mr. blackandwhite

Do not adjust your interweb

Hey what's up. Yes I still log in here on occasion, even though football season is still months away.. in fact I just intentionally ignored the Bruins and their Epic Fail in Game 7 earlier this evening. Soooooo glad I didn't watch it.. but I'm still suppressing the frustration... Yes, despite the Pats, Sox, and C's, thanks to the Bruins, Sports Frustration still lives and is doing quite well around Boston and thereabouts... Hey let's have another big celebration in a couple years to celebrate the 40 years that have passed since the '72 Stanley Cup. We can have a statue and everything. Sounds great... 

Anyway.. I mainly came on here to tell you I'm switching to another blogging platform so you may see some weirdness as I transfer the mrblackandwhite.com domain over to point to a new spot. In the meantime, that new spot is http://mrblackandwhite.wordpress.com/ 

See ya over there!

GO PATS

Regular season awards don't mean shit

I was watching NESN last night and during the Sox rain delay coverage they kept showing various members of the Boston Bruins accepting their regular season awards, the Norris Trophy, the Adams Award, the Vezina Trophy.. That's cool that several of the B's walked away with some shiny hardware, but as each member of the team came to the podium and accepted their award, the only piece of hardware that I could really focus on was The Stanley Cup perched on a pedestal behind them.

Oh, the irony and the aggravation.. Maybe next year B's fanz.

Short and sweet: GO BRUINS!!!!!!!!!

I'll keep this one short and to the point: GO BRUINS!!!!!!!!!!

Also, GO CELTS and also, though not quite as urgently, GO SOX.

Once again, GO BRUINS!!!! One shift, one period, one game at a time, lets claw back into this series!

Oh yes, Happy Mothers Day too! Bruins, all the Moms I know want you to win tonight. 

Positive Vibes: ENGAGE

GO BRUINS GO CELTS

The Celtics finally finished off Da Bulls after 7 games, without needing an over-time for what felt like the first time in the entire series. 

Next up, Orlando. It's going to be another tough series, and no Tommy and Mike to call the games for us from this point out.. Dang. We get to hear the annoying national guys call the games now. Phhht.

The B's have finally started round 2 of the Quest for the Cup. Round 2... nice. It's been a while since the Black and Gold have been to Round 2. I'm not even close to being satisfied here, but at the same time, I'm pretty happy to be here. We need The Bruins to keep this thang goin!! 

The B's took Game 1. That also made me happy. What I'm not happy about is the fact that they're currently down 2-0 to the Whale, I mean, The 'Canes, after 2 periods in Game 2.. (And they're extremely lucky not to be down 3-0..) 

LETS GO BRUINS!!! Time to pour it on in the 3rd!!

Side note:

The other day somebody told me I must be an old hockey fan because I referred to The 'Canes as 'The Whale'. Hmmmm...

There's too much going on

Most weeks I kind of wonder what the heck to write about. This week, I'm in the same boat but it's because there's too MUCH going on for me to write about. 

The B's and C's in the playoffs.. The B's sweeping the extremely hated habs? How sweep was that? 1000% phenomenal. The C's.. I listened / watched today's game and I was relaxed up until that point. The C's played hard but lost a tough game in Chicago and now the series is tied 2-2. 

The Sox have had a couple wild gams vs the MFY this weekend. Two games, two comebacks. Let's see what tonight will bring.. 

The Pats are drafting for the 2009 season and are all over the board, trading out of the 1st round entirely and focusing on players in the lower rounds. If the value for the player you want is not there in the 1st round, why pay the big 1st round bucks? Bill Belichick is the man.

And there was Talledangerous this weekend too.. (That's NASCAR my friends.) Second place finish for Dale Jr. Nice.

You'd think with all this going on I'd be sitting around watching the action on the TV all weekend..

Wrong.

The weather we've been waiting so long for has finally arrived. It was awesome this weekend, in the 80's and I was not about to sit in front of the evil flickering box with the sun shining outside. I watched a little bit of the Sox / MFY on Fri night and I listened to the C's on the radio while I was cooking on the grill today, until the end of the game, anyway. When it started going into multi-overtimes I had to go to the evil box and watch.. I checked the Pats draft status on the computor every couple hours. 

I got a ton of stuff done and the yard is in good shape for the late Spring / Summer. Hopefully that will mean there won't be too much busting my ass during the best time of the year this year.

See ya!

I don't know what to say about anything

It's one of those posts, yup.

Red Sox opening day is tomorrow!! I am looking forward to the start of the 2009 baseball season and the lazy summer days that are ahead, hanging out in the back yard, watching the kids have fun and listening to a game on the radio. 

The B's are the #1 seed in the East. Awesome. But that does not make me any less nervous about the first round of the playoffs.. 

I don't watch a lot of TV. Ok, I don't watch any TV, at all, because I think it's an evil flickering box. But I do watch sports, and Rescue Me. And Rescue Me comes back on Tuesday. I am fully psyched. 

Last week 3/4 of my grrrage band did an open mic at a local bar which featured several firsts, the most notable being, people getting on the floor and actually dancing during our set, somebody yelling 'FREEBIRD!' and a stranger buying me a beer afterwards. That is pretty f-ing cool, and what a blast! Awesome.

Today we went to a mall to go see the Easter Bunny and get a picture. My Son has no desire to sit on the Easter Bunny because, as he puts it, 'The Easter Bunny is freaky'. Ok, well, he/she/it seems friendly enough, by my Son does not like him. He just likes the candy that he/she/it drops off on Easter morning..

Nearby where the Easter Bunny was setup, a car dealership had put some new cars out on display. One of the cars was a pretty cool convertible. I opened the door so my Son could sit in it and I took his picture. After he got out a security guard came over and told me we weren't really supposed to get in the cars. I told him I was sorry, I did not think it was a problem since the car was unlocked. No biggie. 

I thought that would be the end of the discussion, but the guard went on to inform me that, 'actually you're not supposed to take pictures in here at all, it's a federal law'.

'It's a federal law that I can't take pictures of my children?' I asked.

'No, it's a federal law that you can't take pictures inside of the mall, for security reasons. If the feds found out you were taking pictures, they'd come in and shut this place down.' 

He continued to try to impress upon me the seriousness of the security threat that my snap-shots posed, but I had put the bullshit filters on by that point so I politely thanked him for the information and headed back to the Easter Bunny.

Aside from the ridiculousness of his statement that 'the feds' would come in and shut the mall down if they found out some guy was taking pictures of his kid inside.. you can't take pictures inside of a mall. Yup.

I don't know what to write about

Well, here I am. It's Sunday night, the designated 'blawggin' night, my Wife's watching her Home Makeover show, but I don't have anything to write about. So this will be a scintillating post as I'm sure you can guess, right off the bat.

I guess I'll just run through a few things..

- Please bug the crap out of your congressperson/man/woman and tell him, her or it to support H.R. 1207, a bill introduced by Congressman Ron Paul to audit the Federal Reserve. All it takes is a second to e-mail these people, when they don't turn off the e-mail server because too many people are e-mailing that is.. but, anyway, I hope you will take action, bug your congressman and help spread the word!!

- The Pats.. It's the lull before the draft. Not much to say, really. In Bill We Trust.

- The B's.. The B's seem to be losing a lot of games lately, but they are pretty much a lock for the playoffs, so I am wondering if maybe they are just cruising on in. Hopefully they get that chip back on their shoulder for the playoffs. I'd like to see them make it past the first round this year.

- Spring is almost here. The snow is almost gone from my yard. I can't wait till it is all melted. This has been, unquestionably, the worst Winter I have ever had to endure. It's been frikkin' 10 degrees since November, then the ice-storm in December, that sucked.. It didn't crack 20 degrees for four months and we've had like six feet of snow. So, I'm pretty much ready for Spring. Really ready.

