George Carlin just passed away. He had a big impact on me. I first heard George Carlin was I was very young. He was the first person who showed me you could question authority and didn't have to follow the rules.
This is one of my favorite George Carlin sketches, comparing baseball to football. His use of tone of voice and facial expressions to make his point is awesome.
I'm sure George is safe at home now.
I was lucky enough to be in the Garden last night for the Celtics big win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. They won their 17th championship, and it wasn't even as close as the 131-92 score. The photo above captures some of the excitement on the bench as the game wound down. Luckily for me, I had a great view -- you can see me in the photo between Sam Cassell and Paul Pierce, with the baseball cap on.
The environment in the Garden was phenomenal. The fans were cheering non-stop. I was exhausted by the end. I was also thrilled that they could win it in Boston, even though that meant that it was extended to six games. Having such a blowout in Boston let the party start early in the fourth quarter when it was clear that the Lakers didn't have a run in them. That made it the most fun for the players -- they were having a blast.
And, the best part is that the Celtics could easily have pretty much the same team next year (they need to make sure that they keep James Posey). They could definitely be better as the young players improve and the whole team has more experience playing together. Get ready for banner number #18!
After one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history, there is no question that the Celtics are better than the Lakers. It might take 5, 6, or probably not 7 games, but the Celtics have shown that they can win at home, or on the road. And, I don't think that they've really been playing their best. But, tonight even that was more than enough to come back against the Lakers.
Credit to Doc Rivers for putting in his small lineup to force the Lakers to spread their defense. Maybe even some of his doubters will agree that he's done a good job after this one.
The Celtics beat the Lakers last night to go ahead in their Finals series 2-0. The photo above is about the nadir for the Lakers in the game -- Leon Powe (one of my favorite Celtics) went the length of the court uncontested to dunk over the Lakers as they all watched. Leon works hard every play, and the Celtics outworked the Lakers for most of the game.
I was actually glad that the Lakers cut the Celtics 24-point fourth quarter lead to 2-points by the end. I think that having the Lakers make that come back and fall short hurts them more psychologically than a pure blowout. Everyone knows that the Lakers were going to get hot at some point. The key is that the Celtics withstood the 3-point shooting barrage and pulled it out in the end.
Now they go to LA for games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary). The 2-3-2 format, decried by Bob Ryan of the Globe today, is a great equalizer in the Finals. It really minimizes the benefit of home court advantage and makes it critical that the home team win both of the first two games, as the Celtics did. I'm hopeful that the Celtics can win at least one of the three, which would put them in a good position coming back to Boston for Game 6.
I don't think that Doc Rivers gets enough credit for how he is coaching the Celtics. He keeps making adjustments to counter what the Lakers are doing and to take advantage of what is working for the Celtics. In last night's game, Leon Powe provided the spark. Doc kept his rotation pretty short -- Sam Cassell hurt his wrist and only played 6 minutes. With Kendrick Perkins's ankle still sore, he only played 14 minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if Doc goes to Eddie House or Glen "Big Baby" Davis at some point in LA. He has a deep bench (which didn't get enough credit from the national media), and Doc takes good advantage of it.
Oh yes, the sad memories remain from Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots lost, dashing their up-to-then perfect season. I was there, which made the feelings worse.
I have been forcing myself to deal with this. I now accept the result and can think about the experience. I am pulling my Super Bowl XLII T-shirts out of the closet and can wear them without too much pain. I don't think of them as bad luck or representing a bad time. We've been so spoiled in Patriot Nation that a lot of people think that Super Bowl XLII should be forgotten.
It certainly wasn't as good as the Super Bowls that they won, but it was a great year. You can't win them all. And, the team had to work so hard and perform so well just to get there, let alone to get there with an undefeated record. Adding to the irony was the catch phrase for Super Bowl XLII -- Who Wants It More?
So, as a loyal Pats fan who is following this week's minicamp in preparation for next season, I can smile about last year. It was a good season, and almost great. It hurt at the time, but I have finally accepted it for what it was. A chance for a lot of excitement and enjoyment, until the last 2 minutes...
Sorry, VCMike, but this is the all-time Celtics playoff steal highlight.
