Facebook Inc. and its early investors now stand to reap as much as $18.4 billion from the IPO, if the extra shares reserved to cover additional demand are sold as part of the transaction. Without the extra shares, the offering raises $16 billion. The IPO values the company at around $104 billion, above Amazon.com, Disney and Kraft.

The offering is shaping up to be one of the largest in history — a big payoff for a company that started out eight years ago with no way to make money.

The $38 price tag is what the investment banks orchestrating the offering will sell the stock to their clients. Facebook’s stock is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market sometime Friday morning under the ticker symbol “FB.” That’s when so-called retail investors can try to buy the stock.

Facebook is the third-highest valued company to ever go public, according to data from Dealogic, a financial data provider. Only the two Chinese banks have been worth more.

For the Harvard dorm-born social network that reimagined how people communicate online, the stock sale means more money to operate the data centers that hold the trove of status updates, photos and videos shared by Facebook’s 900 million users. It means more money to hire the best engineers to work at its sprawling Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, or in New York City, where it opened an engineering office last year.

And it means early investors, who took a chance seeding the young social network with start-up funds six, seven and eight years ago, can reap big rewards. Peter Thiel, the venture capitalist who sits on Facebook’s board of directors, invested $500,000 in the company back in 2004. He’s selling nearly 17 million of his shares in the IPO, which means he’ll get some $640 million.

The offering values Facebook, whose 2011 revenue was $3.7 billion, at as much as $104 billion. The sky-high valuation has its skeptics. Google Inc., whose revenue stood at $38 billion last year, has a market capitalization of $207 billion.

“There seems to be somewhat of a hype around the stock offering,” says Gartner analyst Brian Blau in somewhat of an understatement.

There are a few reasons for the exuberance. One is the IPO’s sheer size. Investor appetite for the stock will likely propel Facebook’s valuation above other well-known companies such as Kraft, Disney and even Amazon.com.

Secondly, it’s personal.

“It’s probably one of the first times there has been an IPO where everyone sort of has a stake in the outcome,” Blau says. While most Facebook users won’t see a penny from the offering, they are all intimately familiar with the company, so it resonates as something they understand.

And then there’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who just turned 28 on Monday. He has emerged as the latest in a lineage of Silicon Valley prodigies who are alternately hailed for pushing the world in new directions and reviled for overstepping their bounds. He’s counted the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs among his mentors and he became one of the world’s youngest billionaires — at least on paper — well before Facebook went public. A dramatized version of Facebook’s founding was the subject of a Hollywood movie that won three Academy Awards last year, propelling Zuckerberg even further into the public spotlight.

Though Zuckerberg is selling about 30 million shares, he will remain Facebook’s largest shareholder. He set up two classes of Facebook stock, building on the model Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created as part of the online search leader’s 2004 IPO. The dual class structure helps to ensure that he and other executives keep control as the sometimes conflicting demands of Wall Street exert new pressures on the company.

As a result, with the help of early investors who’ve promised to vote their stock his way, Zuckerberg will have the final say on how nearly 56 percent of Facebook’s stock votes.

True to form, Zuckerberg and Facebook’s engineers are ringing in the IPO on their own terms. The company is holding an overnight “hackathon” Thursday, where engineers stay up writing programming code to come up with new features for the site. On Friday morning, Zuckerberg will ring the Nasdaq opening bell from Facebook’s headquarters.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Brady was named the fifth-best quarterback of all time by CBSSports.com this week, behind only Johnny Unitas, Otto Graham, Joe Montana and John Elway (in that order).

“Brady could be — should be — an MVP finalist every year because he carries the New England Patriots, a club that hasn’t ever surrounded him with all-star casts,” Clark Judge wrote. “I mean, tell me how many future Hall of Famers you see there now? Uh-huh, which is pretty much standard operating procedure. The team that last year had the 31st-ranked defense and 31st-ranked pass defense still made it to another Super Bowl, and we all know the reason. You’re looking at him.”

Brady is fresh off a career-high 5,235 yards last season, when he also threw 39 touchdowns, which was his second-most in a single season. Of course, he and the Patriots came up short in the Super Bowl, but the overall success of the Patriots since Brady became the team’s starter is part of what makes Brady so great.

“Football is a team game, but I don’t know how many individuals determine the success of their franchises as significantly as Brady does,” Judge wrote. “When he stepped into the lineup in 2001, the Patriots were 1-2. And they were 5-11 the year before. Since that time, they’re 124-35 with Brady and won the AFC East all but once in the last nine years — or the one season Brady bowed out after the season opener.”

The only other active quarterback listed in the top 10 was Peyton Manning at No. 9.

“This is one thing I don’t like: 9-10. That’s [Manning's] playoff record, and it includes a 1-1 performance in Super Bowls,” Judge wrote. “Sorry, but you’re not a Top-Five quarterback unless you step it up in big games, and Manning has a checkered record in that department.”

Gov. Lincoln Chafee said Schilling’s 38 Studios is paying the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. the money that was due May 1.

A spokeswoman for the corporation had no immediate comment. Messages were left for Schilling and a company spokesman.

The company relocated from Massachusetts in 2010 after Rhode Island offered a $75 million loan guarantee that state officials said would means hundreds of jobs and millions in tax revenue.

38 Studios on Wednesday asked the economic agency for additional assistance after missing the payment. The agency’s board had not acted on that request.

The economic agency’s head resigned Wednesday. A statement from Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s office says Keith Stokes resigned Wednesday as executive director of the Economic Development Corp.

Stokes called the loan guarantee for Schilling a calculated risk well worth taking.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

The boy was not in a crosswalk and was hit by a 16-year-old driving a minivan.

The boy was seriously injured and taken to the hospital by medical helicopter.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Bernice Corpuz reports.

The scuffle took place in a driveway across from a youth baseball game.

A homeowner called police to complain that someone parked their car, blocking the driveway, and while an officer was writing a $25 ticket, 55-year-old Fred Shackley came from across the street and confronted him.

“The man came from the field and started yelling at the officer, and he tried to drive away without letting the officer finish the ticket,” said Deputy Police Chief Donald Thompson of the Haverhill Police Department. “He eventually got out of the car and there was a confrontation. It was a physical confrontation.”

During the scuffle, Shackley allegedly put the officer in a choke hold. The officer then threatened to pull out his gun and shoot the man.

Shackley was then arrested and charged with assault and battery on a police officer as well as resisting arrest for Tuesday’s incident. He could face additional charges.

He was released on bail after his arraignment on Wednesday and is due back in court next month.

How bad have the negotiations between the Pats and Welker gotten? How will Welker’s negotiations compare to other Patriot free agents?

Read: Wes Welker Says Long-Term Contract Talks With Patriots Have ‘Gotten Worse’

Why would the Patriots lessen the original offer to Welker? Are the Patriots leveraging Welker?

How much would the Pats offense change without Welker in it?

So it’s easy to understand why they wanted to bring in Spencer Larsen. Listed as a fullback, Larsen’s duties on the field have gone much further than just one position.

Back in 2008, an injury-plagued Denver Broncos team needed some help at linebacker as they faced off against the Atlanta Falcons. Larsen not only started the game at fullback, he filled in at linebacker as well, becoming the first player to start on both sides of the field since 2003. To add a cherry on top, Larsen also played special teams that afternoon.

“It was a fun time in my career,” Larsen recalled at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. “I’d been playing fullback for a few weeks, and we ran into some injury problems and I needed to play linebacker… It was just one of those exciting days. I didn’t play a whole lot on offense that day. As a fullback you kind of come in and out, so it wasn’t 100-percent taxing. It was a good day’s work.”

Larsen On Role With Pats: 

Now a member of the Patriots, Larsen’s versatility must have head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels salivating. But while he is focused on one role for now, fullback, Larsen knows he may be called to wear a few different hats once again now that he’s in New England.

“I came over to play fullback and we’ll see. I’m going to do my best there and try to get a spot on the team and see where I can help,” Larsen said.

