After a 5-game winning streak for the Sox, are you buying in yet?

In last nights Mets-Brewers game, during a blowout Ryan Braun was hit by a pitch. In the following inning, David Wright was pulled for fear of a retaliation beaning. Wright was none too pleased about being pulled. Isn’t that the kind of player you want on your team?

Finally, if a deal was offered to Papelbon, would Papelbon have stayed in Boston?

ARLINGTON (CBS) – Arlington residents are buzzing over a new town ordinance that would fine anyone who uses a leaf blower between May 15th and October 15th $200.

Residents who support the ban, say the blowers are too loud and kick up too much dust. Opponents say the ban is unfair and will cost local landscaping companies time and money

Last year Brookline banned leaf blowers in the summer and winter months but said they can be used to maintain town parks and streets and by residents who own more than five acres.

Wellesley and Marblehead have voted down similar bans. Contractors and other opponents are vowing to fight Arlington’s ban.

Opponents planned to ask the town meeting members to reconsider the ban when they convene Wednesday night.

The state Attorney General’s office still needs to give final approval, so even if the ban stays, it won’t kick in until next year.

BOSTON (CBS) – If you are looking for something to do this weekend and you love hot dogs, then there’s an event just for you.

The Phantom Gourmet is holding a Hot Dog Safari this Saturday on Landsdowne Street next to Fenway Park.

The money raised will benefit the Joey Fund.

Boston businessman Joe O’Donnell started the fund to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Joe’s son died of the disease and ever since, he has raised millions of dollars to find a cure.

What should they eat to survive and thrive in the playoffs?

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Carl Stevens reports:

ATTLEBORO (CBS) – For an Attleboro woman, it was a stroke of luck that put her wedding rings back on her fingers.

Deb Kirby accidentally threw out 5 rings.

Imagine you’re trying to find something tiny in a 15 ton pile of trash. That was the task that faced Deb Kirby of Attleboro. Here’s what happened. One night Deb took off five rings, her wedding and engagement rings, a ring her father gave her and two others, and put them on her kitchen counter after a busy day. She wrapped them up in paper towels to dry and by accident swept them all up as she cleaned her counters and dropped them in the trash. The next morning was trash day and the garbage bag containing the precious rings was soon on its’ way to an incinerator.

When she realized what she had done, Deb called Waste Management, the trash hauler for Attleboro. “My voice was shaking. I said Aaron, I’m completely freaking out, I believe I threw away my wedding rings,” she said.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Laurie Kirby reports

Aaron Smith of Waste Management figured out which truck it was and stopped it not far from the incinerator. “It was close, very close to getting there,” he says. Smith redirected the truck to the Raynham transfer station where they dumped it. “I thought I would be all by myself in a pile of trash digging for this. Eight men came out and helped me,” she says.

All they had to go on was that the rings were in a black trash bag with a blue string tie, and there were an awful lot of those. But after only about half an hour of digging, one of the guys found the right bag. “I just ran over to him sliding through the trash, and I hugged him and I hugged them all and I was so happy,” says Deb. “They could have very easily said there’s no way you’re going to find those rings. But they took the extra steps and they made the effort and it paid off,” she adds.

Deb says from now on those rings never come off.

Police believe Mary Kennedy, 52, may have died in an apparent suicide, though there is no official word on the cause of her death.

Kennedy lived in a home Mount Kisco, New York.

The two were married from 1994-2010 before Robert Kennedy filed divorce papers. Three days later, Mary Kennedy was arrested for drunk driving.

Mary’s family released a statement:

“We deeply regret the death of our beloved sister Mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her. Our heart goes out to her children who she loved without reservation. We have no further comment at this time.”

FRAMINGHAM (CBS) – A man found unconscious on a Framingham road Tuesday is recovering from brain surgery.

David Matzilevich found 21-year-old Nick Russo on the street in front of his Framingham home.

“He had a massive amount of swelling on the left side of his head,” said David Matzilevich.

Matzilevich, a research doctor who’s an expert on brain injuries, says he tried to help while his friend called 911.

“I assessed him to the best of my ability,” says Matzilevich. “He had a pulse. His breathing was adequate. He wasn’t conscious. He was laying face down.”

Now he wants to know what caused the massive wound to Nick’s head.

“The position of it was a little strange; whatever impact he suffered was a significant impact,” he says.

Police are saying very little and neighbors heard nothing before the discovery.

“No screeching of tires, I heard no arguing no shouting, everything seemed normal,” said Matzilevich.

Nick’s family tells WBZ he hasn’t regained consciousness since he was found and he’s still in intensive care.

Russo was found about a mile and a half away from where he works as a cook at Ruby Tuesday. Police aren’t sure whether Russo was hit by a car or assaulted.

WBZ-TV’s Karen Anderson contributed to this report.

BOSTON (CBS) – Delmy is a polite, friendly young lady of Guatemalan descent who enjoys being playful and joking around with others.

Delmy is hoping to find a family who will be there for her, and she has a lot to offer in a family setting. Her social worker would like Delmy to have an opportunity to have some stability in her life.

Some of Delmy’s favorite things to do include dancing, listening to music, playing video and board games, drawing, and physical activities, especially basketball and soccer. For fun, she likes to sing and emulate her favorite female vocalists like Demi Lovato.

Delmy is also interested in makeup, fashion, photography, writing poetry and in her journal. When she gets older, Delmy has expressed wanting to become a cosmetologist.

Delmy, 14, is in the eighth grade, where math is one of her favorite subjects. Although Spanish is her first language, Delmy prefers to speak in English, and her conversational skills are very good. Delmy would benefit from maintaining and strengthening her cultural connections.

Delmy is a bright, strong-willed young lady, and most of the challenges she faces in school are a result of the trauma from her past. With the help of her therapist, Delmy is working on managing her emotions, and has been making steady progress. She takes a lot of pride in her successes.

An ideal family for Delmy would be a seasoned, energetic two-parent family that can provide a balance of structure as well as flexibility in the home. If there are children in the home, they should be older since Delmy has demonstrated some highly-competitive behaviors with younger siblings.

Most importantly, Delmy needs a strong parent or parents who can give her the supports she needs to process her past and help her move on to her future.

She is not yet legally freed for adoption and would like to maintain a connection with past caretakers.

To learn more about Delmy, and about adoption from foster care, call the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) at 617-54-ADOPT (617-542-3678) or visit www.MAREinc.org. The sooner you call, the sooner a waiting child will have “a permanent place to call HOME.”

The sign posted outside St. Francis Xavier parish read, “Two Men Are Friends Not Spouses.”

