Josh S's Blog

What is going on with the Sox and the C's? The Sox have lost 6 of their last 8 games on the road and the C's well umm yeah I think we all know what's going on there.

Luckily the Sox return home to open up interleague play against an under-.500 Brewers squad but the Celtics are facing a much tougher challenge. The C's take a 3-2 series lead into Cleveland for Game 6. The Celts owned the regular season's best road record and the best overall record to boot, but as we've seen teams are struggling to figure out how to win on the road in the playoffs.

What do you think about this? I personally think it's a crutch for a lot of these teams and that they're just not mentally tough enough to pull it off. I would think players would enjoy winning on the road more. The thrill of shutting up another team's home crowd the way Reggie Miller used to enjoy draining 3's in Spike Lee's face. The Celtics are obviously facing some bigger issues than just being on the road, like, oh I don't know, the fact that Ray Allen all of a sudden looks like he's ready for a nice game of shuffle board on a retirement cruise.

So what do you think...do the C's have it in them to pull it off tonight or will the Garden be rocking on Sunday for Game 7 while the Pistons kick up their feet and enjoy another day off?

Gotta love the intensity KG brings even before they start playing...


The C's are continue to bang LeBron around and I think they'll pull out another win tonight in a close game. There have been only two games over the last two seasons decided by double digits between these two teams so I look for every game to be competitive. C's by 5 tonight...any thoughts?

So now that the Boston Celtics have finally rid themselves of the pesky sub .500 Atlanta Hawks is it possible for the C's to get back to their regular season ways and take care of the defending Eastern Conference Champs in Round 2?

The Celtics and Cavs split their regular season series 2-2 with both teams winning their home games. If this trend continues we should see the C's prevailing in another hotly-contested 7 game series.

I personally think the C's match up well with the Cavs and I was not a huge fan of their mid-season trades that brought them Wally, Delonte, Ben Wallace and Joe Smith. I think that this should be a pretty intense and defensive series considering both are near the top in all of the defensive categories.

So which Celtics team will show up for this series? Will the torch in the Eastern Conference be passed on to the C's?

Well, we all thought we could sleepwalk through the first round against the sub .500 Atlanta Hawks, but the Celtics are quickly learning (much like the Pistons have found out) that youth and inexperience can actually play a positive role for a team. We've all heard the same tired old cliches in the sports world, but one that has consistently come up over the last several days is that the Hawks don't know any better. Guess what...I'm starting to believe it!

So what's the problem? Why are the Celtics now heading home for Game 5 all tied at 2?

Last night's game was just all over the place. The Celtics came out on fire building a 16-3 lead, yet the NBA's youngest team was able to weather the storm pretty quickly and ended the first quarter up 29-24. In the third quarter the Celtics we've come to know this year finally reappeared and locked down the Hawks defensively. The Celtics took a 10 point lead into the 4th quarter and Gino was getting ready to dance and give the C's a chance to finish the series back home in five games!

Oops...here comes Joe Johnson and the rest of the the Atlanta Hawks. Al Horford was absolute beast on the glass pulling down 13 boards and when it mattered most the Hawks were able to dominate the offensive boards. Oh let's not forget about Josh Smith and his 7 biocks. The length and athleticism of the Hawks absolutely killed the C's last night. The Celtics rushed easy shots around the basket and even faded away a couple of times and couldn't convert the bunnies let alone the fact let alone the fact that the Hawks made 19 more foul shots than the Celts. Finally old friend Joe Johnson was unstoppable in the 4th quarter posting 20 of his 35 points in the final frame.

The Celtics were supposed to be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA anchored by Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett, but over the last two games the roles have reversed and it's as if the Hawks don't know any better.

With all of that said, the Celtics earned home court advantage during the regular season and now it's time to put it to use. The C's only last 6 home games during the regular season while the Hawks only won 12 away from Philips Arena. The Hawks show tremendous promise for the future, but I believe (and pray) that the C's will come out smoking in Game 5 and won't look back.

Any thoughts?

It's been a long drought but as we witnessed all season long...the Celtics are finally relevant again in this town. With the horrible taste of the Super Bowl and the Sox recent five-game skid maybe it's time for everyone to make Mike Bibby happy and hop on the Celts bandwagon.

Ok, so this weekend the C's dropped Game 3 in Atlanta (yes the same Hawks who finished 8 games under .500), but in my opinion this game will serve as a learning experience for this team as they move forward. My biggest complaint was the lack of touches for Garnett in the 4th quarter. When he entered the game (11 minutes remaining) the C's were still in it and he already had 28 points. KG can take over a game offensively when he's given the chance and in my opinion the C's shied away from him in the 4th quarter which was a huge mistake.

My prediction is that the Celts will blowout the Hawks in Games 4 and 5 and our man Gino will dance his way into Round 2 where it looks like the defending Eastern Conference champions, Cleveland Cavaliers, will be waiting.

We all know that when it comes to fashion Doug's taste can be quite questionable, but did you see what he wore on the ice at the Bruins game?



We want to hear what you think about Doug's dress.  To see why Doug wore it in the first place click here to watch Doug's interview with heart survivor Kaleigh Costello.

So LB Antonio Pierce decided to show the Giants were a team and asked that every player wear all black coming off the plane. Apparently Eli Manning and some other players didn't get the memo....


Awesome black shirt there Eli way to put your leadership on display. We're stuck for another several days of listening to weasels like John Clayton on ESPN..."Eli didn't have time to go to the dry cleaner..." haha John Clayton is one of the worst. How did that guy even get on TV?

Don't you think the C's should have their current players try to dance like Gino. I mean I'd pay extra to see KG and Perk do the Gino.

