Boston Sports Then and Now

Tim Wakefield

When someone says the name Tim Wakefield, one of the most automatic thoughts is the knuckleball. The 43-year-old pitcher has been on the mound for the Red Sox since 1995 and could be there for a while longer.

After graduating from Florida Tech, Wakefield was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round of the free agent draft in 1988. A scout told Wakefield that he would never make it past double A with his position skills.

At this point, Wakefield focused on improving his knuckleball that has made him so well known today. He had immediate success and it did not take long to make the majors.

In his Major League debut, Wakefield pitched a complete game against the Cardinals. He struck out ten batters and threw 146 pitches in doing so.

As the season continued, Wakefield started 13 games, going 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA. His success as a rookie earned him the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The next season, Wakefield began to struggle and was eventually released by the pirates. Six days later, the Red Sox picked him up. He began Read the rest of this entry →

Celtics had a decent effort but fell to the hungry Bucks.

So the Celtics lost last night against a surging Bucks team who were favored by 1-½ points.I found that kind of disturbing but then I thought it made sense with the Bucks winning 15 out 19 games before last night.

But what a game it was, like Mike Gorman said it felt like a playoff game.

And if I am correct, neither team led the game by more than 8 points.

But sadly, this was a MUST win game for the C’s that just fell short.

Pierce 3-13

KG 7-13

Allen 0-3

Rondo 6-10

Robinson 2-5

The Bucks outscored the Celts 22-16.

Although they lost by two, and had plenty of opportunities with Buck turnovers and missed shots I can’t be maI thought they played well.

This Bucks team looks ready and extremely hungry for the playoffs. Can you blame them?

Nate Dogg Robinson had two great 3 pointers and that was it? Ugh!

I understand that Nate is faster then Eddie House and can move around better but I am still uncertain about the trade.

I hope he can find his groove during practice.

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Campbell and Bettman's refusal to take a tough stance on headshots and intent to injure is going to cost a player his career.

Bruins All-star center Marc Savard fell to the ice Sunday afternoon after a devastating blow to the head at the hands of Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke. Savard left the ice on a stretcher and was later diagnosed with a Grade 2 concussion and his return this season is in doubt.

But don’t blame Matt Cooke. Not entirely at least. It was Cooke who struck Savard, yes. Savard never saw Cooke coming and had no opportunity to defend himself. If not for Cooke’s errant elbow Savard would likely be playing tonight in Toronto.

But Cooke doesn’t deserve all the blame. Instead look to the NHL offices, specifically head disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

Campbell’s “spinning wheel of justice” has been so erratic and senseless that it offers no deterrents to hits like these. At times it seems as though Campbell flips a coin in his office to determine whether or not someone is punished. Campbell is so maddeningly inconsistent that it is almost impossible to tell what types of hits and plays will be penalized.

Headshots are a regular occurrence around the league, especially this season, largely because there is little to no punishment for driving your shoulder or elbow purposely into an opponent’s head. And if you’re a first line star player the wheel of justice never affects you.

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Reynolds was one of five Broncos selected in the 2010 WPS draft

The following is part of a weekly series in which writer Todd Civin presents the lighter side of the Boston Breakers of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS).

The league is built based on the down-to-earth nature and approachability of its athletes. “Getting Silly with the Breakers” is a fun-filled way to create a comfortable bond between the fans and the professional athletes who are the Boston Breakers.

A special thanks to Erica Hunt, the communications director for the team, as well as the players themselves for making this approach possible.

Only two days removed from her first official full team workout as a professional soccer player, I suspect that there are still a lot of things going through the mind of Boston Breakers’ rookie defender, Katherine Reynolds.

A new team, a new city, new teammates. and her first training camp is an awful lot of adjusting for any of the 65 newbies attempting to make the squads of the eight Women’s Professional Soccer teams. Read the rest of this entry →

I bleed green.

Ok, so it’s been a while since I have written about the Celtics, but what has been going on lately is just terrible.

I need to get some things off my chest.

Now before I dig in, I’d like to say that I’m 27 years old and have been a C’s fan all my life. I’ve been going to games with my sister since the early 90’s and sat through the “Youth Movement Year” with tickets that were given to me.

I’ve seen the Eric Montross’s, Eric Williams, Gerald Green’s, and Kenny Anderson’s of the world come and go.

I’d like to first start off by advising the “pink hats” on the bandwagon to get off safely because Guru from Gang Starr said it best “Read. Study lessons, build your inner power, cause the next level doesn’t tolerate cowards.” If not we’re just going to kick your complaining ass off anyway!

Never have I heard so much booing during games when the team is down 10 and needs that confidence from the crowd!  It makes me want to puke when I see people leaving in the 4^th quarter because they are down by a few points! Most of you people that due leave usually have great seats and make the area look dreadful with all the empty seats on television! If you turned on the game and saw that, you would of thought they were getting blow out by 30! You know those people in the nosebleeds were envious of your seats in the beginning, but had to want to slap you for the chuck of empty in the fourth! I know if I was at the game I would have been disgusted, tickets are expensive enough especially with economy.

And we press on…

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Matt Cooke should have been missing more teeth after his hit on Marc Savard.

Sean Connery’s character, Officer Malone, said it perfectly in the 1987 movie, “The Untouchables.”

“If they put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue!”

Granted Matt Cooke isn’t Al Capone, but the Bruins aren’t no Elliot Ness.

How can you not retaliate after your star offensive player, Marc Savard, was clocked by the notorious Matt Cooke?

Cooke, the player who has been suspended a multitude of time for cheat shots.

This isn’t your Daddy’s Big Bad Bruins.

If this happened in the days of Terry O’Reilly or even Lyndon Byers, Cooke would be holding his teeth in his hand.

Paging Milan Lucic.

Paging Shawn Thornton.

Paging Steve Begin.

Paging Claude Julien.

Why didn’t the Bruins coach send one of his “enforcers” to avenge the hit on one of their team leaders?

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