Bulls Steal Game 6 From Celtics In 3 OT's BY: Jason Gasbarro

After almost having a heart attack from watching the first five games of this dramatic series, you couldn't help but hold your breath through this series altering game six between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. Just when you thought the Celtics were going to put away the game and the series an all important turnover from Celtic captain Paul Piece led to an easy dunk and a three point play. This was the momentum changer in this already dramatic series. The game was played in Chicago and the Bulls had control of the game for the most part, but did not have an answer for Ray Allen who scored a career playoff high 51 points in the game, including a couple three point shots when it seemed like the Celtics had no hope. Allen, who ended with nine three pointers hit a clutch three over Kirk Hinrich to force a third overtime in the final seconds of overtime number two. The game came down to its final possession having the Celtics down by just one and the ball in Rajon Rondo's hands. Instead of driving to the basket and either kicking it out or drawing a foul, Rondo decided to try a fade away jump shot that was perfectly played by rookie of the year Derrick Rose. Although the Celtics could not finish the series in Chicago, they will have a final chance back in Boston on Saturday. The Celtics also were without Glenn Davis Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce for most of the overtime since they all fouled out. You have to give it to the young Bulls players for their overall determination and effort to force a game 7. Get ready for another dramatic game in this already historic series.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin

Dave Pazzaglia

It has been a long time since the NHL has seen two superstar players that were the face of the game such as Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. This Saturday will mark the start of the second round series of playoffs, in journey to the Stanley Cup, with two of the most prolific athletes that the sport of hockey has long been waiting for. These two superstars are Sidney Crosby or “Sid the Kid” as known by teammates and fans, and Alexander Ovechkin, also known as “Alexander the Great.” The two are the faces of their franchises and the NHL representing their respective teams of the Pittsburg Penguins (Crosby) and the Washington Capitals (Ovechkin).

Since entering the league in 2005 together the two have once again brought excitement to the game and been linked statistically and through their personal rivalry since the beginning. Crosby, a center and captain of the Penguins was the first overall pick in 2005 and hails from Cole Harbour, NS, Canada. Ovechkin, a left winger, was drafted 1^st overall in 2004 and hails from the Moscow, Russia.

Crosby is referred to as a personality like a movie star with Ovechkin having the rock star personality. This rock star personality was shown last week on ESPN show E60 with Ovechkin whipping around his brand new Mercedes SL 65 where he admits driving 180 mph. Aside from this the clubs, drinking, and of course the women is all shown in this biography that direct relates to his style on ice. Ovechkin is 220 pounds of pure power and speed, with an uncanny amount of energy. Ovechkin celebrates goals by speeding around jumping off glass and putting the fire out on his hockey stick. Crosby a smooth skater, gritty player, with keen vision keeps his emotions in check until the two meet on the ice like during their last regular season matchup where both threw shots at each other on and off the ice.

Although it’s not the Stanley Cup, this series will forever be remembered as the first playoff battle of the two faces of their respective franchise on who comes out on top. Sports analyst are referring to the rivalry as similar to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson (especially the 1979 NCAA National Championship between the two) with Crosby having the same characteristics and composure of Bird and Ovechkin being loud, outspoken, and very confident like that of Magic. The sports world and the hockey world now have the rivalry between the Canadian star of Crosby and the Russian star of Ovechkin. Whether or not you like hockey you can only respect what these two are doing and will do for the sport of hockey. The rivalry will be at its highest peak beginning Saturday where the two meet for the first time in playoffs to mark a piece of history and many more to come.

MLB Top Five

Baseball is a tough sport to predict week to week. We had to Red sox go form an ugly start to the best team in baseball in very short time. We had the Yankees go into a downward spriral. We also still have the Blue Jays on top also. So who's the best right now?

1. Red Sox: The sox are red hot right now. They went on a 11 game win streak, while sweeping the yanks. The Yanks arent the yanks of the past, but they still play well against the sox. The Ellsbury stealing of home pretty much sums up why they are the best team to date.

2. Blue Jays: They are off to an amazing start. The only downside is that they seem to do this every year. They start out strong, then seemingly fad out into obscurity. Roy Halladay has been leading this team, and will not have much margin for error if the offense slows down.

3. Dodgers: Still winning, depsite Manny having the loest average among the starters. They are still trying to get their batting order straightened out also.

4. Phillies: The defending champs are still battling for another ring. The only thing that will slow them down or deter them would be bad news about Cole Hamil. If his injury is serious, then we will see the Phillies dropping off the top five.

5. Cardinals: The cards have been great during the regular season for the past few seasons. They have a deep offense that is producing. They also have a good closer in Ryan Franklin. If they keep up this pace, they will see the post season yet again.