Although the Patriots added some more linebacker depth in the draft, after seeing receiver Julian Edelman play some safety last season, Larsen isn’t putting his linebacker days behind him just yet.

“You never know. You just want to do whatever I can to help the team and wherever that is — fullback, special teams, and just try to fill needs.”

Read: Welker Says Contract Talks Have ‘Gotten Worse’

While his versatility will certainly help when it comes to his new head coach, Larsen said he still has plenty to prove with a new team.

“The bottom line is it’s a new year and I have to prove that I can play and help in any way I can,” he said.

Coming to New England was very enticing for Larsen, who has never been on a winning team in his four-year NFL career. He also has a few connections to the team, playing under McDaniels in Denver from 2009-10.

Larsen has 17 career carries in 27 games, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. But even though he’s already played in a McDaniels’ offense, he still is not sure what to expect as a fullback, especially since the Patriots also signed Tony Fiammetta.

“Coach McDaniels and being with him in Denver, he just likes to have different things that he can do week-to-week, so who knows?” Larsen said of his potential role with the team. “I don’t think any of us know right now what’s going to happen to that position, I think you just need to work and get better and let that thing happen naturally.”

Gallery: Patriots Free Agent Signings

“I love playing for him and I loved all the opportunity that he provided for me,” the 28-year-old said of McDaniels. “I’m excited to be back with him.”

An Arizona alum, Larsen also spent time with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in college, who was just a freshman at the time.

“I joke with him; he was a freshman when I was a senior and it was nice to beat him up in college — if you guys believe that,” joked Larsen. “It’s just been good seeing him and seeing the success he’s had and getting to talk with him again.”

Even though Gronk was just a freshman when he was there, Larsen still knew the kid was destined for great things.

“Just incredible. You’ve never seen a guy like that; Big, strong. I swear he looks like he does right now as a freshman coming out of high school,” recalled Larsen. “I couldn’t imagine what he did in high school. He was a good player … He’s one of those guys that comes around that you just feel like man, he’s going to be special. So far he’s proved that.”

The agreement announced Thursday by tribal chairman Cedric Cromwell and Mayor Thomas Hoye also calls for minimum annual payments of $13 million to the city.

The tribe has proposed a $500 million casino on 146 acres of land at the junction of Routes 24 and 140 in Taunton.

The state’s new gambling law requires casino developers to negotiate a host community agreement.

The deal must still be approved by Taunton city councilors and by city voters.

Under the law, the tribe also faces a July 31 deadline to reach a casino compact with Gov. Deval Patrick.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Mark Katic reports.

A new bylaw passed by the town forbids residents near the stadium from charging people to park on their property. The bylaw won by a 73-50 vote.

The law may require residents mark their cars and any guests as Foxboro police keep an eye out for violators.

It’s viewed as a win for parking lot operators, but many residents are not happy.

“You can’t have more than three friends over. If your child has a birthday, too bad, you’re not having a party,” said Margaret Chaisson, a resident.

Foxboro Police Chief Ed O’Leary says officials still need to work out some of the kinks with the new bylaw.

“We’re actually planning on another meeting so that we can talk with the residents, and find perhaps a more effective methodology,” said Chief O’Leary.

Building Inspector Bill Casparra says the situation, though, has gotten out of hand.

“It went from a couple cars to 20, 30, or 40 being parked per lot,” said Casparra.

If you’re caught charging to park on your property near Foxboro, the fine is now $100 per car.

Maybe if John Lackey wasn’t out for the season it would be him.

He also talked about the media’s role and how the way they cover certain things make Beckett and other players look a certain way. D.A. took a listen to Felger & Massarotti’s discussion with Peter Gammons.

After last night’s win, is it possible that the Celtics may be looking past the 76ers? What has changed with the Celtics since the All Star break?

Is it time to bury the Sixers? Will last night’s loss bury the Sixers mentally?

Finally, the guys had fun with some Paul Pierce audio from last night’s win.

BOSTON (CBS) – Disco legend Donna Summer has died. She was 63 years old.

Summer passed away Thursday morning after a battle with lung cancer, according to Boston City Councilor Charles Yancey.

Donna Summer performs at the Mandalay Bay Events Center October 1, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

A 5-time Grammy Award winner, Summer was born and raised in Dorchester. She starred in musicals at Jeremiah Burke High School.

Summer, known as the Queen of Disco, shot to superstardom in the ’70s with iconic hits like “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls.” She continued her dominance in the ’80s with “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.”

She also sang God Bless America during Game 2 of the 2004 World Series at Fenway Park.

Watch: Summer’s Final Boston Performance

Summer holds the record for most consecutive double albums to hit #1 on the Billboard charts (three) and first female to have four #1 singles in a 12-month period; three as a solo artist and one as a duo with Barbra Streisand. She won 6 American Music Awards and 11 gold albums. It is estimated that Donna Summer has sold more than 130 million records worldwide.

Summer married Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano in 1980. They had two daughters together.

Photos: Donna Summer Through The Years

Her family released a statement Thursday.

“Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith,” said the statement.

“While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”

Boston’s 103.3 WODS will be playing Summer’s hits throughout the day Thursday.

Read: Karen Blake, Paula Street Remember Donna Summer

But if you don’t need the money at 59½ you can leave it in the IRA hopefully still growing until you are 70½.

Minimum required distributions known as MRDs normally must begin at age 70½ for all of your IRAs except the Roth IRA.

If you are the owner of a traditional IRA, you must generally start receiving distributions from your IRA by April 1 of the year following the year in which you reach age 70½.

The distributions are based on your life expectancy using an IRS table, the Uniform Lifetime Table found in the IRS publication 590. You may be sure you’re going to live to be 110, but the IRS’s actuaries have different ideas.

Don’t mess with the minimum required distribution. If you are late in taking that first distribution, there is a 50% penalty on the amount of the required minimum distribution.

The IRS wants to begin to collect taxes from you that you were able to defer all those years while building your nest egg. If you are married and your spouse is more than ten years younger than you and he is the beneficiary on your IRA you would use the Joint Life Expectancy Table to calculate your distribution because the amount required to be withdrawn will be smaller.

Minimum Required Distribution has such an official scary title. But in reality it’s not a lot of money we are talking about having to withdraw. If you have $100,000 in your account and I use that number because it’s easy to do my calculations and you turned 70½ you would be required to withdraw less than $4,000. And each year they use a smaller multiplier to get to the MRD number.

The IRS requires that IRA owners be notified if they are subject to required minimum distributions and the custodians of your IRA will offer to calculate the amount you need to withdraw. That’s why they ask for your birth date on those applications.

If you have multiple IRAs, you must use the combined value to determine the minimum distribution. You need use only one account to withdraw funds from though.

But to make life easier, especially the bookkeeping part, consider consolidating your IRAs and your retirement plans into one account. Getting one monthly statement instead of 4 or 5 will definitely make life simpler.

Inherited IRAs take on whole other set of rules and are very complicated. Rules have changed and you may be able to take the distributions out based on your age rather than the original owner’s age.

If you need help in making your decision a trusted advisor is the only way to go. You may need to seek out a certified financial planner (CFP) or a CPA to help.

One more thing: From the IRS -

Top Ten Facts about Taking Early Distributions from Retirement Plans

If you took an early distribution from your retirement plan, here are some things you need to know:

1. Payments you receive from your Individual Retirement Arrangement before you reach age 59½ are generally considered early or premature distributions.

2. Early distributions are usually subject to an additional 10% tax.

3. Early distributions must also be reported to the IRS.

4. Distributions you rollover to another IRA or qualified retirement plan are not subject to the additional 10% tax. You must complete the rollover within 60 days after the day you received the distribution.

5. The amount you roll over is generally taxed when the new plan makes a distribution to you or your beneficiary.

6. If you made nondeductible contributions to an IRA and later take early distributions from that same IRA, the portion of the distribution attributable to those contributions is not taxed.

7. If you received an early distribution from a Roth IRA the distribution attributable to contributions is not taxed.

8. If you received a distribution from any other qualified retirement plan, generally the entire distribution is taxable unless you made after-tax employee contributions to the plan.

