Time Out for Sports Talk: A Veritable Spring Cleaning of Thoughts
Todd: When you’ve only written one column in about three months, there is plenty to clear off the old hard drive. So I have lots to say about lots of stuff.Starting with tomorrow—where does May 2nd rank as one of the biggest sports days of all-time? You have NHL and NBA playoff games (including Game 7 for Spurs/Clippers), a full MLB schedule that includes Sox/Yanks at Fenway, day three of the NFL Draft (which is two days longer than it should be, but that’s a topic for another column) and even a handful of MLS games (like you care). Add in the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby and the Floyd Mayweather Jr. / Manny Pacquiao welterweight fight from Vegas, and there aren’t many more sporting events you could pack into a single day.
While I understood why it had to happen, it was surreal watching the Orioles and White Sox play to a barren crowd at Camden Yards this week. It gave the game’s broadcasters the rare opportunity to call the game in hushed whispers like you would hear at the 18th green at Augusta or Pebble Beach. As humorous as it was, let’s hope similar circumstances forcing this to take place never happen again.
Catching up on Boston’s TD Garden winter tenants, it’s been awhile since neither the Bruins or Celtics weren’t playing in May (oddly enough, in a year where there’s still a tinge of winter in a spring that’s been slow to bloom).
Regarding the Bruins, sure feels like the window of success everyone spoke of not too long ago has suddenly been slammed shut, or at least completely replaced. GM Peter Chiarelli gets canned and Coach Claude Julien’s fate continues to twist in the wind while Cam Neely and company seemingly wait for every other Eastern Conference team to fill their coaching vacancies. Who’s to say if there’s an entirely new GM/coach duo next season that they’ll even like the roster they’ll be given?
Have to hand it to the Celtics, who thanks to a 24-12 record since the Pats’ fourth Super Bowl win, managed to not only improbably make the playoffs, but then go on to receive a standing ovation from the Garden faithful after getting swept in four straight by LeBron’s Cavaliers. All about expectations for sure, and it will continue to be fun watching what more Brad Stevens can get out of these guys going forward, especially if GM Danny Ainge can somehow significantly upgrade the roster.
Speaking of both windows closing and of former Celtics, what in the world happened to Rajon Rondo after Ainge dealt him to Dallas last December? Read this week that the Mavericks supposedly voted to not give the mercurial point guard a playoff share after he was permanently benched during their first-round playoff series by Coach Rick Carlisle (another former Celtics guard). Up until Rondo blew out his knee a little over a year ago, here was a guy eyeing a max contract in free agency. Who knows where he stands now.
As for the Red Sox, they made it through April with a winning record (12-10) and are just a game behind the first place Yankees in the mediocre AL East. In true Clint Eastwood western style, the hitting (for the most part) has been good while the starting pitching (for the most part) has been both bad and ugly.
On the good side, there’s Hanley Ramirez’s torrid start at the plate. And like another Sox outfielder who toiled in front of the Green Monster and shares Hanley’s surname, I am more than willing to accept this current Ramirez, warts and all. So what if he can’t play left field? Prior to this year, Hanley had never played any outfield. GM Ben Cherington signed him to be a productive middle-of-the-order bat, and to me he has come as advertised. Let’s just hope he can remain healthy.
Instead of harping on Boston’s pitching woes, how about we play a Kevin Bacon/Six Degrees game? Did you know the Red Sox actually traded Hanley Ramirez for Wade Miley? Well, sort of…Hanley was the cornerstone piece in the December 2005 trade that brought Josh Beckett to the Sox. Then in 2012, Becket was part of the package that begat Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa, who were flipped this past winter for…Wade Miley. Since I just said I was going to accept all of Hanley’s warts, guess this one counts too.
In yet another reminder to us that we’re getting old, can you believe that Roger Clemens struck out twenty Seattle Mariners 29 years ago this week? It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. Then again, that night occurred about six months before Game 6 at Shea Stadium, which now feels like it was an entire lifetime ago.
Finally on a personal note, I’ll make myself feel even older by wishing a happy birthday to LK, who turns 39 today.
Mike: Wow, that Clemens game was 29 years ago. I can still remember where I was that night. Nope, not at the game, but I was at the sporting event everyone in Boston wanted to be at...the Celtics/Atlanta playoff game at the Garden. I can remember the place cheering as the updates from Fenway came over the old message board (no video boards in those days...LOL). Hard to believe it was that long ago.
The Sox could use a pitcher like Roger now. It hasn't been too impressive in the early going here. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, but something needs to give if they want to have a hope of contending. The offense has been great, especially the new guys, but the pitching needs to get better and fast.
Frankly, I am stunned the Celtics lasted longer than the Bruins. I had just assumed the opposite would happen and we would still be enjoying hockey now. But instead, we got a little bonus basketball.
Now, Celtics' announcer Mike Gorman aside, there was nobody who thought the Celtics had a chance against Cleveland, but I think it was a valuable experience for them to get in there and get exposed to playoff basketball. Once there was just a slim chance they were going to get a top draft pick, what is the point of tanking? Just play to win, and see what happens. They have a young team, and this will help them more in the end.
As for the big fight this weekend, I wish them well, but I won't be watching, Boxing holds no interest for me, and while the hype has me somewhat curious, the $99 PPV price tag kills that curiosity for me very quickly. Sorry, I'm not going to pay that price to watch something on TV, especially an event that could be over in a minute. No thanks, I'll pass.
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