With no games for the locals last night, we’ll just cover a few quick items:

Glenn Ordway returned to the WEEI airwaves yesterday, following the most “frightening experience” of his life. Jessica Heslam in the Herald has a report on the return of the Big O.

David Scott has a quick non-update on NESN’s search for a replacement for Tina Cervasio, and a couple of other items.

After delaying their final Grapefruit league game for almost an hour, the Red Sox reached an agreement with MLB for getting their coaches compensated for the trip to Japan. Check the coverage on RedSoxLinks.com.

The Celtics hit Dallas tonight, while the Bruins have a home game with the Canadiens.

The Patriots met with Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston in a private workout yesterday.

The NCAA tournament tips off this afternoon. You can watch the games live online at NCAA.com.

Finally, I thought I’d pass along a report from our BSMW correspondent in China:

Hey Bruce,

I am in Shenzhen right now a small city of 9 million people on the Hong Kong/China border. I’m here for a furniture expo, and I’ve been visiting vendors at the show all week. Yesterday at 9:20am I went to one of the vendor’s booths and sat for 2 hours and watched the Celtics beat the Rockets on the 70″ plasma they had set up. The vendor makes stadium seats and their display was designed to look like a stadium. I actually watched from the “club seats” with the owner of the factory…a rabid Rockets fan. He knew I was from Boston and actually sent me an email inviting me to watch the game with him during the show. During the two hours probably 4000 people stopped by to watch parts of the game with about 200 staying for the whole game. It was crowded, but then again it was China. There was only one Celtics fan in attendance…me. But to give the Chinese credit, most who talked to me, and the owner kept introducing me to his customers who stopped the booth, knew Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. They knew how good the Celtics were this year. They also knew the Lakers, Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix and Orlando pretty well. They knew the players that is, the game they did not understand so well. I explained the defenses the teams played, some of the offensive plays, explained about position and we had a long talk about Yi Jianlin and what he needs to do to get better.

Anyway, China is NBA mad. Were the NBA to truly understand global marketing and branding, China would be a bigger market for them than the USA is within 2 years. It is hard to find licensed materials other than Yao shirts and those only in some of the more expensive stores. Several guys asked me to send them NBA stuff, which I will do when I get home. There is no NBA licensed product in Chinese language that I have seen and I have been in 4 major cities, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen.

The NBA is on their TV live, but not rebroadcast at night. With the lack of programing in China in general, this makes no sense to me considering the time zone differential. If the NBA was smart they would open a chain of NBA stores in China, complete with TV’s showing the NBATV and giving that network broadcast and rebroadcast rights to games in China. They might have an area in
the stores for people to sit and have tea/coffee and they would open them as fast as humanly possible…they only have another 8 to 10 years of Yao.

I hope all is well. I come back to the USA on Saturday. BSMW has kept me sane. Thanks for keeping it going.

The Houston Rockets had won 22 straight games coming into last night, the second longest streak in NBA history. That streak is over, thanks to a dominating second-half performance from the Celtics, who cruised to a 94-74 win over the Rockets, thanks to 22 points from Kevin Garnett, 21 points from Leon Powe and 20 from Paul Pierce.

Steve Bulpett notes that the Celtics “evidently don’t have the best record in the league for nothing.” Marc J. Spears has Tracy McGrady praising the Celtics defense as the best he has seen in his 10 years in the NBA. You can check the Houston Chronicle for more coverage of the Celtics putting an end to the historic run by the Rockets.

Spears has Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor saying before last night’s game that KG tanked it at the end of last season. Bulpett has more on the comments from Taylor, which just reek of sour grapes. Bulpett also has a piece on Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who spent three years here in Boston working under Danny Ainge.

Spears’ notebook has TNT analyst Kenny Smith talking at length about his former teammate Sam Cassell, whom he mentored during the latter’s first two seasons in the league, and who is glad to see Cassell taking a similar role with Rajon Rondo and the Celtics. Bulpett’s notebook has Paul Pierce saying that former teammate Gerald Green, now out of the league after being cut by the Rockets, simply didn’t want to work hard enough.

Red Sox

Jackie MacMullan has David Ortiz getting ready for the trip to Japan, while still trying to get fully comfortable in his recovery from offseason knee surgery. Rob Bradford has Terry Francona taking pains to protect his health, although he knows that once the season begins, personal issues won’t be high on his list of priorities. Joe McDonald and Sean McAdam report on the developing news that coaching staffs of the A’s and Red Sox may not be getting paid to make the trip to Japan. They say that players and managers are getting $50,00 each for the trip, while the coaches are getting nothing.

