Sports Redux: The Early Flight

Doc Rivers insisted that last night's game was fraught with peril. Even though the Celtics were visiting the atrocious Clippers, it was the last game of a seven-month road trip (or so it seemed), and there's always danger of the players mentally checking out before the last 48 minutes of a trip are finished.

Well, he was right. The C's' heads weren't where they were supposed to be, and then Paul Pierce's finger wasn't where it was supposed to be, and the godawful Clippers got their 15th win over a Celtics team that was mentally already at the airport. Adding injury to insult, Pierce jammed his thumb; it wasn't painful enough for him to sit down (which those LA fans probably wouldn't have believed anyway), but it seemed like it caused a couple of errant shots down the stretch. He still managed to lead the team with 20, while Rajon and Ray had 17 apiece.

Unfortunately, the team plane didn't leave quickly enough, as Gabe Pruitt got himself in trouble after the game, getting picked up in Hollywood for a possible DUI. Great. He's not even here yet, and Stephon Marbury's already moving up the depth chart.

The Sox split their first day of preseason action, beating BC 7-1, which wasn't as big a beating as that dead horse took as Dan Shaughnessy wrote the obligatory "BC kids are excited to play the Sox" article, and losing to the Twins 5-2. If you're going to panic (please don't panic; it's not even March), you can do it about the rusty Tim Wakefield and not the sharp Josh Beckett.

ESPN, knowing a winning theme when it sees one, has made up Sports Mount Rushmores for every team in the majors, NBA, and NHL. The Bruins: Orr, Esposito, Bourque and Neely. The Celtics: Red, Russell, Bird, Havlicek. The Sox: Ted, Yaz, Papi, Pedro. Hard to argue, but that's why we have comments below.