The Red Sox have lost 2 in a row, and the White Sox seem to have their number winning for the 11th time in 13 matchups against Boston. If only they could have that kind of success against the rest of the MLB, as the Sox are having a terrible year (25-31).
Alfredo Aceves takes the hill for the Red Sox, and he has been a nice surprise. In his two starts this season he has gone a total of 11 innings allowing only 2 runs. You can't ask for much more out of him, and hopefully he can keep it up tonight. On paper the White Sox should have a very good lineup. I still think they are really good even with Dunn being the worst player ever. Aceves could run into trouble as their is a ton of power throughout this lineup.
Phil Humber has been one of the biggest surprised of the season. He is is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his last six starts, and is basically going to take Danks spot in the rotation. I haven't taken him seriously all season, but I am actually very interested to watch him pitch tonight. It's hard to argue with the numbers he has been putting up, but if the Red Sox are hitting on all cylinders it really doesn't matter who is on the mound.
Red Sox win 7-6 Player of the Game: Ortiz Game starts at 7:10pm
There was a lot made of Crawford's struggles, yet a guy that hasn't got hammered as much as he probably should is Adam Dunn. Coming into the year I thought this guy was a lock for 40+ HRs, and we going to make the White Sox offense one of the best in the league. Yet, he hasn't even come close.
As of today Dunn is batting an anemic .181 with only five home runs scattered amongst 69 strikeouts, and it's not like it's getting any better as he 2-for-22 with 11 strikeouts and one home run in his last 7 games. I have been thinking that eventually he would turn it on, but tomorrow is June 1st, and I have seen nothing that makes me think he is going to turn it around.
Maybe it's just being part of the White Sox, as that entire team is just one giant disappointment. Danks is still winless and might be losing his spot in the rotation, the bullpen is horrid, and as of today the White Sox are 8 1/2 games back on the Indians for first place in the AL Central. That's pretty bad for one of the teams I thought would be challenging for best record in the AL. You have to wonder how much longer Guillen will keep his job.
"True North Sports and Entertainment has completed its deal to purchase the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, clearing the way to move them to Winnipeg, a source tells ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. True North has scheduled a news conference for noon ET on Tuesday at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, at which a "significant community announcement" will be made (ESPN)."
We have been hearing these rumors for awhile now, and it seems the deal is finally done. I am glad this is happening. Atlanta should never have had a team, and I think there should be more teams in Canada, because they actually care about hockey. Saying that, I still think the best thing for the NHL would be to lower the number of teams, so that they should have a better product to put on the ice. I also think they should shorten the season, because there is really no reason to be playing hockey in June.
"I want to start my own path and I want people to follow my path and not just follow somebody else's path. I want to have my own path, and I want to start that here in Orlando. But I can't do it alone. Not only do I need the right teammates, but I need the city behind me. That's the only way it's going to get done. We can change this small city that we have — this small market that we have and we can make it a big market."
"As of right now, I'm a part of the Orlando Magic and I plan to be here," Howard said (CBS Sports).
I am not buying it. The Magic are in a ton of cap trouble, and aren't even close to being a team challenging for an NBA title. My guess is that they have a terrible season next year (6 or 7 seed), and Howard finally has enough and moves on. There are just such better franchises out there that are going to have the cap room to make the changes Howard is looking for. Eventually he'll get sick of the "small market" and want to go somewhere that he can be even more well known (LA, Boston, New York, ect).
With Aaron Crow taking The Mexicutioner aka Joakim Soria's spot closing games for the Royals, it's real cool watching the youth movement going on in KC. Earlier this year they brought up highly touted prospect Eric Hosmer who has been killing it so far with 5 home runs and 15 rbi in 95 abs, and then they brought up one of their many top pitching prospects Danny Duffy who has been a pleasant surprise and now that Aaron Crow is taking a prominent role in the bullpen the transformation is happening.
Mike Moustakas their 3rd base prospect is waiting in triple A and their stud pitcher Mike Montgomry is their ready down in the minors too. It is real cool to see a team transform this way rather than the Red Sox/ Yankees way of just buying a team. I don't know if this will make the Royals a contender or not, but it's still cool.
You know what, good! He needed too, there was obviously too much controversy surrounding he and Ohio State now a days. He was already being suspended for 5 games, along with star QB Terrell Pryor and 4 other players due to a memorabilia for tattoo exchange in Columbus.
There is no real defense for Jim Tressel as he was warned about what his players were up to and chose to ignore it. He knew if those e-mails got out those players would have been suspended for the post season, so it would have been tough for him to win.
The 58-year-old Tressel had a record of 106-22-0 at Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to eight Bowl Championship Series games in his 10 years. Combined with a 135-57-2 record in 15 years at Youngstown State, where he won four Division I-AA national championships, Tressel's career mark was 241-79-2.
A theory of mine is that Ohio State is about to get in a lot more trouble soon and Tressel knew that and decided to walk away before shit hits the fan. And there are going to be paralyzing sanctions to the program.
Ohio State and the NCAA has started a separate investigation on QB Terrelle Pryor.
