Free Republic

German experts are carefully taking apart a complete Celtic grave in the hope of finding out more about the Celts' way of life, 2,600 years ago, in their Danube heartland. > We usually think of the Celtic heartland as the western edges of Europe - Wales, Scotland and Ireland and Brittany in France. But Dr Krausse says the real Celtic heartland was actually in the region in the upper reaches of the Danube, from where the Celts could trade. "Celtic art and Celtic culture have their origins in south-western Germany, eastern France and Switzerland and spread from there to other...

If your sick of Los Angeles don't buy Laker gear and drive their ratings into the toilet. Many NBA franchises support illegal immigration. How many more times are we going to see the Celtics and Lakers in the finals anyway. This is about the 10th time in 60 years I think.

Mexico's favorite basketball team got knocked out! Boston Vs. LA baby!

BOSTON — The TD Garden was rocking Friday night as a sellout crowd of 18,624, and millions more watching on television, witnessed the most storied franchise in NBA history punch its ticket into the NBA Finals. In the deciding Game Six of the Eastern Conference finals, Boston built a 21-point first-half lead and never let up, eliminating the Orlando Magic from the playoffs with a 96-84 triumph, dethroning the 2009 Eastern Conference champions. Thanks in large part to Paul Pierce (31 points, 13 rebounds), Ray Allen (20 points, 4 rebounds), Rajon Rondo (14 points, 6 assists) and Nate Robinson (13...

No heart. I’m not sure you can find a pulsation right now among Orlando’s trio of Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis. With their backs against the proverbial wall, all three came out and laid a gigantic egg. That’s $50 million that should have just stayed home and watched the Eastern Conference finals on television — because they were all bystanders on Saturday night in Boston’s 94-71 thrashing in Game 3. Howard went through the first 11:51 without scoring as the Celtics took a 27-12 lead after the first quarter. The NBA’s most dominant big man finished with a...

Jack Spillane column: A cup of joe with a guy named Steve (Pagliuca, that is)By Jack Spillane November 08, 2009 12:00 AM He's actually better in person than his ads. I'm talking about Steve Pagliuca, the venture capitalist and Celtics co-owner who's running for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. In the wake of my initial column about Pagliuca, I had the opportunity to sit down with him for a short interview this week. He had toured a New Bedford scallop company — which must have been in between his cutting TV ads. (I don't need to tell you, of course, that...

In the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., before missionaries such as St. Patrick and St. Columcille converted them to Christianity, the Celts practiced an elaborate religion through their priestly caste, the Druids, who were priests, poets, scientists and scholars all at once. As religious leaders, ritual specialists, and bearers of learning, the Druids were not unlike the very missionaries and monks who were to Christianize their people and brand them evil devil worshippers. As a result of their efforts to wipe out "pagan" holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it.

Steve Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics, is weighing taking a shot at the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s seat, according to a source close to the Weston resident. Pagliuca, who has also been considering buying the struggling Boston Globe, would join a heavily populated Democratic field that includes Attorney General Martha Coakley. Pagliuca declined comment when reached by a Herald reporter this afternoon, but a source close to the Bain Capital managing director confirmed the 54-year-old is thinking about joining the race. His candidacy is far from a slam dunk, but the well-financed candidate is expected to shake...

ORLANDO -- The Celtics [team stats] have reached agreement with free agent forward/center Rasheed Wallace tonight on a contract that starts at the midlevel exemption of $5.8 million.

I love the sound of a quiet Garden. Orlando 101, Boston 82. So the "Final Four" is set: Denver vs. LAKERS, starting Tuesday; Orlando vs. CAVALIERS, starting Wednesday.

Magic fan angry at 'raging' Davis Posted by Chad Finn, Globe Staff May 11, 2009 02:35 PM Orlando Magic fan Ernest Provetti, whose son, 12-year-old Nicholas, was nearly run over by Glen Davis after his buzzer-beating, game-winning shot last night, is demanding an apology from the Celtics forward.The Video

I know where to begin. I just don't know how to explain. The beginning is easy: I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being thoughtless and insensitive. I'm sorry for making a casual reference to something that should never be construed as casual. Real apologies don't mix with rationalizations, so I won't insult your intelligence by offering you any. This is about my living up to a standard I expect of everyone else -- respect, awareness, honesty and accountability.

What's in the water in Bristol, Connecticut? Previously, we had Dana Jacobson who couldn't keep her hatred of Touchdown Jesus to herself. Granted, ESPN's Olbermann-free, but they seem to have a serious problem with their out-of-control, big mouth sports babes... Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It's like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan. — Jemele Hill, ESPN Page 2, 6/14/08 ESPN has apologized, sanitized the offending lines from her column, the web, and I'm sure she probably now considers herself the victim of a rape and lynching by The...

