Bob Lobel: My Favorite Boston Sports Memories

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

No denying that one of the most beneficial by-products of sports competition is the memory the game, team or moment generates. 

It's one of those things that place you somewhere in space that the memory transports you to. Like, I know where I was the moment Fisk hit his home run off the pole in left. There are hundreds of these moments that keep calling to us from a less complicated and seemingly more pleasant past. 

Here's the big bang for our (New England, Boston, etc) buck… Really now, how many other cities have franchises that crank out memories faster and better than this one? Really! Trying to think, and in doing so, came to the conclusion that we just own it. The best moments, the best teams, the best drama, the best clutch, the best parades, the most invested fans holding all those memories. 

Boston Strong didn’t just show up on our doorstep. Boston Strong should add the words, “get over it." 

Love, Cookies, and The Celtics

When will the Celtics find their next banner?

By Shaun Whalen (@TheSPFW)

I am young(ish), broke, don’t have a girlfriend, and am entering my first year as a season ticket holder for a Boston Celtics team that can best be described as “feisty”, “defensive minded”, and “at least they’re not the Sixers.”

I bought the tickets on as much of a whim as you can when you spend that much money. Caught in the rally of optimism that Danny Ainge would find a way to lure Kevin Love to The Bean, my soon-to-be roommate (who doubles as a Lucky the Leprechaun doppelganger) and I decided to buy the tickets “as an investment”. This decision took less than thirty minutes from inception to him piling the cost on his credit card and stealing all the reward points that came with that exorbitant figure. It helped the ticket rep we both spoke to “sounded REALLY hot.”  (She is, by the way.)

Needless to say, KLove didn’t find his way to Boston. And when he does finally make it to play the Celts, Lucky and I have decided to sell those tickets because we are just so broke. His girlfriend—to her credit—has maintained decorum and not yelled at us for this investment. She will undoubtedly make her way to a game or four, continually yell at Kelly Olynyk for his MMBop hair, and generally put up with our basketball nonsense.

But why?

Bob Lobel: What Just Happened to the Patriots?

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

41-14. 

Kinda gets your attention, especially if you’re a palindrome fan, which I am. Don’t be misled by the cheap rhyme. A palindrome has nothing to do with rhyming but, simply put, it’s a word, phrase or number that is the same spelled backward as it is forward. 

Like one of my favorites, Bob! 

Now since 41-14 is an obvious example and it pertains to the subject we are most likely to discuss at the watercooler, we need to find other examples. “Gag” comes to mind. How about “poop." As in, the Patriots played like poop in Kansas city. 

Bob Lobel: Dealing With Sports Disappointments

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Folks that follow professional sports teams and identify their lives as good or bad depending on the success of those teams need therapy in a big way. 

The success or failure of these teams is too precocious to attach any real significance to their fate. I suppose in shrink speak this might be called  “insecurity attachment.” Like, we need some medical marijuana to pull us out of a losing streak, or at least take our mind and put it somewhere else. 

This is not a personal recommendation. 

Bob Lobel: What Drew's Return Means to the Red Sox

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

The roller coaster Red Sox are a better team with Stephen Drew at shortstop. 

Spare me the stunted growth argument about Xander at third base. This isn’t an instructional league where players learn to play positions. Reminding one and all, this is a win or else league, and the best people at the best places are key to making that happen. 

Here’s what I noticed and why: Xander started raking the ball the day he found out that Drew was coming back. So what does that actually mean? Is there a connection?

Lobel: A Weak Week for Boston Sports

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

There are such things as strong weeks and such things as weak weeks. 

We are in a weak week. 

A year ago it was a strong week; a Boston Strong week. 

Here we are, one year later, and obviously our world and what we think about it has changed. There is, of course, the Boston Marathon and its 36,000 runners.  Medical types are concerned this year, not so much for a repeat of the bombs, but for the novice runners.

