Its official, Johan Santana is now a member of the New York Mets.

On Tuesday Jan. 29, 2008 the Minnesota Twins dealt the former Cy-Young Award winner to the Mets in exchange for four minor league prospects. Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Philip Humber, and Kevin Mulvey will join the Twins farm system while Santana will instantly become a superstar in the Big Apple.

When you look at this trade, there are really four winners when all is said and done with. The big winner is of course, the Mets. Mets GM Omar Minaya has not been afraid to dish out the cash when the talent is available. We saw this when he signed Carlos Beltran to a long-term deal, and we see it again with the $140 million he will be spending to keep Santana in town for a while.

With this trade, the Mets skyrocket in the NL power rankings and are the favorite in the NL East without question. Santana has averaged 18 wins over the past four seasons, so if you add that onto last years win total of 88 games, it’s very possible that the Mets could win over 100 games in the 2008 MLB campaign.

The next frontrunner in this trade, believe it or not, is the Minnesota Twins. By getting rid of Santana, they free up a lot of money that they can now use to shop the free agent market with. The organization also gains four young prospects, two of which already have some big league experience. Minnesota also made sure to send their former ace to the National League, which means he can’t hurt them during the regular season, except in the rare occasion of an inter-league match up.

So, who else could possibly be a winner in this trade? That’s simple, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

Immediately following the 2007 World Series Championship, the talks began to stir about what AL East powerhouse would land Santana to make their starting rotation the best in baseball. Both teams were very interested, offering different packages that included young and talented players of the likes of Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Phil Hughes, and Melky Cabrera. The two teams were serious about acquiring Santana, but at the same time wanted to make sure their offer was just a little better then the others.

With Santana going to a National League team, both Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and Yankees GM Brian Cashman can breathe a sigh of relief. So can all American League left-handed hitters for that matter.

Besides Santana, the Mets starting rotation features another former Cy Young Award winner in Pedro Martinez, and one of the all-time greatest performing pitchers in October in Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez. The combination of power (Santana), finesse (Martinez), and experience (Hernandez) puts the trio among the leagues toughest 1, 2, 3 pitching rotations.

Regardless of how Santana pitches, it will be an exciting year of baseball in New York, and for the first time in a long time it looks like that the Mets are the clear favorite in their respected division, while the Yankees are not.

Make sure to contact Ace Ticket today for any of your MLB ticket needs!

It’s been a long time since anyone has been able to say that the Boston Celtics are the best team in the NBA and believe it. Over the past two decades, the franchise has endured some tough times that hurt their chances to win their 17th NBA Championship. Len Bias died 48 hours after being picked second in the 1986 draft from a cocaine overdose. In 1997, the Celtics had the top spot in the NBA Lottery draft and were ready to select Tim Duncan with the number one pick, but the ping-pong balls did not bounce in their favor, and the Spurs ended up with the one pick while the Celtics had to settle for the third. Bad trades, numerous coaches, and even the demolition of the historic Boston Garden have all taken place since the last time we’ve called the Celtics the NBA’s best team.

Luckily for the city of Boston, the Celtics are once again the best team in the NBA, and the quest for their 17th Championship is in motion.

Halfway through the 82-game season, the Celtics find themselves with the NBA’s best record of 34-7. Already they have surpassed last seasons win total of a dismal 24 games, and hope to win 60 games for the first time since the ‘85-’86 Championship season when they won a record high of 67 games. This year’s team will challenge that mark and hopefully finish with the same end result, a title.

How is it possible for a team to have such a drastic turn-around from one year to the next? Two words, Kevin Garnett.

KG joined the Celtics in an off-season trade that sent a lot young talent to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 12-year NBA veteran. The Celtics parted ways with talented players such as Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, and Sebastian Telefair. So far the deal has made Celtics general manager Danny Ainge look like a genius, and will make up for the countless number of awful deals he has made in the past.

The Celtics also acquired 11-year NBA veteran Ray Allen during the off-season. Allen is 2nd all-time in career 3-pt field goals made (2,016), only behind retired SG Reggie Miller (2,464), who the Celtics had actually expressed interest in after the 2006-2007 season came to a close. Miller decided to stay retired, and is probably regretting the decision since he was never a part of an NBA championship team.

