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There's nothing new worth talking about on the Celtics front so I better get back to writing about each player on the roster soon.  In the meantime, why not appreciate some of the other Boston area blogs on SBN?

The Pats have a game tomorrow night, the Sox are tinkering for the stretch drive, and the Bruins,... well, they are passing the time in the offseason just like us.

Pats Pulpit talks Skins with Hogs Haven - Pats Pulpit

Hello faithful.  In our ongoing effort to educate the masses about our upcoming opponents, SB Nation's Washington Redskins blog, Hogs Haven, blogger KevinE answers my questions about his favorite team. 

Low risk, high reward: Not a complete failure, but close - Over the Monster

Instead of signing a big name like Mark Teixeira this offseason, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein went a different direction. He decided (once he was burned by Teixeira) that he'd sign a few guys that were comparatively cheap, but their upsides could be good enough to make a real impact. Now, with September just a few days away, the strategy seems almost like a complete failure.

24 players heading to Kitchener for Bruins Rookie Camp - Stanley Cup of Chowder

The Bruins announced today the roster of young players that will be in Kitchener, Ontario for this year's rookie camp, including 11 players who will be playing in their home province of Ontario. As part of the trip, the Bruins prospects are participating in a tournament featuring young players from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vote for the winner in the forums!

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For those who don't have a clue about what the Celticsblog draft is, see here: (Celticsblog draft rules) and here: (Celticsblog draft picks).

After two long months of drafting, trades, debate, campaigning, more than a little drama, and voting, the finalists in the 2009 Celticsblog draft have emerged:  the Toronto Raptors (managed by Rondo2287) and the Portland CrotoNats (managed by Edgar, and assisted by yours truly).  To determine the winner, any registered member of the forums may cast a vote in the dedicated voting thread, linked here. 

Remember:  Voting ends Wednesday at midnight, so VOTE NOW!

Introduction of the Finalists and statements from the participating GMs, below the fold:

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We are proud to introduce our newest writer - Tom Halzack (tenaciousT).  Please give him a warm welcome. - Jeff

Hello to all the diehards at CelticsBlog!

This is my introductory article here and it is a true pleasure to be a part of such a tremendous website. A major intersection for Celtic Nation thought, it is like the morning coffee house, the news site during the day, and the evening stop at the C-Town Diner or Beantown bar. Where else can you catch up on all the latest Celtic news or the 90 post debates on whether Gabe Pruitt is more efficient going left or right? (OK, So I made that one up.)

Some may know me from Celtics Central at ctnews.com, CelticsStuffLive on Comcast Sports Net, Bleacherreport.com, or simply as tenaciousT, my message board moniker. As a fifty something year old, I'm surprised to be a part of the ‘new' media. So I guess I represent the old... new media.

Why me? Why here? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it was that bowl of Lucky Charms I ate the other day. I will say that I love the game. Love it. There is no team game better in the world, IMO. My writing style, analysis and opinions? Well....put it this way....

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With Big Baby and Quisy (that would be Marquise Daniels for those of you, like me, who had no idea) soon to be in the fold, the picture of the 2009-2010 Boston Celtics is becoming quite clear. What we seem to have is a very very deep roster that is built for May and June with more talent in the post than any of their competition for Banner 18.  Jon, Justin, and tonight’s guest, Kevin Henkin, talked about the re-signing of Big Baby and the relatively surprising addition of Duke product, Shelden Williams. All of the guys agreed that Williams is a bit of a Powe replacement, but that "The Landlord" should fare better than last year’s buy low big man signing, Patrick O’Bryant, as he actually has some heart.

In the second hour, the CSL guys ran the gamut and broke down the offseason moves of the Lakers, Spurs, Cavs, and Magic with Jon noting that all of them, including the Celtics, added players with questionable character but only the C’s won’t have to significantly alter their gameplan to reflect these additions. The guys also looked at a name that was on everyone’s tongue in June but has fallen off the map ever since, Rajon Rondo.

