Friday, July 22, 2016

The One Where Jae Crowder Sounds Off

"I come from the school of the sly, wicked, and the slick."

Hey hey hey! What is the haps everyone? Thank you very much for coming back to check out the site. It's the middle of July, so the sports scene for me is pretty much revolving around the Sox and Celtic trade rumors, but there are a few things I wanted to sound off about.

To get the serious stuff out of the way, I just wanted to throw my two cents in on the early allegations of Ezekiel Elliot and the domestic abuse case that is about to be started against him. Call me crazy, but I am at a complete loss when it comes to matters like this. Like what would every motivate a man to raises his hands/fists against a woman? I guess maybe some guys are wired differently and that is a concept that they just can't grasp.

Obviously the pure physicality and violence of the game of football could be looked at as a driving force behind this, and most likely, it is, but there are also plenty of men doing this without being involved in football. It is outrageous to me that this type of behavior is obviously just an accepted thing amongst certain groups/circles. I was such a huge fan of Zeke and was all over his stock for fantasy football, but that's forever tainted. If found guilty, and let's face it, it is looking bad for him, you can't allow him to play this game unless he is put through a rigorous rehabilitation program. While these crimes are heinous, I believe that he can be helped and be a positive member of society, but until it is deemed he can live in society and not pose any kind of threat to women or anyone else around him. This is truly a horrible thing that has happened, and one can only hope the NFL will do its due diligence after botching literally every disciplinary matter as it pertained to domestic violence in the past few years.

So yeah, really just a horrible incident and a black cloud over those positive vibes we all want to be sending, but as a man, it's difficult for me to fathom doing anything that despicable, and it just makes me sick.


Okay, let's get back to the good times. So Jae Crowder was obviously part of the official "bring KD to Boston" party that went to the Hamptons to try and lure Durant to Boston, and in the aftermath of Durant choosing Golden State over the Celts and OKC, Jae wasn't too thrilled with how that went down. He was at the Hall of Fame yesterday (in glorious Springfield, Massachusetts!) and was asked about what they did to recruit KD. Here's a few excerpts from that interview:

"We were the only team in the NBA to beat both (Cleveland and Golden State) on their home court — the only team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics. We told him that. We played him clips from both games and told him basically the scouting report of how we guarded Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) — our entire game plan, basically. That’s what made me mad. We (expletive) told him everything we do to beat these guys, and we beat them, and he went and joined them. I mean, that’s part of the process, but I did not think he would go to those two teams…I felt like afterward, I was talking to Isaiah, like maybe after you sit back, you shouldn’t have told him everything, but who the (expletive) thought he was going to Golden State, realistically? It was like a slap in the face for us, basically.”

“That team is for sure the villain of the league,” Crowder said. “Every other NBA guy, friends of mine, are really disgusted from how the league is turning on that standpoint. Everybody is joining together, everybody wants to go to Golden State or Cleveland.”

So...there's that haha. Needless to say, Jae's pissed. I guess you have to be considering Durant actually at one point was ready to jump ship to play for the C's. The report came out earlier this week that once Tom Brady was involved in the recruitment pitch, KD actually wanted to come...

“I was ready to just say, 'Alright let's go. I'm ready to go,' seeing Tom Brady there," ~KD on Monday

Ultimately, the more "title ready" team won out, but still, it does seem like they had him on the hook, and the way they went into the specifics on how they guard the team he ended up choosing would definitely leave a sour taste in my mouth as well.

Unfortunately, Crowder was not done. He then kind of went out of his way to talk a little smack about another team:

“My guys were telling me that Bleacher Report says we’ll win 59 games,” Crowder said. “That’s a lot of wins, but I want to get past the first round of the playoffs. Two seasons in a row getting swept” (Note: The Celtics lost in six games this past year) “that’s my goal to be honest with you. I think our ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto is not a team we’re worried about. I think Cleveland is the top team. That’s what it comes down to.”

Ehhhhhhhh, we didn't need that. The Raptors are actually quite a sound team. The Lowry/DeRozan combo is still in full effect, and at last check, they finished #2 in the East, we were tied for 3rd, and also, they beat us three out of four times last year, so to jab them like that...I dunno. Like why go after them? Of course everyone's gunning for Cleveland, but to talk that kind of shizz about another team, I would prefer to A.) actually beat them in a season series, and B.) make it out of the first round of the playoffs. I dig Jae's passion, but I don't think we have to be that team to talk smack, especially since we still haven't accomplished anything. Let's win some games and some playoff series before we start saying we're not "worried" about a team.

