The So-So Holidays

Yes the holiday itself was nice. Seeing family, having downtime from work, college football bowl games. But the long weekend ended on a sour note as the Patriots were eliminated from the playoffs by the ineptitude of the Brett Farve and the NY Jets. If there was ever any question that Farve needs to hang it up it should have been answered by his performance yesterday. That final interception probably cost him a win in his final game as a professional and cost the Pats the post season.

I could get mad that 8-8 San Diego gets to go to the playoffs and the 11-5 Patriots do not (though San Diego did had a decent ass-whooping on the Pats earlier this year). Or I could bemoan the fact that 9-7 Arizona (who the Pats soundly destroyed when they went head to head) gets to go to the playoffs and they don't. But I'm not going to do that. Let's face it, this team was not going to win the Super Bowl with the patchwork linebacker corps and secondary. The better teams were all able to exploit those weaknesses and the same would have happened had they faced any of those better teams in the playoffs.

The Pats had a great year considering all the adversity they faced and if not for the fact that he is probably the most hated man in football, Belichick just might be a candidate for coach of the year. He may get tested again next year as word as come out that Brady may not be able to play in 2009 either. They need to get Cassel signed just so they have someone viable to start next year should that happen.

Getting what you asked for

'Tis the season of giving and last night the Bruins and Devils gave me what I asked for. The Bruins came away with a gritty hard fought 2-0 victory. Scott Clemmensen looked solid in net allowing one goal just after a power play expired (and really, name one goalie that would have stopped that shot this side of Dominik Hasek) and an empty netter. Brian Gionta made some sweet plays and had some great scoring opportunities (was I the only one thinking those two late shots in the third aiming for Thomas' high shoulder were reminiscent of his blue line shot against Maine that gave him his 5th goal in the first period in 2001...ok...so maybe I was the only one but it did make me think of that).

The Boston Globe had it right in that it was a close game between two good teams with an almost playoff atmosphere. The B's win and the BC boys on the Devils still looked great. I couldn't have been happier.

Happy holidays everyone!

Who to root for?

As regular readers are aware, I love hockey. I got addicted by the 1988 and 1990 Bruins and Cam Neely. It's been tough going for the Bruins since 1992 (their second straight sweep in the Conference Finals to Pittsburgh). They had a couple of nice seasons but never made any real waves in the playoffs. In fact they have not won a playoff series since beating Carolina back in 1999. So you have to excuse me if I'm not really enjoying this season. Of course not everything is perfect and the injuries that seem to keep piling up you have to think will affect them at some point. You can only lose so many defensemen before it starts actually affecting your play.

That being said, tonight I am a little torn. In net for the New Jersey Devils will be Scott Clemmensen, hero of the 2001 Boston College national championship team (and owner of one of the most disgusting saves I have ever seen live), who will be looking to get his 12th victory of the season (he had only 8 in his previous 5 years). He is playing phenomenal hockey right now and its great to see someone cash in on their opportunity even if it is at the expense of someone's injury (see Matt Cassel - for that matter see Tom Brady). I want to root for him but at the same time I want the Bruins to keep rolling. My only hope is that they win 1-0 and Clem is a stalwart in net making spectacular save after spectacular save.

Business About to Pick Up

So I was watching a little RAW last night and found out the thing that has been missing for a while an dragged down the show, factions. Professional wrestling works best with factions in my opinion because you have groups that can be relied on to come down and make matches interesting and make real story lines. Plus it allows WWE to get more people involved in one storyline instead of creating multiple stories that inevitably get talent lost on the back burner.

Randy Orton forming a faction with other second generation stars like Manu, Cody Rhodes, Sim Snuka, and Ted Dibiase, Jr. is a great hook. Many of these guys are second tier stars (and judging by Manu's in ring performance last night I see why he isn't wrestling much but has just been around as hired muscle) but together as Legacy (they repeated the name about 12 times during the final match last night which tells me this is the official faction name) they can all be something. Evolution made Batista and Orton into the stars they are today. D-X made Triple H. Factions work and its good to see the WWE bringing them back. Now they just need to teach John Cena how to sell a good beating in the ring and they'll be all set.

Scheduling

Last night ESPNU was running one of my favorite programs of all time. The 1984 college football game between BC and Miami. That's right the famous Hail Mary game. I can watch the end of that game several times a year and it never gets old (I bet it gets old for Mr. Flutie but sometimes you have to accept your 15 minutes and go with it). The only game that comes close to the level of enjoyment is the 1980 Miracle on Ice. I must admit I like the BC radio call better than Brent Musburger's ("Phalen is down there", "Oh, he got it!!" just has a little extra something to it).

According to the guide on my cablebox, the game was supposed to get over at 10:30pm. They had a three hour slot planned for it. I figured it would get over right around the same time as the Adamek-Cunningham cruiserweight fight on Versus (as an aside, that was a truly terrific fight, three knockdowns, lots of action, 12 full rounds, not a lot of blood, and a close and deserving winner - fight of the year candidate and rematch potential) so I was doing a lot of flipping.

As 10:30pm approached I realized that the game was not going to get over by 10:30pm. BC was going on their next to last scoring drive and still needed to give the ball back to Bernie Kosar for their touchdown with 30 seconds left and the ensuing Flutie miracle drive. There was no way it would end by 10:30pm. This got me to thinking...

This game has been over for 24 years. Everyone knows how it ends. There is no surprise here. The network knows for a fact exactly what moment this game is going to end. If they want it to fit in a 3 hour window (which is what the guide said it would be on for) then they could edit it or cut commercials or whatever to make it fit in that three hour window. It's not like it was a surprise to someone that this game could go over the allotted time. And yet here I was, 10:40pm, with the guide telling me some new program was coming on but the BC replay is still showing (and would show all the way until 11pm). Maybe someone was hoping BC would get an interception of Kosar and stop that last drive, maybe they thought the teams would work faster this time. I dunno. All I know is that it was pretty funny to see a station unable to schedule their programming around a game that ended 24 years ago and had been rebroadcast more times than I can count.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, but I found it amusing and wanted to share with you my loyal readers.

Depth is never a bad thing

As I watched the Bruins/TB game last night I realized why they traded away Andrew Alberts. The philosophy of this Bruins team is to be able to move the puck quickly. They already had some slow defensemen in Chara and Ward and Alberts was never going to be the point producer that they needed. But what I didn't realize until last night was the depth that the Bruins had that allowed them the luxury to let go of Alberts and still have plenty of talent.

Being a BC guy, I was of course mildly annoyed when Alberts was traded (the fact that I have his jersey didn't help my mood too much either!). But while watching the team play I realized that they didn't need him. Mark Stuart has proven to be a fine defenseman and Shane Hnidy provides toughness with a little more experience than Alberts had. Then Andrew Ference went down and I thought, "Hunwick is ready." And he was and his play since Ference's injury has shown that.

Then last Saturday, Aaron Ward went down in the first period. Uh oh. Now what?? Who's next? Oh yeah, Lashoff. But here was a kid that the Bruins sent down late in camp because they felt that he hadn't shown enough advancement in his game to be ready for prime time. But I figured with as well as Hunwick was playing and the steady leadership of Chara and Wideman, the team would be able make up for any shortcoming from Lashoff.

Then last night just before gametime, Kathryn Tappen (one of the more underrated female sports personalities I must say) informs the faithful that word has just come down that Wideman is hurt and won't play against the Lightning. This means both Matt Lashoff and the new kid in town Johnny Boychuk both get to dress and see action. In my eyes, this was a disaster. Now they were playing three kids who could not make the roster out of training camp and three of those steady veterans (including the man with the brand new contract) were not going to be playing. Suddenly the Alberts trade seemed like a terrible idea. If they had kept him they at least would have had someone to plug in with some actual NHL experience. What could Boychuk and Lashoff possibly accomplish against the speed and playmaking skills of Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Prospal, Ranger, Stamkos, et al???

