Final Score
Red Sox 6
Devil Rays 9

Oh, Those Pesky Rays: Tampa’s baseball entry is really starting to get annoying now!

The Devil Rays made it two in a row over the Red Sox, beating Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling no less. It’s not that Curt on the Car Phone pitched poorly. He had the Sox in the game until the usually reliable Mike Timlin let it get away. However, I would like to see Schilling and Beckett transfer some of that Fenway dominance to the road.

Offensively, the Manny and Papi show continues, but it might be time for Terry Francona to make a batting order switch sometime soon. He simply can’t allow Jason Varitek and his .244 average to bat so high in the lineup (5th) when Trot Nixon sits. Varitek hasn’t been an offensive force since midway through the 2005 season and he really should be dropped a couple of spots in the order where there’s less pressure and he can concentrate on defense.

There is something to be said for fatigue, especially considering his tour of duty in the World Baseball Classic. There also might be something said for a now 34-year old catcher with a couple of more years left on his contract at big numbers, but I’ll save that one for another time…unless anyone cares to argue it now.

Should Terry Francona drop Jason Varitek in the batting order? Is this the beginning of the decline that almost all catchers go through in their 30’s?

Final Score
Red Sox 0
Devil Rays 3

Armed and Dangerous: One day, and it’ll be sooner rather than later, Tampa is going to be a very dangerous team. If they were in the National League, they'd be a legit playoff threat.

Sometimes you just have to tip your cap and say you got beat, which is exactly what happened to the Red Sox last night. Josh Beckett was very good on the mound and would have been a winner on most nights. Problem was, he was facing Scott Kazmir, who on this night was simply magnificent.

The Rays 22-year old lefty allowed just two hits and struck out ten, improving to 10-5 on the season. For his career, Kazmir is now 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 11-career starts against Boston. A big reason for his success; David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are 9-for-55 against him. What were the Mets thinking?

In my mind, the American League will be dominated by 5-pitchers over the next decade. Beckett, Kazmir, Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano and Jered Weaver. What are your thoughts on the AL’s young guns? Who is the best? Who else belongs on the list? Who doesn’t?

If it’s possible to be basketball royalty at the age of 21 with just two NBA seasons under your belt, then the Boston Celtics believe they landed a hardcourt prince in point guard Sebastian Telfair.

Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge called it “a big day for the Boston Celtics” as the team introduced Telfair, who came over in a draft night trade from the Portland Trailblazers, and second round pick Leon Powe during a press conference at their training facility in Waltham.

“I’m a winner,” Telfair said. “You know, nothing is easy, but I like to win, that’s one of the reasons why I’m so excited about being here. We have the team with the tradition and the organization.”

The 6-foot 168-pound Telfair has been a highly-touted basketball prodigy since he was a high school player. His half-brother Jamel Thomas was a standout at Providence College and his cousin is current New York Knicks’ guard Stephon Marbury, a two-time NBA All-Star.

“I’m not sure I would wish on my children to have that kind of notoriety and that kind of exposure and that kind of pressure put on,” said Ainge. “I think the fact that we're getting him after a couple of years of development, after 3000 minutes in the NBA, he's had success and he's had some failures to deal with as well. I like the fact that both of these guys have had to deal with some adversity in their lives. I think that‘s what‘s going to make them stronger.”

This past year Telfair averaged 9.5 points, 3.6 assists, and one steal in 24.1 minutes per game. He played in 68 games (missing 12 games with a thumb injury) and made 30 starts. In those starts he averaged 12.3 points, 4.2 assists, and two rebounds per game.

Veteran point guards Nick Van Exel and Damon Stoudamire played ahead of Telfair during his first season in Portland. During his second season the Trailblazers featured the inside game and opted to go with Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack at the point guard position.

Now, going into his third season, the Celtics believe they can take advantage of Telfair’s speed and play-making ability as they plan to be even more of a running team this year. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said he has watched Telfair since high school and likes his ability to get other players involved and the prospect of him making the current Celtics players better.

Powe, a 6-foot-8 240-pound power forward selected in the second round out of the University of California, entered the draft after his junior year. He earned All-Pac-10 honors his sophomore and freshman seasons and finished with a career averaging 17.8 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game.

He was forced to sit out the 2004-05 season as a medical redshirt after a pair of knee surgeries.

“I think everybody has got something to prove,” Powe said. “Me, I’m just going to come in here and do what I’ve been doing. That’s just playing hard and going to my strength which is rebounding and just try to make my team better.”

