Sadly, the Johnny Damon era in Boston has ended. Johnny was both a terrific player and an amusing character, especially during the past two seasons. Damon's defection to the Yankees leaves the Sox with two holes - centerfield and the leadoff spot in the lineup. The Red Sox made Damon a very generous offer (4 years, $40 million) but the Yankees did what they do best and outbid the Red Sox. I was fully expecting this to happen. I think Damon would have taken a little less to remain in Boston, but an extra $12 million is a little too much to pass up. I can't fault Johnny for taking the extra money, but I will be fiercely rooting against him from now on. It would have been great to keep Damon, but losing him is not the end of the world. Damon covered a lot of ground in centerfield, but that was largely offset by his weak throwing arm. Dwight Evans is 54 years old and I think he could outthrow Damon if given the chance. AL baserunners never hesitated to go from first to third on a single to center or tag up on a shallow fly ball in Damon's direction. Damon's departure from the leadoff spot is a much bigger loss for the Red Sox. Damon reached base 252 times last year via either a hit, a walk or a hit by pitch and scored 117 runs. This is tough to replace. However, if Mark Loretta can return to 2004 form, he could be just as effective in the leadoff spot. In 2004, Loretta reached base 275 times and scored 108 runs. He was on base 247 times in 2003. The other silver lining lies in the fact that the Red Sox will save a lot of money in centerfield that they can spend on pitching or a power hitter. I think the Yankees will get their money's worth in 2006, but will Damon be worth $13 million per season in 2008 and 2009? Damon's success is based largely on speed and he is at the age where he will start losing a step or two. I don't forsee Damon stealing many bases or running down long fly balls in the cavernous Yankee Stadium left/center field in 2009.

What's next? I am very intrigued by the possibility of the Sox trading for Seattle's Jeremy Reed. Reed was a big disappointment in 2005 (.254, 3 HR, 45 RBI, 61 runs) but he is only 24 years old and has a tremendous upside. I see him like a stock that has fallen from $20 to $10 in the past year but could rise to $40. If the price is right, I would not hesitate to make a trade and pencil him in for Opening Day. If the Sox pick him up and he ends up being a disaster, they can trade for a veteran prior to the trading deadline. Some of the other names mentioned are Coco Crisp, Corey Patterson and Mark Kotsay. I love Coco. He's only 26, batted .300 last season, runs very well, has sneaky power and has a very amusing name. The price for Crisp may be too steep for the Sox right now. Corey Patterson was once a rising star, but I think the reality is that he will never reach the heights that were expected. He bottomed out at .215 last year and he strikes out as much as Mark Bellhorn. Kotsay is a solid player. He'll make some spectacular plays in the outfield and give you a .290, 15 HR, 75 RBI type of season. I've heard Ken Griffey's name mentioned, but I can't imagine the Sox taking the risk given his health situation and the $40 million-plus left on his contract.

The wheeling and dealing is far from done but it appears that the Red Sox have improved on the pitching side but are weaker offensively. This does not account for future moves or a possible trade involving Manny Ramirez. I like the way the bullpen is shaping up. Foulke should be healthy and ready to resume the closer's role. Timlin and Seanez were both solid in 2005. If Guillermo Mota can return to his Dodger form and the Sox can pick up a quality lefthander, they could have one of the better bullpens in the league. If Schilling is healthy and Papelbon pitches in 2006 like he did at the end of 2005, the rotation will be very good. A Schilling-Beckett-Clement-Wakefield-Papelbon rotation would be at least 50% better than what they had for most of last season. I'm of course assuming that David Wells is traded, that Bronson Arroyo doesn't beat out Papelbon for a starting job and that Roger Clemens doesn't sign with Boston. I don't really believe that Clemens will sign with the Red Sox. If he wants convenience, he'll remain in Houston or sign with Texas. If it's about money (when is it ever NOT about money with Rocket?), he'll wind up with the Yankees. The lineup is very soft right now, but we still have no idea who will be at shortstop or in centerfield. Only DH, catcher and second base appear to be etched in stone.

We'll probably know a lot more about the team's 2006 prospects in a month or so. But even then, the question marks will remain. If Loretta, Schilling, Foulke, Lowell and Mota return to 2004 form, the Red Sox could be a 100 win team. If they all repeat their 2005 performances, even the Wild Card is a stretch. Something in between is more likely. Some of those 2005 disappointments will bounce back, some won't.

