Celtics

The Herald reports the Celtics have fired Lucky the Mascot.

Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said today there is no reason to bring criminal charges against Boston police officers for the death of David Woodman, who collapsed while being arrested on June 18 and then died on June 29:

... As a result of a thorough, objective and independent review of the facts, I have concluded that no criminal charges are warranted in this case. The facts are clear and the medical evidence overwhelming that Mr. Woodman's death was the result of natural causes - specifically a serious, pre-existing heart condition. The evidence is also clear that officers of the Boston Police Department did not use excessive force in effectuating the lawful arrest of Mr. Woodman for public drinking, but only degree of force necessary to handcuff him. ...

The statements of police officers and civilian witnesses, most of whom are friends or acquaintances of Mr. Woodman, are in agreement. No officer used a weapon of any sort in arresting Mr. Woodman. No officer used a baton or chemical spray. No officer struck, punched, slapped, kicked, or used a chokehold on Mr. Woodman. ...

His complete statement is in the comments below.

But Michael Berger reminds us that the last time two Boston teams had losing streaks at the same time (way back in October), it didn't last long.

Concussion and whiplash.

The Orlando Sentinel interviews former Celtic Tony Battie on the night he went out with his brother and Paul Pierce to an afterhours party at the Buzz Club on Stuart Street:

... Eight years ago, in the wee hours of Sept. 25, Battie was driving at breakneck speed to a Boston hospital.

Pierce, his Celtics teammate, was lying in his car, drenched in blood.

Battie was imploring him to hang on. ...

Earlier:
Man who could have killed Paul Pierce gets to stay in jail.

Rajon Rondo reports:

I just got back in the locker room. We just got the W in Houston, and I had to blog. OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT! I can't even explain how I feel right now. All I have to say is that we have to repeat, because we have to go back to the White House to meet Obama. ...

And what of Curt Schilling? Schilling reminds us we're all Americans:

... Do I agree with him? Not a lot. Was he my choice? Nope. But we end that 'stuff' now right? Tomorrow we all wake up Americans. Tomorrow the world once again looks at us in complete awe. Never has a country on this planet selected what was once a 'minority' to its highest political position. No free nation has ever done what we just did, again. ...

Ryan reports on a visit by the Celtics NBA trophy to her office today:

... They told us to wear green... so I wore a Philadelphia Eagles t-shirt. Is that sacrilegious? ...

The state Appeals Court today upheld the conviction of a man charged with slicing and beating Celtics star Paul Pierce at an after-hours party in 2000.

William Ragland was sentenced to seven to ten years in jail in 2002 for the attack. An alleged accomplice, Trevor Watson, got one year for his role in the attack. Their lawyers argued the convictions were based on the testimony of a witness who gave a different story at trial than she did before the grand jury that indicted the pair.

In an opinion handed down today, the court ruled that there was more evidence to convict the men than the woman's testimony - even despite the fact that police had trouble finding anybody else willing to testify among the roughly 300 people at the Buzz Club party at the time.

The complete decision: Read more

Well! Seems there were a few boos tonight when, before casting its votes in Denver, the leader of the Massachusetts delegation included the Red Sox and Celtics in the traditional list of things that make this Great State such a Great State. That's just fine with Beth:

... I don't know what I love more - that it's so perfectly, exquisitely Massholish or that the delegation from the great state of Mass actually incited boos during the formal nomination process for President of the United States.

In Las Vegas during a traffic stop, but not arrested.

He's a bit late to the game, but Kevin Cullen today writes what Dan Kennedy calls a first-rate column on the guy who died after being detained by police during the post-Celtics-win crackdown.

Yes, that's the Celtics trophy. Bontz explains how he and a friend got into the Celtics draft party after upgrading their Bruins tickets at the Garden.

Boston Police report that David Woodman, 22, of Southwick, died today at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 11 days after he collapsed while being arrested on Brookline Avenue in the Fenway following the Celtics win:

Officers observed an individual, crossing the street with a group of four others, drinking from an open container of what was believed to be alcohol. Officers attempted to conduct a threshold inquiry when the suspect attempted to flee. He was soon subdued by officers. The suspect began struggling with the officers as they attempted to handcuff him.

At that time, officers realized that he was in medical distress; they immediately began to administer CPR and summonsed EMS to that location. An ambulance arrived on scene and took over emergency CPR. He was rushed to Beth Israel Medical Center.

The Suffolk County DA's office, Boston Police homicide unit and Boston Police internal-affairs unit are all investigating. Autopsy results are pending.

The Herald had previously reported that Woodman had a pre-existing cardiac condition.

To repair all the damage done to its offices by rampaging drunks after last week's Celtics win, Lori Magno reports.

Kendrick Perkins at the RMV:

... All I could think of is how miserable he looked. I mean the guy just won the NBA championship and were does he end up the following Monday? At the RMV renewing his license. What a total bummer. What ever happened to that "I'm going to Disneyworld" thing. I've never seen a commercial that showed a sports star saying "I'm going to the RMV to renew my license." ...

Glen Davis had promised kids at a Mattapan middle school he'd visit and even after the championship, he did.

Boston Police post the honor roll: 22 people arrested - 13 from out of town. West Roxbury represented, though - four local lads got a close-up look at BPD prisoner processing procedures.

Offenses ranged from getting into fights to attempting to beat up a cop to being in possession of pot while resisting arrest for getting into a fight. Most were under 24 (the youngest a 15-year-old tyke from Dedham), although a 50-year-old guy from Dorchester was arrested on a pickpocketing charge.

Paul Keleher snapped Kevin Garnett with the statue and posted a bunch of photos from today's parade.

Some photos here.

If you took photos or video and have posted them somewhere, leave their URL in a comment or drop a line.

Jay Fitzgerald is watching the parade on TV, reports it's hard to make out the players, because the Duck Boats are too packed with non-players.

Are we going to have to start slapping I Heart New York stickers on our backpacks when we travel west of Worcester?

After a day of pretending to be happy, the true CHB is back, with a column reminding us that it's all downhill from here, that Boston teams used to really, really suck, that kids today just can't appreciate how badly those teams used to suck back in the last century and that Bill Belichick sure sucks.

Meanwhile, Seth Gitell wonders why no special Celtics section in the Globe today.

That's what Capn Ho writes about our new NBA champions.

More blog reaction: Read more

What a game! What a season!

And fireworks are going off here on the Roslindale/Hyde Park line. Somebody just drove by pounding their horn and yelling out the windows.

Aw, and was Kevin Garnett hugging Bill Russell great or what?