Cam Pike's Rant Tab

Perception

2011-11-12T11:46:00.001-05:00

Perception fuels reality. This is something that most people know but don't realize it. The point was made in the movie American President where Martin Sheen tells Michael Douglas that in today's world no one would elect a President in a wheelchair. You see it in your grocery store every week where prices are $3.49 instead of $3.50 just for that perception that it is cheaper. And we see it all this week at Penn State. Perception ruled the roost at Penn State and cost people their jobs.

Before I get too far down this road, make no mistake, everyone who lost their jobs deserved to, up to and including Joe Paterno. They failed in their moral duty to do something about Sandusky when the allegations came to light and chose to sweep it under the rug. But why did they sweep it under the rug, because they were worried about the perception the allegations would create.

One man allegedly sexually assaulted young boys. This man was a coach at Penn State. Penn State as an institution did not commit these acts. Joe Paterno did not condone or commit these acts. But everyone was so worried about being painted with that brush, with people seeing them as the college of pedophiles that instead of investigating and turning evidence over to the police, they tried to just make it go away. Swift and decisive action years ago may have been a blight on the university for a few years but they would still be Penn State and they would get past it. Now its worse and will leave scars that may never heal.

JoePa did not deserve to go out this way. His accomplishments as a college football coach make him one of the best to ever walk the sidelines. He should have been able to leave under his own terms. Now he is tarnished. People will fail to see JoePa the old curmudgeon on the sidelines guiding young football players to stardom and will instead see the coach Paterno who just followed the party line and didn't stand up for what was right. Perception and the concerns over perception brought down a legend and only time will tell what it does to the legendary program in once-Happy Valley.

Chillin at the Frozen Four

2011-04-07T23:54:00.002-04:00

Day one out of the way. Two great games. It's nice not having the old anxiety from BC or Miami being in the games (not that I wouldn't have minded the Eagles being there for another run).

Game one turned on special teams. Duluth was great on the power play and Notre Dame was terrible short-handed (despite the shorty goal). Too many penalties and they paid for it.

Game two was all about Shawn Hunwick. If Michigan wins Saturday, his name should be gilded at the University of Michigan for bringing home #10. He looked like Tim Thomas at his Vezina best. Not perfect from a stylistic perspective but positionally getting himself where he needed to be to make the big saves when they mattered. His poke check on Danny Kristo in the third was particularly crafty. Still rooting for Duluth on Saturday but Hunwick stole the whole show tonight.

Seen and heard around the stadium:

- Convinced Mrs. Pike to wear her Miami jersey to the tourney and she ran into another Miami fan who gave her a homemade Miami bracelet and earrings. Needless to say, she is happy she took my advice.

- Had more that one fan throw a jab at me for having my BC jersey on. Seemed to want to get me to rise to the fact that they didn't make it this year. It's OK - 3 titles in 10 years. I'm alright with how they've done and can hold my head high wearing my jersey no matter how they do in a particular year.

- North Dakota had far and away the most quantity and quality of fans. You would have thought we were in Grand Forks with all the green in that building. They were loud and ruined the national anthem as usual (what happens when they aren't the Sioux anymore? Does it become "home of the Warriors" or whatever their new name is? - don't think it will have quite the same ring). Makes we wonder how empty the building will be on Saturday now that they've lost.

- Saw 26 different jerseys worn by fans tonight. Outside of the 4 teams playing (and BC and Miami) we had Minnesota (expected), UNH, Maine, Wisconsin, Cornell, Northern Michigan, St. Cloud State, RPI, Union, BU (ugh), Ohio State, Lake Superior State, Colorado College, Bemidji State, Clarkson, Nebraska-Omaha, Robert Morris, RIT, Denver, and even Alaska-Anchorage (thought of you Pobble).

Off to the Twins home opener tomorrow. I'll try to give some thoughts on the finals later this weekend.

My opinion

2011-03-22T16:10:00.002-04:00

Everyone wants to know my opinion on the NCAA pairings. I heard from people I don't normally hear from asking, "So, did BC get screwed?" "Shouldn't UNH have had to travel?" SO its time to get on the horse (or the keyboard as the case may be) and tell you what I think.

The answer to both of those questions is "No". Which is also the answer to other questions like, "Shouldn't the committee have split up Denver and North Dakota because they are so good?" and "Would you change any of the pairings?". No and no.

The pairings actually came out perfect with little or no need to fiddle with the final Pairwise standings to adjust for conference match-ups and the like. UNH gets to be in Manchester. The NCAA needs butts in the seats to keep the revenue going and make these tournaments viable. Having UNH play in Manchester is essential to that. Do I wish BC could be in Manchester? Of course. I would love to watch the boys play another one or two close to home. And I'm certainly not thrilled about them going back to the House of Horrors that is the ScottTrade Center in St. Louis (the name Abdelkader still causes involuntary head shaking and sadness) but that is the way life works. They have a tough road against the best #4 seed and arguably the toughest bracket in general (perhaps it could be called the Group of Death if this were World Cup soccer). And of course, if they make it out a potential date with North Dakota looms.

It's a tough draw but at this stage nothing should be easy. Even Yale's opening tilt against Air Force is not to be taken lightly as the Falcons have a history of playing up to their competition and making waves in the national tournament. At least Miami is on the other side of the bracket so there should be no homefront strife until a potential national title meeting between the two clubs in St. Paul as one analyst at ESPN predicts will happen. I will not be attending any Manchester games, though Mrs. Pike and Nurse K will be chanting a little "Love and Honor" for the boys from Oxford.

I wish them luck, but I must admit I am rooting for the Warriors of Merrimack come out of the bracket. Coach Dennehy and the boys deserve a Frozen Four out of this season as they will probably lose Stephane De Costa to the pro ranks in the off season which will knock them down a peg next year. Saying that won't get me any favors at home but I have to be honest.

As always, I am looking forward to the tourney. No matter what happens. I hope Gibbons, Atkinson and the BC boys bring home their third title in four years but it should be exciting no matter who wins.

One thing

2011-02-08T09:47:00.002-05:00

Today I have just one thing to say - Tommy Cross...

Thank you...

Please be sure to tip your waitress...

Merry merry

2010-12-20T10:25:00.002-05:00

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

2010-12-06T13:02:00.002-05:00

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

2010-11-30T10:50:00.003-05:00

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

2010-11-15T11:45:00.003-05:00

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

2010-10-08T20:17:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-27T11:48:00.003-04:00

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

2010-09-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-27T14:01:00.003-04:00

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

2010-08-16T13:50:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-11T15:46:00.005-04:00

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

2010-07-20T16:22:00.003-04:00

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

2010-06-23T15:31:00.002-04:00

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

2010-06-18T14:42:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-12T10:36:00.004-04:00

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

2010-04-09T11:20:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-08T12:36:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-07T10:07:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-05T12:42:00.002-04:00

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

2010-03-31T09:30:00.003-04:00

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

2010-03-27T08:41:00.002-04:00

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?