Telfair and Powe are slated to be part of the Celtics summer league squad that begins play next Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Where do you come down on the Celtics off-season moves so far? Moves you'd like them to make from here on?

Final Score
Red Sox 4
Marlins 3

So Long NL, We’ll Miss You: Can we hurry up and do this interleague thing again?

The Red Sox closed out their National League slate with a 16-2 record after yesterday’s win in the Sunshine State. Of all their NL opponents, Florida was actually the most competitive. The Marlins are going to be very scary in a couple of years. There’s a ton of young talent and pitching there.

As for Boston’s Boys of Summer, they have one week to go before the All-Star break. I think Curt Schilling deserves to go…that policy of taking one player from each team may have worked 30-years ago, but with so many teams now, it leads to some ridiculous selections. Mark Redman (or any member of the Royals for that matter) doesn’t deserve to be there any more than I do.

I’m also a bit surprised at Jose Contreras’ selection. I understand that he’s having a good year, but weren’t the leagues cracking down on managers loading the roster with their own players at the expense of more deserving ones?

Remember when a couple of the Red Sox were ticked at Terry Francona last year for not making sure more of his guys got the nod? I defended him then, but it sure seems funny how Joe Torre and now Carlos Guillen always manage to get their marginal All-Stars that bonus check. I like Paul Konerko, but Travis Hafner not being on that team is a joke! Don’t even get me started on Robinson Cano!

What are your thoughts on the All-Star selections? Did Schilling deserve to go? How about Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell?

Everyone has a favorite number.

For many, it signifies something special, perhaps a birthday or anniversary. For others, there’s no rhyme or reason to it. But we all have one, that number we turn to in times of need, be it at the horse track, roulette wheel or lottery ticket counter.

For me that number is four, the greatest digit ever created. Why it became my favorite is a matter of debate, lost in the faint memories of my tonsils being removed and breaking my collarbone falling off a tricycle, both of which occurred at the age of four.

As best I recall, the number stood out because it marked the members in my immediate family…mom, dad, sis and me. Either that or because Bobby Orr wore it ever so gracefully on his black and gold Bruins jersey.

Four dominates the world of athletics. Adam Vinatieri touched off a dynasty while donning the number, though Notre Dame’s fabled “Four Horsemen” backfield ruled the gridiron long before this Patriots reign.

Is there a better sporting event than March Madness, which culminates Final Four weekend? No wonder Dean Smith’s “Four Corners” offense made so many NCAA Tournament appearances.

Next time you’re at Fenway Park, count the number of bases, then stand and cheer as David Ortiz blasts another one of his walk-off four baggers.

Soccer fans wait patiently for the World Cup, contested every four years, as are the Olympics, where Jesse Owens’ four gold medals in 1936 spit in the face of Adolph Hitler’s superior race.

The number transcends sports, however, becoming prominent in every facet of American life.

Presidents serve four year terms, not two and six like your representatives and senators. The only one to serve more than two terms was FDR, who was elected on four ballots.

Abraham Lincoln was our 16th President, or “4 squared” for the hip generation. His most notable speech? The Gettysburg Address, which begins “Four score and seven years ago…”

Most of us studied the Civil War during our four years in high school, where we also took geometry and learned about squares and rectangles, four sided figures with more everyday use than their cousins. Ever pack your UPS shipment in an octagon shaped box?

Is there a better double date venue than a Chinese restaurant, sipping Scorpion Bowls and sharing a Pu Pu Platter for four? Throw in a “four”-tune cookie for good luck.

When Trident surveyed Dentists, four out of five recommended sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum. I always wondered what number five was thinking. Did he want people chomping on sugar sticks so he could make tons of money, work only four days a week and spend the rest of his time joining a foursome at the local country club, which consists mostly of Par-4 holes?

So now that you’ve seen the greatness in number four, join me in celebrating this Independence Day by hopping in your 4-wheel drive vehicle for a trip to the beach, a family cookout or a fireworks show. Just make sure you come to a complete halt at all 4-way stop signs.

Oh, and happy July 4th!

Trivial Matters: The answer to our final Spinners trivia question; Who was the first Lowell Spinners player to earn a save in the major leagues? Jonathan Papelbon.

Congratulations to our winner, Parker Bailey of Billerica, and thank you to everyone who participated. We’ll have to do it again sometime!

