Monthly Archives: November 2012

News on the Green

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Here are a few things out of the Celtic’s practices this week:

  • Assistant coach Mike Longabardi has been tasked with focusing solely on the defensive side of the ball. Former assistants that also did this were Tom Thibodeau and Lawrence Frank, both went on to be head coaches elsewhere.
  • KG said Sullinger is a lot like Perkins was while he was here. He said he’s not the same kind of defender but is completely unselfish, moves the ball, and has a very high basketball IQ. Garnett went on to say that he loves having the rookie as a teammate already.
  • Their entire practice Tuesday was about defensive strategies. Doc said they went over cutting out the shooters, eliminating baseline drives, and communicating like his old teams were known for.

They are playing the Wizards again tonight at the Garden. I will be rocking the balcony seats so be sure to tune in since the election is over and there’s no other sports to watch.. Go Celts!

Bruins Find the Ice Overseas

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With the NHL lockout in effect until further notice, the NHL has cancelled all games for the entire month of November. Negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA have come to a standstill and now all eyes are looking forward to the end of 2012. As game cancellations continue, anything close to a full season looks about as likely as the Mighty Ducks beating Team Iceland.

However, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior Lord Stanley Cup, hockey is underway overseas with many of the Bruins roster settling in for what could be a longer lockout than we (and probably the players) imagined. Now is a good time take a look at the best performances thus far by some Bruins bleeding black and gold in the Eurozone; Captain Zdeno Chara, Co-captain Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley , David Krejci, and Tuukka Rask.

Chara has gone back to Prague, Czech Republic where his career started, now suiting up for HC Lev Praha. Lev Praha is in their first season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and are fortunate to have big Z representing their team in the most prominent league in Eurasia.

Bergeron and Seguin have made the move to the Switzerland to play puck. Bergeron (HC Lugano) and Seguin (EHC Biel) are having tremendous starts to their Swiss campaigns. Seguin is tied for first on his team in points (8-9, 17) and Bergeron is tied for third (7-7, 14) while playing in just a third of his teams games this season. Seguin’s numbers are good enough for 9th overall in the Swiss National league and he has been the best performer among Bruins players overseas, which is a great sign for Bruins fans.

Rich Peverley (JYP) has taken his talents to Finland, posting 1 Goal and 9 assists in 11 games, good for 6th on the team in points (1st place team in the Finnish league).

Krejci, playing in the Czech league for HC Parbudice in the same league as teammates Tuukka Rask and Andrew Ference, is currently on a ten game point streak and hasn’t been held without a point since his debut. Krejci scored against Rask on October 26th but was stuffed by Rask in a shootout later that game.

Finally, in the wake of Tim Thomas’ baffling leave of absence, Tuukka Rask has shown he is more than ready to make Thomas disappear from the conversation. Rask has posted an 8-2 record with a league leading 1.97 GAA and a 92.86 SV% playing for the first place HC Plzen in the Czech league. On October 23rd Rask came up lame in the first period with a groin injury and left the ice. It turned out to be precautionary but was certainly a scare for Bruins fans as Rask missed the last 6 weeks of the 2011-2012 NHL season with a groin injury. He returned to action three days later to earn another victory.

So although the NHL season lies motionless like Eric Lindros for the better half of the 90’s, there is reason to be optimistic and excited about the Bruins when an agreement is reached and the NHL resumes. The Bruins roster is full of young, talented players who have a great opportunity to bring the Cup back to Boston. As more and more NHL players populate Euro rosters, it’s awesome to see Bruins among some of the best performers. As for the few remaining Bruins that are either too mediocre to play in Europe or too old to care (Shawn Thornton) my Tuesday night team could use a ringer and we haven’t had a lockout since Nam.

BCS Championship Breakdown: Ducks Quack Up The SEC 7-Peat, Beat Bama

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As the college football regular season begins to wind down the BCS National Championship race is beginning to heat up. While there are 25 teams ranked in the BCS standings, and most will certainly make a trip to some kind of a bowl game in December or early January, I’m focusing on the top 4 rated teams for this post. (Georgia is ranked 5th, but I don’t see another all SEC BCS title game so I’m excluding them for now)

Here’s the top 4 as of November 4th: 1. Alabama 2. Kansas State 3. Oregon 4. Notre Dame

Now let’s look at the roads each team has left to travel in their quest to play for this year’s crystal football.

