Playoff fever

By K.J. Cardinal

Man, I think I'm coming down with a major case of playoff fever and the only prescription is more from the Captain. Green 18!

The greatest team ever

By K.J. Cardinal

As if I really need to explain this to anyone, but the 1986 Celtics are clearly the greatest team ever. Don't believe me, then you'll have to take Brian Wilson's word for it...


[WATCH VIDEO]

The only way this 2Ksports video could get any better was if Wilson was wearing my dad's old school Celts jacket... talk about greatest ever.

PS: I think I'm one of a handful of people in the world that are really upset that the NBA may not play this season. I may have to invite Mike & Tommy over for dinner because I don't think I will make it over a year without them... actually, Anna and Tommy and boys, so maybe I'll just have her reach out to him.

The champ's here...

Leo rocking the greatest gift ever... his C's bathrobe with embroidered name. Thanks Ben & Lynsey!

Opening Night 2010

By K.J. Cardinal

There used to be a time in my life when I'd be so bummed if I wasn't in the building for a big game like tonight's Celtic home opener against the Heat. But Opening Night festivities at our house tonight couldn't be matched anywhere.

During the preseason this year, I busted out some of my Celtics paraphernalia (rally towels, thunder sticks and wrist bands) and Anna really took to it. I used it as my way of getting her into the games and it has worked like a charm.

Sure we spend most of the first quarter bopping each other in the head with the thunder sticks, but she'll get into the game a little bit with her patented "yessssss!" when the Celtics score. And, she'll dip into her bag of tricks and do an occasional "whoooo!" and wave her rally towel. It's pretty fun... until she gets sick of it, right around halftime and is ready to move on to something else.

Anyway, Leo threw on his Pierce jersey/onesie (thanks Adam & Holly!) and fit right in. He is pretty amused by anything Anna does, so thunder sticks and rally towels really grabbed his attention.

I am already looking forward to the day when I can take both of them to a Celtics game. Some of my favorite memories with my Dad have come watching the Celtics both in person and on TV, when I was a kid and an adult. So in my mind, they can't be too young to get addicted to the Celtics. It's in there blood, so they really don't have a choice in the matter. GO C's!

The Cardinal Vault XX: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, it's Super Sunday and all the roman numerals have reminded me that I haven't made an entry into The Cardinal Vault in quite some time. So, what better way to commemorate a Sunday, Sunday, Sunday than with a good old monster truck photo.

The 20th edition of The Cardinal Vault takes us back to June of 1985.

Here, Tiffany and I both easily fit inside the rim of a monster truck tire at the Rochester Fairgrounds.

It's a great photo and classic photo op, but my favorite part is absolutely my hat. I remember that it was a free giveaway at a C's game back in the day and I cherished that thing. I used to wear it religiously... that is until I got Bill Walton and Greg Kite to autograph it during the 1985-86 season. That's right... Greg Kite. I know, I'm a big timer.

Enjoy the Super Bowl tonight everyone. Think of me as I'll be spending all day at the Northeast-10 Swimming & Diving Championships at Southern Connecticut State University. What a way to enjoy this glorious Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.

Celtics, Man-hugs and a Tommy Point

By K.J. Cardinal

Boston 124, Dallas 100. That's what the scoreboard read at the end of the game, which might indicate a boring NBA blowout, but for us it was much, much more.

I have experienced many memorable moments in the FleetCenter/TD BankNorth Garden, but only one (watching the Celts win the title) ranks higher than today. Keep in mind that up until last season I had never missed a playoff game in the building and that I was at such games as The Comeback, Pierce vs. Lebron, Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals, many buzzer-beating game-winners and countless Walker Wiggles.

Anyway, this afternoon's game was expected to be a big occasion for us because it was Anna's first C's game and it also marked the return of Jose Juan Barea to Boston.

For those of you who don't know, JJB was the star point guard for Northeastern from 2002-06. I watched every game of his for the first two years of his college career, which included a trip to his home country of Puerto Rico for the San Juan Shootout...I actually had team dinner at his parents' house. So needless to say, I was psyched to get a chance to see him live, in-person and in an NBA uniform.

We got into the Garden a little later than we planned, so we were unable to see Jose during the early shoot around. But, when the team came out for their warm-ups right before the start of the game, I couldn't resist going down to see if I could get JJB's attention.

So, I sweet-talked my way past an usher and was standing right behind the courtside seats opposite of the Dallas bench. Jose was in the lay-up line and I called out his name in hopes of getting his attention.

One quick "Jose!" and he looked right over...did a double take and then came over. We embraced with a man-hug and chatted for a few seconds before he resumed his pregame ritual of stretching and whatnot.

