The Slow Demise of Boston...

So here we are, coming off a weekend where we saw the both the Bruins and Celtics drop Game 7s and the Red Sox lose 4-of-6 on the West Coast.

There will be no June playoff games in Boston, a thought as surprising in April (Bruins) as it was in October (Celtics). We are now officially a one-sport town until September. How did we use to do this before???

The Celts was a far less surprising loss after the Game 6 defeat. Let’s face it: they didn’t have much left. The C’s looked as good as they had all series in the first three quarters on Thursday, but after they blew the lead in the fourth, you just had a feeling that the meter was finally a little too far past empty – these boys were on strictly fumes.

When Big Baby is giving you Big Minutes and you feel like you need to keep Scal out of foul trouble, you are wayyyy past being competitive. Forget KG, even Leon Powe would have changed the dynamic of this team. So would have any big man with half a brain (you know, not Mikki Moore).

The Bruins, well, that’s a different story. Like New Jersey before them, the Bs were outworked, outhustled and at some points overmatched by an otherwise inferior team. The salt on the wound was that the goal was scored by Scott Walker. But then again, isn’t this how it always ends for the B’s? A bit too early in May? This team was supposed to be different, but flaws were exposed during this series. Not so much in the X’s and O’s, but more in the character of a young club and possibly the ability of the coach to get the most out of his players. Yes, I’m pointing a finger at Claude Julien. When a team with 116 points in the regular season can’t connect on simple tape-to-tape passes or clear their own zone for three straight games, something is wrong.

The Hurricanes are not winning the Stanley Cup. Plain and simple. But they took down two teams who could have.

As good as a Pittsburgh-Boston series would have been, Detroit-Boston would have been even better. As it stands now, looks like we’re looking at a rematch of last year’s Cup Finals (Red Wings – Pens).

The NBA? This final was decided long ago. Was there anyone who thought it wouldn’t be Cleveland-LA? Of course, the Magic and Nuggets might have something to say about that, but let’s be real, this is Lebron and Kobe time.

And that’s really the only thing that can save us: the prospect of two entertaining finals in both sports. Sure, we wish we could have our clubs in there, but at least there’s a chance we see some of the best teams – with the best players – duke it out for the title.

Now, if it’s Anaheim-Chicago or Denver-Magic, then we can bitch. Or shoot ourselves. Either one, I guess.

--Nick

Sometimes the Bear Gets You

Remember when I told you all about 2 of the Blogfathers and a Blogfollowers attempt to hit up the Celts-Bruins double-home playoff games on one Saturday, followed by a Sox matinee and Marathon Monday expedition on that Patriots' Day?

Well, I wanted to make a photo diary. What were the chances of that actually happening? 10 percent? 20 percent? Zero?? I'm the same guy who brings a camera on vacation and leaves it in the hotel the whole time. I'm not good with these things. Plus the times I really want to remember are the times were I usually am too impaired to make it happen. Damn. What follows is a super piss-poor example of a photo journal, with jusssst enough to make it funny that I even tried. Woo, Sorry for Partying.

10:35 AM: Gotta take the T on a day like this. The goal of this pic was to justbarely get us all in the corners of it. That way ppl on the T wouldn't think we were trying to take a self-pic. Nice.


12:15 PM: Celtssss brooooo. Let me innnnn.


DX was there:

They gave out Boston is a Brotherhood T-Shirt. I've since warn it twice more. The Celts have lost 3 three times. Needless to say, that shirt is retired for awhile.

We were upgraded to 10th row Loge from balcony for free. Good seats...

...you know, cept for the hoop..

Came down to the wire...

Met up with some ill Boston bros at the Greatest Bar, maybe the best place to go if you're around the Garden. If you're at Fenway, then it's obviously the Tavern. Notice my uniform change and the vintage B's jersey. Thing's a men's medium I've had since I was 12 years old. Look at that Bear on the sleeve. Just don't make em like that anymore...or with the fat mustard and shit all over it.

7:59 PM: Back to the timestamp for effect. I had 3 pictures total from the Bruins. Here, I set the camera setting to "My Vision" and this is what I got.

11:59 PM: Over 12 hours later, back home. Good looks to Jules on the picture.

Marathon Monday: My seats at the Sox were too tight to reach in and get my camera out. I'm only joking 10 percent. So squished. Jake thinks he is going to run one of these:

This sums it all up:

Sorry for wasting some of your life.

--Nick

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

The Kid Is Back

Sorry for the 3-day absence. I had a crazy past couple of days that included a visit from my best dude from college, a double-dip playoff day on Saturday and Sox game/Marathon fest yesterday. Basically, I’m spending the next 2-3 weeks in a local rehab facility.

