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Bunky
Jun 1, 2019 8:50:42 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jun 1, 2019 8:50:42 GMT -5
Bruins love firmly entrenched BILL REYNOLDS
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ Close your eyes, and it’s like the old days around here. All that’s missing is Bobby Orr. Or so it seems. Remember when it was about the Red Sox and the Bruins in Boston, even when the Celtics were the best basketball team in the world, and the Patriots were off in the distance somewhere? It’s all different now, but don’t underestimate the love for the Bruins. Old memories die hard.
■ Have we seen the last of this Celtics team? I expect so. Odds are Kyrie is going to dribble his way out of town and everything’s going to change. It’s the nature of the business, when you have a basketball diva like Kyrie, whose idea of team are the people who handle his investments, not the guys he plays with. In a perfect basketball world he would come back and be the veteran leader of a young, talented team. But it’s not a perfect world. I hope I’m wrong.
■ Oh well, enough of the Celtics and trying to figure out Kyrie’s very large ego. Go Bruins.
■ Speaking of the Bruins, they played their first National Hockey League game on Dec. 1, 1924 in the Boston Arena, long before anyone had ever heard of Orr.
■ Memo from the “Small world” department: Chris Berman and Keith Olbermann were both students at the Hackney School in Tarrytown, N.Y., at the same time.
■ And a memo from the “time flies” department: Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of you-know-who, was called up by the Giants earlier this week.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Five players in major-league baseball history have hit 60 or more home runs in a season. Who are they? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from the Bruins' Zdeno Chara in the Boston Globe: “We are treating everybody the same way no matter if somebody is 18, or 40, or somebody has 1,000 games or is playing in their first game.”
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Nancy Pelosi on Donald Trump: “I wish that his family or his administration or his staff, would have an intervention for the good of the country.”
■ LINE OF THE WEEK III comes from Donald Trump on Nancy Pelosi: “She's a mess. ... Crazy Nancy.”
■ And the beat goes on.
■ I know he's a great player, but the Warriors are more fun to watch without Kevin Durant.
■ The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins have won a collective 12 titles since 2001.
■ There's no truth to the rumor that the Independent Man wants to take the summer off and go to Narragansett.
■ And spend it on top of the Coast Guard House.
■ Does anyone really care anymore that the Red Sox were the last team in major league baseball to integrate, or does Original Sin always stay with you?
■ The new movie “Booksmart'' didn't do it for me.
■ The NBA Finals have come to Toronto for the first time.
■ But there's no truth to the rumor that one of the games will be played on skates.
■ Or that there will be forechecking.
■ Or that there are now two types of people in the world; those who know what forechecking is, and those who don't.
■ The Dunk continues to hold up very well as a sports arena, as it has been nearly a half-century since it opened.
■ Rick Pitino is coaching in Greece.
■ Bob McGarry has been an editorial assistant here in the sports department for an amazing 46 years, our glue.
■ There's no truth to the rumor that if you are over 25, you are banned from most new movies these days.
■ Looking for an underrated crime novelist, Bunky? Check out George Pelecanos.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Sammy Sosa (three times), Mark McGwire (twice) and Barry Bonds.
■ The Bruins and the Blues last met in the Stanley Cup final 49 years ago.
■ Back when Tom Brady wasn't even born yet
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Bunky
Jun 1, 2019 10:35:11 GMT -5
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Post by wtm97 on Jun 1, 2019 10:35:11 GMT -5
Arguably one of the weakest Bunky offerings ever...
The Race Track dumping gets closer methinks.
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pcdad
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Bunky
Jun 1, 2019 11:34:02 GMT -5
wtm97 likes this
Post by pcdad on Jun 1, 2019 11:34:02 GMT -5
I enjoyed it...closer to the dog track than I care to realize... Guess we're usually the last to "know"...
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Bunky
Jun 8, 2019 7:49:34 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jun 8, 2019 7:49:34 GMT -5
COMMENTARY What’s in a nickname, TB12? BILL REYNOLDS
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH:
■ Is it really necessary for Tom Brady to own the nickname “Tom Terrific?”