I must confess that at that moment, I was giddy as a school girl. It was so thrilling to see someone that I know (and more importantly, that KNOWS ME) in an NBA uniform and to get a man-hug was the icing on the cake. I really felt like it was some sort of amazing culmination of all the blood, sweat and tears that I put into the NU men's basketball team during my three years of working and traveling with that team...a very rewarding and exciting moment...something I will NEVER forget.

I was on absolute cloud nine.

So, I returned to my seat right before the start of the game. I really wanted to see Anna's reaction to the C's starting line-up since they turn down the lights and have loud music with pyrotechnics. She was really into it...as you can see...and so was Ang :)

Our seats, which were great (thanks Moody!), were in the second row on the corner behind the Celtics bench...right by the tunnel where the C's walks out. They now have press row seating in that area.

I was sitting on the aisle and one row behind me, sitting in the two end seats in the section next to us, was none other than Tommy Heinsohn and Mike Gorman...the game was on ABC, so they weren't calling it for CSN.

I didn't make a big deal and didn't want to bother them or anything, so we all just played it cool. A few minutes into the game, I could sense that Tommy was paying attention to Anna, who was sitting on my lap. I actually heard him say to Gorman, "Look at this little girl in the green headband."

I thought this was hilarious, but again played it cool. At some point late in the first quarter, my buddy Jamie (who was sitting directly behind me) said, "Heinsohn is smiling and waving at Anna."

Again, this was cool, but we didn't make a big deal. Then, about halfway through the second quarter, Moody called me. Moody was sitting about six seats down from me in the same row. He said, "Tommy's all over Anna. You've gotta get a photo of her with him."

I agreed.

At the half, I went over to him with Anna and asked him, "Tommy, any chance I could get a photo of you with my daughter?"

Tommy replied, "Of course. I never turn down a photo with a pretty lady."

I was holding Anna, Angie had the camera and I didn't know exactly how the photo-op would unfold. But, I didn't have to figure it out because Tommy just snatched Anna from me and held her right up against him.

Anna was looking to the side at me. I was pointing at the camera and then Tommy pointed at the camera too. As you can see, Ang got an award-winning shot and Anna LITERALLY got a Tommy Point. Heinsohn was so psyched...as you can see.


I feel like I've had my fair-share of brushes with sports-related celebrities, but no one has ever seemed more genuine than Tommy Heinsohn. He wasn't trying to act big time or annoyed by another fan coming up to him. Instead, he was so into Anna and just very sincere. If you had no clue who Tommy was and just saw this photo, you'd think that it's a grandfather with his granddaughter at a Celtics game. Just a very REAL moment.

It was so refreshing to see someone of Heinsohn's stature - an eight-time NBA champ, a six-time NBA All-Star, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year and Hall of Famer - act like a normal person. I thanked him for his time and for being so cool and got a hand-shake. It was great.

At the end of the game, we waited for some of the traffic to clear out. Being a stat-geek, I was leaning over on the press row table across the aisle from my seat to check out Jose's numbers for the game (15 minutes, 8 points, 3 assists).

While I was doing this, a stat-runner came over to me and gave me an official boxscore. I didn't even ask for it, he just handed it to me. I've been a stat-runner on many occasions for many different sports at the college and pro levels and NEVER have I given a random fan a boxscore. It's almost a no-no.

Anyway, I'm sure that this boxscore means more to me than it ever will to Anna, given my history of stat-keeping and overall dorkiness. But, we have an official boxscore from Anna's first Celtics game. How sweet is that?!

When you couple the boxscore with my man-hug from JJB and Anna's photo with Tommy, it was such an amazing day.

My dad got me into so many amazing scenarios at Celtics games as a kid (holding me up to get Red's autograph, taking me down to the floor before games to get autographs, acting silly to get on the jumbotron, etc.) and today it just seemed like I had come full circle as I was the one that was giving my child the experience of a lifetime.

I know Anna's too young to grasp what sports means, but if she doesn't end up bleeding green like me and my dad, then I'd be shocked.

The Cardinal Vault XVII: K.J., Matt & Employee #8

By K.J. Cardinal

It's only fitting for the 17th entry into the Cardinal Vault to be Celtics related. So, this entry takes us back to the Spring of 1997.

Pictured below, Matt and I are with none other than Employee #8 himself Antoine Walker.


As juniors in high school, Matt and I traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of the Close Up program, a nonprofit that exists to educate and inspire young people to participate in our democracy.

So we were moseying around the nation's capital going from one meeting to another when we came across a chartered bus that had a small sign on the windshield that said "Inside the NBA."

We saw that the bus had people aboard, so we decided to wait to see who was about to come off the bus. The first person to step off the bus was none other than "Coach" Willie Maye. At the time he was a courtside reporter for Fox Sports Net and the Celtics, so I was immediately fired up.