As soon as the sign was posted, the church began getting violent threats.

The church responded to the hateful threats on their Facebook page, saying, “We encourage you to engage in dialogue and debate, however those of you who are merely here to attack the Church with crude, violent, or hateful language will be kicked off.”

There have been also been more peaceful protests, like a homemade sign taped up by a woman named Vanessa who works nearby. Her sign read, “You may not be welcome in this church, but ALL people are welcome in this community. Spread love not hate.”

The church has now replaced its sign, but opponents are still organizing a rally for Sunday.

Gammons initially challenged Michael Felger’s statement that Beckett had a bad attitude, but they later came to agreement that Beckett is not a top-of-the-rotation starter anymore.

“He is what he is now. He’s a fourth starter,” Gammons said. “That’s what his stuff says he is. And if he gets five out of six quality starts, which he has, then he’s pitching above really what his talent is.”

Gammons said that both former manager Terry Francona and former pitching coach John Farrell had high opinions of Beckett, which led to the team re-signing him long-term. With regard to Beckett growing as a leader, Gammons said that’s not exactly what’s happened since.

“While I think that [Jon] Lester and [Clay] Buchholz follow him, I don’t think of Josh as being future commander-in-chief,” Gammons said. “And that’s put them in a bind. Having both those guys [Beckett and John Lackey] on the payroll have put them in a bind.”

Regarding the controversy surrounding Beckett’s golf outing and his reported unavailability during the Sox’ 17-inning affair last Sunday, Gammons didn’t necessarily take issue with that so much as he did Beckett’s attitude.

“I think that the perception when the team is struggling, and he has struggled, it’s just ignoring the people that create this base around the team,” Gammons said. “I don’t think that’s smart at all. I understand his whole [shrugging it off] … and then to say he only gets 18 days off. There are workers at the MBTA who probably get 10 days off the whole year. I was probably more offended by that than anything else.”

Felger & Mazz: Isn’t It Obvious What Beckett Is? 

Gammons also added that he believes the Red Sox would trade one of their major league catchers “in a second,” and that Kevin Youkilis will have to get some playing time at third base, despite Will Middlebrooks’ rise to fame.

“I would give Youkilis a very short leash of a week or so,” Gammons said. “And if it’s better for Middlebrooks to play every day, fine. [Send Middlebrooks down to Triple-A] for one week, and then come back. I really like Middlebrooks.”

“That’s not been a topic of discussion,” Romney campaign adviser Kevin Madden said when asked if the former Massachusetts governor would compete in the heavily Democratic state.

Aides say there are other ways he can win the White House and deny President Barack Obama a second term without banking on Massachusetts’ 11 electoral votes.

That political reality illustrates the degree to which Romney’s efforts to curry favor with conservative Republicans in the primaries has alienated the moderate base that launched his political career.

If Romney were lose Massachusetts and still defeat Obama, he would be the first presidential candidate elected without carrying his home state since 1916, when Democratic President Woodrow Wilson retained the White House despite New Jersey’s absence from the win column.

In 2000, Democrat Al Gore, who had spent years in Washington as a senator and vice president, fell short of winning Tennessee in his losing White House bid. Other notable home-state losers include Democrats Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota in 1968 and Adlai Stevenson of Illinois in 1952 and 1956. Republicans need to go back to 1936 to find a nominee who didn’t carry his home state: Kansas Gov. Alf Landon.

Romney aides argue that it would be a waste of money to run TV ads and compete in a state Obama carried by 25 percentage points in 2008.

Some Massachusetts residents agree, feeling that Romney used the state as a springboard for his national political ambitions. Some seem to resent him for it.

“He doesn’t know where he lives,” said Mike Egan, a retired independent sitting at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Belmont, near Romney’s home.

While Romney’s permanent address is the home he keeps in this upscale Boston suburb, he spends considerable time, including holidays and vacations, at his homes in California and New Hampshire.

Egan and others say Romney seemed to have his eye on the White House as soon as he arrived at the Massachusetts State House in 2003.

The following year, he made his first trip to Iowa, home of the leadoff presidential caucuses, to speak at the state GOP’s fall banquet some weeks before President George W. Bush’s re-election.

He would visit Iowa three times in 2005 and nine times in 2006. That year, Romney spent 212 days outside of Massachusetts. One trip included a visit to Iraq and Afghanistan to enhance his international credentials, just as his state grappled with a devastating flood.

“By the time he left, it became clear to everybody that he was committed to national politics,” said Massachusetts Republican Sheldon Binder, a retiree who supported Romney, as he sat near Egan.

Republicans had held the governorship for 12 straight years by the time Romney took office in 2003.

Voters were comfortable supporting candidates with right-of-center fiscal profiles. Romney’s moderate profile, including support of abortion and gay rights, fit in with other Republicans.

But some in Massachusetts were turned off by what they saw as Romney’s effort to project a more conservative profile on hot-button issues, in part to prepare to court socially conservative activists in states such as Iowa that hold early nominating contests in election years.

Romney reversed his position on abortion while in office. After advocating full equality for gay and lesbian couples, he publicly condemned the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision in 2003 to allow gay marriage.

“He’s a moderate. He’s not a conservative Republican in the true sense of the word,” said Matt Walsh, a 36-year-old advertiser from Mansfield who sat with his mother at the doughnut shop. “That’s why he played well at first. He won the voters in the middle.”

Romney was elected governor with 50 percent of the vote. His approval ratings, while never soaring, topped 50 percent in public opinion polls at times during his one term. But by the October before he left office in 2007, Romney’s approval had dipped to 34 percent in a Boston Globe poll.

With Massachusetts apparently out of reach, Romney aides are trying to claim his native Michigan as the campaign’s home turf. But while Obama can bank on winning his home state of Illinois, Michigan is no lock for Romney.

Romney, 65, was born in Detroit and grew up nearby in Bloomfield Hills, but hasn’t lived in Michigan since he was a teenager. Despite Michigan being viewed as competitive in recent campaigns, no Republican has carried the state since George H. W. Bush in 1988.

What’s more, Obama and other Democrats have criticized Romney for opposing the 2008 federal bailout of Detroit-based automakers Chrysler and General Motors. Romney favored allowing the companies to go through bankruptcy without taxpayer help.

Obama frequently highlights his decision to extend the companies a lifeline and their return to profitability as one of the successes of his administration.

Still, Michigan is more within Romney’s reach than for any Republican in nearly a quarter century.

His family name, made by his father, George, once a governor and an automotive executive in Michigan, still resonates in the state. Romney also has influential contacts in the state, which he reminded voters about at every stop while campaigning for Michigan’s GOP primary in February, which he won.