2010-03-26T16:49:00.002-04:00

Seriously??

1-0 with only 17 mintes to play?

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

Tigers?

2010-03-26T15:40:00.001-04:00

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

2010-03-26T12:46:00.002-04:00

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

2010-03-18T13:12:00.002-04:00

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

2010-03-08T09:32:00.002-05:00

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

2010-03-01T11:14:00.003-05:00

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

2010-03-01T10:51:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-12T13:23:00.004-05:00

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

2010-02-09T12:22:00.005-05:00

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

2010-02-05T10:38:00.004-05:00

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

2010-01-12T10:49:00.004-05:00

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?

2010-01-07T15:45:00.003-05:00

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.

Random thoughts

2009-12-30T09:41:00.003-05:00

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

2009-12-07T10:17:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-04T14:35:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-30T10:47:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-24T10:48:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-23T08:47:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-16T10:15:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-11T09:52:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-30T12:04:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-26T09:54:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-06T12:54:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-28T11:45:00.007-04:00

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

2009-09-15T16:46:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-14T10:07:00.005-04:00

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

2009-09-09T12:56:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-09-06T09:33:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-03T14:02:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-01T13:45:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-01T13:37:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-17T10:44:00.002-04:00

- 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

2009-08-11T16:09:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-30T16:40:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-28T16:34:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-27T12:53:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-07-02T15:53:00.001-04:00

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

Don't believe it

2009-06-18T21:43:00.002-04:00

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?

2009-06-17T13:30:00.003-04:00

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?

2009-06-10T14:00:00.003-04:00

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....

2009-06-01T11:13:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-19T13:34:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-18T12:03:00.002-04:00

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?

2009-05-18T11:18:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-11T15:45:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-11T13:44:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-10T19:58:00.004-04:00

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.

Manny proof positive

2009-05-07T14:13:00.003-04:00

The question remains what is Manny proof of? Is this a case of a guy taking a substance on the sly (something he alleges he did not realize was on the banned substance list and was prescribed to him by a doctor)? Or is this a case of just so many substances being on the list that the players can't even keep track of what is and what is not banned?

I'm not making excuses here and apparently neither is Manny. I have to give him credit for simply accepting the suspension, admitting the mistake and basically just moving on. If he is telling the truth that he has taken numerous MLB drug tests in the past (he says 15 but only Bud Selig and the MLB front office know the real score), then there must be some grain of truth to this being his only infraction. This is not A-Rod who was not only taking a banned substance but actual steroids. Of course, for A-Rod it is easy to come clean when you know that there are no consequences beyond perhaps a tarnished reputation and lets face it, A-Rod's reputation was hardly sparkling to begin with.

It will take a few days for all the facts to come out on this and until then everyone will be throwing around all types of wild stories and accusations. The incorrect ones will be quietly swept under the rug (never quite denied simply never spoken of again) and the true ones will be trumpeted until we can't stand to hear about it anymore. And Manny's numbers will come into question and once again people will whisper about other players (let me get you started - Albert Pujols anyone?).

Let this be a cautionary tale to all those who said the MLB drug policy has no teeth. One of the games biggest stars is now suspended for 50 games. If it can happen to Manny, they'll do it to anyone. If I were a ball player I would have a wallet-sized list of all banned substances to bring with me to every doctor I go to and if he prescribed something I'd make damn sure it wasn't on that list.

Playoffs & Papi

2009-05-04T13:45:00.004-04:00

- The Bruins dropped game 2 last night to the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a tough game to watch for as good as they have looked in the playoffs thus far they looked that off last night. They just lacked the ability to close out the game. When early in the first period Kobasew made a sweet pass in front and Bergeron just flat out missed the wide open net you knew it was going to be a long night as it was. Hopefully, they can recover and find the spark they were clearly missing last night. No matter how hostile the environment in Raleigh may get, it can't possibly be worse than travelling to Montreal which they handled very well.

- I normally don't expound on the Celtics as I have my deep-seated frustration with the state of officiating and the NBA game in general. That being said, the Celtics deserve a lot of credit for making it past a very good Chicago Bulls team. Ben Gordon was on fire and Joakim Noah seems to have raised him game to another level that I certainly did not think possible when he was playing in Florida. Big applause for the work of Eddie House and Glen Davis in game 7 as both picked up some of the slack from a lackluster game from Rondo and Pierce to power Boston to the second round.

- Speaking of the second round, if the Celtics don't get more out of Kendrick Perkins they are going to be in big trouble against Orlando. Dwight Howard is big and powerful and will put a 30-20 game on the Celtics repeatedly over a very short series if Perkins does not elevate his game. Perkins looks big and mean and like he can take on the world but when it comes down to it, he plans like a wuss. At one point during game 6, he got the ball on the baseline with a lane to the basket. Noah was rotating down to try and defend. Instead of taking the ball hard to the hoop and forcing Noah to make a play or draw the foul, Perk passes the ball to Rondo in the lane who promptly missed a bad fall-away jumper. He routinely, puts the ball on the floor before going up with it and allows the defense that split second to recover and make the defensive play. For a guy as big as Perkins he needs to play bigger and meaner. I was watching Big Baby Davis doing all the things that Perk should be doing and he is the smaller guy. Without Garnett and Powe, Perkins will be key to the Celtics making it any farther.

- Finally, on to baseball, where Big Papi has been anything but big to this point. I hate to say it but he may be done. He claims that he is going to come back big but there is just something lacking in his swing. He is no longer catching up to those fastballs and when he does make contact it is going to left field. When a guy who has been a straight pull hitter for years (to the point where whole shifts are named after him), starts doing nothing but hitting to the opposite field that tells you his is just routinely late. I'm not sure how you teach someone to get faster. Much like Varitek, it appears that age has caught up with David Ortiz. The Sox may not want to admit it but it is time he gets dropped in the order. You cannot afford to have a non-power, .200 hitter batting third in your line-up. The final three pieces of the 2003 squad (Varitek, Oritz, and Wakefield) may be looking at the twilight of their careers and it will be a sad day for Red Sox Nation if that is truly the case.

Talent levels

2009-04-30T14:00:00.003-04:00

There are many things that can be said about Tom O'Brien's tenure as the head football coach for Boston College but and inability to recruit should not be one of them. Before O'Brien, the BC program had not had many first round draft picks in the NFL draft. However, a first or early second-rounder seems to be getting more and more common for the Eagles.

