Fantastic, Lackey.

Good thing we pay John Lackey the big bucks, huh? I mean he only gave up 8 hits and 6 walks in 4.2 innings today. I guess it could have been worse; he could have given up like 268 runs. But close enough. Awful performance bringing his first-half ERA to a final number of 4.78. Very mediocre for the money we signed the guy for. Where's the ace that we saw in Anaheim? Hell, even the ace we saw in his first start of the season. I'd take that guy over this guy. I hope  he figures it out, because in this division, the Red Sox can't afford poor starts out of their top guys. Especially when our "ace" is out cold.

LeBron Extremely Confident

For those who missed it, the Heat held a welcoming party of sorts for LeBron, Bosh, and the return of their own star Dwyane Wade last night. I was amazed by LeBron's confidence and arrogance, a clear contrast from his usually modest and respectful nature (note: sarcasm). LeBron would eventually say, in response to a statement about winning multiple championships, "Not 2! Not 3! Not 4! Not 5! Not 6! Not 7!" And then he goes on to give us the same load of bologna about how it's about "business" and that stuff. And how he truly believes they can do it. Hey LeBron, why don't you win 1 first. And for the love of God, I wish people would stop talking about how the Heat really want to beat the Lakers so bad. Did anyone forget that the Celtics took them to 7 games, and if Perkins was healthy for game 7, the green probably would have won? So let's not match up the Heat and the Lakers just yet. Miami has some work to do in the eastern conference, first.


PS -- I won't be around until this evening, so check back then.


PPS -- Wait... did LeBron just guarantee 8 rings? Truly "lmfao" at this point.

They're Like Toddlers on a Playground

Priceless. These two in this booth is comparable to a class of first graders on the playground after lunch time. They absolutely love it. They seem to bring the fun out of everyone. But it might also have to do with the fact that the Sox are blasting the Rays into another galaxy. Or as Don would say, they are "rocking the Jays' world."

Finally, the Sox are Back!

After their recent 4-game skid, the Boston Red Sox seem to be back on track. They lead the Toronto Blue Jays 10-0 in the third inning right now, sparked by a 7-run third. If the Red Sox blow this lead tonight, I'm shutting down Ultimate Boston for months. My friendly wager with life.

Report: Rangers Spoil Yankee Party, Get Lee

According to several internet sources, the Texas Rangers have called a press conference and are expected to announce that they have acquired Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners. Many sources were calling Lee to the Yankees a "done deal" earlier today, but thankfully for the baseball world, Texas was able to sweep through and grab the southpaw ace. Hopefully the reports are true and Lee is headed down south.

It would have been nice for the Mariners to have Lee make his start against the Yankees before shipping him away, but at least he wasn't shipped to New York. We can be glad for that. The Yankees will have to find another ace if they want to buy themselves a cakewalk to their second consecutive world championship.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have a left-handed ace of their own going tonight as Jon Lester takes the hill for a weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox will look to chip away at the now 4.5 game deficit they face in the AL East division.

Mani the Parakeet vs Paul the Octopus

VS

We've sure got some kind of epic battle here today. Mani the Parakeet vs Paul the Octopus. Both of these animals seem to be able to predict the outcomes of international soccer matches with great efficiency. Mani the Parakeet has been on a roll lately just like Paul the Octopus, and Mani is flying under the radar a little more so than Paul is. But here's the bottom line. One of these two guys gets knocked off the face of the media world on Sunday, and the other one gets a place in the animal predicting Ecosystem of Fame. So which will it be? Regardless of whether or not Spain is better than Netherlands, I think Paul the Octopus just has a better arsenal here. His résumé is more impressive to me. Not only has Mani been wrong before, but he just picks between 2 rolled up sheets of paper. He can't even see which team is on which paper. That tells me one thing -- total luck. Paul looks at the two flags, and he knows which will win. That's why Paul is right. Paul wins. Spain wins. Congratulations, Spaniards. Finally, at last -- World Cup Champions!
What do you think? Vote 1 for Mani the Parakeet's got it and the Netherlands will win, making all of Bobbi Eden's Twitter followers joyous. Vote 5 for they will all be disappointed because Paul the Octopus is never wrong and Spain will shatter those Dutch dreams.

Yankees Close to Acquiring Cliff Lee

Multiple sources are reporting that the New York Yankees are close to acquiring ace Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners. ESPN reported that as of this morning, the trade was "just about done." The Yankees are rumored to be offering up top prospects Jesus Montero and David Adams as well as another prospect to be determined.

This will just be downright unfair if the Yankees get Lee. It will be the exact reason why baseball needs to implement a salary cap. In no sport can you simply buy a championship like you can in baseball. Granted, it doesn't always just work out like that. Most of the time, you actually can't just buy a championship. But the Yankees did it last season, using their completely absurd payroll to win the world series and break their nearly decade-long drought. Now, if they acquire Cliff Lee, they will be the hands-down favorite to repeat. Even coming from a Red Sox fan with a big Boston bias, this team would be damn near impossible to beat in a playoff series.

