Don't Mess with Sports

Don't dare try and mess with sports in the spring. They are in control. Sport normally play a large part in my life, but at this time of year, they simply dictate it.

TV shows gather up dust on my DVR, movies from Blockbuster online sit idly in their cases, workout times get skipped, trips to the mall or movies are nixed and phone calls to friends and relatives are just a passing thought.

Because every night there is a playoff game -- hockey or basketball -- and more than likely, a baseball game to boot. You just can't beat this time of year.

We saw the last round of the NCAA Tournament in April, followed by the first few weeks of baseball and the NFL draft.

We rang in May with the Kentucky Derby and the Pacquiao-Hatton fight. And over the course of it all, the NBA and NHL playoffs played out into the second round.

It's a good time to be a dude. Only one problem: how do you expect me to not drink everyday? I have crispy cold Coors Lights and Sam Summers in the fridge, and you think I can just let these treats rest while I watch the Celts, Bruins and Red Sox? C'mon now. No true man can say no. It's not healthy, but it's not fair. Any fan with a rooting interest needs beer with sports. And why don't you throw in some chips, pizza, or nachos too. For the boys.

So when you see me hovering around 300 pounds in the future, just know I did it for the sake of your favorite teams.

That said, here's a quick outlook at where we stand on the day of the Celtics-Orlando Game 1, Sox-Yanks in the Bronx and less than 24 hours after the Hurricanes tied up the Bruins:

B's: Outplayed in the two periods I saw last night. Carolina goalie Cam Ward is sneaky. He was the playoff MVP for the 'Canes when they won the cup in 2006, and he looked sharp last night. Eric Staal finally showed up on the scoresheet -- the first time he's done so in six games against Boston. Overall, I'm not too worried, the Bruins had to lose at some point, but it always hurts to drop one at home. I think we split in Carolina and take the last two games (1-and-1) to win in six.

C's: After the most epic first-round series in sports history and one of the best series in basketball maybe ever, the Celtics will be hard-pressed to avoid a hangover against Orlando. I like the Magic, even without Dwight Howard (actually I teased Orlando minus Dwight against Philly along with Houston over Portland on Thursday night. Easy $$). The Magic played us tough all year and once again, Boston's lack of big men will come back and haunt it. If Paul Pierce plays like he did collectively in the Chicago series, than I can't see this one going past 5-6 games. But who knows, whenever I underestimate Pierce, he comes through. Guy's a machine. If we can get Howard in foul trouble, guard Turkoglu's step-back 3 and limit Rashard Lewis' open looks, we'll be in good shape. That's a lot of 'ifs' but the point is clear: in this series, success will start and end on the defensive end.

Sox: After getting pwned by Carl Crawford and the Rays all weekend, the suddenly pitching-less Sox make their first trip to the New Yankee Stadium (is that its official name or just what everyone calls it??). Would love to see Jon Lester turn in a good start tonight, but more importantly I'd like to see the starters do better as a whole. Anyone not named Wakefield has so far pitched poorer than expectations. Well, not Masterson, but he's a spot starter for now. Lineup has been grinding and tough to get through usually, although it sputtered a bit against The Rays' Matt Garza and James Shields; something the club needs to figure out sometime this year. Lovin' Youk right now. He seriously might be the best hitter in the AL. The BHITAL, if you will. The former BHITAL, David Ortiz, is now the WHITAL. Kiddin. Kind of. But he doesn't seem happy, and in my opinion, really hasn't since the Manny trade. You saw that in his body language all weekend. Tossing the bat, slamming his helmet, and sitting by himself in the dugout. He needs a little fake DL stint to get his mind right, I think. He pretends like he doesn't care that columnists and fans doubt him now, but the reality is he cares tons.This quote from the Globe pretty much sums it up:

"I'm not happy," Ortiz said. "Why should I be? But I'll tell you what ... I'm just gonna keep the flow, keep playing the game, not worry about too many things. I don't want to be listening to all the negativity, all the (expletive) everybody come with. Because it seems like it's never enough. People all they like to see is people fail so they had a reason to talk (smack). So I'm not paying attention to any of it. I'm trying to stay away from talking because I don't need to talk, I need to do things right now. I will do things, believe me."

I'll leave you with this, which is how you really brawl in baseball. In fact, I heard of the Perkins' brothers starting the same thing in the Brockton league on Sundays:



Leave thoughts/comments below.

--Nick