Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, sports fans, readers of BoSox Tavern and, since it's the only sport on today, hoops fans.

One good thing about the NBA lockout is it allowed the scheduling of five very compelling games today, starting off with the Celtics at the Knicks in Madison Square Garden.  You have the Celtics (sans Paul Pierce), the most storied franchise in the league's history, with four superstars and one last chance at another championship, against a Knick team that's finally relevant again, playing in the most historic arena in the country.  It is good for the league and sports fans to have the Knicks competitive again.  New York City is not only the biggest media market in the country but it is far and away the biggest basketball city in the country.
If you didn't get to see the NBA on TNT commercial that aired just before tip-off, look for it.  It's an excellent blending of new and old video clips that is very well done and realistic looking; Dirk against Bird, for instance.
Do you plan on watching any games today?  Are you glad the NBA is back?  You can consider this post as an open forum to make any comment you'd like regarding the NBA.
Here's the lineup on TV today:  Celtics @ Knicks; in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals, Heat @ Mavericks -- I assume we'll see a banner raising -- Bulls @ Lakers in a matchup that could be a preview for the finals; Orlando @ Oklahoma City, superstars and one team capable of being in the finals; finishing off with the new-look and maybe for the first time relevant Clippers against Golden State.  The Clippers will be very fun to watch this year.
UPDATE:  Here's that Forever NBA commercial:

I know many of my generation rave about the '80s NBA of Bird and Magic, et al, but for me it was the '70s.  It may have been a bad era for the health of the league but to me as a teenager the flare of the league at that time was so much fun.  It was a flare with innocence, as opposed to whatever the current corporate NBA is called.

He Said It

He cost me fantasy playoffs last week. He spewed his mouth about playing really hard for his fantasy owners and rushed for 60 yards while I had Reggie Bush on my bench, who got 27 pts. AP is done. He will be out almost all next season. Going to be bad Adrian. – Yahoo! commenter “Brett”, giving his two cents on an article about Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson injuring his knee in yesterday’s win over the Washington Redskins.

This is why I hate fantasy football, or to be precise, why I give the stink eye to someone who confesses they play fantasy football. It’s one thing to leave a high-scoring player on the bench. It’s cold and heartless to tell the world a player suffering a severe leg injury cost them their precious league title.

Jay Williams

Jason Williams, not Jayson Williams.  I'm not the biggest basketball fan, especially college hoops; but I knew who he was coming out of Duke and being drafted 2nd overall, behind Yao Ming, by the Chicago Bulls.  Then, of course, I heard about his career-ending motorcycle accident after his rookie season and all the hew and cry about how stupid he was.  But to be honest, I had no idea who Jay Williams was as a person and had no idea what happened to him after his accident, whether he ever played again or even walked.
I was channel flipping this afternoon and just happened to catch this interview with him on "Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable."  You can tell he sincerely does not feel sorry for himself and listen to him explain why he wouldn't change anything.



One of the best interviews I've seen in quite some time. Don't you wish, as I do, that people like him are still playing and those who don't appreciate their gifts are the ones who had the motorcycle accident?

Embarrassment of riches

With the Patriots win over the Broncos on Sunday, they've become AFC East Champs for the 9th time in the last 11 years and sit on top of the AFC; but that's not really anything that we selfish and spoiled  incredibly fortunate New England area sports fans care about.  We care about winning the big one and that just got even more difficult with the loss of Andre Carter Sunday.  It's hard to imagine this defense could be any worse but Carter was the Patriots' best and only real pass rusher.  But they find a way to win games, and the one thing that separates them from most other franchises is the fact they don't make dumb mistakes and don't go into slumps.
Do the Patriots really have a legitimate chance of winning the Super Bowl?  Well, watching them beat the Broncos (which is a big PHEW, by the way.  I couldn't have taken the embarrassment) makes me optimistic and pessimistic.  The Broncos ran all over the Pats in the first quarter but the Pats made some adjustments, got some opportunistic turnovers and capitalized.  And watching teams that I feel are better than the Pats get beat this weekend makes me more optimistic; BUT there are teams out there with offenses as good or nearly as good as the Pats but with better defenses.  I feel like the Pats would beat the Steelers and Ravens and Texans more often than not and, therefore, have a solid chance to go to the Super Bowl; but getting there and losing is of no interest to me.  I certainly have concerns about their chances of beating Green Bay and New Orleans; in fact, I don't like their chances.  So while I'd rather have the Pats win than lose regular season games; it doesn't do that much for me knowing we're likely not going to win the Super Bowl.

