The team received some depressing news today, Rich Peverley will be out 4-6 weeks with a knee injury sustained during the Canadiens game. It was the result of a knee-to-knee collision with former B’s defenseman Hal Gill. His speed and playmaking ability will be missed but others are going to have to step up. Let’s see if the Bruins can get some momentum in the right direction after a nice win vs. the Habs. I’m expecting a strong performance from them tonight as they continue there six game road trip. Look for Pouliot to have a nice game as he is starting to gel nicely with Krejci and Looch.
In other news, Brad Marchand won’t be subject to a hearing with NHL principal Brendan Shanahan for his 2nd period hip check/clip in Montreal. No doubt he likes to play on the edge.
Projected Lineup:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Benoit Pouliot
Josh Hennessy-Chris Kelly-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
The Celts losing streak reaches two games as they fall to the Chicago Bulls 89-80. The Celtics season long problems came back to haunt them as they were out-rebounded by the Bulls 52-37 and gave up 16 offensive rebounds. They were held to just 12 fast break points as opposed to the 33 they put up against the Bulls just this past week. After being down 16 at one point in the early 3rd quarter, the Celtics fought and clawed their way back with a 22-7 run to take a 61-60 lead. The big surprise of the game was Mike James, who the Bulls just signed to a 10-day contract. He came off the bench in the 4th quarter as the Celtics were making their comeback and completely changed the game for the Bulls. He scored 8 points and had 4 assists in his 17 minutes and had the best +/- of any player on the court. His defense on Rondo was far superior to the play of John Lucas and will likely get minutes in the following games.
Rondo had another effective night with his 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, but he found the ball in his hand too late in the shot clock a few too many times and was forced to take shots that are not part of his game. A lot of credit is due to the Chicago defense. Kevin Garnett had an efficient double-double as he scored 18 points on 7-13 shooting with 10 rebounds. Ray Allen shot 3-8 from 3, all of them coming during the Celtics third quarter run. The Bulls were led by Deng and Boozer with 23 points each.
Extra Notes:
Noah had 16 rebounds, 8 of them offensive; Kyle Korver missed all 5 of his 3’s; During their run, the Celtics went mostly to a 2-3 zone, something Doc doesn’t like to pull out very often, it was also the cause for their downfall as Mike James picked them apart in the 4th; Derrick Rose missed his fourth straight game with a bad back.
Avery Bradley Alert:
Avery didn’t give us much to talk about last night, playing four minutes and missing his only shot. In a low scoring game against a team like the Bulls I would like to see some defense out there. Hurts to see Keyon Dooling out there for 9 minutes when Bradley’s losing the burn.
At Century High School in North Dakota last week, plenty of fans were in attendance to watch their schools’ basketball teams go at it. One man, who is 5’8 240 pounds, named Sherwin Shayegan, decided to get a little more into the game. He showed up in a full uniform of the visiting team, acted like he was handicapped, and got water for the team. He even began to give the players back massages.
After the game was over, Sherwin went out to celebrate with the team and asked for a piggyback ride. One player actually gave him one! In fact, this is not his first rodeo (no pun intended). He is known as the “Piggyback Bandit”. His piggyback rides can be traced back to 2008 and have happened in Washington, Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. How has he not gotten in trouble yet?
He has even tried to pay for piggyback rides too. He gets close to them by playing it off like he has an illness, writing term papers, acting team manager, and even just used the crowd to blend in as an every day fan.
The Patriots clearly do not need to address the tight end position this offseason. With Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez the Pats have two of the top tight ends in all of football. Gronkowski is not only an elite pass-catching tight end; he is also one of the best blockers at his position. I’m sure the Patriots will carry three tight ends on the roster so expect them to go after a veteran as more of a blocking presence to throw out their on the occasional running down. I’m sure the Patriots will be looking to give the tight end tandem some new contracts very soon. Whether or not that will happen this off-season has yet to be determined, but either way Hernandez and Gronkowski have earned themselves a serious payday. If healthy; the Patriots will enter the 2012 season with by far the best tight end tandem in the NFL.
Today, we are going to move over to the hot corner. Two different ends of the spectrum at third base, with the up-and-coming stars in Evan Longoria and Brett Lawrie and the declining talents of Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Youkilis. Also, we have the “Greek God of Walks” in Kevin Youkilis and also the Strikeout King, Mark Reynolds.