Really?
Is this really important for the man who seemingly has everything?
Really?
We all know that Tom is terrific, right?
Just as we once knew that “Tom Terrific'' was the nickname given to Mets' pitching star Tom Seaver back in his World Series glory days, right?
So is it really necessary for Brady to own the nickname?
You tell me.
■ Yeah, I know he's a great talent, but watching Kevin Durant play has really never done it for me.
■ Dustin Pedroia is on indefinite leave for knee troubles. A sneak preview of the near future?
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Who is the only pitcher in MLB history to throw three “Immaculate Innings” in his career. An immaculate inning occurs when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in one inning using nine pitches. (Answer near the bottom of the column).
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Celtics honcho Danny Ainge on his recovery from a mild heart attack: “I'm eating more plants, and not the kind of plants in (Bill) Walton's garden.”
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from the Raptors' Kawhi Leonard: “I don't care about being the best player. I want to be the best team.”
■ Teen movie “Booksmart?'' Be happy you're no longer a teen.
■ These NBA playoffs have become a coming out party for the Raptors' Kawhi Leonard.
■ The quickie scouting report on Yankees rookie Clint Frazier? He couldn't catch a cold.
■ New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who says she's running for president, wants to end the federal ban on marijuana.
■ But don't get all excited, Bunky, I'm not sure she could beat you.
■ Who knows where Kyrie will end up next season, but odds are it won't be on the parquet.
■ Have the Red Sox been lackluster so far, or is just me?
■ Remember when the only sign in Fenway Park was for “The Jimmy Fund.'' No more.
■ What's next? One for “Chico's Bail Bonds?''
■ Here it is, nearly 20 years later and no one seems to know what the real relationship is between Brady and Belichick.
■ Except that it works, right?
■ This from a recent poll in the Boston Globe: The Patriots are by far the most popular team in Boston, followed the Red Sox and Celtics.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: Sandy Koufax, in 1962, 1963 and 1964.
■ The world will never run out of new passwords.
■ The word is Giants quarterback Eli Manning, now 38, is practicing with his successor on the field for the first time in his career.
■ The 3-point line in college basketball will be be moved back to 22 feet, 1¾ inches next season, which matches the international distance.
■ It's still too short, but what are you going to do?
■ There's no truth to the rumor that the Independent Man is going to Connecticut this summer because South County is too crowded.
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Bunky
Jun 15, 2019 11:20:25 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jun 15, 2019 11:20:25 GMT -5
Too bad nobody told the Blues BILL REYNOLDS
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ Didn’t it seem as though everything was set up for the Bruins? Home ice. Higher-ranked teams losing earlier in the playoffs. History. Everything. Didn’t it seem as though you could close your eyes and see it all being played out in front of you, the Stanley Cup presentation on the ice, the celebration in the locker room, the parade through the streets of Boston, this Bruins’ team with their own little slice of immortality? This game that was the most-watched hockey game on record. Until they lost. Until the drum got banged slowly. And the sports world moved on.
■ Sign of the Times? The new Athlon’s Pro Football Magazine has Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes as the No. 1 quarterback in the NFL, and the top player. Tom Brady is rated the second-best quarterback, and the third best player.
■ Say it ain’t so, Mr. Kraft.
■ Other top 50 players from the Patriots in the magazine are cornerback Stephon Gilmore at 19, wide receiver Julian Edelman at 45, and safety Devin McCourty at 48.
■ And on the Fantasy League roster? Brady is the 14th-rated quarterback.
■ Fourteen? What’s up with that?
■ Or good luck trying to name 13 quarterbacks better than TB12.
■ Because you’re simply not going to be able to do it, Bunky.
■ Not even close.
■ You’ve seen too many NBA games if you remember when the Celtics used to play a half-dozen or so games a year at the old R.I. Auditorium on North Main Street.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: Only five golfers have won all four of golf’s modern majors at any time during their careers, an achievement which is often referred to as a Career Grand Slam. Who are they? (Answer near bottom of column).
