Free Sport

Meet Drew Bledsoe: Powder Skiing Extraordinaire

Looking for the perfect connecting thread between the upcoming NFL playoffs and the recent bounty of winter snowfall? How about this article from Backcountry Magazine: “Out of Pocket: How skiing kept NFL legend Drew Bledsoe grounded.” Wait. Drew Bledsoe is...

In Defense of Tim Thomas

Unless you’ve managed to keep your Boston sports mania maintained solely on the Patriots’ place in the upcoming Super Bowl, you’ve probably heard about Bruins star goalie Tim Thomas electing not to join his team when they were honored for last...

Revolution at The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the biggest media event of the year. The NFL Player’s Association is the most visible union in the country. And some way or another, these two seemingly unrelated aspects of our sports society will meet in Indiana’s capital city this...

Losing Teams Win In Socialist NFL

Like some 100 million other folks, I watched the Patriots snatch defeat from the jaws of victory last night, literally dropping the ball on what could have been their fourth Super Bowl Championship. To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld (who in turn was paraphrasing himself)...

Believe in Magic (Mountain)

In the midst of the worst snow-winter in the history of my recollection, something remarkable has happened on the ski scene: Southern Vermont’s Magic Mountain has become a cooperatively owned mountain resort. “Do you believe in Magic?? 300 shares purchased...

Alongside the River and Throughout the Woods

Your cross-country skis, snowshoes, and winter running Yak Trax stabilizers may not serve much purpose on the trails this week, but that doesn’t mean the woods aren’t worth exploring. I recently ventured out on a trail run/hike/unintentional...

Don't. Trade. Rondo.

I know. I know. He can’t hit a free throw. Or an open fifteen footer. His defense is worse than advertised. He has a bad attitude. He’s moody. He’s a menace to the clubhouse, and the overall chemistry of the team. He’s consistently...

Could This Happen in the U.S.?

Recently, at a hockey game in Canada, “a Toronto Maple Leafs fan named Alicia was escorted onto the ice wearing a blindfold,” reports the Huffington Post. “When the blindfold was removed, she looked up at the video scoreboard and read a message from...

More to the Miami Heat

As a diehard Boston fan, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Avery Bradley (not to mention Rajon Rondo) Celtics absolutely dismantle the usually championship-driven (but still (admittedly snobbishly in an old school northeast curmudgeony sort of way) expansion-feeling)...

Red Sox 2012: Brand vs. Baseball Team

When does brand massaging take too much precedence over team management? In the case of the current ownership group of Boston’s beloved Red Sox, I’d say sometime last summer. Welcome back worry. It’s been a while. But with the current state of Red...

Boston Marathon: 40 Years Co-Ed and Counting

Happy Marathon Monday! Patriot’s Day is always special in the Bay State. The running of the world’s oldest annual marathon. An early Sox game at Fenway. Early crowds at Boston’s many bars. The rememberance of “the shot heard round the...

Are You Read for El Clasico?

By all accounts, this weekend is jam-packed on the sports front. The Yankees are in town to help the Sox commemorate the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. The Bruins host a pivotal game 5 against the playoff-upstart Capitals. The Celtics continue their intriguing...

Seventh Heaven! Seven Springs Ski Area Re-Opens!

If there were a magic portal from the Valley to southwestern Pennsylvania, I would be at Seven Springs today, as they re-open their ski area after getting a foot and a half of snow over the past few days. But there’s no magic portal that I know of. So instead,...

KG Slams Wealthy Hawks Owner

Athletes far too rarely chuck the cliches and speak honestly from their unique individual perspective. But that’s exactly what Kevin Garnett did in last night’s post game press conference after he lead the “ancient” Celtics past the upstart...

Back to the Eighties with the Celtics-Sixers Series

Put on your parachute pants, get out your boom box, and pop in your Thriller casette tape. The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, the two teams with the NBA’s best uniforms by far (if they had a throwback game, no one would notice – unless they cut...

A Schilling For Your Hypocrisy

Nothing ruins one’s staunch criticism of the nanny state like suckling from its coffers. Former Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s video game company, 38 Studios, was lured to Providence, Rhode Island from its offices in Maynard, Massachusetts by a $75 million...

If You Can Play, It Doesn't Matter If You're Gay

With the Bruins long gone, and the Celtics still stumbling forward, I won’t be watching much of this year’s Stanley Cup Finals. But when I do look in on the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup, I’m hoping to see a nationally televised commercial/PSA...

Tom Brady Is Wicked Funny

The folks over at Funny Or Die have hit another home run (or should that be last-minute touchdown drive?) with this wicked funny video featuring California native, Pats quarterback, and Under Armour celebrity athlete spokesperson Tom Brady, who clearly does not have a...

Anatomy of a Game-Clinching Shot

At its simplest, sports games are a series of moments. A fast ball to home plate. A face-off in the red zone. A 35-yard field goal attempt. Most times, the action of these moments are rendered insignificant by successive plays. But other times, these moments have a...

Jimmy Kimmel, Rajon Rondo, and The Other Wes Moore

In case you missed it, enigmatic Celtics guard and franchise player of Boston’s basketball future Rajon Rondo made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live recently, participating in a Skype scavenger hunt against New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler. For the...

Hilarious LeBron James Inbox from Grantland

Tending to one’s email inbox can be an experience that is often more tedious than enjoyable. But I thouroughly enjoyed reading through the Gmail inbox of LeBron James (see enlarged image here), which was somehow obtained by the good folks over at Grantland. The...

Sox Fans, Meet the Fandom of Liverpool FC

Storied football (aka soccer) franchise and Fenway Sports Group investment project Liverpool FC was in Boston’s Fenway Park to play an exhibition match against AS Roma last night. The two European clubs both have Beantown connections, with Kevin Garnett owning a...

Run For Holyoke With NFL Hopeful Harry Melendez

As NFL training camps prepare for the upcoming preseason, and hundreds of players battle for final roster spots, countless others, undrafted and unsigned yet hopeful nonetheless, continue to train for what they hope will be their eventual NFL career. Like Holyoke...

Happy 75th Anniversary Appalachian Trail!

Looking for an excuse to get lost in the woods this weekend? How about celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Appalachian Trail? (As a bonus, you may bump into some thru-hikers, who began their trek in Georgia last spring, and are trying to make it to mid-Maine...

Surfonomics: Can Economics Save Surfing?

The North Shore. Endless Summer. Sunshine, sandy shores, and sultry surf breaks. The often-stuffy study of economics is just about the last thing most of us think about when considering the activity, the sport, the lifestyle of surfing. Yet a new type of economics,...

Born To Run: How To Run – For Fun?

“Here are some who like to run. They run for fun in the hot, hot sun. Oh me! Oh my! Oh me! Oh my! What a lot of funny things go by.” – Dr. Suess The other day I picked up, and started reading Christopher McDougall’s 2009 meditation of all...