Random thoughts

Another year is about to come to a close and we are full of lists about the greatest things of the past decade. It gets a little tiring. "Greatest books of the decade", "Best 1B of the decade", "All-Decade AFC Team", "Best latte of the decade". Ok, so I made the last one up but you get the point. I am not going to give in to the list mentality. I shall simply forge ahead has I always have and treat this like any other post - giving you my thoughts about events since the last time I posted.

- BC could have won that bowl game. As a BC fan it was disheartening to see the team play so well offensively in the second quarter only to revert to the terrible team in the third. Fumbles and interceptions became the norm and they bowed to the Trojans. Everyone wants to point to Shinskie's interception in the 4th quarter that ended any hope of a rally but Montel Harris' fumble after the great interception by Bowman was the turning point in that game. BC had all the momentum going into the locker room and the early pick kept that going. Had BC been able to even put a field goal on the board and take the lead it would have been a huge morale booster and put the Trojans behind to a team everyone expected them to beat. I truly believe that a touchdown in that situation would have been enough for BC to ride to victory. But I suppose that's why they lost 5 games this year in because of the inexperience on offense. I take some positives from this game in that they were able to hang tough with USC. They should be a much better team next year.

- The Bruins need Milan Lucic back. Too many games are being played without the energy and killer instinct that Lucic brings to the arena. They are losing too many games 1-0, 2-1 to teams they should be pasting. Though close it looks like Lucic will not be back for the Winter Classic. Here's hoping he is back for Monday's game against the Rangers.

- Speaking of the Winter Classic. The latest forecast, rain. And lots of it. How will that affect the playing surface with constant water falling on it. When the game was in Buffalo and there was snow it was OK as they just swept the surface every once and a while but rain can be a whole different animal that could affect puck movement and cause potential puddles on the ice. It will be interesting to see how they handle this on New Year's Day. As it stands right now, the BC v. BU game on the 8th is looking to have a little better luck. It will be colder but no precipitation is called for as of yet.

- Jason Bay signed with the Mets. The chances of him coming back to Boston died the minute they signed Mike Cameron. The owners do not want to become the Yankees and pay the luxury tax which is what they would have had to do in order to sign Bay with Cameron, Lackey, and the newly returned Mike Lowell still on the roster. I don't think this means the Sox are done dealing. If they can trade Lowell to someone else at a discount they may still sign Adrian Beltre. They may sign Beltre anyway and just get rid of Lowell after he recovers from surgery and proves he can still play. The Sox still need something else in that lineup. As it stands right now replacing Jason Bay with Mike Cameron does not improve their offense and with question marks in Lowell, Ortiz, and Drew there is a potential huge power hole after Youkilis and Martinez. Pitching will only carry them so far but the rotation looks very deep, especially if Dice-K can have a rebound season.

- The college hockey season got back into the swing last night with a mini-slate of game highlighted by the Great Lakes Invitational and other holiday tournaments. Losses by Quinnipiac, Union, and Cornell shook up the Pairwise rankings and after the hot start Quinnipiac is 14th and in danger of falling out of the tournament field. Sometimes success can be a bigger killer of your season than adversity. Not only did the Bobcats lose last night but they lost to a very bad Harvard team who won just their second game of the season. It will be interesting to see if the Q can pull it together for a second half run and get themselves back into a #1 seed.

- BC is nearing the end of their grueling streak of 9 out of 10 games away from Kelley Rink. So far they are 6-0-1 in the first seven games (8-1-1 in their last 10) and have vaulted themselves to #2 in the PWR. It's still early but the energy and scoring ability of this young BC team has surprised me (they have scored 3 or more goals in all but 2 games this season). The sophomores have been contributing nightly (led by early season surprise Cam Atkinson's 8 goals and 15 points) and Parker Milner (4-0-0, 2.25GAA, .905 save %) has proven to be a solid backup for still recovering John Muse. The pieces are there to make a run and should super-freshman Chris Krieder find the scoring touch he seems to be using in the World Junior tournament, the Eagles should be a player in the national picture come March.

Going bowling

Despite all the deservedly low expectations for the BC program this year, they will still be bowling. Granted it is a crappy bowl but 8-4 and going to a bowl game considering all they have had to endure this year with transfers and injuries, this season is a success. But as a mark to a truly wacky season, BC will be playing perennial powerhouse USC as the Trojans have just had a disaster of a year. Typically when BC has been stuck in these lower-level bowls they have faced off with some decidedly unheralded opponents (Toledo, Colorado State, and Boise State in pre-BCS winning incarnation all come to mind). To be playing the day after Christmas and facing USC is not exactly the script one expects. This game has all the makings of a Trojan blow-out as they take out a season of frustrations on a young, inconsistent BC team. But USC has certainly had their share of inconsistency as well.

Some thoughts on the BCS pairings:

- The BCS came a few minutes away from having Clemson, Nebraska, and Pittsburgh all crash the party. Luckily for the BCS (and television ratings everywhere), Georgia Tech staged a rousing comeback, Cincinnati took full advantage of a muffed hold on an extra point, and Texas used their excellent field position from an out-of bounds kickoff to all win their respective conferences this weekend. One can only imagine the chaos that would have ensued had all three underdogs pulled the upset. "And tune in on January 7th as the storied Alabama Crimson Tide take on the ... (wait is this right...TCU?....really??...OK, if you say so)... Horned Frogs of TCU!" The worst Orange Bowl in history pitting 4 loss Clemson against Iowa without Ricky Stanzi. The Gator Bowl would actually have two teams that deserve to be there (more on that in a moment) as they could not have forced Georgia Tech to a lower bowl. Chaos. Not that I would have minded at least Nebraska to have won to see TCU get their shot.

- Speaking of TCU's shot, in one of the worst showings since the BCS has been in existence, TCU gets paired with Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl. Nevermind that they just played each other in a bowl game last year. These two teams should not be facing one another. Let's give these "outsiders" a chance to prove themselves against the big boys. Utah has done it twice, Boise State has done it as well. Are the BCS conferences so afraid of someone else crashing the party that they don't want these teams to prove it on the field? Are they afraid that a TCU win over Florida for instance or a Boise win over Georgia Tech will reopen the discussion on expanding the BCS to include the Mountain West? This pairing smells of backroom deals and trying to keep the little guys from really having a piece of the pie. Don't get me wrong, I think it will be a great game of Boise's high-powered offense against the stout TCU defense and last year's game in the Poinsettia Bowl was a classic - but the BCS should have given the college football fans what they want to see and that is to see if these teams can really beat the best or if their records are all smoke and mirrors against weak conference teams.

- Backroom deals is exactly what got Florida State to the Gator Bowl. I understand that Bobby Bowden is a coaching great and that he has a place in the history of the game that deserves to be honored - but this is not the way to do it. Florida State is a couple a breaks away from not even being bowl eligible and they get the #2 ACC bowl? They leap-frogged Clemson, BC, Miami, and Virginia Tech. All teams with better conference records and better overall records. Not to mention the fact that they lost to three of those teams and probably would have lost to VTech if they actually played them. Bowls are supposed to be rewards for programs that perform on the field. Clemson turned a bad start to their season around, made the ACC title game and came close to winning that game and making the BCS. Their reward, a Dec 27th bowl and a much smaller payday. Bowden's retirement should not buy Florida State a bowl game they did not deserve. I hope West Virginia beats them by 30.

The Pairwise

I know its ridiculously early but I discovered the early season Pairwise Rankings have been released and the top two seeds for Detroit are... Quinnipiac & Bemidji State. The Q has quietly put together a 12-1-0 record to start the season and it has given them some house money to play with early here for their tournament hopes. Bemidji State has gone from last season Cinderella to a legit power this year owning roads victories against Miami and Minnesota along with their domination of their own conference. I would be shocked if the Beavers are not back in the national tournament this year and the way they are playing early they could even get an at-large berth should they be upset in their conference tourney. A couple other notes on the early PWR:

- Hockey East has 4 teams in the tournament and while having UNH & BC in is no shocker, adding Massachusetts and UMass-Lowell with BU not even in the "Next Four Out" is a surprise. Compounding that is the Wildcats berth in these ranking being based on the fact that they lead the conference and not because they have at-large berth credentials.

- Naturally BC is locked up with North Dakota. Pretty sure you can't have an NCAA tourney that features these two and not have them face each other. One of the better non-conference rivalries out there in college hockey today.

