Despite Paul Pierce's suggestion that the team take its preseason training camp elsewhere, the Boston Celtics announced today that they will return to Newport for a third straight year.
The Celtics again will make Salve Regina University's Rodgers Recreation Center their home away from home for a week at the end of the month, Kristine Hendrickson, Salve's associate vice president for university relations and chief communications officer, said today.
A notable change to the Celtics' visit this year is the elimination of the intra-squad scrimmage, which was open to the public the past two years on the team's last day here. Hendrickson said there won't be a public scrimmage, and overall, the team hopes to keep the camp more low key than it has been. Other than that, the format will be roughly the same.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Family value
Among the many absurd happenings in the world of sports is the claim by millionaire athletes that they need to provide for their families, and thus, need more money.
The latest to suggest that his multi-million-dollar deal just isn’t enough to pay the bills is none other than Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss. The mercurial Moss went on a 16-minute rant about his contract, or lack thereof after this season, with New England on Sunday after the Patriots' win over Cincinnati.
He backtracked, slightly, on Tuesday, but said in an interview with the Associated Press that his family is, “looking for me for financial stability. Is that fair? No. But that’s life and I accepted that and that’s where I’m coming from. Hopefully, people will understand where I’m coming from. It’s not that I’m asking for 30, 40 million a year. I’m just asking for another contract.”
I’ll admit I am not, have never been and never will be a Moss admirer, but he’s insane. He’s scheduled to make $6.4 million this year, which is the last of a three-year, $27 million deal. What family couldn’t sustain itself with an average of $9 million a year? OK, maybe Antonio Cromartie’s family, and his 42 children — I kid, he only has seven ... by six different women.
By and large, I’m sick of players who are unhappy with the contracts they sign and demand more money. But at least some man up and admit that they just want to get paid.
The whole “I have to provide for my family” garbage barely works for guys playing under their rookie contracts. They haven’t had that big payday yet, so I’ll buy the financial stability claim for a little while.
Moss, however, has made more than $55 million in the past decade. Unless his four kids each own their own pro sports teams, the Moss family should be in pretty good shape financially.
Moss already is one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. But if he wants to cash in one last time near the end of his career, fine. He should just admit that it has less to do with his family and more to do with greed. If he were honest about it, I might respect him a little.
The latest to suggest that his multi-million-dollar deal just isn’t enough to pay the bills is none other than Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss. The mercurial Moss went on a 16-minute rant about his contract, or lack thereof after this season, with New England on Sunday after the Patriots' win over Cincinnati.
He backtracked, slightly, on Tuesday, but said in an interview with the Associated Press that his family is, “looking for me for financial stability. Is that fair? No. But that’s life and I accepted that and that’s where I’m coming from. Hopefully, people will understand where I’m coming from. It’s not that I’m asking for 30, 40 million a year. I’m just asking for another contract.”
I’ll admit I am not, have never been and never will be a Moss admirer, but he’s insane. He’s scheduled to make $6.4 million this year, which is the last of a three-year, $27 million deal. What family couldn’t sustain itself with an average of $9 million a year? OK, maybe Antonio Cromartie’s family, and his 42 children — I kid, he only has seven ... by six different women.
By and large, I’m sick of players who are unhappy with the contracts they sign and demand more money. But at least some man up and admit that they just want to get paid.
The whole “I have to provide for my family” garbage barely works for guys playing under their rookie contracts. They haven’t had that big payday yet, so I’ll buy the financial stability claim for a little while.
Moss, however, has made more than $55 million in the past decade. Unless his four kids each own their own pro sports teams, the Moss family should be in pretty good shape financially.
Moss already is one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. But if he wants to cash in one last time near the end of his career, fine. He should just admit that it has less to do with his family and more to do with greed. If he were honest about it, I might respect him a little.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
R.I. high school football poll Week 1
The high school season kicked off last week, with three of our four teams winning, but maybe the biggest surprise was the team that lost. Rogers had La Salle Academy on the ropes into the fourth quarter before falling 14-6. The result in the poll for the Vikings was a spot in this week's top 20.
