- 08:30 PM
- 07/26/24
| Name: | Howard Titus |
|---|---|
| Location: | Nashua, NH |
| Gender: | Old Alpha Male, hoping no young stud steals the herd. |
| Member since: | April 08, 2006 |
| Last visit: | July 10, 2024 |
Howard_T has posted 43 links and 4,513 comments to SportsFilter and 3 links and 265 comments to the Locker Room.
Recent Sports Necrology: Over the past day or two the sports world has lost some notable people. Stirling Moss, passed away at the age of 90. He was one of the legendary racing drivers in what some might call the golden age of racing. Moss competed against the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio (a teammate) when Ferrari, Maserati, and Mercedes ruled.
posted by Howard_T to general at 10:28 PM on April 13, 2020 - 2 comments
Rusty Staub Dead at 73: A sad note on opening day, Le Grand Orange has passed away. His career spanned 23 seasons, mainly with the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets.
posted by Howard_T to baseball at 09:28 PM on March 29, 2018 - 3 comments
Roger Bannister has Passed Away: Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes has died. The feat was accomplished in 1954. We had a small black and white TV, and film of it was shown on the sports news. I also remember seeing it in the newsreels at the movies. It was a really big deal then, but now even high school kids are running under 4 minutes
posted by Howard_T to other at 04:05 PM on March 04, 2018 - 4 comments
...and Maybe the Dynamite Fizzles: Cleveland is having second thoughts about the Thomas-Irving trade after Isaiah Thomas took his physical. What's up here?
posted by Howard_T to basketball at 03:47 PM on August 26, 2017 - 10 comments
Boom goes the dynamite.: After promising off-season fireworks for the past few years, the Boston Celtics have delivered. A trade of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Anton Zizic, and the unprotected first round draft pick from Brooklyn in exchange for Cleveland's Kyrie Irving has been announced. Does this put Boston into the NBA finals? What is Cleveland thinking? 2017-18 will be an interesting season.
posted by Howard_T to basketball at 08:49 PM on August 22, 2017 - 7 comments
About time this season ticket member weighed in on the pending sale of the Celtics. I'm on vacation (like I really need one since I'm retired) up here in the White Mountains of NH. We come up here often, and it's a very beautiful and peaceful spot.
Now, about the Celtics: First of all, Wyc (short for Wycliffe, if you must) Grousbeck is selling only the part of the Celtics that belongs directly to him and his father. The rest of the minority owners' shares are not being sold unless they want to opt in on the deal. Steve Pagliuca, the Managing General Partner and co-owner of the Celtics has said that he will retain his interest and along with some of the other owners will take an active part in the bidding for the Grousbeck shares. Pagliuca is the leader of a group of investors who purchased the Italian Serie A football club Atalanta. He has said that he shares Grousbeck's commitment to keeping the Celtics a winning and championship team.
A number of other possible buyers has been put forward. John Henry's Fenway Sports Group is one. This is the lest desirable among the fans, who look at Henry's recent penny-pinching ways with the Red Sox and fear what he might do to the Celtics. An intriguing possibility would have the Wynn Casino group purchasing the team and moving them to a proposed new arena located near the Wynn Encore Hotel and Casino. Encore is in Everett, MA, just 4 stops on the MBTA Orange Line from North Station and TD Garden. The Celtics lease with Delaware North, owned by the Jacobs family who also own the Boston Bruins of the NHL, was recently renewed to run through 2036. Having their own arena would contribute greatly to the financial health of the team. A few other names put forward were Robert Kraft of Patriots fame, and Tom Brady. Kraft could probably handle the deal financially, but he has made no public comment. Brady would have to come up with a group to handle something this big.
Grousbeck says that the sale would not be complete until 2028, and that it is being done for the purpose of estate planning. I can understand how that might take 4 years. Our family just went through the planning of our modest chunk of change, and the process with a good lawyer took about 4 months.
posted by Howard_T at 09:33 PM on July 03, 2024
I have just heard an announcement from San Francisco Giants that Willy Mays has passed away. I have no details. Say hey, Willy, you will never be duplicated. RIP.
posted by Howard_T at 09:30 PM on June 18, 2024
It's not "some folks have all the luck". It's "some folks have all the front office".
Many of the "experts" who give their opinions on the NBA give credit to Brad Stevens for assembling the team. He said during one of the post-game interviews that it was easy to build a championship team when you start with a core of Brown and Tatum. Stevens was hired as head coach by Danny Ainge, and ultimately promoted to his current position at the suggestion of Ainge. So give Ainge credit for the series of "thefts" that produced the core. Now consider that Ainge was with the Celtics as a player during the years of Red Auerbach's management. I am sure that much knowledge was passed along to Ainge during those years. Auerbach was no stranger to Machieavellian maneuvers. The 1956 draft was the most notable example. Through some trades, the Celtics turned Ed McCauley and the draft rights to Cliff Hagen into the 2nd pick. Rochester Royals had the first pick, but they liked Sihugo Green. To make sure that Rochester did indeed take Green, Walter Brown, owner of the Celtics and also of the Ice Capades, offered the Royals owner a 2-week appearance of the popular ice show as long as they took Green. The Celtics then took an athletic center from San Francisco by the name of Bill Russell. Having "all the front office" is a long tradition in Boston.
