Merry merry

As we roll into the final days before Christmas, I find myself very happy with the state of Boston athletics. The Celtics have won 13 in a row (including 2 with Rondo on the shelf), the Bruins are 5-2-2 in their last nine and have solved the Savard/Sturm salary issue without disrupting the team chemistry, the Pats look like they can beat anybody right now even when they have a lackluster performance (thank you Dan Connolly) and sit at 12-2 with games against lowly Buffalo and Miami remaining.

BC sports has good news of its own. After a disastrous 2-5 start, the football team is once again bowling (though Colin Kaepernick may make them wish they weren't come Jan 9), the hockey team seems to be pulling it all together after an uneven start and sit in a three way tie for 3rd in the Pairwise (see sidebar). (Just a note - in the first edition of the PWR I put on this blog, BC was lined up with Miami. I know there are only 16 teams and the odds are pretty high but its creepy how that keeps happening). Nothing but good news on the basketball front as well. The women's team is off to their best start in history at 11-0 with four more winnable games before getting into ACC play against North Carolina on Jan 9 (is that an omen?) and the men's team is a surprising 9-2 with a win over a good Texas A&M team and a competitive loss to a decent Wisconsin team - they too have four more winnable game before getting deep into ACC play. Things are looking up. Now on to some Monday musings (with my wish list for some sports figures):

- To Geno Auriemma - May Santa bring you a reality check. Geno, you are getting the attention your team deserves for breaking an impressive record that can never be duplicated in the men's game again. How do you do it? You are able to keep players like Maya Moore and Tina Charles for 4 years. No men's program will ever be able to do that in the modern NBA era. So take your attention and keep your mouth shut. People don't disrespect you because you are women. They disrespect you because you are an ass. People don't like you. If Stanford or Baylor or Tennessee were accomplishing the same thing I would be happy for them. But I don't like you and that's why I root against you. And there are many others who feel the same way.

- To Austin Collie - May Santa bring you a new brain. After getting his third concussion of the season Collie needs to reassess what he is doing on the field. Once or twice is an accident but this many this quickly seems to suggest to me that he is putting himself in a bad position on the football field. May you have a relaxing holiday and I hope 10 years from now you remember what the word football even means.

- To Miami University - May Santa bring you a head football coach who actually wants to be there. Only two years into his tenure and after bringing the program a MAC title one year after going 1-11, Mike Haywood took his talents to Pittsburgh (thank you LeBron for bringing this lovely turn of phrase into the sports lexicon - its so versatile - I guess your hour long ego boost was worth something). Not that I blame him, the call to coach in a crappy conference where a team with 4 losses can make the BCS probably is more alluring than toiling in the MAC but having a coach of any kind for so short a period can really cause great turmoil for a program. Here's hoping the next coach stays long enough to see one of his recruiting classes graduate.

Finally - if anyone has a chance to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 "Pony Excess" about the rise and fall of SMU football in the 80s, do so. It's worth it. Great story and great look into how bad things were back then. Though SMU was the most notorious because of the "death penalty" everyone was doing exactly what they were. Priceless moment - Craig James and Eric Dickerson talking about how Dickerson will never reveal what swayed him to go to SMU over A&M after A&M gave him the gold Trans Am.

Anticipation

Very soon the first PWR rankings will be released and the talk of national championships shall begin again. Last year, Quinnipiac took the initial number 1 ranking and then failed to even make the tournament in one of the worst second-halfs I've seen in years. Early guess is that Yale will be the initial number one sporting a robust 10-1-0 record its hard to argue against. For BC, their fortunes should be high as well. Despite have 5 losses, only one of those is at home and they currently have 2 road victories over a highly ranked Denver team and 2 victories against highly-ranked Maine as well. Early season road wins against a top-tier opponent can carry serious PWR weight, just ask Vermont.

I like what I'm starting to see in this BC squad. It appears that the loss to Vermont a couple weeks ago may have awoken the beast. They have now won 5 of their last six and those 5 wins were by a combined 28-8 (including the 5 goals allowed chaos on Friday night). The reuniting of Whitney-Gibbons-Atkinson has paid immediate dividends as Gibbons boasts a six game point streak and Atkinson has a 5 game streak. When Kevin Hayes rejoins the line-up after Christmas that should give BC two top lines capable of scoring multiple goals every night. If Hayes-Hayes-Kreider clicks the way one would expect two first round and one second round NHL draft pick to click this could be the deepest scoring BC team since 2001 (Lephart-Eaves-Gionta and Kobasew-Kolanos-Voce). It should be a great second-half to the year.

Falling off the bus

Since the beginning of the season everyone has talked about the Boise State bus. I was a happy rider of that bus believing that if the Broncos finished the season as one of two undefeateds they should have a spot in the BCS national title game. I still believe that. Unfortunately for Broncos fans, two missed kicks means no undefeated season. That sting will last quite some time and it looks more and more like BC may be the team taking the brunt of that sting should both teams end up in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (I swear they are just drawing names out of a hat now for these bowls) as many predict.

But then yesterday, Boise got another kick in the teeth (all apologies to Kyle Brotzman for the "kick" reference). TCU is moving to the Big East starting in 2012. I'm not going to go into the idea of a team from Texas being a part of the Big East as geography has ceased to matter in conference affiliations for a while now (Louisiana Tech is in the Western Athletic Conference?? Seriously??). But for Boise this is a disaster.

Going into this season, the Mountain West was on the cusp of attaining auto-qualifier status for the BCS. They had Utah & TCU, two teams that have been to BCS bowls and, in Utah's case, won twice. Another team in BYU which has had stellar seasons in its long history with a legitimate chance to make a BCS bowl in the future. Boise State looked to add itself to this hearty resume and push the Mountain West over the top. But then, Utah leaves for the Pac 12, BYU decides it should be independent and now TCU has left for the Big East. With Nevada and Fresno State coming with BSU to the Mountain West, it has essentially just recreated the WAC. The level of competition is mildly better (Air Force & San Diego State step up every once and a while) but Boise is still going to be kings of a second-rate conference and come no closer to the legitimacy they were seeking by joining the Mountain West to begin with.

So next year will be another year of touting for the Boise bus - complete with new kicker.

Writer's block

I'm not a writer. Ask anyone. I don't write. It was my nemesis when I was in school. In college I intentionally skipped classes that had large writing components. Yet I have this blog. Which I have neglected for a month and a half. Not because stuff hasn't been happening (worst rated World Series in history, Jeter winning another Gold Glove he doesn't deserve, the Dallas Cowboys, the BCS, Cam Newton's pay-for-play), I just haven't been able to write anything. I have ideas at bad times. On the train, driving to the grocery store, as I'm falling asleep. When I find time to write, the ideas are gone. And hence, a month and a half hiatus. My good friend the Pobble can appreciate writer's block. Alas, she is a writer. Does it for a living. But not me. But now I'm back - no diatribe today, just some random thoughts.

- Cam Newton. We are perhaps watching one of the biggest tragedies in college sports in quite some time. Here is a kid with all the talent in the world. Runaway Heisman Trophy candidate at this point. Team in the national title picture which hasn't happened for Auburn in years and it may all be for naught. With the speed (or lack thereof) that the NCAA operates none of the charges will be proven or not against Cam or his increasingly slimy father until well after the season is over. Which means Auburn could go to the national title game (taking a spot from Boise or TCU), win the national title, Newton can be the Heisman winner, and it could all go away. If Auburn paid over $100,000 to get Newton, which is more horrible than I care to express, they will be stripped of the title, Newton will be stripped of the Heisman and Oregon will get a title they didn't earn, TCU and Boise will cry foul for not getting a chance and another Heisman will be left vacant. Part of me wants Auburn to lose to Alabama or South Carolina in the SEC title game just so that can't happen. I hope its all wrong. I hope Auburn paid nothing. But, the more you hear, the more you worry about the truth at the heart of the story. Because if it is true, one of the greatest NCAA D-I seasons in history will disappear for the books like it never happened.