Portsmouth, on the strength of a 25-6 victory over Mount Hope, moved into the No. 5 spot, while Middletown moved up a spot to No. 13 after beating Central Falls 32-0. Tiverton, which beat Hope 30-14, is receiving votes.
Again, the number in parenthesis is first-place votes, the next number is total votes and the last number is where the team was last week.
Team Points Last week
1t. Hendricken (5) 171 2t
1t. East Providence (2) 171 2t
3. La Salle (2) 158 1
4. Cranston West 155 4
5. Portsmouth 138 8
6. Barrington 115 9
7. Johnston 102 11
8. Mount Hope 98 5
9. Cranston East 94 6
10. Woonsocket 90 7
11. Coventry 89 12
12. Westerly 88 15
13. Middletown 67 14
14. Moses Brown 65 13
15. Ponaganset 61 16
16. Shea 47 NR
17. South Kingstown 36 10
18. Toll Gate 25 NR
19. Burrillville 18 20
20. Rogers 16 NR
Dropped from poll: Exeter-West Greenwich (17), Lincoln (18), St. Raphael (19).
Also receiving votes: Narragansett 15, East Greenwich 12, West Warwick 11, St. Raphael 8, Central 6, Lincoln 6, Tiverton 6, Tolman 3, Exeter-West Greenwich 2, Cumberland 1.
Portsmouth, on the strength of a 25-6 victory over Mount Hope, moved into the No. 5 spot, while Middletown moved up a spot to No. 13 after beating Central Falls 32-0. Tiverton, which beat Hope 30-14, is receiving votes.
Again, the number in parenthesis is first-place votes, the next number is total votes and the last number is where the team was last week.
Team Points Last week
1t. Hendricken (5) 171 2t
1t. East Providence (2) 171 2t
3. La Salle (2) 158 1
4. Cranston West 155 4
5. Portsmouth 138 8
6. Barrington 115 9
7. Johnston 102 11
8. Mount Hope 98 5
9. Cranston East 94 6
10. Woonsocket 90 7
11. Coventry 89 12
12. Westerly 88 15
13. Middletown 67 14
14. Moses Brown 65 13
15. Ponaganset 61 16
16. Shea 47 NR
17. South Kingstown 36 10
18. Toll Gate 25 NR
19. Burrillville 18 20
20. Rogers 16 NR
Dropped from poll: Exeter-West Greenwich (17), Lincoln (18), St. Raphael (19).
Also receiving votes: Narragansett 15, East Greenwich 12, West Warwick 11, St. Raphael 8, Central 6, Lincoln 6, Tiverton 6, Tolman 3, Exeter-West Greenwich 2, Cumberland 1.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday's high school scores
Girls soccer
Portsmouth 7, Cranston West 0
Tiverton 0, Mount Hope 0
Girls tennis
East Greenwich 7, Portsmouth 0
Portsmouth 7, Cranston West 0
Tiverton 0, Mount Hope 0
Girls tennis
East Greenwich 7, Portsmouth 0
Moss wants his straight cash, homey
Randy Moss, in his postgame press conference after the Patriots 38-24, season-opening victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, said he feels unappreciated by some in the New England area.
And he's right.
Since coming here to start the 2007 season, Moss has been nothing but productive. In his first season with the team, he set a single-season record with 23 touchdown catches. When Brady went down for the entire 2008 season, he caught 11 TDs from Matt Cassel and had 13 last year. All while drawing little attention to himself.
Until Sunday, when he talked for 16 minutes about his contract issues. He didn't wait to take a question before saying what he had to say.
While most feel that Moss was justified in his claims, they questioned the timing of it. So when is a good time to say such things? He certainly got everyone's attention. No, Randy Moss isn't like Tom Brady, who keeps talk about money and contracts behind closed doors.
