Best Red Sox-Yankees Moments of the 21st Century

After an awesome regular-season game that was played on Sunday night between the Red Sox and Yankees, the rivalry was renewed once again. I decided to compile the best moments of the New York/Boston rivalry in the time that I have been alive for. Basically the 21st Century, so I'm disregarding the whole Babe Ruth fiasco. Here it is, in chronological order.




Pedro Martinez’s noble outing in the 2003 ALCS proves to be not enough. The coaching staff regrettably kept him in for too long.


Jorge Posada is pumped after he ties the game with his double. 

Pedro Martinez takes down New York coach Don Zimmer in a brawl during the 2003 ALCS.


Aaron Boone rips Boston's hearts out as he hits a walk off home run in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox.

[
Derek Jeter lays out for a foul ball against the Red Sox in a regular season game.


A Boston fan cheers on his team as the Red Sox "Cowboy Up" in 2004


Mike Lowell breaks up a double play by tackling infielder Robinson Cano[/caption]


A-Rod intentionally slaps the ball out of the glove of the Boston Pitcher. Like a girl.


A-Rod and Jason Varitek fight in a bench clearing brawl during the 2004 ALCS


Curt Schilling's "Bloody Sock" game in the 2004 ALCS against the NY Yankees was one of the most memorable moments in the rivalry. He pitched in game 6 of the ALCS with a badly injured ankle. He won the game and forced a game 7. Boston won game 7 and completed the greatest comeback in sports history.


Big Papi hits one of his many walk off home-runs against the Yankees. This one in the 2004 ALCS

Dave Roberts pinch runs in game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. The world knows that he's stealing. He goes and he's..... Safe! He eventually scores the winning run that sends the Red Sox into the World Series.


Capping the "Greatest Comeback Ever"


The Red Sox 'band of idiots' celebrate after they win their first World Series in 86 years . They beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004.


Manny being Manny after the 2004 World Series victory


Boston Pitcher Ryan Dempster hits the hated Alex Rodriguez on purpose in a regular season game that has high stakes in 2013.

If you are a Red Sox or Yankee fan and you read this blog post and you didn't get the chills, there is something wrong with you. I'm a Red Sox fan and every time that I think about 2004, I can't stop smiling. Go Red Sox!

This post was written before the 2013 MLB Playoffs. David Ortiz's grand slam in game two of the ALCS and his unbelievable World Series would definitely make this list.

What Will the Celtics do with Doc, KG, Pierce?

This is a pretty weird situation that the Celtics are in right now. After the loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Playoffs, Danny Ainge, the GM of the Celtics assured that head coach Doc Rivers would return for another season. But Doc, one of the most respected coaches, didn't comment.

Now, in mid June, it's apparent that Doc wants to go coach Blake Griffen and the Los Angeles Clippers instead of rebuilding an old Celtics team that will probably win 30-45 games next season. But what will the Celtics get for Doc? Are they going to trade KG with Doc in a package like the rumors say. In my mind, there are two things that can happen:

Situation 1: The Boring One

The Celtics will keep the legacy of Pierce and KG and try to get to the playoffs together for one more year. It seems like Doc has crossed the line with the Celtics' management so I can't see Doc returning as a coach. If I had to bet on it, he will either coach the Clippers or take a year off and instantly become a great announcer. KG and Pierce will try to get along with Rondo and see where they can go from there. That's pretty boring. Until KG and Pierce retire after that season and the Celtics win 50 games and get bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

Situation 2: The Best Scenario

In this situation, many things can happen, but it's unclear how many and which ones will. First, the Celtics will trade the Clippers KG, Doc Rivers, Jason Terry, and Courtney Lee for Deandre Jordan, Vinny Del Negro, Eric Bledsoe, and Willie Green. That trade works for both teams and could potentially benefit both teams. The only bad part about that trade for the Celtics is that they have to have one of my least favorite coaches; Vinny Del Negro. In all of his Clippers coaching years, VDN has had no set defense and no offensive plays besides, "Chris Paul, go do something.". I don't want that guy coaching my team. Also, there is a minor lack of shooting in that lineup.

