It’s Columbus Day, which means a Holiday for some of us, but for the rest of you sitting in your office this Monday morning, here are some quick links and comments to get you started.

Not a good last couple of nights for the Boston sports teams. Josh Beckett got lit up Saturday night, and the game ended with Mike Timlin on the mound for the Sox…not a good thing these days. This led to some of the harshest criticism of manager Terry Francona around these parts during his tenure here in Boston. Every time I switched on the radio or TV yesterday, Francona’s decisions were being questioned. The Sox get back to work this afternoon with Jon Lester on the mound in game three.

Catch up on the Sox coverage over at RedSoxLinks.com.

Last night the Patriots were humiliated in San Diego, 30-10 by the Chargers. The defense struggled with the long ball once again, and the offense just couldn’t get much going on a consistent basis. Chris Warner has the game wrapup for Patriots Daily, and he seems to have had quite enough of the Matt Cassel show, thank you very much. You can check in on the rest of the coverage over at PatriotsLinks.com. We’ll also link out this morning to probably the most popular Monday morning column in Boston, (at least by terms of click-throughs here at BSMW) Christopher Price’s 10 Things We Learned Last Night.

David Scott has a back and forth with Michael Wilbon on Scott’s Shots.

Turning our attention to the Celtics, they won both their preseason games this weekend, but the biggest topic around the team seems to be Bob Cousy’s dismissal from the Comcast SportsNet telecasts. I’m somewhat curious at the amount of coverage this has generated.

I guess I need to first preface my remarks by acknowledging how much Bob Cousy has meant to the Celtics, and to Boston sports in general. It’s very possible that without the Celtics drawing his name out of a hat in a dispersal draft in 1950, the franchise doesn’t survive the decade. His greatness as a player is without question, and watching the old clips of his play, you see how different he was from the other players of his day, and the innovation he brought to the point guard position. His presence on Celtics telecasts has been something that I’ve witnessed during the entire time I’ve been following the Celtics.

In recent years however, Cousy has been scaled back in his appearances, spending more and more time down in Florida, as many people his age have been known to do in the winter. He’s been joining about 10 or so telecasts a season, usually for some of the premiere games, such as a Lakers game or when the Spurs are in town. Sometimes he’s joined them on the road during games in Orlando or Miami.

It’s been pretty obvious during those games however, that the Cooz doesn’t really follow the NBA all that closely anymore. The last two seasons especially, it seemed like Tommy Heinsohn spent much of the telecast acquainting Cousy with the roster. Comments like “You’re going to love this kid, Cooz,” seemed to be acknowledgment that Cousy wasn’t keep up with the roster. (To be fair, the guy is 80 years old…I hope I’m half as active as the Cooz when I’m that age.) His commentary, even last season was usually negative, pointing out the flaws in a player, or predicting doom in the game at hand. Most of his contributions were stories from the old days, (which definitely had some value) or just listening to his unique way of pronouncing words or phrases.

So when it was announced late last week that Cousy would not be a part of the CSN telecasts this season, I wasn’t really surprised. He hadn’t really added much in recent years, and his appearances seemed to be more for “old times sake” and the attraction of having another Celtics legend in the booth than for anything he actually contributed. The uproar began this weekend from a pair of articles, one from Bill Doyle in the Worcester Telegram and one by Frank Dell’Apa in the Boston Globe, where Cousy struck back at CSN, claiming to have been shoved out the door. The Dell’Apa article is particularly inflammatory, with the headline “Cousy fired from Celtics broadcasts” and the opening paragraph:

Bob Cousy will be at TD Banknorth Garden for the Celtics’ banner raising Oct. 28, but he will not be involved in the television broadcasts this season for the first time in 34 years after Comcast SportsNet fired him.

I guess from a cold, technical point of view, “fired” is accurate, but it seems more like Cousy was just let go, not renewed, rather than fired. It seems like CSN could definitely have handled this better, but they were also pretty much in a no-win situation here. Cousy then has plenty to say in the articles, saying in the Dell’Apa article that CSN spends more on office supplies monthly than his salary, but then later in the article his salary is quoted at $50,000.

