Published August 4, 2010

The man is larger than life. 7-foot-1. 325 pounds. Shoe size 23.

Over his 18-year NBA career, Shaquille O’Neal has bagged four NBA titles, a league MVP award, three NBA Finals MVP awards, 15 All-Star game selections and the Rookie of the Year award. Among active players, O’Neal leads the league in points, rebounds and blocks.

He has landed gigantic endorsement deals, a platinum rap album, shoes — all on top of an incredible $290 million earned in salary alone.

The Boston Celtics don’t just get a player. They get a brand. Here is a timeline of Shaq’s career highlights, both on and off the court:

Thanks to Toys “R” Us for the leprechaun hat, and big thanks to Jeremy Bernfeld and Jeff Carpenter for their help with this infographiq.

Published August 4, 2010

O'Neal in July (AP)

The Celtics make it officially official: free agent Shaquille O’Neal is coming to Boston.

Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“It is not every day that you can add a player of Shaquille’s caliber to your team,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His past experience speaks for itself and we believe that he is a great fit for our roster.”

He is now dubbed “The Big Shamrock.” Over his 16-year career, O’Neal has amassed a stunning $290 million in salary alone.

Published August 4, 2010

Avoid, avoid, avoid I-93 north.

Pity WBUR’s Fred Thys, who just called in from I-93 in Medford, home of Massachusetts’ largest pot hole (map). Repair work is wreaking havoc on the afternoon commute. It took Fred two-and-a-half hours to get there from Storrow Drive – a trip that Google Maps estimates at 15 minutes.

“It’s hard to imagine how it could go any more slowly,” he said.

The Globe reports:

Expect a horrendous commute heading north from Boston today. … Three of the four lanes of the crucial artery are closed now. Officials are hoping only two lanes will be closed by this afternoon’s rush hour and only a single lane will be closed by tomorrow morning.

Just take the T. If you need help getting home, head over to WBUR’s traffic center.

Published August 4, 2010

A bill to regulate wind farm siting might not be dead yet. (Storm Crypt/Flickr)

It’s hard to blog about anything other than Shaq, but…

The Beacon Hill blitz continues, with Gov. Deval Patrick signing and slashing bills left and right. This afternoon, Patrick will sign the electoral college bill that riled up so many Hubbub readers.

And a bill that might have garnered a lot more attention — if it weren’t for the gambling stalemate — might not be dead yet. A measure to regulate wind-farm projects in Massachusetts won both House and Senate approval but did not reach the governor’s desk, due to a last-minute procedural problem. (There is a lot of mistaken reporting about this bill. If you want to learn more about the confusion, see the comment thread in my “dead legislation” post.)

In a conversation Monday with WBUR, State House reporter Jim O’Sullivan said the wind-farm bill is likely to be taken up again in an informal session this week.

Published August 4, 2010

This guy! (AP)

WCVB broke the news this morning on Facebook:

SHAQ ATTACK! Mike Lynch has learned that Shaquille O’Neal has agreed to play with the Celtics.

…which prompted my Gchat conversation with WBUR intern and sports nut Jeremy Bernfeld (@jeremybernfeld). I’m just pasting it here.

Andrew Phelps: dude, Shaq?

Jeremy Bernfeld: good GOD man.

Jeremy Bernfeld: how many washed-up O’Neals do we need on the Celtics?

Jeremy Bernfeld: (burn)

Andrew Phelps: ok revealing the limits of my sports knowledge: who is the other o’neal

Jeremy Bernfeld: It’s an inner struggle, like in a Greek tragedy, and it makes me confused. Tell me it’s not my fault, Andrew, it’s not my fault!

Jeremy Bernfeld: haha i figured that was coming

Jeremy Bernfeld: Jermaine O’Neal

Andrew Phelps: do you think the average reader knows who that is

Jeremy Bernfeld: signed this offseason after playing w/ the Heat last year

Jeremy Bernfeld: meh, probably not.

Jeremy Bernfeld: if they follow NBA they know him, for sure

Jeremy Bernfeld: was a superstar and involved in the brawl at the Palace a few years ago (players fighting fans in the stands)

Jeremy Bernfeld: so ppl know him

Jeremy Bernfeld: but i also bet most people will say: “woah, the C’s signed Jermaine O’Neal? Wait, Jermaine O’Neal is still alive?”

Andrew Phelps: hahaha

Andrew Phelps: I’m just posting this whole conversation

Shaq calls himself “The Big Aristotle.” I call him the star of “Kazaam,” a rappin’ genie with an attitude!

Update: I find it amusing that Shaq’s “location” on Twitter (@THE_REAL_SHAQ) is CLEVELAND/EVERYWHERE, seeing as he’s played for every team in America.