The team chemistry this year is very strong, especially on the defense end of the floor. The Celtics have been holding opponents to a league low of 88.2 PPG. Newly hired assistant coach Tom Thibodeau preaches the concept of team-defense, and the Celtics have all bought into it averaging almost 9 steals a game, and forcing 16.6 turnovers a night.

Offensively, the team has also excelled at scoring averaging 99 PPG. The ‘Big Three,’ Garnett, Allen, and Paul Pierce average 57.6 points a game. You will not find a more dynamic scoring trio anywhere in the league. Garnett will beat you with his low post game, if Allen is a few steps inside of half-court it is in his shooting range, and Pierce has one of the quickest first steps in the game which is so hard to defend off the drive.

The Celtics have hit a little mid-season snag, only going 5-5 in their last 10 games but they have also not been 100% healthy. Garnett and Allen have both missed multiple games due to minor injuries or flu-like symptoms. Once the team gets back to full strength they will get back to their dominant ways and roll off another ten game winning streak.

Head Coach Doc Rivers has done a decent job of handling his team this year. It’s always easier to coach talent, than it is to coach developing talent. We saw that last year, but one thing Doc has done a nice job at is working in bench players in the middle of games to make sure that the starters are well rested and can go at full strength late in games.

If the Celtics can stay healthy, knock on wood, they should finish the regular season with the best record in the NBA. The Eastern Conference playoffs could feature some interesting match-ups, especially an Orlando vs. Celtics final. The teams have already met three times this year with Orlando taking two of the three games.

Make sure to contact Ace Ticket today so that you can be apart of history in the making as the Celtics make their push towards Green-17! Go Celtics!

One of Boston’s main entertainment entrepreneurs, Patrick Lyons, has decided to sell two of his clubs located on Lansdowne Street, across from Fenway Park to the House of Blues Entertainment company name. The two clubs formerly known as Axis and Avalon are currently undergoing a $14-million dollar renovation, but will open as one new club under a new name and owner. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past week there have been multiple sources reporting that the early 90’s boy band, New Kids on The Block will be reuniting for one final tour. People Magazine came out with the initial reports, and a source told People that the group will be making the official announcement sometime over the next two weeks.

The boy band, made up of Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Danny Wood, and Jonathan Knight were a phenomenon worldwide in the early 1990’s. The group sold more than 50 million albums around the world before calling it quits in 1994.

Group members have declined to comment about whether or not the group is in fact reuniting, but the group’s official website, www.nkotb.com, is up and running again after a long hiatus.

On Friday, April 4, 2008 the New Kids will be appearing on the Today show. This could be the big announcement NKOTB fans have been waiting for.

 New Kids Update 4/4/08: The news is official. The News Kids on the Block will be back in action with a new album and tour. The band is slated to make their concert debut at the 2008 Kiss Concert at the Tweeter Center on May 18, 2008.

Stayed tuned for more updates about the New Kids on The Block reuniting by visiting the Ace Ticket website today!

After the 2004 World Series Championship, the Boston Red Sox had a very quiet off-season, not one trade was made. The big deal had already happened months earlier to acquire infielders Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz for SS Nomar Garciapara. At the time, the only two key players that the Sox re-signed were P Bronson Arroyo and 2B Mark Bellhorn, both to one year contracts. The philosophy was, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

The 2007-2008 off-season has a very similar feel to that of the previous World Series team. Many thought that a block buster deal was going to take place for the Red Sox to acquire former Cy Young Award winning pitcher Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins, but they balked when the Red Sox refused to part ways with rookie outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

Although no trades took place, there were some very key re-signings that eased the anxiety Red Sox Nation may have been suffering. The biggest contract deal was with the 2007 World Series MVP, 3B Mike Lowell. Lowell was the most consistent hitter on the Red Sox team all year long and his defense is still of Gold Glove caliber.

Another deal the Sox locked up was a one-year contract with P Curt Schilling. Before the 2007 season had started, Schilling had wanted the Red Sox to make an offer but they declined and told him that if the 2007 season went well, they could talk during the off-season about a deal. After a stint on the DL early in the year, Schilling came back like a man on a mission, pitching his way to his contract extension for 2008.