Then, in mid January, when Pierce feels deserted and depressed, he hasn't even played himself into shape besides it being a contract year for him, Ainge shops him and Eric Bledsoe for Josh Smith and Kyle Korver. This trade works because Boston will want to get rid of either Bledsoe or Bradley because they're pretty much identical players. Josh Smith and the Celtics have been in every possible trade combination since 2006/2007 when Ainge wanted to trade Pierce. Getting Korver would solve the lack of shooting and suddenly, the Celtics have a surprisingly sexy lineup! Their roster would be young and include Rondo, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Kyle Korver, Deandre Jordan, and Josh Smith.



Whatever happens, it will be very tough to let go either KG, Pierce, or even Doc. Those guys are icons and they are treated like gods in Boston. Especially Pierce. But I think at this point, it's inevitable: Goodbye Pierce, Doc, or Kevin Garnett.

Top 10 ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts

In 2008, ESPN employee, Bill Simmons pitched the idea of making a strand of documentaries in honor of ESPN's 30th anniversary. ESPN and has been working on documentaries called "30 for 30", produced by professional directors since 2009, and they have been so successful, ESPN still makes new ones in 2013. Since 2012, they have incorporated short documentaries to go along with the long ones. These shorts are (not surprisingly) called "ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts. Because there are just simply too many good 30 for 30 full length movies, here is the top nine shorts that YOU must see if you're a sports fan. (There are only nine)

#10: THE IRRELEVANT GIANT

#9: THE ARNOLD PALMER

Bill Simmons is NOT A Bad Guy

Yesterday, while Bill Simmons was talking with Joe House and Jalen Rose on the weekly podcast called The B.S. Report, Bill had said some interesting things about Memphis. Just to get this clear, Bill Simmons is getting all the bad publicity right now, even though he shouldn't.

The podcast, which I was actually listening to (like I always do) was just a normal podcast in which Bill was discussing the NBA Playoffs with Jalen and Joe. Because Jalen and Bill are on the NBA countdown crew, they were in Memphis to cover the Western Conference Finals. For almost the whole show, Jalen and Bill were raving about how amazing the city was and how pleasantly surprised they were by it. They loved the food, the geography, the feel, and especially the nice people. But the part that got everyone talking about is the history aspect of Memphis. In fact, Jalen Rose ranked Memphis #1 on his "Black Guy Best City Power Rankings", so you know that Bill and Jalen have immense respect for the wonderful city of Memphis.

Bill and Jalen had gone to the Lorraine Hotel in their 4 day stay in Memphis. They said it was a great experience. Bill Simmons is a sports analyst, sports-caster, and sports writer. His job is to talk about sports and to relate or connect anything that he's talking about back to sports;  whether it's Game of Thrones, Football, Life, or even Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact on the city of Memphis and their sports.

"I didn’t realize the effect [the King assassination] had on that city. [...] I think from people we talk to and stuff we’ve read, the shooting kind of sets the tone for how the city thinks about stuff. We were at Game 3. Great crowd, they fall behind and the whole crowd got tense. It as like, ‘Oh no, something bad is going to happen.’ And it starts from that shooting and it’s just that mind-set they have."

Throughout the whole podcast, and in most of his podcasts, Bill jokes about his "Don't get fired" rants. He says "This is one of those don't get fired moments" around 10 times in Wednesday's podcast, so I think he knew what he was getting into or what he was started. I'm sure he didn't know how blown up it would get though...

It doesn't matter how ridiculous this quote might be, he's just trying to do his job and entertain the guys (or girls) listening. Nobody's view should change of Bill Simmons by this tiny quote, especially if you have heard some of his other podcasts, which are sensationally entertaining. Plus, it's not even like he hasn't done anything like this before.

Bill Simmons fought publicly with his company over his podcast in May of 2008. After that interview, there has been a disclaimer at the beginning of each of his podcasts: "The B.S report is a free-flowing conversation that occasionally touches on mature subjects". He hasn't exactly feuded with ESPN since then, but you can tell by listening that he is not perfectly happy with management there. Hopefully this podcast wasn't a "Don't get fired" moment because he's my favorite sports writer, caster, etc. and I wouldn't stand not seeing him on NBA countdown every day.

What should the Cavs do with the Number 1 Pick?

