Social Icons

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Becoming Official: The Launch of UNY


From UNY:  The long-awaited day has come. Ultimate New York is being launched -- right now. Our writers will still take a few days to get their blogging legs under them, but the site is launched and fully functional at this time. We'll be touching things up here and there, fixing up links and graphics, but the basics have begun. You can "like" Ultimate New York by clicking the Facebook button in the right sidebar of the blog. Tell your friends and spread the word. For the New Yorkers out there, you guys have some catching up to do if you want to gain the fan base that Ultimate Boston has accumulated. So tell your friends, invite them to the fan page, and stay active in spreading the word. For any New York writers out there, we're still looking for a few more bloggers for this branch. So check out the Be a Writer page to find further information and learn how to get involved today. Additionally, you can all start gossiping and trash-talking in the Forums section -- there's a forum on both Boston and NY. The pages are linked together with a link in the top right corner, so we encourage our fans to check out what's going on with their rival blog sometimes. This will be my first and hopefully last post for Ultimate New York, but I have full faith in my crew to bring this thing to the next level and help carry Ultimate Sports as a whole up the ladder. DRob signing off on the launching of Ultimate New York, located at UltimateNYSports.com.

Jermaine O'Neal Out. Again

ESPNBOSTON.com- Boston Celtics reserve center Jermaine O'Neal underwent a left knee arthroscopy Friday and the team optimistically set a recovery window of six to eight weeks, according to president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Jermaine O'Neal is out again? No biggie I say.

After already missing 32 games this season, I think the Cetlics will be okay without the "other" O'Neal, for a couple of reasons. The first is that Kendrick Perkins is back and getting better on the court after missing 7 months due to his own injury. This will make up for O'Neal's injury.

Plus, the Celtics have one of the best rotations of big men. Kevin Garnett, Shaq (IF he gets healthier over the next couple of weeks), Big Baby, Semih Erden, and Perkins can easily make up the time given up because of O'Neal's injury. They've been doing it all season, so this won't be too much of a culture shock for the Celtics' big men.

Six to eight weeks is a long time to be out, and on another team this could be a crippling injury not only for the player but for the team. However, with the bench the Celtics have put together, there is no doubt in my mind that the Celtics can continue playing elite basketball without (one of) the back-up centers for some weeks.
  

Friday, February 4, 2011

Paille Suspended 4 Games

Last night's slugfest against the Dallas Stars was an overall success for the Bruins, who set the tone with some fights early (3 in the first 4 seconds) and never looked back. One of the negatives mixed into the positive, however, was the hit forward Daniel Paille laid on Stars forward Raymond Sawada. Making a hustle play on the backcheck, Paille tried to separate Sawada from the puck -- and he succeeded. Unfortunately, the NHL deemed it was done in a dangerous and illegal fashion, earning the B's fourth-liner a 4-game suspension from the action.

At first, I wasn't sure I thought it was all that dirty. Jack Edwards was adamant in claiming that the hit was neither from the blindside nor targeting the head. Andy Brickley, though, the voice of reason, admitted that it wasn't exactly clean body contact. Upon looking at different angles, you could definitely see Paille stick the elbow out a little bit and it was definitely at the level of the head. I won't say it was totally from the blindside, but it was definitely bad enough to merit a suspension. We can't be hypocritical here. Boston fans want Matt Cooke lynched from the rafters of the TD Garden after the devastating hit he laid on Marc Savard in March of last year. It's not too far-fetched to say this Paille hit resembled the Cooke hit in some ways. It clearly wasn't as vicious and seemingly lacked much of the intent that Cooke had, but it was still illegal. If we want the hits like that to stop, if we want the Marc Savards of the world to stop going through career-threatening head injuries, you simply have to enforce the rule. Shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, body to body. Leave the head out of it.

Paille will miss the next four games, and the Bruins have called up Zach Hamill to fill his spot. Hamill leads the Providence Bruins this season with 25 assists, and he ranks second on the squad in points with 28. Given Paille's fluctuating production this season, Hamill might have an opportunity to stay with the club for an extended period of time if he earns it. The B's are back in action tomorrow afternoon with a matinee against the San Jose Sharks.
 

Patriots' O-Line Awarded

So everyone knows that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won AP's NFL Coach of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, respectively, but what a lot of people haven't noticed yet is that the Patriots' offensive line was given the 2010 Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award.

Without these guys, Tom Brady doesn't win the Offensive Player of the Year, so I'm happy to see them get rewarded. The award is given out annually (only twice so far) to the best offensive line based on a number of statistics. These include sacks allowed, rushing and passing yards, time of possession, offensive line penalties, third down, fourth down, and red zone conversion percentages. Fan voting and John Madden's personal observations also contribute to the selection.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2011/02/04/patriots_awarded_for_their_proficient_line_play/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Football+news

Happy Super Bowl watching.
  

