Barstool Blog

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I'm not a member of Red Sox Nation.  I don't have a membership card, wear a Sox army hat, or own a copy of Daisuke's greatest hits(that's not a joke, they actually released a CD of his favorite tunes).  I also realize that Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline was written about a girl(albeit an 11 year old...kinda creepy), and not for all the yahoos that belt it out every 7th inning at fenway.  However, unlike all of the pink hats, and frat boys that have sent the bandwagon into overload, I understand the game, the team, and their outlook for the upcoming campaign.  And, contrary to my obnoxiously biased opinions on everything Celtics and Patriots, my take on the sox has the potential to be much more objective.

It's no secret that pitching is crucial in baseball, especially in the AL East, where quality arms are needed on a nightly basis to combat some of those high-powered offenses, like the Rays and Yankees.  Luckily for the Red Sox they can likely lay claim to owning the best staff in the game, with Beckett, Lester, and Lackey headlining a deep rotation.  If they can stay healthy, that trio is going to give opposing managers fits, as each guy has the stuff to be an ace on any team.  Although the newly acquired Lackey is going to steal a lot of attention this spring, Beckett is still the ace of the staff, and the most dominant of the bunch when he is "on".  The southpaw, Jon Lester, will provide a different look in between Lackey and Beckett's starts, and the ability to take the ball into the 9th inning, which is a welcoming thought for the entire bullpen.  Rounding out the rotation will be some combination of Matsuzaka/Bucholz/Wakefield, depending on availability and matchups.  It will be interesting to see who is going to be the odd-man out, and, if any, or even all three of those guys could be making appearances out of the pen.  Speaking of the bullpen, I'm expecting a big year from Jon Papelbon, whose numbers were down considerably from previous seasons.  If Papelbon continues to decline, which isn't out of the question considering the short shelf-life of guys at his position, look for the sox to start giving Daniel Bard some opportunities to close-out games. 

For all of the optimism surrounding their pitching staff, there are a great deal of questions concerning the position players heading into the 2010 season.  The team's brass seemed to employ a change in philosophy this offseason, opting to bring in some players that will help shore of the defensive aspects of the game, while (hopefully) not conceding offensive production in the process.  With Beltre replacing Lowell, Scutarro taking over the revolving-door at short stop, and Mike Cameron roaming center field, the Sox will have the look of a new club come opening day.  Offensively, I think this team is going to be extremely well balanced, getting quality production throughout the order.  The only potential void is in the power department, where we used to enjoy the perks of an Ortiz/Ramirez tandem.  Those days are obviously over, but that doesn't mean that some of that slack can't be picked up by the likes of Youkilis, and Martinez.  And as long as Pedroia and JD Drew continue to produce this club should be able to score enough runs to support their pitching staff.

The good news for all you baseball fans is that we have 678 games for all of these questions to be answered, and scenarios to be played out.  Baseball has a looong season, which is one of my main concerns with the sport, but I digress.  There are a couple of things that I know for sure.  First, this team is going to make the playoffs.  Second, they will go into a major slump at some point during the early summer, at which point everyone will freak out and abandon ship, forgetting this happens EVERY year.  Finally, I'm certain that I will want to scream everytime I hear Sweet Caroline or Shippin up to Boston, ugh, I'm already dreading it.  Anyways, it's prediction time.  I'll go with 98 wins, which is good enough to win the division, and eventually the world series.    