On a semi-related note, I just stumbled upon this section of fivethirtyeight.com that is really fun to look at. It's called the CARMELO future projection system. It basically uses historical data and player comparisons to draw an NBA player's projected career arc. It even includes what kind of market value a player will be worth. Very cool stuff. I found out about this after Marcus Smart's projections were linked up all over Twitter (he's expected to have a massive jump this season to the point where his market value will be 5 years, $165.5 million and a "future All Star"...not bad for a guy who is still going to be under his rookie contract for the next three years, paying him about $5 million on average annually).


The Sox are red hot at the moment. After last night's 13-2 drubbing of Minnesota, the good guys have found themselves first place in the division, and a half game up on Baltimore. This is a big series for us against the Twins. They have been fairly awful all year (worst record in the majors), and if yesterday's performance was any indication, they should have no problem reeling off another three wins and furthering the distance between us and the O's and Toronto.

Again, the offense continues to be brilliant, but Steven Wright had a really, REALLY good start yesterday, going eight innings, striking out nine while only giving up two runs (one earned). He was excellent, and is such a critical piece to the overall puzzle. With Kimbrel out until at least mid-August and Koji landing on the DL himself, starting innings are becoming more and more valuable by the day, and the starters' effectiveness will help control how many innings the 'pen will be taxed (Junichi did just get recalled from the DL, so that's big...it will clearly be him and Ziegler in the 8th and 9th). So starts like that are huge. Drew Pomeranz, who we just traded one of our top prospects (Anderson Espinoza), got roughed up in his first start (3 innings, 8 hits, 5 earned with two homers allowed)...he HAS to get it together. Clearly we traded for him way before the deadline because the closer the deadline will get, the more demanding clubs will be about their return knowing that the window will shut if the other team cannot pull a deal off, and starting pitching will be in high demand. The third starter is what we are lacking, and as we inch closer to the postseason, it will be that much more critical in a seven game series to have an effective 1-2-3.

Well that about does it for now. Hope everyone has a lovely rest of your day. Stay positive and don't sweat the small things...it's hot enough already down here :) haha. Keep it going y'all!! Peace.

~Mell-o

“My guys were telling me that Bleacher Report says we’ll win 59 games,” Crowder told MassLive.com’s Tom Westerholm. “That’s a lot of wins, but I want to get past the first round of the playoffs. Two seasons in a row getting swept” (Note: The Celtics lost in six games this past year) “that’s my goal to be honest with you. I think our ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto is not a team we’re worried about. I think Cleveland is the top team. That’s what it comes down to.”

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2016/07/jae-crowder-rips-raptors-toronto-is-not-a-team-were-worried-about/
“My guys were telling me that Bleacher Report says we’ll win 59 games,” Crowder told MassLive.com’s Tom Westerholm. “That’s a lot of wins, but I want to get past the first round of the playoffs. Two seasons in a row getting swept” (Note: The Celtics lost in six games this past year) “that’s my goal to be honest with you. I think our ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto is not a team we’re worried about. I think Cleveland is the top team. That’s what it comes down to.”

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2016/07/jae-crowder-rips-raptors-toronto-is-not-a-team-were-worried-about/
“My guys were telling me that Bleacher Report says we’ll win 59 games,” Crowder told MassLive.com’s Tom Westerholm. “That’s a lot of wins, but I want to get past the first round of the playoffs. Two seasons in a row getting swept” (Note: The Celtics lost in six games this past year) “that’s my goal to be honest with you. I think our ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto is not a team we’re worried about. I think Cleveland is the top team. That’s what it comes down to.”

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2016/07/jae-crowder-rips-raptors-toronto-is-not-a-team-were-worried-about/

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Red Sox Medio Segundo: Win One For Papi

"Days are changing, with the weather.
Like a riptide could rip us away."

So yesterday was mostly all about the Celts. Today the primary focus will be on the Sox, where they're at now, what could potentially happen, and other ways to get a ninth World Series title to Boston and more importantly, how to send Big Papi, the greatest designated hitter then, now, and forever (copyright WWE :) haha) out on a high note...because I will not tolerate Peyton Manning being the only one to be able to ride off into the sunset with a championship.