1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
2. Brett Lawrie, Toronto Blue Jays
3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
4. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox
5. Mark Reynolds, Baltimore Orioles
These rankings were tough, especially after Longoria in the first slot. Every single player, Longoria included, has something to be criticized about. Evan Longoria has been one of the top third basemen since his monster rookie season in 2008, where he had a .272 AVG/27 HR/85 RBI line in 122 games. Year after year, we have seen great production out of the young superstar, but he hasn’t had a full year showcasing ALL of his skills. In 2010, he effectively lowered his strikeouts and maintained a good average, but his power was down (only hit 22 HR in 151 games). In 2011, he regained his power stroke hitting 31 HR’s in 133 games, but his average dipped to .244. Despite these issues, Longoria has the talent to maintain his position as the top third baseman in the AL East.
Most Sox fans are probably wondering who Brett Lawrie is, and why the hell is rated above A-Rod and YOUUUK. Brett Lawrie was one the top prospects in the Brewers coveted farm system a few years ago, until he was traded for Shaun Marcum in December 2010. Lawrie was a former catcher, turned second baseman, turned now third baseman. He displays pure athleticism on the field, which has helped him in his transistion between positions in the minors. His bat has never been questioned throughout his short career. Although he was said to be major league ready after camp last year with the Blue Jays, they decided to give him more time to work on his glove at the hot corner in Triple A. Lawrie was called up to the bigs on August 5th and made an immediate impact, hitting 6 home runs in his first month. In 150 major league at bats, Lawrie ended up with a .293 average, .373 OBP, and 9 HR’s. He figures to be a major part of the Blue Jays offense, currently projected to hit in the 6 spot in a dangerous lineup. I was skeptical to give him the two spot in the rankings, but his potential, coupled with the injury problems of A-Rod and Youk gave me the green light on this ranking. I also think this guy has a little bit of Gronk in him. He was said to have attitude issues in Milwaukee and openly has pictures of himself drinking and doing “Edward FortyHands” online. His “don’t give a shit” attitude should help him in dealing with some of the increased attention he will get with his elite ability. I don’t see him being as effective as his short major league stint indicates, as most 22 year olds are bound to experience some issues in the first few years in the bigs, but Lawrie will soon become a household name for any AL East fan.
Next up are the walking wounded. With all due respect to Alex Rodriguez (although I don’t believe he deserves much) and Kevin Youkilis, it is quite obvious both are in the “decline” stages of their careers. Due to his incredible past, A-Rod gets the three ranking and seriously contended for second. It was just too hard to justify him above the rising Lawrie. His major league record streak of 13 straight seasons with over 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s ended abruptly last year. He has battled with numerous different injuries in the past four seasons (missed at least 20 games each season and 150 games total). I do see A-Rod making a bit of a comeback, but he has lost a lot of bat speed in the past few years and can’t make pitchers pay for a bad fastball as consistently as he used to.
Kevin Youkilis is more of the same. It seems like every year Sox fans are talking about “If Youk was healthy…” this and that, we’d be such a better team, a more dangerous lineup, etc. At some point, we need to expect him to get injured. Despite his unusual .258 BA last year, he is a great batter and the “Greek God of Walks,” but he is a liability at third base, where he is not nearly as good a fielder there as he is at 1st Base. I love having him in the lineup and he’s just as much the face of the franchise as Dusty, but he has constantly been getting injured in the past few years. I’m expecting a bounce back year for Youk with around a .300 BA, 20-25 HR, 90-100 RBI and of course his .400 OBP. And I, along with every other fan in Red Sox nation, hope that he stays healthy throughout the year and is good to go for a playoff push in September.
Lastly, we have the Strikeout King, Mark Reynolds of Baltimore. In the past four years, Mark’s home run’s look like this: 28, 44, 32, 37. Along with the good comes the bad, Mark’s strikeout numbers look like this: 204, 223, 211, 196. His average also looks like this: .239, .260, .198, .221. Pretty sure the averages and strikeouts speak for themselves. Yes, Reynold’s is a good power hitter, but as a manager I would never want his mentality of “swing for the fences” every at bat on my team. That being said, Reynold’s always brings fear into opposing pitcher’s and fan’s late in the game due to his big play potential.
It will be very interesting to see how this years young stars at third base end up matching up against the aging (and injured) stars of the AL East.
The Celtics (15-13) look to take on the Chicago Bulls (24-7) in a rematch of last Sunday where the Celtics came on top 95-91. The Celtics are coming off of a surprising loss to the Detroit Pistons last night while the Bulls are coming off of an easy win over the Sacramento Kings. The Bulls are likely to be without both Richard Hamilton and Derrick Rose. Rose has missed the last four games with a back injury. With Derrick Rose out, C.J. Watson, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng have all taken over bigger scoring roles. The Bulls are 6-2 this season when Derrick Rose does not play. For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett, Mickael Pietrus, and Jermaine O’Neal are all day-to-day, while Brandon Bass is out until after the All-Star break with swelling in his knee. Both Pietrus and O’Neal played last night. Kevin Garnett sat out last night with a hip flexor, although Doc did say that he looked great in the morning shootaround. The Celtics are 4-5 on the road this season while the Bulls are 10-1 at home. If the Celtics are to win, expect Rondo to have another big night. He had 35 and 32 points in the last two games while pushing the pace for the Celtics to create somewhat of a new identity for the team.
