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KG Injures Knee in Celtics Loss

February 20, 2009 By

The post-All Star break portion of the schedule didn’t get off to such a great start last night, as the Celtics lost Kevin Garnett to a knee injury in the first half in the Utah, and ended up losing the game to the Jazz, 90-85.

The severity of the injury is not completely known yet, though from Frank Dell’Apa it appears KG could’ve returned, but the Celtics erred on the side of caution with him. Steve Bulpett calls it a knee strain. Paul Flannery says that the Celtics lost this one because they couldn’t figure out a way to score down the stretch.

With two trades in the last week, including Patrick O’Bryant yesterday, Bulpett has the Celtics clearing cap space and roster space.  Jim Fenton also looks at the trades and what might be next for the Celtics. Catch more game stories and analysis of yesterday’s move by browsing CelticsLinks.com.

Dell’Apa’s notebook has more on the trade of O’Bryant. Bulpett’s notebook has Doc Rivers and Jerry Sloan in a mutual admiration society.

The Sox continue to train down in Florida, with full-squad workouts now going on. RedSoxLinks.com has all the latest headlines and news, including a few stories on AL MVP Dustin Pedroia and his desire to play all 162 games.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said yesterday at there is a 60-75% chance he will make a trade before the NHL trade deadline. Check out the latest Bruins news on BruinsLinks.com.

The NFL Combine is ongoing and the Patriots are there checking potential draftees. Check PatriotsLinks.com for the latest, as well as news of the team bringing back Billy Yates, who they just cut a couple of days ago.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell has a piece on Mike Milbury, who is gaining a reputation for himself with some of the the things that he says on the air. She even offers up a selection of Memorable Mike Milbury quotes.

Bill Doyle has a piece on NESN’s Cole Wright, who has had the tough job of stepping into Hazel Mae’s shoes on SportsDesk.

Filed Under: Morning Links

Twitter Updates for BSMW on 2009-02-19

February 19, 2009 By
Filed Under: Hot Links Digest

Week Log: Let the Real Games Resume

February 19, 2009 By

With the conclusion of last weekend’s NBA All-Star Game, we can now bring closure to Fake Sports Month. If late October is the Hope Diamond on the sports calendar, this four-week chunk is its cubic zirconia. We’ve had a 12-11 NHL All-Star exhibition and the modified-football Pro Bowl. NASCAR is back for the next 38 weeks and there’s the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. And, oh yeah, the PBA Tour is in its home stretch. So, Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game was a welcome sight, much like the final curtain on a bad theatrical production.

Basketbawful has all the awful in this 146-119 dunk contest, including KG’s thoughts on Craig Sager’s sense of fashion. From low point to high, Red’s Army has KG in the weekend’s spotlight as the Big 3 honored Bill Russell. TrueHoop offers up some ideas to reform All-Star Weekend, while Boston Celtics Examiner has ideas on reforming All-Star Saturday. Small White Ball states a case for Boston hosting a future All-Star Game.

Moving forward, Full Court Press distributes some high grades with its mid-season C’s report card. Loy’s Place has reactions from both coasts on the Sam Cassell trade. Green Scene speculates on what the C’s will do with Cassell’s freed-up roster position, while Lex Nihil Novi is amused by news coverage of the trade. Celtics Stuff Live goes all high finance on us as the bill for accumulating the Big 3 is coming due at the NBA trading deadline. Celtics 24/7 is beginning a comprehensive study of Celtic hands.

Red Sox

They’re all in town: pitchers, catchers, positional players, bloggers. Extra Bases offers a daily recap from Florida, including ownership’s take on salary caps and the State of the Nation, as Fenway’s consecutive sellout streak is on the line in April. Tom Caron has Larry Lucchino hoping money can’t buy pennants once again this year. OuttaThePahk is there as Dustin Pedroia is prayed over and should be good to go. Heidi Watney has settled into her new home and has a lot of ‘If’s as the team assembles. One If would be David Ortiz, but Full Count has Big Papi back in the swing of things. All Mazz needs is glove as he analyzes team defense from under the Florida sun. One If By Land takes Mazz’s analysis further.

Where’s Trags? has Jonathan Papelbon poised to set the Sox career saves record this year and loving the idea of a long-term deal. The Bottom Line agrees with Sean McAdam’s take that short belongs to Julio Lugo. Touching All The Bases has J.D. Drew chasing the immortal Mickey Klutts’ legacy. Surviving Grady implores Kevin Youkilis to keep the beard.