Last year Matt Ryan was selected third overall in the NFL Draft, the highest ever by a BC player. This year, B.J. Raji was selected 9th overall and Ron Brace went to the Pats early in the second round. Today, while looking for some wayyyyy to early predictions for the 2010 NFL draft I find that SI.com is predicting Mark Herzlich to be selected #7 overall (which would be tied with Mike Mamula as second-highest BC selection in draft history).

One has to wonder what will happen for the players that were drafted by Jagodzinski over the past two years and if any of them have first or second round potential. O'Brien truly raised the level of talent as well as the expectations for the school. I hope that Spaziani can carry on that proud tradition and build on the solid foundation that O'Brien laid.

NHL playoff musings

2009-04-24T16:05:00.003-04:00

- Anything sweeter than watching the absolute silence that encompassed the Bell Centre on Wednesday night as the Bruins completed only the third sweep of the Canadiens in team history (1929, 1992, and 2009 - something about the 2 & the 9 I guess - but I leave that kind of thinking to the show "Numbers"). For a series that was filled with emotion and energy that had to be one of the most boring and lifeless third periods in Bruins/Canadiens history. Not just the crowd but even the teams. It was as if once the third period started both sides knew what the outcome was going to be and simply resigned themselves to that fact.

- Am I the only one who doesn't really miss Joe Thornton? Don't get me wrong. He is a tremendous player and there is a #19 Bruins sweater hanging in my closet but when it comes to crunch time he simply does not show up. Brian Engblom last night was trying to make excuses for him and saying that the defense was playing him tougher but I thought Keith Jones counter-point was more on target. Everyone is supposed to play harder in the playoffs. Everyone raises their game. But...the truly great players find a way to get it down and make a difference. Joe does not elevate his play in the postseason. It was obvious in Boston and it has become even more so in San Jose. This will more than likely be another early exit for the Sharks unless Jumbo Joe can find a way to discover that next gear and take his game to the level he is capable of otherwise he will forever be seem as a failure.

- I chuckle every time I watch a game in Philly and the crowd uses the classic "Lets go Flyers" chant and changes it to daaa-daaa-da-da-da "Crosby Sucks". He He.

- I haven't had a chance to watch as many playoff games this season as I normally do but the Calgary/Chicago series has been one of the more exciting. Some overtime, a lot of back and forth between two great skating clubs. It's nice to see the Hawks back in the playoffs. If only the Maple Leafs could get their sinking ship righted then the entire Original Six might finally all get back in the playoffs at the same time.

- Looking forward to the Bruins-Rangers series but a little scared about how well Henrik Lundqvist is playing right now. The Caps are outshooting the Rangers in the series and yet have only managed to win one game. Sometimes a hot goaltender is all you need to make it all the way.

Cure for what ails...

2009-04-20T14:28:00.002-04:00

...the Boston Red Sox is a visit to Fenway from the Baltimore Orioles. Four wins later the Sox are over .500 and back to being relevant again. Of course for this writer the Sox aren't truly relevant again until the Bruins are eliminated from the playoffs. Game three tonight!!

Capital Observations

2009-04-14T10:29:00.003-04:00

After watching one of the most thrilling regionals in NCAA hockey tourney history, I guess it was only appropriate that the Frozen Four came down to a similar result. All three games this past weekend were well played and all four teams proved that they belonged. The glass slipper fell off for Bemidji State but not before they acquitted themselves well with a good effort and made Miami work for its victory. BU and Vermont had a classic see-saw battle with great plays made by both teams.

The final was perhaps one of the greatest tournament games in history. Even apart from the amazing comeback made by BU and the overtime, this game was a classic. BU was clearly the more talented team on paper with 13 NHL draft picks on their roster but you could not tell that by watching this game. Both teams looked evenly matched. The play was tough and physical and both teams were flying up and down the ice creating scoring chances and endless excitement for the DC crowd.

During this game, I saw the second most ridiculous save I have seen live when Keiran Millan robbed Justin Mercier on a two-on-one break. Only Scott Clemmensen's robbery on the breakaway in 2001 was better. There were two pipes hit (one for each team). There were pretty goals, ugly goals, and beautiful saves. This is the type of game that makes hockey fans.

The only downside was the outcome. Miami deserved this game. They shut down the BU offense for 59 minutes by playing good disciplined defense and good puck control. They were clearly not intimidated by a team that should have blown them off the ice. And then suddenly, they weren't focused, they were running around in their own end and unable to get a stick on the puck. After BU made it 3-2, Enrico Blasi should have called time out and settled his kids down and get them to dig deep and concentrate on the final 59 seconds. He didn't. They panicked and they paid for it. They collapsed so tight around Reichard that the BU point men were able to move all the way in tight to the circles. It was only a matter of time before BU tied the game up. I saw it coming and I felt Mrs. Pike wilt next to me. I hoped for a miracle that Miami would buck up and pull a Krys Kolanos in OT but they didn't have it in them and a bad deflection sent them home. They are young and well coached and will be great again next year.

As the first Frozen Four I have attended where BC was not there, it certainly was exciting and dramatic and everything a casual hockey fan could have wanted as a finale to a great 2009 postseason. I just wish the Redhawks could have held their cool for 59 more seconds. Congrats to all four teams for making it an exciting weekend.

Not quite the same

2009-04-06T10:01:00.002-04:00

So here I sit three days away from another Frozen Four (and the way the Final Fours of basketball have been shaping up this is the only collegiate event that actually has any surprises left in it). There is a little different feel for me this year than for the past three seasons when BC was participating in the festivities. I must say that I am a little more relaxed than I have been....the same cannot be said for Mrs. Pike.

As Miami prepares for their first Frozen Four they need to be sure of a few things. Numbers one is that they can't take Bemidji State for granted. Notre Dame and Cornell can tell you what happens if you do. This team may not have entered the tournament with any hype but the pounding they put on ND and the fantastic goaltending performance against Cornell have garnered them some respect (from the Rant at least). As Michigan State can attest, sometimes you can ride a hot goaltender all the way to the title even when you are outclassed by almost every opponent you will face.

Something else they need to remember, they have a freshman at goaltender. This is not a new occurrence (John Muse anyone?) but the fact that Cody Reichard joins Keiran Millan and Rob Madore as three freshmen goaltenders in the same Frozen Four is quite astounding. And for all intents and purposes, sophomore Matt Dalton of Bemidji is a freshman considering the heightened emotions that will be running through that team being the first non "Big Four" conference school to make the Frozen Four. So Miami is not any worse off really than any of the other teams with regards to the most important position on the ice.

