Boston has emerged as the hot new entrant in the race for Sheed. My colleague Ric Bucher from ESPN The Magazine credits Kevin Garnett for convincing Celtics personnel chief Danny Ainge to enter the bidding and for leading the Celtics' lobbying efforts.
Dear God,
Please let this happen. Not only will this help the Celtics extremely with depth, but it will make the Celtics one of the loudest, most trash talking, technical friendly team.
DP
But seriously, this would be huge signing. If KG, can get Rasheed to take a pay cut and sign on. It'll make me cream myself.
***UPDATE***
Well I guess Ainge agrees with all of us...
"Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told Comcast Sportsnet's Gary Tanguay today that he was interested in free-agent forward Rasheed Wallace, and that the team would meet with him soon. "I think he would love playing with [Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen]," Ainge told Tanguay. "The Celtics want him and he wants the Celtics," Tanguay said a couple of nights ago, sounding pretty certain Wallace would land in Boston(Boston.com).'
So pumped. I really do believe Tanguay, becasause he is not really a guy who just shoots off his mouth. Plus he would never want to do anything to piss off Ainge. So it looks like we might really see Sheed in green...
***UPDATE 2***
More proof...
"Sources say Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge and assistant director of basketball operations Leo Papile showed up on Rasheed Wallace’s doorstep just after midnight Wednesday to make their recruiting push.
"I know he is definitely considering playing for them," one league source said (Celticsblog)."
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Rasheed To Boston? (2 UPDATES)
Hossa Signs 12 Year Deal With Blackhawks
"The Chicago Blackhawks dipped deep into the free-agent market by signing star forward Marian Hossa away from the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday with a 12-year contract (Sportsline)."
What the fuck?????? Why are hockey contracts so long? Although we don't know the numbers yet, a 12 year contract to a guy who is 30 is just crazy. As far as I know NHL contracts are guaranteed. Don't get me wrong they are getting one hell of a player, but 12 years is just fucking ridiculous.
New iPhone Sucks
"The new Apple iPhone 3GS is hot. So hot, in fact, that Apple has built in a kill switch that won't let you use it once it hits 113 degrees.Reports began circulating online last week that the latest iteration of the iPhone got noticeably warmer than its predecessors. And photos popped up on a French tech blog of iPhones so hot their white exteriors were glowing pink.
Then two respected American tech reporters confirmed the rumors were true -- because it had personally happened to them.
"At some point, I became aware the handset had become very hot," wrote PC World's Melissa J. Perenson on Friday. "Very, very hot -- not just on the back, but the entire length of the front face, too." "One does not ... expect to reach under one's pillow and find an iPhone that passes for a handwarmer," wrote her colleague David Coursey on Monday (FoxNews)."
People made a big deal out of this new phone coming out, but it sounds like it is more trouble then it is worth. I try not to buy things that are "bran new", because I always feel like there is a ton of problems when a product first comes out. Anyways, felt like this was a good heads-up don't buy till they correct this problem....
Canucks Sign Sedin Twins
"Daniel and Henrik Sedin have agreed to five-year contract extensions with the Vancouver Canucks less than an hour before the start of free agency. The Canucks gave the twins matching $30.5 million deals, keeping them with the team that drafted them second and third overall in 1999 (Sportsline)."
Crazy that both twins got the same deal from the Canucks, but it makes sense since they have led the Canucks in scoring for the last 3 seasons. Both these guys average about a point a game and both had 82 points last season. There are so similar it is cray just look at their stats. Henrik has 460 points in 646 games, and Daniel 462 points in 642 games. Daniel is much more of a scorer, but Henrick makes up for all of that with his passing and playmaking ability.
Rangers Trade Gomez To Canadiens
"Scott Gomez’ brief New York tenure ended yesterday when the star center was traded by the Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens as part of a six-player deal. The key player coming back to New York is forward Chris Higgins, a Long Island native who is set to become a restricted free agent today when the NHL’s free-agent shopping season opens. New York had been looking to clear space under the NHL salary cap and cut out a major contract that still has five years and $33.5 million left on it. Gomez was sent to Montreal with minor leaguers Tom Pyatt, a forward, and defenseman Mike Busto. Along with Higgins, the Rangers got defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko (Boston Herald)."
The Rangers need to dump some payroll. Gomez is a good player, but overall he is overrated. He had one great year with the Devils in 2005 when he had 33 goals and 51 assists. He is still a playmaker, and the Canadiens basically need to rebuild their entire team. Not really sure if it is a good idea to bog yourself down with this kind of contract (about $6.7 million for the next 5 years) when you are rebuilding.
Its, been a while but heres some shit Ive been thinking bout....
-First off, I can't help but just come out and say it...the steroid era has turned my favorite sport into nothing more than another WWE. The integrity of the game has been compensated to the point were I find myself having little interest in it, which is heart breaking when you look back and realize that your hole baseball watching life has been a sham because of greedy fucks trying to make an extra buck playing a childs game. Have of the players on this list I was not surprised about...come on Nomar gained fucking 30 pounds of muscle in one off season and in turn ruined his career because of it. But, at this point looking back I and not very surprised that Ortiz is named, the guy sucked ball sack before he came to Boston. Nixon was very surprising despite the fact he only really produced a few seasons 20+ home run seasons, Derek Lowe...man something had to give considering how shockingly durable he has been throughout his career. All I can really come to a conclusion on is the Selig must go much like the head of the players association has.
