Month: February 2006

On the newly redesigned Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight on FSN last night, Jonathan Kraft sounded quite certain that a new NFL labor deal would be done by tomorrow. Reading between the lines, he also sounded confident that both Adam Vinatieri and Willie McGinest would be back with the team next season. John Tomase seems to feel that chances are good that McGinest will not take a huge pay cut from the Patriots and might bolt to the Browns or Jets. Eric McHugh notes that Tyrone Poole could follow Duane Starks out of the Patriots secondary and into the open market. Jerome Solomon notes that with the expansion of the Belichick coaching tree, “Patriots type” players are going to be more in demand in the draft and free agency. Lenny Megliola catches up with author James Lavin, who is working on volume three of his series on how the New England Patriots do business. Tomase and Mike Reiss each look at the impending labor deal.

The Indy Star reports that a High School offensive coordinator has accepted a position with the Patriots. His name is DuJuan Daniels and he was the 1997 Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Football. He also went to Boston College and played wide receiver for the Eagles. It would appear that he’s getting a chance to start at the ground floor.

The Red Sox continue to make preparations for the season as they move closer to Thursday’s exhibition opener with the Minnesota Twins. Tony Massarotti checks in with Johnny Damon over in Yankees camp, and finds the former Red Sox centerfielder doing just fine, thank you very much. Gordon Edes has a look at Dustan Mohr, who is taking over Damon’s #18 in the Red Sox outfield. Mohr injured himself last season with the Rockies on opening day after trying to vault a short fence to celebrate a walk-off home run by a teammate. The injury set the tone for the rest of the season for Mohr. David Heuschkel says that another Red Sox outfielder, Trot Nixon, has no intentions of slowing down, despite being in the last year of his contract and starting to get up there in age a bit. He’ll be 32 in April, but feels his best years are still in front of him. Steven Krasner looks at Tony Graffanino, who is currently a man without a position or playing time. The Red Sox will attempt to trade him to a team where he can play second base regularly. Jeff Horrigan also reports on Graffanino and the Red Sox attempts to trade him.

Rob Bradford profiles the Red Sox massage therapist and nutritionist, two people who are unrecognizable to the casual fan, but still play big roles with the team. Jeff Horrigan looks at pitcher Edgar Martinez, who started out in the Red Sox organization as a catcher, but has developed into a good prospect since switching ends of the battery. He throws 94-97 mph and reminds some of El Guapo because of his large frame. David Borges introduces us to the Red Sox new third base coach. DeMarlo Hale takes over for Dale Sveum, a welcome move for many Red Sox observers. While in Yankees camp, Massarotti also has Mike Myers wondering why the Red Sox never got around to offering him a new contract.

Dom Amore looks at Effa Manley being the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Chris Snow’s notebook looks at how Baseball Prospectus has Dustin Pedroia ranked as the 11th best prospect in baseball, while Baseball America ranks him at 77. Krasner’s notebook looks at Manny Delcarmen as he attempts to get his curveball back this spring. Borges’ notebook makes note of the fact that the other Manny, Ramirez, is due into camp tomorrow.

Steve Bulpett has a look at Paul Pierce’s development into a complete player, the type that makes those around him better. Shira Springer notes that the team’s success on the recent road trip has their confidence up and hopes brightened for the future of the club. Bill Reynolds devotes sections to Ryan Gomes, Paul Pierce and Lamar Odom in his column this morning. Bulpett’s notebook has Gomes saying that his success recently is due in part to the fact that he is finding things simpler in the NBA right now as a supporting player than it was as the main guy on a college team.

Jackie MacMullan has a look at African-Americans in the local history of hockey. She goes back to Leon Lewis, who was probably the only African-American playing high school hockey in the 1950’s, and David Yancy, who started playing in the 1960’s. It’s a very interesting article, typical of MacMullan. Rich Thompson has the Bruins getting ready for a stretch run. Mike Loftus checks in with Hall Gill and Mike Sullivan, who are disappointed with how things turned out for their Team USA in the Turin Olympics. Fluto Shinzawa looks at rookie defenseman Milan Jurcina, who returns to the Bruins after playing heavy minutes for Slovakia in the Olympics. Thompson’s notebook has more on Jurcina. Loftus also previews the week ahead for the Bruins.

Michael Vega looks at Boston College setting their sights on getting the #2 seed in the ACC Tournament.

Lenny Megliola reports on WEEI afternoon flash guy Pete Sheppard’s attempt at curling last night.

Check out these two entries from a hockey blog called Japers’ Rink on January 12th and January 18th. Then check out these online columns from SI.com’s Tom Layberger on February 16th and February 2nd. Just a little too close for comfort.

