- 06:40 PM
- 03/30/25
| Name: | Howard Titus |
|---|---|
| Location: | Nashua, NH |
| Gender: | Old Alpha Male, hoping no young stud steals the herd. |
| Member since: | April 08, 2006 |
| Last visit: | March 27, 2025 |
Howard_T has posted 43 links and 4,558 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
Truly it's the best day of the year. When I was still umpiring, we always looked forward to once again getting on the field. Here in New Hampshire that often meant waiting a week or two until the snow had melted. I remember more than a few years when one of the coaches would tell me that this was the first time that his team had been on the field. No matter when it happens, opening day is magic.
posted by Howard_T at 02:04 PM on March 27, 2025
My picks:
Pacers by 12 (slam dunk)
Suns by 9 (slam dunk)
Magic by 13 (slam dunk)
Celtics by 15 (slam dunk)
Celtics by 6
Lakers by 5
Desperation mode enacted. I still have a chance to move into 2nd place, but I need every point I can get. Meanwhile, I am suffering from game withdrawal symptoms while I wait for the end of this road trip. The new owner is supposed to make an appearance at TD Garden at the first 2 games in April. The reception will be interesting.
posted by Howard_T at 03:33 PM on March 26, 2025
Of course the news leaped off the screen this morning, and I had to start my research on William Chisholm and Symphony Technology Group (STG). The good news is that Mr. Chisholm is a native of Georgetown, Massachusetts, and he claims to be a lifelong Celtics fan. The other good news is that STG is noted for investing in or purchasing firms in order to build them rather than buying, looting, and dumping. The bad news is that Chisholm owns only 25% of STG, the other 75% being owned by Ramesh Wadhwani, a native of Karachi when it was still called British India. So unless Chisholm is using a serious chunk of his own wallet, there might be some problems here.
The NBA allows any team to be 30% owned by a private equity company, and no more than 20% may be held by a single private equity firm. Thus, it sounds like Mr. Chisholm and his partners are putting up most of the bucks. The other names in the Chisholm group are Rob Hale and Bruce Beal, Jr. Both have Boston connections; Hale is a native of Massachusetts and says he will purchase a house in or near Boston. He could get some help on this from Beal whose family has had a realty and development firm in Boston for 157 years. So it looks like there's enough local blood buying the Celtics to try to keep the team on course. When you are about to get hit with around $280 million in luxury tax, the Jaylon Brown and Jayson Tatum max contracts (Tatum's kicks in next season), and some healthy contracts among the rest of the regulars, some cost cutting and price increasing might be in order. Local reaction to the news is mostly favorable to neutral with the caveat that the new owners do nothing without the approval of Brad Stevens and the rest of the team operations staff.
One very unhappy fan is Steve Pagliuca, a minority owner in the Wyc Grousbeck group. He claims to have put together an offer that was competitive and free of debt. He also says that his group includes a number of people who were also in the Grousbeck group. He issued a statement that contains some sour grapes and a bit of a warning to the new owners. You can find it on masslive.com.
One other bit of speculation on my part is that now there is some serious real estate interest in Celtics ownership, would there be any interest in a new arena? In the past year, the Massachusetts State Legislature passed a bill that changed some zoning of land in Everett, MA, just a few stops on the MBTA Orange Line from TD Garden. The Boston Women's Profesional Soccer Team wants to build a stadium here, but Boston politics is in the way. Also in the way are the residents of Charlestown, in between Boston and Everett, who fear the effects of traffic. Lots of interesting things to contemplate about the sale,and I will try to keep you posted on the local angle.
posted by Howard_T at 06:15 PM on March 20, 2025
Revised picks:
Kings by 12 (slam dunk)
posted by Howard_T at 12:08 AM on March 19, 2025
My picks:
Pistons by 11
Nuggets by 15 (slam dunk)
Pacers by 9 (slam dunk)
Rockets by 14 (slam dunk)
Clippers by 10
posted by Howard_T at 12:06 AM on March 19, 2025
My picks:
Bucks by 9
Celtics by 7
Nuggets by 11 (slam dunk)
Bucks by 10 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 12 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 9 (slam dunk)
Cavaliers by 16 (slam dunk)
Lakers by 5
Thunder by 4
Knicks by 13 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 6
Not picking against Warriors this week; they seem to have found something that has them playing better. Celtics vs OKC will be a a tight one. Porzingis has some sort of mystery virus that will probably keep him out for a while longer. Al Horford seems to turn back the clock in the 'big' games, and when the 3s fall like an artillery barrage, Celtics are hard to beat.
