Tag Archives: NBA

Yet Even More Little-Known Beantown (and Foxborough) Sports Facts!

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Note: Patrick Scartelli has taken this week off from Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer. In his place is a submission from good friend of The15net dot com, sportswriter Mr. Stanislas Tecumseh Darden, Jr., with an excerpt from his book, ‘406 Little-Known Beantown (& Foxborough) Sports Facts!’

The then-New England Whalers won their first and only World Hockey Association Avco World Trophy at the Boston Garden in 1973!

Pick #199 in the 2000 NFL Draft was a compensatory pick granted to New England after punter Tom Tupa signed with the New York Jets! New England used that pick to draft Michigan QB Tom Brady!

From 1997 to 2007, giant Coke Bottles were attached to a left field light tower for advertising purposes at Fenway Park!

Boston Globe writer Jerry Nason in 1936 coined the term, ‘Heartbreak Hill’ for that stretch of the Newton Hills of the Boston Marathon!

The Boston Celtics and the Boston Red Sox both won their last championships at home!

Boston Garden’s first sporting event was on November 17, 1928, a boxing card headlined by Boston Native “Honey Boy” Dick Finnegan’s defeat of Andre Routis!

The New England Revolution was the last franchise in Major League Soccer to adopt a new logo!

No one knows what happened to the Isobel Cup!

In December of 1995 five fans were electrocuted when a goalpost removed from Foxboro Stadium by jubilant fans came in contact with power lines!

The George R. White Memorial Stadium would be a great potential site for a women’s soccer league team to play!

For several years, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz had no idea what teammate Dustin Pedroia’s first name was!

The Bruins’ Stanley Cup finals appearances in 1988 and 1990 were both disrupted by power outages!

The late Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Art Donovan played his college football with the Boston College Eagles!

In 1939, a financial dispute between Ice Follies figure skater Sonje Henie and her managers led Boston Garden General Manager Walter Brown and eight other arena managers to found the Ice Capades!

At Fenway Park, there is a big concourse called The Big Concourse!

The New England Free Jacks are defending three-time Major League Rugby Champions!

Fenway Park’s first night game took place on June 13, 1947, when the Boston Red Sox played under the new lights for the first time!

The Beanpot is neither a bean nor a pot, but rather, it is a college hockey tournament between four Boston-area colleges & universities!

The Boston Braves played at Braves Park, (which is now Nickerson Field) from 1915 until 1952!

Three generations of McNeeley’s (Thomas Senior, Tom, and ‘Hurricane’ Peter) boxed professionally at Boston Garden!

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology athletics mascot is a beaver named Tim, which is MIT backwards!

The TD Garden has never hosted an NBA All Star Game! The last one in Boston was played in 1964!

Fenway Franks are made by Everett-based Kayem Foods Inc.!

Joan Benoit won the Woman’s Division of the Boston Marathon in 1979 and 1983, setting a record that would last for 11 years!

Star Cambridge Rindge and Latin hooper Patrick Ewing shocked Beantowners by signing a letter of intent to play for Georgetown instead of a local school!

Fenway Park is the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball!

04/08/26 Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer

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Probably nothing.

Best friends hold hands all the time. What’s the problem?

You can’t win them every year, UConn. That goes for the men as well as the women.

Red Sox are AIDSier than that lesion on Cora’s face.

This year’s Celtics broad cast was better than the one last year, I guess.

I assure you, there are still white people at Fenway.

Geekie off the schnied. The rest of the Black & Gold? eh.

I think the powers that be have drastically overestimated people’s desire for more Kelce family content.

First they say Bill is too hostile to the media. Now this. Make up your mind, people.

Cakes are coking for Stuart Pankin, Tim Thomerson, Steve Howe, Jim Lampley, Mel Schacher, Adam Woods, Barbara Kingsolver, Kane Hodder, Fred Smerlas, John Schneider, Izzy Stradlin, Julian Lennon, Terry Porter, Lisa Guerrero, Robin Wright, Patricia Arquette, Alex Gonzalez, Emma Caulfield, Jeremy Guthrie, Taylor Kitsch, Gennady Golovkin, Ezra Koenig, Félix Hernández, Matthew Healy, CeeDee Lamb, and Isaac Hempstead Wright.

Yeah, let’s get NFL-like catch rules for baseball. That’ll go great. ‘You have to make a baseball move after you catch it.’

Courtney Love looks absolutely nothing like Courtney Love.

It was a magnanimous gesture for Geno to offer that insincere apology.

Anthony Lopopolo is JK Rowling character levels of hilarious. Why not just name him ‘Vowels Spaghettini?’

Hey gang of reply guys, this week’s Phrase that Pays is, “I was disappointed that you were joking, then I clicked the probable spam and was disappointed you were telling the truth.”

Will Flemming should be shot into the sun for promising me smiles.

Lakers fans complaining about Luka and Reaves being injured, try dealing with consecutive first round picks DYING and get back to me.

Maybe Mike Vrabel is just an affectionate greeter?

LMAO at Barkley pretending he pays attention to women’s basketball.

Bodhisattva, would you take me by the hand?

Word of advice, if you have bipolar or another mental illness, don’t jack up your credit cards when in a mania or in a depression…use cash! Interest is a nasty mofo.

Drew Carter is morphing into Chris Forsberg.

Remember, weakness is just pain leaving the body.

The Section 10 podcast has been dropped by more platforms than Katie Nolan.

Don’t worry, guys, I’m sure Mike Reiss will hold Coach Vrabes accountable.

“Portuguese pulled pork” is what Sal calls a handjob.

The Michigan guys look taller because their numbers are so small and set high.

Flavor Flav passing Snoop as our most Reddit-coded rapper.

Dianna’s not perverted; she’s just Italian.

I will remember you
Your silhouette will charge the view
Of distant atmosphere
Call it morning driving through the sound
And even in the valley.

In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we’ll be there and we’ll see you
Ten true summers we’ll be there and laughing, too
24 before my love you’ll see I’ll be there with you.

I look forward to Chuck Klosterman’s next book where he writes about “How the Challenger Explosion Explains the ABS Era.”