Cousy also stated:

“Helen and Missy [the wives of Heinsohn and Cousy] were the only ones listening in, then last year the ratings soared and everyone was happy and everyone made money. It turned around completely. I say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Why step in and cause a disruption.”

I know that the first part of the quote was likely meant as a joke, but there’s also a bit of a slap there. I’m not backing CSN here, as I’ll say again that they could’ve handled this better, but at the same time, you can understand their decision in not bringing him back. Cousy could’ve also have handled this a bit better as well. He’s playing up the victim role, but if he added something substantial to the telecasts, or if he even knew who all the players were, his loss from the telecasts would actually be something to lament.

Check your Celtics coverage at CelticsLinks.com and the Bruins at BruinsLinks.com

Daisuke Matsuzakescaped the first inning after walking the bases loaded, and went on to carry a no-hitter through six innings last night. The Red Sox offense only managed two runs, but it was enough as the Sox bullpen backed up Dice-K and shut out the Rays to win game one of the ALCS 2-0.

Get all the Red Sox coverage from RedSoxLinks.com. (Now with headlines from even more sites, such as Bradford and Speier from WEEI.com.) Tonight’s game is slated for 8:07PM on TBS.

The Celtics were victorious in their second preseason game. Kevin Henkin has the coverage live from the Dunkin Donuts center in Providence. Check the rest of the coverage at CelticsLinks.com. The Celtics play the Rockets tonight in their third preseason game. Coverage begins on Comcast SportsNet at 7:30PM.

Over on Patriots Daily, Greg Doyle checks in with a new edition of College Scout, looking at college player from today’s games that the Patriots could possibly be interested in down the road. Check PatriotsLinks.com for stories from the West coast as the Patriots prepare for tomorrow night’s showdown with the Chargers. You can also check out yours truly analyzing the New England – San Diego matchup with Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis and Tiki Barber on NBCSports.com.

The Bruins get back into action tonight with a game with the Minnesota Wild at 8:30PM on NESN. Check the coverage at Bruinslinks.com.

David Scott has his last (for awhile) edition of Scott’s Shots before he settles down and gets his book project finished. Nancy Marrapese-Burrell has her media column in the Globe, with Buck Martinez talking Red Sox/Rays. Bill Doyle has Jerry Remy not as comfortable analyzing games from the NESN studios instead of the booth.

Tony Massarotti says that Terry Francona has redefined the position of Red Sox manager from one that used to be measured in terms of failure. Steve Buckley says that Fall no longer means a Red Sox collapse is in the cards. Hasn’t it been that way since 2004? This is new? Sean McAdam has the Rays refusing to back down in any way in this series. John Powers has a feature on the Red Sox youth movement, and how the franchise has been rebuilt in the last five seasons. John Tomase says that Jonathan Papelbon is the Red Sox own Mr October.

Dan Shaughnessy tries to find some tradition in Tampa, but can’t get past the ugly dome. Adam Kilgore has more on the experience of playing in the Tropicana Dome. Ron Chimelis has the Red Sox well aware that these Rays are formidable. Brian MacPherson says that the Rays’ pitching is the real deal. Kevin McNamara looks at Tampa’s transformation from worst to first. Joe McDonald has former Devil Rays Kevin Cash and Julio Lugo aware of the teams potential during their stint there. Jeff Jacobs has a look at Joe Maddon’s effectiveness as a manager. Nick Cafardo has the Rays finding the right mix this season.

Michael Vega has Daisuke Matsuzaka getting ready for his big assignment of pitching game one. Gerry Callahan says there is no telling what the Red Sox will get from Dice-K tonight. Rich Thompson has a look at the Rays game one starter, James Shields. Joe Haggerty has the Sox and Rays ready to do battle. Michael Silverman runs through the ALCS matchups. Joe McDonald also goes through all the matchups. David Brown has Mike Lowell still hoping for another chance to play this season.

This Bruce Allen guy also has a column on the long, crusty relationship between the Red Sox and Rays. Jeff Goldberg has more on the bad blood between the teams. Jon Couture says that the past brawls are not a factor in this series. Buckley has Jed Lowrie ahead of his own schedule. McNamara has Mark Kotsay getting the call to play first base in this series for the Red Sox. McNamara also looks at Mike Timlin, who finds himself on the roster for this series.

