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The Three-Pointer: This Was a Reality Check For Celtics Fans

Paul Flannery  |  11/07/2009 - 7:41am EST

In the NBA it never pays to look ahead, but it is sometimes instructive to look back. The Phoenix Suns came into the TD Garden Friday night licking their wounds after an embarrassing loss to the Orlando Magic Wednesday night. Grant Hill and Jason Richardson went scoreless in that game and Steve Nash played just 22 minutes. With that in mind there was no way the Celtics weren’t going to get Phoenix’s best shot, and they got it over and over again in a 110-103 loss, their first of the season. Phoenix shot 50 percent and made 13-of-24 from 3-point range. Outlandish numbers when you consider the Celtics had been holding teams to 40 percent from the floor and just 25 percent from 3-point range. But hey, that’s life in the ...

The Hat Trick: Operation Chara Is a Potential Solution to the Drought

Joe Haggerty  |  11/06/2009 - 11:46am EST

Things were getting downright historical for the Bruins Thursday night while matching up against the Montreal Canadiens, and not at all in a good way. Racing against time to avoid earning the title of most offensively inadequate team in 80 years of Black and Gold hockey, the Bruins simply couldn’t score a goal no matter what was attempted. The kitchen sink was chucked. The vulcanized rubber peppered the Montreal net with sufficient follow-up effort. Dogs and cats were living in matrimonial harmony while the hibernating Bears found new ways to come up short. The B’s team simply couldn’t locate the back of the net even with hockey’s version of GPS. For a third straight game -- after dropping consecutive shutout ...

For the Sox, Hermida a Lottery Ticket Worth Playing

Alex Speier  |  11/06/2009 - 2:41am EST

To the Marlins, Jeremy Hermida’s 2009 disappointment rendered the outfielder an unaffordable luxury. To the Red Sox, Jeremy Hermida’s not-so-distant past meant that the outfielder represented an affordable lottery ticket with at least a chance to offer a tidy jackpot. The 11th overall pick of the 2002 draft had stardom written all over his amateur and minor league careers. He showed an advanced approach at the plate, a precocious ability to control the strike zone and the potential for significant power. Then, in 2007, he showed every indication that he could translate all of those traits to the major league level. As a 23-year-old, he won an everyday job with the Marlins by hitting .296 with a .369 OBP, .501 slugging mark, ...

Five Things To Watch For Sunday Afternoon

Christopher Price  |  11/06/2009 - 1:20am EST

FOXBORO — In the AFC East, division wins are rare currency. The Patriots enter Sunday’s game with the Dolphins in first place in the division with a 5-2 mark, and a division win over a 3-4 Miami team (currently 3-0 in the division) would give New England (1-1 in division play) a two-game lead in the division over the idle Jets (4-4) and a little separation in the chase for the AFC East title. It won’t be easy. The Dolphins are one of the best running teams in the league. Behind Ricky Williams (averaging 5.4 yards per carry in 2009) and Ronnie Brown (seven touchdowns in his last six games), they tote the rock at a rate of 153 rushing yards per game this season, the fourth-best average in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Patriots ...

Weei Columnists

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In Defense of Jason Bay's Defense

10/26/2009 - 11:57pm

Joe Urbon and his team at CAA Sports have made it clear they’re prepared to enter the offseason starting blocks. Their client, Jason Bay, is on the verge of becoming one of the most sought-after free agents this winter, and whether it’s continuing negotiations with the Red Sox or introducing the outfielder’s abilities to another ... more »

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For the Sox, Hermida a Lottery Ticket Worth Playing

11/06/2009 - 2:41am

To the Marlins, Jeremy Hermida’s 2009 disappointment rendered the outfielder an unaffordable luxury. To the Red Sox, Jeremy Hermida’s not-so-distant past meant that the outfielder represented an affordable lottery ticket with at least a chance to offer a tidy jackpot. The 11th overall pick of the 2002 draft had stardom written all over ... more »

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Five Things To Watch For Sunday Afternoon

11/06/2009 - 1:20am

FOXBORO — In the AFC East, division wins are rare currency. The Patriots enter Sunday’s game with the Dolphins in first place in the division with a 5-2 mark, and a division win over a 3-4 Miami team (currently 3-0 in the division) would give New England (1-1 in division play) a two-game lead in the division over the idle Jets (4-4) and ... more »

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The Three-Pointer: This Was a Reality Check For Celtics Fans

11/07/2009 - 7:41am

In the NBA it never pays to look ahead, but it is sometimes instructive to look back. The Phoenix Suns came into the TD Garden Friday night licking their wounds after an embarrassing loss to the Orlando Magic Wednesday night. Grant Hill and Jason Richardson went scoreless in that game and Steve Nash played just 22 minutes. With that in mind there was ... more »

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The Three-Pointer: Celtics Send Another Message

11/05/2009 - 6:53am

On Tuesday night, the Thunder forced the Lakers into overtime in an attempt to make a statement against the defending champions. On Wednesday, the Timberwolves tried to send the same message to the Celtics. However just as the Lakers did to the Thunder, the Celtics took advantage of their veteran experience and rallied to fend off the eager home team, ... more »

