Random Thoughts (February 27, 2009)

If you are too ignorant to believe the struggling American economy will not effect the future of the major professional sports in this country, read Bill Simmons' column on the hardships the NBA is going through right now... The Stephon Marbury experiment is slated to begin tonight when the Celtics host the Pacers. I'm crossing my fingers this will work because if Marbury accepts a secondary role to Rajon Rondo and plays nice in the lockeroom, this move could push the C's past the Cavaliers and Lakers... Another stroke of luck for Tom Brady... It looks like the Patriots are close to signing free agent running back Fred Taylor. Taylor, who has rushed for 11,271 yards in his eleven seasons with the Jaguars, is getting close to the end of his career but he should be a valuable addition to the Pats backfield in a reserve role... The Pats are also in talks with free agent tight end Chris Baker and free agent cornerback Leigh Bodden. Baker would add depth to a position that has been hurt by injuries the last few seasons. Bodden would add needed depth to the secondary. He struggled with Detroit last year but in 2007 with the Browns (playing a similar defense to the one used by the Patriots) he snagged 6 interceptions. Bodden would also add some size (6-1) to the diminutive Pats secondary... Michael Ryder's return from injury has sparked the Bruins offense. In the two games Ryder has played since coming back from facial surgery, he scored three goals and assisted on two others as the Bruins have posted six goals each game... Enjoy Marcus McDermott tonight...

Celtics Make Moves Looking To Repeat

No one would argue that the Celtics starting five of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins is not capable of hanging with the best that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers have to offer. The problem that has plagued the Celtics in their quest to repeat as NBA champions is their lack of a bench. Other than Eddie House's shooting and the combined efforts of overachievers Leon Powe and Glen Davis (neither is taller than 6-8), Doc Rivers doesn't have too many options when he needs to give his starters a breather. The bench lacks a true backup point guard who can score or a big man who is taller than most teams small forwards. With that in mind, Danny Ainge has been very active in the past few days. He signed free agent center Mikki Moore (a real seven-footer!) and with the news breaking yesterday that the Knicks have released Stephon Marbury, it looks like he has found his point guard. The rumors of Marbury coming to Boston have been talked about more than Rihanna's ability to take a left hook. Marbury has been boasting all year of his plans to join his best buddy Garnett on the parquet and now that he finally has come to an agreement with the Knicks, he is free to wear the Green. Marbury's (possible) arrival in Boston brings mixed feelings. He is a talented offenisve player (career average of 19.7 points) who has been to two All-Star games. He also has a history of being hard to deal with because of a massive ego. When he was a rising star with KG in Minnesota, he forced his way out of town because he wanted more money than the Timberwolves were willing to pay. His release from the Knicks has been delayed because Marbury wanted New York to pay all of the remaining money on the $21 million he was due to earn in 2008-2009. Will his selfish attitude stick with him in Boston? Will he be a negative influence on Rondo? You have to wonder what the long-term impact of the Marbury signing will be on the lockeroom. This is the perfect example of beggars not having the time to be choosers. Yes, Marbury and Moore both have their warts but they do provide the Celtics with what they need. Marbury is a big-time scorer who should learn from KG, Pierce, and Allen that playing on a winning team is more important than an extra few million dollars or a few more shots every game. Hopefully he will be to the Celtics what Corey Dillon and Randy Moss have been to the Patriots. In the case of Moore, if he can rebound and defend (and maybe hit an open jump shot or two) than his signing will be viewed as a success. I will give credit to Ainge. He realized that his team was not deep enough to win another championship so he acted as best he could. Don't forget that the massive contracts of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen limit his options so finding Marbury and Moore in the bargain bin was his only real option. Rivers now has choices when he goes to his bench and the Celtics are a better team on paper today than they were on Monday.

Random Thoughts (February 24, 2009)

The Celtics will reportedly sign free agent center Mikki Moore today, providing the team with a veteran big man who can rebound, block shots, and knock down the mid-range jump shot. I have been begging for Joe Smith for months but with the March 1 deadline for a player to be on the playoff roster coming up Sunday, the Celtics can not afford to wait and see if the Thunder will release Smith. Moore is a good fall-back plan... I don't think that UConn law school student Ken Krayeske will be picking the Huskies when March Madness begins in three weeks. After Saturday's victory over South Florida, Krayeske tried to call out Calhoun for making a salary of $1.6 million (the highest amongst public employees in Connecticut) during the hard fiscal times. Calhoun immediately cut Krayeske off, stating he won't "give a dime back", that the basketball team generates $12 million for the state (which might be a slight overstatement) and that as a reporter, Krayeske should "get some facts and come back and see me." I love people like Calhoun, old school guys who tell it like it is and don't care who they offend in the process. He might not be politically correct all the time but at least he's honest. By the way, after 799 wins and two national championships (1999 and 2004), Calhoun might actually be underpaid... Since KG went down with his knee strain, the Celtics have pounded on the Suns (128-108) and the Nuggets (114-76) on consecutive nights. With Rajon Rondo shredding opposing defenses at will and Ray Allen raining down three-pointers, the C's are almost impossible to guard... With two months to go before the NFL Draft, I hope the Patriots get a shot at Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis... Enjoy DeJuan Blair tonight...