- The Sox.. I don't really get into Spring Training that much, I just kinda watch from afar, but I do like to hear the sound of Jerry Remy calling a game, even if it is a game that doesn't count. It reminds me of the fact that warm days are ahead. I watched some of the Sox / MFY game the other night. What was with those MFY uni's with the shinny shinny 'New York' and the weird letters.. [insert derogatory remark here]

Aright, they are movin the bus out of the way on my Wife's show. And I am outta here for this post. See ya!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Ethan continued his relentless search for young Debbie.. what?

(Kudos to anyone who gets that movie reference.)

So, here we are. The Pats lost last night. BUT did anyone notice that the Bruins totally kicked Montreal's collective ass last night to the tune of 6 to 1?? THAT IS AWESOME. I HATE THE HABS. GO BRUINS!!!

I almost hate to say this for fear of the jinx but... /chickens out.

One of the first things I did this morning after turning on the computor was to check out The Patriots' chances of making the playoffs. How you may ask? Not by reading any damn 'expert' sports columnists, I can tell you that. I am sure they are doing their very best to get everyone stirred up and are shouting from the rooftops at the Globe and Herald that The Patriots season is now over.. Wait, I thought that already happened? Isn't that what the 'experts' were saying back in Week 1? Yeah, whatever.

No my friends, there is a better, more excellent way. If you scroll over to my links over there, you will notice there's a really cool site listed called Sports Club Stats. Dudes and ladies this site kicks ass.

Unfortunately however, the numbers don't lie. The Pats playoff chances are trending slightly downward, FOR THE MOMENT..

GO PATS

Still all over the place...

Well a week has past and it seems that I am still all over the place. In fact, I actually started writing this post two days ago and still have not finished it! 

This month has proven to be pretty much the same as last month as far as the busy-factor goes and this week has been one of the busiest. There's something going on every night and I leave work early, rush home, rush into the house, say 'Hi' to my Wife, change out of my work clothes, say 'Bye' to my Wife and then run right back out the door with a kid in tow for some kind of child-related activity. Sometimes if I've got an extra minute in there I have time to make a half a PB&J sammitch. Sometimes I skip dinner all together.. It's not bad, I enjoy doing stuff with the kids, it's just, busy!

The Pats win over San Fran last Sunday was very satisfying. I had written earlier that I thought that the San Fran game would show us a lot about what this year's Patriots team was going to be like and if this is what we can expect, then I think we will be in good shape. It wasn't perfect, but The Pats got the job done. Do I expect there to be rough patches and some bumps along the road? Of course. But I think the Pats showed a lot on Sunday, coming from behind, playing solid defense against a good offensive 49ers team, and moving the ball on the ground and through the air. 

It seems like the Pats made a great decision in staying on the West Coast rather than traveling back East between the San Francisco game and the San Diego game. Let's hope it pays off come Sunday night vs. The Chargers.

Switching gears to the Sox, I didn't really write too much about the ALDS and too be honest, I didn't see a lot of it. Those West Coast games were a killer and then there was the marathon Game 3... The only game I saw in it's entirety was Game 4. Yup, I'm a wuss. 

Whatever. It was great to see The Sox finish it in 4 and avoid the trip back out West for a Game 5. 

The Rays are going to be tough in the ALCS. Mission: 8W

Last but not least, the Bruins open up their '08 season tonight out in Colorado. Although I will be watching the game, I don't know how much of it I'll really get to see since it starts at 10 PM. 

Hmm, is there a theme developing here? 

I'll get to see the puck drop on the season at least. 

I know I don't write about the Bruins all that often, but I am glad that hockey is back and I am very optimistic about this upcoming season for the Black and Gold.

See ya!

That's great kid, now don't get cocky..

Happy Friday everybody! I'm still enjoying the after-glow of the Boston Celtics' 17th NBA Championship. I would have loved to have attended the C's Championship parade yesterday. The weather was great and it looked like a good time was had by all. I went to one of The Patriots' parades a few years ago and it was a blast. I love a Championship Parade.

It's just a great feeling seeing the C's win another championship after 22 years, especially after the horror-show of a season they endured last year. I think I watched maybe three or four Celtics games total last season. It was just too painful to watch them lose night after night.

With the 2008 NBA finals being a Celtics / Lakers throwback to the 80's, it's been funny to look at the old pics from the '86 Championship celebration and see all the people wearing those painters caps and Ray Ban Wayfarers (I still have some of those actually).

I remember when those painters caps were the big thing. You were fully in style if you were wearing the painters cap, Wayfarers and high-top Nikie sneaks with the Sony Walkman headphones jammed in your ears. Ha! Pretty funny.

Now that the C's have won it all, as happy as I am about it, I have to admit to you, I'm almost as relieved as I am happy. It's going to feel nice to be able to just relax for a few months! All these championships are great, but man, they are extremely stressful! My sports related stress-o-meter has been through the roof! I need a break!

I need to decompress a little after the Red Sox World Series, The Pats chase for a perfect NFL record and Superbowl, The B's taking the #1 seeded (and #1 hated) Habs to seven games in the Stanley Cup playoffs and The Celts playing more playoff games than any other team in history en route to their 17th Championship. Whew!! I wonder what my average blood-pressure has been these last few months.

Now it's just nice, soothing Red Sox baseball on a warm summer night and the occasional NASCAR race till Fall, when the pennant race heats up and, hopefully for Sox fans, October, when the MLB playoffs begin.

Let's do it all again (except let the B's and Pats win at the end this time.)

Oh my goodness am I ever spoiled, or what?? Yes. I know it. Hey, at least I openly admit to it! I'm not ashamed of it, but I admit to it! HA.

One of the things I've been reading a lot lately is that the C's winning the championship has eased the pain of the Patriots loss in Superbowl XLII. I have to go along with that. That Superbowl loss was pretty tough. I've thought about it, painfully, for months. Seeing the Celtics get #17 has definetely helped put The Patriots' Superbowl loss where it belongs, in the past.

As Angela's Dad said, 'The Sports Gods couldn’t give up Super Bowl 42 because they were holding out for the Celtics #17.'

Makes sense to me.

Would I trade the C's 2008 Championship for a Pats' win in Superbowl XLII and an undefeated NFL season? Do me a favor and don't ask me that question ok? It makes my brain hurt a little to think about that question.

Ok fuck it, I'll answer it. The answer is no, even if I could, I would not trade it. I love The Pats, Sox, B's and C's and even though The Pats are head and shoulders at the top of the list, I would not, could not wish away one of my team's successes for the betterment of another. Besides it's impossible anyway so why waste time thinking about stuff like that? If I'm gonna wish for something, I'm gonna wish for a paid off mortgage and a swimming pool. And world peace, of course.

The thing that is really great is that The Pats, Sox, B's and C's are all built to remain contenders year after year. That's right Boston haters, the chances are pretty good that we'll be back again for more in a few months. Till then, enjoy your vacation from us!

(Oh yeah I AM spoiled.)

Damn. Just damn.

I'm going to tell you something, coming into this opening round Stanley Cup series with the Habs, I was just happy to see The Bruins in the playoffs again and I was not expecting much. I was mostly hoping the Bruins would at least avoid an embarrassing sweep at the hands of a team they had not been able to beat all year..

But then something happened along the way. The Bruins showed that they were not going to just celebrate their entry into the second season and call it a series. They came out and really fought hard against The Habs, a team that, frankly, was a superior team. The Bruins gave Montreal all they could handle and yesterday evening, prior to the game, I really did believe the Bruins were going to pull off a Game 7 win, so as you can imagine, I am mired in disappointment today.