Fantasy Baseball Preview: Catchers

Is it that time of year yet? No, not quite. There's still 10 days until players report for Spring Training, but that doesn't mean we can't start getting excited about Fantasy Baseball. For this preview, Burga and myself (Average Joe) co-authored the first of many articles in which we rank each position and a quick summary of our thoughts. Enjoy!

Burga’s Rankings
Joe Mauer
Victor Martinez
Brian McCann
Buster Posey
Carlos Santana
Miguel Montero
Mike Napoli
Kurt Suzuki
Geovanny Soto
Matt Weiters

Key Points:
• Mauer still has to be the number 1, but I think V-Mart is in for a big year in Detroit. He has plenty of lineup protection batting behind Miguel Cabrera and the rejuvenated Magglio Ordonez. He has always been a fantasy beast, and if he stays healthy he might be in for a career year.
• Some rankings have Posey as high as number 2. He certainly has that potential, but until he does it for a full year, I’ll take a proven stud over him. Will he suffer from a sophomore slump (or World Series hangover) and be a draft-day bust, or will he continue last year’s success and be an anchor on your team? Only time will tell.
• I have Carlos Santana a little higher than Joe. While Posey got all the hype last year, Santana put up similar stats until he was injured at Fenway. He is reported to be 100% healthy, and the Indians will certainly hitting in the middle of the lineup in order to win some games. He could put up a stat line that mirrors Posey’s and could be had 5+ rounds later on the draft.
• Watch out for Mike Napoli this year. Being on the Rangers, he has a chance to play at a hitter’s friendly park, hit in a studded lineup, and gets an opportunity to play the majority of starts, a thing he never did on the Angels. Simply put: the guy rakes. He has the potential to be a top 3 fantasy catcher this year.

Average Joe's Rankings
Joe Mauer
Buster Posey
Victor Martinez
Brian McCann
Kurt Suzuki
Mike Napoli
John Buck
Carlos Santana
Carlos Ruiz
Geovany Soto

Key Points:
• The top 4 are pretty obvious choices. Mauer is the cream of the crop, but Posey is looking to impose (pun intended) on that. Hopefully, the glory of a World Series championship does not get to his head.
• Victor will score your Fantasy team points, but don’t expect to actually see him behind the plate. He’ll benefit from not having to catch, though, so his numbers should escalate. If he's eligible, he's an excellent option at catcher
• Don’t expect Buck and Napoli’s power numbers to slip that far (if at all). They could both benefit from the change of scenery. Buck will also be in a slightly smaller ballpark (left-center and right-center), so that could work to his advantage.
• Buck is on my list because of his solid Stats from last year, in only 118 games. Add to that his new ballpark, as previously stated, and you've got yourself a solid option at catcher. Ruiz is there because, while he doesn’t put up the power numbers some of the other guys do, he was 4th among everyday catchers in batting average.

Big Four Voted in as Reserves

NBA.com - Eastern Conference coaches voted Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo as four of the seven All-Star reserves named Thursday. They will be joined by Al Horford and Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat on the bench at Staples Center.


That is awesome. I remember watching the '06 Pistons all go on the floor at once. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace and old friend (or foe) 'Sheed taking the floor. And who went out with them? Paul Pierce. Must be sweet for Paul to get to do the same with his teammates.

The roster seems logical in the East. Only the top 6 teams in the league are represented. Rightfully so, as no other team in the conference has a winning record. There's probably a case to be made for Danny Granger, who is averaging 21 points a contest. While Ray is only getting 17 per game, however, he is shooting 9% better than Granger. So that would be my rebuttal to that argument. KG doesn't have huge numbers this year, but come on; do the fans want to see Brook Lopez and Andrea Bargnani? If anyone got snubbed, though, it was Josh Smith, who is probably having a career year. But all-in-all, good choices. Biased? Probably..

I'm slightly confused on the Western Reserves. I guess if we are making the case for Garnett, then Tim Duncan should absolutely be included. Unfortunately, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love should be on this team. They are most certainly playing better basketball than Tim Duncan on the scorecard. Then again, Duncan's contributions don't always reflect in his statistics. I consider Steve Nash to be a snub. He is having a typical Steve Nash year numbers wise. However, it's impossible to argue with Paul, Williams, and Westbrook being chosen, all of whom are playing for contenders at the same position.

There will be at least one other roster spot opening, as Yao will not be participating. Early reports say that Steve Nash will take that spot. Ultimately, that can't go wrong with who they choose (well, I guess they can), but if the West is going to lose a big man, he should probably be replaced with another big man.

Are there other snubs? Most likely. But I like both teams. Kudos, coaches.

Interesting to note. The West roster has 4 players who, before playing for the NBA, played overseas. The East? Zero. Significance? None, really. Just caught my eye.

Maybe we can win 3 of Saturday Night's festivities. Rondo in the skills, Paul (or Ray) in the 3s, and Nate in the dunk contest. THAT would be cool.
  

