Not Really a 'Spring Break' for this Guy

This is supposed to be my Spring Break, but I haven’t done the least bit of relaxing. I’ve been busting my ass around the house trying to get things done, and most importantly I’ve taken on the week-long task of painting the entire apartment. Not necessarily a 'spring break' but at least it will pay off in the end. Anyhow, enough about me on to this week’s blog...

1) Do You Love Baseball? Then you have to watch HBO’s East Bound & Down

Any of my readers out there who are lucky enough to have HBO should definitely check out Danny McBride’s new series East Bound & Down. The show revolves around a former Major League Baseball pitcher Kenny Powers (McBride) who is struggling with the fact that he has lost all of his once-great pitching talent because of years of substance abuse. Moreover, Powers is going broke and recently moved back in with his brother and his wife so he can try and get back on his feet.

What’s so awesome about this show is that it can be serious (it can show you what its actually like for some players who fall out of the spotlight) but it can also be down right hilarious (see Powers and his addiction to his jet-ski ). Powers is a cross between the late-great Rod Beck (for his out of shape appearance and ridiculous mullet) and former Atlanta Braves closer John Rocker (for his out of control behavior and constant use of the ‘F-Bomb‘). The show includes a cameo by Will Ferrell who plays local car salesman Ashley Schafer. Ferrell’s character is particularly funny because he resembles. acts, and even looks like a real-life Ric Flair, which gives the show an added flair of ridiculousness (no pun intended). Although I wouldn’t recommend that you sit-down with your family or your girlfriend to watch the show, (there is a ton of profanity and even some nudity) I would schedule it into your leisure time if you are a baseball fan with a good sense of humor.

2) Is it time for Celtics fans to Hit the Panic Button?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
For those Celtics fans out there griping about the team’s current slide there is no need to panic. Although the C’s are 4-6 in their last 10 games, including losses to the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls, they are still in a good position to get a No. 1 seed in this year’s playoffs. Here is why:

A. The Celtics have a relatively easy schedule down the stretch

With 14 games remaining on the C’s 2008-2009 season they have a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way. The only challenges the Celtics face are match-ups with the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and a two-game series with the Atlanta Hawks. The game against the Cavs (Sunday April 12th @ Cleveland) could be particularly interesting because the Celtics are currently 4.5 games behind the Cavs for the No. 1 seed, and it kicks off the last week of regular season action. Additionally of their remaining 14 games, seven of those games will be played at home against sub-par teams like the Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards.

B. Kevin Garnett will be back within the next few days

We all know Garnett’s return will help re-ignite the Celtics defensive attack but Garnett’s return is also going to get the Boston fans back into the game. I don’t know about any of you readers but watching last nights overtime win for the Celtics against the Heat (who were minus Dwayne Wade) was a snore fest, even though we captured the Atlantic Division title in the process. The most significant thing about Garnett’s return is that he will help excite Celtics fans who are preparing for postseason action at the Garden, just like him.

C. The Cavaliers are bound to choke!

Let’s face it I’m not the biggest LeBron James fan on the face of the earth, although he is well on his way to a League MVP, James will not sniff the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP unless he’s hanging out at Kevin Garnett’s house on the Fourth of July. The Cavaliers basically control their own destiny with 15 games left on their schedule, 10 of which are games in Cleveland where they are an outstanding 30-1 on the season (note: the lone game the Cavs lost at home was against the Lakers last month). That one loss leads me to believe the Cavs are due for a letdown. Let’s hope that April 12th match-up against Boston is for the Conference title.

3) Will the Bruins finish with a No. 1 seed?

Yes. (there’s no need to say it more than once)

Even though the Bruins have done their share of struggling lately, (4-5-1 in their last 10 games), there is hope the Bruins can gain some momentum heading into the playoffs. The recent acquisitions of Mark Recchi and Steve Montador have altered the teams philosophy and since the deadline the Bruins have struggled. However, give these guys a chance they are proven veterans who know what it takes to win, once they adjust to the system in place the Bruins will thrive. Additionally, the Bruins are a relatively young team who is looking to gain respect. Moreover, they have the perfect mix of veterans and young players, which can pay dividends in the playoffs. If the Bruins get hot before heading into the playoffs, they might be able to ride the momentum all the way to a Stanley Cup championship.