- WCHA is the bigger winner early with 5 entrants (6 if you count Bemidji), CCHA and Hockey East have 4, CHA, Atlantic Hockey, and ECAC each have one. However, looking at the Next Four Out we see 3 CCHA teams knocking on the door. Not good news for the ECAC that standard bearer Cornell can have the 5th best record in the country yet only manage #19 in the PWR - that is usually the type of stat you see for the CHA or Atlantic Hockey leader and that will probably happen to Bemidji as they get deeper into their conference schedule and all those wins against bad opponents pile up.

Jinx

Did I jinx Milan Lucic?? Last week I say I'm thankful to have him back and he turns his ankle that night and is out for month?? Still happy to have Savard back, though (was that a black cat that just crossed my path?).

Some weekend notes:

- Tiger Woods refuses to talk to the police. One would think that a man who has been in the public eye as long as Tiger Woods would know that the worst thing you can do is say nothing. Mark Maguire tried that tactic at Congress and look how well that worked out. If you were drinking, just admit it. If you were high, admit it. If you were sleeping with someone else and got into a fight with your wife (and if that's the reason you have bigger issues), admit it. People will be more forgiving now if you just own up to it than if you keep your mouth shut and somebody else leaks it to the press (which you know will eventually happen).

- Though it was a wild weekend of upsets in college football, the most important upsets never happened. Auburn and Texas A&M were unable to close the deal and as a result we still have a guarenteed 3 undefeated teams with a possiblity of 5 come the end of the season. Am I going to argue that the winner of Texas v. Alabama/Florida is the national champion? No. But it would be nice to see TCU, Boise, and Cincinnati at least get the chance to prove that they aren't national champions on the field. My only hope is for Nebraska to play the greatest game they have ever played and at least TCU or Cincy can then get a shot.

- Could there be any better ending to the Charlie Weis tenure at Notre Dame than taking the lead against Stanford and then getting outscored 25-7 down the stretch to end your season 6-6 after having BCS or (ridiculous though it may have been) national title hopes. Not to mention that you are one game of poor clock management and one Montel Harris fumble from being 4-8. I respect Weis for what he brought out of Tom Brady but his tenure in South Bend has to be considered a complete failure. Not that there's anything wrong with that....

What I am thankful for

As we come to the holiday season I am reminded that we should always express our thanks for the good that life has given us. Here are 3 things I am thankful for this holiday season.

1) I am thankful that I am not a Notre Dame fan. After being one of the winningest programs in college football history the Golden Domers have fallen on tough times since the departure of Lou Holtz. Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and now Charlie Weis have all failed to make ND a national title contender. Even with top notch quarterbacks like Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen, the Irish had failed to win a bowl game in years until last season. They have lost repeatedly to USC and BC and have even lost twice in the past three years to Navy a team they had beaten an NCAA record number of times. Charlie Weis can and should be fired. With the cupcake schedule that Notre Dame routine puts together (including not wanting to even play BC following next years matchup) loaded with service academies and Big East opponents, it is actually appalling that Weis could not turn this team into a BCS contender. He has and NFL caliber quarterback (currently considered the #3 QB according to Mel Kiper's Big Board) and two big play wide receivers and they have put up decent numbers but the defense has been atrocious especially against the run. With Toby Gerhart and Stanford coming in next week the Irish are looking at 6-6 and possibly ending up in the GMAC bowl against Dan Lefevour and Central Michigan (a team that can beat ND). Not what the fans were thinking when they started the season as a national title sleeper.

2. I am thankful that I am not a BU hockey fan. Though it may seem like I am beating up on BC rivals, the fact is that no one has been a bigger dissapointment through the first 7 weeks of the college hockey season than the 3-7-1 BU Terriers. The defending national champions have failed to live up to lofty expectations which were certainly hurt by the early season injury to Nick Bonino. Even so, he came back last weekend and the Terriers were still shelled in Durham and needed a late goal to salvage a tie against UNH on Saturday. So far the points leader for the team is a defenseman. No one has scored more than 4 goals (that by a freshman) and their all everything goalie from last year currently is sitting on a 2-7 record with a 3.25 GAA and a .873 save percentage. The team that lead the nation in goals last year has been shut out twice already and has only scored more than 3 goals twice in 13 games including exhibition (both were victories). This team has more talent that this and I expect them to turn it around but the question is, can they do so before digging too deep of a hole to climb out of. They already have more losses than all of last season and are already 5 points behind conference leader UNH and the Wildcats have a game in hand.

3. I'm thankful for the return of Marc Savard & Milan Lucic. Last night the Bruins played a solid game against a pretty bad St. Louis team and in earning the victory produced their first 3-game win streak of the season. But the best part has been seeing Lucic back out there hitting everything that moves and even potting two goals in the past two games. With Savard back too, his passing and playmaking ability immediately make the Bruins a more dangerous scoring threat in all situations. It will take a few games for both players to be back at 100% but it certainly lifts this Bruins fan's spirits to see the full team out there.

The Fall of Football

It was announced today that Northeastern University is shutting the door to football after 74 years. Though a lifelong BC fan, I truly mourn the loss of the Huskies and their fans. Football is a sport of great passion and those who love it know how the experience of gameday with the tailgating, the action on the field, the excitement of the win and the general fun involved becomes an almost religious experience at times. It's truly sad when the coffers dry up and the students and alumni of Northeastern will no longer have this experience. I feel just as bad for those student-athletes who have trained so hard and put their hearts into the sport they loved only to have their university pull the plug. No matter whether the team was good or bad, college football fans everywhere to mourn for the NU Huskies today.

Bill

I want to say something about last night but I can't. I'm too angry. With all the good that he has done last night was one of the worst two play calls in history. They should have run on 3rd down (even if you don't make it it makes Indy take their last time out) and then punted. I know you struggled to stop them but show some faith in your defense to come up when it counted. By going for it on 4th they handed Indy that game. I could go on but I fear that I may have a coronary....

Polling

One has to wonder what people are thinking when they vote in polls. This week Boston University is #17 in the country in the USCHO college hockey poll. Now those who have not followed this season might think, "Oh, BU must be having a bit of a rough start as they are defending national champions". That sentiment is right but the ranking is not.

BU is 2-5-0. You read that correctly. They have 5 losses, are three games under .500, and on top of that are in last place in Hockey East. This team is also #17 in the nation. How? Name recognition. People are voting on what they think BU will do later and not what they are doing now. This is the classic problem with early season polls. Because BU started the year so high voters think they can't possible be as bad as their record so they still give them votes and get them in the poll.

I know this might sound like sour grapes from a die-hard BC hockey fan but I would like to think I would be just as outraged if Wisconsin were 2-5 and still ranked. No other team in the top 20 has more than 4 losses (that team is Michigan and is getting excused for two of those losses since they came to early season juggernaught Miami). No other team in the top 20 has a losing record never mind 3 games under. BU's two victories are an overtime squeaker against Lowell and a close 3-2 decision over Michigan. This past weekend BU was shut out by "Others receiving votes" team Northeastern who was waxed by BC the next night and lost to a Maine team nowhere to be found in the rankings.

This post is not designed to bash BU (I'll save that for when we get closer to the Fenway game and the Beanpot). They are a very good team that lost a lot last year in Colin Wilson, Matt Gilroy, Jason Lawrence, and Brandon Yip. I think, like BC in 2008-09, BU underestimated how difficult it would be replace those departing players and the production and leadership. They are still an immensely talented roster that is just trying to find the winning combination right now. When Nick Bonino returns from injury it will provide a boost that will more than likely get them back to winning games. But right now, at this moment, this team is struggling to score and to win games. They are not currently one of the top 20 teams in the nation. We've seen it all season in college football and not it has moved to the ice that name recognition is getting votes instead of in-game production. I do have to give Insidecollegehockey.com credit not only for dropping BU from their Power Rankings this week but calling out USCHO.com for having the Terriers ranked 17th.

Back to the Gridiron

This weekend I will be attending my first BC football game in about 10 years. I can't recall the exact last game that I went to but I believe it was at the end of the 1998 season though I won't swear I didn't catch a game in 1999. I am dutifully excited about it but at the same time I will miss my weekly ritual of sitting on the couch watching several different games from noon through bedtime. It will be interesting to see how the team handles the news this week of the departure of Justin Tuggle and Josh Haden.

On that note, I think more is being made of this departure than it actually is. Some people are attributing it to added turmoil in a program that had faced its share of obstacles this year. But I don't see it that way. Quite frankly I'm surprised that there haven't been more kids transferring with all the head coaching issues the program has had these past few seasons. Even top schools lose important players when the coaching staff changes. A good example would be Ryan Mallett who left Michigan for Arkansas because he knew that Bobby Petrino would offer an offense geared more towards his skills than Rich Rodriquez.

