This, by all means, might garner some hate mail, but I am going to say it anyway.

Anyone who says we shouldn't trade Ellsbury or Buchholz for Santana either doesn't know baseball or is a complete moron.

Have these people actually seen Santana pitch?  The dude is freaking ridiculous.  A stud lefty is the middle of his prime - but hey, we can't give up a centerfielder!

Ellsbury touched everyone this past fall  (yes, that sounds horrible, and I giggled like a 7th grader), but "touching" isn't what baseball is about.  It is about winning.  The same people that don't want poor Jacoby to go are the same that would crucify him for every mistake. 

Sure, we don't NEED Santana, but I don't NEED the new surround sound I bought: but it sure makes my life better and much happier. 

And the most ridiculous statements are being made, such as this one by a reader on Aaron's article:

"At best, the Twins get one major league centerfielder, one solid prospect and one maybe. Most I would give from our position of strength is Coco, Lester and Kielty. Unless this is acceptable, I wouldn't trade. Never sell the future for immediate gratification."

 

Are you kidding??  "Dear Twins, Here is crap, crap and here-is-to-hoping-he-doesn't-go-to-crap.  We will take the best pitcher in baseball now!  Thank you very much for kindly bending over!"  The most laughable thing is that people on sports radio and in conversations with their friends will talk about how much Crisp sucks, but will then not understand why the Twins perhaps may want Ellsbury instead.  It is almost like everyone lives in this dream world of "every Boston trade has to favor us tremendously." 

If this trade get done and it includes Ellsbury or Buchholz (which I have an itch that it actually will get done), we will see horrific outcry from the Boston masses, and Santana, the best pitcher over the past 5 years, mind you, will be one hated man in Boston.  Jacoby and Clay have proved nothing in the big leagues.  They have shown flashes of greatness - I love Jacoby's speed, and I got teary-eyed watching Clay's no-hitter - but they haven't proved anything yet.  Heck, Anibel Sanchez threw a no-hitter last year, and then he was sent to the minors!  To keep these guys as sticking points, is incredible.  But people will go crazy, and we have never heard people go crazy in this town for trading unproven prospects for pitching talent...or have we?

Yes, I love sarcasm, and this could be exactly like when we traded Hanley for Beckett.  I guess all it will take is one World Series for everyone to forget it and smile, but even if they don't it will take a lot for Ellsbury to be comparable to Hanley Rameriez.  And Clay...well I am guessing he will be better than Sanchez.

My final point is, out of anything, hasn't this organization and front office drafted well?  Is that not why we are in this position?  I guess it may be blind faith, but I trust Theo to repace quality prospects with quality prospects that are even younger. 

So live fat, dumb, and happy with your Mono sound.  I will be enjoying my 5.1 channel speakers while cranking my sub.

For all of you who turned away from the Celtics as they demolished the Knicks early last night, and I can't blame you really. You missed a fantastic interview with KG right after the game on the court with TNT's Craig Sager. Check it out.

Hey Isiah Thomas, John Wooden called -- your coaching license has been revoked.

We can debate the 10,000 reasons why the Knicks are terrible and their organization is in disarray another time.  Right now I'd like to bask in the glory that is the Celtics 104 - 59 win over the sad, sad Knickerbockers.  If it wasn't for Nate Robinson's half-court shot at the final buzzer, the C's would have held the Knicks to their lowest point total in franchise history. 

I don't know if it's possibly, but this game wasn't nearly as close as the score makes it seem.  For the first 7 minutes of the 4th quarter, TNT's announcers cut away so that Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley could debate whether Isiah would be fired after this game.  A Knick fan in the crowd even took off his jersey and whipped it onto the court in disgust.  It was that bad.

BOXSCORE

We don't need to dissect or break much down here.  The Celtics were solid, the Knicks were terrible.  Doc finally allowed the Big 3 to play less than 30 minutes each -- in fact, Glen Davis lead the Celtics in minutes with 30 (with a solid 13 point 6 rebound effort).  Eddie House was great off the bench, scoring all of his 15 points from behind the arc.  Pruitt and Powe even found their way on the court for 12 and 10 minutes, respectively.

MVC:  Kevin Garnett.  He didn't have a great game statistically - 8-11-4 - but he personified Celtic Pride tonight.  On the bench with his warmup gear on and a towel draped over his shoulders, Garnett didn't stop cheering for and supporting our reserves until the game was over.  TNT kept cutting away from the action to show KG, and each time he was on his feet barking words of encouragement and instructions to our younger players.  He seems to have taken a particular liking to Glen Davis. 