Your insole size is the same as your shoe size.

Sir Paul McCartney doesn’t get enough credit for the “Spies Like Us’ song.

Puka is going to Nazi rehab?

Honk if you remember David Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear.

Triston. Not #owning.

Vrabes will now have to interlock fingers with Karen Guregian the next time he sees her. All fix!

Whether it’s a hotel in Chicago on the Artemis II spacecraft, breaking the toilet will make you feel like a numrod.

Blink and you missed it, but Don Orsillo was back in town during the series against the Padres!

Jerry Thornton is really scared he’s going to join his brothers in hell.

CVS not immediately offering the Easter candy at 50% off is a breach of the unwrittens.

A little hand-holding is all Peter King ever really wanted.

Congratulations, Steve Burton.

Cooper Flagg is just unbelievable.

Best bet for the weekend: it coming down to the final hole on the last day at Augusta National.

Deleted. But the foreverality of the interwebs and things like that.

Material from interviews, wire services, Twitter, Meta, other writers, league and team sources, Old Friends Hacksaw and Miserable Fellow, @PatriotsDaily, Joe Giza, and the members of #the15 were used in this column. Perfect for entertaining, or just snacking.

And happy birthday to actress Kirsten Storms.

04/01/26 Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer

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It’s still Spring Training for the NESN Graphics Department.

There’s nothing wrong with our Sox that can’t be fixed by a few games at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

Ah. That’s how Tiger’s hitting ’em.

Mut pretending that reaction video was live is hilarious. Have you ever yelled “Trap, Trap!” at a TV screen?

I like NESN’s new score bug.

Duke fans watching the final seconds of that game must have felt a level of horror usually reserved for a manned spaceflight disaster.

If you think about it, every night should be Women In Sports Night.

Can you really get fired from a job when you worked three hours a week?

The creator of Severance definitely got the idea after listening to his wife recap her workday for two hours a night.

Will Italy take part in the Soccer NIT?

Cakes are cooking for Ali MacGraw, Robin Scott, Simon Crow, Billy Currie, Annette O’Toole, Barry Sonnenfeld, Mark White, Scott Stevens, Jumbo Elliott, Mark Jackson, Mike McCoy, Richard Christy, Magdalena Maleeva, David Gilliland, Jon Gosselin, Tangela Smith, Jean-Pierre Dumont, Bijou Phillips, Randy Orton, Hillary Scott, Mackenzie Davis, Brook Lopez, Logan Paul, and Álex Palou.

WTF happened to Lenny Dinardo? Vernon used to think he was dreamy, now he looks like an evil head of security for a nefarious corporation on a TV show.

Is there a media outlet that Andrew Raycroft doesn’t work for?

Colonoscopy went great. No polyps and don’t have to get another one for 10 years.

Just know people are staring at my weird-ass tan line at the gym right now.

Hey gang, this week’s Phrase that Pays is, “He’s without shame or competence.”

Ullmark with five goals against in the first after being mentally “unavailable” in the last game, but Sweeney got robbed getting Letourneau, Kastelic and Korpisalo with salary retained.

Every Grant Hill comment sounds like a generic sound bite in a video game.

Cassidy out, Torts in? Weird.

Blue Line: Delays of about 10 minutes due to an earlier signal problem at State.

Kid pulled up from the Lincoln Memorial. What a friggin’ shot!

Congratulations to Chris Boomer Berman on being named to the Disney Legends. I first met him watching Red Sox Batting Practice back in the late 80’s.

NBC does sports broadcasting the best and it isn’t even close.

Project Hail Mary renewed my faith in movies. And not just because Gosling’s character is Ryland Grace and his ship is Hail Mary. So it’s literally “Hail Mary, full of Grace.”

Why are there people clamoring to hear a Jared Carrabis podcast?

It’s not in the words that you told me, girl
It’s not in the way you say you’re mine
It’s not in the way that you came back to me
It’s not in the way that your love set me free
It’s not in the way you look or the things that you say that you do

Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa.

Is Perdue basketball legally obligated to have an ogre on their team every year?

UConn hero Braylon Mullins looks like someone who lied about being older than they are just so they could serve their country in World War I.

A: Dental dams.

TreVeyon could spend less time interpreting the Bible and more time watching defensive formations on film. Just sayin’.

Our Lady Peace still got it.

Tiger would have been fine if those stupid truck people hadn’t “slowed down” to “turn into a driveway,” Who does that!?

Honk if you remember The Great Blue Hill Volcano.

Just wait until someone reads the news to Ted Johnson!

Dual Cams. Nice for engines, less so for Twitter.

Is there a bin of discarded outfits from Dirty Water TV that Lucy changes into for Boston Has Entered the Chat?

Skenes got roughed up on Opening Day? Women weaken legs.

The Rooney Rule is really more of a Rooney Suggestion.

Triston Casas shut down? That never happens.

Best bet for the weekend: a humdinger of a game between Michigan and Arizona.

Aloha means ‘goodbye.’ Aloha, Dan Lifshatz.

Material from interviews, wire services, Twitter, Meta, other writers, league and team sources, Joe Giza, and the members of #the15 were used in this column. F-f-f-foolin’.

Some days Bianca just wants to feel sparkly.

TO’s & Threes – Celtics Column 03/27/26

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You know who didn’t come back from an Achilles injury? Achilles.

By Vinny Jace, Special to the15net dot com:

It is almost impossible to appreciate anything in our modern, instant gratification world nowadays. It is not enough for a top 5 superstar to return from a devastating injury in less than a year after surgery; if he is not immediately his old self after two weeks, then he’s a bum. Must be comfortable writing 240-character eulogies from the comfort of your couch while wondering what toppings you’ll order for your next pizza pie.

The concerns for Jayson Tatum are real, and they are also expected. If by some miracle he was his MVP-caliber self at this point, I’d consider it a glitch in the matrix. You can compare him to Kevin Durant, but the difference is Durant took 18 months to recover. The argument against Tatum is that he is not the otherworldly shot-maker Durant is. He plays more like a mini-Giannis, utilizing bully-ball to a maximalist extent. Two different players—all they shared was having the same injury at one point during their primes.