On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the first pick of the 2014 NBA draft in the lottery. The Cavs had the third worst record in the NBA, so the odds weren't exactly in their favor. Nick Gilbert, the son of Dan Gilbert (the owner of the Cavs) has been at the podium for the Cavaliers for the past three draft lotteries. In those three years, Cleveland has drawn the first overall pick twice. That's probably not because Nick is lucky, but because of all the good karma that Cleveland basketball has from Lebron leaving the way he did. Nick and Dan swear that this will be the last time that that the Cavs will be in the lottery for a long time. It doesn't matter why or how they got the first pick this year, the important thing is; they got it. But what will they do with it?

This is a very interesting situation because it's potentially a "no loss" scenario. The worst situation I can think of is:

The Cavs pick Nerlens Noel out of Kentucky with the first pick of the draft. Noel goes all Greg Oden and blows out his knee again. (Plausible). He later tries to make a comeback, but he's never the same player. The Cavs tank the season and get a top 5 pick in the 2015 loaded draft class that is full of future all-stars.

If I were Kyrie Irving, the obvious face of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise I would seriously be talking to management about possibly moving the number one pick to either Portland or Minnesota.

Both those teams are rumored to be offering their star players (Kevin Love for  Minnesota and Aldridge from Portland). Especially if the Cavs were able to bring in Love and "bring the band back together", I would be ecstatic if I were Irving.

If that were to happen, the Cavs would immediately be a threat in the East to challenge the Miami Heat. The Cavaliers would be the most intriguing team in the NBA, with the obvious awesome chemistry of Irving and Love, the rebounding combination of Anderson Varejao and K-Love, and emerging young stars like Dion Waiters.

All in all, the Cavaliers are lucky to be in one of the best draft situations in the history of the NBA. They really can't go wrong! But they definitely go right if they make a move to get Kevin Love and bring the band back together and show the "young bloods" how to play basketball and win championships.....

The Forgotten Gem

Think of the best pitching performance you have ever seen or heard about in professional baseball. I bet names like Cy Young, Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martinez, Don Larsen, Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, Matt Cain, and Felix Hernandez come to your mind. But does the name Harvey Haddix mean anything to you?

Harvey Haddix, the ace pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the  late 1950's and early 1960's, pitched the greatest game in MLB history in 1959. You may not remember him because it was so long ago, it wasn't a perfect game, it wasn't a no-hitter, and he didn't even get the win.

So how on earth was that the best pitching performance ever?? Well, Haddix pitched a perfect game through 12 innings! It was not until the 13th inning when the perfection ended on an error.

After a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to (who else but) Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock hit what would be a walk-off 3 run homer. coincidentally, Joe Adcock passed Hank Aaron in his homerun trot so the Milwaukee Brewers were only credited with one run.

Since 1880, there have been 23 perfect games. But none of them were as great as Harvey Haddix's one-hitter.

Harvey Haddix's stat line went something like this: 12 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

The final score was 1-0. The Pirates lost. Despite the loss, Harvey Haddix still pitched the greatest game in MLB history. So remember the name, Harvey Haddix, and think of him when you're thinking about the best pitching performances ever.

Goodbye "The Office"

Based on the British comedy, "The Office" debuted in 2005 as an unknown sitcom on NBC with no-name actors and low-profile writers. Four Emmy awards and eight years later, it's just the opposite. Even after Steve Carell, aka Michael Scott departed the show two seasons ago, the cast of actors is still filled with stars that have appeared in movies and other TV shows since 2005. Most notably, Ed Helms, aka Andy Bernard, who has appeared in numerous movies including both "Hangover" and "Hangover Part II". But how did this show become so famous in between the years of 2005 and 2013? The writers.

Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak, who have also acted in the show as employers in the local Scranton, NJ office, wrote the hit sitcom for 7 seasons each. Mindy Kaling, who now has her own book and TV show, "The Mindy Project" was especially comical in acting and writing.  Why do I bring up the writers exactly? Because I commend them incredibly because after the boss, Michael Scott left for his love in Colorado, there have been no interesting storylines to run with. They single-handedly kept the mockumentary alive through the years. Yet, the show has still been pretty entertaining. Even if the show is still funny, it's about half as good as when it was two years ago when Steve Carell was the lead actor. This revolutionary show should have ended two years ago when he left; it would have been the perfect ending to a perfect comedy show.