Before the world actually collapsed however something wonderful happened. Those kids played pretty well. After a bad turnover that led to the Lightning's only goal (and it was a misplay by Chara that actually created the chance), Tampa Bay did not put another one past Thomas all night. Granted some of that was due to another great Tim Thomas performance but the kids played well. Lashoff was making some nice crisp passes. Boychuk was hitting people hard and keeping himself in good position most of the night. Granted it's only one game but the way the team is rolling some of that winning attitude has to be rubbing off on these younger players.

A few days ago in my last blog I mentioned things that I was thankful for and talked about Kessel and Wheeler and the other forwards, but I have to say that the young defensemen that have just rolled on up and plugged into the system and played so well are a reason for all Bruins fans to be thankful. Notch another win. The Bruins are good not just because of a few players but because of their depth and that was on display prominently last night.

What I'm thankful for

As we pass Thanksgiving I try to find the things that I am thankful for this holiday season:

- I am thankful for Brian Gibbons. His goal with 38 seconds remaining against Dartmouth (combined with Almeida's OT tally) on Sunday afternoon rounded out a very successful weekend for BC sports. Men's basketball, women's basketball, women's' hockey, men's hockey, and football were all victorious and went a combined 7-0-1. This certainly eased the sting of the disaster in Foxboro.

- I am thankful for Tyrese Rice. Without him, the BC men's basketball team may not win a game this year. They were completely out of sorts in the game against UAB until Rice scored 24 second-half points for the victory. In their two losses this year Rice has been shut down as he was in the first half against UAB. The better teams in the country will be able to consistently do that. If Rice cannot elevate his game against the double-teams (a la Stephon Curry in last year's NCAA tourney) it will be a long season for the Eagles.

- I am thankful for the Pats remaining schedule. Fortunately for them, they play cupcakes the rest of the way. Their toughest opponent is Arizona at home. This team can still finish 11-5 despite how awful they looked on Sunday. If not for dropped passes by Randy Moss in the first half they could have had at least a 20-10 halftime lead which would have made for a very different contest.

- I am thankful for Blake Wheeler, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Phil Kessel. This year the Bruins have been all about the youth movement. The smart signing of Wheeler has paid instant dividends. Lucic is consistently flattening anything that is not wearing a Bruins sweater. Krejci is making plays that are arguably the best this side of Marc Savard. Phil Kessel leads the team in goal scoring. These four guys have helped elevate the play of the veterans they play with and made the Bruins a team with depth who has proven they can take on the biggest and baddest in the league (I mean you Detroit) and still come out with a dominant victory. The kids bring energy to the team which have helped the Bruins to their best post-lockout start to a season.

- I am thankful for Mark Herzlich. He is the stalwart of the BC defense. At the beginning of the season the press talked about the return of Brian Toal and B.J. Raji being the key to any success BC would have this year but the play of Herzlich has been the true story. Toal is out for the season with a broken leg and Raji has been terrific in the middle but Herzlich has routinely made game changing plays. His interceptions in the past two weeks have directly led to 17 BC points and two clutch victories leading the Eagles back to the ACC title game in a season they were picked 5th in their own division.

- I am thankful for the stupidity of the BCS. Without the system where the national champion is decided by computers instead of players on the field, would we even be talking about the possibility of a team playing for the national title that had not even won its own conference (yes, boys and girls, Texas can get in should Missouri pull off the upset this weekend)? For that matter without the BCS, would we be paying as much attention to games early in the season because one little loss at the wrong moment can cost you the year (see USC)? Despite the obvious flaws, you have to admit these conversations make for great debates and great television. How can you tell Oklahoma that they do not belong and yet justify the decision to include Florida State in the national title game back in 1994? The situation is identical. Oklahoma lost to the #3 team in the nation. Texas lost to the #7 team. In retrospect, despite losing I think most people believe Texas is the better team than Texas Tech as the poll show. Therefore, Oklahoma's loss is less damaging and, in addition, they pounded Tech. Just like in 1994, a loss to BC at home was more damaging to Notre Dame than Florida State's loss to Notre Dame. They got it right in 1994 and I think they got it right this year, just as long as Oklahoma closes the deal and beats Missouri - but that can wait for another time.

Everybody fights

So this weekend was apparently a weekend for fights. There was the anticipated fights (Ricky Hatton just dominating an outclassed Paulie Malignaggi to reclaim his place as the dominant junior welterweight in the world) and then there were the unanticipated ones.

Though it has not been chronicled much here in the Rant, Nick Petrecki of the BC Eagles has been a one man wreaking crew this season. It has led to many the thunderous (and often crowd pleasing for the Conte faithful) hits but has also led to many penalties. There are very few (if any) games that Petrecki has not headed to the sin bin for couple minutes of "me" time for laying the lumber a little too heavy. At times his team has suffered for his sins. He also seems to want to hit people not matter where they may be on the ice. I have routinely seen him chasing people deep into their own zone and getting caught deep allowing the other team to break with only forwards back on defense. Again, sometimes his team has paid for these mistakes in judgement. Apparently on Saturday, his tendencies brought on a little bad blood and after completely levelling a UMass player who came in a little too hard on John Muse, he started a melee which led to 8 players spending 10 minutes each in the penalty box (Nick got an extra two for his hit). Luckily, no one actually dropped their gloves so there were no game DQ's that would have cost BC players participation in this Friday's tilt against Harvard. I don't know if the fight made a difference in the game but it alomst certainly kicked up the physicality level and BC eventually fell 4-3 in overtime.

Let's move to the gridiron. In a classic unpleasant contest down in Miami, the Patriots pulled away in the second half to defeat the Dolphins 48-28. But the unpleasantness was not restricted to the normal division rival bad feelings. Midway through the 4th quarter, Matt Light got a little too pushy with Channing Crowder and they decided to trade some fisticuffs resulting in Crowder losing his helmet and both men losing out on participating in the remainder of the game. I've got to admit that I like seeing that toughness in the Pats offensive line. I think this team is starting to come together a little and with just a little bit of luck (and maybe some better decision making) they would currently be 9-2 instead of 7-4. But that's OK. They are still on track to make the playoffs, considering their toughest remaining opponents are Pittsburgh (11/30) and Arizona (12/21) and both of those games are at Gillette.

Keeping with the fighting theme, I move back to the ice and the AHL. Though I was not present for this event, my co-worker this morning informed me that he attended a Providence Bruins game against the Portland Pirates this weekend. For those of you who have never attended an AHL game, understand that there are more fights in the AHL than in the NHL. Guys are trying to earn their spot on the big team or sometimes they are simply too physical for the NHL and thus get to take out their aggression down at the lower level. There are fights in almost every AHL game. That there was a fight is not the story. The fighters, in this instance, are what make it noteworthy. Apparently, Nathan Gerbe took on Vladimir Sobotka. Gerbe v. Sobotka!!! Not exactly Klitchko v. Peter. Gerbe is 5' 6" (on a good day) and 160 pounds. Sobotka is 5' 10" and 183 pounds. Gerbe does play with a chip on his shoulder and I have no doubt that his pestering style aggravated Sobotka until they just decided to go at it. Both are goal scorers and not known for their fighting. Sobotka has 24 penalty minutes in 48 games with Boston last year. That's one MINOR penalty every two games (not exactly a fighter's PIM total). According to my co-worker, the normal pugilists on the teams were standing around almost laughing and pointing with a "Can you believe this!" look on their face. That Gerbe would take on a man 4 inches taller and 23 pounds heavy should not surprise anyone, after all he spent three years at BC taking on all comers and proving his worth. I'm sure he put on quite a show.