But Moss has sat idly by while Tom Brady, Leigh Bodden, Stephen Gostkowski and others have received big pay days. Put yourself in the same situation. Imagine you're one of the top employees at your company, and a co-worker, who has been no less productive the last three years, received a huge pay raise, making him the highest paid person on staff. Wouldn't that be stuck in your craw?
ESPN.com writer Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that Logan Makins, who had some choice words for the Patriots ownership back in June, likely won't play another game for the team. It appeared the two sides finally had a deal worked out before team brass asked Mankins to issue a public apology, which the offensive lineman refused to do.
Mankins, a restricted free agent, has been a hold out while Moss has been in camp and working hard. Moss, who unjustly has been accused of "dogging it" on the field in recent years, said he'll play out the remainder of the season. And there's little doubt he'll put up big numbers. We have no reason to believe he won't.
And I sure hope Bob Kraft and the suits realize what they have. Moss said he likes New England, he likes playing here and wants to continue doing so. But he added that if an extension isn't reached by the end of the season, it'll be "a smack in the face."
Everything Moss said, all of which caught the media in attendance by surprise, is right. And I have little issue about the timing. His intention was to be heard, and his words carried plenty of weight after a nice victory.
Don't hate the player, hate the game. In this case, the business end of the game. And if you have to point fingers, maybe they should be pointed toward the luxury suites, and not in the direction of No. 81.
And he's right.
Since coming here to start the 2007 season, Moss has been nothing but productive. In his first season with the team, he set a single-season record with 23 touchdown catches. When Brady went down for the entire 2008 season, he caught 11 TDs from Matt Cassel and had 13 last year. All while drawing little attention to himself.
Until Sunday, when he talked for 16 minutes about his contract issues. He didn't wait to take a question before saying what he had to say.
While most feel that Moss was justified in his claims, they questioned the timing of it. So when is a good time to say such things? He certainly got everyone's attention. No, Randy Moss isn't like Tom Brady, who keeps talk about money and contracts behind closed doors.
But Moss has sat idly by while Tom Brady, Leigh Bodden, Stephen Gostkowski and others have received big pay days. Put yourself in the same situation. Imagine you're one of the top employees at your company, and a co-worker, who has been no less productive the last three years, received a huge pay raise, making him the highest paid person on staff. Wouldn't that be stuck in your craw?
ESPN.com writer Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that Logan Makins, who had some choice words for the Patriots ownership back in June, likely won't play another game for the team. It appeared the two sides finally had a deal worked out before team brass asked Mankins to issue a public apology, which the offensive lineman refused to do.
Mankins, a restricted free agent, has been a hold out while Moss has been in camp and working hard. Moss, who unjustly has been accused of "dogging it" on the field in recent years, said he'll play out the remainder of the season. And there's little doubt he'll put up big numbers. We have no reason to believe he won't.
And I sure hope Bob Kraft and the suits realize what they have. Moss said he likes New England, he likes playing here and wants to continue doing so. But he added that if an extension isn't reached by the end of the season, it'll be "a smack in the face."
Everything Moss said, all of which caught the media in attendance by surprise, is right. And I have little issue about the timing. His intention was to be heard, and his words carried plenty of weight after a nice victory.
Don't hate the player, hate the game. In this case, the business end of the game. And if you have to point fingers, maybe they should be pointed toward the luxury suites, and not in the direction of No. 81.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Too little and too late
It looks like time is going to run out on the Bengals today. After a horrid first half in which they barely moved the ball, Carson Palmer and company put together a few good scoring drives, with Ochocinco backing up his talk.
Still, the onsides kick attempt failed and the Patriots will take over with less than four minutes remaining and a 38-24 lead.
Still, the onsides kick attempt failed and the Patriots will take over with less than four minutes remaining and a 38-24 lead.
Begals score again ... hmmm.
