Michael Chiklis: When the Game Stands Tall

(This story is posted on DigitalSportsDesk.com as part of a regular supply of original content, available for sports and entertainment sites worldwide).

By TERRY LYONS (Special to DigitalSPortsDesk)

During these past few lazy days of summer, there's been a lot going on in the New England sports scene. The New England Patriots are firing up their preseason engines with coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady leading the way. The Boston Bruins and Celtics are scouring the earth for some added scoring, as each approach the 2014-15 season on opposite ends of the projected ladder. Over on Yawkey Way, Ben Cherington, the GM of the Boston Red Sox orchestrated a midseason coup, trading pitching ace Jon Lester and a slew of role-playing World Champions for some hope and home runs as a strategic first step in the re-engineering of the BoSox. One of Cherington's bosses, Tom Werner, is on the short list for consideration as Major League Baseball's new Commissioner. And, speaking of Commissioners, over in the western portion of the Commonwealth, the Basketball Hall of Fame is staging its annual tribute and the inductee of honor is former NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Actor Michael Chiklis (Getty Images)

With all of that going on, I thought it was time to step back, maybe escape a bit from the reality that I won't be watching late October baseball at Fenway. So, with that in mind, there was one reliable ole' friend I could reach out to, in order to set my mind on a clear path from the Mass Pike of the depressing local sporting news, so I could look toward the future.

My inside source to all things sports - historical and soon-to-be imagined - provided some fan-friendly perspective as a real New Englander, one with appreciation of the past and the ability to see the future. Fittingly, like Stern, he was someone who had the credentials of a Commissioner but, they were mixed with the passion of a sports fan.

I needed to speak with Michael Chiklis, the actor. 

Chiklis was born in Lowell, Mass, and gained wide notoriety as an actor when, from 1991-96, he played Tony Scali - The Commish. Since that career-breaking role, he went on to star in "The Shield," and even played Curly in "The Three Stooges.” More recently, Chiklis starred in "The Fantastic Four" and he is currently filing FXs "American Horror Story: The Freak" in New Orleans. However, it was Chiklis' previous casting that was the more appropriate subject of discussion when we spoke by phone this past weekend, catching up as though we were old friends sitting in my West Village studio watching his "Commish" reruns, but talking about his soon-to-be-released film role, the portrayal of Terry Eidson an assistant coach to Bob Ladouceur in the true story of (Concord, California’s) De La Salle High School's 151-game winning streak, the backdrop for “When The Game Stands Tall,” a SONY Pictures release, hitting theatres nationwide on August 22.

First, Chiklis was sure to set the record straight when I brazenly asked if he continued to have ample time to follow sports, and in particular, Boston sports while he was so busy with life as a famous actor and jaunts between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

"I still am, and will always be, -- until my last breath -- an avid Boston sports fan," said Chiklis with an emphasis that might've been taught in drama class by Kurt Douglas. "I think one of the single greatest things about my celebrity is that it’s gained me access to my beloved Boston teams."

Where you at Fenway last fall, I asked?

"I was there.  I was at Game 6.  My wife and I went with my dear friend and his wife.  We were there for the celebration, and we ended up going to the owner’s box after the game and had the greatest time in the world.  It’s been wonderful. And, one of the most special things was that I lived out a "Jimmy Fallon moment" (noting the motion picture, Fever Pitch) when Curt Schilling brought me out onto the field right after we won in ’07 in Colorado.  I was right on the field right after the win.  To be that close in proximity to those guys, right there. I was standing there, literally, right with Mike Lowell’s brother while they gave him the MVP trophy on the field, I mean that’s incredibly special, it was insane.  You’re right there, it’s historic stuff that’s happening, and you’re privy to it."

Chiklis then opined on the sport of football, being that the role of assistant coach Eidson was fresh in his mind.  What is it about football, anything with the Patriots that made you particularly insightful to your role in the movie?

"Look," Chilkis said. "I’ve always grown up with the mentality that I’d rather be a good player on a championship team than the "franchise" player on a lousy team.  When you see the way Coach B (his nickname for Belichick) coaches the team and the way he picks players, he’s never been about stars.  One of the goose-bump moments of my life as a Patriots fan was in 2001 at the Superbowl when they introduced the (St. Louis Rams) 'Greatest Show on Turf' player by player.  And then, after all of that fanfare, they went 'introducing the New England Patriots.' and they came out just as the Pats team. Every hair on my body stood up and I thought, 'we are winning this game.' Something about being a New Englander, we love the idea of a team, as opposed to the individual. 

"We don’t like blow hards much."

"It’s about the way we’re raised, I guess," he continued.  "In New England, if you get too far ahead of yourself, you’re going to get brought down to earth really quickly.  When I was growing up, it was really instilled in me that it’s just a better experience in life to be yourself and not be a narcissist, but rather to be a part of a community.  And our teams are like that.  You look right and left of you and you feel that bond between the people. It’s an incredibly special thing, and you’ll get a feel for it in this movie, When The Game Stands Tall.  You’ll see that camaraderie, that brotherhood that happens on a team.  And you can see that in real life with the Patriots and Belichick when he speaks to the players coming into this team he says, 'You want to succeed? You want a ring on your finger? Then, you’re gonna plug into this system, we’ll all pull our weight, we’ll all do this together.'"

Chiklis was quick to put two-and-two together.

"Of course, superstars have emerged (in the New England Patriots' system) due to their level of commitment and play," said the actor. "Tom Brady couldn’t be a better example of a guy who’s all class, who never would say disparaging words about another player.  But, it’s not about the other guy.  It’s about his personal execution as it relates to the guys right and left of him and his commitment to them as a team.  He knows that they can be relied upon.  These guys can rely upon each other.  They have each other’s backs.  And that’s the kind of thing that makes your chest swell when you’re watching this movie.  You can see that in the context of the picture.

"When you’re watching movies like 'Remember the Titans' or 'Rudy' or 'Miracle,' you’re always threatened by that fine line between too corny and something that doesn’t make a mark. But, what I love about this movie is that it's not about 'the cliché version of 'two seconds left on the clock and he scores and the game’s over and we win.'  The film we're so proud of doesn’t take it from that place. The De La Salle high school football team won 151 games in a row in twelve years which for anybody who knows sports, that’s ridiculous.  It just doesn’t happen.

