Seasons change

Tonight, the Bruins play Game 7 versus the Canadiens. As many have mentioned before, this is a team that was not even expected to make it past 5 games with the Habs nevermind drive them to 7. As I mentioned before in this blog, you saw a change with this team in the final regular season matchup with Montreal. They started to believe that they could beat them and after Game 3 they knew it. Though they may not admit it, I think most of the Bruins think they should have already won this series, that they should have won either Game 2 or Game 4. Alas, it comes down to tonight and it should be fun.

People keep asking me about the Red Sox and I have to defer such conversation since the Bruins are still playing. It's great. The past few years my season outlook doesn't change until both BC Hockey and the Bruins have been eliminated from the playoffs. I will still pay attention to the rest of both the NCAA and the NHL playoffs but it is with considerably lest gusto and I start to actually pay attention to the Sox a little bit. Not this year.

Not that I have been ignoring the hometown team. Even now I have Gamecast running on my computer following this afternoon's tilt while I am writing this blog. But it is more for background noise than anything else. Let's face it, with the length of the baseball season, day-to-day scores don't really matter until you get into June anyway. Sure a bad first couple of months can really hurt and take you our of playoff contention early but I don't think that was ever a concern for the Red Sox this year.

Speaking of change (or lack thereof), Hank Steinbrenner has apparently picked up where his father left off (I know, I know...this blog entry is straying from topic to topic but that's the way it goes sometimes). He's sticking his nose into the day-to-day managing of his team. By trying to force Joe Girardi to place Chamberlain into the starting rotation, he's doing more harm than good for his team. He needs to understand that this is why one hires manager, to manage the team. If he wants to manage so bad he should fire Girardi and sit on the bench himself.

You put Girardi in the untenable position of either starting Chamberlain or facing the wrath of his boss and the NY media & fans. In order to do so, he would need to remover Kennedy, Hughes, or Mussina from the rotation. This would be telling either Kennedy or Hughes that you have lost faith in them (which may not be too bad a thing considering how poorly they have pitched so far) or removing Mussina (which would effectively be telling him that his career is over). It's too early for this. Hughes & Kennedy need to be shown that the team has confidence in them if they are truly NY's future. Mussina may be done but there is no way that he will take a bullpen role and the alternative would be to release him for Joba who has not started in the majors. He has overpowering stuff but he has yet to prove that he can pace himself with that 100 mph fastball over 7 innings.

I dislike the Yankees. As a team and an organization. But Steinbrenner forcing Joba into the starting rotation when he is clearly effective in his current role may do more harm than good...wait a minute...what am I thinking...by all means, put Joba in!!! : )