NESN has Wake Forest/Boston College at 7:00. ESPN has LSU/South Carolina at 7:00 and Illinois/Minnesota at 9:00. ESPN2 has Saint Joseph’s/Xavier at 7:30. OLN has Wild/Avalanche at 9:00.

If you didn’t get to check out the papers over the weekend, here are some of the highlights:

Bryan Marquard and Russell Nichols had a report on Boston saying goodbye to Curt Gowdy.

One week into camp, Tony Massarotti said that the Red Sox don’t have much personality. Gordon Edes Baseball notes had a number of interesting items, including a look at a member of the Australian national team trying to make it with the Red Sox, an Edgar Renteria update, Darren Daulton predicting the end of the world, and lots of other stuff. In Massarotti’s Covering All Bases, he looks at Bill Lajoie leaving the Red Sox to join the Dodgers, the Mets thin rotation and Barry Bonds. Edes Sunday notebook reported that Curt Schilling is in line to start the season opener in Texas…a sign that the ace is healthy. David Heuschkel says that health has not been an issue for Schilling this spring. Steve Buckley had a feature on Hyde Park’s Manny Delcarmen.

Ron Borges reports on the NFL labor situation, and is decidedly pessimistic about the outlook. He also wrote a column on the subject for MSNBC. Borges also had Pro Football Notes, which lead off with Ricky Williams, and includes more on the labor situation, including speculation that Richard Seymour could make out huge in an uncapped season. John Tomase reported from the combine, where the Patriots met with USC back LenDale White. Tomase also broke down the labor problems into four major issues. Tom E Curran also had a nice breakdown of the situation.

Mark Murphy’s NBA Notes looked at the curious fascination that NBA players have with pit bulls. Peter May’s Basketball Notes examines the ongoing mess Isiah Thomas is creating in New York, as well as Antoine Walker returning to Boston this week with the Heat.

Jeff Goodman’s The ACC looks at the final weeks at BC for Craig Smith.

The Celtics capped off a 3-1 West coast swing with a dramatic 112-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on national television last night. Shira Springer examines the game, which featured a superstar matchup of Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant, who went for 39 and 40 points respectively on the night. Steve Bulpett notes that even though the Celtics needed to survive some dramatics at the end, this game and trip is one that they an feel very good about. In LA, Mike Bresnahan chastises the Lakers for falling to the “hapless” Celtics. Ross Siler claims towards the end of his game story that Ryan Gomes should’ve been called for a loose ball foul on the Paul Pierce missed free throw which set up the Lakers final shot. John Nadel of the AP looks at Pierce capping off the finest month of his career with his 39 in his home town.

Tim Weisberg is surprised that Danny Ainge showed restraint at the trading deadline. Bulpett says that the Laker rivalry with the Celtics is still alive and has a certain amount of mystique attached to it, even after all of these years. Springer’s notebook has a look at Ryan Gomes, who continues to fill up the stat sheet for the Celtics since being placed in the starting lineup. Bulpett’s notebook reports that Wally Szczerbiak has taken over for Paul Pierce as being the go-to guy for shooting technical free throws. He also notes that Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins remain out with their respective injuries.

Jeff Horrigan reports that the Washington Nationals could be a potential trade partner for the Red Sox after they lost one of their starting pitchers until at least August. Gordon Edes looks at utilityman Willie Harris as he attempts to latch on with the Red Sox after winning a title with the White Sox last fall. One of the angles Edes’ pursues is the fact the Harris is from the same town in which Jackie Robinson was born. Steven Krasner looks at Craig Hansen who is prepared should the Red Sox need him to close games sooner than is expected. David Heuschkel looks at Jonathan Papelbon as a youngster who is sure to play a huge role with the Sox this season.

David Borges has an interesting look at the three catchers who are battling for the right to be Jason Varitek’s backup this season. Rob Bradford has a look at a couple of Doctors whose job it is to test and monitor the players eyesight in spring training. Jon Couture says Pedro Martinez’s ailing toe is making the Red Sox decision not to re-sign him look wiser by the day. Tony Massarotti looks at Theo Epstein promising some high school girls he’d show up at their prom.

Horrigan’s notebook reports on Josh Beckett putting on a show while throwing batting practice yesterday. Krasner’s notebook catches up with Dustin Pedroia, who was one of those who batted against Beckett. Edes’ notebook looks at David Wells taking a pass on photo day.

