11/12 NBA Recap: Free at Last!

No Celtics basketball last night, but plenty to talk about. here's today's NBA Recap.

- The Detroit Pistons defeated the LA Clippers in overtime, due in large part to 30 points from KG's best friend, Charlie Villanueva. The 30 points is the most for Villanueva this season. He has been a bust so far in Detroit, like everywhere else, but this is probably his best performance yet. Despite 64 combined points by young guns Eric Beldsoe, Eric Gordon, and Blake Griffin. Griffin also put up 18 total rebounds. Despite having a team of the future in Bledsoe, Gordon, and Griffin, this team isn't doing anything with their current squad. If the Clippers don't get it together (mortal lock: they won't), they'll be going to the lottery, again. How can they fix this? Probably not another trip to the lottery. They've tried that the last 20 years, bearing little fruit. Veteran presence? Well Baron Davis hasn't done much for LA's other team, has he? Who knows, it's probably a curse on the Clippers.

Sox Still Want Beltre, Victor

In a recent conference call, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein revealed one part of his offseason strategy. To the satisfaction of most Sox fans, the Local 9 will do whatever they can to keep third baseman Adrian Beltre and catcher Victor Martinez playing at Fenway.

"Our first choice for third baseman for 2011 and beyond would be to bring back Adrian Beltre," Epstein said while in yesterday's Conference call. Beltre is coming off a phenomenal bounce-back season in which he hit .321 with 28 homers and 102 RBIs, earning himself a Silver Slugger Award. His defensive prowess also had him competing for a gold glove award at third base.

Who Dat? The Answer

Who Dat? It's time for the answer. I'll give you a little incentive to check it out. One of these guesses was correct. I'm impressed. I thought we might get the stump today. Didn't happen. So who got it? Who cashed in big on the Who Dat scene? Was it someone new, or did someone else move up the leaderboard?

For Once on UB...

....I have somewhat accurately depicted the outcome of a game/series. 105-101 vs 112-107. Not too shabby if you ask me. But, like the first Heat/Celtics game, the score does not give justice to the actual game.

It wasn't even close.

If the Heat won, it would have been solely because of Lebron (sounds like Cleveland). This team does not know how to handle themselves as a cohesive unit. Too many players who are shoot first, pass second (Lebron, Wade, Bosh, House, James Jones). No scary big man (although Zydrunas Ilgauskas sounds pretty intimidating) and no point guard to control the game. Sure, send Pat Riley to the bench, but I don't know if that will do anything. Coaching isn't the ultimate issue here.

Misfortunes, Misfortunes...

Coming into this season, the Boston Bruins had monster expectations. On some popular sports betting websites, they were actually tied with Pittsburgh for the highest odds of winning the Stanley Cup. Obviously that means nothing, but from the fans' perspective, excitement was (and still is) higher than it's been in a long time. The B's are 8-4-1 and are putting forth good efforts without some of their top players in the lineup. Would you have believed me, though, if I told you Tuukka Rask would be 0-4-1 and Tim Thomas would be 8-0-0 at this juncture? Misfortunes, misfortunes...

11/11 NBA Recap: Make a Wish

Only three games last night, but they were all very exciting. Here's today's NBA Recap.

- The Celtics beat the Miami Heat 112-107. The Celtics held the lead the whole game and never looked back. Ray Allen had 35 points, including 7 three-pointers. Allen went on a tear, hitting his first seven threes. Paul Pierce also had 25 points while Rajon Rondo had 16 assists. But Rondo's shining moment was a beastly dunk, showing defenses around the league that you can't give him room in the lane. That dunk made me giddy like a school girl, and I'm not the least bit ashamed to say it. If you haven't seen the dunk, you can see it here.

Who Dat? Take a Guess

Bruce has been a mad man on a mission throughout this entire contest. The leaderboard supports that statement. But it isn't too late! You guys have until Christmas to catch up to him and dethrone the king. Maybe it will start today for that person. It's David vs Goliath. Can David prevail? This one might be a tough one, so take your guesses now!

Bruce	7 points
Ed B	3 points
Fitch	3 points
Magz	3 points
Enahs	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Mikey Diggs	2 points
Hink	1 point
T-Money	1 point

Gimme That!