Let's move on to some weekend observations:

- The BCS is ready to be a mess again. As it stands right now, Alabama would face Texas for the national title. This makes sense right now but the results of Thanksgiving weekend could create quite a stir. Should Oklahoma State manage to beat Oklahoma we run the risk of one of the teams in the national championship not even winning their own conference. It Oklahoma State wins, then Texas Tech (currently #7 in the BCS) gets to play Missouri for the Big 12 title (provided they don't have a massive let down and lose to Baylor licking their wounds from that thrashing at the hands of Oklahoma) but Texas (beating up on A&M this weekend looking for "style points") would probably remain #2 even if Tech is able to beat Missouri in the Big 12 title game. Should Alabama defeat Florida in the SEC title game (and thus silence all the people who think Florida is the #1 team in the nation right now), then you could make the case that USC should make the national title game - BUT if Oregon State beats Oregon then USC would be in the national title game without having won its own conference either. I know, I know, it makes me dizzy too. In a just world, if Oklahoma State defeats Oklahoma and Tech beats Missouri, then Tech should be playing the winner of the SEC for the national title. The Big 12 and the SEC have been the two best conferences all season and the winner between them is rightfully the best team in the nation. But should the carnage continue and say FSU beats Florida, Auburn beats Alabama, and (though I hate the thought) Notre Dame beats USC, does Utah deserve a title shot? Food for thought. Or we can just follow our new President and have a playoff already!!

- For the second year in a row, BC football has a chance to win its conference. They never won the Big East. The closest they came was their final season when the watered down version of the league (because VTech and Miami had already departed for the ACC) came down to a game against a very terrible Syracuse team and they allowed a 3rd string converted corner back to run up, over, down, and sideways on them for an excess of 200 yards and lost their chance at a BCS bowl (maybe for the best as Alex Smith and Utah demolished the Pitt Panthers that year). Last year with one of the best teams in BC history, they were unable to put together a great performance in the ACC title game and fell to VTech. Now this year, with a battered, bruised, and largely mediocre team with no real quarterback to speak of, we once again have a shot at a BCS bowl. Beat Maryland on Saturday and its back to an ACC title game. Or do they lay an egg on Saturday like they did against the 'Cuse not so long ago. Check back next week for that.

Three teams - three stories

Friday night was the rematch from last season's national championship game between BC and ND on the ice. This time Notre Dame came out on top with the 4-1 victory (oddly the same margin as last April). Notre Dame dominated this game at times and a couple of costly errors by the usually steadfast Carl Sneep cost the Eagles two goals and probably the game. Unfortunately, that malaise they showed Friday night carried over to an afternoon tilt on Sunday against Maine. In both games, they were getting outworked and beaten to pucks. The power play was a power outage and unless Ferreiro-Gibbons-Bradford was on the ice the offense was in trouble. The five man forward power play looks more worried about giving up another shorty than about scoring. When they get aggressive and make smart plays they score (as they did for the lone goals both nights) but they weren't doing it consistently enough to take over a game. They have to right the ship quickly, as they return to Merrimack (sight of a tough 4-3 OT win on the 31st) only to return home to a similarly stagnant UNH team looking for a big win.

After the pain of Friday night, Saturday brought some much needed excitement and joy to the Rant. Mrs. Pike and I took in a Bruins contest against the Sabres (when the tickets were bought we hoped Gerbe and his 10 AHL goals might get called up and we didn't realize that the BC game was going to get moved to 8pm). The B's brought another stunning victory to the fans in attendance and it makes their sixth win in their past seven games. This team is winning with speed and toughness. I posted in this blog back during NHL free agent period that the signing of Blake Wheeler was going to be a good one for this team and so far he has proven to be as good as advertised. He may not be a superstar but the kid has size, speed, and a nice touch (see his 2nd goal against Toronto and look at the patience to wait out Toskala). He adds another nice boost to a good young core with Kobasew, Kessel, Krejci, & Lucic. It did my BC heart good to see Kobasew out there thrown his weight around and picking up a goal and assist as well. There is excitement around this team that has carried over nicely from last year and if they can stay healthy they can make some serious noise in the league this year.

Though I was not able to watch the entire contest, after the B's game I was able to get home to catch the end of the BC/ND football game (as well as catch some of Texas Tech v. OSU - damn Graham Harrell & Michael Crabtree are good!). For the sixth straight time, Notre Dame has lost to BC and it has now pulled the series even at 9 wins a piece. In a rivalry that was decidedly one-sided until 1993, BC has twice beaten the Irish when they were undefeated late in the year and beaten them both in Chestnut Hill and in South Bend. Maybe Irish fans didn't care so much in the past but one would think they might start caring now. Poor Jimmy Clausen looked like Ron Paulus in 1994 when Mike Mamula and Stephen Boyd decided to make him very familiar with the turf at Alumni Stadium. This time it was the pressure of BJ Raji and Ron Brace which eliminated the rushing game and caused Clausen to make poor decisions which lead to 4 interceptions. The Eagles came away with their third shut out of the season, a solid victory against a rival opponent, and bowl eligibility. I think they need one more win to lock up their 9th straight bowl invitation and with remaining games against Florida State, Wake Forest, & Maryland there is a victory or two to be had. If they can just get a decent kicker and some consistent offense they might even win that bowl game.

Miscalculation

Chalk up the Patriots loss last night to mental errors. Both from the players and from the coaching staff (something that one does not say often about Bill Belichick's staff). The Patriots lost to the Colts last night 18-15 but it should have been a 20-17 victory. They moved the ball well and with the exception of only a couple of series did a good job defensively on Peyton Manning.

The errors really began when Belichick challenged the 12-men on the field play early in the 3rd quarter. It seems silly to challenge a play that would have only gained him 5 yards and in the end made no difference as the Pats scored a touchdown on the drive anyway. Challenges should be for something meaningful like a key first down on a 4th down play or a touchdown not a 5-yard penalty call. This cost him a valuable time out that the Pats would need later but we'll get to that in a moment.

The next poor decision came after the Pats scored their lone touchdown of the contest when they went for 2. Granted, the two point conversion would have put them up by 7 points but it was still early in the 3rd and they were not desperately trying to make up ground. I have always been of the theory that unless it is late in the game or you are trying to cut down the number of scores it would take to make a come back, you always go with the sure thing and put the points on the board. The extra point would have made the game 13-7 and when the Colts scored their next touchdown they would not have gone for two making it a 14-13 game. This is a big difference from 15-12 in my opinion. Now you play looking to take a lead by simply scoring and not just to tie the game with a field goal.

We move on to late in the third where Jabbar Gaffney dropped what would have been a sure-fire touchdown and a 19-15 lead for the Pats. This directly lead to the next mistake of calling the time out on 4th down when they actually would have converted. Instead, we have yet another field goal that because of prior mistakes now only makes the game 15-15. If they had kicked the original extra point and either allow the 4th down play to run on Jabbar Gaffney makes that catch, suddenly the game is 20-14 (and maybe you go for two in this case looking to have that late 7 point advantage where it didn't make as much sense on the first touchdown, but for these purposes lets assume the "put up points when you can" philosophy).

But the worst error was yet to come as a rookie mistake was compounded by a veteran error and the earlier coaching decision to effectively end the game. Now trailing 18-15, on a second down and short, Green-Ellis inexplicably attempts to push the run to the outside when he had a clear path to a 1 or 2 yard gain that would have given the Pats the first down. He gets stopped short and David Thomas shoves a Colt defender after the whistle for a 15-yard personal foul call. Even if Thomas still commits the foul, if Green-Ellis gets the first at least the Pats are operating on 1st and 10 and with some momentum to try and tie the game to at least force overtime. Instead, its 3rd and 16 and because of the failed challenge on the penalty call the Pats are without timeouts and they have to rush a play to beat the play clock and the pass is intercepted to end the drive.