I don't know if he has any interest in coaching, but I can guarantee that KG's team would never, ever, ever quit on him the way the Knicks have quit on Isiah.  I'm not a fan of Thomas, at all, but for professional athletes to put forth the effort that the Knicks did tonight, well... Disgraceful.
 

Dear Santa,

I know what I'm about to ask you for seems almost impossible, but can you try to make this happen? Red Sox Nation & I have been good this year. I'll even leave you some tickets instead of cookies.

The latest Red Sox rumor on stud Johan Santana according to a report from Charlie Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press the Sox are now the frontrunners to land Santana as part of a trade package that does not include either Jacoby Ellsbury or Clay Buchholz. According to Walters, the Red Sox would receive Santana in exchange for Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, and minor league prospects Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson. He also says “Before a deal could be made, the Red Sox would have to have time to negotiate a contract extension with Santana, 28, who can become a free agent after next season and could have a market value as high as $150 million over six years." ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Thursday that the Sox and Twins are working on the framework of a deal that would send Santana to Boston for Crisp, Lester, Lowrie, with Sox minor league pitcher Michael Bowden being the fourth pitcher in the deal. But Olney wrote that "the identity of the fourth player is in flux"

This seems waaaaayyyy to good to be true right? That's why I ask you all to put it on your list for Santa.

Red Sox pitcher Jon Leser was named the winner of The Tony Conigliaro Award yesterday, given to an MLB player annually for overcoming adversity.

I came across a trade scenario on firejoemorgan.com (who found it from a blog who found it from...), but apparently the Minnesota Twins beat writer Bob Sansevere has proposed the following trade between the Red Sox and the Twins:

Red Sox receive:

Johan Santana
Joe Nathan
Carlos Silva

Twins receive:

Jacoby Ellsbury
Dustin Pedroia
Jonathan Papelbon
Jon Lester
Clay Buchholz

For those of you scoring at home, the Red Sox would only have to give up their future superstar CF Ellsbury, their Rookie of the Year 2B Pedroia, the (arguably) best closer in baseball Papelbon, and future pitching studs Lester and Buchholz so we can get the rights to Johan Santana (with 1 year left on his contract), Joe Nathan (an aging closer) and Carlos Silva who is actually a free-agent so he cannot be traded.

I don't know who this Bob Sansevere character is, but he should immediately have his ability to think, write and publish revoked.  Not only is this the worst proposed trade in the history of trade proposals, but were Theo to accept it, well, I'll let Pee-Wee's Big Adventure handle the Bostonian Response:

Biker #2: I say we kill him!
Biker Gang: [shouts] Yeah!
Biker #3: I say we hang him, then we kill him!
Biker Gang: [shouts] Yeah!
Biker #4: I say we scalp him!
Biker Gang: [shouts] Yeah!
Biker #4: Then we tattoo him!
Biker Gang: [shouts] Yeah!
Biker #4: Then we hang him!
Biker Gang: [shouts] Yeah!
Biker #4: And then we kill him!
Biker Gang: [shouts] Yeah!
Pee-wee: [trying to throw voice without moving lips] I say we let him go.
Biker Gang: [shouts] No!

Now, I am ALL FOR trading for Santana.  He's 28, left-handed and a 2-time CY Young award winner.  Throwing a rotation of Beckett, Santana, Schilling, Matsuzaka and Marge Simpson would be enough to win us another World Series.  I'd be willing to trade any of our prospects short of Ellsbury (and I don't consider Pedroia a prospect anymore - he's already arrived).  Would the Twins be dumb enough to turn down Crisp, Buchholz and Lester for Santana?  I'd hope not -- but they may be.

The media portrays the situation to appear as if Minnesota has the upperhand in the trade talks.  They don't.  They obviously can't afford to keep him, so he's either leaving via trade or walking next year.  If the Yankees want to sell the farm to get him, let them -- I'd propose the more than compelling offer (mentioned above) and if the Twins refuse and would rather have Melky Cabrera roaming the field, let them.  But, jeez, how does this Bob Sansevere guy have a job?

THIS WEEK:

- Celtic revival
- Rising Stars, Falling Stars: Who’s hot and not in sports media?