Steven Orsini

Brett M. Rhyne

Jacoby Ellsbury's steal of home inspires a nice historical piece by Mel Antonen in USA Today. A couple of thoughts on the matter:

• One photo illustrating the story has the caption, "Giant mistake: Emmanuel Burriss is tagged out by the Diamondbacks' Miguel Montero on April 18, ending the inning and leaving Giants cleanup man Bengie Molina at the plate." My thought: If Bengie Molina is the Giants' cleanup hitter, they've got bigger problems than Burriss trying to steal home. (Then again, this is the anemic NL West.)

• I'm reminded of something the dearly departed Coco Crisp said in 2007, when Youk and Pedroia were batting 1-2 in the order: "Jacoby Ellsbury and I are like Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia — about the same speed. Just with really fast people."

So Sweep

This was one of the best series I have seen, every game was exciting. The Red Sox are on fire. This weekend they swept the Yankees 3-0, swept a 9-0 homestand, and are 10 for 10 in their last 10 games. They scored 25 runs against the Yankees and 80 runs in the last 10 games. However, they are still one game down to Toronto.
This weekend the Sox had so many amazing plays I thought they were going to sweep SportsCenters top 10. Jason Bay hit a 2-run shot to center field in Friday’s game to send the Sox into extra innings. Then Kevin Youkilis slammed a homer for a walk-off in the 11th inning. The sox won the first game 5-4.
Day 2 the sox weren’t looking as good. Josh Beckett was struggling giving up 6 runs in the first four innings while A.J. Burnett’s pitching was shutting down the Sox. However, that all changed in the bottom of the fourth when the Sox put up 5 runs. The next innings were back and forth (Sox went up 8-6, Yanks tie it up, Sox get another run 9-8, Yanks get 2 more, Sox get 3 more 12-10, Yanks get one more, then Sox finish them off with 4 more resulting in a 16-11 win.)Day 3 the game went by faster than the others. Each team got seven hits. Instead of home runs the Sox earned their runs a little different. For a game that wasn’t that excited a rare thing happened. Jacobi Ellsbury with Andy Pettitte’s back to him was able to steal home Sunday night. The Sox went on to win the game 4-1 sweeping the Yankees.

-Robin Lash

If Nick can do it, I can too! - Micaela Hersee

This weekend  I had the opportunity to attend a 5K in the town next to mine. The 5K in Bellingham took place Sunday morning at ten in the morning. On a normal weekend in April the weather would be in the mid 60's with a chance of rain. Not this weekend. As we all know this weekend was a taste of summer. It had already reached 80 by the time the race started.

Now I am not a runner, but the people running this race really motivated me. There were children, teens, young adults and older adults. I couldn't help but thinking if they can do this I can do it too! As I continued to watch the crowd run past at the start I couldn't help but notice a older couple at the end sporting a neon green shirt that said " If Nick can do it , we can too!" I had no idea who Nick was but I was impressed that this couple was walking holding hands in support of whoever Nick was.

Twenty minutes later runners are beginning to trickle across the finish line. Both young and old seemed unaffected by the heat as the crossed the finish line in under twenty minutes. Participants were given an hour to complete the race and as it inched closer and closer to that time alloted I could not help but wonder where the people in the neon green shirts had disappeared to.

Moments later the you can see a handful of people wearing green shirts coming down the final stretch. Leading the way was a young boy, running as fast he can towards the finish line. As it turns out this young boy was Nick and he could not have been more than 8-years-old. As Nick crossed the finish line pumping his fist in the air it became apparent that Nick suffered from a disability. The exact disability but it seemed as though he had Downs Syndrome. This amazing little boy had completed a 5K road race in under an hour with his family by his side supporting him. The look on both his face and his Dad's said it all. It showed strength, courage, happiness and pride. The mood and feel of the whole crowd was indescribable as Nick and his family completed the race. You can not help but feel proud of this little boy and feel his happiness. He surely brought a smile to my face!

Next year I hope to run the 5K road race. I am not a runner but if Nick can do it, I can do it too.

10 Things to do in a Red Sox Rain Delay - Joanne C.

I received Red Sox tickets for Wednesday night’s Minnesota Twins game as a gift. Keeping in mind the two days of howling rain in Boston, I decided to share my list of 10 things to do in a rain delay at Fenway Park…

10. On the T: Wonder why they play games in April in New England – it’s always a crap shoot on weather, it’s cold and rainy… I suppose that if you end in October, you have to start in April, but it always makes me wonder why I have to break out the winter coat and fleece lined jeans to enjoy a ball game in person.

