Sports Redux: This Train Is Bound For Glory

We're the most starry-eyed, green-Kool-Aid-guzzling optimists anywhere, but even we never thought it would be this good, this fast. Even on a night when two-thirds of Ghidorah wasn't quite up to snuff (Ray Allen 4-for-14, Kevin Garnett missing his usual double-double), the Celtics still had enough to put the clamps on Jersey and win their seventh straight.

Any time you defensively hold a team to 69 points and 33% shooting, you're doing something right. And with the C's stars not at their absolute best, the "other guys" were more than able, with Rondo and Tony Allen scoring 13 apiece and even Kendrick Perkins hitting double digits.

"They're not about stats. They are just about wins and you can see that out there," said Jason Kidd. You also know you're doing something right when the star of your opponent and chief rival (if the Celtics even have a rival at this point) in the Atlantic Division is left to marvel at you after the game.

So while the Celtics' train is finally bound for glory (we can't be the only ones who remember that slogan from a few years ago), the Red Sox are bound for Japan after all. They finally released the 2008 schedule after weeks of negotiation over the controversial trip to Japan. Controversial as in MLB demanded it, but the players hate the idea. And we'll be looking for Don and Jerry at like 5 in the morning or something.

The deal is that the Sox will play a few exhibition games against Japanese teams, then play two real games against Oakland. They'll count as home games for the A's, then the teams will finish the series the next week in the actual Oakland. Of course, Daisuke Matuzaka is 90% of the reason the Red Sox are part of this scheme, but Daisuke's going to become a dad right about that time. So he may not even be with the team.

The full schedule is here. It's unremarkable; the interleague series are the Brewers, Cardinals and Diamondbacks (here) and Cincinnati, Philly and Houston on the road. One thing we noticed: only two games in Cleveland (April 14th and 15th)?! The ALCS rematch? Can that be right? Two games?

Also, the Sox are raising ticket prices an average on 9%. We'd complain (it's reflexive), but (a) they won the World Series again and (b) it's not like most people can get tickets anyway.

The Bruins host Toronto tonight; the Celtics have a day off before preparing to fillet Shaq and the Heat tomorrow.

Picture from Elsa at Celtics.com.