SB Nation Boston: All Posts by Alan Siegelhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2011-01-06T10:08:34-05:00https://boston.sbnation.com/authors/alan-siegel/rss2011-01-06T10:08:34-05:002011-01-06T10:08:34-05:00The Descent: A Look At Randy Moss’ Long, Strange Season
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jjLHUmtSDznRZQXE-EfmQpii0IU=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828103/large_boston.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>From starring with the Patriots to struggling with the Vikings to near obscurity with the Titans, the departure and subsequent decline of Randy Moss wasn't easy to take. Here's how it went down. </p> <p>There's something hypnotic about a <span>Randy Moss</span> press conference. His <a href="http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/14858196.html?page=1&c=y">session at Super Bowl media day three years ago</a> was practically porn for understimulated <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> beat reporters. Hey, I was rapt, too. So after the Patriots' season opener on Sept. 12, when Moss -- who days before had <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/13894020/patriots-moss-feels-not-wanted-without-contract-offer/rss">expressed dissatisfaction with his contract situation </a>-- delivered <a href="http://www.patriots.com/mediacenter/index.cfm?ac=videonewsdetail&pid=44464&pcid=82">a 16-minute soliloquy</a>, he had my undivided attention.</p>
<p>"Everybody has a certain mystique about them," Moss said. "I guess that people just don't like the way that I carry myself. If that's what it is, then that's what it is."</p>
<p>Amazingly, that was only a jumping off point. Things were about to get even weirder.</p>
<p><b>Sept. 19-26</b><br>A week after coming out with guns blazing -- kinda like <a href="http://thefraternity.aowc.net/user/359596/members/B8249577-84EB-4184-B947-119777E00D4D/upload/yosemite-sam-with-guns-drawn.jpg">Yosemite Sam</a> with a West Virginian drawl -- <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/9/23/1705831/randy-moss-top-five-catches-video-patriots-nfl">Moss makes a stunning one-handed touchdown grab</a> in the Patriots' 28-14 loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">Jets</a>. If <span>Tom Brady</span> had tossed an egg instead of a football, I doubt it would've cracked in Moss' palm. Seven days later, Moss adds a pair of TDs in a 38-30 win over Buffalo. Sadly, they're the last two passes Moss will catch as a Patriot.</p>
<p><b>Oct. 4</b><br>The only pass Brady throws Moss' way in New England's 41-14 win over Miami skids off the receiver's fingertips. When asked about his performance, Moss tells the <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/RapSheet/statuses/26427773497">Herald's Ian Rapoport</a>, "It's called a game plan." </p>
<p><b>Oct. 5</b><br>Bill Simmons accidentally tweets <a href="http://deadspin.com/5657143/how-a-bill-simmons-tweet-ended-up-with-randy-moss-being-traded">"Moss Vikings"</a> to his 1.3 million followers instead of direct messaging ESPN colleague Adam Schefter. <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/sportsguy33/statuses/26499643568">Sports Guy soon clarifies</a>: "Rumors swirling about a Pats-Minny trade for Randy Moss." Later, FOX NFL guru/death fighter Jay Glazer puts on his cape and <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Jay_Glazer/status/26502383824">swoops in</a>: "Yes, vikes and pats have been working on trade that sends randy moss to vikes and r very close but can't be done until vikes and moss work out new contract, which they r working on..." R u serious?</p>
<p><b>Oct. 6</b><br><a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Randy-Moss-trade-New-England-Patriots-Minnesota-Vikings-100510">Glazer confirms his initial report</a>. Moss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Vikings</a> for a third-round pick. I don't like the trade much. To me, having Moss for 12 games is worth more than a third rounder, no matter how much I'm told otherwise. Two camps quickly form. The Belichick toadies (click <a href="http://deadspin.com/5657001/last-nights-winner-mossholes">here</a> if you hate this group) and the Moss apologists (click <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/101008&sportCat=nfl">here</a> if you hate this group). What Deadspin's Tommy Craggs writes stings, especially the last part. "Brett Favre's a happier man, and poor <span>Wes Welker</span> will have two defenders in his earhole from here on out. Belichick just sacrificed a Hall of Famer at the altar of the local stupids. Hope you guys are happy." Dumping Moss may end up being the right move, but no longer being able to watch Moss -- who's certainly bound for Canton someday -- every week, well, sucks.</p>
<p><b>Oct. 7-10</b><br>The Patriots start leaking like the Metrodome roof. ESPN's Mike Reiss reports that Moss and quarterbacks coach/play caller Bill O'Brien were "involved in a heated exchange at halftime of the team's victory Monday over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a>, according to player sources. The locker-room exchange [was] described as an ‘outburst' by one player." A few days later, on CBS, <a href="http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/this-just-in/2144926/report-brady-moss-altercation">Charlie Casserly says</a> that shortly before Moss was traded, "Tom Brady and Randy Moss went toe-to-toe and had to be separated." The tiff allegedly included, "Brady telling Moss, ‘You've got to cut your beard.' And Moss counter[ing], ‘You've got to get your hair cut. You look like a girl.'" On WEEI, Belichick actually refutes that one, sassing Casserly in the process: "Who's been wrong more than Charley Casserly since he left the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Redskins</a>? His percentage is like a meteorologist."</p>
<p><b>Oct. 11-17</b><br>After telling Vikings fans to "<a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/07/moss-practice/">pull your 84 jerseys out, man</a>," Moss starts off his second tenure in Minnesota with a pair of decent games. He catches four balls for 81 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings' 29-20 loss to the Jets. A week later, he catches five balls for 55 yards in a 24-21 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a>. Meanwhile, the fellas at <a href="http://coldhardfootballfacts.com/">Cold Hard Football Facts</a> unleash <a href="http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_3382_Troll_Report%3A_Brady-Moss_statistical_death_spiral.html">the Brady-Moss statistical death spiral</a>, which documents the decline in Moss' production. "The numbers confirm what you might have expected: targeting a deep threat, even a rare and elite performer like Moss, is a high-risk, high-reward venture. And, over time, the risks rose and the rewards declined."</p>
<p><b>Oct. 31</b><br>Moss catches a single pass for eight yards in the Vikings' 28-18 loss to the Patriots in Foxborough, and then <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/10/randy-moss-criticizes-vikings-praises-patriots-after-minnesotas-loss/1">he gets weepy -- about his former team</a>. "I don't know how many more times I'll be in New England again. But I leave coach Belichick and those guys with a salute. I love you guys. I miss you." And then fittingly, "I'm out."</p>
