Making music: from birds singing among the flower buds, to the song pumping through your ear buds.
A new exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston allows you to explore the sounds of the natural world and how they’ve inspired humans.
Joining Vicki Croke with more is the museum’s live animal curator Bunny Watson.
Lots of people see a Raccoon and think rabies.
In fact, an animal epidemic, or epizootic, of rabies has spread up the east coast in the last 30 years.
While our wildlife officials don’t know and basically can’t know, how many raccoons are rabid.
We do know that there hasn’t been a single case of rabies in a human in decades in Massachusetts.
So Vicki is celebrating the intelligence and resourcefulness of raccoons by introducing you to one the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth.
If you’d like to learn more about the New England Wildlife Center — you can always log on to their web site.
It seems like people are seeing more and more skin ailments and hot spots in dogs.
If your dog has ever suffered through the agony of constant itching, you won’t want to miss a word from Dr. Martha Smith.
From flea problems to food allergies, the Secret Life of Animals is covering the most common problems seen by vets with Dr. Martha Smith of the Animal Rescue League of Boston.
You might think as Vicki Croke did long ago, that if you’re diligent, your dog or cat will never be lost.
Well, unforeseeable accidents happen — even to the pets of diligent people.
It’s estimated that five million pets will go missing this year.
According to the American Humane Society, only 17-percent of dogs, and 2-percent of cats will make it home.
The good news is that there are lots of new technologies and strategies to better your odds of finding your pet if he or she goes missing.
Joining the Secret Life of Animals to go over it all with Vicki is Rob Nager of the Decadent Dog.
Witness the kid in Laurence Maroney.
As part of the NFL’s summer program to get kids to exercise at least 60-minutes a day, they could enter a sweepstakes to bring a pro athlete to their school.
Twelve-year old Tyler Hutchinson won the contest, and was a celebrity for a day.
Learn more about Play 60. Seriously, get your kids off the video games and send them out in the yard. Maybe do toss the football around. You, too. Put the Blackberry down and get winded. It’s good for you.
As Boston Celtics fans sit in their TD Garden seats for a given game, a tilt of the head upward will lead to a sight no other fan base can claim in its home building — 17 NBA Championship banners.
The bulk of those banners — 13, to be exact — come from a dominant stretch that began in the late 50s and tapered off in the mid-70s under the organizational guide of Red Auerbach. Three more were added in the 80s, during the Larry Bird era — the time of the original Big Three.
But, as fans know, it was not always banners, cigars and parades for this franchise. To be initiated as a Celtics fan after that 16th title in 1986 would seemingly be a punishment. The much publicized deaths of promising young players Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, combined with the ping-pong disappointment of the 1997 Draft Lottery and subsequent lackluster reign of Rick Pitino, delivered a stark contrast to the organization’s glory days.
The fan base endured a byproduct of those tragedies — the Celtics failed to make the playoffs for six straight seasons prior to the 2001-2002 campaign. On the heels an Eastern Conference Finals exit, though, owner Paul Gaston sold the organization in December 2002 to Banner Seventeen LLC, a group led by Wyc Grousbeck and his father, H. Irving Grousbeck.
A virtuous plan of attack
“If you’re going to be a playoff team and just make money, that’s maybe not a championship formula. So what we did from Day One is we said, ‘We’re going to invest as much as we possibly can in this team, and the valuation will take care of itself’,” Grousbeck in a recent appearance on NECN’s CEO Corner. “So that’s how it takes four or five years to get that put together, and then luckily we did win.”
When Grousbeck took over as Managing Partner, Governor and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Celtics in December 2002, he inherited a team that surprised many by nearly making it through a weak Eastern Conference to the NBA Finals. But a surprising team from a weak conference would stand little-to-no chance against Western Conference powers Los Angeles and San Antonio, which boasted bigger stars than Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker — not to mention a better supporting cast.