In the latest installment of Why I love Rajon Rondo, this young man continues to make the game look easy, firing passes to his teammates and wreaking havoc on the defensive end.  On a night where the Celtics clinched their third straight division title, Rajon Rondo stole the show, leading the C's to another home win against the Sacramento Kings.  Despite scoring only 6 points, Rondo unquestionably dominated the game at both ends of the floor.  As the green team continues their solid play at home, their point guard is showing everyone why he was an all-star, and the key to any future sucess for his team.  Once again, Rondo showed just the right amount of flash in setting up his teammates for wide-open looks, bringing the home crowd to their feet on several occasions.  Rondo's 18 assists may have been the star of the show, but his three steals put him in the team-record book for most in a single season, while Pierce, Allen, and Garnett continue to climb the all-time scoring list.  It seems like members of this team are setting records on a nightly basis, which is both good and bad.  It's good because, well....it must mean they're good, right?  It's bad because it's a reminder of how old we are, with the average age on this team being somewhere between 70 and 75, or so it seems.  You'll notice that the other names on these lists, or the players that they're passing in the process, are almost all retired, and some have even died, which is a sobering reminder of this team's ever-closing window, and impending mortality.  On Sunday, the C's will continue their homestand against another team with some players that are currently eligible for senior discounts, the San Antonio Spurs.  If the C's were hoping to cruise through this upcoming contest, they had better think twice, as the Spurs are fresh-off a convincing win against the league's best Cavaliers.  There is some symmetry bewtween these clubs meeting on the parquet tomorrow evening.  Both clubs are littered with veterans, pass-first point guards, and the experience of winning a championship.  Both teams have been written off by many so-called pundits, but both teams will also provide a less-than desirable matchup come playoff time, with older team's typically stepping-up their game in the post-season.  Anyways, it's another good test for the C's who are undoubtedly trying to sweep this current homestand, and hopefully lock-up that coveted #2 seed in the conference.   

After countless home losses to playoff contenders, the Celtics finally fleeced a good team on their home floor, clinching a post-season berth in the process.  So, after weeks of pedestrian play from the green team, they finally appear set to make a legit run.  I know this is not the same team as two years ago, but I'm starting to see glimpses of that group in this year's edition.  Unfortunately, I don't think Kevin Garnett will ever return to 100%, but he seems to be adjusting to some of his physical limitations, and redefining his role with this unit at the same time.  Also, with the roster (almost) completely healthy, guys are able to find their niche out on the floor, especially the bench players, who are ultimately fighting for minutes on a nightly basis.  Last night, the offense seemed pretty balanced, with almost everyone contributing in some fashion, and the defense did a nice job slowing down one the associations high-powered offenses.  The Rajon Rondo Show was in full effect last night against the Nuggets.  Mr. Rondo finished the night with a triple-double (11 pts, 11 reb, 15 assists), using his full arsenal of tricks to dazzle the Garden crowd.  I'm not sure which of his statistics I like more, the 11 rebounds, despite being the smallest guy on the floor, or the 15 assists, which is refreshing in an era of shoot-first point guards.  I'm not going to turn this into a Rondo gush fest, but I find it hard to make a case for any other player being more important to this team.  It's pretty simple; Rondo makes this team go.  When he's on, they're next to unstoppable, when he's not, they're noticably average.  With the Nuggets out of the way, the Celtics will continue to face some of the Western Conference's most dangerous clubs in the Spurs, Thunder, and Kings.  If the Celtics can continue to play well at home, they will take the crucial steps towards re-establishing a dominant home court, which is something they'll need if they have any aspirations of playing into late May, or even June.

The Celtics squandered another first half lead Tuesday night, falling to the Jazz in Salt Lake City.  With the loss, the C's end their three game road swing, with a solid 2-1 mark, and head for the TD Garden for a much needed home-stand.  While some of the more reactionary fans will (again) be jumping off the bandwagon this morning, I really didn't have a problem with the loss.  That was close to a playoff atmosphere, and I thought the Celtics responded well in the first half, and simply looked gased in the second.  Utah was bound to make a run, and they did at the start of the third.  From that point, the Jazz were getting a lot more calls, and the momentum never swung back in the green team's favor.  Simply based on the eye test, the Celtics played hard in this game and look like their continuing to improve.  The upcoming six game home-stand gives this team a chance to establish a dominant home-court before the playoffs.  There are some inferior teams coming to town during this stretch, but the biggest test will likely come tomorrow, when Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and The Denver Nuggets come to town.

It may be premature, and too small of a sample, but after collecting two huge wins in Texas, the Celtics appear to be hitting their stride.  And, with just a few weeks until the playoffs, that could be bad news for the rest of the eastern conference.  I'm hoping that all of those uninspired performances over the past several weeks were merely an abberation, and that this group really was bored with the process, as many of them had claimed.  I'm also hoping that they won't forget all of the painful losses they were dealt by potential playoff opponents.  Although we're not underdogs, by any stretch, we do owe some teams an old fashioned ass whoopin', which should provide extra motivation throughout the playoffs.  Saturday night's win in Dallas was essential for this club, who had struggled to beat a legitimate contender for the better part of a month.  The Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the league, and beating them on the second night of a back-to-back is great for the C's confidence.  It's no secret that the defense has been the catalyst for their improved play of late.  The green team is communicating more, fighting through picks, and forcing their opponents into low-percentage shots.  It's no coincidence that that recent surge in defensive energy has led to a more efficient offense.  Guys are sharing the ball, making the extra-pass, and getting those crucial fastbreak points.  These recent trends, coupled with a healthy roster, should provide the Celtics with a good chance at snatching the #2 seed, and the right to avoid LeBron James and the Cavaliers until the conference finals. 