Mental errors and coaching mistakes. These are things not often seen with the Patriots over the past few seasons. They have a wealth of talent but due to injuries much of that talent is young and inexperienced. Green-Ellis has played well after 3 running backs have gone down with injury and made some good plays last night. Cassel is really starting to settle in as the leader of the offense. Jarod Mayo and Gary Guyton have brought some much needed youth and energy to the linebacking core. But last night showed that the Pats still have a way to go if they want to make the playoffs and compete at a championship level in the year without Brady. They have the schedule to still make the push. They just need to minimize the errors and finish when they are in the position to win which they did not do last night and 20-17 became 18-15.

The Beast is Back

Early last season, Hockey East teams struggled out of the gate against non-conference opponents and many doubted the strength of the league. They only got two teams into the tournament (BC & UNH) after consecutive years of two teams in the Frozen Four. Though BC did win the title last year many still felt that Hockey East as a whole was not a strong league. That appears to have changed to start this year.

As of yesterday's poll, Hockey East as 4 teams ranked in the top 10, more than any other conference (3 WCHA, 2 CCHA, & 1 ECAC). Northeastern, of all teams, is undefeated with a victory over BC to its credit (even if the puddles helped) and BU is coming off a thorough destruction of #8 Michigan.

As much as this writer hates to admit it, should they stay healthy, BU is ready for a run this year. The past few years, BU has consistently been stocking up on top level defensemen (Gilroy, Shattenkirk, Warsofsky) and they have a special talent in Colin Wilson. There big question seemed to be in net and both Rollheiser (1.51 GAA) and Millan (1.67 GAA) have played well to start the season giving BU a consistency they lacked last year which probably cost them a spot in the tournament.

It's still early and the teams are still gelling. Freshmen are still learning the college game and still getting adjusted to playing with their new teammates. Lucky for all of us college hockey fans, BC does not face the resurgent BU until Dec 5th. By then, both teams should be hitting their mid-season stride. Both are top-notch teams this year with dreams of hanging another national title banner. The next edition of the Battle for the Green Line should be a great one.

As these teams go it seems so goes Hockey East. UNH is strong again and having seen Vermont in person and knowing the quality that Enrico Blasi at Miami (OH) puts on the ice (Vermont beat and tied Miami two weekends ago), the Catamounts are not to be counted out this year either. With both UMass and UMass-Lowell also receiving votes in the rankings, its easy to see that Hockey East is once again a force in college hockey.

Deserving winner

After so many gut-wrenching painful losses by my teams over the last few years (Aaron Boone in 2003, Peter Harrold (BC) hits the pipe in 2006, Brian Boyle (BC) fails in 5-3 situation in 2007, the Super Bowl helmet catch in 2008), it didn't hurt as much when the Red Sox lost last night. The Rays outplayed them for much of the series and Sox fans should be happy with the ability of this team to collect itself after games 2 and 3 to even force a game 7. I'll say it, the Rays were the better team this year. Garza outpitched Lester last night and the best team in the AL all season long is going to the World Series where they belong. I'm sure that I will be with a lot of other people rooting for the Rays to beat the Phillies. I have nothing against the Phillies, I just think that what this Rays team has done this year is something special and it would be great for them to finish it off with the ultimate prize.

Another one for Hockey

I'm a fair weather sports watcher. Mind you this is not the same as a fair weather fan. A fair weather fan only supports his team when they are doing well and pays no attention to them when the struggle. That is not me. I am a fair weather sports watcher. I have trouble watching the broadcasts of my favorite teams when they are struggling. This is a habit I picked up from Old Man Pike.

This has become much easier in this day and age of the "flip" button on your remote control. You're watching a football game and a big touchdown is called back for holding you can quickly hit that "flip" button and watch another game on or some other program. When I watch my favorite teams I always have to have a back-up program selected so that should something go wrong I can hit the flip and turn on to my alternate viewing.

I bring this up because I realized that with the success of the Celtics last year all but one of my favorite teams have won a title not only in my lifetime but in a time frame that I can actually remember (yes, I am including the Revolution's SuperLiga victory). The one glaring exception has been the Bruins. As you will note on my grid to the right, the Bruins are second only to the alma mater for my love and devotion. Being at Cam Neely's number retirement ceremony a few years ago was one of the most religious experiences of my sports life. It rivals Albany in 2001 and Denver in 2008 (BC hockey national titles for those of you not in the know).

I realized that when the Red Sox won World Series back in 2004, I barely watched the ALCS. I did not watch a single pitch of games 4 and 5 because I did not want to watch the Yankees celebrating at Fenway. Let's face it, being down 3-0, no one but the Sox themselves thought they were going to come back. Games 6 and 7 were notorious flipathons were I was watching more of my back up programs than the actual game.

It got me to thinking how I would react if the Bruins were playing for the Stanley Cup. Last year when they were playing the Canadiens, I watched every minute of the games that I was able to see (being in Denver during games 1 and 2 put a crimp in that) and though I would flip during lulls in play there was not much flipping during actual playtime (with the exception of game 7 once Montreal had firmly put it away). There is something about hockey that you don't get with football, baseball, or basketball which makes it more watchable even when you team is losing. Its the fact that at any minute the game can turn with a goal that makes all the difference.

In football, poor series on offense or defense can lead to increased viewer frustration and you can get a feel of how a game is going and know that your team just doesn't have it that day no matter how close the score is. In baseball, there is a defined period of time when you know your team cannot improve the score of the game and things can only get worse when the other team is batting. In basketball, the ups and downs of the scoring are what make the game both very thrilling and very heart-wrenching at the same time. But with hockey, this is not the case.

In hockey, your team can be playing miserable for the most part but if your goalie is on, one break can still lead to the 1-0 victory. At any second, possession can change and the team with the scoring opportunity suddenly becomes the team who just let up a goal. And with the limited about of scoring, the lead usually doesn't shift 5 times over 5 minutes. The anticipation of what will happen next keeps you watching. And it keeps me watching even when the Bruins or Eagles are trailing because as a fan I believe that they can get that one or two more goals to tie it up or take the lead. When the Red Sox trail a dominant pitcher by 2 runs late in the game you doubt the ability to win the game because you have watched them struggle all night. When the Bruins trail by a goal even with 1 minute to play, you know that one lucky bounce sends the game to overtime.

The joy of hockey is the unpredictability. This is what keep me watching even when my team is struggling. You never know when the momentum can turn and bring victory. Thank God hockey is back!

Another ALCS

Another late night and another thrilling victory for the Red Sox. This series was not for the feint of heart. 4-1, 7-5, 5-4, and 3-2. Every game was close and every game saw runs scored in the final inning with three of them being decided by those runs. There were base runners all over the place and neither team seemed to want to bring them in to open games up. The Angels felt like they were the better team and just couldn't get it done. And now the Sox head to Tampa Bay (am I the only one who finds it incredibly strange to write the rest of this sentence) to start the 2008 ALCS.

The faith that Terry Francona puts into Justin Masterson has not cost them quite yet but it might. In game 2, Masterson allowed the tying runs that made the game 5-5 in the 8th inning. J.D. Drew made the point moot however with a clutch 2-run homer in the 9th. He was sharp in game 3 but last night once again was victimized and allowed the game tying hit as well as a lead off double in the 9th. If not for some questionable play calling by Mike Scioscia (a squeeze?? really?? with the season on the line??), there's no telling how last evening might have ended because a 3-2 lead for Anaheim means bringing in the pitcher with the record for saves in a season. That makes two blown leads by Justin Masterson in 4 games (and an interesting outing in game 1 thrown in).