The Red Sox are included in the group of teams that benefits from unlimited spending. They are up there, on the level below the Yankees. The Mets, the Dodgers -- the big market teams can spend. But nobody can spend like the Yankees can. Plain and simply, the MLB would just become a much better corporation if it instituted a hard salary cap. Take the NFL as an example. Every year is a new season, and any team can rise to the top. We've seen dramatic turn-arounds from a number of teams (you don't have to go back too far to find the last time the Saints were near the bottom of the league. Look where they've gotten themselves to!). Because every team is on level ground, spending wise. It doesn't work that way in baseball. When was the last time the Yankees or Red Sox were at the bottom of the division? When did you last see the Pirates, the Reds, or the Royals making a splash? It's incredibly difficult for small market teams to succeed in baseball. The Rockies and Rays have been two of the exceptions in recent memory -- they have grown great young talent and gotten themselves back on the map. For the most part, though, the teams with money are the teams that win. Simple as that. And it creates a poor balance of power. A salary cap would level the playing field, create that competitive balance that everyone wants, and prevent teams like the Yankees from literally buying themselves a world series ring.

Will the Yanks get Lee? And if they do, are they a lock to return to baseball's Fall Classic? I sure hope not, but even if they acquire the talented lefty, we can only hope our Red Sox can cowboy up.

Crazy Octopus Picks Spain to Win World Cup

In case you missed it, yesterday we introduced Paul the Octopus, Germany's amazing fortune teller with a perfect world cup record in predicting Germany's soccer match outcomes. Well, for the first time this world cup tournament, the people have asked Paul to predict the outcome of a match that doesn't involve the Germans. In the upcoming world cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, the fortune telling octopus has predicted that the Spaniards will win it all. Even though this isn't a Germany match, can we argue against him? I mean, he just sees the world ahead of everyone else. It's just the way it is. So, to the dismay of many excited Dutch followers who were hoping to receive quite the gift for a victory by their home nation, I've got to say that Spain is going to win this epic battle.

PS -- I'd probably have picked Spain regardless of the octopus. They're too good. But a part of me wants the Netherlands so that we can actually see how Bobbi Eden and her team pulls off their promise for almost 100-thousand followers. Yikes!

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE" -- Dan Gilbert, Cavaliers Owner

If you haven't seen it yet, here is the personal letter that Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert issued to the Cleveland fans via their website tonight. Go get 'em, Dan!!

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE" 

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue.... 

Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers 

Mark Stuart Reportedly Signs With Bruins

According to Joe Haggerty of CSN, the Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Mark Stuart to a 1-year contract worth $1.675 million. This news is not yet officially confirmed by the Boston Bruins.

Good signing for the Bruins, though, completing their core of defensemen. They are now solidified along the blue line for next season. I also like the 1-year aspect to this deal. The Bruins have several terrific young players coming up through the system, so shorter contracts for your mediocre players such as 26-year-old Stuart seem to be safer options right now for the B's.

The Bruins are reportedly close to agreeing on terms with center Patrice Bergeron regarding a contract extension. They are also working with captain Zdeno Chara.

LeBron Reacts to Cavs Fans Burning His Jersey

Well, I knew it would be interesting to see LeBron react to the jersey-burning. First, he throws his old team and his old fans under the bus with a ridiculous analogy saying he wouldn't have burned down the organization if they ever traded him. But the thing is, Cleveland never, ever would have traded LeBron. Isn't that the point? How Cleveland gave everything to LeBron? And then he left them? And again, if he'd just ended the season, played his hardest, and said he was leaving, fine. But he drags it out until the last second and then calls a national TV press conference, a 1-hour ESPN special, to just kick the Cavs in the gut. Real classy. Then, he proceed so explain how he's just going to continue to be "great." In typical LeBron fashion. I cannot wait for next season, when the Heat win 70+ games, and lose in the playoffs. Again, in typical LeBron fashion.

Chokefest Will Resume in Miami

A teary-eyed LeBron James has announced he will make the move to South Beach and play for the Miami Heat with fellow superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Looks like the old adage, "defense wins championships," as well as the idea that depth wins championships, will be tested next season in Miami. I fully expect the chokefest that has highlighted LeBron's career to continue with this star-studded stint in Miami. Have fun, LeBron.

PS -- I'm very sorry for Cleveland fans out there. It would have been one thing to make a simple announcement without the build-up, a la Amar'e Stoudemire leaving his long-time Phoenix Suns. But having an ESPN show, titled The Decision, for an hour on national television, during primetime, to announce you're leaving them in the dust -- low blow.

PPS -- What's the vote? Will the Heat beat the Celtics and company in the East and get to the finals next year? Vote 1 for they will do it with ease with all that star power. Vote 5 for LeBron is a choker for life.

Where Will He Go?

FINALLY! In 11 minutes, we will find out where LeBron James is going, hear about it the rest of tonight, all of tomorrow, and some of this weekend, and then, at last, we can enjoy a somewhat LeBron-free summer. Thank the Lord!!

PS -- I know it is most likely he is going to Miami, but let me just give my opinion. I agree with one of the Cleveland radio hosts on ESPN today. I forget who it was. But the fact is, this is an absolutely classless bash on his hometown city and the fans of Cleveland if he goes on national television to announce he is leaving Cleveland. Going on national TV to say he's staying and he loves Cleveland forever, that would be one thing. To go on there to say he's leaving? A completely low blow to the city of Cleveland. We'll see what happens. Very soon.