Finally, they need to borrow the attitude of their CCHA brethren Michigan State and remember that even if they face BU in the final, just because the other team is supposed to win doesn't mean they always do.

I'm hoping for two days of exciting competitive hockey as there has been throughout the tourney to this point. If Miami wins, I will be very happy for Mrs. Pike. If this weekend has even half of the excitement of two weeks ago, I think hockey fans everywhere will be pretty happy.

The Puck has been dropped...

2009-03-27T15:12:00.001-04:00

...Michigan v. Air Force start the full slate of games for the first round of the NCAA men's division 1 hockey playoffs. This year, all the games will be on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Happy day!

Home Cooking

2009-03-25T09:50:00.003-04:00

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of Duke. Not in any sport (although sometimes you can't help but root for the little engine that could which is the Duke football program). So you should not infer by anything that I am about to write that I feel sorry for Duke.

Last night Michigan State beat Duke in the women's basketball tournament. Duke was the number one seed in the region and Michigan State was the number nine. This is not uncommon (not as common as in the men's tourney but it happens). What makes this victory noteworthy was that Michigan State won this game on their home floor. Not at some neutral site that happened to be close to their school (like Villanova playing in Philadelphia in the men's tourney or UNH playing in Manchester for the hockey tourney). It was their actual home floor on their actual campus. Something is very wrong here.

A few years ago, the women's tournament switched from having the top four seeds in each region getting home court and hosting the games at their school to locations being picked out before the tournament started and the teams getting to play in those locations. I have no problem with the rationale here. You just can't then allow the team who's court you are using to be placed in that region. I know that the women's game needs a little help in the attendance department and certainly attendance was high at the MSU/Duke game last night as men's coach Tom Izzo and members of his team were even at the game but there needs to be a balance here. There have been times when a seed as low as 12 is getting home court advantage in the national tournament.

Granted, in a lot of cases, the home court makes no difference. Anyone playing UConn women are probably doomed for failure this year now matter where they play - Storrs, Hartford, Seattle, an outdoor court in Boise - it won't make a difference. But in a game like last night, there was a definite difference. If the home team can keep it close the crowd can play a factor in the second half. That East Lansing crowd was loud and involved in that game. You can't say that it didn't give the Michigan State players a little boost and didn't rattle the Duke players down the stretch. Duke was clearly rattled. They played hard all year in a tough league and earned a number one seed and its just too bad to have to play a "true" road game in the national tournament. I don't have the answer on how to make the change but clearly one needs to be made here.

Gone in 44 Seconds

2009-03-21T10:30:00.003-04:00

And just like that it's over. With 9:59 left in regulation BU posts 3 goals in 44 seconds and ends BC's season 3-2. Though they have won two national championships since 1998 this is only the second time since then that there season has ended so early. Today is a sad day for me and one I dread each hockey season. To Brock Bradford, Benn Ferriero, and the other seniors I say that you will be missed. But all is not lost. With Steve Whitney and Kenny Ryan coming in next year and Chris Kreider the year after, there is much to look forward to. This season will be remembered for the games that got away and the potential unfulfilled. Here's hoping I don't see BU in Washington in three weeks.

As always, looking forward to next year Eagles!

Weekend thoughts

2009-03-16T10:04:00.004-04:00

As a nice follow up to my last post about March Madness, it is now in full swing. It was an exciting weekend of action and these are just a few things that come to mind.

- Owning up to the fact that you mismanaged the game does not take away the poor taste in my mouth from that mismanagement, Coach Skinner. With 17 seconds to play, BC trailed by one point to Duke. They had fouled Jon Scheyer (one of the best free throw shooters in the country) and were given a gift with he missed the front end of the one and one. Instead of an immediate time out with the rebound they try to bring the ball up and when it looks like they have a lane to at least get it over half court, time out is inexplicably called before crossing half court. Now with 10 seconds left they have to get it in and struggle over half court and call another time out. Now with only 5 seconds left (wasting the precious 12 before), Duke smartly denies Tyrese Rice any chance of getting the ball and Sanders is forced to heave a prayer (though he did have a chance to dish to the red-hot Biko Paris) and they lose by one. It was a terrible display of clock management worthy of the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb Hall of Fame. They have to get their act together if they are going to beat USC on Friday as the Trojans are coming off an incredible run through the Pac-10 tournament.

- Let's roll right into the NCAA tournament. As usual there are complaints all around and it will be endlessly dissected and probed until Thursday when job productivity takes a dive country wide as the tournament gets under way in earnest (The Rant will be watching what he can though the big NY boss will be in town that day). I only have a few gripes...
1) I know they don't play the hardest schedule and their league is weak (no matter what Calipari may say about ConferenceUSA - its a weak league) but Memphis deserved the number 1 seed. They have proven themselves for years now that they are a top flight program. They dominated their league (not losing one game) and played some decent out of conference opponents early. In addition, they made a key personnel change for which they have gone 25-0 since. I know UConn is good. I know they are a dominant team but Memphis earned that spot and they should be rewarded with it.
2) BC does not deserve a 7 seed. I love my school and will support them to the death but a #7? The committee is saying that they are as good a Clemson (a team they lost to), California, and Texas. Either Clemson is getting hosed or BC is getting overrated because there is no way that these two teams should be equal. All I can guess is that the win over UNC in Chapel Hill and the win over Duke carried more weight than I thought. Mr. Bracketology, Joe Lunardi hasn't had them higher than a 9 in recent brackets. That seemed like a fair seeing to me. When BC is off, let's face it, they are a terrible team. But when they are on, they have proven on the court that they can beat almost anyone. I guess that's what mattered.
3) St. Mary's should be in this tournament. No disrespect meant to Wisconsin or Arizona or Maryland but St. Mary's was one of the best teams in the country when they were 100% healthy. They still played fairly well even when their best player was hurt. They gave Gonzaga a run for their money twice this year and almost beat them without Patty Mills. The mid-majors need to get more respect than this considering the success that they have had in the tournament in recent years and the quality of the basketball played across the country regardless of league.

- Speaking of tourneys, college hockey provided some excitement this weekend as well. Bemidji State returns to the tournament as the first automatic bid(perhaps for the last time as they will be a part of the WCHA soon and will most likely have no prayer of seeing the tourney again) and those who had high hopes have seen them dashed (Ohio State) or at least put themselves out on a limb (Miami) by failing to come through in their conference tourneys. Boston College is clinging to a slim chance as they pulled off the surprising upset of UNH with two straight wins in Durham. The Eagles had won only 3 times in their last 19 opportunities at the Whittemore Center so you cannot downplay the significance of these victories. The reward, a date with BU on Friday. BU has lost once since November 22nd. It's not quite for all the marbles but considering the position they are in, the rest of the season is win or go home for BC as it was for BU last year. It should be a raucous Garden this weekend. Unfortunately, the Rant will be in Virginia Beach for Mrs. Pike's brother's wedding. Thank you DVR!

