Baseball Prospectus 2010 Prediction: Red Sox Win Wild Card, Rays Win AL East

The nerds at Baseball Prospectus have released their 2010 MLB predictions.

And according to Baseball Prospectus PECOTA projections (Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm) the Rays will win the AL East, the Red Sox will win the Wild Card and the Yankees will finish 3rd in the AL East.

But don’t call your bookie yet.

While Baseball Prospectus was fairly accurate in their 2009 AL East and AL West predictions, they were dead wrong with their AL Central predictions.

Keep in mind that in 2009, the AL East and AL West were EASY predictions to make. Any monkey with a keyboard could have predicted those final standings accurately.  So I cant give them kudos for those predictions.

The AL Central was the division that was really difficult to predict. And Baseball Prospectus got it wrong.

Just more proof that sabermetrics, UZR and other nerdy baseball terms are no more accurate than the eye ball test.

Follow Masshole Sports On Facebook | Go To Masshole Sports Homepage

Because Its Been Such A Sucky Sports Week, I Introduce To You: "The Bra Tool Box" To Ease The Pain

Sure the Bruins and Celtics are sucking right now. But lets take a moment to appreciate the positive things this world has to offer.

Because its been such a sucky sports week, I figured Id finish the week with something a little different. Something to make you smile.

Enjoy your weekend, massholes.

Thrashers Demanding Bruins 1st Round Draft Pick For Kovalchuk

According to WEEI.com, the Atlanta Thrashers will settle for nothing less that the Bruins first-round pick in 2010 (that they acquired from Toronto in the Phil Kessel deal) for Ilya Kovalchuk.

As of right now, that pick is the #3 overall pick and could potentially be the #1 overall pick if Toronto continues their sucky ways.

The Bruins would be out of their minds to make such a deal.

The Bruins have all the leverage in this negotiation. Kovalchuk is a free agent at the end of the year and if he walks away from the Thrashers, they get nothing.

Trading their number 1 pick just doesnt make any sense.

And let's be serious for a second. Kovalchuk wont turn this Bruins team into a competitor for the Stanley Cup.

This season is a wasted season. Its time to consider it a loss and wait for next year.

Guess Who's Going To Be Advertising On The Green Monster Next Season?

What do you think?  Should I spend the money and do it?

Romeo Crennel Would Have Taken Job With Patriots

When asked if he ever considered coming back to the Patriots, Crennel told the Boston Herald, “It wasn't open when I made the decision. You go forward.”

Crennel also said, “I was waiting until the end of the year to see what opportunities were available, and then once you make a decision, you can't say, 'What if.’”

Wow. We coulda had him. Does that hurt or what?

As of right now, the Patriots don’t have defensive coordinator.

Former defensive coordinator Dean Pees decided not to re-sign with the Patriots ONE DAY after Romeo Crennel took the job with Kansas City.

Hey massholes, if you’re looking for someone to hate, I just found one for you. Dean Pees is a prick.

Did You Know Senator Scott Brown Was A 1980s Model ?

According to the BostonHerald.com, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown did some modeling in the 1980s for a modeling company called Maggie Inc.

We know Scott Brown as the junior Senator from Massachusetts, but let me introduce you to Scott Brown the 80s model.

Don Johnson, look out!  HAHA

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOSTON HERALD

I'd Like To Punch This Face: Glen “Big Baby Uno Uno” Davis

Glen Davis wants to drop the nickname “Big Baby.” What new nickname has he decided on? Uno Uno.

This one baffles me. He’s trying to shed the “big baby” image and has decided to take a page out of Chad Ocho Cinco’s playbook.

Glen Davis is pissa.

He is one of more immature players in the N.B.A. It’s just a matter of time before we hear about him carrying an unregistered handgun or getting into some sort of trouble off the field.

Wait, we already have. Remember, earlier this season he was out for a month after breaking his thumb in an altercation with a friend (over a woman).

Oh yea, and last week he was heard on live television telling a fan to “suck my dick.”

Oh, you haven’t heard the audio? Here’s the youtube clip. You can hear him say, “suck my dick” as clear as day!



He may be an emerging superstar in this league, but I’d like to punch his face.

GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Automated Voice Will Read This Blog For You

Masshole Sports has started using “Odiogo listen now” technology.

Click on the button that says “listen now” and an automated voice will read the blog for you! It is featured on all Masshole Sports blog entries, even older ones.

This is for all the retahded massholes among us who don’t have the attention span to read a one hundred word blog.

Wicked pissa. Huh? You can click “listen now” and then go browse other websites, or porn sites, while the automated voice reads this blog for you.

Pretty friggin sweet, huh? Hope you enjoy the new feature, massholes.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

A Letter To Peter Chiarelli

Dear Peter,

I noticed that your team got blown out by the Hurricanes last night. That’s sucks.

The internet is saying that you are considering trading Tukka Rask and draft picks for Ilya Kovalchuk (possibly within the next 48 hours). Don’t be crazy Peter!

Knee jerk trades just don’t work. Don’t do anything for the next week or so. Youre not thinking rationally right now.

Tukka Rask is your number one goalie and will be for a long time. Ilya Kovalchuk is just a reincarnation of Phil Kessel.

Ask Mike O'Connell about knee-jerk trades. He traded Joe Thornton for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau. How crazy was that.

You don’t make a trade after a devastating loss just as you don’t tell a girl that you love her during or immediately after sex. You have to wait a bit.

So, please don’t do anything crazy Peter. Its supposed to rain for the next few days here in Boston. Just stuggle up with the wife, watch a few bad movies and try to forget what happened last night in Carolina.

Sincerely,
Masshole Sports

Why Cant We Get Fans Like This ?

Keep an eye on the woman standing in the front row. I wish female Bruins fans showed the "spirit" this woman shows.

Sign The “Bring Back Pete Sheppard” Petition !

Pete Sheppard was the “voice of the fan” on WEEI. He BLED Boston sports. And now he’s out of a job.

There is an online petition to bring him back.

Remember that on December 31, 2008 WBZ Radio laid off Steve LeVeille and then on January 27, 2009 they re-hired him because a fan started an online petition that automatically sent emails to the program director.

Well, someone started an online petition with the same website. The address for Pete Sheppards online petition is:

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/BringbackPete/

Sign up and lets get the ball rolling. There are some things in this town that are considered untouchables. Like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Masshole Sports…and Pete Sheppard.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Remember That Jets AFC Championship Gear ?

Believe me, we know your pain.

GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

MASSHOLE SPORTS PRESENTS BOOK OF THE MONTH: How to Live with a Huge Penis: Advice, Meditations, and Wisdom for Men Who Have Too Much

click on image to view amazon.com summary and purchase

TITLE: How to Live with a Huge Penis: Advice, Meditations, and Wisdom for Men Who Have Too Much

Our first Book Of The Month selection is a book that none of my faithful readers will ever need, but I recommend it none-the-less.

For the blessed among us, you will find this book incredibly helpful, as I have.

If youre not among the blessed among us, it’s a great book to keep in your car, in your desk at work, if you’re a student maybe in your backpack —basically anywhere that a female MAY snoop and see it.

Its selling on Amazon right now for only $9.32 and is a worthy investment on so many levels.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

LeBron James rapping to Eminem

LeBron James knows EVERY word to this Eminem song. So funny.





GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Red Sox Will Be Wearing Yet Another New Hat This Season

The Red Sox will be wearing a new hat during batting practice this season.

I tell you what, the Red Sox know how to make money.  The only reason they will be wearing this hat is to sell this hat.

Looks kinda like an NFL sideline hat to me.  Not very traditional or original.

But Im sure all the youngsters will want one.

MTV To Follow Up Jersey Shore With Show Starring "Massholes" Called Wicked Summah

Its happening! The rumors about MTV doing a reality show based on Massholes are true.

The producers of Jersey Shore have put out a casting call for "massholes." Well, the name of the show wont be Massholes, it will be "Wicked Summah."

If you want to audition for the show, you must do so online at the official casting website: WickedSummahCasting.com

Here's the official casting call from Popular Productions / Doron Ofir Casting:

You'll pahty on the beaches of the Cape where Roast Beef subs and cases of Narragansett Light are on every Celtics towel next to a bottle of baby oil and a can of hair spray! Are you down for one wicked cool summah, and be a part of the most wicked reality show evah!

