It's All Coming Together in Bean Town

Has there ever been a better time to be a Boston sports fan?

The Red Sox suffered for years at the lovable losers, but they've won two of the last four World Series and appear to be reloaded for more success in the coming years.

The Patriots have won three Super Bowls since 2002, including the precursor to the Curse breaker in 2004. And as we all know, things are clipping along this season. At 9-0 and with the toughest portion of their schedule behind them, New England seems poised for another championship, if not an undefeated season.

Until the formation of the Big Three this year, the Celtics have been the black sheep among the "big three" sports franchises. I was among the skeptics when Danny Ainge traded away the franchise present and future for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, but the proof has been in the pudding thus far.

In five games, the Celtics are undefeated with a 16.6 point average margin of victory. The Big Three has been big indeed, with Paul Pierce averaging 23.6 and Garnett and Allen adding 22.6 apiece. Garnett has also averaged six assists and nearly 16 boards per game.

It's still very early to crown the Celtics NBA champions, and for that matter, the Patriots winning the Super Bowl is not a foregone conclusion. But the possibility remains for Boston teams to achieve a triple crown in sports championships, something that hasn't been accomplished in recent history, if ever.

It is, indeed, a good time to be a Boston sports fan.

But let me remind the card-carrying members of Red Sox Nation that things won't always be this way. Big Papi and Manny Ramirez are getting older, and based on the names that have surfaced already, I wouldn't be shocked if at least one of their names will show up on the Mitchell Report.

And don't forget, Patriots fans, that Randy Moss is a free agent after this season. Other teams reload in the off-season, and yours is just an injury or two away from being like any other team; just ask the Colts.

Celtics fans, the futility of the last two decades is all too fresh your minds, so you need no reminder of what it feels like to lose. The Big Three have all passed the big Three-Oh, and when they are gone, the franchise will return to dormancy.

Yes, it is a good time to be a Boston sports fan, and you shouldn't be resented for it if you are (unless you're a bandwagon jumper).

But sports, like everything else, is cyclical. What goes around comes around. Yesterday's losers are today's winners are tomorrow's losers. Insert additional cliche here.

So enjoy it while it lasts, Boston sports fans -- and try not to be too obnoxious -- because your franchises will return to futility. It's only a matter of time.

Blogging for Dollars

You probably noticed that I removed my picture from the blog and replaced it with Google ads. There are two reasons for this.

First, I think I might have lost some credibility because of my picture. I am in my 20s, but let's be honest: I look younger. So I don't want people discriminating against me for my age.

Second, even though I love blogging and would do it for free -- I have done it for free for the past seven months -- I want to see if I can turn my effort into a few dollars here and there.

So the ads, in case you're blind, are there to the right. We'll give it a go for a while and see how they pan out.

Find me a Contract!

If you're a free agent, tell you your agent to hurry up and find you a contract.

Because according to a Boston Globe report, of the 160 free agents, 11 are named in the Mitchell Report. The names being named could have a lot of ramifications, but one thing it won't result in is those free agents signing monster deals as if nothing ever happened.

Regardless of what the general managers are saying -- that a name on the list won't factor into their decision on whether to sign that player -- the reality of the matter is that the Mitchell Report has a great deal of significance to the future of the sport.

No one wants a tainted player, at least not for that price.

Looking over the list of free agents, there's one slam dunk to be on the list; Jose Guillen has already been implicated in separate reports. If Guillen is a slam dunk, we'll call Barry Bonds a layup.

That leaves plenty of room on Mitchell's "roster" for guys like Eric Gagne, Luis Gonzalez, Andruw Jones, and even -- gasp! -- A-Rod. I am by no means pointing fingers, I'm just saying that the next couple of weeks could be very interesting.

The bottom line here is that I expect new contracts to be deflated from what they have been in recent years, which seems appropriate given all of the steroid inflation since the early 2000s.

So if you're a free agent, and you think you're name could be on that list, I'd recommend getting a deal done as soon as possible.