Random Thoughts (February 22, 2009)

What a year in Norman, Oklahoma! The Sooners football team won the Big 12 and saw their sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford win the Heisman Trophy as college football's best player and the Davey O'Brien Trophy as the nation's best quarterback. The basketball team may possibly do even better. Blake Griffin (averaging 22 points and 13.8 rebounds) is the runaway leader for national player of the year, Willie Warren (15.4 points) is a leading candidate for national freshman of the year, and Jeff Capel will be in the mix for national coach of the year. The Sooners hoop team could also bring home the national championship, something the football team failed to do when they lost to Florida in the BCS National Championship game. The women's basketball team at Oklahoma is also a contender for the national championship behind their own All-American and national player of the year candidate Courtney Paris (16 points and 13.9 rebounds)... My Final Four picks are changing. North Carolina's lack of defense leads me to believe my beloved Tarheels are prone to an upset in March. For now, I'm going with Pittsburgh, UConn, Oklahoma, and Memphis... Kevin Garnett, that knee better be healthy soon... You have to hand it to Steve Kerr, the general manager of the Phoenix Suns. This offseason, he fired longtime successful coach Mike D'Antoni because he didn't believe that his fast break style of offense could win a championship. Kerr replaced D'Antoni with a more defensive minded coach in Terry Porter but with the Suns struggling to adapt to Porter, Kerr fired him at the All-Star break and put assistant coach Alvin Gentry, who served under D'Antoni, in charge. In the three games since, the Suns have scored 140 points each game and are 3-0... I like that the Patriots are interested in free agent running back Fred Taylor. He might not be the impact player Corey Dillon was when he came to New England but the longtime Jaguars back would really improve the Pats rushing attack... Enjoy Paul Pierce today...

Random Thoughts (February 19, 2009)

Other than trading Sam Cassell and Patrick O'Bryant to Sacramento in separate deals that do nothing more than clear roster space, the Celtics are not expected to do anything significant before today's trade deadline. However, the C's will still look to bolster their roster by the March 1 deadline to add players that are eligible for the playoffs. The Boston Globe is reporting that Oklahoma City forward Joe Smith, who TheBostonInsider has lusted after most of the winter, would love to be bought out from his contract so he could sign with Boston. Smith is close friends with Kevin Garnett from their days in Minnesota. Smith would provide the C's with height (6-10), shooting, and experience off the bench... Tim Thomas, traded from the Knicks to the Bulls today, would be another intriguing name for the C's to look at if he were to be bought out of his contract. He is 6-10 and can shoot but he has been indifferent to playing hard throughout his career. That lazy streak would be fixed by KG and Pierce... The Shaq-to-Cleveland rumor, while very interesting, is probably not going to happen. Shaq once compared the three marquee guards he played with (Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade) to the three Corleone brothers from The Godfather. If Penny was Fredo, Kobe was Sonny, and D-Wade was Michael, what role would LeBron fill? I say Luca Brasi... Now that Tom Brady has announced he is going to be ready for the 2009 season, the Pats can get going on moving Matt Cassel. The best deal, in my opinion, is with Detroit. The Lions could add Cassel and use the first overall pick on an offensive tackle while the Pats could add a first round pick (the Lions own the 20th overall pick via the Cowboys) as well as additional picks in the middle rounds... Mike Lowell has said he was upset the Red Sox tried to add Mark Teixeira at his expense this winter but I see a healthy Lowell playing like a true professional this summer and hitting over 30 homeruns... Enjoy Ray Allen tonight...

Random Thoughts (February 11, 2009)

I really don't care that Alex Rodriguez took steroids from a baseball standpoint. So many players were on the juice in his era that I don't agree with the media's rush to paint A-Rod (as well as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco, and Mark McGwire) as the poster boys for a lost generation of America's pastime. I think that one day, the records that were set during this era will be recognized as the product of a drug-crazy society but they will have their place in baseball history and the A-Rod's, Bonds', and Clemens' of the world will get there place in Cooperstown. My problem with the steroid guys is that they have broken federal law by taking what they took and they should be in jail... By the way, could A-Rod have been anymore disingenuous with Peter Gammons... Round One of UNC-Duke tonight. Make sure to watch UConn-Syracuse too... I'm hurting over the ACL injury of one of my all-time favorite Celtics (non-championship division), Al Jefferson. Big Al was continuing his ascension when his season ended. For those Celtics fans who hurled themselves at the bandwagon last winter, please remember that without Jefferson, the Celtics would not have landed Kevin Garnett... Manny Ramirez is still looking for work... Enjoy Psycho T tonight...

