racked up 105-yards and made Tom Brady's life much easier. To paraphrase Keyshawn Johnson: "Get him the damn ball!"

Seriously, how can you expect running backs to find a rhythm when there are four different guys carrying the ball a handful of times each? Any great runner in history will tell you it takes about 15-carries to develop a feel for the game. Most of them do their damage after that, when they've had a chance to wear down a defense and get in the flow. It can't be good for offensive linemen, either, who must adjust to multiple running styles.

This isn't just a critique of the Pats. It's a league-wide phenomenon spreading like wildfire over the last couple of years. Front office types will tell you it's intended to keep backs fresh and healthy. Don't buy it. It's a way to keep their wallets light and empty. Big yardage and touchdown totals equal big salaries, something owners don't want to have to account for in the salary cap era.

What they're missing is the fact you don't need a Hall of Fame RB to win Super Bowls, but you do need a go-to guy. A quick glance at the list of NFL champions will show that the last time a true running back by committee took home the ultimate prize was the 1973 Miami Dolphins of Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris.

-I find talk of the Red Sox starting John Lester over Josh Beckett in Game 1 of the playoffs downright silly. With Curt Schilling now making and playing video games, Beckett is the best big game pitcher of this generation. When he's on in October, he's almost unbeatable. He more than anyone else is responsible for the 2007 World Series title, giving Boston's Boys of Summer and automatic 1-0 lead in every series, not to mention saving the ALCS with a dominant Game 5 at Cleveland.

Was Lester good in the '08 post-season? Sure was. Was he unbeatable a la the vintage Josh Beckett? Not even close.

With a maddeningly inconsistent offense, especially away from Fenway, the '09 Red Sox will go as far as their pitching staff takes them. Trot out Beckett, Lester, Dice-K and Buchholz in that order, and I'll take my chances with Boston over any other team, Yankees included.

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

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce proclaimed the Celtics the team to beat this year in the NBA, saying that in his heart he knows if healthy the Celtics will win a championship.

Pierce's comments were part of interview with CBSSports.com. The conversation also touched on the prospects of beginning the season with replacement referees, running into former President Bill Clinton, and how long he sees himself continuing to play in the NBA.

Pierce's comments about Boston being the team to beat come after a season when the Lakers and Orlando Magic met in the NBA Finals, and the Cleveland Cavaliers finished the regular season with the league's best record.

Boston finished the regular season with injuries to Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe. The Celtics bolstered their frontcourt with the additions of Rasheed Wallace and Shelden Williams this off-season. They also acquired Marquis Daniels to play on the wing.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Tackling the "lucky to not be 0-2" New England Patriots and a couple of other sports thoughts:

-I'd already come to grips with the "fear factor" being gone and teams no longer feeling threatened by the mere presence of the Patriots on the same field. What I didn't think we'd have to deal with so soon is the disrespect card no longer working, either.

It used to be if you mouthed off about beating Bill Belichick's troops, certain defeat would follow. The Pats would feel "disrespected" when even the media suggested praise for an opponent, never mind said opponent. The result was always a thorough beating on game day.

So how shocking was it to hear the Jets talk trash, then come out and back it up? I mean, these were the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. They're not good enough to bloody Lady Gaga, never mind a Patriots team some folks had ticketed for another 19-0 run.

-It's pretty obvious Tom Brady isn't himself right now. What still remains to be seen is if he'll ever be the old Tom Terrific again.

Brady used to be a passing machine, standing tall in the pocket till the last possible second before firing a perfect pass that hit his receiver in stride. The post-injury Brady (and I'm talking about the guy who was banged up in the 2008 AFC Championship and Super Bowl) isn't the same quarterback. Number 12 is backpedaling more often than Kanye West and underthrowing or overthrowing receivers at a rate that would make Rohan Davey blush.

-Remember the old Belichick formula for shutting down high-powered offenses?

Let them take all the dump passes they wanted, then belt the receiver hard and often as soon as the ball was caught. After a few licks, the pass catchers would begin hearing foot steps and turtling to the ground before impact.

Have you noticed how it's now the Patriots big-play threats doing the same thing?