Lobel: The Marathon Takes Center Stage this Spring

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Up until last year, April was the month that brought baseball back to Boston and the Bruins back to the National Hockey League playoffs.  

The latter is thought by many to be the greatest competitive sporting event of this, or any other time of the year. The NHL playoffs are pure drama and pure effort. I am one of those who would agree with that. The NHL playoffs are simply the best. No stupid shootouts, and for some reason the NHL seems to roll out different rules for these approximately six weeks of sport bliss. 

Bob Lobel: Spring Brings New Expectations for the Sox

 By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

After endless days and nights filled with snow, cold and frozen pipes, I can only offer the following: When you walk into a room and it is full of horse s—t and smells like horse s—t, look long and hard for the pony. 

A simple remedy to keep in mind until spring shows up. And it will. Always has. Just like the Red Sox showing up for spring training. A year makes quite a difference. Last year, the spring training Sox walked into that room and smelled all the horse s—t that was left behind, then found the pony. 

Clearly, the best things are surprises that you least expect. Thank you Boston Red Sox for that surprise last year. Now, go do it again! Not such an easy task when there are expectations complicating matters. Expectations always complicate things for the simple reason they inevitably out pace reality. Don’t expect a full blow race horse when all you need is a pony. 

Bob Lobel: The Value of Giving Over Getting

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Somewhere along the road of life, the season to be jolly changed dramatically. 

It has become the season to see how well we are able to deal with stress.  The “season of getting,” which we all embraced as children, and still secretly wish would magically return, has become the “season of giving.” Most of us are so ill prepared for this. The cycle of “guilt induced stress” is now driving the bus. 

Catching Up With Bob Lobel: Debating the 2004 Red Sox Against 2013

On this week's edition of "Catching Up With Bob Lobel," host Joe Parello and legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel discuss Bob's relationship with fellow Boston legend Mike Lynch.

Also, Bob goes into detail about why he and the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy disagreed on which Red Sox championship run was more meaningful, 2004 or 2013. All that, and more, on this week's edition of "Catching Up With Bob Lobel."

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Bob Lobel: Teaming Up With Boston Sports Legend Mike Lynch

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

It was a week ago Monday when I received a call from Mike Lynch of Channel 5.  

Lynchie and I have been friends and competitors for over 30 years at rival stations in one of the nation’s hottest television markets. It has been a hot market for many reasons, but the unusual thing about Boston is that it’s a destination, not a way station. 

There are plenty of larger markets that serve as pass throughs to get to these destinations, but only those in the right place and time get the destination market jobs. Being a local product with institutional knowledge was very important in Boston, a notoriously parochial town with local passions for politics, sports and revenge made this a very unique place. 

Bob Lobel: The Origin of "Why Can't We Get Players Like That?"

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

One of the things that has endured is a flippant little phrase I threw out on television to be a wise guy and get a laugh. 

It goes back to the late Lou Gorman trading Jeff Bagwell, a Red Sox minor league prospect, for Larry Andersen, a relief pitcher of some renown, to help the Sox win a then-elusive World Series title. The Andersen part didn’t really work out, but the Bagwell side blossomed into a home run machine for Houston. 

Bob Lobel: The Two Moments that Built These Sox

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe better…

I don’t have a clue how this is all going to play out for the Red Sox. Why should I sit down at the computer and pound out a column of guess work? When you live in a sports universe occupied by the Boston Red Sox, you have to be prepared for anything and everything. 

Catching Up With Bob Lobel: Patriots-Jets Preview

Each week on the "Catching Up With Bob Lobel" podcast, sportscasting legend Bob Lobel and host Joe Parello tackle the biggest sports stories of the week, and revisit the greatest moments in New England sports history.

This week is a Patriots football Thursday, so SuiteSports Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Conlin dropped in to join the discussion on New England's game against the Jets in Foxboro. Does New England have the weapons to contend this year, and why does Vegas seem to think they're going to blow out the Jets after last week's near-loss in Buffalo?