- I want to believe in the BC hockey team, but they are making it hard. Since going to Denver and taking an impressive 2 game sweep the Eagles are 4-4. And not looking very impressive doing it. One of the highest scoring offenses from last season has only scored more than 3 goals twice so far this season. Not inspiring. And they dropped games to Merrimack (who may be better than expected) and a Vermont team that had yet to win this season. Now comes a two game tilt against Maine at home. They need at least 3 points out of this weekend to get some consistency going. The team some thought could win 40 games is going to be fighting for their playoff lives in February if they don't right the ship soon.

- Speaking of believing in BC, there are some bright spots. The football team is now one win from bowl eligibility, something thought impossible after the 2-5 start. However, I think they are starting to gel and Chase Rettig looks better every week. The find of the second half of the season has been Max Holloway who almost single-handedly shut down Duke with a dominant performance on Saturday punctuated by the knock-down of the crucial 4th down pass late in game. Both of BC's final opponents are beatable. Finishing 7-5 would be nice but the reward may be a date with Nevada in a bowl game. Not sure that's what the Eagles want to see. And the women's soccer team has moved on the the round of 16 for the 3rd straight season. We'll see this weekend if they can breakthrough to the final four.

Season opening thoughts

Yesterday started the NHL and college hockey seasons (last weeks Michigan v. Mercyhurst tilt excepted). Tomorrow begins the BC and Bruins seasons. I am dialed in. I'm in DC with MRs. Pike's brother & his wife but I am still dialed in. I have the Miami/UNH game on GameTracker and I am planning on ways to catch the Bruins games in Prague the next two days.

This is my favorite time of the year. All teams have title aspirations. All fans believe this might be "the year". Bring it on.

Some thoughts on recent topics -

- Randy Moss. I'm OK with this. The Pats knew they weren't going to resign Moss, Minnesota desperately needed a receiver and at least they got something in return. I will miss Randy. Despite how the season ended, 2007 was one of the most magical NFL years I have ever witnessed and Randy was central to that success. Now if Brett can pay more attention to the field that to his privates - Moss will probably see a lot more balls than he would have staying in New England.

- Speaking of Favre. WTF?? Who does that? It sounds like the type of thing my buddy would do at a wedding with one of those throw away cameras. If this turns out to be true, I can't think of anything more embarrassing for someone at the end of a HOF career.

- Congrats to Roy Halladay. Though I wish the Red Sox could have gotten him away from Toronto, it was a nice story to see a guy who toiled for years on teams that just had no prayer of making the post-season get a chance to shine. He is a world class pitcher who has always had the "But" attached to him because he had never been post-season tested. Should he power the Phils to another title he will cement his spot in the echelon of the great pitchers of the era.

- Finally - a shout-out to loyal reader Boston Pobble. I was late with the birthday wishes but just wanted her to know that she is missed in Beantown and that her birthday last year, and number 35 ;), were a blast.

Glimmer of hope

I don't know why I do it - but I actually got excited last night when the Sox took the 3-2 lead in the top of 9th against the Yanks in New York. Maybe because I love the Sox, maybe because I hate the Yankees, maybe I just wanted something to really root for after watching the Patriots get lucky against the Bills. But I felt pretty good. Then Papelbon got squeezed, the Yankees rallied, tied the score and all my excitement disappeared as I rolled over and went to sleep, certain of the inevitable loss that followed.

I'm not going to go on a diatribe about how they were still mathematically in it (they were) or get on my soap box about how this game was a microcosm of the season (it was) and I'm certainly not going to turn this into an over-the-top negative statement about the state of the Red Sox. (Just as an aside - did anyone else read that ridiculous article by Dan Shaughn"ASS"y in the Globe the other day. There is no ray of sunshine for that man. None. Everything has to be negative. Even a Mike Lowell appreciation night needs to become something negative with him. He seriously needs to take some happy pills or see a counselor or something. Issues - that's all I'm saying.).

Instead, I will use this moment to be happy. There is a glimmer of hope. College hockey starts on Thursday and the first game that counts is Michigan v. Mercyhurst in Ann Arbor on Saturday. And the Eagles pick up their sticks for an exhibition game on Sunday. So it can't all be bad.

A couple of weekend observations:

- Dave Shinskie is bad. I appreciate all he did last year, gutting it out to get the Eagles to an 8-5 record and a win away from the ACC title game. But he is not good. I hope Marcovetra or Rettig can put something together against the Irish this weekend but it doesn't look good. There is a lot of promise on the BC team but the main pieces are just so young and inexperienced that its going to take a season or two to get back where they were.

- The Atlanta Falcons may be for real. After trouncing their opponent last week, the Falcons went out and followed it up with a solid victory in New Orleans against the defending champions. Yes, they allowed a game tying field goal as time expired in regulation but in overtime they took advantage of the opportunity they were given and finished off the Saints. Makes me feel good to see Matt Ryan succeeding at the next level.

What could have been

I have delayed posting about the Red Sox because it has been so mind-numbingly frustrating all season. They are a good team. In fact they are a great team. For most of the year they have been one of the top 5 teams in the entire league. But they will not make the playoffs this year. Why? Injuries.

I know its easy to say that but simply take a look at the current roster and you know its true. They are producing in September and 6 games out of the wild card spot with a roster full of Pawtucket players. Nava, Kalish, Lowrie, and Lowell are all regular starters now. Two guys who were so far down on the OF depth chart to start the season that most people didn't even bother talking about them and and two IF's who many thought would never play in Boston again.

While 6 games seems like a lot, keep in mind the Red Sox own the 5th best record in the AL despite all this. If not for the fact that the two best teams in baseball play in the same division, the Sox would have a legitimate shot at the wild card. At this point, without a monumental collapse by either the Rays or Yanks, 6 games is just too much to make up in such a short amount of time. Even so, they have a chance to end the season with 90 wins and be the first team out of the playoffs. This would be done without a former MVP and MVP candidate in the line-up for large portions of the season. Not to mention the Ellsbury/Cameron outfield hole.

And the biggest crime in all this, Terry Francona will not win manager of the year. He won't because his team will not make the post-season and for reasons that escape me this pretty much disqualifies you from an award. I even had a die-hard Yankee fan tell me last week that Francona should win. That tells you something. To be able to consistently compete, night in and night out with the many make-shift line-ups he has had to put out there. To deal with the Ellsbury situation and still have a team that produces the second most runs in the majors is nothing short of amazing. I have respected the job Tito has done since coming to the Sox but this year might be his most impressive work yet. Is he perfect? Of course not, he makes mistakes like everyone else but he had made his team contenders when they have no right to be with the depleted line-up they've had.

The season is all but over for the Sox. Without making the playoffs, they've been good. But they good have been great.

Weight of the World on his Elbow

Stephen Strasburg's journey to be the savior of professional baseball in DC seems over before it ever truly started. After an abbreviated rookie season that saw unbelievable numbers both on the diamond (92 strikeouts in 68 innings) and at the ticket counters, Strasburg will have season (this and next) ending Tommy John surgery.

With this kid in the fold and this year's number 1 pick as well, things were starting to look up for the former Montreal Expos. A franchise which has been largely a joke since the strike-shortened 1994 season where they had the best record in baseball when the season was called off. But Strasburg was supposed to be the start of a real turnaround in DC.

I'm not trying to say that all is lost. But with a 12-18 month rehab staring him in the face, Strasburg will not suit up again for Washington until at least 2012. And it will take him some time to get his rhythm back so we may even be looking at 2013. But let's face facts, rarely is a pitcher as good as he was prior to the surgery. Those 100 mph fastballs may simply be gone along with the ligament in his elbow.