In November, the Red Sox exercised their 2008 contract options for RHP Tim Wakefield and RHP Julian Tavarez. Both pitchers were a part of the starting rotation during the 07’ World Series campaign but it is unlikely that either both will be in the rotation for the 08’ season. Tavarez will probably be used as the long man out of the bullpen when starters get in trouble early. Wakefield will be penciled in as the number 5 starter to begin the season but if he struggles or has back issues do not be surprised if rookie Clay Buchholz gets the nod. Also re-signing a one-year deal was backup catcher Doug Mirabelli. Mirabelli has been Wakefield’s personal catcher since he joined the team in 2001.

RHP Mike Timlin signed a one-year contract again with the Sox. The veteran relief pitcher is great to have around in the pen to mentor the young talent like Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen. LHP Javier Lopez also re-signed a one-year deal to keep most of the bullpen intact from last year.

Some faces we will not see around Fenway in 2008 that we have seen over years past include RHP Matt Clement. Clement, who was on the DL for all of the 2007 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2006, signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. RHP Eric Gagne will also not be back this year in the Sox bullpen. He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and will be blowing games for them in 2008. OF Gabe Kapler who coached in the Red Sox farm system last year is back in the big leagues again. Kapler signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers as well.

For now, all is well in Boston and the countdown to spring training has begun. Don’t expect to see any huge deals take place between now and then. Eric Hinske is a free-agent but probably will sign with another team so he can seek more playing time. The Sox could use another bat to come off the bench in pinch hit situations, and it wouldn’t hurt if that same player was an outfielder incase Manny decides to be Manny late in games.

Even if the Red Sox do not land Johan Santana, they will still have the best starting rotation in baseball featuring Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K). Beckett finished 2nd in the AL Cy Young balloting in 07, and as a rookie Dice-K still managed to win 15 games and finish 6th in strikeouts.

The Sox will have plenty of firepower to defend their World Series Championship, so make sure you contact Ace Ticket today to get your seats to a game! Go Sox!

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have curbed their usually hectic touring schedule for the past two years. 2008 however is shaping up to be a big year for the group. A Summer tour is now in the works with dates set from May through August with dates covering most of North America. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers tickets are set to go onsale a day after the band plays the Super Bowl XLII Halftime show. Demand for this tour is expected to be great especially on the heels of their Super Bowl appearance and the 2007 release of the Peter Bogdonovich directed documentary of the band, “Running Down A Dream”. 

Dates that have been confirmed for the 2008 Tom Petty Tour are  listed below. Joining Tom Pettty & the Heartbreakers on this tour will be special guest Steve Winwood. Winwood is scheduled to open for the band throughout the tour. Ace Ticket already has Tom Petty tickets available for several stops on this 2008 tour.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 2008 Tour Schedule

May 30- Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
May 31- The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
June 03- Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
June 05- Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
June 08- Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
June 10- Post-Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
June 11- New England Dodge Music Center, Hartford, CT
June 13- TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
June 14- Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA
June 17- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
June 18- Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
June 21- Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY
June 22- Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
June 25- Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
July 02- United Center, Chicago, IL
July 03- Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
July 08- Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
July 09- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Atlanta, GA ****
July 11- Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC
July 12- Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh, NC
July 15- BankAtlantic Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
July 16- St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
July 19- TBD, Denver, CO ****
July 20- Quest Center Omaha, Omaha, NE
July 22- Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
July 23- Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
August 07- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO
August 09- MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB
August 11- Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, AB
August 12- Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB
August 15- The Gorge, George, WA
August 16- The Gorge, George, WA
August 20- Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, AZ ****
August 22- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA
August 23- TBD, San Francisco, CA ****
August 26- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Selma, TX
August 27- American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
August 29- Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Woodlands, TX

New York Yankees Off-Season Recap – It has been eight years since the New York Yankees captured a World Series Championship, and the organization is as hungry as ever to end that drought in 2008. The Steinbrenner regime is committed to bringing one last pennant to the loyal Bronx bomber fans before they see Yankee Stadium close following the seasons culmination.

One thing working in favor of the Yankees is history. In its final season, Yankee Stadium will host the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. If history were to repeat itself, this is great news for the club because the previous three times they have hosted the game, the Yankees have made it into the World Series. In 1939, the first All-Star game was held at the stadium and the Yankees went on to win their 8th World Series Championship later in the season. In 1960, the second All-Star game was played in the Bronx and the Yankees again made it to the World Series, only to lose in Game 7 to the Pirates. The most recent All-Star game at Yankee Stadium took place in 1977, and you guessed it, the men in pin stripes went on to beat the Dodgers in the World Series for their 21st ring.

