Sports Redux: Another Off Day

Man. It seems like it's been forever, doesn't it? At least a week and a half since we had very much local to talk about.

Any momentum the Red Sox acquired after their plummet into a playoff spot has been stopped. The Bruins were rewarded for their pummeling of Carolina with a month off. Sports fans around here have been forced to watch - gasp - other teams in the playoffs, while we wait and wait and wait for 9:30 to roll around and for the Angels series to begin.

None of the action yesterday produced any big surprises. All three home teams won: the Yankees on a gem by C.C. Sabathia and Derek Jeter's 912th postseason home run; the Phillies on a [what's one level above "gem"?] by Cliff Lee; and the Dodgers by outlasting Saint Louis 3-2. ESPN is choosing to focus mostly on the Yankees, but they do have a pretty good chronology of the Twins traveling late at night from division-clinching elation to the Bronx.

The latest "news" on the Angels series? The Halos need John Lackey to get them off to a good start. Sean McAdam says the Angels need to get the Sox out of their heads. And Dan Shaughnessy, still on the expense account, breaks the news that Jason Varitek's best days are behind him but he still hopes and thinks he can contribute something.

The Bruins take the ice for the first time in forever tonight against the Ducks, just in case Anaheim and Boston weren't looking warily enough at each other. Everyone's thrilled that the B's locked up Milan Lucic with a three-year extension; the man himself said, "I just enjoy everything about being a Bruin and the city, the organization and coming to the rink here, it's always a good feeling." Right back atya, Looch.

The Celtics kicked off their preseason action last night in Hidalgo, Texas (home of the World Birding Center and the Pumphouse Museum), and lost to the Rockets. Whatever. What we all wanted to know was, how did Kevin Garnett look and how did Rasheed Wallace fit in? The answers: pretty well, if a bit tired and a little frustrated that he still isn't 100%: "Everything’s coming back. Doc’s on my rear end about attacking and being aggressive, and all that’s just flow. The game is so fast and I was just trying to take it all in and let it all come back to me. It’s all flow."; and Sheed scored six off the bench and got a technical foul. It's all happening.

There was also the Celtic debut of Michael Sweetney, who led the team in scoring(!) with ten points in nine minutes. The Globe looked at his attempt to earn his way back into the NBA, which is interesting, though they could have found a better picture.

If sometimes you underestimate the importance of team stability (we haven't had any real ownership drama around here in a while), be glad you're not following the St. Louis Rams. They're up for sale, they've attracted the interest of Rush Limbaugh (if you're going to make the observation that Rush has always wanted to own a large number of black men, you're probably not the first), and former NFL players are going public and saying this might be the worst idea ever. Shake Bob Kraft's hand warmly if you see him around.