In May 2003, Grousbeck hired Danny Ainge, a two-time title winner as a player with the Celtics, as the organization’s Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager. It would be his task to assemble a team worthy of restoring the luster long since gone from the Celtics mystique. The right formula would take some time.
In his first big moves at the helm, Ainge acquired point guard Marcus Banks and high school center Kendrick Perkins in Draft Night dealings. Banks never made a huge impact with the Celtics, or any other organization. Perkins, on the other hand, was Exhibit A that patience would prove worthwhile in the hunt for a 17th title.
Over the coming seasons, there would be many bearers of false hope to suit up in the green and white — Ricky Davis, Gary Payton, Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Wally Szczerbiak and Sebastian Telfair, to name a few. Complimentary players are an easy find in the NBA. But Pierce, the foundation piece identified by Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers and Celtics ownership, required more than young, one-dimensional teammates to make a serious run at an NBA Title.
“My partners and I decided that we would rebuild the team bit-by-bit,” Grousbeck said. “We would stick with Danny (Ainge). And we stuck with Doc (Rivers), during some darker times. We didn’t feel like we’d given them enough time to show what they could do — the drafting and the coaching, and bringing it all together.”
The organization decided to look at the aforementioned role players as an answer, rather than a problem — a group with collective shortcomings incapable of mounting a strong playoff push, even with Pierce leading the way, but enough promise to lure teams with aging veterans to the negotiating table.
“All of a sudden — it seemed like it was all of a sudden — we had the pieces in place to make these trades. In fact, it was the culmination of being patient for four years. So we waited for it, when we were ready to go, we went, we got (Kevin) Garnett and (Ray) Allen and we won the championship,” Grousbeck said of the two deals that immediately changed his team’s fortunes.
On the night of the NBA Draft Lottery, Boston fans, with dreams of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant dancing in their heads, learned that neither would be in a Celtics uniform in 2007. Boston had been awarded the No. 5 overall selection in the upcoming Draft.
The unlucky bounce of ping-pong balls set the Celtics back once before. Boston would not be had twice, deciding to change its future not with a draft pick, but by using it to acquire a veteran player.
On Draft Night 2007, Ainge traded West, Szczerbiak and the 5th overall pick (Jeff Green) to Seattle for the 35th overall pick (Glen “Big Baby” Davis) and Ray Allen, a sharpshooter from beyond the arc and the key to convincing the final piece of the New Big Three to join the Celtics. A little over a month later, Kevin Garnett became that final piece. The high-scoring Jefferson, Gomes, Telfair, Green, Theo Ratliff, cash and two first round draft selections in 2009 netted The Big Ticket, who was leaving the only NBA team he had known, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Grousbeck’s patience with Ainge and Rivers culminated in the organization’s 17th NBA Title in that first season the New Big Three played together. It was an amazing run capped by the six-game defeat of longtime rival the Los Angeles Lakers.
Patience is a funny thing, though. What if the Timberwolves and Sonics were not prepared to deal Garnett and Allen? What if the ping-pong ball had landed Boston the No. 1 overall pick in 2007? Would Ainge have gone the way of former New York Knicks boss Isiah Thomas, now coaching a little-known NCAA program after a series of moves put franchise well behind the eight ball? One will never know for sure.
Sentimental value
“I think of myself as a trustee of the Celtics — it’s really not mine. It’s everybody’s in Boston and it’s Red Auerbach’s and Bill Russell’s and everybody back in the past,” Grousbeck said. “The chance to take care of one of those franchises and try to hang another banner and add to the pride and tradition is so unique that it’s hard to place a value on it.”
Grousbeck’s group originally purchased the Celtics for $360 million. In 2008, Forbes placed a $447 million valuation on the franchise. Grousbeck noted that the team’s rich history and current level of performance bumps its value, in his eyes, far beyond that $447 million figure.