But it’s not like Durant is the same player since his injury. The shot-making is still off the charts, but his passing, playmaking, and athleticism suffered. The contrast between what he is now and what he was in 2014, 2016, 2017, etc., is stark. Even as he’s recovered, he lost something that cannot come back. That’s what makes the Achilles worse than most other injuries.

Does our Hoplite still have his hops? So far. The shooting touch will return, in time.

For Tatum, it’s impossible to see what he’s lost yet. It’s hard to attribute his missed attempts to the injury or just growing pains reintegrating into the offense. We probably don’t want to admit it, but the Celtics established a cohesive hierarchy in Tatum’s absence and reinvented themselves from a high-volume three-point team living and dying on variance to a multi-faceted system that incorporates cutting, the post, and near-the-basket action. Essentially, they are a superior version of the 2024 team in terms of the ways they can score. Whether Tatum can find his footing on a team that isn’t as reliant on him is another topic for discussion.

Prior to his return, Tatum said he was not coming back to be a role player. I don’t know why the term “role player” is treated like a slur in NBA circles. Role players are important. They play, well, a crucial role. Role players are the glue that holds your star players together and elevates the rest of the roster. If we look at the Los Angeles Lakers and the little renaissance they’re experiencing, it can be attributed to LeBron James’ usage going down dramatically and clearing the way for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to be their No. 1 and No. 2 best players. It’s something Tatum should be open to so Jaylen Brown and Derrick White can continue leading the show. If Tatum was slotted into a role similar to Baylor Scheierman for the rest of the year, I struggle to see the indignity beyond fat losers online having a laugh.

 (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) 

It is undersold how difficult it is for Tatum to rediscover his groove in the late parts of the regular season, in the midst of a tight race for the second seed. Tatum is not in basketball-playing shape, and we can’t fault him for that. He’s huffing and puffing, playing nearly thirty minutes a night when less than a month ago he just started playing competitive five-on-five.

The pluses Tatum brings on the floor are his defense and passing. The Celtics’ turnovers are cut down when he’s on-ball, facilitating and moonlighting as the point guard. He’s their best dribbler and passer by far. But what the Celtics aren’t better at when Tatum is on the floor is shooting the basketball. Sam Hauser is critical to their outside game. A development this season has been Brown’s decision-making and ability to not settle for jump shots, whereas in the past he would. He’s a constant attacker who’ll create for himself even while guarded tightly, and can kick out to an open Hauser in the corner after commanding lethal amounts of gravity.


Tatum on the floor in his current state messes with that nucleus. That’s not to say he’s a hindrance. The Celtics sport a +14.1 net rating when he’s playing. And we shouldn’t ignore the fact that Tatum has altered his play style to better complement those around him. He is being more selective in his shot attempts, emphasizing his other skills that don’t involve just scoring. But there are some tweaks needed to make the offense flow smoother.

If Joe Mazzulla can figure out a way to lower Tatum’s minutes, reduce his role into a perimeter shooter, versatile defender who can guard multiple positions and crash the boards—sort of like a high-energy bench player who starts—you’ll basically have a taller version of Derrick White.

In 2026-27, the expectations for Tatum will be that he returns to his All-NBA form. Until then, a role player is what should be expected from him, and he deserves a certain amount of grace for what he’s battled against and what he’s willingly sacrificed for the betterment of the team.

Tatum is not sulking in his tent.

Vinny Jace is a special contributor to The15net.com. He does not live on the coast of the wine-dark Aegean Sea.

02/11/26 Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer

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After the flyover, the situation deteriorated.

A Super Bowl loss that doesn’t involve Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan, Fridge Perry, the Foxboro Stadium WATS line, good ole Brett Favre, Desmond Howard, any and all New York Football Giants, or Beta testing legal formation, possession and scoring rules? I’m okay with that.

Lindsey Vonn thinks Will Campbell shouldn’t have been out there if he was less than 100%.

Scal found Cooper Flagg in an abandoned potato field in Aroostook County.

How far along has cloning technology come and if far enough can Dante Scarnecchia donate some DNA?

If Drake Maye and New England’s offense looked like that all season, maybe Sam Monson would have voted him MVP.

It’s the Olympics for Mediviac flight helicopter crews, too. Probably.

Tatum cleared to practice? How exciting!

Bad Bunny is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.

Adam Vinatieri getting into Canton is well deserved. There: I said it.

So when pitchers and catchers report, is there a set location at the Spring Training facilities, or does it vary team-to-team?

Curling is just less greasy bocce.

Cakes are cooking for Tina Louise, Lynn Goldsmith, Vangelis Kordompoulis, Jeb Bush, David Uosikkinen, Richard Mastracchio, Becky LeBeau, Carey Lowell, Sheryl Crow, Ken Shamrock, Sarah Palin, Mo Willems, Jennifer Aniston, Damian Lewis, Alex Jones, Jaroslav Špaček, Andy Lally, Brice Beckham, Peter Hayes, Brandy Norwood, Matthew Lawrence, Natasha Bobo, Kelly Rowland, Natalie Dormer, Aubrey O’Day, Mike Richards, Beat Feuz, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Rosé, and Khaled.

Czechia is the Czech Republic’s snappy nickname, like calling Tom Caron ‘TC.’

Blue Line Update: Delays of about 30 minutes while personnel address a track problem at Suffolk Downs. Riders can use Rt SL3 bus for alternate service between Airport and South Station.

Never could understand the lack of personal hygiene among the Fourth Estate.

I just watched Ron Harper Jr thoroughly out play Kevin Durant. They might have to ban Brad Stevens, man.

Charlie Puth? what is that, Comanche Indian?

Kraft setting up a war room at Gillette to track antisemitism is hilarious. Meanwhile the team is forced to choke down powdered eggs in the cafeteria.

Hey gang of AP stringers! this week’s Phrase that Pays is, “Your new name is Irridium Shafafa.”

Bad Bunny’s Halftime performance? I loved it. it was much better than ‘Cats.’ I’m going to see it again and again.

