Bleacher Report - Articles by Christopher Costa

Top 10 Current Boston Sportscasters

Christopher Costa — Sat, 02 May 2009 07:43:43 -0400

Sportscaster,Team, Role, and Famous Quote

1. Mike Gorman, Celtics, Play-by-play: "GOT IT!" Excellent play-by-play, explains well. Has enough experience to know what kind of fouls are called and delivers information accurately.

2. Tom Heinsohn, Celtics, Color: "Tommy Point!" or "Are you kidding me?" Brings a sense of passion to the game, and provides great color commentary.

3. Don Orsillo, Red Sox, Play-by-play: N/A. Talks just the right amount, doesn't leave dead air, and provides important information accurately. Great sense of humor.

4. Jerry Remy, Red Sox, Color: N/A. Knows the game of baseball and knows the ins and outs of the Red Sox. Provides important information.

5. Jack Edwards, Bruins, Play-by-play: "Shot, score!" (I would assume most hockey casters say something like this...) Brings passion to the fast-paced game, rarely misses a play.

6. Andy Brickley, Bruins, Color: N/A. Knows a lot about the Bruins and provides insight to the way the Bruins play.

7. Tom Caron, Red Sox, pre/postgame commentary: N/A. Well-versed in the game of baseball. Delivers important information and analysis with a great sense of humor.

8. Gil Santos, Patriots, Play-by-play, N/A. I had to pick a radio broadcaster for the Pats because let's face it, the CBS casters are essentially national, so they have no real connection to Boston. Gil Santos has been the voice of the Patriots on 104.1 WBCN for 14 years. Delivers excellent play-by-play.

9. Gino Cappelletti, Patriots, Color: N/A. Gino and Gil have been together for 14 years on WBCN alone. Together, they total 23 years together, and Gino has a total of 25 years as color commentator. Always provides important analysis.

10. Heidi Watney, Red Sox, Sideline: N/A. She's hot. 'Nuff said.

Red Sox Look to Take Series From Rays

Christopher Costa — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:29:27 -0400

At 1:35 pm today, the Red Sox will send Daisuke Matsuzaka to the hill in hopes of grabbing the series win against Tampa Bay's Matt Garza. Garza had an electrifying performance against the Sox in the playoffs, but Daisuke is looking to give him his first loss of the 2009 season.

The Sox look to improve upon a 7-2 loss last night to the Rays. There will be many factors this afternoon to gain a win against this tough Rays team. Daisuke needs to overpower the Rays batters from the get-go. Daisuke tends to start off slowly and really crank up the heat by the third or fourth inning. If he comes out with blazing speed today, and eliminates runs early in the game, the Sox should end up on top.

Batting will also be key today. Pedroia has hit well the past two games, hopefully Kevin Youkilis can pick it up and follow suit. Unfortunately one big factor will be David Ortiz. He is 2-for-6 in this series with no RBI's and 1 run. A big homer today could give the Sox the mental boost they need on the offensive end.

Another key is catcher Jason Varitek. He had a home run on opening day, but he still needs to produce RBI's in order to beef up the middle of the Sox order.

If Daisuke gets in trouble look for Brad Penny to come out of the bullpen and sling a couple of heaters over the plate.

Overall, if the Sox can maintain solid pitching and produce a couple of sparks in the offense they should take the series.

DeSean Jackson Blows It Big Time

Christopher Costa — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:42:12 -0500

Rookie DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles made a mistake that will live in sports infamy.

In a game against the Dallas Cowboys, Jackson caught a pass and broke away from the Dallas defense. Sprinting down the field, Jackson began to celebrate before actually crossing the plane. Announcers went crazy as Jackson threw the ball behind him at the 1-yard line.

When Jackson dropped the ball, Cowboys fans screamed a collective: "Ohhhhh!" The following morning, ESPN sportscasters showed the dismayed look of Eagles coach Andy Reid and criticized Jackson's rookie mistake. ESPN even created a montage of the worst mistakes in sports history.

Not only is this one of the funniest moments in sports, it is most likely one of the most infamous.

Boston Celtics Slide to 29-9 After Loss to Cleveland Cavs

Christopher Costa — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:43:04 -0500

Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers clobbered the Boston Celtics 98-83, bringing the Celtics to a 29-9 record. The Cavaliers are also looking impressive after last night's win, moving to 29-6, a record the Celtics held for only a short time after losses to the Charlotte Bobcats, the Houston Rockets, and most recently, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Donning the retro blue and yellow jerseys, the Cavalier offense could not be stopped. James ended the game with 38 points and four steals. Even through the string of losses to Charlotte and Houston, the key for the Celtics in this game was to refocus and bring their best game against their playoff rival. Obviously, they did not.

Even Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett could not stop Lebron. The Cavs beat the Celtics in FG%, 3FG%, and FT%. The Cavs shot 50.8% to the Celtics 41.2% in field goals. The Cavs hit 50% of the three-pointers to the Celtics devastatingly low 26.3%. The Cavs also made 72.7% of their free-throws while the Celtics made 70.6%.