Gorman trumpets arrival of latest Celtics’ renaissance

     In his nearly three decades as Boston Celtics television play-by-play man, Mike Gorman has seen more rebuilding projects than the folks from “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” This season, the Green is off to one of the best starts in team history, and once again, Gorman is front and center.

     “I have never seen excitement like this so early,” says Gorman, a Dorchester, MA native who calls Celtics action regionally on Comcast SportsNet. “Did you see Gilbert Arenas’s blog after the opening game of the season? He said it was as incredible a building as he has ever been in, and that he was not ready for that type of atmosphere.”

     A veteran of the New England media scene since his early days at WPRO in Providence, Gorman believes that the current Celtics are taking a cue from their successful local brethren. He states, “They have picked up the ball from the Pats and Sox and they are running with it. They are capitalizing on the success of those two teams and the organization is very conscious of that.

     “This is as good an ownership as I’ve been around. They have shown a willingness to spend money and when Danny (Ainge) has come to them saying he needed something, they have never said no. They also never gave any indication that Danny’s or Doc’s (Rivers) job was in jeopardy.”

     Indeed, C’s owner Wyc Grousbeck and company have been patient almost to a fault with Ainge and Rivers. The fruits of this heretofore-questionable support now taste pretty sweet. “The ownership has given Danny a chance to do his thing,” says Gorman, whose “Gorman Points” blog and mailbag can be seen at www.comcastsportsnet.com.

     “He told me three or four years ago that he was going to collect some chips. Either those young players would develop, or he would trade them for established talent.

     “If they had gotten the first or second draft pick, I think they would have taken Kevin Durant or Greg Oden and blended them in with Al Jefferson and the other young players. When that did not happen, Danny did a good job of putting another plan into effect. He had players that were desirable to other teams. He was never backed into a corner. Danny would have preferred to get Oden or Durant, but this option turned out even better.”

     Playing the lead in this Celtic revival is Kevin Garnett. Gorman is as impressed with KG’s presence as he is with his performance. “After getting Ray Allen on draft night, Danny went back to Garnett and asked, ‘How do we look now?’

     “Garnett is an old soul. I didn’t know what to expect personality-wise. A lot of people have said that it would have been better to get Garnett when he was younger. I think we got him at the perfect time. He is motivated to win a title and Danny knew that.”

     The versatility and leadership of Garnett conjures up visions of past Celtic stars. Says Gorman, “I was fascinated talking to Garnett. He is inclusive. It is we, not I. He is extremely sensitive as well. He told me that in his entire career, he has never felt so appreciated. He wants to give back.

     “We have a 7’1” guy who is our best rebounder, best passer, best defender and a great scorer. Only Larry Bird and Dave Cowens come to mind in that way. In college basketball, the coach’s personality dominates the team. In the NBA, your best player’s personality dominates the team.”

     The Celtics’ fast start has fans licking their chops in anticipation of a playoff bonanza, but Gorman says that the journey might be as fun as the ultimate destination. “These guys are into the process of getting to where they want to be. There are in no hurry to get to May and June. They want to enjoy every practice and game. This is probably the best team that Ray Allen, Garnett and Paul Pierce have been on and they are going to make the Garden a tough place to play again.”

     Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen are powerful offensive forces, but Gorman focuses more on their defense and team philosophy. “The goal of really good players is to make the other guys around them better. With KG and Ray, guys like (Brian) Scalabrine and (Kendrick) Perkins can focus on their strengths.

     “This team is so much better defensively. (Assistant coach) Tom Thibodeau has a reputation for coaching defense. I asked Tommy (Heinsohn) about the defense and he said that it is so much easier when the best player (Garnett) buys in.

     “The top 8 players on this team can all play defense and they have all bought into this. I spoke to (WEEI midday host) Dale Arnold and he said, ‘Let’s see how things are 30 games into the season.’ I told him that he has not been around Kevin Garnett too much.”

     One guy who is benefiting from being around Kevin Garnett is Paul Pierce. In the past, Gorman has stated that Pierce is not built to be a vocal leader. With Garnett’s arrival, the Celtics captain can focus on playing, not public speaking.

     “Sometimes, you love your job, but there is one part of it that you don’t like,” Gorman relates. “That’s how I see Pierce. With Garnett, Paul does not have to do that anymore. Paul tried to be the vocal leader, but it is not in his nature to stand up and speak in the locker room. Ray Allen is a great leader, but he is not very demonstrative. Garnett would give me a glare if he heard me say this, but ultimately, he will be the defining guy on this team.”