"There’s a reason why their formula was successful and they kept winning," noted Chiklis.  "Sure they want to win their games, but the onus and the focus wasn't on winning games. It’s on making these boys into young men.  They are conscionable, responsible, credible human beings and you rely upon them.

 "I’m very passionate about the movie, I’m a supporting player in this movie, When the Game Stands Tall, but I love what it says."

You will too.

Celtics Pride: With New Coach, C's Stress “It’s a Family Affair”

(This post is running as the lede item on DigitalSportsDesk.com tonight)

Danny Ainge, new coach Brad Stevens and co-owner Wyc Grousbeck

WALTHAM, Mass – July 5, 2013 -- The formalities were already covered by a series of phone calls between Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens. It was time to sit down and finalize a deal to make Stevens the 17th head coach to walk the sidelines for the storied National Basketball Association franchise. Not a soul outside of the organization was aware of the breakfast meeting at Stevens' mother's house in Indiana, a setting that would make the casting directors and set designers for the motion picture "Hoosiers" marvel in creative vision. The deal breaker was going to be the Celtics' ability to put Stevens and his family at ease with the daunting task and unfathomable opportunity being proposed to the young coach, the most successful coach in the history of tiny Butler University.

Stevens' mother's shitzu poodle, Mack, greeted Ainge and the Celtics hierarchy at the garage door. Then, with the snuff test administered by the 10-pound pooch successfully passed, the deal-making could unfold with the negotiating at a dining room table in a setting right out of Americana, in the hotbed of hoops in the Hoosier State where basketball is indeed a religion. Ainge, along with minority team owner Stephen Pagliuca and Managing Partner Wyc Grousbeck, gathered around the table covered with plastic to protect young Brady and Kingsley’s grandmother Jan's furniture from the kids’ arts and crafts projects

Believe it or not, before the job opportunity came along and before the phone rang and Ainge was asking Stevens if he'd be interested in succeeding Doc Rivers, the Stevens family's belongings were already all packed up and in storage, not because they envisioned a change of employers, but simply because they were trying to find the right home to settle down and raise two wonderful children right smack in America's heartland.

"It's really comical, and you have to be able to laugh at yourself," said Tracy, sincerely happy that their challenging real estate ventures were the subject of questioning instead of her viewpoint on x's and o's or the trials and tribulations as a coach's wife. "We had purchased a house in Carmel, Indiana a couple of years ago and immediately knew it just wasn't the right fit, she explained. "We tried to sell it for about a year and we hadn't received any offers. So, we finally get an offer, and we sold it and had to get out fairly quickly. We've been looking for a place and - this time - we didn't want to make the wrong choice in buying a new house. We were hoping to find a place quickly but it wasn't working out, so we decided to put all of stuff in storage and move in with Brad's mom. It was only going to be a few weeks, as we had (Butler University) basketball camp and Brad was going to be gone a lot in July, recruiting. 

"The call comes in on a day when we'd just looked at two houses and we both agreed they weren't the right fit." she elaborated. “To me, it was a little bit of a 'sign,' as we still hadn't found a home and, maybe, this is something we should really think about. When it came time to meet, we met at Brad's Mom's house and they came in, walked through the garage and the dog is barking,” she laughed.

"Then, right in the middle of the meeting, my cell phone kept ringing multiple times, which sometimes means something is wrong," she recounted. "I looked at it and it was one of the basketball secretaries at Butler where we had 160 campers. She was calling to say a construction crew had turned off the water and while they had some running water, the restrooms were not working! So I had to excuse myself from the meeting, but when I came back, Brad said "I think I'm going to do it," and I said, 'Okay!"

The rest is history, and you can call it Celtics lore or maybe even Celtics "lure."

Amidst pure fate, some scrambled-up living arrangements and real-world issues like the timing and feel to sign on the dotted line for a longterm real estate move, -- never mind the ill-timed plumbing failures  -- the fade-to-black background story that brought Ainge and Stevens together at this crucial moment in Boston Celtics franchise history actually began at the 2010 NCAA Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. The former NCAA star from Brigham Young University and two-time NBA champion as a Celtics point guard sat with Pagliuca, a Duke University graduate, as the David vs. Goliath NCAA championship game unfolded, pitting Stevens' underdog Butler team against Duke and Coach Mike Krzyzewski's blue blood Blue Devils.

"In 2010, Steve and I went to the championship game against Duke, and, of course, Steve was rooting for Duke,” remembered Ainge. "Not to bring back bad memories for Brad, but as I sat there, I said to Steve, 'this is the best coach in college basketball, right there down on the sideline. He thought that I was talking about Coach K, so we had a little debate right then and there. But, well before that time, I had known of Brad and watched him coach, and I loved to watch his teams play. I love his poise, and more than anything, in talking to Brad about prospects for the draft, I always valued what he said, and I talk to a lot of coaches. For some reason, I just trusted his opinions, and I liked his feel and understanding of players - the character of players and the talents of players.

"Brad was my first choice," said Ainge at a packed press conference on the floor of the Celtics suburban Boston training facility, a place where the children of Celtics staff and players frequently traipse around, shoot baskets and glance up at replicas of 16 NBA championship banners that mimic the real ones that hung in the rafters of the fabled Boston Garden and now adorn the more modern-looking TD Garden on Causeway Street downtown.

"I've watched and admired his poise, his intelligence, his teams and their execution under pressure. I've always looked at him over the last few years as a candidate to be a great head coach, never really thinking it was going to be this soon in Celtics history.

“I viewed him as a great talent, but maybe more importantly, a man with great integrity and character,” noted Ainge who was shoulder-to-shoulder with the 10th different Celtics head coach since he played for Bill Fitch in the glory years of the '80s.

“I am absolutely humbled to be sitting in this room,” said Stevens as the time came for him to speak at his introductory media conference where he let it slip that he had already been reading Celtics great Bill Russell’s memoirs. “As any young basketball coach was or is, I am just in awe of the Boston Celtics organization and all that’s been accomplished by the many players, coaches and everybody else that has worked in this building to help them do what they’ve done.

“One of the things that I’m so thrilled about is to work in a place that has high standards but also places such a value on culture. It’s really important. I’m a process-driven guy. I believe in relationships. I believe in trying to be the very best you can be and that has clearly been something that has been stressed in every conversation that I’ve had here, starting with the multiple conversations I had with Danny.