-Speaking of big play threats, when you have two of the best long-ball receivers in the history of the game in Randy Moss and Joey Galloway, shouldn't they be sent on fly patterns more often?

Randall Cunningham, Jeff George and Daunte Culpepper made careers out of throwing the pigskin as far as they could and watching Moss out leap defenders to come down with the ball, more often than not for 6-points. A slew of mediocre QB's in Seattle, Dallas and Tampa Bay did the same while watching Galloway simply outrun cornerbacks and safeties to paydirt.

-If Serena Williams is suspended, the Patriots should at least look into signing her to play linebacker. She's scarier than anyone currently playing the position for the Flying Elvis', though I'd be worried about random testing, if you know what I mean.

-Memo to Cawley Stadium concession workers: how about serving turkey during Friday night's Lawrence-Lowell matchup? Until the great Thanksgiving Day rivalry resumes, we should at least try to replicate Turkey Day as best we can.

-Can't believe I'm going to say this, but trading Phil Kessel instead of paying him big bucks is a smart move for the Bruins.

Sure, it reeks of the legendary Jeremy Jacobs/Harry Sinden cheapness, but in this day and age of an NHL salary cap, you simply can't afford to tie up big bucks in a player who pulls a Whitey Bulger come playoff time.

That's the view from here...how do you see things? Is the Patriots dynasty done? How can an offense with so many weapons look so bad? Have the Pats gone soft? Who would you take in a fight...Serena Williams or the entire New England linebacking corps? Can the Bruins fill Phil Kessel's skates? Who will prevail in the resumption of the Lowell-Lawrence gridiron rivalry?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Former Celtics guard and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West was arrested in Maryland, driving his motorcycle while carrying three concealed weapons according to a report in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Police arrested West around 10 p.m. Thursday night with a pair of handguns and a shotgun on Interstate 495, the paper reports.

The Celtics drafted the former St. Joseph's standout with the 24th pick in the 2004 Draft.

West, 26, played for the Celtics from 2004-05 through 2006-07. He was part of the trade with the then Seattle Supersonics that brought Ray Allen to Boston prior to the 2007-08 season. During the 2007-08 season, West and former Celtics forward/guard Wally Szczerbiak were traded to Cleveland.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth as the Red Sox trimmed the Angels 4-1 for their sixth consecutive victory. Papelbon gave up a run on a single by Torii Hunter, who took second on defensive indifference, and a two-out double by Erick Aybar. Matsuzaka earned the win, only his second of the season and first since beating Detroit 5-1 on June 2.

The Red Sox made it 4-0 in the bottom of the eighth. Drew legged out a one-out triple and coasted home when Bay rifled a single off The Wall, athough he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. Jose Arredondo relieved Lackey, and David Ortiz launched his second pitch into the center-field bleachers for his 24th homer of the season. It was Ortiz' 270th career homer as a designated hitter, breaking the AL record held by Frank Thomas.

The Red Sox finally broke up a scoreless duel between Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey in the the sixth inning, staking Matsuzaka -- who turned in an impressive outing in his first start for the Red Sox since June 19 -- to a 2-0 lead.
Alex Gonzalez started things with a hard single off The Wall, and Jacoby Ellsbury beat out a neatly-placed bunt single up the first-base line. Dustin Pedroia tried to sacrifice both runners into scoring position only to have Lackey scramble off the mound and glove the ball in time for a play on Gonzalez at third base. But Lackey bounced his throw past third baseman Chone Figgins, allowing Gonzalez to score and Ellsbury and Pedroia to advance. After J.D. Drew was retired on a comebacker and Jason Bay walked to load the bases, David Ortiz dumped a single into left field to score Ellsbury.
Lackey prevented further damage by striking out both Mike Lowell and Casey Kotchman.
Matsuzaka left after walking Kendry Morales to start the seventh. He allowed three hits and three walks while fanning five in six-plus innings. He threw 93 pitches, 52 for strikes, before turning the game over to Ramon Ramirez.

Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez, two of the Red Sox' most productive hitters this season, were not in the lineup tonight against the Los Angeles Angels.
Youkilis was sent to Mass. General with back spasms that could sideline him for a couple of days. Martinez had a sore leg after blocking the plate in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Rays but was also in Cleveland attending to a personal matter.
The Red Sox outrighted infielder Chris Woodward to Pawtucket to make room on the roster for Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is scheduled to start tonight's game.
The Red Sox take a five-game winning streak into the game.
The starting lineups:
Angels
Chone Figgins, 3b
Maicer Izturis, 2b
Bobby Abreu, rf
Vladimir Guerrero, dh
Torii Hunter, cf
Kendry Morales, 1b
Juan Rivera, lf
Erick Aybar, ss
Jeff Mathis, c
John Lackey, rhp
Red So
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
J.D. Drew, rf
Jason Bay, lf
David Ortiz, dh
Mike Lowell, 3b
Casey Kotchman, 1b
Jason Varitek, c
Alex Gonzalez, ss
Daisuke Matsuzaka, rhp

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

In the spirit of Sparring Partners and Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde, I argue the merits of the Richard Seymour trade...against myself:

Jekyll Panos: While greatly appreciating Richard Seymour's contributions to the Patriots dynasty, this is a fantastic trade by Bill Belichick. To get a 2011 first round draft pick that will likely be near the top of the draft in return for a player who was going to leave in a year is yet another stroke of genius by the Genius. The Pats are now well-stocked for the future.

Hyde Panos: Future, smuture! The Genius hasn't won anything in half a decade now, mostly because he's more worried about what's going to happen two years down the line. Who cares about the future? I want to win now! Explain to me how trading Seymour makes New England a better team this year.

Jekyll Panos: Oh, ye of little faith. Seymour's play and health began to slip considerably and you know what they say about it being better to give up on a player a year too early than a year too late. In this regard, Belichick's record is quite good. Damien Woody, David Givens, Deion Branch and Willie McGinest to name a few, have done nothing since leaving the cozy confines of Gillette Stadium.

Hyde Panos. Ah, but the Razor cuts both ways. "The Hooded One" also took the cheap way out on Asante Samuel, who at last check was turning interceptions into touchdowns for the Eagles instead of our boys. How's that one working out? Aren't you tired of watching cornerbacks who couldn't cover grandma with a quilt?

Jekyll Panos: Yes, and I'm also getting tired of your lame attempts at humor.

Hyde Panos: Let's see who is laughing when an already questionable defense struggles without one of its key components. Remember what happened when Belichick cut Lawyer Milloy the week before the season opener in 2003? A stunned New England team went out and got trounced by Buffalo, the same team the Pats open up against next Monday Night.

Jekyll Panos: Of course I remember, because the Patriots then went on to win 34 of their next 37-games, including Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. With the extra money they've saved on Seymour, they can now restock the roster with young talent and even pay Vince Wilfork his money.

Hyde Panos: That's what you think. None of that money is going to Wilfork. Didn't you hear what Mike Vrabel said? It's going straight into Bob Kraft's pockets so he can build another shopping plaza and buy more of those white-collared shirts that went out of style two decades ago.

Jekyll Panos: Well, I'm not worried. Belichick can always just call the Raiders and get that senile old geezer Al Davis to make another stupid trade. I mean, this is the same guy who took Doug Gabriel of our hands the same offseason he handed us Randy Moss.

Hyde Panos: Finally, something we can agree on! The NFL should step in and forbid any future contact between Belichick and Davis. It's like picking on the handicapped. Their dealings are more lopsided than the time I discovered your password and traded your good fantasy football players for every stiff on my roster. Oops!

Jekyll Panos: AHA! So that's why my team was so horrible that year! You're a pathetic excuse for an alter ego.

Hyde Panos: And this is a pathetic excuse for a column idea. We should have packed up our split personalities and gone to the beach on Labor Day instead!

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The worst kept secret in basketball is finally official. The Celtics announced the signing of swingman Marquis Daniels.

A 6-foot-6 200 pound guard/forward, Daniels is expected to add depth for the Celtics on the wing. This past season he posted career highs of 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Indiana Pacers.

"We feel that Marquis' ability to play multiple positions will add great versatility and athleticism to our team," Celtics General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said in a statement released by the team.