The Patriots are finally getting healthy, at least relatively speaking. The defensive front seven has been phenomenal the past three weeks. Granted, the opposing offenses have been weak, but the absolute domination of the line of scrimmage says a lot about how the defense has progressed during the season. Bruschi is starting to play like the Tedy of old. Seymour looks healthy. Wilfork is becoming a force. McGinest is making his usual late season surge and Roosevelt Colvin looks like a premier pass rusher for the first time since his horrific hip injury in 2003. The secondary remains suspect, but they are playing better, aided by the strong pass rush. The offense is also getting closer to full strength. Having David Givens and Deion Branch on the field at the same time gives the Pats a top-notch 1-2 punch at the receiver position. If all goes well, both Graham and Watson will be ready for the postseason. Dillon and Faulk are both back and appear healthy. Tom Brady has more than enough weapons to win another Superbowl. The problem, of course, is the offensive line. Having Tom Ashworth back in the lineup helps, but with both Dan Koppen and Matt Light out for the season, New England's chances for a three-peat have declined dramatically.

The key to beating the Colts, should they battle the Pats in the playoffs, will be the pass rush. New England's patchwork secondary simply cannot cover the speedy Colt receivers if Manning is given time to throw. If, however, the Patriots can pressure Peyton, he will probably make mistakes. At the very least, they will pick up some sacks. Manning is not mobile and New England's pass rush has been relentless of late. Pass protection will be the key for the Patriot offense as well. Dwight Freeney can dominate a game all by himself. Brady is a little more mobile than Manning, but he's not going to be successful running for his life. I imagine that Belichick would feature Faulk and the tight ends against Indy. Quick plays and ball control, as San Diego proved, is the key to beating the Colts. New England and Indianapolis would be a great matchup. I hope it becomes a reality.

I guess I have to talk about the Celtics. What can I say? They have been a huge disappointment so far this year. I was not expecting miracles. They are a young team and I expected some rough nights, but 10-14 is not what I had hoped for through this point of the season. Paul Pierce is having what would be an MVP caliber season if he were playing for a contender. Ricky Davis is playing the best basketball of his career. Unfortunately, the rest of the team has been remarkably inconsistent. LaFrentz, Blount, Perkins, West, Banks and Jefferson have all played well at one point or another, but they have been ineffective (and in some cases horrible) more often than not. There is still a reason to be optimistic. If the Celtics can get two or three of the aforementioned six players to contribute on a nightly basis, they should finish the season above .500 and compete for the division title (they are only a couple of games behind now). If not, Pierce will eventually wilt under the weight of carrying the team and the Celtics will be on their way to 50 losses. To be honest, it could go either way.

After threatening to give up on Jeremy Jacobs' Bruins and the NHL for years, I finally quit the NHL "cold turkey" three seasons ago. I didn't mind that the Bruins were losing. What bothered me was that Jeremy Jacobs didn't care about winning (here is the LINK to my full explanation if you are interested). Well, I can tell you tell you now that I couldn't be happier that I gave up on the NHL. Last season's strike was unforgiveable and thanks to Jacobs, the Bruins are an embarrassment. As if things weren't bad enough, this season they basically traded superstar Joe Thornton for a couple of skate blades. If I hadn't given up on the Bruins before, that would have been the nail in the coffin. Let me be clear, I take no pleasure in seeing the Bruins lose. In fact, it pains me that the great Bruins fans are forced to suffer this way. No one deserves a winner more. Maybe someday Jacobs will sell the team to someone who cares about winning and the Bruins can regain their past glory. In the meantime, Bruins fans are only making things worse by continuing to pay top dollar for a "99 cent store" product.

The Red Sox are 34-34 against the Yankees since the start of the 2003 season. The teams have split 14 playoff games. This season, the teams are tied in the loss column with a week and a half left in the season. Given how these teams have battled over the past three years, it only makes sense that either (a) they will be tied in the standings when they meet for three games at Fenway Park on the final weekend of the season or (b) they will be tied after that final series and have a one game playoff at Yankee Stadium on October 3rd. Please note that if the two teams are tied at the end of the season and they both have a better record than all remaining second place teams, they would not have a one game playoff to determine the division title. The league would use the head-to-head tiebreaker to determine the AL East Champion (the Yankees lead 9-7 at this point) with the other club taking the Wild Card. Right now, Cleveland is * game ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race.

Speaking of the Cleveland Indians, they have a record of 37-13 since late July and are playing the best baseball in the American League. I haven’t seen the Indians make a late season surge like this since Pedro Cerrano and Roger Dorn played for them.

In the competence rankings, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ranks just above Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons and just below Mayor McCheese of McDonaldland.

I knew that Tedy Bruschi was a great player. The last two weeks have proven that he is an even better player than I thought. His return to the lineup (whenever that is) will be very special.

Barry Bonds is back with the Giants after missing the first 140 games of the 2005 season. If anyone was wondering how many games it takes for steroids to leave a person’s body and allow them to pass a drug test, the answer is 140 games.

I looked at the fall television preview the other day. Still no CSI: Waltham. Maybe next year.