YES PLEASE. Subtle reminder why the Heat are soon to be 5-4 by the time this game is over, and why they will not win the title this year. Defense wins championships folks. I saw none of it there, or any game. I stand by my opinion that the Heat really aren't that great. You can disagree with me if you want, but you can't deny that the C's have earned the early edge. By a lot.  

Game Time

Just something to get everyone pissed off at the Heat (more-so Lebron) for the evening. This game will probably be better played than Game 1. It was too early in the season for both teams, with each squad learning to play with each other. I haven't watched the Heat other than that game, so I'm interested to see how their fans react to this game at their home court.

Average Joe's Prediction? Celtics 105-101.
 

Who Dat? The Answer

Who scored big today? We had some great guesses, and most of their last names were Kardashian. Even the non-existent Bob Kardashian was guessed after the trio of sisters. Do these look like Kardashian eyes to you? Even if they are, which one would it be? Could it be someone entirely different, like J-Lo? One click can tell you all you need to know. Who Dat?

Top 5 Celtics Busts

I like to talk a lot about drafts, draft busts, and busts in general in my NBA recaps. I'm kind of a basketball sadist. Anyway, I was thinking earlier while looking at a box score of a Hawks game about how the Celtics had drafted Joe Johnson once upon a time, and traded him away. This inspired a post, the Celtics 5 biggest draft busts or busts in general. Now, Len Bias will not be on this list. Though he was a huge bust, he never played a game, and I can't count him, though he would be a high placement. This list is more about Celtics impatience and odd draft picks.

5. Joe Forte and Kedrick Brown- The 2001 NBA Draft saw the Boston Celtics have three picks in the 1st round. One of the selection at 10th overall was Joe Johnson, but we'll look into him later. The next to picks were Kedrick Brown and Joe Forte. Yeah, they were about as busty as Dolly Parton. Forte played eight games for the Celtics, averaging .75 PPG, while Kedrick Brown averaged 2.5 points for the C's in two seasons. They were both out of the league within 4 years. Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson, and Gerald Wallace were all on the board when these two were taken. Ouch.

Average Joe's Confession (and the C's)

Alright, so here's the thing. I know this is a "Greater Boston" blog. And my hometown will always be just that. But currently, although I'm in New England, my college loyalties do not rest in Boston (unless I transfer).

I am a New Hampshire Wildcat. (Insert "High School Musical" reference here) (Don't lie, you have seen all 3 movies with your girlfriend and/or your parents)(Not that I have...). No, they do not have a baseball team. Yes, that pisses me off. But, we do play your local college (Northeastern, BC, BU, etc.) in Football, Hockey, Basketball (if your school has it). And since this is "Greater Boston", well...maybe we can extend the boundaries just a tad...

11/10 NBA Recap: Depth Theory

The Celtics had another night off, but many other teams shined in exciting match ups. Here's today's NBA recap.

- The Washington Wizards defeated the Houston Rockets, carried by rookie stud John Wall, who netted his first career triple-double (19 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds.) I've been impressed with how Wall has been playing, and this performance just proves that he no doubt deserved the first overall selection honors. I didn't know if Wall was going to be good in the pros, as I thought he wouldn't live up to the hype, but he is without a question proving me and other naysayers wrong.

- Minnesota finally won a game, mostly due to Michael Beasley's 42 points. Though this is only Beasley's third season, many have called him a bust (deservedly so for his play thus far.) However, on a bad team like the Timberwolves, Beasley could shine (as he did last night.) This could easily be a fluke, but I am willing to bet that Beasley will definitely show more flashes of brilliance in Minnesota. Will he ever live up to his #2 overall selection? Maybe not, but he could still turn into a solid 4th/5th wheel for a championship team some day.

Another Deal for the Rook

As if becoming the face and the future of the Boston Bruins organization wasn't enough, Tyler Seguin has inked himself another deal just a few months after getting that entry level contract squared away. This one, though, isn't with our beloved Bruins -- it's with Dunkin Donuts.

The Boston Business Journal reported this morning that Dunkin has officially signed Seguin to become their newest company spokesperson, and some of you may have seen the youngster starring in television advertisements for the new Caught Cold marketing campaign. Every Tuesday throughout the entire season, lucky fans that are "caught cold" drinking an iced coffee will be given two tickets to an upcoming Bruins game. Seguin is thrilled about the opportunity to team up with such a great company to help such a great community.