Michigan also has trended Republican in recent state elections, including a 2010 GOP sweep of statewide offices. Detroit, the dominant force for Democrats, has seen its population shrink amid the auto industry’s troubles, while its suburbs and western and northern Michigan have kept their GOP complexion.

“The climate is much more ripe for a Republican victory in 2012,” said Jeff Timmer, a former Michigan Republican Party director. “When you add to that he does have home-state roots and an established presence, it adds an element to Michigan that no other candidate has brought to this state in a long time.”

So while Michigan may also be a stretch, it rates higher than Massachusetts on Romney’s priority list, according to former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu.

Of Romney’s chances in Massachusetts, Sununu said: “I wouldn’t rule it out completely — even though it’s No. 50 on the list.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

A lawyer for Michael Donahue’s family argued Wednesday that legal claims against four FBI agents should be allowed to continue even though an appeals court overturned a $6.3 million judgment against the federal government in the same case.

Authorities say Bulger, who was also an FBI informant, killed Edward “Brian” Halloran after former FBI Agent John Connolly Jr. warned them that Halloran was cooperating with the FBI against them. Donahue was killed when Bulger and another man allegedly opened fire on Halloran.

A lawyer for one of the agents argued that the family “can’t get another bite of the apple” by pressing individual claims.

Judge William Young did not immediately rule.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

The city recently uncovered a $500,000 transfer that city leaders call a mistake. The money was used to pay salaries in the Department of Public Works.

“I think it’s important for taxpayers to know that we’ve taken decisive action on this, and corrected it immediately,” says Rich Fortucci, Lynn’s Chief Financial Officer.

The budget transfer was discovered after auditors noticed the city went over budget on snow removal – even though there wasn’t much snow to remove this past Winter.

Jay Fink was the commissioner of Lynn’s DPW when the alleged mistake occurred. He says he did not do anything improper.

“That’s the way it’s budgeted. That’s the way it’s set up. That’s the way the budget was approved by the Mayor. That’s the way the budget was approved by the City Council,” Fink told WBZ-TV Wednesday.

Fink recently left the position to move to Florida for family reasons. He spoke to us by phone, saying this budget practice has gone on for years.

“There was never anything inappropriate about the way the money was being spent,” he says. ” The taxpayer has not been wronged.”

In a statement, City Solicitor Michael J. Barry said, “Obviously, this demonstrates a very poor accounting and budgetary practice which may run afoul of laws relating to municipal finance. Our office has requested documentation regarding all monies expended out of the snow and ice budget in order to determine the appropriate course of action for past errors and to ensure that moving forward the city adheres to the laws of the Commonwealth.”

After the investigation and consultation with the Department of Revenue and city auditors, the Solicitor’s Office will send a full report to the mayor and City Council.

The only difference is the Celtics actually answer questions about their numerous ailments. The Patriots, well, everyone knows their take when it comes to injuries.

The Celtics will once again be dealing with their slew of injuries as they take the floor for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semis against the 76ers in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

As for which of the C’s walking wounded will play, that answer remains the same.

“Everybody’s good,” head coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday morning’s shootaround. “We basically took the day off (on Tuesday). We watched a little film and met. Other than that we didn’t do anything on the floor.”

Read: Celtics-76ers Game 3 Preview

Every member of the Celtics hit the practice floor Wednesday morning, not an uncommon occurrence so far this postseason.

But some of the Celtics are getting a little more tired with the questions than others.

“You’re on your health watch?” guard Ray Allen joked when asked about his ailing ankle.

Allen — who led the Celtics with 17 points off the bench in their Game 2 loss — has had to change a few things up with his normal routine, but as long as it means he is ready to go Wednesday night, that is all that matters.

“I try not to think about it. Like last night, I got in the hotel and I went down to the health club and I was so tempted to get on the treadmill. But I just said, ‘Don’t do it. Just leave it alone,’” Allen recalled Wednesday. “I put myself in a good position to be ready for tonight, that’s all I can say. That’s what I’ve been told to do.”

In addition to Allen, the Celtics have to worry about guard Avery Bradley’s left shoulder, which has popped out of its socket twice this postseason. Bradley has dealt with it, and tries to put the possibility of another dislocation out of his mind when on the floor.

“I try not to think about it and just play. If it pops out, then it pops out,” said the second-year guard.

The biggest injury concern for Boston though remains that of Paul Pierce’s MCL. The C’s captain has been dealing with a sprain in his left knee since Game 4 against Atlanta. Pierce was held to just seven points on two-for-nine shooting in Game 2, and the injury has turned has made his jumper all but non-existent.

Read: Who Steps Up For Hobbled Pierce?

Because of this, Rivers hinted they may have to change their game plan when it comes to Pierce.

“Right now he can’t get away from anybody with his legs, so we’re going to go to more pin-downs for him and do different things,” said Rivers, hinting Pierce could also play a larger role in the paint Wednesday night. “You usually didn’t have to get a body off of him, he could shake the body on his own. I think now, we have to use him a lot like Ray, bringing him off screens, and then giving him space.”

While it’s safe to say Pierce is nowhere near 100-percent healthy, Rivers didn’t want to put a number on his star forward.

“You know me, I don’t do percentages,” Rivers said. ” I don’t think (Sixers forward Andre) Iguodala cares what percentage he is and that’s what counts. When he is on the floor, he’s 100-percent; that’s how we view it. Whether he is or isn’t, really doesn’t matter. We just have to go out and play, and figure out, we have to get 100-percent out of him — of what he has.”

And the Sixers are going to approach Pierce as though he is at 100-percent.

“He’s not fast, but at the same time he’s not slow,” said Iguodala, who added they need to keep Pierce off the free throw line.

“We have to make him work on every possession,” said 76ers coach Doug Collins. “We have to make it hard for him to get shots, hard for him to give the ball up, and keep him off that foul line.”

Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the footwear company made unfounded claims that its Shape-ups shoes would help people lose weight and strengthen their butt, leg and stomach muscles. Kardashian, Burke and other celebrities endorsed the shoes in Skechers ads.

Read: Apply For A Refund

Wednesday’s settlement also involves the company’s Resistance Runner, Toners, and Tone-ups shoes. Skechers made deceptive claims about those shoes, too, says the agency.

Consumers who bought the shoes will be eligible for refunds, though it’s not clear how much money people will get. The FTC says that will depend on how many claims are received in the eight-month filing period. Most of the $40 million will be returned to consumers, the commission said. A small amount of the money will be used to administer the payouts.