One has to wonder if the weight of the expectation got too much for the kid and he was out there overthrowing every day, trying to prove to everyone that he was the next great thing. There must have been no injury indicators in his pre-draft workouts otherwise he never would have been the number 1 pick. So it begs the question of how a kid who seemed to have no injury issues suddenly get a worn shoulder (which earlier landed him on the DL) and now a blow elbow. I'm reminded of Pedro Martinez from the 1999 All-Star game. He was so hyped pitching at Fenway and striking out all 6 batter he faced (almost on 18 pitches) that he was damaged for the rest of the season.

For the sake of the Nationals, baseball fans, and Stephen Strasburg himself, I hope that he will recover and come back to fulfill the promise he showed this season. Unfortunately for him, his performance this season has shown what he is capable of when he is at his best. Anything less will be considered a disappointment whenever he retakes an MLB field in the future to the DC faithful. More pressure on a kid who already had too much.

Christmas in August

Who knew Christmas came in the summer? Got my confirmation the other day that I have won tickets to the Frozen Four in Minneapolis/St. Paul in 2011 through the regular NCAA lottery. This came as quite a surprise to me. I thought maybe next year when it was in Tampa and there are no college hockey schools in driving distance so there would be fewer entries. With the plethora (Si, El Guapo, I know what a plethora is) of schools close to Minneapolis, I assumed the flood would be such that I would not have a chance this year. Apparently my ticket luck is holding out lately.

I'm in (and now have preference for future years).

Minneapolis, here I come! Go Eagles!

Face of the Franchise

As we approach the start of football season (which means hockey season isn't too far away either), the number one question that seems to be floating around Patriots camp is, "When will they sign Brady to an extension?" If he didn't sign (which I highly doubt as Belichick and Bob Kraft know how much Brady means to the franchise), that would a drastic change in what we have all come to know and love about the Patriots since their magical run through the 2001 playoffs to their first Super Bowl win. It got me thinking, if you look around the Boston sports landscape, many seen as the "face of the franchise" may be on their way out.

Celtics - Paul Pierce. Pierce recently re-signed with the team for 4 more years which will almost certainly take him to the end of his career. But in the past couple years, there has been a definite downturn in his abilities leaving some to even argue that it is now Rajon Rondo's team. I won't quite go that far but it is clear Pierce is on the downside and his time as the centerpiece of the Celtics are numbered. Add in the aging bodies of Ray Allen & Kevin Garnett and you see the whole make up of the men in green in serious flux.

Bruins - Zdeno Chara. This one is tough. Some will claim that it is Milan Lucic - but how can someone who barely even played last year be the face of the franchise. You could make a case for Marc Savard but his contract may soon be voided so his time with the Bruins is limited at best. Quite frankly, if the Bruins do lose him one might argue its a good outcome as they have been trying to unload Savard and his heavy contract all off-season, though I bet they would rather trade him than lose him to free agency. Which leaves us with Big Z, Zdeno Chara, who's contract is up at the end of the season. The Bruins are notorious for not giving big time free agents their due but that seemed to change when they signed Chara and Savard before the 2006-07 season. Whether they will be willing to part with big money to keep the Norris trophy winning blueliner remains to be seen. What is not a mystery is that if they don't, the Bruins would be parting with or actively looking to part with what was once considered the Big Three in Chara, Savard, and expensive goaltender Tim Thomas. That would certainly be a change.

Red Sox - David Ortiz. He has come to epitomize the attitude and the heart that Bostonians have come to love about their Sox since 2003. His smile, his size, and his production have made him a fan favorite. When David is on the DL or when he is in a slump, something about the team just doesn't seem right. The Sox have a $12.5 million option on Big Papi for the 2011 season. Will exercise or not? They almost certainly will part ways with Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek, and Tim Wakefield at the end of this season. Losing Ortiz as well will give this team a very different feel and no matter how loyal Red Sox Nation may be, losing that many local heroes in one year is a lot to absorb and the Sox may feel it in the worst place of all, their wallets. Personally, I think it is time to let him go and begin a new era. If that includes a guy like Adrien Gonzalez to make up the difference, so be it.

Any way you slice it - change is coming to Boston sports. Tom Brady will almost certainly re-sign (for more money than even he probably deserves but that is a discussion for another day). But for the other three major sports teams in Boston, the old guard are on the way out. This is the time when franchises either sink or swim. How do you replace the face of the franchise? We're going to find out.

In Perpetuity

Being a lawyer (by training if not actual practice) I have an affinity for contract terminology. Part of me would love to look at some player contracts and see what types of protections and conditions are affiliated with their contracts. How they decide to structure payment, etc. Lately, it's NHL contracts that have become increasingly interesting, mostly because they have become increasingly long.

A few years back when Rick DiPietro signed a 12 year contract everyone thought that the Islanders were crazy to sign an injury-prone, though young, goaltender to such a long deal. In this day and age few players ever stick with a club for that long. But since then multiple stars have signed these long term deals as they help the clubs manage payroll in the salary cap era. This has gone on right up to Ilya Kovalchuk signing a 17 year deal with the Devils yesterday. 17 years?? To quote WWE star the Miz, "Really?? Really??"

Forget the fact that there is zero chance that Kovy stays with New Jersey for 17 years, is he even going to be playing in 17 years? He'll be 44. Granted there are guys that play into their 40's (Mark Recchi will be 42 when we laces up for the Bruins next season) but they are few and far between. All it takes is one serious injury and 27 years old becomes retirement. Now should Kovalchuk start of a downward slide in 5 years, trying to trade him may become problematic if there are still 7 years left on his deal whether he's owed a lot of money or not.

It seems absurd to me to make these time commitments to players from a team perspective. I know that the Devils don't intend for Kovalchuk to be around for 17 years. They can't be that stupid but I wonder if the threat of the KHL doesn't play in here because now Kovy is stuck in the NHL for the rest of his playing days and I know some KHL teams were making offers to him while he was mulling deals from LA and NJ. I think teams are losing flexibility with these long deals and paying players on performance they have not earned. Look at Chicago who is saddled with long deals to Toews, Kane, and Hossa and had to jettison some major pieces to their Stanley Cup winning team in order to stay within the cap. It had an almost Florida Marlins feel to it watching Byfuglien and Ladd (and Patrick Sharp probably going as well) getting traded so quickly after the season was over.

I know that the cap and the collective bargaining agreement make the owners sign these contracts but you have to wonder who will be hurting the most 5 or even 10 years from now when some of these guys are playing out contracts they ceased to be worthy of years before and teams are stuck putting them on the ice night after night because they can't trade them and don't have the money for a buy-out. Only time will tell.

My Cup Runneth Over

One finds it very difficult to watch the World Cup when there is a 6 hours time difference between where the games are being played and where I am. About a year ago I would have been able to actually watch the games on the work TV (located conveniently close to my cube) but recently the bosses decided to switch carriers and for some reason ESPN was removed from the channel list. CBS College Sports and the Golf Channel made the cuts but ESPN did not. Makes sense, right?

Anyway, because of this I have been prompted to only viewing things via the ESPN Gamecast and catching what I can on weekends and the brief half hour I could see before I left the house for the 7:30am start times. Over the course of the past week and a half I have however become the "go-to" guy around the office for the latest score updates and US scenario updates. But alas, Gamecast does leave a lot to be desired from watching it live. Somehow I managed to resist the temptation to just say to hell with work and just watch lots of soccer. Though I admit I will be taking tomorrow off with the explicit purpose of watching Portugal v. Brazil. I know that Brazil is already through and is basically playing for pride (especially without Kaka on the pitch) but I'm still hoping that Cristiano Renaldo and the boys can put Brazil away and maybe even win the group.

