Boston Sports Media Watch

The attempted to put up a fight last night and extract a measure of revenge for their fallen teammate Marc Savard, but in the end it was, like much of the Bruins efforts this season, too weak, as they meekly fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 at the Garden.

To fans, job not getting done - There are times, rare occasions, when Dan Shaughnessy’s nastiness and acerbic writing are just what is warranted for the situation. Dan may actually have not been harsh enough on the Bruins in this one.

Bruins lose more than a game to Penguins - Joe Haggerty says that this defeat “might have just sealed this season as an abject failure.”

Score may be settled with Cooke, but loss to Pittsburgh leaves Bruins unsettled - Mike Loftus says so much “for the hope that the Bruins grasp the severity of their situation, and are determined to act accordingly.”

Matt Cooke, Penguins laugh it off - Steve Buckley has Pittsburgh laughing at the Bruins…and the media…after the game.

10 Red Sox campers who intrigued us, and 5 who haven’t - Ron Chimelis lists out young players and newcomers who have made an impression one way or the other during spring training.

Overlooked superstar: The perception of Kevin Youkilis - Alex Speier looks at why the national spotlight does not shine on Youkilis.

Bowden refines his pitch, to Red Sox’ delight - Sean McAdam has Michael Bowden coming to camp with a new, simplified delivery.

Scutaro, Pedroia blending in well - Peter Abraham has the Red Sox new double-play combination getting along well thus far.

Kelly will pitch in AA-Portland - Daniel Barbarisi’s Red Sox Journal also has an update on Ryan Westmoreland.

NESN is trying to solve a chemistry problem - Chad Finn reports that NESN is killing “Sports Desk” in favor of a new “issues-oriented show” called “NESN Daily” but is having trouble finding the right chemistry for a cohost to go with Jade McCarthy. Great, another show about “issues” and “takes”, just what we need around here.

Slamming this Patriots pair laughable - Ron Borges says that those criticizing Tom Brady and Ty Warren for not being in Foxborough this week for the start of offseason workouts are way off base.

Crumpler Pats’ latest attempt to stabilize tight end position - It has been reported that the Patriots have come to terms with free agent Tight End Alge Crumpler. Christopher Price examines the Patriots latest effort to patch the position.  Tom E. Curran is convinced that Crumpler will be a colossal bust with the Patriots.

Celtics survey playoff picture - Julian Benbow has Doc Rivers looking at first round playoff possibilities.

Danny Ainge: Kevin Garnett can’t do it alone - Steve Bulpett has the Celtics GM saying that others need to step up the games in the coming weeks.

Robert Morris gets excellent credit rating - Bob Ryan looks at the near-upset of Villanova yesterday.

A few others:

State of the Patriots: What the 2009 Film Revealed - Andy Benoit of the New York Times’ blog “The Fifth Down” tells us what a review of the Patriots’ season revealed.

It’s been reported that the Patriots have a workout scheduled with Indiana LB Matt Mayberry. He spoke with Patriots Daily earlier in the week.

Providence not kind to Cinderella - I try and spotlight some writers from the smaller papers around New England. Today Eric Rueb of the Narragansett Times gets a chance to write about the NCAA Tournament games in Providence. Also see ‘Nova avoids upset by Peter Gobis of The Sun Chronicle.

I’m not sure why anyone would be interested in reading Gerry Callahan’s column this morning: “Tiger Woods textbook example of real sicko.”  What’s the appeal? It’s predictable, and Callahan is much too talented a writer to be shoveling this sensationalistic-driven tripe.

With Mike Adams taking over the Big Show this week, my afternoon drive dial has been set solely on Felger and Massarotti, and Felger has been dead-on about the Bruins and this whole Savard/Cooke/Colin Campbell situation.

Mike Adams might be a good fit for the WEEI evening audience, who seem to be well into their nightly six pack by the time the phonelines open each night, but as an afternoon drive host, he’s horribly out of his league. (Though they’re not doing him any favors putting the likes of Larry Johnson and Steve Burton in there with him.) He isn’t current on sports topics at all, most of the knowledge he does have is on the 1970’s Red Sox, (or on Manny Ramirez) and his attempts at humor fizzle quickly. A winning combination.

