Boston

A dream had carried the boys so far from home, some 5,000 miles across the ocean to a cramped and dingy apartment in Philadelphia: a hope that ice hockey could change their lives. Ivan Pravilov could fulfill that dream, they were told. He could take them from the daily grind of post-communist Ukraine to the gleaming ice of the NHL. He'd done it before. He'd done if for Andrei Zyuzin, who went on to play for six NHL teams. He'd done it for Konstantin Kalmikov, a third-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1996.

The housing market's continuing struggles have upset the retirement plans of millions of Americans, keeping more of them in their current homes, waiting for diminished equity to reappear. Others plan to move, but they appear to be demanding something much different from what they wanted before the real estate boom turned to bust: smaller, less expensive retirement houses they can afford with their reduced means. At the start of the financial crisis in the fall of 2008, economists weren't anticipating that the long-term trend toward retirement living would be derailed.

A 16-15 loss to Boston last night in a Major League Lacrosse Eastern Conference showdown left the previously unbeaten Barrage in a first-place tie with the Cannons. Conor Gill did most of the damage for Boston (5-1), scoring two goals and adding four assists in front of 6,190 at Nickerson Field. David Evans netted four goals and had an assist. For the Barrage (5-1), 11 goals were scored by midfielders. Justin Smith led the team by scoring four times and assisting once. Matt Striebel had three goals and an assist.

The Boston Red Sox yesterday named former catcher Carlton Fisk a special assistant to general manager Dan Duquette, bringing the New England native back to where he started his career. Fisk, 52, won the 1972 American League Rookie of the Year Award and played the first nine seasons of his 21-year major-league career with Boston. The native of Bellows Falls, Vt., probably will make public appearances for the team and work with minor-league catchers, the team said. Fisk, who in January fell 43 votes shy of the 373 needed for induction into the Hall of Fame, hit one of the game's most famous home runs.

DENVER - They ran onto the field like kids fleeing school at the start of summer vacation. They whooped and hollered and laughed and jumped up and down and doused each other with champagne and beer. The Boston Red Sox, in other words, did all the things that baseball teams do after winning the World Series. And they did more than just stake their claim to another championship last night by completing an impressive sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 4-3 win last night at Coors Field.

Boston won the annual intercity team golf series for the Griscom Cup with a score of 29 points yesterday at Salem (Mass.) Country Club. New York finished second with 19 1/2 points, and Philadelphia, the defending champion, was third with 14 1/2. Each side was represented by seven singles players in match-play competition. PGA PRO-AM Frank Dobbs of Spring-Ford Country Club scored his first local victory of the season in taking individual pro honors with a 1-under-par 69 in the $5,000 Pro-Amateur golf tournament of the Philadelphia PGA at Philadelphia Cricket Club.

There was a time when Sixers-Celtics, national television and stretch drive could combine, along with the appropriate adjectives and prepositions, to provide the promise of memorable basketball. The old elements will come together again today, but the expectations have been sorely diminished. The promise has not been dimmed by the Celtics, who have injected new life into fading glory and run away with first place in the Atlantic Division. The Sixers are the laggards now. They lost point guard Johnny Dawkins early in the season, traded away their only legitimate center to bolster a sagging offense, and have bumped uneasily through the regular season.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue yesterday endorsed a plan to build a domed stadium in Boston for the New England Patriots. Tagliabue met with Mayor Raymond Flynn, who pitched the concept of a stadium that could seat 70,000 people and host 100 athletic and cultural events a year. "It was a very positive meeting," Tagliabue said. "We think the concept of a domed stadium in Boston is a super idea. " Flynn, who is facing a preliminary re-election vote on Tuesday, has not said where the stadium would be built.

In terms of rock history, last night was an eagerly awaited occasion, when Boston, performing in Philadelphia for the first time in nine years, opened a three-night stand at the Spectrum. Musically, it was pretty ho-hum, as Boston ran through a medley of early hits before playing Third Stage, their latest album, in its entirety. Tom Scholz, the creative force in the band, writes airy little pop songs with formal choruses. Onto these flimsy structures, Scholz grafts imposing guitar textures.

Maren Meinert and Jen Tietjen, separated by a few inches, sprinted downfield during the 70th minute of last night's game, fighting for position just a few feet from Charge keeper Melissa Moore. A few seconds later, Tietjen, Philadelphia's star defender, cleared the ball, thwarting a Boston scoring effort. That sequence occurred often last night, leaving the game scoreless until the last 10 minutes. Then two substitutes added some excitement. In the 84th minute, Boston keeper Tracy Ducar's kick landed near Liu Ailing of the Charge.