9. On the Street: Look at all the different ponchos – I swear, none of the ponchos I saw Wednesday night were the same. I was particularly fascinated by an ankle length one I saw on a woman on Yawkee Way.

8. In Kenmore Square: Double check the news provided by local teens – Two kids walked through Kenmore Square yelling the game has been called for rain – might as well go home; called home instead to hear that the game was going off as scheduled.

7. At Game On: Count the people who are leaving vs the people who are getting in – Takes about 15 minutes on a lousy game day (combine that with people who stayed from the first game of the double header). They let in 20 people (I know, fire code…), let in 10 and then close the line. We count as 25-30 people leave, and two sneak in and wait another five minutes before being let inside.

6. At the Bar: Order two beers each – This one is key, because it’s so crowded you may never get near the bar again. Two beers (at $5.50 each) will hold you long enough to see if the game is going off on schedule or if it is delayed or cancelled.

5. Watch the Bruins playoff game – What better way to forget about the pounding rainstorm than to be at Game On and watching the Bruins beating (literally at times) the Montreal Canadians.

4. Make friends with other patrons – Met a girl and her friend, a Twins fan who flew in from Minnesota just to go to the game. Tried not to hold the “Twins fan” thing against them, as they were otherwise nice people.

3. Discuss who will be taking your tickets for the next afternoon’s game while you’re at work – Our friends were on school vacation week with their kids, and the one with the Pats season tickets won out.

2. Game Begins, order one more beer – Gotta wait out that first inning or so after a rain delay; they’ll get you into the park and then pull another two-hour rain delay once the game has begun – in order to combat this and avoid spending $7 per beer, watch the first inning from where you are.

1. At the Game: Keep an eye on the clock – the MBTA does not care about rain delays or extra innings – the last train runs at 11:45, no matter what; giving you with the option of leaving early or jockeying with 20,000 other fans for a crushing ride out of Boston. We made it to the bottom of the 7th and got home in time to see the final score, wondering why they play games in April in New England.

Red Sox 5, Yankees 4 — 4/24/09

Brett M. Rhyne

Tonight's game had all the makings of an anti-climax, with neither team being able to do much against the opposing starter. When the Sox knocked out Joba Chamberlain in the sixth, I thought for sure they were going to pull ahead. But Sox starter Jon Lester was gone after shortly thereafter, and instead it was the Yanks who scratched out a couple of runs to take the lead. With one out in the ninth and Mariano Rivera on the mound, Kevin Youkilis drilled a single up the middle (nearly taking Rivera out in the process). J.D. Drew made the second out, leaving it up to Jason Bay. Bay promptly dinged one off the top of the Monster in centerfield, sending the game into extra innings and Rivera to the showers — his 14th career blown save against the Olde Towne Team, by far the most against any opponent. A couple of innings later, Youk put the Yanks out of their misery with a walkoff blast onto Lansdowne Street.

The good: Jason Bay, who sparkled at the plate and in left field; Youk, whose torrid bat and steady glove are carrying this team; and Jon Lester, who has returned to form as the Sox' most consistent starter.

The bad: The bullpen, no members of which looked sharp tonight; Jacoby Ellsbury, who may have manufactured a run in the first but then disappeared; and manager Terry Francona's decision to pinch run for Mike Lowell with two out in the ninth, after he'd gotten on following Bay's dinger — come on, Tito, we all knew the game was going into extra innings, and wouldn't you rather have Lowell's glove and bat in there?

The ugly: Hideki Okajima was the first and the worst of the bad relievers, throwing batting practice, coughing up the lead and getting himself on the hook for the loss until Bay's heroics; and David Ortiz took some pretty ugly swings, too.

A Statement Made in Game 3

Kristin Kennedy

After two close games at home against the Chicago Bulls, the Celtics showed the young Bulls what championship basketball is all about in game 3 in Chicago. The Celtics jumped out to early lead Thursday night and never looked back as they dominated the Bulls for an entire 48 minutes in a 107-86 blowout. Captain, Paul Pierce scored 13 points in the first half, shooting 6 for 7 from the floor, hitting an array of shots that gave Boston the momentum they needed to finish out strong. The Celtics, who are known for their defense, struggled in games 1 and 2, allowing the Bulls to score over 100 points in both games. In game 3 however,the Bulls had already racked up 14 turnovers at halftime, thanks much in part to the active hands of Rondo and big man Glen Davis. Rondo had two steals and Davis four in the first half. Chicago managed to shoot only 32.4% in the first half and tallied only five assists as a team, well off of their pace of 20.0 APG this series. Pierce's quick start helped him finish as the team's leading scorer with 24 points and was limited to only 27 minutes of play. Allen also pitched in 20 and Stephon Marbury scored 13 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds off the bench. After such a convincing performance, the Celtics will need to savor the victory last night, but quickly put it behind them today and focus on the road ahead. Boston has two days to prepare for a Game 4 that could potentially give them a commanding lead in the series. That game will take place at 1 p.m. EST Sunday afternoon in the United Center and will be broadcast on ABC.