“The FTC’s message, for Skechers and other national advertisers, is to shape up your substantiation or tone down your claims,” said David Vladeck, director of the agency’s consumer protection bureau. For millions of consumers, he said, “the only thing that got a workout was their wallet.”

The commission settled similar charges with Reebok last year over its EasyTone walking shoes and RunTone running shoes. That $25 million agreement also provided customer refunds.

Skechers billed its Shape-ups as a fitness tool designed to promote weight loss and tone muscles with the shoe’s curved “rocker” or rolling bottom — saying it provides natural instability and causes the consumer to “use more energy with every step.” Shape-ups cost about $100 and are sold at retailers nationwide.

Ads for the Resistance Runner shoes claimed people who wear them could increase “muscle activation” by up to 85 percent for posture-related muscles and 71 percent for one of the muscles in the buttocks, said the FTC.

The commission says Skechers falsely represented that clinical studies backed up the company’s claims about its toning shoes. The settlement bars Skechers from misrepresenting any tests, studies or research on its shoes in the future.

In Wednesday’s court filing, Skechers says it disputes the charges and is pursuing additional studies. A call to Skechers seeking additional comment was not immediately returned.

The settlement is part of a broader agreement also announced Wednesday — a settlement resolving a multi-state investigation led by the attorneys general from Tennessee and Ohio and involving more than 40 states. The company, based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., will provide $40 million for customer refunds in the federal case and $5 million to the states.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

The one-hour special news interview program airs once a month and will always be live with an in-studio guest.

You can follow Joe on Twitter @Joe MathieuWBZ.

Here’s the audio from the interview:

Part One – Budget Recommendations 

Part Two – Job Losses, Local Aid, Taunton Hospital

Part Three – EBT Cards

Part Four – Cigarette & Sugar Taxes, Reconciliation, Amendments

Part Five – Universal Health Care, MBTA Woes

Part Six – Re-Election Bid, Open Checkbook, Deadlines

Mazz returned to the studio just in time to do some LeBron James bashing. Why does LeBron struggle late in games?

How much is LeBron’s erratic free throw shooting hurting his team? Is LeBron afraid to have the ball during crucial situations? Can LeBron be labeled a choker?

Is LeBron depending on Dwayne Wade to win him a championship?

The guys weighed in on all these questions and more.

Seguin talked with John Bishop of BostonBruins.com and a tendon came out of its socket in a game in March, and he just got his cast removed this week.

“They said about 10 weeks is the full recovery process,” Seguin said. “Right now, I’m not doing any working out. I just got the stitches removed yesterday, that’s why I’m back in town. Hopefully within the next couple weeks I can start moving it a bit more and then hopefully after that be able to lift weights.”

There’s something else Seguin’s been unable to do since his season ended abruptly in overtime of Game 7 a few weeks ago, and that’s watch the rest of the NHL playoffs.

“Not too much. Not too much at all,” Seguin said. “There’s been a few times where I’ve been out at dinner and it’s on and you watch a little bit, but it still stings so much.”

When it comes to training to get back on the ice, the still-developing forward said his focus right now is developing some “man strength.”

“My number one thing is my core strength, which just basically comes with battling in corners and just having that man strength,” Seguin said. “I think if I can continue to work on that, I’m only going to get stronger.”

After a 29-goal campaign in his second season, a stronger Seguin for Year 3 certainly sounds promising.

The Pacers went 42-24 and are tied 1-1 with Miami in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Bird’s moves to strengthen the team during the offseason included promoting Frank Vogel from interim to head coach and signing starting forward David West.

Bird was a three-time MVP as a Boston Celtics player, then led his home-state Pacers to a 147-67 record in three seasons and their only finals appearance in 2000.

Bird received 88 points and 12 first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team executives Wednesday. San Antonio’s R.C. Buford was second with 56 points.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Schilling briefed Gov. Lincoln Chafee and the state’s Economic Development Corp. board in a closed-door session.

Following the meeting, Chafee would not say what Schilling is seeking from the state. The governor said the question before state economic development officials was, “How do we avoid throwing good money after bad?”

Schilling declined to answer questions, saying only: “My priority right now is to get back to my team.”

Concerns about 38 Studios’ financial health arose when it failed to make a scheduled $1.1 million payment to the Economic Development Corp. on May 1.

The business was lured from Massachusetts in 2010 after Rhode Island offered a $75 million loan guarantee that state officials said would help bring hundreds of jobs and millions in tax revenue.

No action was taken on 38 Studios’ new request. The board’s next scheduled meeting is Monday.

Chafee, an independent, has vowed to do “everything possible” to assist the company, named after Schilling’s number as a player, and prevent the state from having to pay the company’s debts.

“The most important thing, going forward, is the viability of the company,” said Chafee Tuesday. “We’re looking at everything.”

House Speaker Gordon Fox said he began hearing “inklings” about trouble at the company a few weeks ago, but still doesn’t have the necessary information to gauge the company’s health.

Under the terms of the loan guarantee agreement, 38 Studios promised to bring to Rhode Island a total of 450 jobs over three years. An outside monitor was to follow the company’s progress.

The company released its much-anticipated first game, “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning,” to strong reviews in February.

Chafee and others criticized the loan guarantee at the time it was offered, saying it was putting taxpayer money at risk to help a company with no track record of success. During his run for governor, Chafee called it “one of the biggest risks I’ve ever seen.”

Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Keith Stokes said at the time the board determined the loan agreement was a calculated risk well worth taking. Stokes said the board performed months of due diligence in analyzing the video game sector and 38 Studios and crafted a loan guarantee agreement that included strict performance benchmarks.

He said the agreement went “to great lengths to safeguard taxpayers and ensure economic performance.”

A 2010 memorandum prepared by the state says company was working in Massachusetts on developing a massively multiplayer online game dubbed “Copernicus.”

The initial target market size for the game was estimated to be $3.2 billion in net revenue in North America and $1.6 billion in western Europe, the memo said.

Still, the memo acknowledges that the video game business, is “highly speculative and inherently risky.” It says the market for massively multiplayer online games is dominated by “World of Warcraft,” but that some of its competitors have been “commercially successful” despite being unable to match the game’s subscription figures.

Four months before economic development officials held a bond sale to raise money for 38 Studios, the company took out a revolving line of credit of $2.5 million to support its operations, the memo said.

The credit line was to be capped at $4 million and was secured by Schilling, the memo said. The company anticipated that all or a portion of the bond proceeds would be used to pay down the outstanding amounts on the credit line.

Two months later, the company took out a 120-day credit line worth $3 million that was expected to be paid down with the bond proceeds, the memo said.

