Summer Softball

(Pop-ups to the pitcher were common)



(Fastest kid on the team)




As the warm weather approaches and the days grow longer, it's natural to spend more time outside. For those who are restless and competitive, but don't want to try too hard, this means only one thing: summer softball season is officially underway.

Men and women of all ages gather together under the slow-setting July sun to pay homage to America's lazy passtime. After nearly a year of time off, or for some who play fall ball, the time is ripe to get the bats swinging all over again. Comprised of five to six teams, each divison is selected by the league, eighteen games are scheduled and the rivalries begin to take shape. For most teams, eleven players is the prefered capacity, but for those hungry to play, it sometimes takes more.

"It wasn't really my choice or desire to have so many people playing on the team, but it's hard to say no to friends," said Shane Small, right fielder for the Redwolves, "no matter how bad they are."
(Catcher Will Marshall displaying his immaculate catching ability)


With so many people playing on one team, there is difficulty getting every player playing time, or even at-bats for that matter. For a first year team, this decision was made in haste.

"We've actually been playing together for a while now, and we have a solid roster. We've figured out who is good in what position, and it feels more like a team than something just thrown together," said Scott Harris, a five year veteran of Fat Guy Softball.

The main difficulty is getting the attention of the league commissioner and gaining their acceptance for the admittance of a new team. This requires constant correspondence, whether by phone or email. Once accepted into the league, their is the rigorous task of paying dues, gathering a roster and finding a sponsor.

"My uncle agreed to sponsor the team with his business. It was crucial to the development of our team in terms of expenses, seeing as how his contribution paid for our jerseys," said Kyle Gamst, left-center fielder for the Redwolves.

(McCarthy lining one to center)

Not every team is necessarily required to have a sponsor, as some teams choose to make their own jerseys, or choose to represent themselves on their own. In the case of those who decide to go all out and have professional-looking apparel, a sponsor is key.

"I agreed to sponsor my nephews team, which amounted to around $500 to cover hats and jerseys. Needless to say, they picked out the most expensive ones," said Howey Face, uncle and official team sponsor of the Redwolves.

There is no easy way of going about selecting positions once the roster is filled, and it is basically left up to ability. For some, it comes easier than others and the choice is obvious. But with such an extensive roster, positions need to be shared, and at the very least filled when necessary.

"Our downfall was definately our roster size. Sometimes people were just no good at a position, or people wouldn't show up. In a way, it did help solidify something of a roster, but at the same time it's almost as though some were forced into positions that couldn't be filled," said Scott Craven, alternating first basemen for the Redwolves. "At the same time, most of us already had ideas of where we would play, so in the long run, it wasn't that much of an issue."

Once the season begins, it is up to the team to come together as a cohesive unit. For a group made up of mostly new comers, this is a difficult task. It is hard to pick up a game right away where most of the players left off almost six years ago.
(Gargano putting his batting cage experiences to good use)


"I'm finding it hard to just get back into the swing of things, you know? I haven't played baseball since Babe Ruth league, and what's worse is having to deal with a new style of pitching," said Chris Gargano, shortstop for the Redwolves. "I can still play, don't get me wrong, but it's been a long time, and I've never tried to hit a softball before this year, so it's a challenge."

When it's all said and done, it's about the joy of the game. There is competition, and even playoff chances at stake, but in the end it's about going out onto the field two or three times a week and playing the game we all love. It's easy to get frusterated, but it's all in good fun, and when you're playing with all of your friends, emotions are typically positive.

"Yeah, I get mad sometimes, when people mess up, especially when they're stupid mistakes. Then again, nobodies perfect, and even when we lose it's usually been a good game, and we can go out and have a drink and laugh about it later," said Jeff Horn, centerfielder for the Redwolves.

Out With the Old

It was a year for the young stars to finally light up.

From Wade to Paul, Rajon Rondo has been able to play with, and to the caliber of some of the best point guards in the leage, in one years time honing his skills and techniques to ball with the best of them.