If you apply, represent well! No poser from the suburbs who CLAIM to be Massholes. You better be able to recite the Red Sox starting line up within 10 seconds.

And dont over do it and show up covered head to toe in Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins gear. You will no doubt get your ass kicked by either the token guido or the token Irishman.

The more I think about it, the more I can see a Masshole civil war erupting on this show. Just imagine a scarley cap wearing, white faced irish kid from Southie and a Revere guido living in the same house.

The rest of the country will be laughing at us while the cast members go out to bars and picks fights with each other.

Want Your Lawn To Look Like Fenway Parks Outfield?

Scotts has begun selling grass seed that will "make your lawn look like the grass at Fenway Park."

This is just retahded.

Does the grass at Fenway Park REALLY look much different than any other expensive grass?

Where does it end?

Will the Bruins sell water than you can freeze to make look like Boston Garden ice? Cmon now.

The scary thing is, people just might buy this stuff.

Boston Sports Radio War Heats Up: Pete Sheppard Laid Off

WEEI announced today that Pete Sheppard has been laid off.  Or as they put it, "Pete Sheppard has had his position eliminated."  He hasnt been fired, as some bloggers are saying.

Glen Ordway, host of The Big Show on WEEI, sighted “tough economic times” for the lay off.

But lets be realistic here. WEEI has been losing ad revenue ever since 98.5 The Sports Hub debut this summer.

So Pete Sheppard is the first casualty of the Boston Sports Radio war that has been going on since 98.5 The Sports Hubs debuted this summer.

Sheppard had been with the company since 1994.

Look for Butch Stearns to be the new fill-in host for the Big Show and dont be surprised to see Pete Sheppard on 98.5 The Sports Hub in the near future....stay tuned.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

A Letter To Theo Epstein

Dear Theo,

I hear Seattle signed Felix Hernandez to a five year deal. That sucks huh? You should have traded for him when you had the chance.

Another trade that you couldn’t pull the trigger on. Why are you so attached to your prospects?

You collect prospects the way teenage boys collect baseball cards.

There comes a time in life when you have to go “all in” and make a push for a championship.

We know that you didn’t make the Hanley Ramirez for Mike Lowell / Josh Beckett that eventually won the Red Sox a World Series in 2007.

We know that you couldn’t pull the trigger for Roy Halladay or Adrian Gonzalez.

Your acting like the nerdy kid in high school who is too shy to asks the hot girl to go to the prom and instead goes with his sister.

Theo, its time to slick back your hair, put on the leather jacket, hop in daddys car and drive over to her house and ask her!

Do something. This passive approach is frustrating the hell out of us!

Sincerely,
Masshole Sports



GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Scott Browns Nude Photo Shoot For Cosmo Magazine

This picture is real. That is your new Senator folks.

Oh you didn’t know? Scott Brown, posed nude for Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1982 while attending BC Law School.

According to Eagleionline.com, an online newspaper for the students of Boston College Law School, Scott Brown “used the proceeds from sale of the photographs to help defray the costs of law school tuition.”

Wow, so he posed nude to pay for college.

That’s what every trashy, pimple assed stripper at Squire says when people ask them why they strip for a living.

Why didn’t this picture come up during the campaign?

I can see the Martha Coakley ad in my mind:

Scott Brown doesnt believe in gay marriage. He thinks it destroys family values...but he posed nude for Cosmo.  Im Martha Coakley and I approve this message.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Brett Favre Singing "Pants On The Ground" (American Idol Song)

As if you needed ANY more proof that Brett Favre is a tool.

Yea yea yea, he played a hell of a game on Sunday but this is just embarrassing. I dont know whats more pathetic. The fact that he cried all three times that he announced his retirement or this video:

Get Ready For Baseball In November! MLB Considering Extending Playoffs

A new MLB committee is meeting today to discuss expanding the first round of the playoffs to best of seven.

Considering some of the changes MLB has made with Bud Selig at the helm, corporate greed will trump any sort of attempt to preserve the integrity of the game, so get ready for longer playoffs.

Expanding the first round of the playoffs will guarantee MLB at least four additional playoff games per year (considering the clinching team will have to win four games as opposed to three games) and at most eight (if all series go seven games).