Report: C's Sign Jermaine O'Neal

Well, here we go again. According to multiple internet sources including Kevin Garnett's Facebook page, the Boston Celtics have agreed to a contract with free agent center Jermaine O'Neal. Terms aren't yet announced, but one would assume he will fall under the mid-level exception. Another guy that I used to hate, and must learn to love.

I'll skip the pessimism and jump straight into the optimism with O'Neal. He was a great player in his prime, and he's had a few down years and injuries and such. He's still only 31 years old, making him one of the youngest Celtics impact players. For his career, O'Neal has averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. Last season with Miami, he averaged a slightly lower 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 70 games played. He's a big center that the Celtics need to fill in during the absence of Kendrick Perkins. Many people wanted Shaq here, but consider that Jermaine is nearly a decade younger than Shaq-diesel. This signing is a pretty good one for the mid level exception, even if we hated O'Neal beforehand.

The last time O'Neal played 75+ games in a season was in 2003-04, when he was an all-star (20.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg). In the seasons since then, he has played 44, 51, 69, 42, 27, 41, and 70 games respectively. His numbers have been down in the seasons that he has missed time with injury. It seems clear that health is the key with O'Neal. Health is the key with most of the Celtics team. He seems to fit right in with the mold in Boston. Get through the regular season healthy, and you'll have a legitimate contender come playoff time.

O'Neal may not be the post defender that Perkins is, but he almost certainly possesses a better offensive post game than Perkins. This will hopefully add another dimension to Boston's center position, which lacked depth down the stretch in 2010. Will O'Neal be an impact player on the quest for Banner 18? Danny Ainge seems to think so. We will have to wait and see.

Germany's Psychic Octopus is Officially Psychic

Well this thing is now officially legitimate. It's been Germany's psychic octopus predicting the nation's soccer matches since 2008, and it rounded out the 2010 World Cup with a perfect record, picking Spain to beat the Germans. And now the Germans want to fry him and eat him for doing that, as if he caused it or something. He didn't cause it. But the proven point here is that this crazy octopus is officially psychic. You can't just get lucky this many times in a row. The world is all predetermined. Tomorrow has already happened, and we just haven't experienced it yet as humans. This octopus, though, experiences things ahead of the timeline. It knows what's up. That's just a freak of nature type of thing. What impresses me more is the fact that it actually can tell you who wins the game. How many octopuses do you know that could even choose the winner after it happened? Let alone before? That's the impressive part. Not only does this guy see the world before humans experience it, but he actually is smart enough to put A and B together and pick the winning team. Amazing things. Animals are awesome. Just like cows lay down before a storm and dogs know what's up when thunderstorms are about to happen. They experience the world before humans do on that timeline. Because animals are bosses. Don't mess with them.

A South Beach Big Three

Amazingly enough, I was able to find some information on LeBron James and his decision by turning on Sportscenter this morning. I didn't think they would be covering such an insignificant thing in the big picture of the sports world, but sure enough, I managed to catch a few tidbits of information. What did I learn? Sources say LeBron will unite with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh down by South Beach.

The Miami Heat have agreed to contracts with Wade and Bosh, but neither player has signed their contract yet. Sources claim that this is because they are waiting for LeBron to officially sign -- if he does, both Wade and Bosh will likely take a few less dollars on their contracts. So here's the question, assuming these Sources are right: will this Big Three work out the way Boston's Big Three worked in their first year of operation?

To put it bluntly, I am totally unsure. If LeBron and Wade can adjust and become true team players the way Pierce and Allen did, they will likely be a great team and a tough team to beat. But we're talking about LeBron James here. While LeBron is a fantastic basketball player, he has always had a bit of a stuck-up reputation on the court and he infamously quit on his Cavaliers team in the 2010 playoffs against Boston. LeBron has the expectation that whatever team he goes to is now run by him. Will that work in Miami? We're talking about a Heat team that has won a championship with Dwyane Wade at the helm. Why does LeBron get the leader's role defaulted to him? Who gets the ball at the end of the game? It has been LeBron in every game he's ever played, but I think the ball should be in Wade's hands with the shot clock turned off. These are issues that will need to be worked out among the new South Beach Big Three.

Still, this Sportscenter coverage is totally absurd. They basically have all-day coverage leading up to the 1-hour special entailing LeBron's official announcement. "I'm signing with the Miami Heat" will take all of 10 seconds to say, leaving 3,590 seconds to fill the rest of the LeBron James show. Considering LeBron has never won anything of significance in his NBA career (and yes, I'm referring to NBA titles), this seems a little silly. You'd think the guy has already surpassed Jordan with this media treatment. Newsflash: he has won 0% of MJ's rings.

James seemingly hopes to reverse that trend by going to Miami with his fellow all-stars. But has he sacrificed his quest to become the greatest of all time and surpass Jordan? Will people undoubtedly taint his accomplishments, regardless of how stellar, if Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are by his side? I guess we will have to wait and see. But thankfully, come 9:00 PM EDT, this story that has been dragged on for months will finally end. We can finally enjoy a LeBron-free summer. Maybe.

