Bruins Battle for a Win

Posted on February 1, 2012 by amazze

The Bruins did not bring their best effort to the first two periods at the TD Garden last night but came alive in the third period fueled by some hard-nosed effort by Marchand who put the puck in the back of the net while being mauled on the powerplay and by Seidenberg’s miracle center ice goal. I have never seen anything like that and probably won’t again. It reminded me of a fluke NHL 11 or 12 goal that you would score at one in the morning against your roommate, and not something a pro goalie would allow. I’m sure Craig Anderson is going to get ribbed by his teammates for the next week.

After I posted my favorite hockey hit of the year by Marchand on Salo yesterday, it reminded me of a similar hit from a great scene in the movie Remember the Titans. Take a look (Fast forward to 1:10)

Gambler’s Anonymous

Posted on February 1, 2012 by christoph131

For those of you who love to bet, you’re not alone. Although I am skeptic to bet on the actual outcome of the Super Bowl (due to superstition and my incredibly bad track record with betting), I thought it would be fun to check out some of the other wagers that are out there. Here are a select few that your average bookie probably wouldn’t take:

How long will it take Kelly Clarkson to sing the National Anthem? (o/u 1:34)
Will Kelly Clarkson forget or omit at least one word of the National Anthem? ($10 wins $25)
What color will Madonna’s hair be? (anything other than blonde is $10 for $25)
Will Madonna be wearing fish net stockings at any time during the half-time show?
How many times will Giselle be shown during the game? (o/u .5)
How many times will Tyree’s catch be shown during the game? (o/u 1… this is probably the easiest bet ever)

So would you take any of these? Some of them feel like locks. I’m sure there will be even more absurd ones to come in the next few days.

NY Media Attacks Brady

Posted on February 1, 2012 by jtulz07

This is from a few days ago, but I wanted to make sure we got this out there. As I’m sure most know, the Pats had a send off “pep rally” at Gillette the other day before the team left for Indy. At the rally, Tom Brady stated this:

“We have the greatest fans in America. You guys have proved that year in and year out with your support. I wish I could take all you guys to Indy with us. We’re going down there, and we’re going down there for one reason. We’re going to give it our best and hopefully we have a lot more people at our party next weekend.”

Yup, certainly a low blow by one of the best quarterbacks, arguable of all-time. Is anyone surprised that the NY Media tried to spin this on Brady and blow it out of proportion? Not only that, but Gary Myers, writer for New York Daily News tried putting Brady on blast even more so, saying he provided the Giants with bulletin material and comparing his statement to Jerry Jones well planned act of giving his players NFC Championship tickets before the Divisional game a few years back. I think it’s safe to say the Giants are scared. No, petrified. They just have no motivation to win this game, and the New York media knows it. In a pathetic attempt to stir up spirits in New York, the media just gave the Patriots all more of a reason to stomp all over the Giants. Brady’s been there before, he knows the routine. He’s never been one to stir up controversy in the media prior to a big game. Never. New York on the other hand? Jeeze, where do I begin?

New Draft Record

Posted on February 1, 2012 by christoph131

There have been a record number of underclassmen who have declared for the NFL Draft this year. 65 to be exact. This is well over the record of 56 that declared for last years. One of the main reasons seems like it has to do with the new labor agreement (remember that lockout thing?). Well rookie contracts are now almost half of what they had been in previous years. This encourages these players to get into the league early, get through their rookie contracts sooner, and move on to the larger stipends that come along with their second contracts.

This basically gets rid of any incentive to remain in college to better their draft status for the following years. Hopefully they can figure this out so it does not turn into a nightmare like college basketball.

Bruins vs. Sens Tonight

Posted on January 31, 2012 by amazze

The Bruins will resume their season tonight and look to get back on track against the Ottawa Senators at the T.D. Garden. The B’s lost their final game before the All-Star break to the Capitals and have been inconsistent over the second half of January. I am confident the team can refocus and return to their winning ways of November and December. It all starts with strong play in the net, where Tuukka Rask is expected to start tonight after Tim Thomas had a busy weekend in Ottawa at the All-Star game. Nathan Horton will be out of the lineup tonight as he continues to battle concussion symptoms.

Remember to come join us tomorrow at the Brad Marchand signing event!! February 1^st from 3-5pm at Upper Crust on the BU Campus at 888 Comm Ave, right across from the Agganis Arena.

In honor of the event:

Here is the projected lineup from the Globe:
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
Steve Kampfer-Adam McQuaid

“Fan First” Environment

Posted on January 31, 2012 by christoph131

Indy is all about the “Fan First” mentality this year while they are hosting the Super Bowl. Last year, when Dallas hosted, there were over 1200 seats that were said to be “unsafe” causing many Steelers and Packers fans to stand to watch the game. Obviously, many fans wanted reimbursement from both the Cowboys and the NFL in general. This year, they are trying to avoid that. Indianapolis is primarily a pretty friendly place, as I am told.

Not to mention it snowed, and since they weren’t ready for it, it made it very difficult to travel to and from events around the Texas area. At least in Indy, if it does snow most bars, hotels, and events are within walking distance. So far, Indy is doing everything the right way. They even brought in people that work for Disney cruise lines and events to show the workers at Lucas Oil Stadium how to maximize the visitors’ experience. So, assuming that the Pats can hold on and crush the Giants, it should be a pretty great weekend for all of those who attend.

