...top 10 Most Influental Songs...

Here are the top 10 most influential songs, to me, without explination.

10. I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
9. Sweet Lullaby - Deep Forest
8. Sparks - The Who'
7. Parklife - Blur
6. America - Simon & Garfunkel
5. Airbag - Radiohead
4. Can You Feel The Love Tonight - Elton John
3. Rocket - Smashing Pumpkins
2. Wonderwall - Oasis
1. Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles

...you gotta love...

You gotta love Environmentalists suing Cape Wind for endangering birds. I am not doubting that Cape Wind may have other motives aside from saving the world one bay at a time - and that money may be one of their motives, but you know what? I don't care.

I am not even sure who is filing the suit, but the bottom line is that even if they told me tomorrow that some birds will be killed by these large wind turbines, I'd be sad, but then i'd grab the plaintiffs by the neck, throw them on a plane, and stuff their faces in the oil-laced beaches of New Orleans and ask them if that is a better alternative for them.

...7 Celtics Off-Season Priorities...

I think these are the Green's top priorities:

1. Get Paul Pierce's situation figured out

I know I am in the minority who believe that Pierce may not end up in a C's uniform forever. I believe he wants to be a Celtic forever, and I know he wants his #34 up in those rafters, but there is a business reality to this situation.

As Captain, and as the obvious tentpole in the middle of this 3 ring circus, Pierce's situation is a very interesting one. He has 1 year remaining, as a player option, for 21.5 Million. Now is the time that all sports fans say, "why would he leave 21.5 million on the table?" Well, this is why.

He, and his agent, most likely believe a team is out there who is willing to sign him for 4 years, 60 million right now. That is option 1. Leave the C's, go to the Clippers (for example), finish off your career at home, with 60 million fans and 60 million bucks.

Option 2 is to stay with the C's, get your guaranteed 21.5 this year and then hope you can get 3 more years at 13 million (or so) per year. But really? Will the C's value him higher than Rondo? Will he be easy to retain?

I don't think it will be easy, and I think Pierce will test this free-agent market.

2. How hurt is Kendrick Perkins?

His injury could be a long-term issue for the C's. There are major roster holes on the Celtics - it may not feel that way but it will only get multiplied and microscoped over the next few years. We have to build this team back up, and that includes locking up a true big man, which Perkins is. However, with the snowball effect injuries have on big men, it is a bit scary. They best have the most capable Dr's. in sports working on his leg, because he is a big part of this team's future.

3. Will Ray Allen remain in Green?

He had such a roller coaster playoff - it is really unbelievable. I have no idea to be honest about Ray Allen and if he needs to be a Celtic. Part of me says, "yes, absolutely. He is the only man on offense willing to move, continuously. We have to keep him. But then there is the part of me that says if you rely on a jumpshooter, you don't win titles. What teams have won titles relying on a jump shooter? And we relied on him. As Garnett aged, Perkins got hurt, and Rondo was neutralized a bit by Kobe, it was up to Ray to hit his shots. He did in game 2, and he didn't in Game 7. And thats that.

4. Is Rasheed retiring?

The money left over is huge. We lose him, we gain millions. Will he be cooperative and decide in a timely manner, you can almost guarantee he won't. The reason that it is critical this happens quickly is because the amazing Free Agent class has a tremendous potential, and things will happen very quickly.

5. Who is our Backup PG?

I feel this needs to be addressed in the draft. The Free Agent Class at PG is very thin - and given the needs of a lot of teams, I think even landing a Steve Blake type player is a long shot. I don't like the draft, I don't trust the draft, and I don't believe in the draft, but I have no solution here. I know the answer isn't re-upping Nate Robinson, not on this team.

6. We have 6 players, who are the rest going to be?

If we keep Pierce, we have 6 players on contract. If we don't, and if Rasheed retires, we have 4. Garnett, Rondo, Perkins and Glen Davis. If Perkins is hurt for the first 1/2 of the season, we potentially go into this year with 3 players.

The most likely scenario is that Pierce stays, Wallace goes, Perkins can't start the year, and we have 5 guys on our roster. I think it's likely we keep Tony Allen, we pick up 2 rookies in the draft, and 1 guy at Summer League. That is a very porous roster, and Ainge has his work cut out for him.

But remember, when everything was at it's darkest, Ainge pulled off the Ray Allen trade on draft night in June '07, and we were saved.

7. Do we have a coaching staff?
Doc is no fool. Thibadeau moving to Chicago is a huge deal. Doc wanting to go back to Florida, for good reason, and live at home is a big deal. I think that Doc sees the writing on the wall, in many respects. I believe the coaching turntable will spin very soon. Will Doc take over in Orlando? Will McHale and Ainge reunite in Boston? Who will coach this defense? What are we going to look like next year?

Lastly, I'd like to build my dream team, based on assumption that the C's stay under 90 million cap space, and taking into account all I can. (*'s are the deals I am imagining for the player for '10)

PG - Rondo (9 million)

SG - Allen (6 million)

SF - Pierce (*21.5 million)

PF - Garnett (*18.8 million)

C - Perkins (4.4 million)

-----------------------------

Bench - Shaq (4 million)

Bench - Davis (3.3 million)

Bench - Blake (*3.5 million)

Bench - Matt Bonner (1.5 million)

Bench - JJ Redick (5.5 million)

Rookie - who cares (1 million)

Rookie - who cares (.75 million)

...not mourning...

I am choosing not to mourn this Celtics loss. I am choosing to think it was awesome, instead. I am not a Laker hater, I hold ill-will towards very few things associated with the Lakers, and I am going to continue to love the Boston Celtics until my very last breath on this earth.

I am going to look forward, look ahead, and embrace the NBA Off-season, which is always awesome, and this year is going to be super-awesome, super-incredible and entirely exciting.

The Celtics may be given a huge relief this year in the form of Rasheed retiring. This is news to me, but Doc and KG had interesting words post-game last night.

Rivers heaped praise on Wallace for his efforts and noted it might have been his final NBA game, lending credence to the suggestion that Wallace simply wanted to offer goodbyes to veteran officials Danny Crawford and Joey Crawford.

"He was a warrior," Rivers said. "I don't know if Rasheed will ever play again. You know, he's one of them. I think he took that out on the floor with him. I think he is thinking about retiring, and I thought you could see that in his play. He was dying out there. When he got the cramps and the strains, he was just trying to figure out a way of staying on the floor.

"We had to keep subbing him for one minute and two minutes, and I thought the reason we got up early was because of Rasheed Wallace. We got it low in the post, he started scoring, and I thought what happened was late in the game he got tired and had the injuries and we couldn't go down anymore, and I think that had a huge impact on how we were playing. We had to go away from the post almost because of fatigue. It's the first time all year that you can actually say, at the end of the day, we were old at the end of the game because we didn't have a enough bodies. I thought it hurt us."

Wallace signed a three-year, $19 million contract last offseason. He stands to make $6.3 million if he returns next season and $6.8 million in 2011-12.

Asked about Wallace's future, Kevin Garnett didn't sound optimistic about his return.

"Not a good one ... I see a lot of myself in him and we have a lot of the same ties and a lot of the same characteristics. Both the class of '95 ... so for him to come in and give his thanks and his regards after a loss like this ... it was a difficult night."

The Celtics lose the contract of Scals, and may lose the contract of Sheed, and that opens up a whole heck of a lot of money to go out and build the proper team around Rondo, KG, Perk and Pierce.

I am excited, I am encouraged, I am still feeling really proud, and I'm not mourning.