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Happy 59th, Fred Lynn

59 years ago today, a Red Sox legend was born. We'll send our best birthday wishes to Fred Lynn, who turns 59 years young today. Lynn was unfortunately a Red Sox star during the dreaded curse of the Bambino, so he never got a ring at Fenway. But his legacy was still incredible. He came up into the Sox system as a rookie in 1975, and he won the Rookie of the Year award. Oh yeah, and did I mention he was also the MVP of the American League? Lynn became the first player to ever win both awards, and he added a Gold Glove award to go with it. His .331 batting average placed him second in the batting title race -- all around, it was one of the best seasons any player has had, let alone a rookie. Lynn never really duplicated his amazing rookie success with the Red Sox, but he was an all-star in every season he played with Boston and he went on to win three more Gold Glove awards, as well. He belted 306 career homers and drove in 1,111 runs. He may not have had an extremely long track record with the Sox, but he's certainly a big part of the club's history. Happy 59th birthday to Fred Lynn.
 

Tuukka Starts Against Dallas

A few hours ago, I was writing an article praising Tim Thomas and his potentially historic season. The praise still stands, but we'll have to put it on hold for a few days as his backup, 23-year-old Tuukka Rask, gets the start tonight against the Dallas Stars. It will be Rask's first start in two weeks, and he will be looking for his first win since January 10th at Pittsburgh. The youngster has a formidable .923 saves percentage and a 2.67 goals against average this season, but his 4-10-1 record is certainly in need of improvement.

For the Bruins, tonight will be a classic East versus West battle. Boston and Dallas are each the #3 seeds in their respective conferences. They have each played 51 games, and they each have 65 points. Dallas has 29 points on the road this season, and Boston has 29 points at home. Only one point separates the two teams' most recent 10-game stretches. It's bound to be an exciting matchup from the TD Garden between two teams that are stating their cases as perennial Cup contenders this season.

When it comes to the cross-conference battles, Dallas has fared far better than Boston has this season. The Stars hold an astounding 11-2-1 record versus Eastern Conference opponents this season, whereas the B's are just 2-4-2 in their games against Western Conference teams. Four of those eight games were played at the TD Garden, where the Bruins are 0-2-2 against teams from the West this year. Something will need to change if the B's are going to reverse the cross-conference trend tonight.

Special teams might be the key to victory for Boston. The Stars are enduring mighty struggles on the penalty kill lately, surrendering 7 goals in their past 14 penalty-killing attempts. Despite the absence of Marc Savard, the Bruins have had decent success on their power play (17.5%) and will look to work to their strengths when given the opportunity tonight. Look for Zdeno Chara to continue to be a presence from the right point on the power play, and look for Mark Recchi to do what he does best around the cage. If the Bruins -- one of the best 5-on-5 teams in the game -- are able to win the special teams battle tonight, I think they'll come out on top and earn Rask a long-awaited victory. Two U's, two K's, two points? Let's hope so.

Update - Andrew Raycroft starts for Dallas tonight, making it Rask vs Raycroft. Something tells me the Toronto Maple Leafs don't want to watch this game.
   

Tomlin Digs Jersey Shore

We can all assume that Mike Tomlin will be studying hard these next few days to gather the final pieces of evidence on the Green Bay Packers in an attempt to win his second Superbowl. What will he be doing Saturday night before the big game, though?

“Maybe I can DVR Jersey Shore or something and catch up on that. I've been working a little bit this week, man. Hopefully I can catch up there as we get close to game time," Tomlin said in an interview on Sirius XM Radio on Wednesday afternoon. The hosts of the show, Adam Schein and Rich Gannon, asked if Tomlin was serious about liking the show.

"We all need mindless entertainment every now and then."

If the Steelers win -- by all means, a reasonable (but unfortunate) possibility -- we can probably expect to see some fist-pumping from their head coach. But what if Jersey Shore serves the purpose of distracting Tomlin just enough to derail his focus on the task at hand? Alas, Mike "The Situation" and company will have finally done something productive for the world. At this point, we can only hope tonight's episode has some crazy things going down that will boggle Mike Tomlin's mind.
 

Lil Wayne - Green and Yellow


Lil Wayne strikes again, this time with a remix of the very song that honors the Steelers. Except this one is way better and has amazing lyrics, like Weezy always does. I laughed out loud a few times during this. And I hope I can laugh out loud a few more times when Aaron Rodgers is going over Ike Taylor for a touchdown, or when Clay Matthews is showing who really has the best hair in this Super Bowl.

"We knocked the Eagles and the Falcons and the Bears off, now we 'bout to cut Troy Polomalu hair off!"

From the Hassle to the Horse


Remember back in the summer, during the weeks between the Cup finals and the NHL entry draft, when trading Tim Thomas was among the top priorities on their offseason checklist? Remember the widely criticized rumors of trading Marc Savard, too? Fans were up in arms about the idea of losing #91, but they were unanimously on board with dumping Thomas to whatever team would accept his $5 million salary -- even if it was in exchange for a bag of used pucks. Something tells me Bruins fans and Peter Chiarelli alike are satisfied with the alternative outcome.

