Categories
General Sports

Get back on that bandwagon!

It’s remarkable how far Celtic Nation has come in exactly one week. On Wednesday, March 23rd, it seemed even many grounded fans had visions of grandeur for the Green and White. Seven days later, suddenly everyone is wondering if the C’s will slide into the 7th or 8th spot in the Eastern Conference or even [gasp] out of the playoffs altogether. All you hear anymore about this team is that they stand around too much on offense, can’t play any defense, and that Antoine Walker shoots too much and from too far away.  After spending almost a month of predicting that the Celtics were poised to make a run at the Eastern Conference finals and beyond, fans now appear poised to give up with barely even a whimper.

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Categories
NFL General

2005 NFL Mock Draft

I am pleased to bring my version of the 2005 Mock Draft. The NFL draft is still 20 days away and the choices are still a bit blurry, but this is how I see it shaping up.

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Categories
MLB General

The Fallout from the Summer of ’98

A Briton shouldn’t really love baseball. In fact, why in the hell would you love a game that’s a little to close to a girl’s game we call Rounders?

Truth be told, if I hadn’t fallen in love with New York City during a trip to the place in the 80s, I probably wouldn’t have liked baseball. And if I hadn’t spend endless summer vacations inside watching WGN TV and the crazy Harry Caray, I probably wouldn’t have fallen in love with the game.

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Categories
College Basketball

In Pursuit of NCAA Gambling Redemption

A year ago this Saturday, on April 3, 2004, UConn beat Duke by one point, and a 3-point shot made by Duke at the buzzer meant nothing to the outcome of the game, but everything to me. When UConn won 79-78, half the bar I was at erupted into cheers; half threw their hands up and collectively groaned, “NOOOOOO.” I was in the latter half, and not because I was rooting for Duke, but because that long bank shot in the last second prevented UConn from covering the spread.

Come this Saturday, I’m going to need to make up for last year’s Final Four betting disaster. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been having a stellar run so far. I’m 3 for 9 in individual game bets, and I’d sooner admit to possessing a Clay Aiken CD than own up to the choices in my office pool bracket. And yet a mysterious man in a hotel elevator tipped me off, and now despite my track record, I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to prove myself. I’m like the Norman Dale of gambling, and I’m going with MICHIGAN STATE.

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Categories
Boston Celtics

Talking about a no-brainer

Following the 2001-2002 season in which the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics’ brass (and probably even more importantly, ownership) had to decide whether or not to re-sign Rodney Rogers.  Rogers, acquired in midseason and an essential piece of that team, was a free agent and potentially the difference between the C’s making it back to the conference finals or becoming a team that dies in the first or second round. Although Rogers expected Boston to pony up, then-Celtic owner Paul Gaston was in the process of selling the team and wanted to add as little payroll as possible and therefore offered Rogers the veteran minimum of about a $1 million.  Bewildered and a little insulted, Rogers refused and signed with rival New Jersey, while Boston made an ill-fated trade for Vin Baker in an attempt to fill Rogers’ shoes. In short, it didn’t work, and the Celtics are still paying for that mistake, both literally and figuratively.

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Categories
NBA General

NBA Power Rankings March 29th 2005

Here are the new NBA Power Rankings. Comments and beefs are encouraged. Don’t forget the Poll!

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Categories
MLB General

Spring Training: A Vacation From Baseball Discord

“Nothing will ever be as much fun as baseball.”–Mickey Mantle

Truer words were never spoken. When faced with having to use up 5 vacation days before the end of March, it was pretty clear what I needed to do. I could either go to Rio with my girlfriends or Tampa alone. (Or stay home and watch daytime television and capitalize on the fact you can have McDonald’s delivered in NYC.) I received more than a few weird looks when I told everyone at work I was taking off for Spring Training by myself. Or as my boss said, “The Yankees are going to sic a restraining order on you soon.”

Why did I venture to Legends Field solo? Because no one else I know would want to arrive at the stadium 4 hours before it started just to watch Yogi Berra drive around in a golf cart. Or would want to sit in the stadium long after the game was over just listening to “New York, New York” play on a loop. Or would recognize that the beauty of Spring Training is not the games themselves, but what they represent. They’re not just a pre-party for the impending best months of the year. I wasn’t just taking a vacation from TPS reports. I was taking a vacation from steroids, exhausted media-coverage of certain rivalries, running tallies of payrolls, and watching once-awe-inspiring players become shells of their former selves.

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Categories
Fantasy Baseball

Like Eating a Bushel of Peaches- I’ll Help You Find Relief

If you obsessively and fanatically draft relief pitching you can win your fantasy league.

Repeat.

If you obsessively…you get the idea.

The average head to head fantasy league has seven pitcher slots.  Two are reserved for starting pitching while two are reserved for relief and three slots are left open.
Let’s do a quick breakdown.

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Categories
Detroit Tigers

Giving Motown the silent treatment

So now that my college basketball season is over (Duke lost), I thought I’d turn my thoughts over to the next sport: baseball. But instead of revisiting the three major issues that have choked the entire offseason–namely steroids, barry bonds’s knee, and randy johnson’s haircut–there is a much quieter, underappreciated story line to look out for throughout the coming months.

I give you, Detroit baseball 2005.

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Categories
MLB General

Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice Part 2: Build Your Team Like My Girlfriend- Cheap and Easy

Remember where we left off in the first article where I offered the tips to build a great fantasy team cheap?  You don’t?  Terrific.   If not then please refer to my previous article titled “Don’t Panic, Be Relieved!” to get the low down on pitching.

The purpose of this part two is to make sure you win the hitting categories 3-2 and 4-1 every week. Like I said before, and what has become common knowledge in the fantasy baseball world specifically…it’s a marathon to win these leagues and here is how to pull it off.

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