The Celtics did a great job hanging around in their loss to the Pistons last night, but they have yet to show any sort of killer instinct in these playoffs. I admire their ability to hang in there, even when they weren't shooting well. They were in that game up until late in the fourth quarter, despite never leading.
When their backs have been up against the wall (Games 5 and 7 vs. Atlanta, Games 5 and 7 vs. Cleveland, Game 3 vs. Detroit), they have come up with great efforts and solid wins. But, when they have a team down, they haven't been able to deliver the knockout punch (Games 3 and 6 vs. Atlanta, Games 3 and 6 vs. Cleveland, Game 4 vs. Detroit). In each of these cases, the Celtics had won the previous game and had a chance to end, or virtually end, the series. In each case, they let their opponent get up off of the mat.
Now, Detroit is a very tough team and would never go down easy. Maybe this series was destined to go seven games from the start. And, it's very hard to imagine the Celtics winning both Games 3 and 4 in Detroit. But, just about every champion has shown the ability to put at least one or two of their opponents out quickly. It's possible that the Celtics could win the championship with 4 seven game series wins. But, that's certainly the hard way.
I've been traveling and have been beset with computer and connectivity troubles. So, I haven't had a chance to post anything for a few days. But, I did watch the Celtics game last night and thought it was one of the best games they have played this playoff season. Of course, they have generally played well at home. Detroit is their toughest opponent yet. They have played together so long and have been through a lot. This Celtic team is just building that level of experience, which is critical. Teams like Detroit and San Antonio are always the toughest because the core has been together for years. That's one asset that this Celtic team can't pull together quickly. However, they have overcome some tough series and two Game 7s so far this year.
As I wrote previously, I am glad that Doc Rivers has stopped playing Sam Cassell. Eddie House has done well as a backup guard, and Pierce brings the ball up often when House is in the game. Nevertheless, if Rondo doesn't play well, the Celtics rarely win. He had another good game last night vs. Detroit. He doesn't need to score a lot, but he needs to total 20 points+assists+rebounds in a game to really do well. Overall, the Celtics ball movement was excellent. If they can commit to that every game, they will win it all. And, their defense has continued to be excellent.
I think that Chauncey Billups is still hurting from his hamstring injury. That's something that Rondo can exploit as well.
Garnett and Pierce are carrying the team. I like the fact that Doc keeps trying to get Ray Allen going. Ray is really struggling and missed quite a few wide open shots last night. But, he'll hit them, and he is also starting to drive to the hoop in order to get some points on the board.
I think that the Celtics showed great energy after a tough series vs. Cleveland. If they win Game 2 in Boston tomorrow, I'll feel OK. If they can also win either Game 3 or 4 in Detroit, series over.
Although I am a Yankee fan, I am also a long time Red Sox observer. A couple of days ago, there was a great 'Manny being Manny' moment. Check out this video of Manny Ramirez making a nice catch in left field. As he goes up against the wall after making the catch, he slaps hands with a Red Sox fan in the stands (the game was played in Baltimore), and then throws out the runner before he can return to first base for a double-play. You gotta love a ballplayer who enjoys playing the game, and Manny defnitely does.
Tonight, the Celtics will try to close out their series vs. Cleveland. The second round of the NBA playoffs have been a home team's dream. Of the 21 games played so far, the home team is 20-1. Of course, the Celtics struggled on the road in Round 1, too. All of this has been disappointing to Celtics fans as they team was the best road team in the NBA this year, with a 31-10 record, four games better than the next best team.
It's more mentally challenging to play well on the road. The crowd is against you, and perhaps the referees are influenced by the home crowd, too. If you've been to a Celtics game in the playoffs this year, you know how positive the crowd can be. Every team benefits from this type of home atmosphere in the playoffs.
But, the key to playing well on the road is to rise above these challenges. That's why I worry about the Celtics playoff chances. The teams that have been together the longest, like Detroit and San Antonio, are the toughest. They have been through adversity and overcome it. This Celtics team hasn't done that yet, at least not at this level of intensity. Basketball is a real team sport. When the Celtics play well, they are an unselfish team. Even if they fall behind in a road game, they need to stick with the tough defense and team play that got them here.