Click Here To Download The Show

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  But it seems right up our alley and it is something to do during the offseason, so here ya go.

All we do every day on here is either guess at what Ainge is thinking, second guess him, or offer up what we'd do in his shoes.  It is great fun, but we never really get a chance to see how well we'd really do.  Fantasy basketball is great and all, but it is kind of a step or two removed from reality.

This is a new kind of fantasy basketball league run by PASPN which tries to re-create the aspects of a GM's job as close as you can in a simulation.  I haven't played it yet, but it sounds pretty cool.

Here's the synopsis:

There will be 30 General Manager spots available: one for each NBA franchise. Since this is a new league, we will start by taking over each team's existing contracts. After that, it's up to you to re-tool your team via trades, draft picks, and free agent signings to form the best team that you can. Since PASPN leagues are governed by the rules of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the Mock GM game mixes fantasy basketball playing with the realities of the business of the NBA.

Once the NBA regular season begins, we will compete in an 18-week Head-to-Head season, where each team has a new opponent every week. You start 8 players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, UTIL, UTIL, UTIL), and whoever scores more fantasy points wins the matchup. The scoring system is based on NBA.com's Efficiency rating: ((PTS + TRB + AST + STL + BLK) - ((FGA - FGM) + (FTA - FTM) + TOV )). The top 16 teams qualify for the Playoffs, which take place during the final 4 weeks of the regular season.

Here's the link to sign up for a league specifically created for CelticsBlog.  Enjoy.

Update: Due to high demand, a second league has been created for CelticsBlog.  Sign up here for CelticBlog.com Deuce

Congrats Green17

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This post written by Master PO

Big Celtic Summer News!!!!!

Green18 has arrived!!!!!

Our very own Green17 and his wife, Ms Green17, have just announced the birth of the newest Celtic fan and the newest member of CelticsBlog!!! A new baby girl. Congratulations to them both in bringing this team and this blog another young fan.

From Green17: "Abby was born @ 10:32 this morning.  6lbs 12 oz.  everyone is doing great"

Oh..... the chat room on Game night will never be the same as Green17 will NOT be busy chatting, but rather busy changing diapers, trying to get the new little Leprechaun to sleep, or reading this little girl some books about Celtic lore or the wisdom of Po.

She will be known officially from this point forward on this blog as Little Miss Green18......and that may be all the extra luck we need for this season. Congrats and best wishes to Mr. and Mrs Green 17 and the newest Celtic fan - Little Miss Green18.

Get some sleep Daddy G17

baby pic after the jump

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Celtics Stuff Live broadcast Sunday night sans a vacationing Jon Duke and welcomed back Kevin Henkin for the co-hosting spot.  In the first hour newly hired coach of the Maine Red Claws, Austin Ainge, spoke of his first head coaching opportunity (if you don’t count the Orlando Summer League) and certainly displayed the kind of media savvy required for just such a position.  He answered the obvious questions (and we are now happy to have those out of the way) and talked about his basketball support network as well as his desire to return to the show to discuss the X and O’s of coaching once the season begins this fall.  Crustacean Nation will enjoy this interview.

Danny Ainge on draft night is like a box of chocolates, and history tells us that his professions that nothing is imminent, is more likely a spy hunter smoke screen.  Maybe he will stand pat, but the odds are against it and for the 4th consecutive year Celtics Stuff Live will broadcast during the main event.  The show starts just about the time of the first pick, 7:30pm, and will run until at least 10:30pm depending on how the evening goes. 

We have all the familiar names checking in throughout the night including Sean Grande, Steve Bulpett, Marc Spears, Scott Souza, Jessica Camerato, Eric Weiss of BBIQ (who always provides excellent in-depth scouting analysis), and Greg Dickerson who will provide regular updates from the Celtics' Draft Headquarters.

Of course, amongst all these excellent guests, we will be taking your calls/e-mails/questions from the chat room. See you Thursday night!

1-866-751-9649

Click Here to Enter the Live Chat