9. There are several exceptions to the additional 10% early distribution, such as when the distributions are used for purchase of a first home, certain medical and educational expenses or if you become disabled. Other exceptions can be found in IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

10. More information about early distributions from retirement plans and the additional 10% tax can be found in IRS Publication 575, Pension and Annuity Income and Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs). Both publications are available on IRS.gov or by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

CSNNE.com’s Red Sox insider Sean McAdam called in to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Gresh and Zolak on Thursday, who was caught a little off guard by Gonzalez’ remarks.

“Those were both sort of strange and out of character for him. You don’t hear him complain about on-field stuff a whole lot. I think some people would like to see him show a little more emotion; not that he showed emotion during the at-bats. When I heard him complain about the strike zone I was a little surprised because it wasn’t anything he showed his displeasure with during the at-bats as it happened.”

Read: Gonzalez Calls Out Umps, Promises HR On Thursday

Even more head scratching was Gonzo saying he would start hitting homers, starting Thursday night. He has just 12 home runs in 411 at-bats since the 2011 All-Star break, and just two in 147 at-bats this season.

“(F0r) somebody with two home runs in the first 37 games to pull a Mark Messier and virtually guarantee one tonight was also a little out of character.”

It seems as though Gonzalez is at least showing a little more fire, who has been compared to JD Drew for his calm demeanor. Is this a good thing the Sox slugger is opening up more? Or should he just worry about putting up stats and winning ball games?

“That’s been the criticism, that he is a little too laid back; a little too Southern-California cliché,” said McAdam. “But I think more to the point is that alarming drop off of extra base power and specifically home runs since the All-Star break.”

Gresh & Zo: Gonzalez Is Not A Robot!

“He certainly thinks the second half last year was more of the result was weakness in (his) shoulder, having surgery the previous October; that is certainly a plausible explanation,” said McAdam. “But this expectation was that this year would be different… and here we are almost a quarter of the season in and he only has two home runs.”

Another oddity from Wednesday night’s 2-1 loss to the Rays were the three balks the Red sox were called for. How strange is it to see a team called for three balks, after having Daniel Bard called for two just over a week ago?

“Bobby Valentine called it a ‘epidemic,’ which may have been overstating it a little bit,” said McAdam. “But it’s not often you see any team get charged with five balks in eight games.”

Read: Balk ‘Epidemic’ Hits Red Sox

“The ironic thing is the third base umpire last night was Bob Davidson, whose nickname is ‘Balkin’ Bob Davidson’ for his tendency to call balks, and he didn’t call any of the three last night,” said McAdam. “I think it’s just kind of a weird confluence.”

What did McAdam think of Clay Buchholz’ performance, and early exit from the game Wednesday night? And what are his thoughts on the rotation, which looks like it has turned things around as of late? Find that out and more with Sean McAdam on Gresh & Zo!

“They gave him $75 million dollars in loan guarantees; just think an Italian state like us, just think what we would have done for Yogi Berra,” Cianci joked.

Cianci filled us in on the origin of Schilling’s move to Rhode Island and how he felt about the deal when it was going down.

Read: RI Official Out After Schilling’s Company Defaults On $1.1 Million Payment

“When I was on the radio, when Schilling came to Providence and started throwing those curve balls, I was the only guy who didn’t swing,” he said. “Basically, there wasn’t a lot of due diligence I’d imagine.”

They discussed the newest news surrounding the story. Keith Stokes, the head of the Rhode Island agency whose board approved the loan, resigned Wednesday as executive director of the Economic Development Corp.

Cianci admits that he doesn’t have the answers on how to fix the issue, but he believes that the answers can be found in the truth.

The former mayor also believes that the people involved need to come clean, and let the public know what’s really going on.

At about 50 Cumberland Farm stores in the Boston area, drivers can now pay with a smartphone and save 5 cents a gallon at the same time.

The program is called Smart Pay and it will be available at all Massachusetts’ Cumberland Farms in the next month or so.

“You launch the app. You sign into PayPal, and within a second or two, it is going to come back and ask which pump you are at. Basically the pump is going to authorize as if you swiped a card and the price is going to roll back 5 cents,” Dave Banks, a spokesman for Cumberland Farms, explained.

The savings can add up. The federal government estimates the average household uses 1,100 gallons of gas a year. That 5 cents a gallon savings translates into $55 dollars back in your pocket.

Customers at the Framingham Cumberland Farms said they would be willing to try anything if it meant saving money on gas.

Paying with a mobile device is less scary for many people than it once was. All of these transactions are handled by the Pay Pal system.

PayPal’s Walt Doyle believes this system is safer than using a traditional credit card.

“There is less capability… for fraudulent activity than with a physical credit card,” said Doyle.

All transactions are password protected.

This system can be convenient in ways you wouldn’t automatically think of.

“We’ve even had some people, their wife was down at Cumberland, and she didn’t have a card or anything, and you can turn the pump on sitting in your living room for someone you know,” said Banks.

“There have been talks, but nothing that’s brightened anything at all. It’s actually gotten worse,” Welker told the Herald’s Karen Guregian.

Welker told the Herald that negotiations have gotten so bad that the Patriots have taken their original offer of two years with $16 million in guaranteed money off the table.

Despite his desire to get a long-term deal with more security than his current one-year, $9.5 million contract will give him, the NFL’s leader in receptions since 2007 still does not feel entitled to a huge payday.

“If they see me out there at OTAs and minicamps and everything else, and I’m still out there winning and doing what I need to do to help the team win, you know what? The ball’s in their court to make something happen,” Welker told Guregian. “That’s kind of my mind-set — to go out and show them I deserve it.”

While Welker’s position is admirable, a few reps at practice likely won’t change anyone’s mind in New England, because really, he’s already done plenty to prove he’s earned it. He’s played in 77 of a possible 80 regular-season games, averaging 111 receptions, 1,221 yards and six touchdowns per season. In seven playoff games, he’s caught 53 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns. He also made a near-miraculous recovery from torn knee ligaments at the end of the 2009 season to be back in time for Week 1 of 2010.

Despite the lack of progress in negotiations, Welker is someone who just can’t be kept away from the field. So he signed his franchise tender with the hope the team would reward him for his good faith.

If history is any guide, Welker and the Patriots will eventually reach an agreement. As cold as the organization can be when it comes to negotiations, it has always taken care of the most valuable players. Vince Wilfork held out in 2009 and eventually became the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the league. Last season, after Logan Mankins’ situation appeared to be beyond repair, he signed a deal that made him the highest-paid guard in the NFL.

The difference in those cases was that Wilfork was 27 and Mankins was 29. Yet while Welker may not become one of the highest-paid receivers at his age, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots letting this negotiation carry over into the regular season.

The Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, will be contested at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday. Six colts who ran in the Kentucky Derby will return for the Preakness, including the top two finishers I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister. Also returning are the fourth and fifth place finishers Went the Day Well and Creative Cause as well as also-rans Daddy Nose Best and Optimizer. The remainder of the field will be made up of unproven colts and minor stakes winners that would be a shock should they come anywhere near a winner’s circle on Saturday.

In recent years, the Preakness has been the most predictable of the Triple Crown races with only three winners since 2000 paying more than $10 for a $2 win bet. During that same period the Kentucky Derby has had eleven win payouts over $10 and the Belmont Stakes has had nine. Another thing to consider is colts that compete in the Derby tend to win the Preakness. Since 1997, only three Preakness winners did not run in the Derby. If the trends hold, the winner of this year’s Preakness will be one of the six that ran in the Derby and will go off at odds of less than 4 to 1.

Here is a closer look at the eleven who will line up for the 2012 Preakness Stakes:

Bodemeister
Morning Line Odds: 8-5
While I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby, more attention is being paid to second place finisher Bodemeister. In fact, Bodemeister was made the morning line favorite in this year’s Preakness. From a pace perspective, he ran one of the most impressive Kentucky Derbys in history. He set a blistering pace and only lost by a length and a half. In perusing the past performances of the field for the Preakness, there are no other colts with early speed so Bodemeister should have an easier time of it on the lead. This anticipated pace scenario makes him the one to beat when the gates open on Saturday.