The Saturday B’s and C’s games were unreal. To be at the Garden area for 12-13 hours with some of the illest partiers around during two playoff games is absurd. Three of us went in to the games (barely), and I’m glad to say, three of us went out. It ended pretty much as expected, with a broken phone, an all-out legit header down two rows of seats and a Chris Farley-esque, beer, flying, ass skidding slip down the balcony stairs. A little something for all of us. But because I haven’t worked for the past 3 business days and because I’m deathly tired, I’ll save the stories/comments and a lame attempt at a photo journal (what there the real chances of that happening?) for another post.

For now, here are some random thoughts:

-Picture you care zero who wins the Boston Marathon, but it remains an unreal fixture in your life regardless. The day off, the craziness, the early Sox game and the overall drunken stupor make it an event worthwhile. People have been getting hammered and high-fiving tired-ass runners for years.

-I love the online ads for the celebrity IQ tests. Oh yea, I’m sure Oprah took your little online quiz. Who the hell is this tricking? “Oh, looks like Mylie Cyrus scored a 118 on this IQ test, I bet I can beat her!!” C’mon now. Either the people making these ads are clueless or the public is a lot dumber than I’m giving them credit for.

-Why do you have to pay more for iced coffee when you get less coffee and more water than regular coffee?

-The waffle shirt/thermal or white long sleeve under your T-shirt is really the best way to go during the springtime. It allows you to get away with not wearing a jacket, which will just hinder your movement all night and give you something to leave behind, and also provides a fresh look and the ability to roll up the sleeves to cool off.

-Like it or not, you can’t stop Ron Brownz. Peep that song in this week’s Music Monday. Oh man.

-I can never go without the internet on my phone again. Not knowing everything and anything whenever I want is unacceptable to me now. Kinda like how I love watching TV with a laptop. Never know when I need sports stats, IMDB or Wikipedia. Chances are strong I’ll need all three. How the hell did people go about their lives 30 years ago? You just didn’t know much I guess. And if you wanted to find something out, you had to go to the library, ask an elder or call like a radio station or something. Haha. Must have saccckkked.

-My favorite jokes when I’m out drinking now are ‘bro-ing’ people and calling myself “the kid” to be obnoxious. Both make me dece giggle.

--Nick

A Tribute to....Me ranting

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Titletown, USA

(WARNING: It's about to get real obnoxious for anyone not from New England. But F it, like Khaled says, "We daa besssttt.)

Nice little feature from John Powers in today's Globe talking about how Boston has the chance to go for four titles this year, considering the Celts and B's are top contenders and the perenial compeitivness of the Pats and Sox.

It reminded be of a convo I had with the vote-rigging Blogfather Jake about a month ago. Over a few frosty brew treats, Jake and I were discussiong which of the four major teams had the best shot to win a title this year. And it's not any of the answers that make it memorable, but just the fact that we were entertaining the idea of such a scenerio shows you just how good things are right now.

The 2004 season was great when the Sox and Pats won it all. But there really hasn't been a time since both the Celts and Bruins competed in the same year since maybe 1986. With the Bruins mammouth series with Montreal set to begin Thursday night at the Garden and the Celts set to tip off Staurday against any one of a number a teams (also, mind you, at the Garden) now is as good as it gets in terms of playoff atmosphere. I don't know about you, but spending my spring nights alternating between Celts and Bs playoff games is possibly the best thing I could ask for; my liver on the other hand, not so much.

In conjunction with that Globe article, they also did a photo shoot. The one at the top of the post was my fav. Here is a short video from the shoot. Pretty sure Ortiz just walked in with that outfit:

Also in anticipation of the Bruins playoff series -- since it is only 2 days away against their most storied of rivals -- here are two sweet commercials for those who haven't seen 'em. How ill the bear?:

Pretty sure the guy in this one is like my uncle:




--Nick

Western Round-Up

TUCSON, AZ -- Sorry for being the invisible man. Just got caught up with the blog this morning and kudos to everyone else for churning out good material while I've been slacking.

It's not 9 yet over here so sorry if I'm a little groggy. It his, however, already 60 degrees.

-I'm a big fan of Southwest Airlines, I think. The seats are comfy, you get more leg room then most carriers, plus there's no baggage fee, they still give out snacks, drinks are free, and, as Kate's post below shows, they always are a little different on the mic. The laid-back atmosphere makes you feel chill about flying. And I haven't even mentioned the main reason you fly them yet: it's probably the cheapest rate around. Seriously how can you compete? They're moving into Logan in a few months, and I honestly can't imagine me flying anyone else.

-That new Mac commercial about the 8-hour battery is crazy. I got an 8-minute one right now. Comp is about a year and half old and the battery is toast. Nice lil $80 slap in the face every few years. Might be scopping a MacBook.

-How weird is it that Arizona doesn't even abide by Daylight Savings? Just doesn't do it. Thing switched from being 2 to 3 hours behind EST depending on the time of year. TV schedules? Forget it. So hard to figure out. Because you can't go by central time or pacific either. Mountain? Don't even know what's in that time zone. Missed the first hour of Idol last night because it started at 7. Let's see if it starts at 8 EST and it's "live" you'd figure 5 over here. Only that would be way to early, so maybe they just wait until 8 and show it taped. Nope, throw it on at 7 for some reason.