That's why I have soured on Sam Cassell. Like most fans, I was excited when the Celtics signed him during the season. He has the experience you would want in the playoffs. At 38, he can still play well as a back-up. He'd be a great mentor for Rajon Rondo. But, when Cassell comes into the game, the offense grinds to a halt. Too often, Sam dribbles, dribbles, dribbles, then shoots. When he is making shots, I can look past it. But, he has been cold in the playoffs. And, he can't run the offense as well as Rondo. Finally, in Game 5, Doc Rivers seemed to give up on Cassell, who only played 5 minutes. I'd rather have Eddie House in the lineup. Eddie isn't a real point guard, but the Celtics can run the offense through Paul Pierce when Rondo is out and let Eddie spot up for some open jumpers.
By the way, only Kevin Garnett has played consistently well for the Celtics in every game this series. I hope that the Celtics continue to play physical and drive the ball to the hoop tonight. The Celtics have the depth to play this way, even if a few players rack up some fouls. Cleveland can't win this type of game, and the inside play should slow down Cleveland's ability to run their fast break where they are the most dangerous.
The Celtics don't get a rest. Even if they win tonight, they start the next series on Sunday vs. Detroit. Meanwhile, the Hornets and Spurs, who played last night and are now tied at 3-3, get three days off before they play Game 7 on Monday. I thnk that the NBA should try as much as possible to have every series play on every other day. The players seem to prefer this regular schedule, and it maintains the excitement. Teams can get a longer break if they win their series early. Otherwise, the every-other-day pace should continue.
I went to the Celtics-Hawks game today to see the Celtics finish up what they should have done a few days ago -- close out the Hawks and move on to face the Cavaliers.
ESPN caught one of the big moments in the game, and I was in the background (on the left, the guy further back in the Celtics green jersey). It was great to see this photo because they didn't show a replay of this foul at the game, and obviously we didn't have a clear view of how flagrant the foul really was.
While I have had a busy week, the Celtics have been making a lot of people nervous. They lost Game 4 to the Atlanta Hawks, dropping the series to a 2-2 tie. Then, back in Boston, they had another strong game to take a 3-2 lead. Let's hope they can finish them off tonight down in Atlanta. The Celtics didn't have trouble winning on the road this season, but they haven't done it yet this series.
As an old-time Boston resident, I have always enjoyed reading Bob Ryan's column in the Globe. He also has a blog with some nice added content. I wish I had time to write some of the things he did this past week, but I couldn't have done it as well anyway.
First, after the Celtics lost to the Hawks to drop the series into a tie: Don't Panic
Second, after the Celtics regained the series lead: Told Ya So
Now, if they lose tonight to force a Game 7 (which I'll attend), I'll be back out on the ledge. It shouldn't get this far. After not being disappointed in the Celtics all season, evern after any of their 16 rare losses, I wsa pretty disappointed when they lost a 10 point lead late in Game 4. Let's hope that this is the wake up call that they need to keep them focused for the rest of the playoffs.
I received a lot of online and offline comments to my post last week about the Yankees avoiding the curse of the buried David Ortiz jersey. For those of you who don't troll through all my comments (how could you not?), I am including a link I posted in a comment to that post. Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart jumped into the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry to say that Manny Ramirez would take out the Pope with a spike-high slide if His Holiness was wearing a Yankee mitre.
I had to add a postscript to my last post. Rajon Rondo, the Celtics point guard, has probably been the reason the Celtics have been great, and not just good this year. He is young, but fast, tough, and athletic. He's a candidate for Most Improved Player in the NBA this year. He is definitely the key to how far the Celtics go in the playoffs.
Enjoy this video of his top 10 plays. Make sure you watch all the way to number 1, which shows how tough Rondo is. No one intimidates him, including the Pistons.
The Celtics playoff run begins tomorrow vs. the Hawks. Although there always seem to be doubters about the Celtics ability to win it all, they were, by far, the most consistent and strongest defensive team in the NBA throughout the year. They have a veteran team and a deep bench. Down the stretch, their reserves played a lot, giving the starters some rest, and they continued to win.
They won't have an easy path to a championship. One of the only teams they struggled against was the Wizards, a potential 2nd round opponent. If they get past them, they will probably face Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. And, in a potential run to THE Finals, they would have to face whomever comes out of the West, which is so competitive that almost anyone can win.
