MLB Playoff Expansion Hits Road Block

Posted on February 3, 2012 by TOB$

Bud Selig’s office missed the February 1st deadline to have finished a proposed schedule to send to the players association. Talks have not ended and it still looks like a decent possibility that the MLB will be able to expand to two wild card teams in both divisions, but they have encountered many more scheduling issues than anticipated. There are a ton of different issues, but long story short is they need to figure out how to fit in the extra wild card matchups in between the end of the season and start of the ALDS. The real problem comes from scheduling tiebreaker games between first place and wild cards (which becomes much more important now), rain out makeup games, and also, to do everything in compliance with TV contracts.

This is huge news for Red Sox fans. The day they announced a possible expansion of the playoff format was like Christmas day for every fan of the AL East (yes, even Orioles fans). If the MLB is unable to figure out this situation soon, it will be detrimental to the playoff hopes of each the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays. All are in position to be top teams in the MLB again, with the Blue Jays not far behind. As we all remember last year, the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs with 90 wins and the Braves failed to make the playoff on the last day with 89 wins. In the proposed situation, both would have made the playoffs. Also, this is an important proposition because it awards teams for coming in 1st place, by forcing wild card teams to use their best starters in a one game playoff, while 1st place teams get more resting time.

In other news for the Red Sox, the Nationals have agreed to a one year contract with Edwin Jackson, who was widely believed to be the best free agent pitcher left on the market. Talks look like they are winding down between the Red Sox and Roy Oswalt as well. It looks like we will be heading into spring training with Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Bucholz at the front of our rotation. The Red Sox will then have Daniel Bard, Alfredo Aceves, and an island of misfit toys duke it out and try to fill the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation.

College Basketball Weekend Preview

Posted on February 3, 2012 by christoph131

A few high magnitude games this weekend beginning on Saturday. Yes, once again I am leaving out the face that Harvard is playing on Friday. #1 Kentucky & #2 Syracuse both have conference games but against teams that are 2 games below .500. The first dual-ranked game is between #3 Ohio State & #20 Wisconsin. This is both a ranked game, and a Big Ten conference game.

Prediction: Ohio State

The other big game is between #4 Missouri & #8 Kansas. Once again, this is a conference match-up and I think it’s going to be real close. I am really tempted to pick Kansas because I think Thomas Robinson is a beast. However, Missouri is home and they have only lost 2 games all season. I just haven’t fully bought into the Mizzou hype yet.
Prediction: Kansas

On Sunday, #5 Duke takes on unranked Miami. Miami is 13-7 so they are not a team that will be walked right over. However, I do not see the Blue Devils losing this game. #10 Michigan State is home against rival #22 Michigan in a battle of the Big Ten. Gonna be another close game as always but since State is home, I think they can hang on.

Prediction: Michigan State

QUIETLY Tough Weekend for the Bruins

Posted on February 2, 2012 by amazze

First of all, thanks to Brad Marchand and ilovebostonsports.com for a great event yesterday! It was great to meet Brad and get a chance to talk with him. Check back tomorrow for the exclusive interview! Brett Sutter - Carolina Hurricanes v Boston Bruins

On to this weekend. Although the Bruins will be overshadowed by the Pats and the Super Bowl (and rightfully so), they have a full slate of of tough tests starting tonight with the pesky Hurricanes. Even though the Canes suck and are in the basement of the Eastern Conference they have given the B’s trouble in the three previous matchups, defeating the Bruins in each game. With the game at home tonight, I’m hoping Chara and Co. can finally stomp on Staal’s club. After tonight, the Bruins have back-to-back matinee games vs. the Penguins and Capitals. Each game will be tough, especially vs. the Caps (9th in the East) on the road who have an 18-6-1 home record. If the Bruins can emerge from this weekend with four points (and maybe a chance to bring the Cup on a visit to see its counterpart, the Lombardi trophy), it would be a success.

Once again the projected lineups from Fluto:

Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Zach Hamill
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid

Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

Brad Marchand Event Recap

Posted on February 2, 2012 by jtulz07

Yesterday, the Boston Sports Blog had the pleasure of joining I Love Boston Sports on the BU campus for an autograph and t-shirt signing with Bruins star Brad Marchand. The event was a complete success from start to finish, with a great turnout of Bruins fans eager to meet their favorite player. Fans had the opportunity to meet Marchand, chat with him, take pictures, and get an autograph. I Love Boston Sports also had their full line of Bruin’s gear on display, with a wide variety of creatively designed shirts and sweatshirts for all die hard Boston sports fans. Not going to lie, the Bru-Tang Clan line of apparel was sick! For most of the event, Marchand actually rocked a sweatshirt with him and the entire team as cartoon drawings, obviously with Brad as the leader of the clan. Anyways, the event was a great success all around. We were all pumped to join in on the event so again, big thanks to the guys at ilovebostonsports.com! Stay tuned for more info in the next week about another Bruins event that the Boston Sports Blog will be a part of!