I want to thank and appreciate Butler, as there’s been a lot of emotion,” Stevens added, sincerely, as he named the Butler support team and called out to the players past and present. “I wouldn’t be sitting here and I’m not one of these guys that’s crazy enough to think that I’m here because of me. I’m here because I’ve fooled a couple of these guys and because we’ve had great people on our bus all the way through and I’m looking forward to working with the great people here.”

"Since the hire, the feedback we've gotten has been amazing from coaches, some that I've never heard from before, saying that same thing, that Brad is one of the great young coaches that they've ever been around. I couldn't be more excited about our partnership.  We've spent a lot of time on the phone over the past 10 days, as it's been a very difficult decision for Brad, leaving a wonderful situation at Butler with his staff, his athletic director and his players,” noted Ainge.

"Brad's success will be determined by what I do to help him and support him and what (Celtics) ownership does to support us. We all know what we're about to embark on, and he will have great support from ownership and management. There will be transition from the college game to the NBA game, but we will give him that support to make the transition fast.  He's a very smart guy, and I'm not worried about that. He's probably more worried about that than I am," said Ainge with a smile.

"Wyc and Pags knew how much I liked Brad from the very beginning," said Ainge. "We hadn't made a deal but it was getting close and the thing that was preventing it from happening was the uncertainty of the NBA. There was a tug to stay at Butler where he was recruiting new players and they’re going into the Big East. Brad loves his athletic director and it was just really, hard. But once he met everybody, he and his wife felt more comfortable."

Brad Stevens, the 17th head coach of the Boston Celtics (photos by Getty Images).

The Celtics organization has long embodied the term "Celtics family," and Ainge took that organizational culture up a notch when he took over the basketball operations job in a place where he and his family literally grew up.

"I lived it," said Ainge. "I've been a coach and I've been a player, and I know how draining it can be. We welcome families here. We welcome players to include their families. We want the kids hanging around, shooting with their dads on the court, and we want the whole family to participate in the experience."

For Stevens, a self-described “process-driven, day-to-day guy,” his hard decision process was a fork in the basketball road. If he jumped at the pros, he would have to leave behind the security of a dream-come-true job at Butler and take that "leap of faith," as Ainge put it multiple times in the introductory press conference. In Stevens' mind, surely there was a laundry list of upside factors such as coaching a strong but ornery point guard in Rajon Rondo, who can masterfully quarterback a foundation of gutty, road-tested, high basketball IQ players who will compete mightily during a period of transition and change for this franchise.

On the long-range planning chart for the young coach and his family is the potential for a bright future, living in one of America's great cities, coaching the league’s most respected and winningest clubs with a newfound, windfall NBA bank account with a different type of security - financial security - to the tune of his freshly minted six-year, $22 million dollar deal.

In taking the gig, Stevens has the utmost admiration and support from senior management, in Ainge.  In the past three days, he quickly learned - at his mom's dining room table - he has the support of team ownership.

Said Grousbeck, with a breath of fresh air and even - yes, humility, uncommon in NBA ownership circles, "Thank you to Brad and Tracy and their family for believing in us, believing in the power of "Celtics Pride." When you take charge of this organization and all of the tradition and pride that has been built by so many great people in the past, you are a trustee and your obligation is to build the Celtics pride and take it forward. We think that by having Brad and his family here, as a key part of the Celtics going forward, we're doing everything we can to bring back the championship ways. Both on and off the court, we think Brad will help us lead this franchise to where it needs to be and we're going to be patient, committed and resolute."

Reflecting back at the scene from his moms dining room table, Stevens thought hard and you could see the wheels turning in his mind, relishing the request to elaborate on the feeling he had when Ainge and the Celtics’ contingent departed.

“We were pretty well set on what the decision would be when they arrived because of the fact we were meeting in person,” said Stevens, painting the picture. “Obviously, it was important to them to meet us and be sure they felt good about us and for us, we felt a tremendous sense – we felt at home.

“Sitting there around that table, it was very evident, it was very obvious. When they left, it was obvious it was the right decision. But that didn’t make communicating the decision any easy to the people I spent 13 years with (at Butler). We’ve done nothing but look forward since and we had a blast with our family here in Boston yesterday, walking downtown.

“I just can’t wait to get back to normalcy,” added the young coach who can mark his calendar with a date to watch Celtics 2013 draft picks Kelly Olynyk and Colton Iverson along with 2012 No. 1 pick Fab Melo when they play on the Celtics summer league roster in Orlando just about 48 hours after Brad Stevens,  the 17^th head coach of the Boston Celtics, was introduced to a group of reporters who all shared the same opinion about a very good hire.  That being a coach fitting of a new value in Celtics family history – one of humility.

Boston Strong ... with a little help from our friends

Need I say more... other than: Thank-you New York, Thank-you Cleveland, Thank-you Toronto and Canada; Thank-you to all the hundreds and hundreds who checked in on us.  

Here we go ... (for those not from Boston... Rene Rancourt is a bit of a ... how you say? Peacock.  He embellishes the national anthem and fist-pumps to the crowd afterward).  Tonight... he just, simply started the song.

Watch it all.

The STREAKERS!

By TERRY LYONS - (Special from DigitalSportsDesk.com)

(This story was posted after the Miami Heat's 105-103 win over the Boston Celtics in an epic NBA game that had all the drama of a "Seventh" game in the Playoffs.)

The Ultimate winner, ultimate teammate Shane Battier of Miami HEAT
(Photo by Nathaniel S Butler/Getty Images)

BOSTON, MARCH 18, 2013 -- The streaks are largely subject matter for fan-speak and media types only. The players are far too focused and far too competitive to let any one stat or headline-grabbing winning streak have any serious effect on their approach to a professional basketball game. Yet, the locker room door swung open and the media charged in to saddle up next to Lebron James or Dwyane Wade and to ask them about the 23-game winning streak the Miami Heat now possess. The number is astonishing in the modern-day NBA, just as unfathomable as it was in 1971-72 when Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich ruled the roost at The Fabulous Forum and won 33 games in a row.

To gain some real perspective on "The Streak," the move was to stroll right by James' locker and soar past Wade's. To gain the right insight, you needed to look up and see daylight right down the middle of the Heat dressing room. There sat the man who had as much perspective on winning basketball games as any man to ever walk the court.

His name is Shane Battier and he is a winner.

In a game where flowery stats, crazy nicknames, league scoring titles and shoe endrosements mean the world, there's always the guy who just wants to win. Battier has won and he's won and he's won.

