Rivalry Renewed

Posted on November 29, 2011 by jtulz07

One of the most famed rivalries in sports….Celtics vs. Lakers. With promises of the NBA season back in action, who could wait to see these two teams go at it again? Well C’s fans, you didn’t have to wait long. The East Coast, West Coast rivalry is already at battle, this time, off the court.

Two of the NBA’s biggest names being talked about are Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Rumors have been lingering for months now regarding the C’s interest in Howard. It’s highly unlikely that even getting Howard alone could happen without getting rid of Rondo. But with the cap space and reality of putting Rondo on the trading block, it is possible to go after both. Likely? Maybe a stretch. Rondo does a great job running the offense but Ainge is looking for someone to put up points along side Pierce, which Rondo has never been able to do on a consistent basis. Fast forward a few months to present day and now the Lakers have entered the mix, and their not stopping at Howard. The Lakers want to and are in a decent shape to acquire both Howard and Chris Paul. This idea doesn’t sit well in my stomach. Sure it’s just speculation, but if the Lakers were to trade Bynum and Gasol, for these two stars, you can sure put the seemingly unraveling Lakers of last season back on the map.

Not Too Much “Brotherly Love” in Philly

Posted on November 29, 2011 by davecouture

I ventured off to Philadelphia this weekend with a group of friends to see the Patriots take on the Eagles. The Patriots dominated the Eagles 38-20 and the Philadelphia fans were not exactly thrilled about it. In the third quarter, there was a loud and clear “Fire Andy” chant throughout the stadium. Andy Reid has been the Head Coach of the Eagles since 1999 where he took over a team that went 3-13 the previous season. Reid completely turned that franchise around. He led the Eagles to four consecutive championships after only being the Head Coach for two seasons. Yes, this season has been a complete disaster for the Eagles but it wasn’t Coach Reid who put the spotlight on them by self-proclaiming themselves as the “Dream Team”. It was the players, and they deserve to take the blame. Every time DeSean Jackson touched the ball he got booed. Especially after dropping two potential TD passes. This is the difference between most team’s fans, and our New England fans. Everyone, (including Tom Brady) has criticized New England fans for not being as crazy and loud as others. If I was a Patriots player I would much rather have a fan base of loyal and more football educated, die-hard Patriots fans rather than a bunch of bandwagon drunks that are too delusional to realize the blame shouldn’t be on Andy Reid. Rather, it’s on their over-paid prima donna football players like DeSean Jackson.

New Season, New Rules

Posted on November 28, 2011 by nolankartholl

Three things as a result of the shortened NBA season:

1. John Wall will have his coming out party. Due the fact that this kid has more athleticism than just about anyone who has entered the league in the last decade – besides Yoa Ming of course – the shortened season will help him come out of the gates hot. Building off of his incredible second half performance last year, 17+ points and 8+ assists per game( look it up), this guy is going to come out of the gates like Seabiscuit.

2. Oklahoma City will cruise. Okay, so everyone is talking about how the shortened season will benefit the vets because they will have more poise and know how to manage the ups and downs better. With that being said, I am very excited to see how the San Antonio Spurs – who have a mean age of 46 – are going to hold up with back-to-back-to-back games. I love the Spurs, don’t get me wrong, but Oke City is young, fast, and healthy. These guys have the mojo and the scorers to flat out beat teams with their pace.

3. The Miami Heat will win the NBA Title. I mean, I know how much everyone out here loves Lebron… why wouldn’t you? This guy knows how to make a classy exit, perform in the 4th quarter and announce the unprecedented 8-peat – what’s not to like? Son of a bitch. Okay seriously now, I hate to announce it here on BSB, but I can’t get away from it. The shortened season, coupled with the fact that the Heat gelled late last year is a recipe for success. The 66 games will give guys like Dwayne Wade, who still have some left in the tank, the ability to push themselves more down the stretch. Athleticism and the ability to stay injury free will be critical this season.

It may be “un-BSB” of me to post this, but I’m a Pacer fan (at least we have Larry Bird), so I really have no hope whatsoever.