I thought that The Bruins played hard during the game and had a ton of opportunities, but Montreal goalie, Carey Price, was just too big in the net last night. The Bruins had numerous power-play chances and just could not get the goal. I think The B's spent most of the opening of the 3rd period (what 10 min? That's what it felt like,) on a power-play and could not get it in. There was a point in the 3rd when the B's had a point-blank shot on Price and still could not score. That play really stands out in my mind and basically sums it up right there. Once the Habs went up by two, things looked bleak. When they went up by three, I felt there was still a chance if the B's could score quick in the 3rd but that chance ticked away like the minutes the Bruins spent on the power-play.

I am disappointed with the loss, and coming at the hands of Montreal once again certainly does not make it any easier.

I think I can honestly say that Montreal has leap-frogged (frog. heh.) The MFY to solidly take the #2 spot on my list of most hated teams. I still have no love for the MFY, but The Sox have exorcised their demons with that team, at least in my mind anyway.. The Bruins were almost there last night. Almost.

Despite the disappointment, I am proud of the Bruins for their accomplishments this year. They are a young team that will take this playoff experience and store it away. They are a team I am confident will continue to get better. I can only imagine what might have been this year, and during the playoffs especially, if Patrice Bergeron had not been, literally, knocked out of the season back in October.

We are left to wonder.

So now that the B's are out of it, I fall back to the annual ritual of picking backup teams and rooting for others to get knocked out of the playoffs. In that vein I will now say, GO CAPS!!!

I'll wait till the round two match-ups officially get squared away before listing my 'who I am rooting for' picks for the 2nd round..

C's win, Sox win. How about getting the Hat Trick tonight Bruins?

Well it's been a few weeks and there's been some dates added to the list, but it looks like Mike Ness is not going to grace the Boston area with his presence during his solo tour this Spring. Crazy as it may seem, I actually considered making a road trip to one of the NY or NJ shows. In fact, I am seriously considering the Saturday May 17th show in Asbury Park, NJ as I write this, but soon reality will sink in. Dammit.

Oh well maybe Mike will come back around later this year..

In the meantime, The C's won in dominating fashion last night in their first game of the NBA playoffs vs The Hawks, The Sox won today against the Rangers, getting the series sweep I might add, and the Bruins will play in the winner take all, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup quarter-finals tonight vs Montreal.

Let's make it 3 out of 3, a Hat Trick if you will, shall we Bruins? Yes, I think that would be nice, because I need to see more of Cam 'Mungo' Neely as lunatic fan, obviously too pumped up to be able to sit down during the game (I know that feeling) and jumping around like, ah, well, like one of us does whenever the Bruins score a goal. I should try and see if there is a youtube video of Neely's excited antics somewhere because it is truly awesome to behold.

A win tonight for The Bruins would be an almost complete reversal of the B's previous playoff appearance in '04, when the then #2 seeded Bruins blew a commanding 3-1 series lead to the 7th seeded Habs. A win tonight erases that collapse from my mind, something I would very much appreciate. Plus The Bruins have not won a playoff series yet this century. So they need to do that. Tonight.

I will now direct you to this wonderfully written prayer to the Hockey Gods on the Bruins behalf by Hockey Chick Courtney.

LETS GO BRUINS!!

Update:
Well I dug around a little for video of Neely losing his mind in the press box after the B's scored a goal and this is the best I could find. This is pretty funny too.

Dear NESN, The Bruins are playing Saturday. Might want to think about showing the game..

The Bruins made me proud last night. In taking Game 5 over The Habs by a score of 5-1, The B's not only kept the round one series alive and forced Game 6 in Boston this Saturday, they opened up a bottle of kick-ass on The Habs on their home-ice along the way.

The noticeable lack of 'ole!' 'allez!' (Thanks Courtney) from the home crowd in Montreal was sweet.

The B's still face a daunting task. Down 3-2 in the series, they are still on the brink of elimination, but I'm not going to worry about that right now. Right now is about enjoying the moment and The Bruins win in Game 5. It is so awesome to see them putting up a fight against this Montreal team that had completely owned them all year. I think it's safe to say they have given The Habs something to think about for Game 6 at The Garden.

How's that quote from Kevin Millar go? 'Don't let us win tonight..'

Which brings me to this. I have to say it:

April Baseball DOES NOT trump April Hockey, ever.

Last night NESN dissed the B's and went with the Sox / Yankees game over the Bruins / Habs Stanley Cup playoffs game. They chose to show an April baseball game over a Stanley Cup playoff game between two Original 6 rivals, and one of the biggest rivalries in all of hockey I might add, in which the home town Bruins were facing a win or go home situation in enemy territory.

Flip it around. Imagine if it were October and NESN chose to show an early regular season B's / Habs game instead of a Red Sox / MFY playoff game. I know that would never happen and I realize The B's are on the bottom rung of Boston Sports popularity right now, but come on, they deserve better.

Yeah, I know, Red Sox / Yankees... The RIVALRY! /rolls eyes./

I forgot. Nobody watches hockey anymore. What-ever.

Ok. Got that out of my system. Happy Friday and LETS GO BRUINS!!

{Mood: Turbonegro - Locked Down}

(Image: Getty Images, Bruins.com)

Bruins finally draw blood against the Habs..

First off, before I get into the B's this past weekend, I want to send some congratulations out to the Boston College Men's Hockey Team for their NCAA National Championship! Super cool.

Congrats as well to my good friend Brent's team from Zurich, the ZSC Lions, for their Swiss Championship win as well!

Championships all around. Woop!

Ok, now onto The Bruins..

As I had written earlier, coming into this first round series against The Habs, it was hard to feel too confident about The Bruins chances. They had gotten into the playoffs, and that was great, but now they would face a team that they had not beaten a single time over the course of the entire regular season. As a Bruins fan you had hope in your heart and ignored what your mind was trying to tell you.

Game 1 on Friday night was ugly. The B's came out and got smoked by The Canadiens, 4-1. Ouch.

Chalk that first game up to first-time playoff nerves for the young Bruins team, coupled with the task of facing a team that has completely dominated them all year, and then combine it with the ultra-hostile environment in Montreal. It was not pretty. The Bruins were intimidated and it showed.

By the way, can I tell you how much I despise that song they sing up there in Montreal? There's a whole lot of despising going on.

Ok. We can let that first game go.

Game 2, different story. It was like the Bruins team collectively realized, 'Oh, so this is what the playoffs are like! We need to turn it up a notch, or ten.. Okay then!'

The B's came out and held their own against the Habs this time. The game went to OT and the Bruins played with a man in the penalty box the entire period, dealing with the result of a high-sticking double-minor that had occurred at the end of the 3rd.. Just as the B's were about to get back to full strength, they were called for a sketchy tripping penalty. I won't comment on that tripping call that gave the Habs the brief 5 on 3 power-play, other than to say, besides being great skaters, the Habs players are great actors as well.

It was a game that The Bruins really had a legitimate shot at winning, but you can only play underhanded against the Habs for so many minutes. It was not to be and the B's went down, 3-2 in OT.

Even though Game 2 resulted in a loss, the B's took something from that game. They realized they could play with the Habs and they took that knowledge into Game 3 on their home ice in Boston.

Down 2-0 in the series, last night's game was of the critical nature for The B's, an absolute 'must win' against this damn team that has vexed them for so long.

Once again, The Bruins showed that they could skate with the Habs, but the game once again ended with a tie at regulation, 1-1, and back to over-time we went.

This time, it was the Bruins' turn to take advantage in OT.