The real downside to watching Gamecast is that I can't even speak with authority no how a team has looked on the pitch. Though I did watch US v. England, I did not see the Slovenia game or the Algeria game today (Landon Donovan!!) and have to trust in other observers for their impressions of what transpired. From what I have seen online and what I have watched, the US has had ample opportunities to win all three games that they have played but have lacked finish (referee takeaways not withstanding). If things stay as they are at this minute the US will be looking at a date with a very good German team on Saturday and Klose will be back in the line-up after sitting today with a red card. The Germans do not lack finish and will destroy the US if they can't find the back of the net. If they want to prove the Confederation Cup win against Spain wasn't a fluke, they need to pull it together within the box and put some goals on the board.

Long time

It has been some time since I have posted. Over two months actually. Very simple reason for that. Bruins hangover. Something happened to me when the Bruins lost to the Flyers to become only the 3rd NHL team to ever blow a 3-0 lead. I stopped caring. For quite some time all my sports enthusiasm was simply gone. Strange but true. Any and all good feelings from BC winning the national title was stripped away.

Then last night the Celtics lost game 7 to the Lakers. Not a total shocker. I actually watched very little of the entire Finals. Watched mostly via ESPN Gamecast. As I have lamented in that past in this space, the officiating in the NBA has got to be some of the worst in professional sports (Jim Joyce's perfect game gaffe not withstanding). And from the sound of it, watching last night's game certainly would have done nothing to alleviate that bias.

And now today, the US World Cup team gets screwed by a whistle happy ref. A call that was so bad that no one seems to be able to agree on what the actual call was (foul on Edu, foul on Bocanegra, offsides, the voice in my head told me to....). So now the US is in a position where they must beat Algeria on Wednesday. A little help from Algeria today against England will mean that come Wednesday all they will need is a victory with no other help but I won't hold my breath (interestingly, Mr. Green is not in net for the English side today - I guess that gaffe against the Yanks was too much).

Either way, despite the bad news I think the funk is lifting. Better numbers by the Sox, Philly not winning the Stanley Cup and the general excitement of the World Cup helps a lot. I plan to be back to posting. Whether anyone is still reading is a different story.

Another for the trophy case

BC went to Denver as the third most likely team to win the title. They faced Miami who spent all season as one of the top two teams in the nation. They face Wisconsin, who was the odds on favorite to win it all with their size, speed and defensive strength. But a funny thing happened on the way to the title, neither team could handle the speed of BC and everyone (including yours truly) underestimated the ability of the Eagles defense. For two games, the Eagles were the best team in the land and they now have their fourth national championship to show for it. In 16 years, Jerry York has taken what was a good program that was down on its luck and constructed a dominating force for a decade plus. 3 national titles, 7 national title games and 9 Frozen Fours since 1998. Congratulations Eagles - for 13 years you have been the most consistently successful team in college hockey.

On a personal note, my celebration is a bit muted this year. I think on some level the reduced enthusiasm by Mrs. Pike probably has something to do with it (she being understandably bothered by the semi-finals result). Not actually being in Detroit as I was in Albany and Denver in years past probably has something to do with it. But also, winning for the third time in such a short span has something to do with it too.

Each title is special. In 2001, that was the first title of a team I followed since the Celtics in 1986 (of which I didn't really care too much back then). In 2008, it was the first time I was able to share a BC title with Mrs. Pike and that made it special. In 2010, I was able to share the celebration experience with Old Man Pike as he was visiting for the day on Saturday. All the past titles by Boston teams (BC, Sox, Pats, Celtics) I was only able to share with him over the phone. But having him there with me when this one went final gives it a little something the last two didn't have.

I will savor this and hope for only limited defections from this Eagle team and hope they don't have the hangover that has plagued them and BU the last two seasons.

Go Eagles!!

Another final

The casual college hockey fan is unhappy with the results of last evening. The olde boys club has once again denied admission to a new member. Saturday's Frozen Four final will pit Wisconsin (they of the 6 national titles) against Boston College (they of the 3 titles and 7 finals appearances since 1998). The collective college hockey world goes, "YAWN!" I try not to get complacent and think that BC should be there every year. I remember the 11-1 blowouts back in 1994-95 and the very lean years before Jerry. But it is definitely not boring for me.

Last night, game 1 was as predicted. Wisconsin took RIT very seriously and put the clamps on them early and destroyed them as they should have (and some might say as Denver should have two weeks ago). Game 2 was a bit more of a surprise but certainly understandable.

Coming into the game I felt that if both teams played to their strengths (BC - speed & creativity; Miami - sound defense & goaltending) then this would be a tight game with both teams working hard and grinding for open space and shots on net. For much of the first period this is what we saw. But the thing that had me concerned for Miami last night was the speed of BC. Miami did not handle Michigan's speed well and allowed numerous breakaways and odd-man rushes. Only the absolutely stellar play of Connor Knapp and a fortuitous whistle in the first overtime saved Miami. Last night they weren't so lucky. As BC started to assert itself in the first period and carried that over to the three quick goals, their team speed became was too much for Miami to handle. The Eagles were beating Miami to every loose puck and forcing turnovers. The Redhawks could find no open space and could not get a solid handle on the BC forwards and despite a solid second period of relief effort from Cody Reichard, neither Miami goaltender could keep the pucks out of the net.

As good as BC looked last night, they will not be able to shut down Wisconsin in that same fashion. The Badgers are bigger, faster and more talented on defense. As has been the case throughout this tournament, the first goal will be a huge key tomorrow night as Wisconsin has the defensive corps to keep the BC forwards in check and hold an early lead.

Win/Win - Maybe

T-minus 4 and a half hours until the final piece of March (now April I guess) Madness gets underway. Thankfully the Wisconsin-RIT game is first. Though I love my DVR (have I mentioned it might be the greatest invention of all time) I much prefer watching the game actually live. Not sure why but some of the excitement gets drained when you don't have to wait through commercials and in between periods. I anticipate being home in time to actually catch up to live action on the Wisconsin game but am I happy it is that game that requires the DVR and not BC/Miami.

As the day wears on I am finding myself getting a little more anxious/excited. I see this as a potential win-win situation for me tonight. Mrs. Pike has decided that heading to the Miami alumni event downtown is better than watching with me from home. It will be the first time since we started dating that we have not watched the Frozen Four together. Strangely it will be the first time we are both still in the state of Massachusetts for the Frozen Four as well (watched in Vegas in 2005 the one year we did not actually attend).

I find myself saddened by this. Mrs. Pike fears me getting upset should BC lose (and history does back her up) as she does not want her celebration diminished by my anger/frustration/sadness. But she fails to see that I will also be happy in some way. Not that the Eagles lost (perish the thought!) but that Miami will get a chance to redeem themselves after victory was so cruelly snatched away last year. Plus, I want my wife to experience that joy of having HER team win the title. She was excited in 2008 but it will be nothing compared to her excitement should the Redhawks be the ones hoisting the trophy on Saturday night. The funny thing is she doesn't even yet realize the difference. She thinks she does but speaking from experience, she doesn't. For me, 2008 was something special but nothing compared to 2001 when a team that I supported heart and soul finally won something. I had not experienced that before as the Pats and Sox had yet to win in my lifetime at that point. I hope Mrs. Pike will experience that at some point. I don't want it to happen this year but I won't be too upset if it does.

So either BC wins and I'm very happy - or BC loses and somehow I think I will still find some happiness in that. Maybe.

Mixed Reviews

Yesterday started with the good news that the search for a BC basketball coach had concluded and they had hired Steve Donahue from Cornell. I like this hire and I applaud Donahue for cashing in while his stock was hot. Having a senior laden team that gels and makes a tourney run always helps the resume (just ask Jim O'Brien). But I have hope that he will be a good fit, even though the biggest question mark will be his ability to recruit in the ACC won't be known for a year or more. Short of luring Bruce Pearl to his alma mater, I think BC got the best of what was available and certainly a very different face to head the program.


But that good tiding would sour as the day wore on. Last night, the Red Sox lost to the Yankees with a combination of an error by Marco Scutaro and some erratic pitching by Okajima. The run prevention Red Sox have now allowed 13 runs in two games and their newly minted multi-millionaire Josh Beckett and supposed Cy Young candidate Jon Lester have both failed to make it beyond the 5th inning and both left the game trailing. Not exactly good omens for the season. It's still early and I'm not sounding the warning bell, just saying it's not good news.