Did You Know There Was A Bruins Game Last Night?

It started at 10pm. I turned on NESN around midnight and thought I was watching a rebroadcast of a game from earlier this season. Anyway, we didn’t miss much. Here are the only two highlights from the Briuns Ducks game last night:


Adam McQuaid vs Troy Bodie





Byron Bitz vs Kyle Chipchura




GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

ID LIKE TO PUNCH THIS FACE: Pat Robertson

Televangelist Pat Robertson blamed the earthquake in Haiti on a pact that Haiti made with the devil over 200 years ago.

Pat Robertson said, "The people of Haiti were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.' True story. And so, the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.'”

The people of Haiti defeated the French in 1804 and declared independence.

While others are asking people to donate money to the relief efforts, Pat Robertson is spewing this voo-doo. Id like to punch his face.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Peter Gammons Is Drinking Theos Kool Aid, Calls 2010 Red Sox 2nd Best Team In All Of Baseball

Peter Gammons was on WEEI yesterday and was asked, “Are the Red Sox the second best team in the American League?”

Gammons answered, "Probably the second-best team in baseball.”

At first glance, I thought he was giving an honest, objective analysis of the 2010 Red Sox.

Then I read the rest of the interview and realized that Gammons is either drinking Theo Epsteins Kool Aid or is simply spewing the “company line” considering he is now a NESN employee.

He cited depth as the reason the Red Sox will be the second best team in all of baseball. Gammons said, “I think that the depth of the lineup will be very good. I think the depth of the roster is much better.”

Gammons went on to predict that Beltre would hit 30-32 home runs in 2010 and Mike Cameron will “kill left-handed pitchers.”

Also, Gammons has spoken with Mike Roberts, who runs the baseball program at Athletes Performance in Scottsdale where Matsuzaka is working out, and said that Matsuzaka is in “unbelievable shape” and that “the transformation from last year is astounding.”

But that may just be the company line from a NESN employee.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Paul Pierce On Hawks: "We Still Feel We're the Better Team"

The Celtics only have 10 losses this season and three of them are against the Atlanta Hawks.

Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins were on the floor for the entire fourth quarter and couldn’t stop the Atlanta Hawks.

Yet after the game, Paul Pierce had the balls to say, “We still feel we’re the better team.” Wow. Real classy, Paul. Talking like a real leader.

To add fuel to the fire, Kendrick Perkins said the following after the game, “I don’t think anyone on this team fears them. They look at us like a rival, but I don’t think we look at them as a rivalry team.”

The Atlanta Hawks came back from 14 points down in the third quarter last night and they are now just 2.5 games behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

Yet certain players on the Celtics dont recognize them as an opponent worth playing hard against. Im probably going to get ripped for saying this, but the Celtics dont have the heart of a championship team (eerily reminds you of the Colts, huh?).

The next Celtics ass whipping will be January 29th when these two teams face each other again in Atlanta.

Ill be at the Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry The Cable Guy comedy show at the Garden that night. Should be more entertaining.

GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

What Does Ugly Obama Think About Mark McGwire?

What Does Ugly Obama Think About Mark McGwire....




GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Patriots Just Arent That Hungry Anymore

The Ravens showed more heart, more desire and to put it simply, they wanted it more.

The Patriots have more pure talent than the Ravens. They have more collective experience.

But the Patriots are now the aging tiger in this forest that is the NFL.

And we all know what happens to the aging tiger in the forest--the younger hornier lion is going to get the woman every time.

Maybe its because Tom Brady is now a father of two children and wears that stupid TB (Tom Brady) hat now-a-days. Maybe its because they’ve won three Super Bowls and have an undefeated season under their belts.

The Patriots, as a collective unit, just don’t have that hungry anymore. And that is a direct reflection of the leaders (or lack of leaders) on this team.

Game over, season over, decade over, Patriot reign over.



GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

The New Sabermetrics Buzzwords: UZR and Run Prevention

This is why nerds shouldn’t run baseball teams.

Only nerds can take a beautiful game and break it down into a series of complex formulas, algorithms and advanced calculus.

Never mind the majesty of the game.

Never mind the heroes, the villains, the late inning comebacks or the late inning collapses.

