Boston

July 2008

Pierce: US Basketball Needs Win Worse Than Celtics Did

newser | Associated Press | Jul 24, 08 7:59 PM CDT

Now that the Boston Celtics are once again NBA champions, American basketball's next great championship hope falls to the men's Olympic team. "They need it worse than the Celtics needed a championship this year," said Celtics forward Paul Pierce. "The US has been a perennial basketball power and they just need to establish that once again. I think this is the team to do it." More »

June 2008

Celtics Win Ripples Across Globe

newser | Boston Herald | Jun 18, 08 7:24 AM CDT

As the buzzer sounded last night, giving the Boston Celtics the NBA Championship over the Los Angeles Lakers, it wasn't heard only in Beantown. All over the world, from London to Shanghai, basketball fans watched the Celtics take home their 17th Larry O’Brien Trophy. "It’s a global world," said a team partner and investment banker. "So when a team does so well like this with such a storied franchise, people know right away." More »
Lakers Take Game 3

newser | Los Angeles Times | Jun 10, 08 11:09 PM CDT

Kobe Bryant scored 36 points to lead his LA Lakers to an 87-81 victory over Boston in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the LA Times reports. Los Angeles now trails the best-of-seven series 2-1. The Lakers also got a strong lift from Sasha Vujacic (20 points), who came up big during game's closing minutes. Game 4 is Thursday in Los Angeles. More »

May 2008

Catholic School Grads Hear Fewer Pro-Choice Speakers

newser | Boston Globe | May 12, 08 2:53 PM CDT

Catholic universities are increasingly leaving pro-choice politicians off their lists of possible commencement speakers and honorary-degree recipients, reports the Boston Globe. John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and other Catholic pols who don’t hew to the church's party line, especially on abortion, find themselves sidelined as the 225 American Catholic schools bow to pressure from the Vatican and some US clerics. More »
High Gas Prices Fuel Transit Boom

newser | New York Times | May 10, 08 6:10 AM CDT

The soaring price of gas is driving people across America out of their cars and onto mass transit, the New York Times reports. Buses and trains are up 5% or more in cities like Boston and New York, where mass transit is already a popular alternative, but the biggest leap in rider numbers—10-15%— has been in cities in the South and West where car culture is strongest. More »

April 2008

Boy Marries Boy: Then What?

newser | New York Times | Apr 27, 08 7:25 PM CDT

Wedding bells have rung for more than 700 homosexual couples in Massachusetts since the state started marrying gays in 2004, prompting the New York Times to profile young gay men who said “I do.” But there are many things the spouses don’t do, such as follow traditional norms: “We don’t think there is any set way to do this,” one 24-year-old said. More »
Cheruiyot, Tune Win Boston

newser | Associated Press | Apr 21, 08 1:38 PM CDT

Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya became the fourth man to win the Boston Marathon four times today, crossing the finish line on 2:07:46, 32 seconds slower than his own course record, the AP reports. Dire Tune of Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2:22:25, squeaking past Russian Alevtina Biktimirova by just 2 seconds in the tightest women's finish ever. More »
Bullock OK After Crash With Drunk Driver

newser | Boston Herald | Apr 19, 08 6:58 PM CDT

A woman accused of drunk driving slammed head-on into Sandra Bullock's SUV last night near the Massachusetts coast, the Boston Globe reports. Bullock, 43, her husband, Jesse James, 39, and their driver were unhurt in the crash. Police said oncoming driver Lucille Gatchell "almost giggled" when told who she had hit. "She said, 'My first drunk driving and I hit Sandra Bullock,'" a policeman said. More »
Red Sox Jersey Up for Auction After Failed Curse Attempt

newser | Associated Press | Apr 17, 08 9:13 PM CDT

Some might call it a curse, others might say it's a goodwill gesture by longtime baseball rivals. The official charity of the Red Sox, the Jimmy Fund, began an eBay auction Thursday for the David Ortiz jersey that was buried under the New York Yankees' new stadium by a Boston fan hoping to create a hex. More »
It's Fenway's True Opening Day

newser | Boston Herald | Apr 11, 08 2:06 PM CDT

This century has seen a drastic reversal of the Red Sox and Yankees' fortunes, but the draw of the teams' storied rivalry is still as strong as ever. Although small-market fans across the country will express derision or disinterest at the meeting of the powerhouses, chances are they will still tune in to tonight's series opener, writes Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley. More »