He won at Duke to the tune of 131-15 during his four-year stretch at Krzyzewski-ville and that included two trips to the NCAA Final 4 and one national title win against Arizona in 2001.

A quick check of his senior year showed winning streaks of 10-0, then 19-1 and then another 10-0 stretch to close out the national championship. When he hoisted the NCAA Final 4 trophy, Shane Battier became the NCAA's all-time winningest player and he still holds the mark today and might hold it forever.

Fast forward to the Houston Rockets of January 29, 2008 through March 16, 2008 and you'll find Shane Battier on the roster of a team that ran-up a 22-game streak, earned by the Rick Adelman-led Rockets. That stanza in mid-season, took Battier's team from 24-20 to 46-20 over a near two-month span.

"That was one of the most remarkable streaks in basketball history, maybe in all of sports history" said the Duke grad as he iced his ankles in 12-inches of slurpee-like frost poured into a painter's bucket in the visitor's dressing room, now packed with seekers. Battier was enjoying his newest streak of 23 W's in a row as a member of the 20012-13 Miami Heat, a team that will forever be listed in the NBA record books directly under that 33-game Los Angeles Lakers streak.

Or not.

Battier's, James' and Wade's Heat are "that" good and they have a serious shot at chasing down "that" record, a record that stands with the great records of all-time.  The 33-game mark stands with Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. It stands with Cal Ripken and Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak. The 33-game winning streak in the NBA is, just, well, ridiculous.  It's up there with Oscar Robertson's season-long triple double and Chamberlain's 100-point game, along with the other 100 or so other records that Wilt the Stilt still holds.

But, 33 games?  C'mon?

Miami's Lebron James is reaching new ground
(Photo by Brian Babineau/Getty Images).

"We had to earn that one," deadpanned Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, the intense but incredibly likable head coach of this Miami team that's filled with rock stars. "We just have to keep grinding away, keep our heads in there and compete," he noted as we all glanced at a stat sheet that chronicled James' 37-point, 12-rebound performance and one of the more enjoyable NBA games of the season.

Spoelstra and his Heat fell back by 17 points and trailed by 13 points, 96-83, with 8:15 left in the game.

"We've been in that situation before with them and you've gotta stay the course," noted Spoelstra in a jam-packed back hallway of the TD Boston Garden, filled with a growing number of band wagon backseat drivers, local and national media and a growing number of curiosity-seekers that will now ride this wave of victory until either one of two things happens.

One way or another, the Heat will either drop a game, maybe to the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 20 or maybe to the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on March 31.  Or, the group of 50-75 media today will turn into hundreds or maybe 1,000 if the Miami Heat can take another 10 consecutive games and get to a pair of home games, April 6 and 9, 2013, against the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.  Those games, at home, would be the promised land of pro basketball history.

"We're aware of the streak," said Battier, providing that deep perspective that only a winner such as he could perceive. "It's a special opportunity and we don't take it for granted. To be with a group like this, where everyday, we just try to improve. We're on our quest to improve and we know that nothing in this league is ever guaranteed."

That's right on the money because with 10.5 seconds remaining in tonight's game, the Heat had a field day as they gradually erased that 13-point margin to take a 105-103 lead. At that crucial time, Battier's coach subbed him in for Ray Allen, one of the Celtics' old fan-favorites. The substitution proved right, as Battier stripped Celtics forward Jeff Green with 8.0 seconds remaining and that steal iced the game, much the same way Battier iced his 34-year old aching ankles. Green had enjoyed a career night of 43 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and a pair of steals and assists to the point where the 18,624 fans in the (Boston) Garden chanted his name in adulation. Green shot 14-of-21, 5-of-7 from 3-point land and hit 10 of his 13 free throws. 

Not too shabby, eh? But, down the stretch, Green met destiny in this association of basketball teams and he met defeat. Green met defeat because he he went with his power move to the basket, a move that Shane Battier had studied. While age, lack of "ups" (Battier's words not mine) and utter fatigue worked against the Dukie, his instincts as a basketball player and his depth of knowledge as a competitor and as a winner took over.  Then, at a locker stall now as crowded as Lebron's was just 10-minutes earlier, Battier served up some play-by-play with his perspective.

"I got my hand in there," he said. "It was just enough to get a piece of the ball.  The guy had it going but I guessed right."

Yeah, he guessed right for 131 wins at Duke, and he guessed right when he played a major role in that 22-game win streak in Houston. Now, he's a part of something special in Miami because his coaches from basketball days gone by taught him well.

"One half at time," preached Coach K at Duke. "One quarter at a time," said Coach Adelman in Houston. "One possession at a time," said Coach Spoelstra tonight.

That's perspective on the game of basketball and "The Streak" is just a result of effort, the pride and staying in the moment.

Good stuff from #TDGarden in Boston

From the rafters at Boston garden at tip-off of Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics game:

The Ball is Tipped. #Boston #Celtics vs #MiamiHeat. Big game in Beantown. twitter.com/DigSportsDesk/…
— DigitalSportsDesk (@DigSportsDesk) March 19, 2013

 

Hold On?

I am not a big fan of Jon Bon Jovi.  Why?  I do not know. 

Anthem rock is not my thing, I guess, although I have been known to groove to the sounds of Queen and "We Are the Champions" or "We Will Rock You."  Bon Jovi just never hit me and for that matter, neither did Van Halen, KISS and a few others.

For me, they fall into the category of:

1. If their song comes up on the radio, I wouldn't change the station.
2. I did not and - most likely - will not buy an album
3. I am always happy and very willing to take in a live concert and would enjoy their shows.

I did just that with a David Lee Roth show, one time, at NYC's Nokia Theatre and we had a blast, although the best part of the show was when one of my buddies, with an extra ticket in hand, hit on some girl at an East Side Bar with the following pick-up line, "Hey, babe - You like Van Halen?"

Anyway, that intro brings me back to Jon Bon Jovi. My favorite thing about JBJ is his humility when Triumph the Sock Puppet just ripped him in a segment recorded prior to a Bon Jovi Show at NJ's Giants Stadium, including an on-stage cameo during the playing of "You Give Love a Bad Name."

(Triumph to Bon Jovi:  "I hear your next role in a major motion picture is about a vampire?"  Finally, a role that actually requires you to SUCK!")

So, why the sudden need to do a blog post about Bon Jovi?  Two things....