The most anticipated Finals matchup would be Celtics-Lakers. Not since the Showtime Lakers of the 80s vs. the Celtics Original Big Three of Bird, Parish, and McHale has this rivalry had some juice. I think it would be great for the NBA if this came through. And, if the Celtics managed to win, it would be so satisfying for their New Big Three of Garnett, Allen, and Pierce.
I've loved watching Paul Pierce this year. He is getting the recognition that he has probably deserved for the past few years when he toiled for such a bad team. Now, his defense and all around game is noted throughout the league. And, although knocked for being immature earlier in his career, he was part of the unselfish team chemistry that has keyed the Celtics success this year.
Enjoy this video of Paul Pierce's Top Ten plays from this season.
According to ESPN, the Yankees have unearthed the buried David Ortiz jersey that was supposed to curse the new Yankee Stadium that will open next year. The construction worker, a Red Sox fan, was too excited about his potential curse and couldn't keep his mouth shut. He should have waited a few years and then said something, making it harder to find. Maybe this uncursing of the curse will curse the Red Sox?
I know that my Red Sox-loving friends will squawk, but I do think that the Red Sox fans lack some class. This may sound like sour grapes from a Yankee fan, but despite the intense rivalry, you never hear 'Red Sox Suck' at Yankee Stadium. If you tried to sell or wear or shirt that said that at Yankee Stadium, you would be kicked out. Outside Fenway, vendors sell shirts that have really vulgur anti-Yankee sayings that are clearly not family friendly. How do I explain 'Posada Sucks and Jeter Swallows' to my 10 year-old kid?
Yesterday, when the Yankees took a lead vs. the Red Sox, the cries of "Yankees Suck" immediately went out in Fenway. The Red Sox ended up winning a close game, but the Red Sox fans need to show more class. When they were the loveable losers for 86 years, I could understand the frustration. But, now they are the recent winners and have outperformed the Yankees this century. Perhaps they should adopt the class that Yankee fans have shown for some time.
Now, I know that Yankee fans can be obnoxious. They love their team and think that they are great. They root against the Red Sox and reveled in the 86-year curse. They will boo their heads off. But, that's a lot different than yelling "Yankees Suck" at the ballpark (not something I want my kids to mimic). Or, yelling "Yankees Suck" at football and basketball games vs. NY teams (which I have heard).
I was proud of Joe Torrre and the Yankees at the Red Sox home opener in 2005. They all stayed in the dugout to watch the Red Sox get their rings, which came after the huge Yankees collapse of 2004. They even clapped for the Red Sox. I'd like to think that the Red Sox players would have done the same if the situation was reversed. I really doubt that the Red Sox fans would have been able to handle it.
Get over the frustration. Your curse is over. Act like classy winners.
There are a few times when my love of entrepreneurship overlaps with my love of sports. Here are a couple of those stories.
I first met the founder of Dugout Central when it was called BaseLine Report. The idea was to creat a baseball-specific community oriented around highly detailed content that would appeal to the rapid, stats-oriented fan. The founder was working with former Yankee Mike Pagliarulo. As a Yankee fan, I was intrigued. However, I had big concerns about how big you could build such a specialized community. And, it wasn't clear how you could make money from such a community. i suggested to the founder that he try to bootstrap the company before he raised VC funding. They had some deals to syndicate some of the scouting content that Pags was generating. I thought they could use this revenue to get the site started.
Although the founder didn't really want to hear this, that's what they ended up doing. In fact, by coincidence, they hired another friend of mine to design their site in exchange for equity. Luckily, my friend had outside consulting income which gave him the flexibility to design the Dugout Central site in his spare time. And, as a baseball nut, he was motivated to work on this.
Now, they seem to be building some traffic, have an interesting site, and are in business. I am still not sure of the revenue model, but, like many web sites, starting off on a shoe string is the way to go.
Although I don't have the same type of connection to this one, I've also met the founders of Fancaster. This is an interesting marriage of YouTube and play-by-play. Users generate live play-by-play accounts of games that they are watching. Other people can listen in while they watch the same game. I think that there are some potential legal issues here, but I also see the potential for some budding broadcasters to make a name for themselves. I wish them well.
As baseball season is about to begin, hope springs eternal. My Yankees have made some moves to get younger, but probably not enough for my taste. I don't expect them to win this year, but I hope they are building a good young foundation for the future.