So, beaverboard, will we see you in Boston on Friday for the Duck Boat parade?
posted by Howard_T at 09:24 PM on June 18, 2024
In 1962 game 7 is on TV the night before an electrical engineering final. Does Howard study hard and go to bed early? No no no. It's Celtics vs Lakers, we have to conquer the evil forces of West and Robertson, so watch the game we do. After 62 years I still have the scene of Frank Selvey's shot floating toward the hoop. It's somehow fitting that West's image became the logo. It's a warning of sorts that personal greatness is not always rewarded with championships, but it will always be recognized and applauded. RIP, Jerry West.
posted by Howard_T at 01:36 PM on June 12, 2024
My picks:
Celtics in 6
Top point scorer: Doncic
Top rebounder: Gafford
Game 1 winner: Celtics
Team scoring most points in game: Celtics
Series MVP: Jrue Holiday
Top fouler: Jaylen Brown
Top three-point shooter: Kyrie Irving
Winning team points last game: 119
I'd love to have Boston win in 5 or 7 so I could be there to watch Celtics hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. No matter where they wrap it up, I will be in Boston for the Duck Boat parade.
posted by Howard_T at 05:37 PM on June 06, 2024
And who wins?
TBD (But it ain't looking too good for Stratomic)
posted by Howard_T at 03:34 AM on May 28, 2024
RIP Bill Walton, age 71. It is far too soon to lose one of the most entertaining and truly funny people ever to excel at the game of basketball.
posted by Howard_T at 05:29 PM on May 27, 2024
Congrats to Howard for being the only one to get all four Conference Finals teams correct!
At the beginning of the season the local sports network that broadcasts the Celtics did a Stratomatic simulation for the entire season. The result predicted a Minnesota vs Boston NBA finals. I have based most of my predictions on that.
posted by Howard_T at 06:08 PM on May 21, 2024
My picks:
Celtics in 5
Timberwolves in 7
Top point scorer: Doncic
Top rebounder: Gobert
Most points per game: Timberwolves
Team giving up fewest points: Celtics
I picked my Celtics in 5, but I am really worried about Pacers. They have too many players who can get hot, and Haliburton is fully capable of finding them. Transition defense is the key.
posted by Howard_T at 06:00 PM on May 21, 2024
Revised picks:
Mavericks in 6
Celtics in 5
Top point scorer: Brunson
Top rebounder: Gobert
Most points per game: Mavericks
Team scoring 130: Mavericks
Good idea to retire the 130 point pick. If I read it right, all the teams that remain are among the defensive leaders. While there likely will be some brilliant individual scoring performances, these will come at the expense of team scoring.
posted by Howard_T at 04:33 PM on May 04, 2024
Revised picks:
Pacers in 6
posted by Howard_T at 03:20 PM on May 03, 2024
My picks:
Timberwolves in 6
posted by Howard_T at 10:40 PM on May 02, 2024
I am old enough actually to have heard a Foster Hewitt hockey broadcast. I grew up in a town next door to Boston directly on the coast. When atmospheric conditions were just right, I could listen to the CBC hockey broadcast, usually from a station on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Boston Bruins have had a couple of very good radio broadcasters, Fred Cusick and Bob Wilson, but Hewitt was clearly better. I never heard a Bob Cole broadcast, but in listening to a YouTube memorial it is clear that Cole was a worthy successor to Foster Hewitt. Hewitt taught the young Bob Cole well. RIP, Bob Cole.
posted by Howard_T at 06:19 PM on April 30, 2024
My picks:
Magic in 5
Suns in 6
Knicks in 6
Nuggets in 5
Clippers in 5
Pacers in 7
Celtics in 5
Thunder in 5
Top point scorer: Doncic
Top rebounder: Jokic
Team scoring 130: Celtics
Most points in one game: Nuggets
Celtics vs Heat again. Let's just say that Celtics are not about to let Miami take them down again. I might be wrong about the number of games in each series, but I'm pretty sure of the winners.
posted by Howard_T at 11:36 PM on April 19, 2024
NBA Playoff Pickem Champion: ic23b
Thanks for another fun post-season, rcade, and a well done, ic23b. Win lose or draw, it's always a good time. My Celtics fandom over the past few years has become a frequent topic of conversation at church. I was scheduled to preach the sermon on June 30, and of course I waited until late to write it. I couldn't resist working the Celtics into it. To my surprise it went well. It's on YouTube if anyone is bored enough to spend 12 1/2 minutes.