Under legislation passed in 2010, the General Assembly created a program giving the economic development agency the authority to back up to $125 million in loans to businesses promising to create permanent, full-time jobs.

The loans would come from lending institutions, not the state, but Rhode Island would agree to repay the lender if a company defaulted.

The corporation issued bonds in 2010 and set aside the proceeds of the bond sale for 38 Studios to tap when the company met financial milestones.

___

Associated Press writer Laura Crimaldi contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Paul Pierce has been battling injury for some time now, but has managed to perform well some nights.

Will we see the 24-year-old Pierce tonight or the 44-year-old version?

Gresh and Zo expect to see the captain bounce back.

The guys discussed why Francesa is missing the boat with Twitter, but the audio is gold.

Dalglish lasted less than 500 days in charge, as the club owners decided to terminate his contract despite having ended the team’s six-year trophy drought with the League Cup triumph in February.

“Results in the Premier League have been disappointing and we believe to build on the progress that has already been made, we need to make a change,” Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said.

That decision was taken after Dalglish flew to Boston this week for an end-of-season review with the Boston Red Sox ownership group, which also owns Liverpool. After the 2011 baseball season, the Red Sox replaced managers with Bobby Valentine succeeding Terry Francona.

A League Cup triumph in February secured Liverpool’s return to European play through the Europa League. Dalglish also took the team to the FA Cup final, but he fell short of the owner’s target of finishing in the top four in the league as Liverpool went 14-14-10 and wound up 17 points behind fourth-place Tottenham. The Reds finished behind crosstown rival Everton for the first time since 2005 and only the second time since 1987.

“Whilst I am obviously disappointed to be leaving the football club, I can say that the matter has been handled by the owners and all concerned in an honorable, respectful and dignified way and reflects on the quality of the people involved,” Dalglish said. “I said when first approached about coming back as manager that I would always be of help if I can at any time and that offer remains the same,” he added.

Dalglish first left Liverpool in 1991 due to stress less than a year after the delivering the team’s 18th — and most recent — top flight title triumph in 1990.

He was brought to Anfield after a 20-year absence to replace Roy Hodgson in January 2011 with the club in danger of being relegated from the top flight after being bought by the Fenway Sports Group.

After lifting Liverpool from its perilous position to fifth place, Dalglish was given a three-year contract at the end of the season.

“Kenny came into the club as manager at our request at a time when Liverpool Football Club really needed him,” Werner said. “He didn’t ask to be manager; he was asked to assume the role. He did so because he knew the club needed him. He did more than anyone else to stabilize Liverpool over the past year-and-a-half and to get us once again looking forward. We owe him a great debt of gratitude.”

Owner John Henry also paid tribute to Dalglish.

“Kenny will always be more than a championship winning manager, more than a championship winning star player,” Henry said. “He is in many ways the heart and soul of the club. He personifies everything that is good about Liverpool Football Club. He has always put the Club and its supporters first. Kenny will always be a part of the family at Anfield. “Our job now is to identify and recruit the right person to take this club forward and build on the strong foundations put in place during the last 18 months.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Julie Kramer, whose daily show ‘Leftover Lunch’ plays older alternative hits every weekday at 10 a.m., and Henry Santoro, who read the news each morning, were both let go, Peter Kadzis, executive editor of the Phoenix Media/ Communications Group, told the Boston Business Journal.

WFNX had about 21 full and part-time staffers. Now, only a skeleton crew of four people are left, Kadzis said.

“A sale like this … it’s a break up in the family,” he told the BBJ’s Lisa van Der Pool.

Paul Driscoll, the station’s program director, will remain on board.

A source who asked not to be named told the BBJ there is speculation that Clear Channel will switch ‘FNX to a country and western, or Spanish-language talk format.

WFNX is currently owned by the Boston-based Phoenix Media-Communications Group, which also owns the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix and Stuff Magazine.

If the format changes, WFNX would be the second alternative rock station to leave the Boston FM airwaves. In 2009, WBCN dropped off the FM dial, making way for the launch of 98.5 The Sports Hub.

“Despite its celebrated history, its cutting edge programming, its tradition of breaking new music, its ardent fans among listeners and advertisers, for some time it has been difficult to sustain the station – especially since the start of the Great Recession. And that is why the station is being sold,” Stephen Mindich, publisher of the Boston Phoenix, said in a memo Wednesday.

“WFNX will the file the paperwork necessary to trigger the license transfer with the Federal Communication Commission later today. WFNX will remain on the air during the time it takes to complete the FCC process.”

Clear Channel currently owns four stations in the Boston area, including KISS 108, WJMN-FM, WXKS-AM and WKOX-AM.

“This was a great opportunity to expand our footprint and our listenership in Boston, a key market with millions of fans who love radio as much as we do,” Clear Channel CEO John Hogan said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon,.

“We look forward to adding 101.7 to our Boston broadcasting family,” he added.

“WFNX will remain on the air during time it takes to complete the FCC approval process, and events and concerts — such as the Best Music Poll (June 13th) and the Seaport Six (June 14th) — will take place as scheduled.”

Lisa van der Pool of the Boston Business Journal can be seen weekdays at 6 a.m. on WBZ-TV.

You can follow Lisa on Twitter at @lvanderpool.

Forbes published its list of highest-paid coaches in sports, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick sits atop the list.

With a salary of $7.5 million annually, Belichick tops all those who roam the sidelines. In 12 seasons in New England, Belichick has coached the Patriots to 139 wins in 192 regular season games, with 16-6 record in the playoffs.

But Belichick isn’t the only coach in town enjoying one of the top paydays in sports. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers came in third, making $7 million annually.

The only other non-NFL coach to make the list was San Antonio’s Greg Popovich, who has four titles with the Spurs. His $6 million salary is good for sixth on the list.

Read: Ocho, Branch On Roster Bubble

Between Belichick and Rivers sits Mike Shanahan, also making $7 million per season.  The other NFL coaches making that much are Jeff Fisher (4th), entering his first season with the St. Louis Rams, and Seattle’s Pete Carroll (5th). Neither has won a championship.

Rounding out the Top 10 is Chicago Bears’ head coach Lovie Smith (7th with a $6 million salary), Arizona’s Ken Wisenhunt (8th at $5.75 million), Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (also $5.75 million) and the Eagles’ Andy Reid (10th at $5.5 million).

DeLeo has published an open letter on the Menlo Park Patch website touting the virtues of setting up shop in the Bay State.

Facebook was founded in Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room.

DeLeo said a lot has changed since Zuckerberg left Massachusetts for California in 2004.