(I'm kind of seething over here considering A.) Peyton won another ring, and B.) He beat the Pats to get there...deep breaths, deep breaths...and then I remember that time Ty Law picked him off three times in one playoff game and we beat them 20-3...okay I'm better now!)

But first, the big news of the day is that the suspension appeal of Tom Brady will not be heard by the U.S. Second Court of Appeals, meaning that the one last glimmer of hope to somehow make this travesty of time and money end is the U.S. Supreme Court...the mack daddy. If they decide to hear the case, it is very likely Brady will play the entire season due to the large docket already set before this country's highest court. Brady's legal team will now have 90 days to prepare their case and submit it. What a crazy turn of events this is all taking. Again, an incredible waste of time and money...incredible (already a reported $20 million over the past two years).

Essentially Goodell's case is not so much whether or not Brady knowingly under-inflated, but whether or not his authority can be challenged in a manner that a length of suspension can be changed. This is why Brady's appeal was overturned in the first place. I think everyone who thinks Brady is a cheater are basically just Brady haters at this point. Sure the Patriots had under-inflated balls for the AFC Championship game against Indy...but we fail to mention that three of the four Indy balls tested were under-inflated too. How convenient that little detail kind of gets swept under the rug, but no, let's go after the greatest QB of all time (there's no debate anymore) and destroy his legacy when he could have used a beach ball to beat the Colts that game.

Not going to lie, this is only making Brady look better and his supporters (including this guy) rally even stronger behind him. How does this not look like a witch hunt? Why do you think Brady is going to go absolutely as far as he can take this? Am I really supposed to believe that he would lie and go through all of this trouble? Of course you can make the argument that he's just trying to save his legacy, but at this point, I'm pretty convinced it's not only that, but it's about standing up for yourself and not letting some two-bit hack tell you to sit out a quarter of the season because of a suspicion and yet no hard evidence whatsoever. Hopefully the case will be heard again, and the justices will finally determine that while Goodell does indeed have power to hand out suspensions, his prior mishandling and complete idiocy on other matters regarding suspension length (Ray Rice) and how other cases were handled (Greg Hardy) is proof positive that there needs to be a checks and balances system within the league office and the NFLPA in terms of how to handle such cases. The Supreme Court would be the ultimate checks and balances system to only be used on this one occasion. I will give Goodell this: He's an incredibly good businessman. He makes the league SO much money, but he is an incompetent leader of this league. Someone with a better grasp on how to handle these situations (like, you know...a judge) should be in control of discipline and all matters pertaining to players' conduct, and Goodell should be CFO or something to that effect and keeping making that $$. He clearly doesn't know what he's doing. He knows he's in way over his head...it is time for some kind of change to be made.


Okay, now back to the lecture at hand (perfection is perfected so I make 'em understand). The Sox currently sit two games back of Baltimore, having ended the first half going 7-3 over their last ten games. If the season were to end today, the Sox and Toronto would be in a dead heat for the two wild card spots, meaning that they would play a one game playoff to determine who would advance to the Division Series (can you imagine there were three teams from the AL East to make the postseason...and the Yankees would NOT be one of them? Haha suckas!!!!).

The obvious key to why the Sox have been so successful has been the play of the offense, and how essentially up and down the lineup, they have been completely smoking it. They are #1 in runs for the majors by THIRTY over the Cubs (oh by the way, have played one less game than them too). Led by Papi, who is having his best statistical year ever thus far, and the Killer B's: Part Deux (Houston had Biggio, Bagwell, and Berkman back in the mid 90s to the early 2000s...but now, it's all about Betts, Bogaerts, and my boy Bradley Jr.), the Sox O has been cranking. Lost in all this is Dustin Pedroia, who is having another solid season, Brock Holt manning left like a champ, the resurgence of Hanley Ramirez, and the emergence of Travis Shaw at third. Even with a seemingly never-ending carousel behind the plate (it does look as though Sandy Leon has thankfully taken a grip of that job for now), the Sox have just been crushing it, which is why they are ensconsced in the postseason picture.

Now the pitching, on the other hand, is leaving something to be desired. David Price was a huge signing because while its important to have an all around good staff in your rotation, you gotta have a guy you can give the ball to and say "this is for all the marbles...bring it home." You need that ace, and while he's had a few bad outings, Price has been overall exactly what comes with having the moniker of being the "ace" of a staff.