- On a somber note, wrestler Andrew "Test" Martin was found dead in his home this weekend. I don't bring this up because it's yet another wrestler dying at a young age but rather because I found out in a headline on CNN that referred to Test as a "former WWE wrestler". While this is true I think it portrays this in the wrong light. Test was all but fired from WWE for his steroid and other drug use. He went to TNA but quickly fell out of favor there as he continued using steroids. There are some stories saying he was in rehab last year and had a significant drug problem. Test has not worked for the WWE in years and certainly not since the Wellness policy was strongly enforced after the deaths of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit. To simply paint Test as a "former WWE wrestler" as CNN did (or the source of their story did) allows the connection to be made to the WWE and early wrestler deaths. Vince McMahon has put a lot of time and money into cleaning up the company and removing the rampant drug and steroid use. Will the WWE ever be clean? Of course not but neither will pro baseball. But not every wrestling death should be associated with the WWE. Lets face it, almost every wrestler of stature can be considered a "former WWE wrestler", but each of these deaths that happen should not be pointed at the WWE.

That's all I have for now. Here's hoping for a little celebration next weekend - and I'm not talking about the wedding.

March Madness!

2009-03-13T13:38:00.003-04:00

Welcome to March, one of the craziest times in the sporting year. College basketball and hockey enter their tourney phases, the NHL and NBA head down the home stretches of the regular season, and baseball fans begin to think about the summer and the relaxation of sitting on the back porch with a tall glass of (enter cold drink of choice here), a book, and their favorite MLB team on the radio.

If we weren't ready for all of this, we were after yesterday. A full slate of college hoops thrilled the masses yesterday from stunning upsets (Baylor & Georgia Tech), to highway robbery (Oklahoma State), to one of the greatest games you will see in years (Syracuse - UConn). The day had something for everybody.

One of the things that yesterday really did was change the complexion of Selection Sunday. With the Baylor & Oklahoma State victories, two teams that were in bubble talk are suddenly more interesting. Baylor has at least played itself into the discussion and Oklahoma State has all but sewn up what was considered a debatable selection until yesterday. The truly sad part about Oklahoma State is that the refs gift wrapped that win for them. To make a foul call in such a situation with the game, seedings (Oklahoma was hoping to gain that #1 seed), and even post season hopes on the line is not the way you want to see these contests end. Don't get me wrong, Oklahoma State played a hell of a game and certainly deserved the victory I just wish they had won it the way Villanova defeated Marquette, with a clean basket to get the win. Bubble teams everywhere hate upsets as it adds more teams with passable resumes all vying for the same limited number of slots.

Which brings me to the classic. If the Syracuse-UConn game has been a wrestling match it would have been a worthy "Last Man Standing" match (though I am sure some of the participants may have considered it "Hell in a Cell" or the "Elimination Chamber"). With four players from each team fouling out over six grueling back-and-forth overtimes, it truly was last man standing. It was not simply in the way these teams played (both were phenomenal) but the fact that there were great individual performances (Stanley Robinson was the best he's been since coming to UConn and Andy Rautins 3-point shooting was something special) and the drama that was involved. As Devendorf squared up in regulation you knew that the shot was going through the net, and yet somehow you knew that it wasn't going to count. I must admit I thought that would be it for Syracuse. I figured that going from that emotional high to having to continue for another 5 minutes (who knew at the time it would take another 30 minutes of playing time to decide this one) was going to be too much and UConn's depth was going to win out. But I was wrong, and for every punch one threw the other countered beautifully. Until UConn ran out of time, players, and counters. This was a game for the ages.

That's the beauty of March. Tonight begins the Hockey East tourney as the BC men's hockey team looks to recapture their old form and their old glory. Wins tonight and tomorrow are necessary to get into NCAA tournament. The fire they showed last Saturday on Senior Night needs to be there tonight. They traditionally do not play well at UNH. But March is a time when the unexpected becomes the tradition. I'm anxious to see what more excitement this weekend holds not just for BC but for all the teams and all the schools. I love March!

Heart and Soul

2009-03-07T21:08:00.002-05:00

Last night the Boston College mens' hockey team ripped out my heart. In a defensive effort that I had not seen out of the Eagles in quite some time. A mere 30 seconds away from winning a close fought 1-0 game, they allowed a tying goal with 25 seconds left in regulation and then allowed the winning goal in overtime. They were 25 seconds from getting back into the tourney picture. As of this second they are still 19th in the Pairwise. There is a three way tie ahead of them for 16th. A win one the road against a quality opponent could have gotten them as high as 15th and coupled with a win tonight (as of this typing they are up 4-1 late in the third period) they could be back in the tourney with a chance to solidify that with a win or two against their Hockey East quarterfinal opponent. Instead, 25 seconds later, they now have to win their third Hockey East tourney in a row to make the NCAA tournament. They've ripped out my heart again this year...

Money Troubles

2009-03-03T13:38:00.005-05:00

Old Man Pike sent me a link this morning to an article about the current "controversy" surrounding UConn men's basketball coach, Jim Calhoun. I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of Mr. Calhoun or his Huskies (being a life long BC fan will do that to you), but this so-called controversy seems a bit absurd and misplaced.

Let's recap. A "reporter" who may or may not have even belonged at a UConn press conference began asking questions the other day about how appropriate it was for Jim Calhoun (technically a state employee) to be making $1.6 million dollars a year to coach basketball considering the state of the economy and the tight budgets that all state governments have been on lately. Calhoun got upset and now has a YouTube worthy rant about the money his program brings in and yelling about "facts" that has made the rounds on all the shows and all the on-line chat rooms.

First, let me say that this was an incredibly inappropriate question at this time. The man is up there to talk about basketball not the economy. This is not the forum to have a debate about the way the state government is spending its money. Calhoun did not make the decision to have UConn pay him that money and does not have the insight into the administration's reasoning to allocating that much of their budget into his pocket. If this were a Connecticut state house hearing on government spending this would be an appropriate line of questioning. Wrong time and wrong person to ask.

Let's not demonize Jim Calhoun here either (as much as we may want to). It's not his fault. All he did was negotiate a contract just like every other NCAA Division I coach does. Let's not forget there are many coaches across the country making around the same amount of money as Jim Calhoun who are working for state institutions and are technically state employees. I do not pretend to know the ins and outs of all the various school budgets but I assure you that Calhoun is not the only one making a large salary when the state is struggling. You want someone to blame, look to the university administrators who approved the salary. But you really can't blame them either because there is a good reason to keep and/or lure a great coach to your school.