"It doesn't get any bigger than Dunkin' Donuts in Boston. They're an institution and I'm honored to work with them. It's even become part of my pre-game ritual. I drink a Dunkin' coffee before every game . . . Dunkin' Donuts' commitment to the community and their customers was very appealing to me, and I'm looking forward to giving Dunkin' and Bruins fans the opportunity to see me and my teammates at TD Garden through 'Caught Cold.'"

They say coffee isn't the best performance booster, but maybe I'll start trying it out before my intramural games if Seguin does it. Needless to say, it's been a pretty good year for the kid. Oh, and did I mention he doesn't turn 19 for another two months?
  

Who Dat? Take a Guess

Nobody guessed it yesterday. It was a tough one. Will the stump come on two straight days? Doesn't this leaderboard look pretty sexy? Wouldn't it look even better with your name on it? There is exactly one way to get your name on the leaderboard. Hint: guess right.

Bruce	6 points
Ed B	3 points
Fitch	3 points
Magz	3 points
Enahs	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Mikey Diggs	2 points
Hink	1 point
T-Money	1 point

  

Bruins Go Wild on Pens

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combined for a goal and 4 assists for the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, but that didn't matter. Boston went wild in astonishing fashion, scoring 5 unanswered goals in the third period to storm past the Pens, 7-4.

The B's came out a little slow in their first game without top center David Krejci, finding themselves trailing Pittsburgh 4-2 through two periods. In the third, though, Boston got back to old-fashioned Bruins hockey. Dump and chase, hit hard, shoot the puck, and crash the net. It resulted in two goals by Nathan Horton and Zdeno Chara in just a 15-second span to tie the score. Shawn Thornton sniped home the go-ahead goal with just over seven minutes remaining to give the Bruins the lead for good. Blake Wheeler added an insurance goal with four minutes left, and Milan Lucic buried the empty-netter with 36 seconds to go.

The line may not look great for Tim Thomas, who gave up a season-high 4 goals in his 8th win of the season. He turned aside 42 of the Pens' 46 shots though, continuing his solid play and keeping his undefeated record intact. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tuukka back between the pipes tomorrow night. Bruins vs Canadiens? Can't ask for much more than that.
 

Who Dat? The Answer

When I picked out this Who Dat selection today, I thought to myself that I might get the stump. I just had a feeling. But then the UB faithful came hard as usual and they just might have nailed it. Did they though? Did they prove my instinct wrong and figure out who this chick is? Better find out if the leaderboard looks any different than yesterday. Who Dat?

11/9 NBA Recap: Black Ops

It's going to be another short one today for one main reason: COD Black Ops. Enough said. If you haven't played that game yet, go get 60 dollars, trot down to Wal-Mart, and get this game. Unbelievable. But make sure to keep visiting UB, commenting and such in between games. UB should always be your #1 priority, so don't play Ground War all day without visiting Greater Boston's Greatest Sports Blog.

Most of the same happened again last night; the Lakers and Hornets won and the Clippers and T'Wolves lost. I'm not going to dwell on the obvious, mundane facts. But there is one game I want to look at it this recap, the Indiana Pacers vs. the Denver Nuggets. Though it might seem like an ordinary game, it really wasn't, as the score was only 144-113. A combined 257 points. It was a game in which former college players who haven't found their footing in the NBA shined, as Brandon Rush, Mike Dunleavy, and Tyler Hansborough combined for 67 points. Darren Collison also had 29 points for the Pacers, an alum of my favorite college basketball program, UCLA. The Pacers put up an astonishing 54 points in the third quarter alone.

Poll: Which Poison are You Picking?

A friend of mine raised an interesting point the other day, and now I've been pondering it enough that I decided to relay the question to the Ultimate Boston faithful. So I'll break down the situation for you.

My buddy tells me he saw this girl in the gym wearing a Canadiens shirt. My first reaction was gross. I hate the Canadiens. I wonder what kind of embarrassing story he's about to tell... maybe she dropped a bunch of weights or fell off the treadmill or something. But to my surprise, there was no embarrassing story. It was just the fact that she caught his eye. So I started to remind him that you never (ever) date within the division, but he already knew that. You can understand why I'm uber-confused at this point, but he ensued to raise an interesting question to me. "Isn't that better than someone who hates hockey all together?"