John Tomase looks at the clock continuing to tick on the Adam Vinatieri contract negotiations. Albert Breer has had a two part series on the Patriots offseason needs, yesterday he examined the offense, today he looks at the defense. Michael Parente says that the release of Duane Starks could be just the beginning of an offseason makeover for the Patriots. Tomase wonders if a linebacker might be in the Patriots draft future.

John Molori looks at Greg Dickerson taking some shots at Ed Berliner, previews the Whineys and talks boxing with Ron Borges.

I’m hoping to have an update later today with some highlights from the weekend articles…

Chris Snow reports that Dave Wallace’s hip infection became so serious last week that he nearly died, had to have a hip replacement yesterday, and will now likely miss the season or perhaps never come back to the team. Jeff Horrigan looks at John Henry and Larry Lucchino arriving at camp and immediately going into their new “Belichickian” policy of being tight-lipped when it comes to news. Tony Massarotti has an article looking at the young arms in camp, and the promise they hold for the future. It’s been over 20 years since the Red Sox had a collection of promising young pitchers as they do now. Dan Shaughnessy looks at the Red Sox getting on the field as a team for their first full squad workout of the spring.

Snow first reported in the Globe Extra Bases blog yesterday that Manny Ramirez would not be participating in the World Baseball Classic, but instead would come to Red Sox camp next week and stay with the club throughout spring training. The information came from John Henry, who as Jeff Horrigan points out had promised to put an end to leaks of information. Steven Krasner reports that Manny now wants to stay with the Red Sox this season, instead of being traded. He uses Enrique Wilson as his source, who, as Massarotti points out, is one of Manny’s closest friends in baseball. David Heuschkel and David Borges have more from Wilson and others talking about Manny and his late arrival and whether he will play in the WBC.

Rob Bradford has a look at reliever Rudy Seanez, who, for the second straight offseason trained by participating in ultimate fighting, a regimen that led to the best season of his 14 year career last year. Snow’s notebook has more on Manny, as well as a number of other notes from around camp. Borges’ notebook has more on Enrique and Manny, and Krasner’s notebook looks at the Red Sox brass making their first appearance in camp.

Jerome Solomon reports on the Patriots declining to place a franchise tag on Adam Vinatieri, meaning that the kicker can become a free agent if he is not signed by next Friday. John Tomase goes to Romeo Crennel for comment on Vinatieri, and the former Patriots defensive coordinator and current Browns head coach says what you would expect. The Patriots will probably try to work out a long term deal with Vinatieri. Tom E Curran says that he sides have not been talking as of late. Michael Parente notes that the labor situation might’ve played a role in this decision, and he also looks at some of the Patriots other free agents.

Shira Springer looks at Danny Ainge and the Celtics standing pat at the trade deadline, choosing to go with their current roster for the reminder of the season as they attempt to make a playoff push. Steve Bulpett says that the Celtics made their big deal when they traded Ricky Davis and others for Wally Szczerbiak. Tim Weisberg reports that the Celtics will hold the first of seven “road rallies” on Sunday night in New Bedford. Bulpett’s notebook looks at Gerald Green leaping onto the scene Wednesday night in Phoenix, but notes that the strong outing doesn’t guarantee future playing time for the youngster. He also reports that there is a chance Al Jefferson could play tonight in Portland.

Mike Loftus reports that despite the extended break for the Olympic games, the Bruins don’t find themselves much healthier as they begin to regroup for the final stretch of the season. Steve Conroy looks at Marco Strum as one of the Bruins who is not completely healed yet.

Ron Borges does what he does best; Boxing notes, and lots of them. The main focus is on Shane Mosley trying to recapture past glory.

Check out the New York Sports News page for more news on the Jets, Johnny Damon and the Yankees in spring training and the Knicks spinning their recent trades. The Bay Area Sports Pages have plenty of coverage of spring training for their local clubs.

You can check the Olympic happenings on the pages of the Boston Herald Olympic pages and the Boston Globe Olympic pages.

David Scott weighs in with observations on Spring Training.

Check back later for media columns and TV listings.

The Celtics showed some heart and grit last night in Phoenix, but were too undermanned to pull off the upset as they fell to the Suns, 103-94. Delonte West went for a career high 30 points in the loss, but perhaps the most interesting development for the Celtics and their fans was seeing rookie Gerald Green on the court for 23 minutes. The High School product scored 13 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, and while he did miss a few defensive assignments, he didn’t hurt the team too badly on that end of the court. Steve Bulpett has a look at the Celtics getting an “A” effort from the kids. While the kids were impressive, Shira Springer notes that the night belonged to Shawn Marion, who put in a career high 44 points for the Suns. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic also has a report on the game.