X Games Roundup

Posted on January 31, 2012 by TOB$

Since its been a couple of boring days for the Red Sox, I decided to write about the X Games over the weekend. Some of the events I was really disappointed by, but there were two things that I was glad I got to see.

Sunday in the day was a snowmobile jumping competition. The very first guy I watched (Heath Frisby) did a front flip on his snowmobile. My friends and I were in awe of how cool it was, but also how psychotic the guys must be. Then the announcers said it was the first front flip ever landed and about twenty guys celebrated for the next minute and a half. I thought it was cool and all, but not warranting all that celebration.

Sunday night was where I was really interested. Every year I make a point to watch the superpipe competition and see if anyone can push Shaun White off the gold spot in the podium. Run after run guys tried to outdo Shaun, which made the event that much better. Guys push their limits and you get to see great tricks, but the majority couldn’t complete their run without wiping out or messing up somehow…except for the flying tomato. Guy is a straight baller. Skinny pants might be a bit soft, but he always put on a show in that event and does it flawless. What I liked most was his victory lap, his last run in which he was already guaranteed gold. Instead of taking it easy (with his hurt ankle) and taking a joy ride for the fans down the pipe, Shaun pushed himself to the perfect run, getting incredible air on every jump. He was awarded the first perfect score (100) in X Games history.

vs.

Welcome to Boston, Jenny Dell

Posted on January 31, 2012 by jtulz07

Think back to November 2011, when things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse for the Sox as rumors of Heidi Watney departing started here on the Boston Sports Blog (Heidi, Say It Aint So!). She even tried covering it up on vacation (Don’t Kill the Messenger). And we all know how that played out. I mean the Lakers? Really? Anyways, since her final days in Boston the buzz about finding her replacement has been pretty quiet until recently. Last night NESN confirmed that former ESPN anchor Jenny Dell will take Heidi’s place as Red Sox in-game reporter. More known for her insight on football, it will be interesting to see Jenny take on a full time baseball role. Either way, the Sox need all the momentum they can get heading into spring training after the disaster that was last September. Hopefully filling the hot side line reporter gap will be just the edge they need. Red Sox Nation, enjoy.

Today is a Good Day in Gronk Nation

Posted on January 31, 2012 by davecouture

Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski showed up for media day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis today minus one thing he’s had all week: His Walking Boot.

This is great news for Patriots nation, as easily their most explosive talent on the offensive side of the ball seems to be ahead of schedule rehabbing from his high ankle sprain suffered during last weeks 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, and is more than likely on track to play in this Sundays Super Bowl showdown. Gronk lists himself as “day-to-day”. Tom Brady added, “He’s making progress. He’s out of his boot, which makes me feel a lot better. Damn right this makes Brady feel a lot better.”

He knows having Gronk out there gives them a much better chance to win Sunday. The guy is an absolute freak. He possesses the combination of size, speed and just pure talent that hasn’t been seen from the Tight End position since Tony Gonzalez back in the early 2000’s. The Pat’s will more than likely hold Gronk out of practice for the rest of the week until the team walk-through Saturday. Whatever needs to be done to get this monster on the field Sunday will be done. Maybe Belichick should call up Bibi Jones to have her help heal Gronk.

Patriots vs. Giants: Offensive Line

Posted on January 31, 2012 by davecouture

It’s getting closer and closer, five days til’ the big day. Today we will take a look at what will likely win or lose the game for either team: Offensive Line

The Giants offensive line is very solid. They don’t possess too much of a running game and I’m sure that’s not the main focus of the Patriots defense. The Giants only allowed 28 sacks against this season. If the Giants O-Line can give Eli enough time to find his open receivers against the Patriots shaky secondary then they should be able to put some points on the board. Eli has great pocket presence and does well escaping the would-be tacklers in the backfield. (Note 2007 Tyree Catch). God I hate talking about that but when you think Eli escaping a tackle it instantly comes to mind. The Giants are solid in the middle with David Diehl and Chris Snee at the guard positions. If the tackles for the Giants O-Line can keep Anderson and Ninovich out of the backfield Eli should be all right.

Overall Grade: B

The Patriots have one of the most talented offensive lines in all of football. Although Brady was sacked 4 more times than Eli I still have the utmost confidence in this O-Line. Obviously this is a brutal matchup for them but if they can play up to task I don’t see the Giants pulling this one out. Both Guards made the Pro-Bowl; Matt Light isn’t to bad either. If Sebastian Vollmer is healthy enough to play I expect him to get more time out their than Rookie Nate Solder. Similar to the Giants, the Patriots run-game isn’t exactly something to be to scared about, but I think it is key that the Patriots use the run game to keep the QB hungry Giants D-Line on their toes. Like I’ve said before; this game will be won or lost in the trenches. I’m not saying the Patriots will be able to protect Brady as much as the Giants can protect Eli but that’s because of the immense talent on the Giants D-Line. Strictly talent wise; the Pat’s have the edge.

Overall Grade: B+

Edge: Patriots