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That seems to be the question regarding the Bruins and their matchup with the Penguins tonight. Will they attempt to retaliate for Matt Cooke’s hit that ended Marc Savard’s season? The pressure is on the Bruins players to make a statement, yet the league will be watching them closely and issuing warnings to both teams prior to the game.

This is the most the Bruins have been talked about since the Winter Classic at Fenway Park. The results might well disappoint, but the anticipation for tonight’s game is high, especially among those in the media.

Time to redefine Bruins hockey - Mick Colageo says that what happens tonight is important to this Bruins team’s identity.

Bruins may stir something up for Cooke - Fluto Shinzawa says that the Bruins have a chance to hold Cooke accountable for his actions, but at this point, they need points more than they need punchouts.

All eyes on Matt Cooke tonight - Stephen Harris notes that this whole situation is a result of Colin Campbell’s “disgraceful job performance,” yet the Bruins will be the ones punished if something happens.

Make the Penguins pay the right way - Ron Borges says that the traditional hockey fight route would be silly for the Bruins in this case.

 Celts take care of Knicks, 109-97 - Bill Doyle has Paul Pierce and the Celtics rolling over the Knicks last night.

Rajon Rondo’s game has its point - Steve Bulpett has Rajon Rondo focusing on his teammates rather than his own scoring.

Walker, Giddens getting their chance - Jessica Camerato has the former Celtics talking about their increased minutes with the Knicks.

Don’t expect talent show - Bill Doyle has commentators calling this year’s NCAA Tourney Field underwhelming.

 Familiar pass Patten for Pats - Glen Farley has David Patten remembering the glory days and explaining why he wanted to come back to New England.

Lackey on Beltre: ‘Dude can play’ - Gordon Edes looks at a spectacular play in the field by Adrian Beltre, who showed what some of the hype about his glove skills is all about.

Helping young players part of Cameron’s game - Daniel Barbarisi has Mike Cameron showing that his influence on a team extends well beyond his statistics.

Quick hits: Mets 4, Red Sox 2 - Edes recaps some of the other action from yesterday for the Red Sox.

In Chris Warner’s Q&A With Kent State TE Jameson Konz, the subject of Julian Edelman comes up, as you might expect.

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The Bruins put forth a complete effort last night in a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes down in Raleigh, N.C. It looks like the Patriots will be in Detroit on Thanksgiving to play the Lions, and the Celtics host the Knicks tonight.

Bruins blow by Hurricanes - Stephen Harris calls this one a “dreadfully important” victory for the Bruins.

In win, Recchi also earned a tie - Fluto Shinzawa’s notebook has Mark Recchi tying Guy Lafleur for 22nd on the all-time career goal list last night.

Westmoreland is more than a story to me - Turns out that 10 years ago Joe Haggerty was diagnosed with the same “cavernous malformation” that Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland had surgery for yesterday. A rare instance in which a media member can actually relate to what an athlete is going through.

Doubront joins line of Sox pitching prospects - Alex Speier has a peek at Felix Doubront, another in the long line of impressive Red Sox pitching prospects.

Red Sox remain calm under pressure - Halfway through spring training, John Tomase looks at what we’ve learned about the 2010 Red Sox.

For Johnsons, a moment to cherish - Daniel Barbarisi has Red Sox first base coach Ron Johnson, and his son Chris, a third baseman in the Astros organization, getting a rare moment to be on the same field.

Mayo hopes to follow Seau’s lead - Mike Reiss has Jerod Mayo looking to step up his leadership on the Patriots defense this season.

Pats name all-decade team - Mark Farinella with a pretty complete account of what went into selecting the Patriots 2000’s All-Decade team.

Celtics bench showing some signs of life - Mike Fine has the Boston reserves providing a spark in recent games.

Rivers flows with confidence - Julian Benbow has the Celtics coach using all his motivational tricks.

On Patriots Daily, Chris Warner has a very engaged Q&A With Wisconsin S Chris Maragos.