Jamie Jaquez looks like an extra in Black Sails.

The irony of a guy named Walker winning Super Bowl MVP – because he’s good at running.

Boston College’s decade-long regional Beanpot drought nightmare is finally over.

If you’re a woman who’s never taken a self-defense class, now would be a good time to start.

Mike Reiss Mailbag – “That’s a very thoughtful question BigDogSaladTosser69.”

The Maine Red Claws changing their name to the Maine Celtics is like reverse of all the minor league baseball teams that went from being the ‘Podunk (MLB affiliate name)’, to, say, The ‘Cobalt City Electric Armadillos,’

Hey Peacock, can you get us Olympic feeds without announcers? This curling pair knows less about curling than a stray dog knows about The Kuiper Belt.

I’m nails
I’m a knife
I’m a preacher with a gun
I’m a one man lie
I’m a king
I’m a ruse
I’m born again with no life to lose

Cause it don’t mean all that much, does it?
But we never really had a choice
No, it don’t mean all that much to us
But we never really had a choice
We’re conscience killers
Don’t want no conscience at all.

I asked a normie what they thought about lobster-adjacent AI programs that soon will be frame mogging and jestergooning at greater than moid levels and they had no idea what I was talking about. I thought I would cry.

Green Day gets better with time. Great set.

I hope Drake Maye at least gets the benefit of the bargain that comes with the Kendall Jenner curse. If you know what I mean.

Honk if you remember Toots Shor.

The last Monday game Kansas basketball lost in their own building came on Feb. 5, 2001: 79-77 against Iowa State.

I really should have eaten an early lunch today when I had the chance.

Guyanese sounds like some men’s rights thing.

A: Benny the Ball, Choo-Choo, Brain, Spook, and Fancy-Fancy.

Finally saw Sinners and really liked it. I made a conscious effort to not learn anything about it beforehand. It was nice having no expectations.

Woodward, Bernstein, Farinella.

Tom Brady doesn’t have a dog in the fight for the Super Bowl but he does have a dog in a cloning facility which is objectively way worse.

The Globe is bringing everyone back they sent to Santa Clara? Why?

My suggestion for the Super Bowl halftime next year: Oasis. They’re the biggest band in the world again, and they’re perfect for it. Liam Gallagher would be a bit of a wild card, but oh well.

Any other ex-Celtics that can’t play more than 15 minutes a week available? Asking for a friend.

Mike Tirico went from covering a sporting event, to then covering a sporting event. He didn’t cure polio.

Pspspsps. PSPSPSPS!

Best bet for the weekend: Olympics, or Spring Training batting practice. Pick em.

Cooz bobblehead night at the TD Garden. (Plumber and accountant bobbleheads sold separately.)

Material from interviews, wire services, Twitter, Meta, other writers, league and team sources, Joe Giza, Dakota Randall, and the members of #the15 were used in this column. I beat the Devil’s tattoo.

I sincerely hope the Puccini, Verdi, and Rossini big head guys will be foot racing each other between halves at Serie A matches in the near-future.

01/28/26 Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer

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And now you hand the trophy to Jonathan, that’s what you do with it.

Well, at least the NFL Network won’t be airing irrefutable evidence of Bill’s first-ballot career over the next ten days. Wait…

it’s clear there’s a QB controversy in Denver. How can they keep a superstar like Jarrett Stidham on the bench???

When they say that Diggs has had four kids this year, do they mean in the last 28 days?

Was the Pro Football Hall of Fame going to have Dylan Mulvaney announce the 2026 inductees? What a self-own.

Wow. Terry Pegula throwing McDermott directly under the Zubaz-themed bus and driving over multiple times. He says “the coaching staff” wanted Keon Coleman and Brandon Beane was just “being a team player.” Woah.

Vance Joseph looks like he manages a McDowell’s.

Imagine how good Joe Mazulla’s coaching record would be if he knew to call a timeout every time the opposing team goes on a 4-0 run.

Not taking the points with your backup QB and your defense playing great is spitting in the face of the Football Gods!

Ryan Leaf seems to hate a lot of the right people.

Even after a long bus ride back to Boston, Pasta is a good kid and Geekie is a scoring machine.

I don’t feel bad about making dated references to 90’s Seinfeld now that people are quoting The Warriors from 1979.

Cakes are cooking for Bill White, Alan Alda, John M. Fabian, Paul Henderson, Rick Allen, Jeanne Shaheen, Gregg Popovich, Barbi Benton, David Carl Hilmers, William “Billy Bass” Nelson Jr, Dan Higgins, Peter Schilling, Nick Price, Dave Sharp, Sam Phillips, DJ Muggs, Rakim, Sarah McLachlan, Jermaine Dye, Magglio Ordóñez, Tony Delk, Jarrod Montague, Mark Madsen, Rick Ross, Joey Fatone, Takuma Sato, Nick Carter, Elijah Wood, Andre Iguodala, Katie Nolan, and Whitney Peak.

Doesn’t happen often but the Bruins and the Celtics don’t often play on the same night BUT they do tonight.

Just wait until someone reads the news to Ted Johnson.

Speaking of The Warriors, Lou Merloni would have made the perfect Baseball Fury.

Red Line Update: Regular service between JFK/UMass and Ashmont has resumed. Trains continue to experience residual delays of about 20 minutes.

Is there really a Perkins School for the Blind hockey squad?

Happy for the biggest Patriots fan I know, the Big Cat.

Hey gang of Emerald Isle autists, this week’s Phrase that Pays is, “No one expects the Irish Inquisition!”

I love that fat shaming commercial, reminds me of being at a Minifan live show.

We’re on the brink of the verge of the Beanpot Tournament.

Bill needs to finally accept that medal of freedom to put the universe back in balance.

There’s just not enough college basketball on tv nowadays.

They’re going to ask all the committee voters how they voted and it’s going to total up to 55 ‘yes’ votes for Bill.

‘These people are the same species.‘
‘Looks like a still from The Jenny Jones Show. “Help! My Boyfriend Keeps Eating the Couch!”‘
‘Sexual Dimorphism Has Entered the Chat.‘

‘Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth’ – I had to look up the lyrics for Subdivisions, and I always heard ‘to smooth’ as ‘disprove’. This has been The Sports Junk Drawer’s Mondegreen Minute.

