In Boston, we were already friendlier to Mother Nature even before Al Gore decided to bring awareness about the state of the Earth. Why? We’ve been wearing green since Vince Villanueva decided to form the Boston Celtics. We have lost sleep watching them play. We celebrate with them in the 60’s, the Bird years. We even enjoyed shouting BEAT L.A. anytime we play against the purple team from the West Coast.

We were excited to support them through the 2010 Playoffs for a few reasons: (1) We are Boston Celtics fan, (2) no one thought they could make it past the Eastern Conference Semifinals; (3) We enjoy watching the evolution of No. 9 with the BIG THREE; (4) we do not recognize any other teams unless they are playing against this purple team from the West Coast.

This year’s Celtics Playoffs was a great time for the whole family to watch a team competes not only against the other team, but also the referees. Similar to the players, the referees are paid to call the game right down the middle as they were taught in referee school (unless they were pulling a Tim Donaghy on us.) The refereeing was so bad that a few hours before the Celtics’ Game 6 vs Orlando, someone flat out advised the Magic players to start packing their gold bags.

Onto the Finals where the basketball association is supposed to be displaying their best: Best Teams; Best Players; and Best Referees. Unfortunately, they fail to provide on the latter. Clearly swayed by the home fans, most of the times the referees failed to let the players do their job. When you are playing an away game against two of the best floppers in the game (D. Fisher and R. Artest), you know that you are in trouble. During their last two games, that was the Celtics’ exact position. They were forced to defend the purple team while avoiding to brush against either one of the players from the opposing in order not to be called for a foul (or even being in the receiving end of a Technical foul).

At the end of season, the Celtics did what they were supposed to do: play basketball. Although they fail to light a cigar, they continue to give us reason to keep rooting for them. They show heart with the way they play. For a team that was supposed to lose in the semifinals, they did really well in our eyes.

As much as losing in the Finals hurt, it will not be long until we start celebrating again. This time for another local team, playing another sports. I am speaking about our own Boston Red Sox. They did not start the season well, but the Celtics’ success help buying them time. Now that the Celtics’ season is over, they recognize that the spotlight is on them. They will not fail us. They never did. This is why we, Boston Fans, are sports most spoiled fans. We got great teams, even though they don’t win championships every year, they always play with heart.

Until next time, have a great summer.

Ken Joseney

It’s end of March; basketball fans around the US recognize this by two words: March Madness. So far this year, it has been March Upset. The Committee has done as good of a job as the Celtics did when they played the lowly Memphis Grizzlies early this March. Heavyweights such as Kansas, Georgetown, Texas, and Villanova lost to lower-ranked teams within the first two rounds causing brackets everywhere to go into chaos. With the way the tourney has started, it is safe to say that Kentucky has a tremendous chance at making it into the Final Four.

Speaking of basketball, the ballers of the NBA will be sure to take their game to the next level starting this April 18 when the Playoffs start. Our own Boston Celtics will be right in the middle of the fight. With their dedication level lately and hustle play, do not count on them to go too far. If you do not believe me, I got 2011 NFL Championship game tickets for you between the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, another Cleveland team is doing all it can to make to a championship game. Even with the Big Shaq-tus not being a factor, look for Lebron James and crew to shot down the Lakers when the calendar hits June for the right to be called a CHAMPION.

Go Kentucky! Go Cavaliers! Go Basketball!

Until the next time, enjoy Spring!

The Sports Nut

Ken Joseney

Back in 2001, I remember watching an NFL-related show when a comedian said “The country is in a very patriotic state right now, the NE Patriots needs to go ahead and win the Super Bowl.” As a New England sports fan, I was happy to hear that. The New England Patriots shocked the football stars by defeating the St Louis Rams 20-17 that same year. Why am I reminding you of this?

I can never compare being a New England sports fan with being supportive of a rival team, but this one is different. Similar to Jamie Foxx’s “Blame it,” I will blame it on Natural Disaster when I tell you that the Colts have what it takes to be crowned as the 44th NFL Champion. The New Orleans Saints are a great team from the NFC. They got an improved defense that intercepted Bret Favre when it counted the most during the NFC Championship game; throughout most of the season, they did not disappoint with their offense averaging more than 31 points a game (compared to 26 by the Colts).