Don't get me wrong, I like the kid and think that he is a great pitcher with a lot of promise. But Friday night he walked in the game tying run. That's the pressure getting to him. Last night, he came in to face the hottest hitter in the Anaheim line-up who accounted for 5 of the 8 hits the Angels got with runners in scoring position in the whole series. He failed to come through and had to be lifted in the 9th with the game on the line after allowing the lead off double. I'm just not convinced this kid is ready of the pressure. He was pitching AA earlier this year. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. As those who have watched the Sox playoff runs of the past know, Francona tends to ride a couple guys throughout the playoffs (see Alan Embree & Mike Timlin). For Red Sox fans, I hope he doesn't trot Masterson out there one too many times.

Analysis Overload

My job is one of supply and demand. When there is not much demand for the particular service I provide for my company than I'm under no pressure to supply anything. So what fills my days during these low demand days are reading news on the web. As can probably tell, it's mostly sports news and these stories (combined with the watching of actual events I do) provide the ideas from which the Rant flows.

My two favorite sports are college football and hockey (college, NHL, AHL, high school - does it really matter?). So this time of year is particularly enjoyable for me. My weeks during college football season for reading material are nicely marked out on ESPN.com. Gameday Final & On the Mark on Mondays with a look at the Power Rankings. Forde-Yard-Dash, the Heisman Watch and the Bottom 10 on Tuesdays. I-Formation on Wednesdays. Chris Fowler's preview on Thursday. Gameday Kickoff on Friday. With the coming of blogging, mixed in with those is a perusal of different conference blogs just to see if there are any nuggets of knowledge. This gives me plenty to read and digest during the week preparing for another Saturday of fun.

This week there has been an added bonus. NHL & NCAA hockey previews. ESPN.com has been running a division preview a day this week and Insidecollegehockey.com has begun their conference previews and I'm sure USCHO won't be far behind. It's almost too much to take in and yet somehow I manage. Pages and pages of insight and prognostication all aimed at getting people psyched up for the seasons about to begin (not that I need that much psyching up to get ready for another Bruins season and a national title defense for the Eagles).

I am in overload and loving every minute of it. And the Red Sox start the playoffs tonight. Bring it on.

Brief comment

Sorry I've been less than verbose considering the excitement from the weekend but certain other topics have dominated my thoughts of late.

One quick note on BC this weekend. Another dismal performance from the passing game (best pass of the day was dropped by Momah and thrown by Dominique Davis), but Montel Harris has shown something special out there. He hits the holes and has enough power to get that extra half yard. If there is something that might get them to 7 wins it just might be Montel Harris. That being said, if Crane and Davis can't get the passing game going, the better teams on the remaining schedule will eat them alive.

A Dream Dies in Corvallis

Welcome to the NCAA 2008 football season. Suddenly, its starting to look a bit like the 2007 season. Last year the #1 and #2 teams in the nation lost several times to unranked opponents and chaos ruled the rankings. South Florida, BC, Kansas and others all were in the limelight briefly with hopes of playing for a national title just to watch those dreams die. Last night USC found out that the upset was not restricted to last year.

Normally I watch the ESPN Thursday night game. It's usually a decent contest between two middle ranked opponents. Last night when I saw it was USC versus Oregon State, I turned to Mrs. Pike and said, "I'm not watching that. If it's not 35-0 USC at halftime I'll be surprised." The Beavers had looked lost early in the season and looked like a team searching for an identity and some sense of a real future. The Trojans looked like they were ready to roll the nation aside on their way to the national title game. They were very impressive against Ohio State, and some said this might be Pete Carroll's best team since he took over at USC.

Ever since the Demolition in Pasadena, all people have been talking about it is how USC would walk through the rest of its schedule because the Pac-10 was terrible this year (especially after getting manhandled by the Mountain West in recent weeks). There was talk that no one in that entire conference had what it would take to challenge this team. The only real question was if there was going to be an undefeated SEC team and undefeated Big 12 team and which one was going to get the snub and not face USC for the title.

The boys from Corvallis weren't listening. As with every season of college football, the surprises are what make it worth watching. All the premature talk last week about ECU running the table and now USC, it just proves that you need to take every week one game at a time. The Beavers knew this and they took it to heart.

I began watching on the Beavers second possession of the first half and watching little Jacquizz Rodgers carve up the vaunted USC defense. For all the talk about Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga, neither was able to stop Rodgers in the first half from averaging 5+ yards a carry. For those of you scoring at home, that's a first down every 2 runs. Lyle Moevao didn't even have to throw the ball in the first half so the pass rush became no concern. When all you do it throw quick screens & running plays pass rush blitzs aren't going to help you.

Defensively, Oregon State was everywhere in the first half. They were chasing Mark Sanchez out of the pocket and making him throw on the run and inaccurately. Joe McKnight couldn't get out of his own way no matter how many moves he tried to put on. As the half wore on and the lead increased you could see USC getting more frustrated (punctuated by silly personal foul penalties) and dejected while the Beavers were flying around the field and seemed to know what USC was throwing at them before the plays even started.

I give Pete Carroll credit. He made some fine halftime adjustments and USC game out looking like the team they should be. The dominated OSU defensively and Sanchez was finding open receivers for touchdowns. But a funny thing happened. After the counter-punch was thrown in the third quarter, like Kelly Pavlik in Pavlik-Taylor I, Oregon State got back up, dusted themselves off, and put the game away. They started running again, though not scoring they gave USC abysmal field position which ended up leading to the interception (bye-bye Heisman for Mr. Sanchez) that sealed the game.

This is what college football is all about. The unexpected. This is the second time in three years that a USC team has come to Corvallis with dreams of a national title in their heads and once again they go home with the "L".

Where does this leave the college football landscape. Well for coaches in the Big 12 and the SEC this means that going undefeated probably guarantees you a shot at the national title now that USC has been removed from the equation. But there could be a wrinkle in the system. If only one of those conference produces an undefeated team (and with the level of talent in those conferences and the games they have to play against each other this is highly probable) then the door opens for someone else like a South Florida or maybe even BYU if the stars were to align just right.

You can debate the 100 different reasons why there is more parity in college football. The fact is that it makes for great drama over the next few months and leads to more upsets and more exciting stories. Just like last year. The coaches may not like the uncertainty but for those of us who watch we want every year to be just like last year.

Season begins!

Tonight is the first pre-season game for the Boston Bruins. NHL pre-season officially started on Saturday and the NCAA has their first D-I exhibition game on Thursday.

HOCKEY IS HERE!!!

(and after watching the Pats this weekend - not a moment too soon)

History repeats itself

I don't think Pittsburgh was paying attention to Craig Hansen's earlier outings for the Red Sox. After being relegated to Triple-A for a while, the Pirates brought Hansen back with the September call-ups. Today they brought him in, in the 12th inning, of a tie game, against the Dodgers.

There are many things wrong with this idea. Hansen pitching in a tie ballgame. Hansen pitching in extra innings. Hansen pitching against a good line-up. Let's face it, Hansen being allowed to pitch in a major league ballgame period is a bad idea.

Naturally, Hansen walked the first batter he faced. Struck out the next, but the first guy stole second so the Pirates had to intentionally walk the next batter. He then walked the fourth batter he faced to load the bases with one out. He was promptly pulled from the game but his relief allowed a single and the Pirates are behind 4-3. It doesn't even matter if they come back in the bottom of the 12th and win. Craig Hansen is terrible and cannot handle the big leagues. Boston fans have known this for three years. Pittsburgh should have watched some tape.