Eighteen of the 32 NFL teams are 1-1 after two weeks of play. It looks like another year of parity in the NFL. Some of the biggest surprises through two weeks are:

• The Colts have scored only 34 points
• The Colts have given up only 10 points
• The Giants are 2-0 and have outscored two decent opponents 69-29
• The Minnesota Vikings are 0-2, have been outscored 61-21 and Duante Culpepper has a TD/INT ratio of 0/8

I was thinking, which is more volatile? The Nasdaq between 1999 and 2003 or the sales of Notre Dame “Return to Glory” shirts.

The Yankees 2005 projected starting rotation of Johnson, Mussina, Pavano, Brown and Wright will earn $65.4 million this season. The fivesome has combined for a 40-32 record and an ERA of 4.64 That’s $1.6 million per win if you are counting. If you remove Johnson and Mussia, who has been healthy for the most part, the remaining three have a combined record of 13-16 and an ERA of 5.53. By contrast, Aaron Small, Shawn Chacon, Chien-Ming Wang and Al Leiter are a combined 25-11 with an ERA of 3.92. Injuries have no doubt saved the Yankees season.

In Awe Part I: Even if the A’s do not make the playoffs this season, you can’t help but be in awe of the job Billy Beane has done in Oakland. They have a chance to win 90 games or more for the sixth consecutive year despite losing Mulder and Hudson this season and players like Tejada and Giambi in the past few years. There’s also the $55 million payroll which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball, $154 million behind the Yankees.

In Awe Part II: I’m nearly as impressed with the Braves organization. The last time the Braves DIDN'T win their division, George Herbert Walker Bush was president, the Dow was at around 2,500, the Braves top hitter was Lonnie Smith and Julio Franco was only 32 years old.

In Awe Part III: In his last 26 games, David Ortiz is batting .337 with 15 homers, 31 RBIs and 22 runs. He has a good chance to have a 50 HR / 150 RBI season. Only four players (Babe Ruth, Hack Wilson, Jimmie Foxx and Sammy Sosa) have accomplished this feat. If Ortiz reaches 50/150 and the Red Sox win the East, the voters will have a hard time not picking him for MVP. I have a feeling that Papi will have more first place votes, but that A-Rod will win the award. My logic is that A-Rod will finish no lower than second on any ballot but that Ortiz will be third, fourth or fifth on many ballots because some voters simply don’t believe that a DH should be the MVP. Though I agree that defense should not be overlooked when it comes to voting for MVP, a DH should not be eliminated simply because he doesn’t play in the field. I see no difference between a DH and a bad fielder (Jose Canseco comes to mind).

Boston College, in case you haven't noticed, is currently 19-0 and ranked 5th in the country. They trail #1 Illinois (the only other undefeated team in Division 1) and three teams that have lost a game or two but that sell a lot of jerseys. The ability to sell a lot of jerseys apparently has more to do with the rankings than actually winning basketball games. Here are a few of Boston College's recent accomplishments:

• The 19-0 start is the best in school history. A win over Seton Hall on Saturday would make the Eagles the first team in Big East history to start the season 20-0.
• The 19 consecutive wins equals the school's previous record (set in 1968-69).
• The #5 national ranking is the best in school history.
• Boston College is 30-3 since February 1st of last year. Only Illinois has a better record over that time.
• The Eagles have won 17 consecutive games at home.
• Al Skinner's Eagles are 109-39 since the beginning of the 2000-2001 season (4 1/2 seasons).
• BC is current #2 is the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) rankings. Kansas holds the top spot.

Why They Have Been Winning

• Powerful Inside Game -- The combination of Craig Smith and Jared Dudley is averaging 35 points (47% of BC's scoring) and 15.5 rebounds per game. The duo has also taken 211 free throws (about 11 per game) and made 154 of them. This of course leads to easy points and a lot of foul trouble for the opposition. On the defensive side, Sean Williams has blocked 46 shots (15th in the country). Williams and Nate Doornekamp have chipped in for a combined 8.7 rebounds per game.



• Ability to Win the Close Ones -- The Eagles have had an amazing knack for winning the close games. Twice they have been taken to overtime (Yale and Holy Cross) and they have eked out wins against Kent State (by 2), Villanova (by 1) and Providence (by 3). The Eagles are lucky to still be undefeated but it is no accident that they are winning these close games. The veteran leadership of Smith, Hinnant, Doornekamp and Watson has been the difference in these situations. That leads me into the next category.



• Improved Free Throw Shooting -- As a team, the Eagles are shooting 71% from line this season thanks to great improvement from Jermaine Watson (84%), Craig Smith (71%) and Nate Doornekamp (69%). All three players have improved their percentage from the foul line by 10% or more since last season when the Eagles shot just 68% as a team. Among the BC regulars, only Sean Marshall (64%) and Sean Williams (41%) are shooting under 69% from the free throw line.