All that, and more, on this week's edition of "Catching Up With Bob Lobel."

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Bob Lobel: Why We Deserve Teams Like This

By Bob Lobel  @boblobel

Everyone has favorite things to say worth repeating. 

There were favorite sayings I used during television sportscasts that were inserted just to keep Elizabeth Walker awake or mildly interested. Getting her to laugh was the ultimate goal. Things like “why can't we get players like that" became a staple of the sports presentation.

When Vinatieri was kicking field goals for the Patriots, the favorite phrase was “Adam and leave.” Now, a new one has appeared and would become a regular part of the show if I was still part of the action. I did tweet it Sunday evening and I just like it… Short and sweet! 

#Amen Dola. 

I think it’s a winner but it has got to be a regular. He has to stay on the field, obviously.  It’s the same thing for a couple of Red Sox in this fantasy year. 

The Red Sox of 2013 are a fantasy team that not many markets get to experience. This Sox squad can pretty much complete the cycle of rags to riches. Just winning another World Series would be fine but, probably boring in the end because we have been there and done that. 

But, we have not been there and done it... Like this.

Bob Lobel: Lobey's Classic Sports Updates

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Earlier this week, our resident sports legend Bob Lobel and I discussed the good old days of Boston sports. But, what about the good old days of Boston sports media? Bob himself was a part of that, and these old vignettes WBZ-4 used to air as cut-ins during The Tonight Show feature some of Lobel's most memorable moments.

Big thanks to Awful Announcing contributor/all around media blogger Ken Fang for tweeting this compilation to Bob. He was thrilled to see it.

"It brings back so many great memories," Lobel told me Thursday. "It was just a different time back then. Our producers were more relaxed. They would hang out after the news and we would put together these little vignettes and have fun with them. They came up with a lot of the ideas, so they deserve all the credit. It was a great collaborative effort."

Check out some of Lobel's classic moments below.

Catching Up With Bob Lobel: Previewing the Patriots and Talking Boston's Good Old Days

Every week on the "Catching Up With Bob Lobel" podcast, sportscasting legend Bob Lobel and host Joe Parello talk the biggest sports stories of the day, and revisit some of the greatest moments in New England sports history. This week, Bob and Joe ring in the return of the NFL with a preview of the New England Patriots, and discuss which other NFL teams they'll be keeping their eyes on in 2013.

Plus, are we currently enjoying the "good old days" of Boston sports? Bob discusses modern Boston sports fandom compared to the 80s and 90s, where being a perennial loser made his job at WBZ a humorous one.

All this, and more, on this week's edition of "Catching Up With Bob Lobel."

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Bob Lobel: Is This All Really Happening?

By Bob Lobel

Which event was least likely to happen in your dream sports world? The nominations for least likely to happen are:

1) The Bruins in Stanley Cup Final for the second time in three years.
2) The Red Sox holding the best record in American League by Father’s Day.
3) Tim Tebow is a New England Patriot. 
4) Jose Iglesias has a 14-game hitting streak and counting. 
5) Doc Rivers is not likely to be back as the Celtics' head coach. 
6) The most famous Boston athlete with the initials T.T. is not Tim Thomas, but Tim Tebow. 
7) Tuuka Rask is better than Tim Thomas was two years ago. 
8) Alfredo Aceves is still a working member of the Boston Red Sox, and finally
9) Despite rumors to the contrary, there will actually be a Father’s Day this year! 

Now, that’s a bag of surprises for you. All worth dissecting a little, starting with the most recent surprise. I was doing a golf tournament charity auction, and in the middle of it, a guy with a smart phone shows me a note saying Tebow will sign with Patriots. 

EMERGENCY TIM TEBOW POST!!!

How will Tim Tebow fit in with Brady's bunch?

By Jeremy Conlin and Joe Parello

When word broke that the New England Patriots were signing Tim Tebow, editors Jeremy Conlin and Joe Parello knew what they had to do: Emergency Tebow post.

