As anyone who has visited this space over the last few years knows, TheBostonInsider is a big fan of Bill Simmons. Simmons - ESPN's "Sports Guy" - is the voice for sports fans that I dreamed of being but never could quite figure out how to become.
Simmons has developed his game far beyond his ESPN.com column. He has written two best selling books, was one of the creators of ESPN's critically acclaimed documentary series "30 for 30" and now has developed a new website, Grantland, that is going to revolutionize sports journalism.
The beauty of Grantland is that it tells the story beyond the game. It is an online version of what Sports Illustrated provides in its weekly magazine, a collection of essays on the things that make sports (and writing about them) so great.
In its first week Grantland has included an in-depth oral history on The National, the short-lived daily national sports newspaper in the early 1990's, taken a look at the fan experience in and around Wrigley Field that usually trumps the product on the field, and a eulogy for one of New York's favorite watering holes for members of the Fourth Estate.
The "Sports Guy" column has always done a great job of blending the action on the field, the experience of being a fan, and pop culture references. That formula is what Grantland is going to be and this site has the potential to become a force within the industry...
The Celtics (remember them?) have a major void at center and if that is not addressed, the Green Team will not be winning the 2012 NBA championship.
In the past two weeks Shaquille O'Neal has retired and Nenad Krstic has agreed to sign a contract with CSKA Moscow. Jermaine O'Neal is all that remains in the middle for Doc Rivers' team.
The options for the Celtics are slim. Holding the 25th pick, their first round draft pick is not likely to deliver the answer. Free agent options are hard to predict based on the Celtics salary cap situation and the uncertain labor situation could create a system that takes away the Mid-Level Exception which would severely limit their options to add a big man. This problem has the potential to eliminate the C's from contention even before the season even starts.
The pressure is on Danny Ainge to come up with a solution or the last run with the Big 3 - Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are free agents after 2012 - could end up being a year-long retirement party instead of a championship quest...
If the Bruins are going to win the last two games of the season and win the Stanley Cup they need a hero to emerge other than Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara, who have both been excellent in the first five games of the series.
My vote for the hero goes to David Krejci. Krejci has the ability to create scoring chances which, if the B's can win Game 6 on Monday, will be crucial during Game 7 because they have only scored two goals in the three games in Vancouver...
Enjoy Carl Crawford today...
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