Kilgore’s notebook has Mike Timlin getting back onto the active roster for the ALCS. Tomase’s notebook looks at Cliff Floyd’s childhood friendship with Rodney Harrison. The ProJo notebook has David Ortiz saying that this is baseball, not professional wrestling, so there are no hard feelings in this series. The Projo Rays notebook has Evan Longoria saying that the Rays knew they’d be facing the Red Sox in the postseason. Goldberg’s notebook has the Sox rolling the Dice tonight. Bill Ballou’s notebook says that the Rays aren’t in the ALCS by accident.

Bruins

The Bruins opened up their regular season late last night with a 5-4 win in Denver over the Colorado Avalanche. Stephen Harris and Fluto Shinzawa report on the win for the Bruins. Harris’ notebook has Patrice Bergeron completing his comeback, while Shinzawa’s notebook has a look at Bruins draft pick Joe Colborne, who is playing a the University of Denver.

Patriots

On Patriots Daily, Britt Schramm goes on a bit of a media rant against ESPN, and then settles into what the Patriots need to do to beat the Chargers this weekend.

A couple quick links: Glen Farley notes that the Patriots/Chargers rivalry dates back to the 1963 AFL Title game. Mark Farinella has Matt Cassel and the Patriots all business out West.

Get the rest of your Patriots stories at PatriotsLinks.com

Get your Celtics coverage at Celticslinks.com.

When the Red Sox and Rays finally get the ALCS started tomorrow night, it will be Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound for the Red Sox, as the Japanese lefty (where did that come from?) pitcher got the game one nod from manager Terry Francona yesterday.

Adam Kilgore reports on the decision by the manager, as well as the rotation for the rest of the series. Sean McAdam says that a key for the Red Sox is for David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia to return to form in this series. Daniel Barbarisi has more on the rotation for the Sox. Jeff Goldberg says that Pedroia has been coming up big all season for the Red Sox. Mike Fine says that the decision about the rotation was actually pretty simple for Francona. Paul Jarvey has the Sox still getting their top three starters potentially two starts each in the series. Joe Haggerty has more on the rotation.

Bob Ryan notes that the fans in Tampa are finally starting to realize they have a pretty good team and are actually showing up at the games. Steve Buckley says that the Red Sox will be view nationally as the bad guys in this series. Bill Reynolds says that the Red Sox are now the Yankees. Jeff Jacobs looks at the budding rivalry between the Rays and Red Sox. Rob Bradford and Alex Speier debate the Red Sox/Rays series.

Michael Silverman explores whether there are any lingering hard feelings between the two teams. Kenyon has the Sox hoping to win without a fight against the Rays. John Tomase looks at Tim Wakefield getting the call for game four. He also has a look at this year’s rookie duo of Lowrie and Masterson who are playing a big role in the postseason. Rich Thompson has Javier Lopez just focusing on lefties for now. Paul Kenyon has Gil Velazquez enjoying his major league experience. Barbarisi has Timlin and Lugo hoping to be a part of the ALCS roster.

Jon Couture has the Rays bullpen as a big part of their turnaround this year. Gerry Fraley has Rays manager Joe Maddon talking about what his team expects to see from Matsuzaka in game one. McAdam offers up a Scouting Report on the Rays. Joe McDonald has Rocco Baldelli as the spirit of the Rays. Kevin McNamara has a look at former Pilgrim High pitcher Dan Wheeler.  McDonald’s notebook has the Rays becoming a family.

Kilgore’s notebook has the Red Sox downplaying any hard feelings with the Rays dating back to the June brawl between the two clubs. Silverman’s notebook has more on the decision to go with Dice-K in game one.  The Projo notebook has Paul Byrd OK with hanging out in the bullpen. Goldberg’s notebook has more on the rotation. Jarvey’s notebook has Crisp with no hard feelings against the Rays. Fine’s notebook has the Sox downplaying any hard feelings.

Patriots

Be sure to check out Tyler Carter‘s piece on the similar “Air Coryell” offenses run by the 49ers and the Chargers, as well as how the Patriots will likely plan to stop San Diego.