     With success, comes pressure. Gorman recognizes that the great start has raised the bar for this team as the season progresses. “Doc welcomes the expectations. It’s great to develop players, but you look up and you’re 100 games under .500. Doc would rather hear people say that the Celtics should reach the Conference Finals as opposed to saying they might be an 8th seed and get knocked out in the first round.”

     “If this team loses a few games, they are not going to question themselves and turn it into a long losing streak. That’s what happened with the young players last year. People have asked how many games I think this team will win this season. I tell them that the number for me is 72. If Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen and Rondo can play 72 games, they will be great.”

     History shows that past Celtics teams put a strong emphasis on the point guard, whether it was Bob Cousy feeding Bill Russell inside, Jo Jo White whipping down the court to start the fastbreak or the late Dennis Johnson firing a laser to Larry Bird for an easy layup. This year’s quarterback is Rajon Rondo, a veritable babe among the seasoned vets.

     “Rondo is going to be fine,” says Gorman. “He is scoring, but that’s not even an issue. He is a strong defender and very smart with the ball. People ask if he can make shots. This team has three Hall of Famers. With KG and Ray, the Celtics are pushing the ball up the floor. If they get an early shot, they take it, but if not, these great players can get their touches and make teams defend.

     “Doc wants to play 8 guys, 9 at the most in key games. One of the Big 3 (Pierce, Allen, Garnett) will always be on the floor, maybe even two of them. Rondo can tape his fingers together and the team will be fine.”

     Fine would be an understatement in describing the talent, class and consistency of Gorman’s work. The man whose career began at WNBH in New Bedford, MA has won five Emmy Awards and was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

     Gorman perfectly balances his role as narrator, pace setter and straight man for the explosive personality of Heinsohn, his longtime partner. Gorman and Heinsohn are recognized as the longest running broadcast team in television sports history.

     “I try be non-intrusive, hopefully adding to the viewing experience without interrupting it,” says Gorman, who has also called Connecticut Sun WNBA hoops. “A little humor every now and then helps, and knowing when to be quiet is all important. Play-by-play announcers who think they are the show are all too common these days.

     “There are too many guys who are just trying to get on “SportsCenter.” Play-by-play is supposed to be spontaneous, not planned. With the possible exception of Keith Jackson on college football, I can't think of ever tuning into a game just to hear the play-by-play guy.”

     In addition to his legendary status as Celtics announcer, Gorman has also worked the Olympics for NBC. The 1992 Summer Games hold special meaning. “I got to spend a month in Barcelona with my wife Teri and our daughter Kristen (age 7 at the time). That was the year of the original basketball Dream Team with whom we spent a lot of time. As a family we still retell stories and adventures we had that month.”

     With those memories safely tucked away, Gorman, in his 27th season of Celtics play-by-play, is now experiencing a new dream. “I was spoiled to walk right in with the 1980s Celtics. Those teams were very rare and now to have it happen again, I am ecstatic. People say that Allen and Garnett are old, but come on, we are not talking about Roger Clemens here. These guys have all come together at the perfect time.”

Rising Stars

Troy Aikman, Fox: Kudos to Aikman for giving credit to Bill Parcells for his role in revitalizing the Dallas Cowboys. Most of the mainstream media ignores the Tuna factor in Dallas because Parcells never bowed down to the press. Aikman’s assertion that Parcells’ keen eye for talent stacked this roster was long overdue.

Frank Deford, HBO: If you haven’t seen Deford’s latest “Real Sports” story about an organ recipient and the family of a young donor who committed suicide, you might have missed the most heart wrenching feature story of the year. It is worth seeing, and seeing again.

Andrea Kremer, NBC: Kremer continues to set the pace in sideline reporting on “Sunday Night Football.” She made the impossible a reality, actually getting detailed information on injuries to Patriots players during the game vs. the Eagles. Al Michaels should have brought back his old “Do you believe in miracles?” call.

Falling Stars

Cris Carter, HBO: Carter is one of the most entertaining studio analysts on “Inside the NFL,” but he did a mild flip-flop recently. Earlier in the season, Carter said that the Patriots could go undefeated. Recently, he stated that the Steelers would be the AFC’s representative in the Super Bowl. So, which one is it, Cris?