Tune in at 8:00 tonight on TNT to watch the Celts take on the Bulls.
The Celtics lost for the third time in four games against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday 98-88. Ben Gordon was the difference as he came off the bench for 22 points, including a 4-6 effort from 3 in the fourth quarter to put away the Celtics. Kevin Garnett sat out the game with a sore left hip, Chris Wilcox started in his place. The Celtics were outscored 25-16 in the fourth quarter as the Pistons pulled away by going on a 14-4 run to start the fourth quarter on the backing of 3 quick Gordon 3’s. Rondo finished the night with 35 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals, but was held without a basket and only put up one shot during the 14-4 run.
Chris Wilcox shot 8-12 from the field and had 17-9 in his spot-start for KG. Jermaine O’Neal in his first game back from the injured shoulder had 1 point, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Jujuan Johnson had 10 points in 25 minutes but seems to be a step outside his comfort range. Ray only had 8 free throws in the first quarter and one basket in the second, he finished with 10 points. Rodney Stuckey, Greg Monroe and Ben Gordon scored 69 out of the Pistons 98 points.
Extra Notes
Doc said that Kevin Garnett looked “great” in the morning shootaround; Bill Russell was in the stands for the game; Rondo and Wilcox had two more alley-oops last night; the Celtics play the Pistons again at Detroit this Sunday; from ESPN.com, the Celtics have held their last 26 opponents under 100 points. Other than Ben Gordon, the Pistons scored 7 points from their bench.
Avery Bradley Alert
Avery played nine minutes last night and was largely ineffective from the floor. He left Gordon wide open for a 3 and was immediately pulled in the fourth. Hopefully he’ll have a bounce back game against the Bulls.
The Celtics play the Bulls tonight at 8:00 PM in Chicago. Look for a preview later on today.
Linsanity is sweeping the nation, no doubt about it. Cliche “Lin” words aside, us here in Boston find ourselves with a soft spot for this guy from the Knicks. Who doesn’t love an underdog story? Even Doc Rivers had kind words for Lin, stating, “It’s a good thing; It’s a good lesson for everyone: If you want some attention, go win.”
Nons wrote an article on Lin yesterday (I know, surprise right?) titled “A New Tebow”, although he never really compared the two. But that’s my point. They shouldn’t be compared. They’re two completely different stories. The sole thing they have in common is that the media is going crazy over them, making them the topic of conversation every three minutes on every sports network in the country. Tebow won two national championships in college. Lin barely made the Harvard squad. Tebow’s form and mechanics in pretty much every aspect of the quarterback position have been in question from day one of his professional career, probably even prior. Lin has a mixture of speed, knowledge, and a court vision that makes him a great point guard. Not to mention a jumper that makes him a threat from the outside, leaving defenders on their toes at all times. You don’t see anyone complimenting Tebow on his skill set at the QB spot. Before last week, no one knew who Lin was. A true underdog. Now, he’s making national, even global headlines in the NBA. As a Boston fan I’m eager to see Lin’s progress moving forward against the likes of Miami and Chicago. And you might want to mark down March 4th on your calendar. Lin and the Knicks are shipping up to Boston.
Not the prettiest of wins, but I’ll take it. The Bruins pulled out a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens last night with Tyler Seguin netting the only goal of the shootout. This game was almost another mid-2000s vintage Bruins collapse after they squandered a 3-1 lead in the 3rd period thanks to some less than stellar goaltending. Ference, Pouliot and Bergeron had the tallies for the B’s. Both Pouliot’s and Berg’s goals were impressive. Take a look at Pouliot’s goal below, a definite undressing of Habs defenseman Chris Campoli, followed by Doc Emrick going nuts.There are 5 games left on this current road trip, starting in Winnipeg tomorrow night.
Four TCU players have been arrested on drug charges in the past two days. A few of their star defenders have been caught by undercover officers in a sting that has been occurring over the last 6 months. At first, the officer was just buying small amounts of Marijuana, and then he moved onto larger quantities and harder drugs. They have been arrested on charges in distributing Marijuana, Cocaine, Ecstasy, and Prescription Drugs.
The reason why these players got caught was because of parents and other students complaining. Everyone seemed to know that this was going on except for the coaches. Even a recruit said that he did not want to attend the University because of their extreme drug use. Apparently, only about 20 players on the whole team were able to pass a drug test. There were 17 students total that have been kicked out of Texas Christian University. They are moving to the Big 12 conference next season and hopefully this won’t affect them too much.
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