Christopher Price has the Patriots renewing their rivalry with the Chargers. Christopher L. Gasper has more on the latest installment of what has become a grudge match. Karen Guregian says that LaDainian Tomlinson has not quite been himself this season. Mark Farinella has LT OK with the Patriots style of play. Glen Farley has more on the bitter rivalry.

Rich Garven has the Patriots four-headed ground attack getting into gear. Shalise Manza Young has Deltha O’Neal enjoying his chance to finally play alongside Rodney Harrison.

Michael Felger has his Patriots Mailbag. Kerry J. Byrne and his Cold Hard Football Facts are now also on WEEI.com, and he looks at how the Patrots defense is not up to snuff this season.

Gasper’s notebook has Matt Cassel gaining confidence with each week. Guregian’s notebook has Richard Seymour dismissing the “dirty player” talk from the Chargers after last season’s AFC title game. Farinella’s notebook has a battle of Purdue bragging rights shaping up for Sunday. Garven’s notebook has more on the feisty on and off-field rivalry with the Chargers. Young’s notebook has Tedy Bruschi getting a chance to catch up with his college coach this week.

Celtics

Kevin Henkin on the BSMW Full Court Press has a look at last night’s preseason opener for the Celtics.

Bill Doyle has rookie Bill Walker looking pretty good in last night’s exhibition opener for the Celtics. Steve Bulpett has Darius Miles ahead of where even he thought he would be after playing in last night’s game. Mark Murphy has J.R. Giddens soaking up all he can from Ray Allen and company.

Ron Chimelis has another report on the game last night. Frank Dell’Apa has Doc Rivers missing the game to attend to family business. Murphy’s notebook has more on the game last night.

For the sake of time I’ll have to refer you to BruinsLinks.com for hockey stories.

The Red Sox landed back in the ALCS who got seven shutout innings from Jon Lester, only to see the Angels roar back with two runs to tie the game in the eighth. The Angels then had a runner at third base with one out in the ninth, but Erick Aybar missed a bunt attempt and Jason Varitek chased down pinch runner Reggie Willits to snuff out the final Angels threat. In the bottom of the ninth Jason Bay hit a ground rule double, and was then chased home on a single through the infield by rookie Jed Lowrie, giving the Red Sox a 3-2 series clinching win.

Amalie Benjamin checks in with the heroes of last night, Bay, Lowrie and Lester. Michael Silverman says that it is time to bring on the Rays after last night’s clincher. Jeff Goldberg says that it wasn’t a sweep, but it was pretty sweet.  Joe Haggerty has the Sox heading back to the ALCS for the second year in a row. Kevin Thomas looks at the finishing frenzy by the Sox which landed them in the next round. Steve Krause looks at a couple things that we learned from last night’s game. Kevin McNamara has the Red Sox closing out the powerhouse and saying hello to the scrappy upstarts. Ron Chimelis calls this one a “triumph of tenacity and intelligence.” Bill Ballou says That the Red Sox had no business winning this series. Jon Couture says that the Red Sox have just learned to own the moment.

Sean McAdam says that winning might be nothing new for the Red Sox, but the guys who are getting the job done are new. Dan Shaughnessy has the front page game story in the Globe. Bill Reynolds has last week’s questions getting answered in this series, as the Sox move on to the next round. Reynolds also hates playoff baseball because the games are too long. Alex Speier looks at the youth movement which has fueled this latest Red Sox run. Mike Fine has the Red Sox once again refusing to lose in the postseason.

Bob Ryan recaps the the final two thrilling innings. Maureen Mullen has Jason Bay getting a little banged up during the final play and in the celebration. Steve Buckley says that this team is built and prepared for a title run. Steve Solloway has the Sox relieved that there will be no game five in California tomorrow night. Rich Thompson reports from the clubhouse celebration following the game. Reynolds has Terry Francona choosing to stay in the moment following the win.

Adam Kilgore looks at Jon Lester once again rising to the occasion and shutting out the lineup that won more games than any other team in baseball this season. Tom Caron, for the Portland Press Herald, says that the Red Sox are certainly glad they didn’t trade Lester for Johan Santana now. Reynolds says that stats only tell part of the story about Lester. Jeff Jacobs says that if you knew anything about him, you knew Lester wasn’t going to blink last night. Art Davidson agrees that it’s not surprising that Lester pitched well last night. Phil O’Neill has Lester remaining The Man for the Red Sox last night. David Brown says that Lester has been a heck of a backup plan for the Red Sox.