Also be sure to check out Chad Finn’s Nomah notes from the other night. Nice smackdown of Andy Gresh in there.

98.5 The Sports Hub announced today it will be the official radio broadcast partner of the 26th Annual Hockey East Tournament semi-finals and finals this Friday and Saturday night, March 19th and 20th..   Live coverage from the TD Garden in Boston will feature Ryan Johnston and Tony Amonte. Johnston is the former play-by-play voice of the Lowell Devils and is a weekend personality on 98.5.  The Hingham born Amonte played 18 years in the NHL for the Chicago BlackHawks, New York Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames.  Amonte was a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team in 1998 and 2002. He played his college hockey at B.U.

Hockey fans can hear all three games live on-air or online at 985thesportshub.com.  The schedule is as follows:

Friday, 5:00pm

B.C. Eagles vs. Vermont Catamounts

Friday, 8:00pm

B.U. Terriers vs. Maine Black Bears

The winners will play in the finals on Saturday night at 7:00pm.

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The Celtics had a quick turnaround after their loss in Cleveland, playing the Pistons at the Garden last night. They came out strong and sustained it for a 119-93 win over Detroit.

Celts needed a laugher and got it - Mike Fine has the Celtics making some progress with the blowout win.

Pierce, Celtics come together - Chris Forsberg has the Celtics captain getting on track early last night.

A boost from the bench helps the C’s pass the Pistons - Rich Levine analyzes the bench play for the Celtics, both last night and recently.

If the shooter fits . . . - Steve Bulpett has Michael Finley earning playing time by knocking down his shots.

Shaken after a rough ride - Julian Benbow’s notebook has a tough plane ride shaking up the Celtics on Sunday night.

Musings on Bill Walker, Dice-K n’ more - Lenny Megliola clears out the Rolodex of the mind.

Watson never caught on with Patriots - Michael Felger says that the Patriots made the right move cutting ties with Benjamin Watson.

Pats’ Adalius Thomas not yet set on Jets - Karen Guregian has the Patriots linebacker denying he ever said he wanted to go play for the Jets.

Words don’t match Patriots’ actions - Tom E. Curran hits on a number of Patriots topics, including Asante Samuel’s charge that the team doesn’t care about its players.

Bruins floored early - Kevin Paul Dupont has the Bruins unable to overcome a three-goal first period by the New Jersey Devils.

GM backs proposed rule - Dupont’s notebook wraps up the rest of the news from last night.

For Lowell, the test begins - Alex Speier marks yesterday as the first day of the rest of Mike Lowell’s life.

David Ortiz takes stance - John Tomase has the Red Sox DH saying that he doesn’t have to prove anything in Spring Training.

Quick hits: Orioles 8, Red Sox 4 - Gordon Edes wraps up the action from yesterday.

Nelson always ready to throw an inning in relief –– and sign autographs - Daniel Barbarisi with a look at the 35-year-old Joe Nelson, who is trying to win a spot in the Red Sox bullpen.

Notes:

I checked out some of the ESPN broadcast of  last night’s Celtics game. For the second straight game, it was Mike Breen calling the action. I have to say I couldn’t believe it was the same guy. Totally different when paired with Hubie Brown and Jon Barry than he is when he’s with Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, more subdued, not over-the-top. Of course, neither LeBron or Kobe were playing in the game, but still, it was an amazing transformation.

The New England Revolution are coming to Comcast SportsNet. CSN has announced that they will be the new TV home for the MLS club, airing 27 games (out of 30) this season, all in High Definition. Veteran soccer broadcaster Brad Feldman returns for his 10th season with the Revolution and will handle play-by-play duties for all matches airing on Comcast SportsNet. He will be joined in the booth by Revolution legend and Longmeadow, Mass., product Jay Heaps, who begins his first season as color analyst after retiring from the Revolution in December following an 11-year MLS career.

The telecasts are produced by Kraft Sports Productions. The first game of the season for CSN is the team’s April 3 match at D.C. United.