Michael Silverman examines the decisions that need to go into putting together the roster for the trip to Japan. Jeff Goldberg has Jed Lowrie impressing the Red Sox this spring, so much so that he is being included on the 30 man roster going to Japan. Mike Fine observes that while the Red Sox have some notable veteran pitchers, their young arms are really the core of the pitching staff. Joe Haggerty has Kevin Youkilis hoping to get even better while coming off his best-ever season.

Silverman has Coco Crisp happy to be making the trip to Japan with the Red Sox. Joe McDonald has more on Crisp and Bobby Kielty being informed that they will be on the roster for the trip to Japan.

MacMullan’s notebook has more on Crisp and Kielty getting the call to come along and contribute on the Japan trip. The Herald notebook has more on the news that the coaching staffs of the A’s and Red Sox may not be getting paid to make the long trip to the far East. This report says that the managers are included in the group that might not get paid. This report also has the figure at $40,000 for the players. Goldberg’s notebook has Crisp looking forward to experiencing a little bit of the Mr Baseball life while out in Japan

Patriots/NFL

Yesterday was Pro Day over at Boston College, with NFL scouts and executives from all over the league descending upon Boston to watch some players with Boston College and local ties work out. Eagles Quarterback Matt Ryan was the center of attention for most of the time. Steve Conroy has staff from the Dolphins, Falcons, Ravens and Chiefs paying special attention to Ryan. Mike Reiss has Chiefs coach Herm Edwards spending extra time with Ryan at the workouts. Eric Avidon has more on Ryan as the star of the show yesterday.

Shalise Manza Young has a look at Jamie Silva hoping to impress scouts with his football skills, rather than his (relative lack of) physical abilities. Lenny Megliola has former Bentley lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau hoping to get an NFL shot. Conroy’s notebook has BC offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus garnering quite a bit of attention as well, many have him pegged as a late first round selection.

You can search for more Patriots related items on PatriotsLinks.com.

Bruins/Misc

Barbara Matson has Zdeno Chara continuing to make improvement, but already sick of talking about getting better. Stephen Harris has the Bruins well are of their futility against the Canadiens this season. Mike Loftus has Marc Savard hoping to be the spark that ignites the dormant Bruins offense.

Get more Bruins news at BruinsLinks.com

Marty Dobrow has UMass moving on in the NIT with an 80-60 win over Stephen F. Austin last night. Mark Murphy and Craig Larson have 33-0 Bentley moving on to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division 2 tournament.

Mark Farinella has another installment of Ask Fearless.

Both Rajon Rondo and the Celtics would rather forget how last night’s game against the Spurs began. Trailing by 17 points at the end of the first quarter, and as much as 22 during the first half, Rondo and the Celtics looked overmatched against the defending champion Spurs. But then a funny thing happened – they did forget about the huge deficit and the start of the game, and starting playing their game. By the third quarter, the Celtics had taken the lead, and while things went back and forth the rest of the way, the Celtics took the lead for good on a huge three-pointer from Sam Cassell (17 points) with 47 seconds left. The end result was a 93-91 Celtics victory, and Rondo, after getting torched by Tony Parker earlier in the game was one of three Celtics to finish with 20 or more points on the night. Kevin Garnett (21) and Paul Pierce (22) were the others.

Marc J. Spears has Cassell adding another clutch shot to his NBA resume, as he helps push the Celtics over the World Champs. Steve Bulpett has a recap of the night for the Celtics, who needed the luck of the Irish on St Patrick’s day to storm back on the Spurs. In San Antonio, they’re wondering what’s wrong with the Spurs.

Bill Reynolds says that the arrival of Garnett accelerated the Celtics transformation back to contenders. Bulpett has the Celtics weighing in on Bruce Bowen, with Doc Rivers counting himself as a fan, while Ray Allen and Paul Pierce hate to play against him, with Allen calling him a dirty player. On the BSMW Full Court Press, Kevin Henkin answers a few “fan” letters that have trickled in.

Bulpett’s notebook has the Celtics looking forward to the challenge of facing the Rockets tonight on national TV. Spears’s notebook has the Celtics going into tonight in a rare position this season – they’re not the ones with the target on their backs.

Red Sox

Rob Bradford has the birth of his child opening up the way for Daisuke Matsuzaka to pitch the opener for the Red Sox in Japan. Nick Cafardo has the Red Sox trying to temper expectations by reminding us that Jacoby Ellsbury has a lot he can improve in his game. Bob Stern has part one of a nine part series leading up to the start of the season for the Red Sox, and in the opener, says that injuries are the one thing that could derail this team. Joe McDonald says that even in spring training, the Red Sox and Yankees play for real.

