IF MIKE SCIOSCIA IS SO GREAT...?

It seems like the Sox play the Angels every year in the ALDS. And every time that happens, we hear about how great a manager Mike Scioscia is. How "aggressive" he is on the basepaths. How fundamentally sound his teams play. How great of a "strategist" he is.

Yet what nobody talks about with Scioscia is the attitude his teams have, the kind of personality and atmosphere the Angels' clubhouses display. In fact, managers like Terry Francona, who helps generate a calm and relaxed team atmosphere, are often criticized or even ridiculed for their strategic shortcomings. Being a "player's manager" is dismissed. When guys like Francona are compared to Scioscia, it's the guy like Scioscia who is often credited with being the better manager.

Mike Scioscia is 21-24 in postseason games. We saw in the ALDS, that his running Angels only stole 3 bases. They also ran into outs. And in the ALCS, we saw a tight, wound-up, choking performance by the Angels defense.

The Angels had the 4th best fielding percentage in the AL (.986), and the 4th fewest errors (85). They averaged 0.52 errors per game in the regular season. They made 8 errors in the ALCS. 8 errors in 6 games, 1.33 errors per game, well over twice as often as their regular season rate.

So maybe chess-masters like Mike Scioscia and Tony LaRusa can take a few tips from laissez-faire guys like Francona and Torre. Maybe Mike Scioscia isn't as amazing as some believe.

And I realize I should've written this a week ago, but I don't have a guy like Scioscia pressuring me, so I write when I want.

Source:
Baseball-Reference.com

HOME COOKING

This was just sheer domination. The Bobcats had 10 points in the 3rd quarter. Come on. That's just sad.

What can you really say about this game? The Celtics are simply better. They also played 100%, and had the home crowd behind them. KG was +34. Rondo had a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists. Shelden Williams added 12 from the bench.

The victory within the victory was giving a rest to guys like Garnett. KG went 33 minutes in Cleveland Tuesday night. Doc was able to keep him to 26. and Pierce only needed to participate in 25 minutes. It was also a good opportunity to give the bench some minutes.

The C's host the Bulls Friday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

CLEVELAND ROCKED

The Celtics did something they hadn't been able to do since 2004: win in Cleveland. The Cavs have a pretty impressive record at home, they went 39-2 at home last year. They're 0-1 this year.



The Celtics' newfound depth was very apparent in this game. Rasheed Wallace added 12 points to the cause in his 24 minutes. Marquise Daniels had 7 in 18. All told, the bench contributed 26 points.

I don't like the +/- stat in basketball, but if you look at it on Tuesday night, all four bench players had better +/- ratings than all 5 starters.

KG looked good but has room to improve. He still seems to be finding his legs. And I'm sure Doc Rivers will want to keep him to 30 minutes or fewer in the C's next game. Pierce had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Rondo had 10 assists.

The Celtics have a quick turnaround and host the Bobcats tonight at 7:30.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Tony Dejak

PEDRO TO PITCH IN GAME 2

Pedro Martinez, a.k.a. God, will take the mound for the Phillies in Game 2.

I'm not gonna lie, I've been having difficulties deciding who to root for in this World Series. On the one hand, I hate the Yankees more than almost anything in the world. On the other hand, does the world really need arrogant Philadelphia fans? Yeah, they've already won, but if they win back-to-back, then they're legit. And is that something we really want? Yankee fans are already cocky, win or lose.

But thankfully, the Phillies have Pedro, and that more than tips the balance in their favor.

Go Phillies!

GLEN DAVIS: WHEN KEEPING IT REAL GOES WRONG

On the eve of the Celtics' 2009-2010 "Reclaim What's Ours" Campaign, Glen Davis decided to keep it real. He was out Saturday night and early Sunday morning, with a friend. Then his friend said something about Davis' girlfriend. Davis and his friend kept it real, fought for 15 to 20 minutes, then cooled down and continued to hang out. Except Davis broke his thumb in the altercation. And now he's out for a few months.

Way to keep it real, Big Baby. And way to live up to your nickname.

Source:
AP via ABC News

CELTICS PREVIEW

That blank banner, just begging to be dressed with letters and numbers, adorns the Celtics' practice facility in Waltham. It both sums up the ultimate shortcomings of last season as well as the hope for this upcoming campaign.

The Celtics have something in 2009-10 that they lacked in 07-08: depth. Oh yeah, and a point guard. Rajon Rondo matured into a near-elite level PG last season, averaging 8.2 assists and 11.9 points per game. Compare that to the Championship year when he was 5.1 and 10.6 in those categories.



Marquis Daniels backs up Ray Allen at the other guard spot. I'm not a huge Ray Allen fan, and I think he's lost more than a step. He's also been inconsistent in big games, occasionally busting open with 25 points, and sometimes holding himself to less than 8. Daniels can eat up a lot of minutes, allowing Allen to keep his legs energized.