Making the Grade

My good friend, the Pobble, mentioned that she was wondering my take on how the Pats would fare without Mr. Brady. I've kept silent this week because I decided that with every other person in the known sports universe chatting about Tom Brady there was no reason to add my voice to the din. Those ladies and gentlemen are all paid good money to dissect every angle and every twist and turn to the point where you just don't want to hear it anymore.

For myself I spent the week in the wait and see world. Though I was skeptical about Cassel's ability to win and there were concerns of Randy Moss getting ornery without his favorite signal caller in the huddle, the fact was that Cassel had led the Pats to victory against Kansas City and the Jets didn't exactly look like world beaters against the lowly Dolphins so it was just time to wait and see.

Turns out that Cassel again acquitted himself quite well. He kept the team in check, kept turnovers to a minimum and helped his team start the season 2-0. After all, that's all that counts. The Patriots have once again started the season 2-0 and have won arguably the toughest division game on their schedule by winning in the Meadowlands. There is not a team in the AFC East that despises the Pats more that the J-E-T-S Jets and the Meadowlands was ready for them with all the swagger and insults as if the Jets had won the Super Bowl last year instead of the Giants. Cassel came in (his first start since high school in case you hadn't heard) and calmly helped his team to victory.

That being said, there is a long way to go. You will note that I did not say that Cassel led the Pats to victory yesterday. He threw no touchdowns (no interceptions either by the way), he did not light up the scoreboard in Eff-You touchdown fashion. There were no long 50-yard bombs (the one he could have had was thrown too short and the defender caught up to Moss to break up the pass). He was a part of the team. Lamont Jordan was a key component with his hard-nosed second half runs. The defense was stout, highlighted by Adalius Thomas sacking not only Brett Farve but the running back who came to help him as well and the interception by Brandon "Cleat-Stomper" Merriweather. It's been said by others and I agree that this team will have to win as a team this year. Just like in 2001. Brady was not a superstar then. No one thought he was Hall of Famer but he did what needed to be done to succeed. Cassel showed on Sunday that he can do that as well. You passed your first test Matt, only 14 more to go.

Brady, Crane, Jericho - what's going on?

Some thoughts on the weekend:

- So the Tom Brady era is on hiatus for at least this season (torn ACL is the word). Long live... who? Matt Cassel has the inside track having been with the team for the last few years and serving as backup to some greats in his football career (Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Tom Brady) but is he ready to lead? He gets a passing grade this week for coming in when he had no indication he would have to and leading his team to victory (with a little help for Mr. Moss). I wouldn't say he made any extreme mistakes but there was a little something missing from the Pats offense without Brady back there. There have been many names circulated as people the Pats are looking at for a new starter/depth player. Chris Simms, Tim Rattay, and even Daunte Culpepper have all been mentioned. Stay tuned as this one could get interesting in the next few weeks especially is Cassel does not perform well next week.

- Speaking of passable, after one week where he did enough to get his team a victory, Chris Crane did enough to get his team a loss this week. The defense help Georgia Tech to only 19 points and yet still BC came away with a loss. Crane looked lost. Early on when they were running a modified option he kept things running smoothly. As the coaching staff attempt to get more passing going (Coach Jags mentioned the need for better execution in the passing game just before halftime) Crane looked exceedingly lost. His passes we wobbly, he hit his own offensive linemen in the head with passes twice, and almost every completion (including the touchdown pass) looked like it had as much chance of being an interception than a completion. For a quarterback who is supposed to have decent legs he showed a stiffness in the pocket and a surprising lack of maneuverability to avoid pressure (as shown by the safety). For the sake of the Eagles I hope that Coach Jags has some solutions up his sleeve to improve Chris Crane or it is going to be a very long season.

- (Warning WWE talk!) One thing that has me excited is the recent fresh blood that has been introduced to the WWE and the storyline they seem to have centering around the second generation stars (DiBiase Jr, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and now Afa Anoai Jr.). The little I was able to see from various Unforgiven feeds last night seems to have Randy being taking the lead of this band and really pulling them together. I've always thought that WWE has worked best when there are factions around (Corporation, Ministry, D-X, Nation of Domination, Evolution, etc.) or when there are two great headliners to feud (Rock v. Austin, Triple H v. Rock, Edge v. Undertaker). There has not been a successful faction for a while and this Orton led group might be ready to fill that void. With Randy not 100% to wrestle this is just what they need to get him back involved and get serious promo time without actually being in the ring. I see a bright future in this group and with people like D.H. Smith & Jimmy Snuka, Jr. around there are others to possibly add as future talent to this group. Now they just need someone to take their heat out on. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of Raw leading up to No Mercy more than I have in quite some time. Now there just have to be no more injuries to key players and we might have something.

That's all I have for now kiddies. Stay tuned to these developing stories.

(P.S. one month & two days until the title defense begins!)

Robbery - Referee Style

Losing is one thing (as BC did today because of poor offensive play all around), but losing because the refs can't make correct calls in key situations is quite another.  In the span of about 30 minutes I have seen three teams fortunes changes due to poor officiating.

Wake Forest had a 27-21 lead against Ole Miss late in the game with Ole Miss driving.  On third down, Jevan Snead attempts to throw to the back of the end zone and gets drilled.  His arm is hit as he threw (not the ball exactly because that would count as a tip) and it lands toward the front of the end zone.  A receiver in the back of the end zone is hit to the ground and a flag is thrown...pass interference.  The receiver could not have caught the ball even if he had arms and hands as big as The Great Khali.  Yet it was pass interference.  Ole Miss goes on to score a touchdown on that drive and take the 28-27 lead with only 1:01 left to play.  Luckily for Wake Forest they were able to hit a 41-yard field goal to win the game 30-28.

Midway through the 4th quarter in South Bend, San Diego State was knocking on the door step, as an Aztec is entering the end zone he is hit by a Notre Dame defender and the ball comes loose and lands outside the end zone, is picked up by a Notre Dame player and once he is tackled the ref signals a touchback. The replay suggested that the SDSU player may have actually broken the plane but what it also showed was that the ball landed in the field of play.  It never got into the end zone.  As such, it never should have been a touchback.  It was picked up in the field of play and the Irish player was tackled.  They should have at best had the ball at the one yard line and at worst it should have been a touchdown for SDSU.  Instead Notre Dame got the ball at the 20 and promptly went down and scored a touchdown to take the 14-13 lead which would be all they would need to win.  But make no mistake, the refs call changed the course of that game.

Finally, the worst play happened to Washington.  They played a tight back and forth game with BYU and were trailing 28-21 with little time left on the clock.  Jake Locker engineered a terrific drive which culminated in his touchdown run with only 2 seconds to play.  Then the laundry came on the field.  In his excitement from driving the length of the field and scoring the game tying touchdown as time expired, Jake Locker threw his hands in the air and in doing so tossed the ball toward the back of the end zone.  Excessive celebration.  15-yard penalty making them kick the extra point from the 18, and it was blocked.  BYU wins 28-27.  As one announcer said, "This loss rests squarely on the shoulders of the referees."

The NCAA has tried to cut down on celebrations for the past few years.  You can't spike the ball.  You can't do pre-planned celebration.  You can't do anything that would single you out and draw attention to you as an individual.  You can get excited as long as you don't get too excited.

Jake Locker did not spike the ball.  He did not do a pre-planned celebration.  He did not try to single himself out.  In fact, when he jumped up, the first thing he did was look for his fellow Huskies and start chest-bumping and helmet slapping.  One could say that he did everything that the NCAA is looking for.  Not rubbing it in.  Not over celebrating.  Yet he was flagged for excessive celebration.  It was truly sad to see Washington's hard work and excellent play get penalized by flag-happy stripes.

