http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/user/tdaloisio Recent Yardbarker Articles: tdaloisio en-us Doug Christie goes off.... "A champion is treated in a whole different light. They are valued in the locker room and commercially on a whole different level. For years, my wife and I have been ridiculed and talked about like we are weird, all because we did not fit the "mold" of what the culture breeds in the NBA. It got to the point that these stories would precede us to the point that teams thought that I (i.e. we) would be a problem." Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:27:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278163 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278163 Throughout the NBA playoffs, I've thought about interesting ways to integrate the Celtics into a post. For the life of me, I couldn't think of a good parallel between baseball and basketball. But then I realized something, as a fan it's not always about the sport itself, the X's and O's or numbers that draw us to it, it's the personalities and what they represent. So with that in mind, I set off on a task; Name a current Celtic player and match him up with a Red Sox player that comes to mind as "similar' in some facet or another. Let's call it a Celtics/Red Sox mashup; the CeltSox or the Redtics. Kevin Garnett = David Ortiz Just as KG is the "Big Ticket" and say what you will about the rest of the Big Three he's the face of the franchise. In the same way, in a team full of stars, it's David Ortiz that is the face of the Red Sox franchise. Their careers will be as judged by their personal statistics as the overall performance of the team while they wore the uniform. KG and David Ortiz are both known to have tremendously positive attitudes, they understand the "burden" of being a superstar and embrace it. They both love their sports with a passion and every day it shows how much fun they have playing it. Paul Pierce = Tim Wakefield I was tempted to go with Manny Ramirez here, and to some degree Pierce has shown some "Manny moments" over the course of his career, wrapping a towel over his head during a press conference comes to mind. Jason Varitek would have been comparable as they both wear the captain's jersey, but I had one Red Sox player come to mind when finding my Pierce comparable; Tim Wakefield. Both Pierce and Wakefield are the "elder statesmen" of their teams. They have seen both the best and worst of playing sports in front of the passionate Boston market. Each one paid their dues on their way to their teams' current heights. As much as any other players on their teams, they are as associated with the uniforms they currently wear. Ray Allen = J.D. Drew Both Ray and J.D. were brought in with high expectations, but with some skepticism. Both players have sweet strokes, some might say the "sweetest" in their respective sports. They are both underrated defensive players. Not great, but their propensity to "glide" makes it all look so easy out there for them. Both are more likely on the "back nine" of their careers with their prime just starting to fade away (more so for Ray than J.D.). At the same time, both Ray and J.D. may hold the keys to their team's championship hopes in their performance. Rajon Rondo = Jacoby Ellsbury Young, fast, exciting, future superstars. Both Rajon and Jacoby have come into Boston with it being associated with "Titletown". They haven't really felt the heartache that Boston fans and athletes of years past. They are both built in a mold new to Boston athletes, they are Boston 2.0. Kendrick Perkins = Kevin Youkilis Under-appreciated, over-emotional. Even their nicknames are of similar structure; "Perk" and "Youk". Both Perk and Youk have gained reputations as being a little "overly critical" or whiny with the umpires and referees. Neither has the superstar cache needed to pull it off without some eyebrows being raised. On the flip side, both are incredibly productive in the role that they are asked to fill in their respective teams. James Posey = Dustin Pedroia Gritty, gets things done, plays the game the right way, shows emotion/passion for the game in a good way. They are the "dirt dogs". Eddie House = Coco Crisp Aside from both being valuable bench players, they kind of look alike (minus the dreads). Sam Cassell = Mike Timlin Ouch?both have had great careers. Both are veterans?and I cringe when both players see active duty. Sometimes right now, their play is downright ugly. Glen Davis = Bartolo Colon Do you really need an explanation? Ok?in case it isn't apparent?.it has to do with their body structure. Leon Powe = Justin Masterson Youngsters that came out of nowhere to have big impacts on their respective teams. Powe isn't likely to be more than a role player and Masterson is destined for more. But right now, they are producing from a spot that each team might not have expected to see that much production from. P.J. Brown = Mike Lowell Steady veteran. These guys are the epitome of a veteran presence on a championship caliber team. Beat LA = Yankees Suck 'Nuff Said? Noticeably absent from the Red Sox list were Daisuke Matsuzaka and Manny Ramirez. Without a foreign born phenom on the C's, a Dice K match just didn't feel apropos. And well?.Manny?you can't do Manny justice by even thinking about drawing a comparison to anyone. Clearly we are all about baseball here at Fire Brand?but with a huge game in the NBA Finals tonight, head on over to Celtics 17 and give our Boston brethren a shout of support! BEAT LA!!!!! Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:49:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277191 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277191 While the idea of community projections has existed in blog circles for a while, I haven't seen any real good breakdown as to if those projections were more accurate in aggregate vs. any single individual or experts predictions. So here is what I propose to you today; let's find out. All you have to do is click on the links below to fill out a form for each player asking for predictions for the following statistics; AVG, OBP, SLG, HR, RBI, SB and for pitchers - Wins, Losses, ERA, Strike Outs/9 IP, IP, and Saves. If you would like to provide your name or MVN "handle", it will only be used to call out how correct, or incorrect you are at the end of the season. If you would rather not provide any information linking yourself to your predictions and providing a layer of plausible deniability, feel free to leave it blank. Lastly, please provide the team you root for on a regular basis. Could it be that the collective intelligence of Yankee fans about Red Sox players is more accurate than the fans that live and die all things Sox? We will hopefully find out. Follow the story link to participate... Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:12:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/217674 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/217674 Does UConn's recent hot streak merit consideration for the final four? Get the scoop on the Huskies chances at MVN.com's Husky Beat. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:06:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/157946 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/157946 Coco Crisp demands a trade? Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:24:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/153793 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/153793 Even a conservative look at performance makes the Red Sox the team to beat in the American League East. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:55:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/151366 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/151366 Even without Schilling, this staff looks to be as formidable as they looked last season. Check the full analysis after the jump. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:48:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/131407 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/131407 Upon a debate between Schilling and the Red Sox whether he would have season and likely career ending surgery to repair a partially torn labrum or hold off on surgery until after the season, the two sides went to a mediator per the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The mediator and both sides agreed to not have the surgery and shut Schilling down until the All Star Break. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:32:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/130090 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/130090 Every other team in baseball looked at this skillset and said "not interested". The Red Sox looked at this skillset and said "useful bench player if he'll play for nothing". The Mariners looked at this skillset and said "Starting DH, $6 million salary, #2 hitter". Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:17:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/128515 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/128515 Looking through the lineup, you have to admit that they'll be better at the plate in 2008 than they were last year. Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:12:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/126430 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/126430 I had no idea...I am not sure how I feel about this news. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:00:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/125510 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/125510 Which collapse was more shocking, more damaging, more painful? Which team choked harder? I am still inclined to think that the '04 Yankees losing the 3-0 lead was larger and more painful than this Patriots loss. Then again, I am a Giants fan and a Red Sox fan (I know...blame it on being raised in CT), so I won both of em! Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:39:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124928 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124928 One of the best catches I have ever seen. Won them a Super Bowl. Altered history. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:34:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/123806 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/123806 The Red Sox didn't do much this offseason, but will it hurt them? Here's the first installment looking at the infield and seeing if it stacks up to 2007. At the end of the series, we'll make broad sweeping judgments on the Sox 2008. Question to the yard....would you go into the season next year with Youk, Pedroia, Lugo, Lowell or is there an upgrade that the Red Sox missed out on? Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:33:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/119018 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/119018 Curt Schilling's on Facebook... Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:06:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/15998 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/15998