5.2 innings 8 hits 7 runs 1 homer 4 walks and struck out 4, that was Jon Lester's number. I guess he wasn't out of the little funk he was in over the past couple of weeks and now is 7-2 and a 3.94 era.
Paul Konerko was able to establish his dominance against Lester with another hr off of him. For the Sox the lone bright spot would be that Adrian Gonzalez hit a hr to make his total in double digits.
The Red Sox had a tough time with runners in scoring position and didn't have many, as they went 1-for-6 on the evening
Surreal (adjective): Having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic.
When the puck grazed against the blade of Nathan Horton's stick, and softly slid into the net, all the theories, all the "what-ifs" came into focus as reality. What I mean is, after years of wondering what it would be like to watch the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals, it's all become real. And the reality of it is so surreal.
Up until that goal, my nerves were frayed and tattered. There seemed to be some invisible force working against the Bruins. Brad Marchand came within millimeters here and there of a hat-trick in the 3rd period. The Bruins were playing the better game, but pucks weren't going in. They weren't even getting to the net.
Then the puck went in. It wasn't a magnificent play. It was just smart. Smart entry by the Bruins against Tampa's 1-3-1. Ference waited until he was close to center-ice and challenged by Tampa's frontman in the 1-3-1. Both Krejci and Horton were on the far-side boards. This was a 2-on-1 for the Bruins caused by the shape Tampa's formation. Two men attacking the area guarded by one. Krejci entered the zone with the puck, and was engaged by the final man or "strong safety" of the 1-3-1. As Krejci carried straight toward the corner, Horton cut inward to the net. Through the slimmest of lanes, Krejci passed to Horton.
It wasn't ingenious. It wasn't that tricky. It was smart. It was executed well. And it took advantage of minor mistakes made by Tampa's defenders. Horton was allowed to get position, Krejci was allowed entry without any harassment. In short, the Bruins couldn't have done better on the play, the Lightning could have done slightly better. And that's hockey. The difference between two teams in a 7 game series can be the fraction of a second that Krejci's pass window was open.
And for the next 7 and a half minutes, I was supremely confident. The game was over. If I were Red Auerbach, I would've lit a cigar. I was more confident in that 1-0 lead than I've ever been with any 3 goal lead the Bruins have ever had. After going up, they played even better. They kept attacking, kept fore-checking. They valued possession of the puck, made Tampa Bay fight to win it back, made the Lightning carry it 200 feet each time. It was a thing of beauty.
None of the Bruins had amazing individual nights. And that's why I enjoyed their effort so much. Thomas didn't have to stand on his head. Chara didn't have to throw people around all night. Seguin didn't need to break anyone's ankles. Everyone did their job. Everyone played well. Horton wound up with the goal, Krejci and Ference with the assists, and Thomas with a shutout, but no superhuman individual feats were necessary to win. The whole team showed up, guys like Peverley, Ference, and McQuaid were just as important as Krejci, Chara, and Seidenberg.
And it was also nice that the refs didn't call any penalties. Keeping the game 5-on-5 was a huge edge for the Bruins.
And now, for the 18th time, the Bruins are in the Stanley Cup finals. It's surreal how real this dream feels.
Well, it comes down to this. Bruins played all year so that they could have home ice, and now they have it with a chance to go the the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.
Before I go into what may happen tonight, let's take a trip down memory lane. As I have stated before I was a huge Bruins fan as a child. One of my earliest memories comes from the 1990 finals. The Bruins going against the Oilers, who were basically the greatest team alive. Bruins force overtime. They get Oilers' goalie Bill Ranford down and out, with Glen Wesley with an open net from the slot area. He misses it right over the crossbar, and the Bruins lost in the 3rd overtime, and that changed the whole series.
I have never forgiven Glen Wesley cursing his very name even today.
Why do I tell you this story? Because Kaberle is becoming my new Glen Wesley. Yes there was a difference Wesley had his good moments while I have not seen one good thing from Kaberle. Bottom line is that throughout my Bruins memory it always ends in tragedy.
It's weird with all the other Boston teams I am so optimistic. I think there is a chance, they some how some way they will get it done. I have Tom Brady to thank for that, because he was the one who finally made me a believer in what I was rooting for. Yet, as the Bruins head to Game 7 it's hard to have that same feeling. It's been hell being a Bruins fan (even resulting in a 4 year hiatus).
This year has been different though. I hate to break this to everyone, but the Bruins AREN'T THAT GOOD. Usually, the Bruins lose to teams I think they are better then. Not this year, they are doing it with a hot goalie. Tim Thomas is already the best goalie I have seen on the Bruins (Yes, even better then my beloved Andy Moog). Maybe that's all it takes, maybe he is the Bruins Tom Brady. Maybe it's time to believe.
Like I said the Bruins have home ice. Thomas is coming off a subpar game, and I find that he always bounces back and rarely has back-to-back bad games. So, tonight I expect great things.
The power play? It's not going to magically get fixed, but I do believe it could be better. Bergeron should be on the point, Chara in front of the net, Seguin has to get some minutes, and Recchi needs to get off. If you do that I think they should be able to do something.