I’ll Have Another
Morning Line Odds: 5-2
I’ll Have Another, the second choice on the morning line, has been perfect in 2012 and enters the Preakness as the only one with a shot at sweeping the Triple Crown. He shipped to Pimlico soon after his Derby win and reports from the scene say he has trained brilliantly over the track. In looking at his past performances, he has the ability to press a fast pace, so watch for him to run close to pacesetter Bodemeister from the start. The question is: Will he have what it takes to make the lead if Bodemesiter is able to set a more reasonable pace in the Preakness?

Went the Day Well
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
While Bodemeister has received all the attention for his valiant but losing effort in the Derby, Went the Day Well also ran a tremendous race to finish fourth. In only his fifth career start, he ran into trouble early in the race and around the first turn. Jockey John Velazquez had to check twice, literally pull back on the reins, when other horses cut into his path. He was eighteen lengths from the leaders with only three beaten when they turned into the backstretch. Just a few hundred yards from the finish, he was moving as fast as any horse in the field, and ended up only two and a half lengths away from the winner in the end. He will get a better trip in the Preakness and could be in a prime position to make a winning move in the stretch.

Creative Cause
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
The California-based Creative Cause is as game a race horse as any among this year’s 3-year-olds. He showed his class in the Derby making it to third in the deep stretch before being passed by Went the Day Well and Dullahan. He finished fifth just three lengths behind the winner. He will run well in the Preakness, as he always does, but it’s hard to figure him turning the tables on the three that finished in front of him in the Derby.

Teeth of the Dog
Morning Line: 15-1
Teeth of the Dog is the lone entry that did not run in the Derby with a chance to fill out the bottom of trifecta and superfecta tickets. He made his graded stakes debut in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial where he finished third at odds of 53 to 1. He comes into this race as a mystery but his trainer Michael Matz has no reason to embarrass himself with an entry in the Preakness that can’t run.

Daddy Nose Best
Morning line: 12-1
After emerging as many racing pundit’s longshot pick leading up to the Kentucky Derby, he ran mid-pack throughout and finished a disappointing tenth. Should he revert to the form he flashed in winning the Sunland Derby in March, he has a chance to fill out the bottom of exotic tickets but he seems a step below the top contenders.

Zetterholm
Morning Line: 20-1
Zetterholm has won three of five career races but all of his wins have come in races restricted to horses bred in New York. The Preakness is a monumental jump in class and it’s hard to comprehend him being competitive against this group.

Optimizer,
Cozzetti,
Tiger Walk,
Pretension
Morning Line: 30-1
The four colts listed on the morning line at 30-1 are all deserving longshots in this year’s field of eleven.

Betting the 2012 Preakness

Knowing the lack of early speed in the race, watch for jockey Mario Gutierrez aboard I’ll Have Another to run close behind Bodemeister from the start. With those two clocking what is sure to be a swift pace on the front-end, look for Went the Day Well to put himself in a stalking position behind the leaders and make a big move to run by them both in the stretch. Creative Cause is the pick to round out the bottom of the superfecta but it might be worthwhile to play some exotic tickets with Teeth of the Dog as well.

1) Went the Day Well
2) I’ll Have Another
3) Bodemeister
4) Creative Cause

For more information, visit the Hello Race Fans Preakness page. For a quick summary for all of this year’s contenders, check out the HRF Preakness Cheat Sheet.

Kevin Martin is the founder of the thoroughbred racing history site Colin’s Ghost and a contributing editor at Hello Race Fans.

Now, Mike Vojak is retiring in June after 30 years as a Boston EMT.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Carl Stevens reports.

DRACUT (CBS) – A man was hit in the head by a falling tree in Dracut Thursday morning.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Bernice Corpuz reports

It happened in a yard on Hilltop Road just after 10 a.m.

A crew from R.K. Tree Service of Tyngsboro was cutting down a large oak tree, using a big claw to lower sections of the tree down onto a truck.

Police say something went wrong and a part of the tree came at the 57-year-old man who was controlling the lifting jaws of the cherry picker.

“It grabbed a large piece of the tree, about a 15-to-20 foot section that was top heavy resulting in that limb swinging down coming free from the jaws of the cherry picker and knocking the worker off of the chair,” Dracut police officer Wren Maddox said.

“(It) took him right out of the seat, sent him flying, head first, feet last.  Not good.”

He landed about ten feet below on the bed of the truck and ended up with a large gash on the left side of his head.

A neighbor saw him covered in blood, thought he might be dead and called 911 immediately.

The man was conscious and alert as he was taken away from the scene in an ambulance.

His name has not been released.

A federal safety inspector was called to the scene after the accident.

BOSTON (CBS) – Since Tuesday, the tops of 20 trees have come down in Copley Square.

Read: City Details Tree Plan (.pdf)

“It obviously makes the park look not as nice. However, maybe it’s something that needs to be done,” said tourist Guy Baker, as he took a stroll through the park.

City arborists say the London Plane trees in the square are riddled with four different diseases.

Some of the affected trees in Copley Square. (Photo by Bree Sison)

Fungal infections killed almost a third of the trees, making it necessary to cut them down before the disease spread to the others.

“Plus, this isn’t a great area for growing with all the traffic and foot traffic. It ended up being a combination of all those things that killed these trees,” said city arborist Greg Mosman.

Mosman headed up a public meeting last week to alert residents to the work that would happen this week. Signs are also posted on the tree trunks to help answer questions.

“This is a drastic change, and you’re going to get a lot of questions about it, so we want to be out ahead of it to keep the hysteria down,” said Mosman.

The City of Boston will spend about $30,000 replacing the trees, and that doesn’t include labor. It will still be another several weeks before the new trees get planted.

Once the staff gets started, it will take about a week to replace the soil and plant the new trees.

The two teams will meet up again on Friday night for Game Four of their best of seven series.

Paul Pierce who has been battling an MCL injury in his left knee that has slowed him down on both sides of the ball. After only scoring 21 points in the first two games combined, Pierce put up a strong performance in Game Three and racked up 24 points and 12 rebounds, but Kevin Garnett was again the key.

Garnett had another outstanding night scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The guys are getting sucked in and want Garnett back next year, it just makes too much sense. What do you think?

“With the way the guy is playing, do you consider it for another year given that he is a leader, he is a tone-setting, given he is a great defensive player, and given the fact he can nurture younger players; and he’s shown a willingness to do so,” said Gresh.

“You’re paying for the luxury of having him around, but is it smart business?” asks Gresh. “Is it time to hand the reigns over to someone else? We know Ray is probably out the door, but if you keep Kevin it’s Rondo, Bradley, Pierce and Garnett. You can keep Bass, and probably sign one more (good player).”

“It’s back to what do you pay to have that type of influence?” wondered Zolak, bringing up that Red Sox captain Jason Varitek made a lot of money as a leader even though his career was all but over. “There is something you pay for leadership; there is a price tag on that. That’s the tough part for Danny (Ainge).”

“I want the guy that has played 17 years, that can still show young guys that the game means something to him; that goes a long way when you’re building something,” said Zolak. “They have a good mix of guys right now, and I think they’re starting to feel it.”

“I do have a question — how are you supposed to have a professional at-bat with these umpires nowadays?” Gonzalez said after the Red Sox’ 2-1 loss. “Gosh. The first pitch in my last at-bat wasn’t even close. You’re up there, trying to have a professional at-bat and look for a pitch to hit and that’s called? So it puts you in swing mode, the guy throws a good split and all of a sudden you’re 0-2. It should have been 1-0 and then he probably [wouldn't have thrown] a split. Unbelievable.”

Scott Zolak noted that Gonzalez said earlier this year that he’d have to watch what he says in Boston, because he’s learned everything he says can blow up into a huge story. Will the home run guarantee be the major story tonight? And did he put more pressure on himself?