On a delayed penalty against the Habs, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas headed for the bench and The B's sent on Marc Savard as an extra attacker. Savard took a pass from Dennis Wideman and put the puck past Habs goalie Carey Price for the long awaited and much needed win.

At the risk of sounding like ESPN's Bill Simmons, 'The Russian Canadians had been cut!' Can you say confidence boost?

The B's are still down in the series, 2 games to 1, but they have some momentum on their side now, the confidence of knowing they can beat The Habs, and another game on home ice this Tuesday.

Let's even this thing.

It's about the Cup. Now get to work.

Well they did it. The Bruins squeezed their way into the Stanley Cup playoffs by winning the second to last game of the year last Friday. After clinching a spot, with one game remaining, they still had a shot at moving up in the final conference standings and thus avoiding having to play the number one seeded, and very much hated, Habitants from Montreal, but it didn't happen.

It would have been nice to move out of the 8th seed but hey, I was just glad The B's made it into the real season.

So now it's really starts, tonight. Mission 16W: v.2008. Bruins versus The Habs.

The Canadians defeated the Bruins every single time they played during the regular season, so the outlook for the series does not look optimistic for the B's. I would sure love to see The B's first win of the year over The Habs take place tonight during Game 1.

Set the tone and kick some ass tonight guys. The regular season is over and it's 0-0.
/clichés

The Stanley Cup was present in Boston the other day during the Red Sox opening day festivities at Fenway. How about we maybe keep that thing around town for a while? That would be so sweet.

I was alive the last time the B's won it, but I was too young to remember any of it.

It's about the Cup. Now get to work.
/channels Dennis Leary/

It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

Things I check, almost every day:

NHL Eastern Conference Standings: The Bruins are gonna take it right down to the wire it seems. With two games left they are in 7th place and tied with the 8th place Caps for points at 92. The Flyers are 1 point out.

Oh God, as if the idea of potentially missing the playoffs is not bad enough, getting bumped by f-ing Philly would make it ten times worse. Of course if the B's scrape their way into the Quest for the Cup, they'll be facing the Habs in round one. That's not encouraging, considering the B's did not win a single game vs. the g-d Habs all year.. Oh well, one step at a time. The Bruins need to win these last two games and then we'll go from there ok?

Netflix: Rescue Me Season 4 release date - I have mentioned that my Wife and I are totally hooked on this show. Looks like Season 4 should be coming out sometime in June. Yay! I expect we'll watch the whole season in about mmmmm.. 4 days.

Mike Ness' myspace: I check here almost every day to see if there's been a Boston show added to his Spring solo tour, though now that I think about it, I would probably get an e-mail first.. In any case, no dice, yet. Boston is not that far from New York, Mike! Come on man!!

The clock: To see if it's 5 o'clock yet.. Not yet? Ug. Tick-tock..

Happy Friday!

{mood: Alan Jackson - It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere}

B's increase chances of making playoffs to 85.5%

With last night's win over the Leafs, the B's have improved their chances of making the playoffs to 85.5%. I like that. I like it a lot. Gotta love Sports Club Stats.

This last week has been pretty rough to take for those of us who are fans of the Bruins, a team that plays this mysterious game called 'hockey'. The end result of the games showed lots of 'L's' and 'O's' in there but not too many 'W's'.

It seemed like The B's could not score a goal if their life depended on it. Well their playoff life depended on it so it's great to take these last two games against Toronto.

It's kind of sad, whenever I mention the NHL, people give me a funny look and a sarcastic response. 'Hockey?? What's that?' they will say.

It's that game that's played with a little rubber biscuit, blades and sticks. It's also played with a lot of guts and it's championship is the toughest to win in all of professional sports, in my opinion at least.

Last night the B's got a little closer to making it into the playoffs and are now tied for 7th place. Washington is only two points out though, so the room for error is minimal. Five games left and the Quest for the Cup begins. Let's keep it going Boston. We all want to go on a Quest.

Yup. M-hmm.

Hey whats up you. Wow could this blog possibly get any more stale? Could it get any stale-er? Is stale-er a word? If this blog were any stale-er than it is now, it would be a crouton and you could put it on your salad to make it crunchy. Salad is good. I like buffalo chicken salad. Do you? Hey it's lunchtime!

So I'm going to change up the design here soon and it's going to totally rawk. Fully AND totally. And that's a lot. It's going to be the website equivalent of when I saw Dokken and Judas Priest back in 1985. Well, actually that level of rawk will be kind of hard to live up to. That rawk level would be a pretty big achievement. Because I was like in the 7th row on the floor for that concert and Rob Halford rode his Harley out onto the stage before Priest played Diamonds and Rust. Or was it Victim of Changes? Maybe it was Turbo Lover.. Fuck I can't remember. But, as far as the site goes, it will have some different colors and stuff soon. Because this current design says 'winter' and I am sick of winter. There you go.

The B's lost AGAIN last night. God following that team is an exercise in frustration. At least they are still clinging to that 7th place playoff spot. Just because .500 hockey gets you into the contest does not mean you have to actually PLAY .500 hockey guys. Geez.

At least we have the C's. The Celts are all good times and happiness right now. The playoffs should be good. Hopefully the C's are not a flop once the real games start but the way this team is made up, I don't think that will happen. A 17th banner in the Garden would be really nice. Plus then people all over the U.S. could hate Boston some more. It's the new national fad, which we all truly appreciate.

Alright enough blabbing. I've got some leftover hamburger helper here that is feeling lonely. Have a good Friday!

{mood - Turbonegro: Locked Down, Hank III and Assjack: Disrespectful}

8-2? WHAH??

I'm pretty sure the score of last night's Leafs / B's game ended in an 8-2 win for the Leafs. I keep checking the score and I can see what it says, but it's just not registering properly in my brain.

EIGHT to TWO??? What is going on with this Bruins team? How do you allow 10 goals in a game and then a few nights later, EIGHT??

I was pretty confident that the B's were going to make the playoffs a few days ago. Yeah. That feeling's pretty much over now.. I hope the B's can get things squared away tomorrow against the Caps.. Jeez.

At least we have the C's. They've got their playoff spot all locked in. It's gonna be good to see The Green in the playoffs this year.

Happy Friday!

{mood - Misfits: We are 138}

/Breathes

Hey what's goin on web browsers?

I was extremely relieved to finally get the word yesterday that Randy Moss had signed a multi-year deal with the Patriots. (and going back to a few years ago, who would have thought I'd ever be saying those words?)

When free-agency started last Friday, I expected Stallworth to be gone and I expected Samuel to be gone, so it was not that big of a deal for me to see those guys leave the team, but I fully expected Moss to be back with The Patriots in '08 and when he was not signed sealed and delivered at 12:01 AM on Friday morning, I immediately started fretting. I then continued fretting and fretting and fretting. Moss' free-agency status was in the back of my mind all weekend. What a silly thing to be worried over! (Well, not if you're a Patriots fan..)

Anyway. I was able to breathe freely again on Monday when the word came down that Moss had signed with The Patriots and I can now look forward to three years of Brady to Moss highlights. With Moss and Welker remaining in the fold at receiver, I expect our offense to remain very productive and I have no doubt that the Patriots will fill in around the holes that were created by free-agency.

Good to have Bruschi back too. I did not think he would really retire.. Not with last season's unfinished business still on the plate. Junior Seau's status remains up in the air and I remain ambivalent about it.

I'm hoping to see receiver Jabar Gaffney stay with The Pats. Still waiting for the end result on that one..

IN BILL WE TRUST

On an unrelated note, the Washington Capitals scored a TD and a FG against the B's last night. Um, what the hell was that!? Tim Thomas was having a party in the B's net and everybody on the Caps was invited.