Patriots

There has been some chatter recently regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Tom Brady during the beginning of the team's offseason program.  Well, since we know he's clearly not in Foxboro, that would limit the possibilities to LA, NY, Paris, London, Milan, or Costa Rica.  As we know all too well, the name Tom Brady has become more synonymous with super model, not super bowl.  I love #12 as much as the next guy(and girl in this case), but I kind of miss the days when he was a mainstay at the team's training facility.  From what I remember, those were the years that ended in long playoff runs, and even super bowl titles.  During the early years, Tom made a concerted effort to avoid the spotlight and focus solely on football, but marrying the most lucrative model on the planet quickly ended any level of anonymity he managed to enjoy.  Now, our guy is in the tabloids carrying little muts in $10,000 dog carriers, while being a fixture on the fashion circuit.  Yikes, I can appreaciate the contrast between his two lifestyles, but he needs to draw the line at some point.  It's crazy to expect this guy to be a complete robot for his whole career, but it's hard to dismiss the correlation between the recent decline in the Patriot's success and the beginning of Brady's family life with Giselle.

I don't know how much longer I can take this.  I've never seen a team play so inconsistently from game to game, quarter to quarter, even possession to possession. The truth is, I was going to resist the urge to verbally abuse the Celtics after last night's loss, but after throwing up a 12-spot in the first quarter against Memphis, it's clearly warranted.  Yesterday, in Milwaukee, the Celtics lost a typical back-and-forth game, ultimately losing to the clock in the end.  The Bucks aren't a great team, but like the other 28 teams in the association, they really seem to relish the opportunity to kick our ass.  This unrivaled hatred for the Celtics started a couple of years ago, and has gotten progressively worse as time has passed.  Whether it's the collection of talent, or the fact that we bark, and talk more sh*t than any other team in the league, for whatever reason, we are not liked.  All of this disdain, for anything green and white, has led to the proverbial "target" being placed on the collective backs of the green-teamers.  Unfortunately, for a veteran team like the C's, they need to be ready for a battle every night, because every game serves as a barometer for the other team.  Now, this is where the Celtics have really struggled of late.  They are playing down to their opponents, and not taking teams seriously, which is leading to uncharacterstic losses, and an extremely puzzled fan-base.  This, coupled with a plethora of injuries, has led to a lot of disjointed play from the Celtics.  Of course, injuries aren't an excuse, but they can certainly hinder a team's ability to reach their potential, which is what we're seeing on a nightly basis, since that improable Christmas day win in Orlando.  Maybe the most troublesome trend we've seen during this timespan is Boston's inabilty to reclaim their homecourt advantage.  The Garden has been noticebably quiet over the last few weeks, with the occasional chorus of boos coming from the hometown faithful.  As the local teams know, Boston fan's will let you know when you're playing great, as well as when you're not.  The fact is, the fans in this town care.  If they didn't, they'd just sit on their hands, regardless of the product in front of them.  If the Celtics plan on making a serious run in the playoffs, they will need to work through some of their recent issues.  This current game, against Memphis, is a good microcosm for the entire season.  They simply show up, thinking that will be enough, only to realize that their opponent can (and will) beat them if they don't give a maximum effort.  Entering the second half of this game, the Celtics appear to be making a concerted effort to play good defense, and move the ball on offense, so anything is possible.  Still, if this team doesn't start wiping the floor with these inferior teams soon, we could be seeing a premature exit come playoff time. 

UPDATE:  Oh, we definitely lost that game last night, and, quite convincingly, If I might add.  The spurt of energy I saw in the third quarter was just that, a spurt, and nothing more.  Eventually, the Celtics went back to completely laying down for the Grizzlies, and suffered, arguably, their most dibilitating defeat of the season.  I simply can't defend this team anymore.  My gut tells me they're out of it, my brain tells me they're still not, but my heart has completely stopped working.  I really don't know what to think, so, I'm going to stop trying to make sense of all this.  When this team was first assembled, everyone wondered how long of a "window" they would have to win a championship.  I don't know if the window is completely closed, but it's gettin' pretty close.  But, no regrets here, as you always take the championship when you can, at any cost.  We mortgaged a great deal of our future to win that ring, and If it's one and done, it was all worth it.