I'd never thought of it that way, but now it's irking me. So I'm going to have to send this one to a vote. I think my vote is still to never (ever) date within the division, but the UB faithful deserve their shot at the piñata.

No More Gostkowski

When Wes Welker came in to kick an extra point in Sunday's loss to the Browns, most of us might have figured Stephen Gostkowski's supposed thigh injury would hold him out a few weeks. After a developing story today, though, it seems that the most accurate kicker in Patriots history will be done for the remainder of the season. The Pats placed Gostkowski on IR (injured reserve) this morning, ending his 2010 campaign and leaving the burden on the leg of the newly signed Shayne Graham.

The thigh injury to Gostkowski turns out to be a torn quad muscle that may even require surgery. In addition to his accuracy kicking field goals (although his rate was a little down this season), the Patriots will lose his exceptional power on kickoffs. He was among the league's best in the touchback category.

For Shayne Graham, he will look to resurrect his career after spending the last 7 seasons in Cincinnati. He suited up for 1 game this season with the New York Giants, but he did not attempt a field goal in that game. Graham is familiar with Heinz Field from his time with the Bengals -- they played at Heinz once a season -- so the Patriots will hope that his experience can help him step in nicely come this Sunday night in Pittsburgh. Welcome to New England... no pressure.

Rate this Vick-Kolb-Reid Mix

You may have seen the "Randy Moss One Clap" video mix posted a few weeks ago. It's been a huge hit, garnering almost 2 million views and getting on Sportscenter. So I decided to check out the guy's YouTube page. He only has 4 videos on there, but I think there are others scattered around the web. Anyway, what do you think of DJ Steve Porter and this remix, which was posted prior to the Moss mix? Personally, the more times I watch it, the harder it becomes to avoid laughing at how much Andy Reid is the goon-squad captain. And how little Michael Vick actually contributes to the remix. Still, I'm impressed. This guy knows how to make sports interview remix songs. Find something you're good at and go with it, right?
Vote 1 for this is worse than Andy Reid is at making up his mind. Vote 5 for this is almost as good as "Randy Moss One Clap."  

Who Dat? Take a Guess

Haven't managed to stump you guys since the return of Who Dat. Bruce came through yesterday to extend his lead at the top of the standings. As we near the end of the year, someone will need to raise their game to the next level in order to steal the ULTY Award for Who Dat. Will it be you today? Might as well take a stab at it.

Bruce	6 points
Ed B	3 points
Fitch	3 points
Magz	3 points
Enahs	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Mikey Diggs	2 points
Hink	1 point
T-Money	1 point

Two Picks Gone Wrong

Two ex-Patriots have quickly found themselves new jerseys to wear in the National Football League. Cornerback Terrence Wheatley -- drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft by the Patriots -- signed on to the Jacksonville Jaguars' 53-man roster today. Linebacker Tyrone McKenzie -- drafted in the third round of the 2009 draft -- has tagged along with the Tampa Bay Bucs after spending the first nine weeks of the season on New England's practice squad. Both players were released on Saturday.

The Patriots have made some great draft picks over the years, and they are undeniably among the best at selecting diamonds in the rough late in drafts. Still, they've had their share of disappointments. These two guys are perfect examples. Wheatley had the higher expectations overall, but he just never panned out. Injuries also hindered his development over the past few seasons.

The rest of the Pats continue hitting the practice field hard in preparation for what they hope will be a bounce-back game against a tough Steelers' squad. Shayne Graham has joined the roster to replace injured place kicker Stephen Gostkowski, assuming his thigh injury keeps him out of this week's game.
 

Fantasy Hockey: Month in Review

Well folks, we've officially seen another month of hockey come and gone. The season commenced in October and what an exciting month it's been. Already we've seen highlight-reel goals, bone-crushing checks, and unbelievable saves by the best hockey players in the world. In the realm of fantasy hockey, there has been much to be excited about and just as much to be dissapointed by. We'll dig a little deeper and see who have been the biggests surprises and busts in the game so far.