Ray Takes Pay Cut, Signs With C's

The Boston Celtics and Ray Allen have reportedly agreed to a 2-year deal worth a total of $20 million, keeping the Big Three officially intact. Allen's new contract has a player option for the second year of the deal, allowing him to become a free agent again next summer if he so chooses.

This is a great signing for the C's. Ray cut his previous annual salary by $9 million, and pierce cut his by nearly $7 million. Somewhere, that cap space is certainly going to help the team. Big time team decisions by the two title-hungry veterans. The other great thing about this deal is that it avoids locking up Allen for several years -- you don't want to pin yourself down with guys in their late thirties making 8-figure salaries. Overall, a very good signing. The C's are back to make another run at Banner #18.

It is also rumored that free agent center Jermaine O'Neal has the Celtics on his wish list of suitors. I sure hope the Celtics decide otherwise. Most Celtics fans have grown to dislike O'Neal over the years, and many would prefer they opt for the other O'Neal -- Shaquille O'Neal -- as their role playing big man. Boston also met with Kwame Brown recently.

Bruins Rookies Impress Overall in Camp Workout

See PHOTOS from Day Two of Bruins Rookie Development Camp.

I mentioned that I was attending the Bruins rookie development camp on-ice session today, and it resulted in a very slow day on Ultimate Boston posting. Luckily, not much happened in the sports world except for Bosh & Wade teaming up in Miami and Spain taking down Germany in the semifinals. And of course, the Sox are getting spanked again by the Rays tonight. So why don't we look at the bright side -- the Bruins rookies look very promising.

The young B's took the ice today after doing rigorous off-ice swimming workouts earlier in the day. Their legs must have felt like jello, but you wouldn't have known it from their performance. Among several great players in the bunch, four guys stood out to me. Joe Colborne, Ryan Spooner, Tommy Cross, and our beloved Tyler Seguin.

I know what everyone's question is. How did Seguin look? To answer bluntly, he was impressive. However, he wasn't the best player on the ice. And if the hype wasn't all there, I may not have included him as standing out. But since I kept a keen eye on #57 (his camp jersey number), I saw plenty of flashes of brilliance. He's a great skater with explosive speed. He can get around the edge on defensemen. He threaded the needle on some passes. And he finishes breakaways. He sniped a few times. Overall good performance. What does he need to work on? Battles. He was worked off the puck a few times in one-on-ones, two-on-twos, and three-on-threes. But it was his first ever NHL workout on ice. I'll cut him some slack. He was impressive.

Tommy Cross. Boston College defenseman and one of the B's top defensive prospects. One thing popped into my mind as soon as I saw this kid playing: future captain. Cross and Seguin will be captains of the Boston Bruins together some day. I'd put money on it. Cross is a strong, fundamentally sound defenseman. Very few forwards beat him in one-on-one situations. He also possesses a good shot from the point. I'm excited about seeing Tommy Cross once he gets to the big stage, even if it's a few years down the road.

Most Bruins fans have heard the hype about Joe Colborne. Big guy, comparable to Joe Thornton. Well, to say the least, Colborne impressed me today as well. Big strong guy, very difficult to be knocked off the puck. Fearless around the front of the net. He really does play a strikingly similar style to that of former Bruins star Joe Thornton. Colborne most likely won't vie for a spot as a center on this year's Bruins squad (his natural position is center), but he did work out for parts of today's session as a winger. Very bright future for Colborne.

While these three guys made great first impressions on me, none made a stronger first impression than Bruins third pick (45th overall) Ryan Spooner. Spooner is a center by nature, but he worked out on the wing today -- which is what Boston needs. The first comparison that comes to mind when I watch Spooner play is Martin St. Louis. Small, lightning quick, phenomenal puck skills. And let me tell you something about Ryan Spooner. This kid can bury the puck. Absolutely a pure goal scorer. It's pretty unlikely that he'll make the Bruins roster this season, but he is a very flashy kid and I'm super-excited to get the chance to see him play moving forward.

Those four guys stood out to me, but plenty of other players were impressive as well. Defenseman Marc Cantin won the breakaway competition at the end of practice, firing several shots off the posts and crossbar into the net. Displayed a great knack for scoring. Defenseman Yuri Alexandrov also had an impressive day, playing solid defense and shutting down his forward counterparts. 32nd draft selection Jared Knight (center) also worked out solely on the wing, leading me to believe that the Bruins are not afraid to make some centers into wingers to fit the mold of the team. Knight looked solid and comfortable at the wing position. For those wondering where Tyler Seguin will play on the Bruins line sheet, he played exclusively as a center today.

It was a very intriguing day and a very bright sign for the future of the Boston Bruins. Camp will continue all week and conclude with their final session on Saturday. Will Tyler Seguin make the squad come October like everyone is expecting? Will guys like Spooner, Colbourne, Cross, and Knight challenge for roster spots? It's a long offseason to decide those things, but rookie development camp at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington is the first step in that process.