These names are annoyingly close. Mike MacDonald, Mike McCarthy, Mike McDaniel, Josh McDaniels.

Barmore hit Stidhsy like he messed with the thermostat.

Anyone catch the newest episode of “Stugotz & Company LIVE”? Yeah, me neither.

I’m going to let it slide because it’s his first one, but Coach Vrabes has to remember to immediately hand off the Lamar Hunt Trophy to Jonathan like it’s covered in broken glass and AIDS.

‘Belichick doesn’t deserve credit for drafting Christian Gonzalez’ people deserve a special place in Hell.

You think Planet Fitness was ever close to going with Fitness Planet? Or was Planet Fitness always the move?

Hell of a win by Seattle and congratulations to Sam Darnell.

The Little Debbie’s Valentine’s Day heart snack cakes are good, but nowhere near as good as the Christmas Tree snack cakes.

And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh, beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
Let me be empty
Oh, and weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight

In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here.

Are we really acting like Jerod Mayo wouldn’t have this team in the exact same spot? Pats cut bait too soon.

All blizzards are snowstorms, but not all snowstorms are blizzards.

Out of the 7 NFC teams that made the playoffs, only the 49ers wouldn’t have been a Super Bowl rematch for the Patriots.

You let us get Snoopy’d, Rifkin!!

Every time I learn something new about Brazil, I feel that it’s just India with fatter ass-ed women.

News Item: Josh Allen will have significant say on the next coach of the Buffalo Bills. What if he said Sean McDermott?

Imagine getting angry about lobsters.

What is missing during this blizzard is Dan Rather strapped to a tree & the immortal Shelby Scott reporting knee deep in snow and howling wind.

Fist bumping Kraft must feel like dapping up the Cryptkeeper.

“Da’Jury Foreman” is a great defensive tackle name.

Apple watch fitness app needs snow shoveling category.

Honk if you remember 1971 NFL Draft first overall pick Jim Plunkett.

While appreciated, I don’t think Jonas Gray needed to have an official statement citing his departure from the team.

Mike McCarthy has corrupt Mayor physiognomy.

The Supreme Court thinks it’s weird the NFL Hall of Fame voters have lifetime appointments.

UConn may still also be a basketball school.

I would very much like to have seen Mayor Menino take a whack at saying ‘Jaxon Smith-Njigba.’

I think that fat shaming commercial was paid for by the LA Rams kicking unit.

So if Spygate and Deflategate were big problems for Belichick with the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters, will Tom Brady not make it in on the first ballot either?

Best bet for the weekend: more unasked-for trailers for Super Bowl commercials.

Stick tap, Joey Beefs. @joeybeefs

Material from interviews, wire services, Twitter, Meta, other writers, league and team sources, Joe Giza, and the members of #the15 were used in this column. We all we got. We all we need.

And happy birthday to actress Ariel Winter.

01/14/26 Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer

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Hunt Hen!

Look, the Bregman deal was for what, five years? But those Fenway Fest memories will last a lifetime. Maybe you all should consider that.

Glad the 49ers won. I had Eagles fatigue. I was Fatigled.

And all these people like Bert Breer are liars. How can you possibly watch a sport without rooting for someone?

Pastrnak ties a franchise record with six assists, moves from 14th to 7th in the league in scoring, and isn’t even the first star of the game.

D’Ernest Gets Released. Is this on BET or Tubi?

My biggest regret is I never got to hear Shukri Wrights or Mensa Matt Wilson pronounce ‘Borregales’.

No Longer a Coach Drip knows it’s cold in Cleveland, right?

I guess this Linus Ullmark thing proves that not all hockey players are gay now.

It’s just poor planning that Jack and Jackie Harbaugh didn’t have enough kids to fill all these coaching vacancies. Phil Rivers would never.

Cakes are cooking for Don Garlits, Clarence Carter, Faye Dunaway, Holland Taylor, Ronald Hunter, Shannon Lucid, Graham Marsh, Marjoe Gortner, Nina Totenberg, T Bone Burnett, Christine Belford, Lawrence Kasdan, Mark Egan, Maureen Dowd, Jim Duggan, Chas Smash, Geoff Tate, Mike Tramp, Patricia Morrison, Steven Soderbergh, Mark Addy, Shepard Smith, Daniel J. Schneider, Kerri Green, Terry Wooden, Zakk Wylde, LL Cool J, Dave Grohl, Jason Bateman, Angela Lindvall, Byron Leftwich, Cory Gibbs, Caleb Followill, Grant Gustin, and Molly Tuttle.

It just now dawned on me that both Los Angeles football teams are named after Dodge vehicles.

Scalabrine looks like a white Klump.

Poor Kendra misses out on up to 4 weeks of tweeting about traveling for performative fandom.

I’ve been told that Season 2 of Landman sucks. I read that criticism, continued watching, then Sam fuckin’ Elliott suddenly appeared. Are you people insane?

That it’s Bregman is immaterial. It’s that they traded Devers to free up more money, lost out on Alonso, and then couldn’t even retain the guy they said they were going to retain. Fuck them. And people think they’re gonna sign Bichette?

Oregon kept calling time out like they’d have enough time for a double score after the Hoosiers went up by 28.

So the guy who can’t figure out the velcro on his wristband hasn’t won a playoff game you say?

Hey gang of quiet heroes, this week’s Phrase that Pays is: “I would say that was one of the one or two hardest decisions… It was very expensive… It’s the worst financial implication since we’ve owned the team. But I’m a fan first… That’s on me.”

With a Patriots win, what does Los Angeles Mayor Bass have to send to Mayor Wu?

I thought I was having an acid flashback hearing ‘Oronde Gadsden’.

Percale over sateen.

Gonna tell my boss that I need a month off while I eagerly follow Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank’s Oscar campaign for Marty Supreme. “Could be his year!”

Red Line Ashmont branch: Delays of about 10 minutes due to a disabled train at JFK/UMass. Trains may stand by at stations.