The Winthrop Democrat points to a jobs bill he’s pushing he says will strengthen the state’s innovation economy.

The speaker also takes a jab at California, pointing out the state faces a multibillion dollar deficit while Massachusetts has continued to pass balanced budgets.

DeLeo’s letter comes as Facebook prepares sell stock as part of an initial public offering that could be worth more than $100 billion.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

People around the team are saying the witch-hunt will end after Beckett’s strong outing, but it’s not about the on-field performance… it’s the whole package.

Some of the fictional sites make promises to help consumers with such things as weight loss, debt relief or loan modification, while others promote huge bargains or easy ways to earn money at home.

Anyone who tries to make a purchase on one of the sites is immediately directed to a state educational website that warns consumers about similar online scams.

The fake sites can be accessed through http://topmassachusettsdeals.com.

Undersecretary of Consumer Affairs Barbara Anthony says cyber criminals not only steal from consumers millions of dollars each year, but in many cases their personal information as well.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Yet, now that Welker has officially signed on the dotted line, it’s a good time to take a comprehensive look at the depth chart and try to guess which wide receivers will still be on the roster for Week 1.

Roster Locks

Wes Welker
No surprise here,  as Welker, fresh off a 1,569-yard season, is quite obviously the favorite target of Tom Brady. He’s 31 and should have another two or three seasons as a top producer in the NFL (he’s finished first or second in receptions in four of his five seasons in New England), so don’t be surprised to see the Patriots work out a three- or four-year deal before the season begins, much like they did for Vince Wilfork in 2009.

Brandon Lloyd
He was arguably the Patriots’ biggest free-agent acquisition, and there’s no doubt he’ll play an important role in the Patriots’ offense. Ideally, he’ll develop into a true No. 1 receiver for New England, and his track record with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels offers positive signs for that to happen. As Patriots reporter Jeff Howe noted on Wednesday,  Lloyd’s averaged 4.8 receptions, 78.1 yards and 0.56 touchdowns per game in the 25 games he’s played within McDaniels’ system. Add Brady into that equation, and it’s safe to expect big things from Lloyd.

Matthew Slater
Technically a wide receiver by trade, Slater is guaranteed to make the roster for his contributions on special teams. He was a Pro Bowler and team captain last year and is a valuable member of the team, even if it’s not on offense.

Jabar Gaffney
Normally, a free-agent addition of a 31-year-old wide receiver wouldn’t mean a guaranteed roster spot for the signee. However, consider two very important factors. First, Gaffney is fresh off a 68-catch, 947-yard, 5-touchdown season in Washington, where the quarterbacks throwing to him were Rex Grossman and John Beck. That’s so remarkably impressive that I don’t have the time or space to fully get into it. Just know that it’s very nearly impossible. Second, note how quickly the Pats pounced on Gaffney once he became available. He was released on May 1, and he was reportedly a Patriot on May 2. He’s a guy they wanted badly, partly for his five touchdowns with the Pats in 2007 and partly for his subsequent success under McDaniels in Denver. He’ll be on this team, and together with Welker and Lloyd will create a fearsome and occasionally uncoverable trio for opposing defenses.

On The Bubble

Deion Branch
It’s sad to say for sentimental Patriots fans, but Deion Branch is going to have to earn his spot on the team in training camp. That’s no knock on Branch — he impressed last year with 702 yards and five touchdowns on 51 receptions — but the cruel reality of the NFL is that somebody who’s younger and faster than you will always be poised to steal your job. Branch is loved by Brady and Belichick, and he probably has a good chance to make the team as a fourth or fifth option, but he turns 33 in July and hasn’t played in 16 games in one season since 2005.

(If you are indeed sentimental, you shouldn’t feel too badly. He left in ’06 because he wanted a big pay day. He’s truly a great guy, and he wasn’t wrong for seeking big money, but the four-plus years in Seattle should help facilitate this breakup, whether it comes this summer or next.)

Chad Ochocinco
A restructured contract only guaranteed Ochocinco that he wouldn’t be cut prior to training camp. There’s still no reason to believe Belichick will keep him on the roster through training camp. Sure, Ochocinco’s said all the right things about having a big season, and he’s surely motivated, but he said the same things last year and had just as much motivation. The fact is that he never learned the plays and was unable to participate in the no-huddle offense, which just so happened to be the times when Brady and the Patriots were most effective. If he can show up to camp and prove he knows where to be and what to do at all times, he’ll be a contributor this season. If he needs Brady to run out and tell him where to go, he’ll be available to the highest bidder by mid-August.

Julian Edelman
The case for Edelman is a tricky one. He earned about 3 million brownie points with Belichick for being willing and able to step in on defense last season, and with Kevin Faulk a longshot to make the team, Edelman looks to be the most capable punt returner for 2012. He returned 28 punts last year, 20 more than anyone else, averaging 10.6 yards per return, and he had the highest kick return average (23.7 yards) among all Patriots with multiple kickoff returns. Despite that, he has just 11 catches in the past two seasons combined, as his pleasant surprise of a rookie season in 2009 is a distant memory. He’s inexpensive, and he knows how to contribute, but ultimately, he’s a guy who can be replaced.

Cut/Practice Squad

Jeremy Ebert
Sorry, kid, but without some injuries to some proven guys at the position, and with Slater and Edelman taking up spots on special teams, you’re looking like the odd man out. As he is a seventh-round draft pick from Northwestern, though, you have to like his chances to end up on the practice squad. Belichick drafted him for a reason and wouldn’t want to immediately say goodbye.

Donte Stallworth
Another result of Belichick shouting “Let’s get the band back together!” in a meeting room last month, Stallworth has a lot to prove. He had just 22 receptions for 309 yards and two touchdowns last season, but seriously, don’t discount the Grossman/Beck factor there. Regardless, it wasn’t a tremendous bounceback year for Stallworth after a two-catch season in 2010. If I had to guess without yet seeing a single snap, I’d say there’s a much greater chance Stallworth is cut than there is for him making the team.

Anthony Gonzalez
The Gonzalez signing was made long ago, before Stallworth, Gaffney and Lloyd became Patriots. Gonzalez was a no-risk acquisition, as he’s caught just five passes since 2009 due to injuries. He was a good, young receiver in 2007 and ’08, but with such competition on the roster, the Patriots don’t have to wait to see if Gonzalez is back to his old self. They’ll be just fine without him.

Britt Davis
Not much to say here, as he was a practice squad member last year and should be again.

Matt Roark
Much like Ebert, Roark would probably have a chance to make an NFL roster, just not this one.