1. He's among the headliners at the 12-12-12 concert for Sandy at MSG.  That is a good thing.  The guy deserves a TON of credit and is always "there" for the cause.  He champions sports, music and his fans adore him.  That's good enough for me.

2. The REAL reason I am writing this post is this fan music video, shot at TD Boston Garden during an in-arena scoreboard "Fan-Pan."  I don't need to write anymore and will not spoil it.  Just watch this, "Livin' on a Prayer" rendition...



Holy cow!

Wearin' of the Green

Jeff Green drives vs. Phila 76ers

BOSTON - October 21, 2012 - The first seven minutes of an NBA preseason game will not make or break a season, but tonight at the TD Garden, the Philadelphia 76ers learned a lot about their team after they went down 12-3 to the Boston Celtics. The start forced Sixers coach Doug Collins to call a time-out to right the ship and he gathered his team for a quick turn-around. Three minutes later, after a 10-0 run by the 76ers, the preseason game score was 14-13. Certainly no big deal in the grand scheme of things, but to Collins, it told the tale of what his club will need to do to compete against Philly's longtime NBA Atlantic Division rival.

"I told our guys after the game, the thing I'm proud about is that competitive heart," said Collins, a serious judge of the heart of champions of Olympic-sized proportions. "Regardless of who is playing, who is out there, whatever teh score and whatever the situation might be, I think we have guys who really want to win, which is a really good thing.

"If you take away that first seven minutes of the game and the first seven minutes of the third quarter (when the Celtics went on a 10-0 run of their own), I thought we did a good job defensively." added Collins. "They had about 10 points in the paint, bang, bang, bang, to start the third quarter. Playing against Boston, they don't have that big center  although Kevin Garnett caused all kinds of problems (for the Sixers), (Jared) Sullinger is a big body, Brandon Bass is more of a jump shooter and Jeff Green has come in to play that "four spot" so this is a (Boston) team that really executes well.

Read the full story at Digital Sports Desk

West End Johnnie's - The Secret Sauce!

Yes, we share the goodies - this with Sarah French at ABC TV - See Chef Juan - the star!

WHDH-TV -

DigitalSportsDesk.com on the (Near) Perfect NBA Playoff Game

NBA Refs and Rajon Rondo Redeemed Themselves

BOSTON - MAY 6, 2012 -  A funny thing happened at an NBA Playoff game this weekend and it wasn't even noticed.  No, it wasn't Oklahoma City's impressive sweep over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks or the San Antonio Spurs handling of the formidable Utah Jazz in four straight games. It wasn't accounting firm Ernst & Young screwing up the ballot count for the NBA's Most Improved Player award nor the impressive play of David West for the Indiana Pacers. What happened this weekend went unreported, un-posted, un-blogged, un-tweeted.  One of the greatest feats in NBA Playoff history and the story never even made the ESPN highlight reel.

So what the hell happened?

On Friday night at the TD Boston Garden in front of a sellout crowd of 18,624 which included a heavy dose of NBA brass, the officiating crew of #10 Ron Garretson, #13 Monty McCutchen and #33 Zach Zarba called a (near) perfect game.  

Every referee worth his whistle swears the perfect game in an unattainable goal.  At the highest level of basketball, an official doesn't stand a chance of getting them all right because the players are just too big, too quick, too strong.  They are so talented and athletic, they're just too everything.  They play so far above the rim and they can contort their bodies in midair to avoid contact or collision that the naked eyes can't compute the optical illusion occurring before them.  The NBA game cannot be compared to hoops at any other level.  It's even more impossible to compare officiating.  To the novice fans, comparing NBA ball to college basketball or, even Euroleague Basketball, is worse than trying to compare apples and oranges or The Rolling Stones to The Who to The Beatles.  It just can't be done. 

As the red carpet was rolled out on Friday, plush with NBA Commissioner David Stern seated near his trusty deputy, Adam Silver, they both witnessed the feat alongside a bonafide CNN anchorman, John King, who could've broke into programming to report the news.  However, not a single news bulletin, nor a word of congratulations was spoken to the men ultimately responsible for how their game is called.  In the post-game press conferences, nobody brought up the subject of officiating. There were no kind words. No headlines written.  World Series perfectionist Don Larson's name never came up when the Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 90-84, in overtime, and the NBA registered the best officiated game of the year.  It might've been the best officiated game of the the century.

An unofficial review of the game brought about four or five "possible" missed calls or miscues, none of them even close to being significant.  The only blip on the screen was a moment when Boston Coach Doc Rivers sauntered way out onto the court but he wasn't arguing a call and the referring crew let it go, as they should. Rivers was trying to get the attention of his point guard Rajon Rondo who was not on the same page as his coach's playbook required when he returned to play in Game 3 after being suspended for a single playoff date for bumping NBA ref Marc Davis in Game 1 of the series.  After that contest, there was quite a bit of focus on the officiating and, after the game, there was a constant banter on the steps the NBA would take to discipline Rondo for his obvious disregard of the sacred personal space around an official.

Rightfully so, the NBA suspended Rondo a single game for his indiscretion but Avery Bradley, Sasha Pavlovic, Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels all stepped up quite nicely for the Celtics as they tied the series 1-1 with an 87-80 win over the Hawks at Atlanta. The Celtics' win brought the series to Boston for the "so-called" pivotal Game 3 where the stakes were raised so high, the people of Kentucky would start singing "My Old Kentucky Home." The game was important and the players delivered a hard-fought, entertaining, defensive chess match that saw Boston hold Atlanta to 38-percent shooting from the field and 20-percent from three-point land. Much of that defensive intensity is credited to the amazing play of Kevin Garnett who has played with the youthful exuberance of the high schooler who entered the league in 1995. While Garnett, switched to center after teammate Jermaine O'Neal went down to injury and had season-ending surgery on his left wrist in March.

Out on Daniels the perimeter where real defense happens in game of basketball, Bradley has become the stopper.  Complemented by the speedy Rondo, the consistent Paul Pierce, the hard-working and the deep bench of, Dooling, Mickael Pietrus and important minutes being played by Ray Allen, now as a reserve the past two games, Bradley has become the difference maker for the Boston Celtics as they plot their way through the 2012 NBA Playoffs with the window of opportunity showing a shade pulled three-quarters of the way down.  This might be it for this era of Celtics basketball and the NBA's cut-down season provides an opportunity to hang banner No. 18 in the rafters of TD Boston Garden.