The Bruins knew that the Rangers were so bad on home ice this season that they made them wear their home blue jerseys to get a Rangers home ice performance. Chess not checkers.

Terrell Williams’ prostate is the MVP of the 2025 Patriots.

When you get outbid every time it’s obviously a YOU problem.

What they never tell you about the portrait of John Henry smoking his cigar by the fire is the aftermath: he fell asleep because he’s old, the cigar fell out of his mouth, and burned up all his money [which was held in loose bags of cash] and now he can’t afford Devers OR Bregman.

My aunt got me Lee Iacocca’s autobiography when I turned 14.

Gary Numan is 13 days older than Gary Oldman.

I was thinking today felt like Opening Day at Fenway weather but then thought more and said they’d be lucky to have this weather for the home opener.

Jim Harbaugh always looks like something inexplicable happened.

The first day of talking radio man training they tell you not to take a position in front of a vehicle.

Tony Dungy dressed like Rosa Parks waiting for the bus.

Jaylen continually trying to get a highlight off on Wemby wasn’t thuddingly obvious and counterproductive.

Fernando Mendoza says ‘collaborative’ more than Herb Chambers’ Head Felon.

Who the fuck is Wet Leg, and why did “catch these fists” just grab me by the balls?

LA Rams could have the fattest 2 kickers in NFL history.

Kate Hudson, who has come out of nowhere to give an astonishing performance in Song Sung Blue, has been nominated for a SAG award. This means she really has a chance for an Oscar nomination, which would be deserved, as would a win.

Tell her you care each time you speak
Make it her birthday each day of the week
Bring her nice things, sugar and spice things
Roses and lollipops and lollipops and roses.

One day she’ll smile, next day she’ll cry
Minute to minute you’ll never know why
Coax her, pet her, better yet, get her
Roses and lollipops and lollipops and roses.

Why does every lady at every donut shop call me honey? That’s a little too intimate for a routine blueberry muffin purchase.

‘Sarge’ moonlights at Shea Concrete, by chewing rocks into aggregate.

What does rescind mean anyway?

Honk if you remember what denomination McDonald’s gift certificates came in.

Football & Golden Globes = major Twitter day.

The only thing I like more than replays and MVP debates is tush push arguments.

Since when did “New England” mean only Boston? Would be nice to see a lighthouse in Maine or a covered bridge in Vermont.

Alex Karaban has won 2 national titles but had never beaten Seton Hall in Newark before this week.

Does Mike McDaniel have to be interviewed twice to satisfy the Rooney Rule?

True to his word, Paul Finebaum’s going back to the old country – Ireland.

Do NFL teams get credit for extra points if their quarterback slightly looks away from his intended target as he is releasing the ball on a touchdown throw?

Best bet for this weekend: Texans leave the lettermen jackets in Houston.

“Stand up, Miss Jean Louise…Liam Coen’s passing.”

Material from interviews, wire services, Twitter, Meta, other writers, league and team sources, Joe Giza, and the members of #the15 were used in this column. El Dorado, woo-hoo-hoo!

And happy birthday to British model, singer, and songwriter Karen Elson,
By Paul Hudson from United Kingdom – Karen Elson at Rough Trade, CC BY 2.0,

01/07/26 Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer

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My advice: No travel. Barring that; steer into the skid.

Now Brother Jim Harbaugh finally has a chance to sit back, collect his thoughts, and read the NFL rule book.

A 50-point game from Jaylen! And then not. But the Celtics still won!

Ballots to the Hall in Cooperstown remind us how especially terrible the baseball contingent of sports media is.

Fun Fact: David Pastrnak has the most goals scored in 2026.

With all due respect to Dua Lipa, why is NBC using a British singer to advertise the winter Olympics taking place in Milan, Italy? Am I missing a connection somewhere?

Nobody at the gym yaps more than a guy in Adidas windpants.

I’m going to give Swayman a pass for last night, he’s probably still distracted by Trocheck making Team USA.

Merry New Year!

Cakes are cooking for Frederick Drew Gregory, Jim Lefebvre, Leona Williams, Andy Brown, Jann Wenner, Kenny Loggins, Erin Gray, Sammo Hung, David Caruso, Katie Couric, Linda Kozlowski, Kathy Valentine, Jeff Montgomery, Ron Rivera, Nicolas Cage, John Ondrasik, Doug E. Doug, Jeremy Renner, Alfonso Soriano, Éric Gagné, Aloe Blacc, Ivan L. Moody, Chris Messina, Lauren Cohan, Ruth Negga, Brett Dalton, Jon Lester, Lewis Hamilton, Lamar Jackson. and Ozzie Albies.

News Item: Peacock adding enhancements that may allow fans to mute announcers, control crowd noise.

The X makes the S superfluous in ‘Jaxson.’

Tom Heinsohn was a very interesting man. Great player. Two-time championship coach. Decorated insurance man. Brilliant artist. Excellent wordsmith. You got the idea he could be good at anything he tried.

Blue Line: Delays of about 10 minutes due to a signal problem between Aquarium and Maverick. Trains may stand by at stations.

Can we next task Delta Force with rescuing Auston Matthews from the ingrate Torontonians?

Underrated: setting your heat for 50° and coming home to it being 54°.

Damn don’t give New Era your phone number. Countless texts trying to sell me expensive baseball hats.

Hey gang of Pacific Island holdouts, this week’s Phrase that Pays is, “I’ve figured out that gifs only get fucked up in group chats. 1 on 1 chats, they’re good. I know this doesn’t help at all.”

Being in sports media is just as demanding as being an actual athlete or coach! Source: Sports media.

I see that worried look upon your face
You’ve got your troubles, I’ve got mine
She’s found somebody else to take your place;
You’ve got your troubles, I’ve got mine
I too have lost my love today
All of my dreams have flown away
Now just like you I sit and wonder why;
You’ve got your troubles, I’ve got mine
You need some sympathy, well so do I
You’ve got your troubles, I’ve got mine
She used to love me, that I know
And it don’t seem so long ago
That we were walking, and we were talking
The way that lovers do.