Then came the late night news, confirmed this morning, that Dennis Seidenberg will be effectively sidelined for the rest of the Bruins season because of the laceration he suffered in the Toronto game. Originally thought to have not done any major damage, Dennis had surgery to fix a lacerated tendon and will need 8 weeks to recover. None but the delusional think the Bruins will still be playing in 8 weeks. This means that the Bruins will be without Ference (likely until the playoffs), Stuart (2 weeks), and Seidenberg as they play the last three games of the season and try to lock down that final playoff spot. Luckily for them, Rask has been playing well (the Washington game aside) and the Rangers helped out by losing last night to bring the magic number down to 4 points. A Ranger loss tonight and the Bruins need only pick up 2 points over their final 3 games to lock the spot. Unfortunately, the Rangers would have to lose to Toronto tonight which could potentially push Toronto past Tampa Bay and Florida in the standings and minimizing the chances of the Bruins landing a real game changer in the draft with Toronto's pick. Bad news all around here.

Exhaustion

I have officially reached exhaustion point and the NHL playoffs haven't even started yet. Because of all the college basketball and hockey that had been on the past few weeks I was already quite tired when last Thursday came around and Mrs. Pike called me mid-afternoon to say that she had been given tickets to that night's Bruins game against the Florida Panthers. Given as in free. Sweet loge level seats for free. To illustrate how tired I was that day, I almost said "No". (I'll give you a second to go back and re-read that last sentence so you know your eyes didn't fool you). Yes, I almost said no to free Bruins tickets. But I did finally go and suffered through a grueling 1-0 loss to a terrible Florida team. The only nice part of the game (and I do mean ONLY) was that Scott Clemmensen looked pretty good in net for the Panthers in earning the shut out.

After finally returning home that evening I was greeted with the realization that even though I did not have to work on Friday (one of the benefits of working in the financial services industry is Good Friday being a market holiday) I was not sleeping in. Mr. Geek Squad was coming to fix my dishwasher at 9am the next day (granted he didn't actually fix anything as they diagnose then come back a week later to fix). Spent all day running those pesky errands that I couldn't do with Mrs. Pike (who did have to work) and then was still denied sleeping in Saturday morning as there was yet more appointments and more errands to run early in the morning.

Saturday night was spent up late watching a very stirring Final Four. Well, at least the first game was. It amazes me what Butler was able to accomplish against Michigan State despite two of their better players (Mack & Howard) not playing much in the second half due to fouls and injuries. That game was one that I feel was truly affected by the officiating. By calling many "touch" fouls during the evening players like Howard and the Spartans' Raymar Morgan were unable to really get into the flow of the game. But I give the Bulldogs all the credit for keeping it together and landing themselves into the final game.

Then came Sunday. After a relaxing Easter afternoon with the in-laws, I carted off to Fenway Park for my first Opening Day. I knew I was in for a long evening from the get go as Sox-Yanks is always a long game. They are the only two teams who could play a 1-0 game and have it last 4 hours. The atmosphere at the park was great, fireworks, Pedro Martinez, Neil Diamond, a small child reciting Herb Brooks, Sox, Yanks, the weather was perfect. I was at the game with my buddy and not Mrs. Pike which meant the evening included one more small detail - beer. As the game swung from the Yanks to the Sox and the beer flowed, rest was not looking like much of an option for the evening.

Now today I am paying the price. Brain function is low. Energy is non-existent. Yet I still have the NCAA b-ball championship tonight and the Frozen Four later this week. I'm exhausted - but I wouldn't have missed last night or the championship games. I'll have plenty of sleep when hockey season is over!

Three Things

1) Someone out there really wants to make every year's NCAA hockey tournament interesting for me. Since 2005 (the year I met Mrs. Pike), either (or this year both) Miami or BC has made the Frozen Four. Counting this year, they have even played each other 4 times (3 BC victories so far). These games are very trying on Mrs. Pike as she has grown to love the BC hockey team and really taken them on as her own these past 5 years (she cried as much as the rest of us in 2007) but of course her heart still remains in Oxford, OH. No matter what happens April 8th, one of us will be very happy and one of us not so much (though I admit I'm not sure which result creates the more collective sadness in the household).

My most interesting stat of the tourney so far - in 11 of the 12 games played, the team that has scored first has gone on to win the game. The lone exception, Cornell squandered a 1-0 lead to lose to UNH in the first round. I find it interesting that the team with the best goaltender (stat-wise) in the nation was the only one who could not take an early lead to victory. Granted not every team that scored first led the whole game but they all were able to take the momentum from an early tally to gain the victory.

2) I like the firing of Al Skinner. Is Al Skinner a good coach, yes. Was Al Skinner the best coach in BC history, maybe. Will Al Skinner go to another program and turn them into a winner, probably. Was it time Al Skinner and BC to part ways, definitely.

The welcome had been worn out. DeFillipo saw this in the steadily dwindling fans at Conte Forum. Even when there was a good team on the court, there were way too many empty seats in the stands. Big time college sports has to bring in money in order to sustain itself and if you cannot sell tickets you cannot convince kids to come to your school. Let's face it, recruiting has been a serious problem from Al Skinner. Whether its the school itself, the coach, the atmosphere, the scouts, I don't know but something needs to change if BC wants to be consistently in the upper half of the ACC. Not getting any recruits to come in this year when BC was losing its best player is inexcusable. For every Jared Dudley Skinner found, there are several that have never turned into even decent D-I players. The time had come to make a change and try to bring some more energy and excitement to the program and hopefully DeFillipo will be able to accomplish that.

Best wishes to Al Skinner. He will be remembered fondly for what he did do while at Boston College. I have no doubt he will do good things for the next program he heads as well.

3) After the injury to Savard, the Bruins looked lost. They were in a freefall. They seem to be righting the ship to some degree. They put together a hard fought, gutsy win in OT last night against a good New Jersey team. Unfortunately, there seems to still be an issue with consistency as they pound Calgary one night and then lay an egg against Buffalo the next. But there are promising signs. Lucic is playing some of his best hockey of the season (I know he's been bad most of the year but just maybe he is finally close to healthy). Tukka Rask has definitively taken over as the #1 goaltender and looked good doing it - even getting some mentions in Calder Trophy discussions. I just have to hope its not too little too late. With two of their final 6 games coming against the Capitals in DC, they need every point they can grab right now. Nine points either lost by the Rangers/Thrashers or won by the Bruins is what they need to sew up a playoff spot.

Day one in the books

RIT pulls the shocker, UNH finds its offense, double overtime, and Wisconsin hangs on.

Those are the stories of the first day of the NCAA hockey tournament. RIT started the day with a statement that was heard around the country in 2008, "Yes we can!" Not sure if this will give hope to Alaska and UAH today but it certainly should have BC and Miami thinking and making sure they take their opponents very seriously.

Good first day for Hockey East. After failing to score in the first UNH turned it on in the last two periods and looked like the solid team that won Hockey East this year with an impressive 5-2 win. As much credit as the Wildcats deserve something needs to be said about Ben Scrivens having a very weak game. He looked like he was fighting the puck all night and that is not the type of effort one expected from the Hobey Baker finalist. As for Vermont, despite losing, they played hard and proved that they did belong in the tournament despite the naysayers.

The one game that was not actually on live TV (instead on ESPN360) was arguably the best as St. Cloud St. scored 23 seconds into a second overtime to obtain their first ever win in nine appearances in the national tournament. After seeing a 3-1 lead disappear late in the third period, the Huskies were able to pull it together and get the big win.