Ok The B's won 6 straight prior to last night so they were bound to lose one. Time to start a new streak tonight.

The Friday Song. Happy Reward Friday.

Today is finally Friday
I'm so glad that it's here
After work I'm gonna have some pizza
And a couple beers

There's no football on this weekend
The Pro-Bowl's really lame
I guess I'll read a book instead
Or watch a hockey game
hey!

(insert gee-tar mandolin or drum solo here)

Anyone know where I can find a local Patriots Anonymous Chapter?

Hi. My name's Ernie and ah, I'm a Patriotsaholic. I'm having a hard time dealing with some issues.

Despite my efforts to shake it off, I still have this damnable lingering feeling of disappointment hanging over me after Sunday's game. I try to stay occupied and put it out of my mind, tell myself it's a game and it shouldn't bother me this much, but during times when I am quiet and there is nothing really going on, sitting on the couch watching tv at night, I'll think about the end of that game and what might have been.

I know I'm no different than anybody else in Patriots Nation. We are all going through the same thing.

This sucks. I hate this feeling, and I know that it is stupid to be this way over a football game. Just the same, stupid or not, it is what it is. Who said anything about being rational?

Honestly, for the most part, I am pretty much over it, but I still get the occasional twinge here and there, that sinking feeling, usually after somebody brings up the painful subject and asks me how I'm doing.. I'm fine! Now stop asking! Fuck!

I will be glad when this is out of my system and it is gone.

Maybe the B's can string a few games together over the next few nights. That would help. They're clinging to that 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at the moment. I don't expect them to win The Cup this year, I just want to see them get into the playoffs. Just get in and I'm good.

Yeah. Nothing like switching from one bottle to another.

Update:
I am sick of being bummed out over the Patriots loss in the Superbowl. The 07-08 Pats had a good run.

Bad Mood over.

GO PATS

Tonight's guest of honor... Lord Stanley's Cup

Tonight. It could happen tonight. The Stanley Cup will be in the house tonight as The Ducks take on The Senators for Game 5 of the Cup Finals. The Ducks lead the series 3-1 and a win tonight on their home ice would give them The Stanley Cup.

It's sure to be a very exciting game. Personally, I'm thinking the Sens win this one out of pure desperation. I have a feeling there is still more hockey to be played after tonight. We will have to wait and see!

Update:
The Ducks put their foot (flipper? what's a duck's foot called anyway?) on the Sens neck and did not let up on it the whole game, coming away with a 6-2 victory and a 4-1 win of the series.

Congratulations to the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks and their fans!

Fu Manchu, B's debacle, Sox new old closer...

I went to see Fu Manchu play at The Middle East in Cambridge last night and I was up waaaay past my bed time. I did not get home till around 2 AM this morning and now I am super, super sleepy. I am basically in a semi-caffeinated, trance like state right now. Very non-productive.

Fu Manchu was great and they did a bunch of songs off of 'The Action Is Go' album which is the one that I have, so that was nice. Even better they did the song, 'Saturn III', which is my favorite song on that album. They also did 'Grendel, Snowman', 'Evil Eye' and a couple others. I wanna say the did 'Anodizer' but my brain is failing me and I cannot confirm or deny whether that song was actually played. In any case, super cool all around. All of their songs rocked. The songs they played off their new album, 'We Must Obey', were very good. I'm going to have to put that one on my list of albums to buy. They ended the night, after the obligatory walk off the stage and come back out thing, with a cover of 'Godzilla'.

/Guitar nerd - I noted that Fu Manchu's lead guitar player was playing a Gibson SG. /Guitar nerd

I got to The Middle East extremely early. I was one of the first ten or so people in the club so that was interesting since a lot of the band guys were in there just hanging out. I did not talk to them. It was just interesting to see them in that environment, sitting around in an empty club, relaxing and getting ready for the show.

I thought the band that played before Fu Manchu, Valient Thorr, was ok. Their singer is a madman. He was all over the place. Getting up on the bar and walking around in the crowd on the floor. His antics were pretty entertaining to watch.

There were two other bands that played as well, but one of them I don't remember so obviously I was not that impressed with them. The first band of the night to play were actually pretty good. I think they were a local Boston band called 'Bull by the Horns' or something like that. I kind of missed getting their name...

{looks up band name online}

They are called Mess With the Bull. I liked those guys. I'll have to keep an eye out for them in the future. Also, I noted the singer / guitar player played a Gibson Firebird guitar. You don't see a lot of those these days. I am easily impressed.

Oh and the other band that played was called Seemless. I should say, they were not a bad band. They were ok but I did not find them to be exceptional. To be honest I  was not paying a lot of attention to them when they were on because at the time I was sitting at the bar watching the infuriating debacle that was last night's Bruins / Habs game.

Since I've meandered onto the subject of sports, when I was not hiding my face in my hands at the dismal-ness of the Bruins, I caught a between periods segment that featured Jonathan Papelbon commenting on his recent switch from the starting role back to being the Sox closer. It seems he truly wants to be the closer, and the change was something he asked for, so that is cool. I kind of assumed that he would prefer to be a starting rotation guy, but if Papelbon is really happier working as the closer, then even better!

I am getting excited for The Sox to start playing some real games.

It's Spring AND Free Coffee Day at Dunks!

Wednesday odds and ends:

1. It is now officially Spring, which is awesome, even though it was 12 degrees outside this morning and there is still a foot of snow on the ground. That nasty white stuff will soon be gone as the unstoppable force of Spring continues to grow even more powerful with each passing day.

Sorry Winter, just because you woke up late and didn't get your ass in gear until February this year, that does not mean you get extra time during Spring to make up for lost time. Now go away. Birds, time to get a-chirpin'...

2. Because it is now officially Spring, Dunkins is giving out free iced coffee today. YAY! Who cares if it's only 25 degrees outside. FREE ICED COFFEE!

3. I'm still pissed and irritated over the Bruins loss to the bleeping Habs last night, which for all intents and purposes, ended any hopes of them making the playoffs. Therefore, hear me now, as I am officially rooting for the NY Islanders now. The Isles are now my Eastern Conference Backup Team for 2006-7. Unless they don't make the playoffs either. If the Isles don't get in, my fall-back team at that point is The Toronto Maple Leafs. And if THEY don't make the playoffs, my backup backup team is the Ottawa Senators. Yes, I know it is somewhat odd that 2 out of 3 or my backup teams are still fighting for a playoff spot. At least I know the Senators will make the playoffs this year.

4. The Dugout has a funny post today all about Manny and his gas-grill auction on e-bay, which, by the way, is not really his grill, but his neighbor's grill.. (I don't know what is more absurd, Manny selling his neighbor's grill on e-bay or the fact that this has turned out to be such a big story..)

5. I got disk one of Miami Vice Season 3 in the mail yesterday. Woop!

Update:
E-Bay has taken down the page for Manny's neighbor's gas-grill. Maybe somebody bought it. It did come with an autographed baseball after all...

Kissing the playoffs goodbye. Friggin Bruins...

I just watched The B's lose a 1-0 game to the Fucking Habs. Fucking Habs!! Hate them. HATE THEM!

FUCK! I'm pissed.

Goodbye playoffs.

It has been so frustrating watching The Bruins this season. Will baseball season ever start?? I need a distraction from this one step forward, two steps back nonsense.

Post thought:
I felt that Bruins goalie, (or if you prefer, net-minder,) Tim Thomas played great in this game. The B's left him hanging out there. Damn shame.

Post thought 2:
Today is Bobby Orr's birthday so I'll be having a drink for him. Here's to ya #4.

Pats / Colts / B's and Maple Syrup...