<p><b>Nov. 1-2</b><br>Like Barney Gumble said when <a href="http://simpsonsimages.tumblr.com/post/1016190976/via-tealaviolet-oh-ive-killed-her-its-all">he knocked over the giant bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup</a>, "IT'S ALL HAPPENING AGAIN!" The Vikings release Moss. In four games with Minnesota, he has 13 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. RandyLeaks continues, this time with <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-mossbehavior110210">Michael Silver of Yahoo!'s report</a> about Moss' dissatisfaction with a catered team meal: "Moss paced up and down the serving line and loudly expressed his displeasure with the offerings. According to one player who witnessed the scene, Moss yelled, ‘What the [expletive]? Who ordered this crap? I wouldn't feed this to my dog!"</p>
<p><b>November</b><br><a href="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/03/randy-moss-is-a-titan/">Tennessee signs Moss on Nov. 3</a>. In his first game as a Titan, a 29-17 loss to Miami, he catches one pass for 26 yards. The next week, he has no catches in a 19-16 win over Washington. The week after that, in a 20-0 loss to Houston, he catches three passes for 23 yards -- it ends up being his best performance as a Titan.</p>
<p align="center"></p>
<p><b>December</b><br><a href="http://deadspin.com/5714692/is-this-randy-moss-anonymously-bashing-jeff-fisher-on-nashville-radio">A guy named "Woody" calls a Nashville sports radio station</a> and bashes <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/">Titans</a> coach Jeff Fisher. "Woody" sounds an awful lot like Randy Moss. (Alas, <a href="http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/woody_calls_back_into_radio_show_confirms_he_is_not_randy_moss/3901154">it doesn't appear that "Woody" is actually Randy Moss</a>.) The real Moss ends his season with a one-catch performance in Tennessee's 23-20 loss to Indianapolis. In eight games with the Titans, Moss totals six catches for 80 yards. He finishes the season with 28 catches for 393 yards and five touchdowns. Statistically, it's the worst year of his <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MossRa00.htm">career</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennessean.com%2Farticle%2F20101220%2FSPORTS01%2F101220043%2F2162%2FSPORTS01%2FFisher%2Bdefends%2BMoss%2B%2Brole%2Bwith%2BTitans&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fboston.sbnation.com%2Fnew-england-patriots%2F2011%2F1%2F6%2F1918267%2Frandy-moss-patriots-vikings-titans-descent-2010-nfl-season" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Fisher still claims to be fond of Moss</a>. <a href="http://www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/112361209.html?storySection=story">And Moss tells reporters he doesn't want out</a>. "As a player, it hurts me deep down inside that I want to be out there helping the team and listening to the fans," Moss says. "You know they're chanting my name. I want to make plays. I want to bring them out of their seats because that's what I'm used to doing."</p>
<p><b>........</b></p>
<p>It's foolish for me to assume that if the 33-year-old Moss didn't launch a public campaign for a new contract, he'd still be in New England. But what if, somehow, he stuck around? Even if the Patriots offense didn't evolve like it has, we'd at least be able to watch Moss go deep on Sundays.</p>
<p>But that's not what happened. Moss, who's running dangerously low on mystique these days, is gone. He'll likely resurface again this offseason, when he signs with another team. His introductory press conference will toe the line between unhinged and enlightening, but I'll tune in, and at the end, I'll wonder what the hell I just watched.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2011/1/6/1918267/randy-moss-patriots-vikings-titans-descent-2010-nfl-seasonAlan Siegel2010-12-30T11:17:16-05:002010-12-30T11:17:16-05:00On Micky Ward, Jeff Fraza And Why 'The Fighter' Resonates In Boston
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cTv-9DTklPU3XXWfp5s_V9Ab_Bg=/0x0:600x400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/715240/GYI0060536076.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Director David O. Russell's boxing flick might be the best Boston movie ever. SPOILER ALERT: in the end, the underdog ends up winning. </p> <p>I met Micky Ward in July 2004, a year after the last of his three fights against Arturo Gatti left boxing purists -- not to mention thousands of dudes in Patriots hoodies -- justifiably mawkish.</p>
<p>"The bout...was breathtaking in its brutality: two iron-faced pugs with iron wills, trying to beat each other's brains out," <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1028981/1/index.htm"><i>Sports Illustrated's</i> Franz Lidz wrote</a>. "The bell would ring, and you'd think there was no way the furious action could last another round, and yet it did and it did and it did."</p>
<p>Of course I was an intern, not a purist. But <a href="http://www.eagletribune.com/">The Eagle-Tribune</a> of Lawrence, Mass., needed someone to cover local welterweight Jeff Fraza's latest clash, so I volunteered.</p>
<p>The fight was held just across the New Hampshire border at the <a href="http://www.casinoballroom.com/">Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom</a>, a century-old dance hall that looked like it was plucked from the set of <a href="http://www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire?cmpid=ABC458"><i>Boardwalk Empire</i></a>. (I'd been there once before, to see a Pink Floyd cover band.) Ward, Fraza's trainer at the time, was happy to chat before the fight. "This is his jump start right here to something bigger," Ward said of Fraza. "Boxing is a puzzle. This fight is a piece of the puzzle."</p>
<p>By the time Fraza and his opponent started throwing punches, the Ballroom felt like a greenhouse. There was no air conditioning, the lights were bright, and my ringside seat put me hazardously close to two guys trying to beat each other's brains out. A few rounds in, my trusty <a href="http://tvlifer.com/files/Reporters%20Notebook.jpg">reporter's notebook</a> was covered with droplets of blood. (Admittedly, that last thing made me feel like Bert Fucking Sugar.)</p>
<p>I'd never covered boxing before, but I quickly understood its allure. If you can ignore the sport's rampant corruption, there's something elemental about it. "Once a man asked me to name the one most awesome thing I had ever seen in sports," <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/06/26/where.lewis/">SI's Gary Smith wrote in 2006</a>. "I begged for two -- nothing with a ball or glove or net or racket, just the simple essence of man's two most basic survival instincts, fight or flight: Mike Tyson hitting a heavy bag, and Carl Lewis running."</p>
<p>As Bill Simmons recently pointed out, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/week16picks">Hollywood gets off on this stuff</a>. Combine the film world's love of boxing with its developing Boston fetish, and you get <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964517/"><i>The Fighter</i></a>. Before seeing it on Christmas Day, I was skeptical. The idea of Mark Wahlberg pandering to our obnoxious, <a href="http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/tag/tommy-from-quinzee">ripe for parody</a> level of regional self-importance made me uneasy. Did we really need frat boys from the burbs co-opting another movie about blue-collar Boston? Hadn't the arrival of Danny Woodhead put us over the white, 5-foot-8 hero limit? As much as I liked <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361/"><i>The Town</i></a>, it occasionally felt like a Massploitation flick. Although hearing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000255/">Ben Affleck's</a> character refer to soda as "tonic" made me laugh, it seemed only to serve as a clumsy proclamation of the movie's authenticity.</p>