March Madness

It's a beautiful March day in New England, which means two things...1) we're likely to get pounded by 10 inches of snow within the next week, and 2) the NCAA tournament is on the horizon.  This week, the conference tournaments are in full-swing, and the "bubble" teams are making a final push for one of those tournamanent bids.  I'm not willing to call this tourney the greatest in sports, but those first couple of days are tough to beat.  There's something beautiful about throwing 64 teams into a single tournament and letting them go at it.  You have perrenial powerhouses taking on small schools, some of whom have never qualified, and others who may never get there again. If that's not enough, this tournament is filled with kids who know they will never play another competive game in their lives.  That's not to mention the millions of office pools, illegal gambling, and unproductive hours at work throughout the tournament.  March Madness is everything that's right with organized athletics, and must-see TV for (most) sport's fans.

Bruins

Although they haven't been playing too bad, I thought the aftermath of Saturday's cheap-shot on Marc Savard was downright atrocious.  With they're best player laying motionless on the ice, after the most blatant blind-side elbow, the rest of the Bruins proceeded to skate around aimlessly, while the player that delievered the hit skated away unscathered.  If that wasn't bad enough, the team continued to play for another five minutes without any retaliation whatsoever.  I'm not sure if that falls on the coach or the players, but, either way, that was a clear sign that this team is dead.  There's no emotion, passion, or fire.  Time to start bookin' those tee-times boys, and preparing for the draft, because this team is cooked.  I really do pity Bruins fans, who are maybe the most loyal of any in this town.  That owner is an absolute crooke with no intention of ever repaying those fans who have unconditionally supprted his sh*tty product for decades.  Unfortunately, these fans love hockey too much, and many would never consider not showing up at the Garden for home games.  But, that's likely the only way this team will pay to keep their good players, and maybe make it out of the second round.  This owner is a businessman, and until they get rid of him, I foresee an other 30 years miring in mediocrity.

Patriots

Score one for the good guys.  After years of pro-bowl caliber performance, nose-tackle Vince Wilfork, finally got paid by the (politely speaking) cash-conscious Patriots.  It's a positive sign that they(the Patriots) are willing to poney-up for players that deserve to get paid, especially for good character guys like Wilfork.  Luckily, the Patriots weren't done there, eventually inking their leading sacker, Tully Banta-Cain, and Guard Stephen Neal to extensions.  It also appears that cornerback Leigh Bodden is going to be returning, which is good news considering the lack of free-agent corners on the current market.  It's clearly a good thing to re-sign some of our own guys, but somewhat disappointing we haven't brought in any new faces to a team that couldn't measure-up with the league's elite teams just a year ago.  It's difficult to ignore what's going on 200 miles down Interstate 95, where the Jets continue to bolster their roster and take aim at the AFC East Champion Patriots.  Nearly half of the Jets defensive starters have been All-Pros in their respective careers, not pro-bowlers, All-pros.  That's a scary proposition for opposing offenses who will have to deal with relentless pressure, and a the best corner-tandem in football, in Revis and Cromartie.   