Never mind all of the characters that have graced the field and made for great-unscripted drama.

According to the nerds, baseball is about OBP and UZR. We all know that OBP is on base percentage. But what is UZR? UZR is a plus minus rating given to a player based on his defensive ability and his ability to prevent runs versus allow runs.


I would need a degree in mathematics to defining UZR, so rather than give a definition of UZR, Ill explain it in layman's terms.

UZR is attaching run value to a players defensive ability based on how difficult a defensive play is to make. The more times a fielder makes a play an average player can’t, the higher his UZR and plus-minus rating will be.

Theo Epstein and the Red Sox “Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations” Bill James actually believe in this stuff and built the 2010 Red Sox with UZR in mind.

Kinda makes you wonder if the Red Sox will EVER sign another big bat with a low UZR who can be the rock in the middle of that lineup (kinda like Manny was for two World Series titles).

Are you sick to your stomach yet?

The thing is, if UZR is indeed effective, then all signs point toward the Red Sox being a great team in 2010. Not good, but great.

But heres where theory clashes with the real world and why text books cant teach you what life experience can: it was Manny Ramirez' bat in the heart of their lineup, not his UZR, that helped win World Series titles in 2004 and 2007.

And UZR isnt goint to help the Red Sox when they go into the bottom of the ninth down by one run and don’t have a single “big bat” due up.

But according to Theo Epstein, that wont happen because Adrian Beltre and Mike Cameron will have prevented enough runs to not be in that situation.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Papelbon Thinks Hes A Hall Of Famer

When asked about his 2009 ALDS meltdown to the LA Angels, Jonathon Papelbon told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston:

“The difference between All-Stars and Hall of Famers is that they don't stay in ruts. So I'm going to get in a four-wheel drive and pull right out of that mud hole.”

That’s not all. Paplebon proved himself to be a full blown meat head. Here are some of the other notable quotes from Paplenbon in his interview with Gordon Edes:

"I had no idea we got [John] Lackey until [trainer Mike] Reinold came down to see me, just a few days ago.”

"Cameron, Mike Cameron?'' he said. "We got him? I swear to you, I didn't know.''


Regarding signing a longterm deal with the Red Sox:

“I'm not afraid to show that, hey, I want to be with the Red Sox [in a multiyear deal]. I'd love to have that sense of security of being with a team and knowing, 'Hey, they want me, and I want them, let's have a happy marriage.'

Then in his next sentence he said:

“I want every closer out there, man, to get every penny they deserve."”

Pablebon went on to say:

“This kid [Bard] has got talent through the roof. If I had anything to do with it, I'd want Bard in my 'pen, to set me up.”

I don’t think he realized that he just shot himself in the foot. Umm….I wouldn’t praise someone who is in line to take my job…for FAR less money.

Heres one more for you’all.

Paplebons wife is pregnant and due in April. Its going to be a boy and they have a name picked out. "Got a name picked out. Gunner Roberts. The significance? Nothing, man. Just a badass name, so we went with it.''

Thanks Gordon Edes for giving Red Sox Nation something to laugh about on this cold January day.

National Media Like The Pats Chances

Jim Nantz, who will be in the broadcast booth announcing Sunday's Patriots-Ravens game on CBS, told WEEI:

"Nobody wants to be matched up against New England. In all of its success, in all of its history of finding a way to win, and the way they game-plan for these games behind coach [Bill] Belichick, I wouldn't want any part of New England if I'm in the AFC playoffs right now."

Nantz went on to say:

“The Patriots know how to really get it done, they know how to get to the promised land. If you're in San Diego, you've got to be frightened of New England coming out West and doing what they did to them a couple of years ago in what ultimately was [Chargers coach] Marty Schottenheimer's last game.”



ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski was on WEEI and talked about the Patriots' chances and said:

“their offense was very consistent all season long and they're going to make a run.”

Hmmm…seems like the only people NOT picking the Patriots to go deep in the playoffs are the local sports media blow hards.

Sign Of The Times: Buying Naming Rights To A Stadium's Demolition

According to the Dallas News, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is officially sponsoring the demolition of Texas Stadium. Kraft will pay a $75,000 sponsorship fee and provide $75,000 worth of Kraft products for local charities

When will it end?

GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Bruschi: Colts Don’t Have Heart Of Champions

Tedy Bruschi is saying what we are all thinking.

On Sportscenter today Brushci said the following about the Colts:

"When I look at the Colts, I see a team that really doesn't have that thing that I look for in teams that win Super Bowls -- that heart of a champion."

Bruschi went on to say, "I see them not going for 16-0; I see them going for meaningless individual statistics. I don't think that's a Super Bowl champion."

Bruschi also said that he considers the San Diego Chargers the AFC favorites to reach the Super Bowl and while he didn’t pick a favorite in the NFC, he did say that "the Cowboys bust the trend of losing in the playoffs and they actually have a push toward the Super Bowl.”

What about the Patriots? Bruschi sees the Patriots beating the Ravens but losing to the Chargers, citing the Wes Welker injury.

GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Belichick Rips Charley Casserly Over Brady Broken Ribs Report. Compares Him To Meteorologists

Before the Patriots Texans game on Sunday, “CBS analyst” Charley Casserly reported that Tom Brady has been playing with three broken ribs.

Well, he was wrong. And Bill Belichick called him out on it during Belichicks weekly appearance on WEEI Monday.

Not only did Belichick call out Charley Casserly, he straight out ripped him…stopping just short of making fun of his bad hair piece.

Belichick said "there's so much stuff out there that is so inaccurate that it's comical. Who's been wrong more than Casserly? His percentage is like a meteorologist..”

"At least he put his name on it. I'll put my name on it, too. He's 100-percent wrong."

If you watch the NFL Today pregame show on CBS (Sundays at noon) then you know Charley Casserly as the guy with the bad toupee who is referred to as the “NFL Today GM” and sits down with the host James Brown and speaks about current events around the NFL.




GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

ESPN 3D TV Network Arriving In June 2010

And you thought HDTV was the pinnacle. You aint seen nothing yet.

ESPN is launching a 3D TV Network in June 2010. According to Rueters,

“ESPNs first broadcast will be a June 11 World Cup soccer match between South Africa and Mexico. Other events to be produced in 3D include up to 25 World Cup matches, the Summer X Games extreme sports, college basketball and football, including the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, Arizona, on January 10, 2011.”

Anyone else just a bit disappointed that their first 3D broadcast will be a friggin soccer game? And it’s a game between South Africa and Mexico no less. Im sure people will be lining up to get their 3D glasses for that one.


GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Danny Ainge Doesn’t Care About Fans, Only Winning Another Championship

Ruthless. That’s the only way I can describe Danny Ainge right now.

Ainge has decided to rest Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo during regular season games in the hopes of keeping them fresh for the playoffs.

Ainge told WEEI that Garnetts and Pierces injuries were "not serious" and the the Celtics are being "cautious."

He went on to give an interesting analogy. Ainge said:

"let's say you have Pedro or Curt Schilling, and they're used to pitching 250 innings a year and going into the season you want them to pitch 180 or 190, maybe miss three starts and be fresh for the playoffs. That's what I'd liken it to."

Danny Ainges balls are getting as big as Bill Belichicks.

If Im the owner of the Celtics, Im saying kudos to Danny Ainge for stopping at NOTHING to win another NBA Championship even if that means sacrificing meaningless regular season game.

If I were a paying season ticket holder, Id be pissed.

GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE

Maybe Boston Really Is “Hockey Town.” Red Wings Out Of The Playoffs If Season Ended Right Now

Leading up to the Winter Classic, we heard lots of Boston sports personalities refer to Boston as “Hockey Town.” Im sure the people of Detroit cringed upon hearing the words Boston and “Hockey Town” in the same sentence considering that has been Detroits nickname for years.

But if the season ended right now, the Detroit Red Wings would not qualify for the playoffs. The Red Wings are currently in tenth place in the Western Conference.

The Bruins are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and would qualify for the playoffs.

So is it really a far stretch to say that Boston has over taken Detroit as Hockey Town USA?

Hosting the Winter Classic, combined with the fact that Detroit may not make the playoffs this year (and the fact that the Bruins almost definitely will) may have caused a shift in the hockey universe.

GO TO MASSHOLE SPORTS HOMEPAGE