There's only one Ricky Hatton

by Dylan Payne

"There's only one Ricky Hatton,
One Ricky Hatton,
Walking along,
Singing this song,
Walking in a Hatton wonderland."

That is the cheer that will be sung by the Brits on May 2nd when their beloved Ricky Hatton steps into the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to take on the world's number one ranked boxer, Manny Pacquiao. The fight will take place in the junior welterweight division(140 pounds) where Hatton is recognized as the champ. Hatton comes into this fig+ht sporting a 45-1 record, his only loss coming to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007. Pacquiao comes in with a 48-3 record and is coming off the biggest win of his career, an 8 round destruction of Oscar De La Hoya, a fight that sent De La Hoya into retirement. This fight will feature the strength and power of Hatton versus the lightning quick speed of Manny Pacquiao.

After losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Ricky Hatton called on the assitance of his father, Floyd Sr. to fine tune his game. The switch paid off and in Hatton's first fight with Sr., he looked like a much more technical fighter instead of just a brawler. Floyd Sr. worked on Hatton's defense, something he will desperately need in order to stop the quick punches of Pacquiao. Pacquiao has been training with world renowned trainer, and Massachusetts native, Freddie Roach in Los Angeles. Although neither fighter has trashed talked one another out of respect, the same can't be said for the trainers. Never known to be a quiet one, Floyd Mayweather Sr. refers to Pacquiao's trainer as Freddie "the joke coach" Roach, trying to hype this fight to a huge pay day. This should be, and in my opinion, will be the fight of the year and should bring fireworks. In order for Hatton to win he will need to stop himself from reverting to his old brawler form, and use the technical skills Mayweather has taught him along with his brute strength and power. The Pac Man has brought down many men with his speed but I think Hatton will be able to overcome it with his power and the people of Manchester will rejoice in the streets as their beloved son will come home as the top ranked boxer in the world.

"I gave birth quicker than this transaction!" - Amanda Musial

This quote actually comes from a woman who works at fenway! I'll give a little background to the story:

I attended the Boston Red Sox game on Saturday, April 18th against the Baltimore Orioles and arrived at the stadium with a huge smile on my face. I haven't been able to even get tickets for any games (or afford them) for the past 5 or 6 years. I was sooo excited that I finally was able to get them! ..OK back to the story..

So my friend and I decided to get beer (yes I am of age! and no, not by that much!) before we found our seats. We went to the beer stand and waited in line for at least ten minutes. Which is fine because it was totally expected, as was our bill for the beverages! I finally got to the front of line and asked (politely) 3 beers, 2 for me, 1 for my friend. My friend then asks for another beer and the woman worker acknowledged...or so we thought!

She then asked us to pick up our beer off of the counter and we replied that we were still waiting for the one we asked for. She then proceeded to say the quote stated above. My friend and I were shocked! After this comment I refused to tip her for the already rediculously priced beer, and she continued to curse...oops!

I mean, I don't expect everyone to be super excited about their job but you are at the happiest place in Boston! It took me over 5 years to get to see a game and this woman goes everynight and has an attitude like this!

Ohh, only in Boston!!!

As a sidenote; the game, seats and the beer were all amazing! The Red Sox won 6-4, thanks to a homerun by Youkilis and great pitching!

Vikings split with walkoff win but hopes of Playoffs on Thin Ice By: Jason Gasbarro

The Salem State baseball team was in a deep hole Monday afternoon as their playoff hopes were on the line trailing by a run in the bottom half of the 7th inning against rival Westfield State. After leading off the inning getting hit in the helmet on a first pitch curveball, Nick Dunn advanced to second base on a bunt by lead off hitter Christopher Cocci. The Vikings eventually tied the game on a base hit from senior centerfielder John McCue which scored Cocci from second base. After a Ken Luongo walk, the game came down to the bat of injury plagued Joe Galindo, who in his games since coming off a hamstring pull has been the vikings best all around hitter. Galindo ripped a single to left field scoring the winning run and keeping the Vikings post season bid alive. Although the Vikings dropped the nightcap by poor pitching and unfocused play, they still have an outside chance to enter the MASCAC playoffs. Salem State still has one conference double header against MCLA left and would have to sweep the series, and with a little help from conference foes could sneak their way into playoff contention. The Games are scheduled for Saturday starting at 1:00 P.M. The Vikings will need to get top performences by expected starters captian Al Minor and junior Mike Voyer.