Web Of Bill Parcells Continues To Expand

When the Mara family hired Bill Parcells to be the head football coach of the New York Giants for the 1983 season, there was no way that they could ever understand how much influnce he would have over the NFL for the next 25 years. (And if they had fired him after he went 3-12-1 in '83 in favor of Howard Schnellenberger, I wouldn't be writing this right now.) Parcells made the Giants an instant factor in the NFL, leading the G-Men to a 77-49-1 record and two Super Bowl championships in his eight years as coach. After leaving the Giants, Parcells made the Patriots (32-32 record, 1997 AFC Champions), Jets (29-19, 1999 AFC Championship game), and Cowboys (34-30) into winners. He is currently in charge of the Miami Dolphins and in his first year on the job, the Dolphins went from 1-15 to 11-5 and won the AFC East. With a career record of 172-130-1 (.570 winning percentage), eight division championships and two Lombardi Trophies on his resume, Parcells established himself as one of the best coaches in NFL history. However, the biggest impact that Parcells has had on football is the coaches and general managers that have worked under Parcells who have gone on to great success. The biggest "branch" of the Parcells "tree" is Bill Belichick. Belichick was the defensive coordinator under Parcells for both Super Bowls in New York before taking the head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns. After five mediocre years with Cleveland, Belichick became an assistant under Parcells again, first with the Patriots and then the Jets. He was tabbed to succeed Parcells on the Jets sideline but instead he bolted New Jersey to take over the Patriots in 2000. The rest is history. He has won four AFC Championships and three Super Bowls with the Pats. Tom Coughlin, who was wide receivers coach under Parcells on the Giants from 1988-1990, is now the coach of the Giants and won Super Bowl XLII over Belichick and the Patriots. He also had success with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Boston College. Sean Payton, who served as assistant head coach for the Cowboys for Parcells, is the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. In his first year with the Saints in 2006, Payton led them to their only appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Charlie Weis (currently head coach of Notre Dame) and Romeo Crennel (recently fired as head coach of the Browns) were both assistants under Parcells with the Giants and Jets who then went on to win three Super Bowls as offensive coordinator (Weis) and defensive coordinator (Crennel) of the Patriots under Belichick. Eric Mangini, like Weis and Crennel, worked under both Parcells and Belichick. Mangini was head coach of the Jets from 2006-2008 and was just hired to replace Crennel with the Browns. Al Groh is another former Parcells assistant (with the Giants, Patriots and Jets) who is a head coach. He succeeded Parcells as head coach of the Jets after Belichick took the Patriots job and is currently the head coach of the University of Virginia. Tony Sparano, the head coach of the Dolphins, made his mark in the NFL as a Parcells assistant in Dallas. Jeff Ireland was a member of the Dallas front office during the Parcells era who followed him to Miami. Ireland currently serves as general manager of the Dolphins. Belichick's right hand man in New England, and the new head of football operations for the Kansas City Chiefs, is another Parcells disciple. Pioli's ties to Parcells go far beyond football. He is married to Parcells' daughter, Dallas. He worked in the front office of the Jets under his father-in-law before following Belichick to Foxboro. Pioli is also responsible for the latest addition to the Parcells (head) coaching tree. After firing Herm Edwards last week, Pioli today hired former Parcells Jets assistant (and most recently the offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals) Todd Haley as head coach of the Chiefs. It is amazing how far and deep the Parcells tree extends in football. A lot of coaches who have even a small amount of success will go on to see their coordinators get head coaching positions. The true testament of the success of the "Parcells Way" is all the lower level assistant coaches who have gone on to be successful head coaches. If you combine the Parcells tree with that of Belichick, there are too many names to mention. It makes you wonder why Parcells, who has influenced the NFL on the field more than any one man over the last quarter century, has not yet been elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Random Thoughts (February 6, 2009)