Tim Thomas has gone from the offseason hassle to the regular season horse of the Boston Bruins. Now, the only thing teams would bring out the bags of used pucks for is to give themselves a better chance of beating Thomas during the game. Overwhelmingly, the league has struggled to put the one puck they're allotted past Thomas and into the cage this season. All those teams who scoffed at the idea of trading for the Tank back in the summer might now be better suited to offer some prospects in exchange for a mere decision by Boston to rest their ace against them. He's been that good. Coming off a surgically repaired hip, the 36-year old goaltender is playing like he's in his mid-twenties again. His numbers are on pace to shatter not only his own career-highs, but even some all-time NHL records. With 7 shutouts, he has already set a career high. He's a long-shot for any NHL record -- the all-time single-season record is 22 by George Hainsworth -- but he still has a good chance of posting the highest total in nearly 50 years. If his 1.82 goals against average holds steady, he would be the first goalie to post an average that low since Miikka Kiprusoff in the 2003-04 season. And if he maintains his .945 saves percentage -- well, that would shatter the all-time record by 8 saves-percentage points. No matter how you break it down, the numbers are flat out amazing. We're likely seeing a second Vezina season for Thomas, but might we be seeing him take a shot at the Hart Trophy? Or dare I say an even greater honor?

We won't get ahead of ourselves, but anyone can speculate. If Thomas were to keep up his numbers, win his second Vezina trophy, and ultimately lead the Bruins to a championship -- would he be looking at an even more historic title? Would he be the greatest Bruins goaltender of all-time? The B's haven't won a Cup since 1972. There have been some great goalies between then and now, but Thomas could separate himself from the pack with a Stanley Cup. It's a long way away, and no one is in a position to suggest the Bruins will win anything this season -- we've learned time and time again that droughts can last much longer than we expect, and it takes a truly special team to reach the ultimate prize. Does this team, led by their ace goaltender, have that special composition? Only time will tell, I suppose.
 

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Happy 36th, Donald Driver

Today's birthday boy doesn't lace up the skates every day like the last two birthday posts, but he'll be playing in the Superbowl this week. A happy 36th to Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, who is still in search of his first championship ring in his 12th season in the NFL. I don't know about the majority of the Ultimate faithful, but I sure as hell hope he gets that ring on Sunday night. I think the Packers are just an admirable team from top to bottom, and no one is more battle-tested than Driver. He's paid his dues, and it's about time he gets rewarded. I've never been shy about hating the Jets, Colts, Giants, and Steelers. Those are the four teams I really could just never learn to love in the NFL. I already explained why every Patriots fan should be pulling for Green Bay. Josh had the same sentiments in the previous post. Rodgers deserves it. Mike McCarthy deserves it. The Packers fans deserve it. The Steelers may deserve to physically be there as a result of their play, but the Packers deserve this game in that way and many, many more. Happy birthday Donald... get that ring on your finger.
  

Time For The Pack to Pounce?

Although the Pats couldn't quite pull through this year, the Super Bowl is still on my mind. Before I give my predictions for who's going to win, I'll let you know who I want to win. And why. First and foremost, I want Aaron Rodgers to win. Since the Pro Bowl teams were announced, I could frequently be found walking around my apartment, griping about how Aaron Rodgers wasn't picked. With a 101.2 QB rating, he was nestled in between Phillip Rivers and Michael Vick (both Pro Bowl selections), and I just couldn't understand where Rodgers went wrong. That rating was good enough for #3 in the league, above even Big Ben. That's why I want Aaron Rodgers to win, because he deserves it.


But on the other side of the ball, Big Ben deserves the big game as well. After a four-game suspension and questionable support from fans everywhere, Roethlisberger came through and led his team to the #2 spot in the AFC, giving them a bye before having to rack up wins against the Ravens and Jets. Let's not kid ourselves, the Steelers deserve this game as well.

Here's some keys to the game for both teams. First, Maurkice Pouncey. Strains in any muscle don't heal completely in two weeks. This will play some part in the Steelers game, if Pouncey plays at all. But on the other hand, I'm not completely decided on whether I'd rather have Pouncey limping around the field, getting knocked around by opposing tackles, or Doug Legursky fumbling into safeties left and right. Not to mention that whoever goes, they'll be staring down B.J. Raji all night.

Second. I know that most fans are more concerned with the match-up of wide receivers (Driver and Jennings vs. Wallace and Ward), but I'm most concerned about the match-up of the run-games against both teams' front-7. Rashard Mendenhall has been known to leave his game on the bus once in a while, so the Steelers better hope it doesn't happen this Sunday. Although his run-average was one of the lowest among the top 15 running backs this year, he's definitely the better back in this game. On the other hand, James Starks is hot and has a chance to use the spotlight to his advantage and have a breakout game. But will the pressure of a Super Bowl be too much for him?