But it ends tonight. Two mediocre seasons after it should have. Even though these two previous seasons have been disappointing, this series finale is probably going to great. If you stopped watching when Michael left, you haven't really missed much:

• Jim and Pam have been feuding about their relationship and Jim's job in Philadelphia. But they are happy now


• Dwight is finally at the helm of the office after Andy quit. Dwight is now set to marry Angela who has a baby. Dwight is the father.


• Andy quit his job as the boss to go sing at an Acapella singing contest similar to "American Idol". He was terrible.


• The final documentary that has been "The Office" was airing on PBS at the end of the last episode.

So after eight seasons, "The Office" is up there in the ranks of all-time NBC sitcoms with "Seinfeld", "Cheers", and "Friends"... It possibly may even be the best. What will you remember most about "The Office"? I will remember the incredible main characters that were developed over the years like Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight, and Andy. But maybe even more, I will remember the amazingly hilarious background characters like Stanley, Creed, Kevin, Angela, Phyllis, Oscar, Toby, and Darryl. They are like the role players that every great basketball team seems to have. That's really what distinguished "The Office" from other shows; no other sitcom will ever replicate the amount of quality characters and role players that were created in "Office".

After tonight, NBC plans to replace "The Office" with a show called, "Sean Saves the World" which from what I have heard, sounds pretty awful; that's such a shame.

So even if we forget all of the character's names, where the office was, who was dating who, or even the writers who kept the show alive in times of need, we will never, ever (even in 40 years) that the light-hearted comedy always made us smile and laugh at the television when the opening theme jingle comes on.

"I want to be part of history"

After being asked about the Celtics chances in their series against the New York Knicks, Celtics coach, Doc Rivers says, "I want to be part of history."

No team ever in the NBA has come back from a 3-0 playoff deficit. The last time that happened in any major sport was (who else)the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Those bunch of idiots beat the Yankees four games in a row and later went on to win the world series. Cowboy Up!

"Don't let us win tonight. This is a big game. They've got to win because if we win we've got Petie coming back today and then Schilling will pitch Game 6 and then you can take that fraud stuff and put it to bed. Don't let the Sox win this game." Those were the words of leader Kevin Millar after the 3-0 deficit for the Red Sox.

Apparently, Doc Rivers repeated Millar's quote before the game to his team. There are no better teams to come back from insurmountable leads than the Boston teams, especially the Celtics. If the Celtics lose this series, the "Big Three" era will likely end. KG will probably foul and Pierce is almost done, but he will do everything he can to retire as a Celtic.
Hopefully we get to see a few more KG/Pierce game because they are historic.

Celtics Game 2 vs Knicks

Tonight is definitely a must-win for the Celtics. To be honest, if they don't win, they will need to win all three at home (unlikely) and win a game 6 or 7 in MSG which is almost impossible. Game 1 wasn't a must win, but I really wish they stole it.

The single most reason why the Celtics didn't win game 1 is because they died out in the 4th quarter. They just got tired. So who is to blame? Doc Rivers. He has to make better subs in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to preserve the Pierce/Garnett combo for the 4th quarter. That's all Doc's fault. Also, I think the Celtics really missed Ray Allen last night as much as I hate to say it. He could have easily given them 15 points and hit a couple threes to silence the roaring crowd that sounded like 10,000 college kids hyped up on beer, red bull, and mountain dew.

The Celtics will win game 2 because:

• The bench won't go 0-7


• Jason Terry will play better and hopefully make a clutch shot down the stretch


• Pierce will have a MUCH better and efficient shooting night


• KG will hopefully get out of his sudden funk and own Kenyon Martin


• KG and The Truth know how important this game is and they will play it like it's a game 7.


• Melo will be flustered by the Celtics' all around defense on him when he's in a isolation situation.


• Jason Kidd simply won't be as good as he was in the 4th quarter last game.

This game is definitely going to be a nail biter and it has the potential to be very entertaining to watch, even more than the new "Office that airs tonight. I want to see KG try to get in Melo's head a little bit more than the 1st game. We'll see!

