Friday thoughts come into focus

I can't quite focus on any one thing today -- way too much happened last night for me to keep track of one thought for more than a few graphs. Celebrating the Boston Celtics' 17th championship by attending the Rolling Rally yesterday got the day off to a great start, and last night's benefit for an old friend capped off the day in style. It was a night of wine, women and song...not necessarily in that order.
Anyway, on to the matters at hand...

--Paul Pierce
Seeing Pierce on that lead Duckboat yesterday, The Finals MVP trophy in his hand, a cigar in his mouth, made the early alarm clock and drive north to Boston well worth it. Pierce looked like a man who had just shed every inner demon he ever had, free of the burden that he felt during his first nine years with the Celtics as the team's only superstar to have never won a title.
Larry Bird, Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Bob Cousy never had to wait for success on Causeway Street. They all captured their first ring within two years in Boston and won multiple titles after that, establishing themselves and their teammates as standard bearers for the NBA's dominant dynasty. Pierce had to wait until his 10th season to etch his name beside theirs, a time marked by his near-fatal stabbing in 2000, a complete deconstruction of 2002's Eastern Conference finalists, a rebuilding process that never seemed to end, disastrous draft picks and poor front office decisions. Pierce, as the face of the franchise, took most of the heat for Boston's slide into irrelevance. Now he can bask in the glow of the Celtics' return to glory.  

--Curt Schilling
News broke early today that Schilling will have surgery to repair his ailing right shoulder, a procedure that will end his season and could finish the 41-year-old righthander's career.
Schilling's legend in Boston is secure even if he has thrown his last pitch, all thanks to his efforts in 2004 while helping the Red Sox reverse the curse and win their first World Series in 86 years. Even if the blood on his sock was fake, and even if Schilling played up his serious ankle injury as only he could, the sacrifice that he made to come to Boston and give his body and his health to the cause won't be forgotten. His Game 6 gem in the ALCS against the New York Yankees and Game 2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series were worth whatever cash the Red Sox are blowing on Schilling this season.
And for those who hate the fact that Schilling has an opinion on everything, consider this -- too often we rip athletes for not taking a stand. We criticize Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady for not choosing sides, supporting social causes or telling us what they think. We hate that they throw out a few cliches and never really say anything, but when Schilling sticks his neck out there we call him mouthy and egotistical. Think about that for a minute.

--Pacman Jones
Who does this guy think he is? P. Diddy? Prince? Muhammad Ali? Only the truly famous and worthy can dictate a name change to the rest of the world and expect that everyone will humbly fall into line.
Pacman wants to go by his given name, Adam, for the rest of his NFL career. It's his way of breaking with his troubled past, one that is littered with arrests, drugs and general stupidity. Pacman thinks that changing his name is going to make us all forget the fact that he is one of the NFL's true idiots.
Very few people could be as stupid as Pacman has been since he entered the league in 2005. He's be arrested or questioned in almost a dozen incidents, most involving violence or drug use, and was suspended for the 2007 season after a shooting at a Las Vegas nightclub that had Pacman's fingerprints all over it. His answer to getting back in the league? Having dinner at more strip clubs before meeting with league commissioner Roger Goodell, easily the best decision that he could have made. 
And now Pacman thinks that going by Adam is going to change all of this? Think again. See you in the police blotter in about three months, and we'll know that it's you no matter what name you're going by then.   

--Nicole Gestas
You've never heard of this woman before, but you're going to get to know quite a bit about Mrs. Greg Anderson over the next few months.
Perhaps you remember Anderson, former personal trainer of one Barry Bonds. The convicted steroid dealer sat in jail twice for refusing to cooperate with federal investigators in the BALCO probe against Bonds and several other athletes accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. Now the feds are taking a page from The Sopranos and turning Gestas into Adrianna La Cerva, using her to get to Anderson's Christopher Moltisanti. 
Gestas received a letter from the feds notifying her that she is under investigation for conspiracy in matters relating to her involvement in the BALCO mess, a clear message to Anderson that he'd better play ball before Bonds goes to trial in March 2009. Is Anderson going to stay silent to protect his friend if his wife is in danger of going to federal prison? We're about to find out just how deep Anderson's loyalty runs for his old buddy, and I'm guessing that Anderson will have to do more than sleep on the couch for a few nights if he makes the wrong decision.