FSN’s play-by-play man Mike Gorman took a few minutes to answer some questions on the FSN website. Bulpett reports on Paul Pierce getting invited to try out for the US Men’s Basketball team this summer. Springer’s notebook has more on the invitation for Pierce. Bulpett’s notebook examines whether Danny Ainge might have anything cooking for this afternoon’s trading deadline.

Chris Snow has a look at Terry Francona, who is determined to manage his health better this season and not be worn down at the end of the year as he was last season. Jeff Horrigan says Mike Lowell is looking to bounce back after a humbling season in Florida last year. Steven Krasner says that the Red Sox are going to take things slow with Cla Meredith, after rushing him to the big leagues last season. David Borges has a piece on first baseman J.T. Snow, who plans to wear number 84 this season to honor his late father.

David Heuschkel looks at Mark Loretta and Snow, who are both making the transition from the West coast to the East. Michael Felger has more on Loretta. Dom Amore looks at Johnny Damon settling in at Yankees camp. Former Herald columnist Howard Bryant reports on Damon for the Washington Post. Rob Bradford reports on Manny getting permission to report on March 1.

Dan Shaughnessy attempts to talk to Jim Rice about why he isn’t in the baseball Hall of Fame as of yet. Snow compiled a list of who is new and who is gone on the Red Sox roster since last season ended. The Globe notebook reports that no one is clear yet as to Manny’s intentions regarding the World Baseball Classic. It also reports that Bill Lajoie has resigned his position with the team. Horrigan’s notebook has David Ortiz saying that Manny won’t walk away from $20 million. Borges’ notebook has a look at Willie Harris, who hopes to stick with the Red Sox big club as an all-around ultilityman. Krasner’s notebook has more on Loretta.

Tom E Curran says that the Patriots are unlikely to tag Adam Vinatieri as their franchise player today, which would mean that the kicker would go to unrestricted free agency starting next Friday. Mike Reiss references a report from the Baltimore Sun which has Jamal Lewis listing the Patriots as one of four teams he would be interested in joining. Michael Felger has a look at the Patriots practice of looking for both intelligence and athleticism in players they scout at the combines. Curran’s notebook looks at the NFL labor situation making things uncertain for this offseason.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell looks at the Bruins starting to regather in preparation for the stretch run.

Check out the New York Sports News page for news on the Jets dismantling their team, the Yankees in spring training and the Knicks getting Steve Francis. The Bay Area Sports Pages have plenty of coverage of Barry Bonds reporting to Giants camp.

You can check the Olympic happenings on the pages of the Boston Herald Olympic pages and the Boston Globe Olympic pages.

TNT has Pacers/Pistons at 8:00 and Kings/Lakers at 10:30. ESPN has South Carolina/Georgia at 7:00 and Cincinnati/Villanova at 9:00. ESPN2 has Wisconsin/Northwestern at 9:00. FSN has BU/Vermont at 7:00 and Stanford/Washington at 10:30.

Things weren’t looking so great for the Celtics last night during the first half in Utah. They trailed by 14 points, and already were without Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, and also Wally Szczerbiak, who went down in the opening minutes of the game with a knee injury. In addition, Paul Pierce was saddled with a couple early fouls and had to sit out the closing minutes of the half. Delonte West took the cue to step up and scored 10 straight points for the Celtics to help them close to within four points at the half. Then Pierce took over in the second half, and the Celtics actually cruised to an easy 103-83 win over the Jazz.

Shira Springer spends much of her game article focused on the injury to Szczerbiak, for while the Celtics were able to overcome it last night, if he is out for any extended period of time, things could go from bad to worse for the Celtics very quickly. Steve Bulpett looks at Delonte West stepping up with Szczerbiak down and Pierce in foul trouble, and then also examines the remarkable third quarter display put on by the Celtics. Doug Alden of the AP also has an account of the game, as does the Salt Lake Tribune.

Michael Muldoon has a nice feature on Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, who has overcome a difficult background to develop himself into a legit NBA player. “Perk” can shut his mouth and outwork people, which Muldoon notes are two qualities that any coach would love. Bulpett looks ahead to tonight’s matchup in Phoenix, as the Celtics have the misfortune of playing the second game of a road back to back against Steve Nash and company. Springer’s notebook looks at Paul Pierce battling through a sore elbow, and has updates on the status of Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, neither of whom appear to be very close to returning. Bulpett’s notebook says it seems unlikely that the Celtics will make any more major moves prior to the trade deadline.