Calhoun brought up a very good point when he talked about how much money he and the program bring in to the school. Sure, there are the tangible things such as ticket sales and merchandising and such. But there are things that you cannot quantify when you are talking about a successful college athletic program. My friend once told me that Doug Flutie was the reason that he went to Boston College. So while a high US News & World Report rankings, making the campus attractive, and having great professors may buy you a lot of students, the fact is a good athletic program makes your school more attractive and drives up applications which allows the school to drive up enrollment and pricing. Jim Calhoun has done that for UConn.

I am not disparaging the educational institution of UConn. I'm not implying that people only go there because of the basketball team. But it would be naive to think that the success of the men's (and the women's) basketball teams has not affected enrollment at UConn. Remember that the income from sports does get funnelled back into the university and helps pay for other improvements around campus that are not sports related.

To have great teams to bring in that money, however, you need great coaches. In order to compete for those top coaches, schools like UConn need to pay top dollar. I'm not here to debate whether they should be paid that or not. When new budgets come up and some of these coaches' contracts expire, if the economy has not turned around, I think some of these state institutions are going to have to look long and hard at these salaries. The point is, don't harass the coaches for something that is out of their control. The institution decides how to spend their funds and the economic benefit must have outweighed the expense for them. I may not like Jim Calhoun but this is not a reason to hate him.

First Time for Everything

2009-02-23T13:31:00.002-05:00

And for the first time in several years, the Boston College hockey team is out of Pairwise contention. They are still technically ranked (#22) but short of a miracle (read winning the Hockey East championship) the Eagles will be sitting at home come March 27-28 and will neither be staying close to home (Manchester) or getting shipped out west for any tourney.

Coming into this season, the Eagles will full of hope. Pre-season number one, the return of Hobey Baker-hopeful Brock Bradford, defending national champions with much of the same cast. Sure they had lost Gerbe but getting Bradford back along with a talented group of young freshmen was supposed to make up for that. Losing Brennan would hurt but gaining 2nd round draft pick Tommy Cross and Massachusetts player of year Edwin Shea was supposed to make up for that. But the funny part is that it didn't.

Without Gerbe, the offense has sputtered. There have been so many line combinations I don't even know who is on the ice half the time. Bradford has been good but with no stellar talent around him he has not had the opportunity to show his skill. There is no player on the team who is a threat to score every time they step on the ice. From Marty Reasoner to Brian Gionta to Patrick Eaves to Brian Boyle to Nathan Gerbe (not to mention some complements like Ben Eaves, Tony Voce, Chuck Kobasew, and Krys Kolanos), there has always been that guy that other teams feared. Not now. Bradford seems unable to create his own plays. Joe Whitney has taken a significant step backward and Ben Smith has been invisible. Benn Ferriero has skill buy until recently was invisible as well (though he had at least three golden opportunities Saturday night that just did not go his way. The explosiveness of years past is sorely missing this year and it means that no one is playing on their heels against BC. No one is afraid of their offense.

Without Brennan, the defense if lacking direction. I think some of this lays in the constant swapping of defensemen all year long. These are just kids and as such, when they get sat down for a game or two, when they get back in there they are going to play a little tight afraid that the slightest mistake is going to get them yanked out of the lineup. I have mentioned before in this space that Nick Petrecki's over-aggressive style was getting the team into trouble and Saturday night was no exception. Tied 1-1 late in the first, Petrecki levels Danny Dries at center ice but it allows Bobby Butler and Phil DeSimone to break in 2-on-1 with Sneep back and DeSimone makes a fabulous play to wait out John Muse and score to take a 2-1 UNH lead with only 4 seconds left in the period. A major turning point in that game. I appreciate the energy level and the need to be physical but when playing UNH you need to be aware that they are always thinking about the odd man rush. That is their bread and butter. Trying to lay out a guy when it's 3-on-2 late in the period and leaving a clearly struggling Carl Sneep all alone at the end of the period in a tie game was simply poor decision making on Petrecki's part. And not the first time. Nick Petrecki makes this team a better team when he is on the ice; but I will not be upset should he leave for the NHL after the season.

I don't mean to heap the problems on only a couple players. The entire team has just been a disaster this year. The power play doesn't shoot (and gets victimized having forwards playing the point), all the defensemen have had serious turnover issues, the effort has been just play lacking some nights (Feb 13th v. UMass-Lowell comes to mind). Unless something changes starting Friday against Providence, BC needs to start thinking about next year because in a couple weeks, that's all they'll have left.

The B's are almost complete

2009-02-18T16:20:00.003-05:00

Watching the Bruins last night I came to realize that they were in desperate need of a few thinks. Not to get any more injuries (check), have Patrice Bergeron put the puck in the back of the net (check), have Phil Kessel start scoring goals (not so much), and get a quality win (check). Last night's resounding 5-1 victory provided a "Yes" to most of those questions and the one that did not get answered came remarkably close.

Phil "the Thrill" Kessel has been in a bit of slump since returning from a bout with mononucleosis. He has shown much of his jump but less of his touch. The last two games have suggested that its only a matter of time. Andy Brickley often talks about players doing things the right way and eventually they will be rewarded. We saw this with Michael Ryder early in the season when he wasn't necessarily putting all the pucks in the net but he was making good decisions and playing hard with Krejci and Wheeler and getting quality opportunities. Then he went on a torrid streak when it looked like every shot he took was going in. This is what happens to good goal scorers.

Phil has been getting opportunities. Last night he streaked up the side, was found on a beautiful pass from a teammate and broke in alone only to be stoned by Cam Ward. A similar thing happened toward the end of overtime against the Nashville Predators. Kessel has shown this year that he has the ability to be a top scorer in this league and like all good scorers, he keeps doing things right the lamp will start lighting for him. The Bruins need to keep believing that because a dangerous Kessel is a key to them making it far in the playoffs this year.

Weekend observations

2009-02-02T08:50:00.005-05:00

Here is my latest edition of quick hitting points over the weekend.

- The Bruins look to be back on the winning track. Despite that disappointing OT loss to the Devils on Thursday they still did not play a bad game and they have followed that up with two solid efforts in back-to-back nights against the Rangers and Canadiens. They are now only 14 points away from their entire point total from last season and there are still 2 and a half months of games to play.