<p>Thankfully, <i>The Fighter </i>is less ... forced. After growing up on the North Shore and later working near Ward's hometown of Lowell for about five years, the movie's universe at least feels familiar. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502425/">Melissa Leo</a> is startlingly good as Micky's chain-smoking, Budweiser guzzling, doting but destructive mother Alice. And <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/">Christian Bale</a>, who will probably win an Oscar for his performance, is so convincing as Micky's junkie half-brother Dicky Eklund that my wife turned to me a few minutes into the movie and asked, "What actor is that?"</p>
<p>Dicky is a scene stealer, just as he is as the "star" of <i>High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell</i>, a 1995 HBO documentary about drug addiction. (It was filmed in the early 1990s and plays a big part in <i>The Fighter</i>). The real Dicky is obviously, um, less endearing than Bale's version.</p>
<p><img src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyOTM3MTg*NzgxNjYmcHQ9MTI5MzcxODQ4MDg2NCZwPTEwNjExOTImZD1mLTM5NzctaGlnaF9vbl9jcmFjJmc9MSZv/PWQwYzg5NDFjMmFhYzQ5NDE5MWQ*ODU3YTg2MDk5NzExJm9mPTA=.gif" style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border="0" height="0" width="0"><object width="300" height="255" data="http://o.snagfilms.com/film.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="f-3977"><param name="allowNetworking" value="all">
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always">
<param name="movie" value="http://o.snagfilms.com/film.swf">
<param name="wmode" value="transparent">
<param name="flashvars" value="id=3977&cid=f-3977-high_on_crac"></object> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.snagfilms.com/" onmouseout='this.style.textDecoration="none"' onmouseover='this.style.textDecoration="underline"' style="display:block;width:300px;text-align:center;font-family:Arial;font-size:11px;line-height:30px;color:#008cb9;text-decoration:none;">Watch more free documentaries</a></p>
<p>In the end, <i>The Fighter</i> still belongs to Micky. Wahlberg successfully mimics Ward's mannerisms, both outside the ring and in it. Here's a clip from Ward's fight against Shea Neary, which ends up serving as the film's climax:</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tvz2Cwhhqvo?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tvz2Cwhhqvo?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tvz2Cwhhqvo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p>The movie version is faithful to the real thing, right down to the way Micky raises his arms and smiles at the end of the fight. The boxing sequences aren't stylized like <i>Raging Bull</i> or cartoonish like the later <i>Rocky </i>movies, but they work.</p>
<p>"The final product," <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1179907/index.htm">Pablo S. Torre recently noted in SI</a>, "was shot [by director David O. Russell] using the same graphics and unforgivingly bright Beta cameras that HBO used for Gatti-Ward."</p>
<p>Which brings me back to that Friday night at the Casino Ballroom, when Jeff Fraza, Micky's protégé, put on a show in front of ESPN's bright cameras. Haverhill's Fraza won the nationally televised bout, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=1841573">stopping New Bedford's Paul Delgado in the 10th round</a>. I suspect Ward saw himself in Fraza, a fellow 5-foot-8 welterweight who like Micky before him, was trying to rise above stepping stone status.</p>
<p>"This is his jump start right here to something bigger," Ward had told me before the fight. And it in a way, it was. Before his career stalled, Fraza ended up on <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Contender_%28TV_series%29">The Contender</a></i>, the boxing reality show. He became a relatively well-known professional fighter, a success.</p>
<p>I just doubt anyone will ever make a movie about him. </p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2010/12/30/1903947/the-fighter-boston-mark-wahlberg-micky-ward-christian-baleAlan Siegel2010-10-27T10:10:17-04:002010-10-27T10:10:17-04:00For the Celtics, The Heat Is Already On
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jjLHUmtSDznRZQXE-EfmQpii0IU=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828103/large_boston.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>A game into the 2010-11 season, the Celtics are already humming. Good news for Boston: the Heat have plenty of work to do.</p> <p>The excuses began late in the fourth quarter. "It's gonna take time," TNT's Steve Kerr said as the <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Celtics</a> put the finishing touches on an <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2010/10/25/1773610/2010-nba-season-tip-off-celtics-heat-paul-pierce-lebron-james-dwyane-wade-kevin-garnett">88-80 victory</a> over the <a href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Heat</a>.</p>
<p>Miami, with all its firepower, looked disjointed in the season opener. <span>LeBron James</span> provided plenty of individual brilliance, but not enough to pull his team out of a 19-point hole. The Heat, as Kerr pointed out, haven't had much experience playing together.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Celtics have. That's what makes them -- for now -- a better team than the Heat. That's what I took from the season opener. Boston is already running smoothly, Miami isn't. It may be temporary, but it's a relief nonetheless.</p>
<p>"It's a feel-out process," <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2010/10/updates_from_he.html?p1=News_links">James told reporters afterward</a>. "I'm not accustomed to having that many threats out on the court at the same time. It kind of reminded me at times, of the USA practices. Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] really had to get on us one day because we were being too unselfish because we had so many options."</p>
<p>The Celtics also have plenty of "threats" and "options." But theirs are of an older vintage. There are no kinks to work out, no excuses to be made. Hell, even <span>Shaquille O'Neal</span> looked to be in midseason form. The big man had nine points, seven rebounds and a plus-seven rating in 18 minutes. Watching him throw down an alley-oop from <span>Rajon Rondo</span>, who finished with 17 assists, shocked me. Shaq actually looked like he got off the ground (the basket also appeared to be in peril when he dunked the ball). I think 18 minutes is a bit much for him to be playing on a regular basis, but hey, he was effective.</p>
<p>"I just wanted to come out here and play. I had some early-game jitters and I missed a couple of chippies,'' <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/10/27/debut_a_slam_dunk/?p1=Well_Sports_links">Shaq told reporters</a>. "But Rondo threw me a lob there and when I was running the court, he gave it back to me. We're all going to get better and better and it's going to be a great year.''</p>
<p>Then there was this scene, <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/10/27/debut_a_slam_dunk/?p1=Well_Sports_links">captured by <i>The Globe's </i>Michael Vega</a>, which surely will be repeated over and over and over until the Heat are 25 games above .500.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Question: "In your best estimation, how long do you think it will take the Miami Heat to get up to the level of cohesion you guys play at?''</p>
<p>O'Neal pursed his lips and went into his stone-faced statue mode.</p>
<p>Question: "A few weeks? A month? Half the season?''</p>