Hype it up baby. This Sunday, the greatest football game of the century will take place in Foxboro MA with The Pats facing The Undefeated and assuredly, this time, unstoppable Indianapolis Colts. At least, that's how the sports writers are talking about the game.

Haven't we been here before? The Colts come into Foxboro toting their ridiculous offensive numbers and best in the AFC record. HOW CAN THE PATRIOTS POSSIBLY STOP THEM?? Of course, this time around, people have come to the realization that the Pats HAVE stopped them, almost every single time, in this same type of situation, so the guys at ESPN are hedging their bets a little with this game. They've become a little gun-shy about picking against the Pats, even if deep down in their hearts, they really, really want to. That's you I'm looking at Tom Jackson.

Personally I would prefer to see the Patriots get a complete and total lack of respect heading into this game. I wish everybody at ESPN and the national sports media would unanimously pick the Colts to win and talk about how nobody can cover The Colts receivers and how The Pats don't have a chance because they no longer have Deion Branch and Adam Vinatieri is now kicking for The Colts.

That kind of thing just gets Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi and the rest of The Pats D that much more fired up. In my mind, a seething mad Harrison is a good thing. Unfortunately, the 'Experts' have learned their lesson about picking against The Pats over the last few years, so the disrespect factor is not as high as I would like to see.

I expect The Pats / Colts game on Sunday will be a good game and there are playoff implications riding on the outcome, but in the long run it's still just one game half-way through the season. Regardless of who wins the game, there's still a lot of football left to be played in front of both teams and anything can happen in the 2nd half of the season.

Ok. Now that I've gotten the rational part of the post out of the way, I honestly think The Pats are going to kick The Colts ASS on Sunday. I think this will be the one of those famous 'blueprint' games where Belichick shows the rest of the league, 'This is how you beat the Colts. Here you go. Have at it and have fun with it.'

A few random thoughts:
- I can't believe the Bruins lost that game to the Buffalo Sabers last night. I turned the TV off and The B's had a 3 goal lead in the third period. I came into work today and saw the score was 5-4 Buffalo and could not believe my eyes. Unbelievable. The fucking 'Hub of Hockey'. The Hub of Frustration is more like it.

- My Wife did not feel like arguing with my kids about dinner last night so she made them waffles and gave them some apple slices to go with it. My kids were dipping the apples in the maple syrup. To quote my own children when my Wife puts a vegetable on their plate, 'Yuck.'

I thought it was bad enough that they like to dip apples in ketchup, but apples and maple syrup?? Ug.

Then they were asking me, 'Want some Dad?'

'Ah, that's very nice sharing but no thank you.'

My Wife tells me to just be happy they are eating something healthy. True. I have always said that she is the smart one.

- The fact that not a single member of the Red Sox starting infield from this past season was awarded a Gold Glove is ridiculous. It is beyond ridiculous. It is recockulous. The Sox had one of the best fielding teams in the history of baseball last season and no Gold Glove love for a single player? I guess so. No Gold Gloves for YOU Red Sox infielders!

Add in the fact that a Gold Glove was awarded to Derek Jeter and that makes things even more recockulous.

Yes, that's right. When you get beyond ridiculous things become 'recockulous'. And that is what this whole Gold Glove fiasco is. Recockulous. Feel free to use that word by the way.

20 Minutes Away...

Stanley Cup Finals. Game 7. Game fucking seven. Go Whale. Why win the series in 5, when you can take it in 7?

2nd period intermission: "You are 20 minutes away from the Stanley Cup."

You can almost feel the electricity as we wait for the 3rd Period to start..

The NHL may not be the most popular sport in North America, but in my opinion, there is no other competition that requires so much of an athlete than the NHL playoffs. There is no other game that has the same level of speed, skill and brutality required to win the Championship and to hoist the Trophy at the end. The only thing that comes close to the skill and physicality involved to win is the NFL playoffs, but to win the NFL Championship, you only have to win 4 games, or in many cases, if you are a team that earns a bye week, 3. In the NHL you have to win 16 games. 16 games. That's a lot of tough hockey.

And you know what's really cool? They all shake hands and congratulate each other at the end. You beat the hell out of each other for an entire playoff series and when it's over you shake hands and say, 'good game'.

No other North American professional sport has that great tradition.

We are about to witness twenty minutes of the most intense hockey of entire the season. Carolina has a 2 goal lead but Edmonton is going to come out with everything they've got. Carolina needs to smother Edmonton in the 3rd. Expect to see balls-out, nothing left to lose hockey out of The Oilers...

1:03 into the 3rd and Edmonton scores to make it a 2-1 game. Edmonton is right back in it... See? What did I tell ya... Now they'll ratchet it up another notch. Did I say Go Whale already?

Oh yeah, I did.

Update:
Carolina wins, 3-1. Nice job you guys.

(AP Photo/ National Hockey League/Doug MacLellan)

Skate it baby, skate it!

It's called Bruins...

So let me get this straight... The Bruins have hired a new GM, Peter Chiarelli, but inexplicably, he can't come to work for the Bruins for another month. He's got to continue working for his current team and The Bruins divisional rival, The Ottawa Senators. So... if I understand this right, before Chiarelli can get to work on improving the floundering B's, he's got to work on improving one of our division rivals first? Ummm... WHAT?? I hate bashing the B's but what the hell kind of screwed up deal is that? It's called Bruins.

In the long run though, I am hoping Chiarelli can help turn things around for the B's. This team desperately needs some new blood in the front office. Once Chiarelli gets to work, I am looking forward to some changes for the better for the Bruins.

Meanwhile, there's 2 min and change left in the Eastern Conference finals and the 'Canes are up 3-2 over Buffalo... Game 7 baby. Nothing like it. LETS GO WHALE!!!

Update:
14 seconds left and Carolina is up 4-2. It's going to be an Edmonton / Carolina Stanley Cup Finals and this is gonna be good...

I like both teams so it's really a no-lose situation for me, but I'll mainly be rooting for the old Hartford club to hoist it at the end.

(AP Photo/ National Hockey League/Doug MacLellan)

Quest for the Cup: Best possible scenario at this point...

Now that my 'B' team, the Colorado Avalanche, has been swept out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I can now start looking ahead to a potential best case scenario, from my perspective that is, as to how the rest of the playoffs will turn out:

In the West: The clear choice for me here is for San Jose to advance to The Stanley Cup Finals, but first they have to get past Edmonton and then Anaheim.

In the East: The Sens are the team that I have been rooting for the most in the East, but they are down 3-1 in their series with Buffalo. If Ottawa comes back from being down 3 games to win their series I will be amazed. Of course anything is possible and I would like to see them do it but I don't see it happening.

Assuming that Buffalo does not pull a 'Boston Bruins vs Montreal' [choke, cough, ahem.], The Sens will eventually be eliminated, meaning I must go to my backup team in the East, The Carolina Hurricanes. Hopefully the 'Canes sweep NJ and then get past Buffalo, leading to a San Jose vs. Carolina Stanley Cup final.

At that point, I would be happy with either team winning.

I'd like to see the former Hartford Whalers win a Cup, but I'd also like to see Joe Thornton raise Lord Stanley's Cup overhead as well, and not because I am a bitter Bruins fan who has it out for The Boston Bruins management (even though that is an accurate description), but because I like Joe and would like to see him get his name etched onto The Cup, not to the same extent that I wanted to see Ray Bourque win a Cup Championship, but in that same vein.

We'll see what happens...

Ho-Hum...

Waz up yo? Nada. Very boring around here right now, eh? Yup. This is what we call, 'The Sports Lull' that exists during the week prior to the Superbowl. Not much goin' on at all... And this is just the primer. After the Superbowl, that's when things really slow down.