“He’s hearing it,” Zolak said. “You know the [Bill] Belichick thing, ‘Ignore the noise’? He’s hearing the noise. Everybody’s talking about it, it’s not just us. Where’s the power? What’s wrong with the shoulder?”

Third baseman Kevin Youkilis, on the DL since May 2 with a back injury, went 1-for-2 for the Pawtucket Red Sox Wednesday night. He hit a double, scored a run, and walked against the Durham Bulls as the team’s designated hitter.

View: Red Sox Injuries

Youkilis was eligible to be activated on Monday.

The news is also good on closer Andrew Bailey, who hit the DL before the season started after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb in early April. He saw his surgeon in Cleveland on Tuesday, and was cleared to begin a throwing program at some point next week.

Read: Gonzalez Complains About Umps, Guarantees Homer

“Boy, he’s been working,” Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said of Bailey. “He’s one of those guys I’m sure we’re going to have to hold him back and proceed in a conservative effort.”

Valentine said, however, the team will take a conservative approach with their closer.

Also on the DL since the start of the season, outfielder Carl Crawford has the “potential” to begin swinging a bat when the team returns to Boston next week. Crawford, who had offseason wrist surgery, injured his left elbow as he worked his way back.

But the news was not so good on Diasuke Matsuzaka, who had been on a torrid pace to return from Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox righty will make another rehab start for the PawSox on Thursday, and another on May 22, but Valentine does not think Dice-K will be ready for the big leagues when his 30-day rehab stint runs out next week.

Read: Balk ‘Epidemic’ Hits Red Sox

“Right now, I don’t think he’s all that close to pitching in the Major Leagues,” Valentine said Wednesday prior to Boston’s 2-1 loss in Tampa. “He might take a big step, [but] not until he’s ready. It’s not the calendar that’s going to dictate whether a guy pitches in the Major Leagues, I don’t think.”

The good news is it sounds like this “setback” is more mechanical than medical.

“There’s a lot of things that you do before you’re totally ready, and I’m not sure he’s put his elbow situation behind him yet,” Valentine added. “I don’t think he totally understands where he is with his elbow.”

Mary Richardson Kennedy was discovered dead Wednesday on the family’s property in Bedford.

She was 52, and had struggled with drug and alcohol charges in recent years.

An autopsy was performed Thursday morning.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

The sale was completed just before residents of Foxboro voted in a town election that showed they were not in favor a proposed destination casino on land across from Gillette Stadium.

The property sits on a private way in Walpole and abuts the parking lot where that casino would have been placed. That private way connects to a public road in Walpole.

The property is assessed at just over $400,000, but the Kraft Group paid nearly $1.2 million for it.

The Kraft Group had no comment when asked about the sale Wednesday.

Officials in Walpole told WBZ-TV they plan to look into the sale and try to determine what the Kraft Group has planned for the property.

…

… with runners on base the past week.

Red Sox pitchers have been called for four balks in the last week, highlighted by three in their 2-1 loss to the Rays in Tampa on Wednesday night.

“I don’t get it,” manager Bobby Valentine said after the loss, shaking his head. “It’s like an epidemic.”

The balk rule has been around since 1898, and in a nutshell, can be called whenever the pitcher makes any motion that may trick or deceive runners on base. Whether it is intentional or not does not matter. There are numerous violations, as listed in the MLB rule book, and on Wednesday, the Sox committed three of them.

First up was Clay Buchholz, who balked in a run in the second inning to give Tampa a 1-0 lead.

Buchholz became the second Sox pitcher in the last nine days to balk in a run for Boston. With runners on the corners, Buchholz got caught in between the old “fake-to-third-throw-to-first” move that will soon be termed a balk anyways.

“In my head I was going third-to-first. I came up and my back cleat got caught and I tried to spin around and go third to first, so that was that,” he said of the move.

Read: Bad Time For Excuses From Adrian Gonzalez

But Buchholz wasn’t the only one adding to the now six balks Red Sox pitchers have been called for this season, which is tops in the American League. Franklin Morales was tagged for two – one in the seventh, one in the eighth – giving Boston pitching five balks in the last eight games.

Three pitchers are responsible for Boston’s six balks this season, with Buchholz, Morales and Daniel Bard all charged with two. Bard was called for a pair of balks in his May 8 outing against the Kansas City Royals, a 6-4 Red Sox loss.

“I don’t think it’s something we have to (work on),” said Valentine. “I mean, (pitching coach) Bob McClure will address it, sure, but I haven’t ever gotten gun shy about balks. But I don’t know.”

“We’ll probably go two months and not have another one,” McClure told CSNNE’s Sean McAdam after the game.

The Major League record for balks in one game by one pitcher is held by Milwaukee Braves pitcher Bob Shaw, who had five balks against the Chicago Cubs on May 4, 1963.

Dave Stewart owns the record for most balks in a season, with 16 for the Oakland Athletics in 1988.

Box Score | Playoffs Schedule

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum’s hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Game 2 Photo Gallery (Photo:Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

After struggling throughout the second half, the Thunder suddenly came alive after Scott Brooks called timeout following Bynum’s basket that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of the game.

James Harden drove for a layup before Durant used his height advantage to reach up and tip away a pass from Bryant, who he was guarding. Durant ran out for a right-handed dunk at the other end before Russell Westbrook forced another turnover by aggressively challenging an outlet pass to Bryant along the sideline.

Harden made the next stop, blocking Bryant’s jumper on the next Lakers possession and getting a layup in transition off it to cut the deficit to one in the final minute.

Bryant couldn’t connect again, this time on a 3-pointer, to give the Thunder the ball back with the chance to take the lead and Durant was able to make it happen.

Steve Blake missed a 3-pointer from the right side with about 5 seconds left after Metta World Peace couldn’t get the ball to Bryant on the inbounds play. Durant was then fouled with 0.3 seconds left and made his first try before missing the second on purpose – failing to hit the backboard or rim for a violation.

The Lakers got a desperation try but World Peace’s long pass for Bynum was intercepted by Harden.

Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City, which matched its lowest scoring total of the season but still gutted out the win.

Historically, the loss makes a huge difference. Los Angeles is 29-12 when splitting the first two games of a seven-game series and has lost 17 of 19 when falling into a 2-0 hole. The Lakers’ last comeback was in the 2004 West semifinals against San Antonio.

The Thunder have won all nine of their series after leading 2-0, dating back to the franchise’s days in Seattle.

In a game that was nip-and-tuck throughout, the Lakers started inching away early in the fourth quarter while Westbrook was on the bench.

Bryant drilled a jumper from the left wing and Blake followed with a 3-pointer before World Peace hit one of two free throws for a 69-63 advantage with 7:27 remaining – the Lakers’ largest lead to that point.

Westbrook returned then but only provided the briefest of sparks for the struggling Oklahoma City offense, and Bynum’s second straight basket – on a left-handed hook shot at the left block – made it 75-68 with 2:09 to play.

Until that point, Oklahoma City had made only 7 of 27 shots in the second half while committing eight turnovers.

After getting ripped apart by the Thunder’s pick-and-roll attack and giving up 119 points in Game 1, the Lakers made it an emphasis to put up more resistance in the rematch and it showed. Matt Barnes shuffled back and forth around three Nick Collison screens to contest Harden’s jumper and preserve the Lakers’ 22-21 lead after one quarter.

The Lakers’ defense was at its best just after halftime as they got out of a 48-45 deficit by holding Oklahoma City scoreless for the first 4 minutes and allowing just two baskets in the first 8 minutes. But Los Angeles still couldn’t create any sort of a cushion and Westbrook’s wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner – after World Peace airballed a similar shot on the opposite end – had the Thunder back within 57-56 with 3:31 left in the third.