That Patriots defense that I gave much credit to during the first half is starting to show a couple of cracks. The Bengals had the ball for all but 2:31 in the third quarter, and a long drive (which included a number of third-down conversions) culminated with a touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco.
No reason to panic, but a once 28-point lead has been slashed to 14.
As you'll see a lot this season, time for the offense to bail out the D.
No reason to panic, but a once 28-point lead has been slashed to 14.
As you'll see a lot this season, time for the offense to bail out the D.
Bengals score .... ho hum
OK, I ran into some computer issues late in the second half and wasn't able to post the halftime update. The Pats were leading 24-3.
But before I could even get back online, they scored again to make it 31-3, and the Bengals marched down the field to cut it to 31-10. Needless to say, though, this one appears to be a laugher.
Much credit needs to go to the defense, which allowed just 156 total yards in the first half (51 of those came on a last-second, meaningless hail mary at the end of the half). Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, who have been blanketed by rookie Devin McCourty and second-year man Darius Butler, combined for seven receptions for 53 yards in the first 30 minutes.
Perhaps the most telling stat is third-down efficiency. The Patriots have held the opposition to 2-for-7 on those opportunities. Pretty good for a very young and inexperienced defense.
But there's still 20 minutes to go, and the Bengals have the ball again at their own 22-yard line.
But before I could even get back online, they scored again to make it 31-3, and the Bengals marched down the field to cut it to 31-10. Needless to say, though, this one appears to be a laugher.
Much credit needs to go to the defense, which allowed just 156 total yards in the first half (51 of those came on a last-second, meaningless hail mary at the end of the half). Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, who have been blanketed by rookie Devin McCourty and second-year man Darius Butler, combined for seven receptions for 53 yards in the first 30 minutes.
Perhaps the most telling stat is third-down efficiency. The Patriots have held the opposition to 2-for-7 on those opportunities. Pretty good for a very young and inexperienced defense.
But there's still 20 minutes to go, and the Bengals have the ball again at their own 22-yard line.
Pats 10, Bengals 0 through 1 quarter
The Patriots are dominating this game. They have outgained the visitors 132-34 in yards. Tom Brady is 7-for-9 passing for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Fred Taylor has 44 yards on six carries.
All is looking good, especially on defense. This green group hasn't allowed a big play and has forced a turnover.
All is looking good, especially on defense. This green group hasn't allowed a big play and has forced a turnover.
Well that was quick
After forcing the Bengals to punt, the Patriots needed just five plays to go 72 yards before Tom Brady hit Wes Welker for a 9-yard touchdown pass on a screen. It took just 2:51 seconds, and the big play of the drive was a 45-yard pass to rookie Aaron Hernandez, who made the big gainer his first NFL catch.
Welker, who had offseason surgery to repair a torn ACL, had two catches on the drive. After the first, he was given a standing ovation from the Gillette crowd.
Welker, who had offseason surgery to repair a torn ACL, had two catches on the drive. After the first, he was given a standing ovation from the Gillette crowd.
Week 1 ... Let's get it on!
After the poor performance in last year's playoffs - a dismantling at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens - it's safe to say the Patriots season opener couldn't have come quicker for most fans.
It's a great day at Gillette Stadium, which, truth be told, has an electric atmosphere right now. It's a bit overcast and kind of cool for an early September game. The Pats will be in their road whites, despite being at home, and the Bengals are in their black jerseys.
And if you have Laurence Maroney or Julian Edelman in your fantasy lineups, yank them quickly. Both are inactive for this game.
One hour to game time.
It's a great day at Gillette Stadium, which, truth be told, has an electric atmosphere right now. It's a bit overcast and kind of cool for an early September game. The Pats will be in their road whites, despite being at home, and the Bengals are in their black jerseys.
And if you have Laurence Maroney or Julian Edelman in your fantasy lineups, yank them quickly. Both are inactive for this game.
One hour to game time.
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