• Passing the Rock --
Boston College currently ranks 7th in the nation (among 326 Division 1 schools) and first in the Big East in assists per game. The Eagles aren't afraid to share the basketball as evidenced by Craig Smith's unselfish pass to Louis Hinnant that led a three pointer to seal the Georgetown game. Smith was open for the shot, but Hinnant was more open. It's this kind of unselfish basketball that wins games in the NCAA Tournament.


• Solid Defense -- Eagle opponents are shooting only 41% from the floor this season (33% from three point range) and have been outrebounded by an average of 5.2 boards per game (thanks in part to the advantage in field goal percentage). The Eagles guard the perimeter very well though they have been susceptible to the back door pass in recent games. The Eagles rarely commit dumb fouls and have been able to keep their stars out of foul trouble.

Potential Weakness

• Outside Shooting -- The Eagles are shooting only 30% from the three point line this season. They average only 3.2 trifectas per game, good for 325th among 326 Division 1 programs. At times, the Eagles have a very difficult time scoring. Case in point, the first half of the last two games against Georgetown and West Virginia. Teams will undoubtedly try to pack the lane and force the Eagles to beat them from the outside. If either Smith or Dudley have a bad game in the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles could be in big trouble. Fortunately for Al Skinner, Dudley and Smith always seem to have at least one explosive half and the Eagles have been able to hit key outside shots late in close games.

The Players

Junior Power Forward Craig Smith is probably the most underhyped superstar in the nation. Smith was great as a freshman and has been solid ever since. Part of the reason for that success is that Smith, who left high school with a bit of weight problem, has become a lean, mean fighting machine (to borrow a quote from John Winger in Stripes). Smith has a knack for getting to the basket and is probably the best ball handler among the BC big men. Smith, who scored just two points in BC's loss to Georgia Tech in last year's NCAA Tournament loss, will be determined not to allow himself to be shut down in this season's version of March Madness. Smith's career numbers (18.5 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 56.8% field goal percentage) are spectacular. Smith has also improved his free throw shooting this season (up from 57% to 71%).

Jared Dudley is quickly becoming one of the top forwards in the Big East. A not-so-highly touted Sophomore from San Diego, Dudley surprised everyone by averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds last season. This year, he's increased those numbers (16.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and improved his assist to turnover ratio (1.3 to 2.2). BC's "junkyard dog" plays with great intensity and this was most evident against Villanova when he dropped 36 points on the Wildcats. Al Skinner and his staff found a silver lining behind a dark cloud last season when star recruit Dan Coleman withdrew from BC just prior to the start of the 2003-04 school year. They replaced him with Dudley in August of 2003. Coleman is averaging 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds as a freshman at Minnesota.

Sean Marshall is the third Boston College starter from Southern California (Rialto). The 6'6" Sophomore swingman is BC's best outside scorer. Marshall chipped in with 8 points per game last season and has improved his average to 11.4 ppg this year thanks to a higher field goal percentage (37% to 46%) and three point percentage (29% to 37%). At times, Marshall takes bad shots but all things considered he has been a very nice surprise.

Junior Louis Hinnant has provided the Eagles with steady play at the point guard position. He's currently fourth in the conference in assist to turnover ratio (2.6). Hinnant is another example of a player that wasn't heavily recruited out of high school, but has developed into a solid player thanks to lots of playing time during his first two years at BC. On the down side, Hinnant has not been shooting the ball well this season. After sinking 47% of his three-pointers last season, Hinnant is shooting just 31% from behind the arc this season. If the Eagles want to make a serious run at the Final Four, they will need Hinnant to start making outside shots.

Nate Doornekamp is the only Senior among the Eagles starting five. Doornekamp has improved dramatically over the past two years. The 7'0" Canadian will never be confused with Emeka Okafor but he has provided the Eagles with solid play this season. As a Senior, he has become an adequate defender who tends to be in the right place at the right time (which is a far cry from his first two years at BC). He's played good fundamental basketball this season, only taking shots when he's open and putting himself in good rebounding position on defense. Doornekamp's scoring and rebounding averages have both risen with increased minutes this season. He's also improved his free throw shooting to 69% this season after shooting under 60% in each of his first three years at BC.

Jermaine Watson, unlike the rest of the Eagles, was highly-touted coming out of high school. A disappointment early in his BC career, Watson has improved steadily in each season and his stats and minutes reflect just that (points: Fr - 3.6, So - 5.1, Jr - 6.8, Sr - 10.6 / rebounds: Fr - 1.8, So - 2.5, Jr - 2.8, Sr - 3.7). Watson is BC's best dribble penetrator and best free throw shooter (84%). One can't overestimate the value of a senior that can handle the ball and make free throws. One of the major reasons why the Eagles are still undefeated is Watson's ability to drain free throws in the final two minutes with the Eagles ahead. Watson is not a true point guard and his turnovers have risen since replacing Steve Hailey as the backup point guard.