Has to Be Fake

No way this is for real. Here's my take: she guessed the letter, and said "I'd like to solve" and to quell people's doubts she said "I've got a good feeling about this!" inadvertently solving the puzzle. Nice try, but it's just like Beverly D'Angelo is "European Vacation" when she correctly answers a question by saying "Clark!" (the answer was William Clark of "Lewis and Clark") but she was actually referring to her bumbling moron husband Clark Griswald (played by Chevy Chase.) I'm roughly 99% positive that's what happened. The other 1% possibility is that she knows the producer, because I don't think even Ken Jennings could get that with just one letter in under 10 seconds of thinking.
 

Who Dat? The Answer

Another Who Dat has gone in the books. Who came out on top today? Did someone new get on the leaderboard, did an existing contender move up the ranks, or did our current leader continue his superb domination? Only one way to find out.

Sox Eyeing Werth, Duchscherer

After a disappointing season, the Red Sox are looking to get better at this year's winter meeting. Two of the names on the Sox radar are Jayson Werth (no surprise there) and right-hander Justin Duchscherer.

The Sox main goal at this point is to land Werth, the 31 year-old outfielder who has been playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. Last season, Werth hit .296 with 27 HRs and an OPS+ of 145, and his WAR (Wins above replacement) is highest among free-agent batters at 5.2. In layman's terms, WAR estimates the value of the player to the team by estimating how many wins he is worth, getting the number from the player's showing in the field, at bat, pitching, and running. Needless to say, Werth could be a great addition based on his WAR, as many sabermetricians claim this stat is the best way to measure a player's worth. However, Werth struggled during his time in the AL, and that adjustment could make teams weary.

This is for the Puckheads

Ed B's Ten Reasons to Love Baseball got me thinking about a few things. I started to wonder -- what sport do I consider the best? I mean, I live for Sundays to just kick back, eat junk and watch football. I love getting together with friends for playoff basketball. The Red Sox - Yankees rivalry has always gotten me pumped up. But I can't ignore my own emotions. It's always been there in my heart and I figured if baseball got a list, so can my top dog. If you're not a fan and I lose some readers because of it, so be it. But I'm going for it. Here are ten reasons to love the sport of hockey.

Constant Action - One of the biggest criticisms I hear from non-hockey fans is that the game is too boring and low-scoring for them. Hey, if you think hockey's boring -- that's your call. But next time you're watching a game, try to count to three while a player has possession of the puck. Almost every time, that thing is long gone before you can rattle off half of that count. In the time it takes between pitches of a baseball game, the puck may have potentially visited almost every player on the ice at least once.

11/8 NBA Recap: "You Chuck!"

It was another nail-biter for the Celtics, but three times wasn't the charm last night. Here's today's NBA recap.

With the game tied at 87, the Mavericks Jason Kidd passed the ball to Dirk Nowitzki who hit a beautiful jumper with Big Baby defending, clinching the game for the Mavericks, despite there being 17 seconds left to play. The Celtics were unable to score in that time frame. The key to the Mavs victory was the fact that they shot 50% from the field while the Celtics shot 41%. Also, the Celtics missed 11 of the last 14 shots taken from the field.

Rajon Rondo put up 15 assists, but missed a wide open three to clinch the game. Now we all know that Rondo isn't a great shooter, but he still should make that shot. A wide-open jumper at the end of the game should be money for any NBA player, and I'm pretty disappointed he didn't make it.

In Case You Missed It...

There is a link up top of the page now for The ULTYs. From now until the first day of December is the nomination period. For our various different awards (and others that you can lobby for their creation if you have another potential award in mind) you can nominate whoever you'd like. Once December rolls around, we'll put together the list of nominees for each award and the voting period will kick off. More details on that will come later, but the voting will likely go right up until Christmas, allowing myself a week of preparation to make the 2010 ULTYs video presentation with all of our winners. That will hopefully go up on New Year's Eve to celebrate the turn of the calendar year and a fresh rejuvenation here at Ultimate Boston.

So hurry up and get over to the ULTYs nomination page! If you don't nominate your favorite writers, commenters, athletes, moments, and more, then they won't make their way onto the ballot. Don't leave your thoughts unheard. Submit as many nominations as you'd like, and do it today!

