Random Thoughts (March 21, 2011)

A quick look at the four professional teams in Boston and the NCAA Tournament. I am settled into the new palace and the internet connection is finally functioning so posting after a three-weel hiatus is the least that I could do... The Celtics seem to be lacking inspiration lately but it looks like Doc Rivers is making an effort to rest his stars while also integrating Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Delonte West, Troy Murphy, and Carlos Arroyo into the rotation. When the playoffs come around, the Celtics will be the team to beat. The starting five of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Shaquille O'Neal (who looks like he has lost weight while rehabbing his achilles injury) is the best in the NBA and a bench of Glen Davis, Green, West, Krstic, Murphy, and Arroyo gives Rivers great depth. The Bulls, Lakers, Spurs, Heat, and Magic are good basketball teams but the Celtics will be the last team standing in June... The Bruins are the hardest team in Boston to follow. They almost seem to play better when the diehards give up on them because every time the attention of the city is focused on the B's, they play like a high school JV squad. If the Bruins were to get hot at the right time they could make a run at the Conference Finals and even contend for the Stanley Cup but if their recent play is any indicator, the B's will be making a quick exit this Spring... Stand by for my first NFL Mock Draft. I see the Patriots loading up on a pass rusher and an offensive lineman in the first round with picks #17 and #28 before adding another offensive lineman and defensive lineman with their wo second round picks... The Red Sox will be breaking camp in a few weeks. My annual MLB preview will be up sometime this weekend or early next week. The hype for the 2011 Sox is justified but I still have doubts that their pitching is good enough right now to win the World Series... Three of my Final Four picks are still alive but the Pittsburgh Panthers ruined my hopes and dreams of predicting the entire field for college basketball's final weekend. For the first time since I was an ignorant grammar school student, I went with all of the #1 seeds. Other than Pitt, it has worked out well. Kansas, Ohio State, and Duke have all advanced and have excellent chances to make it to Houston to play for the national championship. My predicted final is Kansas over Ohio State but with Duke's Kyle Irving looking good over the weekend it will be hard to deny the Blue Devils a second straight title... Enjoy Paul Pierce tonight...