NESN’s Hot Stove Talk has former Brad Penny coach Larry Bowa saying Boston has landed itself a real dud. Boston Sports Blog says Penny can’t stand Larry Bowa either, and for good reason.

He may be a liar, but A-Rod apparently does have a cousin. Thanks to The Crowe’s Nest for providing the trail to Miami. And, yes, he may be a cheat and a gloss-toting metrosexual, but A-Rod is super nice and no murderer, and teammate Johnny Damon couldn’t be prouder. In a busy week, Damon also earned high honors on Thanks For Playing‘s list of biggest villains in sports. Guess who’s Number One?

Year of the Sox waves the white flag on preserving the integrity of baseball records. Fat White Guy advises athletes to super-size while they can; after all, he did.

B’s & NHL

Onto the ice, where things weren’t going well of late until Boston visited Carolina. The Bear Cave reports on the end of a four-game skid as the B’s beat the Hurricanes, 5-1, marking the first time either team has been able to sweep the other in 30 years. Rink Rap reminisces about all things Glenn Wesley – and pardons him for missing the net in 1990 – as the former B’s/Whalers defenseman had his numbered retired in NC Tuesday night. Cornelius Hardenbergh and the Hockey Blogging Adventure finds the irony in the B’s scoring on an empty net on Glenn Wesley Night. Kathryn Tappen is breathing a sigh of relief now that she won’t have to handle so many panic questions.

Pucks With Haggs explores some Black & Gold trading deadline possibilities, but Naoko Funayama is weary of adverse affects a trade could have in this Year of the Bruin. Bruins Blog says the recession has hit the B’s in the fists.

Pats & NFL

Reiss’s Pieces spent Wednesday afternoon with Tom Brady and his left knee. WEEI starts up the new It Is What It Is with a rundown on the two newest Patriots. PatriotsBlog muses about the chances of Julius Peppers ending up in Foxborough.

Adam Schefter says it’s a different Jets H.C. but same Jets M.O. as they look at Kelley Washington less than 24 hours after he was cut by the Pats. And finally, Shutdown Corner doesn’t want too much messing around with the NFL’s overtime rules.

You may have noticed the addition of a few new friends today. As the weeks go by, more quality blogs come to my attention, but I can always use another set of eyes. If you’ve got a blog with interesting takes – or enjoy one that does – let me know about it at [email protected] The party’s just beginning.

Filed Under: Week Log

Brady Says He’ll Be Ready For ’09 Opener

February 19, 2009 By

Mike Reiss has an optimistic Tom Brady saying that he doesn’t see any reason why he won’t be ready to go in time for the ’09 season opener. Rich Thompson has more on Brady’s appearance yesterday, where he made the statements about his recovery. Shalise Manza Young says Brady will likely get into trouble with his head coach for talking so much yesterday, but it sure made Patriots fans feel better. Glen Farley has more on Brady’s road to recovery.

Mark Blaudschun has a look at the preparations Northeastern’s Brian Mandeville has made for the NFL Combine. Karen Guregian says that the Patriots will likely be looking for secondary help at the combine.

Reiss’ notebook has more on the Patriots bringing back Tully Banta-Cain. Guregian’s notebook has more on the second tour of duty for Banta-Cain.

Red Sox

John Tomase has Jacoby Ellsbury hoping to bounce back big at the plate in 2009. Brian MacPherson says that the leadoff spot might not actually be the best spot for Ellsbury. Maureen Mullen has Jonathan Papelbon rested and ready to go this season. Alex Speier says that the shadow of Manny Ramirez has not yet been lifted from the Red Sox.

Amalie Benjamin has Red Sox ownership and management holding court yesterday. Tomase has John Henry talking again about bringing a salary cap to baseball after another offseason of unlimited spending by the Yankees. Bob Ryan has more on the financial discussion by the owners, and why it was needed. Joe McDonald has the owners supporting ‘an enlightened form’ of a salary cap.

Steve Buckley says that it is time for the Red Sox ownership to begin planning a new Fenway Park. Ron Chimelis says that David Ortiz is a little late to be joining the debate on steroids. Joe McDonald has Lou Merloni talking to Rocco Baldelli about what to expect playing so close to home. Buckley has Josh Bard choosing to wear #3, which once belonged to Jimmie Foxx.

