RECOVERY

I know I promised to take a look back at the 2007 NE Patriots but unfortunately it won't happen this week. Too busy. But it will come soon enough.

Meanwhile, to forget the loss, I have tried to keep busy. Specifically, I attended the Celtics
(38-9)/Spurs(32-16) game yesterday and I'll do the same for the Bruins/Canes game tomorrow. So how was the game? Well, awesome. I used to go to all the games a couple years back. You could find me in the nosebleed section up in the balcony;section 325 to be specific. The last game I went to was a playoff game a couple years ago versus the Pacers. It was Game 4 and nobody was in the building because we were down 3-0 in a best of 7 series. I remember looking at all the empty seats and the white towels that had been all tossed on the floor in frustration early on. As the final buzzer sounded, my brother and I had section 325 all to ourselves. Our feet were spread out over the empty seats in front of us as we sipped our Harpoon IPA and argued about how great The War Within (Shadows Fall) was.

Anyway, this time the seats were great. Row 4 court side with seats at the very end of the aisle, perfect for trips to the beer vendor. Being that close really made the Sunday matinee well worth it. Though the staggering price of the seats-$150.00- was a joke. Sitting very close to me was Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis. He sat behind the basket with his fiancee. He got a loud applause of "YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKK" everytime he was on the jumbo-tron. He even took part in the t-shirt contest, blasting shirts with the launcher deep into the balcony. Sitting courtside on the other side of the basket was former Celtic Jo-Jo White and what appeared to be Food Network chef Mario Batali. Batali was dressed like a clown though and his wife and kids looking truly embarrassed. Batali was wearing bright pink shorts( a snowy and cold February afternoon mind you) and orange crocs! Awful stuff.

Anyway, the sellout crowd at the TD Banknorth Boston Garden was enjoying the fan-friendly atmosphere. The nationally televised game had fans loud and boisterous. The jumbotron kept people dancing and laughing all game. All these people were attempting the Soul- Ja dance. I had no idea what was going on but everyone looked like stupid and the song was horrible. Luckily GNR song Welcome to the Jungle was played often as the Celts took the floor after a timeout.
The freeze came was sweet. In a fast-forward motion, people were unknowingly recorded eating before the game and then put on the Jumbotron throughout the game. It's amazing how disgusting people are when they eat especially when it is shown in a sped-up fashion. One Asian guy was stuffing his face with what appeared to be nachos while his buddy was talking to him. As the dude spoke the other payed no attention and continued to stuff his face. Hilarious.

The Celtics cheerleader were amazing. All 20 dancers looked amazing in their tight black shorts and Celtics bra looking tops. It seemed that Haley had her eyes glued to me and my studly college brother every time she took the floor. But maybe I was wrong.
There were also kids, likely between the ages of 6-12, dancing on the floor as well. But once again, it was the horrific hip-hop that was blared throughout. Though no folk metal, there was some folk music, which gave the Jumbotron a chance to show some redneck people dancing. These guys and gals looked like total morons, especially a guy the fat guy with baggy blue jeans and a bunch of keys around his neck. The kept showing him too as he continued to be laughed at. The parachute drop sent people into a frenzy. From the rafters, little parachutes with a character dropped down on a few fans. Intelligent marketing ploy. The corny dude taking pictures of everyone in our section was a bad ploy. He took pictures and handed out business cards. I tried not whack him because I remember a few years back when my brother shoved him about 10 feet for getting in his way. The funny thing was I think it was the same dumb-looking guy. Besides Batali, another guy took the honors of the ugliest person in the building. This old, hairy, sweaty fat dude in a Lakers Havlicek jersey was scaring little kids throughout the building.

As I sipped my fresh Sam Adams Boston Lager from my padded seat in Row 4, I watched people stuff their face with freschetta pizza's, hot dogs and popcorn. Some folks were drinking $5 DD Iced Coffee's! The only problem with drinking beers is the trips to the bathroom. Waiting until halftime to dispose of the brews was a bad move. The lines were brutal man. Fortunately, my years of experience at the Boston Garden helped out. I left the Loge and headed to the balcony where the lines are much shorter. Great move. With the Nationally televised game, fans behind the basket waved their Bill Walton masks at the Spurs free throw shooters all throughout the game. As for the game, it was great. The long timeouts and stoppages, fueled by the NBC telecast, gave folks time to talk, drink and eat. Paul Pierce battled Ginobli throughout the game, same went for Big Baby Glen Davis and Tim Duncan. In the end, the Celtics won 98-90. It was a great time. The Celtics, who are still without Garnett, went 3-1 this week. The lost to the Cavs 114-113 in a heartbreaker to start the week then bounced back to beat the Clippers, T-Wolves and Spurs. They are an NBA best 39-9.

The Bruins had another poor week. Outside of an OT win in Buffalo, they lost both games at home to teams below them in the standing: Buffalo and Florida. They got Murray back but better get things going soon, especially as I'll be there in person tomorrow. I'll discuss that game and all things Boston sports next weekend!