I am happy to say that I had faith even when Ray Allen only scored 2 points in Game 3 after his spectacular performance of 3 pointers in Game 2.  Though he isn’t back to his Game 2 level he is back to a steady level of contribution in the double digits even in the face of dealing with a sick child at home.  Ray Allen exudes professionalism as he accepts whatever role he can play in getting the Celtics a win.  It would be great to see him have another great performance but either way we know that he is the real deal.

Kevin Garnett is also back to form especially after his Game 3 finals high of 25 points.  Even though the Celtics lost that game it was key to reestablishing respect from not only Gasol but all the Lakers.  Pierce brought them to attention the last game too.  Being a veteran player comes with its ups and downs.  The body is not what it used to be but the Celtics have shown that the mental toughness that comes with experience is also a major advantage, especially in the post season.

As the team starts clicking again it is hard not to see that 18th championship around the corner but either way these Celtics have proven they are a championship level team.  They have proven that it isn’t about Big 3 or Big 4 (we can’t forget Rondo) performance it is about team performance.  The bench has played a major role with Tony Allen’s defense of Kobe and the passionate performance of Glen Davis and Nate Robinson in Game 4.  Doc Rivers coaching style has definitely brought out the best of this Celtics team.

Does this writeup seem biased?  It should I am a Bostonian born and bred!  Go Celtics!  Beat LA!

Update:  6-16-2010

OK OK Let’s admit it we wanted a Game 7.  In Boston we are used to Drama.  “For all the marbles” (like Pierce said) the guys knows “This is what we were born to do” (according to Ray Allen) with a Game 7.

The Boston Celtics needed this win and it seemed after Friday’s performance that it was going to be near impossible.  As good as the big 3 are (Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett) let’s face it they are getting old.  Competing against the likes of Lebron James who is 25 years old can be exhausting.  Rondo is showing a level of maturity that for some was a long time coming but let’s face it he’s only 24.

Rondo’s performance yesterday was a joy to watch and an exhibition of someone at least at the peak of their game.  Here in Boston it is similar to watching icons play at their peak.  If I make comparisons to basketball players I’m sure we would have differing opinions but the performance yesterday reminded me how it felt to watch Pedro Martinez pitch in his prime.  It seemed he was in full control of everything.  Another non-basketball comparison would be some games where Tom Brady engineered some of his famous 2 minute offense.

Regardless of what happens in the 2010 NBA playoffs this year, given Rondo’s age we sure hope the best is yet to come.  There were plenty who were not sure when the Celtics signed an 5 year extension to his contract.  Some questioned his leadership abilities.  On the court there shouldn’t be doubt it will be interesting to see how his leadership off court matures as he takes more of a central role.

What follows is his press conference taped by Comcast:

With the ascension of the Red Sox and the New England Patriots we have become used to world championships so much so that getting to the playoffs has not been enough for many Boston sports fans.  The fact that the Bruins are into the second round of the playoffs and doing well brings us closer to championship level play from all 4 of our professional sports teams.  I know the Patriots last Super Bowl win was in 2004 but remember we were also in the 2007 Superbowl though we lost.  The Red Sox last World Series win was in 2007.  The Celtics last world championship win was in 2008.  The Bruins last Stanley cup win on the other hand was way back in 1972.

We in Boston are known to be pretty hard on our sports teams even though they have brought us tons of hours of enjoyment.  Win or lose enjoy this time Boston Sports fans!  Don’t forget how lucky we are!

Varitek on Base ©DirectoryofBoston.com

Pop quiz: which Red Sox player has the highest batting average so far this season?

Is it V-Mart? Pedroia? Another one of the usual suspects?

Believe it or not, it’s Jason Varitek. Yes, the veteran catcher—who, you may remember, lost his starting job mid-season last year when the Sox brought in hard-hitting Victor Martinez in hopes of improving their offensive production—leads the team with a stellar .357 average 20 games into the 2010 season.

At first glance, it may seem like that number is inflated—Varitek started the season on the bench, and has about half the number of plate appearances as most of the starters. He could be on a string of good luck, and, with time, his numbers will dip back to more expected levels.