Now I am not putting Tuggle and Haden in that same echelon of player as Mallett and Frank Spaziani is certainly not as drastic a change in coaching style as going from Llyod Carr to Rich Rod. But the fact remains that both players were recruited by someone else and neither was looking at having much hope of serious playing time or of being the star at the Heights. I don't blame them for wanting to go somewhere else and play every down instead of riding the bench (Tuggle) or platooning and being on the short end of that platoon (Haden). Both players were passed by other players who have simply shown themselves to be the better fit for the system. One might even argue that Tuggle had even moved to third in the depth chart behind true freshman Mascovetra. Plus, from what Montel Harris has said, it sounds as though Haden has never been happy at BC and if that is the case then it is better for both sides that he leaves and opens a spot for someone who actually wants to be at the Heights.

College football is about a lot of things but one of the most important elements is passion. If you are unhappy with your situation you will lose some of that passion and not perform to the best of your ability. I wish both Haden and Tuggle the best and hope they find a home that wants them as much as they want to be there. Undoubtedly, they will be missed by the Eagles but as this team has done all year I expect them to rise about the distraction and continue to play hard. They will certainly need it this weekend against a very good Central Michigan squad who in beating us could be on their way to a very special season.

The antithesis

2008 was all about good things for Boston sports. The Red Sox were the reigning World Series champs until October. The Celtics won the NBA title. BC won its third national title in hockey. The Bruins were following up a surprising 2007-08 campaign with a fantastic start to the 2008-09 season which would get them the best record in the conference.

2009 has been the antithesis of last year. The Lakers won the NBA title. Boston University is the reigning NCAA hockey national champion. The Yankees look more and more like the team to win the World Series this year. The Bruins are struggling and have lost two of their most important players (Milan Lucic & Marc Savard) for at least the next month. And this past weekend BC football ended its 6 game win streak against Notre Dame with a turnover plagued performance in South Bend. O "City of Champions" where have you gone??

I know - I sound like one of the doom and gloom writers I always rail against. Things are not as bleak as my previous paragraph may lead you to believe. To those who aren't BC fans, a BU victory is just as much of a Boston championship as a BC victory. With a healthy KG, the Celtics are once again a viable title contender this year. After some ups and downs early in the season the Patriots look like they are righting the ship and if they stay healthy should be considered among the NFL title contenders. The jury is out on the Bruins until we can see where they stand once Lucic and Savard come back. But there are positive signs over the past three games that this team may be regaining their competitive fire with a couple of come-from-behind performances. The BC football team, while not great, has performed much better than anyone thought they would and should make a bowl game this year when many people thought they would be lucky to win 3 games.

So I guess I need to be happy for what we have. Even though we don't have the dominant beat everybody teams from 2008, Boston still has title contenders in almost every sport. Not many cities can boast that. I guess I will suffer through 2009 - the year when all my most hated rivals won the prize.

Good luck

I'm not a gambling man. I don't play football cards or bet when I go to Vegas or play the lottery or enter into those on-line contests to win a new car or $1 million. However, what I have done the past couple years is enter into the Red Sox random ticket drawings.

Those who are unfamiliar with this system allow me to explain. Basically, because certain seats have a higher demand than others (Yankee games, Monster seats, postseason tickets), the Sox seek to limit the traffic on their server and allow people a real chance to get tickets. So, to attain this goal the Sox hold a drawing. You enter you name and email address and then if you win that lottery you have the right to try an log in and get tickets to the game.

I have never won a lottery of any kind that I remember (beyond maybe $5 off a scratch ticket I got for Christmas) so imagine my shock and surprise to win three times this year. I won the lottery to buy the Yankees playoff ticket early in the season, I won the lottery to buy ALDS tickets, and today I bought ALCS tickets (should the Sox make it past the Angels). Not too shabby. Now if I can just win the lottery to attend the Winter Classic between the Bruins and Flyers - I might actually start playing the numbers!

Let chaos reign

Week 4 of the college football season is in the books and it looks more and more like this will be another season of upheaval. This is great for college football and great for us fans that every week there seems to be some great game worth watching because you never know when the upsets will happen and this weekend was certainly filled with plenty of them.

To some degree this "chaos" is caused by too much credit being given where it isn't deserved. Let's take two cases in point -

One - Ole Miss - preseason ranked #8 in the AP and made it up to #4 before coming crashing down this week by losing to South Carolina. Now I'm not going to say that Ole Miss is a bad team but they never deserved this #8 ranking. They finished last season ranked #14 with a 9-4 record. They got their preseason ranking based on their win over Florida last year and the hype of Jevan Snead. In other words, their ranking was based on smoke and mirrors and no true results. They had trounced 1-AA Southeastern Louisiana (is the Waterboy on that team?) and Memphis (who might as well by 1-AA). Which means nothing. I'm not sure who was surprised by their loss but anyone who saw SC play against Georgia knew what the Gamecocks were capable of and had to know that Ole Miss was in trouble coming into this one. A ridiculous preseason ranking allowed this game to be considered an upset of a Top Five Team instead just a good game between two fairly even opponents.

Two - Miami (FL) - unranked in the preseason and made it up to #9 based on victories against Florida State and Georgia Tech before being physically dominated by Virginia Tech's defense this week and losing in Blacksburg. True, Miami had looked good for two weeks with good victories over FSU & GTech and despite the hype over Jacory Harris I wasn't ready to nominate him for the Heisman. These victories were given so much credit due to high expectations for their opponents (FSU was #18 when they played and GTech was #14), but in retrospect those opponents don't look quite so mighty. FSU has fallen out of the AP poll after a loss to South Florida and looked bad in beating 1-AA Jacksonville State two weeks prior and GTech just reentered the poll this week (at #25 mind you) by beating a suspect North Carolina team. Hardly the murderers row of opponents that people were making it out to be at the beginning of the year and certainly not the quality of opposition that deserves to bring a team from unranked to #9 in the nation. How did those wins vault them past Virginia Tech who had a tough first week loss to Alabama followed up by a destruction of Marshall and a good victory against a tough Nebraska team? I guess this is why they play the games, to expose the frauds and the inflated rankings that teams get based more on the jersey they wear (how many times this past week did we hear the question "Is the U back?" - VTech's answer is "NO!") than their play on the field.

Both of these cases prove a point. Perhaps we should be waiting until a few weeks into the season before allowing any polls to be created. I know they get people excited about their teams and their seasons but the fact is, these early polls are ludicrous. Rankings based on what someone did last year is inadequate. Even if a team has mostly the same personnel, there are always changes and just removing one person from playing on the field does not tell you the whole picture on what a difference that will make off the field for some of these kids. Let's play a few weeks and then base rankings on what was actually accomplished on the field, then we will have rankings on results and not on expectation. The other downside is it keeps teams down that deserve to be elevated.

Case in point - Houston. For the second straight week, Houston defeated a Big 12 opponent. Granted this time it was on their home field as opposed to their victory in Stillwater last week but that should not diminish what they accomplished. Houston has beaten Oklahoma State who is ranked #14 on the road and defeated a Texas Tech team that gave Texas all they could handle the week before. Yet somehow they are still ranked below Penn State (who has beaten no one of consequence) and even ranked below Oklahoma State in the coaches poll (if any coach can give me a good reason for this I would LOVE to hear it).

Houston was the only team to come in and actually win their "Prove-It" game. From Ole Miss and Miami as rehashed above, to Cal's embarrassment at Autzen, to Penn State losing to Iowa at home, to Washington following up their big victory over USC with a loss to Stanford, to North Carolina proving they aren't ready to be an ACC front runner. They all fell flat when they had their chance. Yet Houston does not get the respect they deserve for their accomplishment. For beating two teams that were unranked, Miami because #9 and people were talking national title. For beating a national title contender and another respectable opponent Houston gets #12 and "maybe" making the BCS. Next week, Houston has UTEP which should be an easy win for them but it still sits as a potential trap game considering they have another high-profile matchup with an SEC foe, Mississippi State, in two weeks. Maybe two more victories will put them where they belong.

So far, I am enjoying this season and all the exciting games and storylines which have unfolded. But let's take with a grain of salt the talk of "big upsets" when the teams falling were probably a little too high to begin with.

- On a side note, kudos to Frank Spaziani and the Eagles on their stirring victory against Wake Forrest this weekend. After the shame from the Clemson loss, you have to give the coaching staff and the players credit for pulling it together and getting a much needed victory.

R.I.P. Fred Cusick

Just a brief moment of silence for the passing of long time voice of the Bruins Fred Cusick. He was 90 years old. He brought his passion for the sport and for the Bruins (he grew up in Brighton and went to Northeastern) to his broadcast every night and helped instill a love for the sport of hockey and the Bruins in particular that still burns strong in this writer's heart. Bruins broadcasts have not been the same since he retired. We'll miss you Fred.