Now then...what's your favorite number? Can it top number-4 in greatness and relevance?

Rebuilding the Bruins will be a difficult process, but the Black and Gold took a “big” step in the right direction on the first day of NHL free agency.

The B’s signed Zdeno Chara to a five year, $37.5-million contract, complete with a no trade clause. Chara was considered the top defenseman available after a career best 43-points with Ottawa last year.

Anyone see the coincidence there? Perhaps that was interim GM Jeff Gorton’s voice on the conference call announcing the signing, but this has Peter Chiarelli’s stamp all over it. As an assistant with the Senators, Chiarelli got to see the physically imposing Chara up close and personal. That he acted quickly and decisively in securing a player he values is a positive sign for the formerly stagnant Bruins front office. (Stagnant in terms of spending money and improving the team that is…they were quite pro-active when it came to screwing it up!)

Besides the 6-foot-9 Chara, Boston added 8-year veteran Marc Savard to bolster the center ice corps. Savard is also coming off a career year (28-goals and 69-assists for Atlanta) and is a very good playmaker.

Together, the duo represents the biggest free agency impact in team history, a clear sign there’s a new sheriff in town and a new way of doing business on Causeway Street. To a fan base starving for a winning attitude, Christmas came before Independence Day.

Job well done guys!!!

What do you think of the moves? Did they pay too much for Chara? Anyone remember his days with the Lock Monsters? And what about Savard? Where does he fit in?

Come on Bruins fans…we haven’t had a lot to be excited about…let’s make some noise!!!

Final Score
Red Sox 11
Marlins 5

Fun in the Sun: Guess the Sox didn’t take too well to having their winning streak broken.

Boston’s Boys of Summer lit up the Miami skyline with a powerful display of thunder and lightning…also known as Manny and Papi. Ramirez and Ortiz each belted a pair of home runs, Manny notching his 2,000th career hit in the process. The beneficiary of the early fireworks show was Tim Wakefield. The knuckleballer couldn’t get much offensive help the first few months of the season, but he’s now getting more than his share of support.

The only negative was the end of the errorless streak. Even more shocking was that Alex Gonzalez also made a boo-boo…his 2nd of the year. I say get rid of the bum before his defense costs us!!!!

Final Score
Red Sox 2
Marlins 5

Bad First Impression: So that’s why the Indians dumped him!

Not a very good first outing for Jason Johnson, though it’s not like much was expected anyway. I was actually kind of surprised the game stayed as competitive as it did. Looking at the pitching matchup ahead of time, you kind of got the feeling the winning streak would end…facing Dontrelle Willis with a Cleveland reject isn’t the ideal setting for a victory.

The bullpen did a great job keeping the Marlins in check and what could have been an embarrassment turned into a decent ballgame, so all in all, I’m not disappointed. The streak had to end sometime. The errorless streak lives on, however, as Boston’s Boys of Summer have now gone a major league record 17-consecutive games without an “E.” As someone who watched the big bat/no glove Sox of the 80’s and 90’s, this is kind of fun to see.

And while we’re at it, how about some props to the classy Florida fans for giving Mike Lowell and Alex Gonzalez a hearty welcome back. The duo played a key role in the Marlins 2003 Championship, and they were rewarded with standing ovations. Good job Miami!

Any initial thoughts on Jason Johnson? He wasn’t very sharp, but I have a hunch some of those ground balls that found holes in the first two innings will eventually turn into outs. While I don’t think he’s the answer to our prayers, I think he deserves more of chance. He can’t be worse than Matt Clement, can he?

Friday’s Lowell Sun and LowellSun.com sports pages take us into the weekend on a high note.

Carmine Frongillo introduces us to new Bruins coach, Dave Lewis. Frongillo also checks in with a feature on Dracut’s Matt Lawlor, who’s now using his catcher’s tools for Lowell’s American Legion entry. Meanwhile, Barry Scanlon heads over to LeLacheur Park for a look at the Spinners 3-1 loss to Oneonta.

In other news, the New England Riptide pull through in extra innings. Chelmsford’s Tim Rich, heading into his junior year, just returned from a 4th place finish in a national wrestling competition. The D-14 Little League All-Star Tournament gets underway tonight. You can also catch up on the rest of the Summer League Baseball action. And Rick Harrison has some final thoughts on the City Golf Tournament.

Final Score
Mets 2
Red Sox 4

Picture Tells the Story: You know how play-by-play announcers sometimes go silent during a big moment of the game, preferring to let the pictures tell the story?