Tomase’s notebook has Bob Stanley happy that Jonathan Papelbon will likely break his Red Sox saves record this season. Benjamin’s notebook has J.D. Drew not worried about his back.

Celtics

Steve Bulpett says that the Celtics would like to make a trade before today’s deadline, but don’t expect to be able to do so. Frank Dell’Apa and Marc J. Spears also report that all is quiet on the trade front for Boston.

Mark Murphy provides a Celtics report card at the All Star break. Robert Lee has older, wiser Paul Pierce enjoying the fruits of his work. Jim Fenton has the Celtics getting back to work tonight in Utah. Jeff Howe looks at the contenders around the NBA.

Bruins

Steve Conroy says that the win in Carolina might’ve done wonders for the Bruins’ psyche. Kevin Paul Dupont has Patrice Bergeron finally starting to feel like his old self. Matt Kalman has a look at Stephane Yelle. Joe Haggerty says that it is time for the young Bruins to grow up. Haggerty also has a blog post on who the Bruins might be looking at at the NHL trade deadline approaches.

Filed Under: Morning Links

Twitter Updates for BSMW on 2009-02-18

February 18, 2009 By
Filed Under: Hot Links Digest

Brady Talks!

February 18, 2009 By

The news appears to be good regarding Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady made an appearance today at a Boys and Girls club as part of the Patriots Charitable Foundation, and he spoke for the first time to Boston reporters about his rehab from the knee injury suffered in the first game of the season.

Mike Reiss has the details, in two parts: Part I and Part II.

Tom E. Curran  also filed a report on Brady’s session. Curran gets a little cute with this part:

In late December, NBCSports.com reported that the slowness of Brady’s rehab, the looseness in the ligaments and possible further surgery to remove the scar tissue buildup would muddy the waters on how the team would proceed with Brady’s backup, Matt Cassel. Cassel had a terrific 2008 in relief of Brady.

Of course, the person who reported all that FOR NBCSports.com was none other than Tom Curran himself.

Neat trick Tom!

Filed Under: Media News

WEEI Expands To the Cape

February 18, 2009 By

Entercom New England and Qantum Communications today announced that WEEI Sports Radio will be syndicated on 96.3 FM on Cape Cod starting this spring. The station, currently WRZE “The Rose”, will become WEII and will carry WEEI’s sports talk programming on a full-time basis beginning on or about April 1, 2009.

Here is the updated WEEI Sports Radio Network station list:

WEEI Affiliate Location

WEEI-850 AM Boston

WEEI-103.7 FM Providence

WVEI-105.5 FM Springfield

WVEI-1440 AM Worcester

WTEI-95.5 / WPEI 95.9 FM Portland

WAEI-910 AM / 97.1 FM Bangor

WEEY-93.5 FM Keene

WEII-96.3 FM Cape Cod

Filed Under: WEEI

Bruins Ruin Glen Wesley Night in Raleigh

February 18, 2009 By

It was Glen Wesley night in Raleigh, as the Hurricanes honored the former Carolina (and Bruins) defenseman for his many years of on-ice service to the organization. The Bruins then went out beat the ‘Canes, 5-1 behind three goals late in the third period, including one from Patrice Bergeron, who is finally showing some signs of life out on the ice.

Kevin Paul Dupont has the details. Steve Conroy has the Bruins bouncing back to pick up their 40th win of the season. Joe Haggerty has the Bruins picking up the late momentum for the win.

Mick Colageo has a look at Wesley’s time in Boston, as well as what the Bruins ending up getting for him when he left.

Dupont’s notebook looks at the ceremony for Wesley, of which the Bruins were a big part. Conroy’s notebook has more on Bergeron finally breaking through.

Red Sox

Maureen Mullen has Jon Lester ready to step up his game even more this season. Joe McDonald has more on Lester looking to expand his role this year.  Steve Buckley says that Mike Lowell should know that baseball is a business, and shouldn’t be disappointed in the Red Sox for going after Mark Teixeira. Amalie Benjamin has David Ortiz hoping that the Red Sox have enough pop in their lineup this season. Rob Bradford examines how Dustin Pedroia stayed motivated this offseason.

Sean McAdam says that it is likely that Julio Lugo is going to be your starting shortstop to open the season. Alex Speier has more on the shortstop competition. McDonald has the Sox holding Rocco Baldelli out of the shuttle run yesterday. Buckley also has Lowell aiming to be ready for the start of season in April. McAdam has Takashi Saito seeking permission from Manny Ramirez before taking #24 from the Red Sox. McDonald has a quick bit on Mark Kotsay and his back surgery.