Thankfully, there is hockey this year. Last year's NHL lockout, in a word, sucked.

The B's face the Isles tonight and will go for 4 straight wins. After flailing around for the majority of the season so far, The B's are finally starting to figure out how to win games on a consistent basis. I don't want to get too excited about this, but it looks like The B's are beginning to get their shit togethah.

Actually there is other stuff goin' on, but it's stuff that I'm just not motivated / interested enough in to write about. Theo's back. Yay. I was pissed when he left and I'm glad that he's back. Now get to work building the 2006 Red Sox. That pretty much sums up my feelings about the whole 'Theo' thing.

I love the Sox but I really can't stand all the off-field drama. I know some people think that the drama is what makes The Sox, 'The Sox', but personally I could live quite happily without it. Give me a well oiled machine [The Pats] any day of the week. Whatev...

The Sox have acquired a center fielder who should provide a reasonable replacement for Johnny Damon and I expect they will have a SS in place soon, possibly within a few days if reports are accurate. Whew, what a relief. Phht. The talk shows and papers sure did a great job whipping people into a frothing lather over this whole CF / SS situation.

I still have not told my kids that Damon is a Yankee. They were asking me about him the other day. I had told them that football was over and it would soon be time for baseball.

"OOOOOHHH! That means it's time for JOHNNY DAMON!!"

I'll wait till spring training to break it to them...

Finally, this is the last weekend in January and that is a great thing. The hardest part of Winter is in the rear-view mirror now. February is no picnic but it goes by quick. Then, before you know it, Springtime baby.

I'm calmer now...

Ok. I had a little rant last night over the Joe Thornton trade but I'm feeling much calmer now. I still don't necessarily like it, but this is not due to any 'attachment' I have to Thornton. I don't get attached to players. I root for the laundry.

The primary reason for my being upset by the trade is that I feel like the Bruins gave up a lot more than they got in return. I don't see how this improves the team other than the fact that they got 3  decent, what I would consider 'mid-level' players in return for 1 upper-echelon guy, and unloaded a bunch of salary. Maybe this allows the B's to go out and get more guys that can help fill in some holes as well?

(Note: as you can see, this is the part of the post where I start to try and convince myself that things are really not that bad.)

To me it feels like the Bruins made a move just for the sake of making the move. The B's managment obviously felt like they had to do 'something' to appease the fans and show people they were trying to fix the team, and trading a high-profile player was their solution. That's pretty much what it looks like to me.

At the same time, I must confess that I don't know very much about the 3 players the Bruins are getting in return for Thornton, so the chance that I sound like a total moron who does'nt know shit when I complain about this trade is entirely possible. I don't claim to be an expert on every hockey player in the league. I only know what I have read and heard about these players from the press.

Hopefully this will turn out to be a great move that will help to turn things around for the B's. Could this wind up being the Bruins equivalent to the Nomar trade the Red Sox made in 2004? Like I said, defenseman Brad Stuart, left wing Marco Sturm and center Wayne Primeau seem like decent utility-type, mid-level guys. Maybe the addition of 3 lower profile, but potentially harder working guys with a little more 'drive and determination' will provide the spark that the Bruins need to start winning some of these games. Only time will tell I guess... We'll find out soon enough!

Bruins trade Thornton! OH FUCK

I was happily watching the Celts post game show after another awesome episode of Lost had ended. The C's beat the Sixers and things were going good until they announced that The FUCKING BRUINS HAVE TRADED JOE. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!! FUCKING TOOLS!! ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK!!!!!!

After I picked myself up off the floor I went on the Bruins site and it's for real my friends. It's right there on the front page:

Breaking news: The Boston Bruins have acquired defenseman Brad Stuart and forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Joe Thornton, it was announced tonight by Bruins General Manager Mike O'Connell. All three players are expected in the Boston lineup Thursday night when the Bruins host the Ottawa Senators at TD Banknorth Garden at 7:00 p.m. More to come...

Firestarter or Ms. Brightside, tell me how this could possibly be good?

Felger's trying to spin it on FSN right now. So far it's not sinking in for me. I think this SUCKS!

Rough way to start the playoffs...

Okay... Well. That pretty much blew. What was the final score in today's Red Sox / White Sox playoff game, 1132 - 2 or something like that?

Hopefully The Red Sox (and The Patriots, now that I think of it,) have gotten all the 'suck' out of their systems and are ready to play for real from here on out.

We need a big game from our big, big game pitcher tomorrow [Mr. Wells, that's you].

After watching the 'game' this evening, I got an e-mail from The Red Sox that said, 'ALCS Ticket Purchase opportunity'. I got all excited because I thought I had been selected for the chance to enter the virtual waiting room and once again try my hand at getting some Red Sox tickets. Unfortunately, the e-mail said I was not selected, but I'm auto-magically entered in the World Series Tickets drawing. They should make the title of the e-mail say, 'Better luck next time' or something so they don't get folks all psyched thinking they're gonna have a chance at tickets when really it's just a big let down. Oh well. The Sox will just have to get to the World Series now so that I'll have a chance to get tickets.

Oh and in case you forgot, starting tomorrow, NHL HOCKEY IS BACK and regardless of what the media may have you believe, people care and we are excited about it! I watched some pre-season hockey over the weekend and it was great to see The Black and Gold skating again. Hockey Rules. The B's face off against the much-hated Habitants of Montreal tomorrow. The last time we saw them, they were sweeping us out of the playoffs.

My wife is very irritated with the current number of sports teams playing right now.

"Football, Baseball, Hockey... It's a nightmare!"

She likes to go see games live, but does not get into watching sports on TV. She'd rather watch some home makeover show or something. Plus putting up with all my antics during games can get a little... ridiculous (or so I'm told.)

It's game night

I just turned on my radio and was greeted by the golden, soothing tones of Gil and Gino during the Pats pre-game report. Ahhhh. It's time for football, people.

At the same time, The Sox are playing what some folks are calling an ALCS preview against the White Sox tonight. Despite this appealing prospect, I will be showing my true colors and watching The Pats pre-season game vs The Bengals. Actually, what I'll most likely be doing is driving my wife nuts switching between the two games...

We are quickly reaching that time of year that she dreads the most, The Sports Nexus, when Football, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball and NASCAR are all in season. I don't really follow Basketball or NASCAR that much, but according to her, Football, Baseball and Hockey are more than enough to deal with.

The 1st Pats game of the year is something to look forward to, even if it is only pre-season. I'll be interested to see who's doing what on defense, who's calling the game on offense, and the usual, pre-season battle to find out who's going to stand on the sideline and hold the clipboard for Brady.

In my living room, I'll be taking a good long look at the pre-season competition between mini-prezels and chips and salsa for the football snack of choice this year. A long time, veteran starter, Mini-prezels will be tough to unseat, but a little competition is always good.

In a completely unrelated topic, Joe Thornton signed a 3 year deal with The Bruins. I've got a good feeling about the B's this year.

Go Pats!

Various topic quickie...

Multiple topics in this post.

First, The B's. Yes, that's right. The Boston Bruins. Hockey. Regardless of what the press wants you to think, a lot of people like hockey and I am one of them.

I was very happy to hear the news a few days ago when The Bruins signed Glen Murray. I'm used to reading about the B's losing guys like Murray to other teams because they're so effing cheap. This time the Bruins stepped up and did the right thing for the team. This is great news for the B's offense.

Then, in today's paper, I read that The B's have signed Brian Leetch. Another great move. It makes me think that the Bruins are actually trying to build a Stanley Cup contender. They even made a concerted effort to sign Mike Modano. Even though it didn't happen and Modano signed with The Stars, the fact that the B's were in the game was very cool. Very un-Bruins like, but I'm not complaining!