FINAL SCORE: BOS:91 NYK: 89

A Great American Sports Moment

Rene Rancourt, a fantastic American singer, has sung the national anthem over 200 times for the Boston Bruins. He has started and finished the anthem every time. But this time, he knew he wouldn't be able to finish. Rancourt always practices the national anthem in the bathroom before every one of his performances. But that night, he couldn't even finish his practice session in the bathroom; he was too choked up.

Wednesday, the Boston Bruins played the Buffalo Sabres in a regular season emotional hockey match in which the Bruins ended up clinching a playoff spot, but losing in a shootout. It doesn't matter that they lost because to Boston, it was more than a hockey game. Wednesday night was the first time that thousands of Bostonians gathered together under one roof since the terrible bombing at the finish line of the Boston marathon. And what happened before the game was just overwhelmingly emotional, patriotic, and amazing act of unity and togetherness. For the 5 minutes before the game, when Rene Rancourt began to sing, everyone in the stands forgot about the color of each other's skins, forgot about everyone else's fault, stopped judging everyone and realized that everyone in the stands has so much in common. They sang with passion and gusto. It was one of the greatest moments in all of Boston Sports history.

Boston has never really had to deal with something as bad as this, but Boston is strong, and Boston will never give up and we will never be broken. The people of Boston believe that they are the centerpiece of America, and that's why we get so much crap from everyone, but Bostonians really come together in times of need and prove that they are a great city and they are just as important as anyone else when it comes to the making of our great country.

On Wednesday night, we realized that Boston is brave.... Boston is admirable.... Boston is together..... Boston is Strong.

Western Conference Playoff Predictions

Using the "Danny Emerman NBA Playoff Theory", which you can find in one of my previous posts, I will predict the first round games of the Western Conference NBA Playoffs....

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets

This is my favorite matchup of the whole playoffs because James Harden has so much to prove to his former team. This series is the ultimate "F-U" round for Harden because he wants payback and he wants it bad. The Rockets can score with ease and I think they will challenge OKC. But in the end, the Thunder will be too much to handle.

OKC THUNDER WIN IN 6 GAMES

San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are the most talked about 7 seed ever. By far. I think they are a very good team, even without Kobe Bryant. This series is all about health and injuries. If the Spurs get healthy and somehow stay healthy, they shouldn't have a problem handling the Lakers in at most 6 games. But, I don't think that they will stay healthy. Ginobili and Parker are just too banged up and I think that the Lakers will outlast the Spurs and pull out the upset...

LA LAKERS WIN IN 7 GAMES

Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors

Even without Danilo Galinari, the Nuggets are still the superior team. Stephen Curry will have two or three ridiculous games, but those are the only games that the Warriors have a chance in.

DENVER NUGGETS WIN IN 5 GAMES

Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Clippers

This is an intriguing matchup because of how these teams have played each other in the regular season. I personally have not jumped on the Clippers bandwagon and I don't think they have an even above average half court offense so I don't think they will win this series. The Grizzlies are a much more physical team that rebounds and does all of the fundamentals right. That's a recipe for success. Tony Allen will shut down whoever he's guarding and that will really hurt the Clippers.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES WIN IN 6 GAMES

That's it for the first round of the western conference finals! We'll see what happens. Tune in for the eastern conference which will be posted before Saturday. If you disagree with any of my points or picks, please feel free to email me at dannyemerman@hotmail.com. Thank you!

Celtics vs Knicks Playoff Preview

The Celtic's first stop in the playoffs is New York; and not Brooklyn. The Knicks are a very good team that have had decent success against the Celtics this regular season. Most notably, the game between the two before the All-Star break in which Kevin Garnett and Carmelo Anthony exchanged shoves and some harsh words. The series promises to be extremely entertaining with all of the storylines included. 

Using my "Danny Emerman NBA Playoff Theory", I will predict the winner of the series. Refer to one of my previous posts for my complete theory....