Steven Wright has been an absolute godsend for the Sox. Coming out of Spring Training, it appeared like the Sox had a bunch of #3 and #4 starters behind Price, but Wright, seemingly out of nowhere, has become not only a good pitcher, but an All Star pitcher to boot. It's going to be tough for him to keep up his pace, and he has stumbled a little in his last few starts, but I still believe that he will be at the very least a third option if the Sox are lucky enough to get to the final four in the AL, which brings me to step #1 on how the Sox will be able to win a title this year:

Step #1: Trade for Chris Sale

Hey you know what the Sox should do? Trade for the guy who just started the All Star Game for the AL!! Okay it's not the most groundbreaking idea of all time, but still, this is something that I would put basically the whole house on. Sale is signed thru 2019...that's this year and three more years of arguably one of the top 2 lefties (Kershaw) in the game for $12 million next year, $12.5 the year after, and $15 in 2019...yeah it's time to make a deal here. The hope is that the White Sox are even willing to do this...obviously they need to be HIGHLY motivated if they are even open to any kind of negotiations. The Sox do have a loaded farm system, so if the ChiSox are willing to take back a boatload of prospects, this is a deal that could get done.

The BoSox do know that any kind of Sale trade will involve one of their two mega prospects, Yoan Moncada or Andrew Benentendi. I would think Moncada is the more likely because he's being boxed out of the majors right now by Pedroia at second and the X Man at short, his two primary positions. While he is their best prospect, you can't pass on a chance to get a pitcher like Sale, in the prime of his career, under contract for the next three years at a rate that is close to a third of what he could possibly get if he were a free agent today. Not only will he be a factor in this postseason, but he would team with David Price to make the most lethal 1-2 lefty starter combo of the modern era for AT LEAST the next three years.

So, we hope a deal can get done with the South Siders. That is our Kevin Durant right now...the unreachable star that's suddenly reachable. So Moncada may be gone, but you have your other stud prospect waiting in the wings, which brings me to step #2:

Step #2: Promote Andrew Benentendi and Immediately Insert Him As Starting Left Fielder

Benintendi is just too good to keep down in the minors and not make an impact in the big leagues. He's got nothing really else to prove in the lower levels. We need to see what this kid has got for the Sox right now. Brock Holt is a tremendous talent, but we need him as the Swiss Army knife. He is the super utility man who can spell a starter at literally every position outside of pitcher and catcher, so we need for him to remain flexible and not just be a left fielder. The lineup has plenty of pop even if this experiment ends up not working out, so the juice is worth the squeeze.

Based on recent events, here's an easy one:

Step #3: Do Not Bring Craig Kimbrel Into A Non-Save Situation EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

ERA in Save Situations: 1.45
ERA in Non-Save Situations: 6.75

Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

But seriously, we have Koji, Junichi, and just acquired Brad Ziegler from Arizona...don't question why it doesn't work for him, just stop trying to make it work. We traded for Kimbrel because he's a bad ass closer...and when you bring him in when he's not getting saves, he's not a closer. Look, I wish the guy pitched better if he wasn't going for the save, but he doesn't, and his ERA over the last three years in non-saves is over 5, so this is not a new thing. Kimbrel will be out 3-6 weeks following successful knee surgery, so upon his return in September, seriously, unless we're up and the game is on the line, DON'T BRING HIM IN!!!!!

So I think those are the three steps needed in order to propel us to a World Series victory. Not saying I have the pulse of every Sox fan, but I'm going to go ahead and say that those three steps would be a jam that everyone can boogie to. The most important thing is that the Sox need to pull out all the stops to try and get Papi a ring in his final year. He is the most important Sox player of all time not named Ted Williams (sorry Yaz and Pedro), and he deserves to have this team pull out all the stops to make something happen. We have the flexibility in both money and prospects to pull off something huge coming down the stretch. We just witnessed an All Star game that had FOUR Sox starting...this is a team that can get it done, but we need to make a few moves to make it all happen. The next two and a half weeks until the Trade Deadline will be edge of your seat kind of stuff. So happy we are out of the AL East basement. A team with the kind of resources ($$) we have should never even be put in that position ever.

Alright gang, hope you have a pleasant Wednesday. See you on this side or the other. Peace.