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

The 29-foot Triple J was first reported in trouble around 1 a.m when the captain notified the Coast Guard he was taking on water.

The Wareham harbormaster found it unmanned and partially submerged around 6 a.m. about three miles south of Hog Island Channel.

Two-and-a-half hours later, Wareham Fire Department divers found the man dead in the cabin.

His name has not been released.

Brittney Barry, 21, had just jumped into her aunt’s car in Wenham when she heard a loud crack.

She then managed to grab the dog and escape the car without any injuries.

(Photo Credit: Brittney Barry)

Moments later, the tree fell, crushing the roof of the vehicle.

The car was totaled in the accident.

Barry said she plans on celebrating her escape with some close friends.

Seau, 43, committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest at his Oceanside home on May 2.

Police told the North County Times that the burglar forced entry to the home’s garage through a doggy door.

The home was robbed at around 2 p.m. on May 7, five days after Seau’s death. The burglar stole a $500 bicycle that belonged to Seau’s friend.

Police said the burglar did not enter any other part of the home and stole nothing else.

“You guys, you guys need to take it easy. We are human here. We come here to play the game; we try to do the right thing. But we have a personal life too; we’re human like everyone else,” Ortiz said after Beckett tossed seven shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners, leading the Sox to a 5-0 victory Tuesday afternoon.

Ortiz: ‘Take It Easy’ With Beckett: 

Beckett struck out a season-high nine batters on Tuesday, as the Sox won their fifth straight.

“Josh is a great pitcher,” said Ortiz. “Like everyone else he’s going to have days when he struggles, and he’s going to have good days like today. Hopefully he has more good days than days he struggles.”

Read: Beckett Silences Critics… For Now

“Beckett always gives everything he has whenever he goes out there,” the Sox DH added.

Ortiz took exception to the media and fans criticizing Beckett for hitting the golf course two weeks ago, just a day after he was scratched from a scheduled start.

But on Tuesday, Ortiz saw the Beckett that had won fans over with dominating, big-game performances, even if it was just the lowly Mariners.

“It was great. The minute I saw him throw the first pitch I knew he was going to throw a good game,” Ortiz said. “He had attitude, he had his stuff going. It was good; we needed that.”

Playing for the sixth time in 11 days, Los Angeles gave San Antonio its toughest first half of the playoffs before fading fast. And unlike their stunning Game 1 comeback at Memphis in the first round, the Clippers didn’t have the wind this time.

Manu Ginobili added 22 points for the Spurs, who’ve won 15 in a row. It’s the longest winning streak sustained in the NBA playoffs since the 2004 Spurs won 17 straight.

“It’s the playoffs. It’s going to be physical. We knew that coming in,” Duncan said. “We just expected to attack the basket as much as possible.”

Eric Bledsoe led the Clippers with 23 points.

Game 2 is Thursday night.

That gives the beat-up and banged-up Clippers one full day of rest — which is all the time they’ve had to recover between games for the past week and a half.

Los Angeles couldn’t even fly home first after knocking out the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 7 of a grueling series that had the Clippers hobbling next to Texas. Blake Griffin scored 15 points in 28 minutes a day after estimating his sprained left knee had him feeling “80 percent” at best.

The Clippers said the injury is bad enough that their All-Star and leading scorer might be missing up to two weeks if this were the regular season. But unlike in Game 7 on Sunday, Griffin didn’t take a seat in the fourth quarter until the Spurs were safely ahead in the final minutes.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard added 16 points, hitting all three of his 3s, and Danny Green added 15 points for the Spurs.

The marquee matchup of the series — All-Star point guards Tony Parker and Chris Paul — was a fizzle. Paul, who ended the first round with an aching hip, scored just six points and didn’t make a single basket in the second half. Parker had seven points and 11 assists.

Caron Butler scored 15 points and Nick Young had 13 for the Clippers. Los Angeles cut the deficit to single digits with a 10-burst in the fourth quarter before San Antonio, which hasn’t lost in a month, ran away with its 11th double-digit victory during this dominating winning streak.

The Clippers didn’t even need San Antonio’s help getting more bumps and bruises: Mo Williams, already playing with his sore right fingers taped, took a lump on the head when teammate Reggie Evans kicked him with an errant foot after Williams fell on his back in the lane.

Williams wobbled when he tried standing, sat back down, and the Clippers burned a timeout. He never left the game, but the Clippers weren’t getting any fresher.

Parker, meanwhile, finally felt the hard knocks and slow-him-down shoves that Utah repeatedly promised but never delivered in the first round. Sometimes, the All-Star looked in vain to officials when the whistle didn’t blow. When that didn’t work once in the first quarter, he kept jabbering about a no-call on the last possession while lining up to shoot free throws on the current one.

Popovich, pacing and sensing an impending technical foul, silenced his leading scorer.

“Tony!” Popovich snapped from the sideline. “Shoot!”

Parker waved off the NBA Coach of the Year — he was under control. But his frustrations didn’t end there. He was 1 for 9 despite playing 38 minutes, scoring all but two of his points at the foul line.

Notes: Before this became the deepest Spurs team yet under Popovich, Butler said he came so close to signing with the Spurs after the lockout that he canceled a flight to San Antonio when the Clippers counteroffered. “They made a great pitch,” Butler said. …Leonard finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, the highest finish for a Spurs player since Ginobili finished fourth in 2003. Said Popovich: “He’s done a good enough job to make me trust him to be in the starting lineup. I’m happy for him.”

The Celtics’ captain is a shell of his usual playoff-self and the team’s offense is suffering. Pierce cannot get any lift on his jumper, and it ends up looking for like a flat line-drive that clangs off the front of the rim. He compensated in Boston’s 92-91 Game 1 victory by going to the hoop, hitting the charity stripe nine times.

But in Game 2, he didn’t do that. He hit the line just twice, putting his head down and attacking the basket just two times in 37 minutes on the floor. Usually when Pierce isn’t in the scoring aspect of the C’s offense, he’ll lend a hand in the assist game. But Monday night, he dished off just three helpers while going 2-for-9 from the field.

In a nutshell, Pierce was fairly useless Monday night. It’s hard to call anyone battling an MCL sprain useless, but the truth is the truth.

That is unlikely to change much in Wednesday night’s Game 3, even with the Celtics taking Tuesday off to travel to Philadelphia. That’s not to say Pierce couldn’t go off at some point in the series, but the Celtics shouldn’t be counting on it. If it happens, it’s an added bonus.

Tanguay On Toucher & Rich: Change Pierce’s Game

Instead, someone else should be looking to take the lead.