Boston Celtics Lineup:

PG: Avery Bradley

SG: Paul Pierce

SF: Jeff Green

PF: Brandon Bass

C: Kevin Garnett

6TH MAN: Courtney Lee/Jason Terry/Chris Wilcox

New York Knicks Lineup:

PG: Raymond Felton

SG: Pablo Prigioni

SF: Iman Shumpert

PF: Carmelo Anthony

C: Tyson Chandler

6TH MAN: J.R. Smith

Matchups:

PG: Avery Bradley vs Ray Felton

Ray Felton is a very good offensive player on some nights, but on other nights, he just looks lost on the floor. Even when he's playing well, the Knicks don't ask him to do much. His responsibility as Point Guard is to almost always throw it to Melo on the wing and watch. Bradley on the other hand, will hound is matchup 94 feet for 40 minutes a game every game. What comes on offense is just bonus. Advantage: Avery Bradley

SG: Paul Pierce vs Pablo Prigioni

THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'Nuff said. Advantage: Paul Pierce

SF: Jeff Green vs Iman Shumpert

This is ultimately a huge matchup for the series because you don't really know what you're going to get with either of these players on a nightly basis. I believe that Jeff Green will have a few really good nights and a few very mediocre games. Those few games in which nobody can stop him will be a difference maker in the series. Advantage: Jeff Green

PF: Carmelo Anthony vs Brandon Bass

This one is not even remotely close. Advantage: Melo

C: Tyson Chandler vs Kevin Garnett

This is the single most important matchup in the series. Kevin Garnett will be jawing and battling with Melo for so much of the game, he might not have enough energy to deal with the beast of Tyson Chandler. The winner of this matchup is truly whoever is more healthy. We all know that Garnett has two times as much heart and desire than Chandler, but I don't know how much that actually plays into things. The biggest numbers when comparing the two players are 36 and 30. Garnett is 36 years old and Chandler is 30. That is huge in a grueling series that will probably go 7 games. In my opinion, these two players are so similar, it's almost impossible to pick one. As much as I hate to say it, I honestly hope that I'm wrong, Tyson Chandler will be better than KG in this series because Garnett's body is wearing down and Chandler is a better rebounder. I'm completely torn in half is I type these sentences. Advantage: Tyson Chandler

6TH MAN: J.R. Smith vs Jason Terry and Co.

J.R Smith will most likely win the 6th man of the year award and the Celtics don't have a 6th man. Advantage: J.R. Smith

SUPER TEAM:

PG: Avery Bradley

SG: Paul Pierce

SF: Jeff Green

PF: Carmelo Anthony

C: Tyson Chandler

6TH MAN: J.R Smith

 

Analysis:

That's right.... three Celtics players and three Knicks players. Judging by my theory, the Knicks will win this series because they have the best overall player in Carmelo Anthony. But, I'm almost positive that this series will go 7 games and the Celtics will make their runs and really challenge the overall superior team. I think the mental stage of Carmelo Anthony is huge in the series and can either win or lose the series for New York.

FINAL RESULT:

KNICKS WIN IN 7 GAMES

Patriots Day Pandemonium

Written by a proud Bostonian
In dedication to all of the affected by the awful terrorist attack on Monday, April 15, 2013

Every third Monday in May, the people of Massachusetts, particularly Boston, celebrate the anniversary of the battles at Lexington and Concord. But Patriots Day is much more than that. Patriots Day is the proudest day in Boston and it's a very special holiday because it's unique to Massachusetts and nobody else really celebrates it. The day always consists of an awesome early Red Sox game at Fenway Park that starts at 11:00 in the morning, the biggest marathon in the United States of America called the Boston Marathon, and either a Celtics or Bruins game later at the TD Boston Garden. For Bostonians, it's generally the happiest day of the year. That's why what happened was so bad.

At about 2:30, everything was going perfectly! The Sox had one a great game. Another Ethiopian won the marathon already and the Bruins were scheduled to play the Ottawa Senators later. At 3:00 the bombs went off. Chaos spread through the streets like peanut butter on a sandwich. Fear struck the city of Boston and the first responders were getting to the finish line as quickly as possible.

Because when people finish the marathon, they often need to sit down and relax, there were many wheelchairs already parked by the finish line so all the injured spectators and runners could be wheeled away after they were helped. Over 176 people were injured. 17 are in fatal condition. 3 are dead.