Notes: The NBA on Wednesday fined Devin Ebanks $25,000 for actions related to his Game 1 ejection and Bynum $15,000 for failing to speak to reporters Tuesday. Bynum, who has had recent disciplinary issues within the team, talked at the Lakers’ morning shootaround Wednesday and called it a make up for skipping the previous day. “I think he’s learning. Is he going to be a perfect citizen the rest of his career? I don’t know,” coach Mike Brown said. “He’s bound to make mistakes. I think everybody makes mistakes.” … World Peace has said he supported Scott Brooks to become Sacramento’s coach back in 2007, when Brooks had been an assistant under Eric Musselman. “Little does he know, if I would have got the job, I was going to ask for him to be traded,” Brooks joked. He then called World Peace, or Ron Artest at the time, the third-best two-way player at the time behind Bryant and Kevin Garnett. … Harden caught World Peace with an inadvertent elbow to the face in the first quarter.

The Red Sox’ first baseman, off to a somewhat slow start by his standards, lashed out Wednesday night at home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.

“I do have a question — how are you supposed to have a professional at-bat with these umpires nowadays?” Gonzalez said after the Sox’ 2-1 loss, according to ESPN’s Joe McDonald. “Gosh. The first pitch in my last at-bat wasn’t even close. You’re up there, trying to have a professional at-bat and look for a pitch to hit and that’s called? So it puts you in swing mode, the guy throws a good split and all of a sudden you’re 0-2. It should have been 1-0 and then he probably [wouldn't have thrown] a split. Unbelievable.”

The at-bat in question came in the eighth inning against Joel Peralta, with the bases empty and two outs. Gonzalez ended up striking out swinging. The Sox would go on to lose 2-1.

This graph shows how far outside the strike zone the first pitch to Adrian Gonzalez was. (Screen shot from Brooks Baseball)

Look — nobody should go out and crush Adrian Gonzalez for this. It sounds like whining and complaining, but really, he has a point. Brooks Baseball shows that Strike 1 was indeed out of the zone, and Wendelstedt doesn’t exactly have a history of perfection regarding his balls and strike calls. Gonzalez has already received too much flak this season for coming up short in clutch situations, so his complaints about one strike call shouldn’t be used to add fuel to that fire.

Yet regardless of the truth behind his statements, he shouldn’t be making them. Fair or unfair, the perception will be that Gonzalez yet again is making excuses — for himself, for the team, and for the losing record. The memory of Gonzalez telling reporters that “God has a plan and it wasn’t in his plan for us to move forward” after the Sox’ historic September collapse is still fresh in everyone’s mind, and firing off some angry thoughts about an umpire after a loss is not a great strategy to make it go away. It wasn’t their fault for choking away their division lead last September, and it’s not his fault for striking out now, right?

On a team obsessed with public relations and image, complaining publicly about an ump just doesn’t work to that end. So why not just tell the umpire directly?

“It doesn’t do any good,” he said, according to McDonald. “You want to say something, but then it starts getting into your head then it messes with your at-bat and your approach and what you’re trying to do.”

As evidenced by his lengthy postgame comments, it’s clearly too late to save himself from messing with his own head, so he might as well have gotten a word in to the man making the calls rather than reporters in the locker room.

He doesn’t need to hoot and holler on the field, and he doesn’t need to get kicked out of a game in order to show he’s got that “fire” that fans love to see. He doesn’t have to do anything to prove he’s not J.D. Drew. But he shouldn’t be doing this.

Not after his team fell to 17-20 on the season, not after the first game of an absolutely vital road trip, and really, not after anything. There’s no good time to complain about strike calls, but this one has to qualify as one of the worst.

The bottom line is this: Gonzalez has a point, and as a career .293 hitter, he has the clout for us all to believe his case. But that doesn’t mean he should — it’s just not what anybody wants to hear.

It wasn’t all bad, though, as Gonzalez did his best to turn a negative into a positive.

“I’ll start hitting home runs,” he said when asked about his two home runs in 147 at-bats this year.”I’ll hit a homer [on Thursday].”

Perhaps he’s got a good feeling about facing Matt Moore, or maybe he’s just fired up enough to go into Home Run Derby mode. Whatever the case, even if he doesn’t launch his third homer of the year on Thursday,  it’ll be best for him and best for the Red Sox if Wednesday’s complaints about umpiring are his last of the season.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or follow him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

Clay Buchholz gave up two runs and six hits over five-plus innings and was pulled in the sixth after taking a grounder off his foot. After the game Buchholz said that his foot was a little sore, but that it’s nothing to really worry about.

Sean McAdam of Comcast SportsNet joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich to discuss Boston’s pitching, the future of Kevin Youkilis and Jonathan Papelbon’s comments about Red Sox trainers.

Clay Buchholz’s pitch count was at 87 when Bobby Valentine pulled him from the game in the sixth. Was McAdam surprised by the manager’s decision in this situation?

“Yeah a little bit. If there’s anything Valentine’s done this year it’s probably stayed with starters a little too long.”

The guys also discussed the amount of balk the Sox pitchers have given up at this point in the season. Sox pitchers have been called for five balks in their last eight games and hold the lead for the most in the league at six, is this a pitching coach issue that needs to be addressed?

As Kevin Youkilis’ return to the Sox lineup gets closer, what will the Sox do? We have already been told by GM Ben Cherington that Youkilis will be back at third, but where does that leave Will Middlebrooks? Could Youk’s return to third be an effort to showcase his value for a potential trade in the near future?

“Obviously Youkilis is a very tradable commodity because he’s only got the rest of this year as a guaranteed deal. He does have the flexibility of being able to play both corner infield spots, so you can go up and down and find teams that need help at third base.”

Plus, former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon is in Philadelphia now, but had some comments about the trainers in Boston. Papelbon stated that he had conflicts with many of them during his time here, is there any truth to that or is he just spouting off because he’s in a different city?

The office of Labor and Workforce Development released new figures on Thursday showing that the state’s jobless rate stood at 6.3 percent in April, down from 6.5 percent in March.

The national unemployment rate was 8.1 percent last month.

Officials say preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show Massachusetts gaining about 2,500 jobs during the month.

According to the latest figures, the state has added more than 31,000 jobs in the first four months of 2012.

Five of the ten leading private employment sectors showed gains in April.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

It worked twice, and the Eastern Conference finals are all even, as a result.

David Clarkson scored a tip-in goal off Adam Henrique’s shot 2:31 into the third period to break a tie and lift the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers that squared the series at one game apiece on Wednesday night.

“It’s a very hard building to play in, and 1-1 sounds much better than down 2-0,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We’re happy. We would have liked to have snuck out of here with two wins, but it didn’t happen.

“We’ll take 1-1.”

For the third straight series, the Rangers are wondering what went wrong in Game 2 after they took the opener. They stressed how important it would be to grab a 2-0 lead, which would have been their first two-game edge in this postseason, but didn’t provide the necessary effort to get it done.

New York was riding high after its 3-0 series-opening win on Monday night, but now has relinquished home-ice advantage again.

“You need to improve as a hockey team every game,” said succinct and disappointed coach John Tortorella, who declined to say what areas were deficient.

Game 3 will be Saturday in New Jersey.

Clarkson built off the momentum created by Ryan Carter’s deflected goal late in the second that tied the game, 2-2. Ilya Kovalchuk had given the Devils a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first. Defenseman Bryce Salvador added two assists, and Martin Brodeur stopped 23 saves for his 108th playoff win.

Clarkson has three goals in this postseason, and every one has been a winner, including the clincher against Philadelphia in Game 5 of the second round.

“Mr. Clutch? I don’t know about that,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to skate up and down and finish the checks and just bounce off people. It’s just a great feeling to be able to contribute. To get a tip on that felt pretty good.”

New Jersey had 26 attempted shots blocked in Game 1, five more than they got through to goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils cut the blocks to 16 on Wednesday and managed to get 27 on goal — two more than New York.

“That team blocks so many shots,” Clarkson said. “It’s unbelievable how many. I think we found a way to shoot it and get sticks on it, and definitely that was big for us.”

Marc Staal and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals in the second for the top-seeded Rangers, who received 24 saves by Lundqvist.