Bruins Practice Open to the Public Today

Day two of the Boston Bruins development camp kicked off this morning in Wilmington, MA. Prior to hitting the ice, the boys are set to do off-ice workouts. What are some of those workouts? As you see in the above picture snapped by B's writer John Bishop, they are treading water in a workout pool with sweatshirts on. They've made some kind of game out of the water workouts, too, according to Bishop's twitter page. Will my Bruins have any legs left when I go see them skate at 1:00 this afternoon? I sure hope so!

That's right, 1:00 PM EDT at Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington, MA, the public is allowed to go watch the first on-ice segment of the 2010 Bruins rookie development camp. I'll be there, for sure. I'll be leaving in just a little while, so don't be expecting much blogging during that time span. You can hope for plenty of photos, though, as I'll try to snap some good ones of the young guns. Will Ultimate Boston qualify as media and get to interview Seguin & company? Probably not. But how cool would that be?

Sox Lose Youkilis In 3-2 Loss to Rays

Kevin Youkilis left tonight's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays with an apparent foot injury. I have to ask this truthfully... is this real life? Jacoby, Pedroia, Youkilis, Martinez, Beckett, Buchholz, Varitek, Hermida, Cameron (on and off), Drew (at times). That's the updated list of the Red Sox roster decimated by injuries this season. I don't know how the Sox are where they are, but I sure hope this recent 2-game skid isn't a sign that they're going to start leveling off to the true talent of their depleted squad. The likes of Nava, McDonald, Patterson, Molina, Cash, and Hall will not be able to carry this team forever. Has their downslide begun?

Who knows for sure? Boston has now slipped to 3 games back of New York, still pending their result from tonight's contest with the Oakland Athletics. They are 1.5 games behind the rejuvenated Rays for second place in the division. The Sox will finish up their set with Tampa tomorrow before rounding out the first half with their next set against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Big Papi to Compete in HR Derby

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will participate in this year's Homerun Derby from Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Ortiz competed in the competition for three straight years from 2004 until 2006, and this will be his first appearance since that 2006 campaign.

Hopefully Papi can continue to blast homers the way he has been for the Red Sox ever since his initial slump to start the season. Ortiz has 17 homers and 54 RBI's thus far.

The derby will take place on Monday, July 12th from Angel Stadium. The All-Star Game will be held on Tuesday, the 13th.

Amazing Strike.

Soccer has the potential to be very exciting when guys fire strikes like this from 3,781 yards away into the upper 90. Amazing strike. Absolute rocket. Why can't guys do this all the time in the World Cup? That would certainly quiet a lot of the critics.

Seguin Speaks at Development Camp

Every time I see a Tyler Seguin interview with the Bruins, it just gets me that much more excited for the 2010-11 season to start. I love Seguin's professionalism, treating this as a challenge and knowing he has to work his hardest to make the team. Still, though, I think he'll have to really underperform big time for this management to send him down to Providence by season's start. He's going to become a star... we hope and expect, anyway.

CSN's Joe Haggerty reported that Seguin admitted that the last thing he looks at before he goes to sleep each night is his #19 Bruins jersey hanging on his bedroom wall. I wish that sound clip was on the video. If I ever find it, it will be posted. But regardless, we continue to be shown what a great kid Tyler Seguin is and how truly happy he is to be a Boston Bruin.

Bruins Development Camp Kicks Off

As Tuesday morning rolled around and the Boston Bruins rookie development camp kicked off, it marked the very first team-centric chapter in what we hope will be a very long and successful Bruins career for Tyler Seguin. Media are swarming his stall in the above picture, snapped this morning by John Bishop of the Boston Bruins. Players are doing all sorts of fitness testing today, everything from shuttle runs and vertical jumps to bench press and pull-ups. Which players will test at their peak physical condition, impressive the Bruins staff and management? If there are any notables, we'll sure let you know.

The camp transitions to team building activities at 1:00 today. That entire session is closed to the public; tomorrow is the first day that the public are allowed to view the on-ice portion. I will be there, you can count on that. Anyone who wishes to join, let us know. Like I said, if we have a decent following, we could coordinate an Ultimate Boston trip.

David Krejci was also spotted this morning working out at the site of development camp, even though he is not technically a part of development camp. According to numerous Twitter reports, Krejci had no apparent cast on his wrist and looked pretty upbeat.

In more Bruins news, Boston signed defenseman Nathan McIver and goaltender Nolan Schaefer to contracts yesterday. McIver is 25 years old and played in the AHL last season. He has 36 games of NHL experience. 30-year-old goaltender Schaefer spent last season playing in Russia, where he garnered an .895 saves percentage and 2.66 goals against average in 17 games between the pipes. He has played 7 NHL games, all with the San Jose Sharks. Schaefer is a former local star, holding the Providence College school record for saves (2,848). He was drafted in 2000 by San Jose in the 5th round.

Could the Bruins signing a goaltender mean they are still working on a Tim Thomas trade? Have Marc Savard trade rumors died away for good? Chiarelli has been busy lately with the draft, his rookies, Bergeron and Chara, and some other things. Don't count out the possibility of all these things resurfacing in the coming weeks.

Until then, it's time to see what these young guns can do at the B's development camp.