Kevin Garnett did in Game 1, pouring in 29 points. But no one got hot Monday night until it was too late, with Ray Allen leading the way with 17 off the bench. The C’s tried to get Brandon Bass going early, and the ice-cold forward hit three of his first four shots. Unfortunately he missed his six of his next seven, taking shots away from Garnett; who was begging for the ball come the second half.

Now with the series shifting to Philadelphia tied at a game apiece, everyone has to step up. While Pierce should focus more on his passing, the bulk of that responsibility is on Rajon Rondo, who followed up his Game 1 triple-double with an eight point, 13 assist, seven rebound effort in Game 2. But it was a pass he didn’t make that drew attention at the end of the C’s loss. After hitting Ray Allen for a three to give Boston a 75-74 lead with 1:39 to go, Rondo neglected to find an open Allen on the next possession, instead clanging a Jay with the Celtics down one with 28 seconds left.

If Pierce doesn’t have it going, Rondo cannot miss an open Ray Allen late in the game.

Forward Mickael Pietrus is a prime candidate to not just take some minutes from Pierce, giving him a chance to actually rest the knee, but help with the scoring as well. He hit two straight threes in the third quarter Monday night, but was relegated to the bench after. He had been looking to get going since the beginning of the postseason, and finally looked like he was in a good rhythm, both offensively and defensively. Pietrus needs to find his “happy place” again Wednesday night.

Read: Celtics-76ers Game 3 Preview

It would be nice to have either of the Celtics guards, Avery Bradley or Allen, go off, but both are also slowed a bit by injury. The Celtics should try to get Garnett going early Wednesday night, but some shooting from the outside would help stretch the floor. If either Bradley or Allen can get in a groove early, it will pay dividends come the fourth quarter.

While a Paul Pierce 25-points, 10 rebound game is not completely out of the picture, it seems more and more unlikely with every minute the 34-year-old plays on his bad knee. In Game 3, if Pierce can’t get himself to the basket, he should focus more on setting his teammates up, either with his passing or as a decoy, and let them handle the bulk of the scoring.

If the Celtics can’t get something in place of Pierce’s offense, his offseason rehab program will begin sooner rather than later.

David West scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers’ 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger scored 11 points and Paul George added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Bosh’s absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indianapolis.

James had a chance to give Miami the lead with 1:22 left, but his shot was blocked from behind by George, who was fouled two seconds later. He missed both free throws, keeping the Indiana lead at 76-75. And after Wade missed a jumper, James was fouled by Granger — his sixth — battling for the rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining.

James couldn’t connect on either, and the Heat didn’t score again.

Bosh is expected to miss the rest of the series with a strained abdominal muscle. Without him, James and Wade combined for 52 points — and no other Miami player scored more than five.

A dreadful third quarter by Miami — 3 for 17 shooting — allowed Indiana to lead by as much as 11, before the emotions picked up considerably in the fourth.

Wade was steaming when he missed a shot after trying to create contact with Indiana’s Dahntay Jones with 9:53 left. As Wade argued, Jones went the other way and set Leandro Barbosa up for a score that put the Pacers up 63-56.

Chalmers turned the ball over on the next possession, and as the Pacers took off for what set up as a 2-on-none break, Wade caught Darren Collison from behind and knocked him over. A flagrant-1 was called, Collison hit both free throws, the Indiana lead was nine and tensions were suddenly high.

It all seemed to spark Miami.

The Heat scored the next six points, James — who got hit in the head by Granger with 7:25 left, sparking a bit of shoving that led to double-technicals given to both players — added a putback off an offensive rebound and Wade did the same about a minute later, getting Miami within 69-66 with 5:57 left.

James missed a free throw that would have tied it with 4:30 remaining, but after George got the rebound, James dove in to create a jump ball situation. The MVP easily won the tap, sending it to Wade, whose bank shot over West put Miami back on top 72-71.

Barbosa scored on the next Indiana possession. The Pacers weren’t rattled, and left celebrating minutes later.

Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miami’s lead was only 38-33 at the break.

George missed four shots in a 60-second span early on, setting the tone for an icy-cold half by the Pacers. Indiana was up 16-9 midway through the first when the Heat went to a smaller lineup that paid quick dividends.

Three baskets at the rim — a layup by Wade, then James firing a pass to Turiaf for a dunk, followed by a Wade touch pass to James for another slam — erased most of the early deficit, and defense did the rest. Indiana missed 24 of 29 shots in one stretch, and after Hibbert used his size advantage to get three shots in the first 1:11, he only got two attempts over the rest of the half.

Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half, continuing a trend from Game 1. Neither team ever led the series opener by more than nine either, and when George made a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the third, the Pacers had pulled into a 46-all tie. A steal and dunk by George followed on the next possession, putting the Pacers back on top.

Before long, the Pacers had that first 10-point edge of the series. Collison’s jumper with 1:29 left in the third put Indiana up 59-49, and the margin was 61-52 entering the fourth.

For as bad as Indiana’s first half was offensively, Miami’s third quarter was equally dreadful — the Heat were outscored 28-14 on 3-for-17 shooting in the period, the third-worst shooting effort by the reigning East champs in any quarter this season.

The former head coach joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich to discuss player safety in the NFL, Dan Marino and the Steelers organization.

Former quarterback Dan Marino is also a studio analyst for The NFL Today along with Cowher. Over a 17-season career Marino led the Dolphins to the playoffs ten times, but despite never winning a Super Bowl he is recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

Throughout his career Marino held almost every major NFL passing record and many still stand today. Does get legitimately angry when other players break his records?

“No he doesn’t get mad, he just goes through a period of disappointment, but he does not get mad. Even though as they lead up to it he is in there putting the hex on whoever gets close, but it didn’t work this past year.”

The guys moved on to discuss head injuries and player safety in the NFL. Would Cowher have concerns if he had a young child playing football now knowing what we know about head injuries?

“No not at all and I’ve been asked this question the last two day and I will say this again, I am so glad the NFL has taken the measures that it has. They are looking into ways to try and make the game safer, obviously we have to look at the long term affects and we are going to do whatever we can to make sure we minimize that in the future.”

Would taking the face mask off helmets deter players from targeting other players’ heads or should the amount of padding be decreased in some way?

They also went on to discuss Cowher’s “Melanoma Exposed” campaign to encourage more people to get screened for melanoma. The former head coach Cowher lost his wife to the form of skin cancer in 2010.

Details about the free screenings, as well as about how to conduct a self-examination and how to find a dermatologist, are available at MelanomaExposed.com.