Watching the video from the 76ers' Game 5 loss to Boston on Monday night in the Eastern Conference semifinals was going to be unpleasant - like Snooki, instead of Meryl Streep, trying to portray Margaret Thatcher. So Sixers coach Doug Collins, hoping to soften the blow and change the negative vibe, went to the archives and also popped in footage from when the Sixers beat the Celtics in the 1982 conference finals. The rivalry with Boston was at its best when Wilt Chamberlain traded elbows with Bill Russell in the 1960s, first as a Warrior and later as a Sixer.

Mike Demontigny, 28, drove 6? hours from Boston with his girlfriend to watch the Celtics, he hoped, take the Sixers to the brink of elimination. Was he fired up by the Sixers-Celtics rivalry? "I really don't think it's a rivalry," Demontigny said as he sat parked near the Wells Fargo Center with Paige Rawlins, 26. Maybe there was a rivalry in the 1980s, when Julius Erving punched Larry Bird, but there hasn't been a true one since, he said. Fans on both sides might react differently depending on the outcome of the game and the amount of alcohol imbibed.

EVERYONE had written them off. The Sixers had just let a 3-1 series lead slip away in the 1982 NBA Eastern Conference Finals and now they faced Game 7 against the Celtics in Boston Garden, where the percentages said no one goes in and prevails. On top of that, history appeared to be repeating itself. Only a year before, the Sixers had allowed a 3-1 series advantage to slip away to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals in a Game 7 at Boston Garden. The agony of that collapse was accentuated by the widely held belief that both the Celtics and Sixers were a better team than the Houston Rockets, who had clinched the Western Conference crown.

BOSTON - Boston should be burning. The Patriots cannot win the Big One, the Bruins got dumped in the first round and the Celtics are a series from being dismantled. None of which matters, because the Red Sox stink. Or stunk. This weekend, the Sox visit Philadelphia, lately Boston's mirror city, scratching to reach .500, desperate to keep sight of the rest of the American League East, crippled by injury. Sure looks like Tito and the Genius knew what they were doing.

BOSTON - With graduation looming, a time for celebration turned somber at Boston University on Saturday, as students who were packing up at the end of the school year learned that three classmates studying in New Zealand were killed when their minivan crashed during a weekend trip. At least five other students were injured in the accident early Saturday, including one who was in critical condition. Boston University spokesman Colin Riley said those killed in the accident were Daniela Lekhno, 20, of Manalapan, N.J.; Austin Brashears, 21, of Huntington Beach, Calif.; and Roch Jauberty, 21, whose parents live in Paris.

Player G   FG-A   FG%   FT-A   FT%   OR   DR   TR   A   TO   Avg.    Pierce . . . 6   42-98   .429   34-39   .872   3   35   38   23   21   21.2    Garnett . . . 6   45-89   .506   22-25   .880   9   54   63   12   8   18.7    Rondo . . . 5   38-82   .463   5-9   .556   6   22   28   59   18   16.8    ...

1. RUN The 76ers were at their best against Chicago in Game 2, when they got out on the break. The Celtics like to set their defense, but they won't be able to if the Sixers can get them on their heels early and often. 2. SLOW RONDO'S ROLL Point guard Rajon Rondo has established himself as Boston's best all-around player. He's good for a triple-double on almost any night in the postseason. The Sixers have to slow him down - maybe try to trap him more - to make sure he doesn't control the tempo.

Here is the 76ers Eastern Conference semifinals playoff schedule May 12: 76ers at Boston, 8 p.m. May 14: 76ers at Boston, 7 p.m May 16: Boston at 76ers, 7 p.m. May 18: Boston at 76ers, TBD May 21: x-76ers at Boston, TBD May 23: x-Boston at 76ers, TBD May 26: x-76ers at Boston, TBD x-If necessary  

So, what does the old misogynist have to say about lesbians? Surprisingly little. 1812 Productions gives us David Mamet's Boston Marriage, a mildly amusing comedy about two women whose relationship is discreetly termed a "Boston marriage," a 19th-century nicety of phrase. Anna (Suzanne O'Donnell) and Claire (Grace Gonglewski) are two wildly overdressed women who, as middle age creeps up on them, have strayed from each other. Anna has found a sugar daddy who has bestowed many goodies upon her, including a huge jewel hanging around her neck.

The sprint to the NBA playoffs is over and the postseason lineup is one of the most intriguing ever. LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony, the young and confident Oklahoma City Thunder looking for an early knockout against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, two Los Angeles teams shooting for one title, and the venerable San Antonio Spurs looking for a second lockout-season title. Yes, the shortened yet surprisingly successful regular season is in the books and the playoffs promise to be even better.