Rasheed Wallace is another starter-turned-backup that will play in support of a guy who needs extra rest. Last year when the starters went out, this team struggled big time to stay above water. With Daniels and Wallace, they might even be able to extend leads when they sit KG, Pierce, and Ray Ray.



Kevin Garnett is the X factor. It's a long season, and I wouldn't have minded if they kept him off the roster for the first month of it. He's got to be 90% or better for the Celtics to have a chance at Banner #18.



The C's should win the Atlantic Division with ease. Last year they beat the 76ers by 21 games. What really matters will be the playoffs. That's where I think Rondo, Daniels, and Wallace will have their biggest impact.

I think the Celtics go to the NBA Finals, before losing in a tight series against the Lakers. Hopefully I'm right about the finals berth and wrong about the victor.

TAMPA BAY IS FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN... TAMPA BAY IS FALLING DOWN, MY FAIR LADY

94-7. That's how much the Patriots have outscored their last two opponents. The 87 point combined margin of victory is just 1 shy of the NFL post-merger record, set by Kansas City. And once again, it could have been a much wider deficit.

Inside the pocket, Tom Brady looked like 2007's Tom Brady. He stepped up at the right time, was patient with the ball, and made excellent decisions with his feet. He threw two interceptions, and both were his fault. His pick in the end zone was particularly painful, and was his first red zone INT since 2005.



The defense was solid once again. Meriweather picked off two passes, and both INTs came as a result of a consistent pass rush. The Pats stopped the run enough in the first few drives, and once the offense was up 21-0, the rushing game was off the table, and it was teeing off time. Chung, Burgess, and Wright each had sacks. Banta-Cain had 2 tackles for a loss. Adalius Thomas didn't play much, but seemed to play decently when he was on the field.



Wes Welker is back. He caught 10 passes for 107 yards and a TD. He also had 53 punt return yards (13.3 average). In the last 3 games, he has 343 receiving yards, 4 TDs, and 28 catches.



The running game was disappointing, especially since Tampa Bay is very vulnerable to a ground game. Maroney looked like his normal frustrating and frustrated self. Green-Ellis had 6 yards on 7 carries.

The Pats need to work on several things for the next 2 weeks. The left side of the O-line was heavily penalized, and frequently beaten by the outside pass rush. The afore mentioned running game could have been a lot more efficient and punishing. When Tampa Bay was able to absorb the pass rush, they exploited monumental inadequacies in the Pats' secondary. Those inadequacies need to be hidden better, and the pass rush needs to be more consistent.

But 35-7 is 35-7. 5-3 is 5-3.

It's bye week time for the Pats. And then starts an unholy stretch of games. From November 8 to December 6, they play 5 games. 3 of those are on the road. It goes Miami, @ Indy, Jets, @ Saints, @ Miami. That's make or break material.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Tom Hevezi
AP Photo/Stephan Savoia
AP Photo/Matt Dunham

OTTAWA MIRACLE

Mixed emotions about this game. On the one hand, the Bruins scored 2 goals in the last 88 seconds to force an overtime, and eventually triumph in the shootout. On the other hand, they NEEDED 2 goals to force an overtime.

If this were just an isolated game, it would be a thrilling victory to be celebrated and enjoyed. But the Bruins have developed an awful habit of inconsistency. They played a solid 1st period, a fantastic 2nd period, and for 18 minutes in the 3rd they let the Senators dominate them. It's got to stop.

Tim Thomas was Jedi-like in this game. His stat line isn't impressive (27 saves on 30 shots), but without him this game would've been 5-1 or worse. And that's not an exaggeration. He made some inhuman saves, staying in plays that no other goalie could stay in.



Derek Morris has another good game. But not many Bruins did. Blake Wheeler scored a goal, but also had some dreadful giveaways. Bergeron, Ference, Stuart, and Wideman all made nervous looking passes.

This team's problem isn't a lack of fire, it's a lack of focus. They don't have that workmanlike attitude that characterized their regular season play last season. They'll be too casual for 15 minutes at a time, trying to make cross-ice passes that are broken up by a defender literally 2 feet from them. They'll lose battles along the boards, and make moronic decisions with the puck. Then after 15 minutes of this, and an opponent's goal or two, they'll have fire and play with a fury for 10 minutes.

They don't need a fire lit under them. They don't need players traded to "send a message." They need veteran guys like Chara, Sturm, Savard (when he returns), and Rechhi to play with a collected passion and an even keel. When Aaron Ward and PJ Axelsson left, this team lost some of its calm and confident character. That needs to be replaced from within. And I think eventually it will be.

The Bruins have 6 power play goals. They've allowed 3 shorthanded goals. They'd better find that character.

Almost a week off until the B's host the Devils on Thursday.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand