And no, it’s not Sam Cassell. At least, not yet. The Celtics went the other way, bringing in classy vet P.J. Brown to absorb some frontcourt minutes and provide a steady hand to the second team. If you were to make an all-Great Guy NBA Team list, Brown would be the starting forward every year. He has been a solid performer everywhere he’s been, and a plus defender and rebounder, which is exactly what the C’s need.

Brown also earns merit points for being one of the few normal humans on one of the great knucklehead teams of all time: The 1993-94 New Jersey Nets. (more…)

In yesterday’s Herald, we learned that Turnpike Chairman Alan LeBovidge stripped toll workers of their guns to prevent a shootout from either a cowboy movie or a re-creation of the scene in The Godfather where Sonny gets shot. The piece made it sound like every person who takes your money is packing heat.

However, a leader of Local 127, which represents the workers, says that the employees only sometimes carried weapons. Looks like we’ve got another great union battle heating up.

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Your condensed guide to today’s daily papers.

Could the era of the long-term mayorship be over? City councilors have a proposal that would limit Boston mayors to a 12 year term. Mayor Tom Menino says he won’t stand in the way of the plan if the council unanimously agrees. His laissez-faire attitude is probably due in part to the fact that he’s exempt from the limit because he’s already in office. [Herald]

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Your long day of corporate drudgery is over. Get out and enjoy the city! Here are a few ideas to get you started, lovingly picked by Boston Daily.

Wines from countries like Spain and Australia have been all the rage lately. Kick it old-school by enjoying some French wine at Tour de France: Les vins de France, en Francais. Yes, the class is conducted entirely in French, but everyone can understand “camembert” and “Champagne,” right?

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Boston Daily understands that relationships are hard. They involve compromise, communication, and lots of sex. As we learn in this month’s issue of Boston magazine, sometimes that sex is had with lots of different people. (On newsstands now!)

While we know that Gov. Deval Patrick and House Speaker Sal DiMasi aren’t, you know, lovers, their relationship is still fascinating. One minute they’re feuding, the next they’re posing for pictures together. They’re like Blair and Serena on Gossip Girl, but with fewer cute outfits.

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As many before us have said, it’s a great time to be a Boston sports fan. The Red Sox wrapped up their second World Series title in four years. The Patriots had an undefeated season (too bad there wasn’t a Super Bowl this year, huh?). The Celtics are great, and even the Bruins are on a four-game winning streak.

After gorging ourselves on this embarrassment of riches before us, we’re kind of full. So you’ll have to excuse us if we take a pass on watching the further inquiry of Roger Clemens very closely.

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Taking you around the internet for your afternoon enjoyment.

Starbucks renews its commitment to allowing entitled brats to treat its employees like their personal slaves: After it closed down and formed the chrysalis of a three-hour employee training, Starbucks emerges a beautiful butterfly today. Signs placed in stores remind customers “Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we’ll make it right.” [WBZ]

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City Council President Maureen Feeney’s plan to host a citywide summit on civic engagement is getting very interesting. In January, she proposed the summit as a way to battle civic apathy, discuss best practices, and brainstorm some ideas about how to make the city work better.

Naturally the mayor didn’t like it. For one, in this town, any idea that isn’t Tom Menino’s idea (or one he can take credit for) is a bad idea. And two, the plan seemed tailor made to exploit the mayor’s key weakness right now: the idea that he lacks vision, and disdains open discussion about the future of the city.

When Feeney proposed the summit, people wondered whether she was for real, whether she’d be able to wrangle such an unwieldy thing, and whether anyone would risk angering the mayor by offering their help. People are still skeptical, as evidenced by today’s Globe, but you can’t deny that this thing has potential. (more…)

It’s been a while since I was a kid. Back in my high school days Britney Spears was (evidently) sane, people accessed the internet by using AOL and a dial-up modem, and my cell phone only made telephone calls.

Nowadays, the kids have MySpace, Facebook, and iPods to distract them from their pursuit of knowledge. A new book posits that the onslaught of technology has rendered America’s youth stupid.

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We don’t reap the benefits of being a two-newspaper town only when it comes to the MBTA cutting bus trips or when a convicted murderer is upset her sex change hormones have been withheld. It also matters on stories that should be puff pieces.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is in Maynard this week, building a handicapped-accessible home for a man who nearly died in a car accident and has been unable to live in his home since. The Globe tells us that everything is moving along swimmingly, while the Herald digs up some dirt on one of the project’s volunteers.

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