At the conclusion of the Playoffs this year, he nearly averaged a tripple- double with 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists. He has played professionally for only 2 years, and was hardly noticed around the leage. After this year, his name will be brought up in all cirlces of talk, amoungst some of the most versatile guards in the league. He truley shined when on the floor with Garnett, adding to his arsenal what was almost the nightly alley-oop, behind the back scoop and shoot, dazling passes and overall professionalism.

Another big contributer, probably the most important and surprizing of all, was Glen Davis. I never expected him to play half as good as he did, playing in the wake of the loss of 3 starters ahead of him, taking what he had dealt and playing his role. If ever there was someone more deserving of praise, it is Davis. He jumpred from a 7-point average during the regular season to a 15.8 Playoff average, not to mention his rebounding average went up as well. You can say it's all the playing time due to lack of anybody else, but I call it significant progress. For all the jokes that can be made about him crying after Garnett yelled at him (and who honestly wouldn't have?) and his personality off court, he truley stepped up to his calling this year, and we're going to have to come up with a better name for him than "Big Baby."

Season Ends Too Early

There is little that needs to be said.

With a sputter and a fart, the Celtics managed to flame out in Game 7, at home no less, losing 101-82 to the Magic for their last game this season. There are few things worse than losing such a crucial game, by such a large deficit.

It's not hard to see how the Celtics could have choked so badly: they lost KG and Powe for the entire Playoffs, their bench was lacking in suitable talent and chemistry, and, let's face it, nobody thought they would beat Cleveland anyway.

In the 4th quarter the C's were outscored 35 to 21, and that says it all right there. After such a long, strenuous series with Chicago, after playing every other night for nearly 2 months, there was only so much left in the tank. There was nothing more they could do, and all we can do is look back on this year as an excellent achievement in what can be accomplished when your key player is out for nearly the entire season, and when your bench falls apart to next to nothing.

For what it's worth, the Celtics showed that their team is still ripe with talent and ability, but also when you cut the legs out from under something, it fails to stand. This season and post-season can be viewed as a portrait for what could have been. They fell short, but it's obvious why they did. They were tired and overworked, and fought as hard as they could, but it never should have gotten to this point. It never should have come down to a blowout at home.

But, Kevin Garnett will be back next year, so will Ray and Paul, and the bench will remained intact for the most part, not to say the new pick-ups well aquire. It won't be another 20 years before a banner is yet again raised.

Final Straw

Load up on coffee, drink a Red Bull and take an aderal; the rest of the week is occupied by the one thing students spend all year forgetting about.

For some it breezes by with little to no stress, for others hours are spent cramming and studying, staying up all night to try and prepare for finals week. It is around this time of year the panicing begins, and conversations are haulted by "I have to study, I'll call you later," days move into nights seemlessly. The easiest way to prepare is to balance your workload, and to make sure there is enough time to do a thorough, disciplined job.

"When it comes down to this time of year, I drink a lot of Red Bull, usually stay up most of the night. It's really a matter of giving yourself enough time that you're not cramming things all together at the last minute," said Pete Sheehy of UMass Lowell. "I'll study for a long time, but on the night's before I make sure to get a good nights sleep."

This seems crucial when preparing for an exam. A student can only handle so much when challanged with a final exam on 2 or 3 hours of sleep. Unlike during the school year, it is hard to fake one's way through a final.

"I need sleep. If I don't sleep I'm finished for a test," said Gregg Harris of Northshore Community College. "I'll be dragging if I don't get at least 4 or 5 hours; I make sure I cram during the day and let it all settle overnight," Harris said.

One thing that haunts students is the pre-exam brain-freeze. It happens right as the test is handed out; all night was filled with studying, even a little before the exam, and right as it is placed on the desk, the brain panics and shuts down, leaving the student crippled of all knowledge previous attained.

"Don't even get me started, that's happened a few times and it's the worst, it always happens when I study for a while, too," said Doug Wilder of Bentley. "I have sat there too many times and said to myself, 'Shit, I forget everything,' when I'll have studied all night and looked things over before class, it's rediculous. Usually I'll just sit and think a minute, though, and it'll all come back," Wilder said.