-Last night's US-PR game was incred. Anyone who still doubts that these dudes do care about this....well I don't even need to explain it. I love how the media gets one idea in its head and everyone collectively runs with it. "The WBC is at the wrong time." "The players don't care." "They want to go back to spring training." Really? Why don't you try and watch again. It's good baseball and I see dudes fist pumping, breaking up double plays, celebrating and making diving grabs. Oh, yea I'd much rather have spring training...give me a break.

-The B's have certainly come back down to earth. I guess I team with young studs (Krejic, Wheeler, Kessel, etc.) has to hit a wall at some point. Kessel has picked it back up, but it's the performance of the other two (along with linemate Michael Ryder) that should dictate how far Boston goes in the playoffs.

-Love the Julius Peppers rumors. An underrated move that went under the radar this weekend was the signing of Joey Galloway. Guy was still a beast two years ago, but struggled through injuries last year. Should be a good outside threat with Greg Lewis. You gotta like Moss, Welker, Galloway, Lewis. Read this Tony Mazz piece if you want to get pumped about the Pats; or if you are a Pats hater, see how far you can read until you back-body drop your computer.

-Sox cut Josh Bard today. Guy was having a good spring, hitting over .400 with a homer, but face it: dude saaaccckks. Is it Kottaras who will step into the backup role? Most likely. The Sox like his power from the left side and considering that's the side where 'Tek struggles, they would seem to be better complements. Still, with a surplus of young arms (Bucholtz, Bowden, Daniel Bard) you can never rule out a trade.

-Not even gonna mention the Celts. So mad at all the losses. KG...come baccckkkk brrooooo.

-Seacrest, out..

Is something Bruin?

So here we are, another week, another trade deadline. This one for the NHL and most likely a more active one than the NBA, although nothing major has yet to go down.

The Bruins are tough to peg today. They could be major players (Chris Pronger), bit players (Derek Morris, Keith Tkachuk) or do nothing at all. The B’s hold practice at 11:30 today so be sure to check the blogs from the beat writers, who you know will be scouring to see if anyone is missing. If, say, Phil Kessel isn’t out practicing…look out…there’s something big Bruin. If someone major like that was out, I’d be sure to keep you posted.

[UPDATE: Young forward Petteri Nokelainen was held out practice. Looks like he'll be dealt. Probably means Recchi or Morris. Nothing big unless the price for Pronger is less than we think.]

Meanwhile, here’s a little friendly guide to some potential B’s moves for you non-puckheads:

Derek Morris, D, Phoenix Coyotes
Morris is player most likely to be donning the Black and Gold tomorrow. I really had no idea who this guy was before last week. But apparently he has a hard slapper and can help on the powerplay. I guess…but his totals (5-7-12, -13) aren’t impressive. Product of a bad team? Perhaps. The best part is he would only cost a draft pick or low-level prospect in return.

Keith Tkachuk, F, St. Louis Blues

Rumored to be traded for weeks now, the Melrose, Mass. native and BU alum looks like he’s going to stay put. With the Blues’ recent surge taking them to within three points of the eight seed in the Western Conference it looks like the club will hang out to this bruising and still effective (18-18-36) winger. Sucks. He would have given the B’s some size and scoring up front and he’s a local guy.

Chris Pronger, D, Anaheim Ducks
This man is a beassssttt. The former EA Sports coverboy is a 6-6 defensemen who can skate and move the puck. He’s force on the powerplay and in his own zone. To pair him up with another beast in Chara…well it just wouldn’t be fair. The price tag is high – think Kessel or Wheeler with a pick and another prospect – but my God, you only have so many chances to win the cup. Ship Wheeler or Kessel outta here and get this man. There’s probably a 5% chance it would happen, but the Bruins have at least kicked the tires on it. Hey, with their recent drop in play lately, you never know.

Mark Recchi, F, Tampa Bay Lightning
Another guy who would fit in nicely with the Bruins. Recchi has still got it (13-32-45 on a crappy Tampa Bay team) and he has what Boston covets: a left-handed shot. You know how you’re always scratching your head when you see PJ Axelsson up on the powerplay? That’s how bad the B’s left-handed situation is – PJ on the powerplay. The Bruins’ PP system calls for someone with a natural lefty shot. Recchi is the answer.

Dominic Moore, F, Toronto Maple Leafs
Another dude with a left shot, Moore can play center and wing. He has 12 goals and 29 assists on a punchless Leafs’ squad and would be a valuable addition to the Bruins. He is certainly going to get dealt, as he was held out of Toronto’s game last night along with Nik Antropov. Once a target of Boston, the rumors have died down a bit that he’d be coming to Beantown.