Bob Lobel: A Massive Sports Weekend that Can Only Happen in Boston

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Just wondering if the Red Sox are paying attention to the success of the Bruins since the firing of head coach Claude Julian. 

Not saying anything, just wondering. Probably not, but maybe. 

It's been pretty hard to ignore, actually.

That brings us to this weekend, when there is an amazing coming together of everyone in just such a short period of time. All here in Boston, and all in a span of days. The Red Sox on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, especially Monday. The Bruins on Monday night at the TD Garden. The Celtics open the playoffs at home at the Garden on Sunday, and the backdrop of this whole excess of playoff sports and the Patriots Day game is the 121st running of the Boston Marathon. 

This might be labeled overkill, but it is a rare thing indeed. 

Bob Lobel: My Marathon Experience

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

This is our own version of Mt. Everest.   

For some dreamers, the reality of running the Boston Marathon remains the carrot on the stick. You really want it, but can never get it. The range of runners include the world class elite (maybe 15 in any race that actually have a shot at winning). Winning is a goal held by those who know what world class running is.  

The other end of the spectrum is a group called the “bandits.” These are people that couldn’t qualify for a number if their life depended on it. Running and finishing a Boston Marathon, for some, is reward enough.  

Sadly, 37 years after finishing the Boston Marathon, I'm in need of a confession. Confessing that I was a bandit in 1978 makes me one today. It’s a stain that cannot be erased! 

You just have to live with the way it all went down. Here's how it did go down.  

Bob Lobel: The Magic of Spring in Boston

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

There is no doubt that April around here has added significance. Not just that the end of this freaking winter is here, but also there is the opportunity to play golf without  having  to get on a flight to wherever. 

April is, of course, marathon month. The few  weeks leading up to this one will be an emotional ride of sadness, heroes, victims, joy and general awareness that, in this day and age, no person or place is exempt from terror and the fear it brings.   

Yes, the Red Sox are there, though many of you would not recognize them if you passed them walking down Newbury Street without their uniforms. This is that kind of year. Anything is possible, but this could be a very, very good team. 

Bob Lobel: Chaos Theory of Sports

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

The chaos theory has always been an amazing concept that sounds like it should be true. 

Ok, I believe in it. I believe it like I believe in the concept that everything that happens changes everything else that happens after the first happening. Take it slowly. Examples in our sports universe… Rosie Ruiz, one of the great cheaters before Lance Armstrong wandered onto the scene, used her lack of self esteem, or whatever caused her to take the T to Kenmore and finish first at the Pru.  

Oh Hey, I Have a World Series Ring Now

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

The Red Sox had a luncheon for front office staff. There were close to 150 there, as an estimate, and each and every one received a World Series ring. 

Not an knock off, but a real one, just like the players, with their name on it. A most generous offering by the organization for a championship that Larry Lucchino called the most important and meaningful of the three.  

Clearly the connection with the Boston Marathon bombings and the city’s healing process, coupled with the team success was as rewarding a combination as it gets. Needless to say, by looking at the photograph, they really went all out, giving the three individuals who share the public address announcing at Fenway rings of their own.  

I can say this with a straight face and total honesty: When it comes to yours truly, never has anyone received so much for so little. There is nothing else to say other than I am totally grateful to the organization. This would never have happened six or so years ago when was doing Channel 4 stuff.  Not possible and a certain conflict of interest. 

Lobel: I Finally Care About the NBA… For All The Wrong Reasons

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It is totally embarrassing, but I must admit what got me back to having at least some interest in the NBA. 

Of course, Larry Bird is not walking through that door, Donald Sterling is!

What a $#!+ storm! 

Catching up With Bob Lobel: A Marathon to Remember

Join legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel and host Joe Parello as they look back on one of the most memorable Boston Marathons ever.

Plus, Tuukka Rask's save percentage is hovering around 98 percent this postseason. Is he gearing up for a Tim Thomas-esque run to Lord Stanley's Cup? And finally, Bob was in the booth for last night's Red Sox-Yankees game, but didn't get to make an announcement when New York pitcher Michael Pineda was ejected for pine tar. Find out why.

