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Boston Globe
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
We're used to titles, and let's face it, right now the Celtics are all we've got, and other thoughts
The New England sports world is very different now. The once-stable Patriots are coming off back-to-back four-win seasons, working with their third coach in three years, and selected Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up And then we have the Celtics, kings of New England, princes of Basketball America, and stars of NBA, HBO, TNT, ABC, ESPN, and radio-free Scalabrine. Advertisement Here in the spring of 2025, the Celtics are by far our best hope for champagne and balloons. They won the NBA crown last season with a 16-3 playoff run and we fully expect another duck boat parade down the Champs de Boylston sometime after Flag Day. It's not going to be Orlando Easy for the next three rounds, but — fair or unfair — Joe Mazzulla's got the best team and anything shy of Banner 19 will be a disappointment. Advertisement Let's enjoy the playoff ride. At this hour, the Celtics are all we've got. It's hard to know what to make of the other three. The Red Sox have the same record as this time last year (14-13) and continue to lead the majors in strikeouts and errors (that's bad, right?). They're in Cleveland for the weekend, wobbling in second place behind the Yankees but totally capable of staying in the race for the top of the mediocre American League East. It's been tough to watch Rafael Devers and Triston Casas at the plate, but Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, and Aroldis Chapman have been great additions and the team is more fun to watch than it's been since 2018. There's a lot of enthusiasm around the 4-13 Patriots and the selection of Campbell represents an important move to protect franchise quarterback Drake Maye. But the Pats still have a thin roster, a dearth of offensive skill players, and persistent questions regarding chain of command. Fans want to believe that new coach Mike Vrabel gets to shop for the groceries, but the ongoing presence of Eliot Wolf underscores the nagging notion of Kraft family interference. The Bruins' autopsy press conference Wednesday was a tension convention featuring Charlie Jacobs, Cam Neely, and Don Sweeney. It's always good to see ownership accountability, but this awkward session featured a level of pushback ('Can you just elaborate on that a little bit, Kevin?' — Neely to the Globe's Kevin Paul Dupont when asked about poor drafts) and stubbornness that makes one worry about the future of the franchise. It's redundant to amplify the Advertisement ⋅ Quiz: 1: Name the top five Celtics in playoff points; 2. Name seven MLB sluggers who hit 40 or more homers in a season after playing for the Red Sox (answers below). ⋅ Don't look now but Ted Wells is back in the news. The man who filed the infamous ⋅ The Dallas Mavericks should have checked with the Boston Red Sox before trading Luka Doncic. Some decisions cause irreparable franchise harm. We are in year six of the post-Mookie rubble and only now are the Sox beginning to emerge from the damage done. Advertisement ⋅ Hope you're watching Knicks vs. Pistons to scout the next round for the Celtics. The first three games of the series were an homage to the 1980s roller-derby ball the Celtics played vs. the 76ers and Pistons. Cade Cunningham is one of the main reasons the Pistons went from 14 wins last season to 44 this season and a first-round playoff matchup with the Knicks. Angelina Katsanis/Associated Press ⋅ Disappointing to hear Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau complaining about free throw disparity after New York's Game 2 loss. After Detroit took 34 foul shots to New York's 19, Thibs said, 'Obviously, huge discrepancy in free throws. Huge. I gotta take a look at that, right?' Actually, no, Coach. You've been around too long. That's the lament of a sports talk-radio caller. When the other team takes a lot more free throws than your team, it generally means the other team is working harder than your team. ⋅ Shortstop J.P. Crawford, who did damage when the Mariners were in town this past week ( Advertisement ⋅ The Oklahoma City Thunder's 12.9-point average margin of victory during the regular season is the best in NBA history. Swell. I still wish they were the Seattle SuperSonics. ⋅ The Farce of College Sports 2025: St. John's men's basketball coach Rick Pitino has got his top six rotation set for next season. Zuby Ejiofor is St. John's lone returning starter. He'll be joined by a fab five bought from the transfer portal: Ian Jackson from North Carolina, Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Fall River native Joson Sanon from Arizona State, Oziyah Sellers from Stanford, and Dillon Mitchell