The Problem Is the Leprechaun Jumped Ship

With the Lakers involved in the playoffs and the Boston Celtics sitting at home--again--Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe yearns for the good old days:

“How can any good Celtic fan not feel terribly envious of whatever hoop fans there are in Greater L.A.? We were once a Noah’s Ark pair, a weird matched set.

“We had great fun pondering the differences between the basketball experience in Boston and the basketball experience in L.A.

“Why, the Globe and the Los Angeles Times even had writers swap stories to that effect prior to the ’85 finals.

“Poof-gone. Nothing but memories.”

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Trivia time: How many times did the Lakers and Celtics meet in the NBA finals and what was the result?

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Deadline pressure: At the end of the Chicago Bulls’ practice last week, some television reporters began interviewing Bull beat writers about their job covering the team.

Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler were still on the floor shooting free throws, when Kerr noted the irony of the role reversal and said: “I can just hear them: ‘We take the articles one at a time’ and ‘we really have to step up our writing for the playoffs.’ ”

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All alone: From Jay Leno: “A guy named Bill May has just become the first man to win the national title in synchronized swimming. Not only is he the first man to win the title, he also is the first man in history to ever watch synchronized swimming.”

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Way behind: Lori Shontz of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writing on Kenya’s domination of the marathon: “The Kenyans don’t dominate just because they are superior runners, but because of American mediocrity.

“A U.S. male athlete hasn’t won an Olympic medal in the marathon since Frank Shorter’s gold in 1972, hasn’t won the Boston Marathon since Greg Meyer did in 1983, and hasn’t won the New York Marathon since Alberto Salazar’s third consecutive victory in 1982.”

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Bonding: Wallace Matthews of the New York Post scolded New York Knick fans for leaving Madison Square Garden early during an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers.

“These days, we are no different from the ‘hicks’ in Indianapolis or the teetotalers in Salt Lake City or the phonies in L.A., the ones who show up late, leave early and make sure they are as much a part of the show as the show they supposedly came to see.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1912, a Detroit Tiger team made up of amateurs lost to the Philadelphia Athletics, 24-2, when the regular Tigers went on strike to protest the suspension of Ty Cobb after he went into stands to fight a heckler.

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Trivia answer: Nine, not including 1959 when the Lakers were in Minneapolis. Boston won the first seven series, the Lakers the last two.

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And finally: The Sparky Anderson philosophy of life, as explained on page 5 of his new book: “I ain’t no better than anybody else. And neither are you.”