Sometimes it's not even a question of how long students study, and the lengths they go to prepare. In most cases, it is just out of their hands in the case of the start time of their finals. The alarm rings at 7 am, giving you enough time to shower and get ready before a final at 8 am, on a Saturday no less. The scheduling for finals seems to be the most irritating and nerve-racking factor in taking the actual test.

"No matter how long I study and no matter how long I sleep, I'm never going be used to having to wake up so damn early. I seriously doubt all these professors have things to do during the day, and for whoever is setting these times, I just don't get it," said Grant Wilson of the University of New Hampshire. "I'm sure it's inconveniencing the professors too, it just doesn't make sense. I can't wake up that early for anything, let alone to take a 2 hour test," he said.

Rondo quiets down, Celts in upset

The Celtics young point guard has been one of the best stories on the NBA you may never hear of. Rajon Rondo is quickly making a name for himself among some of the elite point guards in the league, and, like Glen Davis, is carrying himself strongly though the playoffs.

Throughout the '08-'09 season, Rondo has racked up an average of 11.9 points per game in 33 minutes, not to mention 5 rebounds and 8 assists. His numbers are glacial, but put into the context of a diminished Celtics team, they are more important and crucial than they appear.

Rondo has had a number of double-doubles, in either point and rebounds or points and assists, during the regular season, and a few in the post-season. In game 4 he scored 21 points with 14 rebounds, and still the C's barely scraped by with Davis' game winning jump shot.

In Game 5, Rondo seemed to run out of gas, and went flat only scoring 6 points in 29 minutes, and going 3-12 from the field. In any other game, this would have spelled disaster for the Celtics, but fortunately the Magic managed to choke, blowing an 11 point lead, allowing the Celtics to come within 6 at the start of the 4th. Rondo, who's only baskets came in the 1st and early 3rd quarter, remained invisible for the remainder of the game.

To be discouraged by his flop in Game 5 would due a great injustice to his accomplishments throughout the entire season and post-season. Game 6 is set for Thursday in Orlando, where the Magic will be looking to take the game at home and send it to seven. Rondo will undoubtably be looking to make a big comeback, and the C's will be looking to close the series out, so rest assured Game 6 will be a great one.

Big Baby continues to step up in the playoffs

With the clock running down, the threat of being down 3-1 in the series hanging in the balance, who would you give the last shot to?

For those of you who said "Pierce, Allen, House" and maybe even "Rondo", think again. Remember also, folks, I said last SHOT.

There is 11 seconds left on the clock, the ball goes in to Pierce, who well all expect to shoot. Per usual, he stands facing the dead center of the hoop. He holds, as the rest of the team stands around. With time running out, he makes a move, cuts into the lane and is denied the easy shot. With about 2 seconds on the clock, he passes the ball up to Glen Davis, who drains a 18 ft shot as time expires. Basket counts, Celtics win.

On top of his game winning basket, in 33 minutes he scored 21 points and 6 rebounds. This young man from LSU is displaying the maturity of a great future player, and a developing talent, honing his skills on the grandest stage of them all. He is averaging 15 points a game in this round, on top of 18 in the first round. His shooting percentage is a solid 0.569, and he has played an average of 32 minutes these conference semi-finals.

On top of his production, his intensity is growing and emerging through his playing. For the last few minutes of the game he was all business; going 5 for 6, sinking a free throw, despite 2 turn overs and a missed free throw.

His emotions took over after the shot, in a hilarious scene where he barreled over a young Magics fan standing on the court. Davis paid it no mind. He was met by a flooding Celtic bench, and the series dead-locked at 2-2.

First Round Series

Well, the first round is over and, after a grueling 7 games, the Celtics move on to face the Orlando Magic. But any other series will pale in comparison after Chicago.