However, Tek also ranks second on the team in home runs and sixth in RBI. And, remember, he’s done all of that in half the plate appearances as the regulars. His RBI totals are also interesting to note, because all of his homers have been solo shots. Had the rest of the offense not been struggling so much, Varitek’s RBI total would most likely be much higher.

The fact that a player who was presumed over the hill—so much so that even The Onion began mocking his diminished offensive production—is leading the Boston offense is incredible. For Vartiek, his early season surge is something of vindication. He is continually proving that he has some life left, despite what critics and even his own team thought.

It’s doubtful Varitek will stay this hot all season. But if he does, he could bail the Red Sox out of the quagmire David Ortiz has landed them in.

Ortiz’s production has continued to decline, leaving Boston in an awkward position where their primary DH is a non-threat. If Varitek keeps up his production, Boston could make Victor Martinez their DH, and start Varitek back at catcher. Varitek is considered one of the best play callers in the game, so pairing him back with the Sox pitching would aid the team’s defense as well. Assuming he isn’t traded, Boston could also use Mike Lowell at DH to give Varitek a day off.

Of course this all assumes Ortiz stays in a funk. If he does, he will likely lose his DH spot to Martinez, with Varitek coming back into the fold as the starting catcher.

It will be sad to see Ortiz fizzle out of the lineup. But that sadness will easily be outweighed by a triumphant return by the Sox captain.

Courtesy of NHL video

The Boston Bruins are making Boston sports fans take notice as they move on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  I admit it, when it comes to professional hockey I am pretty much a fair weather fan.  In Boston we can be spoiled especially when you have 3 out of the 4 professional sports teams playing at once.

Professional Hockey in Boston has not been getting much attention except for some awful injuries that have befallen 2 of their stars.  Patrice Bergeron suffered a concussion back in 2007-2008 season when he was hit from behind and had his head hit the boards.  Most recently Marc Savard suffered a hit to the head by Matt Cooke of Pittsburgh.  Though it was not that easy to see in the Marc Savard injury video that we put up when it happened it put Savard out of commission for quite a while.  Fox News is reporting that he will be available to play in the next round.

The Boston Bruins were actually expected to be playoff contenders last year.  This year the expectations were quite low.  It seems that the Bruins are ramping up as the playoffs are under way.  As a fan it would be nice to see Savard come back and make an even bigger difference but the Bruins did well without him so you sure don’t want to shake up the chemistry too much.  Miroslav Satan who scored the winning goal to bring the Bruins into the second round of the playoffs is a good example of that.  A veteran player who as acquired only in the last few months of the season he has been a key player in the first round against the Buffalo Sabres.

So Boston Bruins, you have my attention!  I look forward to Round 2.

Here is a video courtesy of NHL video of Satan’s winning goal:

©DirectoryofBoston.com

For all the talk about the struggling Red Sox offense, you’d think that was the reason why the restructured team is off to such a miserable start this season.

Actually, though, it’s Boston’s starting pitchers who have the team off to a subpar 7-10 start.

Boston pitchers have a cumulative ERA of 4.53 on the season, the third worst average in the league. Only the basement-dwelling Royals and White Sox have statistically worse pitching staffs.

Entering Friday night’s game against the Orioles, Jon Lester was giving up an average of 8+ runs per nine innings. His 5 2/3 innings of scoreless pitching in that game still only brought his ERA down to 6.23. Every other starter—with the exception of Clay Buchholz—has an ERA over five. Five!

There is no way a team can win games when their starting pitchers can’t last through the sixth inning without giving up a handful of runs. Early departures by the starters puts significant strain on the bullpen—more innings means more sore arms means worse pitching.

So far, the bullpen has been fairly reliable, with a few glaring exceptions. But if they are continually counted on to bail out struggling starters, their performance will surely decline.

Of course, any statistics are heavily skewed so early on in the season. Heading into the season, the Red Sox boasted perhaps the strongest starting rotation in baseball, so they should fare better over the course of the year. Yet the fact that every starter, Buchholz included, has pitched at least one awful game is certainly a cause for concern.