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Alabama: Remaining Schedule: #15 Texas A&M (home), Western Carolina (home), and Auburn (home).

BCS Champ Chances: Alabama (much like last season) is as close to a championship lock as it gets. The Tide have been rolling all season long and look poised to return their third BCS National Championship in four years. With Play-makers like QB A.J. McCarron, T.J. Yeldon, and CB Dee Milliner, Bama seems unstoppable at this point and could very well earn the SEC it’s unprecedented 7th straight BCS title.

Potential Roadblock: The only road block I foresee is the Tide’ upcoming bout with A&M. The Aggies have played tough in their first year as an SEC newbie and could give Bama a fight early. But I believe the Tide will roll on and make it to the ship.

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Kansas State: Remaining Schedule: TCU (away), Baylor (Away), and #17 Texas (home).

BCS Champ Chances: I think K-State actually has a chance to run the table and has a legitimate shot at making the championship game. The Wildcats should be able to handle a pair of Big-12 road games against the Horned Frogs and Bears and has home-field advantage against the Longhorns.

Potential Roadblock: The only pothole I see stopping Kansas State from running the table is no doubt their finale against Texas. The Longhorns are certainly good enough to upset K-State. That game will come down to how the Defense handles Wildcats QB Collin Klein (pending he’s back and healthy). Sadly even if they win out, I don’t see them outranking Oregon at seasons end.

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Oregon: Remaining Schedule: California (away), #14 Stanford (home), and #11 Oregon State (away).

BCS Champ Chances: The Ducks can certainly dump on the points (as exampled against USC in a 62-51 W) and the USC game has been the closest contest they’ve had all year (11pts). Oregon has a tough finish with two ranked opponents to close out the season. But if the SEC has taught us anything, speed kills and the Ducks have lightning in a bottle with guys like RB De’Anthony “Black Mamba” Thomas. I see the Ducks quacking there way into the BCS National Championship game.

Potential Roadblock: Oregon should have no trouble with Cal or Stanford. The only thorn in their side I see is Oregon State at the end of the year. The Beavers could play BCS spoiler for the Ducks. They’ve upset USC and other Pac-12 company before in past seasons. However, as stated above, the Ducks should cruise to a championship.

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Notre Dame: Remaining Schedule: Boston College (away), Wake Forest (Home), and USC (away).

BCS Champ Chances: While ND does have a good chance to go undefeated I don’t see them getting the at large bid and don’t see them outranking K-state or Oregon at seasons end. Basically a lot would have to happen for the Irish to make it to Miami. Both Oregon and Kansas State would have to lose and I just don’t see that happening.

Potential Roadblock: As mentioned above there are a few bumps that will keep the Irish out of this year’s BCS title game. Dame should beat BC, and Wake as USC would be the only potential loss that would certainly keep them out of the race. I see Notre Dame in one of the big four BCS bowls, just not “The Big One”.

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BCS National Championship Bold Prediction: With all that said, I predict, well, a predictable title game this year. I have Alabama taking on Oregon for all the BCS marbles in Miami and will boldy choose the Oregon Ducks as your National Champions beating Bama 24-21.

Your Thoughts: What do you think will happen? Who do you have winning it all? Leave a comment below.

Boston Shouldn’t Need Any Magic Against Washington

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ImageAfter beating the Washington Wizards 89-86 last Saturday, the Boston Celtics will play the Wiz again tonight in the TD Garden at 7:30pm. The C’s will be looking to win their first home game of the regular season after dropping their home opener to the Milwaukee Bucks 99-88.

Player Previews: Right now the obvious trio of Pierce, Rondo, and Garnett have and will be there all season long for the C’s. However, look for rookie Jared Sullinger to make some more noise as he is being mixed Imageinto the starting lineup and playing well (4PPG and 5 RPG).