Silverman reports on the Red Sox decision to take Mike Lowell off the active roster. Ryan looks at the Red Sox shutting down Lowell last night and for the ALCS, but wonders if there might be a Kirk Gibson moment in the future still. McNamara has Lowell disappointed, but acknowledging that is the right decision for the team. Bob Stern says that Lowell is likely done for the postseason.

 McAdam looks at why Sean Casey has been MIA in this series. McNamara has Jed Lowrie‘s dream rookie season getting even better last night. Chris Forsberg has Lowrie going to the plate in the ninth looking for a curve and getting one to hit. Brian MacPherson has newcomers getting the job done for the Red Sox last night. O’Neill has Dustin Pedroia snapping his ALDS slump.

Kilgore has another look back at the performance of Josh Beckett on Sunday night, while looking ahead to what he might have in his next start, which could be game one of the ALCS. Tomase looks at sinkerball pitcher Justin Masterson pulling a 96 mph fastball out of his pocket to blow away Vladimir Guerrero in the eighth inning. Brown says that the Red Sox defied some history last night involving games after marathon losses in the postseason.

Michael Vega analyzes the failed suicide squeeze attempt by the Angels in the ninth inning. John Tomase has more on that pivotal play.

This is hilarious to me: Last week in a Boston.com chat, Dan Shaughnessy said that Manny Ramirez was probably right when he said that Boston fans care too much. He haughtily added that HIS happiness certainly does not depend on whether the Red Sox win or lose. Today, he chides Red Sox fans for holding back on their enthusiasm until the World Series, saying that it seems that some of the thrill is gone for many fans, who have come to expect that their team will be playing in October every year. He talks about the ”Fat Cat” fans and that it is “arrogant, sad, and unavoidable” that things are this way. He admonishes:

Enjoy the rest of the Red Sox season, Boston fans. Don’t stress too much about the thought of losing the next game.

How can you be a “Fat Cat” fan and yet still be stressing too much about losing?

Benjamin’s notebook has more on the Red Sox decision with Lowell. Thomas’ notebook has more on Lowell. Silverman’s notebook looks at Francona’s decision to pull Lester after seven innings. McNamara’s notebook has Francona saying that Beckett is physically sound after his outing on Sunday. Goldberg’s notebook has the Red Sox choosing to get Lowell some rest. Davidson’s notebook has more on the decision about Lowell. MacPherson’s notebook looks at how decisions can sometimes backfire on managers. Ballou’s notebook has an AL East battle on tap for the ALCS. Couture’s notebook has Lowell likely finished for the season. Vega’s notebook has another short playoff run coming to an end for the Angels.

Patriots

Michael Felger has the Patriots moving back to the head of the class in his weekly report card. Eric McHugh‘s report card is hard on the cornerbacks in the red zone, but that’s about it. Ian Clark would like to see the offensive line do better. Ron Borges has pretty solid grades across the board for the Patriots.

Christopher Price has the Patriots trying to find some routine during their week on the West coast. Hector Longo claims that while the Patriots won, there is still little reason for optimism. Douglas Flynn says that the Patriots certainly weren’t perfect, but they were a whole lot better that we had seen previously. Mark Farinella says that Sunday saw the return of the scheming Belichick.

Karen Guregian says that Matt Cassel scheduled some time to meet with Randy Moss last week to make sure that both knew what was needed to lift the struggling offense. Christopher L. Gasper has the Patriots making use of some exotic defensive packages Sunday. Rich Garven says that it was a much needed win and confidence builder for Cassel. Shalise Manza Young has the Patriots defense thanking the offense for making them look good.

Farinella’s notebook has the Patriots making themselves at home in San Jose. Guregian’s notebook has Belichick standing by Laurence Maroney. Gasper’s notebook has the players enthusiastic about staying out in San Jose for the week. Garven’s notebook has more on the defensive packages from Sunday. Young’s notebook says that the stay out West will allow the team to get a full week of preparation for the Chargers.

Check the rest of the sports coverage at CelticsLinks.com and BruinsLinks.com.