Last night, Team Canada finished their quest for Olympic gold, and in doing so, regained the throne as the undisputed kings of the ice.  Congrats to all those Candians, you can now go back to being one of the world's largest and most insignificant nations, which is something you've mastered even more than your beloved game of hockey.  Never has a country completely mocked itself more than during last night's closing ceremony, highlighted by dancing mounties, and giant blow-up beavers.  Um, really guys?  I must admit, I didn't see the game, but I managed to find updates throughout the contest, including Sidney Crosby's game winner in the extra-frame.  Sounds like it was a classic, but obviously a difficult defeat for the U.S.  Although it is laughable to feel too bad for a bunch of professionals, who still have a chance a hockey's greatest prize, the Stanley Cup.  It is still the greatest prize in the sport, right?  At least that's what I've been told repeatedly over the last 15 years by hockey fans.  But, over the last couple of weeks, these same people were claiming that Olympic gold is the pinnacle of the sport.  Can you make up your minds, please?  Oh, and for all those screwballs that think that the Olympics has sucessfully catapulted hockey into the average sport's fans radar, keep on dreaming.  If you think that people below the state of Pennsylvania were even mildly interested in that game yesterday, you're crazy.  Our perception is slightly skewed in these parts, where hockey is popular, and people were unquestionably tuned in yesterday.  But the same can't be said for the likes of Tallahassee, San Diego, Phoenix, and Dallas, where this sport will never completely catch-on.  Here's a suggestion to the NHL, get rid of half of these teams, in cities where people don't care.  In doing so, you will raise the level of talent, and ultimately put-forth a better product. The fact is, the game is extremely watered down, and has been for quite some time.  Too many teams, and not enough talent to create a strong product have killed this sport since about '94.  Also, it's difficult to market hockey players, with masks covering their faces, and names like Alexander Ovechkin, or Zdeno Chara not exactly rolling off the tongue, like Tiger, Tom Brady or Derek Jeter.  But the NHL still needs to find a way for these names and faces to enter our collective sports vocabularies. 

Bruins

With the Olympic games officially coming to a close, the Boston Bruins will now enter their most crucial strectch of the year, hopefully taking aim at one of those elusive playoff spots.  As you may, or may not remember, the B's had a difficult time throughout January, and parts of February, eventually free-falling through the eastern conference standings.  But, just prior to their three-week Olympic hiatus, they seemed to find their game, and mustered a few points to climb back into the playoff picture.  Now, the B's will need to continue to improve their play, and possibly alter their roster via the NHL's trading deadline.  Although this year's biggest fish, Ilya Kovalchuk, has alrady been shipped elsewhere, there are still some potential additions that could solidy their defense, or add some firepower up front.  However, I feel as though GM Peter Chiarelli feels this team, as currently constituted, is capable of returning to a similar level that helped them reach the conference semi-finals just a year ago.  There is also the lure of a talented pool of players entering this year's draft, and with the Bruins expected to have a lottery pick, Chiarelli may be opposed to mortgaging the future by making a trade at the deadline.  We'll see, either way, I'm very curious to see how this team finshes off their current campaign.

Basketball

Is is possible to write a post without some form of commentary on the Celtics?  Let's find out.   With gang-green continuing to look like the epitome of "paper champions", I went to quench my thirst for some hoops by attentding the Andover/Central tournament game.  First off, what an unbelievable atmosphere, there's something about the energy and raw emotion of one these contests, it's extremely refreshing when you consider all of the money and ego's that have flooded professional sports.  I went with a couple of friends, former Andover grads, and we somehow found ourselves in enemy territory, right in the middle of the Central student section.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for that matter, there wasn't a whole lot for us to cheer about, as Central pretty much controlled this game from the tip.  I believe their first four shots were successful 3-pointers, which consequently broke the will of the visiting Golden Warriors.  Central has donimated that conference for quite some time, which leads me to beleive that maybe they should find a different conference.  It's somewhat difficult for towns, such as Andover, to compete with a school that basically has the ability to recruit players.  Among those players, was the 7' Carson DesRosiers, a heaveily recruited big-man, with a nice-touch around the basket.  Carson is headed to Wake Forest University in the fall on scholarship.  Not too sure, but I'd be highly suprised if anyone on the Andover squad is even invited to try out for a division II school, nevermind an ACC powerhouse like Wake Forest.  This kid was swatting away shots from every angle, which isn't too difficult considering he was close to 6-8 inches taller than anyone Andover could throw at him.  Carson is clearly enjoying his time playing inferior talent, but something tells me he's in for a rude awakening when he gets down south, and the playing field is whole-lot more even.  This kid will need to add a little more to his frame, but skill-wise he has a lot going for him, with the ability to post-up and take it behind the 3-point arc.  I'm not a scout, but I was a little concerned about his unwillingness to demand the ball.  I'm all for "team" guys, but if you have a legit 7-footer, and no one that can guard him, he should be gettin the ball, in the block on every possession.  Either that coach is an idiot, which is doubtful, or the player just isn't agressive.  Again, he's got a nice game, and believe me it was on display, but if he doesn't develop the mindset of a true-center, he's going to end up the token "white-stiff" for those Demon Deacons at Wake Forest.