I’ve actually missed Pete Sheppard the last few days, as WEEI has moved Mike Adams into the Big Show slot while Glenn Ordway takes time off. Nice move, Jason Wolfe, just hand the time slot for those times to 98.5 and Mike Felger – who has been dead-on about how Colin Campbell will be responsible for anything that happens when the Bruins and Penguins play on Thursday. Felger and Massarotti has been all over Campbell and how by saying that he’s going to be at the game on Thursday and addressing the teams prior to the game, Campbell is admitting that he screwed up by not issuing a suspension to Matt Cooke when he ended Marc Savard’s season with an elbow.

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The Celtics had another opportunity to make a statement yesterday. Once again a statement was made, but not the one that the Celtics and their followers were hoping for. The statement is that the Celtics are not a championship contender at this time, and until they start playing with a little bit of urgency, they’re not going to be one.

Lack of effort means trying times for Celtics - Julian Benbow has effort the biggest thing separating the two teams yesterday, as even LeBron James said that the Celtics look bored yesterday.

Time for some new math - Gary Washburn says that Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo need to take the mantle of leadership from the Big Three and make this their team.

Practice push might be just what these Celtics need - Tim Weisberg says that it might be time for Doc Rivers to push his team harder in practice.

Concern evident for Sox’ Westmoreland - Peter Abraham reports on the Red Sox concern over 19-year-old prospect Ryan Westmoreland (from Portsmouth, R.I.) who is suffering from a rare brain condition that requires very serious surgery that could lead to brain damage or even death if something goes wrong.

Expert: Westmoreland’s surgery has risks, but full recovery is likely - Daniel Barbarisi has more on the risks of surgery, and the overwhelming odds for a full recovery.

Jed Lowrie checks out OK - John Tomase wraps up many of the other items from camp in his Red Sox notebook.

Sammy Morris has book on free agent Josh Reed - The Patriots running back talks about his former Bills teammate and what he could bring to New England.

Watson leaves with mixed emotions - This is from the weekend, but worth linking here. Mike Reiss talks to Benjamin Watson about his time in New England, and the opportunity in front of him. Watson talks about meaningful conversation he had with Bill Belichick at the start of free agency, and his appreciation for the coach and franchise.  

Names to Know Who Could Be Bargains in NFL Draft - Jeff Howe tries to discover the next Tom Brady or Marques Colston.

They’re all in it to win it, but a final of Kansas-Kentucky would be shining moment - Bob Ryan looks over the NCAA tournament brackets.

When did Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy become so annoying? I’ve never liked Breen and his Kobe/LeBron loving-style, but that telecast yesterday was just awful. How long did they focus on Jackson’s wardrobe, past and present? I honestly could not listen to them anymore and watched the game on mute. In the past Van Gundy and Jackson were at least a bit insightful on the game and giving us the perspective of a former coach and point guard in the NBA, but now they’re bringing nothing.

But that wasn’t the most disturbing thing to me yesterday. That distinction would go to A. Sherrod Blakely referring to LeBron James as “Bron-bron” on Twitter - twice.

Mark Farinella takes a thinly veiled shot in this direction in his Ask Fearless (only linked so I’m not accused of suppressing criticism aimed at me) feature yesterday.  The “basement blogger” moniker is clever, witty, AND original. I’ll just say that if I did have an “anti-media agenda,” wouldn’t that by definition mean that I would be hating on all media people? The whole idea of the “Top ten” links to highlight the good that is out there, and to stay away from the bad. If I have an agenda, it’s only against the awful stuff out there that shouldn’t be promoted.

I do find it amusing that he does basically admit that there is an anti-Patriots agenda in the media, when he says that I am “as guilty of having an anti-media agenda as the sportswriters and other media members they accuse of being biased against the Patriots.” If he’s saying I’m guilty…which he is…then he is also saying that the others are guilty of their anti-Patriots bias. Or, if those sportwriters and other media members don’t really have a bias against that Patriots, then neither do I have an agenda, because he’s saying the two are comparable.

But as usual, the point is missed completely. I’ve gone over this a million times, lets try it again. No one has ever said that all fans want is for the media to “further enhance their blind love” for their favorite team. Fans do want to know where their team is failing short and what needs to be improved. That type of criticism is not only acceptable, it is welcomed.