Meanwhile, the Colts enjoy a slight advantage on defense allowing about 19 points per game to the Saints’ 21. These stats will not tell you how the

game will end on February 7th, but one thing will. This season, the Colts have not lost a game where they put forth the effort necessary to win. They will rally behind one of their own, Pierre Garçon, whose family is suffering from the effects of a 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

The Patriots delivered when America needed the most, the Colts and Pierre Garçon need to deliver to continue to bring more awareness to those devastated by the earthquake. This is one of the many reasons why the Indianapolis Colts will win.

-Ken Joseney

The last week of the year and the first week of the New Year are some of the most spectacular weeks for me. It is time to kick back and watch some of the best football using my satellite Dish. College Football is what I mean. It usually starts around the week of December 25th, and continues until the big championship sometimes early January. The Big championship, appropriately titled Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship, is scheduled this year to be between Texas and Alabama on January 8th.

How did they get there:

After finishing last season very strong with a victory against Ohio State, the Texas Longhorns are back for more. Their most challenging game was against Nebraska on December 5th; they cruised through the rest of their schedule. They scored a total of 529 points, and allowed only 197. Texas knows that they will have their work cut out for them. In order to win, they will need Colt McCoy to handle the offense better than how he did against Nebraska. They will also need to have an answer against Alabama’s running game.

After a not-so good experiment as Miami Dolphins head coach, Nick Saban has revived his coaching career with Alabama Crimson’s football team. Alabama has posted its second consecutive perfect regular season. Unlike last year, they hope Mark Ingram, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, will help them avoid the same embarrassment as last year when they lost two straight games (SEC Championship game, and the Sugar Bowl). In order to win, the Crimson will need to limit Colt McCoy’s abilities on defense, and let Mark Ingram’s play dictate how to proceed on offense.

Prediction:

I opened up this column by predicting that the Red Sox would make it to the American League Championship Series (they lost in the Division Series to the Angels). I went on to predict that the Patriots need to win three games in November (they won two). My resolution is to do better predicting games. Alabama wins.

Happy Holidays to all!

For most of us, this is the time of the year when everybody is making a list. This list is usually handed to a loved one, who will eventually buy, at least, one of these "gifts" for you. Most of the times, this "gift" is supposed to enable you to have something you did not have before. It is almost a similar process in sports, except the supply of what you need is limited, and the demand is extremely high.

Right after losing Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in 2003, the Boston Red Sox flew some of its top executives to spend Thanksgiving with Curt Schilling, who eventually removed a trade clause on his contract to come and pitch in Boston. After finishing the 2006-2007 season with an embarrassing 24-58 record, the Boston Celtics traded for Ray Allen on Draft Day, and later on in the same summer, they shipped almost the whole team to get Kevin Garnett. Each respective team ended up winning the championship the following year. Both teams become more competitive than they were before.

"With the fifth pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the Boston Bruins selected Phillip Joseph Kessel Jr" said Gary Bettman. P. Kessel was one the most talented players in the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, and now he is coming to a team that has not won Stanley Cup since 1972. In 2007, P. Kessel was voted by Boston writers as the most dedicated player in the National Hockey League. P. Kessel helped the Bruins make it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year, but he was plagued with a shoulder injury that needed surgery. They lost in the Semifinals.

At the start of the year, the once most dedicated, and talented player for the Boston Bruins was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs (where he immediately signed a $27-million contract.) As fans, we will probably never know the real reason behind Phil Kessel’s trade. Could it be contract related? Could team owner, Jeremy Jacob, be trying to reclaim his title as one of the "Worst Owners in Sports"? We will leave everything else up for speculation, but one thing is clear: The Bruins need a consistent leader who will deliver night in and out to add to legacy that players such as Lionel Hitchman, Eddie Shore, and Terry O’Reilly have left. Until that happens, "attend a Boston Bruins victory parade in June" will remain as one of the hottest item in my list for the Holiday seasons to come.

Until next time, have a Happy Holiday!

The Sports Nut -Ken Joseney