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The Hat Trick: Operation Chara Is a Potential Solution to the Drought

11/06/2009 - 11:46am

Things were getting downright historical for the Bruins Thursday night while matching up against the Montreal Canadiens, and not at all in a good way. Racing against time to avoid earning the title of most offensively inadequate team in 80 years of Black and Gold hockey, the Bruins simply couldn’t score a goal no matter what was ... more »

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The Wildcat offense brings excitement — but not much else

11/04/2009 - 7:53am

The Cold, Hard Football Facts, if they had emotion, would love Miami’s Wildcat offense. It’s the best thing to happen to the NFL since the advent of (take your pick) the 4-3 defense, the deep-fried turkey or the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader — a titillating sensory marvel for hard-core pro football fans and bloodthirsty shut-ins. ... more »

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The Mailbag: Keith Foulke and Mamie Van Doren Just Don't Make the Cut

11/05/2009 - 7:36am

We are doing our best to shake the bye week blues here at the mailbag. The bye week is rough, of course, because it’s really two weeks. Fourteen days between games. And it’s been nearly a month since the Patriots have played in a game that felt like it meant something. That’ll change on Sunday when the Dolphins roll into Gillette, a ... more »

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Did You Notice Where Rasheed Wallace Was In Crunch Time?

10/28/2009 - 10:40am

While everyone (rightfully so) focused on Kevin Garnett and how his surgically repaired knee would hold up against LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Celtics' season-opener, the most encouraging sight of the night was seeing Kendrick Perkins on the bench in crunch time. I’ve said it over and over. Perkins is an ideal backup center for a ... more »

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Barnes Seeks Improbable Road to History

06/22/2009 - 10:33am

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover in the final pairing of the U.S. Open? It’s a storyline that looked as plausible at the beginning of the week at Bethpage Black as the grounds crew having to syringe the greens between groups just to keep them moist. Nonetheless, that was indeed the case when the two teed off Sunday ... more »

Audio & Video on Demand

  • +Red Sox
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    Peter Gammons

    Peter Gammons joins The Big Show to discuss the Yankees 27th world championship and the offseason moves for the Red Sox.

    Buster Olney, ESPN

    Buster talked about the payrolls in MLB, the money issue becoming a major issue in the game, if Mark Teixeira would have given the Sox the edge over the Yankees if they had signed him this past offseason, what the Yankees will do with Matsui and Damon, and what he would do if he was the GM of the Boston Red Sox

    Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports/MLB Network

    Ken broke down what he saw in the confrontation between Cole Hamels and Brett Myers, Pedro Martinez starting Game 6 in the Bronx, who he thinks will win the World Series and MVP, why Ryan Howard has been such a mess against New York, and Mark McGwire's return to baseball

  • +Patriots
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    Junior Seau, Patriots LB

    Junior joins the Big Show on Patriots Friday to preview the Dolphins match-up coming up this Sunday.

    Dan Koppen and Logan Mankins, Patriots OLs

    Dan and Logan discussed Joey Porter's comments about the Patriots but that they are more concerned about what happens on the field, what is the strength of the Dolphins defense, and what they did with their bye week and if it is tough coming back after a week off

    Peter King, SI/NBC Sports

    Peter talked about the mess that both the Cleveland and Oakland franchises are in, the Patriots and Dolphins matching up on Sunday in Foxboro, Joey Porter's comments about Tom Brady and the Pats, and that Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden will coach next year if anyone offers them a head coaching position

  • +Bruins
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    Mike Milbury, NHL TV Analyst

    Mike joins the guys to talk about the Bruins' rough start to the season, the injuries to Lucic and Savard, and who deserves more blame: the coaches or players

    Milan Lucic, Bruins Forward

    Milan discussed his new three-year contract extension with the Bruins, how the deal actually came about, his love for playing in Boston, the expectations for him and his team this season, and of course how his fantasy football team, the 5 Minute Majors, are doing in the Davio's Football League

    Claude Julien, Bruins Head Coach

    Claude talked about last year ending on a disappointing note but looked ahead to this year and discussed the new players adjusting to the Bruins system, players returning from injuries, and helped preview the 2009-10 Bruins team

  • +Celtics
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    Paul Pierce, Celtics Forward

    The captain of the Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, discussed the team gelling together so quickly, how Rajon Rondo is one of the best point guards in the game, Rasheed Wallace fitting in great with the Celtics, Antoine Walker's financial woes and managing his own money, his upcoming charity bowling event, "The Truth Strikes Again", and his friendship with President Bill Clinton

    Doc Rivers, Celtics Head Coach

    Doc joins John and Gerry to recap the C's 6-0 start. Doc also talks about his teams "Sleep Doctor" and his new favorite TV show

    Danny Ainge

    Danny joins the Big Show for his weekly segment and breaks down the Celtics hot start and the new contract for Rajon Rondo.

Weei Writers