The pattern is alarming.  The amount of game changing bad calls seems to be expanding.  Maybe its because of the exposure that games get now.  With the introduction of things like ESPN360.com and the Big Ten Network there are record numbers of college football games on television.  Refs know that everything they do is being scrutinized and diagnosed and I think sometimes they get the jitters as much as a true freshman quarterback stepping into the Big House for the first time as a visitor.  Maybe more training has to be done.  Maybe these guys just aren't really trying.  I don't know.  But when even the replay officials can't get it right (see Notre Dame), something needs to be changed.  The guys in the stripes are there to make sure that the game is played within the rules so that the better team wins the game. They are referees not judges, they are not supposed to decide the outcome.

Finally the U has Come!

Ok, despite the title of the blog this has nothing to do with the University of Miami (affectionately called "The U" by its alum)...well, maybe it is slightly related. But it has more to do with a discovery that I made last night while channel surfing at home.

Being a regular Wednesday night before the fall TV season has started and the fact that the Red Sox had played a day game meant that I had nothing to watch last night. While laying in bed looking around for something worthwhile I happened upon ESPNU.

Let me let that settle in a little.

I happened upon ESPNU.

On my TV.

In my home and not at the local watering hole.

That's right boys and girls...ESPNU. The bane of my existence which has been known as RCN and their inability to provide ESPNU to me (see "Summer Musings" just a few short days ago) has been lifted.

The strange part about this is that no one seems to know that it was actually added. If you go to the ESPNU.com site and search for the local RCN channel in my area it still, as of this morning, says that RCN does not carry ESPNU at this time. I checked my past bills (where they tend to announce changes in channel line up) and there is no mention of the addition of ESPNU. There was no fan fare. It is not located anywhere near the other ESPN channels on the dial (it isn't even near to CSTV) so there was no reason for me to have noticed it where it was placed. And yet there it is all the same.

There is a happy Cam knowing there is one more channel I can flip to come Saturday. And a slightly less happy Mrs. Pike...knowing there is one more channel I can flip to come Saturday. But the best part will come next March, when I can watch the full college hockey playoffs.

Make up your mind (Part II)

Back in February, the Rant brought you musings no Peter Forsberg holding the league hostage while he decided what to do for the season. I knew that if the league continued to allow this type of behavior that it would set a terrible precedent for the years to come. And I was right.

After Teemu Selanne, Scott Neidermeyer, and Forsberg last year, Mats Sundin has decided to do the exact same thing this year (which is to say that he has decided on absolutely nothing). Originally he was supposed to make up his mind on whether or not he wanted to play by the end of July. Both Vancouver and Toronto were reportedly offering him contracts to come and finish is stellar career with them. But he never made up his mind. Some felt he had decided to hang it up because he was not engaging in the same per-season work out activities has he had in the past. But there was no word and his decision kept getting pushed from one week to the next.

Now, Sundin is quoted as saying that he is definitely not going to decide by the beginning of the season. He said, "Others have started playing in the middle of the season. If I would feel like retiring, I would say it." Please note that he is using the horrible tactics of Selanne, et al last year to justify this decision. A bad precedent has been set here. Mr. Bettman, time to start actually acting like a commissioner and fixing a problem brewing in your league.

Word from the Rant to those who are looking to sign Sundin, last year's late signees did not turn their teams into champions. I would not count on Sundin being able to do it either.

Cuts & Eliminations

- Jo-Lon Dunbar did not make the cut with New Orleans Saints. Jamie Silva and Dejuan Tribble survived the cuts for now. Go Eagles!

- The first team to be mathematically eliminated from MLB postseason - the Seattle Mariners. Thank you Seattle for another year of dreadful baseball. Pittsburgh Pirates (the AAA club of the National League) your next.

Week One is Done

The first week of college football has come to a close and it was filled with excitement right to the end (thank you UCLA-Tennessee for a great finish to the first weekend).

We've learned a couple of things early. Fresno State, Utah, and East Carolina have entered themselves into the BCS-buster conversation with BYU. Big first week wins by all three have opened the door for them to be considered as this year's Hawaii. All face great tests in the near future (Wisconsin, Oregon State, & West Virginia respectively) but for now they are all 1-0 and the sky is the limit.

There were no jaw-dropping upsets like last year (Appy State was obliterated by LSU) but let's not downplay the Sun Belt getting a big victory as Arkansas State beat Texas A&M this weekend. I know A&M was supposed to be down a little this year but...Arkansas State? Seriously?? The Sun Belt conference hasn't even one step above I-AA (I refuse the FBS/FCS distinction....it's always been I-AA and to me it will remain I-AA), they have been I-AA teams playing division one football. Maybe this win is a sign for the future. Florida Atlantic certainly made some waves last year with their level of play.

As has been suggested by many in the past, perhaps this is a sign that reduced scholarships and stricter academic guidelines are leading to a levelly of the playing field. Athletes in the past who no one would ever classify as "students" are not allowed to get away with as much as they used to because if teams don't maintain certain academic standards they lose scholarships. The big time programs can only afford to take so many borderline "students" without doing serious damage to the program. The trickle down effect is starting to be felt. It seems to me that we will see at least one non-BCS school in the BCS every year. We have 4 teams with legitimate shots at pulling it off this year (three above and BYU, who is everyone's darling this year).

Another thing we learned this weekend, signs point to another rough season for the ACC. I'm not ready to say that the sky is falling as many have but it doesn't look good. Only BC & Wake Forest really looked like they have something to offer. It's hard to judge Miami and Georgia Tech who pounded some I-AA teams. People have made a lot of Alabama destruction of Clemson. Granted Clemson should be better than that offensively considering the amount of returning talent they have but perhaps Alabama is better than people are giving them credit for. It's only week one and if 5 weeks from now, Bama is 5-0 and Clemson is 4-1 having rolled over their next 4 opponents people may take a very different view of this game. Last season, Virginia Tech was destroyed by eventual national champion LSU very early in the season yet they still won the ACC and made it to the BCS.

Looks like another fun filled season of college football. As always I will be watching.

Summer musings

As the summer comes to a close (I know it technically doesn't end until September 22nd but I spent many years growing up in a tourist town so to me Labor Day signals the end of summer), I have some thoughts...

- Matt Ryan has been announced as the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons for the upcoming NFL season, beating out fellow former first rounders Joey Harrington and Chris Redman. As I have stated before in this blog, this will be a tough position for a rookie to be put into. For the sake of future BC players, the Falcons, and of course the Falcons' fans, I hope he's up to the challenge. I will be watching and rooting for you, Matty Ice!

- College football begins tomorrow night. I look forward to it with baited breath. I can already feel the draw of the PS3 telling me to play some EA Sports before the season starts to really get into the groove. Ohio State is once again stacked with NFL ready talent (some even project as many as 6 first rounders in their opening day roster). But I look to Georgia to continue their roll from last season. I know they have an inexperienced offensive line that had been crippled by injuries but if those guys can gel there may be no stopping the Dawgs this season.

- RCN continues to frustrate me and my ability to watch college football. As it is not currently within my means to buy the Gameday package I find myself without ESPNU (despite numerous e-mails, phone calls, and general protests to RCN attempting to get them to add it to their channel line-up). This means Mrs. Pike will be unable to see Miami (OH) season opener on Thursday night and I will be unable to see BC's season opener on Saturday night without going to the local watering hole. Perhaps justin.tv will be my savior as it has been in the past.

- Some WWE news (for those who don't care, feel free to skip to the next piece), John Cena apparently suffered a herniated disk in his neck and after surgery will miss about three to four months. This is much better than the 12-15 months that some prior superstars have faced (Steve Austin & Gregory Helms come to mind). Though he steals liberally from The Rock (and for those of you who are Rock fans, I recommend "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" DVD - which really reminded me just how much Cena did steal from the Great One), he is a charismatic figure in the sport and has a legion of fans in the younger set. His wrestling skills leave a little to be desired (at least act like the other man was hurting you John!! I may hate Shawn Michaels but the man knows how to sell being hurt in a match), but he brings an energy and a commitment to the world of sports entertainment that is refreshing.