Well, that’s what I’m going to do regarding Coco Crisp’s catch last night. No need to describe it…simply a fantastic catch at a huge point in the game.

The Sox have now won 12-in a row and have gone 16-consecutive games without an error, tying a major league record. Along with making the routine plays, Boston’s Boys of Summer are routinely making spectacular plays, and it’s really helping the pitching staff out. You have to go back to the 1975 team to recall one that’s so good defensively, and this one might be better because Rick Burleson couldn’t hold a candle to Alex Gonzalez.

What are your thoughts on the current winning and errorless streaks? How huge was that play by Crisp? Did the momentum from that catch lead directly to David Ortiz’ insurance home run?

For the 2nd time, Phil Smith is the City Golf Tournament Champion and Thursday’s Lowell Sun and LowellSun.com are all over that story and the rest of the sports news.

Rick Harrison covers yesterday’s final round at Vesper Country Club. The entire scorecard is here. Chaz Scoggins took LeLacheur Park duty as the Spinners eek out a win over Tri-City. On the hardcourts, Lynn Worthy recaps the Celtics draft. Lynn was also blogging fast and furious last night, keeping up with all of Danny Ainge’s moves.

In other news, the New England Riptide fall short against Akron while Lowell Legion prevails in their contest. And Carmine Frongillo gets you caught up on Pedro Martinez' short night of work at Fenway Park.

It’s been a while since I’ve answered mail. Then again, you guys haven’t been very inquisitive lately, so please forgive my laziness. Anyway, the envelopes please:

Bob C. wants to know; “O.K. sports guy…who got the only hit off Petey in the 17k game in the Bronx?”

Chili Davis was the lone Yankee to luck out that night, my friend. And I do mean luck out, because I remember seeing a picture that showed Davis with his eyes closed as he swung and made contact on the home run.

That’s how great Pedro was that night…a team in the midst of its dynasty couldn’t touch him on its home field, and only blind luck prevented that from being universally acclaimed as the greatest pitching performance of all time. (Many of us will argue that’s already the case, but a no-no would have cinched it)

T2 asks; “Where’s GeorgeHR been? In hiding as I predicted?”

Gotta agree with you here T2. (Gee, it feels strange to say that!) You rarely hear from NY fans when things aren’t going their way…they’re the most notorious front-runners in sports.

But hey, they sure didn’t waste much time giving A-Rod a standing “O” after that game-wining home run yesterday, did they? Very touching stuff, especially after all the “choker” chants and boos he’s been hearing in his own backyard. Too bad he’s not more like that hero, Jason Giambi, they keep summoning for curtain calls. There’s a guy you can really root for, right New York?

Finally, T2 wants me to come out and take a curtain call; “Where are the happy Teddy comments on this (Telfair) trade? I'm already committed to buying the paper, so let him post already!"

Every now and then, a blind squirrel finds a nut. Of all the trade rumors out there, the Telfair one made the most sense when you took into account Ainge’s fascination with him out of high school. He’s a penetrating, pass-first point guard, something the C’s desperately need. Now they can bring Delonte West off the bench as a combo guard, which is what I believe he’s better suited for given his ability and injury history.

That said, how about the masterful job Ainge did getting what he wanted out of this draft. You can argue Telfair vs. Foye all you want, but when the C’s Director of Basketball Ops wants something, he knows how to maneuver and get it.

Supposedly, Rajon Rondo was the point guard who most impressed him, so Ainge found a way to get him with a later pick. Giving up Cleveland’s first rounder is nothing….LeBron and company will be deep in the playoffs for the foreseeable future. Now Rondo can develop behind Telfair and either West or Iverson.

Yes, I mean Iverson. That deal still has some legs to it. The guessing here…if it only costs West and Wally Szczerbiak, it’ll get done. Boston might even be willing to throw in Gerald Green. I think they draw a line in the sand at Al Jefferson, and they should. The only way I trade him is if Kevin Garnett comes in return!

And how about a curtain call from "Danny Boy" for getting those supposedly untradeable contracts of Mark “Bow-wow” Blount and Raef LaFrentz off the books!

Final Score
Mets 2
Red Sox 10

Arms Wide Open: Well, the Fenway Faithful welcomed back Pedro Martinez once again…and the former Sox ace responded by welcoming Boston hitters with open arms.