posted by Howard_T at 03:28 PM on March 11, 2025
My picks:
Knicks by 8
Suns by 11
Cavaliers by 16 (slam dunk)
Grizzlies by 4
Celtics by 11 (slam dunk)
Lakers by 13 (slam dunk)
Grizzlies by 10 (slam dunk)
Nuggets by 9
Celtics by 6 (slam dunk)
Thunder by 12 (slam dunk)
Suns by 15 (slam dunk)
Bucks by 8
Calling a lot of slams this week, but many of the picks are not easy. The next 6 weeks are the best time in the NBA.
posted by Howard_T at 01:01 PM on March 04, 2025
My picks:
Magic by 5
Lakers by 11 (slam dunk)
Knicks by 16 (slam dunk)
Rockets by 8
Bucks by 7
Celtics by 4
Lakers by 12 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 13 (slam dunk)
Celtics by 11
Thunder by 15 (slam dunk)
Suns by 6
posted by Howard_T at 01:34 PM on February 25, 2025
posted by Howard_T at 02:37 AM on February 21, 2025
My picks:
Cavaliers by 6
Rockets by 11 (slam dunk)
Nuggets by 13 (slam dunk)
Celtics by 7 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 17 (slam dunk)
Cavaliers by 9 (slam dunk)
Thunder by 11 (slam dunk)
Leading church services at a nursing home this afternoon, and then cooking dinner. Too busy to look at my email, so I missed picking Celtics vs 76ers and Suns vs Spurs. I would have gotten them both right, but it's water under the bridge.
posted by Howard_T at 02:31 AM on February 21, 2025
I read beaverboard's post about Mike Lange earlier this morning (Thursday). Later, in my email, up popped the "The Players Tribune" with an article written by the very same Mr. Lange. He tells of the origin of many of his catch phrases in a manner that reveals his most humorous and light-hearted personality. Part of the story is his relationship with Jaromir Jagr and how Jagr became the source of one of those sayings. Here's the link: Riding the Bus with Jaromir. Enjoy.
posted by Howard_T at 12:44 PM on February 20, 2025
My picks:
Celtics by 8 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 11 (slam dunk)
Rockets by 7
Mavericks by 16 (slam dunk)
Thunder by 9
Clippers by 13 (slam dunk)
Looking forward forward to watching Wembanyama vs Celtics at TD Garden tonight. Should be a fun matchup with the Celtics bigs, especially "the battle of the unicorns" with Porzingis.
posted by Howard_T at 01:37 PM on February 12, 2025
I have looked at Fan Duel and all of the other sports betting sites, but I cannot find a line on the Puppy Bowl. I'm watching the draft combine and all of the pre-game stuff, so there should be something out there. Can any of you help? I'm desperate.
posted by Howard_T at 01:45 PM on February 09, 2025
A couple of notes about the trade, both supposedly true:
Mavericks are said to have approached Bucks with a Doncic for Antentekoumpo deal. Milwaukee hasn't stopped laughing yet.
Luka Doncic closed on a $15 million house in the Dallas area about one week before the trade. Talk about bad timing!
posted by Howard_T at 09:44 PM on February 03, 2025
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
I promised updates on the sale of the Celtics as they were available. Jack Simone who writes under the pen name "The Hardwood Houdini" tells of a possible block to the sale by citing an article by Dan Primack in Axios. Primack claims that Sixth Street Partners, a private equity firm, has more money involved than does Bill Chisholm. This violates the NBA rule that limits private equity holding in a team to the lesser of 20% or an amount less than the amount held by the principal owner who must own at least 15%. Primack does not say anything about how much Chisholm actually has invested nor the dollar amount of Sixth Street Partners stake, so Primack should be questioned here. Also not mentioned are the two partners of Chisholm, Rob Hale and Bruce Beal, Jr. How much have they thrown into the pot? My guess is that Chisholm by himself has at least the necessary 15% (about $1 billion), and probably more. His 2 main partners most likely come up with about $1.5 billion between them, and minority interests, some of whom are part of the Wyc Grousbeck group come up with another significant amount. Once all of the pieces are assembled, private equity will not need to put in enough to violate any rules. These guys don't make a move until they have looked at every angle and have it all locked in. Remember that the sale is structured to take place over 2 or 3 years. Thus, Chisholm et al have about 1/2 of the team, and over the next year or 2 will come up with enough investors or money to comply with the rules and complete the sale.