~Mell-o

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

the reb00t.mpeg

"Lend me your ears, stop and stare."

Good afternoon everyone! Hope y'all are having a lovely Tuesday so far. I just wanted to take this time to inform everyone who may have been a fan of my writing in the past, or for my friends that have come into my life without knowing about this site, that I am going to be once again contributing to my blog I established almost ten years ago. I feel like I have reached a point in my life where things have finally settled down for me. I have established myself as a South Floridian, which is a lot tougher than it sounds. I have dealt with numerous personal issues that have made me wonder what my purpose is, but my vision has become very clear:

My purpose in life is to inform, enlighten, question status quo, and to bring love and joy into people's lives.

One of the ways I always felt I could do this is through my writing. It's something that I have been extremely passionate about for most of my life. This was more of an escape for me while I was finishing school and heading off into the "real world." It served as something to establish what my legacy will ultimately become. It was a way to get my voice out when I wasn't necessarily the most boisterous in real life, but when the pen hit the paper (or in this case, the fingers to the keys), it was magical for me. I could just write and write and write, and even if no one read it, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Those words are going to be there forever, and when my time is done, those writings will always be a key part into my development not only as a writer, but as a man and a contributor to society, no matter how big or small my reach was.

I appreciate everyone throughout the years reading and supporting me. I will do everything I can to keep my writings at a high standard that will be both entertaining and thought provoking. Thank you again for checking in...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is first and foremost a sports site, but also, I like to throw in my other loves (music/TV/movies) into the equation as well. The title for this post was inspired by the show "Mr. Robot" that will be launching its second season tomorrow on USA at 10PM. To me, the first season was some of the
most compelling and incredible ten episodes of television I have ever seen. Obviously it is now being showered with accolades and awards, but I would recommend this to everyone, especially if they are fascinated by cyber security and hacking like myself, to check out the first season, which is On Demand right now. It's a game changer.


Okay getting back into sports. The biggest thing that there is to talk about right now from a Boston sports fan perspective is the Celtics' pursuit of Banner 18. It has been a wild offseason, from narrowly missing a chance to land a top 2 pick in the Lottery, to an overwhelming negative reaction from the Boston faithful about not only about drafting Jaylen Brown and not PC product Kris Dunn, but also not making a huge splash via a draft day trade, to recruitment trips to the Hamptons, to landing the single biggest free agent in the history of the franchise...like I said, wild.

While signing Al Horford is obviously a big story, it's even bigger than anyone could make it out to be. The gates that have previously been locked shut over stars wanting to play in the Garden have been thrown open in one fail swoop. This was the first of what is most likely to be many of the
dominoes that will fall over the next few years that will alter the landscape of the NBA for years to come.

Think about what already has happened: The Celts were most likely one of the last two teams that Kevin Durant was considering before making his decision to go to Golden State (while all of this is hearsay, all the news around the events of the Hamptons would lead you to suspect that it was ultimately the Celts vs. the Warriors in the end). The only reason the Celts lost Durant is because he was assuring himself of that elusive ring he's been chasing. They won an NBA record 73 games last year, so obviously in choosing them, he's got a ready-made title contender (although news of Draymond Green's arrest in East Lansing over the weekend could alter the "ease" of how they were going to get that done). The fact that the Celtics not only secured a meeting with KD, but came that close to landing him speaks volumes about the direction this team is going...which is WAY up.


We are still hearing little hints spread across management that they are not done this offseason, and while no major deal may materialize this offseason, this has clearly been the "flag-planting" year of the Celtics' future. With Horford in tow and a roster full of young talented players, the Celts find themselves as the second-favorite coming out of the East. Obviously the defending champion Cavaliers will be the gold standard once again this year, but even they have to be aware that the distance between them and us is closing, which would explain why they have suddenly been rumored to try and be in trade talks with one target that C's fans have long been clamoring for: DeMarcus Cousins.

It seems like the stars are aligned for Boogie to get shipped out of Sacramento. He has an extremely friendly contract that lasts another two years ($15.8 million this year, $16.8 million next) and is in a place he doesn't want to be, with management doing everything in their power seemingly to make the team as unattractive as they possibly can (eight coaches in ten years, signing inept GM Vlade Divac to an extension, trading a freak athlete they drafted this year (Marquese Chriss) for a bunch of sluggish big men...it goes on and on). The time has to be now for the Kings to hit the reset button. They are going nowhere fast. which is why the Celtics make the perfect trade partner.