The opportunity to own an NBA franchise is quite limited, as there are only so many teams to be had, and at a steep price. Accordingly, simply seeing the fruits of one’s negotiations on the court can be a thrill worth taking on the responsibility of being an NBA owner. Grousbeck admitted as much in his CEO Corner appearance.
But for him, it is more than that. Having tasted the league’s ultimate success, there is no turning back — his competitive spirit is tied to the on-court ups and downs of his team. It is the type of attitude a true fan — one that hit Powerball and purchased his hometown team — would display with pride. Because going from fan to owner takes the experience to a completely different level.
“It’s actually much more fun to win, and even when we lose I’m so devastated, but I’m so much more wrapped up in the games. I’m not just a fan anymore and I love it,” Grousbeck said.
‘Let’s have a parade in the end’
At the time of his CEO Corner appearance, Grousbeck’s Celtics were a perfect 4-0 on the young 2009-2010 season. Following Friday night’s 110-103 loss to Phoenix, the team sat at 6-1 — now 7-1.
“Well, I can’t expect that we’re going to be undefeated for the whole year, but I’d like to really cause some problems for our opponents in the league,” Grousbeck said.
Problems would be one way opponents could term a first team unit that boasts Pierce, Allen, a healthy Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Perkins. Heck, a second team consisting of new additions Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels and old guard members Eddie House and Glen Davis, would be problematic for a healthy percentage of teams in the NBA.
Seven years later, one can look back on the moves made by Grousbeck’s management team with wonderment. That is not to say his goal is accomplished, mission complete. His plan of investing in the team — the players on the court — from the start worked to increase the value of his investment, and his chances of hanging yet another banner — the 18th.
“I’m really competitive, and there’s nothing better than beating the heck out of everybody else,” Grousbeck said of this 2009-2010 campaign. “And let’s have a parade in the end.”
The Duckboats people, one would think, will be happy to hear that.
As part of the process of approving a new NBA owner, Boston Celtics owner and CEO Wyc Grousbeck met with Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in recent weeks.
Prokhorov, 43, earlier this year was ranked No. 40 on the Forbes World’s Billionaire’s List with a net worth of $9.5 billion. He reached a deal in September to purchase 80-percent of the Nets’ shares for $200 million.
“I just did meet Mr. Prokhorov last week in New York as part of the interview process and was favorably impressed,” Grousbeck said in a recent appearance on NECN’s CEO Corner. “For a billionaire, he’s a people’s billionaire. He’s a regular guy with a whole bunch of money, seems like to me.”
Prokhorov was once held in a prostitution investigation, but never charged. He would become the first NBA owner not from North America.
Twenty-five years ago, the prospect of a Russian owning an NBA franchise would have been an outrageous one, as Cold War tensions only began to ease with a series of summits between President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. But this is a different global landscape, one which may find the league expanding overseas in the relatively near future.
“Whether we add teams in Europe, South America, the Middle East or China, it remains to be seen. My guess is, we will,” Grousbeck said.
In that case, would the league abandon its current domestic format in favor of true geographical Eastern and Western Conferences — divided by hemispheres? Likely not.
“There may be a Chinese league or a European league, and then their champion plays our champion,” Grousbeck said.
The case for international expansion is that growing the league’s popularity, and therefore its profit capabilities, is limited so long as the NBA remains a domestic league. Fans in Israel and China may cheer for the Celtics, Lakers or Rockets, but the investment is not as deep without a team to call their own.
“The biggest growth opportunity for a team like the Celtics and a league like the NBA really is international,” Grousbeck said. “Local teams have been globalized, but it’s the same local team.”
The way Grousbeck talks, the NBA could soon be fulfilling its manifest destiny.
That old connection of which Patriots fans grew so fond in 2007 returned on Sunday to propel New England to a 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Tom Brady hooked up with Randy Moss on two key plays — both resulting in a touchdown by the end of each respective drive.
Midway through the first quarter, Moss streaked down the right sideline. Brady lofted a pass toward Moss, who plucked the ball out of the air with his right hand. Defensive back Vontae Davis, who was stride-for-stride with Moss, brought him down at the 1 yard line.