Then a handful of kids came off the bus followed by none other than Toine. My insane, psychotic, staulkerish love affair with Antoine had already begun as he was wrapping up his rookie season for the C's...so needless to say I was giddy as a school girl.

We approached Toine (Matt recalls that I was throwing kids out of the way to get up-close with him) and chatted it up for a few minutes. He was pretty cool and was rather skeptical of my fanaticism until I pulled a Celtics ticket out of my wallet to prove that my family had season tickets.

Anyway, we had Willie Maye snap this picture and it's definitely one of my all-time favorites. I look like a tool with those sunglasses on, but I was 17 and thought I was cool. Also, yes, my polo shirt has a zipper instead of buttons...WTF was I doing?

I appreciate that Toine is showing that he isn't any bigger than us as he was wearing a name tag too. Something tells me that after his rookie season he wouldn't be caught dead with a name tag on, regardless of the scenario.

Apparently "Coach" and Toine were taking Boston inner-city kids with perfect attendance on a trip to D.C. So that's why he was there...not sure why he had to have the name tag, but he did.

The next entry into The Cardinal Vault will feature another encounter with a member of the original Big Three that is definitely vintage and priceless.

Anna hits the big time, featured on Boston.com

By K.J. Cardinal

As if I wasn't already the proudest father in the world, Anna's latest antics have me through the roof.

Last week I submitted a photo of Anna with the Red Auerbach statue to Boston.com's "Celtic Fan Photos" and I just happened to check back tonight to see that she made the cut!

She is currently photo 74 out of 98 [click here for the actual gallery]. So, it's not like she was the "chosen one" or anything, but it's still awesome to she her cute face on the state's top website.

What's also pretty funny is that my buddy Ben's niece (Katie) is also featured in the photo gallery too (she is #61). Her dad, Andy, is probably the biggest Boston sports fan I have ever met, so it's no surprise that he submitted a photo too.

Lakers got Rondo'd

By K.J. Cardinal

Last night Rajon Rondo was on top of his game and a big reason why the C's were able to blow out the Lakers.

As we walked into the new Garden last night, they were handing out these small signs that said "You got Rondo'd". A clever slogan for Reebok.

Then, during the game, they played a few new Reebok commercials with the "You got Rondo'd" theme. There's one featuring Vince Wilfork and one featuring Dee Brown, but the best one stars Jo Jo White. Take a look below at the one of Jo Jo White.

I can't wear Reebok's because they have too much of an arch for my rather flat feet, but I'd consider putting up with the pain because of this campaign. Good idea...especially considering the Lakers got Rondo'd.

Green Seventeen

By K.J. Cardinal

When I woke up yesterday morning, I couldn't stomach the idea of the Celtics winning the NBA title in Boston without being there. So, I did what I had to do (once I got the OK from Wife of the Year Angie), and purchased a rather pricey balcony seat for Game 6 of the NBA Finals (pictured right).

What a decision that turned out to be. In hindsight I probably would have paid double, if not triple, the price of the ticket if I knew what was going to transpire. It was a night for the ages. Truly a dream come true for me. Not many people can say that they witnessed their favorite team win a championship in person. The fact that it was at home, versus their rival and a blow-out was just the icing on the cake.

I'm not going to dissect the game, because when you win by 39 points, 131-92, the score really speaks for itself. But, I will say that I am so elated for Paul Pierce.

I feel like Pierce is the only one on the team that can truly relate to die-hard Celtics fans like myself, my dad, Glenn, Ben and Moody. He's the only guy on the team that truly bleeds green.

He remembers playing for Pitino. He lived through first round picks like Jerome Moiso, Kedrick Brown, Joseph Forte, Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones. He KNEW Red. He was part of The Comback (circa 2002).

Up until last night, Paul Pierce was known as the best player on a bad team. Now, his legacy has changed for ever. He is now the best player on the WORLD CHAMPION Boston Celtics. He is a future Hall of Famer. And, his #34 will one day grace the hallowed rafters alongside numbers like 6 and 33. He deserves it.

The struggles that Pierce has endured here in Boston makes this sweeter for him and just as sweet for us die-hard fans. I really feel vindicated on a few levels as well.

I feel like watching all those late night west coast games was worth it. Now, when I say "late night west coast games", I'm not talking about games 3, 4 & 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals. I'm talking about those west coast trips during horrible seasons like 1996-97 (15 wins), 1998-99 (19 wins...strike) and 2006-07 (24 wins).

I feel like the thousands and thousands of dollars that I've spent on the Celtics over the past 10 years was worth it. It was an investment in the future. I really don't think I would be reveling in the glory of this title as much if I hadn't put so much time, energy and money into this team when they weren't good.

With this win, I feel like I somehow get vindication on all those endless arguments with anti-Celtic fans and Antoine haters. Say what you want about the Celts, but I stuck by these boys through thick and thin and it feels great.