One of my favorite lines in the movie Fever Pitch is when the the Jimmy Fallon character declines the chance to go to Paris with the Drew Barrymore character because the Red Sox "need him" to attend the games at Fenway. That's a great insight into the overly committed sports fan.
And, I have reached that point on this year's Boston Celtics. I've gone to about half of their home games. And, I watch most of their road games on TV. Last night, I was up late watching them break the Houston Rockets 22 game winning streak. The night before, I watched them come back from an early 22-point deficit to beat the Spurs, also on the road. I'm sleeping less, but I am sure that they "need" me to watch while they are on the road.
The Celtics got off to a great start, but the experts expected them to come back down to Earth when they had to go on the road and play all the West Coast powers. But, they have a great record against the West, including on the road. And, after they play in Dallas and New Orleans in their next two games, they will have finished the most difficult part of their road schedule. Their home schedule includes upcoming games against Phoenix and New Orleans. After that, their April schedule looks relatively easy. If anything, they run the risk of not being tested enough immediatley before the playoffs.
They have been the most consistent team in the NBA this season, and they play the best defense. They now have a deep bench, including the recent additions of PJ Brown and Sam Cassell. They have the rest of the season to integrate these new pieces, keep everyone sharp, make sure that recent minor injuries are healed, and tune up for the playoffs. I love their style of play -- tight defense, lots of player movement, and unselfish passing. But, when they need the superstar to just make a shot, they still have Pierce, Garnett, and Allen.
I wrote last month about Doc Rivers being Coach of the Year. I still think he deserves it. Sure, they have a lot of talent. But, Doc made sure that these players blended together perfectly, with no complaints about roles or playing time. It's particularly a tribute to Ray Allen who had to sacrifice more than the other big players in order to fit in.
Paul Pierce won't win the MVP, but he is probably the Celtics MVP. Kevin Garnett has been fantastic. His intensity and defensive commitment set the tone for the Celtics from the start. But, Pierce has come through with the big defensive plays, the big rebounds, assists, and scoring. He is all over the box score with his defensive contribution starting to be recognized throughout the league. Pierce was immature earlier in his career, but it's great to see him get a chance be on a winner after toiling with under-talented and inexperienced teams for the past couple of years.
So, if you see me with bags under my eyes, check the Celtics schedule. They probably had a late night game the night before, and I was watching because I know they "need" me.
I bought one of these jerseys at the Super Bowl. Although the shock of the loss hasn't really gone away, it would be much tougher if the Patriots didn't have Randy Moss next year. Glad he signed today.
Although the story has hardly gone away, I have held back on commenting on Roger Clemens's testimony in front of Congress about alleged steroid use. Although I think that it is a gigantic waste of our tax dollars for Congress to spend any time on this, it has been great theater.
As a long time baseball fan, I really want Roger Clemens to be innocent. Whether Clemens was a Red Sox, Blue Jay, Yankee, Astro, or Yankee again, I have always admired his abilities and competitiveness. He's put up great numbers over a long career.
However, I have a hard time believing that Roger is innocent. Although Brian MacNamee is hardly the world's most credible witness, he has told the truth about the other players' performance enhancing drug use. Why would he only lie about Clemens? Although I think that keeping old syringes and bloody gauze is disgusting, and probably could be easily discredited in a court case, this case is playing out in the court of public opinion. In that court, Clemens is losing.
Why is Clemens stridently maintaining his innocence? He must be very confident that more physical evidence won't come out. So far, no one has been able to show how Clemens obtained steroids or HGH (even MacNamee said he didn't know where it came from). And, if there is a confirmed source of HGH, Roger has admitted that his wife took that. Absent that source, Clemens has plausible deniability. But, I don't think that he has saved his reputation.
Look at Andy Pettitte. He admitted HGH use and comes out of this looking like the good guy. I think that right after the Mitchell Report came out, Clemens had a chance to admit very limited use of performance enhancing drugs without jeopardizing his chance for the Hall of Fame. That time has now past. If he admits it now, he lied to Congress. I think that Roger is hoping that the big lie will hold up.