I’ll give Martinez a personal mulligan, but if I’m the Mets, I’m mighty ticked off. Pedro’s mind clearly wasn’t on the task at hand…winning for his current team. He was more interested in soaking up the atmosphere of his return to the place he called home for seven years. The brain fart on David Ortiz’ comebacker in the first inning was exhibit A.

Did you see the look on Willie Randolph’s face? He knew his stud pitcher was thinking more about the Fenway lovefest than how to retire Red Sox batters, and to his credit, yanked him after only 3-innings. He must have been been breathing fire listening to the post-game press conference, where Pedro talked about how “happy” he was and how much he enjoyed the experience. No kidding….so did the Red Sox!

On the other end of the spectrum was Josh Beckett. Despite his struggles at times this year, he came with a reputation for being at his best when the pressure was on. Pitching at Fenway in Pedro’s return qualifies as a “spotlight” game, and Boston’s baby ace delivered. That’s a very heartening sign should there be post-season baseball on the menu.

Was anyone else disappointed in Martinez? Or were you just happy the stinker came against the Sox?

A Boston fan's three-step draft night:

1. The Boston Celtics acquired guard Sebastian Telfair, center Theo Ratliff and Portland's 2008 second round Draft pick in exchange for forward Raef LaFrentz, guard Dan Dickau and the seventh overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft.

2. Celtics acquired University of Kentucky guard Rajon Rondo and veteran forward Brian Grant from the Phoenix Suns (the Celtics have Grant's contract, but Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said the team is not counting on him as part of their roster). In return, the Suns will acquire a future first round pick the Celtics acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for swingman Jiri Welsch.

3. Celtics acquired the draft rights to University of California forward Leon Powe from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a future second round draft pick.

Local connection

The Detroit Piston selected Boston-native Will Blalock with the 60th pick in the draft.

Blalock (6-foot, 205 pounds), the number 22 on the Iowa State all-time scoring list, is regarded as an athletic guard with good vision and decent leaping ability for his size.

His sister Marsha Blalock played point guard at UMass Lowell from 1995-99. She ranks second all-time in 3-pointers made (132), and tops the career assits list (429), career steals list (304), and holds the record for most assists in a season (140) back in the 1996-97 campaign.

Sebastian Telfair, the latest and greatest basketball pride of Brooklyn, is on his was to Boston after two seasons in Portland. Last season he averaged 9.5 points per game and 3.6 assists in 24.1 minutes per game over 68 games.

The thirteenth pick in the 2004 draft out of high school, as a senior he was the subject of the ESPN Documentary Through the Fire.

He spoke to members of the Boston-area media via a conference call during the draft. Here are some of the things he had to say.

On what he brings: “My style of play is an up-tempo style of play. They got some good players over there that I can help make a little better by getting open shots like Paul and Wally and the rest of those guys.”

On being surprised: “Yes I was. I was surprised. I didn’t really know it was coming. I heard rumors, but when the deal was done and finalized I was really happy that it went through.”

On getting out of Portland: “I wasn’t exactly happy (in Portland), but to play for a team that is running up and down -- I felt that that was a better fit for me.”

On his first conversation with Doc Rivers: “I spoke to him and he said he liked my game. He said he’d been watching me for a long time. He said he spoke to Paul about it and Paul said give him the ball. I’m here and he said one of my key thing is going to be being able to bring my penetration, and I hope that’s going to be a key factor for us to win some games.”

On expecting to start, or not: “Whatever position coach put me in, that’s the position I’m going to take. I’m going to work hard to be a starter of course. That’s one of my goals, but whatever it’s going to be to win some games. I’m going into my third season. I haven’t been in the playoffs. I would like to reach the playoffs.”

On why it didn’t work in Portland: “I played two season. My first season we had two veteran point guards Nick Van Exel and Damon Stoudamire, so I didn’t get an opportunity to play much. My second season, you know, didn’t play as well as I would like. We went with a different style, we didn’t run the pick and roll that much. I got injured and there were a couple of minor things and it didn’t work out.”

On the Celtics possibly drafting him last year: “I heard that talk around the draft time and I was excited then. To be on the East Coast is one thing, but to play for the Boston Celtics that’s another great thing. I’m honored to be part of the Boston Celtics.”

On playing with Paul Pierce: “That was one of my main reasons for being excited about the trade. He is an All-Star and when you play with an All-Star it makes your job a lot easier. Playing against him he has that fight in him that he wants to go out every night and win, and that’s the type of person I want to play with.”