What does it all mean - it means this year looks to be one of excitement. Though we have yet to have the dramatics of last year we certainly have reasons to watch. 3 of the 4 games yesterday were decided by one goal and even though St. Cloud was the higher seed, their victory is more exciting than a Northern Michigan upset. We are already guaranteed to have a team in the Frozen Four who has never won a championship and if St. Cloud beats Wisconsin we will have a third straight year of a potential first-time winner in the title game. It's a good time to be a college hockey fan.

Start with a shock?

Seriously??

1-0 with only 17 mintes to play?

RIT - 17 minutes from starting the tourney off with a serious bang??

Tigers?

After one period - 1-0 RIT???

Still a loooong way to go in this one but the Tigers survived a Denver PP and are winning the face-off battle.

Could the madness of 2009 carry-over? Stay tuned.

Anxiously awaiting

I am sitting here 2 hours + from the beginning of the 2010 NCAA hockey championship tourney and I am chomping at the bit. As of 3pm my brain will effectively check out to everything but the hockey tourney until the end of the Midwest regional final on Sunday night. Sure I will talk to people, attempt to work, get distracted by basketball to some degree, and even visit some old friends but my mind will be wondering (all apologies to my Happy Couple friends).

I will be attending the Northeast regional (big surprise - I actually bought the tickets this year before I knew BC was going to be there - I know - I have issues). And the debate is whether to come home following the BC game to make it back to the house to watch most of the Miami/UAH game or stick around for what might be a very interesting North Dakota/Yale tilt. Prior to last year I would hands down have stayed in Worcester but after watching the success that Air Force and Bemidji had last year and the near misses from teams like UAH and Niagara in the past I think I might want to catch a little of this contest.

I know I can DVR but lets face it some of the joy is taken out of watching when you already know the score which I undoubtedly will if I remain in Worcester as they are sure to announce it during the evening. Of course Mrs. Pike is probably all for coming home as she does not get to watch her Redhawks that often, even on TV. And if UAH somehow pulls it off, I would not want miss what would undoubtedly be the biggest upset in college hockey tourney history (no offense to Holy Cross but at least they had a winning record that year).

I won't go so far as to say I am rooting for UAH (not if I want to keep a happy household that is) but I will say I am interested in seeing this contest. Miami needs to be careful. Minnesota got tripped up by Holy Cross when they took them too lightly and the Redhawks need only look to their own regular season stumbles against Robert Morris to know what can happen on any given night. For UAH, this is a chance to prove that they belong in the CCHA (or whatever other conference will take them). They might literally be playing for the life of the program. Not sure that is the type of motivation I would be wanting to play against if I was Enrico Blasi.

But before that drama, the excitement starts with Denver v. RIT. And I can't wait!

No score

As I sit here watching the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament (shhh - don't tell my boss), I am alarmed by the extreme inability of anyone to score in college basketball anymore. ND v. ODU is 28-22 at halftime. Halftime!! Villanova (once thought to be a national title contender) has 19 points with 2:18 left in the first half. And they trail by 6. Where did all the scoring go?

During Championship Week, there were several teams in their conference semi-finals and finals who failed to make 20 points at halftime. This is getting ridiculous. No wonder there is so much parity in basketball if every team seems capable of having a game where they simply don't score, anyone can put up 45 and win a game. That used to be a night for Michael Jordan.

Is the talent pool getting diluted from too many D-I programs? Is it that so many kids (mistakenly in many cases and foolishly in others - but that's a topic for another time) declaring early for the NBA draft diluting the talent pool? Is it the need to only shoot 3-pointers or make slam dunks (sometimes known as the "where did the mid-range jumper go?" debate)? Maybe a combination of all of the above? I don't know but I think the ineptitude of teams' scoring ability may be near an all-time post-shot clock era low. I've been watching NCAA basketball for many years now and I don't remember seeing so many 20's on scoring sheets at halftime. It's taking some of the excitement out of the game because the teams just look so terrible constantly missing what used be considered makable shots.

Knocked out

I believe I said in this space back in January when the Bruins were just about to start their 10 game winless streak (I refuse to call it a losing streak - if not for the shootouts there would have been 3 ties in those 10 games - of course if not for the shootout there would have been 4 ties and it would have been a 14 game winless streak - but I digress), that they would make the playoffs. Well that chance took a serious blow (no pun intended) when Marc Savard left the ice on a stretcher with a concussion during the third period yesterday on a dirty hit by Matt Cooke (for which he received no penalty by the way).

By league mandate Savard must sit out at least one week following a concussion diagnosis (good policy by the way as sometimes the worst concussion symptoms can take a day or two to fully manifest). This translates to three games on the Bruins schedule and important road games too. Toronto on Tuesday (important because we need Toronto to have as few points as possible at the end of the year for their pick), Philly on Thursday and Montreal on Saturday (two teams the Bruins are fighting with for playoff positioning). As Andy Brickley often says during NESN broadcasts, points are at a premium at this time of year and the injury to Savard could not have come at a worse time. Without him in the line-up for what Claude Julien said could be "a while" (which turned out to be the whole season for Patrice Bergeron a couple years ago), the Bruins are looking at an early off-season this year.

The new season

We are approaching the end of the regular season for college basketball and hockey and that means conference tourneys get in full swing this week. Thus begins one of the most enjoyable months of the year for me for sports watching (not so much for Mrs. Pike but its the sacrifices that make marriage grand, right?). As we approach the end of the regular season just a few notes.

- The fall of the national champions. For Roy Williams and the UNC Tar Heels this season has just been one disaster after another. They are one of the worst teams in the ACC (when did you ever think you would actually say those words) and have even lost to lowly BC this year. Perhaps all those missed expectations got a little to much for Coach Williams as he passed out on the sidelines recently. It's OK Roy, I'm sure you'll have plenty of All-Americans next year to bring you lots of water. For Jack Parker and the BU Terriers, its been a bit more up and down. After starting as pre-season #1 in some polls, the Terriers promptly started the season 4-9-3 and gave themselves a large Hockey East hole to climb out of. While they have righted the ship to some degree, they have dropped three of their last four (after a sweep in Vermont this weekend) and would be in 7th place in Hockey East if the season ended today as they would lose the tiebreaker to Vermont and Northeastern. There will be a real "dog" fight in Boston this weekend between the Huskies and Terriers as both teams need a sweep to have any hope of home ice and maybe just to avoid being left home altogether.

- Congrats to the WCHA champs Denver, the CCHA champs Miami, the ECAC champs Yale, and the CHA champs Bemidji State. While the Beavers and Redhawks really had that regular season title wrapped up perhaps even months ago, the Pioneers have proven to be one of the best if not THE best team in the land with their consistent victories in the toughest conference and the Bulldogs have followed up a great 2008-09 campaign with another solid season. All four teams will be forces to be reckoned with in the national tournament and do not be surprised to see 2 or more of them in Detroit come April.

- Congrats to the RIT Tigers as well. In the short time they have been a part of D-I college hockey they have won their conference regular season crown 3 times. It will be interesting to see if they can follow it up with a tournament championship and get into the national tourney for the first time. I wouldn't give them much chance there as they are 0-6-0 outside of conference play and were outscored 23-9 in those contests, but stranger things have happened (just ask Minnesota and Holy Cross).

- The only title still to be determined is the Hockey East crown. Sometimes, its like the schedulers know who's going to be in it at the end. BC will play UNH this weekend for first place. BC sweeps and they have their first regular season crown since 2004-05. It will take a win at Durham on Friday (something the Eagles always have a hard time coming by) in order to keep that championship hope alive. As for the rest of the league, anyone from places 4 through 9 still has both a shot at home ice as well as a chance to be home for the playoffs. This is the most balanced conference in the league as all the teams have at least 10 losses (many to each other) and the fact that so much remains unsettled going into the final two games of the seasons shows how even many of these teams are. BC could finish 1 or 2 in the conference and still have to take on a team that would have beaten them twice during the season (any of three potential opponents) yet they are still one of the hottest teams in hockey having gone 8-2-0 in their last 10. I do like their chances to advance to the TD Garden as they have only dropped 2 one-goal games (including one in overtime) at home all season.