<p>O'Neal then broke his silence. "Next question,'' he said.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Not to gloat, but I don't remember the new-look Celtics getting those kind of questions three seasons ago. Anyway, that doesn't matter now. What's important is that Boston is already playing lethal defense. The Celtics held the Heat to 36.5 percent shooting. James (31 points) was his explosive self at times, but <span>Chris Bosh</span> (3-of-11, eight points) and <span>Dwyane Wade</span> (4-of-16, 13 points) were out of sync, settling for jumpers instead of being aggressive.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the Celtics were refreshingly balanced. <span>Ray Allen</span> (20 points), <span>Paul Pierce</span> (19 points), and <span>Glen Davis</span> (13 points) -- Big Baby played 29 minutes -- lit up the Heat. Allen's three with 49 seconds left helped seal the victory.</p>
<p>In the end, the result doesn't mean all that much. It was the season opener. Boston did exert an awful lot of effort to win a regular season game. Pierce (41 minutes), Allen (39 minutes) and <span>Kevin Garnett</span> (35 minutes) probably played too much, but this was the Heat. The players' pride was at stake. <i><a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/10/27/a_big_3/?page=1">The Globe's </a></i><a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/10/27/a_big_3/?page=1">Julian Benbow was aware of that</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Dressed in their finest suits, Pierce and Kevin Garnett made the same walk, talking among themselves about the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Garnett asked Pierce, "Are we in the Finals already?''</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As for Miami, well, it should listen to Don Johnson's advice in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtejCR413c">LeBron's new Nike commercial</a>: "You just gotta deal with the heat man. Be patient. After a while the temperature drops, and everything is free and easy."</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2010/10/27/1777238/Boston-Celtics-Heat-Season-OpenerAlan Siegel2010-10-22T09:15:49-04:002010-10-22T09:15:49-04:00Deconstructing The Danny Woodhead Myth
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AjlfL328IDvNCiFUbwE-BPxUSgw=/0x45:600x445/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/1219731/GYI0061819054.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Patriots' newest running back, Danny Woodhead, has been a great find for New England, with a touchdown on 22 carries in three games. But please stop comparing him to Rudy. </p> <p>All of a sudden, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> are lovable again. At least in the eyes of the media, which has appointed running back <a href="../../../../../nfl/players/34634/danny-woodhead">Danny Woodhead</a> as the team's new cuddly little mascot.</p>
<p>"The 5-foot-9 running back is proving doubters wrong on a daily basis," Danny Ventura wrote in <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view/20101018patriots_find_answer_in_danny_woodhead_little_man_big_factor/srvc=home&position=recent"><i>The Boston Herald</i></a>. Clifton Brown of <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2010-10/ravens-patriots/story/jets-castoff-woodhead-ecstatic-with-new-role"><i>The Sporting News</i></a> called Woodhead "diminutive." <a href="http://www.tauntongazette.com/sports/x1722970307/Woodhead-rapidly-turning-into-a-little-big-man-for-Patriots"><i>The Taunton Daily Gazette's</i></a> Glen Farley described him a "teenaged-looking kid" who "truly does look young enough to be your daughter's date the night of the junior prom, nervously knocking on the front door of your house, clad in a tuxedo, fidgeting with a bouquet of flowers in his hands."</p>
<p>Not to be outdone, <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2010/10/17/small_victory_for_woodhead/"><i>The Boston Globe's</i></a> Michael Vega wrote that "New England's fascination with undersized, overachieving athletes is well-documented. Doug Flutie, Dustin Pedroia, and <span>Wes Welker</span> have been embraced in these parts for their fierce competitiveness. ... So <span>Danny Woodhead</span> could not have asked for a better place than Foxborough to make his mark in the NFL."</p>
<p>Flutie, Pedroia and Welker: Boston's undersized, white triumvirate! Maybe Woodhead makes them the L'il Four.</p>
<p>Anyway, as others have pointed out, Woodhead's size -- he's listed at 5-foot-9, 195 pounds -- isn't all that abnormal. <a href="http://deadspin.com/5655718/danny-woodhead-not-particularly-small-just-white">Deadspin's Tommy Craggs</a> recently crunched the numbers: "I went through the 146 backs <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats/byposition?pos=RB">listed here</a>. Twelve are lighter than Woodhead; 14 are shorter, including <span>Kevin Faulk</span>, the guy Woodhead replaced on the depth chart." (As is <span>Darren Sproles</span>, the 5-foot-6, 190-pound back the Patriots will face this week.)</p>
<p>More Craggs: "Woodhead is a ‘small,' super-fast running back in a league with no great shortage of them. The difference is that little Danny is blessed with sufficient amounts of Vitamin D to get called scrappy over and over in the national media and inspire grown men to talk like cooing nitwits in front of a bunny cage."</p>
<p>A quick search on <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/">SI Vault</a> yielded <a target="_blank" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1108183/2/index.htm">Mark Beech's profile of Woodhead</a> from 2007. At the time, the running back was a senior at Division II Chadron State. He wasn't tiny back then, either:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Nearly as impressive as Woodhead's speed is his physical style of play. "He's not an easy kid to bring down," says <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/">Eagles</a> coach Bill O'Boyle. "Everybody knocks him because he's so short, but he has bigger legs than our linemen. There's no doubt in my mind that he's a Division I talent."</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>There is nothing slight about Woodhead's frame. Indeed, he looks as if he was constructed out of concrete blocks. The next level is within reach. "Honestly, I think he's faster now than ever," says O'Boyle. "If he gets invited to the [NFL scouting] combine, I think he's going to open some eyes." Not that he hasn't already.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>All we need to do now is graft Woodhead's face onto the <a href="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/files/2010/02/New-England-Patriots-Logo1.gif">Flying Elvis logo</a>. </p>
<p>Hey, I like Woodhead -- <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=11788">he is averaging 6.4 yards per carry</a> -- but the theory that he's emblematic of the Patriots returning to their golden era, when scrappiness ruled, is well, bullshit. When the Patriots were winning Super Bowls, they were loaded. In 2003, they had four Pro Bowlers. In 2004, they had six.</p>
<p>Just because Big, Bad Belichick got rid of <span>Randy Moss</span> this month and brought in <a href="../../../../../nfl/players/2291/deion-branch">Deion Branch</a>, another smallish dynamo, doesn't mean the coach is getting sentimental on us. He saw something in Woodhead and Branch, and it's paid off so far.</p>
<p>Thankfully for Patriots fans, Belichick is as calculating as ever. But it doesn't mean that he's targeting righteous underdogs.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/10/22/1767196/Danny-Woodhead-patriotsAlan Siegel2010-10-15T08:52:49-04:002010-10-15T08:52:49-04:00Forget Revenge, The Patriots Just Need A Win