Tragic A and M

Posted on February 2, 2012 by christoph131

Just days after he was offered the head coaching job at Texas A&M, former Murray State coach Billy Kennedy had been diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease. Often starting with something as little as a twitching hand, Parkinson’s is no joke. His wife had been poking fun of the way his arm moved because she thought it was due to a shoulder injury. However, a neurologist discovered that it was something more. Parkinson’s is an incurable disease. Kennedy explained:

“I just threw it to the side and kept going. I tried to hide it. I thought I could keep going without anyone ever knowing a thing.”

A&M decided to put this off as an “undisclosed medical condition”, in order to protect Coach Kennedy’s privacy. Although the Aggies were picked in the pre-season to win the Big 12 conference, the three weeks that Kennedy had to take off seemed to be disastrous. That coupled with a few key injuries. He has since turned things around but they are nowhere near where they were projected to be, at only 12-8 overall.

There have been other famous people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s as well. Michael J. fox, and Muhammad Ali to name a few. Coach Bill Kennedy vows to get back to each and every individual who sent him letters and prayers throughout his struggle.

Patriots vs. Giants: Wide Receivers

Posted on February 2, 2012 by davecouture

Only four more days… damn the anticipation is killing me. Today we will take a lot at the Wide Receivers for both the Giants and the Patriots.

The Giants wide receivers have come alive this year in a way not to many expected. Victor Cruz, a Umass Amherst Alumni was one of the top receivers in the league this year and his stats certainly illustrate that. Having him next to Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham is quite the trio. Some receivers in the NFL only produce when paired up with a top-tier quarterback. This isn’t the case with these Giants receivers. These guys possess pure talent. Cruz is a deep touchdown waiting to happen and Hakeem Nicks is a matchup nightmare with his size and speed combination. Eli is a great quarterback, but it doesn’t hurt when you have the options he has. It is going to be quite the assignment for the Patriots secondary to even slow down this receiver core.

Overall Grade: A–

The Patriots receivers are certainly above average, but I feel as though they fall into the category noted above: Top tier quarterbacks can craft an average receiver to fall into the elite category. Wes Welker is obviously a stud in this offense, but is he as valuable talent wise in another offense? We all saw what Deion Branch did without Brady. As far as Ochocinco goes… well I have nothing to say about that. Yes the Patriots have an elite passing attack and that is undeniable, but a lot of their offense goes through their dominant tight ends and not as much through the receivers like most teams. The Patriots receivers get the job done, but talent wise they do not match up with the Giants.

Overall Grade: B

Edge: Giants

KG for THREE! Wait, What?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by jtulz07

You know it’s a good night for the Celtics when KG’s dropping dimes from the arc. The guys in green flat out embarrassed the Raptors last night, posting a 100-64 victory at the Garden. I mean beating the Raptors should leave no sense of accomplishment, but for the fans that paid only $7 for a ticket to the game, they sure got more than what they paid for. The Celts needed this kind of boost. Although all signs have pointed to this season being a bust, winning in this fashion helps separate us from the lower half of the league, proving that the old men can still ball. Showing the Celtics’ true colors. Not to mention, this game gave the younger guys an opportunity to gain some experience on the floor, with all five starters sitting out the entire fourth quarter. An added bonus, much needed rest for the elders in this compact schedule. The C’s finally broke .500, sitting at 11-10 on the season. It could be a stretch, but I still have faith in this team. Still a lot of ball left to be played. On a side note, Rondo could be back in the lineup tomorrow. Things are looking up.

Sorry Ray, KG’s got range!

National Signing Day

Posted on February 2, 2012 by christoph131

Just as expected, Texas and Alabama were awarded the best recruiting class after National Signing Day on Wednesday. Ohio State, Michigan, and Florida rounded out the other 3 spots in the top 5. However, the big story of the day is how Missouri ended up signing the nation’s top recruit, Dorial Green-Beckham, who had been recruited since he was a freshman.

He is an extremely athletic wide receiver who is already being compared to Calvin Johnson, AKA Megatron. He currently holds the nation’s highest receiving yard career record, with 6,353 yards. He is 6’6, 220 lbs and is going to need all of that when Mizzou moves to the SEC next season.

Deadly Riot at Soccer Game in Egypt

Posted on February 2, 2012 by TOB$

Over seventy fans were pronounced dead and hundreds of other fans were injured Wednesday at a soccer game in Egypt. Apparently one of the top clubs in their league was upset and chaos ensued. Riot police failed miserably to intervene and the mess got worse and now at least 74 paid their life due to this. This is horrible and shocking news.

I know soccer games are known to get wild over in Europe and Africa, but this is ridiculous. Fans threw rocks, sticks, and chairs while storming onto the field. It was the deadliest incident at a soccer match since 1996 and definitely sets back soccer in Africa. I really don’t understand how some people think and can be that violent over a simple game.

Thoughts and prayers go out to those wounded in this tragic incident.

Brad Marchand Event Today!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by jtulz07

Just wanted to send out a final reminder for you guys who want to come join us with I Love Boston Sports and Bruins star Brad Marchand in Boston today. We’ll be at the Upper Crust on BU Campus at 88 Comm Ave, right across from the Agganis Arena. Try to get there early, should be chaotic. On a side note, the Celts held on to win last night in Cleveland 93-90. I’ll have more on that game after the event today. Come join us!