This is a Game 7, and that usually means the refs let them play. That's fantastic news for the Bruins, because they are a better 5 on 5 team. They are deeper, so if they stay out of the box they will win.
I believe.
Bruins win 5-1 Player of the Game: Thomas/Bergeron Game starts at 8pm
The Red Sox are probably wishing they could play another day game, since they have scored 28 runs the last two days, but right now it doesn't seem like anything can stop them.
Tonight we get the Wake vs. Rick Porcello. Porcello has had a nice bounce back year so far (4-2 3.08 ERA. He doesn't strikeout a lot of guys, but he makes you swing by being able to nibble. Porcello is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his last six starts, but maybe that's what fires up the Sox. It seems like every time the Sox play a good pitcher (or one that is "hot") they explode.
The Wake has done a good job for the Sox so far. Wakefield is 10-3 with a 3.51 ERA in his last 14 starts versus the Tigers, so hopefully he can keep that up. Wake is a tough guy to project. He could go in and pitch 6 strong innings and the knuckleball will be dancing, or it won't and he could last 2 innings. I'll take the middle ground and say we get 5 innings from Wake allowing 2-3 runs.
Red Sox win 7-5 Player of the Game: Gonzalez Game starts at 7:05pm
"Former Giants running back Tiki Barber, who plans to make a comeback this fall, is taking some heat for a comment he made comparing himself to Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
Barber explained that he lived in the attic of his agent, Mark Lepselter, in an effort to hide from the media after leaving his pregnant wife to move in with girlfriend Traci Johnson last year. Because his agent is Jewish, Barber referred to the situation as “a reverse Anne Frank thing (WEEI).”
Well the media will jump all over this, but I don't think it's a big deal. Actually, I giggled at it. I mean he was in a situation in which he needed to hide, and it happened to be a Jewish person's house. Obviously she was in a much worse situation, but I found the comment funny and I think people need to fucking calm down.
With that being said, to make a joke to the media avoid the following topics...
Holocaust Terrorism 9/11 Gays Abortion Slavery Any that race is involved in Woman's rights
LBS Extreme Burger Six half-pound beef patties, American cheese, portobello mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, spicy mustard, herb mayonnaise, house LBS sauce and ghost peppers.
I really liked Tate Forcier as a freshman, I thought he was going to be sick. He had a decent campaign but then once Denard Robinson took the reigns of QB, you could never go back to him. Since then you can tell he was bummed out and especially since this last incident.
"GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A former University of Michigan quarterback was the subject of a strange police call in Grand Rapids last month, according to an officer report released to 24 Hour News 8 on Thursday.
Tate Forcier, who quit the football team earlier this year, had locked himself in a bedroom of a third-floor apartment April 22, and was hanging out the window, the report states.
A woman in the apartment complex, in the 100 block of South Division Avenue, called Grand Rapids police.
No one will say whether this was a suicide attempt, but the police report states the woman who called was concerned Forcier would jump from the window."
That's kind of frighting you know? I wonder if he's just been on a downward spiral since being dethroned at Michigan or what his deal is. There were rumors that he was going to transfer to USC or Miami, but I doubt they will give the kid a shot especially after these reports.
Motherfucking Bulls blowing a motherfucking 12 point lead with motherfucking 3 minutes left. What the fuck do you think you are doing. All they fucking did was build the fucking legend of fucking Lebron fucking James. Derrick Rose what the fuck man, your the MVP and you gave us that shit bum fucking performance. You and the Bulls are a fucking embarrassment to life. Oh yea, sweet signing of Carlos Boozer I haven't seen anyone more defensively inept since Vin fucking Baker played on the Celtics drunk. I swear that signing was the worst thing that came out of last year. I would rather have Antoine Walkers broke ass out there than seeing you on the fucking bench during crunch time. My god. Now we are all hoping and praying that Dirk can stay on fucking fire and lose his fucking choking ways, because I swear to God if I have to watch LeBron fucking James say a victory speech I'm going to shoot myself in the fucking head. Seriously, I would rather fucking die then see that self absorbed, ego maniac, douchebag be happy.
Die
(waited 2 minutes came back because I still needed to get stuff off my chest)
Oh yea, Fuck ESPN, it burns a hole in my soul everytime they show this guy on the fucking television. yea he's been playing great, yea he's been clutch. He won the Eastern Conference Finals, not the Finals yet. Lets stop praising him like the Heat have won anything, it's fucking ridiculous. Today LeBron ruined any type of sports show for me, ESPn as a whole, and reading any other site than this and my fucking fantasy league. Good dammit I fucking hate him.
"Buster Posey sustained no knee damage in his collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins, Giants head trainer Dave Groeschner told reporters, including Al Saracevic of the San Francisco Chronicle, meaning he may be able to return to the Giants this season. It was feared he was out for the season following Wednesday night's scary incident at home plate.
Posey is expected to be out six to eight weeks or longer after suffering a broken fibula and severely strained ligaments in his left ankle. The 2010 Rookie of the Year underwent three MRIs on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury (CBS Sports)."