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jjLHUmtSDznRZQXE-EfmQpii0IU=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828103/large_boston.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Have you heard: the Patriots are playing the Ravens this week, with revenge on their minds! Alan Siegel explains why it's time they stop worrying about last year's playoff loss to Baltimore, and instead just focus on getting a win.</p> <p>The <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/10/14/1751103/tom-brady-deion-branch-ray-rice-joe-flacco-new-england-patriots-baltimore-ravens-game-updates">Patriots are playing the Ravens this week</a>. Did you hear? New England is seeking revenge!</p>
<p>"Revenge on Patriots' mind?" <a href="http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/blog/2010/10/revenge_on_patriots_mind.html">Ravens Insider</a> asks. "Are the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> especially excited about playing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/">Ravens</a> Sunday at Gillette Stadium because the game gives them a chance to avenge their surprising home loss to the Ravens in the AFC playoffs last season?" <a href="http://www.csnbaltimore.com/10/13/10/Eisenberg-Patriots-Out-For-Revenge/landing.html?blockID=330586&feedID=6876">CSN Baltimore's</a> John Eisenberg wonders. "Patriots revenge hinges on Brady picks," <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/20006/patriots-revenge-hinges-on-brady-picks">an ESPN headline reads</a>. "I don't ordinarily put much stock in revenge theories when the subject is professional athletics, but there are times when manhoods need to be asserted in this sport," <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2010/10/13/patriots_haunted_by_history/?page=1">Bob Ryan writes</a>. "Coach Bill isn't a pep talk kind of guy, but he has his motivational tactics and I can't imagine there won't be a reference or two to that game in the runup to Sunday's affair."</p>
<p>It's been about 10 months since the Ravens pounded the Patriots, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/sports/football/11patriots.html">33-14</a>, in the first round of the playoffs. "That game sticks with all of us," Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters this week. That may be true. But the revenge storyline is nauseatingly tired. Yet it's all we're hearing about, even from the players -- on both sides.</p>
<p>"Anytime you play a playoff game at home and you lose, that's going to leave a sour taste in your mouth," <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/report/BAL/14130926/ravens-report-inside-slant">Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs told reporters</a>. "I'm sure when they saw us on their schedule, they saw red, and they're going to come at us. But we expect nothing less, especially from the New England Patriots. So we definitely look forward to that opportunity. If there's going to be a fight at 1 o'clock, we'll see them there."</p>
<p>Ah, the fight metaphor. How original. I guess it is apropos.</p>
<p>"We got manhandled by a damn good team," <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2010/10/brady_welcomes.html">quarterback Tom Brady told reporters</a>. "And everything we said we wanted to do, we didn't do. Penalties, turnovers, we couldn't convert on third down, couldn't control the tempo of the game. ... Once they get fired up, it's tough to calm them down."</p>
<p>Like Marty McFly said, "this is heavy."</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yosuvf7Unmg?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yosuvf7Unmg?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yosuvf7Unmg?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p>I get the feeling Brady, like Homer Simpson, <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/2520613361_dee41fdfa5.jpg">has a revenge list</a>: <i>Grandpa, fat free lard, gravity, Emmys, Darwin, H2WHOA!, Billy Crystal, God, Soloflex, the boy, Stern Lecture Plumbing, Econo Save </i>and oh yeah, <i>the Ravens</i>.</p>
<p>Sorry to veer off, but the revenge trope bores me. Maybe the Patriots should bring back the "no respect" shtick that served them so well from 2001 through the end of 2007. Hey, <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/10/7/1736259/deion-branch-patriots-seahawks-trade-randy-moss-nfl">Deion Branch is back</a>. Maybe he brought some of the Patriots' famous anti-swagger with him. Maybe not.</p>
<p>Anyway, on to the actual game. It's only Week 6, but the Patriots need this one. And not for revenge purposes. Their schedule is brutal. After Baltimore, the Patriots play the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/san-diego-chargers">Chargers</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Vikings</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dawgsbynature.com/">Browns</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Steelers</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Colts</a>, successively. Cleveland, San Diego and Pittsburgh are on the road. Save for the Browns, it's a scary stretch. </p>
<p>A win Sunday would go a long way toward surviving it. Like Frank Sinatra said, "The best revenge is massive success."</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/10/15/1752290/patriots-ravens-game-revenge-wild-card-nflAlan Siegel2010-10-07T09:17:23-04:002010-10-07T09:17:23-04:00Life After Randy Moss: Can Brandon Tate Fill The Void?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hzOFPHVkbS7x7q-wI1-jScVhigs=/0x50:600x450/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/1097711/GYI0061400088.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Randy Moss is gone, headed back to Minnesota. Alan Siegel takes a look at how the Patriots will try and replace him. </p> <p>"Do they think Tate is Moss?" a friend asked Wednesday morning.</p>
<p>It's a valid -- yet ultimately ridiculous -- question. Do the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> really think <span>Brandon Tate</span>, now in his second year in the NFL, can replace <span>Randy Moss</span>, <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MossRa00.htm">a seven-time Pro Bowler</a>? The answer, of course, is no. Tate is no Moss.</p>
<p>Tate is, however, the next best thing to Moss, who caught 50 touchdown passes over three-plus seasons in New England. And for now, Tate will have to do. As scary as that is, I suppose the only way to proceed rationally is to at least give Tate a shot (even though I'm sure as hell going to miss watching Moss every week.) The 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver out of North Carolina has already shown off blistering speed. He has two kickoff return TDs this season, including a 103-yarder Monday night.</p>
<p>So he can fly. But that won't be enough to fill Moss' void. No. 81 drew multiple defenders, or at the very least, the opposing team's best cornerback, every week. Tate runs really, really fast. But he doesn't scare defensive coordinators. Not yet at least.</p>
<p><span>Tedy Bruschi</span> mentioned Tate's potential on SportsCenter Wednesday morning. But most people, including Kissing Suzy Kolber's <a href="http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/tag/tommy-from-quinzee">Tommy from Quinzee</a> and you know, actual NFL players, are only focusing on Moss' departure. (<i>A note on Tommy: we're not all like him, thank God. But let's be honest: he's a chillingly accurate composite character.</i>) <i> </i></p>
<p>
<style type="text/css">.bbpBox26553298646 {background:url(http://s.twimg.com/a/1285805719/images/themes/theme9/bg.gif) #1A1B1F;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}</style>
</p>
<div class="bbpBox26553298646">