On to your defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, who continue to look like the best team in the NHL.  Even when they don't play well, they win.  Look at their goal differential, plus 48, which makes my alter ego shut up a little bit.  The alter ego worries that not having a sniper could be a problem.
Did you enjoy that absolute beat-down of the Flyers late last week?  I know they've lost a couple of key players but that game wasn't even as close as the score.  And then on to beating the Habs last night, which makes up a little bit for losing a home-and-home to them earlier this season, which came at the end of the Bruins 3-7 start.  Can you imagine the Bruins' record if they'd started the same way they've played over the last 22 games (19-2-1)?  Or if their other #1 line of Krecji, Horton and Lucic was clicking all the time?
I really don't have too much to say -- their play and record speaks for itself -- other than to put in a plug for Patrice Bergeron, who I argue has gone overlooked as one of the best two-way players and best defensive forwards in the league.  At the very least he should finally be nominated for, if not win, the Selke this year.  Here's a brief two-minute video showing the goal and a brief conversation.  The video I want showing the goal from a couple of angles and slowed down isn't available.


Here's a bonus video for you folks who can't get enough Gronk...Gronk at TD Garden.

5 Stories That I Am Following

1) Chris Jaffe's two articles on the Cooperstown case for:.  The first one was on Tim Raines and the second on Jeff Bagwell.  They are both HOF worthy IMO, but probably won't make the cut again.

2)  The Div I-AA FCS Subdivision championship game.  The ND State Bison are rolling after destroying Georgia Southern in the semi-finals.  That is the Georgia Southern team that put up 23 points on Alabama.  They put up 7 on the Bison defense.  'Bama sucks.

3)  The LeBron Rule in the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement which prohibits players from holding an ownership stake in a player-management firm or from acting as NBPA certified agents.  Betcha the brick is proud to have a rule named after him.

4)  The Lucic suspension for his boarding of Philly's Zac Rinaldo.  It might have not warranted a suspension, but the B's have gotten away with some dirty shots with only fines, not suspensions.  It is probably a make-up call by Brendan Shanahan, who is starting to look less by the book and more judgement call like Colin Campbell was.

5)  Sean Salisbury has fallen.  It used to be that he would comment and call on some real football.  Now he is the main play-by-play guy on Lingerie Football.  That comes close to being former WWE Wrestler Chyna performing at strip clubs and porn shoots.

He Said It

“I mean, look at Tim Tebow. I like Tim, but you have a tendency to want to — I don’t want to see Tim do bad — but look what happens after he wins a football game.  If you watched SportsCenter today, it was Tim Tebow then something else, Tim Tebow then something else, and Tim Tebow then something else.  When we beat the Steelers, were we on TV?  No.  I couldn’t even find a Baltimore Ravens highlight.  I think that’s kinda the way it is around Baltimore.  We don’t always get our respect but you gotta deal with it and go out there every week and just win football games.” -- Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco told WNST radio in Baltimore, via NFL.com, December 16, 2011

Forgive me for laughing but it’s hilarious that someone from an East Coast team complains about team coverage on ESPN. Every time I turn on SportsCenter it’s Yankees this, Red Sox that, Jets this… and I hardly ever see a report on a West Coast team unless the story is too big to ignore, such as the O.J. Simpson police chase on the 405 freeway.

Former San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell was right. There IS an East Coast bias on ESPN and that’s why I hardly watch them anymore. If all I wanted was East Coast highlights I’d call my cable operator and ask for NESN.

A Blog Challenge Loser

My friend, Zeb--you know, that hoser from Maine--enticed me into a "blog challenge" over the Redskins vs. Patriots game.  The loser has to extol the virtues of the winner.  In light of the fact that the Redskins do, without debate, suck, I "could" say the Patriots game showed a lot of promise--Hulu, our rook running back, really showed his hinney (literally) by almost rushing for more yards than Gross Wrecksman threw....I "could" say even Gross Man played a comparatively good game considering his previous outings....I "could" say the zebras held a vendetta against the Skins, and that personal foul call against London Fletcher (which led to a Pats score) was...well, you know...it was the backbreaker...I could say this was the first time the Pats have ever beaten the Reskins on the road. 

I could say all of those things, but to what end?  The Redskins still suck, and the Patriots still won, and they're probably going to win their division (...again...(yawn!)...).  But I'm NOT going to say those things because that's not what the challenge is all about.  It's about giving the Pats their due! 