There were a lot of worries that he destroyed his knee as well, but he was lucky and it's fine. If Posey does return it won't be until very late in the season, so the Giants have started to look around for a replacement catcher. One name that has already come up is Ivan Rodriguez, which seems like the perfect stop gap option.
As for this whole "we need to change the rules to protect catchers"... Shut the fuck up. There doesn't need to be a rule change every time a guy gets hurt.
Boy was I wrong. I thought that Scherzer would be able to slow down the Red Sox offense, instead they lit him up for 7 runs in 2 innings. This game (much the game before) was over before it started.
Ellsbury hit a 3 run HR, and Crawford went 4-5 with 3 RBIs. Speaking of Crawford he is now batting .244, which is just .003 behind Pedroia in batting average. I wonder if a change in the lineup with will happen? I say not yet, but certainly something they will start looking at in a month or so, because right now they are so hot I wouldn't change anything.
Alfredo Aceves was very good once again, which has me thinking if we actually even want Lackey back. Anyways, he was great letting up just 1 runs over 6 innings strikingout out 6 batters.
Boston has won 11 of 13, and are tied for 1st place with the Yankees in the AL East. It's been an incredible turnaround, and if they can figure out their bullpen issues they could be unstoppable.
A couple days ago I wrote about how I was worried about Pedria (click here for post). Well, apparently I'm not the only one who is worried...
"Gammons also noted that second baseman Dustin Pedroia is "not going to be right all year with that screw in his foot." Pedroia missed a game after spraining his ankle in Monday's loss to the Indians but returned in Wednesday's 14-2 romp with a home run and three RBI.
"It's amazing what he's done considering how often he plays in pain," Gammons said. "His OPS is down about 190 points. His slugging is down from like 490 to 313 going into [Wednesday], but he plays through it. He never complains about it. The great thing about Dustin is he shows up at the park and says, 'If I can't do this, I'll do this [instead] and try to win.' There aren't athletes in too many places like him who show up every day and try to find a way to win. That's what he does (WEEI)."
I know he went off yesterday (who didn't though), but I am concerned about his foot. In the field I haven't really noticed it, but his stats are down across the board at the plate (as Gammons noted). As long as that screw is in his foot agree with Gammons that I don't think he will be a the player we have been seeing the last couple of year.
Pedroia plans to have that screw removed after this season.
"Bruins coach Claude Julien said he "disagreed" with the officiating in Wednesday's Game 6 loss to the Lightning. The Bruins had five power plays to the Lightning's four, but players and the coach took issue with some of the calls.
"What was more disappointing is probably the fact that I don't know if I agree with those calls," Julien said when asked about special teams. "Hopefully what was said today didn't have any impact on that, because if it did, I'd be really disappointed. You look back at those, and you get an opportunity to look back at them, and it's really, really tough to swallow (WEEI)."
The Bruins have had more power plays all serious, and I have had zero problem with the way this series has been called. I hate this kind of stuff, because it's just one big excuse to why they lost. The Bruins lost because they have the worst power play in the league, and Tim Thomas didn't bail out the rest of the team. It's really that simple.
Back in the Montreal series I would agree that the officiating was at times terrible, but how do you complain about the officiating when you have had more power plays? It's just fucking stupid. Instead of crying about some bullshit, why don't you take this time and kill Kaberle, or at the very least take him off the power play?
The Red Sox needed a laugher and they got one yesterday blowing the doors off the Indians. Boston has been on fire playing .676 baseball since that 2-10 start, as Rob pointed out earlier. Now they head to Detriot.
Wow, can't believe the Sox are playing back-to-back day games. I really love day games and I miss there were more of them. Anyways, it's Aceves vs. Scherzer today. Scherzer has only let up 5 ER over his last 4 starts. On the season he is 6-1 with a 2.98 ERA. In short, the Sox could be in for a long day.
Alfredo Aceves is getting his 2nd start since filling in for Lackey/Dice-K. In his last start he held the Cubs to one run and three hits over five innings, so we really can't complain.
I like Aveces, but I really don't like this matchup. I know the Sox have been beating the best pitchers, but I just don't see it today. Basically I am rooting for rain.
Tigers win 5-3 Player of the Game: Cabrera Game starts at 1:05pm
Mike Brown is officially the head coach of the Lakers, which I found shocking. What I found even more shocking is that they didn't even tell Kobe. Since the beginning we have heard that Kobe wanted Brian Shaw, who was the assistant under Jackson (there were some others, but he seemed the most logical). Yet the Lakers decided they wanted "a new system" and not more of the same. In a way I understand, maybe they think it's time to blow things up.
Yet, when I sit back and think about it longer I think the Lakers are fucking morons. First off, as I said yesterday, Mike Brown is an awful coach. On top of that this "system" they are trying to get away from (triangle offense) is a system that won them championships.
I think Kobe has the right to be angry. I mean the Lakers followed him when he ran Shaq out of town, and though it took a little while it ended up in more rings. Kobe has been the face of this franchise for a long time now, and he has no say on who wil be coaching. I am against players deciding these things, but you have already let him run this franchise for years, so why the change now?