That concern is also amplified by the fact that Boston’s lopsided losses came against the league’s powerhouse teams—the Yankees, Twins, and Rays. If the Red Sox can’t bounce back and compete with the best of the best, it’s going be a long, painful season.

Boston Marathon runners in front of Boston College ©DirectoryofBoston.com

The 114th Boston Marathon’s economic contribution is expected to be in the $110 million range this year.  This according to the John Hancock press release earlier this year.

Whether you are a running fan or not you can’t help to feel the buzz of Marathon day in the Greater Boston area.  If you are driving anywhere along the 26 mile route expect detours.  You are better off just parking somewhere and joining in the festivities.

The Boston Marathon attracts people from around the world.  Running fans as well as runner supporters line the route.  This year you can also opt for TV coverage from the official media partner WBZ4.  They will have local coverage and you can also checkout www.universalsports.com for online coverage.  The are owned by NBC.

The Boston Marathon impacts the economy in a variety of ways from the booking of hotel rooms to the various restaurants and retails shops along the route.  Sporting good stores of course benefit from the marathon mindset.  How many of us, runner or not, checks out the running shoes during the Boston Marathon “Season”?  How many of us go and replace our running shoes?  How many of us start running?

There are much advice out there on where is the best spot to see the marathon.  I won’t give specific advice because it all depends on what you want to see.  Do you want to see the struggle and triumph of Heartbreak Hill in Newton or do you want to see the runners as they cross the finish line?  Of course, the toughest spots will be at the finish line at Copley.  We have had people running the Marathon before and invariably you have to pick a meeting spot, like one of the restaurants, hotels or bars in the area( I think we met up at the Lenox).  The runner should also give you an estimate of how long they think they will run.  This will give you a good time to be at the finish line(if you can muscle your way in the crowd).

Many folks just opt to take in the race at restaurants and pubs along the way, Cleveland Circle is a good example of that.  The Boston Athletic Association has come up with their own guide though.  You can download the 2010 Spectator Guide at their website.  This guide is more for where to view the race.  I found About.com’s article on Best Places to Watch interesting as well.

I found a video that brings you through the course in fast time mode.  I thought it was kind of neat.  I wonder if one could be done from a runner’s perspective?

Red Sox captain Jason Varitek thumbed his nose at critics, hitting two home runs in his return to the lineup Saturday night

The most important part of the Red Sox just-concluded three game set in Kansas City is the 2-1 series victory Boston pulled out. With the two wins, Boston is back to a .500 record overall on the young season. The two wins also snapped a three game losing streak Boston had been carrying since they dropped the second game of the season to the Yankees.

However, the most exciting part of this past series has to be Jason Varitek’s triumphant—though brief—return to the lineup. In Game 2, the Sox captain got the start behind the plate and, as if proving wrong everyone who doubted he could still be an effective hitter, belted two home runs en route to an 8-3 win.

Talk about vindication.

Varitek, whose hitting has slumped drastically the past few seasons, became the odd man out halfway through last year when Boston added the strong bat of catcher Victor Martinez to the lineup. With his contract up, and despite knowing he would serve as a backup should he remain in Boston, Varitek decided to stay put.

A few nights before the game, a group of friends and I, while watching the Yankees pick apart Boston’s relief corps, considered which player’s jersey we would buy if we had the money to do so. My answer, met by a few confused expressions, was Jason Varitek. He’d always been my favorite player, in part for his talent as a catcher, but also for his seeming authenticity. In a game where players flit from team to team, seeking more money and a chance to win a championship on the spot with a team cobbled together of other big name free agents (think the 2009 Yankees) Varitek stayed with his team. His loyalty is rare in baseball, and something worthy of admiration.

We won’t see a career season from the senior catcher; he is, unfortunately, past his prime. For the series’ final game, he was back on the bench, again the backup catcher. Still, seeing him trot home after his second home run of the night was an encore to his career too perfect to be scripted.

David Ortiz may need a ton of Vitamin Water if he hopes to return to his old, elite form (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Baseball, more than any other sport, perhaps more than any other profession besides politics, is constantly beleaguered by the question, “What have you done for me lately?”