While sitting in traffic on the way home last night, as revelers were terrorizing the city of Boston, I couldn't help but start to think about the random things over the last 15 years that only die-hard Celtics fans can remember and more importantly things that I experienced with my family on all those long, late nights going to Boston and back to watch some of the worst basketball ever played in the NBA. Things like...

- The Cracker Jack Guy
- Full of Bull on Route 1
- The lady in the green suit at EVERY game
- The fish market
- Marrrrtttyyyy! Conlin
- Rare Bird
- The blind lady that sat behind us
- Mike the beer guy that my Dad became VERY friendly with
- Tiffany's halftime shootout
- Halloween night 1997 (Pitino peaks in debut: Celts beat Bulls)...chanting "Seventeen!" on the way out of the building.
- Bringing a sign to the games that read "ANTOINE: I'LL NEVER BOO"
- Taking a shot on the parquet with Glenn during the 1998 draft party
- Larry Bird in Section 316
- The 2002 playoff run
- A birthday salute on the Jumbotron
- Handing out mugshots of Jason Kidd on Causeway Street
- The Wiggle
- Katie's love affair with David Wesley
- Wearing wifebeaters with the #5 and "Kidd" on the back
- Loving "Gino" before everyone jumped on the bandwagon
- Jokes about Greg Minor's 48 illegitimate children
- I LOVE WALTAH!
- Getting on the Jumbotron nearly every game
- Bringing a sign to the 2002 playoffs that read "8 + 34 - Pitino = 17"

I'm sure there a million more memories that I'm forgetting, so feel free to post them in the comments.

Remembering all of those things really makes me happy that my buddy Glenn was willing to shell out the dough to go to the game with me last night. God knows that I have been to more horrible Celtics games with him than anyone without the last name Cardinal. Glenn and I went to probably 15-20 games a year together. Unfortunately for us, these games just happened to come during the worst stretch in franchise history...The Carr-Pitino eras.

Also a nice personal touch for me, was that my Uncle Bill and cousin Missy were fortunate enough to win a lottery to get tickets for last night's game. The two of them hadn't been to a Celtics game in a long time, but they were both fired up to be there and had a blast. We met up before the game and also just happened to run into each other as we were walking out of the building. Seeing the pure joy on Missy's face was so great.

The icing on the cake for me was getting home at 2:45 a.m. and going to check on Anna in her crib to see her fast asleep with her Celtics' headband on. I really couldn't think of a better way to cap one of the most memorable days of my life. Sorry Anna, but my addiction is now yours.

The key fit

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna really hit the nail on the head with her key to yesterday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Lakers. Defense and depth were huge factors in the amazing come-from-behind victory, but she admits there was another "D" that she may have overlooked.

Doc.

Yesterday I wrote "I know I have been ultra-critical of Doc all season long, knocking his annoying 12-man rotation, but that could actually bail the Celts out as they try to fight through these bumps in the road."

Well, not only was the depth huge because of Doc's deep rotation, but he also pushed all the right buttons last night.

Don't get me wrong, I love Rondo more than the next guy (I even have a Rondo jersey t-shirt), but Doc did the right thing by sitting him and giving Eddie House (not Cassell) a lot of minutes. Eddie helped spaced the floor and hit some big shots in the second half.

Doc also did well managing KG's foul trouble, spelling him with just enough Leon Powe to keep the C's in the game, and going "small" with a line up of House, Allen, Pierce, Posey and KG proved to be a winning combination.

The first half was a disaster all around and I won't even get into that, but the team came out with such defensive intensity for the second half. It was remarkable.

I am so happy for Pierce. He stepped up at the half and said, "I want Kobe." Who does that? Who wants to defend the best player in the league? Especially when you're down by 20+ points on the road. I mean, nothing good could come of that, right? Wrong.

Pierce hiked his shorts up and buckled down to play some good old fashioned defense. It was really quite a sight. I think just the message he sent to Doc and the rest of the team at the half was probably the turning point of the game. The fact that Pierce didn't have any quit in him and knew that the only way to get back in the game was on the defensive end was very impressive. He's come such a long way.

An attitude like that is why I loved Antoine so much. He was a leader. Sure those teams weren't very good, but Antoine always said and did the right things when it came to leading his ball club. Pierce was always the guy behind the guy.

Paul seemed to hate to take charge, which is why the C's struggled after Antoine left. It wasn't because Toine was a Hall of Fame caliber player by any means, but it just exposed Pierce's weakness of being a poor leader. Well, that all changed last night.

Selfless acts like volunteering to defend the best player in the league is what Celtic legends are made of. With one more win, Paul will solidify himself with some BIG names. Russell, Bird, Cousy, Havlicek and Pierce?! That's what I think one more win would do for Paul. Amazing.