Unless the Lakers think Kobe is done, or it's time to move on. Very interesting. In my opinion Kobe still has enough left in the tank that he is a top 3 player in this league. Can he win it by himself? No, but if Gasol decided to show up this year then I think we might be talking about the Lakers in the finals, and from everything I am reading it sounds like it is mental with Gasol, so maybe he will be good to go next year.
Or...
This Gasol vs. Kobe thing is real. There were rumors Kobe's wife blew up Gasol's engagement. If that's true that could be tough to get around.
Either way, it does seem like the Lakers are getting past the "Kobe player/GM" and moving into a different era. I don't think Kobe is going to get along with this coach, so could that mean that Kobe could be playing in a different uniform? Strange to think about, and it's really hard to imagine, but if they start losing Kobe is going to throw a fit, and that fit is going to be focused on the front office for hiring this coach and not the guy he wanted.
Not only is Barry Bonds the guilt free home run king and best player to ever play baseball, but he has a heart of gold. Despite the media's effort to make Bonds the villain and downplay everything right he does, Bonds has been the first in line in helping out the family of severely beaten Bryan Stow (the Giants fan that was nearly beaten to death outside a Dodgers game). Barry Bonds has agreed to pay for both of Stows kids college tuition, 12-year-old Tyler and 8-year-old Tabitha.
It sucks that the media and stupid half wit fans painted such a bad picture of Bonds because this story is right up there with the best of them. It's unlikely that Stow makes a full recovery and the man who beat him is caught and has 1 million dollar bail.
So now that the Thunder are out of the playoffs is it time that we finally realize the Kendrick Perkins deal didn't make a lick of difference? In fact there was an article last week that said, "To put a finer point on things, let's replace the word "starters" with "Kendrick Perkins." In his 82 minutes on the court, the Thunder have been outscored by a whopping 32 points. In his 62 minutes on the bench, the advantage has titled nearly as strongly the other way: The Thunder are plus-23.
And those slow starts? They've magically ended at the exact second Perkins departed. Oklahoma City trailed by five in Game 1 before he went out, by nine in Game 2, and by 15 in this one -- 29 points worth of deficits to make up the rest of the night. The Thunder overcame it in Game 2 by scoring on nine straight possessions right after Perk went to the bench; in the other two games, the hill was too big to climb.
Of course, this could just be noise. Sometimes plus-minus fluctuates randomly for reasons that have little to do with a player's performance. After watching the three games, however, this isn't one of those cases. For starters, Perkins has made a limited statistical contribution, with only 11 points and 14 rebounds in the three games. His main function seemed to be going out of his way to run into Tyson Chandler off the ball."
So it happened to the Thunder too. They realized that Perk is just what everyone says he is, "a big body with a mean snarl" he is not a good offensive player and hurts the offense more than helps it and much like when he was with the Celtics, he finds himself on the bench at the end of games because Nick Collison is a better option.
I'm not trying to bad mouth Perkins, but the absolute bashing of the trade needs to finally be put to the end. The Celtics wouldn't have got passed the Heat with Perk, and Perk obviously isn't the guy that puts a contending team over the top. Everyone shut up and stop bad mouthing Ainge.
Home run derby time as the Red Sox beat the shit out of the Indians started off with 7 quick runs and ended up winning 14-2. In the 14 runs the Red Sox had 4 homeruns, Pedroia hit a 2-run homer in the 1st, Crawford hit a solo shot in the 3rd, Ortiz had a solo homer in the 6th, then the next 2 batters reached after Papi, and Salty brought them in with a 3-run shot.
Everyone on the Sox got at least 2 hits except Jed Lowrie who went 0-5.
Jon Lester was great. Lester went 6 innings, gave up only 3 hits, no runs, 1 walk, and struck out 7. Lester has a major league best 7 wins.
We were up on the Yankees for an hour, but they ended up winning.... gay
So many playoff games seem "stolen." Games are so closely fought, every inch contested. The smallest edge can be the difference in a shift, a period, a game, and ultimately a series. Tim Thomas' goaltending stole Game 5 for the Bruins. Tampa Bay's special teams "stole" Game 6.
The Bruins' struggles on the Power Play had been tolerable before last night. Because they don't need their Power Play to win. And while the B's weren't scoring with a man advantage, neither were the Lightning. Tampa Bay entered Game 6 with a Power Play that was 2 for 18. That changed last night. The Lightning were 3/4 with their Power Play.
Give credit to the Lightning for having excellent special teams. Give credit to the ref for that interference call on Peverley, which was a play I've seen go uncalled several hundred times this postseason. Give credit to some poor Penalty Killing before Teddy Purcell's goal, as all 4 Bruins committed to a battle below the goal-line.
I do like how the Bruins played in the 3rd period. They were frenzied. If not for that late breakaway goal (which was partially Boychuk's fault as he made an unwise pinch), the game goes to OT. Krejci wound up with a hat-trick, the first playoff hat-trick for a Bruin since Neely did it in '91. And the 3rd period reminded Dwayne Roloson that the Bruins have his number.