Well, the media is overjoyed. They have something to debate over, pontificate about and beat into the ground. The Red Sox announced yesterday that Manny Ramirez had received permission to not report to camp until March 1st. Chris Snow looks at the Red Sox giving Manny an extra week to report. Jeff Horrigan says that Manny informed the club that once he reports to Fort Myers, he intends to stay there, indicating that he does not plan to play in the World Baseball Classic. Steven Krasner and David Heuschkel also look at the situation. David Borges has more on the news that Manny will be reporting to Red Sox camp, but just a week late.

Gordon Edes says Ramirez could ruffle some more feathers if he decides not to participate in the WBC. Jon Couture says that Manny’s delay in reporting to Spring Training is really no big deal. Steve Buckley (subscription only) continues his streak of tearing into Red Sox players. Monday it was Foulke, yesterday Wells, and today Manny is in his sights. He believes that this stunt is just a preview of coming attractions for Ramirez and the Red Sox this season. Dan Shaughnessy says that this is just more business as usual for the Red Sox. He also shows off his new skill as a mind reader. Horrigan has Manny’s teammates saying that they’re ok with the slugger’s tardiness, and Krasner has more reaction from the Red Sox players on Manny. Horrigan has Orlando Cabrera saying that Manny still wants out of Boston and to go west to play on the Angels.

I have to say that I think the front page of the Herald today is ridiculous. While I realize that the paper is indeed a tabloid, for the most part they take their Red Sox coverage seriously. The back page and sports stories report that things are ok with the Red Sox on this issue, but apparently the view that this is the end of the world will sell more papers. So it goes to the front page of the paper, over real life news stories. I’ve taken the Globe to task for making the Red Sox front page stories in the past for innocuous things, but this cover trumps most of those.

Rob Bradford takes a look at a determined Mike Lowell, who is out to prove his detractors wrong and get back to the form he’s displayed in the past. Kevin Henkin says that fans aren’t too concerned with what Keith Foulke says, all that matters to them is if he will be back to form on the mound. Snow’s notebook looks at Gabe Kapler reporting to camp. He’s not quite ready to go yet, but is happy to be back with Boston. Horrigan’s notebook has more on Kapler and a few other items. Krasner’s notebook has more on Mike Lowell hoping to bounce back, Heuschkel’s notebook has more on Kapler and Curt Schilling, and Borges’ notebook reports on Lowell and Kapler as well.

Mike Reiss and Lenny Megliola each have brief notes reporting on Tom Brady having his hernia surgery.

Michael Vega and Jim Furlong report on Boston College falling to Virgina 72-58 last night on the road.

John Molori’s Media Blitz has a look at Bill Gobin’s Get America Fit, the Olympic coverage and ratings, and the passing of Curt Gowdy.

You can check the Olympic happenings on the pages of the Boston Herald Olympic pages and the Boston Globe Olympic pages.

On the New York Sports Page, I’ve been able to add the headlines for the New York Post now as well. So you can go to that page and get the sports headlines from all four major New York dailies in one spot. Stories today include Olympic coverage, Yankees and Mets spring training news and Knicks trade talk.

FSN has Celtics/Suns at 9:00. ESPN has Duke/Georgia Tech at 7:00 and Bulls/Bucks at 9:00. ESPN2 has Texas/Kansas St at 8:00 and UTEP/Memphis at 10:00.

Boston Sports lost a legend yesterday when former Red Sox announcer Curt Gowdy passed away yesterday after a long battle with leukemia at the age of 86.

Gowdy was more than just the voice of the Red Sox, he became the best known sports broadcaster in the business during the 1960’s. There are many obituaries and tributes to Gowdy this morning, and I feel this topic deserves its own post.

I was certainly aware of Gowdy while growing up, but his voice was permanently ingrained into my mind after I worked at a sports retailer in a local mall (Merle Harmon’s Fan Fair) after getting out of high school. While there, we played the video “Forever Fenway – 75 Years of Red Sox Baseball” in a loop on the video system in the store. Gowdy narrated that video, and though I might hear the entire thing eight times during the course of a day, I never tired of hearing Gowdy recount the history of the Red Sox. I can still recall many of the phrases from that video, describing Ted Williams, 1950 rookie of the year Walt Dropo, and the death of Harry Agganis.

In nearly all of the stories that follow, you’ll find that one theme seems to permeate all of them. Curt Gowdy was a class act and gentleman. He’ll be missed.

Mark Feeney has the obituary of Gowdy in the Boston Globe, where he recaps the amazing career of the Wyoming born Gowdy. The Boston Herald mixes in the AP obituary with some of their own information, and also has Steve Buckley remembering Gowdy being honored at The Tradition, the Sports Museum of New England