Happy Valentine’s Day Boston, even though it’s arguably a made up holiday where big companies look to cash in on husbands and boyfriends buying expensive jewelry, flowers, and chocolates just a month after Christmas, who would otherwise be kicked to the curb. I digress. Anyways, I figured we’d mix it up and let the ladies speak their mind today as opposed to Friday with a special Valentine’s Day version of She’s the Man. In fact, we have two articles coming today from the female point of view, so stay tuned. And remember, if you want to be the next womanly voice on the Boston Sports Blog, send us an article to bsb.tips@gmail.com!
There was a close one in the Big East last night on ESPN between #2 Syracuse & #18 Louisville. It was a very low scoring game so it was tough to tell who played well unless you actually watched the game. Scoop Jardine was utterly useless scoring 0 points on 0-8 shooting following his big game against UConn last week. The game came down to the wire when Louisville’s junior guard Peyton Siva threw the ball away with 5 seconds left when he probably should have just shot it. Syracuse had a chance to seal the victory with 2 seconds left but failed to do so with a missed free throw. Louisville had a last second chance but failed to convert as the Cardinals fell to the Orange 52-51. Only 4 players in the whole game scored in double digits, no one going over 16 points.
There’s not too much excitement coming out of Patriots Nation these days, but this is something that might leave a tingling feeling in any Pats fan. The big news of the day, which happens to be his birthday, is that Randy Moss wants to come out of his short-lived retirement. Initially, it’s hard to think too much into this right now. 1.) I don’t really even want to think about the Pats right now, and 2.) How many times do we hear this from recently retired athletes? The whole T.O. ordeal at the beginning of this season is a perfect example. Look how that turned out. Brett Favre? Don’t even get me started. We all know where that goes. You get my point. We’ve even heard Moss say he wants back before, but it just never happened. Even if it did happen, what if he’s not the Moss of old? Sorry Chad, but it could turn out to be a bust again. And remember, for the most part I can’t argue with the fact that he’s a poison to the locker room. Not the Pats locker room, but locker rooms in general. If it’s Bill and the Pats locker room, nevermind.
On the other hand, how can it not excite you just a bit? With the final game of the 2007-08 season aside, how great is reliving those times. Absolute domination. Over the past few seasons, it’s become clear that the deep threat is what we are missing the most. The final piece of the puzzle that we once had. Add that into the mix this year, with the short field threat of Gronk and Hernandez, and there’s no way any defense could contain us. Not to mention, Moss loves the Patriots. He loves Brady and Bill. If Moss comes back, if anyone could get him back in Foxboro it’d be Bill. The ups and downs are pretty much clear. With that said, Pats fan or not, would you welcome Moss out of retirement onto your team?
With the intensity of Rivalry Week upon us and March Madness only weeks away, the hype surrounding not just college basketball, well mostly, but all college sports is heating up quickly. What better time than now to highlight the great traditions on campuses across the country? The passion and loyalty of the fans and students is second to none. If that doesn’t get you going, some of them are just flat out hilarious. This is one of those times when I wish I went to a big D1 athletics school. Anyways, OnlineColleges.net posted an article highlighting the best and funniest college sports traditions. I’ll give you a sneak preview at one of them below, but click the link below to check out the rest!
Celtics come up with a big win over the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls as they win 95-91. Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics as he had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists. His constant pace pushed the Celtics to 33 fast break points as he controlled the flow of the game. Rondo played with an attitude that hasn’t been seen for the last few games as he really took it at the Bulls. I couldn’t tell if either he had been ripped into by Doc after the last game or if he was really offended that Rose wasn’t playing. It almost seemed as to Rondo that playing against the likes of C.J. Watson and John Lucas was insulting to him and he was punishing the Bulls for it.
Celtics continued their 3-point shooting woes as they went 3-13 from the field, but hit two huge threes in the fourth quarter to keep the Bulls at bay. Maybe not in the best interests of the Bulls, but with Rose out Watson and Lucas shot the ball 32 times. After Luol Deng had 21 points and 16 rebounds in the first game he was held to 10 points and 5 rebounds.