One silver-lining to this game is that the Bruins were nowhere near at their best, yet they were only a few plays away from winning. They didn't value the puck, they didn't make plays, they committed some silly penalties, like Ference's cross-check on Stamkos. But they were still close to victory.
Why is it that Michael Ryder's quality of play deteriorates, and Tyler Seguin pays for it by seeing his ice-time curtailed (fancy word for reduced)? Why is it that Kaberle continues to get so much ice-time, especially on the Power Play? Maybe he's the problem with that unit. The Power Play has been awful since he was acquired. Yet we see him out there every time.
Kaberle truly is a Toronto Maple Leaf. He's a moderately talented guy that disappoints when it matters. He's a regular season player whose reputation far outweighs his actual worth. I'm tempted to kidnap him for Game 7, Celtic Price style, just to ensure that Julien can't play him for 19:46 like he did last night.
Game 7 is Friday night. The Bruins need every player to bring their absolute best game. Ryder needs to stop trying to handle the puck through 4 guys. Recchi needs to contribute. Kaberle needs to get kidnapped. To be honest, this is the Bruins' game to lose. Would you rather have Tim Thomas or Dwayne Roloson start between the pipes in Game 7? Would you rather have Chara-Seidenberg or Hedman-Brewer? Would you rather be the best 5-on-5 or on special teams?
The Bruins are one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990. Visions of Glen Wesley hitting the post are racing through my head, but we'll get back to that at a later date.
The Lightning have decided to go back to Roloson, which I think is something Bruins fans should be excited about. He has looked shaky for the most part during this entire series. Maybe his time off will get him back on track, but I doubt it. Smith really scared me. He is huge and really played well last game (in my opinion).
No matter who is in net the Bruins have to play a lot better then they did last time out. They can't just sit back and hope that Tim Thomas is Jesus Christ every game. He is the difference in this series, because if it wasn't for him I think the Lightning would be up in this series. Saying that, goalies are the most important and the Bruins have the best one in the NHL.
What do the Bruins need to do?
Well at this point we sound like a broken record. They can't turn the puck over in their own end. They can't get silly penalties, and it would be nice for once to actually do something on the power play. Bottom line is Thomas has to played out of his head again for the Bruins to get past the Lightning. Tampa is going to throw everything at him again tonight, and I do have a bad feeling about this game. Still, how can you against Timmy Thomas? I sure can't.
Bruins win 3-2 (OT) Player of the Game: Thomas/Bergeron Game starts at 8pm
The mock drafts are starting to go around, and even though I think this is a pretty weak draft I thought it might be interesting to see who the Celtics could target in the draft. Before we start I want you to know where my heads at in terms of what will happen this offseason.
- Jeff Green will be back - Big Baby will be gone - Jermaine O'Neal will be back (too much money) - Shaq will be back (because he's Shaq) - Ray Allen will pick up his option (obviously)
We will obviously do more of these lists as the draft gets closer, but here is a couple guys to keep an eye on.
Nikola Vucevic, C USC
Even if Shaq and Jermaine comeback the Celtics have to address their issues at center. That's why you will mostly see big men that I think the Celtics will go after. Vucevic is currently who Chard Ford has the Celtics taking, and I think it would be a steal. He is huge (7 feet and a 7-5 wing span), and he really played well in his last year at USC (17.1 ppg 10.3 rebs). The negatives is that he isn't all that quick, but I think his length and post moves make him worth this pick.
Markieff Morris, C/PF Kansas
I don't think he will fall, but Celticblog pointed him out, so I figured I'd add him to the list. The guy rebounds well (13.6 rebs), and is known as a great defender. He could be a great fill in for Big Baby off the bench. He does lack size (6-9), but like I said he would basically take Big Baby's spot.
Jordan Williams, PF Maryland
He is only 6-9, but he was extremely productive at Maryland last year (16.9 ppg, 11.8 Rebs). He has had conditioning issues in the past, but if motivated could be a beast underneath. He is not a great shooter, but the Celtics could use a banger underneath, since KG for the most part refuses to.
"A third MRI on Rafael Soriano's elbow has prompted the Yankees to send the pricey reliever to see Dr. James Andrews, report Mark Feinsand and Sean Brennan of the New York Daily News. The writers note that this marks Soriano's sixth elbow-related DL stint; he's a survivor of Tommy John surgery and ulnar nerve transposition surgery (MLBTradeRumors)."
Wow, what a fucking bust. Anytime you hear the name Dr. Andrews you know it's bad news. Soriano was on his way back, but suffered a setback while throwing a bullpen session. From the sound of it the Yankees did not like what they found in their MRI and now are sending him to see a specialist.
You know right now is sitting in a dark room evilly laughing to himself. He told the Stienbrenners that this was a terrible idea, and as the article goes on to say, if this is indeed a long term problem the Yankees are going to have to go out and spend more money (and maybe prospects) to fix their bullpen. Oh yea, let's not forget they will probably need a starting pitcher or two.
