Paul Pierce Not Happy With Celtics Roster

Paul Pierce in a recent interview had a lot to say about the Celtics current roster. Pierce says he has looked around the Eastern Conference and a lot of the teams have gotten better, while the Celtics may have gotten worse...

“Sometimes, I’m sitting here and I’m looking at all these players sign and I wish we’d get on the ball a little bit,’’ Pierce said. “But I trust in Danny. He’s done a good job putting a good team around us.’’

“We’ve got a lot [to do] right now,’’ Pierce said. “We don’t have a bench. We don’t have TA. We don’t have Rasheed. We’ve got to add a bench. We’ve got to add a bench. So we’ve got our work cut out for us this offseason.

“We’ve got to add perimeter defense, some shooting, maybe we need to add a point guard to help Rondo out. Definitely got to add another point guard if we don’t sign Nate [Robinson]. And we need another big. So we’ve still got a lot of work to do (Boston.com).’’

Pierce goes on to say that there is slim pickings now on the free agent wire, and the Celtics might have to look to make a trade to get better. Pierce also seemed very hurt that Tony Allen left the Celtics...

“That definitely surprised me,’’ Pierce said. “I was a little bit upset, because Tony is a guy I thought we needed. That’s a tough one to swallow, especially with the deal Tony got. I thought we offered him the same deal. Maybe he just wanted to get greener pastures. Maybe he thought it was a better opportunity. But that was a difficult one for me. I had a chance to call him and talk to him. That was a tough one for me to understand.’’

I am with Pierce on this one. The Celtics offered him the same contract, and yet Tony still left. I get that he doesn't want to be a backup his whole career, but I really don't see him being a starter on a playoff team. I guess his minutes mean more to him then his former team and/or winning. Losing Tony was a huge loss for the Celtics, and it's going to be really interesting to see how they are going to fill that void.

The last topic Pierce touched on was Rasheed Wallace. We heard earlier this week from Ainge that there was no shot Sheed would be coming back. Pierce didn't say that he wasn't coming back, but he seems to be holding out some hope...

“I texted him a couple times,’’ Pierce said. “He was congratulating me on the contract. I think he’s still up in the air as far as what he wants to do. I’m not sure if he’s all the way retired. We could definitely use him. I’ll probably put a couple more calls in to him just to see, though. I definitely think we could use him. But right now the situation’s on Rasheed.’’

I really hope somehow Sheed does come back, and for some reason I still kind of believe he will.

Ellsbury Doesn't Want To Play?

Interesting article today in the Globe by Tony Massarotti. The article is about Ellsbury and his "reputation" of not wanting to play baseball.

"Before we go any further, we all need to understand something here. This is not solely about this season and about whether Ellsbury has bruised ribs or hairline fractures. This goes well beyond that. During his rookie season of 2008, Ellsbury missed small chunks of time with various assorted ailments. He came to the Red Sox having earned a reputation in the minor leagues of being someone who required a great deal of, well, maintenance. Last year, during a rock-solid season in which Ellsbury batted .301, stole 70 bases, and played in 153 games, manager Terry Francona spoke of how Ellsbury was beginning to understand the "responsibility" of playing in the major leagues, which was a nice way of saying that Ellsbury had an obligation to his manager and teammates to play through minor issues and be in the lineup.

Then came last offseason, the departure of Jason Bay, and the acquisition of Mike Cameron. Ellsbury was bumped from center field to left, a change that clearly did not sit well with him. In Kansas City April 11, Ellsbury collided with third baseman Adrian Beltre and suffered his existing rib injury, and you could hear all the pink hats in Camp Jacoby groan simultaneously (Boston Globe)."

I had no idea he had this "reputation" in the minors. I really hope it isn't true, and that Ellsbury is hurt, but I respect a lot of what Tony Mazz writes, and this scares me a bit. He also goes on to say that Boras is now his agent, and he doesn't like his players playing at less then 100%.

In the end, the Sox can't afford to have another JD Drew. Ellsbury changes this lineup so much when he is in it, but this is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Savard Back Next Round For Bruins?

When Savard when down 6 weeks ago with a terrible concussion I really thought there was no shot we would see him again this year, but after reading his comments in the Globe today, I may have been wrong...

"I feel great," Savard said. "The biggest thing is that over the last seven days, I've had some great days."

"If you're asking me that, I'd like to play tonight," said Savard when asked if he could play in this series. "I've got to be realistic here and take the proper steps. I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful."

We got an update 2 weeks ago that Savard was still having headaches, but now he is feeling so good that passed an exertion test yesterday.Savard plans to skate on his own again tomorrow morning, then undergo a neuro-psych test in the afternoon. If Savard passes, he will be cleared to return to practice. This is a great step, but we can't get carried away. He hasn't played in 6 weeks, and it will take him time to get back into game shape.