The Celtics will look to make it 2 in a row as they take on the Pistons on Wednesday at 7:30.
Extra Notes: Derrick Rose missed his second straight game with a sore back; Brandon Bass is going to be out until all-star break with a sore knee; Stiemsma played only five minutes but had a major impact as his block led to a Rondo And-1,but he was shafted on the high five with Rondo; Keyon Dooling played after missing the last 9 games; Rondo tried to turn the Celtics into the east coast version of lob city last night by throwing alley-oops to both Jujuan Johnson and Chris Wilcox.
Avery Bradley Alert: Bradley played eight minutes, great defense on C.J. Watson who kept forcing up bad shots during the time Bradley was in. Bradley shot 2-4 from the field for 4 points, had 1 block, and two rebounds.
Another day and another position ranking, today I will look into second basemen. First, I analyzed catchers, with Baltimore’s Matt Weiters coming out on top. Next, I analyzed first base, with the Red Sox MVP candidate Adrian Gonzalez filling out the top slot. The AL East’s star position has to be second basemen. It contains 3 of the top second basemen, and two legitimate MVP candidates, who are becoming the face of their respective franchises.
The rankings are as follows:
1. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
2. Robinson Cano, Yankees
3. Ben Zobrist, Rays
4. Kelly Johnson, Blue Jays
5. Brian Roberts, Orioles
This has been by far the toughest decision to make in the position rankings. I know every Yankees fan will disagree, as any loyal fan would, but hear me out on this one. Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano have been very similar in terms of offensive impact in the past few years (barring Pedroia’s injury shortened season in 2010). While displaying virtually exact career AVG (Pedroia .305 vs Cano .308), Pedroia has consistently reached base at a higher rate (.373 Career OBP vs Cano’s .349). Cano may be able to put up more HR’s and RBI’s than Pedroia, but Pedey has consistently put up many more steals and runs. Cano’s extra RBI’s can mostly be contributed to his spot in the batting order. Last year, 94.9% of his at bats were taken from the 4 and 5 spots in the order, while 77.3% of Pedroia’s at bats were taken from the 2 spot in the order. Yes, Pedroia’s extra runs can be mostly contributed to his spot in the order, but his steals and baserunning are still much better than Cano’s. All offensive prowess aside, Pedroia definitely has an edge on the defensive side ( 2 Gold Gloves in four eligible seasons vs Cano’s single Gold Glove during his 7 seasons). Also, Pedroia has a better fielding percentage and zone rating. Perhaps the most telling fact is WAR (wins above replacement), in which Pedroia 8.0 2011 rating, clearly outshines Cano’s 5.6.
Despite this argument, it should be noted that if either team had the choice, they would not switch second baseman with the other team. Pedroia is a true Red Sox player, never afraid to get his jersey dirty, while Cano is a Bronx Bomber, provided unheard of power from second baseman position since the sloppy fielding former Yank Alfonso Soriano.
Next up is Ben Zobrist, who is a great player for the Rays, but overshadowed by Cano and Pedroia. Zobrist has the talent to fight for the top second basemen spot in any other division. He has the potential to contend with Cano and Pedroia, but his inconsistency gives him the third ranking. He displayed incredible numbers both last year and in 2009, but his steep dropoff in 2010 (.239 BA and a 63.0% HR decrease) leaves room for concern.
Filling out the fourth spot is Blue Jay second baseman Kelly Johnson. Kelly was acquired by the Jays from the Diamondbacks last year in a trade for Aaron Hill and John MacDonald. Johnson has been even more inconsistent than Zobrist, but should give the Jays a good option at second as long as his average stays up. I see him providing about a .275 average and 20-25 HR’s in his first full year at the Rogers Centre.