One man, who was planning to propose to his girlfriend after she crossed the finish line, never got to say goodbye to his lover. She is one of the 3 people who died from the explosion.

Another fatality from the terrorist attack is an 8 year old kid. He had his whole life ahead of him and it had to end because of some stupid people who hate the world and want to do something about it. That's terrible! A 9 year old and a 10 year old are in fatal condition right now.

So that awesome Patriot's day that is so festive and happy suddenly turned awful and catastrophic. Those two explosions affected so many people that even the President of the United States is trying to act. "We still do not know who did this or why. And people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. But make no mistake -- we will get to the bottom of this. And we will find out who did this; we'll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."

Until we find these terrible people, nobody will feel safe in the city of Boston, and that is a shame. So pray that we find and bring to justice these crazy people. Pray for the families that were affected. Pray for the lives lost. Pray for the scarred children. Pray for Boston.

The Danny Emerman Theory

My all-time favorite sports writer, Bill Simmons, is known for a few things, some of those being funny, writing the Bible of Basketball, and creating theories about all sorts of things. He inspired me to give it a try......

DANNY EMERMAN NBA PLAYOFF THEORY:
Compare each team's depth chart side by side and try to assemble the greatest possible team by combining the players on the two teams. You must have roster spots for:
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
6TH MAN
Decide the roster spots by comparing each individual position matchup. Whichever team has more players on the super team that you assembled will win the series in real life. If each team has 3 players on the super team, the team with the best overall player in the series will win. If there is no definite best player, the team with the best coach will win.

 

Parquet Post 4-16-13

WRITTEN BY DANNY EMERMAN

Tonight, the Celtics were scheduled to take on the Indiana Pacers, a tough physical, grueling team who would have worn the C's down to the ground. That is if the Boston Celtics played their starters. But, as you know, because of the horrific, awful tragedy that occurred yesterday on Copley Street, the match was canceled and will not be made up, for both playoff teams are already set for their seeds.

Tomorrow is the last game of the season for the Boston Celtics. They will play the Toronto Raptors in Toronto. I doubt that Pierce and Garnett will play, but if they do, the C's will handily win that game. They are looking ahead to their first round series against the Knicks.

The New York Knicks, who have at times been one of the best 3 teams in the league, have so many question marks and asterisks it's unbelievable. To beat the Celtics (which I hope they don't but if I had to place money on it, they will) the Knickerbockers will probably not want Amar'e to play major minutes because it has just been proven that they are better without him. Also, the need Tyson Chandler to be at least 70% healthy to anchor down their defense. Also, J.R. Smith will have to hit some ridiculous shots against the bulldogs of Avery Bradley and Courtney Lee. Melo will get his 30 points off of 25 shots and Pierce will go berserk in MSG. That is a fact.

The X-Factor in this series is Jeff Green. He has proven to be a consistent 1 0n 1 defender and will probably guard Carmelo Anthony whenever they are both on the floor so the Celtics can give Pierce a rest. The question with Green is what we're going to see out of him offensively. He's the only player in the league who can go for 40 points in one game and the 8 points in the next.

Lately, the Celtics have been going with their "Big Roster" while starting Pierce at shooting guard and Green at Small Forward. This is good for the Knicks series because it will get Green covering Melo whenever Pierce needs a break and it will help the Celtics with their rebounding struggle.

DANNY EMERMAN NBA PLAYOFF THEORY:

Compare each team's depth chart side by side and try to assemble the greatest possible team by combining the players on the two teams. You must have roster spots for:

PG

SG

SF

PF

C

6TH MAN

Decide the roster spots by comparing each individual position matchup. Whichever team has more players on the super team that you assembled will win the series in real life. If each team has 3 players on the super team, the team with the best overall player in the series will win. If there is no definite best player, the team with the best coach will win.

To see more about the Danny Emerman theory, read my post about the Celtics vs Knicks Preview! Enjoy!

Parquet Post 4-10-13

The Celtics will challenge the Nets tonight in the Boston Garden at 8:00 eastern time. The Brooklyn Nets are a good team who have a lot of swag and can possibly reek havoc in the playoffs. I think the Nets will probably win tonight because they are going to want the game more than the fatigued Celtics. The Celtics look old and bored right now; they are just waiting until the playoffs to ramp it up from 1 to 10.