Still, this could give the Bruins extra motivation to get to the next round. If the Bruins got Savard back one would think their powerplay will be a lot better. You add that with a hot goalie (Tuukka), and the Bruins become a dangerous team again.

Would You Trade Buchholz?

Massarotti Talks About Trading Beckett

Could This Be Why The Bruins Don't Want Kessel?

Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe wrote a great article today breaking down Kessel's production for the Bruins. The way he did it was by looking up who Kessel scored his goals against, then broke down the percentage against "playoff teams". Here is how Kessel did...

1. Loui Eriksson, 63.9 percent
2. Dany Heatley, 61.5
3. Patrick Marleau, 55.3
4. Rick Nash, 55
5. Zach Parise, 51.1
6. Thomas Vanek, 50
7. Ilya Kovalchuk, 48.9
8. Mike Cammalleri, 48.7
9. Marian Hossa, 47.5
10. Alex Ovechkin, 42.9
11. Jeff Carter, 39.1
12. Eric Staal, 37.5
13. Kessel, 19.4

There is a huge drop off from 12 to 13. So when Kessel is asking for $5 million a year the Bruins can use this stat against him. This also could explain why the market for Kessel is so down. He is not a great two way player (meaning playing defense along with offense), and the Bruins just don't have a high feeling of value for Kessel.

Still, I want Kessel back, but I found this information very interesting and at least now I can understand Boston's thinking on the value of Kessel.

What To Do With Buchholz?

I usually hate Globe 10.0, but I have to say I was intrigued with Chad Finn in this video. He seems to think Penny will get dealt the the National League before the trade deadline. While I don't disagree I think it is going to hinge on how Smoltz pitches before the trade deadline.

The Sox Have Options

I just read a good article by Tony Massarotti (by far the best sports writer in Boston) about what the Sox might do with a 6 man rotation. Basically it says that they will rotate starters to the DL to rest them for the postseason.

"As much as any other team in recent years, the Red Sox have made it a priority to protect their pitchers, especially given the team's hopes and expectations of playing in October. As such, the Sox frequently have tried to build in a two-week break for their starters during the regular season. (Under the reign of general manager Dan Duquette, manager Jimy Williams, and pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, the Sox invoked a similar practice with Pedro Martinez.) Last year, for example, the Sox set up their pitching in such a way that Jon Lester got 12 days off between starts on July 8 and July 21, a period that included the annual major league All-Star break.

While scheduling such a program for six starters is an obvious challenge -- and, perhaps, a long shot -- the Sox have had some discussion recently about giving all of their starters a break at some point, be it via the disabled list or otherwise (Boston.com)."

I would suggest reading the rest of the article, because it makes a lot of good points, and it has to be something the Sox are considering.

To read the rest of the article: CLICK HERE

Sox Owners Don't Want Globe

"The owners of the Boston Red Sox are denying reports that they might try to buy the struggling Boston Globe. The team released a statement Thursday that said neither owners John Henry and Tom Werner nor any other affiliates of the Red Sox were involved in efforts to buy the newspaper. Published reports have claimed Henry was exploring a deal to take control of the Globe along with the New York Times Co.'s stake in the Red Sox. The Times Co. announced in January it wanted to sell its 17.8 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures, which owns the Red Sox, Fenway Park and other properties. The Times Co. also has threatened to shut down the Globe unless its unions agree to cut annual labor costs by $20 million (Sportsline)."

We are seeing this all over the US. The time of newspapers has passed. I honestly really don't know many people that buy it anymore. I get everything off the web, so the only people I see buying it are people who do manual labor. Eventually the Globe/Herald will fall, and everything will be through the internet. Times are changing, we are already seeing it in Seattle where a couple of their newspapers have gone to just completely online business.

I Hate John Tomase, but....

He really did write a good article today...

"See if this sounds familiar: The Red Sox work all offseason to secure one of the most talented young players in the game, only to see the hated Yankees swipe him from their grasp.

That scenario played out recently with Mark Teixeira, who flirted with accepting a landmark eight-year deal from the Sox before spurning them at the 11th hour to don pinstripes.

While losing Teixeira certainly stung, an illustrative example from the not-too-distant past suggests everything could be OK.

His name is Alex Rodriguez (Boston Globe)."

To read the rest: CLICK HERE

Brady to be Back for Season Opener

"Tom Brady is progressing on pace in his rehabilitation from reconstructive left knee surgery and is now dropping back and throwing passes, according to a medical source familiar with the Patriots quarterback's case. The medical source said Brady is "on track to be fine for the opening game of the season. "Based on anybody else doing an ACL rehab, he's going right along. He had a shaky start, but he's caught up," said the source (Boston Globe)."