- On the same topic, Tuuka Rask looked great against the Rangers on Saturday. Unlike some, I'm not going to get carried away and say that it is time to trade Fernandez and just go with Rask and Thomas for the rest of the season but his play certainly makes it easier to part with one of those guys in the off-season. He got a little skittish at the end of the game when he knew that the shutout was in his grasp (watching him scramble for that last puck as time was running out kinda reminded you that though a professional, he's still just a kid) but he held on for a great victory both for himself and his team. Next year, he probably splits time with whoever gets kept (odds are on 2-time All-Star Thomas right now) and maybe even takes up to 50% of the load by the end of the year. More quality contribution from the youth in the Bruins organization.

- The BC hockey team was once again disappointing at Providence. Their biggest problem, not shooting the puck. At one point during the game they possessed the puck with good cycling, and forechecking in the Providence end for over a minute and came away with zero shots on net. One of the biggest problems is the lack of shots from their defensemen. With the exception of Petrecki, the defensemen seem to treat the puck like a hot potato, looking to get rid of it the minute it hits their sticks. This team needs to take more shots from the point, even if they are getting blocked. At least make the other team think about that possibility. When you look at the Bruins you realize how much more potent their power play became after Savard scored a couple of those tough angle, roof shots. The other teams began to respect Savard's shot and that became another option. The BC defensemen need to be a option of this team to succeed for the rest of the season. They yo-yo's out of the tourney for a day but Maine's win over UMass last night got them back in...for now.

- Speaking of the rest of the season, tonight begins this season's Beanpot. BU is the prohibitive favorite (as they should be) but watch out for Harvard. At least twice I have seen an outclassed Harvard team shock their first round opponent (1998, 2008) but I wouldn't count on that happening tonight. BC needs the win over Northeastern to solidify their tenuous hold on 14th in the PWR (much like the BCS, the only rankings that really matter - why basketball doesn't develop it's own version of this is beyond me). I will have my impressions for you hopefully later in the week.

- Finally, the Big Game (otherwise known as the Super Bowl). That was a great contest last night, it's just too bad that that interception and the Cardinals inability to tackle a massive defensive lineman for 90+ yards ended up really making the difference in that game. Taking nothing away from Santonio Holmes (possibly one of the most disgusting catches in Super Bowl history) and the Steelers, Arizona threw that game away between their penalties and turnovers. I great season for them (considering how earlier in this space I mentioned they didn't even belong in the playoffs) and a big congratulations to both teams for turning what could have been a terrible game into something worth watching.

Return of the Captain

2009-01-30T19:05:00.003-05:00

So after turning down the $10 million dollar offer the Red Sox made at the beginning of the free agent period, Jason Varitek has signed with the Sox for $5 million this year and perhaps $3 million in 2010. Do you think Varitek is thanking Scott Boras for having his best interests here? Despite the money he was able to get for Texeira and others, Boras has failed Varitek and Ramirez in this post-season. He had legitimate offers for both players in the range that they wanted to be and now both will have to settle for lower salaries. I'm not complaining that the players are getting paid less, in this economy they should be, but that Boras the Uberagent has tried so hard to drive up the price on his clients that it has actually cost them money.

One of the worst things that may have happened this off-season is that the greed of the Yankees and their free agents (among others, it's not restricted to the Yankees by any means) has left a definitive bad taste in the mouth of not just the fans but other owners. If lower gate revenues (almost guaranteed this year as evidenced by reduced ticket requests for even the Red Sox) weren't enough, this feeling is going to see many of next year's free agents not looking at the pay days that their colleagues received this year.

Any other season would have people beating down the door for people like Ben Sheets, Manny Ramirez, and Bobby Abreu. Yet here we are, 12 days from pitchers and catchers and none of them has a job yet.

Tagged

2009-01-30T18:44:00.003-05:00

OK...so this is a little off my normal topic but I was "tagged" so here it is... (technically I am supposed to tag 8 other people...but since I just did something like this on another site I'm just provided answers to the tag).

1. What are your nicknames?

The Rant or The Fan. And some others...but that would be telling... : )

2. How do you style your hair?

There's supposed to be style?

3. What's new in your life right now?

The Bruins are actually in first place!!

4. How many colours are you wearing right now?

I am a rainbow (with some BC maroon and gold thrown in)

5. Are you and introvert or extrovert?

Introvert - why do you think I use the name Cam Pike

6. What was the last book you read?

Your Heart Belongs to Me - Dean Koontz

7. Do you nap a lot?

No. Except on Saturday afternoons in the fall during boring afternoon football games.

8. If the person you secretly like is already taken, what would you do?

Try to convince them I was the better choice.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?

BC hockey's inconsistency and BU's ascendancy this season.

10. What's your favorite dessert?

A good strawberry milk shake.

11. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

30 minutes from out of bed to out of the house.

12. What websites do you visit daily?

CNN, ESPN, USCHO, InsideCollegeHockey.com, Boston.com, lordsofpain.net (wrestling news site)

13. What classes are you taking right now? And if you're not in school anymore, what's your job?

Bringing sports entertainment to the masses.

14. Do you like to clean?

No. But I do it anyway.

15. What's the last song that got stuck in your head?

Couldn't have been stuck very long because I can't remember.

16. What's the last movie you saw?

"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans"

17. What's better: eternal love or memorable?

Memorable

18. What colour do you look bet in?

Blue

19. Best time of your life?

2001 - Albany, 2008 - Denver...Both BC national titles and I was there. Nothing like it.

20. What are you most looking forward to in the coming month?

Beanpot!

Back on the Right Track?

2009-01-26T09:01:00.003-05:00

The Boston College hockey team got back on the winning track this weekend with two hard fought and exciting games over the University of Maine. While Maine is still a team on the rebuild this year they did eke out a 2-1 victory over the Eagles at Alfond back on November 9th so it was not a team to be taken lightly.

What I liked about the last two nights was that the team finally had some of its spark back. due to the plethora of away games the past two weeks I have only been able to watch the games on TV and the team clearly was lacking energy and that ability to close out games (evidenced by the two games they allowed to be tied up in the final minute of regulation). But this weekend the energy was back. They were hitting, skating hard, and making things happen. I would still like to see some more shots on net but those will hopefully come with the increased energy.

Two players that really seemed to elevate their play were Benn Ferriero and Brian Gibbons. Gibbons did not get a lot of points on the weekend but we was working hard every shift, hitting people (just ask Gustav Nyquist who nearly lost his head late in the third period last night when Gibbons came blasting off the bench and cleanly levelled him at center ice), and providing energy. Ferriero seems to have better games when he gets physical which he was this weekend. He's a strong skater with a solid frame and while he is also gifted offensively, much like Milan Lucic, when he brings that physical element to his game he gets more into the flow and becomes the complete player he can be which usually translates into points for him.