Published August 3, 2010

Look how awesome this graphic is. I made it.

The odds are fading for casino gambling in Massachusetts this year.

The State House News Service:

Senate President Therese Murray said she doesn’t see a way to revive expanded gambling legislation, hours after House Speaker Robert DeLeo indicated he’s exploring options with House colleagues to keep the bill alive.  “I don’t see how it can be salvaged,” Murray said Tuesday afternoon.

The Boston Herald:

A resigned House Speaker Robert DeLeo admitted he’s out of aces today as his bid for slots seems destined for failure — but he claimed Gov. Deval Patrick deserves the blame for throwing 15,000 jobs away and being too politically “rigid.”

The Boston Globe:

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said he is “doubtful” there will be any action on expanded gambling this year and that he is finished compromising.

The Associated Press:

The collapse of legislation to legalize casinos has become a dominant topic of discussion in Massachusetts because the Democrat-controlled Legislature has “no other agenda,” an exasperated Charles Baker said Tuesday.

Where do you stand on casinos?

Published August 3, 2010

Finally, an excuse to bring this guy back. Remember Florida? (AP)

Gov. Deval Patrick has to review 100 bills in 10 days. One of them is a measure that would effectively bypass the Electoral College.

It would award all 12 of the commonwealth’s electoral votes to the candidate chosen in  the national popular vote. That is, as long as enough other states sign on.

We debated the measure last week on Radio Boston. On Twitter, I asked for your opinions and then retweeted each response. You raised interesting points and good questions.

Here are some of your responses with my notes underneath:

@rvwhalen: I’m against it. It would have meant that in 72 Massachusetts would have voted for Nixon instead of McGovern.

@marionsd: I’m all for allocating electoral votes, state by state, to match results in that state, but this would subvert will of local voters.

It’s true. In 1972, Massachusetts was the only state to vote for George McGovern — a symbol of pride for this ever-rebellious state. Had this bill been law back then, all of the Bay State’s electors would have gone to Nixon. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California gave this reasoning when he vetoed a similar measure.

@things_she_said: WORST IDEA! This means that idiots who are uninformed can sway the vote.

Um, not sure about that, but you sound a lot like the Founding Fathers who created the system in the first place. That said, the system has a lot of defenders, including people who say it protects small and rural states.

@jon_persky: There are lots of misconceptions: The law will go into effect ONLY when states controlling 270 electoral votes pass the same bill.

@jeffmather: I’m all in favor of the MA electoral college change, esp. the on-ramp it provides other states to join in w/o losing out.

This is true. (The “magic number” is 270. If a candidate gets that many electors, the election is decided.) So far, five other states have signed on to this national compact. Massachusetts’ signing on would bring that number to 73. The “on-ramp” allows other states to sign on without obligation if enough states don’t follow suit.

@donaldlehman: I question whether it will pass constitutional muster. Art. 1 Sec. 10 prohibits interstate compacts. Precedent is unclear

Excellent point. The U.S. Constitution says: No State shall, without the Consent of Congress … enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State.” Indeed, this is a criticism levied by critics. That it’s unconstitutional.

@muerl: I think the opposite is better. A move to follow the Maine System where electoral votes reflect regional rather than state votes

@rvwhalen: A better plan would be for states to allocate their electoral votes proportionally to the vote in the state. A few states do this now.

@Johnheartstype: Mass. electoral votes should go to candidates Mass. residents are voting for. If anything, they should use a proportional system.

This was a popular response. Nebraska also divvies electors proportionally. If this were the case in Massachusetts, you would probably see a wave of red in the middle of the state (except for Worcester County) surrounded on both sides by blue. Probably. Commonwealth voters are highly unpredictable.

@Gavin_WMFO: I love Massachusetts’ pioneering attitude in these matters. It seems like the first real swing at a stunningly undemocratic system.

Massachusetts has never been afraid to blaze trails. If this compact were in effect in 2000, Gore would have won the presidency.

Published August 3, 2010

(Photo illustration by Andrew Phelps/WBUR. Adapted from a photo by Michael Koukoullis/Flickr)

Beacon Hill hasn’t seen this much drama in awhile.

The embattled casino bill is back in the hands of the Legislature, and it’s not clear what happens next. Last week, at the last minute, House Speaker Robert DeLeo handed the governor a compromise bill that would license three casinos and two slot parlors. Gov. Deval Patrick said no deal.

With  gambling in the headlines for the past month, surely you have an opinion. Where do you stand on casinos in Massachusetts? What about slots? Has your opinion changed since this debate heated up? Shout out in the comments. We’re asking this question on the iPhone app, on Facebook and on Twitter (@WBUR), too.