<p class="bbpTweet">Wes welker lanes are going to get a whole lot smaller to work with now! I really wanna see wat belichick has in store<span class="timestamp"><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/kerryrhodes/status/26553298646" title="Wed Oct 06 13:56:50 +0000 2010">less than a minute ago</a> via <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ubertwitter.com/bb/download.php">ÜberTwitter</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/kerryrhodes"><img src="http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1094355587/cards2_normal.jpg"></a><b><a href="http://twitter.com/kerryrhodes">Kerry Rhodes</a></b><br>kerryrhodes</span></span></p>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>We hope Bill Belichick will unleash Tate, the NCAA's career record holder in combined kick and punt returns yards with 3,523. During his junior season at UNC, in 2007, Tate ranked first in the ACC with 1,765 all-purpose yards.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WAqZvEm1eLw?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WAqZvEm1eLw?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WAqZvEm1eLw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p>Tate tore both the ACL and MCL in his right knee in 2008, forcing him to miss most of his senior season at UNC. Still, the Patriots weren't scared off and picked him in the third round of the 2009 draft. As a rookie last season, his balky knee caused him to miss all but two games. But Monday's display leads me to believe that at the moment, injuries aren't an issue.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/orUcsvmXsR4?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/orUcsvmXsR4?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/orUcsvmXsR4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p>Through four games, Tate has 11 catches for 135 yards. He will, inevitably, get more action without Moss around. As <a href="http://www.eagletribune.com/sports/x1305238145/Belichicks-dilemma-Close-the-deal-or-lose-the-locker-room">my former colleague points out</a>, expect teams to really go after Brady. Instead of sending out extra defensive backs, defensive coordinators now will likely unleash extra pass rushers. The presence of Tate, I hope, will help offset the onslaught. As will Welker and rookie <span>Aaron Hernandez</span>. Thankfully, <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2006.htm">this isn't 2006</a>, when the Patriots were talent-starved on offense. (<span>Reche Caldwell</span>, <span>Doug Gabriel</span> and <span>Chad Jackson</span> weren't exactly all-world receivers.)</p>
<p>But in the end, obsessing over the offense probably isn't worth it. Even if Tate catches 80 passes for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns, it may not matter. With Brady, the Patriots offense will be in good hands. It's the defense we should worry about.</p>
<p>The Patriots were dominant Monday night, but they still gave up 400 yards of total offense. <span>Chad Henne</span> threw for for 302 yards. New England's D is ranked <a href="http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&defensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&conference=ALL&role=OPP&season=2010&seasonType=REG&d-447263-s=TOTAL_YARDS_GAME_AVG&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-n=1">28th out of 32</a> (<a href="http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&defensiveStatisticCategory=TEAM_PASSING&conference=ALL&role=OPP&season=2010&seasonType=REG&d-447263-s=PASSING_NET_YARDS_GAME_AVG&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-n=1">28th against the pass</a>, <a href="http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&defensiveStatisticCategory=RUSHING&conference=ALL&role=OPP&season=2010&seasonType=REG&d-447263-s=RUSHING_YARDS_PER_GAME_AVG&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-n=1">18th against the run</a>). <span>Richard Seymour</span>, Tedy Bruschi, <span>Ty Law</span>, <span>Mike Vrabel</span> and <span>Rodney Harrison</span> are long gone. So instead of worrying about whether Tate will fill Moss' void, perhaps we should be worrying about the defense.</p>
<p>If the Patriots can't stop anybody, not even a young Jerry Rice would be able to save them.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/10/7/1735868/Brandon-Tate-patriots-Randy-Mos-trade-vikingsAlan Siegel2010-10-01T12:34:25-04:002010-10-01T12:34:25-04:00Examining Paul Pierce’s Strange, Remarkable Journey
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jjLHUmtSDznRZQXE-EfmQpii0IU=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828103/large_boston.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The Celtics forward has had a unique career, at least compared to other NBA stars. Alan Siegel traces Pierce's path to greatness.</p> <p>It's been 10 years since <span>Paul Pierce</span> was stabbed, nearly to death, in a Boston nightclub. His subsequent recovery, miraculous considering the severity of his wounds, set the tone for an up-and-down, unpredictable but ultimately redemptive decade.</p>
<p>What makes Pierce so interesting, beyond his obvious on-court skills, is his unique career trajectory. Most superstar athletes ascend, and stay at the top. Pierce, on the other hand, has seemingly lived a parabolic existence, rising and falling and repeating that cycle. But as <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/bostonceltics/post/_/id/4676831/10-years-later">ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg points out</a>, Pierce never stays down very long.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The incident occurred just days before the start of training camp for the 2000-01 season and shook an organization that was starting to turn the corner after landing Pierce with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Pierce recovered to play in all 82 games that season. By 2001-02, he earned the first of his eight All-Star Game nods and helped Boston return to the playoffs for the first time since the 1994-95 team (what's more, Boston advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals that year before falling to the <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=njn">New Jersey Nets</a>). </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Pierce was stabbed 11 times in 2000. And just two years later, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Celtics</a> nearly made the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>Remember Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals that season? <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/recap/_/id/220525002/boxscore?gameId=220525002">Boston won, 94-90</a>. Pierce scored 28 points, bringing the Celtics back from a 21-point deficit. "At the start of the fourth quarter we just wanted to fight and make a statement for the next game that we're going to be a team to be reckoned with. I think we did more than make a statement," Pierce told reporters.</p>
<p>Alas, Boston lost that series in six games. Still, Pierce had become a star. But after the Celtics won a playoff series in 2002-03, things started to unravel. In 2005, Pierce was ejected from a playoff game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.indycornrows.com/">Indiana Pacers</a>. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/06/sports/basketball/06pacers.html"><i>The New York Times</i>' Howard Beck was there</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Indiana trailed by 1 point with 12.9 seconds left in regulation when [Jamaal] Tinsley intentionally fouled Pierce. As the whistle blew, Pierce knocked Tinsley to the floor with his left forearm. Pierce was called for a technical foul, his second of the game, for an automatic ejection.</p>