Normally for the Wizards I would say to keep your eyes locked on star point guard John Wall and the rest will fall into place for Washington. However, the Wiz will have to rely on others to step up in his absence. Look for their big men to shine in this one. Second year power forward Trevor Booker (7.5 PPG with 5.5 RPG) and veteran center Emeka Okafor (6.5 PPG with 7 RPG) will have to control the boards and the paint if they want to win at the Garden.

When 2 Watch: Again, tonight’ contest between the C’s and Wizards will tip off at 7:30pm in the Garden. If your attending the game remember to enjoy yourself, have fun, and be sure to check back here for a game recap.

The Strangest College Mascots

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With NCAA football in full swing and college hoops right around the corner, I figured now would be a good time to celebrate some college athletics. One of the most iconic aspects of any college team is their mascot. Sure, some are more important to their schools than others, some are actual animals or figures and some are made up, but some are just flat out weird. I’m talking, weird in the sense that you need to Google it to find out what the hell it is. Even if you think you know what it means, chances are you’re wrong. Earlier this morning, OnlineColleges.net sent me this list of 15 Mascots That Need Some Explaining. Here is the list that sums up some of the weirdest college mascots in the nation. For the explanation behind why they fit into this category, click HERE.

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C’s Squeeking By?

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Obviously, we learned last year that no one should count the Celtics out early. They were awful at the beginning of last season and still made it to game 7 against the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. However, we barely beat the Wizards, and lost against the Bucks, two teams that we should beat night in and night out. Pierce is playing incredible, Rondo’s defense has gotten stronger, and KG is always reliable, even after a tough shooting game on Saturday.

The biggest thing to note is the way these new players are mending together. Doc said that he needs to find a way to mix and match the second unit better. He started doing this by putting Jared Sullinger into a starting role, in which he played great. You can tell that he is still young and needs to work, but he has to be ahead of where most rookies are at this point in their careers.

Personally, I am not worried about the C’s this season, and neither should you. We have so much depth and about 7 people that can put up double digits on any given night. Once they get going, they are going to be a tough team to stop.  Next up is the Wizards again on Wednesday at home. Hopefully we have this game won before 28 seconds in the 4th quarter.

ADD Post of the Week – Election Day 2012

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With not too much going on in the world of Boston of sports, here’s a little something to keep you distracted. Introducing the first ever ADD Post of the Week.

Elections are rapidly approaching and I still have no idea who to vote for. My gut tells me to support Obama. Why? Because for one, I’m not racist. Two, the poor guy was left with a shit storm to try and fix after good ole Bush left us in a dutch oven for the past 4 years with his lingering crap. For those of you that don’t know what a dutch oven is, I recommend looking it up and giving it a try. If you enjoy it, don’t worry you are not alone. But any who, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to get wild with Bush, who wouldn’t? Dude knows how to party like the best of em, but he can barely talk let alone run a country. That being said, cocaine is one hell of a drug, and doing it keeps your chances alive for becoming president. Can’t blame the guy though, he was part of a fraternity in the 80’s and if you said no to some blow back then, you had issues. No one likes a party pooper. Now I don’t do coke and never have, but I’m not pro-sober, and if watching the movie “Blow” doesn’t make you seriously contemplate getting in touch with your friendly neighborhood drug dealer then we probably can’t be friends.

Before I go off a drug tangent, my thoughts on Mitt Romney go as follows…Can’t stand his face, looks like the kind of guy that would steal your car, crash it, then hook up with your sister for good measure. I think he just lives in a fantasy world where everyone is loaded. The biggest dilemma facing them is that they can’t find a certain year of some fancy wine and now they’re going to be the laughing stock of their boring ass banquet. People are miserable out there and I honestly don’t think he cares. However, we are, at the present time, China’s bitch. We owe them so much money and eventually they are going to put down their tea cups and come after us. Obama has proven he’s no Donald Trump when it comes to money, but on the other hand, Romney has done pretty well when it comes to raking in the Benjamins. This makes me think that he could be the answer to that problem. After all, America is the land of the free and the home of the big douchey business man, so if that’s the case we should keep riding that train. I mean the whole world hates us and thinks we’re a bunch of arrogant assholes, so why not put Romney in office and embrace that image?

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