Speaking of the playoffs, I really like where the Celtics are right now. They are in the 7th seed and are set to play the New York Knicks in the first round. Although the Knicks are on a roll in April, winning almost 20 in a row, they really don't scare anyone in a playoff series. Especially the veteran Boston Celtics. The last time Carmelo Anthony got out of the first round of the post season, it was 2008 and he played for the Denver Nuggets. He's just not a winner. To me, Melo is the equivalent of a Tony Romo on steroids. Anthony is a much better player, but both of them haven't won anything.

But tonight, for the Celtics-Nets, the Nets are going to run away with it.

FINAL SCORE: BKN: 103 BOS: 95

A Great Day for Red Sox Nation

Who and why was everyone saying Jackie Bradley Jr. is our savior; our real savior is Will Middlebrooks. JBJ is only getting good hype because it's a nice underdog story on how he made the team. He is hitting .187!

Today, Will Middlebrooks, the real Red Sox savior, hit 3 homeruns today against division rival Toronto Blue Jays! That ties a Boston Red Sox record. And apparently, his hitting is contagious! The Red Sox rocked former Cy Young award winner R.A Dickey and ended up hitting 6 homers! Middlebrooks ended the day with 3 home runs and a double.

With the help of the young rising star, Middlebrooks, the Red Sox are 4-2 and have won their first two series for the first time since 2006. This is hopefully a good sign for a team that is in a tough division and had incredibly low expectations before the season started.

Maybe the Red Sox aren't going to be as bad as everyone thought.....

Parquet Post 4-7-13

The Boston Celtics will play the Washington Wizards tonight and most of the Celtic's players probably won't even play for the majority of the game. The Wizards are terrible. 'Nuff said.

 

FINAL SCORE: BOS: 94 WAS: 85

Parquet Post 4-5-13

After an exciting win over the Pistons, in which I almost predicted the correct score, the Celtics will take on a much tougher opponent tonight, by playing the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Cavs don't look so good record wise or on paper, I believe they can hang with the best teams of the league because they can fall back on one of the top 7 players in the league right now in my opinion. And probably, when Lebron retires, he will be second to Kevin Durant.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Kyrie Irving's electrifying play and mind boggling dribble moves.

Jeff Green attacking the basket and the way he swoops to the hoop with one hand palming the ball

Alonzo Gee, who has historically toasted the Celtics- 11 PPG which is a lot for him

Shavlik Randolph, the new big guy for the Celtics who continues to impress.

PREDICTION:

The Celtics will win this game convincingly because they are playing to stay out of 8th place in the East (currently in 7th) which would potentially avoid having to play the Heat until possibly the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs are playing for nothing. They aren't making the playoffs this year and they really just don't have any motivation going into this game.

FINAL SCORE: BOS 102 CLE: 91

Parquet Post 4-3-13

After another tough loss, this time to the shockingly white Minnesota Timberwolves, the Celtics will take on the Detroit Pistons. But before I talk about that game (which will be a Celtic rout), lets play a game about the BOS vs MIN game. Lets pretend the basketball game was a movie and we will make the movie title. Comment your creative titles. Here are mine:

THE BETTER MAN DOESN'T ALWAYS WIN
HOW MANY WHITE GUYS DOES IT TAKE TO BEAT THE CELTICS?
WERE THE CELTICS EVEN TRYING?
RACE TO AVOID 8TH PLACE
MOST WHITE GUYS ON A BASKETBALL TEAM SINCE THE 70'S

Not any great ones. Hopefully you have some better ones!

The Celtics just couldn't get rolling against the Timberwolves without Paul Pierce. They got outplayed the whole game. It was quite embarrassing to watch as a fan. Hopefully they don't play as poorly tonight....

The Detroit Pistons are one of the worst teams in the NBA, even worse than the Timberwolves, so the Celtics should have an easy one tonight. But on the other hand, we learned last night that any team in the NBA can beat any team because they're all professionals and every single one of them can put the ball in the basket. I predict this game will actually be pretty close.

FINAL SCORE: BOS: 93 DET: 90