USA Today: Tuesday’s sports headline at USAToday.com read, “After close call vs. Eagles, Patriots are imperfect 11-0.” Huh? I had no idea that a three-point win relegated a team to imperfection. I guess we better revisit the 1972 Dolphins supposed perfect season. On October 22, 1972, they beat the lowly Bills (4-8-1 season record) by only one point in Miami. Cancel that champagne order, boys.

Roger Goodell: The NFL commissioner has proven himself to be a heavy-handed despot when it comes to players toting guns or coaches taping opponents’ signals, but his inaction in getting the NFL Network on basic cable packages is embarrassing. Goodell wields enough power to get the greedy cable companies (Hello, Comcast and your $7.95 a month fee) to surrender a few bucks and allow fans to see his product without sacrificing college for their children.

John Molori’s columns have appeared in the Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, Eagle-Tribune, Boston Metro, Boston Sports Review, Boston Baseball Magazine, Patriots Football Weekly, New England Hockey Journal, BostonSportsMedia.com, PatsFans.com, BostonSportz.com, Staatalent.com, Methuen Life and several newspapers and websites throughout New England. Email John at MoloriMedia@aol.com.

Meaningless Heroes Trivia of the Week: Jimmy Jean-Louis, a.k.a. The Haitian, and is actually from Haiti, came from some humble beginnings, with no shirt, no shoes, no service.  He rose to stardom taking people's memories on Heroes after appearing on the big screen in such flops as "Tears of the Sun" and "Hollywood Homicide."  Good thing the show came along when it did.  Don't quit your day job, Jimmy.

So I finally watched the last two weeks of Heroes and got caught up.  I'm enjoying these last few weeks, but it seems almost bittersweet because I know how rushed it all was, thanks to both the writer's strike and the fact that the first, oh, seven weeks or so of this season was spent on the Wonder Twins and Micah's weeping.  Now, we're moving at breakneck speed, since next week will wrap up this arc and maybe this season unless the writers come back to work.

This week, we saw a lot of fallout from Noah's presumed assassination from the week before.  I'm glad he's not dead, but I think it would have been more dramatic if we didn't see him actually revived last week and the episode ended with him getting shot.  The way this show usually works, with people getting killed but brought back through time travel or whatever, it makes it more interesting to wonder if they are really dead than see them brought back two minutes after they are shot in the face.  Especially since we know that Noah has no powers, so I think it really would have made people think a little more.  But who wants that out of a TV show, right?

I did like the idea that Claire was really tortured about this, because of the whole "I can recover from anything, but this hurts" deal.  It would make sense that she would be desensitized from physical pain, but not the emotional stuff.  So, I applaud the writers on that one.  It would have been nice to delve into it even more, but with so many characters, it's difficult to focus too long on one.  Plus, at the rate we're going on this show, character development has gone bye-bye-bye.

Speaking of which, let's talk for a moment about this Monica storyline, because we haven't seen this character for weeks, and suddenly she's back and still not doing anything except taking up air time.  She's apparently trying to do the super-hero thing by rescuing Micah's comic book from the evil, gun-toting middle school bullies.  Will someone tell me why I'm supposed to care?  In the context of the show, the planet is facing Armageddon, with billions of people in danger of being wiped out from a plague, and somehow, the audience is supposed to get all worked up over a stolen comic book?  I won't applaud the writers on that one, because that's really dumb.  Even with D.L.'s medal thrown in, I can't bring myself to give a crap about this.  I know a little about screenwriting and you have to have stakes that people will feel are important.  Even if they're not, you have to make people feel that they are.  In simple terms, in Dodgeball, it wasn't enough that Vince Vaughn's team wins.  They had to win or he would lose his business.  Now, those stakes don't seem like a whole lot if you've never been to that gym, but within the context of the movie, it works because the writers made us care as an audience.  Within the context of Heroes, if the Shanti virus is released and 93% of the population is wiped out, I'm betting nobody is going to cry about some stupid comic book.  I'm sure most of the comic dealers will be in that 93% anyway.  I was glad Monica got caught.  I hope they throw away the key.

Okay, that was my sermon for the week.  Back on a positive note, I actually did enjoy Sylar and Mya's scenes this week, with Sylar getting all Magneto from X-men 2 on her, basically turning her to the dark side.  Again, we haven't seen them for a few weeks, but they came back and it didn't seem like they weren't doing anything.  Now, they have poor Molly as a bargaining chip (Parkman must have fallen asleep or something.) and I'm betting Sylar will try to get Mohinder to give him his mojo back.  That Sylar's got it going on now, and all he had to do was make nice with Mya.  He even killed her brother and made out with her with his body decomposed a few feet away.  Now that's a real man.