With America's most polarizing athlete now in Foxborough with America's grumpiest coach, the two jumped on Facebook chat to break down what Tebow to the Patriots means to the future of humanity.

Also, I would like to point out that I told you so.

Bob Lobel Joins SuiteSports

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legendary Sports Broadcaster Bob Lobel Will Begin a Weekly Blog and Podcast with SuiteSports.com

BOSTON, MA- APRIL 22, 2013 - SuiteSports.com, a new hybrid site that will feature both local Massachusetts high school sports coverage, as well as national sports opinion pieces from bloggers and reporters across the country, today announced the addition of legendary sports broadcaster Bob Lobel to its team.



For nearly 30 years, Lobel was a New England sports institution as the lead sports anchor for WBZ-TV in Boston. With his signature catchphrase "Why can't we get players like that?"-- Uttered whenever a former Boston player made a big play for his new team-- and memorable humorous personality, Lobel quickly became one of the most recognized sports broadcasters in the country. 



Now, Lobel joins SuiteSports to take a shot at the blogging world, a format he believes is tailor made for his writing style.



"I think blogging will play right into the way I thought for TV," Lobel said. "It's just going to be a collection of my thoughts. Perfect for my ADD when it comes to sports."



Lobel will write a weekly blog running on Tuesdays. In his blog, Lobel says he will cover it all – The four major Boston teams, national stories, scandals – with a sense of institutional knowledge, but also with humor.



"You can't have enough humor," Lobel chuckled.



Lobel will also appear on a weekly podcast for SuiteSports every Thursday where he will discuss the greatest events he has covered in his illustrious career. SuiteSports co-founder Joe Parello will host the segment, and can't think of a better person to join the SuiteSports team.



"The idea that Bob Lobel is joining our team, it's almost surreal," Parello said. "I feel like sometimes we get stuck in the Boston bubble, but I mentioned Bob to a friend of mine in Texas and he immediately shot back 'Why can't we get players like that!' That was a reminder that Bob is a giant, not just here in New England, but across the country. I honestly can't think of a better guy to join our site, and he's got some opinions that will get people talking, trust me."



Parello now dedicates his time to expanding SuiteSports, after a year of covering high school and college sports in Eastern and Central Massachusetts. Fellow co-founder Jeremy Conlin, who has contributed to ESPN’s TrueHoop Network and BuzzFeed Sports, grew up watching Lobel.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Bob join the team,” Conlin said. “When we started the site, we never would have imagined that someone of Bob’s stature would come on board. It’s a thrill to be adding someone who is such a prominent figure in Boston sports media.”



SuiteSports is set to re-launch with an entirely updated format to coincide with Lobel's first column. The site will also feature Massachusetts high school sports coverage from Parello, and national opinion pieces from Conlin and an expanded network of reporters and bloggers from across the country. Lobel says this hybrid of blogging and actual reporting drew him to SuiteSports.



"Well, I love the name," Lobel joked. "But also the concept behind the site. I see a ton of potential, and I think it's the next generation of sports sites."

Background Information

SuiteSports.com is a new hybrid sports website that will combine opinion pieces with statistical analysis and local sports reporting in Eastern and Central Massachusetts.

Co-founders Joe Parello and Jeremy Conlin met while working for WTBU, the student radio station of Boston University. The two host a weekly college basketball program entitled "Taking You to School" on RFSportsRadio.com. SuiteSports has also recently partnered with RF Sports Radio, an emerging giant in the online radio world that draws in over 225,000 listeners each month.

Contacts

Joe Parello, Editor, 954-554-4985 , jparello86@gmail.com , @HereWeGoJoe

Jeremy Conlin, Editor, 617-763-6592, jrconlin3789@gmail.com , @Jeremy_Conlin

Bob Lobel, Blogger/Contributor, blobel4@yahoo.com, @BobLobel