Editor’s note: The BDN begins a new feature today, “Eye on Boston,” in which BDN sportswriters offer opinions on Boston’s pro sports teams.
If Theo Epstein hasn’t already thought about it, he should.
The Boston Red Sox general manager — who has already shown he’s not one to be intimidated away from thinking about the unthinkable — should seriously consider closing out the Jonathan Papelbon era in Red Sox Nation.
Yes, the time may be ripe to trade the Sox closer while he can still fetch a bullpen-load of talent in return.
Admittedly, when I first started considering the idea, I thought Papelbon was just one year away from free agency status. His contract status actually won’t grant him free agency until after the 2011 season, but that hasn’t changed my opinion.
Yes, he compiled at least 35 saves for a fourth straight season and yes, he was 38-for-41 in save opportunities this season. Yes, those numbers and his 1.85 ERA this season make him an elite closer, but there are at least three reasons for Epstein to float “Pap’s” name out there: His lack of killer instinct in many two-out situations, his inability to develop a solid changeup to make his fastball even more effective, and the presence of a 101-mph closer-in-waiting named Daniel Bard.
Sure, Bard still has some seasoning, maturing and development to do, but like many coaches say, you can’t coach speed and he showed a lot in the postseason after having some dicey moments down the regular season’s stretch run.
Plus, Bard can close out games a lot cheaper than Papelbon, who’s already let it be known in at least one interview that he wants to take the baton from Mariano Rivera as the game’s best closer — and be paid as such.
Well Jonathan, if you want that label, then you might want to start pitching like it, and many of us were thinking that before your hellish playoff meltdown against the Angels.
— Andrew Neff
Questions loom as Celts begin title quest
The Boston Celtics clearly are positioned to bring banner No. 18 back to the Garden next June.
There is remarkable talent in the starting lineup, with Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins improving each year to support the Big Three — Pierce, Garnett and Allen.
They are also perhaps the deepest team in the league, buoyed by the offseason additions of Rasheed Wallace for the frontcourt and Marquis Daniels to give Pierce and Allen a break.
Cleveland and Orlando will provide the primary competition in the Eastern Conference, while Los Angeles is the heavy favorite in the West, with challenges perhaps to come from San Antonio and the rapidly developing Portland Trail Blazers.
But the Celtics, like those other contenders, are not without their question marks.
At what level will Kevin Garnett return to form after last February’s still somewhat mysterious knee injury? Preseason reports on Garnett were somewhat mixed, and while he will get more rest with Wallace in the fold, a healthy Garnett is crucial to the team’s title hopes.
At what point with the Celtics’ collective age begin to work against the advantages that come from experience? Wallace is 35, Allen 34, Garnett 33 and Pierce 32 as the 2009-2010 marathon begins Tuesday night.
At 34, Allen is in the final year of his contract. The 13-year veteran says he wants to re-sign with the team, but at what cost? Will the Celtics want to invest in their aging shooting guard, or will Danny Ainge want to spend Allen’s current $18,776,860 salary on a deep 2010 free agent pool that begins with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
And who is the backup point guard? The spin out of Celtics camp is that Eddie House and the newly acquired Daniels will fill that role. But his tenure to date with Boston suggests that House’s considerable shooting skills are wasted if he must focus on ballhandling duties, while Daniels is more a slashing swingman who thrives when driving to the basket and playing defense than a distributor.
Questions to be sure, but don’t be surprised if they are answered with a rally at Boston City Hall some 100 games from now.
— Ernie Clark
Comeback victory could spark Bruins
Once in a while, a dramatic victory can jumpstart a season.
The Boston Bruins may have just registered one of those triumphs in Saturday night’s 4-3 shootout win at Ottawa.
The Bruins trailed 3-1 with 1:28 remaining and scored twice with goalie Tim Thomas on the bench in favor of the extra attacker. Mark Recchi’s goal made it 3-2 with 1:28 left and David Krejci tied it with 21.6 seconds remaining.
Defenseman and off-season acquisition Derek Morris set up both goals, first with a shot from the point that was tipped in by Recchi and then with a pass from the point that was redirected by Krejci.
Patrice Bergeron scored the only goal in the shootout.
Victories like this one supply a team with confidence and a resiliency. It feels it can overcome adversity.
Players like Krejci, Recchi, Bergeron and Morris are going to play pivotal roles in the Bruins’ success or failure over the next four to six weeks because the Bruins are without three-time leading scorer Marc Savard (broken foot) and consummate power forward Milan Lucic (surgery on right index finger).
Even with the injuries and the trade of goal-scoring leader Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins are still a quality hockey team that had underachieved until this current three-game stretch in which they’ve earned five out of a possible six points.
There are plenty of new faces that have needed to be integrated into coach Claude Julien’s system but they seem to fit in nicely. And the return of Marco Sturm, who missed virtually the entire season a year ago due to injury, will help offset the loss of Kessel.
The Bruins will also develop some depth up front as the result of the injuries to Savard and Lucic.
That will pay dividends later when Savard and Lucic return.
— Larry Mahoney