-Next point, looking back on past success of championship teams and seasons one thing has become evident, no team will win on what they start out with at the beginning of the season. Much like the pitching and batting approaches of players on a regular basis, teams must make changes to enhance their clubs throughout the course of the season. With this being said, the Red Sox need to make some moves to better themselves for the playoff run. Rumors of Garrett Atkins and Yunel Escobar being available have drawn my interest more than the names of Johnson, Holliday, and the other names being dangled out there. Atkins has been less than spectacular this year but that comes as good news for teams looking for a bat with pop for far less value than he had last year, plus this guy reminds me of Jason Bay a shut up and get to work player who is great in the club house...Lowell isn't A-Rod so the its very unlikely his hip will sustain itself the rest of the way. Now Escobar, regardless of what Nick Green has done he is not a starting short stop, and Jed Lowrie is just an over glorified utility man. Escobar is a great defensive shortstop that has a quality offensive game to go with it, to be quite honest other than Buchholtz I dont think anyone else on the farm is or should be untouchable. The Red Sox have strength in that they can develop great quality pitching, but they lack the ability to produce productive everyday players(despite Dusty, Youk, Elsburry). I don't know what the deal is but at some point these first round picks they make have got to produce corner stones players at the shortstop or third base position.
-Finally, while baseball has sucked every faith I have in it out of me the NBA has reemerged as the most enjoyable sporting events to watch other than the Pats making the NFL their bitches for the past decade. The C's have started to realize that you can't be successful for the same group year in and year out which draws my interest on what they will do to remold and hopefully improve their team for the up coming season. One thing is for sure is that Eddie Fucking House will be back for another year where he takes more shots than minuets he plays in a season. Sure, last year he proved to be some what valuable with all the injuries that took place on the roster but how is he in any way what they need in a back up point guard. Call me crazy, but isnt a point guard supposed to make those around him better like Rondo does? Isnt he supposed to be able to run an offense and keep the other teams guard in check? Danny Ainge has done some great things in Boston, but has also done some very questionable things as well(Gerald Green droping from top ten to 19 draft raises questions just by how it happened, Eddie House getting a player option). Did anyone for one second believe that House wasnt going to pick up this option? Come on can any of you actually say to yourselves that he was going to get more money than what he has already been offered. All I know is that if this in any way hinders the teams possibilities to resign Marbury we will all be looking back and shacking our heads when Starbury fully regains his swagger and averages 10+ points, 5+ assists a game for a championship caliber team.
And The Fatest US State Is....
"Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers (FoxNews)."
I actually thought it would be Texas or Louisiana, but it had to be a southern state. Anyways, the slimmest state was Colorado followed by Massachusetts. Mississippi had the highest obesity rate (32.5%) for the 5th year in a row....impressive.
Red Sox @ Orioles Preview
The Sox are going to try to put last night collapse behind them. I have said this so many times it makes me sick, but this is the games when your "Ace" should step up, and I have no doubt Josh Beckett will do so today.
Beckett will be going against one of the biggest surprises of the season (Brad Bergesen). Bergensen is 5-2 with a 3.76 ERA. For a team that can't find any pitching this kid has been a nice surprise. Bergensen has never faced the Red Sox, but over his last 29 1/3 innings pitched (4 games) he has only let up 7 runs and is 3-0.
Beckett is riding a string of 16 consecutive scoreless innings going into today's game (all against Atlanta). On the season he is 9-3 with a 3.48 ERA. Overall (other then a couple of hiccups) he has been a stud.
Even though the Sox lost last night they were scoring runs for the first time in awhile. Boston is going to need players like Ortiz, Youk, Pedroia, and Bay to step up while Lowell is on the DL. Ortiz has been playing real well of late hitting .348 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs over the last 7 days.
Game starts at 1:35 on NESN.
Willie McGinest To Play 1 More Year
"Willie McGinest was recently interviewed by Albert Breer of Sportingnews.com and indicated that he'd like to play one more season in the NFL before retirement.
Where would he like to play? According to McGinest, teams with ties to Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells would be "a good situation", meaning that the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins can be penciled in as the front-runners for his services (ESPN)."
I'll be honest I have not seen this guy play in a couple years, but I would think he would fit well with a move back to the Patriots. He could be a solid pass rusher, and add depth with guys like Woods and Crable. Obviously wouldn't be playing full time, but something to keep an eye on as the patriots have shown in the past that they are not afraid of adding borderline retired players (Seau).
The End Of The Hard Work Era?
"While the Celtics did retain the right to match any contract offer to Glen Davis through the qualifying offer, Ainge said the injury status of Leon Powe - who had reconstructive left knee surgery after tearing his ACL in the playoff series vs. the Bulls - was a determining factor in the decision.