Despite Zeb's Facebook postings that the Pats' defense sucked (I couldn't figure out why we kept scoring like we did--very uncharacteristic of sorry Skins teams), the fact remains, their offense was stellar and that Brady guy is tremendous in the pocket (his girlfriend(s) are still hot, right?).  So, HERE'S TO THE BOSTON PATRIOTS!!!  Good game, fellas!  It seems like Boston is the place to be to bask in the glory of professional sports championships (except for soccer, the MLS New England--they suck (don't they have a mascot name?)).  Gotta tip my hat to Zebster and the Pats, but I am glad we couldn't work out being at FedEx to watch the game.  While he would have been happier than a duck in cold water, I would have been miserable in the cold, watching my team lose--freezing my butt off.  BUT, hey, we lost with dignity, so that's a positive!  And the Pats knew we played them tough--that's another positive! 

Oh, and here's also to the ubiquitous Boston fan--damn, these guys are everywhere!!!  No matter where I go or which stadium/arena I'm in, I can always count on a ton of Bruins, Patriots, Celtics, and Sox fans to yell louder than Skins/Bullets/Nats/Caps fans.....(why is that?  hmmm......)

GO BEARS ("Bruins")!!!

Who's the most Boston?

The subtitle here could be "Has success ruined the Boston sports brand?"

People outside of New England make unfair assumptions about New Englanders; that since we're more liberal and cultured, having the best colleges and museums, etc, that this isn't a working class area.  Nothing could be further from the truth and the truth is reflected in what we appreciate about our sports teams.
Boston is currently the most successful major sports town in the country, with all four major teams having won championships in the last 10 years, a total of seven championships in all.  But if I were to ask you, New England sports fan, which teams do you identify with most from 1 to 4, how would you answer?  I would posit that the polling would show the Bruins #1 and maybe the Red Sox #4, and I'll explain myself shortly.  If you had asked this question five years ago, the order would be completely different, with either the Red Sox or Patriots on top.  And don't confuse this question with a strict popularity question because, even in New England now, football is #1 with the Red Sox close on their heels.
But do we really emotionally connect with the make-up of these two franchises like we used to, when the Red Sox,  the "Idiots," had just won the '04 World Series with a great comeback against the Yankees and a team that, while it had its superstars, won because of its grinders or the Patriots, who were winning their third Super Bowl with much the same tenacity?  We loved Tom Brady then and still do but I submit what we loved most about the Patriot teams of that time were the grinders and the emphasis on defense.  Even though we won some high-scoring Super Bowls, the team was originally built defense first.  But after winning those high-scoring Super Bowls and especially after getting a taste of Brady to Randy Moss, the system with the Patriots has changed.  We've now become the Dan Fouts Chargers or the, gulp, Peyton Manning Colts.  We're fun to watch and we have great regular seasons but we fall way short in the playoffs.  I know I'm not the only one that wishes our team was more like the Steelers or Ravens or Bruins.
The Red Sox fall as far as #4 on this list because by and large we don't relate to these current players.  Sure, Youk and Pedroia are our kinda guys, but even big, loveable Papi has worn on us.  Granted, if this current team had just won the World Series, we wouldn't be seeing these warts the same way as we are given that they collapsed in a monumental way instead.  But the culture has changed because we won and because ownership upped the ante in terms of paying for big free agents instead of building from within.  It started with the embarrassing "Manny being Manny" nonsense and has seeped throughout the team's culture, hopefully ending with chicken and beer in the clubhouse.  I would rather watch the Bruins.
In a pure popularity contest the Celtics would finish 4th; yes, the team with more championships than the other three combined.  That's because this is not really a basketball town.  It becomes one only when the team is winning AND the brand is relatable -- Larry Bird, Dave Cowens, et al.  And while the current Big 3 are superstar players individually, they play as a team and their head coach's philosophy is to play as a team and defense first.  These guys play hard and we generally like them as people.  You can make the argument that the Celtics are currently the #2 team when it comes to which teams play a style that we appreciate.
Look at the four current managers/coaches, excepting Valentine, who just got here and hasn't coached the Red Sox yet; but I can certainly say that Tito Francona was the one who didn't really fit.  If I give you Francona, Belichick, Julien and Rivers, three of them are very much alike in their no-excuses attitude toward winning and one is not.  So there's a trend there with the coaches matching the style of play we appreciate.
I know the Bruins are the team who's won the most recent championship but I submit they're #1 on this list much more because this is a hockey town and this is the kind of team New England sports fans, especially hockey fans, truly appreciate and adore.  This is a lunch pail team -- defense and goal tending first, depth and tenacity and teamwork; a team that plays by "the code," which while maybe is more important in hockey than the other sports, it's still very damn important to us when we view all our teams.  No prima donas need apply.  
Here's hoping that this current team that's beloved because of Chara and Lucic, The Brat and Timmy and Thornton (said with a Southie accent) doesn't in a few years become a team more like the Canucks than the Big Bad Bruins of Orr.