As we gear up for the finale, we will hopefully see all this wrapped up, plus a pretty good knock-down, drag-out between Hiro and Peter, which can only be compared to the Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior struggle from Wrestlemania VI, only without the steroids.  We'll also get to see David Anders hatch his scheme, probably Noah returned to his family, and maybe even Nathan Petrelli, who hasn't been seen for awhile.  lot of ground to cover there, and about 43 minutes to do it in.  If we're all very nice, maybe Monica will end up on the cutting room floor.

As I sign off, I want everyone to check out this link, and marvel at how Dursin's pick for the Heroes fans' name reigns supreme.  Well, by one vote, but, hey, Bush lost an election and he still became President, so I guess I can enjoy this.  Aurevoir, Helixers.

This story is a few weeks old now, but I have purposely ignored it... until now.  You see, there's an internet movement to vote Antoine Walker into the All-Star game.  Were this 2001 it wouldn't be such a big deal... but this season 'Toine is coming off of the lowly Timberwolves bench, averaging just over 10 points a game.  I've always been a big Walker fan.  I openly admit that and proudly take any and all flack which flies my way because of it.  So, a movement meant to make a mockery of one of my favorite players wasn't something I wanted to publicize. 

But I started to put myself in Antoine's shoes.  He's an aging star on a steep decline.  A guy who enjoyed the limelight like no other.  Buried on the T'wolves bench, he's finally relevant again -- even if it's for the wrong reasons.  Maybe he doesn't deserve to make the All-Star team over guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer, or his teammate Al Jefferson.  This is why the league lets the fans vote, though -- to put the players WE WANT TO SEE in the game.  Does Antoine Walker deserve to be an All-Star this year?  No.  Do I want to see Antoine start the All-Star game?  Absolutely.

That's why he has my vote, and that's why I'm asking all of you to support Antoine Walker and vote him into the All-Star game... because at the end of the day, he'd probably do the same for you*.

So, make sure you head over to NBA.com an Vote for 'Toine!  Also, be sure to check out http://allstarshimmy.com for all of the up-to-date information and some hilarious Antoine images (like the ones below):

 

 

 

 

 

 

*No, he actually probably wouldn't, but don't let that stop you! 

Can the New England Patriots be stopped? Are the Eagles the team that can do it? Well, that will probably not happen this weekend. The Patriots have been just so dominating this year and the Eagles have been inconsistent even with Donovan McNabb. Without him, one must wonder if the Eagles even have a chance. For the past week, this game has felt like a foregone conclusion, but with the only question mark being by how much the Patriots will win this game. Four of their past five games the Patriots scored over 48 points. Against the Eagles, they will continue that trend, 49 Patriots to 13 Eagles.

1) Philadelphia Eagles – The Patriots are not the only team playing Sunday night. The Eagles will be there, too, but can they force their will on the Patriots or even stop what the Patriots are trying to do? To even ask this question says a lot about the unusual dominance of the Patriots. The Eagles will likely get dominated in every aspect of the game, but if they find one area to play as well as the Patriots and they get a little luck, we could have a game.

2) Patriots Offensive Line vs. Eagles Defensive Line – The Eagles have a talented and deep group of players along the defensive front. Any team with a strong defensive line can dominate the opponent’s offense, so the Patriots offensive line will need to win that battle. There will be no offensive explosion without this battle going for the Patriots. Of course the Patriots offensive line has to be considered one of the best if not the best group in the NFL.

3) Officials – The officials always seem to be X-Factors in today’s sporting events. Can you trust them to call the game, as they should? They can definitely have an effect on the game. For the eleventh week in a row, the Patriots will have a different referee crew working their game, Gene Steratore’s crew.

4) Brian Westbrook – With Donovan McNabb out, the Eagles will be relying on AJ Feeley at quarterback. Feeley may be good enough to manage the game, but it will be up to Brian Westbrook to create the offense necessary to score points for the Eagles. Westbrook has put up 849 yards on the ground, 518 receiving, and 9 touchdowns combined this season. The effort of Brian Westbrook and that of the Patriots to stop him will go a long way toward winning this game.

