BoSox34

good, didn't think so, but just making sure.

Haha, did you really? I really think they have a good chance if they stay healthy but I'd never put money on the Celtics, way too unpredictable.

Yeah, I didn't expect him to have so many strikeouts right out of the gate this season, but he's shown that he can be a complete pitcher with a little better control.

This year is the key and deciding year for many in the Celtics organization including Doc, Danny, Big Al, and Telfair. The Celtics will definitely win their division and they will take at least one playoff series to top it off. The Celtics will have great success this year because... 1. Sebastian Telfair: This guy is ready to be the best pure offensive passing point guard that we've had since the days of Bob Cousy. He has an unbelievable passing sense and improved his shooting last season and showed even more progress in the summer league. If he can be a consistent shooter along with his already great passing instinct, he is ready to take the next step and he will be a great PG in the NBA, even better than his cousin, Stephon Marbury. Adidas didn't sign him to a multi-million dollar straight out of highschool for nothing, they saw the same thing in him that former Portland coach, Nate Mcmillan, saw. Mcmillan was very complementary of Telfair (in a recent article from the Boston Globe) after he was traded, saying that they had to decide between Telfair and Zach Randolph and they chose Randolph. (The real reason they had to keep him was because of his ridiculous contract and the fact that nobody wanted him.) He also went on to say that Telfair didn't fit in the system in Portland because of the slower paced offense led by Randolph. Mcmillan said that he expects Telfair to have great success in Boston, especially in a faster paced offense where he has capable wing players to dish the ball to. I completely agree and when Telfair completes his progress of improving his shot, he will be a lethal point guard. 2. Wally: When we first acquired Wally, many analysts and people close to the game said that Wally would be Pierce's best sidekick yet, even better than Antoine and Ricky. Unfortunately, Wally wasn't completely healthy and it was obvious that his knees were preventing him from performing to the best of his ability. After a long offseason of rest and rehab, Wally should be back on track and he will be a quality shooter who will get many open looks from Telfair. 3. Paul Pierce...doesn't need explanation, he's the most recent Celtics legend and is consistently an all-star who has also recently shown his leadership ability. I expect very little drop off and another all-star season. 4. Al Jefferson: Breakout season, he got much stronger according to Mike Gorman and he also had a lot of rest and rehab during the offseason. He went through a successful surgery and should be ready to go for the preseason. I think this is finally the year that Al breaks out. He showed flashes of greatness last January before he was injured. He has the ability and I think he's learned from his struggles and he now has the work ethic to go along with the skill. 5. Theo Ratlff/Perkins: A two headed shot blocking/rebounding monster. Perkins impressed everyone last season after turning into a blocking machine, but also dissapointed some with his fouling troubles. Now instead of putting Raef, Scal, or Kandi in after Perk collects some fouls and basically throwing in the white flag, enter Ratliff. This guy has been a consistent rebounder and shotblocker throughout his whole career and he is only a few years removed from blocking over 4 shots a game in a season. He should be a great Center to have off the bench, and a great match for Perkins. 6. Depth: The depth on this team is insane. When you have a great scoring guard in Delonte West, a rising scoring star in Gerald Green, a promising young SG in Tony Allen who impressed everyone towards the end of last season, a great young SF/PF in Gomes who surprised everyone last season after Perk and Al went down, and Ratliff, you know you have unbelievable depth. Also, Rondo will be taking Orien Greene's spot and is definitely an upgrade. Allan Ray has proved that he can be a good shooter and Rondo should be able to get him the ball whenever they're out there together. Also, we have Leon Powe, who some analysts and writers, including Scoop Jackson, considered the steal of the draft. If he can stay healthy, he can be a good scorer down low off the bench. 7. Competition: The competition looks weak this season in our division compared to other seasons...Nets: Getting older and just an injury away from falling apart, I don't expect Kidd to perform like he has in the past.....Raptors: A couple years away from being a factor...Philly:AI will keep getting it done but he still doesn't have enough around him...Knicks:.... Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I seriously believe that this team has what it takes, if they stay healthy, to take the division and make a little noise in the playoffs.

He's very similar to Lester when it comes to pitch efficiency, except he's more talented. Once Weaver gets better control, he'll be great.

Now it's looking like Porter is staying in Oakland.

Wang is being owned so far today, when you start the game with a leadoff homer by Chone Figgins, you know he'll have a rough start.

Welcome.

Welcome.

It'll be interesting to see where Jerry Porter and/or Ashley Lelie land in the next few weeks, if anywhere. Both have incredible athleticism and are dangerous deep threats. A team like the Falcons or Eagles would greatly benefit from a trade for one of these guys.

Very good point, not too many chances when you're standing in the on deck circle while Papi's up.

I'm going with Thome and Beltran, both putting up MVP numbers and being huge run producers after being practically no factor a year ago.

Morgan, Hornsby

I'll join.

Way too much time on your hands when you're searching for pictures of Jason Johnson on the internet.

Yeah, followed by a funny interview where he said, "It's just Manny being Manny, man." EDIT: Nevermind, but it was still a funny interview.

Agreed. Loretta's doing just fine. You can't complain about an all-star second baseman who bats over .300, plays solid defense, and has a couple game winning hits to top it off.

I could have sworn he had at least one other one.

MANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LET'S GO MANNY!!! MAKE IT 27 GAMES WITH A GAME WINNING HIT!

Let's end it here with the 2-3-4 hitters.

Great pitch by Papelbon.

"Just Manny being Manny"-FOX announcer. :dunno: Such a random time to use that phrase.

Are you Pedroia's agent? You sure do love the guy, haha.

After being at the game in Seattle where Beltre hit the inside the parker which esentially gave them the game, I can tell you that he definitely gets all the credit on defense as he deserves...as little as it may be.