from Cincinnati. Nice recruiting class there. Boola-boola! St. John's men's basketball coach Rick Pitino's team will undergo a lot of turnover next season. Emilee Chinn/Getty ⋅ Speaking of Pitino, the coaching legend did himself no favors with his appearance in the ⋅ Who hired Pitino as men's basketball coach at Providence College back in 1985? Lou Lamoriello, that's who. Lamoriello, who turns 83 in October, Advertisement ⋅ Juan Soto isn't even warmed up yet, but the Mets are flying. The Amazin's swept the estimable Phillies at home this past week and are 12-1 at Citi Field. The Mets are off to a hot start, including winning 12 of their first 13 games at Citi Field. Kent J. Edwards/Getty ⋅ Hall of Fame lefthander Jim Kaat sent a missive to remind me that the first home run he issued was to Red Sox shortstop Don Buddin. ⋅ Best short-armed athlete of my lifetime: Former NBA All-Star big man Jeff Ruland (was he 'McFilthy' or 'McNasty'?). A star at Iona for Jim Valvano, Ruland was drafted by the Bullets and became a two-time NBA All-Star despite notoriously short arms. Ruland once had a dental emergency while attending an Orioles game at Memorial Stadium in the 1980s, and the tooth was pulled by Orioles team publicist Dr. Charles Steinberg, DDS. Atlanta Hawk Kevin Willis ('T-Rex Arms') was another short-armed pro sports star. ⋅ ⋅ Holy Cross plans to retire the baseball jersey numbers of Ron Perry Sr., Louis Sockalexis, Jack Barry, Owen Carroll, and Jim O'Neill before Saturday's 1 p.m. game. vs. Lafayette at Fitton Field. ⋅ Now that Jerry Lewis has passed, who'd be a good running mate for future presidential candidate Stephen A. Smith? Carl Everett? ⋅ Quiz answers: 1. Larry Bird (3,897), John Havlicek (3,776), Kevin McHale (3,182), Sam Jones (2,909), Paul Pierce (2,843); 2. Babe Ruth (1920, '21, '23, '24, '26, '27, '28, '29, '30, '31, '32); 2. Ben Oglivie (1980), Brady Anderson (1996), Ellis Burks (1996), Jose Canseco (1998), Carlos Pena (2007), Kyle Schwarber (2022, '23). Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
Boston Globe
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Something's amiss in Rafael Devers's move to DH
All that changed when Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, in the post-Mookie, post-Xander chaos that took the franchise to the bottom of the AL East in 2022 and 2023. The big money brought new attention and responsibilities and Sox Nation came down hard on Devers last month when he balked at the notion of moving to DH to accommodate new Sox third baseman, Gold Glover Alex Bregman. Advertisement We didn't see much of Devers after that fateful, rather hilarious day when he kept delivering his high-pitched 'No!'' (which required zero translation) to DH questions in Fort Myers. Devers looked overweight, was recovering from shoulder woes, and played in only five spring training games. The Sox kept him out of sight and off the airwaves. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On the eve of the regular season, the team announced that Devers will, in fact, be their designated hitter, and this was followed by probably the two worst games of Devers's big league career. In Boston's thrilling, 5-2 Opening Day win Thursday, 'It's only been two games,'' a calm Devers said late Friday. 'I feel comfortable at the plate. I feel good. I haven't hit the ball, but I feel everything will change . . . I know who I am. I know that I haven't done my job and I haven't done what I'm supposed to do, but I know that everything will change.'' Advertisement It's hard to watch this and not wonder if the switch to DH is playing mind games with Devers. The Sox didn't talk to Devers about this change — or even suggest it might happen — until Bregman was acquired on the eve of spring training. Devers was clearly wounded by the request and was reported he wanted out of Boston. The Sox played it smooth and close-to-the-vest throughout February and March. They let Devers cool off, and allowed manager Alex Cora to cajole the young slugger into accepting the new role. It all sounded good until we saw Devers in the first two games in Texas. Yuk. Was this just a couple of bad games, or is the DH role messing with Devers head? I asked him. Does being a DH, instead of a third baseman, make it harder to hit? 'To be honest, I don't know,'' Devers answered, via translator Carlos Villoria-Benitez. 'I've never been in this position, so I don't know. I feel very good at the plate, I just haven't been able to hit the ball. So I don't know.'' Related : Sitting around between at-bats, instead of playing third base, means Devers needs a new routine. Doe he have his new routine down? 'I have my routine,'' he said. 'I try to stay warm and go warm to the plate. But it's only been two games. [Saturday] I'll come back here and I'll try to hit the ball.'' One more try: Does being a DH give him too much time to think about his at bats? 