A Post! A Post!

Don't have time for much posting these days, but i did want to post on a few topics:

- SAWX! SAWX -- Wow... this team has been around the world, lost it's No. 1 & No. 3 starters, lost its All-Star thirdbasemen, endured a major slump by arguably its best hitter, has endured weeks of Ellsbury/Coco talk, and now has a team-wide case of the sniffles, yet sits in FIRST PLACE in the AL East. Dice-K's undefeated, the kids have been a revelation, and the bullpen has been patched together yet remains mostly effective. Paps hits 100 MPH the other night? Holy Schnikies, Incrediboy!

- Celts Quest for 17 -- C'mon Atlanta... you didn't REALLY think you had a chance, did you?!?! Bob Ryan absolutely nailed it in this morning's Globe (no surprise) about what makes this team so formidable. Instead wiping you out, they just keep coming at you with stifling D and timely buckets (not to mention some WIKKED intensity) . My favorite part has to be the following, perfectly captured by The Sports Guy's column on the NBA MVP from last week, talking about Garnett's influence on the Celts in 2007-08: "Every time an opponent kept going for a shot after a whistle, KG defiantly blocked the shot just out of principle. Eventually, everyone started doing it. No shots after the whistle against the Celtics. That was the rule. It was a series of little things, baby steps if you will, but they added up to something much bigger." Finally, I can be excited about the Celts in April again, and not because they have a lottery pick.

- Matt Walsh -- Please... give it a rest. I know many people have been saying it, but it bears repeating: If this REALLY had something, don't you think he would have come forward a long time ago, if for no other reason than he would have made millions? A lot of people have grown sick of the Pats' dominance and are looking for reasons why they are consistently better than the rest of the league (I'm talking to you, Arlen Specter), and many of them would be more than happy to pony up some dough to see Belichick and the Pats hoisted on their own petard. Best part about this has to be the statement issued on the news by the Pats... "It is important to note that there has never been a confidentiality agreement restricting Matt Walsh and no legal protections were ever necessary for him to speak to the NFL... He demanded to be released from responsibility for his statements, and after a frustrating and lengthy negotiation period, a settlement has finally been reached. Walsh has been granted a significant number of privileges... none of which the Patriots or the NFL were obligated to give." Does this sound like a team with something to hide? I don't think so either.

- Finally -- R.I.P. Don Gillis. A true Boston sportscasting legend, he originated the nightly TV sports anchor post in Boston on Channel 5 and is one of the few ever to do play-by-play for all four major sports franchises in Boston. He was also the voice of Candlepin Bowling for years in the Boston area. The Globe has a nice tribute to Gillis here. Here's a link to Gillis in a tribute to the 1967 Impossible Dream Sox: http://youtube.com/watch?v=G1qlOjIVBuY. Godspeed, Mr. Gillis... here's hoping you always pick up that 7-10 split in God's Bowling Alley.