Playoffs, Championships and Parades

Spring is here and in Boston, that means sports galore. The Bruins and the Celtics are playoff bound and the Red Sox are in full swing.

Bruins

I have a great feeling about how the Bruins will fare in the playoffs this year. They hit a little funk about a month ago, but have come back with vengeance. The last game against the Habs was more like the Haggler / Hearns fight back in the 80s, not a hockey game. I think it'll be the B's and the Sharks in the finals - the two top teams, beating the crap out of each other for the right to hoist that heavy peice of metal over their shoulders. That would be an instant draw and GREAT marketing opportunity for the NHL as Joe Thorton would make his return to Boston to try and beat the team that traded him away a few years ago.

First test will be those pesky Canadiens. B's in a tough and physical six games.

Celtics

If the Celtics are going to repeat, it's looking like their road to another parade might start against Philly and finish in LA (with a pretty good detour in Cleveland). Both LA and the Cavs are playing great ball. The Magic are a threat in the East, but I just don't think they are physical enough to stick with the C's in seven. I do worry about KG's knee and the depth of this team that's taken a hit because of injuries. Then again, Doc might just be holding the walking wounded back so that they come back in full force come playoff time.

Red Sox
It's way to early to talk about the Red Sox because I'm focused on the C's and B's. However, I was able to snatch a couple of opening day monster seats. That experience alone got me thinking about when baseball really kicks in for me, which is about after the NHL and NBA playoffs (once our teams have been eliminated or won). I will mention one thing about the Sox that's ticked me off so far...starting pitching? All the starters look like AAA pitchers, with the exception of Beckett who pitched a gem on opening day but then earned a six-game suspension by throwing at Bobby Abreu's head in his last start.

Championships
Speaking of playoffs and championships, I have to tip my cap to the Boston Unviersity Terriers. It hurts to say that as I'm a Northeastern University Husky, but their dramatic overtime win in the men's hockey national championship was quite a thrill to watch. It also helps knowing that the Huskies were beat by the national champion. (I still owe @jimrattray a 12 of Magic Hat #9s via a Bean Pot bet).

Maybe, just maybe, the Terriers are kicking off parade season in Boston.

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Year of what ifs

11-5 doesn't get you into the playoffs so I ask:

- what the hell is up with the play calling of the Jets?

- will Brady be able to return in 2009?

- are the d|Dolphins legit?

- why couldn't the Jags step up?

- is Scott Peoli headed elsewhere?

- what is to happen of young Matt Cassell?

- has the tide turned in NE sports where it is now all about the Bs and Cs?

I am boycotting the NFL playoffs.

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ALCS game 4 recap

As I am typing this the Sox are down 13-3 in game 3 of the ALCS. I'm not too pleased. We're suffering from bad pitching, no hitting and a group of Ray starting pitchers who are hitting their stride at the right time.

Tomorrow's media coverage will be interesting - lots of postmortem stuff; we've been down 3-1 before crap; and a big heaping plate of this team is too old and it's time to rebuild.

Here are my thoughts:

- Sox will take game 5. This is the "let's throw everything at them so we can get a win" game. The problem with this is that it leaves you sort of flat for game 6, which is in Tampa. Not good.

- Game 5 will feature a loud Boston crowd from the get go. If by chance, the Sox get whooped again, especially early, I bet a Sox pitcher is going to plunk Longoria. This will be great because it'll carry over to the following year - really getting rivalry going.

- I think that if Tampa does end up beating the Sox, that they will win the World Series. They seem to be a resilient bunch and are hitting their high point at the right time. Again, they could be so high off of beating the Sox that they let down for the big show.

- If the Sox lose to the Rays, Theo & Co. will not settle for second best next year. This loss will not sit well with this group - not after all the drama the team went through this year. I expect the Sox to be extremely aggressive in the offseason. As I said, this loss will leave a very bad taste in management's mouth. Same could be said for the fans.

- Last but not least...Tampa and Sox tickets will sell out quicker than Sox and Yankees tickets.

Since the Pats are in the crapper, we now hang our parade hopes on a repeat by the Celtics or, if pigs fly, the Bruin's hoist the cup. Read more!

Theo, Hot Coffee and Colored Leaves

Fall, by far, is my most favorite time of year. The weather gets crisp. Baseball steams ahead towards the playoffs. Football is just getting underway. And all eyes are on New England as the leaves on the tree turn various shades of orange, red and yellow.