Ainge said Powe has been rehabbing with the team’s medical staff and will continue to have access to the staff, if he chooses, despite no longer being with the team. Ainge said he believed Powe was planning to continue his rehab in California." Scott Souza
I understand the risk of not signing a guy that has had knee problems, and isn't going to be able to play a game before the All-Star break, however, Leon is a risk I would be willing to take. If we had Leon for the Magic series, I guarantee we would have won. Even though he is undersized, he plays a lot bigger than he is. But it looks like it is the end of the Hard Work Leon Powe era in Boston.
J.R. Smith Gets 90 Days In Jail
A judge sentenced Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith to 90 days in jail Tuesday night for causing an auto accident that killed his friend, though Smith will likely end up serving only 30. Municipal Judge Debra J. Gelson suspended 60 days of the sentence providing Smith performs 500 hours of community service consisting of visiting sick children at hospitals. Smith, who grew up in this town about 20 miles east of Trenton, was taken to county jail Tuesday night to begin serving his sentence.
"He's 23 years old; he's a tough kid and he's going to do these four weeks and come out a better person," said Kevin Hextall, an attorney representing Smith.
Gelson also suspended Smith's license for two years, to begin next March after Smith's current license suspension expires. Smith, who didn't comment after the sentencing, expressed regret at causing the accident that killed his friend, 21-year-old Andre Bell of East Orange, in June 2007.
"It's been unbearable to deal with," he said to the court. "I am deeply sorry. I never intended for this to happen. It tears me up that it went down like that (Sportsline)."
Smith has so much talent, but he seems to prefer just being a thug instead of improving. He really does have the talent to be a top player in this league. Now that he has one of the best PG in the NBA on his team this is really his chance to take off. The sentence will not affect him basketball life, unless they go NFL on his and suspend him (which I would be for). Anyways, he'll end up serving 30 days, and then be on the street again...
Eddie House To Stay
"It was a tough decision," Bartelstein said. "We went back and forth the last couple of weeks. But, when it was all said and done, Eddie loved his time in Boston, he feels like he is on a championship contender, he really enjoys playing with his teammates and playing for Doc (Rivers), and the fans have been great to him."
I was kinda hoping he would opt out so the Celtics would have an extra 2.86 million to play with this off season. Eddie House is a one trick pony, and even though he was the only scoring option for much of this season, he is very hot and cold. At the end of the day, Eddie House made the best decision for Eddie House. He couldn't of got more than 2.86 million in free agency.
Hobbs Defends Patriots
I was kind of surprised to read these comments. I actually thought Hobbs would be pissed that he was traded, but he seems to have no hard feelings....
“That we’re all a bunch of jerks, starting with the head man, Bill," said Hobbs. "Bill will be the first to tell you he comes off as a jerk, intentionally. Because, I think, what he tries to manifest throughout the players is that we’re here for football.
“There’s so much going on – the circus in the media and all that stuff, and the hoopla in the NFL these days – it’s hard to keep the focus on the game. I think that’s why they have everything so distinguished, set apart from everything, as far as the organization away from the players. Where there’s only access for the players on the lower level -- the players and the coaches. And I think by him doing that, it kind of sets the tone, and let’s you know that we’re here to play football and win games (Boston.com).”
I very rarely question a move that the Patriots make, but I have to say I hated this trade. Hobbs is not a #1 CB, but I don't think you could sit here and tell me he would not be a great nickleback. He is also one of the best return men in the league, and we trade him away for 2 5th round draft picks. Sorry, I just really never got that trade. The Patriots have proved me wrong before, but that is at best a questionable move...
Red Sox 10 Orioles 11
Ugh do I have to write about this game?
Well lets get the epic collapse out of the game. The Sox were up 10-1 going into the bottom of the 7th inning. Then the best bullpen in baseball fell apart letting up 5 runs in the 7th and 5 more in the 8th to complete the biggest comeback in Baltimore Orioles history. Honestly it was the worst thing to watch in the world. Masterson let up 5 runs, and I was like "Ok, just not his night". Then Delcarmen comes in and get a couple outs, but also a hit. Then Okajima, who has been a stud for the Sox over the past couple of seasons and he lets up 4 runs. Saito? Yup he lets up a run, and it is all capped off when Nick Markakis hit a two-run double Papelbon. Ok, got it? Because I really don't want to get into it anymore. My overall feeling is that it was a rain delay and the Sox bullpen just had "one of those games".
Now lets get to some of the positive stuff. Smoltz looked good he pitched 4 innings letting up 3 hits 1 run with 2 Ks. He only pitched a little over 50 pitches last night and would have easily gone 6-7 innings if the rain didn't fuck everything up. The other good news is that the Sox offense finally starting putting runs up on the board. Pedroia and Youk both had a couple RBIs. Ortiz continues his resurgence with a couple hits. Pedroia just looks like a completely different player when he is batting in the #2 spot. I don't think we will see him moved from there ever again.
So, in the end it was a shitty game, but I wouldn't be over concerned. The bullpen has been great all year, and maybe this was just their "bad game". Unless we see more evidence that there is going to be problems I wouldn't read too much into this...