Lastly, the Orioles have the oft injured Brian Roberts slotted in as their starting second baseman. Although Roberts was once regarded as a top second baseman, those days are gone after only playing 98 games in the last two years combined. Whether he gets injured again and Robert Andino fills in for him remains the true question. Both will provide similar offensive output and show good speed on the basepaths. I don’t see the credentials to rate either one above any of the other second baseman in this stacked division though.
Just as I expected, #2 Syracuse toppled UConn by double digits, while Senior Guard Scoop Jardine managed to score 21 points against the Calhoun-less Huskies. #4 Mizzou also beat #6 Baylor, while #5 UNC ran right over #20 Virginia, and #16 UNLV upset #14 San Diego State. Unfortunately, I was wrong about one game, and that was when #3 Ohio State was upset by defensive-minded #12 Michigan State.
#7 Florida was also upset against unranked Tennessee by 5 points. #15 Creighton lost their third straight game Saturday against Wichata State. You can guarantee that they will not see the top 25 come Monday morning.
Games to watch for this week:
#2 Syracuse vs. #23 Louisville (Monday @ 7)
#5 UNC vs. Miami (Wednesday @ 8) Miami beat Duke last week #12 Michigan State vs. #22 Wisconsin (Thursday @ 7)
The Celtics look to rebound from their two game losing streak this past week when they take on the Chicago Bulls today. Derrick Rose has been limited the past three games by a sore back, even missing the past game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bulls are currently on a 5 game winning streak and have won 7 out of their last 10. The Celtics have also won 7 out of their last 10 but are currently cooling off as they have lost the last two to the Lakers and Raptors.
Even if Rose does not play the Celtics will have to work to control Luol Deng who went for 21 and 16 in the first game against the Celtics. The Celtics lost the first matchup against the Bulls 88-79 as Rose took over the fourth quarter and showed why he was the reigning MVP. The Celtics are going to need more from Pierce, Allen, and Rondo who had only 23 points on Friday night against the Raptors.
Just whatever you do, do not tell the world that Derrick Rose loves the Notebook.
The Celtics losing streak runs to two games as they found themselves in a 26-14 hole after the first quarter and could never recover. Tommy Heinsohn said during the game that this was the most mad he has ever seen Doc Rivers at his players. After the game Doc said, “I was really frustrated with our execution. We couldn’t even run a play out of a timeout. That’s just frustrating.” Doc later ended up adding “The way we played the last two games, we need to be in a gym running.”
For the second straight game the Celtics gave up double digit rebounds to the other team. They also had 17 turnovers which set the tone for the game as the Raptors got out into the break and had numerous dunks on the Celtics. Rondo had a poor shooting night only hitting 2 out of 10 shots. Avery Bradley played 7 minutes after missing the Lakers game with a sore Right shoulder, the Celtics were + 7 while he was in the game.
The Celtics are off until Wednesday when they play the Pistons at Home.
Extra notes: Kevin Garnett made the same amount of shots as the previous night, with fourteen less attempts; Pietrus was the only Celtic to make a 3; Rondo was the only Celtic to play 40 minutes on back to back nights; Both E’Twaun Moore and Greg Stiemsma did not play (Coaches Decision) and Jermaine O’Neal sat out with a sore left shoulder.
Things around the Bruins have been terrible as of late. The beating received from the Sabres was a bad start and on top that Tim Thomas is creating unnecessary turmoil and distractions. On his official Facebook page, Thomas posted the message, “I Stand with the Catholics in the fight for Religious Freedom.”
He doesn’t explain or give any context, but that makes two occasions in the last couple weeks where Tim Thomas is playing politics. Get back to playing hockey Tim. Claude says Thomas’ comments are not a distraction and won’t be moving forward. I guess we will see. And the worst news to report is that Nathan Horton has stopped skating due to post-concussion syndrome. It sucks that he is regressing, but maybe that will spur Chiarelli to make a move for a big-time scorer like Semin to replace that production if Horton’s symptoms continue to linger.
Game vs. the Predators on today at 1:00. They are a great team this year and if the Bruins overlook them in favor of their Eastern conference showdown with the Rangers on Tuesday, it’s going to be tough to win.
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