Naming New Boston Garden Is No Time for a Bank Shot

Columnist Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe rejects the name, Shawmut Center, as the Boston Celtics’ new home.

“The Shawmut Center. Please. Give us a break. For years, we’ve been pleading for a new Boston Garden, and now that they’ve broken ground, they sell the name to a bank.

“It reminds me of when Mr. Potter, the mean old banker, changed the name of Bedford Falls to Pottersville in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ ”

Trivia time: What does Pat Riley have in common with Vlade Divac?

Clip this: From Phil Rogers of the Dallas Morning News: “While Barry Bonds and the Giants are on magazine covers, the Braves remain the team to beat in the West. San Francisco is eventually going to come back to the pack, and Atlanta is well-positioned to wait for the fall.”

Add Rogers: “There has been nothing more shocking this year than the Dodgers’ winning streak. If there was any justification for firing (Tony) Perez (Cincinnati’s former manager) it was losing three in a row to these guys.”

All in the family: Orlando General Manager Pat Williams has won three NBA lotteries, one when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers and two with the Magic. “The Williams family includes 16 children, 12 of them adopted from various parts of the world,” writes Jackie MacMullan of the Boston Globe. “No wonder the guy has won three lotteries. With a heart that big, he deserves to win every year.”

Sign language: Lee Trevino, telling Golf World about Arnold Palmer’s availability to sign autographs: “I swear, Arnold would sign an autograph at a red light. If a guy pulled up to Arnold in a car and asked him for an autograph, Arnold probably would pull over if he could read lips.”

Game plan: Xavier McDaniel of the Boston Celtics, who played one season for the New York Knicks, told the Sporting News that the key to beating the Chicago Bulls isn’t stopping Michael Jordan but limiting Scottie Pippen. “Don’t worry about Michael; he’s going to get his. You have to play him (Pippen) physical,” McDaniel said. “If you play him that way, he’ll come up with excuses.”

Trivia answer: The same jersey number, 12, as Laker players.

Quotebook: Julius Erving on Charles Barkley’s “I am not a role-model commercial”: “He’s saying, ‘Don’t be like me, but buy my shoes.’ That’s a contradiction, but Charles is a contradiction.”