Podcast: Jon Heyman on the Red Sox

I had a chance to talk to Sports Illustrated's baseball insider Jon Heyman on Tuesday when I was filling in for Gresh & Zolak (middays 10am-2pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub) along with Nick Cattles. We discussed the Sox problem in RF, interleague play, and if Jonathan Papelbon could return to Boston after this season.

-Keefe

Podcast: NBA Draft Recap

Rich Keefe joined Brian Robb from the CelticsHub to break down last week's NBA Draft. The two discuss how the selections shook out for the C's with JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, and look at winners and losers.

CelticsHub.com NBA Draft Review Podcast by BRobb8

Worse Than 2000?

Weak. Thin. Young. Some what top heavy. Disappointing. Risky. Full of potential. Dangerous. These are words that describe Lindsay Lohan. They also could illustrate the 2011 NBA Draft Class. There is no slam dunk franchise changing player at the top of the draft (see. David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, etc.) And by all accounts it’s not even a deep draft with a number of play-right-away solid players.

Anytime there is a potential poor draft it has to be compared to the disaster that was the 2000 NBA Draft. 58 players were drafted on that June night, resulting in little to no impact on the league. With all the negative press surrounding this year’s draft, the question must be asked, could it be worse than 2000?

Nearly 11 years ago to the day Kenyon Martin was selected 1st overall by the New Jersey Nets. Not a bad player by any means, but 13.5 points, 7 rebounds is not ideal for the top pick in the draft. (After Martin, the next four #1 picks in the draft came either out of high school or international and five of six.)

Martin is one of only three players from the 2000 class to make an All-Star team. He, Jamaal Magloire (19th), and Michael Redd (43rd) have all been All-Stars just once in their careers, giving this class a grand total of 3 All-Star appearances. As for awards and honors, Redd (All-NBA 3rd Team) is the only player to receive an All-NBA honor, Jamal Crawford and Mike Miller both earned 6th Man Awards (Miller also won the less than impressive Rookie of the Year Award, and Hedo Turkoglu won Most Improved back in 2008.

In summation the 2000 Draft Class, with 11 seasons (for the lucky ones) of NBA action has landed them a TOTAL of 3 All-Star games, 2 6th Man Awards, a Most Improved, and one 3rd Team All-NBA. That’s craptastic. In fact that sounds like a solid career for one player.

The All-2000 Draft Team? I would start- Jamal Crawford, Mike Miller, Hedo Turkoglu, Kenyon Martin, and Jamaal Magloire. My bench: DeShawn Stevenson, Quentin Richardson, Desmond Mason, Joel Pryzbilla, Speedy Claxton, Morris Peterson, and Brian Cardinal. Those are the 12 BEST players.

How many Top 15 busts can you have? Stromile Swift (2nd), Darius Miles (3rd), Marcus Fizer (4th), DerMarr Johnson (6th), Chris Mihm (7th), Keyon Dooling (10th), Jerome Moiso (11th, what a pick Pitino!), Courtney Alexander (13th), Mateen Cleaves (14th), and Jason Collier (15th). Gross. But with the exception of each team passing up Michael Redd, can you really get that mad at any team for taking one bad player over another? Wow can’t believe the C’s took Moiso over Donnell Harvey!

Will Thursday produce the same lack of talent? Are we going to look back in 2022 (weird, right?) and say, was it worse than 2011? Will all 60 players combine for just 3 All-Star selections in over a decade of games?

Even though this year’s group doesn’t jump out at you, I think the odds have to be in their favor to surpass the miserably low bar set by the crew of 2000. Will Kyrie Irving be a legitimate #1 pick? If it is Irving he would be just the 4th guard taken first overall in the last 30 years, but 3rd in the last four (Derrick Rose, John Wall). Could Irving, or Brandon Knight, or Kemba Walker emerge as an All-Star?

There are a number of talented international players in this year’s draft, Could there be another Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili in the group of Enes Kanter, Jan Vesely, Jonas Valanciunas, or Bismack Biyombo?

Could a shooting guard like Alec Burks, Klay Thompson, or Marshon Brooks turn into a legit scorer? And don’t forget ultra talented Derrick Williams, Kwai Leonard, and Jimmer Fredete.

It’s difficult to say with confidence that this class will ultimately be better than the one 11 years ago, but I believe it will happen. After all, it won’t take much.

Bruins vs. Canucks Game 7 (NHL '95 Rosters)

The Bruins are playing their biggest game in nearly 4 decades tonight as its Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They are facing a team that has become as hated as the Canadiens, Heat, and Yankees, the spineless Vancouver Canucks.

An important question has yet to be answered until now... what would the starting lineups look like if it were played on the greatest video game of all-time, NHL '95 for SEGA? Here it is: position - player - game rating.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS:

LW - Geoff Courtnall - 71
C - Cliff Ronning - 77
RW - Pavel Bure - 94

D - Jeff Brown - 74
D- Jykri Lumme - 64

G - Kirk McLean - 70

BOSTON BRUINS:

LW - Bryan Smolinski - 69
C - Adam Oates - 84
RW - Cam Neely - 76

D - Ray Bourque - 96
D - Al Iafrate - 77

G - Jon Casey - 63

Clearly the Bruins upgraded with Tim Thomas over the ever-popular Jon Casey, however Oates, Neely, and Bourque would be the 3 best players on today's Bruins.

Enjoy Game 7!

-Keefe

New #1 Contender; UFC 131 Results

Rogers Arena in Vancouver has been a busy place, hosting Games 1, 2, 5, (and hopefully 7 on Wednesday) of the Stanley Cup Finals, and last night it was the site of UFC 131. I was not blown away by the card, but heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez certainly had his eyes on the main event as he now knows he will next square off with Junior Dos Santos. Here are the results:



MAIN CARD:

•Junior Dos Santos def. Shane Carwin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
•Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
•Mark Munoz def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
•Dave Herman def. Jon Olav Einemo via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:19
•Donald Cerrone def. Vagner Rocha via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

UNDER CARD:

•Sam Stout via Yves Edwards via KO (punch) - Round 1, 3:52
•Chris Weidman via Jesse Bongfeldt submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 4:54
•Krzysztof Soszynski def. Mike Massenzio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
•Nick Ring def. James Head via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 3:33
•Dustin Poirier def. Jason Young via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
•Joey Beltran def. Aaron Rosa via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 1:26
•Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

-Keefe

You Ready for Game 5?

Bruins and Canucks Game 5 is tonight. Need some help killing time from now until then...

Ultimate Warrior Slams (Verbally) Hulk Hogan

Check out this recent gem by the Ultimate Warrior as he teases a 55 minute video which will be released later this month where he blasts Hulk Hogan for being a "dope head," and says that the Hulkster would pimp out his wife. Great stuff. Glad the Warrior is back.



-Keefe

Best of Toucher & Rich

Toucher and Rich (Fred Toucher & Rich Shertenlieb), the morning show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, celebrated 5 years on Boston radio today. Throughout the show they played some of their best-of clips. This one is an absolute gem from a few years back. Enjoy.