Out of the 7 games, only Game 3 and Game 7 didn't go into overtime, with the Game 3 blowout and a solid Game 7 closeout. There was a total of 7 individual overtimes throughout the series, several games going into multiple overtimes. Heart-stopping doesn't begin to explain it.

Rondo led the charge throughout the series, playing impeccable basketball all around and proving his abilities as one of the NBAs top young point guards. Glen Davis has taken over the starting spot in the absence of Garnett and Powe, and has held his own respectively.

We saw no Gabe Pruitt, no Bill Walker, no Giddens, but let's not kid ourselves. The bench was atrocious, often causing the C's to fall to sizable deficits. Tony Allen saw some playing time, but really disappointed and upset fans with his lousy ball-work and inability to score.

The series was by no way easy, but was very entertaining, needless to say. Unfortunately, with the lack of successful bench-play, the starters are worn down, tired, and it showed towards the end of the series.

With only a few days between Game 7 and Game 1 vs Orlando, it is going to be interesting to see how successful, and how rested, the Celtics will be.

C's Avoid Nets, Cleveland on Friday

Despite what my last post said, inre: the Nets being pushovers, tonights game proved other wise. Vince Carter as well as Devin Harris were relentless in their offense, and the Nets just would not go away.

The remaining big 2 were rather quiet, Pierce with 10 and Allen with 12. The big story was Rajon Rondo.

Rondo continued to impress, exposing all the other NBA point guards as either lazy or totally naive to his abilities. His constant slashing to the basket, ability to find the open man, and his scoring overall has become a full arsenal of all that makes a solid point guard of championship caliber.

He played 32 minutes, putting up 31 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Marbury has also started to come into his role on the team, and while he won't be seeing as much playing time as Rondo, he is a wonderful compliment to the work that young Rajon is doing.

Glen Davis, still starting in KG's absense played just under 32 minutes with only 8 points and 3 rebounds. Not one of his best games, but he is getting quality minutes that he will undoubtably benefit from come the playoffs. He will certainly need to step up his game Friday when Miami comes to town, but I have full confidence he is evolving into a great big time ball player.

It was a nail-biter, and the Nets managed to come within 2 with 20 seconds left. After a missed shot by Carter the Nets maintained possession giving the ball up to Harris who missed a long two. Allen pulled down the loose ball as time wound down.

Celtics win 106-104

Celtics host Nets, 2nd seed hangs in the balance

New Jersey heads into Boston tonight, for the first of [the Celtics] last five games before the playoffs kick off. With the Celts vying for the second seed, they are at the helm of a 4-game win streak and looking to make it five. New Jersey is nowhere to be seen in the playoff race, and should, hopefully, be a cakewalk, and if nothing else some good practice for a lot of the young guys.

The C's, in their closing games, will face off against Miami in Boston, then the Cavs in Cleveland, 76ers in Philadelphia, then back home to close the regular season against the Wizards. Each game should be tantamount to playoff caliber, as 3 out of the five are all a 6th seed or higher (Phillie, Cleveland and Miami).

Second place now hangs in the balance, with the Magic nipping at our heels (The Celts are 4 games back, Magic 5) and with Dwight Howard playing at full bore, tonight's game means a lot more than it usually would.

The Nets haven't been a contender all season, with a record of 32-45 they clocked in at the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference. It's no surprise the Nets are so far behind, with nobody to carry the team accept for Vince Carter, but they should not be taken lightly. With nothing to lose, they could easily try to spoil our attempt to clench second place.

Tonight the Magic host Memphis, 12 behind in the Western Conference with a record of 22-55. In the remaining games the Magic will see New York, New Jersey, Milwaukee, and finally Charlotte. Their schedule is easier than ours by leaps and bounds, but what the hell? Complaining will get us nowhere.

All we can hope for now, in the wake of Garnett sitting for the remainder of the season, is that the team can come together as a whole, a tough it out for 2 more weeks. The 2nd seed is something we should put on the back burner, while it is important, we have little to no chance at first and that's all that really matters. The Celtics shouldn't play for second, they should simply play to win. The important thing is to finish out strong before gearing up for the playoffs.