Yesterday I wrote about how the Bengals' Mike Brown is a stubburn douche, that is probably the worst owner in the NFL (yes, over Al Davis). Well today there is word that Mike Brown (the NBA one) is close to being the next coach of the Lakers.
"Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has emerged as the favorite to succeed Phil Jackson as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, according to sources.
Brown and the Lakers have already exchanged contract figures, with a deal potentially being struck as early as Wednesday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard (ESPN)."
This is amazing. If watching the Lakers fall apart in the playoffs wasn't fun enough now we get to watch this wind bag destroy any hope of them making another run. Sure, he won coach of the year in 2009, but if you ever watched the Cavs in the playoffs you would know the difference between him and a guy like Doc Rivers. If they hire Brown I guarantee there will be a fallout between him and Kobe within a year, that the Lakers will not make it past the 2nd round of any playoffs as long as he is the coach. He is straight up one of the worst coaches in the NBA.
The Sox finally beat the Indians, and with Lester on the hill one would think they should be able to win another one today. In a rare day game we get Lester vs. Mitch Talbot.
Mitch Talbot (1-0, 1.46), who has been on the disabled list since April 17 due to a strained throwing elbow get the start for the Indians. Personally, I think he sucks. I know every time I say that the player goes out and has a great game, but this guy throw garbage. Talbot's season debut came against the Red Sox, when he allowed 2 runs, 5 hits and 3 walks over 4 1/3 innings of Cleveland's 8-4 victory. You can tell that even though he only allowed 2 runs, he was far from strong in that game. I think today Boston capitalizes and blows this guy up.
Lester is 3-1 with a 3.93 ERA in 9 career starts versus the Indians. He is also an amazing 8-0 with a 3.16 ERA in 10 May starts over the past two seasons. Lester has won his last two start, but has been far from sharp. He has allowed a total of 14 runs over his last 3 games, including 12 hits against the Cubs last time out. The Red Sox really need him to step up, and be an ace (along with Beckett), which the starting rotation looking thin. I expect 7 innings from him every time out, something he hasn't done in each of the last 3 games. Lester is too good to struggle for long, so today would be a perfect day to go out and throw a gem.
Red Sox win 7-1 Players of the Game: Lester/Gonzalez Game starts at 12:05pm
***LINEUP***
Kevin Youkilis has a sore left hand, the result of a fielding play last night, and is out of the lineup, but Pedroia is back. Here is the rest of the lineup...
Ellsbury, CF Pedroia, 2B Gonzalez, 1B Ortiz, DH Lowrie, SS Crawford, LF Saltalamacchia, C Cameron, RF Sutton, 3B
Well Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian are engaged and I lost out on my chance. Sad day for me.
Honestly, I don't get what she sees in him, he's a bad role player on a real bad team. I'm a pretty key player at my job that I have. I mean what does he have that I don't, sure I have a gf that would be pretty mad if she read this, but I'm younger than him by 19 days, I share an apartment with roommates, I have less than one of his paychecks in my bank account, I co-run a blog thats mildly successful, I'm also an athlete, I just blew out my arm playing baseball and may need Tommy John, there is nothing more athletic than that and I'm skinnier than him, plus I don't kinda look asian like he does. I just don't get it.
Jorge De La Rosa had sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. The injury is expected to require Tommy John surgery and sideline De La Rosa for the rest of the season.
Believe it or not, Jorge De La Rosa is a really good pitcher and very important for the Rockies. De La Rosa was the Rockies' top pitcher so far with a 5-2 record and a 3.51 ERA and 52 Ks. He was coming off his first career complete game when he got hurt.
This will certainly make the Rockies a buyer during this years trading deadline as they are most certainly going to be in the NL West playoff hunt.
I know there is still 1 game left, but the writing is on the wall.
I don't know why I watch the Eastern Conference Finals, I keep getting let down. LeBron is playing at the top of his game, he is making every right move and whenever the Bulls have a shot of taking the game they fuck up and do something stupid. They are completely vindicated of what happened last summer. I hate that.
With the game tied at 85 Derrick Rose takes a stupid one on one fade away and then in overtime they played like a bunch of assholes, turning the ball over, not being able to inbound the ball and awful shot selection.
So this means the the Miami Heat and LeBron are most likely going to face the Dallas Mavericks led by the German Shepherd (Dirk). So Dallas is my only hope to stop the Heat from the title. (The Thunder are toast)
That's what Josh Beckett was screaming after he was relieved by Rich Hill in the 7th after walking a batter. Rich Hill promptly struck out Jack Hannahan causing Josh Beckett to expressing his true feelings towards Cleveland and earning his first win at the Jake. Hill worked the 8th only allowing a walk. Papelbon worked the ninth and despite giving up his first home run of the year to Travis Buck, gets his ninth save of the year.
Beckett was really good tonight, 6 2/3 innings, five hits, and allowing one run in the second. Beckett's ERA this year is now a ridiculous 1.69 on the season.
Adrian Gonzalez and Jed Lowrie both drove runs in and David Ortiz is the only member of the Sox who had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4.
The Sox have battled out of one of their worst starts to a season they have ever had, but they still (like much of the league) haven't figured out the Indians. Tonight they will get another shot with Beckett going against Carmona.