Freshman big man Sean Williams has given the Eagles a shot blocking presence that they haven't had in about two decades. Williams is averaging 2.7 blocks per game despite playing only 19 minutes per contest. When he's not blocking shots, he's affecting them or at least making the offensive player aware that he's in the vicinity. Like most freshman, Williams is out of position on defense quite often and has been turnover prone which is why the more polished Doornekamp has seen most of the minutes. Williams' 16 point, 10 rebound effort against Providence might be a sign of things to come. By next season, Williams will be a starter and possibly an ACC superstar.

The last man in the Eagles eight man rotation is Sophomore Steve Hailey. Hailey, the Eagles backup point guard, sprained an ankle against West Virginia and has missed the past five games. Hailey is an excellent ball handler though he is prone to turnovers. Having Hailey back in the lineup will be a huge bonus for Al Skinner because it will allow him to extend the rotation back to eight, have a true point guard on the floor at all times and give Louis Hinnant more rest.

Remaining Schedule

Sat Feb 5  at Seton Hall 7:30
Tue Feb 8  at Notre Dame 7:00
Wed Feb 16 Rutgers 7:30
Sat Feb 19 (8) Syracuse 7:30
Wed Feb 23 at (24) Villanova 7:30
Sat Feb 26 Seton Hall 12:00
Mon Feb 28 (16) Pittsburgh 7:00
Sat Mar 5  at Rutgers 7:30

Well, they have done it again. The Patriots are back in the Superbowl for the third time in the last four seasons. They are now one win away from achieving official dynasty status. They would join the 1960s Packers (five NFL titles in seven years), 70s Steelers (four Superbowl titles in six years), 80s 49ers (4-0 in Superbowls between 1981 and 1989) and 90s Cowboys (three titles in four years) in that category. Not bad for an organization that didn't win a single playoff game between 1963 and 1985. What's truly amazing is how they have done it. Despite the absence of three defensive starters they held one of the most potent offenses in NFL history to only three points in the divisional playoffs. On Sunday, the Patriot offense put up 34 points against the best defense in the league .. on the road .. in single-digit temperatures. I know better than to chalk up another Superbowl victory, but the Eagles are in deep, deep trouble.

Beating the Steelers to reach the Superbowl was extra sweet for several reasons:

• The Patriots were able to avenge the Halloween Day blowout. The Steelers absolutely tattooed the Pats that day and ended New England's record winning streak at 21. For all intents and purposes, the Steelers are the only team that has beaten the Patriots since September of 2003. Yes, the Patriots have lost twice over that time, but the Miami Dolphins didn't really beat the Patriots last month. The Patriots beat themselves.



• The win ended Pittsburgh's winning streak at 15 games. Had the Steelers won the Superbowl, they would have only needed to win their first five games next year to break the winning streak record that the Patriots set earlier this season.



• The Patriots, who have won 20 consecutive home games, proved that they could dominate on the road against a very good football team. The New England franchise is now 5-0 in AFC Championship games with three of those wins coming on the road (they "squished the fish" in Miami in 1986 and of course beat the Steelers in 2002).



• The win was the Patriots 33rd over the past two seasons. That set a two-season record previously held by the 1972-73 Dolphins (32-2) and the 1978-79 Steelers (32-6).

Given the way that the Patriots cornerbacks have played, I'd say that the odds that Ty Law will be in a New England uniform next season dropped from about 5 to 1 to about 50 to 1. Asante Samuel is ready to assume a starting role full time and Randall Gay appears to have enough talent to be a starter in the near future. Troy Brown's play at cornerback this season has been nothing short of miraculous. Cornerback remains the team's biggest weak spot, but a great defensive scheme and some hard work by the players has kept the loss of Law and Poole from becoming a disaster.

Sunday's loss to the Patriots marked the fourth time in five chances that Bill Cowher has lost the AFC Championship Game at home. Cowher would be 0-5 at home in AFC title games if the Colts' Aaron Bailey had been able to grab a pass in the endzone on the last play of the game in Pittsburgh's 20-16 win in the 1996 AFC Championship. I've always thought that Cowher was a pretty good coach, but he's getting dangerously close to becoming Marty Schottenheimer, Jr. Like Schottenheimer, Cowher is tremendously successful in the regular season but his teams inevitably collapse in the playoffs. The fact that so many of those seasons have ended at home has to be especially upsetting to the Steelers faithful.

I'm hardly a fan of the City of Philadelphia, but I was happy to see the Eagles finally get the proverbial monkey off their backs. The sports fans of Philadelphia have not witnessed a professional championship since Dr. J and Moses Malone led the 76ers to a championship in 1983. Since then, their teams are a combined 0-6 in championship rounds (Flyers 0-3, Phillies 0-2, Sixers 0-1). The Eagles have been in one Superbowl. That was in January of 1981 (Superbowl XV) .