<p>"I just lost my cool," Pierce said. "It almost cost us. I'm just happy we got this win. I'm pretty much speechless."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Boston, fortunately, won in overtime (it ended up losing the series). But afterward, Pierce acted like a petulant teenager.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Pierce went to the interview podium with strands of tape strapped across his chin and over his ears, explaining sarcastically, "I have a broken jaw."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That June, there were rumors the Celtics were set to trade Pierce to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/new-orleans-hornets">Hornets</a> for the fourth pick in the NBA Draft. It never happened, and New Orleans took <span>Chris Paul</span>. These days, merely suggesting that that the 6-foot-7, 235-pound Pierce might be expendable would be crazy. A lot has changed in five years. Back then, Pierce was still regarded as immature. You know, the guy who went to the podium with tape strapped across his chin. (The idea of Pierce's immaturity was actually planted in basketball fans heads' long before that. <span>George Karl</span>, then the USA Basketball coach, performed the inception at the World Championships in 2002. America finished sixth in that tournament and Pierce was deemed a ball hog.)</p>
<p>Within a few years, Pierce had seemingly become as irrelevant as the Celtics. In 2005-06, he did average a career high 26.8 points per game, but Boston finished 33-49. In 2006-07, he missed 35 games with a foot injury. More trade rumors surfaced. Pierce was down.</p>
<p>Then, that summer, <span>Kevin Garnett</span> and <span>Ray Allen</span> arrived via trade. And you know the rest. Pierce, who was eventually named MVP of the 2008 NBA Finals, was being lauded for his selflessness. <a href="http://www.eagletribune.com/sports/x1876437229/Karl-has-gone-from-a-Pierce-basher-to-booster">Even Karl was back on the bandwagon</a>. Did Pierce really change? Maybe. But more importantly, the situation changed. With two stars flanking him, Pierce had the support he'd lacked his entire career (Sorry, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Former-Celtics-star-Antoine-Walker-is-broke-and-?urn=nba-198509">Antoine</a>). Pierce was up again. And he's stayed up.</p>
<p>Injuries again hampered Pierce, 33, in 2009-10. Still, he managed to help lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/">Lakers</a> in seven games. Expect him to be back with a vengeance this season.</p>
<p>After all, Pierce never stays down very long.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2010/10/1/1724223/Celtics-Paul-Pierce-Strange-Remarkable-JourneyAlan Siegel2010-09-23T09:43:21-04:002010-09-23T09:43:21-04:00Top Five: Randy Moss' Best Catches Of His NFL Career
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u0y5f-3zdf_5mvRO_GceDsvobCg=/0x24:600x424/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/1195659/GYI0061730633.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Love him or hate him, Patriots receiver Randy Moss has made some ridiculous catches over the years. Here are five of his best.</p> <p><span>Randy Moss</span> can be maddening to watch, for both his loudest detractors and his staunchest supporters. On his best days, he makes spectacular catches look effortless. On his worst days, he doesn't look like he's putting in any effort all. </p>
<p>But whether you love him or hate him, this much is true: every game, he seems to produce at least one jaw-dropping moment. So without further ado, here are five of the best Moss grabs, beginning with:</p>
<p><b>1. His 34-yard, one-handed touchdown catch last Sunday.</b> </p>
<p>University of Iowa's Erik Campbell is <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/10859489">one of the best receivers coaches in America</a>. I asked him what he thought of this ridiculous sequence, in which Moss burns <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/">Jets</a> cornerback <span>Darrelle Revis</span>, <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1TcBRT/i.cdn.turner.com/si/.element/img/4.0/global/swapper/201009/100920.05.jpg/r:t">strikes a pose</a> reminiscent of Michael Jordan's <a href="http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/christopher_pisar/images/jumpman%20logo.jpg">Jumpman logo</a>, and looks the ball directly into his palm. </p>
<p>"Those spectacular catches, a lot of times are by reaction," Campbell says. "It's a natural reaction to the ball." </p>
<p><object width="550" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UUeWoDHtNTE?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UUeWoDHtNTE?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UUeWoDHtNTE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p><b>2. His 35-yard, jump-ball touchdown catch against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Dolphins</a> on Oct. 27, 2007.</b></p>
<p>Moss looks like he was elevating to dunk a basketball on this one. Defensive backs <span>Cameron Worrell</span> and Will Allen can do nothing except try to out-leap Moss, which proves to be impossible. CBS analyst Dan Dierdorf is dumbfounded. "Stop it!" he says. "Stop it!"</p>
<p><object width="550" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-7st-xEfDZo?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-7st-xEfDZo?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-7st-xEfDZo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p><b>3. His 7-yard one-hander against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Buccaneers</a> on Oct. 29, 2000.</b></p>
<p>Not a big bomb, but just as impressive as one. When the ball is thrown, Moss spins around, leaps backward, and extends his right arm like an Iguana might extend its tongue in the direction of a bug. But instead of catching a fly, Moss ends up with the ball, which seems to stick to his hand. Predictably, John Madden gushes, "You take all the quarterbacks out and who's the best player in all of football? I think it's Randy Moss."</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mP4IwP4cnXM?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mP4IwP4cnXM?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mP4IwP4cnXM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p><b>4. His 17-yard, one-handed catch over the middle against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Colts</a> on Nov. 4, 2007.</b></p>
<p>Making a one-handed catch is one thing. Doing it while knowing a safety is about to pummel you is another. In this clip, Moss doesn't seem to mind the presence of <span>Antoine Bethea</span>, who delivers a big hit. Still, Moss holds on. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> go on to win the game, 24-20.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HY5AHdM06qU?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HY5AHdM06qU?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HY5AHdM06qU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
<p><b>5. His 36-yard, two-feet-inbounds TD against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a> on Nov. 23, 2000.</b></p>
<p>The way he goes from full sprint to a dead stop is amazing. Imagine the driver of a Porsche speeding on a back road, hitting the breaks shortly before a traffic light and still managing to come to a tidy, complete stop. That's Moss. Except a Porsche doesn't have to plant two feet inbounds.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oHhXANILpEY?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oHhXANILpEY?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oHhXANILpEY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/9/23/1705831/randy-moss-top-five-catches-video-patriots-nflAlan Siegel2010-09-20T14:32:56-04:002010-09-20T14:32:56-04:00The Rock Welcomes Rajon Rondo
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jjLHUmtSDznRZQXE-EfmQpii0IU=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828103/large_boston.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>There's a scene in <i>The Rock</i> in which Sean Connery's character, John Mason, nearly does a spit take when he finds out that Alcatraz, where he was once "formerly a guest" is no longer a maximum security prison. "The Rock," he says, "has become a tourist attraction?"</p>