Shaq to Boston? Possible.

According to ESPN Boston's report this morning, there is legitimate possibility that Shaquille O'Neal could be headed to either Boston, Atlanta, or Dallas to make another run next season at a ring. For the C's, if Shaq were to sign for the mid-level exception of $5.8 million (that is the highest offer any of these three teams can make, anyway), he just might be the perfect fit.

With Boston's Kendrick Perkins sidelined for a good portion of next season due to his knee surgery, the Celtics will need a big man that can guard the fort close to the way Perk does. Perkins is one of the best post defenders in the NBA, and is arguably one of just two or three guys league-wide who can match up 1-on-1 with Dwight Howard. Who is another one of those guys? Shaq. His massive frame can battle down low with the likes of Howard and Bynum, and once Perkins comes back, the C's just might have the legitimate big man off the best that they so desperately lacked in the recently concluded NBA finals.

Sources close to O'Neal say that he has good reasons to go to each of the three contending teams, as well as the possibility of returning to Cleveland if LeBron James decides to re-sign. Cleveland has the ability to pay Shaq more than the $5.8 million mid-level exception. As for Boston, O'Neal has a close relationship with both Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett. Additionally, Shaq was the player who coined Paul Pierce's nickname, The Truth.

So, will it be Shaq in Boston? Will the Celtics open up some eyes historically by rolling out a full set of 5 potential Hall-of-Famers to the court on opening night? Who knows. It's a long offseason, but don't count out the battle-tested Shaq from being able to make an impact on this team.

Ugghh...

Ugghh. The only thought that comes to mind after that brutally frustrating 6-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston had the game in control, riding a 5-1 lead into the 5th inning on Eric Patterson's two-homerun night. It didn't take much longer though, for Daisuke Matsuzaka to once again implode on a lead for the Sox.

Tampa clawed away at Boston's 5-1 lead by plating 2 runs in the 5th and 2 more in the 6th, bringing this frustrating contest to a tied score. Matsuzaka got through just 5+ innings, yielding 4 earned runs on 8 hits. Will we ever see the 18-3, 2.90 ERA Dice-K from a few years ago come back to the mound? Anybody's guess.

Despite getting the tying run on base in the 9th inning, the Red Sox were unable to capitalize and dropped a 6-5 heartbreaker to Tampa.

The Sox chased Rays starter Matt Garza after just 3 innings -- his shortest career outing versus Boston -- but the Tampa Bay bullpen was formidable in their 6 innings of work.

The series continues tomorrow night from Tropicana Field, where Sox rookie Felix Doupront will make another spot start in place of the injured Clay Buchholz. Start time is 7:10 PM EDT.

NHL Great Bob Probert Passes at Age 45

DETROIT (AP) — Retired hockey enforcer Bob Probert, as adept with his fists as with a stick in a 16-season career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, died Monday after suffering chest pains while boating with his family. He was 45.


``Bob lost the fight of his life this afternoon,'' said Probert's father-in-law, Dan Parkinson, a police officer who performed CPR before Probert was rushed to Ontario's Windsor Regional Medical Center.


Probert was on a boat in Lake St. Clair with his wife, children and in-laws when he ``developed severe chest pains'' Monday, family friend Rich Rogow told a Monday evening news conference at the medical center.


``This is a tragedy for the family,'' Parkinson said. ``We ask that you respect their privacy at this time.''


Probert, who struggled to overcome drinking problems during his time in the NHL, played for the Red Wings in 1985-1994 and for the Blackhawks in 1995-2002.




It is always sad to see a legend of any professional sport pass away at such a young age. Bob Probert was one of the toughest enforcers in the NHL during his 16 years of service (9 for Detroit, 7 for Chicago). In 935 games, Probert tallied 163 goals and 221 assists for 384 points. To go with his satisfactory scoring touch, Probert was a hell of a fighter. He set the Detroit Red Wings franchise records for total penalty minutes (2,090) and penalty minutes in a single season (398). He climbed his way up to 5th on the all-time NHL list for penalty minutes in a career (3,300). In total, Probert dropped the gloves 329 times in his professional hockey career, 303 of those fights happening at the NHL level. Hell, I don't know if I would drop the gloves with an NHLer 1 time. Forget 303 times. Probert was a warrior, and he truly set the bar for a modern day enforcer. The NHL community will miss you, Bob. The big, bad hockey fans of the 80s and 90s will miss your style of play that has dwindled away in modern day hockey. You may have been the last truly fearless fighter we'll see for a long, long time.


Best wishes to the family and friends of Bob Probert (June 5, 1965 --- July 5, 2010). To his wife and four children, all of our hearts go out to you. Rest in peace, Bob. Rest in peace.




Credit to Jack G on the find.

Wait... You Can Do That?

Eric Patterson? Is that you? You're like 4'1" right? About 72 lbs? How did you just manage to hit two homers in a game against the Rays? I'm quite confused but heavily elated by this phenomenon. Sure, if David Ortiz or Adrian Beltre hits two homers that's understandable. Or even if Pedroia puts on a laser show, he's Pedroia. But Eric Patterson is still Eric Patterson. He looks like a miniature twig. And he just blasted two home runs out of Tropicana Field. I love it. Matt Garza & company.... you should be ashamed. The Red Sox have become Tampa's daddy again. It's official. (Considering about 2.7% of our starting lineup is intact.)