'No, I think that's in the past,'' he said. 'That was in spring training. Right now we're in the season and I'm the DH and I feel like you guys need to change the subject because that is over and I'm the DH.'' Advertisement OK. We'll change the subject. But it's not going to be pretty. Devers's' weight could be an issue. He looks big. Almost Panda big. He told us in spring training that he's 240 pounds. The Sox press guide lists him at 245, highest since he turned professional in 2013. The Sox claimed he was 235 last season. In 2015, when Devers was in the minors, Boston listed his weight as 210 pounds. Now they've got him 30 pounds heavier and he's in a new role that makes it harder to keep the weight off. If he hits, who cares? A few extra lbs. didn't seem to hurt Big Papi in his DHing prime. Whenever Earl Weaver was asked about the big belly on his MVP Boog Powell, Earl would say, 'He don't look too [expletive] fat to me when he's rounding the bases after hitting them homers!'' Devers said he might take a moment to talk with Ortiz or former teammate J. D. Martinez about this DH role. But he went into Saturday night's game certain the hits will come. 'I feel comfortable,'' he insisted. 'It's just a matter of time . . . I know I have't been able to hit the ball in the zone quite yet, but that's something that's going to come.'' Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
Boston Globe
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Suddenly, the AL East is wide open, so now's the time for the Red Sox to get it together, and other thoughts
And yet . . . the Sox are stalled in Fort Myers. Spring training stats don't count for much, but the Red Sox seem to have set a record for most players showing up in camp already injured (Rafael Devers, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Lucas Giolito) or sick (Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas). Meanwhile, Trevor Story's has new back issues, the team has no closer, no second baseman, suspect defense, and zero catching depth. Sound like division winners to you? Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Get it together, Red Sox. This could be your time. Ownership has elected to spend money again, and the AL East has morphed into the Tomato Can AFC East of 2002-19. After five awful seasons of the post-Mookie era (including three last-place finishes), it's time for the Red Sox to give us something more than Bres-Lowball and the illusion of contention. Advertisement Preseason baseball predictions are silly but fun. Hardly anyone takes them seriously, though I do remember Red Sox owner John Henry (he also owns the Globe now) in 2006 showing me a flow chart tracking success-failure rates of preseason picks made by New England scribes during his years owning the Red Sox. My grade was Bluto-esque. The only other memory of anyone commenting about prognostications came in March 1988, when beleaguered Sox manager John McNamara spit nails after most of us picked his team to win the AL East. 'Some people pick you to finish first just to see you get [expletive] fired,' snarled McNamara. Alas, Haywood Sullivan knifed the Mac in July, replacing him with Walpole's Joe Morgan, who took them to the AL East crown. Advertisement There's plenty of time still for the Sox to make us feel good about 2025. Crochet looks like the real deal and we know what Buehler can do. Bregman is a winner and a leader. Alex Cora says we can expect Jarren Duran, Devers, Bregman, and Casas to bat 1-2-3-4. He's got Story penciled in for the No. 5 spot. The Sox hang a lot of their hopes on Story, which always gives me pause. Ever-injured, Story's played only 163 games for Boston in three seasons. He's been a .232 hitter for the Red Sox. And he missed a couple of games this past week with upper-back tightness. The Red Sox are hanging a lot of their hopes on Trevor Story, who has played only 163 games over the last three seasons. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Color me concerned. It's the same with the eroding depth of the starting rotation (Bello, Crawford, and Giolito — half of their top six starters — will all open the season on the injured list) and big holes at second base and catcher. Here's hoping we see something from the Sox' super-touted top three prospects in the final two weeks of spring training. Kristian Campbell (.167), Anthony and Mayer were struck with a flu bug that's hit the Fort Myers clubhouse. Sorry to be impatient, but after reading about Campbell/Anthony/Mayer, I was hoping for something like 19-year-old Tony Conigliaro setting the Cactus League on fire and slugging his way into the 1964 Red Sox Opening Day lineup. Not yet. We've seen more Juan Bustabad than Tony C