Football, sweeps, and more football

The second week of the college football season kicked off this weekend and what a second week it was. There were thrilling last second victories, impressive breakout performances, and surprise upsets. Here's some of my impressions from the action:

- The ACC is still bad - Yes I know they went 8-1 against non-conference opponents but Wake Forest, Mayland, North Carolina, and Florida State all needed late heroics to get victories against Stanford, James Madison, UConn, and Jacksonville State respectively. Not exactly a murderers row of opponents. The only two teams that have looked consistent for two weeks has been Georgia Tech and BC. Jury is still out on Miami.

- Speaking of the Eagles, they came within 2 minutes of posting back-to-back shut outs to start the season. Still a question mark on the offensive side of the ball, the BC defense has looked stout though against lesser opponents. They'll need it as they get their first real test on Saturday when they travel to Death Valley for a meeting with the Clemson Tigers who looked pretty good despite the loss to Georgia Tech.

- Houston has a chance - The Houston Cougars have suddenly played themselves into a position to make some real noise this season. They have a talented offense led by underrated Case Keenum and they pulled off the upset of the week with their 45-35 shocker against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. With a big showdown at home against Texas Tech in two weeks, a win there will instantly make the Cougars relevant and start people talking BCS buster as their remaining schedule is filled with winnable contests. Keep your eyes and ears open for this year's flavor of the week.

- Injuries are the order of the day - First it was Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham costing Oklahoma their national title hopes now promising starts for USC and UCLA may be in jeopardy as word has come down that USC QB Matt Barkley is nursing a bruised shoulder and UCLA QB Kevin Prince will miss 3-4 weeks with a broken jaw. It will be interesting to see how true freshman Barkley deals with the injury, luckily for Pete Carroll and the Trojans they have back to back games against Washington and Washington State which shouldn't be heavy lifting for them before their October 3rd showdown at Cal. For the Bruins, losing Prince is much more damaging as they do not have the wealth of talent that USC has even to face the likes of Kansas State and Stanford.

- Ohio State still can't get it done - There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about Ohio State not being able to live up to the challenge of a big game and they proved it again this weekend with the loss to USC. Some have tried to defend them and say that their last two losses have been close (Texas in the BCS last year being the other one). But the fact of the matter is that good teams step up and make the play to win those close games. Both Texas and USC were able to convert 4th downs on late game winning drives and Ohio State simply could not come up with that big stop when it mattered. Despite all their success in the past few years, until they win another of these big non-conference games they will be rightfully haunted by these past losses.

College football was not the only story this weekend as the Red Sox completed a rain soaked (and shortened) sweep of the Rays at Fenway. The combination of those wins with Texas' two losses to Seattle has reduced the magic number to 17 with 20 games to play. There are still reasons for concern with the Sox but if Beckett, Bucholtz, and Lester continue to pitch like they did this weekend the Sox can be considered serious contenders for the post season no matter who the #4 starter turns out to be.

And no I have not forgotten about the beginning of the NFL season this weekend. Matt Ryan and the Falcons got their first victory of the season, there were thrilling finishes in Cincinnati and Green Bay, rookie Mark Sanchez continued the trend started last year by Ryan and Joe Flacco that rookie QBs can start from day 1 in the NFL, and Michael Vick may be playing much sooner that anticipated now that Donovan McNabb has suffered a rib injury. As for Mr. Vick, I have to agree with the ESPN panel that the injury to McNabb is probably the worst thing that could have happened to him. He needed the time to ease back into the game and instead because he is in the sports frenzy that is Philadelphia Eagles football he and coach Andy Reid will feel the pressure to have him play especially if McNabb is out for an extended period and if his backup struggles.

Slow day

So it has been a slow day at work today and I really want to write something here but I find myself at a loss or what to say. Nothing earth shattering has happened in the world of sports since my last post and I find myself trying to drudge up anything (Oudin in the quarters at the US Open - don't really care, Seymour not reporting to Oakland after the trade - bigger deal being made by the media than it actually is, Mangini being a girl and acting like his starting QB is the greatest secret in the world - boring). You know its a slow day in sports when a headline on Boston.com is about a high school kid becoming the starting QB for his high school. Granted the kid is the son of Gerard Phelan receiver of the most famous pass in college football history, but still... this is news?? No wonder I can't find anything to talk about even when I'm bored at work.

I can't wait for hockey season to start. Particularly college hockey season. Please come back so I have something to talk about!!!

What a mess...

The first week of college football is almost fully in the books and the ACC is once again the laughing stock of the NCAA. Let's recap...

SEC 2 v. ACC 0 - The weekend began with a pathetic performance by NC State versus South Carolina. There was hype that this was the year that NC State would start to turn the corner but they managed only a paltry 133 yards in offense and Russell Wilson did not look like the leader that this team needs. This was followed by the ABC game of the week and, just like last year, the ACC was unable to top Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Virginia Tech hung tough for much of the game but the close store does not tell the real story of the game as Alabama outgained the Hokies 498-155 in total offense. Tyrod Taylor was a pathetic 9-20 for 91 yards and no touchdowns. Without turnovers and special teams this would have been as much of a slaughter as last year's pounding of Clemson.

Middle Tennessee St. is the only D-I victory - Clemson is the only team that succeeded in beating a D-I opponent (Monday night's Miami (FL) v. Florida St. doesn't count as it is two ACC teams facing each other) and it was only Sun Belt member Middle Tennessee State. No offense to the Blue Raiders but I would be more impressed if they beat Tennessee. BC, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina had victories against I-AA teams. These were the only teams that actually performed as expected this weekend. One would even say that BC performed above expectations with their 54-0 rout but its too early to say how good BC is or Northeastern is not so I'm not going to get too hyped up about it. Which leads us to...

Duke & Virginia lost to I-AA teams - With Virginia you have to almost feel bad. They lost a lot last year and were anticipated to really struggle. BUT a 26-14 loss to William & Mary is not exactly what the Cavalier faithful were hoping for. Especially painful was the game clinching Pick 6 as Virginia was attempting to make a game saving drive late in the game. Duke is another story. They finished 4-8 last year but there were signs that this might be a team building up to its first bowl game in some time. There was decent hype around their quarterback and the offense. Now a major set back with a loss to Richmond. Granted Richmond is the defending I-AA national champion but it still does not look good for the ACC to have two losses in the opening weekend to teams that aren't even in your division.

All in all - it looks like another painful year for the ACC. Should Miami win tonight it will complete the upheaval of the first week and maintain the national reputation of the league as one that does not belong in the BCS. When teams like Boise State and BYU make firm statements with big victories the ACC continues its tread of mediocrity.

Poetic justice

And just like that, Coach Jags is without a job. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially fired Jeff Jagodzinski today from his role as offensive coordinator. Apparently they offered him the QB coaching job but he didn't want it. Now he has nothing.

He left BC because he had to check into the NY Jets coaching vacancy and was rightly terminated for it (as I expressed at length in this space). He wanted to get back in the NFL. Did not like the smallness of the college game (and probably the smaller salary). Now that may be the only place he can go for work. Waiting on the sidelines for that first D-I coaching vacancy - of maybe even a I-AA vacancy (that's right I said I-AA and not FCS - as Patty would say on Family Guy, "Want to fight about it?").

I hope he does have to stoop that low. Good luck Jags. Guess being head coach of the Eagles doesn't look so bad now, does it, even with our QB problems.

Goodbye Tedy

I realized that I neglected in this space to say a heartfelt goodbye to one of the greatest Patriots of all time - Tedy Bruschi.

For 13 seasons, Bruschi was a terror on the field with a nose for the ball carrier. In his early seasons he always seemed to be in on every tackle. He was the heart and soul of a nasty defense that shocked the world in 2002 and went on to win two more Super Bowls. Always professional, never one to make trouble off the playing field, Bruschi was the epitome of what we want to see in our professional athletes. Great on the field but a good role model off as well.

Good luck with your future Tedy and thanks for all the memories while you were in Foxboro.

Joyous occasion

Yes - I will be cold. Yes - it's outdoors in January. But its BC versus BU in hockey at Fenway Park. How can this not be one of the greatest sports memories? As long as BC wins of course.

Thankfully, season ticket holders did get first crack at the tickets (was a little worried about that considering BC's track record of not being the most generous of sorts). They went on pre-sale today and I got two tickets for Mrs. Pike and I for the Pavillion seating in the BC section. It will be like watching the game from the balcony at the Garden. How can that possibly be bad?

