Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 When you and your family are nine miles from the nearest paved road , and there is no electricity, toilet, running water, refrigerator, automatic heating device or nearby corner store,  daily living becomes very different. Such was our "fate" for roughly 30 years on the shores of Aziscohos Lake in Western Maine. Aziscohos Lake, Western Maine Any trip to the camp started with buying provisions for the duration or our stay. The nearest grocery store would be at least an hour away - 20 minutes of which meant navigating nine miles of treacherous logging roads . Moose and logging trucks needed to be avoided.  No fridge meant a large cooler and blocks of ice would have to suffice. And if the four-hour trip to the camp meant we arrived in darkness, lugging everything down the hill with only flashlights to guide the way could be a major chore. No electricity meant relying on propane lanterns and kerosene lamps once inside. Cooking took different forms . A simple propane c...

  Women seem to generally see their doctors on a regular schedule. Men , conversely, often avoid medical pros like the plague . In my early 50's, I was one of them . But that changed. "Your first symptom may have been to drop dead!"  My story is not an uncommon one. It started with a hernia that needed repair . But my blood pressure was sky-high. And I had no symptoms . No surgeon would operate until that BP came down . My general practioner, David Spiegelman (Pepperell, MA at the time) was on it. The BP became controlled, and the operation was successful. Than came the high PSA - followed by a biopsy that revealed prostate cancer. Once again - no symptoms. The prostate was removed - followed by 37 sessions of radiation. This all took place roughly 19 years ago . However, four years ago , Doctor Spiegelman, during a routine exam, found that I had a heart murmer. Any symptoms, you may ask. NOPE! A cardiologist determined that I had "aortic stenosis", a clogg...

 Remember the 1-on-1 competition during the 1972 NBA All-Star festivities . It came down to the Celtics 6'3" point guard, JoJo White, versus the Pistons 6'11" center, Bob Lanier . Size mattered as Lanier took the honors - and the $15,000.00 prize. Reintroducung this type of contest during All-Star weekend - while revising it to a 2-on-2 competition - may be helpful in spurring interest in the activities that take place during the League celebration. And making it a 4-man contest (2-on-2) introduces passing skills into the fray. My personal choice would be to have each pair come from the same team . In 1972, it could have been Lanier and teammate, Dave Bing, against White and Dave Cowens . This season, had Jayson Tatum not been injured , teaming him with Jaylen Brown would have been interesting. And how about pitting them versus the Lakers' Luka Doncic and Lebron James . Almost every NBA fan is bored with what goes on during All-Star weekend, and help is nee...

            Imagine if you asked former players to load manage... I'm telling you here and now that Larry would tell you heck no! A guy like MJ would say someone paid good money to see me. I may not be an All world athlete but there's no load management between my two jobs. My old man worked for 43 years in a factory and didn't need load management. I get that these teams invest in these individuals and they want longevity, but we are making softer athletes who tend to be injured more. Those former players dealt with so much and had none of the nutritional stuff as today's athletes do. They survived off grit, talent and hard work.       I appreciate a player like JT who doesn't like taking nights off. He gets that people come to see him perform night in and night out. Unfortunately for him he suffered a brutal injury in the playoffs. His presence and love for the game will be missed. I expect to see JB along with Derrick lead this team t...

 I realize Larry Bird gets many accolades for his career accomplishments, but he does not get the recognition coming to him . Why? Partly because he is "light complected" , not highly-athletic - nor particularly quick on his feet. And let me add that being a career-long member of the much-maligned Boston Celtics doesn't help his status amoing non-New-Englanders. Let's do a quick stats comparison of Larry and Michael Jordan , widely recognized as the "best ever".  Larry: 24.3 PPG - 10.0 RPG - 6.3 APG - 1.7 SPG - 0.8 BPG - .496 FG - .376 3s - .886 FT Michael: 30.1 PPG - 6.2 RPG - 5.3 APG - 2.3 SPG - 0.8 BPG - .497 FG -  .327 3s - .835 FT Bird takes four categories (underlined) , and Jordan takes two . The FG% was too close to call , and a tie occurred in blocks . Granted, stats alone do not determine rankings - nor do Championships, individuaL defensive prowess - or many other attributes.  And I will not go so far as to state that Bird should be rated...

 Yes, I absolutely know that the Boston Celtics roster has been ravaged in an attempt to cut costs and hopefully get below the second (or even first) apron. But 29th seems quite pessimistic , particularly since the last slot is occupied by the Golden State Warriors with an "incomplete" ranking ( per The Athletic's David Aldridge ): The skinny:  The second apron ran like a scythe through the Celtics’ dreams of an extended run atop the East. While Boston awaits Jayson Tatum’s return, likely for the 2026-27 season, it will have to figure out who will ride with Tatum, Brown and (presumably) Derrick White going forward. Is Simons part of the retooling, or will he be flipped for more payers and picks? Garza isn’t without offensive talent, but he’s a couple of steps down, obviously, from KP. Gonzalez projects as a solid if not spectacular wing. It’s going to be bleak in Beantown for a minute. I totally realize that ranking NBA teams in the off-season is not an exact science . M...

  Who is going to rebound for the Boston Celtics this season? Thay have lost five of their top-7 board men through injury (Tatum), trades and desersions. In the 2024-25 regular season, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Jrue Holiday accounted for 31.3 rebounds per contest. The entire team averaged 45.3 RPG . "Boston, we have a problem". Only Derrick White and Jaylen Brown remain in green from the top-7 rebounders for last season. So, where are the boards going to come from? All of this assumes that Al Horford will be on the west coast soon , but Neemias Queta averaged 9.9 RPG (per 36 minutes) last season , and he is expected to be the starter - at least for the beginning of the season. It appears that Joe Mazzulla may go big at the power forward slot to help make up for the projected lack of board men. So, who is that fifth starter at the PF position? It is too early to totally answer that question, but 6'10" Luka Garza has averaged 9...