The Boston Celtics are on the brink of another NBA championship and they have one man to thank: Kevin McHale.

The former Celts' great, who became general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves, made the blockbuster trade last year that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston.

Where would Boston be without Garnett? They'd be decent, which is about how far Paul Pierce and Ray Allen could take them. But with Garnett, they are aggressive and there are just too many weapons to shut down.

Who would have thought this?

Going into Tuesday's game, the Boston Red Sox are in last place with a 3-4 record and the Detroit Tigers are way in last of their division, at 0-6. Both teams are darlings to win the American League Pennant.

That's why you have to love baseball's return. It gives us one more thing to talk and read about.

My older sister, Joann, was the jock in our family. She played field hockey, basketball and softball in high school. She excelled at track at college. By comparison, I was OK at most every sport I tried -- but I was no star. My younger sister really was more of a social student, and didn't do many sports.

Joann came by it naturally. My mother, now 80, was way before her time in this regard. An avid (Phillies) baseball fan, my mom also was a good athlete in a day when women weren't supposed to be. I remember watching her turn a double play during a mother-vs.-son game in Little League. Thank god I wasn't on base.

The National Football League showed signs of sanity Wednesday by blinking, and making sure the New England Patriots-New York Giants game would be available for the majority of U.S. households — which do not pay for and get NFL Network.

In case you're not a fan, the NFL has been trying to push viewers — and cable companies — to pay for the NFL Network so they wouldn't miss games. Earlier this year, a big game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers was on NFL Network only. That's a premium channel for most cable customers; an optional buy for dish and satellite viewers. More than 60 percent of American households with TVs do NOT get NFL Network.

This just in, and not all that surprising: Sports' news drive sales, especially when we display the photos and stories on A1.

Our Circulation Department told us Tuesday sales were up considerably when:
-- The Red Sox won the World Series, and we came out with a special section about that a few days later.
-- Lawrence High won the regional football championship.
-- Gardiner won the state football championship.
-- Richmond won the boys and girls state soccer championships.

Triple-digit sales increases for all these events.

Go teams, go.

So you thought the Sports barrage was over with the Red Sox World Series win?

Not yet, it isn't. Not even close.

Coming in Saturday's newspapers:

High school football playoff coverage. I love the slice of Americana that you find by going to late-fall football games in Maine. I eat too many french fries but enjoy the games.

Coming in this Sunday's newspapers:

A 10-page special section from our Sports and Advertising departments celebrating the Sox' World Series championship.

Complete coverage of high school soccer and field hockey state championships. Central Maine has teams playing in games from East Millinocket to Windham. It's a challenge for our Sports staff and we can't have a photographer at every game (many are being played at the same time), but our coverage will be comprehensive.

A two-page preview of what, in reality, is the 2007 Super Bowl: The undefeated Patriots play the undefated Indianapolis Colts. Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. Nice guy Tony Dungy vs. not nice guy Bill Belichick. Wow.

And, of course, we'll have complete coverage of the Patriots-Colts game in Monday's newspapers. You won't have to look hard for that. It will begin on A1.

For me, it’s easy: Phillies vs. Red Sox. (The way the Phillies hit yesterday, I need to write this blog while I still can!)

I’m a Pennsylvania native and spent many hours with my mom watching the Phillies on TV, or listening to them on the radio as we drank mint tea (Yes, I was kind of a dork). There were some highlights during the Mike Schmidt/Steve Carlton years, for sure. There were a lot of down years, too. Anyone else remember Roger Freed? Steve Jeltz? Denny Doyle?

I’ve lived in Maine since 1995, after a six-year working “vacation” in Florida, where I covered the Marlins’ first-ever home opener. So I’ve taken on the Red Sox as my second-favorite team. My older daughter loves Manny Ramirez. I kind of like him, too.

It’s funny, because with football I’ve switched allegiances as I’ve moved: Eagles, Dolphins (I was a season ticketholder), Patriots. But with baseball, I’ll never completely changed (though I often wish I could). I’d love to see the Phillies and Red Sox go at it in Fenway and the underrated Citizens Bank Ballpark.

What is your dream matchup in the World Series?

Do you really want to see the Sox and Yankees collide again in the ALCS?

Are you sure? Really sure?

(Readers: This is an announcement I made to the staff Thursday evening./Eric)

Folks: I'm very pleased to tell you we have a new executive sports editor — Scott Martin.

Scott has been a reporter here since 1999. He previously worked as a sports copy editor here, and as a sports clerk at the Portland Press Herald and Bangor Daily News. He is a 1996 graduate of the University of Maine. His knowledge of central Maine sports and sports issues is excellent.

As you know, the position became available a few weeks ago, when current sports editor Ben Sturtevant took a new, crucial position in the company as "Web manager," working with Advertising and News content and reporting to Publisher John Christie.

Scott did not just get handed this job. We did a national search and more than 40 candidates applied. That included current and former sports editors. It also included four "internal candidates."

We narrowed the list to six finalists, two who work for our newspapers and four who do not. They were asked to do in-depth critiques of our sports sections, and write a short mission statement about what great sports journalists are doing, and should be doing, in 2007 and beyond.

Scott emerged from this field as having a clear understanding of our role as urgent, community newspapers. He wants more enterprise reporting, more provocative column writing and more innovation on the Web from the sports staff.

It meant a lot to me that several newsroom employees — in Sports and not in Sports — approached me privately to say Scott would make an excellent choice. They described him as an upbeat leader, a dedicated employee and as that proverbial "team player" you always hear about.

Our goal is for our Sports sections to be ranked among the top 10 in the United States for newspapers our size. But the more important goal is to serve central Maine sports readers even better than we currently are. Scott is the right person for this job, on both counts.

Please join me in congratulating Scott.