I debated - loge, pavillion, maybe wait for general sale and go with Monster Seats. I think I chose wisely. In the end does it really matter where you sit as long as you get seats to such a historic event?

Now I can only hope to be as lucky for Fenway seats when the Bruins play.

Bits and pieces

- The BC quarterback picture is downright scary. Justin Tuggle who was supposed to be the heir apparent is now third on the depth chart. Cody Boek who was the transfer that was supposed to challenge for playing time last year is getting no reps. Number two on the depth chart, Mike Marscovetra, not only has a mouthful for a name but is a true freshman with no presence to lead an unsteady offense. This leaves the Eagles with 25-year-old freshman David Shinskie who hasn't thrown a football in an organized game in years while playing minor league baseball. Why exactly was I told last year but the BC football booster club that the team did not need to go out and try to sign then transferring quarterback Ryan Mallet who I believe I mentioned in this space would have been the perfect fit for the BC offence? Yeah, I don't know either.

- I would not call it panic but there is certainly a reason for concern with the Red Sox. Their staring pitching has been doing OK but the bullpen and the offense have left something to be desired. Daniel Bard has not looked like the same pitcher since blowing two games to the Yankees and Rays last week. Papelbon is allowing base runners and earned runs likes its a hobby and the offense can't hit any pitcher with an ERA under 4.00 on the road. They played well against the Tigers and looked to be righting the ship with the dramatic comeback against the Rangers on Friday night. But Saturday and Sunday was more of the same with two winnable games (Penny and Tazawa weren't great but they did enough to win) and the Sox leaving runners all over the base paths. Injuries, age, and too many everyday players for too few positions may cost the Sox the post season. If they miss out, you can guarantee that the team make-up will change before next year.

- I like Michael Vick with the Eagles. Yes, what he did was a horrible thing but it should not prevent him for being able to come back and continue his job. I think he will be able to learn a lot from Donovan McNabb. A fellow Big East alum who has never had a very great relationship with the people of Philly but has been able to continually compete at a very professional level and produce good results on the field. Hopefully, Vick has learned his lesson and will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity the Eagles have given him.

- I may have the opportunity to watch two hockey games at Fenway park this year. Of course, the Bruins will be battling the Philadelphia Flyers on January 1 at the Fens (information for tickets on that event are made public later today). But word was leaked by the Boston Herald last week that BC will play BU at the Fens on January 8th with a double-header of UNH versus Northeastern in women's hockey. Once the announcement is made public later this week, ticket information should follow shortly thereafter. If BC & BU do it correctly, every season ticket holder should get a chance to purchase a ticket to the game. Even if everyone actually bought a ticket that would come no where near selling out the estimated 40,000 seats that will be available for the game. Keeping my fingers crossed - but BC has always been about the money so they will undoubtedly do what is best for their wallets as opposed to what is best for the fans.

What happens to UAH

Terrible news has come out of the world of college hockey. The University of Alabama-Huntsville has been denied admission to the CCHA. This follows on the heels of the dissolution of the CHA after too many members folded or left for another conference. Niagara and Robert Morris have found homes in Atlantic Hockey and Bemdji State has found a home in the WCHA. It would have made perfect sense for the CCHA to welcome in UAH especially since they are losing Nebraska-Omaha as part of the WCHA expansion. But it is not to be.

One has to imagine that increased travel expenses is probably the biggest issue that prompted the league to deny UAH. If UAH was allowed in then the CCHA would have two of the extremes in road games with one of the teams farthest north in Alaska Fairbanks and the team that is the farthest south in UAH. Should UAH fold, the CCHA will still be able to boast the team that is the farthest south in Miami University (surprising but true).

Travel expenses aside this was a move that made sense for the CCHA and the world of D-I hockey. Without membership, UAH will more than likely fold. This reduces the number of teams in D-I. By losing a league, the NCAA is already contemplating reducing the tournament field back to 12. As the past two tournaments have shown, some of these last four teams in have the mettle to make waves in the tourney with Notre Dame (a #4 seed) making it to the finals in 2008.

Aside from that, the CCHA now has the logistical question of what to do with an 11 team league and schedule. A 12 team league works much better and you can even have all 12 participate in the post-season which keeps up fan interest and revenue. Plus, with a team in a place like Alabama it brings the sport to new areas of the country and hopefully stirs a little interest that maybe leads to more bigger schools forming D-I programs.

I don't know what motivated the CCHA to deny UAH. Maybe it was the travel, maybe its an elitist attitude that a team like UAH could not compete on a nightly basis with the teams of the CCHA. But as we have seen countless times before in other sports in other places, sometimes all one needs is a chance and they will rise to the occasion. Here's hoping that UAH finds a home and that D-I hockey does not lose another program.

Juiced

So now it has finally come to taint someone closer to home. Up until now every name that has surfaced in the steroid allegations has either been someone that you have not been surprised about (Bonds & Sosa), someone no one cares about (Jason Grimsley), or someone it was easy to vilify (A-Rod, Clemens). Now its David Ortiz. The lovable slugger that is have been the face of the Red Sox since 2003 with his big hits, big smile, and big presence he has been a major factor in the Red Sox phenomenon these past 7 years. Now that's tainted.

Or is it? The longer this drags on the longer it seems as though Canseco was right and that 80 percent or more of the league was using performance enhancers. Does that means its OK? Of course not, but I think to some degree many of us who have followed this story over the years since Canseco's book came out have come to accept that maybe - in actuality - "everybody" was using. And if the entire league was doing it (or the vast majority) can you really fault the individuals who have been the unlucky ones to have their actual names outed?

I hate to admit that I agree with Jose Canseco, but he's right that this is more MLB's fault than the individual players. As long as MLB promoted home runs and 14-10 box scores, guys were going to do whatever it took to make sure they were a part of that and to get paid like all their contemporaries were.

Not only that, but if everyone is using does that mean that you can't penalize McGuire, Bonds, Clemens, A-Rod, and Manny by preventing them from entering the Hall of Fame. They no longer look like the guys that cheated just the guys that cheated with better results than they other guys that cheated. If PEDs do leave the game, we may not see too much change in the way of statistics (beyond the fewer home runs) as the level of players on both sides of the ball will decrease without the PED's. Pitchers, batters, and fielders will all see a decline which in the long run could mean an actual break even in many categories. No one knows.

This is not an endorsement of the steroid use, it's simply a change in perspective. Maybe it's because I do love Big Papi and all he has done for the Red Sox, maybe not. All I know is that I don't look at this as tainting anything. These men accomplished what they did against others that were on a level playing field with them. I'm going to keep my happy memories of 2004 intact whether it was juiced or not.

Let's bring in the Doc

The Red Sox are making a major play for Roy Halladay. This is not just a sniff test to gauge Toronto's price, this is a real push. Reports are out that getting Halladay will cost them Bucholtz, Bowden, and Ryan Westmoreland and they would need to get a third team involved to get the Jays the shortstop they want (Pirates and Jack Wilson perhaps?).

I love this proposed trade. Yes, Bowden did well in his limited time last year and Bucholtz looked good in his first start this year but no so much in his last one (he pitches again tonight with possible his career on the line) but Halladay is a proven winner. He gets innings and outs in bunches and is a perennial Cy Young contender. If the Sox can keep Beckett in the fold they would have Halladay, Beckett, and Lester as the center of their rotation for several years to come. It wouldn't even matter who the other two starters are this is an ace 1-2-3 right there.

Those who argue the cost is too steep need only remember what it took to get Beckett & Pedro Martinez an how it was worth was they gave up. Bowden is now projecting as a quality reliever and not a started and Bucholtz seems more and more likely to be unable to live up to the hype that followed his no-hitter two seasons ago. Westmoreland looks to be the "thrown-in" in this deal.

Here's one vote for this trade going through.

Farewell to a true Bruin

P.J. Axelsson ended is Bruins career by signing with his old Swedish elite squad yesterday. Since he signed a 4-year deal it more than likely marks the end of his NHL career as well.

For those of us who watched the majority of Bruins games for the past 11 years, Axelsson has always been at the center of the teams defensive game. He was not a point producer (his career best 17 goals and 36 points in 2002-03 being the high water mark for him) but he had the attitude and the grit that marked a true Bruins player.

Good luck back home, PJ, you will be missed.

Panic button

The Red Sox have lost 5 games in a row including a dreadful sweep in Texas. They have not been able to hit much of anything since the All-Star break and while the pitching has not been great it should have been enough to win a game or two. The Yankees have rattled off 7 in a row and they have overtaken first place in the division. Time to panic, right? Wrong.