I can't believe MY BOSTON CELTICS are one win away from a title. It's insane. I know this is "The Cardinal Blog" and is supposed to be about my family, but the Celtics have always been and will always be a big part of my family.

Don't believe me? You're crazy. About 10 minutes following last night's game, my Dad called me and said "I just wanted you to know that I'm still awake! I told Mom after the first quarter, I'm staying up for this one because they're gonna win this game!"

It was the perfect way to cap an amazing night. One more baby. BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

Anna's key to Game 4

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna has been busy breaking down film since the Celtics' Tuesday night Game 3 loss to the Lakers and her key to tonight's game is D.

"D" doesn't only mean defense, even though she recognizes that defense wins championships, but D also stands for depth.

With Pierce's knee still a little sore, Perk's ankle a mess and Rondo a game-time decision (ankle), the Celtics' depth tonight could be huge.

I know I have been ultra-critical of Doc all season long, knocking his annoying 12-man rotation, but that could actually bail the Celts out as they try to fight through these bumps in the road.

By saying that, however, I don't mean that Cassell should ever see the floor. Rather, I think that guys like Eddie House, PJ Brown and Leon Powe need to step up tonight.

Pierce and KG aren't going to play as poorly as they did in Game 3 and Ray Ray has gone from dog house to penthouse as he's been the only consistent player in the Finals. So, I expect big things from the Big 3.

If the Celts can succeed in Anna's "D" keys tonight, Defense and Depth, then it could mean Disaster for the Lakers. BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

When blogs collide

By K.J. Cardinal

With the rivalry of all rivalries taking place on the West Coast tonight in Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers, two titans of the blogosphere met in Natick on Tuesday morning in a match-up for the ages as well.

The Cardinal Blog duo of myself and Anna had a "play date" with the CricketSam.com "Big 3" of daddy Steve and three-year-old twins Cricket and Samantha.

No, Cricket and Samantha didn't treat Anna to a Kevin McHale on Kurt Rambis clothesline or anything, actually the trio of hit it off admirably. It was more reminiscent of Larry Bird Night when Magic took to the stage donning a Celtics T-shirt under his Laker warm-ups. Joyful admiration all around.

Anyway, Cricket and Sam were gracious enough to share their toys with Anna and Anna was foaming at the mouth with jealousy as the girls chased each other around the house. Just like at Meme & Papa's house, Anna also took kindly to the ceiling fans...definitely a big hit.

After playing at the house for more than an hour, the "play date" changed venues as we headed to Boloco in Natick for a quick lunch. Anna isn't quite ready for a burrito just yet, so she opted for the tasty Enfamil Lipil with Iron.

Despite the sweltering heat, it was great to finally meet the Lemon twins. Steve's parenting tactics of beating his kids incessantly is an interesting one, but it appears to be working fantastically as the girls have impeccable manners and give great hugs.

It was the first of many hopeful play dates in the future, so let's just hope the blogging world can handle the impact of such momentous occasions.

YESSSSSS!

By K.J. Cardinal

Sweet Jesus! Was that a game or what?

I don't think I could've asked for anything more on what turned out to be a PERFECT night. Definitely one of the top 10 moments in my life...maybe even top five.

My dad got down to my house around 3:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. We enjoyed a few beers and watched the final six plays of the "Larry Bird's 50 Greatest Moments". It was a good way to get us geared up for the game.

We then headed into the city nice and early to take in the scene and, of course, have dinner at The Fours. We got a great parking spot and motored directly over to the Pro Shop to buy some Finals swag.

I had to go with the classic "Beat LA" T-shirt, while my dad opted for a "Beat LA" hat. With our new gear, we then made our way over to The Fours.

After dinner we went over to DJs at the Garden where Jamie and Moody would meet up with us. When we walked into DJs they were handing out raffle tickets for two tickets to the game. When the bouncer handed me my ticket as I was walking in, I turned around to let him and my dad know that the last two numbers on my ticket were none other than 86!

Of course I thought this was an omen and that we were destined to win the tickets. When Jamie and Moody showed up, my dad and I gave them our raffle tickets so they could increase their odds of winning the tickets since they didn't have any.

We participated in some Celtics trivia and then they pulled the raffle ticket. The tickets had six or seven digits and like usual they were dramatic in calling the numbers...taking forever in between each number. It was something like 4-1-6-1-8...

When we got to that point, we had a 20% chance of winning the tickets because I had 86 and my dad had 87. Then, they called.........5. Damn! We were one freaking number off from winning two tickets to the game. I can't even explain how pumped up we were. Even though they didn't get the tickets, it definitely got our adrenaline going and with that we headed over to the Garden.

Before we went in though, we had to stop for a photo op at the HUGE Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy (see above and right). It might look kind of corny, but it was actually pretty cool.