For more on the Mitchell Report and current Free Agents...
11 Free Agents spoke in probe (ESPN.com)
Free Agents Rushing to Sign Deals before Mitchell Report comes out (The Brushback)
Anticipating Backlash from the Mitchell Report (All on the Field)
List of Free Agents (ESPN.com)

Giving Away Marion Jones' Medals: Tougher than you'd Think

Remember when Marion Jones admitted she was a cheater and relinquished the five medals she won in the 2000 Sydney Olympics?

You felt sort of glad for whoever finished second, right? Winning a gold by default seven years later takes away some of the thrill, of course, but at least justice is served.

Not so fast, says the International Olympic Committee.

As it turns out, Katerina Thanou -- the Greek woman in line to claim the gold medal in the 100m that seemed to be rightfully hers -- may have some drug issues of her own.

Thanou and fellow Greek runner Kostas Kenteris failed to show up for drug tests on the eve of the Athens Olympics, claimed they were injured in a motorcycle accident and eventually pulled out. Both later were suspended for two years.

No word on whether Thanou was doping in Sydney, but the IOC is taking a wait and see approach. From the tenor of its statements, it would seem they are leaning away from awarding it to Thanou.

So we know Jones is out of the running, and it looks like Thanou may have been a cheater, so who gets the gold medal? That would be Tanya Lawrence of Jamaica (on the left in the photo), unless it turns out that she was a cheater too.

And you thought the 2000 Presidential election fiasco couldn't be topped!

For more on Marion Jones and Katerina Thanou
No Automatic Upgrade for medalists (AP, via SI.com)
Jones Gives Back Five Medals (AP, via ESPN.com)

Separated at Birth: Stephen Jackson & Willem DaFoe

A reader sent this one in and my first reaction -- as yours might be -- was No Way. But take a closer look, and you'll see that Stephen Jackson (right) and Willem DaFoe (from the Spiderman series, among other things) bear a strange resemblance.

Dennis Rodman Wants a Piece of the WNBA Pie

Somehow we had to know that we hadn't heard the last from Dennis Rodman.

Word is that Rodman would like to become a head coach in the WNBA, where his team -- if he were given the reins -- "would lead the league in rebounding, have a defensive-minded identity, and we'd run the triangle offense."

Excellent. So Dennis, if you'll just sign right here and date here, we'll find you a team shortly.

The league has 14 teams, and I'm guessing most of them are pretty satisfied with their coaches. (Fun fact: Bill Laimbeer and Tree Rollins, two of Dennis Rodman's former Pistons teammates, are currently manning head coaching positions.) At least, I doubt any owner or general manager would read of Rodman's interest and immediately pick up the phone to create a vacancy just for him.

More than likely, this is just another publicity stunt by Rodman. Come to think of it, what part of his life isn't?

For more on Dennis Rodman and the WNBA
Dennis Rodman Wants Head Coach Position in WNBA (PR Newswire, via Foxsports.com)
Dennis Rodman (Wikipedia Entry -- worth skimming, at least)
Family Guy WNBA clip (Mostly unrelated, but funny Truveo video. If you love the WNBA, don't watch this.)

Congrats for our High Expectations of You

Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert, Chris Lofton, Drew Neitzel and Darren Collison belong to a very exclusive club.

Most of these NCAA basketball players will do good or even great things at the NBA level, but there is a distinct possibility that at least one will have no greater claim to fame than what he achieved without achieving anything.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are your NCAA All-Americans. Your pre-season NCAA All-Americans, as voted on by members of the Associated Press.

Seriously, is there a dumber award on the face of the planet?

Granted, these guys have given fans and sports writers every reason to believe they'll have monster seasons this year. Hansbrough was a second team All American last season, Hibbert led Georgetown to the Final Four, and Lofton averaged over 20 points per game.

But why give them an award on that basis alone?

I'm all for writers producing a "Who to Watch" list; features like that add to the excitement about the upcoming season and fill in the gaps where fans lack information. But do us a favor and save the accolades for the post season.