In a game where statistics are sacred, where every piece of data is scrutinized, analyzed, and categorized, a player’s poor performance cannot go unnoticed. So when high profile, highly paid players find themselves in a funk, they can also be guaranteed to find plenty of people foaming at the mouth for their ouster and, were it legal, public humiliation via the stocks.

Such is the unfortunate situation David Ortiz finds himself in. Once the face of Red Sox Nation thanks to his clutch hitting and walk-off heroics during Boston’s two recent title runs, Ortiz’s production has dropped off dramatically since 2007. Over the first two months last season, he hit no home runs and reached base maybe seven times. While he ultimately recovered, ending the season with 28 homers and 99 RBI, there were plenty of people raving early on that he was over the DH hill.

This year, Ortiz is again off to a miserable start—he has one hit in eleven at bats, and has stranded seven of eight runners in scoring position. Not surprisingly, the drum beat to replace him is mounting already, especially with Mike Lowell and his reliably productive bat warming the bench. It’s as if fans and the media have been waiting all winter for Ortiz to start slow, and now, with the first glimpse that that may be the case, they’re calling for his ouster from the lineup and possible banishment from Fenway.

It’s too easy to seize such a small sample as proof of a player’s unremitting decline into ineptitude. Streaks are an integral part of baseball, whether it’s DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak, or an All-Star’s uncharacteristic hitting drought. Brandishing any selective sample is scientifically baseless; players often have streaks where they hit .500, only to level their average with a slump later on.

While Ortiz is an easy fall guy for the Sox recent woes, it is unfair to say he should get the boot so early on. He’s certainly past his prime, and there are indicators that he won’t be as productive as Boston needs him to be if they hope to contend this year.

Still, it is way too early to write him off entirely. As he proved down the stretch last year, he can still be a valuable asset to the team. The same could be true this year, so long as he’s given a chance to prove it.

Fenway Park (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

It may have only been opening day, but it felt like a playoff game.

The Red Sox got their season going strong Sunday night over the Yankees in a tense matchup of big plays and nail-biting at bats.

The Yankees came out quick in the second inning, as Jorge Posada and newcomer Curtis Granderson knocked back to back home runs off Sox starter Josh Beckett. The bleeding didn’t end there for Beckett, who departed midway through the fifth after giving up five runs on eight hits.

The Sox roared back in the sixth though, tying the game at five on a two-run triple by Youkilis and an RBI single from Adrian Beltre one batter later. That was enough for Yankees starter C. C. Sabbathia who, like Beckett, left the game uncharacteristically early.

Two Yankee runs in the top of the seventh were immediately answered in the bottom half by a rare home run from Boston’s reigning little man, Dustin Pedroia. (Generously listed at 5’9,” Pedroia often appears to be shorter than crouching catchers when he stands at the plate.) Following the home run, a wild pitch brought in Youkilis and gave Boston the lead for good.

Putting aside all the pomp surrounding opening day for a moment—Neil Diamond singing the Sox unofficial anthem, “Sweet Caroline,” Pedro throwing out the first pitch, fireworks and jet planes to rival Independence Day—the game still felt more important than a regular opener. The weather was unseasonable, but ideal for a late game—temperature at first pitch was 67”; Boston had a totally revamped, defensive minded team on the field ready to prove themselves to Boston’s ever skeptical fans; the rival Yankees were in town, fresh off winning their millionth World Series.

All of that made opening day feel more intense, like each pitch would make or break the entire season. Last season ended on an awful note, with Boston being swept out of the playoffs in a dismal first round, only to see New York coast on through to victory.  Sox fans have been waiting all winter to get that sour taste out of our mouths, and finally now we have the delicious taste of victory to take its place now.

And sure, it was just one game. Statistically, the Yankees are once again the team to beat, and the Red Sox, while a strong team in their own right, are destined to once again be mashed to bits beneath New York’s irrepressible All Stars.

Still, it’s nice to have hope for the new season. If opening day’s spectacular game is any indicator, this season could be a very special one.