Today is one of those "it feels like fall days." Specifically, here's why:

Red Sox are in the hunt for a playoff run. They are one game out of first and have trailed the DRays most of the year. They had the opportunity last night, but just couldn't muster up one more run. Also, looks like Theo is going to get a raise. Good for him. The guy has been the mastermind behind all the moves the Red Sox have made since the 2004 season and his hard work has paid off in the form of two championship parades (and being in position to possibly go back to back this year).

I was feeling some hot coffee this morning so headed to D&D. I'm not a Starbucks kind of guy. I find the menu to be too intimidating. I can't pronounce venti without it sounding like something I caught while waiting in the doctors office. I typically would get an iced coffee, but because of the crispness in the air, I decided to go with hot. Good call on my part I think. It hit the spot. I hardly drink hot coffee when the weather is warm so by ordering a hot coffee today, I think we're moving into long pant weather vs. cargo shorts and T's.

I have a couple trees on my property and I can already see the transformation in color. It's not a ton of color change, but I can see on the fringe of some leaves that the process is starting.

Next thing you know, we'll be shoveling out cars from underneath two feet of snow. That's ok though, because at that point, we'll have already celebrated the Sox back to back championships, will be watching the Pats and the Sons of Cassel int he playoffs, hoisting banner #17 to the rafters (reference to the Celtics championship just in case any of you were sleeping at the wheel), and hoping that the Bruins step their game up and get with the Title Town program. Read more!

Sports on the mind this morning

I haven't done one of my all-sports round-ups in a while and the fact that I'll be headed to Fenway tonight for my first Sox/Yankees games in a long time, I'd figured I would pump one out now. So here goes.

Celtics
I was very disappointed to see Posey leave and go to the Hornets. He was a big part of the championship. What I find interesting though was the spin the team put on the Tony Allen signing. The PR machine for the Celtics are saying that Tony is going to have a break-out year. He's 100% healthy, he started to turn the corner at the end of last year, etc. Not sure about all that, but we'll see. Once you have a knee injury, you never really fully recover. I think the team will be overall improved from last year believe it or not. I say this because of the free agent signings they've had as well as this draft class. Repeat? Looking pretty good.

Patriots
See the story in the Globe the other day about Tom Brady basically taking it easy during this training camp? I guess the golden boy can do no wrong. He's his own PR machine.

In terms of the team itself, I think the Pats could possibly run the table again. Have you seen their schedule? The toughest games on the docket are the Colts and Chargers on the road, both teams we've beaten on the road in previous years. They've also signed a number of key defensive players and recently a journeyman running back that just might turn some heads this season. And oh yea, don't forget about Sammy Morris who was on a tear at the start of last year, but was injured. I don't want to be too aggressive, but I really think that this team is much better than last year's team overall. The biggest reason is because of the improvements the team has made on defense. Also, don't overlook the fact that Dom Capers will be helping out the D-backs this year. The guy is a defensive wizard.

My Prediction: 17-2 (yes, that's a Superbowl victory with two regular season losses)

Bruins
Don't fall over and kick the bucket because I'm writing about the Bruins. I've been following their off season moves and have been somewhat impressed. The biggest news in this department I think is the parting of ways with Glen Murray. I'm a big Murray fan. He's a gamer. He's a proven scorer but has had a rough go at it over the last couple of years. The brass decided to buy him out and the GM explains it here. I'm not in agreement with him, but I do agree that the team needs to flow with this new direction and really purge all the old-school type Bruins players. Let's get new talent in here. Get the young kids flying around and bring back some of the rough and tumble style of hockey that win's championships. I'd love to see how the city would react to a surging Bruins team in the playoffs. The bandwagon would get really stuffy quick. (See the Celtics championship this year).

And oh, did you see that the Bruins have the "Ice Girls" now? Are you serious? Talk about a marketing tactic.

Red Sox
We are now at the part of the season where all games count (yea, I know that they ALL count), but is when people start paying attention because it's the only game in town (the Pats will soon take care of that thankfully). With the Sox two games behind the DRays for 1st in the division and the Skankees right on our heels, Red Sox Nation is starting to panic. We've lost two out of three to the Sons of Steinbrenner over this weekend and come into tonight's game with the fear of getting swept (I'm subsequently going to tonight's game and will post something after this as to where my seats are).