While the Cavs have been discussed, ultimately, they don't have nearly the kind of assets that Boston can offer (even if they include Kevin Love in a deal). The Celts have a plethora of young talent at bargain-based pricing (Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Kelly Olynyk, Jaylen Brown) and also have the two most important assets of them all: The right to swap picks with the Nets in 2017 and the Nets' outright selection in 2018. The Nets will most likely be horrible this year, and because of the pick swap, they are likely to wind up picking in the 20s when their record would suggest they should be picking in the top 3.

Bottom line: They're bad, and they're not getting better anytime soon.

Both the 2017 and 2018 picks could become the #1 overall picks if the ping pong balls fall right for the Celts. While maintaining patience may not be the most popular move amongst fans, especially after management had promised "fireworks" (although the Horford signing was HUGE), it seems like it is the correct path to take. Those picks are so valuable not only in the type of prospect they will be able to get that high in the draft. but also how team-friendly rookie deals are. To put this into perspective, Timofey Mozgov just signed a deal that will pay him $16 million a year for the next four years. In contrast, #1 overall pick Ben Simmons' deal with Philly is for five years that will pay him an average of $7.46 million a year, with his 5th year the only year he'll be making double-digit millions.

Those assets are incredibly valuable. While people may be disappointed we haven't made a splash, there are really only three names it looks like we would be willing to break the trade asset bank for: Cousins, Jimmy Butler, and Russell Westbrook. It seems like Chicago is going to build around Butler, and the same can be said for Westbrook in OKC, especially after Durant's departure and the knowledge that the Thunder are absolutely his team. That leaves Cousins, who if teamed with Horford down low, would resemble what Al was able to accomplish with Paul Millsap in Atlanta, but on a whole other level.

So now the question becomes how much do you give up? In my opinion, you have to give up one of the Nets' picks. That seems like a given. Also I would think Avery Bradley or Jae Crowder would be in there too. They are both so good and wildly underpaid given the current financial landscape. You could make the case they are two of the most valuable trade assets in the league. Here would be the proposed trade:

Celtics Get: DeMarcus Cousins ($15.8 million)

Kings Get: Avery Bradley ($8.3 million), Kelly Olynyk ($3.1 million), 2018 Brooklyn pick, 2019 Memphis pick top 8 protected

In this scenario, the Kings get an All-NBA defender in Bradley, a stretch 4 in Olynyk, perhaps the #1 overall pick in 2018, and a likely top 10-15 pick down the line in 2019. This is a pretty good haul for
a guy who really doesn't want to play with his current team and is set to be a free agent in two years, at which time they would receive nothing when he walks. If you're Sacramento, you have to at least think long and hard about this. They will have to go through a rebuild, but they will suddenly have a wealth of valuable picks, especially in 2018, where they could have two picks in the top 2-3. Of course I'm biased as a C's fan, but the Kings are going nowhere fast, and if they have any aspirations about even getting into playoff contention out West in the near future, they are likely going to have to pull off some kind of massive trade knowing that Cousins is out the door at the end of 2018.

Keep it here for more trade/free agency/Celtics rumors. I am a freak about this stuff and literally check Google and Twitter about 100 times a day looking through what is being reported out there.
While most of the rumors are just those...rumors, it still is such a fascinating time to be a fan of this team and where the future may take us. We have the management/ownership (Wyc Grousbeck and Danny Ainge), the coach for the next 20 years (Brad Stevens), and the face of the franchise (Isaiah Thomas)...I'm just so excited for this team it's just a really great feeling.

(Isaiah did reiterate in a recent interview that the Celts "will have to break out the Brinks truck" in 2018 when he becomes a free agent, and in a market where he will likely demand $25-$30 million a year in contrast to the $6.5 million he's making right now...think about that before you judge the Celts on why they are trying to stay flexible with their cap room...this is not the kind of guy you want to see in anything else but green and white.)


Well that will do it for now. Thank you guys very much for checking me out. Expect more to come about the C's as well as the Sox, Pats, and B's in the future...and also some of my incoherent rambling that you've come to know and love...well at least know...over the years. Take it easy everyone. Stay strong y'all. Peace.

~Mell-o



P.S. Jackie Bradley starting in the All Star Game tonight boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!