  

Who Dat? Take a Guess

Yesterday it was Magz getting on the scoresheet and moving her way up the leaderboard. Who will move up today? I have a feeling someone will get it, but it could be trickier than you think. Who's going to move up in the ranks or, better yet, get themselves a new spot on the leaderboard? Better start guessing soon. Who Dat?

Bruce	5 points
Ed B	3 points
Fitch	3 points
Magz	3 points
Enahs	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Mikey Diggs	2 points
Hink	1 point
T-Money	1 point

 

Figures.

So yesterday, the once lowly Raiders beat their division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. Their record is now 5-4, impressive for a team who hasn't garnered more than 6 wins the past seven seasons. Their success this season saddens me.

Why does their success sadden me? Because as you may recall, the Patriots traded Pro-bowl defensive end Richard Seymour to the Raiders prior to last season for Oakland's first round draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Most Patriots fans saw this as a great opportunity, as the Raiders have had top ten picks in 6 out of the last 7 NFL drafts, three of which were Top-5 picks. And there is a talented running back by the name of Mark Ingram (you may have heard of him) who is projected to be a high draft pick. It figures that the one time the Raiders are good the past eight years the Patriots have their draft pick, especially since there is a highly touted RB on the board, a position the Patriots need help with. Belichick probably wouldn't even take Ingram in that position, because he prefers trading good picks for 5 6th round picks. But it figures that the one time the Patriots have a chance at a blue-chipper running back at a high draft position, the team they got the pick from is good for the first time in about forever, almost guaranteeing the Pats won't get him.

I guess the Patriots having an above-average RB again isn't meant to be for a while.
 

Dear Patriots...

Hey people. My name is JK Howling - Ultimate Boston's newest and girliest writer yet, on account of I really am a girl. But no worries, I've got this whole sport thing on lockdown. So with my first post, I'd like to relay a message through Ultimate Boston to this football team I've been following lately. I hope it finds them quickly.

Dear New England Patriots,

I would like to introduce you to my friend Dr. Steven Brule. Dr. Brule has built a set of rules to live by, and he has decided to share his knowledge with the rest of the world. This particular “Brules Rule” is one you all should take interest in during the week before the Steelers game. Quit playing like girls.

Love,

Me and Dr. Steve Brule

  

Who Dat? Crisis Averted

Okay, so we nearly had issues today. We had lots of guesses, which was great to see (even if some of them were James Earl Jones, James Harrison, and Lebron James...). Someone did get it right, but they almost were unable to identify themselves because they commented as "Anonymous." So I'm thinking, what gives? I can't give a point to someone named Anonymous. By means of IP address tracking, though, and matching it up with previous comments, I've confirmed who got the right answer. Who's the chick and who guessed the chick? Find out now. Who Dat?

Krejci Concussion "Moderate"

As you may or may not know, Bruins center David Krejci suffered a concussion in the Bruins loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

After some examination, Krejci's concussion has been listed as moderate, and he will only miss about a week. This is good news for the Bruins, as last season the team lost Marc Savard for most of the regular season to a concussion, which lead to a lower seed for the Bruins in the playoffs. Needless to say Krejci's injury could've been far more serious. Many Bruins fans will also remember Krejci receiving a wrist injury during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Bruins proceeded to lose 4 straight without him, ending the season. The Bruins will be playing at least three games without the young center.

Thanks to Craig for the find.
  

Sayonara, Wade

After constantly reassuring the media for weeks that he would not fire his head coach, Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones has had a change of heart. Chris Mortensen reports that Wade Phillips has been fired by the abismal Cowboys, who dropped to 1-7 on the season last night via an embarrassing 45-7 loss to the divisional rival Green Bay Packers. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will assume the head coaching duties and try to quickly turn this team around in time for their next match-up against the New York Giants.

So much for Jerry's Super Bowl party, eh? Jones will be watching two non-Cowboys squads duking it out in his own house come February, barring the most miraculous series of events the NFL has ever seen. With Jon Kitna manning the offense and the entire roster tumbling down a steep hill, there's virtually no chance of a significant turn-around this season. People kept holding out hope that the Cowboys would turn things around, that they were still much better than their record was showing. Alas, I think we can join forces on the same page under the conclusion that Dallas is just plain bad. Period. End of story.