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from Red Sox manager Alex Cora in the Boston Herald: “It’s not about who’s playing. It’s about what we do with men on base.”
■ Go to the movies now as an adult male and too many people think you’re a father looking for your daughter.
■ The word is that Derek Jeter and A-Rod could barely tolerate each other when they were together on the Yankees.
■ But who do you root for in that little dust-up?
■ The attendance for Major League Baseball reportedly is down again, after being down 4% last year.
■ How mediocre are the Red Sox? They are way below .500 against teams with a winning record.
■ The hot rumor? Kyrie to the Brooklyn Nets.
■ Good luck to Lindsay Gottlieb, the former Brown basketball player turned women’s college coach who was just hired as an NBA assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
■ Remember when movies were great? Now you either have to be a kid, or check half your I.Q. at the door.
■ Wednesday night’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final between the Bruins and Blues was the most watched NHL game on record.
■ Narragansett was better in the summer when people from Connecticut didn’t know where it was.
■ Speaking of the Red Sox, they are the worst team in baseball when it comes to scoring in the first inning.
■ But there’s no truth to the rumor that the Independent Man wants to get some bullpen work in to get ready for the postseason.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods.
■ This from the Boston Herald: The illegal migrant population grew more in Massachusetts from 2007 to 2017 than any other state in the country.
■ You still don’t know Brooks Koepka is? If you like golf, it’s probably about time you discovered him.
■ The Brown men’s basketball team is playing at St. John’s and Duke this upcoming season.
■ And the Bryant men are playing at Maryland.
■ But there’s no truth to the rumor the second half is going to be an SAT test.
■ You know we’re all in the wrong business, Bunky, with the news that John Calipari is going to get $86 million over 10 years to coach the University of Kentucky basketball team.
■ That’s right, $86 million.
■ Ah, education
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pcdad
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Bunky
Jun 18, 2019 23:37:59 GMT -5
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Post by pcdad on Jun 18, 2019 23:37:59 GMT -5
As an illiterate man in my boyhood neighborhood displayed on his car bumper for the whole neighborhood to ponder: “If you’re so smart... why ain’t you rich?”
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mikemc
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Bunky
Jun 20, 2019 8:31:35 GMT -5
Post by mikemc on Jun 20, 2019 8:31:35 GMT -5
Wednesday night’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final between the Bruins and Blues was the most watched NHL game on record.
Game was over 1/2 way thru the 1st period.
....gotta love friartown...
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Bunky
Jun 29, 2019 8:14:03 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jun 29, 2019 8:14:03 GMT -5
Survival, not expansion, should be baseball’s main goal BILL REYNOLDS
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:
■ The Red Sox and Yankees are going to play two games in London over the weekend? Why? To grow the game? Please. Let’s get serious. Baseball has enough problems with younger kids around here and their relationship with baseball, never mind worrying about what’s going on in London. The Lords of the Game should be trying to grow the game around here, before baseball becomes just a game we used to love.
■ The Dodgers are playing the best baseball percentage-wise at .671, with the Yankees and Twins tied for second at .650 as of Friday morning.
■ Best of luck to Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade, who’s defending his middleweight title on Saturday night at The Dunk.
■ And best wishes to Joe Mazzulla, the former Hendricken basketball star, who’s in line to be an assistant coach for the Celtics.
■ Which is a long, long way from the Interscholastic League if you think about it.
■ This weekend will be the last for horse racing at Suffolk Downs after 84 years.
■ Craig Robinson, the former Brown basketball coach and brother-in-law of Barack Obama, is the new player development director of the Knicks.
■ QUIZ OF THE WEEK: The Boston Celtics have drafted two former Providence College basketball players in the first round of the NBA Draft. Can you name them? (Answer near the bottom of the column.)
■ LINE OF THE WEEK comes from the former UConn great basketball coach Jim Calhoun, on the Huskies coming back to the Big East: “Our marketing guys are good, but you can’t make up rivalries. There’s no better fight than your neighborhood fight.’’