Brady Earns Offensive POY Honors

ESPNBOSTON.com - Brady won the honor (offensive player of the year) Tuesday for the second time in four seasons.

As a Patriots fan, should I be happier about this? I mean, it was fun to watch Brady pick defenses apart during the regular season, and it is cool to have one of your favorite players win a major award, but I'm just not ecstatic over this. Probably because the Patriots (including Brady) blew it against the Jets. I'd much rather have the Patriots be in the Super Bowl than to have Brady win this award. And anyone else who says otherwise is straight-up lying.

This award could lead to Brady being named the MVP as well. And again, I wouldn't care too much about that either. It all boils to winning games for most sports fans, and Brady and the Patriots failed to do that against a team they NEEDED to beat, not only to advance in the playoffs, but to shut them up. And they failed.

I'd still like to say congratulations to Tom Brady. Winning this award (and being a STRONG contender for MVP) is nothing to scoff at, and it still is pretty nice to see a player you constantly root for win it. But it still leaves somewhat of an empty feeling in the fans after the Patriots couldn't get it done.

How do you feel about Brady winning the award? Let us know YOUR thoughts.
  

Celtics Notes

What can I say? The Celtics are looking better than ever now. They are looking like the 2008 team, if not better than the championship team. They're still going strong coming into the final stretch before the all-star break. Everything (for the most part) is clicking for the men in green. I couldn't be any happier about it.

Last night, the Celtics eked out a victory over the Kings, with a ton of contribution from the starting five. The Celtics went 3-1 on this past road trip, and beat the defending champion Lakers in the process. The Celtics are looking to be one of the best, if not the best teams in the league right now; they are getting great contribution from every position, every rotation. Though there are still many games left in the season, it can't hurt to be ecstatic with the team's progress.

Also in this game, Ray Allen pulled much closer to tying (and surpassing) Reggie Miller's record for three-pointers in an NBA career. Allen is now just nine three-pointers away from tying the legendary Pacer. It would be phenomenal to see Allen break the record, and, barring any unusual circumstances, he most likely will.

It feels great to be a Celtics fan right now, but we'll see what the second half of the season has to offer for the C's. Many still question if the Celtics will go back to the old habit of falling apart post-All-Star game, but that remains to be seen. But for right now, I'm basking in the winning ways of the NBA's proudest franchise.
  

Idiots Reunited


Even though New England is being decimated by snow, sleet, and gross freezing rain this afternoon, the groundhog didn't see his shadow. You know what they say, right? Spring's around the corner. And spring means baseball. Without getting ahead of ourselves, it's time to think just a bit about the Tampa Bay Rays' latest move and its impact on the AL East division.

For Sox fans, seeing Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez together on the same squad brings back memories. Two key members of the "Idiots" back in 2004, both players are good bets for the hall of fame some day. They both have their undeniable place in Red Sox history, as well. Ramirez earned World Series MVP honors the year that Boston reversed the curse. Damon blasted two homers, including a grand slam, in game 7 against New York that season. Without these two guys -- hell, we might still believe in a curse 93 years old and counting. Damon doesn't wear the pinstripes anymore, and Ramirez has been removed for a few years. I don't hold any more grudges. I love these guys for what they've done.

But it doesn't mean I'm back to rooting for them. You can't just forget about the Tampa Bay Rays, who are quietly making their case in the East. Everyone all but wrote off the Rays after losing impact players Carl Crawford and Carlos Peña, and rightfully so. They dealt Matt Garza and several key components of their bullpen. There is still plenty of work to be done, but they have begun to patch up the holes by acquiring a left-fielder and a clean-up hitter. Damon, 37, signed a one-year deal for a little over $5 million, saying he would love to play 162 games and feels that he is still fully capable of being a major contributor. Ramirez, on the other hand, will be paid just $2 million from the Rays this season -- a stark contrast to his $20 million earnings last year with the Dodgers and the White Sox. Manny was adamant about the clear fact that it's not about the money here; it's about coming into Tampa and proving he can still be the hitter he once was on a championship-caliber team.

I won't go as far as to say the Rays should be considered a championship contender just yet -- they really aren't even in the discussion for the division as of today. But for a team that has prided itself on pitching, youthful energy, and strong defense over the past few seasons, a little splash of veteran experience might help the cause. With the Yankees relaxing throughout a relatively uneventful offseason the Rays are holding out hope that they can jump back into the picture with the two cities Ultimate has branches of.

I don't know if spring is just around the corner here in New England, but Spring Training most certainly is.
 

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Happy 43rd, Mark Recchi

For the second straight day, we feature a Boston Bruin enjoying a birthday. The difference, though, is that Mark Recchi is 24 years older than yesterday's star, Tyler Seguin.

