Green Journalism

[Jim Metz <JBMetzEA@AOL.com>]

Title: Green Journalism

    I've seen some criticism here lately of the Boston beat writers that cover the Celtics. Shira Springer seems to get the brunt of this criticism. Compared to "Scoop" Cofman of the Herald, she's a real Walter Winchell.
    Take a look at their columns in today's papers(see below). 
    Cofman re-hashes the re-hash.  Talk about "mailing it in." 
    All he did last week, was get fed the company line on Kedrick Brown, which again was re-hashed three or four times, without adding a single new fact or detail.  Now he regurgitates this free agent policy, thats been chewed on more times than a guernsey's cud. Take a look at his roster for the summer league. Does he mention Sesar? Does he give us any information on the players on the other teams?
    Shira, on the other hand, does have the info on Sesar and even noticed that Herren was not on the Indiana summer team with "Yo" Adrien. While she didn't bat .1000 by going to NBA.com to find out that Sesar is not staying for the league, at least she got the fact that he was in town for camp. 
    While neither of them could get the inside skinny on Chris Herren's signing with Bolgna (the Providence Journal is closer to Fall River and probably covered his high school games), at least she used some observation, to notice Chris was absent from the Pacers roster. She also managed to give a bit of background on the players who are of interest playing on the other teams. 
    For what it's worth: I don't much like Peter May, as he rarely does any real reporting, but he is occasionaly entertaining and usually thorough. Steve Bulpett, on the other hand, is much more likely to have the latest inside information and actualy seems to use his own reasoning powers to raise certain issues. These two are probably more than adequate and measure up well against most NBA cities newpaper writers. It's probably more accurate to call them columnists than beat writers. 
    I guess Cofman thinks by playing patsy to the Celtics brass, he will get some priviledges, but no matter what the reason, it comes off as lazy reporting and stealing his pay check.  
    Now, if I were a young sports reporter coming up, I'd be wiretapping Arn Tellems phone and writing the truth about the luxury tax and assuring Gaston that he can spend a few million without going over.
    
-JB-

C's have crowded house: Familiar faces may go
by Mark Cofman 


Thursday, July 12, 2001


Unless the Celtics are planning on trading away some of the surplus on their roster, they'll likely be bidding farewell to at least three of their five free agents this summer. It's a case of simple math as much as it is an ecomonic reality.
The Celtics currently have 13 players under contract. Add free agents Bryant Stith, Milt Palacio, Chris Carr, Adrian Griffin and Chris Herren to the equation and general manager Chris Wallace is looking at 18 candidates for a maximum of 15 roster slots. It's no surprise then, with the free agent market set to open in six days, the Celtics are in a downsizing mode. This summer, their shopping days might be over before they begin.
``We've got the draft behind us, we have our three first-round picks signed and we're getting ready to host our summer league,'' Wallace said yesterday. ``Between the (individual player) workouts leading up to the draft, the draft itself, getting your rookies signed, minicamps, the summer league and the free agent period, the offseason just flies right by.
``Time becomes your most valuable commodity in this business at this time of year, particularly when you're in a situation in which you're looking to fill a lot of roster spots. In our case, we should finally have a little more time than normal coming up because this isn't as crucial a free agent period as it has been for us in the past.''
Translated, the back end of Wallace's first offseason in the post-Rick Pitino era shapes up as considerably less hectic than his previous three. Whereas the restless Pitino generally added a few free agents and engineered at least one significant trade before training camp got under way, the Celtics' roster is already busting at the seams with guaranteed contracts.
So, while a trade would remain a possibility for the Celtics in the dog days of summer, free agency is another story. By taking care of just two of their own free agents with new contracts in the next few weeks, the Celtics will have exhausted their budget. The question is, which two get the nod and which three look for work.
It's no secret Palacio and Stith are the front-runners among the Celtics' free agents expected to stay put. Based on his options for employment elsewhere and simple logistics, Palacio would likely be the first to re-sign. The third-year point guard will be in town to play for the Celtics in the Shaw's Pro Summer League next week at UMass-Boston. He has expressed a strong desire to return to the Celtics since the season ended. The Celtics' interest in
getting a deal worked out with Palacio appears mutual.
``We want to do everything we can to get Milt locked up,'' said Wallace. ``He played very well for us last year, and as I've said on numerous occasions, he has, in my opinion, a real viable future in the NBA. And, as we've stated in the past, we want to do everything we can to see if we can come up with something that works for Bryant.''

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Celtics have invited 23 players to their minicamp this weekend to determine roster spots for the Shaw's Pro Summer League. First-round draft picks Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown and Joseph Forte will be joined by veterans Mark Blount, Jerome Moiso and Palacio. Also participating in the camp are ex-Boston College stars Jonathan Beerbohm and Kenny Harley, ex-BU star Joey Beard, Monty Mack (UMass), Josh Sankes (Holy Cross), Khalid El-Amin (UConn),
ex-Barnstable High star Shaun Fein (Georgia Tech), Rashid Atkins (St. Joseph's), Worcester Academy product Mike Mardesich (Maryland), ex-Pacer Kenny Williams, Allen Edwards (Kentucky), Neil Edwards (York), Keith Friel (Virginia), Ricardo Greer (Pittsburgh), Darnell Hahn (Dayton), Antoine Hyman (Keuka) and former C's draft pick Kris Clack (Texas).

  Copyright by the Boston Herald 
            *******************************

Talent show on tap for Celtics
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 7/12/2001
The Celtics begin their summer league minicamp tomorrow, gearing up for the start of the Shaw's Pro Summer League next week. The 10-team competition will feature new and familiar faces, including local talent, Boston rookies Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown, and Joseph Forte, and veteran teammates Milt Palacio, Jerome Moiso, and Mark Blount. 
Boston invited 24 players to its minicamp for two-a-day practice sessions. A number of the invitees honed their games in the area. Six players once highlighted the New England college scene - Jonathan Beerbohm (BC), Kenny Harley (BC), Joey Beard (BU), Monty Mack (UMass), Josh Sankes (Holy Cross), and Khalid El-Amin (UConn). Former Celtics second-rounders Kris Clack ('99) and Josip Sesar ('00) will be there, as will Shaun Fein, a Centerville product,
Keith Friel, a New Hampshire native, and Mike Mardesich, a Worcester Academy alumnus.
Washington will bring its top pick, Kwame Brown, as well as former UConn center Souleymane Wane. The Indiana squad will feature forward Jonathan Bender, former UMass player Lari Ketner, and free agent swingman Adrian Griffin. Although fellow free agent Chris Herren was not on the Pacers' latest roster, he may join the team in Boston.
Salem product Scoonie Penn will join the Hawks. UConn alumnus Donny Marshall and No. 12 pick Vladimir Radmanovic will play for Seattle. Former BU player and postseason surprise Raja Bell will see time with Philadelphia. Rick Brunson, Wayne Turner, and Bill Curley, who all have strong Boston ties, will appear with the Knicks.
The event will feature a free fan festival with outdoor basketball games and daily exhibitions from noon-6 p.m. The Gatorade NBA Jam Van, which transforms into 4,000 feet of interactive basketball activities, will be at UMass-Boston.
Tickets ($8 per doubleheader session) are available at the Celtics' Web site (www.celtics.com), the FleetCenter box office, and by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX or Ticketmaster at (617/508) 931-2222.
This story ran on page 2 of the Boston Globe on 7/12/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company. 


                                                                                                                                Unchain My Heart!