when it comes to the Sox' Baseball America legends. Advertisement There's two more weeks of spring training. The 2025 Red Sox need to give us some reasons to believe. ⋅ Quiz: 1. Name five NBA franchises that have played in four or more consecutive NBA Finals; 2. Name five Baseball Hall of Famers who fell 25 or fewer homers short of joining the 500-homer club (answers below). ⋅ At least five of my readers contend that DOGE wiz kids are embedded in the Driveline subdivision of the Red Sox analytics department. ⋅ RIP author/reporter John Feinstein, who died Thursday at the age of 69. Feinstein was a ferocious Washington Post reporter who authored more than 40 books, 23 of which became New York Times bestsellers, including the groundbreaking 'A Season on the Brink,' the story of the 1985-86 season with Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers. Knight was unhappy with Feinstein's No. 1 bestseller and called Feinstein 'a whore and a pimp.' Never one to back down, Feinstein said, 'I wish he'd make up his mind so I'd know how to dress.' In 1993, when I was approached to write a biography of Red Auerbach, I went to Red to ask him how he felt about such an undertaking and he said, 'Go ahead, I got nothing to hide . . . The only thing I don't want to get involved in is what that [expletive] did to Bobby Knight.' Feinstein laughed when I relayed the story. A few years later, Feinstein encountered Auerbach in a Washington television studio and they had a nice exchange. When Feinstein told Auerbach that Knight loved him, Red said, 'That's because I never wrote anything about him.' Advertisement Feinstein and Auerbach became great friends, and in 2004 they co-authored a bestselling book: 'Let Me Tell You a Story.' Check it out on Amazon. You'll love it. ⋅ Local hockey legend Mike Eruzione has some thoughts about the $20 ticket price (plus fees) for all patrons going to the Garden for this weekend's high school hockey finals (the MIAA has the same price for basketball at the Tsongas Center in Lowell): 'I am blown away,' says Eruzione, who played at Winthrop, Boston University, then scored the winning goal against the Russians in Lake Placid in the 1980 Olympics. 'Winthrop plays at the Garden at 9 a.m. Sunday morning (Division 4 boys' final vs. Dedham). My daughter and her husband have three boys and it's gonna cost them $100 to go. I think that's ridiculous. Can't they have a lower fee for students, or kids under 12? A lot of kids from Winthrop can't afford this and will wind up going to somebody's parents' house and watch it on stream. We're a small town that wants to have kids dream of playing for the high school. This is a big deal in our town. It's big in the community and I bet a lot of kids can't afford it. I don't agree with it and I don't understand.' ⋅ Imagine saying goodbye to Andrews goes down as one of the great stand-up guys in New England history and there should be a spot for him in Bob Kraft's Hall of Fame. He played hurt, never complained, was a great role model for his teammates, and always first at the podium after games. Wins and losses. Advertisement Longtime Patriot David Andrews was always accountable, win or lose. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Marchand was drafted by the Bruins 19 years ago and ranked in the franchise's top five in games (1,090) and goals (422) when he was traded to the Panthers last Friday. A nifty, small-print Globe clip-and-save timeline of Marchand's career included this ditty: 'May 5, 2018: Managed to avoid any punishment, but was warned by the NHL's director of hockey operations, Colin Campbell, to stop licking opponents after he licked Toronto center Leo Komarov in Game 1 of the first-round series with the Maple Leafs, as well as Tampa Bay forward Ryan Callahan in Game 4 of the second-round series with the Lightning.' Brad Marchand was shown the door after licking the Lightning's Ryan Callahan. Charles Krupa/Associated Press The L'il Ball O' Hate (President Obama used that nickname when the Stanley Cup champ Bruins visited the White House in 2011) scored two of Boston's four goals in Vancouver in Game 7 in June 2011, when the Bruins won their only Cup since 1972. Eight years later, in a Stanley Cup Final at the Garden, Marchand tragically came off the ice early in the closing seconds of the first period of Game 7 against the Blues. With the confused Bruins suddenly playing shorthanded, Alex Pietrangelo scored with eight seconds left in the period to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead and all the momentum as the air drained out of the Garden. The Blues won, 4-1, and Boston didn't get its next championship until the Celtics brought one home last June. ⋅ Incoming Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is a former Harvard third-string goalie who roomed with Peter Chiarelli when he played for the Crimson. After a March 1985, Harvard 10-2 win against Colgate, the Globe's Bob Monahan wrote, 'A Colgate player banged Harvard backup goalie John Devlin on the head with his stick . . . Devlin was replaced by Harvard's third goalie of the night, Mark Carney.' This makes Carney quite possibly the most famous Harvard goalie since Arlington native Joe Bertagna made it to the Silver Screen, stopping pucks for Ryan O'Neal in the iconic 1970 film 'Love Story.' Playing for Harvard means never having to say you're sorry. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney was a goaltender at Harvard in the 1980s and was roommates with former Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. Graham Hughes/Photographer: Graham Hughes/Bloo ⋅ ⋅ Bill Belichick's North Carolina Tar Heels play TCU at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill in a nationally televised college football Labor Day special, Monday, Sept. 1. Count me as one who thinks its a blunder for the Tar Heels to be billing themselves as 'the NFL's 33rd team.' ⋅ It's hard to believe that the Cubs have won only one postseason series (2017 NLDS vs. Nationals) since winning the World Series in 2016. ⋅ Let it not be said that the Yankees didn't get their money's worth in the first five years with ⋅ For the record, Terry Francona is wearing No. 77 with the Reds. No doubt you'll never see it under his ubiquitous, ready-to-change-the-oil windbreaker. Reds manager Terry Francona's uniform number is 77, though you'll likely never see it. Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press ⋅ ⋅ Blasted through all 10 episodes of Netflix's comedy 'Running Point,' a thinly veiled farce on the history of Dr. Jerry Buss's daughter, Jeanie Buss, running the Lakers. Kate Hudson plays the character modeled on Jeanie Buss, who serves as one of the show's executive producers, along with Linda Rambis, wife of Kurt Rambis. Keep an eye on the court in episode 10 and you'll see former Celtic Kelly Olynyk playing 'Portland big man.' Kate Hudson (above) plays a character modeled on Lakers owner Jeanie Buss in the Netflix's "Running Point." Katrina Marcinowski/Netflix 2024 ⋅ If you're a fan of the Cape Cod League, go to Amazon and check out 'Cape Dreams — a season with the Brewster Whitecaps' by Mark Epstein. ⋅ Quiz answers: 1: Celtics (1957-66, 1984-87), Lakers (1982-85), Heat (2011-14), Cavaliers (2015-18), Warriors (2015-19); 2: Lou Gehrig (493), Fred McGriff (493), Adrian Beltre (477), Stan Musial (475), Willie Stargell (475). Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
Boston Globe
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Taking stock of Boston's big four professional sports franchises, and other thoughts
Marchand has been a Bruin since the 2009-10 season. He is the last member of the Boston's 2011 Stanley Cup champs still skating at the Garden. He's a top-10 all-time Bruin in games, goals, and assists. He's the captain. Will the Bruins deal him to build for the future, the way the Celtics dealt aging Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets in 2013 to set the table for a championship run that we're still enjoying today? Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Patriots: Wednesday was not a great day for the New England football franchise. We saw executive vice president of player personnel Advertisement One has to wonder about the Patriots' hierarchy when, asked about who makes the final calls on the roster, Wolf tells us, 'Ultimately, it's my final say,' just a day after new coach Mike Vrabel Wolf's claim feels untrue, or perhaps a face-saving exercise in semantics. Vrabel is in Foxborough to run the team. He did not come here to be overruled by Wolf, and fans are comfortable with that. So, what is Wolf still doing here? Once again, it goes back to ownership. Are Robert and Jonathan Kraft willing to start spending money and, more important, turn their franchise over to a capable field boss, as they did when Bill Belichick ran the show? Advertisement Already taking on water, the SS Kraft took another torpedo to its port side with It's abundantly clear that how NFL players feel about the Krafts is the polar opposite of the nonstop propaganda that spews from Foxborough, and the estimable, Ch. 4-led Patriots media cartel. This matters at a time when the Patriots are trying to lure new players to New England. Maybe the Krafts should worry less about the Pro Football Hall of Fame and their new lighthouse. Maybe put some WiFi on the team plane. And get rid of the armchair ashtrays. Johnny Most isn't coming through that airplane door. Red Sox: After five post-Mookie seasons of abject mediocrity, this team feels ready to contend. What scares me? Plenty. The bullpen. The defense. The catching. The number of