What aren’t welcomed are the snide comments, personal attacks, doom and gloom, and glee over failure that is so evident in much of the reporting that we see today in this area.

What is so hard to understand about that concept?

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The Bruins showed signs of life last night, going into Philadelphia and beating the Flyers 5-1. Marc Savard though, is likely done for the season with his grade 2 concussion.

We’ll go with 15 links this morning, as there’s a lot going on:

Sudden ending stirred this Cook - Chad Finn talks to Alice Cook about her release from Channel 4, after 25 years of service.

Ricciardi makes move from front office to studio - Bill Doyle talks to J.P. Ricciardi about his new gig working for ESPN, where he’ll be alongside Nomar Garciaparra on Baseball Tonight.

Ari Fleischer has work cut out for him with Tiger - Jim Donaldson with a look at the tall task facing the former presidential press secretary.

Fired-up Bruins show punch in win - Fluto Shinzawa says that a pregame meeting with GM Peter Chiarelli seems to have gotten the attention of the Bruins, at least for last night.

Bruins show fight against Flyers - Dan Rowinski has more on the win.

Magic, Bird were more than rivals - Howard Bryant says that the story of Magic and Bird, recently portrayed in a book and documentary, is incomplete without looking at the issue of race in 1980’s Boston.

Rivers may have to change ways - Chris Forsberg says that Doc Rivers despises change, but may have to make a few with his team.

John Lackey looks good in spring training start for Red Sox - Ron Chimelis says that the newest Red Sox pitcher looked pretty ace-like yesterday.

Beckett deserves big payday - Mike Fine says that the Red Sox don’t really have any choice to ante up and give Josh Beckett his new contract.

Healthy Delcarmen homed in - Bob Ryan has Manny Decarmen saying that he was injured last season, and it contributed to his struggles on the mound.

Lackey as right as rain - The Globe notebook picks up a few more Red Sox pieces.

The Patriot Way suits Neal and Faulk - Tom E. Curran has the two re-signed Patriots talking about why they want to play their whole careers for this franchise.

Kraft explains moves - Mark Farinella’s Patriots notebook has the team’s owner explaining the thinking of the club this offseason.

Curtis Martin, Terry Glenn Among Best Rookies in Patriots History - Jeff Howe lists out the top rookies in franchise history.

A shot at redemption - Nancy Marrapese-Burrell has a preview of the Hockey East quarterfinal matchups.

Also see Chris Warner’s Q&A With Auburn RB Ben Tate on Patriots Daily.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will address graduates at the UMass-Lowell’s Commencement on Saturday, May 29 at 10 a.m. at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.

Goodell also will accept a posthumous Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his father, the late U.S. Sen. Charles Goodell, a Republican who was elected to Congress in 1959 and appointed to the Senate following the assassination of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. He established a solid record on issues such as civil rights, the war on poverty and education.

I haven’t been able to confirm this, but a poster on the Radio-Info.com Discussion Board says that WEEI is now broadcasting on WMKK 93.7 HD3. Could be a precursor to the long-rumored WEEI-to-FM move.

So long, Ben Watson, we’ll always have Denver, though his 63-yard catch-and-run tochdown against the Jaguars a week earlier might’ve been even more impressive.

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This is one of the low points. Between the Celtics absolutely laying down against the Memphis Grizzlies and all the Nomar-bashing by various columnists, the Boston sports media scene isn’t a pretty place this morning.

Let’s get to the good stuff:

Sox, Nomar ended it right - Jon Couture acknowledges the flaws of both Nomar and the Red Sox, but knows that yesterday was the right thing for both sides. Best column this morning on the topic. (It may behind a pay wall for you, depending on how many times you’ve been to the S-T site this month, but register for free and you’ll probably be able to read it.)

The love never died - Gordon Edes also has a very good piece on Nomar retiring with the Red Sox.

Nomar finds himself welcomed back to ranks of Red Sox royalty - Daniel Barbarisi plays it straight.