Laurence Maroney then rushed the ball in with ease, giving the Patriots a 7-3 lead at the time.
On the opening drive of the second half, Miami methodically worked the ball downfield, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass by Ronnie Brown out of the Wildcat formation. The score put the Dolphins up 17-16, with momentum building in their favor after New England settled for three second-quarter field goals.
Brady and Moss slowed that momentum on the ensuing drive.
Facing 3rd & 1 from their own 29 yard line, Brady hit Moss on a short crossing pattern. With Davis right on his heels, Moss stiff armed the Miami rookie and broke away by running with high knees to avoid getting tripped up. He sprinted 71 yards down the sideline for a touchdown, and caught the two-point conversion to put New England up 24-17.
“You get eleven guys working together, then anything’s possible,” Moss said in a short press conference following the 27-17 win. “That’s what we try to do here is execute on offense. Everybody did everything right on that play, and you see the results.”
Moss finished the game with six receptions for 147 yards and the lone touchdown. It was Brady who surpassed Drew Bledsoe for the most 300-yard passing games in franchise history with 27. He finished the day 25-of-37 for 332 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
The win gives the Patriots a (6-2) record, as well as the all important division win against Miami. Remember, it was just last year that New England was kept out of the playoffs due to an in-division tiebreaker.
“It’s a big division win,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “Miami’s (3-0) in the division coming into this game, so that was a huge win for us.”
Grinding out a tough win like this comes at the right time for this club, which faces Indianapolis, the New York Jets and high-scoring New Orleans in each of the next three weeks.
“This is an important time of year. November comes around and your team pretty much is what it is,” Brady said. “We’ve got a pretty tough stretch here in November, so it was good to get off to a great start.”
Brady said that, at this point in the season, what you see on the field is what the Patriots offense and defense will be. We will find out in the coming weeks if that is enough to beat the best teams in football.
(Getty Images)
Despite holding a 2-1 aggregate lead coming into the second leg of its conference semi finals series against the Chicago Fire, the New England Revolution were bounced from the MLS Playoffs on Saturday night.
John Thorrington and Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored for the Fire in its 2-0 second leg victory, topping the Revolution 3-2 on aggregate.
Blanco’s goal came with six minutes remaining in regulation.
Chicago moves on to host Real Salt Lake next Saturday in the Eastern Conference Final.
This was the second straight season in which the Fire bounced the Revs from the playoffs.
Also, I think the FSC game announcer may have been a bit excited by Blanco’s goal. And all game he kept getting excited any time a Fire player touched the ball. Strange things for an unbiased announcer to do.
(AP Photo)
Patriots lead 16-10 coming out the break. But Miami is picking up momentum.
It’s quite disadvantageous to settle for field goals, as it has kept Miami right in this game. This Patriots offense needs to start going for the jugular. At least the defense has learned to close down the option, setting the edge and forcing Pat White to keep it for a minimal loss.
But stopping the Wildcat is too tough on three straight goal line plays, with Ronnie Brown passing to a tight end for a tricky touchdown. It all goes back to New England blowing scoring chances in the first half. Patriots 16 Miami 17
Told you so. The only way New England will win is by scoring touchdowns. Randy Moss does so on a quick crossing pattern, face washing Vontae Davis to gain separation and running the rest of the way for a YAC-heavy 71-yard touchdown reception. He adds the two-point conversion catch for good measure. Patriots 24 Dolphins 17
You go to the bathroom for two minutes, and the Patriots get an interception called back because Pat Chung hits Chad Henne in the helmet — with his helmet. Rookies.
With 1:09 remaining, Stephen Gostkowski ices the game with another field goal. Patriots 27 Miami 17
Statistics:
- Tom Brady: 25-of-37 passing, 332 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Randy Moss: 6 rec, 147 yards, 1 TD