■ LINE OF THE WEEK II comes from Celtics’ basketball poobah Danny Ainge: “I just think it makes life more enjoyable when everyone is hardworking, and will play any role they have to to help the team succeed.”
■ Which is a way of talking about Kyrie Irving, without talking about Kyrie Irving.
■ Don’t expect Kyrie to be invited to too many Celtic reunion parties in the future.
■ LeBron will be 35 in December, in case you want to send him a card.
■ Then again, he looked the same when he first came into the league as a teenager, right?
■ Speaking of LeBron, he’s been in the NBA for a long time now, and it’s not like anyone has come along since who’s even close to being him.
■ Which might just be the highest compliment you can give him.
■ I don’t know about you, Bunky, but I really can’t see Coach Bill and TB12 hanging out together on the Cape & islands.
■ Speaking of the islands, the word is that $65 million will get you Jackie O’s compound on Martha’s Vineyard.
■ Old friend Rick Pitino, now 66, says he still wants to coach in the NBA.
■ Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, both free agents, will not be ready for the start of next season.
■ The word is golfer Michelle Wie, now 29, is worried about her arthritic wrist.
■ Which former Duke star — Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett — will have a better rookie year?
■ Baseball on the radio is one of the great sounds of summer.
■ The latest baseball news? Tampa Bay, which can’t draw fans, is thinking about playing a split season in Montreal in the future.
■ You never forget the first time you saw Fenway Park as a kid.
■ QUIZ ANSWER: Eric Williams in 1995, MarShon Brooks in 2011.
■ R.I.P. Jim Taricani, as classy and talented as they came, a Rhode Island treasure.
■ The recent NHL Draft? Seven of the top 15 picks were Americans, including Jack Hughes, selected No. 1 by the Devils.
■ Kevin Durant to the Knicks? That’s the rumor, Bunky.
■ And the General Assembly to South County for the rest of the summer.
■ That’s the other rumor.
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Bunky
Jun 29, 2019 12:16:32 GMT -5
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Post by wtm97 on Jun 29, 2019 12:16:32 GMT -5
And not one word on UCONN back to Big East??? Hmmmmm...
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mikemc
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Posts: 3,241
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Bunky
Jun 30, 2019 6:33:22 GMT -5
Post by mikemc on Jun 30, 2019 6:33:22 GMT -5
wtm looking for a parade announcement??
Line of the Week was about UCONN back to the BE..
....gotta love friartown...
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Bunky
Jun 30, 2019 18:26:07 GMT -5
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Post by wtm97 on Jun 30, 2019 18:26:07 GMT -5
Weak
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Bunky
Jul 1, 2019 9:27:06 GMT -5
Post by dex on Jul 1, 2019 9:27:06 GMT -5
Weak is right...maybe Bunky would like to write THE book about the Hurley's?
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mikemc
Friar Fanatic
Posts: 3,241
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Bunky
Jul 1, 2019 9:58:03 GMT -5
Post by mikemc on Jul 1, 2019 9:58:03 GMT -5
You guys seriously expect anything else but weak from Bunky???
....gotta love friartown...
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pcdad
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Bunky
Jul 1, 2019 23:11:09 GMT -5
Post by pcdad on Jul 1, 2019 23:11:09 GMT -5
Hey, he got in The London Series, a comment about growing young fans in the USA might be more fitting, first time seeing Fenway, TB attendance considering splitting home games in Montreal, how baseball is made for listening on the radio. It's summer.
He got in Coach Bill and TB vacationing. The pols vacationing in South County. Summer Get the theme?
Two Friar's mentioned on the Celtics. Former Friar coach looking for work. A good riddance to Kyrie. A reference to the Former Brown coach and Knicks Player Development coach. Asking about which Duke star will have a better rookie year. Referencing Danny Ainge , naming LeBron as the best even as he turns 35 and looking as he did when he arrived.
A nod to Jim Taricani as "classy and talented" as ever seen in RI.
Not "weak" commentary to my reading.
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friar82
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Bunky
Jul 3, 2019 12:18:32 GMT -5
dex likes this
Post by friar82 on Jul 3, 2019 12:18:32 GMT -5
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