John Molori examines how the Boston media treated Manny Ramirez during his time with the Red Sox.

McAdam’s notebook has a report on Mark Kotsay’s back surgery. Benjamin’s notebook has more on Kotsay. Speier’s notebook has a look at the conditioning drills yesterday.

A-Rod/Steroids

Nick Cafardo and Dan Shaughnessy look at A-Rod’s confession from yesterday. Dan Lamothe picks apart A-Rod’s statement. Ron Borges examines the difference in how steroid use is viewed in baseball and in football.

I’m curious though, what Borges means by this statement:

Football is different from baseball and these days no one is happier about that than guys like Larry Izzo, Rodney Harrison and Tom Brady.

(Emphasis mine) We know what the Izzo and Harrison references are for, but is he implying that he has knowledge that Tom Brady has taken steroids or HGH (perhaps during his recovery)? If so, that’s a pretty casual way to drop something that would be a mega-bombshell. Or does he mean that the NFL allows him to use substances in his recovery that MLB would not? If he means something else, why not say so? Or is Brady merely guilty by association?

(Update – see comment section below for likely explanation.)

Celtics

The Celtics lost a pair of reserve guards yesterday as Sam Cassell was traded to the Sacramento Kings (briefly causing panic on Patriots message boards when they saw the headline “Cassell traded for conditional second pick.”) and Tony Allen was lost until the playoffs because he needs surgery on his thumb.

Steve Bulpett looks why the Celtics made the Cassell move. Frank Dell’Apa and Marc J. Spears also look at the trade and the injury and what it means for the Celtics roster. Jeff Goodman says that the Celtics will likely not make a trade prior to tomorrow’s trade deadline. Scott Souza also looks at the events from yesterday.

Jeremy Gottlieb on the BSMW Full Court Press has an All Star Break report card for the Celtics. Jeff Howe has three keys to the second half for the Celtics. Patrick Gilroy has the Celtics prepping for the stretch run.

Bulpett’s notebook has more on the Celtics roster depth after the loss of Allen.

Patriots

Karen Guregian wonders if the Patriots might go with a linebacker again in the first round of the draft this year. Mike Reiss and Guregian have the Patriots cutting a pair of reserves yesterday, perhaps to save some cap space.

Filed Under: Morning Links, Ron Borges

Twitter Updates for BSMW on 2009-02-17

February 17, 2009 By
Filed Under: Hot Links Digest

Steroids Latest Media Bore

February 17, 2009 By

OK. I’ll admit it.

I didn’t watch or listen to a second of the A-Rod press conference today. Further, I didn’t watch the A-Rod sit-down with Peter Gammons last week, either.

“Wait,” you say, “you run a sports media website, shouldn’t you be all over these events?”

Probably. But truth be told, I lost interest in the whole steroid thing a long time ago. It reached “Spygate” proportions for me before Spygate even existed.

Sure, I read “Game of Shadows” and I also read Howard Bryant’s underrated book “Juicing the game.” I understand that steroids are a problem in professional sports. They can provide an unfair advantage, not to mention they can come with great health risks later in life. Just ask the 1970′s Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, those of them still alive, that is.

There’s no way that baseball or any other sport is going to be able to handle this scandal in any way that is going to satisfy all. You can’t place asterisks on some records, or say that Hank Aaron is still the official All Time Home Run King even though he has less home runs than Barry Bonds.

We’re just going to have to accept that there was a steroid era in baseball.

Aside from the actual steroid useage, the biggest beef I have with this whole episode is the fact that so many in the media buried their heads in the sand on this story for years and years. In fact, many of them insisted that there was no steroid problem in baseball. Now, these same ones are leading the charge of exposing the problem, or conducting sit-down interviews with the players who have admitted to steroid use, and who have lied to them personally thoughout the years. Others surely knew that there was a problem, but never upset the apple cart.

The bottom line is that I’m so disgusted by all the principals involved in this matter that I’ve lost any interest in reading, listening or watching anything about it. What more can really be said about it? I fear that more names from the 104 positive steroid results will be released and we’ll have more and more A-Rod-like moments of tearful confessions, followed by heartfelt sitdowns with trusted media types.

I just know I won’t be watching.

Filed Under: Noteworthy
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