We're also dealing with yet another Manny situation. He's been in the habit of taking himself out of the line-up over the past couple weeks and his teammates are getting tired of answering questions about him and his antics. See the Dustin Pedroira comment when asked about Manny. That's (and other similar comments by the team) is a tell tale sign that they are tired of his crap. Will the Sox make an effort to keep Manny? Is it worth all the hassle? From a offense perspective it is. I would suggest that the team think about trading him at the deadline to get a truck full of players with talent. Who's not going to entertain trade talks with Manny being involved? Just trade him to the National League please. I don't want him in pinstripes of he becomes a free agent. You just KNOW he'd love to play in NY and come back to Fenway and absolutely murder us. He's that type of player or should I say, he's that type of Clemens. See him chatting with PayRod yesterday? Here's a gist of their conversation:

PayRod: "Hey man, keep doing what you're doing. Get your numbers. Then get paid."

Manny: "I hear ya man."

PayRod: "Then you come to the Yankees. You'll be closer to where you grew up. You'll love it here. Yea, the media is just as bad as it is here in Boston, but because there is so much other stuff going on in the city, you sort of get lost in it. You only get into the problems if you start cheating on your wife and especially if you're shagging a global music icon who's nearing retirement more so than the glamor runway. But, hey man, it's all good."

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Watch out people: Bruin's news

Amidst all the sports news in Boston, one little piece of news slipped through the cracks in terms of level of importance: The Bruins signed free-agent Michael Ryder. The former Montreal Canadian was a Bruin's killer. How will he be accepted in Boston after playing for the hated Habs? I for one, welcome him with open arms. He's a beast who can score and play defense.

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Bruins RIP

I enjoyed watching the Bruins this year. They had a great run to the playoffs and played great in the first round against Montreal. However, all good things come to an end.

So this is the official obit of the 2007-08 Boston Bruins.

Montreal, Canada - The 2007-08 Boston Bruins passed away earlier this evening, apparently of a heart failure.

The Bruins, who won three straight games to bring the series to 3-3, played their hearts out but couldn't over come the uphill battle. Their hearts pumped and pumped full of blood for four straight games, but it finally gave out at about 9:40pm on Monday evening.

Funeral services will be private. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Go Celtics. Read more!

Bruins push game 7. Red Sox keep rolling. Celtics start playoff run.

I guess this is why everyone else outside of New England hates us. All of our teams are doing very well (not talking about the Patriots). We've had some serious sports weekends as of late. This weekend is no different.

Last night the Bruins beat the Canadians to force a game 7 in Montreal on Monday. The game was a defensive battle up until the third period when all havoc broke loose. The Habs took the lead and the B's would tie it up. The B's would take the lead and the Habs would tie it up. The action was end to end, wire to wire. It was a physical game. It was a game that featured from very skillful players making some amazing moves - hello Phil Kessell. I'm chalking that game up as one of the best I've seen in years. Not just because we won, but because of all the action and the tension. This serious, no doubt, has put the spark back in to the Bruins/Habs rivalry - more so that the Sox and the Skankees. Game seven tomorrow. Can't wait.

Speaking of the Red Sox...man are they on fire. Manny continues his tear towards homerun #500. Ortiz is heating up. Beckett looks fantastic. Dice-K looks even better. The list goes on and on. I honestly don't know why they can't repeat. I know it's early, but they are looking as good as they did last year, if not better - even without Mike Lowell.

Now, finally, on the Celtics and the real NBA season. The green begin their drive for #17 this evening. This is the most anticipated basketball game in Boston since 1986. Yea, the Antwoine and Pierce Celtics in the early 00's were good, but they were never a team destined for greatness.

The 2007-08 version of the Celtics are so good they are scary. I predict a sweep of Atlanta and that eventually, we'll face Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. You can't count them out as they've been there, done that. Orlando is also one to watch. I'm looking forward to watching some exciting basketball and watching KG at his intensity peaks.

I was watching an interview with KG this weekend and man, is that dude intense. Even during interviews you feel that he wants to reach out from the TV and grab you by your neck. On the other side of the coin, is his personal side - which is very personal and not up for discussion or questions. He and his wife had their first kid the other day. Reporters asked him about it and he flat out said, it's not for discussion. Let's talk about basketball, which they did. Would you press KG on personal matters?

Me neither.

Needless to say, we're about 5+ hours away from tip off. I can't wait. I feel like I'm suiting up against the Hawks. I want to be in the Garden tonight or even outside of it because I KNOW that place is gonna be rocking.