Kevin Faulk true to blue - Karen Guregian has the Patriots venerable third down back returning for another season in Foxborough.

Kevin Faulk at home with Pats - Mike Reiss also has a good piece on Faulk.

Will Wilfork’s strong words resonate? - Vince Wilfork talked a lot about leadership yesterday. Tom E Curran looks at whether he’ll be able to change the Patriots locker room.

Q&A With Patriots CB Darius Butler - Chris Warner talks to the Patriots second-year cornerback from UConn about getting ready for his second NFL season. Check back on Patriots Daily this afternoon for another Patriots player interview.

Celts fall to Memphis, 111-91 - Bill Doyle with the game story where the final score says all you need to know.

Uneven C’s still searching for answers - Lenny Megliola looks at the state of the Celtics.

Frustrated Doc Rivers mulls changes - Steve Bulpett says the Celtics coach might shake things up.

Marc Savard gets no justice - Stephen Harris looks at the hit on the Bruins center going unpunished by the NHL.

Ok, I’ll admit to laughing at the opening of Michael Silverman’s article on Julio Lugo today:

Julio Lugo had a suggestion.

“Write something good about me,” Lugo, the former Red Sox shortstop and current Cardinals backup infielder, said yesterday.

Here’s something: It’s a good thing Lugo is no longer with the Sox.

I don’t have as much time as I would like to go into this, but some of these Nomar attacks from the supposedly objective media are beyond belief.

On the Comcast SportsNet website, respected baseball writer Sean McAdam speaking of the Red Sox organization, demanded to know when “did they willfully, purposefully and unapologetically decide to publicly jump the shark?”

In other parts of the column, McAdam uses the terms “cheesy publicity stunt”, “staged event”, “artificial legacy”, “dog-and-pony exhibit”, “contrived, made-for-TV event”, “gimmicky” and “silly trappings” to describe the event.

You can guess what Dan Shaughnessy says about it, opening up by calling Nomar a “Total Fraud.” Other phrases used include “truly nauseating”, “Gag me”, “pathetic effort”, “downright fraudulent” – all in the first four full paragraphs.

He gets down to the crux of the matter here: “In good times and bad, Garciaparra was unnecessarily difficult in all interactions with the media.”

That’s really what all this boils down to, isn’t it?

Even on Twitter, the media was ripping Nomar to each other. This exchange between CSN’s Mike Giardi, Jackie Pepper and Joe Haggerty is a nice example.

(Pepper) @MikeGiardi @hackswithHaggs - ya think Nomar will put up the red tape around his cube at ESPN??

(Haggerty) @jackiepepper @MikeGiardi Wasnt red tape. It was actual redline sewn into carpet at his behest. He screamed “violation” when any1 crossed it

(Giardi) @HackswithHaggs @jackiepepper Ah, memories! Good times for one and all.

Now, I know that Nomar was NOT good to deal with for the media. But he’s been gone from here for almost six freaking years. Time to let go people. Just let it go.

Nomar and the Red Sox have moved on. The venom from the media says a lot more about them than it does about Nomar.

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The Celtics and Bruins both dropped tight road games last night, the Celtics falling 86-84 in Milwaukee, and the Bruins losing 4-3 in OT to the Maple Leafs.

The Patriots agreed to terms with Leigh Bodden and Jets special teamer Marques Murrell yesterday.

The big news this morning is that Nomar Garciaparra is going to announce his retirement, and he’s apparently going to do it NFL-style, signing a one-day contract with the Red Sox and retire as a member of the team he’s most associated with. The press conference will take place at 10:30 this morning, and Comcast SportsNet and NESN will carry it.

No regrets - Paul Flannery says that the Celtics at least played hard against a streaking Milwaukee team.

Allen moved to speak after very quiet night - Gary Washburn has Ray Allen speaking out after taking only three shots, and Washburn projects it to be blaming Paul Pierce for not moving the ball.

Look into future not pretty for Celtics - Chris Forsberg says that the Celtics should probably hope they don’t have to face the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

Bruins drop overtime decision to Toronto - Dan Rowinski on WEEI.com looks at the Bruins loss.

