By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports
Tonight, the Celtics need to put things away once and for all, and quell this Bulls onslaught tonight before it starts.
You know Ben Gordon, hamstring and groin be damned, is going to pull another rabbit out of his hat, catch second wind and rally his team.
You know Brad Miller is going to get caught out of position, make up for it with a hack on Kendrick Perkins, and smile at the no-call while John Salmons gets yet another put-back.
You know Derrick Rose is going to go through a stretch where he picks apart the defense with some precision passing.
Messrs. Pierce, Rondo, Allen, Perkins and Davis, I ask you...squash this thing before it starts. Come out of the gates flying tonight, and take the opening run of the game. I'm talking six to eight minutes of hard, ole-time Celtics we know. And then don't let off the gas.
The Celtics desperately need to close this one out tonight. Because if this goes to a Game 7, they're ripe for the picking.
A few more thoughts:
-- Have to agree with Shaughnessy's column today that the fatigue factor in this series is getting too much of a look into. These guys are world-class athletes in peak physical shape. That's why you train so hard in the offseason -- so that when these moments come, you're equipped.
And when you're in a groove like this, minutes shouldn't matter. You think Paul Pierce was winded after that game? Maybe sore, but certainly not short of breath. I look for him to build on that momentum from the overtime period.
-- Glad to see the NBA actually has some backbone by letting the foul on Rondo stand as is, with no additional suspensions or fines. Just as Donald Brashear was deserving of his suspension, Dwight Howard had to know a suspension for his foul was coming, because it was so blatant.
Just imagine if McHale's clothesline on Rambis happened in 2009. You might actually see a "NBA is full of thugs" column or two!
And "respected journalist" or not, those who wrote columns on ESPN putting Rondo's foul and Howard's foul in the same basket are just clowns. Did you see what Howard did? Jeez.
Sorry to go on ad nauseum about these kind of things, but the officiating is driving me nuts. My patience is wearing thin.
Now, I'm off to Sunset Grille, on Comm. Ave, to help celebrate with a buddy of mine, who leaves tomorrow morning for Florida. Matt Porter, a dear colleague of mine and even dearer friend, is going to be the new online sports producer at the Palm Beach Post. He's 25 years young, and he's going to knock 'em dead.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
A-Rod, a true "professional"
With the new book, "A-Rod" due out in a matter of days, reports are now out that Alex Rodriguez used to tip pitches when he was with the Texas Rangers.
OK, so who doesn't do that in baseball, but he was doing it for the opposing team! He would tip off pitches from shortstop to friends on the opposing team in a "blow-out"! People are supposed call him a "teammate"?
This is just another instance of Rodriguez showing his true colors on the ball field - remember the "I got it" incident against Toronto, when he called off their 3rd baseman as he was trying to advance on a pop-up from 2nd base?! What about the slap against Bronson Arroyo on a weak groundball in the play-offs?!
In my opinion Alex Rodriguez is not a major leaguer, he's a bush-leaguer.
OK, so who doesn't do that in baseball, but he was doing it for the opposing team! He would tip off pitches from shortstop to friends on the opposing team in a "blow-out"! People are supposed call him a "teammate"?
This is just another instance of Rodriguez showing his true colors on the ball field - remember the "I got it" incident against Toronto, when he called off their 3rd baseman as he was trying to advance on a pop-up from 2nd base?! What about the slap against Bronson Arroyo on a weak groundball in the play-offs?!
In my opinion Alex Rodriguez is not a major leaguer, he's a bush-leaguer.
Van Every's First Big League Blast Lifts Sox
Jonathan Van Every was the latest member of the Red Sox to lift them to victory in thrilling fashion. His tenth inning homer to centerfield was not only the game winner, but also capped off a big night for the fill-in, who made a highlight reel catch and had a RBI single earlier in the contest.
Forced into action due to the never ending list of ailments to starting right fielder J.D. Drew, Van Every made the most of his opportunity. On a night when more than one regular was out of the lineup, it looked early on like Boston was headed for a loss. However, Van Every and the Sox took advantage of an error by Indians third baseman Mark DeRosa to tie the game at 5 in the eighth inning. Jacoby Ellsbury's clutch single knotted the score and set up the extra inning dramatics.
Van Every crushed a Jensen Lewis change-up over the centerfield fence to put the Sox ahead, and Jonathan Papelbon came on to preserve the one run victory for Boston. The homer was Van Every's first as a Major Leaguer. Hideki Okajima got credit for the victory, while Lewis was saddled with the defeat.
Whether it's Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis or Jonathan Van Every, somebody seems to be stepping up in the big moments every night. Winning ballclubs have lots of contributors, and this team has more than most.
The Sox look to get some early-season revenge against the Rays tonight. The weekend series opens up in Tampa with Josh Beckett (2-1, 6.00 ERA) facing Matt Garza (1-2, 4.97 ERA). First pitch is at 7:08 from Tropicana Field.
Forced into action due to the never ending list of ailments to starting right fielder J.D. Drew, Van Every made the most of his opportunity. On a night when more than one regular was out of the lineup, it looked early on like Boston was headed for a loss. However, Van Every and the Sox took advantage of an error by Indians third baseman Mark DeRosa to tie the game at 5 in the eighth inning. Jacoby Ellsbury's clutch single knotted the score and set up the extra inning dramatics.
Van Every crushed a Jensen Lewis change-up over the centerfield fence to put the Sox ahead, and Jonathan Papelbon came on to preserve the one run victory for Boston. The homer was Van Every's first as a Major Leaguer. Hideki Okajima got credit for the victory, while Lewis was saddled with the defeat.
Whether it's Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis or Jonathan Van Every, somebody seems to be stepping up in the big moments every night. Winning ballclubs have lots of contributors, and this team has more than most.
The Sox look to get some early-season revenge against the Rays tonight. The weekend series opens up in Tampa with Josh Beckett (2-1, 6.00 ERA) facing Matt Garza (1-2, 4.97 ERA). First pitch is at 7:08 from Tropicana Field.
NHL Playoffs: FFS Staff predictions
By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Is it me or does it feel like the Bruins haven't played a game in over a month? A week and a half is a long time to wait, but that time off should have given the Bruins time to get some of their players healthy. I think it's fairly obvious who FFS is routing for, but why don't we look at the predictions anyway.
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