Beckett has been awesome this year (3-1 1.73 ERA), but had to leave last game with a stiff neck. Hopefully that is gone tonight, and he can get back to dominating, because the Sox can't afford to lose another starting pitcher. Beckett has not been very good against the Indians going 0-3 with a 6.48 ERA in 3 starts.
Meanwhile, Carmona has been pretty damn good against the Sox with a 1.69 ERA his last 4 starts against Boston. Carmona is a guy who lives for ground balls, so the Sox are going to need to find a way to elevate the ball. They also need to be patient, as Carmona has had a tendency to walk a lot of guys (though not this year 19 in 64 1/3 innings).
The Red Sox haven't dropped seven in a row in Cleveland since a 12-game skid Aug. 23, 1931-Sept. 15, 1932. The streak has to stop somewhere, so I say it stops tonight.
Red Sox win 6-3 Player of the Game: Ortiz Game starts 7:05pm
We already heard Barkley go off on the Heat and call them cry babies, now he is after their fans...
"NBA legend Charles Barkley continues to hog the spotlight with his inflammatory words and actions. The TNT analyst gave taunting Miami fans a double-middle-finger salute Sunday, and then he offered this comeback: "They were telling me I suck. They were telling me I never won a championship. Like, 'Come on, give me something better than that, dude.' I always laugh at that statement, 'You didn't get a ring.' I'm like, 'Dude, you work at McDonald's. My life's a lot better than yours. You relax (WEEI).' "
HAHA, a very arrogant thing to say, but it's also true. Say what you want, but everything he says is usually the truth. Maimi fans suck, they are a bunch of bandwagon fans that can't even show up to the game on time. I have said it before and I'll say it again, "Please God, don't let the Heat win it all". It really would be more depressing then watching the Celtics get knocked out. I can't sit there and watch LeBitch make a victory speech.
"Pedroia slipped while rounding second base in the eighth inning of last night’s 3-2 loss against the Indians and fell face-first on the rain-soaked infield at Progressive Field. Pedroia did not immediately try to get up. He struggled to his feet, then left the game escorted by a trainer, walking cautiously (Boston.com)."
This is the 2nd time Pedroia has had a scare with that foot that he has a screw in. What made me more nervous this time was his comment "“When I do something like that, my leg goes kind of like a stinger like you get in football. It took a little while to get the feeling back in it,’’ he said. “Anaheim was perfect, I got the feeling back in a minute. It took five this time.’’ Maybe I am reading into too much, but when they were playing in on WEEI and he kept saying how he loses feeling it just made me nervous. The Sox can't afford to lose him, and for this team to hit on all cylinders they are going to not only need him to be healthy but hitting a lot better then .246 (2 HRs 11 RBIs).
They are saying he will get tonight's game off (which they say was scheduled anyways), and be out there the next game. Still at what point to be start getting worried that he isn't 100% after looking at his stats this year?
Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown reiterated Monday that his team won't trade quarterback Carson Palmer once the lockout ends.
"We don't plan to trade Carson," Brown told the NFL Network at the league's spring owners meetings in Indianapolis. "He's important to us. He's a very fine player, and we do want him to come back. If he chooses not to, he'd retire. And we would go with Andy Dalton, the younger player we drafted, who's a good prospect (ESPN)."
Mike Brown has made this statement before. He says he has no plans of trading Palmer, and if it was another other team I wouldn't believe. Palmer wants out, he has said he won't set foot in that stadium again, and has already sold his house. What Brown needs to realize is that this team is in full rebuilding mode (once again) and the only way out is to start getting some draft picks. Palmer should be able to bring in something decent with so many teams looking for QBs, but Brown is a hard headed moron, and the only thing this team ever leads the league in is arrests.
I know Patriot fans have to be a little disappointed about Tom Brady's completely flamboyant behavior this offseason. 1st you see him with a pony tail at carnival, then he crys like a bitch on ESPN because he got drafted late. You can tell Gisele has just taken his nuts away completely. First he looks like a queer on that slide, then he goes around with shaved armpits.
C'mon Tom take your manhood back and get rid of that tranny.
Boston Herald Daisuke Matsuzaka may wind up needing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, but any decision on that significant procedure, which would require a 12-month minimum layoff, is believed to be weeks away.
In the meantime, Matsuzaka flew home to Japan yesterday, in part to seek traditional Japanese treatment opinions and remedies for his ailing right elbow.
Even if the more extensive MRI reveals a full tear, there is still a chance Matsuzaka will be able to pitch with it and not risk further injury, as there are currently major league pitchers with partially or fully torn UCL’s doing that, according to a baseball source familiar with the type of injury Matsuzaka has.
Well that would suck if Dice K needed Tommy John because he wasn't having a bad year. With John Lackey being the worst pitcher of all time the Sox need some arms in the back end of the rotation. And with all due respect to the Wake and to Alfredo Aceves I feel thats not what need if we are going to be going to the championship.
Terry Francona says that he doesn't need to get surgery so I'm going to stick with that.