Room for Improvement

Posted on November 28, 2011 by jtulz07

In the NFL, it’s hard to criticize a team that’s first place in their division, looking at a first round bye in the playoffs. If you’re the Patriots, it comes with the territory. Winning isn’t enough. Perfection is the goal sought after. Bill would be the first to tell you that his team has yet to reach this state of excellence, despite their decade of dominance in the league. At 8-3 this year, you best believe the Pats have been under strict scrutiny. The secondary is horrible. Brady has shown signs of being human. Ochocinco was a bust. Blah, blah, blah. The hits just keep on coming.

Well let’s take a look at the facts. Kyle Arrington is leading the league in interceptions with seven and the Pats are actually tied 2nd overall in picks. Sure they’re ranked dead last in total defense and I agree they need to improve, but hey, we’ll take what we can get. Alright, so now Brady’s taking criticism? He leads the league in passing with 3,627 yards and is 2nd in passer rating and TD passes. Let’s be honest, Tom’s still nowhere near human. Ochocinco…alright ya got me.

Chad Ochocinco has been less than stellar for the Pats, to say the very least. I think he played more of a role in the win against the Eagles than he has all year. Not only did he not play, but word on the street is that Terrell Owens was on the Patriots sidelines at the beginning of the game. T.O. wants back and what better place than New England? The Pats have nothing to lose in at least taking a look at Owens. If he too is a bust, we get rid of him. The Patriot’s offense has been great with our young guns and Tom but add a deep threat into the mix…game over.

Meyer Moves North

Posted on November 28, 2011 by christoph131

After week-long speculation about why he was taking time off from being an ESPN analyst, Urban Meyer accepted the Ohio State head coaching job. He will hope to turn the Buckeyes back around after all the controversy that haunted them after last season. Over 10 seasons of coaching, Meyer only has lost 23 games (of course he had Jesus-loving Tebow for a good amount of those years). He will make 40 million dollars over the next 7 years which begs the question, what am I doing with my life? This salary would put him at the top of the list with Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas’ Mack Brown as the highest paid coaches in NCAA Football. Let’s see if this 40 million dollar man can turn Freshman Braxton Miller into a Tim Tebow-caliber player.

Syracuse Not “Fine”

Posted on November 28, 2011 by christoph131

Syracuse associate head coach, 65 year old Bernie Fine, was fired late Sunday night in the midst of child molestation accusations against him. In his 36^th season (a long ass time for an assistant coach to stay without leaving to be a head coach somewhere else), Fine is being accused by two former ball boys. I think he took their title as Ball Boys a bit too literal. In fact one of the guys who accused him is actually being accused of molesting a 14 year old boy…Probably just displacing the blame. However, I can understand why they had to let him go due to the big news of the Penn State scandal. I am also willing to bet that other assistant coaches around the country are going to get accused as well. Gotta love sports…

UPDATE: So it turns out Fine’s wife said that all of this was true over a phone conversation so ignore everything I said about how it might be fake. Lock him up!

Ethan Albright Letter

Posted on November 28, 2011 by jtulz07

Because I’m in a surprisingly good mood for a Monday morning, I figured I would repost the Ethan Albright letter, just in case anyone missed it last week. It’s just way too funny to pass up. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Link to Letter: Ethan Albright Letter to John Madden

Weekend Recap

Posted on November 28, 2011 by jtulz07

Amidst the turkey comas and holiday hangovers, Thanksgiving weekend was good to us Boston sports fans. Let’s recap: Despite losing a tough one via shootout, the Bruins are 11-1 in their last 12 games, one point back of the lead in the Northeast Division. The Pats walked into Philadelphia and crushed the playoff hopes of the alleged “Dream Team” as they continue to find themselves seated atop the AFC East. It may not have been from the Celts directly, but the NBA made all fans happy as it looks like the Celtics will have a season, meaning I can finally stop writing up mock game day posts. Unfortunately, nothing groundbreaking from the Sox, but I guess with the way things have been going for them lately, no news is good news. Happy Monday!

To: NBA Fans – Love: D. Stern

Posted on November 26, 2011 by jtulz07

First of all, did anyone even know the two sides were meeting today? Did anyone care? Yeah, me neither, but at 3 am I find out 15 hours of meetings have ended in a joint press conference? Good news! Silver and hunter together. It’s on!! Minutes until the announcement is made but it looks like a season will start on December 25….Merry Christmas!