Five games do not a season make. During those five games, we had a good performance by Lester but he was outdueled Roy Halladay, who was spectacular. Smoltz had one bad inning. And while Buckholtz wasn't great, I'm not sure it was the disaster some have made it out to be. Let's remember that Wakefield is coming back and don't be surprised if Roy Halladay isn't in a Red Sox uniform by this time next week (I don't think it WILL happen but wouldn't surprised if it did).

That brings me to the hitting. This lineup is too good to be kept down for long. It just so happens that the majority is cold all at the same time. One would hope this means that they will all get hot at the same time. The struggles of Jason Bay have really dragged down the middle of the order and allowed pitchers to be more aggressive with Youkilis and others. Bay is certainly not helping his bargaining positioning for that new contract with this latest drought. I think the pressure of playing for that new contract may be getting to him a little bit and he is certainly pressing at the plate and he continually swings at bad pitches which is making him a very easy out at the moment.

Let's remember this team is not that much different from last year's team that was one win away from back-to-back World Series appearances. Adding Laroche should help with the depth down the stretch and allow Lowell more rest time which will hopefully make his playing time more productive. If Lowrie can step up and the Red Sox can make one more deal to shore up the starting rotation, this is a team that is as good as any of the other contenders when it comes to a 7-game series. If they stumble a little now and then and end up with the Wild Card, that's fine. Let the Yanks have the division. I'll take the post season success of the past few years of divisional success any day.

Why...

...did Brian Gionta have to sign with the Canadiens????

Don't believe it

What's the worst part of this story:

On Monday night, during a 3-hour edition of Monday Night Raw, Vince McMahon announces that he has "sold" Monday Night Raw to Donald Trump. This is not the first time that Trump has been involved in a WWE story, he was part of the famous "Lose-the-match-lose-your-hair" from Wrestlemania 23 in 2007. So the Donald joining in more WWE fun isn't exactly surprising. But what came after Monday night is.

Apparently, there were enough people that thought this story was real. USA and WWE issued a joint statement saying that Trump did not actually "buy" Monday Night Raw and that it was just a story.

I'm speechless....

The (cautious) return of Papi?

I have been one of the naysayers. I will admit it. When he continually struggled early in the season I was one of those who said, "Papi may be done". He looked old, he looked slow. He couldn't catch up to the fastball and he was pulling almost nothing. All his hits (the very very few he did have) were to left. Even the first home run he hit was off a wide-eyed rookie who was getting killed by the whole line-up that night and allowed 4 home runs in the inning.

But then the Yankees came to town. Papi had two home runs at that point (granted the second barely made it over the wall to hit Pesky's Pole, not exactly one of the signature Ortiz towering right field bombs). He went deep off of A.J. Burnett, but some people even dismissed that one as it was to straight away center (and incidentally not far from my seats) and Burnett was not exactly on his "A" game that night.

Then the next one came off of Sabathia, one of the toughest left handed pitchers in the game and it was a bomb (I saw it in person and Johnny Damon didn't even move a muscle in left field). Suddenly, Ortiz had 4 home runs with 3 in a span of 5 games and he had a 7-game hitting streak thrown in. His batting average wasn't getting over the Mendoza line by much but it was creeping ever slowly higher and some of his hits were actually heading to right field. There was reason for hope.

Last night was finally what every Red Sox fan has been waiting for. A towering right field blast by David Ortiz in what would be the beginning of a watershed 6-run inning (including another 2 RBI hit by Ortiz) that propelled the Sox to an 8-3 victory over the Marlins.

I am not suggesting that the slump is completely behind him. He's still striking out a lot and at times he still seems overmatched by a pitcher with a good hard fastball. But the signs are there. He is driving balls and they are making it out of the ballpark. He may never be a 50 home run guy again but, if he can build on his recent success, there may still be a few clutch hits and/or bombs in Big Papi's arsenal. Red Sox Nation continues to hope.

Sox/Yanks - Does it get any better?

So last night was my first Red Sox/Yankees game at Fenway Park (I saw an ALCS game in 1999 in old Yankee Stadium). I know it seems weird that someone with my lust for Boston sport has somehow missed a Sox/Yanks game but there it is.

It did not start out the best as the weather was less than stellar. The high 50s and constant mist/fog/drizzle made Mrs. Pike and I a little cold and a little wet. There was an usher running around showing people to their seats with a ShamWow in hand to wipe the water off before they sat. With seats in straightaway center there was really nowhere to hide from the wetness.

There were a fair amount of pinstripes in attendance as there always is for this big series and the "Yankees Suck" chat could be heard. If it had been any other team in town I have a feeling the park would have been less than capacity but with the Yanks in town most of the patrons were willing to come out of Game On and the Cask to brave the weather and watch Beckett take the hill.

Once the game started, things began to take a turn for the better. Beckett was clearly sharp as he was pounding the strike zone and keep the Yankee hitters off balance. His counter-part and multi-million dollar free agent, A.J. Burnett was not so lucky. As the bottom of the second started, Lowell walked and the Ortiz drilled a ball to deep center that landed about one row up and 12 seats to our right and the Sox took a quick 2-0 lead. The crowd went nuts and Papi took his third bow of the season. I don't know if the home crowd will make him do a curtain call for every home run he has at home this season but its kinda fun to be there when he does. Only in Boston can a guy with an average below the Mendoza line hit his third home run of the season in June in the second inning and get a curtain call. I love this town.

As the innings wore on and Beckett continued to dominate, Burnett looked lost and would get saddled with his first loss against the Red Sox in his career. For my first Sox/Yanks game at Fenway it was pretty good. A dominant performance by Beckett, Papi hits a home run, A-Rod (or "A-Roid" as the Fenway Faithful lovingly serenaded him with all night) committed an error and with had no hits, Burnett lost against the Sox for the first time after being held back by the Yankees for the sole purpose of ensuring he would pitch against the Sox, and it was a shutout victory. Not bad at all.

And on and on and on....

Congrats to the BC baseball team. Though they were eliminated from the College World Series by Army yesterday no one can really blame them for being a little out of steam for the game considering the marathon that happened Saturday night into Sunday morning. The 25 inning affair against Texas was truly amazing and though they ended on the losing side BC can still hold its head high for participating in that game.

I kept track of the game on the College Sports TV Gametracker online and was simply amazed as the innings piled up. When the game started, the Stanley Cup playoff game had not begun, the NBA playoff game had not begun, the fights on HBO had not begun. As the game wore on, it was almost comical as it began to outlast all the other sporting events of the night that began after it. I called across the apartment to Mrs. Pike, "The BC game has now outlasted the hockey game!", "The BC game has now outlasted the Cintron-Angulo fight!", then the game outlasted Mrs. Pike as she went to bed and there was no more calling out in the apartment. By the time the final out came, it was the last sporting event going on in the US, outlasting even the 11pm college baseball game that aired on ESPNU.

But it wasn't the innings that even made the biggest impression. Austin Wood from Texas and his 13 innings of shut out, almost no-hit, pitching must have been amazing to see. As the game progressed and he was still in there (not to mention BC's Mike Belifiore and his 9 2/3 innings as well) I kept thinking that there had to be some mistake with Gametracker. That this kid who only averaged about 2 innings an outing during the regular season could not possibly have the arm strength to keep going and keep pitching at this pace in this game. It seemed inhuman. But I guess that's why the game continued because the great efforts of all the players involved.

The final run that was scored was almost anticlimatic. Following a lead off walk, the man on base was sacrificed to second, then made third on a wild pitch. The hit that drove him in was barely beyond the dive of the drawn-in second baseman (I saw the play on grainy replay on SportcenterU on ESPNU as ESPN did not have a broadcast team in Austin - which seemed a little weird not to have one with the number one overall seed - but I digress). Had he been playing back, the second basemen probably makes an easy play on that ball and BC gets the second out. They may still be playing today.

BC has much to be proud of. They came in and won a game and took the number one overall seed to extreme lengths in a second game on Texas' home turf. And then they get barely eliminated by a close play at first on a double play (many thought the runner was safe and it should have tied the game). All quibbles aside BC played well and showed that they belonged on the national stage. When they left the field at 2am on Sunday morning, the Texas fans gave them a standing ovation. For their first trip to the postseason in 42 years, they earned every single clap they got.

Scheduling Conflict

As some of your may have heard yesterday, the NBA and the WWE are at odds. It appears as though both have Denver's Pepsi Center reserved for next Monday and neither seems willing to budge. Apparently, in the ultimate of stupid, the Denver Nuggets and the Pepsi Center failed to take into account that there might actually be a basketball game that needed to be played around this time in their city.