Corey Dillon came dangerously close to hitting a fan with a football that he fired against the wall behind the endzone following his third quarter touchdown. Throwing fastballs against the back wall is the latest craze among touchdown-makers in the NFL. I have been waiting all season for one to get away and nail a spectator. Dillon's toss on Sunday nearly did. Don't be surprised if that type of celebration becomes an automatic 15 yard penalty next season.

It's hard to make a prediction for the Superbowl without knowing the health of two key players: Terrell Owens and Richard Seymour. Seymour is very important to the Patriots defense, but Owens means everything to the Philadelphia offense. If Owens does play, he may not be very effective. Even if Owens can run, his gimpy leg may not allow him to employ the physical style that is the basis for so much of his success. My early prediction is Patriots 31, Eagles 20 with Corey Dillon taking home MVP honors. If Owens doesn't play at all, the Patriots should win this game by a lot more.

I've always had problems confusing actors Dylan McDermott and Benjamin Bratt. I guess they don't look that much alike, but they are both on lawyer shows, are about the same age and have the same hair color. I know that one of them dated Julia Roberts (but then again, who hasn't?). To make matters worse, they have both (a) grown their hair long (b) grown beards and (c) appeared in NFL commercials. I may never figure it out. Don Cheadle is also appearing in several new NFL commercials .. or was that Tim Meadows?

The Boston Celtics improved to 20-22 with a big win over the Indiana Pacers tonight at the FleetCenter. Amazingly, the win propelled the Celtics into first place in the Atlantic Division. In fact, the Celtics just may be the favorites to win the Atlantic. The Knicks are in a free fall, the Nets have been decimated by injuries and the Raptors are just plain awful. The Sixers are probably the toughest challenge in a division where 38 wins could be enough to finish first. At present, the Celtics are the only team in the division that has scored more points than they have allowed. If the Celtics can finish first in the Atlantic they would be guaranteed no worse than the 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. If the playoffs started today, the 6 seed (#6 plays #3 in the first round) would be Orlando. Chicago is not far behind at #7 though it is likely that Indiana will move up now that Jackson and O'Neal are both back from suspension. Cleveland and Washington are also likely first round opponents for the Atlantic Division champ. So, despite a terrible first half, the Celtics stand a very good chance of not only winning the division, but advancing to the second round of the playoffs. To do that, though, they will need to be better in the second half. Here is a brief status report:

The Good

Al Jefferson and Tony Allen -- Only a few precincts have reported, but BostonSportsHub is projecting that the Celtics 2004 draft was a great success. The horror show that was the 2001 draft will haunt Celtics fans a while, but I believe that last year's draft will restore some faith in the organization. Both Allen and Jefferson have superstar written all over them. Jefferson, the 20-year-old rookie, is averaging around 7 points, 5 rebounds and a block while playing only 16 minutes per game. Like most 20-year-olds (everyone but LeBron I guess), he has a lot to learn but C's fans can't help but be giddy with what they have seen. The same goes for Tony Allen, the 23-year-old rookie out of Oklahoma State. The rook already has NBA defensive skills and will eventually be a big time scorer. He's been inconsistent on the offensive side but his game is coming together. He was 9 for 11 from the field and scored 20 points in Atlanta last weekend. Due to injuries, we really haven't seen much of Delonte West, but most Celtics fans believe that he will be a major contributor down the road as well.

Home Sweet Home -- The Celtics have played outstanding basketball on the FleetCenter parquet this season. Boston is 14-6 at home (11-2 in their last 13). Granted, the home schedule hasn't been very tough but it is great to see the Celtics winning at home again. It's still a far cry from the old days, though. The Celtics were 50-1 at home in 1985-86.

Trivia: Speaking of 1986, can you name the one team that beat the Celtics at the Garden that season? (answer below)

The Mixed News

Paul Pierce -- Many writers have pointed out that Paul Pierce isn't particularly happy with the present situation in Boston and there is a remote possibility that he will be traded this season. Pierce appears to be going through a Nomarification of late and it surely concerns the Celtics brass. It would be difficult, however, for the Celtics to part with Pierce because without him they would no longer be competitive. Trading Pierce at midseason doesn't make too much sense because the Celtics have already won 20 games and even without him they would not end up with a high lottery pick. Dealing him at the beginning of the season would have made more sense because the Celtics would have been lousy enough to have a shot at one of the top three picks in the 2005 Draft. Pierce's numbers have been solid as usual (21.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg), but he appears to have peaked about three years ago.