pitchers who showed up wounded for the start of spring training. I must also say that my head explodes when I read some of the accounts of modern-day instruction, analytics, and techniques applied to young players in Fort Myers. ESPN's gifted Jeff Passan this past week filed a report on prospects Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer titled, 'Inside the Red Sox Plan to Revolutionize Hitting.' We learned that the batting cages in Fort Myers are 'where the future of hitting is playing out in real time.' This was accompanied by lots of Driveline speak, including 'real-time batted ball data,' concentric impulse numbers, and a Trajekt robot pitching simulator that can replicate every pitch thrown in the big leagues over the last six seasons. I mean, what good is any batting cage without a Trajekt robot simulator? Advertisement I think the Red Sox might finally be fun again. Let's just hope they're not out to prove they're smarter than everyone in baseball history. Celtics: The fabled parquet floor is Boston sports' sweet spot in the spring of 2025. The Celtics are reigning champs and have the best team in the NBA again. Barring injury, they cannot be stopped by any team in the Eastern Conference in a seven-game series. In the West, we worry about Oklahoma City and maybe Denver. Watch closely Sunday afternoon when the Celtics host the Nuggets at the Garden. This is the Finals matchup I was hoping for last spring after Denver beat Boston twice during the regular season. The Nuggets folded against the Timberwolves in the 2024 west semifinals, which gave the Green Team an easier path to banner No. 18. The Nuggets have been one of the few teams that the Celtics are unable to toy with, and Nikola Jokic is probably going to join Bill Russell and LeBron James as the only players to win four MVPs in five seasons. The ▪ Quiz: 1. Name five coaches with more than 300 regular-season wins with the Celtics; 2. Name six Bruins who are among the team's top 10 in games, goals, and assists; 3. Name six hockey players named to ESPN's list of Top North American Athletes of the 20th century (answers below). Advertisement ▪ Part 1 of HBO's ▪ When the Celtics won the NBA championship in 1981, Bird took seven 3-pointers in 17 playoff games, making three. ▪ Former Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada represents the Angels' latest attempt to find a third baseman. Matt York/Associated Press ▪ Slouching toward Mendoza: In 2005 and 2006, all 30 big league teams had batting averages of .250 or higher. Last year, that number was seven. The 2024 Red Sox hit .252. Advertisement ▪ What do the Bruins have to do to bring Brady Tkachuk to Boston? In his seventh season with the Ottawa Senators, the big winger has never participated in a playoff game and would be a Hub hockey hero. ▪ Not another word about ▪ Andrew Marchand of The Athletic this past week wrote, 'Either Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has something close to a $550 million-per-year alternative to ESPN, or he has committed sports business malpractice.' We'll find out soon enough, but the announcement that ▪ Projected starting shortstops for NL West powers Dodgers and Padres: Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. The Red Sox have Trevor Story, who has played what amounts to a single full season (163 games) over three years in Boston, batting .232. ▪ Roger Clemens is in Tampa as a Yankees spring training instructor. The Yanks made a stir this past week, ▪ The Yankees, by the way, have four former MVPs in their clubhouse: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger. ▪ Odd that the Red Sox have a glut of All-Star third basemen, given that the front-runner Yankees are holding open tryouts (DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas) to fill the position. ▪ Celtics homerism on NBC Sports Boston has gone past NESN Red Sox levels. I do a handstand upon learning that the Celtics are going to be on ABC, TNT, ESPN, or any Scal-free zone. ▪ Rick Pitino's got St. John's up to No. 7, its highest ranking in 33 years. ▪ Thirty-seven year-old Matthew Stafford to the New York Football Giants? ▪ Plaxico Burress's Super Bowl ring from the 2007 Giants' Plaxico Burress helped the 2007 Giants upset the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Boston Globe/Boston Globe ▪ 'The Last Manager,' a new book on the life of Orioles great Earl Weaver by John W. Miller, goes on sale Tuesday. Can't wait. ▪ Quiz answers: 1. Red Auerbach (795), Tom Heinsohn (427), Doc Rivers (416), Brad Stevens (354), K.C. Jones (308); 2. Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, Patrice Bergeron, Wayne Cashman, Brad Marchand, Rick Middleton; 3. Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Maurice Richard. Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