The WWE originally reserved the location last August and then signed a confirmation contract the day after the NBA season ended in April. They have already sold over 10,000 tickets to the event, which, as part of Monday Night Raw has its one television obligations which need to be fulfilled. Vincent Kennedy McMahon has been his typical mercurial self and ripped the Nuggets ownership for not having faith in their team and saying that as of right now he has no intentions of changing the plans for Raw next week. The NBA has been equally pig-headed stating that the game will not be moved and its up to the Nuggets to make a deal with the WWE to get them to move their event.

Which makes me wonder who is truly the fool here. Is it the Nuggets/Pepsi Center for signing a contract with the WWE in April when they knew that their team was the number 2 seed in the playoffs which meant there was a good chance of a game coming to their stadium in May? Is it the NBA for simply saying, "We're not going to change our game obviously, so its the Nuggets problem on how to appease Vince and the WWE"? The third option would be the WWE but it is difficult to lay any blame with them as its certainly not their job to follow-up with the NBA to make sure its OK to have their event that they have been planning since last August.

More than likely what will happen here is that the WWE will be forced to take their show elsewhere. Perhaps one of the local colleges will be able to house the show for that night in their basketball arena or hockey rink, but those venues will certainly not be the same draw or have the same capacity as the Pepsi Center. This is just a prime example of poor planning on all sides and the inability to realize that a conflict could arise here. It will be fun to see how this plays out and how much the Nuggets and the Pepsi Center end up having to pay Vince for his inconvenience. Can't wait for next week's Raw.

No surprise but I wanted to share

I know it surprises no one but I firmly attained my title as hockey junkie when I had nothing to watch this weekend and found myself tuning in to the NHL Network to watch the MasterCard Memorial Cup. For those who don't know that is the yearly tournament at the end of the hockey season to determine the champion of Canadian major junior hockey. It takes the champions of the three major junior leagues (the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and a fourth qualifier and puts them in a round robin and then the upper two play for the final championship. I was watching the Drummondville Voltiguers (QMJHL champion) against the Windsor Spitfires (OHL champion). It was a great game that was like watching really good college hockey (they are all college aged kids after all). What really amused me was that the two Quebec teams (yes, I watched another game of the round robin on Sunday as well) were loaded with French-Canadiens and hearing the announcer at the rink in Rimouski, Quebec make the lineup announcements was just great. It brought a smile to my face and I actually enjoyed the hockey which I thought might take a while after watching the Bruins lose earlier in the week.

Here's to the NHL Network giving us junkies our fix!

Is the golden age over?

This weekend the Celtics finished off an abysmal week for Boston sports with a lackluster 4th quarter effort that ousted them from the playoffs. But perhaps something more than that ended last night as the buzzer sounded and the Garden goes quiet until October....

Back in April of 2001, the only championship this city had seen in 15 years was a BU hockey national title in 1995 (and we all know how I feel about that). Since then, BC has won two hockey titles (and been to 2 other national title games), the Patriots have won 3 Super Bowls (and been to a 4th), the Red Sox have won 2 World Series, the Celtics won an NBA title, and even the Revolution have been to 4 MLS Cups and won the SuperLiga and the US Open Cup. It has truly been a magical 8 years in the Hub. But there are signs this era may be ending.

Injuries have been the biggest problem that is hindering these teams and how those injuries will affect the long run will determine if this is truly the end. The Pats have to face the fact that Brady's knee injury could severely alter his career and they may only have a small one or two year window to win it all again before having to rebuild for a few years. The performance at that last Super Bowl against the Giants may not have been an aberration but a sign that some retooling must be done for them to reattain their past glory. The stalwarts of those Super Bowl champion teams (Vrabel, Bruschi, Brady, Law, Seymour) are either gone or are probably on the downside of their careers.

The Celtics reached an incredible summit last year after years of mediocrity. They looked poised to make another run this year but the injury to Garnett was just too much to overcome. Despite their incredible play against both Chicago and Orlando, in the end they just did not have enough. Knee injuries can level a man's career. Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill will both attest to how a bad knee injury will take you from a star to a role player. The Celtics need Garnett the star if they want to win.

For the Bruins, the future may not be as bad as they do not face an off-season with injury questions but instead actual roster questions abound. If the salary cap actually does go down as many have predicted, the Bruins will be obligated to cut payroll as they are currently up against it. Letting people like Mark Recchi and Manny Frenandez will help but they still have free agents that they need to keep and they are going to be faced with tough decisions in the next two years. The Kessel versus Krejci debate is already raging on many sports pages (my call is Krejci - more complete player with a bigger upside) and the chemistry that existed with this season's team may be hard to duplicate. In addition, no one is going to over look this team next year as many did early in the season. It was truly sad that such a great year had to end in such lackluster fashion with a team unable to raise their game for a home ice game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

BC hockey is looking at a complete retool year. Nothing seemed to work for them, the defense was a mess, Ben Smith and Joe Whitney took huge steps backward, and they could not score. From one source at the Frozen Four, the Rant learned that Tommy Cross was fighting a knee injury all year, Brock Bradford was not a very motivating team captain, and more than likely this injury for John Muse was not something that propped up out of nowhere. More than likely this will be a very down year but with players like Philip Sammuelsson, Steve Whitney, and Chris Kreider coming in the next two years the 2010-2011 Eagles should be back in the think of things in the national picture. We just have to wait it out.

Which brings us to the Red Sox. As mentioned in this space recently, age is catching up to the final holdovers from the championship teams (Varitek, Ortiz, and Wakefield). Varitek is largely the same as he has been (still batting in the low .200s with a little more power but unable to thrown out anyone on the basepaths), Ortiz struggles have been well documented and do not need to be rehashed here, and while Wakefield has had a strong start can a man of his age keep it up over the whole season as he has broken down late in the year recently. Cap that with the struggles of Lester and Beckett and the absolutely horrid defense at shortstop between both Lugo and Nick Green (cost the team at least three games that I can think of off the top of my head) and you have a recipe for disaster. This team is struggling and may need to make some real change and trade some players to make a difference. One thing we should all have learned since 2003 is that the Sox are willing to make those changes in order to succeed.

All these teams have serious issues facing them if they want to maintain their recent successes. They can't all keep up this level and it may make the end of Boston has the beacon of sporting success it has been for the past 8 years. I'll be sad to see it go but I certainly enjoyed it while it was here.

No justice in the NHL

And Colin Campbell continues his history of inconsistency. One series after suspending Milan Lucic for a game for cross checking an opposing player near the face, Scott Walker receives a $2,500 fine for sucker punching Aaron Ward.

Let me get this straight. Lucic hits a guy with a his stick a little high, cause a slight cut and gets a 2 minute cross check and a match penalty and receives a one game suspension. Lapierre wasn't even hurt. Walker hits Ward when he doesn't even have his gloves dropped, gets 17 minutes in penalties, and his hit may result in lost time for Ward. Not only does he not receive a suspension for this but even the rule mandated suspension for an instigator penalty in the final 5 minutes of a game is rescinded. Where is the logic in this? How does this make any sense? And on top of it Carolina coach Paul Maurice is allowed to make light of the situation after the game last night and suggest that what happened was no big deal. This is why there will always be fighting in the NHL because if the league brass are not willing to look out for the players on the ice, then the players will just have to do it themselves. I just hope the Bruins don't get too caught up in trying to kill Scott Walker and spend their time trying to win the game first. Make no bones about it, should the game get out of hand one way or another, Shawn Thornton or Byron Bitz is going after Walker.

Who's in and who's out

The collective sigh of relief by Bruins fans last night when Chara came back out on to the ice has been followed by a collective groan as the cheap shot Scott Walker gave to Aaron Ward may have broke his orbital bone. Walker gets an automatic one game suspension for the instigator penalty in the last five minutes of the game but hopefully Colin Campbell will tack on a few more. The 10 games suggested by E.J. Hradek of ESPN seems more appropriate.

I have a better idea. I think that when someone intentionally does something to injure another player they should be suspended for as long as that player is injured. For example, Ulf Samuelsson would have lost years for his knee-to-thigh hit on Cam Neely. Todd Bertuzzi would have been out for good for his hit on Steve Moore. If Ward truly did have his orbital fractured and he has to sit several games or, even worse, the rest of the postseason, then Walker should have to serve a suspension of at least the same length.

Watching the game

So we're off on another marathon session of Bruins, Celtics, and Red Sox.  All at the same time.  Luckily for the NBA and NHL the Bruins and Celtics are on opposite home/away schedules.

8:00 pm - So far things are looking better for the Bruins.  They have better energy and halfway through one they are outshooting the Canes 8-0.  But we have seen this before in this series.  The B's still need to put a puck in the net.  Especially Phil Kessel who is goal-less in this series.  If your top goal scorer can't put the puck in the net you have problems.  This inability to get physical and earn goals may be why the Bruins keep David Krejci and let Kessel go when they are up for free agency.