Gary Payton -- Gary Payton's play can best be described as average. At times, he's been great but more often than not he looks like a player whose best days are well behind him (it is hard to believe that Payton is just two years removed from a season where he averaged 20 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds). It doesn't help that Payton doesn't want to play for Celtics and has been quite vocal about that fact. I will be very surprised if he is still wearing Celtic green after the February 24th trading deadline.

Raef LaFrentz -- I suppose that Raef LaFrentz's 10.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg could be described as a pleasant surprise only because no one expected anything from a guy who, along with Mark Blount, seems to have destoyed the Celtics salary cap situation through the rest of the decade. LaFrentz has been giving Doc some decent minutes but it is not nearly enough to justify his $10 million salary ($55 million through 2009).

Ricky Davis -- Ricky "Mr. Inconsistency" Davis has been predictably unpredictable this season. At times he's been a superstar. The best example is a game in LA in December when Davis almost single-handedly beat the Clippers (34 points). Two weeks ago, he scored a combined 52 points in back to back games against the Raptors and Hawks. Then there's the other Ricky. The one that scored a total of six points on back to back nights in Dallas and Memphis. Boston is Ricky's fourth stop in seven NBA seasons and it wouldn't be shocking to see him in City #5 sometime in the next year. On the other hand, he is only 25 years old and seems to fit the Rivers/Ainge style of play so it just might be worthwhile for the Celtics to keep him around.

The Bad News

Mark Blount -- Mark Blount is a 250 pound, $40 million paperweight. After getting double-doubles in 15 of his last 25 games last season and finishing second in the NBA to Shaq in field goal percentage, Blount has been non-existent this season. He's averaging just 5.5 rebounds per game and has been in double-figures in boards only twice. To be honest, most of the time I'd rather have a drunk Vin Baker out there. The best phrase I can come up with is unmitigated disaster.

Road Woes -- The Celtics have been flat out abysmal on the road this season. They are now 6-16 away from the FleetCenter after a respectable 5-7 start on the road. Just the other night, they blew a 17-point lead in Atlanta and were beaten by the 7-30 Hawks. The best way for the Celtics to improve in the second half of the season is to start winning a few road games, especially the ones against bad teams like Atlanta.

Trivia Answer: The Portland Trailblazers

If you would like a more detailed analysis of the Celtics, don't forget to read Steve Vinci's Notes

The Patriots will certainly have their hands full on Sunday when they face Peyton Manning for the second time this season and the fourth time in two years. Manning has not had much success against Bill Belichick/Romeo Crennel defensive schemes in the past but this weekend may be different because of the injuries suffered by the Patriots defense. Manning is deadly against healthy teams. This weekend, he will face off against a defensive backfield filled with a wide receiver, a linebacker, two rookies and a guy who joined the team a week ago. Meanwhile, the Patriots best defender, All Pro Richard Seymour, is questionable for the game. If the Colts score less than 30 points, it would be a tremendous feather in the caps of Belichick and Crennel. If the Patriots beat the Colts, it will undoubtedly be a high scoring affair. Injuries have depleted the New England defense, but the Patriot offense is much better than it was last season at this time. Corey Dillon is a weapon that the Colts will have a difficult time stopping. Indy is 29th in the league in total defense but more importantly they rank dead last in the league in opponent completion percentage and only Arizona has allowed opposing teams to gain more yards per carry. Colt opponents have averaged 4.6 yards per rush in 2004. Here are my Patiots Keys to the Game:

1. Take the Lead Early (ie. Do Not Fall Behind) - The Patriots set an NFL record by scoring first in 20 consecutive games (the streak ended in the final week of the regular season). The Pats have played exceptional defense in the first half of playoff games (they have allowed only 30 first half points in six playoff games over the past three seasons). That trend will need to continue against the Colts. Getting an early lead on Sunday would allow the Patriots to feature Dillon and the ball control passing game that Tom Brady runs to perfection. That would mean fewer possessions for Mr. Manning. If Indianapolis falls behind by a couple of touchdowns, New England can dedicate even more resources to pass coverage, knowing that Indy will be throwing on just about every play. If the opposite occurs and New England falls behind by a couple of scores, the Patriots would be forced to play Indy's style. The Patriots are simply not built for that style of football.



2. Create Turnovers - Manning is a guy that no opponent wants to see in a rhythm. When he's comfortable, he can put up three touchdowns in the blink of an eye. In the past, Belichick and Crennel have been able to keep Manning from getting comfortable by changing their defensive alignments frequently. This has rattled Manning, leading to frequent interceptions (they had four in last year's AFC Championship Game). When the game starts on Sunday, the Patriots will have the mental edge over Peyton Manning. That edge will disappear quickly if Manning cuts through the Patriot defense early. If he throws an early interception, however, he might experience a little deja vu. I expect Tedy Bruschi to be lurking in the shadows in the middle of the field looking to pickoff a Manning pass or two. Needless to say, putting pressure on Manning via the pass rush is imperative. I expect plenty of blitzing which could serve a dual purpose: to limit Manning's time to throw and to force turnovers.