If the game in Los Angeles on Christmas Day did not get the point across to you, than I hope last night was the reality check that Celtics fans needed. Last night proved two things. The Lakers are the better team than the Celtics and the Celtics can not defend their championship. A lot can change between now and June but those are the facts. The Celtics need help inside, that has been obvious since James Posey left as a free agent and P.J. Brown retired. They replaced Posey, a 6-8 small forward, in the lineup with 6-4 Tony Allen. They replaced P.J. Brown, a 6-11 power forward/center, in the lineup with the 6-8 Leon Powe and Glen Davis. Most nights, the height difference makes almost no difference. In games like last night, when the talent level is so high, those two or three inches add up and can be the deciding factor. On the other hand, the Lakers have height all over their roster. They start two 7-footers in Andrew Bynum (who missed last night and is out at least 8-12 weeks with a torn MCL in his right knee) and Pau Gasol. They have 6-10 forward Lamar Odom. Chris Mihm (7-0) and Vladimir Radmanovic (6-10) provide depth up front. Trevor Ariza (6-8), Luke Walton (6-8), and Sasha Vujacic (6-7) give them size on the wing. It is height that the Celtics can not currently compete with. I have been been begging for Danny Ainge to find a way to pry Joe Smith away from the Thunder. Smith is a 6-10 veteran who can defend and rebound inside and is a good mid-range shooter, very similar to Brown a year ago. However, landing Smith only solves one problem. The Celtics still need some height on the wing. Tony Allen drives me crazy with his mental lapses on the floor but I think I could live with his mistakes if he were 6-8 instead of 6-4. The C's options are limited on the trade market because they are up against the salary cap. The only obvious option here is to promote one of the rookies, either J.R. Giddens (6-6) or Bill Walker (6-7), to fill Allen's role. Now don't get me wrong, the Celtics are a very good team that will be heard from in the playoffs. It's just that they need some help if they want to repeat as NBA champions... Now that the Patriots have placed the franchise tag on Matt Cassel and the Chiefs are close to hiring Todd Haley as their offensive coordinator, it's time for Bill Belichick to get on the phone with Scott Pioli and figure out how many good draft picks the Pats can land for Cassel... I can't believe the Red Sox start spring training next week... BC's football team signed 17 recruits on Tuesday. Their most important signing was Jimmy Noel, a 6-3 cornerback from Everett. It was important for new coach Frank Spaziani to land an important recruit from his own backyard as he begins the process of establishing himself as the head guy at the Heights... My first team All-America team for college basketball: C - Hasheem Thabeet/UConn, F - Blake Griffin/Oklahoma, F - Tyler Hansbrough/UNC, G - Stephen Curry/Davidson, G - James Harden/Arizona State... Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin is catching a ton of heat for his claims that Urban Meyer and Florida for cheating in the recruitment process of an athlete that ended up going to Knoxville over Gainsville. I love it. Tennessee-Florida was a great rivalry up until a few years ago when the Volunteers program began to crumble. Kiffin has taken the first (and easiest) step in getting the hatred between the two teams flowing again. The hard part will be getting the players to compete with the Gators on the field and finding a way to outcoach Meyer. Good luck... Enjoy UConn-Michigan tomorrow...

Random Thoughts (February 4, 2009)

After picking the Cardinals to cover in Super Bowl XLIII, my final record for the 2008 season is 132 - 121 - 9. Considering my history as a pigskin prognosticator, that is amazing... I am thankful that the Red Sox and Jason Varitek finally came to terms on a contract. The next mission for Theo Epstein is to find Varitek's long term replacement behind the plate. With 'Tek under contract for at least 2009 (the Red Sox have an option for 2010), the "experts" are saying that Epstein can now take his time to find the next Red Sox catcher. I disagree. The sooner they find a long term solution (Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Miguel Montero), the sooner the new guy can assimilate himself to the Boston pitching staff... Forget what I said about Saltalamacchia or Montero if the Sox land Joe Mauer as a free agent after 2010... Now that Jameer Nelson has torn the labrum in his right shoulder, the Orlando Magic's hopes of winning the Eastern Conference took a major blow and a spot on the All-Star game roster was created. There is the usual cries from Boston for Ray Allen (averaging 18.1 points) to make the team but it will be almost impossible to ignore Cleveland point guard Mo Williams (17.3 ppg). The stats are similar but the bottom line is that Cleveland is just 1.5 games behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference but they have just one All-Star, some guy named LeBron James. The C's already have two All-Stars in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Williams, and Cleveland, should be rewarded for their success... My Final Four in college basketball: North Carolina, UConn, Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh... I thought the episode of The Office after the Super Bowl was great but I didn't like the tease of tomorrow's episode at all. Jim, you can't be the father of Karen's child... Michael Phelps broke the law by hitting the pipe and he did let down his millions of fans and sponsors that pay him millions in the process. Some say it's unfair but hey, if you want the fame and fortune, you have to be more careful of what you do and where you do it... After Scott Pioli hires Cardinals offenisve coordinator Todd Haley to be his head coach, Pioli needs to get on the phone with Bill Belichick and give up his 2nd and 5th round choices in the 2009 draft and either a 1st or 2nd round pick (based on performance) in the 2010 for Matt Cassel... This is probably a 1,000,000,000-1 long shot but I think the Red Sox should give Manny Ramirez a 2-year/$50 million deal, let the past be the past, and win back-to-back World Series in '09 and '10... Enjoy the Big, Bad Bruins tonight...