Bobcats go down with a fight

If you missed this game, you may have very well missed the most exciting game of the season. Most people, including myself, may have looked on the Bobcats as just some no-name expansion team with nothing to prove, but tonight was another story.

The Bobcats came off a 10 point win against the Lakers last night, and certainly gave the Celt's a run for their money tonight. In a game that ended in a double overtime, it was nothing less than invigorating.

I guess I don't know where to begin, other than saying I can't really focus on how well the young guys did. The game itself was just too much to deal with or worry about stats and role-playing.

Boston played more or less like garbage in the first half, with 10+ turnovers, as well as what appeared to be a complete lack of chemistry, dispite going into the second half with the lead.

They proceeded to open up the third by taking a nine point lead, but it was quickly washed away when Charolette went on a 21-3 run. Yes, we played that bad. Boston just couldn't seem to get anything going, turning the ball over like crazy, missing shots and playing, overall, sloppy basketball.

The fourth quarter was no better, but they managed to shape up enough to come back to tie it and send it into overtime. Remember, we're playing Charolette, an expansion team that has been in existance for 3, 4 maybe 5 years? I'm too lazy to look it up right now. But I'll be damned if the Bobcats don't mean business.

The game was all Paul Pierce and Ray Allen; Pierce with 32 points and Allen with 22. However none of Allen's points counted more than in the overtimes. He once again displayed his prolific skill and clutch mentality, hitting, what would be the game winning 3 pointer, leaving 2 seconds and change left on the clock.

I guess I'm too happy to get into any detail; Rondo as always played great, Davis did all right as well. But the point that matters here is the win, so maybe if the next game doesn't cause me to have a heart attack, I'll have more information.

Celt's win in double OT 111-109.

Glen Davis not such a baby anymore

No Garnett, No Powe, No problem.

The biggest surprise this season, aside from the Marbury pickup, has been the ability of Glen Davis to not only play better than last season, but completely step up his game to a higher and better level, stepping in to relieve the Celt's with two big men down. On second thought, Scalabrine is still out too.

Davis' progression is evident through his durability, toughness, maturity and his 18-ft jump shot, which looks prettier every time. For a big man-and big as in bulky- his shot has improved so much that I am confident on any given night he'll hit it 95% of the time, and he doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

In Sunday's game Davis got his, as Celt's spokesman Jeff Twiss put it, "first, unofficial triple-double in [his] career: 19 points, 10 rebounds - and 10 stitches. For the game summary see http://www.nba.com/games/20090329/OKCBOS/recap.html

In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant came down on Davis' head with an elbow, unintentionally, while scrambling for a rebound. Davis, as stated above, received 10 stitches, but not before gushing blood. He would return at the end of the quarter, donning a giant bandage on his head.

Upon his return, he scored 8 of the Celtics 10 points on one run, on a second, 13 of 18, and at one point scored 11 consecutive points, breaking the game open similarly to his head.

This was Davis' breakthrough game; he was playing extraordinarily hard and well all season, but Sunday's game was a real testament to how much not only he has matured as a player but as a person, and he is ready and willing to take on all the baggage that comes with being the Celtics last real hope for a power forward who can make a significant different.

Powe out with injury

Well, it's been a while since there's been an update, due to serious procrastination and PCP abuse, but I should be reliable from here on out. Leon Powe has since gone down with a knee injury, which happened a while ago I know...I think about a week and a half ago, and he was reported to return within two weeks of that time. Whether or not 1) I am right and 2) he will be back within a few games, is a huge upset regardless, as the C's have seriously missed his offensive prowess, defensive skills and all around tenacity on the court. So far this season, Powe has put up 7.5 points per game, and 4.8 rebounds per game, but what the stats won't show you is how hard he performs every game. His ability to always find blue sky under the basket and take charges are unmatched by nearly anybody else on the team. With luck, and with the recent sidelining of KG due to recurring injury, Powe will be back to hold down the boards for the Celt's, and hopefully be considered for the 6th man award, because as of right now, if he doesn't earn it for the league he certainly has for Boston.