As we walked in the building, you could already hear the "BEAT LA!" chants. The place was electric from the jump and I knew we were in for a treat.

James Taylor sang an awesome acoustic rendition of the National Anthem (pictured left). I felt that having JT sing the anthem was a good sign because he also sang the anthem at Game 2 of the World Series game that I went to back in October, which the Sox won.

The Celtics intro and lineups had such a party feel to them and like usual included pyrotechnics. It's not the best quality video in the world, but I wanted to capture the scene of the intros and whatnot, so at the bottom of this post is an uncut clip of the whole thing. Pretty cool...I apologize for screaming like a school girl at times, but I couldn't contain myself.

I could probably write 5,000 words on the game itself, but I'm just going to assume that everyone watched it...and if not, please refrain from reading my blog in the future. I will note a few key plays and moments though...

- Pierce did his best Willis Reed impression. When he went down, no one in the building really knew how bad he was injured. They didn't show a replay and we didn't see him get carried off the court either. But, right after the play I got text messages from a few friends saying it didn't look good. Without having seen the play though, I just said, "He's fine" and I'm so thankful that ended up being the case. When he came running out of the tunnel, the place went nuts...it was awesome.

- I know the entire fourth quarter was really close and there were some big plays, but I think two of the biggest plays happened with about a minute to go in the third when Pierce nailed back-to-back threes on consecutive possessions.

- Does Eddie House's son go to school? A game ending at midnight has to be past his bedtime, right?

- Garnett had two HUGE plays. One was when he saved the ball from being a backcourt violation, which led to a Sam Cassell (I think) jumper. The other big play yielded the loudest, craziest scene that I've ever been a part of at a sporting event and that was his follow dunk. Good lord was that sick. Not only was it one of the most powerful dunks and athletic plays I've ever seen, but it was the nail in the coffin. It made it a three possession game with just over a minute to go. The only thing I can compare it to was in 2004 when I was at Game 3 of the Red Sox Division Series versus the Angels and Big Papi hit a walk-off homer to sweep the series. Definitely worth the price of admission.

- The Larry O'Brien trophy floor logo is absurd. Red is rolling over in his grave.

- I don't think I've ever hated a Celtic as much as I hate Sam Cassell. Why on earth he played 13 minutes and took nine shots is beyond me. The most maddening play of the night though was when he actually had an open look with the shot clock winding down, but hesitated and then opted to make an extra pass as the shot clock expired.

- PJ Brown is awesome. I can't believe how much of a key factor he's been in the playoffs. He just does the little things right without doing anything wrong. He's the anti-Cassell.

- Phil Jackson is an idiot for not fouling right away at the end of the game. The Celtics would've won anyway, but when it's a three possession game and the C's have the ball with under a minute to play, he's got to foul. I'm sure Red was looking down with a smile on his face then.

What a night. Thanks so much for going with me Dad. I know you had to get up around 3:45 this morning to go to work, but I hope you think it was worth it. A dream come true type of night and now the C's are three wins away from a title. I can't believe it!

BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

Anna's milestone overshadowed by NBA Finals

By K.J. Cardinal

I know that I might be conceding the "Father of the Year" award with this statement, but even though today is Anna's eight-month birthday, all I can really think about is tonight's Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

I'd like to think it's because I'm taking my dad to the game tonight and we're both fired up, but truth be told the Celtics in the playoffs seems to take precedence over EVERYTHING in my life...even Anna?!? So much of my life has changed with the birth of Anna, but my obsessive compulsive behavior surrounding the C's in the playoffs apparently will never subside.

As you've witnessed right here on The Cardinal Blog over the past month and change, Anna has gotten the playoff bug too. It all started with the awesome Celts sweat suit from Ben & Lynsey and included photo shoots with Red & Larry Legend's sneakers as well as getting creative with her floor mat. I'm glad that she's been able to get into the spirit of the playoffs too...God only knows what I'd have to do with her if she wasn't into it.

Luckily for Anna, over the past week she has been able to become a model student in the subject of the greatest rivalry in NBA history. Her daily routine of watching her favorite cartoon "Super Why" has taken a back seat to NBATV, ESPN Classic and any other station that's carrying anything Celtics related.

She actually witnessed "Daddy's" curse-laden tirade at the DVR yesterday when his 60-minute recording of "Larry Bird's 50 Greatest Moments" was pre-empted by 40 minutes of an overtime WNBA game. Good lord was I fired up. If she could talk, I'm sure she would've asked Mommy, "Why's David Stern an a*shole?!"

Anyway, no need to worry Meme, I'm still feeding Anna and changing her diapers and whatnot. It's just that my mind is 100% preoccupied with the NBA Finals. I'm sure my Dad's in the same boat...especially since I called him this morning to tell him that James Taylor is singing the National Anthem tonight.