If somehow Roger really is innocent, I feel very badly for him. There is no way to prove a negative, and he has pretty much lost the battle for public support. The only way he can prove that he is innocent is to get MacNamee and Pettitte to admit that they were wrong and/or lying. I don't know why either one of them would do that.
Too bad, Roger. In light of the environment in baseball at the time, I don't really begrudge you for using performance enhancing drugs a few times (although I think that all sports need to work hard to eliminate these from use). But, you missed your chance for forgiveness by telling the big lie and hoping this would go away.
Maybe I'm biased, but I think you can make a strong case for Celtics head coach Doc Rivers as NBA Coach of the Year. Doc won the award in 2000 while coaching the Orlando Magic. At that time, the Magic were expected to be a last-place team. Doc coached them to a near playoff berth.
This year is different. There were a lot of people saying 'Fire Doc' as the Celtics languished last year. Their team was too thin in talent and too young to be successful in the NBA. Perhaps fans should have been calling for the firing of Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager, Danny Ainge. And, many of those fans probably were.
But, Ainge pulled off two big trades, leaving the Celtics with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, in addition to their only previous star, Paul Pierce. More importantly, Ainge signed free agents James Posey and Eddie House and drafted Glen "Big Baby" Davis. He also had previously drafted Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen, Rajon Rondo and my favorite, Leon Powe. All of these players have made big contributions to this team so far this year.
But, a lot of credit has to go to Doc Rivers for getting this team to mesh right from the start. Certainly, the veteran players, including Garnett, set the tone for the rest of the team to follow. But, Doc needs to get the players to buy-in to his approach. Since the Celtics have excelled at defense, you know that they have a selfless attitude. Defense takes consistent effort and doesn't lead to many SportsCenter highlights.
More recently, the Celtics have been beset with injuries. Keving Garnett has been out for nine games. The Celtics have gone 7-2 in this stretch, winning the last 5, including a defeat of last year's champion, the San Antonio Spurs. Perkins has also missed the last few games. Both Davis and Brian Scalabrine had to leave their last game due to injury. Luckily, the Celtics made it to the All-Star break on a winning note and have a few days to rest and heal. We'll see who is ready to come back after this weekend. At that time, the Celtics start what will be their toughest West Coast road trip so far, including stops at Denver, Phoenix, and Portland.
Doc has managed through all this, with the Celtics maintaining the best record in the league. In fact, they are on pace to match the best Celtics record ever, 68-14 in 1972-73. They have been very consistent, with only one really "off" game, when they lost at home to Charlotte on January 9 by 12 points. Not bad after 50 games.
I'm lucky enough to sit behind the Celtics bench at a lot of home games. I can see and hear Doc up close as he talks to the other coaches and the players. He continues to teach his young players through their mistakes and has the complete respect of his veterans. Although it is no surprise that the Celtics have a good team this year, no one expected them to be this good, and this deep, this fast.
If I had a vote, I'd vote for Doc Rivers as NBA Coach of the Year.
OK, the numbness is starting to subside. I was in shock at the end of Super Bowl XLII.
I was lucky enough to go to Phoenix and had so many great experiences before attending the game. One thing that bugged me was the slogan for the Super Bowl -- Who Wants It More? I thought that was too cliche. Of course, both teams wanted to win. Even though the Patriots didn't perform well, I don't think that the giving anything less than maximum effort.
But, the Giants did 'want it more'. They made all the big plays. The Patriots had chances to do so, but never did. Even though the Patriots didn't perform at their usual high level, they didn't make a lot of big mistakes, either. But, those couple of plays that had to happen all went the Giants way. Did the Giants 'want it more'? I don't know, but they certainly did more than enough to win.
I'm going through the stages of grief. I zoomed through Denial and Anger. I don't think I ever did any Bargaining. I was stuck in Depression for a while -- I skipped the posh post-game team party so I could eat dinner at a restaurant called Rock Bottom. I think that some time yesterday I moved to Acceptance.
I know that it's just a game. But, it would have been so much better if the Patriots had held on one more time.
The Patriots checked out of our hotel to go to their super secret pre-game hotel before tomorrow's Super Bowl. I got a few pictures of some of the players. Here's a sampling.
Rodney Harrison
Donte Stallworth
Ben Watson
Troy Brown
Not really sports related, but I saw some funny signs in downtown Scottsdale, AZ today.
I arrived in Phoenix yesterday on a Patriots Super Bowl package trip. This is a great place for the Super Bowl. The city is big and spread out, with plenty of ammenities. There is a big golf tournament going on, the FBR Phoenix Open, at the same time, and Phoenix can easily accomodate both. The people are nice, and the weather is cool (for Phoenix) and pleasant. Feels warm compared to Boston!
Staying at a nice hotel, the Westin Kierland. Also, went to a party with a few of my friends last night. Here's a picture of me with my friend, Tom Burkardt. Oh yeah, my other friend is Patriots owner, Bob Kraft.
A lot has been written about how great this year's Patriots are. With their win yesterday, they are now 18-0 and can become the only team to complete a perfect season at 19-0. The 1972 Dolphins are certainly great, and this Patriot team's success doesn't take anything away from the '72 Dolphins. They played in different eras, and can't really be compared.
But, I took a look at relatively recent Super Bowl history. Looking back through Super Bowl XXIV in January 2000, here's the number of times that teams have been in the Super Bowl:
Patriots: 4
Rams: 2
Giants: 2
Titans, Ravens, Buccaneers, Raiders, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks, Steelers, Colts, Bears: 1 each
The Rams were a strong team for a few years, but they have faded away. The Giants of 2000 season doesn't have a lot in common with this year's Giants. The Patriots have the same coach, quarterback, and a significant core that has been there all the way through. Only the Colts have been as consistent as the Patriots through this whole era, and the Eagles have been almost as consistent. Every other team has been up and down, which is a testament to how tough it is to maintain a competitive team in the salary cap era.
It's great for the NFL. 13 different teams have filled one of these 18 Super Bowl slots. Every team has a chance to get there. In that environment, to have the Patriots go to the Super Bowl 4 times in 7 years clearly makes them the best team of the salary cap era.
This is a darn good Patriots team. Is it better than the '72 Dolphins or the '85 Bears? I don't know. Those teams could hold their talent together in a way that isn't possible nowadays. What has been most impressive of the Patriots through this whole run is how they find ways to win almost all of the close games. When you see how the Colts, Cowboys, and Packers lost this year in the playoffs, you have to appreciate how the Patriots have done what no other team has done -- beat close competitors, over and over again.
I'll be in Arizona, hoping to witness some football history. Go Pats!
If you haven't seen it yet, here is your chance to win an opportunity to have a lick race against Peyton and Eli Manning. Yuchh!
Web-based marketing is the trend, and getting celebrities to participate is also big. This campaign isn't so innovative, but the fact that the Mannings are being shown licking the stuffing out of Oreos is pretty bizarre. I like the pseudo-realistic video interviews, but I think that they should have more self-esteem than this. We may be too prim and proper, but we taught our kids better manners than this!
I watched Roger Clemens last night on 60 Minutes, denying his use of performance enhancing drugs. I really want to believe that Roger is clean. He's the greatest pitcher of our time, and is an inspiration to all of us over 40 athletic wannabes.
Unfortunately, we've become so jaded by athletes' denials in this area. Too many times an athlete who denied taking performance enhancing drugs has admitted it later. If Roger is guilty, he'd be denying this just as vigorously as he could, until he had no choice. After all, he isn't likely to get into legal trouble, and his career is probably over. He's fighting about his legacy, not his freedom.
But, if Roger is innocent, I feel bad for him. In court, there is a presumption of innocence. In the court of public opinion, there is a presumption of guilt. He can complain about this, but he can't change it. So, he needs to build up the perception that he is innocent. He's started doing some of these things:
Taking a low profile and waiting for this to blow over is what a guilty person would do. If Clemens can build up some momentum that takes credibility away from the Mitchell Report, he has a chance of reversing public opinion. Right now, I am on the fence.
One thing I have done in the past week or so is watch all the games of my favorite teams, the Patriots and Celtics.
The Patriots completed their perfect 16-0 regular season. Although the team would rather go 15-1 and win the Super Bowl than go 16-0 and fall short of the championship, the perfect regular season record speaks to their consistency during the season. The Pats had a tough schedule, playing 3 of the other AFC playoff teams (as well as Cleveland, who just missed), plus 3 of the NFC playoff teams. Their division was weak, but the schedule overall provided plenty of challenge. And, they beat the Colts, Cowboys, and Giants on the road. I think that the pressure of going 16-0 provided some playoff-like pressure on the team. The core veterans on the team have been through this before, so I think it just shows that this team is ready to go all the way. Honestly, anything less would be disappointing.