Kevin Garnett had 18 points, Ray Allen had 12 points, and Paul Pierce had 11 points. 11 points from the Finals MVP is not enough to beat the strong Lebron James. James had 11 points against Garnett and seven points against Pierce.

The Celtics look forward to January 11th when thy take on the Toronto Raptors. The key for the Celtics in this game is first, to refocus. Then they must shut down the powerful Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.

Boston Celtics Look to Come Back From New York Knicks Loss

Christopher Costa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:46:57 -0500

After a disappointing 100-88 loss to the fourth place New York Knicks, The Boston Three Party and the rest of the Celtics squad look forward to Tuesday, January 6 when they take on the Charlotte Bobcats.

Although the loss is only a small blemish on the nearly flawless Celtics record (29-6), they know that relaxing their style of play against less talented opponents can be devastating by the end of the season. Interestingly enough, the Celtics are 21-2 in their conference, and one loss belongs to the New York Knicks.

Charlotte is another team like the Knicks that does not pose a threat to the strong Celtics offense and defense, but like the Knicks, the Celtics cannot play another relaxed game. A relaxed atmosphere during the regular season will not bode well for the Celtics postseason, and right now the Celtics are the team to beat.

Celtics G Rajon Rondo has been absolutely on fire as of late, and continues to grow into one of the league's premier point guards. Rondo matures as a player every game, and the dearth of skill for Charlotte should help boost Rondo's confidence.

The Bobcats have just recently added Suns' players F Boris Diaw and G Raja Bell. Diaw and Bell look to add to the struggling Charlotte offense, but Boston should still have no problem shutting them down.

The key for Boston is come out and play their A-game, and to keep C Kendrick Perkins out of foul trouble.

Key Patriots Players Miss Practice on Wednesday

Christopher Costa — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:31:35 -0400

The New England Patriots continue to be plagued by injuries. Starting offensive linemen Nick Kaczur and Matt Light did not participate in practice Wednesday because of ankle and knee injuries, respectively. Defensive end Jarvis Green also missed practice with a hurt ankle.

Although many people are not favoring the Patriots to beat the Denver Broncos on Monday night, this only adds to the problem. However, it will give opportunities to many younger players, who, in the present state of the Patriots, would not be given the opportunity to play.

Two other key players sat out of practice, Laurence Maroney (shoulder) and LaMont Jordan (calf). This leaves Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris as the running backs, which could potentially hinder the Patriots' running game. However, ESPN analysts are projecting that Morris will have a big game.

Look for Broncos to have a good game, with Brandon Marshall scoring at least once. Pats fans, pray for Morris to score twice.

Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell expected to Return to Red Sox on Friday

Christopher Costa — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:06:08 -0400

The Boston Red Sox have 23 games left to play until the end of the 162-game regular season. On Friday September 5th, Red Sox SP Josh Beckett and 3B Mike Lowell are expected to return from the disabled list. At 11-9, Beckett has not pitched since August 17th. Becket is scheduled to face Texas Rangers' SP Kevin Millwood who is 9-7 on the season.

Beckett is returning from inflammation in his right elbow, while Mike Lowell is recovering from a strained right-side oblique. Michael Bowden threw a near gem against the Chicago White Sox in Beckett's place, but the veteran experience of Josh Beckett in the postseason is unparalleled.

In Mike Lowell's place, the 3B spot has been filled by IF Alex Cora and IF Jed Lowrie. Again, it is nice to have the bat of Mike Lowell back in the game at which point Lowrie or Cora could play SS.

Their returns could not have come at a better time for the Red Sox. The Red Sox presently lead the AL Wild Card Race, and are 3.5 games out of first place behind the infamous Tampa Bay Rays.

The pitching prowess of Josh Beckett could help the Sox take the lead for first place as the Red Sox start a three game series in Boston against the Rays on September 8th and then they play again in Tampa on the 15th.

Sox fans can count on the big bat of Dustin Pedroia who hit a huge solo shot in the bottom of the seventh inning on Sept. 3rd to start the rally in which the Red Sox walked off winning 5-4. Pedroia is hitting .333 with 17 HR and 76 RBI.

The Sox are in a great position with two key players coming back to take the lead in the race for first place in the AL.

Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan Make a Solid Backfield Combo

Christopher Costa — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:19:56 -0400

The regular season is almost here, and this year, the Patriots have added some real depth at the running-back position. In the offseason, the Patriots acquired veteran RB LaMont Jordan from the Oakland Raiders. A strong back, Jordan never got the chance to excel with Oakland's weak program.

Jordan has played in 97 career games with 29 starts and has totaled 792 rushes for 3,285 yards (4.1 avg.) and 24 touchdowns. In Aug. 7's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, Jordan put up one touchdown and 76 yards in 19 attempts.

Laurence Maroney, the other key Patriot RB played in 13 games while making six starts at running back in 2007. He rushed for 835 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and scoring six touchdowns.

With a strong companion at the running-back position, the two should be able to build off each other's strengths and combine for some big numbers this season.