It'll be the perfect way to start a night that I've always dreamed of. I know I'm a total sports junkie, so it says a lot when I say that seeing the Celtics in person in the NBA Finals is #1 on my sports wish list. So, tonight a dream comes true for me...now let's just pray the C's can get it done.

By the way, Happy Birthday Anna...and BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

Anna shows playoff spirit

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna once again let her playoff spirit shine through on Monday afternoon, this time by getting creative with her new alphabet floor mat.


As you can see, she wrote "BEAT LA" and "GO C'S" with her letters. She also managed to throw in my name, the #17, #34 and the #5 (which she's sitting on). If you don't know the significance of those three numbers for the Celtics, then you're an idiot.

Like Anna says, "BEAT L.A.!" I can't wait for Thursday!

What a weekend

By K.J. Cardinal

Wow, I need a nap.

Angie, Anna and I had one of the best weekends in recent memory. Pack Network has had such a busy spring championship season that I haven't had much free time on the weekends to hang out with the girls.

Well, this past weekend I only had to work on Sunday morning, so that left Saturday for the three of us to venture into the city. It was a beautiful day and the city was hopping with college graduations, a Sox doubleheader and the Celts on Sunday.

We started off the day by waiting in line to get tickets for Sunday's Game 7 between the Celtics and Cavs. I could write a 4,000-word post on this experience in itself and how poorly the Garden ticket office handled the whole ordeal, which some of you may have seen on the news, but I won't digress there. Bottomline is we only had to wait in line for an hour and a half to score two tickets in Loge 17. Needless to say, I was fired up to score some seats for one of the biggest games in recent memory...I'll have more on this later.

After we avoided a near riot getting the tickets, we headed to Faneuil Hall. Due to an Intel power outage on Saturday morning, Angie had a little work to do, so we got a table outside at the Salty Dog and settled in for a while.

Anna really loved just sitting in the shade and people watching. She was in such a great mood, sitting in her stroller smiling at everyone...at one point when we walked past a homeless man he called her "Smiley"...I can't make this stuff up.

The Salty Dog was great. Someday when Adam and I sell Pack Network for millions of dollars, I am going to eat oysters everyday...that and wear a brand new pair of socks everyday too. There's nothing quite like putting on a brand new pair of socks, is there?

Anyway, after The Salty Dog we walked around a little more and eventually made our way to Tia's on the Waterfront for a little dessert. Ang and I split a piece of cheesecake and Anna got her first taste of strawberries.

At first she had a bitter-beer-face when she touched her tongue, but she apparently loved them because she cried for a second when she dropped one on the ground. It was pretty funny.

Tia's is a great place and might be a late addition to the TBG Pub Crawl schedule.

After Tia's we just walked around the waterfront area. Anna was donning a new hat, which was super cute and she seemed to love the boats and water.

We stopped for a while and hung out by this new public water fountain right near the aquarium. This is part of the benefits of the "Big Dig"...there is now some room to create nice public areas. I'm not sure if it's worth the $25 gazillion that it cost to "complete" the Big Dig, but it's still a nice touch.

It was probably in the mid-70s and there were a handful of kiddies that were running through it and what not. I can't wait to have Anna run through it next summer, but this summer I've gotta get Andrew there!

The final stop of the day in the city was my favorite part as well. I had to get Anna's picture taken with the Red Auerbach statue and Larry Bird's bronzed sneakers.

It was a fitting follow-up to my recent entry into the Cardinal Vault. Plus, with Game 7 on the horizon, it was the only logical thing to do to cap off a great day...and of course, Anna was wearing her sweet Celtics coat too!


As you can see, Anna was rather mezmerized by Red. And, she can't quite fit into Bird's shoes just yet, but once she's up and running around I'll show her a few moves to get her closer to Larry Legend's caliber.

I obviously think that Anna's trip to visit Red and Larry's sneaks had a direct effect on the outcome of Sunday's Celtics game too. And boy, what a game it was.

Scott and I went to the game together and had a blast. I know it's hard to believe, since I'm such a diehard Celtics fan, but Sunday marked the first C's game of the season that I attended. I have been to a Celts game every year since 1985, so I HAD to keep that streak alive...especially considering the C's are making a serious run at the title.

The game was one for the ages. Pierce and Lebron did their best Bird and 'Nique impressions and thankfully Paul got the best of the 23-year-old phenom. I don't recall the last game that I went to when I was deathly afraid of what a player could do to the C's more than how frightened I was by Lebron.

If before the game you told me Lebron would score 45 points, then I would've figured the Cavs would've won easily. Thank God for The Truth...and of course P.J. Brown.

Postgame, Scott and I met up with Glenn, Cassani, Chad, Frank and Fusta. Needless to say, we celebrated with way to many adult beverages at The Harp. What a weekend.