Jackie MacMullan says that even though he got roughed up yesterday, Bartolo Colon remains one of the most intriguing stories of the spring for the Red Sox. Michael Silverman has more on Colon, who struggled with his command, but did finish the outing pain-free, which has to be counted as a plus. Jeff Goldberg has a look at Colon’s performance against the Yankees yesterday, while Andy Pettitte was solid on the other side for New York.

Bradford has a look at what Josh Beckett will be doing in Florida while his teammates are in Japan. Joe Haggerty has J.D. Drew hoping that an offseason of bowling will keep his back in good shape this season. Bradford and Silverman report that Jon Lester will be taking a later flight to Japan so that he can get another minor league start here on Thursday before getting ready to play game two against the A’s. Bradford has Coco Crisp getting back into action yesterday.

Cafardo’s notebook has more on the Sox naming Matsuzaka as their opening day starter. The Herald notebook has Andy Pettitte sending a message by pitching inside to David Ortiz, and has Johnny Damon still yapping about how much the Red Sox miss him. They missed you so much they won the World Series last year, Johnny. McDonald’s notebook has more on the Sox naming Matsuzaka their opening day starter. Goldberg’s notebook has more on the Sox giving Dice-K and Lester the nod for the two games in Japan.

Pats/Bruins/Misc

Karen Guregian and Christopher L. Gasper report on Troy Brown visiting and working out for Eric Mangini and the Jets yesterday.

Stephen Harris has Zdeno Chara hoping for a fast return to action for the Bruins. Fluto Shinzawa has Chara hoping for continued improvement in both his health and his team.

Mark Blaudschun has a look at North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough.

Jim McCabe tries to put into perspective exactly what Tiger Woods in accomplishing right now.

Joe McDonald has a look at the formula for success that Theo Epstein has used to build the Red Sox into two-time World Series champions this decade, and strong contenders again this season.

Steve Buckley has the Red Sox officially confirming yesterday that Josh Beckett will not go with the team to Japan, even though the ace was able to throw for the first time since hurting his back last week. Jeff Goldberg also reports on the decision by the Red Sox to not bring Beckett to Japan. Nick Cafardo looks at Mike Lowell, who is happy to return to the Red Sox this season, even though he had some great conversations with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel when Philadelphia was trying to lure him away from the Red Sox last offseason. Jon Couture has Westport’s Kyle Fernandes working hard in the Red Sox minor leagues, hoping to get his shot one day.

Tony Massarotti says that Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon are as important to the pitching staff as Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are to the lineup for the Red Sox. Jackie MacMullan has a piece on Hideki Okajima as the setup man gets ready for his second season with the Red Sox, having learned much in his first year in the U.S. Buckley has Jason Varitek upset at the release of his friend Doug Mirabelli last week. Massarotti has the new combination of Wakefield and Cash working well together yesterday. Joe Haggerty has Mike Timlin saying that he hasn’t lost any respect for Roger Clemens despite all that has happened to the Rocket in recent weeks.

The Globe notebook has Beckett doing some throwing yesterday, but being officially ruled out for the trip to Japan. Massarotti’s notebook has Kyle Snyder indicating that he will pitch in the March 22 exhibition game in Japan, but still be available for the games against the A’s. McDonald’s notebook has more on the Sox deciding to keep Beckett back from the Japan trip. Goldberg’s notebook has more on the Wakefield/Cash combination yesterday.

Celtics

Steve Bulpett notes that even though the Celtics are heading into “a four-game fandango with some Western Conference iron,” their season won’t be made or broken on this trip through San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and New Orleans. Marc J. Spears says that the Celtics will not be receiving any Southern hospitality on the road this week. Lenny Megliola says that tomorrow’s night’s matchup between the Celtics and the Rockets, who have won 22 games in a row, will be appointment television viewing. Tim Weisberg says that the Celtics mettle will certainly be tested on this trip.

Bruins

The Bruins fell in the shootout to the Capitals yesterday, 2-1. Stephen Harris and Fluto Shinzawa report on what can still be termed a reasonably successful weekend for the Bruins, as they picked up 3 out of 4 points.

Harris’ notebook has Glen Murray playing in his 1000th NHL game yesterday. Shinzawa’s notebook has Alex Auld stepping up for the Bruins yesterday.

Patriots/Misc

A few Patriots articles from yesterday – David Heuschkel had a feature on former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh, talking to those who knew him growing up in Connecticut. Rich Garven had a pretty extensive Patriots notebook looking at the offseason thus far and taking a look back at the 2007 draft. Mike Reiss‘s NFL notes had a look at the Boston College Pro Day. John Tomase has former teammates talking about Troy Brown.

Bob Ryan has a look at the NCAA tournament, noting that things are more interesting when you have a team to root for. It’s pretty slim pickings here in New England in that regard this season.

Jim McCabe has Tiger Woods winning his fifth straight tournament on the PGA tour.