Bruins blow three leads, lose in OT - Danny Picard also has coverage and talking points.

Ken Fang and Jim Donaldson have Chuck Wilson returning to ESPN Radio, and why that is great news.

Leigh Bodden stays for $22M - Ian Rapoport has the news on Bodden’s new contract with the Patriots.

Okajima quite happy being who, where he is - Daniel Barbarisi has a look at the reserved Red Sox lefty reliever.

Hermida returns as a changed man - Joe Haggerty has Jeremy Hermida facing his former teammates in a much different position from which he left them.

Wakefield’s knuckler really travels well - The Globe’s Red Sox notebook catches you up on a lot of the other events from yesterday.

Also check out Chris Warner’s Q&A With Vanderbilt CB Myron Lewis on Patriots Daily this morning.

On the downside:

Mark Farinella this morning tells us that he’s been too busy watching high school basketball (his job, yes) to pay attention to what the Patriots are doing, writes what he’s read that they’ve done, admits his readers probably have been paying more attention than he has, makes a couple snide comments about Twitter and Blackberry phones, and calls it a day. Why even bother? Just keep covering the high school basketball – which he admittedly does a good job with, and obviously enjoys.

I heard Jon Wallach say this morning on 98.5 that the Patriots only have one guy left on defense who was a part of the last Super Bowl championship – Vince Wilfork. How about Ty Warren and Tully Banta-Cain? The latter might not have played a whole lot, but Warren certainly did.

After Nomar announces his retirement, he will join ESPN as a analyst on various programs such as Baseball Tonight. Get ready for the outrage from media members who will say Nomar is a hypocrite for hating the media so much during his time in Boston, and now he wants to be one of them.

No, Nomar will not be one of YOU. He’s not going to be in the clubhouse with a microphone interviewing players. He will be on a TV set, giving his opinion from afar of what’s happening from the perspective of a former player. There’s a big difference there. So Mike Felger, Dan Shaughnessy, etc, simmer down already….I guarantee this will be a topic they will bring up.

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Last night there was quite a ruckus on Twitter as two very respected football reporters Michael Lombardi and Adam Schefter both reported that Leigh Bodden would be re-signing with the Patriots. Both guys are right far more than they’re wrong, especially Schefter, whose word I pretty much take as gospel these days. Meanwhile, Bodden’s agent, Alvin Keels was posting that nothing was done, or even agreed to.

We’ll see what happens today. If I had to bet, I’m siding with Schefter/Lombardi.

Speaking of the NFL free agency period, while Mike Reiss, Tom Curran, Christopher Price, Shalise Manza Young and Albert Breer have all done their usual solid jobs, I think the star of the first few days has been the Herald’s Ian Rapoport. He’s consistently brought good information, and angles and insight that some of the others have missed at times. The Rap Sheet has become a must-follow destination for Patriots fans, and he has been tearing it up on Twitter as well.

Otherwise, it’s a fairly slow day today with both the Celtics and Bruins off last night.

Selection of Tom Brady Makes 2000 Draft One to Remember - Jeff Howe concludes his series of reviewing the Patriots drafts under Bill Belichick with the coach’s first draft, one that is memorable for a certain sixth-round selection.

Patriots air of infallibility is waning - A good article from Tom E Curran, but headlines like that one really turn me off, and many times make me not want to even look at the article underneath the headline. Who ever said the Patriots were infallible? Who? C’mon. The article itself is candid, frank, without pushing silly agendas, but the headline is just dumb. (I know, Curran probably didn’t create it.)

Fielding more than his share of bad hops - Gordon Edes looks at how Dustin Pedroia used baseball as his focus when off-field things weren’t going so well for him last season. I also enjoyed this blog entry from Edes on Jose Iglesias in which Edes is giddy as a schoolboy over the potential of the phenom shortstop, and wonders if the Red Sox should put him right in the majors to start the season.

Why some Red Sox pitchers like throwing to some Red Sox catchers - The title of Rob Bradfords article this morning explains it all.