There is not a lot to say about this, since we basically got the same story directly from Tom Brady last week, but for a second let's talk about the Globe. On one page hey are saying that Brady is on track for the opener and that he is been doing a great job to catch up on his rehab. In the same edition, the Globe slams Brady for "going soft", because he is down in Mexico banging the shit out of Gisele. Listen, if you just got engaged you tend to have to make "romantic getaways" and crap. I have no doubt that when the season comes around Brady will be ready to go, so stop writing this smut. Brady being in Mexico has nothing to do with the Patriots. At this point in the season you are doing one of two things... Playing in the Super Bowl or playing golf. Brady just changed the golf part to banging a supermodel. Good for you, and fuck you Dan Shaughnessy, your stories are like reading some bad tabloid magazine.

Charles Pierce Is A Fucking Idiot

At Dueling Couches, we make a lot of outlandish commits, but Charles Pierce of Boston Globe Magazine blew us out of the water today. He wrote an article about how the Red Sox should bring back Manny Ramirez. Let me say that again, BRING BACK MANNY???? The guy who tore this team apart last season. The guy who did anything, and everything to get out of Boston. You have got to be fucking kidding me. Do me a favor Charles Pierce keep these thoughts to yourself...idiot.

Here is the article: CLICK HERE

Paul Pierce: Bostonian Of The Year

Boston Globe Magazine has named Paul Pierce the 2008 Bostonian of the Year. I think it is a great pick. The only other guy I would have thought of would've been Jon Lester, but he didn't win it all, so I think they made the right choice. Pierce has had a long road, and stuck with the Celtics through some of the worst seasons in franchise history. I think if you asked him he would tell you that it was worth it, just to be able to enjoy what he has over the last year or so. There were times when people thought that Pierce should be traded. Even some fans didn't like Pierce (DP), but at the end of the day, there has not been a more committed player for the Celtics like Paul Pierce. He has learned how to play as a leader, and a teammate. He seems to be getting better with age, and overall stay out of trouble. So, today we solute you Paul Pierce, you deserve this!

-BMack

Finally Someone Agrees With Me: Sox Will Break Bank For Teixeira

I thought I was the only one who thought that Teixeira is really coming to Boston, but apperently Tony Massarotti (Boston Globe) agrees with me. "By the time this is over, win or lose, the Red Sox effectively will have made Mark Teixeira the largest contract offer in the history of your storied franchise."

With the Yankees out of the running, and the Sox having a good relationship with Scott Boras (even though I can't stand him), there is a really good chance Teixeira will be entering the Sox locker room for the 2009 season. I think it take a while, since Boras will make sure Teixeira gets top dollar. If this was to happen, it would be very interesting to see where, and how the Sox would deal Mike Lowell.

-BMack

MLB GM Meetings

Nick Cafardo who writes for the Globe had some interesting info from the GM meetings:

1. "Epstein and Scott Boras are far apart on Jason Varitek's monetary value. Boras is looking for a Jorge Posada-type deal (4 years, $52 million). The Sox are looking for a shorter terms and fewer dollars."

- At least it looks like the Sox aren't buying into what Boras is selling. Hopefully they won't sign him at all, but if they did it can't be for more then a year or two.

2. "The Sox have a market for Crisp and Lugo."

- Sounds like there are a lot of teams that are lining up for Coco. Would be interesting to see what the Sox are being offered. I expect to see them deal Coco during this offseason, since they seem committed to Ellsbury in CF. I don't know who would be after Lugo, but maybe it is something where the Sox get prospects, but have to pay some of Lugo's remaining contract.

3. The Red Sox don't appear to be in on major pitching free agents like CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, but are unsure about Derek Lowe. The Sox will likely add a veteran pitcher, which could from the free-agent pool, the Japanese market, or via trade.

- Translation: No way they are going after CC, or Burnett (thank God when it comes to Burnett). I don't see the Sox bringing back Lowe, because they were not a fan of this off the field affairs. "Likely add a veteran pitcher", could very well mean Paul Byrd, and we all know who the Japanese guy is (Taz).

4. The Sox are after catchers. The two young Texas catchers -- Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden -- are high atop their list. Seattle's Jeff Clement has been mentioned. The Sox are also looking at trade possibilities for veterans like Bengie Molina. In a bind, they could opt for a year or two of Pudge Rodriguez.

- I am fine with any of those guys over Tek. Though, I think Pudge is basically done. All three of those young guys would be great catchers to build around, still a little worried about Saltalamacchia's defense, but if he could learn for a year behind Pudge or Tek...that would be awesome.

5. "John Farrell will likely be interviewed for the Seattle managerial job. The Sox also need a first base coach."

-BMack