5) Tom Brady – Tom Brady is the best player in the NFL right now and perhaps ever. Nobody is a bigger offensive threat than him. He has around him the leagues best wide receiver corps, one of the best offensive lines, solid tight ends, and decent running backs. Right now he is just unstoppable and that should not change this week against the Eagles. Brady will be breaking records from now till the end of the year, but the only one that matters to him today is 11 and 0, the Patriots victory over the Eagles on Sunday night.

It was just two games ago that I was complaining that the Celtics were giving me nothing to write about.  Too many games followed the same storyline:  Veteran all-star team is too much for other, less skilled, less intense team.  Veteran all-star team can put up a million points while holding other, less skilled, less intense team to far fewer points. 

Well, tonight that book was shot, burned, hung and burned again.  Boston went head-to-head with the Charlotte Bobcats in a game which should have followed the same stale template, but instead came down to a desperation shot at the buzzer.  For Boston, the defense, intensity and execution were sorely lacking.  Pierce and Ray Allen were unable to find their shot for most of the night and the Celtics' offense relied on Garnett and Posey to keep the game close. 

It was up-and-down all night (with Boston mostly playing the role of down), and everytime the C's would cut the lead or get ahead, Charlotte was able to counter and push Boston right back down.  Jared Dudley gave them their energy, Okafor supplied their defense, and Richardson and Felton lit up the scoreboard.  Despite Rondo's defensive abilities, it was disturbingly clear that he was unable to guard the much stronger Felton.  He was able to back Rondo down or push right past him on his way to 18 points with 9 assists.

Towards the end of the game, with the Celtics hanging close, they inexplicably forgot how to take care of the ball.  On a few separate occasions within the last couple minutes, a Boston player threw a horrid pass which resulted in a turnover.  Down by two with just a few seconds to go, Pierce stepped up and decided he was going bring home the 'W'.  He got the ball up top and took Richardson off the dribble -- but instead of driving to the rim, he pulled up for a fall away jumper which bricked off the front of the rim.  A Bobcat grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled by Ray Allen.  Fortunately for the Celtics, that was their first foul within the final 2 minutes, so Charlotte was not rewarded foul shots and instead had to take the ball out on their side of the court.

In what could be one of the worst inbounds plays in NBA history, the Bobcats ran around like terrified children in a Haunted House.  When the ball was finally lobbed inbounds, Eddie House tipped it in the air.  Pierce came down with it, was immediately surrounded by Bobcats, and passed the ball over to Ray Allen who was able to knock down the game winner as the game expired.  Boston wins, 96-95.

BOXSCORE 

MVC:  It was going to be Garnett (23-11-5 with 5 blocks).  I was debating giving it to Posey (14 points, 3 threes off the bench).  It sure as hell wasn't going to Ray Allen who shot 4-15 and finished with 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.  That was until Boston was down by 2 with what appeared to be a zero percent chance of winning and Pierce found Allen open for the game winning three.  For a shooter to be so cold all night (actually, for the last 7 games or so) but be able to find his shot when his team absolutely needs him... well, that'll earn you the Most Valuable Celtic award most nights.  I hope he can find a steady shot soon, but when your team is 11-1, there's not too much to complain about.

Lastly, I just wanted to thank the Celtics for giving me something to write about, and for giving my pulse a ride tonight.  They should have blown out the Bobcats (which worries me a little bit) but after facing the Lakers lastnight, a bit of a letdown is to be expected.  I'm just glad they didn't step off the court with their second loss of the season. 

There were lots of stars out last night at the Garden to see the Celts defeat the Lakers 107-94. In attendance was The Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger & his wife Maria Shriver, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo and her husband, music producer Chris Ivery, former Celtic/Laker Rick Fox, former New kids Donnie Wahlberg & Jordan Knight. There were also a slew of Pats chilling before they kill Philly on Sunday, Richard Seymour, Ben Watson, Kevin Faulk, Laurence Maroney, Ellis Hobbs, Jarvis Green, Adalius Thomas, Rosevelt Colvin, Chad Scott , and Mike Wright.

Here's KG's & Ray Allen's thoughts on the game and crowd.

 

As a fan, there is nothing better than FINALLY watching the Boston Celtics be dominant.  They aren't just winning, they are dismantling their opponents.  They can't be stopped on the offensive end, they are pestering and ferocious on defense, and they are psychologically inside their opponents heads.  The Celtics are executing on both ends of the court at a level which has lately only been seen from the likes of the San Antonio Spurs (except this Celtics team is actually exciting). 