UPDATE -- Dice-K has imploded and the Red Sox don't look like Tampa's daddy anymore tonight. However, they are still Tampa's daddy on an overall scale.

JaMarcus Russell Arrested in Alabama for Possession of Codeine Syrup

MOBILE, Ala.  --  Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was arrested today for possession of a controlled substance, according to the Mobile County Sheriff's Office.


The substance was codeine syrup, spokeswoman Lori Myles said.


Myles said Russell was arrested at his home early this afternoon during an undercover investigation. He was booked into Mobile Metro Jail at 4:22 p.m. Russell was released minutes later after making $2,500 bail, according to online records.


Russell is scheduled to appear in court on July 20. A bond hearing is set for July 7.


Russell played high school football at Williamson High School in Mobile. He played quarterback for LSU from 2003 to 2006 and was the No. 1 draft pick for the Raiders in 2007.


Russell went 7-18 as a starting QB. The Raiders released Russell last May.


Well, this just about puts a cap on the biggest #1 bust of all time, huh? I mean they even had to mention in in his news story about getting busted for drugs. Russell went 7-18 as a starting QB. That was a very unnecessary line in relation to his drug investigation. Would he have been let off the hook if his record was 24-1? Well, I guess he wouldn't be doing crazy drugs and wasting his life away if he was 24-1. But the fact is, he is 7-18 and he got released by the Raiders. That might possibly be the ultimate low in all of sports. Especially when you combine his win-loss record with that. And the fact that he was a first overall pick. And just his whole life at this point. Complete bust. What's the over/under he ever takes an NFL snap again in his life? I'll set the bar at 10% chance.

C's Find Big Man, Sign Erden

The Celtics needed to address the issue of a center this offseason, and they feel they may have helped themselves with the signing of 2008 second round draft pick Semih Erden. Erden is 7'0", 240 lbs and a native of Turkey. He started on his Turkish League team this season, and that team won the championship of the league.

You never know how this guy could turn out. Maybe he's the answer? Who knows. He'll have to earn his stripes at the C's summer league games. That's when the staff will get their first real close look at him. Kevin Garnett was promoting Erden on his facebook page, saying that he should be brought to Boston. Ainge has followed through -- now let's see if he lives up to any of the expectations.

Atlanta Signs Joe Johnson to Silly Deal

The Atlanta Hawks won the sweepstakes for Joe Johnson. Regarded as a second tier free agent, who could have guess what team would snatch him up. I mean, he can't be as high on the list as guys like LeBron or D-Wade, right? Well, you sure wouldn't know that from the salary the Hawks dished out.

Johnson signed a silly-huge contract yesterday -- 6 years and $119 million -- to stay with his current squad, the Atlanta Hawks. Is there any way this deal is the right move for the Hawks? I mean, Johnson is a good player. Very good player. But this is a max deal over 6 years. He is usually the second option to Josh Smith on what is at-best a very good offense. Nothing spectacular. His 21.3 points-per-game last season is a fairly pedestrian number given the enormity of his salary. His career averages through 699 NBA games? 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists. Solid NBA player with better numbers since he came to ATL. He's averaged over 20 PPG every season with the Hawks. Still... 6 years at $119 million? Absurdity.

If I were a gambling man, I would put that same value of cash with a bookie on Atlanta never winning a championship this next decade. There's a fine line between spending aggressively and stupidly overspending. To me, Atlanta has committed a managerial crime of the latter form.

Ultra Awkward Story of the Day

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A San Diego resident awoke to a shocking discovery: a naked stranger passed out on his downstairs sofa.

San Diego police Lt. Jim Filley says the Pacific Beach homeowner called police after wandering downstairs Sunday morning and finding the snoring man.

Filley says the naked man was drunk and thought he was in his own home in Mission Valley, some 20 miles away.

The man, whose name wasn't released, had taken off his clothes outside the house and walked in through the unlocked front door.

The homeowner declined to press charges. And since the intruder had sobered up, he was released to find his own way home.




Well this is an awkward story. I don't know whether or not it's more awkward, less awkward, or equally awkward to the awkward turtle dance, but it's certainly the most awkward story you'll read on Ultimate Boston today. What struck me was the matter-of-fact manner they tell this story in. Not much of a shock really. The homeowner found a naked man on his couch, he went home once he was sober. No big deal. Actually it is kind of a big deal, but whatever I guess.


PS -- Homeowner's fault. Who doesn't lock their door while they sleep in this day and age? You're asking to be murdered or burglarized. They're lucky it was just a super twisted dude trying to get some shut-eye. Could have been a lot worse.

Smooth Move, Kobayashi

For those of you who missed it, we previewed the 2010 Hot Dog Eating Contest a few days ago and explained the fiasco over Kobayashi and the administration. He couldn't agree to a contract or something. Amazing that they didn't have the second best eater in the world facing off against the first -- it's just common sense. And I respected Kobayashi, putting the blame on the administration for failing to negotiate with him. I respected him until this happened.