Bruins Look To Sweep-Jason Rexinis

The Boston Bruins had a very light up beat practice yesterday at the Belle Centre in Montreal as they look to sweep their rivals tonight in game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. The B's and the Habs have met each other more times in the playoffs than any other two teams in the history of the NHL. The past four times the B's have been to the playoffs they were outdone by Montreal all four times. It will not happen this year. Claude Julien the coach of the Bruins and former Montreal Canadiens coach will not let his team fold like they are used to doing first round.

The Bruins just simply match up better in every aspect of the game compared to Montreal. Tim Thomas Vezina trophy candidate has played spectacular in net, making huge momentum changing saves when needed. The Bruins offense picked up where they left off in the regular season scoring timely goals when needed. Sparked by the first line of Marc Savard 2-3-5 totals, Phil Kessel 3-2-5 totals. These two have been a the leaders all year in the scoring department and Montreals defense has no answers for them. The Bruins have more depth this year and can roll all four lines at any time in the game. Montreal only has 5 goals in 3 games against the B's. The B's did a great job like they have done all year staying disciplined in thr Belle Centre where the fans seem to be the seventh player. But the crowd could not get to the B's and look for the Bruins to tune out the crowd tonight, play a solid deffense game and sweep the Habs in their own barn.

Labels, labels, labels

Brett M. Rhyne

Please be sure to label your posts, RNS bloggers. Otherwise, how will people find us?

This photo was taken the night the Sox clinched the Wild Card last year, by the way.

Violence in Sports

Micaela Hersee


Most of us blogging for RhyNewSports have been taking sports in general, which is what I planned on doing until an assignment for my sports management course seemed interesting and important. For my class I was asked to discuss Violence in Sports. Before I began my researcher I was oblivious to just how much violence actually occurs.

Violence in Sports can occur in any sport and among any party involved (Fan to fan, player to player, management to player, fan to player, player to referee). It can also occur at any level whether it be Professional, Intramural or Youth.


Many reasons can be attributed to the violence such as:
-Poor education in the areas of discipline, character and team playing.
- Fan provocation and frustration.
- Lack of security.
-Media coverage on violent acts.
- Video Games teaching players violence and hostility will lead to a win.
-Money given to pro sport players.

Solutions to the problems:
- Increase eduction in the areas of disciple and team playing.
- Disciplinary actions against those players acting violently.
- Disciplinary actions against rowdy fans.
- Actions taken against Management and Referee who encourage or participate in poor sportsmanship.
- Banning the media from games if caught showing violence. Asking the media to show the positive points of the game.
- Increasing education for security personal and rewarding them for positive actions.
- Monitoring alcohol consumption.
- Having police involvement whenever necessary.
- Making an example of those behaving badly.

It is important to remember that Violence in Sports can happen at any level and between any party involved. It is an issue that is getting a lot of attention right now and it seems as though rules and regulations may be formed in the near future.


Until next time....

Celtics Plauged by Injuries

Celtics Powe out for playoffs

Dave Pazzaglia

During last night’s thrilling 118-115 win over Chicago the Celtics have run into more injury problems at the worst time of the year. With Garnett already out with looks to be the reminder of the season the Celtics have lost key backup forward Leon Powe for the reminder of the year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in the left knee. Powe was injured early in the second quarter of the game which he did not return although the Celtics were able to salvage a victory with Ray Allen’s late heroics draining a three to even the first round series at one a piece. Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo had also left the game with a sprained ankle which he did return to play on. Celtics coach Doc Rivers reports, “Rajon will sit out from practice Tuesday and Wednesday but is expected to play on Thursday.

With a limited bench it’s going to be a tough rode with Glen Davis moving to Garnett’s spot. Glen Davis is an undersized center who gets into follow trouble that Leon Powe would fill in for help. Now with Powe out, Mikki Moore will be looked upon. More has had some success offensively but has a tough time defensively especially against the pic and roll.

Brian Scalabrine is supposed to practice Wednesday with hopes of playing on Thursday, another injured Celtic. But the Celtics won't be sure of his status until he goes through tomorrow's session. Rajon Rondo will have to really show some character playing with the injured ankle because without him the Celtics would be in more trouble then what they have right now. The defending champ’s backs are definitely against the wall and it’s going to take a total team effort to win this series and possibly more with Rivers stating, “I told our guys we need all hands on deck right now. That's what we're going to have." Game three is Thursday night between the Bulls and the Celtics in Chicago at 8 pm.