Celts Freeze Up Against Heat

Well folks, it was an exciting game, and if you don't like basketball, after this game you should seriously reconsider or go screw. The Heat opened up the third quarter with an 11-0 run after just 2 minutes, and from then on, the Celts basically got bent over as Miami outscored them 32-18 in the third. Although the Cs managed to get railed in the third, Leon Powe was a constant success under the basket, finding blue sky on almost every play, pulling down three more rebounds (13) and scoring a season high 23 points. Overall, he outplayed everybody on the floor with 42+ minutes of playing time. With under 3 minutes to go, Powe sank 2 free throws to keep the Cs in it, but as much as he tried, it was all for not.

The fourth quarter is where it all seemed to be turning around. The Celtics managed to go on a 16-2 run with back to back 3's from Pierce and House, coming back to within one two times. But it was Dwyane Wade, MVP candidate, who really stuck it to the Cs, converting a 3 point play late in the game, as well as hitting a rather religious bank shot off the glass, and sealing the game with 3 pointer. Pierce was fouled shooting a three with 56 seconds left, but missed two, and you can guess where it went from there.

Miami wins 107-99. As good as the Celtics are, it is obvious all these injuries are truley taking their toll, and as much confidence as I have in Powe, we can not possibly expect him to play 40 minutes until someone can come back. What is the solution? Celts-Grizzlies Friday at 7:30, see you then.

At The Half

The Miami Heat host the Celtics tonight, and it has been an interesting game so far to say the least. First it was Garnett down, then Scalabrine, then Glenn Davis. Where does it end? Well, we can have faith that Leon Powe is more than ready to step up to the challenge. Playing over twenty minutes, he lasted until 2:22 to go in the second, all the while getting a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, 8 of them in the first quarter. He has been crucial in the low post, picking up a pair of And-1's, but with all the tenacity to get low in the post, he has also been stuffed by Jermaine O'Neal two or three times. Second only to Ray Allen's 24 points, Powe is putting on display just how much tallent this young player possesses. It is certainly going to be along game for Leon, with only 10 available players in the game, and only Perkins and Mikki Moore for relief, and Moore picked up 4 fouls in 8 minutes.

Bill Walker has also made a good contribution with 5 points in 7 minutes, as well a key shot with 40 seconds to go in the first to keep the Celtics from going cold and going down by 3. In the middle of the second Miami heated up going on a 13-5 run, which really exposed the Celtics in terms of their need for more bench relief.

As for the rest of the team, Pierce and Perkins have 6 each, Eddie House is cold with 1 point that came off a technical foul, and Stephon Maurbury has 0 points. Great pick up, eh? I guess it's nice he's not causing any trouble, but for Christ's sakes do something.

Celts up 55-50 see you at the end of the game.

Down and Out with the Goin' South Blues

The engine is overheating, the cab of the pickup truck fits two uncomfortably, and there are three of us. We have only made it half way across Alligator Alley and the blistering Florida sun is bearing down relentlessly. On top of this, we have no place to stay for the next three nights. Road tripping has become my number one choice for any vacation.

Breaks are always the highlight of any students’ academic career. It provides time to lay low for a while, take a breather from the maddening requirements of college, and overall enjoy themselves. Over winter break, myself and a friend and fellow student of UML went to Florida to visit our comrade who was working with Habitat for Humanity on the outskirts of Orlando. With time drawing near, and tickets already purchased, we came to find he was asked to leave immediately for reasons that need not be mentioned here.

After landing in Tampa on a reroute, Pete and I were greeted by Dylan, who’s entire life and worldly possessions were packed into the back of his recently purchased pick-up, which was a manual, and proved rather uncomfortable for whoever had to squeeze in the middle seat, if it could even be called a seat.

We spent the day driving, to beaches, through the city, killing time. Our plan was to drive to Fort Lauderdale, that night, but a friend of ours had moved to Tampa for school and we stayed the first night with her.