Wake of Red, Green 17 begins tonight.

p.s. I've always been a fan of Bill Simmons. I was reading the PIAB blog today and came across his big F U to Simmons who picked the Lakers over the Celtics in the finals. I would echo the PIAB sentiments and say to Simmons that's he can go $@$@%%^@ himself. Yea, you're a member of the media and are supposed to be objective, but come on dude, you've always been about the New England teams.

Sell out. Read more!

Booster seats, Weekend sports, and Weak Coffee

So it's another lazy Sunday here in the Martelli house hold. I like that way. Do I clean the basement? Fix the fence in the backyard? Prep for the work week? Or maybe just sit on my behind and blog all day long. That's the beauty of Sunday with no plans. It's like an empty canvas. In terms of news and sports, however, it was an interesting weekend.

Booster Me Some News
First off, Gov. Patrick tried to slip a piece of legislation past the general public yesterday by passing the booster seat law.

Basically, all kids up until the age of eight have to use a booster seat in the car. This replaces the weight requirements that were in place before. Now if a kid doesn't reach a certain height he/she has to use the booster seat in the car until they are eight. I applaud the legislation. It makes total sense. Maybe it was a timing thing with passing the legislation, but why get this out over the weekend? Is it because more people are home and paying attention to the news - so no one would miss it? That's my guess. Typically, Saturday's are slow news days so it makes perfect sense to get this out there over the weekend and on a day that it would pretty much dominate the news and be the lead story - which it was. It continued to today with the "man on the street" story. You know what I'm talking about. This is where the media gets the reaction of the general public.

What got me about this coverage was a couple parents who said that they weren't going to follow the law because it would be hard to get their kids to use the booster seat.

Are you kidding me? It would be hard for you to get your kid to use a booster seat? That's ridiculous. You're the parent. You simple make the kid use it. No if's and's or but's about it.

Love Weekends Packed With Sports
This weekend was full of sporting entertainment. Let's review:

• First off, we had the Bruins (yes, I'm leading with the Bruins), who are now pretty much fighting for their playoff lives as of this morning. They are down 2-0 and lost a heart breaker in OT last night. They played well, were aggressive, skated hard and were hitting. The Habs, on the other hand, were just that much quicker and in sync on offense. They look like the team to beat IMHO.
• Secondly, we had the Sox Yankees at Fenway. The Skankees too game one of the series, but the Sox rallied to take game two. The one thing I have to say about the Sox and Yankees these days is that it's not really the same. We've won the last two WS in the past four years. Each time we've handled the Yankees like they were the DRays. Maybe it's because I'm into hoops and pucks as of right now versus baseball. I'm sure I'll revisit this as the weather gets warmer and baseball is the sole focus of the sporting world.
• Celtics keep rolling - even though they are in the playoffs and have the best record in the league and home court advantage throughout the second season, the C's continue to dominate teams they should be dominating. They played the Hawks last night and won convincingly. The good thing about this win is that the Hawks might be the C's first round opponent. So needless to say, the last win of the season in their small series will set the tone when the real season starts.
• Did you know that we have some pretty good college hockey teams in this state? As a matter of fact, we have the best team in the nation right here in Boston - your Boston College Eagles won the national championship last night. When things are going good, they go real good huh? We are spoiled in Boston, for sure.
• Masters - I used to be into golf, but it's lost it's allure for me a bit. I am keeping my eyes on the Tiger tournament, but it doesn't appear like Tiger will win. It's the field this time.

Weak Coffee
So on the weekend, I'm usually up with the kids. The wife is up all week and I take it on the chin and get up early. That's ok though. I'm an early riser to begin with. I'm also trained to get up early because I'm doing it during the week anyways.

Part of the routine is to wash the dishes from the night before and get the java going. Gotta have the java on a slow Sunday morning. It's a perfect wingman as I sit at the computer and begin planning out my blog posts.

So, back to the "weak" in the headline.

I get up this morning and do the usual. Get the kids drinks, change a diaper, and get the coffee fired up. Mrs. Big Guy comes down stairs a couple hours later and fires up some java. She then calls me out and says my coffee is weak.

Wassup with that? What's the deal with the hatorade on my coffee? I'm a regular coffee drinker. I don't need the high octane stuff to get me going. As a matter of fact, the last thing I want is to feel like I am sitting across the table from Juan Valdez.

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