- Interesting side note on the 2-1 overtime victory over UMass by the Eagles on Friday was not the win itself (stirring and enjoyable though it was); it was the goaltending of Parker Milner. Milner has now made three straight starts and depending on who you ask, he is taking over the starting job. Boston.com in their article on the game said he was playing for the "resting" John Muse. But I think USCHO.com was a little closer when they hinted that Milner may be taking over as the #1 goaltender and when Jerry York was asked he didn't say "no". Milner is 4-0-0 in his last four starts, has allowed only 3 goals and has a .970 save percentage over those four games. Muse on the other had has allowed 8 goals in his last three starts and has a .908 save percentage during that time. I don't think Muse is resting I think York is just riding the hot goaltender. The only question is do you ride the streak or experience when it comes to the playoffs and going into Durham on Friday night? We'll see.

U-S-A, U-S-A

OK, so they didn't win but you can't feel anything but proud of the boys in red, white, and blue and the performance they put on the entire Olympics. Some criticized when the US came out with their young line-up full of first-timers but the team played with the heart and fire you expect when someone puts on the sweater for their home country. After the abysmal display from Torino in 2006, Brian Burke and the decision makers knew they needed to try something different this time and they came up with a good blend of speed, skill, and toughness to carry them all the way to the gold medal game.

After the first USA v. Canada game everyone said they were lucky to win it, they needed a spectacular performance by Ryan Miller just to survive it, that Sunday was going to be a repeat only with more lamps lit by the Canadians, but that was not the case. Sunday's game was one of the greatest Olympic hockey games I have ever seen. Not the result, because nothing can ever top the 1980 game for drama and shock-value, but for the quality of the game and the level of skill on display. This was a game fought on equal footing. On paper, the Canadians overmatch the USA in star power, skill, and experience. But on the ice, they we even. Shots were even, faceoffs were even, and through 60 minutes the score was even too. I am saddened that the game ended the way it did, obviously I wanted the USA to come home with gold around their necks. But they have nothing to be ashamed of. They played their hearts out and they made all us hockey fans proud.

The case for Cody Reichard

I know, I know - Cam Pike is a BC boy through and through (and always will be). But in lieu of there being any viable BC candidate (Brian Gibbons could play himself into the dark horse picture if he continues to light it up over the next 8 games - but I digress) I present to you my candidate for Hobey Baker 2010. Cody Reichard.

For those of you looking for the flashy name (Rhett Rakhshani of Denver - seriously, is there a better name in college hockey today), the pedigree (Wisconsin boys Blake Geoffrion & Brendan Smith), or the veteran (Marc Cheverie of Denver or Ben Scrivens or Cornell) need to go somewhere else. Cody Reichard is your man.

Before you ask, no Mrs. Pike did not put me up to this and no this is not a sympathy vote because he was in net for one of the most heartbreaking hockey losses I have ever seen in person. Yes, Reichard plays for Miami University (the school many outside of hockey refer to as Miami of Ohio) and yes since I met Mrs. Pike they have found a little spot in this Boston sports heart of mine but that is not why I am lobbying for Reichard. He has been the best player for the best team in college hockey this year. Period.

Reichard leads the nation in goals against (nearly 0.6 better than second place Cheverie), save percentage, winning percentage, and is one win behind Cheverie and Bemidji's Dan Bakala (tied for second) having played 3 less games. He has 5 shut-outs on the season to go along with his goals against that has bailed his team out in several games this season as Miami has surprisingly struggled to find the back of the net consistently. Not to mention the fact that he has done this after suffering that catastrophic ending to last season (I think this is a mental accomplishment that should not be ignored in this case).

The detractors will say that Miami has one of the top defensive corps in the country so his workload isn't as high. The other thing that may hurt his candidacy is the fact that he splits much of his time in net with fellow super-soph Connor Knapp. But Knapp's numbers, while impressive, are not as jaw-dropping as Reichard's are. Much like last year, I expect Enrico Blasi to ride Reichard for the post-season as he is the #1 goaltender for the Redhawks. And one cannot ignore the results on the ice for the #1 team in the nation.

But he won't win. Insidecollegehockey.com doesn't even have him on their Hobey Tracker page. What will do him in is the fact that Miami has completely rolled the CCHA. They have lost one game to a CCHA opponent all year. When measured against the level of play that Marc Cheverie sees night after night in the WCHA, the comparison just does not match up. Add in the splitting time with Knapp and Reichard simply will not have the juice to win. In a season where no one has truly made themselves a candidate above and beyond the crowd as in years past (the Kevin Porter -Nathan Gerbe debate may still rage on but the fact is no one thought someone other than those two would win the award that year). This season the Hobey is truly up for grabs. I don't have an official vote but my support is still behind Reichard.

Tides turning

After a year that saw the Lakers, BU Terriers, and Yankees all win championships, so far 2010 has had a much nicer feel to it. First the US world junior hockey team beats a heavily favored Canadian team for the gold. Then Peyton Manning throws a choking interception and loses the Super Bowl to the Saints. And not BC has won the Beanpot. I'm not going to go crowning anyone else yet but I have to admit this is a pretty good start only a little more than one month into the year.

Congrats to the Eagles, by the way, on a quality win against a very tough opponent. BU is definitely coming around and last night was a true battle between two top college hockey teams. The Terriers still have a lot of work to do if they want to see the NCAA tourney, but I won't rule them out just yet. A sweep of Maine this weekend would go a long way to bringing them back as they would pass .500 for the first time all season. But a sweep by Maine will probably mean they need to win the Hockey East tourney to get in as remaining games against Providence, Vermont, and Northeastern will not have the Pairwise juice to get them there. This was a vital game for both teams and they both played like it. BC showed great poise and toughness to withstand the BU charge and hold on for the victory.

Congrats to John Muse. After having a tough off-season, including having another goaltender brought in because there was fear he would not be ready for the start of the season, Muse has righted the ship and looks very solid in net for the Eagles as they begin the stretch run. Muse had not allowed more than two goals in a game since the last time he faced BU at Fenway and had only allowed 6 goals total in his previous 5 starts. Play like that wins trophies as he cleaned up with three of them last night.

Congrats to Chris Kreider. The freshman phenom has started to come out of his slow start and picked up his 5th goal in his last 5 games, this one of the highlight reel variety. So good in fact that it was #1 on ESPN's Top Plays last night. Well done Chris - now just keep the momentum going.

At a loss

Mrs. Pike scored tickets to the Bruins game last night as they attempted to put an and to their eight game losing streak. I was finally able to wear my Winter Classic Neely jersey to a game and was enjoying some great seats (not far from Barry Peterson, Mike Milbury, and the lovely Kathryn Tappen and the NESN broadcast crew on the loge level) and an early 2-0 lead. The Canadiens of course came back and tied the score late in the second despite being ridiculously outplayed for the majority of the first two periods.

After nothing was settled through overtime or the first two rounds of the shoot-out, Brian Gionta steps to the center dot preparing for his shoot-out attempt. Not sure what I was thinking as I put my head down and said, "Please Brian, remember all the nice things that happened to you in this building (Fleetcenter/TD Banknorth Garden/TD Bank Garden)." Of course I was thinking about Beanpots and Hockey East titles - things that make me happy. Unfortunately, he was thinking about things that make him happy and decided it would be a good time to make another nice memory. At the Bruins expense. Savard's subsequent try was stopped by Halak. End of game. Loss number 9.

I'm starting to think I cursed the Bruins by saying a few weeks ago in this space that they would make the playoffs...