As a writer, this is killing me.  How many times can I write that Boston destroyed their opponents (as they did to Golden State)?  That their opponent had no counter for Boston's inside players, and even the Celtics perimeter players were able to power their way to easy baskets and the free throw line.  That on defense, their opponent could muster nothing more than a ton of outside shots with hands in their face.  It's the same storyline each game.  It's a great storyline, but it gets repetitive. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not complaining.  In fact, were I to write the plot for this season, I couldn't have come up with anything better.  I just don't have anything interesting to share that I haven't already written this season, so we're going to keep this entry short.

Instead of trying to get the Warriors out of their game (mainly pushing the ball up the court and taking the first available shot), the Celtics decided to match the Warriors and dared them to keep up.  Needless to say, the Warriors couldn't.  Despite the 17 turnovers by Boston, they dominated on the glass, out-assisted the Warriors and even knocked down more 3's for a higher percentage.  They took the Warriors, who were second in the league in points per game, held them to 33% shooting and just wiped the parquet with them. 

BOXSCORE 

MVC:  Paul Pierce.   He was too strong, too quick, too explosive and too good for the Warriors to deal with tonight.  Don Nelson tried to use Stephen Jackson to cover Garnett (which isn't as silly as it sounds considering he did keep Dirk Nowitzki in check last postseason), which left Pierce being covered by one of the many lanky, stringy Warriors perimeter players.  They were no match.  Not only did Paul score 19 on 8-14 shooting, but he grabbed 10 boards and dished out 3 assists as well.

Lastly, for your Thanksgiving Treat, in honor of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen bringing their shaved heads to Boston, I'd like to share Larry Legend doing the same.  Enjoy!

 

THIS WEEK:

Media Blitz Thanksgiving Special Edition:
A conversation with Bryant Gumbel

     He has been panned for defending African American sports personalities and criticizing African American sports personalities. He has been chastised for being too outspoken and too reticent. Television maestro Bryant Gumbel spent 15 years (1982-97) as the cohost of NBC’s “Today” show, but his today centers around sports.

    Since 1995, he has been the host of HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.” The Emmy-winning machine continues to set the pace in intelligent and enlightening sports talk and features.

     Part of the fascination with “Real Sports” is Gumbel himself, who is as inscrutable as he is talented. Since bursting onto the national scene in 1975 as host of NBC’s NFL, MLB and NCAA basketball coverage, Gumbel has been a lightning rod for everyone from David Letterman to Dave Chappelle. Through all the public furor, Gumbel remains an intensely private man, eschewing personal interviews and the showbiz spotlight.

     On Thanksgiving night, Gumbel begins his second season as play-by-play man for the NFL Network. Last week, Gumbel, who rarely agrees to one-on-one interviews, spoke candidly to Media Blitz about his life, career and sports in general.

     “People who know me know that I rarely talk about what I do,” says the 59 year-old Gumbel. “I was raised that way. My dad (the late Richard Gumbel) was a judge. He was smarter that I am and a better person than I am. I’m just a guy on TV. I prefer to be a quiet person. I have friends who enjoy the limelight. I’d rather play golf everyday.”

     Gumbel’s resistance to delve into his personal life is in stark contrast to his open discussion of his latest television chef-d’oeuvre. “I have never enjoyed or been more proud of a show ever.” The show he speaks of is “Real Sports,” Gumbel’s media Nirvana if you will. The HBO program combines the sobering reality of news with the gleeful escape of sports. Gumbel appears to be every bit the proud parent when his correspondents join him in studio after another groundbreaking feature.

    “Sports are games, but they have a serious side, says Gumbel. “I laugh because for the reporters, the most intense thing we do is the interview after the story. They have no idea what I am going to ask them. I am just as curious as the viewer. We never rehearse the interview. On the rare occasion that we have to do a second take, I’ll change my questions. “Real Sports” is more of a dream job than “Today” ever was. I interviewed a zillion authors and ingénues. After a while it becomes the same.”

     So, after a career that began at KNBC in Los Angeles in 1972, what attracts Gumbel to a potential subject? “There is a common thread in stories that interest me,” he states. “There is no massive principle, but what it comes down to is whether that story makes someone say, ‘Hmm, I didn’t know that.’ Television at its finest shows viewers something that they have not seen, tells them something they did not know, and takes them somewhere they have not been.”

    Unlike most of today’s derivative media personalities and programs, for Gumbel, it comes down to originality. “You have to th