Sometimes the emotion can get a little too high as Petrecki will now sit for the game next weekend for his undisciplined (a word often linked to Nick Petrecki unfortunately) head-butting in the final minutes of the game. It will be interesting to see who will take Petrecki's place and make up for his physical presence in a game. The stretch between now and the 20th of February may make or break the Eagles season. They have several games against teams they must beat (Providence, Amherst, Lowell) and the Beanpot, where victories over Northeastern and BU would certainly solidify their hold on an NCAA berth and a chance to defend their national crown.

Looking for work

2009-01-22T09:11:00.001-05:00

21 days until pitchers and catchers report...

...and Manny Ramirez still does not have a job.

I would be lying if I said that didn't make me happy.

Just desserts

2009-01-13T14:38:00.002-05:00

It's good to see a school reward loyalty and excellence. Today Boston College promoted Frank Spaziani to head coach. This is a great decision. Spaziani has spent 12 years on the Heights and developed the Boston College defense into one of the best in the nation year in and year out. They may not have the superstars that many other schools have but Coach Spaziani seems to always get the best out of what he has to work with.

Congrats, Coach. I'm looking forward to next year!

More injuries

2009-01-13T09:04:00.002-05:00

Now that Kessel has mono, the Bruins are going to have to dig deep to find that second scoring line. Wheeler-Krejci-Ryder has been potent all year and Savard has the ability to turn an average scorer into a 30 goal man, but if Lucic or Kobasew or some unknown does not step up the Bruins are looking at potentially losing that strangle-hold on 1st place.

Oh, boy - it could be a long month....

Perhaps its not too bad...

2009-01-08T08:57:00.004-05:00

There have not been good tidings in the Boston sports world of late:

- The Sox lost out of Teixeira. On the surface this looks like a case of someone simply picking New York over Boston. But there seems to have been some underlying forces at work here. Teixeira, in his news conference the other day which announced the finalization of his deal with the Yankees, said that he had chosen New York before Christmas. Which begs the question, why did he meet with Sox brass after Christmas? It sounds like a blatant ploy to drive up his price. If that meeting after Christmas had yielded a bigger offer than the one that he received from the Yankees you can bet your job that he would have gone right back to the Yankees (or rather Scott Boras would have) and said that the asking price had gone up even though he had already made the decision to go there. After the press conference Scott Boras was on camera saying that the Yankees and their willingness to spend was great for baseball. Really? Great for baseball? Or does he just mean great for his inflated ego and wallet? How is driving up the price of decent players (A.J. Burnett) so that anyone who wants to sign someone similar needs to pay that inflated price good for baseball? C.C. Sabathia will be making more over the next few years than some teams have on their payroll, period. The Yankees have more money in 5 players than half the teams have for an entire roster. How is this good for baseball? A executive in the Yankee organization claimed it was sour grapes and that the teams voted in the current collective bargaining agreement with no cap and that they can't now bitch about that same lack of a cap. But I think he is missing the point, I think some teams truly felt that the luxury tax that teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets would pay for having inflated payrolls would discourage them from overpaying for free agents and that the redistribution of that money would actually help the lower market teams compete for the big talent. That has not happened. Now it appears even the Red Sox (the second deepest pocket in MLB) can't compete with the salaries that the Yankees are doling out. Scott Boras and his ways are ruining baseball and the Yankees seem to be willing participants in this foolishness.

- Coach Jeff Jagodzinski is fired from BC. On the surface this is a head scratcher. My friend, Fishfan, wrote me an email expressing outrage that the school would threaten to fire someone simply for interviewing for another job. I must admit I was a little taken aback at first myself. But then I thought about it. Here we are, beginning of recruiting season, and your head football coach is looking for another job. Not exactly the type of message you want to show recruits out on the trail...

Coach Jags - "So DT X, you should come to BC to play football."

DT X - "Why? You don't even want to be they so why should I bother?"

Coach Jags - "Um...well...you see...."

Not exactly inspiring young minds there. The school needs a commitment from someone who wants to be there and wants to advance the program and make a difference. Jags clearly was not interested in doing that. In his defense, he has not said anything negative about the school or about his firing or anything. He clearly still yearned to be a part of the NFL and coaching a college program was not for him. I think BC made the right decision in letting him go. Now they should reward Frank Spaziani for his commitment to the program and the excellent job he has done over the years as defensive coordinator and make him the head coach.

- BC basketball beats UNC only to lose to Harvard the next game. To say I saw this coming from a mile away would be an understatement. This is a typical pattern with this team even back to the Jim O'Brien days. They follow up a great effort against a top opponent with a dismal effort against a weak opponent. Not sure why. Maybe just the nature of having a bunch of kids who are prone to emotional highs and lows. What will be interesting will be to see if they can rebound and refocus now that the ACC schedule starts. No more out of conference cupcakes left to pound. You have to bring your best effort every night if you want to make the tourney. Personally I think this team is headed for the NIT. They need at least 7 wins in conference to make it and I'm not sure they have it. The losses to St. Louis and Harvard will be difficult to overcome. They might need 22 wins to get in.

- Bruins and Celtics struggling. After both getting off to fantastic starts the Celtics are 2-6 since Christmas and the Bruins have lost 2 in a row at home. The Celts look tired and unable to dig deep to put teams away late in games. The Bruins on Tuesday night look like the scuffling team of last year - good goaltending, neutral zone turnovers, bad passes, no consistency on the power play - basically not the team I have watched all season. Neither team was going to be able to keep up the pace they started the year with but over the next couple of weeks we will see if they can right the ship and get back on track.

....OK - I was wrong. It's pretty bad. But the Celts & Bruins have a long season ahead to get over this bump (the Bruins having a much bigger cushion to play with than the Celts). There is still hope for the BC basketball team to find more nights like their night in Chapel Hill. Jags was fired early enough in the recruiting season that it should not make a big difference in who comes to the Heights. There is always an outside chance Bud Selig will hire some psycho to assassinate Scott Boras and save baseball. Besides, the Sox did pretty well last year with the line up they had and they return almost everyone - hopefully with less injuries so they should at least be able to compete for the wild card (yes I am conceding the division to the Evil Empire). All that and the BC hockey team returns to the ice this weekend after the long Christmas break. There has to be a silver lining somewhere.

The So-So Holidays

2008-12-29T09:24:00.004-05:00

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

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

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

Getting what you asked for

2008-12-24T12:35:00.003-05:00

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

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

Happy holidays everyone!

Who to root for?

2008-12-23T09:44:00.002-05:00

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

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

Business About to Pick Up

2008-12-16T09:13:00.002-05:00

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

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