Welcome back, folks. Let’s get right into it…

On Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Business Journal announced that David Ortiz has purchased the Metro 9 Steakhouse in Framingham, and will change the name to Big Papi’s. One of the highlights of the menu will be a special Dominican single malt scotch. It’s only aged 32 years, but you’ll swear it’s been at least 36.

Thursday afternoon in Faneuil Hall, Jason Bay was one of 360 people to be sworn in as an U.S. citizen. Bay said that his first act as an official American would be to "start hating soccer."

In this week’s MLB All-Star news, Kevin Youkilis has leap frogged Mark Teixiera and now holds a 40,000 vote lead. Although Teixiera has already said that his wife will only let him him play if the game takes place close to Baltimore.

On the field, it was a week of ups and downs for the Sox.

On Tuesday night, the team had a 10-1 lead in the eighth inning but ended up losing 11-10 in extras.

John Smoltz went the first four innings, but was unable to return after the rain delay, when Terry Francona found the elder Smoltz snoring shirtless in a clubhouse recliner with the remote in his hand.

But the next night, the Sox got one back, coming back from four runs in the ninth, and eventually winning it in the 11th on a Julio Lugo single. 

With some managers, the daily batting order is about as predictable as a Road Runner cartoon. Everyday, every night, it’s the same exact boring thing. 

But not Terry Francona. No, Tito likes to mix it up, and considering that the Sox currently have 2.5 game lead in the East, I’m in no position to complain. But still, I wondered, despite all of Tito’s tinkering, which spots in the line-up are giving the Sox the most production?  

So I cracked open a bottle of Diet Dew and sat down to crunch the numbers…

… and then realized Baseball Reference already did the work for me. 

Have a look for yourself:

So ABC has this new primetime show call The Superstars, where a crew of superstar athletes (and Bode Miller) team up with a C-List entertainers to compete in a series beach themed-games. 

If you’re having trouble picturing it, it’s essentially the same thing they did on Mr. Carosi’s beach in Saved By The Bell, except the roll of AC Slater is being played by Jeff Kent. Awesome, right?

Anyway, after watching about 15 minutes of this mess, I got to thinking about fantastical beach competitions between some of Boston’s Best athletes. 

Here are a few: 

50-Yard Sand Dash

Rajon Rondo vs. Jacoby Ellsbury

I’m imagining Ellsbury, the officials and all the fans standing at the starting line. They’re looking around and whispering; wondering when the hell this race will finally start.

Cut to Rondo, who’s off behind the trees, kicked back in a golf cart, sipping a Red Bull and smoothly bobbing his head to his music. He looks down at his watch. It’s 1:05, and the race was supposed to start at 1. He goes back to sipping his Red Bull. 

Five minutes later, he stands up, and casually makes his way to the starting line. Without speaking or looking at anyone, Rondo takes his place next Ellsbury, puts his head down and waits for the gun.

Bang!

We’re halfway through, and Ellsbury’s got a two-step lead. He thinks he’s got it made… but… Bam! Rondo appears out of nowhere…

Heading into the season, we all suspected this might be a problem. After the 2008 post-season, how could we not?

At the plate, Lowell swung the bat like he had three arrows in his back; in the field he looked like he needed a walker. He was a was a shadow of himself, and as heroic as it was that he was even trying to play, it was clear that this hip injury was a serious one.

Literally the morning after Boston’s Game 7 loss to the Rays, Lowell had surgery on the torn right labrum, and doctors deemed it "a complete success." Later that day, Theo told reporters that "we expect Mike to be able to contribute right from the start" and we had no choice but to be optimistic…

Maybe the surgery was all he needed?

Maybe the hip won’t be an issue?

But next thing you know, the Sox are making a run at Mark Teixiera (a move that would have pushed Lowell out of town). Of course, Teixiera signed with the Yankees because he’s scared of his wife. But you had to wonder—is there more to this Lowell injury?

Then Spring Training starts, and Lowell still isn’t ready.

February turns to March and the he’s still saying things like "I’m hoping to be ready for Opening Day," as opposed to more affirmative, "I can’t wait to get out there on Opening Day!" 

What’s up, everybody? Let’s get right into it!

So the news on every sports fan’s mind today is of course NBA Draft… and what a draft it was! Lots of drama… tons of story lines… 

But if you ask me, the biggest bombshell of the night came moments before the draft even started, when the Minnesota Timberwolves hired Matt Millen as their new GM.

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Seriously though, what the hell are the T-Wolves doing? I mean, not only did that they use consecutive picks on a pair of point guards, but real Minnesota GM David Kahn implied that he has no intention of trading either guy! Although he did add that the team should still have enough other assets and excess cap room to make a run and Mike Bibby and Rajon Rondo.

In response to Minnesota’s questionable draft strategy, Ricky Rubio’s father suggested Friday morning that his son might shun the Wolves and head back to Spain for a few years. After hearing the threat, Kahn announced that in an effort to appease the young Spaniard, he’d traded Johnny Flynn to the Rockets… only it was for Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry.

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In other draft day headlines, the Celtics two biggest rivals, the Magic and Cavs, each made a big time trade… with the Cleveland acquiring Shaq for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic and Orlando grabbing Vince Carter for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. 

In honor of Draft Day 2009, here’s a list of the last 20 Celtics Draft Picks, ranked in decreasing order, from 20-1.

In making the list, it wasn’t a matter of just saying, "Who did the best for the Celtics?" or "Who had/is having the best NBA career?" In order to judge the actual quality of a pick, I had to factor in where the draft a guy got picked, as well as who else was available at the time. For instance, Marcus Banks clearly had a better career than Oriene Greene, but who was the worse pick? 

On second thought, maybe I didn’t have to explain that, but whatever—too late.

For the record: I didn’t count players who the Celtics traded on draft day—Jeff Green, Dahntay Jones, etc.—because they were presumably drafting for the other team. Conversely, I did include guys they traded for on draft day—Perk, Big Baby, etc.—well… for the same (or is it opposite?) reason.

For the record (take 2): I didn’t include last year’s second rounder Semih Erden, because, much like the man himself, it was really just a waste of space.

Here we go—a ranking of the last 20 Celtics draft picks, from saddest to most spectacular.

20. Joseph Forte—2001, Rd. 1, Pick 21

Who they could have had: Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Gerald Wallace

The draft’s on the horizon and rumors are circulating at an unbearable rate, but here at the Dino Radja Experience, we’ve got some unfinished business.

Behold… the Bill Walker interview. I sat down with Walker last week and asked him the following question:

1. What’s been up this off-season?
2. What’s was the highlight of your first season in the league?
3. Rumor has it you’ve been working on your post game this summer, you looking to spend some more time on the block?
4. Did the time in the NBDL help your game?
5. How was living in Utah?
6. Is there anything wrong with having multiple wives?
7. What was your worst "rookie duty"?
8. Who’s the biggest rookie hazer on the team?
9. What are your specific goals for the 2009-10 season?

Wanna know the answers? Click and listen, then e-mail Nick Altschuller and I at dinoradjaexperience@gmail.com. 

The Dino Radja Experience: A weekly tribute to the Croatian prince and the team he left behind. 

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