Durfee Basketball is BACK

People are starting to get on my case about updating this blog, and I figure its in my best interest to do so, considering I have so much free-time over the next month and I really want to find a way to blog for a living because its so damn fun! I want to assure my readers that this next phase of ‘sports’ reporting will be everlasting, unlike the previous on again-off again stuff I was doing last year. I’ve found my calling and it’s time to start working!

Some of you may be wondering where the hell I’ve been so here’s the latest on me:

I’m still at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth working on my Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a focus on professional writing. (That’s right RSL & BS I didn’t fall off the face of the Earth or join the African circus.) I am currently on schedule to graduate following the Spring of 2010, from there I’ll hopefully be going for my Master’s in journalism.

In November 2008 I began working at The Herald News as a sports correspondent. It’s an awesome job and a great experience. Some of you may have seen my articles in the newspaper and wondered if it was really me, well to end suspicion, yes it is me. So far I am loving every minute of it, I’ve been able to cover high school and college sports, alike.

Along the way I’ve been able to interview some of the areas best sports coaches and I’ve also attended some memorable games. However, in this article I want to focus on a game that I don’t think I will ever forget.

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of covering a Division 1 South Sectional Quarterfinals match-up between the Durfee Hilltoppers and Madison Park Voc-Tech at the Luke Urban Field House in Fall River, MA. Ironically, I had just gotten done reading Bill Reynold’s great book Fall River Dreams, which chronicles the 1992-1993 Durfee Hilltoppers basketball season, most importantly former Boston Celtics guard Chris Herren, whom a recent Herald News reader poll revealed is the greatest basketball player in Durfee history.

I had never before attended a boys’ basketball game at Durfee High School, and I’m proud to say the first game I ever attended was a state tournament match-up, could the excitement of the game had been any greater?

Being the ‘amateur’ reporter that I was (and still am) I thought it would be a good idea to sit in the student section for the game.

Wrong.

Although, I was well aware of how loud the Hilltopper-faithful could get when their team was on the court, considering the raucous crowds Durfee drew in Fall River Dreams, there was no way I could anticipate the type of noise and raucous the Durfee students were able to conjure up for that game.

Oh, and did I mention it had been several years since Durfee had hosted a Division 1 South State tournament game?

It was a surreal atmosphere during an all-important game for a team with a rich tradition of winning basketball. The fans were living and dying with every moment of the action. Whenever Durfee hit a basket, fans would jump to their feet in excitement, whenever Madison Park missed a basket, fans would go wild. (The Hilltoppers eventually won the game 63-60, after overcoming a 12-point deficit midway through the third quarter.)

However, what I will always remember about this game is the fans who were in attendance that night. Everyone was hoping to see Durfee basketball chase glory once again, and thanks to the victory, the Hilltoppers have re-established themselves as a Division 1 contender.

The defining moment into the next chapter of the history of Durfee basketball came when the student section (whom I was surrounded by in every direction) came up with one of the most outrageous chants of all time.

It was just about midway through the first quarter when the ‘chant’ began, (or should I say the referee harassment began). Coincidentally it started during the first Durfee foul. That’s when a Durfee student from behind me, standing in the last row of the bleachers, hollered out:

“BOO THIS MAN!” -- pointing at the referee

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” -- roared the Durfee students in attendance

Parents, elders, teachers, and even former players all turned towards the student section, as the long “BOO!!” continued to deafen everyone in, or about, the Luke Urban Field House.

Not knowing what to expect from the Hilltoppers brass, I froze.

From there I watched as the smiles started to sweep across the many faces of the various people grilling the student section.

The student section continued the ‘referee harassment chant’ throughout the rest of the game, I even spotted some non-students who decided to participate in the bewiddling of the ref.

That’s when I realized, Durfee basketball was back and crazier than EVER.

Comments/Questions/Suggestions can be sent to U_Pviveiros@UMassD.edu, I am hoping I can start a Bill Simmons “Mailbag”-type article every now and then. So I invite everyone to e-mail me with questions, sports related or not.