<p>I wonder what Mason would say about <a href="http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/001242860720721">Red Bull King of the Rock</a>, the 64-man one-on-one basketball tournament Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo hosted on Alcatraz Saturday. <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/bostonceltics/post/_/id/4676715/rondo-the-rock">ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg has the details: </a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Rondo dubbed the location, "one of the coolest and most unique places you could possibly play basketball."</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=5593005">ESPN's Ric Bucher was at the event</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Rondo and [agent Bill] Duffy spoke on a 20-minute boat ride Saturday night to Alcatraz, where Rondo hosted the Red Bull King of the Rock tourney, a 64-man 1-on-1 competition, a first of its kind on the former island prison in San Francisco Bay. Red Bull spent more than six years trying to secure permission for the event from the National Parks Service, which rarely makes "The Rock," as Alcatraz is known, available for private events.</p>
<p>Isaiah "Clutch" Bowman, 25, from Inglewood, won the first-place prize of $10,000. A 30-minute telecast of the event will be shown next month on several West Coast networks, including Fox Sports Net and Comcast Sports Bay Area. Surrounded by high, crumbling concrete walls, floodlights casting eerie shadows across the old prison yard and gusts of fog swirling around the contestants and invitation-only fans, the competition was as much about perseverance as it was pure talent.</p>
<p>"I made history on The Rock!" Bowman shouted, hoisting his trophy shortly after 11 p.m.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I just hope Rondo greeted the participants by saying, "Welcome to The Rock." (In a Scottish accent.) The logistics of the tourney are still hazy to me. But I assume it went down like this, but with a basketball instead of a soccer ball:</p>
<p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wP24MJIFLtA?fs=1&hl=en_US">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wP24MJIFLtA?fs=1&hl=en_US" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wP24MJIFLtA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> </p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2010/9/20/1699987/Celtics-Rajon-Rondo-one-on-one-tournament-AlcatrazAlan Siegel2010-09-16T11:19:11-04:002010-09-16T11:19:11-04:00The Career Of Laurence Maroney, And What Went Wrong
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jjLHUmtSDznRZQXE-EfmQpii0IU=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828103/large_boston.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>In 2006, the Patriots used the 21st overall pick in the NFL Draft to select Laurence Maroney. Four disappointing years later, they traded him to Denver. Alan Siegel dissects Maroney's career with the Patriots, and asks, what went wrong? </p> <p>In November 2007, someone put a package of diapers in <span>Laurence Maroney</span>'s locker. "Some reporters deduced [that] teammates [were] ribbing him about the caution in which he was being utilized," Mike Reiss wrote in <i><a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/11/22/backfield_in_slow_motion/">The Boston Globe</a></i>.</p>
<p>At the time, it looked like a harmless prank on the running back. But recontextualized three years later, it seems like it was a hell of a lot more cruel than that. Maroney, who was traded to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighreport.com/">Broncos</a> for a fourth-round pick this week, never got over his reputation for being, well, a baby -- at least in a football sense.</p>
<p>"I just felt like it was the right time for us to move on,'' <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2010/09/16/right_time_for_maroney_deal/?p1=Well_Sports_links">Bill Belichick told reporters Wednesday</a>. "I have a lot of respect for Laurence. He came in, been here for four years, worked hard. I think he's improved a lot and has helped us a lot as a player. I think he would have helped us this year, but we just felt like it was time to move on."</p>
<p>Coach speak, of course. But what did you expect Belichick to say? That Maroney never ran hard enough? That he fumbled too much? (He coughed the ball up four times in 2009 alone, including several around the goal line.) Come on, we already knew that about Maroney, who the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> took with the 21st overall pick in the 2006 draft.</p>
<p>He had his moments, but not many of them. In his best year, 2007, he rushed for 835 yards on 185 carries. He amassed 244 yards over two playoff games that season, against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigcatcountry.com/">Jaguars</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/san-diego-chargers">Chargers</a>. He also scored the opening touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, in which he gained 36 yards on 14 carries. In the end, it didn't matter. The Patriots fell to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">Giants</a>, 17-14, losing a shot at a perfect season. In 2008, a nasty shoulder injury forced him to miss all but the first three games of the season. Maroney rebounded in 2009 with a 757-yard campaign, but it obviously wasn't enough to change Belichick's opinion of him.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Maroney never truly endeared himself to the Patriots, at least according to <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2010/09/16/right_time_for_maroney_deal/?page=1">this report</a> by Shalise Manza Young.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A league source noted that night that the 25-year-old Maroney never matured as the Patriots had hoped and didn't always go the extra mile in his preparations.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And the "Maroney didn't get it" theory hasn't exactly been debunked.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>According to [Kevin] Faulk, Maroney was a bit perplexed by being traded.</p>
<p>"Think about it," said Faulk. "Put yourself in his shoes. You go to work and your boss tells you you've been traded or let go, it's a little confusing, but at the same time, it's life. You got to move on."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Move on, but with what? Faulk is still viable, as are <span>Fred Taylor</span> and <span>BenJarvus Green-Ellis</span>. But Taylor is fragile. And Green-Ellis is still largely untested. What if Taylor gets hurt again? Then who fills in? I'm not sure.</p>
<p>I just know it won't be Maroney, who should've seen this coming. We all could, even three years ago, when teammates put a package of diapers in his locker. Sadly, <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/11/22/backfield_in_slow_motion/">at least according to Reiss' story from 2007</a>, Maroney couldn't read the tea leaves back then.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"I feel like my time is going to come. Right now is not my time and I'm just going to play the role they need me to play," Maroney said. "I'm a team player. As long as we win, I'm all right."</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>"In this game, you just have to be patient," he said. "I'm going to be patient."</p>
</blockquote>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2010/9/16/1692554/Patriots-Laurence-Maroney-what-went-wrongAlan Siegel