The next day we drove for nearly 15 hours, down the western coastline, across the tip, and over to Ft. Lauderdale. While crossing the bottom of Florida, through what is known as Alligator Alley, the pick-up decided to overheat, in the middle of The Everglades.

Fortunately, we were close enough to a rest stop that we managed to wheel the smoking junk box to a safe spot to cool. Now there is nothing to do but wait.

After about a half hour or so of pouring water on the engine and smoking cigarettes, we managed to bring it back down to a reasonable temperature, and hit the road again to close out the final half of the hellish, sun-burnt road.

This was only the first of our car troubles. For the duration of the trip, we struggled to deal with the stick shift in such close quarters, constantly stalling out, at times in the middle of a 2-lane main road, which, in Florida, are the only roads around.

By the end of our little getaway, it was decided that Pete would fly back, and I would ride back with Dylan, from Ft. Lauderdale all the way back to Massachusetts. Before leaving, the car needed an inspection, which took 3 hours, for seemingly minute problems. In the end, we didn’t leave the Sunshine State until sometime past 10: pm.

Driving up the entire East Coast of America was daunting, but a good experience. It was enjoyable to see all the different states, even if we were just passing through them. The south is indeed very different from the north. Nowhere in the north can you find a gas station selling beer and fireworks, named Po Boys, no less.

I would like to and plan to go on another road trip over the summer or in a year, and found that the overall experience was exciting and unpredictable, as well as a good change of scenery. Any students looking for something new to do, a road trip is something to consider, but plan ahead, and make sure you have a car with plenty of breathing room.

Pistons churn out a win at the Garden

Well, Sunday chalked up a loss for the C's 105-95 with nothing really standing out for Boston. They were outscored in the second and final half leading inevitably to another home loss. Pierce did however put up 26, Ray Allen put up 10 and Rondo 8 with 6 assists and boards. The only real gem in this game was Glenn Davis, who, starting in place of an injured Garnett and Scalabrine, contributed with 18 points in 35 minutes. He managed to pull down 6 rebounds, 3 assists and even a steal, proving he has the ability to pull the load of one of the teams most valuable players. Leon Powe had a decent game, putting up 11 points, and 5 boards in 16 minutes. The bigger story here, other than the Garnett injury, is the recent aquisition of Stephon Marbury, who, in Sundays game, went 0 for 3 with no points and 3 assists in 16 minutes. It was a tough loss, and exposed the Celtics' vulnerability with the lack of the Big 3 in full force, but the young guys continue to step up and play hard. What is to be said about Marbury is unknown at this point, and we can only hope he gets back into his rythm to provide the necessary spark off the bench Boston has been searching for.

Rondo shines: Celts win big in Phoenix, Denver

Although I was unable to watch the game on Sunday, and it has been a few days since, the Celtics bull-whipped the Suns, beating them 128-108, with Rajon Rondo dropping a career-high 32 points in just under 40 minutes of playing time. Along side Ray Allens 31, and Pierces 26, the Celtics cruised past Shaq and Steve Nash, who was constantly outplayed and dogged by Rondo's increasing quickness and ability to step up and in certain situations outshine some of the biggest names in the NBA. Aside from his 32 points, Rondo was 13 of 18 from the field with 1 3 pointer, and went 5 for 9 from the line. He also pulled in 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Glen Davis was the second most noticeable youngster with 10 points and 3 rebounds off the bench. 

Also, on Monday the C's squared up against Denver, winning 114-76. Rondo put up 14, with 8 assists and rebounds in a little over 30 minutes. Leon Powe put up 16 points of his own, pulling down 5 rebounds. Glen Davis had 8 points and 5 rebounds, and the rest of the freshmen/sophomores all got on the board with Gabe Pruitt getting 5, and JR Giddens and Bill Walker putting down 4 points each. In all, yet another solid win by the team and a quality contribution from the young bench.

Boston Calling

Johnny Most can rest well knowing he has these guys to carry the torch.