- The ambulance...oops...I mean the Red Sox are entering the home stretch 2.5 up in the wild card and only 3.5 behind TB for the AL East (with 6 games still to play against the Rays). They have 20 of their final 29 at home. But 7 of those final 29 are against the Blue Jays who have been a thorn in their side all season. Should they get healthy and get some consistent bullpen help they should make the playoffs (the addition of Mark Kotsay would help too). But the question will remain if this limping, beaten up crew will be able to accomplish anything once they get there.

That's all I have for now folks. I'm sure they will be coming more fast and furious now that college football is underway and of course after October 10th when NCAA hockey kicks off another year.

Junkie

I am a certified sports junkie (not that you needed me to tell you this if you are a Loyal Reader).

For those of you who may think that I only pay attention to the male sport, today I had the USA women's basketball team beating Russia on the work TV (yes, I have a TV right next to my cube at work and I am the lord of the remote that controls it), and I found the women's gold medal soccer match on justin.tv (the work TV does not get USA Network).

Are there differences between the men's game and the women's game? Of course. But at its best it is just as exciting and the play is just as compelling. Both teams won. The basketball team now meets Australia for the gold medal and the soccer team wins another.

As an aside, justin.tv is one of the greatest websites. You want to watch boxing or wrestling pay-per-views or catch a great soccer match that you can't see on US television. Dial up justin.tv and watch in all its glory. Margarito-Cotto, saw it on justin.tv. Summerslam, saw it on justin.tv. Olympic soccer matches, you guessed it, saw it on justin.tv (in Spanish but at least I could follow the pictures!)

Here's to my fellow junkies who found a way for those of us without money or expensive satellite television packages to enjoy some of the smaller but equally exciting events of the sports world.

You've got to be kidding!

So over the past few weeks I have been getting excited about the opening of the BC hockey season. The Boys start the season at home against perennial power Wisconsin and they will be raising the 2008 NCAA championship banner that night.

One small problem. I can't be there. (close your mouth you're letting in flies).

That's right. I've been to their last two championship wins. I've gone to Michigan, Florida, Missouri, Wisconsin, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Colorado to watch them play. I've gone to two championship celebration ceremonies (missing work to do so). But I will not be there to see them raise the banner.

They did it on the sly in 2001. One game it wasn't up and then the next game it was. This time they were going to unfurl it before the season opener. I was supposed to see it this time.

Then, Mrs. Pike informed me that I could not see it. Her best friend is getting married that day. Of all the weddings that I have been to this is the first one I have ever been to on a Friday. But there you have it. I won't be there. I will miss it. I have been promised pictures but I will miss the experience.

There is no joy in Mudville.

Not ready for prime time

The Yankees and the Red Sox have something in common this year and its not their salaries or the fact that neither one is in first place in the AL East this late in the season for the first time in years. Nope. It's that they both are starting to realize that one of their young pitchers just doesn't have it.

In the off season, while trying to acquire Johan Santana both teams refused to part with one of their key young pitchers. For the Yanks it was Ian Kennedy and for the Red Sox it was Clay Bucholtz. After turning down the Twins' terms, the Yankee fans we excited to see Kennedy come up and become one of the key starters for their future. That has not happened. After struggling mightily at the beginning of the season and being sent back to the minors, Kennedy was back up with the Yanks this weekend to cover for Joba Chamberlain. His line, 2+ innings, 9 hits, 5 earned runs, and one ticket back to Scranton. The Yankees clearly understand that it is too early for Kennedy and he may not be the pitcher the Stienbrenner's hoped he would be.

The Red Sox may soon find themselves in a similar situation. When Bucholtz pitched his no-hitter last season, the Nation was excited that we may have our next Cy Young winner and we came from our own farm system. It was almost a given that he would become an integral part of the starting rotation and lead the Sox to great things. In fact, many felt he was more essential to keep if they were trading for Santana than Jon Lester (myself included). But that seems a little misguided now. Mr. Lester has a no-hitter of his own (which as regular readers will no doubt remember I was present at) and Mr Bucholtz is now 0-6 with an over 8 ERA in his last 7 starts and he has looked just as bad as the numbers suggest.

The problem is that there is no help in sight for him. A team that was thought to be extra deep in starting pitching coming into the season suddenly seems a little thin. Bartolo Colon is still injured from taking a ridiculous swing (gotta love interleague play!) and not Tim Wakefield is on the DL with the same problem he had at the end of last year which kept him off the playoff roster. The Sox seem convinced that Masterson belongs in the bullpen. Don't get me wrong, he has been fantastic out of there and has provided some much needed stability to a floundering pen, but he was just as good at being a starter and certainly more effective than Bucholtz has been since he was brought back to the major league roster.

The Sox are now left with the need to go to Pawtucket for yet another arm and leaving Bucholtz in the rotation. Should Wakefield's injury prove more serious, they are looking at going into the post-season with two pitchers and a key bullpen pitcher with zero post season experience. But it seems possible that the no-hitter may have been the fluke and that Bucholtz may not be reading to play in the major leagues.

Fortunately for both teams, Bucholtz and Kennedy are young and have plenty of time to still develop and become the players that their teams believe they will be able to. Unfortunately for these two kids, they play in two of the toughest markets to succeed in. The fans in Boston and New York are not very forgiving when you don't succeed. The Pedroias, Youkilis, Jeters, and Chamberlains of the word make the fan base think that all players from their systems are just supposed to come up and shine immediately. That's a lot of pressure for a young kid especially when he is seen as the weakest link on a championship caliber team.

Champions again

With all due respect to the recently crowed "Titletown" of Valdosta, Georgia by ESPN, I would have to say that Boston has the rights to that claim at the moment. As the Celtics are planning their banner raising ceremony for Oct 28th and the BC Eagles plan their banner raising ceremony for Oct 10th, the New England Revolution last night won the second annual SuperLiga championship.

For those of you who don't know, SuperLiga is a mini-league composed of the 4 best Mexican League teams taking on the 4 best Major League Soccer teams. Last year, it was won by Pachuca of the Mexican League. After beating three former Mexican League champs including Pachuca, the Revolution took the title from the Houston Dynamo 2-2, winning 6-5 on penalty kicks.

It was a great game. You rarely see the amount of back and forth action that was on display last night which also featured some great goaltending by both Pat Onstad and Matt Reis. I was unfortunately forced to watch the festivities in Spanish as no local stations decided that the SuperLiga final was worth broadcasting. There was the alternate choice of watching it on-line but the site would not allow a full screen view so I decided not understanding what the announcers were saying was better than damaging my eyes trying to see the action on my computer.

I was talking with Old Man Pike on the phone as overtime started and had just finished telling him how I disliked the full 30 minute overtime format instead of the "golden goal", sudden-death option when the Dynamo scored to take the 2-1 lead. I must admit in this particular instance I was happy the "golden goal" was not the golden rule for the match as Shalrie Joseph was able to head a Steve Ralston set piece into the back of the net in the 102nd minute. Sadly this great game had to be decided by penalty kicks but the win was still special as the Revolution were able to avenge their losses in the previous two MLS Cup finals and take one from Houston.

The Revs are now the reigning SuperLiga & US Cup champions (with a chance to defend that title as they face DC United on August 12th in the semi-finals of the 2008 US Cup). Combining that with the other local teams and that is a awful lot of hardware in one year for one city. I have a lot of respect for Valdosta and what Valdosta State has been able to do but Boston today is the true Titletown, USA.