This off-season, the organization has put itself in great shape to give them a shot at getting back into the fall classic. It won’t be easy playing in the same division as the defending World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox, but the Yankees will battle their rivals into late September for the division and league titles, and do it with a lot of familiar faces.

The Yankees locked up All-Star C Jorge Posada to a four-year contract deal in November. Posada had an amazing offensive year at the plate, finishing 4th in the league with a .338 batting average, best among all catchers in MLB. He also led all MLB catchers in hits (171), runs (91), doubles (42), walks (74), On Base Percentage (.426), and Slugging Percentage (.543).

The club picked up the 2008 contract option on OF Bobby Abreau. The utility outfielder had a very solid 2007 batting .283, driving in 101 runs, belting 25 HR’s, and stealing 25 bases. He will most likely be used in right field for the Yankees in the 2008 MLB season.

One of the most historic signings ever took place on Dec. 13th, 2007 when the Yankees closed a deal with 3B Alex Rodriguez. The 2007 American League MVP had opted out of his club option for 2008 seeking free-agency and luckily for the Yankees, they were able to negotiate terms to a new deal. The deal set a record for baseball’s highest contract where Rodriguez is set to make $275 million dollars over 10 years.

RHP Mariano Rivera, arguably the greatest closer of all time, signed a three-year $45 million dollar contract with the Yankees. This deal almost guarantees that ‘Mo’ will finish his incredible career with New York. The closer role is only his to lose and he will be there until he can not finish games. Rookie Joba Chamberlin will start as the team’s setup man, and may or may not end up in the starting rotation.

Other off-season signings include one-year contract deals with LHP Andy Pettitte and RHP LaTroy Hawkins. Pettitte was in the Yankees starting rotation last season while Hawkins pitched in the NL Champions bullpen with the Colorado Rockies. Another free-agent signed was C Jose Molina for a two-year contract. Molina had spent the prior 7 MLB season catching for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization.

One face that has been a cornerstone in the Yankees organization over the past decade that will not be returning is former skipper, Joe Torre. Torre signed a three-year, $13-million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will take over the young NL West team. Replacing Torre as manager will be former Yankees catcher Joe Girardi. Girardi also signed a three-year deal worth $6-million dollars and figures to pick up Torre’s success right where he left off.

We also may have seen Roger Clemens throw his final pitch in Yankee pin stripes. The veteran pitcher was denied salary arbitration and will likely be calling it quits this off-season, wrapping up a brilliant 24 year career in the big leagues.

Baseball in the American League East will be very exciting this season. The Yankees have all the pieces to make a 2008 Championship dream, a reality. The question is whether or not they can put together the puzzle before the Boston Red Sox do. Make sure to contact Ace Ticket today for your Yankee/Red Sox ticket needs!

Ace Ticket is offering tickets to a number of Red Sox games at discount prices. Don’t miss out on your chance to catch some early-season baseball for less! Red Sox Discount tickets are available now! More discount games will be added as the season goes on.

Rush, the popular progressive rock band from Canada announced their plans to tour in 2008. The ‘Snakes and Arrows’ tour is rumored to be an extensive one. With dates pending in North America and South America, Rush should be busy for most of 2008. One of the stops on their 2008 tour will be the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA. Read the rest of this entry »

Recap – The Northwest Division has been playing very impressive hockey over the past three months. Surprising, the Vancouver Canucks are hanging in there with the rest of the powerhouses in the standings and would currently make the playoffs if the season were to end today. The statistic that may hold the most significance towards their success is the number of goals they have allowed. Through 50 games, the team has only surrendered 121 goals, the 4th lowest total in the NHL. Goaltender Roberto Luongo is third in the NHL with his 2.10 GAA per game, and is among the league leaders in shutouts (2nd), save percentage (t-3rd), saves (4th), and minutes played (6th),

2nd Half – The Canucks count on the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrick, for most of their offensive production but need more fire power from second and third line centers Ryan Kesler and Brandon Morrison who have the talent but have under preformed up to this point. Luongo has been hot in net but many fear he may begin to wear down having played so many minutes.

Team Name: Vancouver Canucks (26-19-5)

Northwest Division Standing: 4th place

Conference Standing: T-6th place

Final Predictions – 4th in Norwest Division, 10th in Western Conference