3. Do Not Let the Colts Score from Outside the Red Zone - One of the big reasons why the Patriots have won two of the past three Superbowls is their outstanding red zone defense. The Pats defense is usually more highly-ranked in points allowed than yards allowed because they rarely allow touchdowns when the opposing team gets inside their 20 yard line. The Colts normally don't wait to hit the red zone to score. The Pats simply cannot allow Manning to take them deep. The Colts will chew up yardage between the 20's but even for Manning, the yards are harder to come by as the offense approaches the goal line. The less field that the Colts have to work with, the better for the Patriots. The officials will also play a huge role in Sunday's game. If they allow the Patriot defensive backs to play a physical game, especially near the goal line, New England should be able to minimize the damage. If the refs continue to implement flag football rules for physical contact, the Pats will be in big trouble.



4. The Colder the Better - The Colts offense has been virtually unstoppable this season but none of those games were played in New England in the middle of January. With 48 hours to go before game time, the weather report is predicting something in the vicinity of 30 degrees and sunny with winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour. That forecast isn't nearly as unpleasant as Patriot fans (at least the ones that won't be at the game) would like it to be, but it's also not the comfortable temp-controlled environment of the RCA Dome. The weather and the home crowd will be a tremendous advantage for the Superbowl Champions, especially if the Pats can take an early lead.

Just when you thought that Randy Moss couldn't possibly disgrace the NFL any more than he already has, he took his idiocy to a whole new level. Last weekend, he pretended to "moon" the good fans of Green Bay after scoring a late touchdown (he was limping around the field, but somehow had no limp when he was doing his TD celebration). The Terrell Owens (sharpie) and Joe Horn (cell phone) endzone celebrations were obnoxious but they weren't done at the expense of the opposing fans. Moss's celebration was one of the most tasteless, classless act I have ever seen on a football field. The NFL fined Moss a measly $10,000 for the incident (that's like fining me a penny) when they should have suspended him for this weekend's game against the Eagles. Playoffs or not, Moss and the Minnesota Vikings should be punished for his vile actions. The NFL has done a good job (and may have even gone overboard) penalizing players for illegal or late hits. What they haven't done successfully is punish players for boorish behavior that reflects badly on the league. Moss is a first class scumbag. The league, the Vikings ownership and Mike Tice should be ashamed of themselves for letting Moss get away this type of behavior time after time. Any parent who allows their child to wear a Moss jersey should also be ashamed. Most of all, Randy Moss should be ashamed but I guess people without a soul or a conscience don't feel shame. At the very least, he could have saved his moon for the unruly fans of Philadelphia.

The Jets-Chargers contest was one of the most exciting playoff games of the past few years but it was also one of the most poorly played postseason games I've seen. The Jets resume included:

• Two consecutive (crucial) plays where their defense had only ten men on the field
• An encroachment penalty on fourth down when the whole world knew that the Chargers were not going to snap the ball - a play that works about a .001% of the time
• A roughing the passer penalty that occurred after the Jets had essentially won the game
• A near fistfight during the game between Herm Edwards and his running backs coach, Bishop Harris

The Chargers "brilliant" display of football included:

• Incomplete passes on consecutive plays while the Jets had only ten men on the field
• A 12 men on the field penalty on a Jets punt (the penalty gave New York a first down)
• A missed field goal in overtime after Coach Schottenchoker failed to line the ball up in the middle of the field for his shaky rookie kicker

Last week proved that there are only four truly good teams in the NFL: New England, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. At least one of those four will be eliminated this week.

Boston College beat North Carolina 37-24 in the Continental Tire Bowl to secure their fifth bowl victory in five years, an accomplishment unmatched by any other program. Though the Eagles haven't won ten games, finished in the top ten or played in a BCS game over that time, they have been one of the more consistent programs this decade. Here is a list of the 19 schools that have won at least 40 games since 2000:

Speaking of Boston College, the university's men's and women's basketball programs are a combined 25-1 this season. Both squads are ranked in the top 15 in the nation. The two BC basketball programs and men's hockey are a combined 38-4 this season. Congratulations to the coaches: Skinner, York and Inglese.

Earlier this week Randy Johnson shoved a New York cameraman who "had the nerve" to point his camera in Johnson's direction. Only one day in pinstripes and Johnson is already fitting in perfectly with the egomaniacal Yankees. My guess is that Randy is about three steroid injections away from being named team captain.

The BostonSportsHub award for the worst name for a college basketball arena goes to ... The Jenny Craig Pavilion, home of the University of San Diego Toreros. I know what you are thinking: (a) are the seats there wider than those in the average arena? and (b) do the drink vendors sell Slimfast instead of beer and Pepsi?