I really respect how the Giants played hard in this game against the Patriots. They had nothing to gain, other than being the ones who stopped the Patriots. They risked injury for their players, and will have to go through their first playoff game less healthy and less rested than they could have. But, I think that the competitive juices took over, and no one wanted the Patriots to get off easily. This is in contrast to the Colts-Titans game yesterday. The Titans needed to win to get into the playoffs. Otherwise, the Browns would get the last AFC slot. The Colts didn't play their regulars much and looked pretty bad without them. This made it easy for the Titans, who won a close game.
I feel bad for the Browns. They turned around a season that started off horribly. How many teams dump their starting quarterback after week 1 (not benched -- traded!)? Romeo Crennel did a good job making them respectable. They'll have to keep improving, but I hope they get into the playoffs next year.
Although I am thrilled for the Pats, I had even more fun staying up late and watching the Celtics go 4-0 on their West Coast road trip. The last game was vs. the Lakers last night. I think that it was the best game that the Celtics have played all year. They were on the road against a good team, playing without Rajon Rondo, and at the end of 4 games in 5 nights after Christmas. Tony Allen started in place of Rondo, and had a game that reminded me of how he played before he got hurt last year. Kudos to Doc Rivers for starting Allen rather than guys who have been ahead of him the rotation like Eddie House or James Posey. Tony Allen seems to get down on himself quickly by the body language I see. Hopefully, this game gives him some confidence. He helped the Celtics get up early on the Lakers with a big first quarter.
The Celtics strong defense has been their key. They can clearly score points with their 3 superstars. But, the defense is something that can be there every night and is contagious to the rest of the team. When you see KG go all out to block a shot with less than two minutes left and the Celtics up by 20, you know that the other players have to work hard to mathc his effort.
The NFL playoffs should be great, as will be the rest of the Celtics season. Not only are the teams doing well, but they are great to watch.
Roger Clemens has posted his own video denying he ever used steroids or human growth hormone. He will also be interviewed by Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes after Christmas.
I'd love to believe Roger, but I have become conditioned to believe that most athletes lie about these things. I do think that the best thing Roger can do is face all the questions, and no guilty person has ever enjoyed being interviewed by Mike Wallace. I think that Roger is one of the best pitchers of all-time, and, with or without performance enhancing drugs, is a well-known workout maniac. Roger is probably at the end of the line, but his career baseball numbers are staggering.
If Roger is lying about this, his reputation is even more ruined than it is by the allegations. If he's guilty, should he admit it and ask for forgiveness? Or, should he deny it until he has no other option? Of course, if he's innocent, he can deny and deny, and people will always suspect that he's guilty after all. How can he prove that he never used performance enhancing drugs? Maybe he can get his accusers to admit that they lied, but then they would be subject to prison time themselves.
My 14-year old son was really disappointed when Clemens was named in the Mitchell Report. He's grown up in an era of sports disillusionment, compared to my childhood where ignorance of my hero's foibles was fine with me.
I'll watch Roger's interview on 60 Minutes. Maybe Roger can regain his hero status, but it will be tough.
Heard about this on Only A Game today.
The social network, My Football Club, based in England, raised over 1.375M English Pounds from its 53K plus members. It used this money to purchase a controlling interest in the Ebbsfleet United FC soccer team! According to the My Football Club web site, members (35 British Pounds each, only one membership per person) can weigh in on all team decisions, including team selection, player transfers, and the running of the club.
I remember back when the Celtics went public during their heyday. That was more of a financial maneuver to raise capital. There wasn't any real control that the shareowners got. Many shareowners bought one share to give as a souvenir gift to a friend or family member. This case is differnt. The members buy into a trust that is the real majority owner of the team. There is a private web forum where members debate what to do with the team, including who plays and possible trades.
We'll see if the wisdom of the crowds produces better management than the more typical structure. Imagine some of the yahoos on WEEI actually go to do some of the crazy moves they suggest!