Seguin was born on January 31st, 1992. The day prior to that, Mark Recchi tallied a goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a loss against the New York Islanders. The day after, he tallied another goal in a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. In total, Recchi notched 43 goals and 97 points in the 1991-92 season, playing for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. When his former team, the Penguins, ensued to win the Cup that season, Tyler Seguin wasn't even 6 months old yet.

And yet here he is; 19 years later at the age of 43, Mark Recchi is still working his magic. Tyler Seguin is one of his top students of the game. He's old enough to be his father, for crying out loud. But there is no end in sight for Recchi, who went into the all-star break as Boston's 4th-leading scorer (10 goals, 22 assists). He has been working with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand to form one of the most productive lines in the NHL in January. He's as vital a piece as any to the Bruins, whether it's on the ice or in the locker room. He has that professional, championship presence about him that breathes hope into the players around the clubhouse. He may be nearing the end of the road, but Boston fans unanimously appreciate his desire to compete and bring home another Cup at the battle-tested age of 43.
 

Beckett Ties the Knot with Genius

Seeing gossip and excessive media coverage about celebrity relationships has become natural to most of the sports fans in the world. It's just the nature of the media beast in the 21st century. Usually, though, it's the big name break-ups and get-togethers, the supermodels and the MVPs, the Giselle Bunchens and Tom Bradys of the world. But as for Red Sox fireballer Josh Beckett, he's keeping it high-class and personal.

Beckett got married to Holly Fisher last weekend at a cowboy-style Texas wedding. What does Holly do? She's a rocket scientist. An actual rocket scientist. She earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering before getting a job with Boeing. While with Boeing, she pursued her masters degree in the same field. Now, she's a space engineering consultant for a company on the west coast. In every sense of the word, a rocket scientist has tied the knot with Josh Beckett. Talk about picking a dedicated woman, huh? I mean, I think she could retire and try to live off the $68 million contract Beckett signed last year. Just chill out and go to her hubby's games at Fenway, you know? But instead, she'll keep saving the world with her brains as an aeronautical engineer and whatnot. I'm assuming that makes some pretty good cash, too. Hopefully the inverse doesn't happen, and Josh seizes his opportunity to retire and ride the winnings. Either way, kudos to the newly united Beckett family.
 

Pierce vs. Allen: Who Wins?

ESPNBoston.com-Celtics captain Paul Pierce (42.3 percent) and Ray Allen (45.4 percent) are both shooting career-highs from 3-point nation this season, and Pierce, the NBA's reigning 3-point champion, thinks he and Allen should square off in the event to be held on Saturday, Feb. 19 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, site of the NBA's 60th annual All-Star game.

I love this idea, and not just as a Celtics fan, but as an NBA fan. The all-star festivities have been getting kind of mundane over the years, especially with the dunk-contests getting more rudimentary. But this could bring some more interest into the event.

Why? Having two good buddies (and teammates) who are some of the elite in three-point shooters in the league facing off to see who really is better at pure three-point shooting. As far as I'm concerned, this could definitely bring some excitement to another stale NBA All-Star weekend competition.

So, as I often do, I'm reaching out to the UB Faithful to pick who they think will win. Does the reigning champ Pierce have the tools to retain his title and thwart the attempts of Allen? Or is Ray Allen too good of a pure shooter to lose to his friend? Let us know your thoughts.

As for me, I'd put my money on Allen. Pierce is great beyond the arc, but Allen is phenomenal, and may be the best pure shooter the NBA has ever seen.
  

Not Ashamed to Say It



Griffin. Mancrush. Levels. Rising.

Wouldn't he look nice in green?
   

Australian Open Finals: Notes

As I predicted (cause I'm that awesome...not), Kim Clijsters and Novak Djokovic became the Australian Open champions. Here are five things to take away from the tournament:

1. Andy Murray isn't ready. I said it in the previous post, but I'll say it again. He's is a VERY GOOD tennis player, but you need to be great in today's men's pool. Murray continues to crumble under pressure and as of now cannot climb to the top and garner a grand slam title.

2. The women's field remains as open as ever. Yes, Clijsters has won the last two majors, but the top 10 is always changing in the WTA, unlike the men's field. Anybody has a shot at winning a grand slam.

3. Djokovic is now in the upper-echelon of the men's side, after beating Roger Federer and Andy Murray to claim his second Australian Open title. The charismatic Serbian is still at #3, unable to crack the duo of Nadal and Federer, but very strong showings in the French Open and Wimbledon can change that.

4. Clijsters is creeping up to the top of the best women players ever. Is she in the Top 10? No, not yet. She hasn't been victorious in Roland Garros or Wimbledon, which are the true tests of great players. But like Djokovic, if she can pull through with victories at those tounaments, she has to be considered one of the better WTA players of all time.

5. The consistent Nadal/Federer finals/wins at Grand Slams may be broken. And that could work for or against men's tennis. Fresh faces are nice, but the rivalry between the two has produced ratings for tennis. The end of total domination from only these two could signify a decrease in popularity for tennis.