9th row, blue line

Thanks to AA and the company he works for, we had great seats for the game at TD Garden against the Toronto Maple Leafs last week, which the Bruins won 4-1 to complete the home-and-home sweep.

Photo by Bro

Just a few highlights:  I picked Ell up at his house and we struck out for AA's in New Hampshire, where we'd be spending the night after the game.  The trip down was uneventful, except for a stop at the NH State Liquor Store where I picked up that bottle of Johnny Walker Green Label that I blogged about already.  I did crack it open once we arrived at AA's, whereupon the bourbon snobs turned up their noses.  But we all had a drink together and piled in the car for the trip down to Boston.
Now I can't remember the name of the pub we went to near the Garden where we waited for Bro to drive up but I can highly recommend their Buffalo Chicken Nachos, which we washed down with some Sam Adams Brick Red.
Once Bro arrived and after we ate some more grub and drank some more beer, we walked on over to the Garden.  Before the game, Bro and I walked around to the various pro shops looking for just the right hat, which of course we didn't find.  Love ya, Bro.
Once in our seats, we settled in for a spirited game.  The Leafs just eventually got worn down by the Bruins depth and style of play.  It's not a good matchup for the young Leafs but we couldn't be happier to be there for a game the Bruins won.  This clip, where the Bruins had the puck in the Leafs' zone for two minutes, exemplifies how the latter stages of the game went.


This took place at the other end of the ice from us but we still had a great view of it and I remember suddenly realizing the Bs had had control for an inordinate length of time. We were on the "right" blue line though for two of the prettier goals that the Bruins scored that night. The seats were so close you could see the play develop right in front of you and the puck being passed right onto the tape and tipped into the goal.
The other "game highlight" for me was catching a t-shirt out of one of those guns during intermission. AA and Bro went out during the break but Ell and I stayed. Once the Ice Girls skated out, I immediately fell in love with one of them and didn't hear anything the announcer said; otherwise, I would've known ahead of time that the t-shirt my sweetheart shot to me was not Bruins SWAG but rather from Chipotle Mexican Grill. It's a nice souvenir nonetheless, as is the ticket stub from the game that has a big picture of Cam Neely holding the Stanley Cup over his head.
After the game, Ell and I road back with AA to his house (Bro went back to his house and his new baby), where we proceeded to stay up all night drinking and listening to tunes in AA's dungeon.

The Aftermath Of Xavier-Cincinnati

Well, that was anti-climatic.  After people were actually cheering that a coach would hold his kids responsible for the thuggery that they displayed on the court, Cincinnati and the Basketball program wimped out.  At least they are having the kids do PR work.  For Xavier, the Mouseketeers basically said that they didn't really care.

The fallout for Cincinnati:  Yancy Gates, who sucker-punched a Xavier player got 6 games.  Cheikh Mbodj also received 6 games for a suspension after stomping on the head of the Xavier player that Gates sucker-punched.  Octavius Ellis also got 6 games off for his actions.  Ge'Lawn Guyn got 1 game to sit and think about it.

My reaction:  Not even close to being good enough.  I would have given Gates 10 games and made him earn his way back onto the team.  For Mbodj, there is no excuse for stomping on somebody's head.  That would be an indefinite suspension.  I might be able to think about reinstatement after February had ended.  For Ellis and Guyn, the games are about right, but they would be on probation and have to be role models as do the others, or be thrown off the team.

The fallout for Xavier:  Tu Holloway, who started this entire thing by taunting the Cincinnati bench and players got 1 game.  Mark Lyons received a 2 game suspension.  Dez Wells and Landon Amos for 4 games.

My reaction:  Xavier is worried more about getting into the NCAA tournament than teaching the players on the basketball team what it means to be an adult and acting as a representative of the University.  Holloway should be sat for at least 10 games.  Why?  For starting the entire thing, with his "I own this city" crack at the Cincinnati bench, for after the brawl standing on top of the scorers table and inciting the Xavier crowd who wanted Bearcat blood, for being an idiot after the game in the post-game press conference and saying that the Xavier team was "gangsta" and also saying that in rivalries, these things happen.  He hasn't learned a damn thing about anything after this. Sit his ass down, I don't care if he is one of the best guards in college basketball.  College is for teaching young men like Holloway, and sitting his ass down for games and make him be on the bench for his suspension would hurt and drive home a point that thuggery is not acceptable, even in rivalry games.  Hell, it might actually teach his entitled ass that there is more to life than basketball.  Lyons should get 6 games.  He swung at a Bearcat and what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Overall, it just shows that college basketball is just the minor leagues for the NBA and the missions that each University has in their PR brochures are just words.  Because there is no way that these slap on the wrists help develop the kids that did wrong.  All it does is teaches them that they can get away with doing bad things because of their talent.