The Bruin's will open up the season against the much-hated Habitants, which is quite fitting. In case you forgot, the last time we saw them, they were sweeping us out of the 1st round of the Playoffs.

Next, The Sox. The Manny / Edgah collision last night was scary. The pucker-factor on that one was very high and I was seriously worried that they had hurt themselves. Thankfully both Edgah and Manny seem to be ok. Guys, don't do that again!

How about Manny holding onto the ball and getting the final out even after Renteria bashed into him? Awesome job by Manny. You're a gangstah!

Between this and Clement getting hit last week, that's 2 serious injury near-misses. No more horrifying, potentially terrible injury producing plays for The Red Sox please. We've had enough now. Thank you.

Saving the best for last, The Pats. Richard Seymour is back on the field and recently interrupted a meeting with the Offensive Linemen to tell them he's "been eating raw meat and gunpowder."

I'm tingling.

New NHL Rules...

So the NHL is back (Yay!) and there are some new rules to go along with the new agreement. Some of them I'm not so sure about, but overall I don't really have any big complaints about the new rules.

One of the rule changes that immediately jumps out at me is the elimination of the 2 line pass penalty. In the new rules, the Red Center Line is basically ignored, meaning a team can make a pass from the defending blue line to the attacking blue line. To me this is a great change, as I think it will eliminate the incredibly boring 'trap' game perfected by teams like the N.J. Devils.

The 'trap' game is a sound defensive strategy, but I think even a hockey fan will tell you it's boring as hell to watch. There are very few scoring opportunities in this style of game. Both teams spend pretty much the whole game skating around in the middle of the ice. With this new rule, that is not going to happen anymore and that makes for more exciting hockey.

The neutral zone in the center of the ice has also been made smaller. This is another good rule change in my opinion. It means teams are going have more scoring opportunities.

The new 'tag up' rule will be interesting. Players that were in the offensive zone before the puck now can go back and 'tag' the blueline to stay onside. Sounds good. I have no problem with this one in theory. We'll see how it works in a real game.

One rule that I found a little strange was the limiting of where goalies can play the puck. In the new rules, there is a small area behind the net and that is the only area that goalies are allowed to play the puck. So that means a goalie can't play the puck in the corners anymore? That one makes me go 'hmmm'.

Also, decreasing the size of the goalies pads and other equipment seems a little strange. I understand the point of all this is to increase scoring and offense, but at the same time, a little defense is fun to watch too. Most of these new rules give a lot of advantages to the Offense. The Defensive guys are really going to have it a lot harder now (Kind of reminds me of the NFL.)

Does the NHL want to see double digit scores in hockey games? Will it come to that? I don't know but we will find out!

Other new NHL rules minutia:

Icing:
If a team intentionally ices the puck, that team can no longer perform a line change. The players must stay out on the ice. Hmmm. Again, this rule is meant to make it harder on the defense and I think we're going to see some pretty winded guys out there. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. We'll just have to see how it works out.

Shootout:
No more tie games. If a game remains tied after an overtime period, there will be a shootout to determine a winner. That's cool. Under the old rules, a lot of times teams would intentionally play to hold onto or get the tie, just so they could get the point for the standings. This new shootout rule will eliminate that and I think this is a good thing. I know when I go to see a game and it ends in a tie, it's kind of a letdown. At the end of a game people want to see a winner. Now there will always be a winner at the end of every hockey game. This is a good move.

Game misconduct:
The NHL seems to be laying down the law as far as game misconduct goes. Now if a player screws up, he is automatically suspended for one game and the coach is fined too. That will prove interesting. I have no problem with this stuff. If it makes hockey a 'cleaner' game, it's fine with me.

Obviously, the reason behind all these changes is to make hockey a more offense-oriented and exciting game to watch, with increased scoring and up and down action on the ice. I was a big fan of the way Olympic hockey was played, so if these rules make the NHL more like Olympic style play, I am all for it.

It will remain to be seen how much these new rules improve the 'flow' of the game until we actually start seeing them in action, but most of the changes are positive in my opinion. Plus, it's not like these rules are now set in stone. They can be tweaked as it becomes necessary.

Like most hockey fans, I'm just glad to see that the NHL players and owners finally got their acts together and worked out a deal. It's good to have hockey coming back. I missed it. I think these new rules will make hockey a more fun game to watch.

Neely elected to Hall of Fame...

Neely elected to Hockey's Hall of Fame.

(Robert Laberge / All Sport (via espn))

Finally some good hockey news. Cam's election to the Hall is well deserved.

Kiss it goodbye...

Its official, the NHL season has been canceled. I guess it was just too hard to figure out how to divide up all that money.

No Quest for The Cup this year. No listening to Gary Thorne calling those fucking awesome playoff games. The NHL playoffs were just the best. Every game was always exciting and fun to watch, even if your team was not playing.. No Original 6 rivalries. No 'one and done' for the Bruins... wait a min, maybe that's not such a bad thing.


It's a damn shame.

Managing Sox withdrawl and other things...

After weeks of non-stop, all Sox, all the time, it is a little strange not having any baseball games to watch. I think I am going through a withdrawl period. Unfortunately, there's not much to help me through it. The Pats only play once a week. Usually, the Bruins would help fill the void but there is no hockey. That makes me wonder, with no B's this year, what's NESN gonna do? Are they just going to show Fan Attic and Charlie Moore shows every night?

There's still the Celts I guess... Yeah... Right. Do I hear crickets chirping? Don't get me wrong. I still love the Celtics even though the NBA is, well, pretty much a wreck. The season is just starting. They've got a new coach and some new players. We'll see how they do I guess. I watched some of the game tonight and saw Waltah's 3 pointer to end the half, followed by Tommy Hiensohn's "I LOVE WALTAH!!!" That brought a smile to my face. I love that guy. "THESE GUYS ARE RIDICULOUS!!"

Things are not well in Patriot-land. I think everybody on the team is hurt. Ok, maybe I'm going a little overboard but the loss of the two Ty's is a difficult one. The backfield is definetely strapped and we are heading into a game against a good passing team. When I said it was ready to start a new streak, I did not mean going the wrong way. Asante Samuel, Wilson, Harrison and potentially Gay will be back there. Not quite as scary for QBs but still... not terrible either. Gay is the weakest link there. Will O.T.I.S be back? Bill (I should have written his name in for President) Belichick, Romeo and Charlie will think of something I'm sure. "In Bill We Trust".

[politics]
Speaking of the election, it's over and Bush won. Can we all move on now? It was not really a surprise Bush won but I thought it would be closer than it was. Folks at work were quite depressed. Not a lot of Bush supporters there. Personally, I'm not exactly a supporter of him either. I just thought the other guy was worse. Anyway, a lot of people were unhappy with the results, in my corner of the world at least. I thought some people went a little overboard with obnoxious pictures stuck on the side of their cubes and stuff... but I won't go into it.

Some of the blogs I read that have the Democrat point of view and support Kerry have really gone off the deep end. A lot of the sites that used to post rational, well thought out and well written opinions have really lost it today and they are already starting with the "Hillary in 08" stuff. Are they insane? I guess so, because they have obviously not figured out what kind of person the people in the U.S. are going to vote for. I knew over 2 years ago when this was all just gearing up, a liberal Democrat from MA would not win. Do they really think people are going to vote for Hillary? I know a lot of Democrats and even they can't stand her...

Personally I just hope somebody, from either side, can produce a candidate that I might actually be happy to vote for but that is 4 years away. Right now we need to do the best we can with the guy we elected and hope things don't get too fucked up. Postive thinking! Positive thinking!
[/politics]