The Cardinal Vault XV: Red & a Hulkamaniac

By K.J. Cardinal

The Cardinal Vault returns for its 15th installment with these two photos that take us back to the Spring of 1988.

Below, I am pictured at the Red Auerbach statue located near Faneuil Hall in Boston.


Being the godfather of the Boston Celtics, getting my picture taken with Red was really something special for me. I also think that it actually helped spark my love affair with the city of Boston.

My favorite part of this photo actually has nothing to do with the Celtics, but rather the headband around my neck. That is nothing other than a "Hulkamania" headband.

I remember vividly that we were in the city for the weekend for a big WWF event, so I had to don the colors of one of my childhood heroes, Hulk Hogan. Seriously when I was eight years old my heroes were Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, Roger Clemens and Hulk Hogan...not necessarily in that order, but probably par for the course of most eight-year-olds living in New England.

As a special gift to all that read my blog, below is a free ticket to the gun show.

Anna readies for crucial Game 5

By K.J. Cardinal

Despite being only six and a half months old, Anna obviously senses the importance of tonight's Game 5 of the First Round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs between the Celtics and Hawks. Just one look at the photo on the right and you can see that she already has her game face on.

For the most crucial C's playoff game of her life, Anna opted to go old school with the Bill Walton-esque hairdo with headband. Papa is not a fan of Walton's, but for some reason Anna wanted to honor the Hall of Famer that was a key role player in the Celtics 1986 title run. Glad to see she has a sense of her sports history.

Anyway, the best part of Anna's gameday ensemble, however, is obviously her new pink Celtics warm-up.

When Angie, Sammy, Anna and I returned from our vacation on Saturday, we were welcomed home by a package for Anna. Once I saw the return address was NBA.com, I immediately knew who it was really from, but not what it would be.

I was psyched when I opened it up to see a sweet Adidas warm-up for Anna...and as I figured it was from Ben & Lynsey.

My buddy Ben is the only person that I can honestly say is as crazy about the Celtics as I am (and probably Moody too). We aren't fans...we are fanatics. We were raised adoring Bird, McHale and Parrish. We loyally stuck by the C's through the M.L. Carr and Rick Pitino eras. We had some memorable moments in section 316. And, most importantly, we both questioned our sexuality during Antoine Walker's days in Green.

So, it was really only fitting that Benny was the first person to come through with some crucial C's gear for Anna. The timing was perfect too...right in time for the playoffs. I have been waiting for the right moment to bust it out and tonight's the night. This is a MUST WIN game for the C's, so hopefully Anna's new warm-up will bring a little luck to the boys in pink...I mean green.

Thanks Ben & Lynsey...GO C's!

Golf, Racing and Basketball

By K.J. Cardinal

Wow, I'm still tired. Day three of April Vacation 2008 really wore me out, but it was a ton of fun.

I started things off by getting up early in the morning and heading to Farmington to meet my Dad and Matt for a nine holes at Farmington Country Club. The temperature at Steele Hill was in the 40s when I got up and my dad said it was 37 when he woke up in Farmington, but I still braved the elements in shorts.

That turned out to get a great decision because it turned into an awesome day. I was rather happy with my first round of golf of the season.

I actually parred the first hole and was six over after seven holes...bogey golf is good for me. I then proceeded to self destruct on the 8th and 9th as I tripled and doubled to finish with 47....11 over par.

I had to snap that photo above because there was actually one spot on the course (back of the 4th green) that had snow still on it. I have to admit, it's my first time ever playing snow golf.

After golf, Dad and I headed to Lee for Rick's race. Again, it was a beautiful day, so we were able to enjoy a little tailgating before and between races and Rick did awesome.

In his first-ever ACT race, Rick dominated his heat...winning by at least 8-10 car lengths. He started ninth in the 100-lap feature and came home with an impressive sixth-place finish.

Dad and I were absolutely impressed with the new deal Rick has going. He arrives to the track with a two-car hauler, which holds his car and his teammate Bobby Dragon's car. It's really a first class operation all around and we're all so happy for Rick. He's worked his butt off over the past 20 years to get to this point, so he deserves it.

After the races we headed back to Steele Hill to hang out with the family. Katie and her friends (Jason, Corinna & Caitlyn) had come up for the day and Meme was up for the night too.

Katie's crew left just before dinner and then we enjoyed some steaks on the grill and settled in to watch the Celtics game. The C's are unbelievable and I'll be VERY bummed if they don't make it to the NBA Finals.

I'm definitely worried that Doc Rivers will screw it all up, but hopefully the players are good enough to overcome his shortcomings.

Anyway, Anna was so cute as Papa put her to bed. She was singing herself to sleep and all snuggly after taking a bath.

Speaking of sleep, I could use a nap.