ESPN.com columnist Jemele Hill was suspended yesterday after sparking outrage by comparing rooting for the Boston Celtics [team stats] to Adolf Hitler and nuclear war. “Jemele has been relieved of her writing and on-air responsibilities for a period of time to reflect on the impact of her words,” ESPN spokesman Paul Melvin said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Yesterday, Hill amplified on her earlier apology for writing, “Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It’s like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan.”

Lakers 92 at Celtics 131 HAVE A CIGAR!

Make room for a 17th NBA championship banner in Boston. The '07-08 Celtics are back on top of the basketball world, completing an extreme makeover Tuesday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals via a 131-92 rout of the Lakers. Story

LOS ANGELES – After 72 hours of having the game’s showcase event consumed by talk of conspiracy, the Lakers brought another ugly word to the NBA Finals. Collapse. As Kobe Bryant and his LA teammates watched helplessly, the Celtics came from 20 points down in the third quarter to take an improbable, amazing 97-91 win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at the Staples Center. Boston leads 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is Sunday night as the Celtics will have a chance to win the 17th championship in franchise history. For the Lakers, the...

My top five (listed in alphabetical order) Tim Duncan Kevin Garnett Lebron James Kobe Bryant Chris Paul

MINNEAPOLIS—Mitt Romney is counting another former Celtics great among his supporters. more stories like this Kevin McHale was among those attending a fundraiser for the Republican presidential contender on Saturday night in Minneapolis. He joins Danny Ainge, who has already maxed out as a Romney contributor. Ainge and McHale were teammates on Boston Celtics teams that won two world championships during the 1980s. Ainge remains with the Celtics as the team's executive director of basketball operations, while McHale is vice president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Romney was in Minnesota raising money and addressing a rally before the...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller is considering the Boston Celtics' request to exit retirement and play for the Massachusetts club, ESPN.com reported Wednesday. Miller, who is set to turn 42 this month, retired at the end of the 2005 NBA season after 18 years with the Pacers. He holds NBA records for most 3-pointers made and attempted and is the leading scorer in Pacers history. According to ESPN.com, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers asked Miller to join Boston in a reserve role for the upcoming season. Signing Miller would add to the number...

Superstar forward Kevin Garnett was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics in a National Basketball Association (NBA) blockbuster deal settled on Tuesday. The Celtics have called an evening news conference to announce the deal, reportedly set to send a host of talent to Minnesota in exchange for making Boston an instant contender for the Eastern Conference crown next season. The deal brings together 10-time NBA All-Star Garnett with long-time Celtics playmaker Paul Pierce and veteran guard Ray Allen. None of the three have ever been able to claim an NBA championship despite years of success on the...

1987 In one of the more memorable NBA playoff games in recent memory, the Detroit Pistons held a 107-106 lead over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With only seconds remaining, and most of the Pistons running up the court celebrating an apparent victory, Detroit's Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass was stolen by Larry Bird, who found a wide open Dennis Johnson for the game-winning lay up with just one second remaining. The Celtics would go on to win the series.

Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championships and teamed with Larry Bird on one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday after collapsing at the end of his developmental team's practice. He was 52. Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center, said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 23 minutes before he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, Hassinger added. Mayra Freeman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said there will...

By Carol Kaufmann Photographs by Arne Hodaliè Why did Romans, Celts, and even prehistoric settlers submerge their personal belongings, from swords to dishes, in a shallow river in Slovenia? Archaeologist Andrej Gaspari is haunted by pieces of the past. His hometown river, the Ljubljanica, has yielded thousands of them—Celtic coins, Roman luxuries, medieval swords—all from a shallow 12-mile (19 kilometers) stretch. Those who lived near and traveled along the stream that winds through Slovenia's capital of Ljubljana considered it sacred, Gaspari believes. That would explain why generations of Celts, Romans, and earlier inhabitants offered treasures—far too many to be...

Noxious fumes apparently resulting from a prank with pepper spray disrupted the game between Boston and the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night and forced the Celtics to bolt from their bench, gagging and coughing. Boston police continued to look at FleetCenter surveillance video into Saturday morning with the goal of identifying four men who abruptly left the building before fans and Celtics players began having trouble breathing. The game was resumed after a nine-minute delay, and Boston won 83-72. The nature of the substance that led to the problems has not been determined, but police are speculating that it...

Game was delayed for nine minutes ESPN.com news services BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics suddenly evacuated their bench between periods of their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night when an unknown substance made it difficult for them to breathe. Fleet Center security told ESPN's Michele Tafoya that fans have told security that moments before the Celtics players left the bench coughing, a substance was released and people sitting where it came from immediately sped out of the the arena. Security will review the tapes in an effort to identify the persons in those seats. The game was...

Something got released in the Fleet center moments ago - some sort of substance. Security on top of it.

Send congratulations to Josh here.