8:04 pm - lots of pucks crossing in front of the Carolina net but nothing going in.  So far very similar to some of the past games - lots of chances but for some reason everything is just off for the Bruins and Cam Ward is making all the big saves.  Time to open up Gamecast for the Celtics and Red Sox.

8:13 pm - And there is Boston's first goal.  1-0 Mark Recchi on the power play!  The good start just got better.  And on an ensuing Carolina power play, Thomas makes his first acrobat saves of the night.  The energy is definitely better than it has been in the past three games but they need to follow it up with an even better next 43 minutes.

8:14 pm - Kessel steps up! 2-0.  Maybe the luck is finally changing.  But it is still early and Carolina has proven quite resilient in the series.

8:17 pm - Period one is over and the Bruins hold the 2-0 lead and a 16-7 shot advantage.  This is the first time in four games they have significantly outshot Carolina in a period.  Unfortunately it looks like the rough start to the season is continuing for Josh Beckett as Tampa Bay is already up 1-0 with another man on the first.  The Beckett/Lester problem has got to be concerning Terry Francona because they are the bedrocks of the pitching staff and if they can't be relied upon to give consistent good starts its going to be a long season for the Sox.  Though I love him to death for all he has done for the Sox over his career, when Tim Wakefield is your most reliable starter you have serious issues with your rotation.

8:40 pm - 3-0 and its Kessel again!  This is the attack that we watched when the Bruins were hitting on all cylinders early in the season.  Krejci is making exciting plays, Kessel is finding the back of the net, the Bruins as a whole are moving the puck smoothly and swiftly.  Also, as an aside, I just want to say that I appreciate having this game on Versus so I don't have to listen to Jack Edwards.  Worst hockey play-by-play man, ever.  I miss Dale Arnold.

8:50 pm - Things looking better for all Boston teams.  Jason Bay gets another hit and ends up scoring to tie the game at 1.  He may not inspire Manny Ramirez-type fear in opposing pitchers but Bay has been clutch for the Red Sox so far this season and at least he gets to play the whole season.  Celtics currently hanging tough mid-way through the second quarter and Perkins is on his way to a double-double if he stays out of foul trouble.  As I mentioned in this space before, Perkins is a key for the Celtics in this series with Orlando.

9:05 pm - The beauty of P.J. Axelsson is the little things.  His ability to anticipate and pick of neutral zone passes as he just did on the penalty kill are what have made him invaluable for the Bruins during his career.

9:10 pm - Jussi Jokinen just may have bought himself a spot in the Ulf Samuelsson Hall of Fame with a two handed chop to the side of Chara's ankle as the big man dropped like a stone.  The Bruins faithful will be waiting with baited breath to see if Chara returns as we go to the second intermission.  Winning this game will mean nothing if they lose Chara.

9:18 pm - Rajon Rondo hits a jumper just before half to give the Celtics the 48-46 halftime lead.  He is one rebound from his second double-double of the series and Perkins is 2 points and one rebound from having a double-double himself.  Coming into tonight you would have said that the Celtics need big things from Rondo and Perkins and that the Bruins needed contributions from Kessel and Recchi among others.  So far so good for the Green and the Black & Gold.

9:29 pm - With the good comes the bad sometimes.  Chara is back on the ice and the crowd is giving him a huge ovation.  But Dustin Pedroia is not so lucky and after hurting himself on a swing has been taken out of the Sox game and replaced by the less than welcome Julio Lugo.  The Sox need to hope they haven't lost their second MVP candidate in the last week.

9:38 pm - When will venues learn that handing out free things that can be thrown is never a good idea.  As the Hurricanes continue their current march to the sin bin, the free rally towels keep raining down into the box aimed at the Carolina players.  Not sure what goes through people's minds when they throw these things, do they really think a "Terrible Towel" is going to hurt someone?  Do they think an opposing player is going to be so upset by a terry-cloth burn that it will get them off their game?  I guess I am reading too much into the minds of the not so intelligent sports fan...

9:43 pm - The Sox take a 3-1 lead on some nice hitting by Varitek and an error by the Rays.  Unfortunately, Green gets caught trying to take more on the error than he should have but I'll take the lead.  Taking tonight's game would be huge after the embarrassment of yesterday.  The worst part in yesterday was watching the parade of cheap, seeing-eye-singles that allowed most of the runs that drove Lester from the game.

9:46 pm - The rout is on.  Lucic makes it 4-0 with only 7 minutes left and the Black and Gold appear to be heading back to Raleigh for a game 6 on Tuesday.  They will need this effort again on Tuesday if they want to bring it home for a game 7.

9:50 pm - Even fighting isn't working for the Hurricanes.  Conboy has now gotten his clock cleaned by both Mark Stuart and Shawn Thornton.  Brickley just made a great point that when the Bruins are playing their best this is type of activity you expect to see out of a passionate and physical Boston crew.

9:59 pm - The physical play is now getting chippy.  Scott Walker wanted to go with Aaron Ward, Ward wanted nothing to do with him so Walker cold-cocked Ward when Ward hadn't even dropped his gloves.  Luckily Ward was able to cool Lucic out before he went too nuts and got something that could have potentially cost him another suspension.  Walker certainly might deserve a fine for hitting an opposing player who clearly was not going to fight him.  It got him a quick 17 minutes in penalties for this game.

10:07 pm - Back to Raleigh.  The Bruins come up with the dominating 4-0 victory.  They beat Carolina in every aspect of this game and this will be the effort necessary to force game 7.  Not sure what their chances would be.  My co-worker the Frenchman and I were talking about it the other day prior to game 4 and we both agreed the worst thing for the Bruins would be to enter game 6 down 3-2 because of the way the Canes have fed off their home crowd.  Celtics and Sox are holding leads at the moment but still a lot of time left in both games and Beckett is looking at bases loaded with only one out and a 3-2 lead.

10:27 pm - As ESPN shows the stats of the Tampa Bay starting rotation, Joe Morgan makes his incredible observation that the Rays have some "questions" in their starting rotation.  Not a single pitcher has an ERA below 3.50 and three of them have one over 5.  "Questions" Morgan says...gee...you think, Joe?  The man gets paid for these deep insights.  Sox still tied 3-3 but the Celts are holding a 6 point lead even with Dwight Howard putting in 21 points and getting 13 boards with 5:48 left in regulation, still a good chance for the Boston sweep.

10:44 pm - a cold night for Ray Allen may prove costly for the Celtics as they hold only a 1 point lead with 56.6 seconds left in regulation.  Allen is 0 for 5 from 3-point range.

10:51 pm - And the Celtics might blow this.  They have been leading almost the entire second half and have given up the lead in the final minutes and now trail by 1 with 11 seconds to play and the Magic have fouls to give.  Not a good formula for victory.

10:53 pm - "Big Baby" Glen Davis makes the last second shot to pull off the victory!  As Orlando prevented Pierce and Allen from getting anywhere near an open shot.  Davis has a huge night and finished with 21 points on an impressive 9-for-14 shooting (even though he missed 5 of 8 field goals).  Boston now 2 for 2 on the night with the Sox still tied at 3 in the 8th.

11:12 pm - Manny who?  Jason Bay comes up clutch again this season and knocks in the go ahead run to give the Sox the 4-3 lead.  He has quickly endeared himself to the Fenway faithful and there will certainly be a push by the media and fans in Boston to prompt Theo and the Red Sox brass to lock Bay up on a long-term contract.

11:30 pm - Bad fielding victimizes the Red Sox and now Papelbon faces 1st and 3rd with no one out and Carlos Pena at the plate.  Papelbon has not been as lights out as he has in the past few seasons, it makes you wonder what is going on with the Sox pitching staff in general though they brought Daniel Bard up today for some much needed depth.  And Papelbon is just barely missing the plate continually here...I sense a walk coming.

11:40 pm - After getting himself in trouble, Papelbon strikes out Pena, Upton, and Crawford to complete the save and give the Sox the 4-3 victory.

So the marathon ends with Boston teams playing three exciting games and gaining three important victories.  Hero Phil Kessel finally scores and puts in two to lead the Bruins to a 4-0 win and to keep the season alive.  Hero Glen David hits a clutch basket as time expires to send the Celtics to a 95-94 victory and bringing the series back to Boston tied 2-2.  Finally hero Jason Bay knocks in the go ahead run in the 8th inning and Papelbon seals the 4-3 victory giving the Sox a much needed series victory over the Rays as they head out on the road.  One of the more exciting nights in months for Boston sports I would just like it with a little less tension next time.