Piece(s) of his mind
Picked-up pieces while driving to Loudon for the big race . . .
Hilarious moment inside the Theater at Madison Square Garden when the Knicks drafted Italian Danilo Gallinari with the sixth pick Thursday night. The poor kid was saying, "New York is the best city in the world," while fans booed with gusto. It reminded me of the hooting/howling Deltas when the photo of Flounder appears on the screen during a review of new recruits. Commissioner David Stern and Gallinari are lucky they weren't pelted with beer and pizza slices.
Jonathan Papelbon has a career ERA of 1.69 (37 earned runs in 196 2/3 innings). It is the lowest career ERA in major league history among pitchers with at least 150 innings.
Could there be any less interest in the upcoming Olympics? Really. When is the last time you heard anyone mention the upcoming Summer Games? The big news Friday was the announcement that the entire Bulgarian weightlifting team (eight men, three women) tested positive for steroids. For this veteran observer, the Beijing Games just won't be the same without Ivan Stoitsov.
We live in a RemDawg world, celebrating all things Jerry Remy. The Sox paid tribute to the ubiquitous color man Tuesday night, but what's gotten lost amid the promotions and pageantry is the fact that Remy was a very good ballplayer. Knee problems cut short his career, but he was an All-Star second baseman who could steal a base and move the runner over. He delivered one of the clutch hits in Boston sports history when he cracked that ninth-inning single to right off Rich Gossage in the one-game playoff. Don't let his self-deprecation fool you. Remy was good.
Which reminds me of Tommy Heinsohn. His latter-day fame as a cartoonish television commentator should never overshadow his true place in Celtics history. Heinsohn was a great ballplayer. He was NBA Rookie of the Year the same year Bill Russell came into the league. When the Celtics won their first championship in Game 7 in double overtime against the Hawks, Heinsohn scored 37 points with 23 rebounds. He won eight rings in nine years as a player, then came back and won a couple more as coach of the Celtics.
What became of the word "tall"? There are no more tall people when scouting basketball. There are "bigs." More recently, "long" became the substitute for "tall." Prospective players are "long." A guy is tough to match up against because he's long. Makes me wonder anew about Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." She must have been a big.
The Red Sox Foundation is a wonderful thing. I just wish the Sox would cease the cheesy practice of raffling championship rings for fans. It's a stunt that dilutes the accomplishments of those who earned the rings.
Paul Pierce is MVP of the NBA Finals. A week later, Antoine Walker is a spare part in an eight-man swap on draft night. Remember when Walker was the Man here and Pierce was running sidecar for Antoine? And speaking of Pierce, he helps his image tremendously by going along with the gag and riding in a wheelchair for a late-night TV gig. Who knew he had a great sense of humor?
Bumped into Togo Palazzi at the Celtic draft party. Togo was the Celtics' first-round pick in 1954 and looks like he could still give Doc Rivers a few quality minutes.
Sons of Sam Horn? The Cincinnati Reds worked out 35 players in Hudson this week, including Jamal Horn, an 18-year-old slugger from North Kingstown, R.I. Jamal is the real son of Sam Horn.
If you were stuck in New York traffic Friday, maybe you can blame the Yankees or Mets. With police blocking streets, the Mets' caravan got from Shea Stadium to Yankee Stadium in 17 minutes Friday morning. The trip back to Shea later in the day took 28 minutes. Something tells me it took fans a little longer.
Shawn Chacon must have been channeling his inner Curt Schilling when he grabbed Astros general manager Ed Wade and threw him to the floor last week. When Schilling and Wade worked in Philadelphia, it was Wade who said, "Curt's a horse every fifth day. The other four days, he's a horse's ass."
Two thumbs up to Lou Merloni on his NESN pregame gig. And it's good to hear Brian Daubach on "The Big Show."
Sports Illustrated's commemorative issue on the Celtics is spectacular. Ditto for Jack McCallum's story ("Seems Like Old Times") in the issue featuring Bill Russell and Kevin Garnett on the cover.
Hope you've got your copy of K.C. Jones's "For Love of Song." Check out maddenmusicstudio.com to hear what the Celtics heard in hotel bars across America in the 1980s.
Give me future US Senator Jeff Burton this afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The guy is from South Boston, Va. Doesn't Boston win everything this year?
Mary Faherty died Wednesday night. Mary was Red Auerbach's secretary for more than 30 years. She was still on the job when the Celtics won banner No. 16 in 1986 and she lived to see No. 17 a couple of weeks ago. The Celtics currently employ a small army, but there was a time when Mary and Red made up half of the Boston front office. She was unfailingly polite and loyal and you didn't get to see Red without going through Mary. She held all calls during "Hawaii Five-O" and "The People's Court." Her funeral Mass is tomorrow morning at St. Anthony's Church in East Falmouth.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.