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

Midweek #HotSportsTakes: Marathons are Really Long

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Midweek #HotSportsTakes is a weekly segment here on SuiteSports, where we offer shallow and somewhat incendiary analysis on random hot-button sports topics of the day.

Let's get right to it.

On Meb Keflezighi Becoming the First American in 20 Years to Win the Boston Marathon:

Let me first say how awesome this year's Boston Marathon was, and not just because the heavy police/military presence focused on keeping people safe, and not busting college kids for drinking out of solo cups along the race path.

It was a pretty inspiring race all around. If you haven't stood along the street for the last few miles of it, you're missing out. I don't mean when guys like Keflezighi are running by, though it was awesome to see him leading the pack at mile marker 23.5, I mean when the "normal people" are running.

You can see they're beat, and they're just digging down for every bit of strength they have to complete this life goal. Then you have the crowd on the side, yelling words of encouragement and giving high fives, it brings a smile to your face and, surprisingly, seems to actually give the runners a little extra wind.

Having an American finally win the Marathon this year, of all years, was incredibly sweet, but the guy who wins is never really the story. It's the triumph of those non-professional runners that complete the ultimate test of human endurance in front of their friends and families, and that's why the bombs struck a chord with so many Bostonians last year.

Lobel: April 20th Has Been Good to Boston

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

April 20th is not a holiday in the Commonwealth, but it should be. 

If there were a convention of days, when all 365 of them would get together like the College of Cardinals, and decide which ones would be regular old 24-hour days, and some very special ones would be designated as new holidays, April 20th would be nominated in Boston. 

Check out the last two years!   

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: 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. 

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.

SuiteSports on the Radio: Bob Lobel's First Podcast

Join legendary Boston sportscaster Bob Lobel and host Joe Parello as they discuss the biggest sports stories of the day, and look back on some of the greatest moments in New England sports history.

This week, Lobel talks the response of Boston's sports franchises to the tragic bombings at the Boston Marathon, and the role sports can play in returning a city to normalcy. Listen in below.

Listen to internet radio with Real Fans Sports Radio on Blog Talk Radio

Bob Lobel: The Surreal Week that Was

By Bob Lobel

Did last week actually happen? 

Was it a bad dream, a bad movie, or some demonstration of our imagination? I can't be the only one saying this… But it was a blurr. 

I have no recollection of who won the 117th Boston Marathon. Actually, to be honest, I covered it for 3 decades and never could remember who won. But this was different. 

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

Tragedy at the Boston Marathon

From the SuiteSports Team

The SuiteSports team would like to extend its thoughts and deepest condolences to all those affected by yesterday's terrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon.

Seeing as this site is run by two guys that live in Boston, love sports and have been known to enjoy themselves on Marathon Monday, yesterday obviously hit home. The senseless attack of innocent people that were watching their loved ones complete a life goal, taking in one of the greatest sporting events in the world, or simply enjoying a holiday is unthinkable, and puts a black eye on one of the best days of the year in Boston.

We obviously do not have all the facts yet, but to those that tragically died, those that were injured, those that are still fighting for their lives, those that suffered emotional trauma, those robbed of achieving a life goal and those that finished or were unharmed, but will always remember this as a day of horror, we are thinking about you.

And, to the heroes that emerged yesterday-- All those that ran in to help immediately following the blasts, firefighters, police officers, first responders and the entire staffs of the fantastic hospitals the city of Boston has to offer-- thank you. As has been said everywhere in the wake of this unthinkable act of violence, you represented the best of humanity, and offered hope that we're not too far gone as a species.

There is still good in people.

The Marathon has endured two World Wars, a Great Depression, numerous socioeconomic changes and seven Police Academy movies, so we have no doubt the people of Boston and everyone that comes to the city for the greatest event in running will be back next year.

But it will never be the same.