In this year when NCAA officiating was a downright disgrace to the game and when NBA bad boy Metta World Peace earned a seven-game suspension for nearly decapitating Oklahoma's James Harden, the whistle blowers are always the visiting team. It was once said that officiating is the only profession in the world where the ultimate compliment is silence. That is certainly true. No news is good news when the refs are escorted off the court by a security detail that rivals the US Secret Service presence in a Colombian strip joint. The attention brought upon NBA referees in the past five or six years largely revolved around the criminal activities of one Tim Donoghy and the sniping by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and his "couldn't run a Dairy Queen viewpoint of the dedicated group of professional refs who call the game at the very highest level.  They run, they pivot, they get screened by giants on the court, they peek around bodies, scramble for better position, work their rotations all in an attempt to "just get it right."  Then, they have their judgements reviewed by partisan television commentators who make their references from observing 12 high-definition television cameras situated so far away from the court, they create bad angles and optical illusions which often prompt erroneous reporting or legions of fans scowling when the replays are shown on jumbo in-arena screens.

On Friday night, the crew of Garretson, McCutcheon and Zarba, a young rising superstar official, got it right.  No one noticed, but that's alright.  They reviewed the game themselves and probably second-guessed a judgement call or two.  They showered, dressed, then left the building without so much as a pat on the back or a single cheer from the fans.

Only the funeral directors, morticians and undertakers could relate.

Terry Lyons does The Blog at TerryLyons.com and is editor in chief of DigitalSportsDesk.com (@DigSportsDesk).  His work is also featured in the Huffington Post collection of sports columns.

Christmas Cheer: Bird Understands the True Meaning of Christmas

My business colleague and good friend, John Caron, passed along a column by longtime Boston Herald scribe Joe Fitzgerald.  It was written for the December 21, 1997 edition of the Herald and John took the time to get the page blown up to "posterize" the words for all patrons of "West End Johnnie's" to see when they visit our establishment during the holidays.

Larry Bird (left) with Earvin "Magic" Johnson

It's been an amazing year for Johnnie's.  From the scary economic times and touch & go operation of 2008-09-10, we turned the corner and haven't looked back.  It's still not perfect, but Johnnie's is healthy and proud of the hard work that has brought the restaurant to the year 2012 with a promising future ahead.

My business partner(s) put in a lot of hard work and we've been thrilled with the wonderful atmosphere that the patrons of Johnnie's bring out in our joint.  No one has worked harder than John Caron and Dave Glucksman as they strive to make West End Johnnie's a destination for everyone in Boston who wants to have some great food, great drinks and meet some great people in Boston's West End, near TD Boston Garden.

So, here's a great column, recommended by John Caron and brought to you by his proud business partner and friend, The Blog (at) TerryLyons (dot) com

***

By Joe Fitzgerald, Dec. 21, 1997

Larry Bird, out of a Celtics uniform since 1992, left a ton of memories at this address, but none more poignant than a Christmas memory he shared with several hundred Boston schoolkids, repeated here this morning because, quite frankly, sports could use a dose of reality.

"What kills me about Christmas," he said, "is that while it's a time of excitement for some people, it's a time that makes other people sad, like kids who just can't have the things they see their friends getting. A lot of people - and I know people like this - can't wait for Christmas to be gone.

"You know how they say it was the Grinch who stole Christmas? It wasn't the Grinch at all. It was the rich people. They're the ones who've stolen it, buying everything they can for their kids and not worrying about other kids who are going to end up feeling left out. They've taken Christmas the wrong way.  I mean, it's suposed to be a time for letting people know how you feel about them, isn't it?

"That's why, next to family, the most important thing in my life today are the old friends I have back home, the guys I went to school with, the guys who look at me and don't see money, or the cars, or even the Celtics. They couldn't care less about all of that. They live in a different world, the world I came from, where old buddies are still buddies 'cuz they know what's important, and it sure ain't money.

"I look at my little brother today, and when I see him wanting Reeboks, or Champion shirts, it bothers me because kids don't realize fads and fashions aren't what determine how good you are, or how important you are.

"Whenever I'm out speaking to a bunch of kids, maybe doing a playground clinic, I always look for that one who stands off by himself, whose clothes don't look too good.  I'll go out of my way to make a big deal over him because I used to be that kid.

"We got mostly clothes at our house every Christmas, 'cuz that's what we needed.  I can remember my friends getting bicycles, and thinking how I'd buy the best bike in town if only I had the money.  But that just wasn't possible.  Still, my Mom did a good job.  Christmas was a big thing around our house. There was always a pile of five or six gifts for all of us; as soon as you opened one, you went right to the next one.  It was chaos, and even though we knew it wasn't going to be a lot, we appreciated how tough it was for our folks to get us what they did.

"So I'll tell you what we did one year. We knew there'd be no toys that year because the funds just weren't there. My older brother got the rest of us together and said, 'Let's do something special for Mom and Dad before we open our presents. Let's just tell 'em we love 'em and see how they react, OK? I'll do the speaking.'

"You've got to understand, 'love' wasn't a word we threw around much in our family, so just hearing it said that way was new to me.

"Anyway, we're all sitting around the tree and my brother stands up.  He says, 'Mom, dad, we want to say something to you tonight. We want to tell you we appreciate all you do for us, giving us things we know you had to work overtime to get. And, we just want to tell you we love you.

"Well, I'm sitting there thinking, 'Gee, that's a pretty strong statement,' when I saw tears coming from my mother's eyes - and my Dad, he just sat there so proud. You could tell it really hit a chord.

"So look, if you guys want to do something really special this Christmas, tell your parents you love 'em, OK? Tell 'em thanks for all their hard work.

"That's all I really came here to tell you.  Thanks for listening.  Good luck to every one of you, and Merry Christmas."

- L. Bird

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.  Check in on The Blog tomorrow for another special column - a Shelby Strother piece - that's become a bit of a tradition at this space each and every Christmas Day.

#iamaceltic

There's been a lot of "what's wrong" with the NBA going around.  I would like to provide Exhibit 1-A of "what's right."  Nice job by the Boston Celtics:

Ramble On ...

Donald Trump took the oh-so typical but short-sighted route when he cancelled his May 18th appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman after the show's host turned on the heat vs. Trump and branded him as a racist for Trump's early campaign tactics of questioning President Obama's nationality.  Trump might have a very short list of media opportunities if he uses that tactic in his ill-conceived run to the Republican national convention.  For instance, we're pretty sure he'll take a pass of commenting directly to "The Blog @ TerryLyons.com."