Anyone who kicks in my door, is getting stabbed in the throat.

Is there a DVD available for purchase of Laura Rutledge running from the sideline coach’s interview to the halftime report desk for all 17 games?

Ending credits of Stranger Things should have been to Shadows of The Night.

Amelia Earheart was as real as a person as Helen Keller.

It’s like you don’t even care to know that “Maneater” by Hall and Oates held its spot at #1 for a 3rd consecutive week this time back in 1983!

A classy statement from John Harbaugh, sent out from the Ravens. Love the emoji in his goodbye… perhaps an NFL first.

Florida is a very strange individual.

One of the wives of Cary Grant was Barbara Hutton. Her grandfather was Frank W Woolworth who was the founder of the F W Woolworth Company. Barbara’s cousin was the actress, Dina Merrill.

Honk if you remember the Blizzard of 1996.

I would like to see the Celtics wear throwback green road unis with ‘CELTICS’ on the front.

Why did Pete Carroll tarnish his legacy like that?

For nothing more than curiosity, it’d be interested to see if just once an entire cycle’s fired NFL head coaches would all join one team on the same staff and see how they could do. I’m sure there’d be jockeying about who’d be the HC or whatever but would be cool to see the collective wisdom from failure all concentrated into one effort. Just for fun.

Tony Dungy looks like if you left Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the sun too long.

Can we argue about NFL MVP today please?

Big Sky Conference!

Best bet for the weekend: One NFL feline team wins, and one loses and goes home.

So we’re doing it like this again, huh?

Material from interviews, wire services, Twitter, Meta, other writers, league and team sources, Joe Giza, Buckner’s Legs, and the members of #the15 were used in this column. Walk like a penguin.

And happy birthday to retired LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis.

TO’s & Threes – Celtics Column 01/06/26

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Is this old barn ready for unexpected playoff guests in 2026?

By Vinny Jace, Special to the15net dot com:

(Note: the statistics do not include Monday night’s game)

If you’d told me at the start of the season that the Celtics would be sitting at 20-12—on a 50-win pace—with a revolving cast of contributors, I’d have looked at you like you’d grown two extra heads.

The bottom line is that fans like to say they always knew when a relatively obscure bench player was on the verge of taking a leap, when in fact they don’t. Neither you nor I possess that knowledge. We’ve been wrong before. Ante Žižić, Tremont Waters, and Romeo Langford come to mind as projects we spent offseasons eagerly waiting to see blossom. Every puff piece or Reddit thread dedicated to their skills—bolstered by YouTube highlight videos—had us buying in. It isn’t a crime to want to believe every player your team drafts is a secret diamond in the rough. But one of the first lessons you learn is that it’s far likelier your team just picked a lemon with the 16th pick.

The difference between then and now is that former general manager Danny Ainge’s philosophy centered on exploiting what he saw as inefficiencies in the draft market: trying to recreate Isaiah Thomas by targeting players with similar skills and builds, and sometimes using draft-and-stash for project players. Ainge wasn’t a bad drafter, but in the later years of his regime, he exhibited traits that led to mistakes. Picking late in the first round every year means you’re the last dog at the bowl. As anyone who’s watched Moneyball knows, what happens to the runt of the litter? He dies. It’s safe to assume other teams try to implement similar strategies.

To earn attention from the coaching staff on the Celtics, one must be willing to put their body on the line. Boston draws 0.41 charges per game—10th most in the NBA. Rookie Hugo González and second-year guard Baylor Scheierman average 0.8 and 0.7, respectively.

What Mazzulla wants in his players is relentless, bulldog-like intensity coupled with consistency from three-point land. This means players are walking a delicate tightrope: slack off for one possession and you’re out; miss a rotation and you’re out. Mazzulla is quick to sub out anyone he thinks is slacking. But this roster is made up of players who won’t let that get to them. Professionalism and maturity are key. You don’t want players who accept that there will be games they won’t play in, but you also want them to maintain readiness for when they’re dusted off the bench and given 25 minutes due to whatever circumstances arise.

The three-point numbers for the rotation players are encouraging:

– Jordan Walsh — 45.1% on 1.9 attempts per game

– Josh Minott — 44.4% on 2.6 attempts per game

– Baylor Scheierman — 41.6% on 1.6 attempts per game

– Hugo González — 37.8% on 1.4 attempts per game

González has opened the door for himself by playing hard and tough for a 19-year-old rookie, displaying maturity and intangibles. His hustle plays are reminiscent of Marcus Smart. Off-ball, he’s shown a tremendous ability to cut to the basket and finish craftily. His defensive versatility thus far has been inspiring—the 6-6 rookie has held his own against big men like Karl-Anthony Towns, Bam Adebayo, and Kel’el Ware.

The offseason acquisitions Josh Minott and Luka Garza have essentially switched roles in little over a month. But Minott’s tendency to find himself in early foul trouble, inconsistent offensive input, and the Celtics’ competitive, deep bench have stapled the former Minnesota Timberwolf to the sidelines.

Conversely, Garza has assumed the title of backup big behind Neemias Queta, riding a phenomenal December to escape the doghouse. In November, he shot 55.3% from the field; in December, he raised that to 65.5%.

Outside the core players, you can’t really bank on who’ll find themselves on the floor from game to game. Josh Minott has shown he can contribute but struggles for consistent minutes. Minott began the season showcasing energy on offense, earning crunch-time minutes and even guarding the opposing team’s best player. Like González, Minott can adequately defend positions larger than his own, doing good work against players like Evan Mobley earlier in the season.

Third-year forward Jordan Walsh has played excellent defense on the likes of Tyrese Maxey and Cade Cunningham. While he’s shared crunch-time minutes with Anfernee Simons, the progression is real for Walsh.

Stevens’ ability to identify that the league is trending toward young, intense players who aren’t afraid to grind and get their hands dirty has kept this team afloat during some lean times in the first quarter of the season. And it’s because of his patience in developing players we’d largely forgotten about that the Celtics are no longer thinking about the lottery heading into 2026.

Vinny Jace appears on the Entitled Weekend podcast. He does not live in a seaside shanty in Hull.