New Jersey got even at 2 when Salvador wound up for a shot at the blue line and fired a drive that Carter — with his back to the net — brilliantly deflected past Lundqvist with 1:51 left in the second. Marian Gaborik stood up straight in front of Salvador, but didn’t drop down as many of his teammates have to try to block the shot. For that, he was pinned to the bench by Tortorella, even through New York’s power play in the third.

Gaborik returned to the ice with 8:40 remaining as the Rangers pressed to tie.

The Devils kept the pressure on the Rangers at the start of the third and wiped out the good work the Rangers displayed in the second.

“It was a much different reaction when we went down by a goal than it was in the first game,” Parise said. “We didn’t change the way we played, and I think that was a big difference. We were comfortable with how we were playing.

“All I think they got was really on their power play.”

After spending much of the first trapped in their own end, the Rangers rebounded to erase their early deficit and briefly take the lead thanks to the previously inept power play.

With Alexei Ponikarovsky off for interference, Staal fired a shot that sailed wide of the net and struck the back boards before popping back in front and pinballing into the net off Salvador and Brodeur at 2:23. The goal was originally credited to Derek Stepan, who was in front, but the puck managed to miss him both on the way toward the net and on the bounce back.

“I saw most of the pucks, but the Rangers came out hard,” Brodeur said. “They were around me a lot, and there were some bad bounces. It’s such a tough place to play sometimes here. There are bad bounces, and the boards are terrible.”

Staal nearly netted another moments later when he ripped a drive that Brodeur had to lunge fully to his left to snare with his glove.

Kreider, the rookie from Boston College, scored for the second straight game to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 12:19. Anton Stralman let go a shot from above the right circle that ticked Kreider’s stick and fluttered past Brodeur for the rookie’s fourth goal. He had to wait to get it because it was first given to Stralman before being changed during a commercial break.

But that was hardly the longest delay of the night. Before Kreider’s power-play goal, the action was stopped for about eight minutes as arena workers struggled to get the door to the Devils’ penalty box opened. Travis Zajac stood patiently as he waited to have a seat in the box. He even managed to laugh as did New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer and the usually stoic and agitated Tortorella.

Zajac, who first was sent to the Rangers’ box, stayed in New Jersey’s sin bin for only 1:47 before Kreider scored the Rangers’ second power-play goal of the night.

New York registered the first six shots of the period before New Jersey had its first about eight minutes in, but the teams were even at 17 through 40 minutes.

Lundqvist had a bit of glove magic of his own midway through the second when a shot by Anton Volchenkov was deflected by Kovalchuk but tracked and grabbed by Lundqvist.

The Devils got their elusive first goal of the series, and the all-important lead in the game, when Kovalchuk connected on the power play late in the first period.

After Brian Boyle was sent off for slashing Parise, the Devils continued their puck-possession prowess in the Rangers’ end. New Jersey moved the puck all around the zone in search of a clean shot that could get past the diving New York defense and perhaps challenge Lundqvist, who made 21 saves in the series-opening win.

Marek Zidlicky curled with the puck to the center of the blue line and slid a pass down to the left circle to Kovalchuk, who calmly and patiently drifted in and snapped a shot up and under the crossbar in the upper corner of the net for his sixth goal of the playoffs and fourth on the power play.

“We had to keep going to the net, and I think we were doing some good things,” Clarkson said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey and we’ve got to continue to do it. That is a big win for us.”

The Devils didn’t record a shot on goal until 6:01 in when Patrik Elias put a wrist shot in on Lundqvist, but New Jersey finished the first period with an 8-5 edge in shots — despite having six more blocked by the Rangers.

Whether Brodeur was kidding or not about wanting Rangers to be injured by blocking shots, the home team wasn’t deterred from getting in front of drives. New York forward Brandon Prust was doing a bit of a dance in front of the dangerous Kovalchuk, trying to deny any potential drive, even though he was defending without a stick.

“We have to try to get in lanes,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. “Try to limit their time with the puck. If we do that, they are not going to have time to shoot.”

When Kovalchuk finally scored later in the period, he let out a big yell — part celebration and an exclamation of relief — as he skated in front of the glass behind the net.

“We have built some momentum,” Brodeur said. “And now, we have to try to take that into our building, and make our building a tough place to play.”

NOTES: The Rangers were 10 for 61 (16.4 percent) on the power play in the postseason before Wednesday. This marked the second time they netted a man-advantage goal in consecutive games, but the fourth time they scored two in a game. … The Devils returned defenseman Peter Harrold to the lineup and sat rookie Adam Larsson. Harrold replaced Larsson in the lineup late in the season and started the first nine postseason games. Larsson played in the previous five games.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Celtics play-by-play man Mike Gorman joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich Thursday morning, and said there is really no telling what is going to happen from night to night in this series.

“I’m beginning to think that there is nothing that repeats in this series,” Gorman said. “I was sitting around before the game convinced the Celtics were in trouble in this series. Then three hours later, I’m thinking ‘wow, we can go up 3-1 on Friday and end this back in Boston.’ After watching them so much this year, you wouldn’t think you would have that much of a swing in their fortunes over the course of a game.”

The Celtics had three players record double-doubles Wednesday night, including Captain Paul Pierce. Pierce is battling a sprained MCL in his left knee, but scored 24 points while adding 12 rebounds.

“Last night was mostly encouraging on the part of Paul Pierce, because we know that Pierce is not playing at 100-percent,” said Gorman. “The line that he put up last night – 24 points, 12 rebounds, he got to the free throw line 14 times — is just another indication about what a terrific, terrific player this guy is.”

Read: Pierce Gets Aggressive In Game 3 Win

However, his performance does not mean the knee is all better. In fact, Gorman wouldn’t be opposed to giving Pierce some time off to rest the injury now that the C’s have retaken the lead in the series.

“I would like to think the injury is getting better, but everyone is telling me it requires rest and won’t be getting better until it gets the rest. I’m curious to see what happens Friday night; the Celtics have home-court advantage back, and it wouldn’t be all that crazy to sit one of these guys; to sit pierce and give him rest and come back in Game 5 back in Boston,” he said. “That’s just me talking, but that wouldn’t shock me to see something like that happen.”

But even without Pierce, Gorman thinks the Celtics would have a very good chance at pushing the series to the brink, simply because Philadelphia has no answer for Kevin Garnett.

“One of the things that has become very obvious in this series is that Philadelphia can’t deal with Kevin Garnett. They don’t have anybody who can cover him,” Gorman said of KG, who had 27 points and 13 rebounds in Game 3. “They’ve tried different people; Spencer Hawes to go big and strong, Thaddeus Young to go quick. Lavoy Allen has played very well for a guy that was a non-factor during the season, but still, Kevin putts up monster numbers night-in and night-out.”

“I don’t see what kind of an answer they can come up with on their bench to deal with Garnett. As long as the Celtics keep running the offense through Garnett – and he gets as many touches as possible in the front court – Philly is in for some long nights until they solve that,” said Gorman.

“Without question, he is the MVP of the playoffs right now.”

USA Today has described the book as mom porn. Fred, on the other hand, said it is “written at a second grade level.”

T&R decided to grab a few excerpts from the actual book and enlisted the help of Gary Tanguay and his lovely pipes for a game.

Your job in this one is to guess whether the scene Tanguay reads is from the book ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ or a work of his own fantasy.

The Celtics captain put in 24 points in Boston’s 101-91 Game 3 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia, putting his knee injury behind him and getting aggressive when it came to pretty much every aspect of the game.

“Whether I shot the ball well or not, everything I was going to do was being with aggression,” Pierce said.

Aggressive might be an understatement. Pierce was in attack mode early on, even if his shots weren’t falling. Early in the first quarter, he missed four shots from close range, but it was the fact he fought for the three put-backs in the paint that showed he was determined to make a difference after scoring just seven points in Boston’s Game 2 loss.

Felger & Mazz Break Down Pierce’s Grunting: 

He continued to go strong to the basket, following up his early misses with two ferocious dunks. Pierce finishing with nine points in the first 12 minutes of the game. He ended up hitting six of his 17 attempts from the floor, but did most of his damage at — and getting to — the free throw line. After just two trips to the charity stripe on Monday, Pierce found his way to the line 14 times in Game 3, scoring 11 of his points at the line.