For more than twenty years, the team of Tommy Heinsohn and Mike Gorman have headed up every Celtics game, and recently, with the addition of Donny Marshall at road games, created a tight-knit and well-rounded broadcast team. While it is clear Tommy is a homer, his colorful observations go hand in hand with Gorman’s professionalism, and Marshall brings to the table the abilities and ingenuity of a rising talent in the broadcasting community.

Heinsohn is an ex-Celtic player and coach. He is currently broadcasting alongside Gorman at all home games. As a player he won eight rings with the Celtics in nine years. He won his first in 1956, his rookie year, and 1959 through 1966 consecutively. During the '72-'73 season, he coached the C's to a 68-14 recorc, with a winning percentage of .829, the third highest ever. Heinsohn is also the only person to have been involved in some way with all 17 championships.

"I…Love…Tommy!” said Kyle McCarthy, of Reading. “The man is a legend in this town. With Gorman beside him making all the technical calls, it leaves plenty of room for Tommy to shine with not only his wit and humor, but also his incredible knowledge of the game of basketball,” he said.
Sadly, Heinsohn’s diminishing health allows him only to call home games, with Donny Marshall taking over on the road along side Mike Gorman. “The road games are always a good chance to see what Donny’s made of. I like him if nothing more than for the fact that he knows what he’s talking about, and has improved dramatically over the past few years,” said Will Marshall, a student at UML. “For his first couple of years, Gorman was always correcting him and pointing out mistakes he was making. You could tell he wished Tommy would come back,” he said with a laugh. “I really think he has improved, though, and I’ve come to enjoy him almost as much as The Big Two,” Marshall said.

“As funny as Tommy is, I have to give it up totally to Mike. His professionalism is uncanny; his play-by-play is poetry in motion. And when there is a buzzer-beater that needs proper recognition, who better than Gorman?” said Matt Spignese, also of Reading.

Mike Gorman has been calling Celtics games since the ‘80s, and since then won 5 Emmy Awards, as well as being inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

The two coincide well with not only the fans but the team as well. Heinsohn is always imparting his knowledge of the game on younger players, keeping updates on them and tracking their progress. Gorman’s pre-game interviews with coach Doc Rivers are just a testimant to his deep involvement within the organization.

“I don’t really listen to the radio as much as I watch the games on TV. I mean, I don’t really listen to sports on the radio anyways, but when I catch the Celtcs game, it’s always pretty funny to listen to Cedric Maxwell. The man is a riot,” said Matt Kenny of Reading. “I never have any idea what that guys talking about, but I like him. Sean Grande is like Gorman, straight basketball. But Maxwell, he’s on a plain of his own. What the hell is ‘Quack quack quack all about? He’s great,” he said.

Considering the age and wisdome of Heinsohn and Gorman, time is becoming a factor. With their careers inevitably drawing to a close, the necessity for a similar, cohesive unit is imperative. Marshall already displays his ability to carry himself, and is only going to improve. For now, we can only enjoy the time we have left with, what can be considered the Big Two.

Solid win. I was pleased to see the amount of playing time the young guys got, especially Gabe Pruitt, who contributed with a few points and a steal. Same with Bill Walker. It's good to see Doc giving the boys a chance, if nothing else than to let them know we have confidence in them. As usual, the key contributions came from Rajon Rondo, who, in the forth quarter, provided the C's with the kick-start they needed to get rolling again with a few slashes to the basket and a key assist. Leon Powe continues to impress, putting down topping an 11 point game with an emphatic dunk early into the 4th, as well as 5 rebounds. It's important that when a player as big as Ray Allen is hung up in the locker room for half the game the bench can step up enough to relieve the Big Three, scoring 20+ points in the second half. Keep up the good work.

First Attempt At a Blog

For my first shot at online posting, I have set up a blog discussing the progress and future of the Boston Celtics younger(est) players. From game to game updates and stats, to seasonal as well as playoff statistics, I am looking to get feedback on the team that I hold above the rest of Boston's Big 4 sports, and their most important asset, the impact of young players.