Trump comes from the school of  'shutting down access' to any media outlet who questions him or places him in a negative light. That might work in his (small) world of New York mogul/tycoon/kahuna where he can pick and choose his media opps but, in the world of national politics, it doesn't fly.

For instance, will Trump boycott all the DC media who laughed out loud when President Obama poked jokes at himself and the Donald at the annual DC correspondent's dinner last night?  With punch-lines galore, the POTUS chose to roast Trump over many of the other so-called candidates, like (O)-Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin or even the already out of the running Haley Barbour.

The WSJ didn't stop at roasting Trump, they lamb-basted him with a "Celebrity Apprentice Oval Office" lampooning the real estate mogul with this article.  Trump's recommendation to President Obama, according to the WSJ is, "to get tough with all the nations that are ripping off the USA." 

Trump's platform as a candidate might not be his foreign relations view.  If you're wondering why, see THIS.

The telling moments in the correspondent's dinner were the countless times Trump stared stone-faced when the POTUS cracked a number of funny punchlines.  No sense of humor equals no votes, sir.

***

NASCAR has made some changes in the front office, including the hiring of former NBA TV producer Steve Herbst to fire-up NASCAR's future television relationships.  Good stuff.

***

In the aftermath of the royal wedding in England and the media frenzy over the fashion statements made by Pippa Middleton, the lyrics to "Dear Ol' Donegal" officially have been altered by the Irish to now read: "Shake hands with your Uncle Mike, me boy, and kiss Kate's sister."

***

Match-ups are always the key storyline as the NBA's playoff series begin and media outlets make their predictions on how the various series will pan out.  The Memphis Grizzlies matched-up favorably as they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in their first round series, just as the Atlanta Hawks did over the Orlando Magic. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks were able to overcome their match-up deficiencies as they eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers - a series that many thought would lean towards the Blazers.

In the second round, err, Conference Semifinals, all eyes are on the Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat, a playoff match-up worthy of the NBA Finals but one that will play out much earlier in the NBA playoff marathon than most expected.  Thanks to the Chicago Bulls and their 62-20 regular season record, the Heat (58-24) will face the Celtics (56-26) in the Eastern Conference match-up of the century.  The Celtics, with the edge at head coach, point guard, power forward and depth should be able to handle the Heat's mighty "big 3" of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh in six tough games.  Much will depend on Boston's Paul Pierce and his ability to defend James, Wade's ability to help contain Boston point guard Rajon Rondo and the Battle of the Fours between Bosh and Boston's Kevin Garnett. 

Boston bigs Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal will certainly play a role in the series.  Miami will miss power forward Udonis Haslem who has been injured for most of the season. 

***

Regular season records and therefore, home court advantages of the remaining NBA playoff teams:

Chicago:   62-20

Miami:      58-24

LA:            57-23

Dallas:      57-23

Boston:     56-26

OKC:         55-27

Memphis: 46-26

Atlanta:     44-38

***

More importantly, here are the Gas and Milk standings from this week:

Gallon of Gas:  $3.89-4.12

Gallon Milk:     $3.58-4.99

***

The impact of Facebook and Twitter is undeniable.  The latest example of the strategic use of Twitter was C.J. Watson of the Chicago Bulls being utilized to announce the annual NBA Most Valuable Player award via his personal Twitter account.  Brilliant.  Rose quickly countered the report, saying "He hadn't been told by the NBA."  Rose did not say he "hadn't been told, period, as he was more likely to hear the news from a Chicago front office member.

***

The best way to help the people of Alabama and the southern state region - American Red Cross.

Random thoughts during the College Hoop Tourneys

There is no truth to the rumors that BIG EAST refs were seen working the St. John's vs. Rutgers game with gravy stains from Little Louie Carnesecca's favorite Dante's Restaurant in Jamaica, Queens.  Two of the NCAA's highest rated officials, Jim Burr and Tim Higgins, along with Earl Walton, were working the game.  Rutgers Coach Mike Rice took the high road in interviews after the controversial finish where no fewer than three calls went against the Scarlet Knights.  With the victory, St. John's will be making its 20th quarterfinal appearance in BIG EAST championship history but only its first since 2003.

***

Former Georgetown star Jeff Green, recently acquired by the Boston Celtics in a trade with Oklahoma City for Kendrick Perkins, will be the difference maker for the Celtics in the upcoming NBA Playoffs.  However, the Celtics will need either Shaquille O'Neal or Jermaine O'Neal (or both) to step up in a significant fashion should they face a big, strong frontline such as Paul Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum of the LA Lakers.

***

Wonder what happened to Stephon Marbury?  Well, he's still toiling in China.  Here is a recent profile on his life in the Chinese Basketball Association by The Washington Post.

***

Why does the Postmaster General make more money than the Vice President of the United States of America?

***

Villanova's fade in the last 12-15 games makes them a prime candidate for the NIT, rather than the NCAAs.

***

Capital One Cup dot com has been putting some serious ad dollars into a program that no fan truly understands.  $200G to the school that has the best finishes in all sports, including crew, field hockey, you name it.

***

Does either DePaul or South Florida get relegated to the minors when TCU joins the BIG EAST next year?  How do they seed the extra team?  Triple bye to the conference winner?

Chuck, Joe, Isiah, Lam: All Brothers in Arms... with Matt

Here is my brief, helpless post-funeral salute to my good friend, Matt Dobek.  It comes about a week and two days after I heard the terrible news which shocked us all to a 'lump-in-your-throat, stop-in-your-tracks stand still.  I felt particularly terrible as I hadn't spoken to Matt since hearing of his unfair firing by the former employer this past May. In the week that has passed since his death, I've quickly realized that none of it matters.

Not a thing. Not the firing, nor the fact that a lot of us didn't know or understand the state of mind that Matt was in during his final days. It doesn't matter, now.  He's gone and there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it. And, that is why this is so damn sad and why it'll stick with us for a long, long time.

I met Matt, appropriately, in an NBA media hospitality room at the old Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia.  For you trivia buffs, that is the same hotel in which the Legionnaire's Disease was first reported in summer of '76.  I met Matt in late May, 1983, as he was joining the Pistons right after his very first job as an SID at Wayne State University.  It was about a year after he had interned for then-Pistons PR man, Bill Kriefeldt, when the team played at the big, bad Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.