We're all done in Australia, so it's on to France in acouple of months. See you then, tennis fans.
  

Monday, January 31, 2011

Ultimate NY to be Launched


Ultimate is branching out. Boston will be joined by its arch nemesis. A new blog will be launched this week, and it will be the New York equivalent of UB. Ultimate New York. Of course, I won't be writing for it -- but we have some prospects who will take the reigns, and we're hoping it will be a big step forward for the Ultimate Sports powerhouse. Calling Chicago and Philly... where you at? You're next.
 

Happy 19th, Tyler Seguin

As the start of a new segment, we'll try to feature a birthday in the sports world every day. This one might be the youngest we come about in a while. A happy 19th birthday to Tyler Seguin, who now wears his age on his jersey. It's a little bit surreal thinking about the fact that I'll be turning 20 in the spring, but the Bruins prized possession has just finished his first year as an adult. You know you're getting old when you're writing about athletes younger than yourself. Damn.

Anyway, we can all hope that Seguin continues to develop and turn the corner as a big, bad 19-year-old. I think it would be ludicrous for anyone to claim that Seguin has been a disappointment -- 16 points in the season's first half isn't too shabby for an 18-year-old rookie. But he hasn't been the steady scoring presence that some of us were hoping for. There's no need to worry just yet -- Steven Stamkos had a very similar start to his NHL career, and Bruins fans can all live with the slow start if Seguin turns into the player that Tampa now has.

Seguin's birthday caps off a fun weekend in Carolina for the rook, and he'll enjoy it as the last day of his break. On the contrary, though, you may look at it as the first day of his return. The B's hit the ice at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington for practice this morning, but Seguin and the team will head straight back to the site of the all-star festivities tomorrow when the black and gold visit the Carolina Hurricanes.
 

C's Deliver Message to Defending Champs

In their first matchup of 2011, the Celtics and Lakers had little on the line in regards to their season standing as a whole. What was on the line, though, was a big statement from Boston telling L.A. that they wouldn't be bullied around once again.

The last time the C's stepped into the Staples Center, it was for the agonizing 4-point defeat in Game 7 of last year's NBA finals. And while that bitter taste will remain for the green right up until the day they raise the eighteenth banner, they were able to take a step toward alleviating that pain with a convincing 109-96 victory over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on Sunday afternoon. It's imperative to avoid taking too much stock in this game, but from the small sample size we've been given, I'm led to believe Boston's offseason adjustments have put them over the hump when it comes to besting their rival Lakers.

The added depth up front that the Celtics have added was the biggest difference in my mind. Game 7 was, quite arguably, lost at least partially due to the absence of Kendrick Perkins. Having Perkins back healthy as well as the contributions from Shaq and Semih Erden have enabled the Celtics to dominate post matchups. Kevin Garnett's knee is seemingly back to its old form, and he looks as good as he has since the green's championship days. The Lakers big men were totally shut down and uninspired on Sunday. With their abysmal shooting from a few guys, including Ron Artest (1-for-10), L.A. was forced to totally rely on the isolation game with Kobe Bryant. Rajon Rondo had 6 more assists than the entire Lakers team had. Team basketball? More like Kobe basketball. And even though Bryant dropped 41, it was a hard-fought 41 that didn't come easily at the hands of the Boston defense. The Celtics do a phenomenal job of playing as a five-man unit and making each and every shot that Kobe Bryant takes as hard as possible. When they're clicking the way they were last night, they're unstoppable. And despite what Mark Jackson believes, I'll still follow the old adage -- defense wins championships.

But it's only one game. The Celtics trail the Spurs by 4 games for the best record in the NBA, and the Lakers are 3.5 games behind the C's in that category. This game may have helped Boston in the department of earning a potential home court advantage over the Lakers in the finals (if the matchup presented itself), but I'm not thinking too far ahead. The biggest value of this win was the emotional lift that the green got. It's not quite as bitter walking into that Staples Center locker room as it was before; but like I said, the bitterness will never completely vanish until banner #18 is hanging from the rafters at the TD Garden.
 

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Average Joe's NBA Midseason Review

If you recall, I made my projections for the NBA playoffs in October. Let's see how I did.