Special Coverage: NBA Playoffs

He made it known to all of Philly when he was making his way to the line, following each drive to the hoop with an aggressive scream that would make Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” jealous.

“Everything I was going to do was going to be aggressive because they were really collapsing on me on the down-screens, on my jumpers,” said Pierce. “I just tried to get to the hole and I was able to get to the line; able to get to the rim a number of times. It’s something I have to continue to do.”

“Paul is just a grinder,” head coach Doc Rivers said following the win. “He really is. You look at him at times and you wonder, ‘How is this guy getting open?’ He just has great fundamentals. He never does it with speed. He just knows how to play basketball. He’s a throwback guy, that he knows how to play basketball. We jokingly call him our ‘professional scorer’ and that’s what he is in a lot of ways.”

“[Pierce] played great for us tonight,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 23 points of his own while dishing out 14 assists. “Paul has been struggling scoring, but he has been doing the intangibles. On those [first-quarter] drives, he didn’t get some calls early in the game and thought they were fouls, so he went out and was aggressive and finished strong.”

Recap: Thunder Go Up 2-0 On Lakers

Pierce had been just 5-for-20 in the series in the first two games, but helped the Celtics send a message as they took a 2-1 series lead. While he only added four assists, he credited the team’s ball movement for getting the offense going.

“Our offense finally came alive,” Pierce said. “We moved the ball. We knew that’s what we were going to have to do to score 100 points.”

“We just wanted to come out and establish who we are as a team,” Pierce said.

They certainly did that. Now they just need to keep it going on Friday night.

After years of waffling research on coffee and health, even some fear that java might raise the risk of heart disease, a big study finds the opposite: Coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or decaf doesn’t matter.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Carl Stevens reports

The study of 400,000 people is the largest ever done on the issue, and the results should reassure any coffee lovers who think it’s a guilty pleasure that may do harm.

“Our study suggests that’s really not the case,” said lead researcher Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute. “There may actually be a modest benefit of coffee drinking.”

No one knows why.

Coffee contains a thousand things that can affect health, from helpful antioxidants to tiny amounts of substances linked to cancer.

The most widely studied ingredient — caffeine — didn’t play a role in the new study’s results.

It’s not that earlier studies were wrong. There is evidence that coffee can raise LDL, or bad cholesterol, and blood pressure at least short-term, and those in turn can raise the risk of heart disease.

Even in the new study, it first seemed that coffee drinkers were more likely to die at any given time. But they also tended to smoke, drink more alcohol, eat more red meat and exercise less than non-coffee-drinkers. Once researchers took those things into account, a clear pattern emerged: Each cup of coffee per day nudged up the chances of living longer.

The study was done by the National Institutes of Health and AARP. The results are published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Careful, though — this doesn’t prove that coffee makes people live longer, only that the two seem related.

Like most studies on diet and health, this one was based strictly on observing people’s habits and resulting health. So it can’t prove cause and effect.

But with so many people, more than a decade of follow-up and enough deaths to compare, “this is probably the best evidence we have” and are likely to get, said Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health. He had no role in this study but helped lead a previous one that also found coffee beneficial.

The new one began in 1995 and involved AARP members ages 50 to 71 in California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Atlanta and Detroit.

People who already had heart disease, a stroke or cancer weren’t included. Neither were folks at diet extremes — too many or too few calories per day.

The rest gave information on coffee drinking once, at the start of the study. “People are fairly consistent in their coffee drinking over their lifetime,” so the single measure shouldn’t be a big limitation, Freedman said.

Of the 402,260 participants, about 42,000 drank no coffee. About 15,000 drank six cups or more a day. Most people had two or three.

By 2008, about 52,000 of them had died. Compared to those who drank no coffee, men who had two or three cups a day were 10 percent less likely to die at any age. For women, it was 13 percent.

Even a single cup a day seemed to lower risk a little: 6 percent in men and 5 percent in women.

The strongest effect was in women who had four or five cups a day — a 16 percent lower risk of death.

None of these are big numbers, though, and Freedman can’t say how much extra life coffee might buy.

“I really can’t calculate that,” especially because smoking is a key factor that affects longevity at every age, he said.

Coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart or respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, injuries, accidents or infections. No effect was seen on cancer death risk, though.

Other research ties coffee drinking to lower levels of markers for inflammation and insulin resistance.

Researchers also considered that people in poor health might refrain from drinking coffee and whether their abstention could bias the results. But the study excluded people with cancer and heart disease — the most common health problems — to minimize this chance. Also, the strongest benefits of coffee drinking were seen in people who were healthiest when the study began.

About two-thirds of study participants drank regular coffee, and the rest, decaf. The type of coffee made no difference in the results.

Hu had this advice for coffee lovers:

— Watch the sugar and cream. Extra calories and fat could negate any benefits from coffee.

— Drink filtered coffee rather than boiled — filtering removes compounds that raise LDL, the bad cholesterol.

Researchers did not look at tea, soda or other beverages but plan to in future analyses.

Lou and Mariann Maris have already compared them.

Sipping a local brew at a lakefront coffee shop, the suburban Milwaukee couple told of how they missed coffee after briefly giving it up in the 1970s as part of a health kick that included transcendental meditation and eating vegetarian.

Mariann Maris switched to tea after being treated for breast cancer in 2008, but again missed the taste of coffee. It’s one of life’s great pleasures, especially because her husband makes it, she said.

“Nothing is as satisfying to me as a cup of coffee in the morning,” she said.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Listen to Jon’s commentary:

But the history CNN made wasn’t good news, if you’ll pardon the expression.

The lynchpin of the network’s prime-time lineup, “Piers Morgan Tonight,” didn’t do very well in the ratings. In fact, in the crucial demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54, good old Piers drew only 39,000 viewers, the lowest rating in that demographic and time slot CNN has had in 15 years.

There were mitigating circumstances.

The broadcast networks had blockbuster shows up against them. And Morgan’s guests, Jane Lynch from the TV show “Glee” and Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice whose comeback from poverty was big news a couple of years ago, weren’t exactly big draws.

But CNN has been lagging in the ratings for some time now, not just with the unfortunate Mr. Morgan. Fox News and MSNBC regularly beat CNN like a drum.

And I want to know if that means people no longer care to have their news delivered straight down the middle?

I’m sure CNN has its lapses into bias, but for the most part they do try to play it straight, even emphasizing one of my least favorite formats, the he-said she-said battle of the dueling partisans.

By contrast, MSNBC and Fox take political bias to a whole new level, unabashedly so.

And more and more I see in my travels and my e-mail the signs of people who have completely tuned out diverse points of view, and just want their pre-conceived notions reinforced by whatever they’re watching.

It’s gotten so bad, I question whether the two sides are even listening to each other at all anymore, while we lapse into a political culture of near-permanent standoff.

I suspect most of you are here because that is precisely what you don’t want, and if true, that’s encouraging.

Because the less we listen, and challenge ourselves, the more intellectually lazy and politically calcified we are doomed to become.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

Franklin Morales hit Rhymes near his right elbow with a pitch.  Tampa’s trainers took a brief look at him and he walked to first base as the Red Sox changed pitchers.

Watch: The Video

Moments later, Rhymes stepped off first base and bent over.  He gestured that he wanted to come out of the game, took a couple of steps and collapsed into the arms of first base coach George Hendrick.

Trainers worked on Rhymes in the coach’s box before he was assisted to a utility cart and left the field.

The Rays said Rhymes briefly fainted, but that he is fine, remained at the ballpark for X-rays on his arm and was not taken to a hospital.

“He got kind of rubber-legged right there,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

“That stuff hurts. I know it’s in the arm, but that can definitely take your breath away. It was described to me as kind of an adrenalin rush that caused that reaction.”

X-rays on Rhymes’ arm were negative, and he is day to day with a bruised right forearm.

“Scary,” Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said.