You saw the video correctly. Kobayashi got arrested at the contest for crashing the celebration. Joey Chestnut's celebration, that is (he wolfed down 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win for the fourth year in a row). Seriously Kobayashi? If you wanted in on the competition so bad, why didn't you just sign whatever negotiation the eating contest wanted? I mean it couldn't have been that bad. It's not like they were going to imprison him as the collateral price. It was probably a very minor disagreement. But if you didn't want to do that -- fine. Don't come crashing through forbidden grounds though. Don't interrupt Joey's championship celebration. Chestnut owned you, and like I said in the preview, your time at the top is over. You could have gone out in respectful fashion. But instead, you decided to embarrass yourself and get owned by America on America's big day -- July 4th. Congratulations... nobody respects you anymore.

Once again, congratulations to Joey Chestnut for being the greatest hot dog eater ever.

USA! USA! USA!

Dear Americans,

       Everyone should be out enjoying themselves on this beautiful day. Go to cookouts, have some fun, play outdoor games, appreciate our wonderful nation, watch some fireworks, and make your 2010 4th of July unforgettable. As for me, I'm taking my first vacation day from Ultimate Boston. Because I get to choose when I take my vacation days, because I run the blog. So Independence Day is mine. Barring something huge happening in the sports world, don't expect to see anything from me today. From all of us here at UB, we wish you a very happy fourth and we'll see you right back here tomorrow (or maybe late tonight).

Cheers,

DRob & the Ultimate Boston Staff

There's Something About Mikhail

Step aside Mark Cuban, there’s a new sheriff in town.

All the recent ado in the league is about LeBron James. LeBron James is obviously every team’s white whale; a jack of all trades basketball player who is a master of all of them and is entering his prime. I’d sell my DVD collection and my left hand to see LeBron in a Celtic uniform. Unfortunately, the Celtics have a core group and no cap space. However, one team, the last place Nets, have a great chance of landing the megastar.

Why would a last place team get LeBron? Well, look at the owner. A Russian BILLIONAIRE who has nothing but money to spend. Not only that, but he has the ability to make LeBron even more of a superstar; with Mikhail Prokhorov, LeBron has the chance to become a star in Russia, China, Europe, wherever. Prokhorov will make sure of this as long as LeBron is wearing a Nets jersey. This is a win-win situation; LeBron has the chance to get marketing deals all over the world, and Prokhorov has a launching pad in LeBron to make his team one of the biggest franchises in the world.

I absolutely love this Russian guy. I wish he could own every Boston team. He’ll be like Mark Cuban minus the loud-mouth, cheerleader quality; he’ll pour money into this team, move them to Brooklyn, sign big names such as LeBron and other top free agents, but only attend 4-5 games a year. Why would he do this? Because he sees this team as an investment. As long as he can turn a profit from this team, he doesn’t care about the titles. Sure, a title and a few playoff runs will help make more money, but if he is making money either way, he doesn’t care. Do you think that this guy will fly from Russia to the armpit of America known as New Jersey to see his basketball team play? Hell no. He’ll make obligatory appearances, and leave it at that as he continues to rain cash upon this lowly franchise. 

David Stern is going to love this guy too. As long as Nets banners, billboards, shirts and what not are present in other continents, so is the NBA logo. Prokhorov will be a cash cow for the league if his investment pays off. Plus, he won’t be screaming at refs like Cuban, someone who Stern openly despises. Stern is going to treat Prokhorov like a son just like Frank Diaz did in Tony Montana in Scarface.

Maybe he’ll be a bust, not on the level of Adam Morrison, but still pretty big. He may own the team for a few years, not grab anyone of note, and sell the team to an American timber tycoon. But if this guy can become a mega-owner and turn the awful Nets into a global team, and more importantly a force in the NBA, he can be a savior to NBA fans, especially Nets fans.

Vote 1 if you think this guy won't deliver or Vote 5 if you think he'll be the real deal.

Lesnar Still On Top

UFC 116 tonight featured what was probably the most highly anticipated matchup in the history of the UFC. True heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar looked to defend his title against interim champion Shane Carwin. After all the hype, all the predictions, and all the normal trash talking, the two tapped gloves and we were underway.

In the first round, it looked to Lesnar fans as if it would be a quick disappointment. Carwin was landing the strikes first and beating Brock to the punch on every move. He got Lesnar to the ground and pinned him against the cage, pounding his face and forcing Brock into a very defensive posture. At one point in the round, you could have even argued for the fight to be stopped with Lesnar being deemed defenseless. It continued though, and Brock was able to survive the first round against Carwin.

That last sentence hadn't been done before against Carwin. Ever. No one in the UFC had ever taken him into the second round. That statistic showed itself quite clearly, as Carwin appeared gassed in the second round. His rapid fire punches and animal-like attack from round one had drained him. Brock had survived, and in round two, he got the takedown. It was all Lesnar needed. He ended up choking out Carwin, who fought off the tap as long as he could. But Brock Lesnar is a very strong man (understatement of the year). And Carwin was unable to keep himself in the choke hold without tapping. Your undisputed heavyweight champion of the world: Brock Lesnar.