  

2010: The ULTYs

There comes a time in every blogger's life when he needs fan feedback. Well, folks -- that's what I need right now. Fan feedback. You've seen the ESPYs, you've seen the GRAMMYs, the EMMYs, and all those great award shows. Who wants the ULTYs for 2010?

I think it'd be a cool cap to what has been a fantastic first half-year of Ultimate Boston. If you ask me, I think we've come leaps and bounds since our first few days. And the UB faithful can receive a good portion of the credit for that improvement. So what kind of awards could we give out and have voting on? This is where you guys have to participate and share your thoughts. We'll obviously have a Who Dat award (the leaderboard is heating up!) and an MVC (Most Valuable Commenter) award that will be put to a vote once everything is organized. But what other awards can we put together? They can be about Boston athletes, teams, moments, anything you might see at the ESPYs, but we'll put it to an Ultimate Boston perspective. Just a small little award thing to recognize the turn of the new year. Leave your thoughts so we can get this ball rolling sometime this month.
 

11/7 NBA Recap: A Post with Depth

It was another notch in the win column for the Celtics last night, and one team proves that they're still the toast of the league. Here's today's NBA recap.

The Celtics improved to 6-1 after taking down the OKC Thunder, despite Kevin Durant scoring 34 points. Nobody for the Celtics stood out as a major scorer,because the bench combined for 33 of the Celtics' 91 points. Ray Allen had 19 points, leading the Celtics in scoring. This kind of shows the difference in the teams; Durant is almost always going to be the Thunder's leading scorer, and if he has an off night, the team will most certainly lose. However, with the Celtics, if Kevin Garnett has an off night scoring (which he did last night) there are at least 5 other players who can pick up the slack with scoring. The Celtics will not only win games with talent, but they'll win with depth.

Who Dat? Take a Guess

The weekend is over, and I would imagine you're all pretty upset about that. You may have noticed my weekend posting has decreased lately. Ed B will hold up the load on the weekends most of the time. I'll likely only be making posts if there's something that I simply cannot ignore. Just wanted to give you guys that heads up. Anyway, here's the good part about the weekend being gone -- Who Dat is back. So it's time to guess and get your name on the leaderboard listed below. Who Dat?

Bruce	5 points
Ed B	3 points
Fitch	3 points
Enahs	2 points
Kshep	2 points
Magz	2 points
Mikey Diggs	2 points
Hink	1 point
T-Money	1 point

  

Ten Reasons to Love Baseball

Baseball is my favorite sport, bar none. I may do the "NBA Recaps" but baseball has always been #1 in my book. There are many reasons to love baseball, but I've narrowed my list down to ten (in no particular order).

Anybody Can Play - I alluded to this in a comment before, but it's pretty much true. Now obviously you have to be good at baseball to play, but unlike the NFL, NBA, or even the NHL you don't have to be a physical specimen to play. Look at players like Babe Ruth, John Kruk, Pablo Sandoval, and Fernando Valenzuela. None of these guys are winning 40-yard dashes or leaping 42", but they were very good baseball. As long as you can hit, pitch, or field, you can play baseball. You don't have to be 6'5 and have 12% body-fat percentage, unlike the other 3 major sports (hockey is getting bigger and more athletic).

11/6 NBA Recap: Best Draft Ever?

Well today's recap was delayed because of the Patriots game, and I'll leave it atthat. Here's today's NBA recap.

The Jazz and Clippers kept tying and forced a double-overtime. The Jazz were led by Deron Williams, who scored 30 points, while Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson each had double-doubles. Blake Griffin had 17 points and 16 rebounds, but fouled out, missing all of overtime.

Even in defeat Eric Gordon continues to impress me, leading the Clips to the double-overtime with 27 points.The emergence of Gordon this season as a very good pro player leads me to believe that 20 years from now people will remember the 2008 NBA Draft as one of the best of all-time. You have Derrick Rose and Brooke Lopez, who are without possible future MVPs/All-NBA team members, OJ Mayo, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Danilo Gallinari, and Eric Gordon who could easily (and definitely will) be all-stars one day, and JJ Hickson, Anthony Randolph, Robin Lopez and Michael Beasley could easily be the 4th or 5th best player on any championship team some day. It's like the 1996 NBA Draft of the new millennium.