Predicted:
Eastern Conference: 1)Miami vs 8)Washington. 2)Boston vs 7)New York. 3) Orlando vs 6) Milwaukee. 4) Chicago vs 5) Atlanta. Bubble teams: Cleveland, Indiana, Philadelphia

Western Conference: 1) Los Angeles vs 8) Phoenix. 2) Dallas vs 7) San Antonio. 3) OK City vs 6) Denver. 4) Utah vs. 5) Portland. Bubble Teams: Houston, New Orleans, Memphis

Currently:
Eastern Conference: 1)Boston vs 8)Charlotte. 2)Miami vs 7)Philadelphia. 3)Chicago vs 6)New York. 4)Atlanta vs 5)Orlando. First 3 out: Indiana, Milwaukee, Detroit

Western Conference: 1)San Antonio vs 8)Portland. 2)Los Angeles vs 7)Utah. 3)Dallas vs 6) Denver. 4)OK City vs 5) New Orleans. First 3 out: Memphis, Phoenix, Houston

Currently, only Denver is seeded at the same position they were predicted as. But regardless, I didn't do too shabby (in my opinion, anyway). In the East, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, and New York each jumped up one spot, while Miami dropped one and Orlando dropped 2. I didn't even consider Charlotte at the beginning, largely due to the way they got swept right out of the 2010 playoffs. And Philadelphia's youth is performing better than I expected, and are currently set up to challenge Miami in round 1.

 

Sample text

Sample Text

Sample Text

Ultimate Boston knows that you care about how your personal information is used and shared, and we take your privacy very seriously. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy. By visiting our website, you are accepting the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy covers Ultimate Boston's treatment of personal information that Ultimate Boston gathers when you are on the Ultimate Boston website and when you use Ultimate Boston services. This policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that Ultimate Boston does not own or control, or to individuals that Ultimate Boston does not employ or manage.

Information Collected by Ultimate Boston

We only collect personal information that is relevant to the purpose of our website. This information allows us to provide you with a customized and efficient experience. We do not process this information in a way that is incompatible with this objective. We collect the following types of information from our Ultimate Boston users:

1. Information You Provide to Us: We receive and store any information you enter on our website or provide to us in any other way. You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of many of our special features.

2. Automatic Information:

o We receive and store certain types of information whenever you interact with us. Ultimate Boston and its authorized agents automatically receive and record certain "traffic data" on their server logs from your browser including your IP address, Ultimate Boston cookie information, and the page you requested. Ultimate Boston uses this traffic data to help diagnose problems with its servers, analyze trends and administer the website.

o Ultimate Boston may collect and, on any page, display the total counts that page has been viewed.

o Many companies offer programs that help you to visit websites anonymously. While Ultimate Boston will not be able to provide you with a personalized experience if we cannot recognize you, we want you to be aware that these programs are available.

E-mail Communications

Ultimate Boston is very concerned about your privacy and we will never provide your email address to a third party without your explicit permission, as detailed in the "Sharing Your Information" section below. Ultimate Boston may send out e-mails with Ultimate Boston-related news, products, offers, surveys or promotions.

Cookies

Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser to enable our systems to recognize your browser and tell us how and when pages in our website are visited and by how many people. Ultimate Boston cookies do not collect personal information, and we do not combine information collected through cookies with other personal information to tell us who you are or what your screen name or e-mail address is.

The "help" portion of the toolbar on the majority of browsers will direct you on how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to command the browser to tell you when you receive a new cookie, or how to fully disable cookies. We recommend that you leave the cookies activated because cookies allow you to use some of Ultimate Boston's coolest features.

Ultimate Boston's advertising partners may place a cookie on your browser that makes it possible to collect anonymous non-personally identifiable information that ad delivery systems use to present more relevant ads. If you would prefer to opt-out of this standard practice, please visit our advertising partner Platform-A's privacy policy and opt-out page.

Sharing Your Information

Rest assured that we neither rent nor sell your personal information to anyone and that we will share your personal information only as described below.

Ultimate Boston Personnel: Ultimate Boston personnel and authorized consultants and/or contractors may have access to user information if necessary in the normal course of Ultimate Boston business.

Business Transfers: In some cases, we may choose to buy or sell assets. In these types of transactions, user information is typically one of the business assets that is transferred. Moreover, if Ultimate Boston, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred.

Protection of Ultimate Boston and Others: We may release personal information when we believe in good faith that release is necessary to comply with a law; to enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other policies; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Ultimate Boston, our employees, our users, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Syndication: Ultimate Boston allows for the RSS syndication of all of its public content within the Ultimate Boston website.

With Your Consent: Except as noted above, we will contact you when your personal information is shared with third parties or used for a purpose incompatible with the purpose(s) for which it was originally collected, and you will be able to opt out to prevent the sharing of this information.

Children Under 18 Years of Age

You must be 13 years and older to register to use the Ultimate Boston website. As a result, Ultimate Boston does not specifically collect information about children. If we learn that Ultimate Boston has collected information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. We recommend that minors between the ages of 13 and 18 ask and receive their parents' permission before using Ultimate Boston or sending information about themselves or anyone else over the Internet.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Ultimate Boston may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time, at its sole discretion. Use of information we collect now is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time such information is used. If we make changes to the Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting an announcement on the Ultimate Boston website so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances if any, it is disclosed.

Conditions of Use

If you decide to visit Ultimate Boston website, your visit and any possible dispute over privacy is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, including limitations on damages, arbitration of disputes, and application of California state law.

Effective Date of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of 2/2/2011 and last updated 2/2/2011.