Big performances: Young trio impresses - Michael Silverman has a trio of young, gifted and intriguing outfielders making an impression on the Red Sox yesterday.

Beckett, Martinez on learning curve - Sean McAdam with another strong notebook from the action of yesterday.

La Russa still mover, shaker - Bob Ryan talks to Tony La Russa about his 33 years as a big league manager.

Hits like this don’t belong in hockey - Mike Loftus weighs in on the hit that Penguins forward Matt Cooke laid on Marc Savard Sunday.

Marc Savard fuzzy on details - Stephen Harris gets props for catching up with Savard at the Pittsburgh airport yesterday to talk to him about the hit and how he’s feeling.

Lockdown defense steadies KG - Chris Forsberg says that Kevin Garnett’s defensive performance down the stretch on Sunday night should be encouraging to Celtics fans.

Relentless defense critical to Celtics - Steve Bulpett says that the Celtics performance on defense in the last six minutes Sunday night showed that they are still capable of locking down an opponent, and that gives them no excuses going forward.

Also check out Greg Doyle’s Q&A With UNH TE Scott Sicko, who has gathered some interest from pro scouts.

Elsewhere, I was also disappointed with the news that Alice Cook was tossed at Ch. 4 after 25 years of service to the station. With the decreased amount of time that newscasts are giving to the sports segments, it makes sense to keep the rosters small, but I always enjoyed the job that Cook did, both with the sports reports, and on the Patriots pre and post game shows.

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Ray Allen nailed a three-pointer with 17 seconds left to give the Celtics a victory over the Washington Wizards at the Garden last night. The Celtics trailed by 13 points midway through the quarter, but managed to turn it on and steal a home victory.

Celtics scuffle, but tough it out - Julian Benbow’s game story has a little story of an exchange between Wizards assistant Sam Cassell and Ray Allen before Allen hit the game winner.

C’s Davis almost had chance to show his ‘Blind Side’ - Jessica Camerato talks to Glen Davis about how close he came to getting the lead role in “The Blind Side.”

Allen has been on the money - Gary Washburn says that Ray Allen is setting up the Celtics for a tough decision this summer.

Finley now playing for his childhood hero - A. Sherrod Blakely with a look at the ties between Doc Rivers and Michael Finley,

Making it on her own - Stan Grossfeld with a feature on Amanda Belichick, daughter of the Patriots head coach, who is working as an assistant lacrosse coach at UMass.

Pats scrambling to get back to the line - Michael Felger praises the Patriots for getting deals done with Vince Wilfork and Tully Banta-Cain, but says they still have a lot of work to do just to get back to even. He expresses his concerns without the hysterics so ear-piercingly on display on his radio show every afternoon.

2001 Draft Picks Richard Seymour, Matt Light Played Major Roles in Patriots’ Dynasty - Jeff Howe with a look at Bill Belichick’s second draft with the Patriots.

Bruins take a hit in Pittsburgh - Joe Haggerty with the game story and talking points from yesterday’s Bruins 2-1 loss to the Penguins.

Concussion KO’s Marc Savard - Stephen Harris reports on a hit to Marc Savard that knocked the Bruins top playmaker out of the game.

Slow start for Buchholz, but not Kelly - Sean McAdam with a good Red Sox notebook, rounding up many items from yesterday.

Bonus links!

Here’s three from yesterday:

Former Patriots star David Givens turns to art after career ending injury - Jody Feinberg of The Patriot Ledger checked with former New England receiver David Givens, who is making a name for himself in the art world with his football career cut short.

Patriots’ best chance to improve is via draft - Jim Donaldson says that since this free agent class is lackluster, the Patriots biggest hope for improvement is in the draft.

Bowden’s progress comes without a hitch - Alex Speier has Michael Bowden making some adjustments with the hope of getting better results.

And also see Chris Warner’s Q&A With Virginia Tech P Brent Bowden - a guy who has met with the Patriots, and given their uncertainty at punter, might be someone to keep an eye on.

Ken Fang has a Review of “Magic & Bird: A Courtship of a Rivals” over on Fang’s Bites on BSMW.

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