12/31/2025 Cleaning Out the Sports Junk Drawer

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Yep. That’s a hat all right.

Little Jonathan and Dummy Mayo should have had to drive around Greater Boston and hand out hats and tee shirts door to door.

Where was Chloe the dog when all this was allegedly happening?

I watch “Patriots All-Access” every week solely to see how disgusting Zo looks.

Love getting sucked in watching these late Bruins games and being more miserable.

There are (at least) two other humans named “Efton Chism”?!?

Pats are officially all the way back. Dominating Sports page and the Inside Track.

You’ve fallen into the BBWAA’s clever trap to get people talking about baseball at the end of December! Take some laps.

Why are Notre Dame fans mad at BYU?

Sandy Koufax (90), Tiger Woods (50) and LeBron James (41) all celebrated birthdays yesterday. I’m not into Astrology, but I’d like to hear what some student of the stars could tell me about that phenomenon.

Cakes are cooking for Anthony Hopkins, Alex Ferguson, Andy Summers, Ben Kingsley, Taylor Hackford, Barbara Carrera, Diane von Furstenburg, Burton Cummings, Tim Matheson, Bob Gilder, Tom Hamilton, James Remar, Jane Badler, Bebe Neuwirth, Paul Westerberg, Rick Aguilera, Scott Ian, Paula Barbieri, Brent Barry, Joey McIntyre, Psy, Jason Campbell, Denée Benton, Ryan Blaney, and Gabby Douglas.

PFF numbers are complete and utter fake news. Everyone knows this right?

I’d watch an Uncrustables Bowl.

Somali day care owners in Minnesota think CLNS is a scam.

It’s a good problem to still get worked up when this Celtics team loses winnable road games.

Hey there gang Of very with It pop culture experts! This week’s Phrase that Pays is, “Cardamom B is my favorite Spice Girl.”

Somebody get Cox Media Group and Verizon Fios TV in a room.

My brother took our Dad to the phlebotomist at Gillete Monday am and saw Hollins walk in. Had a bad feeling when he told me.

You also know the Patriots are back when any matchup would be “bad news for the Patriots” according to the scribes.

Dondy’s gonna open his fill-in spot tomorrow with Greatest Stranglings in Sports History.

Blue Line: Delays of about 10 minutes while a maintenance train inspects the overhead wires between Airport and Wonderland. Trains may stand by at stations.

Rich Eisen is the worst. Was Dennis Miller not available?

It’s pretty cool that all of the men and women who work at Barstool have massive tits.

CeCe Peniston had another song?

Best Christmas ever. Had Kowloon with the boy and Nigeria was bombed.

I love a free Snoop Dogg concert during the game. But they hardly ever have a free football game at a concert.

The Patriots beat more women than Martina Navratilova.

Sunisa Lee is my favorite NFR photographer.

Doug Drabek had a better prime than Andy Pettitte did.

I’m so stressed out that I DMed someone to ask if they wanted to see my bologna and now I’m worried I might have been a creep.

All lesbians are Irish-coded, so I’m ok with them being firefighters.

I’m sure Diggs is a total dickhead to be around but I’m also sure every other text on his phone reads something like “is you high bitc”

Chris Broussard looks like Eddie Murphy when he wore whiteface.

Wow, Bert Bell thought an NFL team could have success in one of the biggest cities in America? One with an existing 90,000+ seat football stadium? What a visionary.

In Diggs’s defense, have you ever met a chef? Some of the most egotistical psychos you’ll ever meet. Look at Jen Royle, for chrissakes!

Every chick looks better with the ponytail through the baseball hat. #facts

Do any religions recognize pop tarts as valid sacrifices?

I’m very disappointed this team the media characterized as being a bunch of no-names, cast-offs, reclamation projects and bargain bin finds is probably going to miss out on the #1 playoff seeding due to a tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, in the Bills Mafia Twilight Zone episode, they learn that the only thing that can wedge their championship window open for another season is an undamaged folding table.

Honk if you remember the movie Bill Murray and John Candy co-starred in.

‘Efton Chism’ sounds like a mild oath someone’s aunt might use instead of profanity.

Imagine being proud of yourself or having fun.

You know you’re playing in a prestigious college bowl game when it starts at 11 AM.

Don’t want to close my eyes
I don’t want to fall asleep
‘Cause I’d miss you, baby
And I don’t want to miss a thing
‘Cause even when I dream of you (even when I dream)
The sweetest dream would never do
I’d still miss you, baby
And I don’t want to miss a thing.

Belichick did it right and got the guys a flophouse for when things got heated.

The US Juniors Squad seems to be good.

Should we start a rumor that McConnell called Walsh a cancer patient? Let us know in the comments.

Q. Game time temp is 55 degrees, why are all the in sportz ladies wearing gloves and winter hats? A. It’s cute cozy SZN. Also, broads get cold very easily.

25 years of not giving a tinker’s fig about who wins the NFL MVP comes in real handy right about now.

What do you mean what do I need night vison goggles for? To see in the dark! Duh!

Pour one out for the hip hop artists and such that we lost in 2025: DJ Unk, Irv Gotti, Gene “Groove” Allen, G$ Lil Ronnie, Lotto Savage, Sayso P, Jemini The Gifted One, Young Scooter, and Young Noble. Some at the top of their profession, others mid-process of turning their lives around. Tragic either way.

How fast can Barmore start dating Nicki Minaj?

Every time I see “retread coach” I think it says, well, you know.

Sometimes the Falcons play good, sometimes they don’t.

I will say, the thermostat can cause a lot of issues in a house. Not making excuses.

Rodney Harrison is more worthy of enshrinement in Canton than the majority of those finalists this year. Laughable.

Best bet for the weekend: Patriots fans waiting for a third shoe to fall.

We say farewell to both 2025 and legendary French actress Bridgette Bardot. Ooh, and might I add, La La.

Material from interviews, wire services, Twitter, Meta, other writers, league and team sources, Joe Giza, and the members of #the15 were used in this column. Colored lights can hypnotize.

And happy birthday to Chinese-born actress Gong Li.
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