Kreifeldt, too, as history would have it, was let go -- abruptly -- by the Pistons organization and had been asked to work the 1983 NBA Finals as the Eastern Conference PR rep. to assist with "beers and buses," as I used to say.  Dobek was stepping into a tough situation in Detroit.  His predecessor was well-liked and very well thought of by the small but growing corps of media that covered the NBA beat.  Matt was the new kid on the block when Menudo was king of pop and Ronald Reagan was POTUS. Dobek, as we all called him, would have to stand on his own two feet and establish himself as a good PR guy in the league that was about to take-off on a soaring, upwardly mobile ride to the bigtime.

I had been with the league office for only two years, starting as an intern from St. John's, I might add, and I was tipping-off a string of some 135 consecutive NBA Finals games.  As per usual, I enjoyed taking the new, younger PR guys aside and letting them know they had a friend and ally in the NBA league office. All of the PR assistants and a lot of the interns did a great deal of work and we, at the league office, often relied on the young PR assistants to help out when a local story merited national attention or when the likes of the coveted CBS Sports "Game of the Month" came along or the crack USA Network crew, or later ESPN, then TBS, then TNT-then ESPN (again) would be rolling into a town near them.

Matt and I hit it off pretty damn nicely while he quickly earned his stripes with all of the media and NBA PR Directors, even the Kreifeldt contemporaries who gave Matt a rightful chance to prove himself.  Plus, soon afterward, Kriefeldt hooked up with the Utah Jazz and all was well in the Land of PRs. The up & coming Pistons (Isiah, Laimbeer and Kelly Tripucka) were early fodder for the likes of the Celtics, 76ers or Bucks for a year or so. But a remarkable Pistons vs. Knicks, circa 1984 fifth and deciding game of a first-round series put the soon-to-be-bad-boys on the NBA map for the rest of the decade, an impressive feat since the club was competing in the league playoffs for the first time since 1977.

As the Pistons edged their way up in the eastern standings during the year which would end with yet another Boston win in a memorable 1987 Boston Garden & Vinnie Johnson-Adrian Dantley head-bumping clash. Dobek gained the respect of Coach Chuck Daly, along with all of the players and front office types. In 1988, the two teams would meet again and I remember the battles over Memorial Day Weekend in Pontiac.  I also remember walking into the Silverdome at some ungodly hour to prepare for a 1pm holiday tip and the cleaning crew of the Dome had yet to pay a visit after Saturday night's Monster Truck-a-palooza or something. The place reeked of stale beer and garbage and Matt Dobek had to deal with it.  But, the Pistons would finally defeat the Celtics that year, winning two games at the old Boston Garden and closing it out in the last-ever NBA game at the Silverdome.  One of my favorite memories of Matt came after total pandemonium broke-out amongst 60,000 "crazy car-makers, as John Salley called them, when Detroit took the Eastern Confference Finals series in six games with a 95-90 victory over the rival Celts and it was time for some post game interviews.  

The players wanted to celebrate and were already undressing near their second-floor lockers up an awkward staircase in the bowels of the Dome, but Matt marched into the locker and started barking out orders to the tune of "Get your asses dressed again.  "Lam, I need you to do home radio; Isiah, your doing Pat O'Brien and CBS; Vinnie, I need you, too.  Mahorn, get dressed, we're opening up the locker for the media!"

My jaw dropped as I brought Isiah Thomas to a relatively quiet area to do a live postgame interview with "CBS' At the Half host O'Brien and Matt grabbed a few players and headed back to the trenches. Matt had some serious clout and he was doing his job like a pro under pressure.  Of course, later on that night, we had some downtime with friends, Pistons front office workers and their entourage when we made our way over to Giannopolous' bar in the 'burbs of Auburn Hills, MI.

As time passed by, we spent more and more time in Detroit.  From the Troy Hilton to the Somerset inn where we played some pretty mean "pop-a-shot" and a variation of the game, called "Natural Fruit Pop-a-Shot." From the Finals vs. the LA Lakers in '88 to "Back-to-Back" titles over the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers in '89 and '90.  We watched the Troy Marriott being built, brick-by-brick, thank God. From victory parades that ended with team-leader Rick Mahorn tossed to the expansion draft wolves to the 1992 Tournament of the Americas in Portland to the Barcelona Olympics to the 1993 NBA Draft where a capacity crowd cheered Michigan's Chris Webber, Matt Dobek was there and he was getting the job done - whether it be with the Pistons or assisting Coach Daly with his USA Basketball duties or assisting the league office set-up for the Draft.  Matt was there and he was damn good.

Off the court, we often found time to get a cold beer, take in a Tigers game (old Tigers Stadium) or make our way to see a horse race or two.

At Barcelona in 1992, we sat side-by-side at the Opening Ceremonies and shook our heads in wonder and amazement after Antonio Rebollo, aka "the paralympic archer," shot the arrow over the stadium wall to light the Olympic Flame.  This, of course, came after many a cerveza, resulting in a Matt Dobek sprint down Barcelona's famed Montjuic without a men's room in sight. Matt had to go and Cerveza San Miguel waits for no man.

We laughed and laughed.  And, it seems like yesterday.

I liked it better back then.

I liked it better when there were "only" 13 or 33 channels, too.

I liked it better when Connors played McEnroe at the Open,

and when "The Garden" had red seats, orange, yellow, green and blue seats.

I liked it better when Zink did the announcin' and Harry did the dancin'.

Kareem did the sky-hookin' and Earl the Pearl was spinnin' as a Baltimore Bullet.

I liked it better when there were at least two papers in every town and people actually read them.

I liked it when we went to the Old Miami near the Cass corridor.

Shelby and Corky at our sides, too.

I liked it better when Alex Sachare tossed his water on Mark Pray and the slice of lemon stuck on his sport coat like a boutonniere on the groom. (mistakenly, I might add).

I liked it better when we cruised San Antonio and Matt whipped out his cell phone at 3am to call Coach Daly, stating, "Don't worry, he'll be up."

I liked it better when Matt Dobek was alive and well and living near Auburn Hills, Michigan.

***

Here's to Matt and The Bad Boys:

BROTHERS in ARMS:

"These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms.

"Through these fields of destruction
Baptism of fire
I've watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms.

"There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones.

"Now the sun's gone to hell
And the moon's riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it's written in the starlight
And every line on your palm
We're fools to make war
On our brothers in arms"    -- Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits

  ###