Well now that I have your attention...remember what being a Pats fan in the 80's was like? If you don't then click here and make sure this never ever happens again.

So as a long-time Celtics season ticket holder I have not had the privilege of watching many W's over the last 20 years and since I'm only 26 I'd say I definitely don't remember the good years. However, the Celts are back at 20-2 with a tough stretch of games coming up. The Pistons, Bulls and Magic are all coming to town this week so the question is...will we see Gino?

So for weeks BC fans were crying that their team was getting no love for starting the year undefeated and that Matt Ryan deserved more attention in the Heisman Race. I even had to listen to a fellow blogger say that things were different at the Heights because there was a new coach in town. Laughable! I sat here and told all of you this team would lose 2-3 games during the regular season and would most likely not even make it to the ACC title game let alone winning it in order to ear a trip to a BCS Bowl. Well guess what? BC has now lost two bad games in a row to two mediocre teams and they'll most likely lose to Clemson now. But hey we all know how the year will finish...BC will probably beat Miami and then win their awful Bowl game and everyone will say things are looking up for BC and next year they'll finally get over the hump. I'll believe it when I see and I don't foresee BC ever getting over the hump because they're nothing more than a above average program who always finds a way to lose when they shouldn't and when it matters most. 

In other news BU is off to a 1-0 start in hoops this year after beating up on the Bonnies Friday night without their best player, Tyler Morris. The team has four stud sophomores including Newton North alum Corey Lowe and should contend to get back to the NCAA tourney at least once over the next three seasons. Go Terriers!
 

I gotta say that BC just has not impressed me at all this season. I know they're 8-1 and will most likely remain in the Top 10 when the new polls come out, but this team is the same as every other team in the past. Beat up on some weak teams, but the lose the game that can push the program over the top. BC struggled against UMass this year and they even played a pretty mediocre game against 1-8 Notre Dame. Their win in Blacksburg was impressive and a great comeback but I think it showed how susceptible this team really is.

All season I've been saying that I expect BC to lose at least 2 games on the year and not compete for a national title. Well if they lose one of their remaining three games they might not even have the chance to play in the ACC title game which would be similar to past years. The least this team can do is get over the hump there and maybe get to a BCS game, but I just don't think this team is that good. On top of that while I think Matt Ryan will be a first round draft pick and he'll probably play well in the NFL...he just doesn't do it for me to the point that I would mention him as a Heisman Trophy winner. Based on what I've seen so far I'd have to say that Dennis Dixon, Darren McFadden, Tim Tebow, Mike Hart, Jamaal Charles and Rashard Mendenhall are guys that have just elevated their teams above and beyond where they'd be without them. Also you might even have to add Chris Wells into the mix considering the Buckeyes are still undefeated.

So for all you BC "Super" Fans out there who were getting your hopes up for an undefeated season apparently you didn't realize that history repeats itself for this above average team playing in a very weak conference. 

Here's my Top 10 (not what I think the polls will reflect):

Ohio St.
LSU
Oregon
Kansas
Oklahoma
West Va
BC
Mizzou
Michigan
Arizona St.

 

The Klaxons are one of the hottest bands in the UK, yet most people here in the U.S. would have no idea who they are. They picked up the Mercury Prize beating out Amy Winehouse and the Arctic Monkeys, which is quite impressive. I will admit that their album Myths of the Near Future is a bit weird at times but the track It's Not Over Yet is covering some serious ground in my iPod. 

A close second is the new single from Aesop Rock, None Shall Pass, which MTV has been promoting like crazy and it was in last month's Paste Magazine CD sampler. One last track worth mentioning is Roscoe by Midlake. I saw them this summer at the Latitude Music Festival in England and I wore that album out pretty quickly.

What are you guys listening to right now? Anything worth noting?

So tonight ESPN aired a 90 minute special detailing the Michael Vick divide in this country. I'm not sure I understand why this story is such a big deal and how anyone can argue that he's the victim. Michael Vick chose this lifestyle and in the end he needs to face the consequences of his actions. Some people, like Whoopi Goldberg, argued that dogfighting is a way of life where he's from. However, last time I checked just because it was a way of life doesn't mean it was right or legal for that matter. 

While I was watching the special I became so angry during a few different moments. I really didn't understand why former Atlanta Falcons WR Terence Mathis was a part of the panel. He brought nothing to the table. By the end of the special we all understood that Mathis and Vick were friends, but was it necessary for us to hear Mathis constantly toe the line. We get it Terence you're all for giving him a second chance, but last time I checked no one was denying Vick a second chance. He hasn't paid his debt to society yet so why are we crying for him to receive a second chance?

I also couldn't believe that a member of the Humane Society was booed for saying that the real victims were the dogs who were brutally murdered. So the majority of the audience booed this guy for defending these helpless animals, yet they're defending a guy who has already plead guilty to felony charges???

Finally I found myself screaming at the TV when one of the panelists tried to downplay the race card that was frequently raised by members of the audience. The panelist said that he did not believe race played a huge factor in this specific case and that in the past there are examples of major white athletes facing just as much scrutiny such as Pete Rose. When Rose's name was mentioned they cut to the crowd and showed a woman who could not believe what she was hearing. That someone would have the nerve to actually supply truthful facts to this argument.

I personally am at a loss with this story and I think we all need to get over it. The man plead guilty and even worse for him might be that his own close group of friends turned on him. The same people he protected and catered to for all these years and in the end they ratted him out. It's time for us all to move on and drop the race card issue.

Did any of you see this town meeting special? What did you think? 

 

 

What could these two possibly have to say to one another?