Tuesday musings

Normally I would have written something on Monday talking about news from over the weekend but I just couldn't formulate the ideas yesterday. A little Monday blues after the events of this weekend. Considering what has been seen from the Boston teams of late I think we can definitively say that the honeymoon is over and the "City of Champions" tag can be mothballed for the time being. The way our teams are playing right now there is probably no titles in the foreseeable future (I have the right to change my mind come September). I find myself out of sorts at times, when I was growing up Boston was always the town of "almost". Buckner, Glen Wesley hits the crossbar, Parcells' Pats, Jamie O'Leary hits the crossbar. Since 2001 its been a parade of titles of varying degrees across all sports (yes, even the Revolution). I think that the ownership of many of the teams have learned how to win so I don't think it will be quite as long a drought between the next titles (1986 to 2001 was a looooong time - yes I am intentionally neglecting BU's hockey national title in 1995) but Bostonians may be waiting a few years.

On to my weekend observations:

- Frozen Fenway was a great way to start the weekend. It was cold, it was snowing. there was an ice rink at Fenway Park (by the way, how cool is that?? Ice rink at Fenway? does it get any better?). Unfortunately for us Eagle fans the product on the ice was not as good as the surroundings. Because of the snow, BC was unable to get their speed game going and looked downright lost on the ice for a period and three quarters. By the time they actually figured out how to play on that ice they were down 3-0 and just couldn't get that final shot off. Was this a great experience? Absolutely (though my toes would argue against that statement as they ceased to exist by the third period). The game itself was not one to write home about. It was sloppy, the snow slowed it down to limit quality scoring opportunities, 4 of the 5 goals we sloppy bouncers, and neither team looked good. It will be very interesting to see what BC has for BU a week from Friday when they meet at Conte for the final Hockey East tilt between the two teams this season (there is always Beanpot and tournament game possibilities). Boston College is the better team at this point in the season. Though BU has won two key Hockey East games one was against a scuffling UMass team and the other was a game that if played indoors may have gone drastically different. The Terriers are far from the championship form of last year and BC has proven over the last three games that they are still a young team looking to find a solid direction this season. It has cost them Pairwise positioning (currently out of the tournament - from #2 to out of the tourney in 2 weeks) and it could be a struggle to get back to form.

- Speaking of the Pairwise, currently the highest ranked Hockey East team is Vermont at #10. However, Vermont is only 6th in the conference standings. When was the last time that a Hockey East team was in the projected tourney field simply because they lead the conference and not because they were in the top 16 teams in the nation (New Hampshire). Some of the teams at the top of Hockey East are going to need to a hurting on the lower teams consistently in order to improve the RPI & strength of schedule for the conference in general so they can get more teams in the tourney.

- My comment on the Pats is only this - Brady tried to do too much and I think the injuries bothered him more than he would admit. And Wes Welker would not have made a difference in that game. Run defense would have.

- Good to see that Mark McGwire was finally able to admit he used steroids. It only took the rest of the league to get caught and for him to realize that it was not going to make his Hall of Fame chances any worse. What do we think went into his decision to come out? The fact that more and more writers and commentators (including the Rant) have said that steroids don't matter anymore. That we're all sick of hearing about it and just want it to go away. That many are even lobbying to allow the steroid users into Cooperstown in a special "steroid era" section. As I mentioned before in this space when news of Ortiz' use came out, if everyone was doing it, Big Mac was still doing it better than most and maybe that should be acknowledged. I don't give him absolution because he is still a coward for his "I'm not here to talk about the past" in front of Congress (at least he didn't lie - yes, I'm talking to you Mr. Palmeiro). He came out now because it was safe and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his new Cardinals job without addressing it and putting it to bed before the season started. Not matter what he may be, he's still better than Bonds & Clemens. Time to own up gentlemen.

- The Bruins will make the playoffs. There I said it. They can't score and they are having trouble winning but they are still competing on a nightly basis and Stuart, Ference, Savard, and Bergeron will not be out forever. They will be a better team when they have all their players back in the line-up. Provided they can get 100% healthy (I would settle for 90% at this point - I think they made a pact that anyone with freshly minted contract extensions (Savard & Lucic) were not allowed to stay on the active roster at the same time this year), this team can make a run. It won't be easy as they have a 7 game road trip in early March but it can be done. Of course, landing Ilya Kovalchuk wouldn't hurt either (a man can dream, can't he? yes, I know, Atlanta is going to want way more than Chiarelli is willing to let go).

A whole new team?

February approaches and with it three of the most anticipated words in the sports world to start the new year - "pitchers and catchers". For baseball fans everywhere those three words mark the beginning of a new season and the beginning of the hopes and dreams of 30 MLB teams vying to be the last man standing (and perhaps having to play the Japanese champion as talks surface about a possible true World Series).

But we are still several weeks away from pitchers and catchers so the Rant's eye turns to the continuing off-season which has been an eventful one for Red Sox Nation. We have seen many new signings (Mike Cameron, John Lackey, Marco Scutero, and soon Adrian Beltre to name a few), sad goodbyes (Jason Bay), goodbyes to failed experiments (Rocco Baldelli, Casey Kotchman), almost goodbyes (Mike Lowell), and general moving parts (to left with you Jacoby). One thing is for sure, this will be a very different Boston Red Sox team than the one that took the field in 2009. But the changes are not over Red Sox Nation. The term "bridge team" has been thrown about and the 2011 Red Sox will certainly be much different than even the 2010 version.

This year is all about putting a competitive team on the field to keep fan interest and keep the merchandise selling while also looking to the future and the mass changes that could be on the horizon. Mike Lowell will certainly be gone before the 2010 season is finished and whatever salary the Red Sox absorb to make the trade happen will be off the books in November as well. Also coming off the books are David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Victor Martinez, and Josh Beckett. Adrian Beltre is on a one year deal with a player option at almost a 50% rate for 2011. All this means one thing - the Sox are looking to be major players in the 2010-2011 offseason free agent market (Joe Mauer anyone?).

Granted, the Sox will always have the option to extend Martinez, Beckett & Beltre but Varitek and Ortiz are almost certainly departing at the end of the year unless Ortiz has a rejuvenated season after his down year of 2009. Martinez is likely to hit the free agent market as the Sox will make the push for Mauer but will face heavy competition from the Yankees who are in need of an everyday catcher as well. Should Minnesota pull money out of a magic hat and somehow lock up Mauer during the season or do a sign and trade at the deadline with another club, the likelihood of a Martinez return certainly increases.

Beckett is a different issue. He has been dominating at times over the past two seasons but not like he was in 2007. That Beckett may be gone for good, we'll see. Should Dice-K and Clay Bucholtz have solid seasons, Beckett becomes expendable since the Sox have a top two of Lester and Lackey sewn up beyond 2010. The Sox could dip into free agency for a cheaper #2 or #3 starter or make a trade and still have a solid rotation at a cheaper value than their current starting five.

Adrian Beltre is essentially on a try-out contract. If he comes to Fenway and has a monster year and flashes that Gold Glove quality at third while staying healthy, the Sox may be inclined to offer an extension and keep him around for a few years to offer some middle order thump from the hot corner position. As much as I hate to see Mike Lowell go from a sentimental stand-point, it was just painful to watch him attempt to play his position last year and the Sox need to get younger and faster if they want to stay in the hunt long term.

The other question mark is Jonathan Papelbon. The boy can't keep his mouth shut. His arrogance is approaching the "just get him out of here" point. We all know you're good, kid, you don't have to keep reminding us. Personally, I would like to see Daniel Bard progress to the point where Papelbon becomes tradeable and maybe he can be a piece that can land them Adrian Gonzalez. Should Ortiz be dismissed at the end of the season, plugging Gonzalez or someone of his caliber in as the DH would go a long way to ease the pain of the end of the Big Papi era.

Change is a-coming for the Boston Red Sox. I would predict as many as 5 players from the opening day starting roster may not be with the team come opening day 2010. Nevermind the changes in the 40-man. The other consideration is that some of these guys may just be let go and the likes of Ryan Westmoreland, Josh Reddick, and Casey Kelly could be manning the field at Fenway in 2011.