Boston Bruins: Round One Game 6 (Canadians)

     Trying to win a playoff game in Montreal is like trying to win a football game in Oakland during the 70's.  Not only do you have to play against a tough ruthless opponent and in front of a loud hostile crowd, but you also have to compete with the officials.  This was one reason I didn't hold much hope for a Bruins comeback after they fell down 2 games to none, but somehow they pulled it off.  Of course winning games three and four to even the series is much different then winning game six to eliminate the Canadians.  There was no way the refs were going to allow that to happen, so back to Boston we go with one last chance to knock our hated enemy off.
     I'm not sure I've seen a worse officiated playoff game, or at least one that was so one sided.  All that heart and grit that I have been lauding in the Bruins tends to bite you in the ass when it comes to getting calls.  Instead of throwing their hands in the air and falling to the ice like they've been shot when struck in the face with a stick, the Bruins just slightly recoiled and then kept skating.  I guess NHL refs don't reward such play because every time a Canadian fell to the ice there was a penalty and every time the same thing happened to the Bruins, but they fought through it, there was nothing.  Patrice Bergeron barely grazes Carey Price who collapses like a KOed boxer and it's a two minute penalty.  Brian Gionta leaps through the air Superman style cross checking Tim Thomas square in the chest and it doesn't even stop play.  Kelly clips a Canadian with his stick in the final 3 minutes of the game and it's a penalty but when a Canadian clubs Andrew Ference across the face nothing.
     The worse call of the night and the one that put the game squarely in Montreal's hands was the 5 minute major and game misconduct given to Lucic.  I know I have been very vocal about the NHL and it's officials being harder on reckless and dangerous hits, but this was neither.  Lucic didn't hit him high, he didn't charge and the only reason he hit him in the back was because when the Canadian felt the hit coming he turned away.  As this as an example, I can only imagine that every player will start turning their back to hits, fall to the ice and wait for the trainer to carry them off the ice.  The can be cleared for their next shift and the opposing player will at least have a 5 minute major.  Not only did this call leave the Bruins shorthanded for what would become the game winning goal, it also left them short a forward for the rest of the game, causing them to shorten the bench and play without one of their biggest offensive threats.  There wasn't much more the refs could have done within the rules of the game to give the game to Montreal.
     What I'm asking for is not more penalties to have been called on Montreal, but less on the Bruins.  The Bruin's powerplay in so inept at this point the opposing team has a better advantage shorthanded then even strength.  I'm not sure what the answer is, but in the B's have any hopes of making a run at the cup Julian better figure something out fast.
     The fact of the matter was, five on five the Bruins were the better team last night and should have knocked the Canadians out.  The only time Montreal was able to put any pressure on Thomas was when they were on 5 on 3's.  I hate to see games decided by the refs, especially this time of year, but I'm not sure what else to think about this game.  It seemed pretty clear right from the get go that Montreal was going to be allowed to mug the Bruins at every turn while Boston was going to have to be careful.  Unfortunately they gave the refs enough rope to hang them with.  Let's hope tonight is a different story.

Boston Bruins: Round One Game 5 (Canadians)

     So, I was already to write a post deploring Claude Julian to sit Nathan Horton for the next game and give Tyler Seguin a shot.  I mean, there is no way the kid could have a worse effect on the game then Horton.  And then Horton goes and wins the game.  It makes it a little harder to ask for a player to be benched when he wins a double overtime battle that put the Bruins up 3-2.  But I'm going to push forward anyway, because for 4 periods last night Horton was horrible.  For a guy who is supposed to be a goal scorer Horton seems scared to take a shot on net.  He gets the puck and circles the zone instead of firing it on Price.  Both Krejci and Lucic stepped up their games, but Horton still seems to be in outer space.  I know Julian isn't going to bench him, especially after him scoring such a dramatic and important goal, but I think it's time to give someone else a chance to get the job done.
     Alright, enough negative, the Bruins just took a 3-2 games lead in the series, I should be focusing on the positive.  I've decided to set aside some money for a Micheal Ryder jersey, my new favorite player.  Where was this guy all year?  Although he didn't have a point last night, Ryder, along with Andrew Ference, was by far the best player on the ice.  He was all over both zones, putting pressure on the Montreal defense and coming up with some amazing back checking plays.  The obvious play being the game saving glove save with Thomas unable to get back in position, but there were other gems like a great stick check from behind on Brian Gionta as he rushed uncontested up the ice late in the game.  I hope this version of Michael Ryder stays around for the rest of the playoffs and doesn't disappear with his former team.
     Another player who had had a great series who I haven't mentioned is Brad Marchand.  As I mentioned in my last post, there is a certain type of player that the Bruins fans fall in love with.  It's usually a player who plays with heart and grit.  He might not be a 50 goal scorer, but he will definitely leave everything he has on the ice.  Every year the Bruins give out the "7th Player" award that is voted on by the fans.  I think is says something about the Boston fans that I could tell you with almost 100% certainty who is going to win the award at the end of the year.  This year's winner was Marchand and it was no fluke.  The kid is a throw back to the days of Kenny Linesman and Randy Burridge.  He may be small in stature but certainly not in heart.  Along with his twenty goals came a pesky attitude that made him great agitator willing to stick his nose in any situation.  That type of play was clearly on display last night as he scored a important third period goal and seemed to be at the center of every scrum.  There probably isn't a more entertaining player on the team.  It's great to see him finding success.
     Game Six is Tuesday night.  Hopefully two days off doesn't stall the Bruins momentum and they can wrap this thing up in Montreal.

Boston Bruins: Round One Game 4 (Canadians)

     I'm not sure how the B's won that game.  It's a little ironic because I'm not sure how they lost the first one.  I guess everything equals out in sports.  Somehow the Bruins weathered a relentless Canadian attack for two periods, kept the game close enough for them to tie in the third and then take in overtime.  I felt for sure when Montreal jumped up two goals, 3-1, early in the second that the game was over, but this team showed it's heart and bounced back not just in the game but in the series.  Heart has always played a major role in every great Bruins team.  It's a quality the Boston fans hold in higher regard then 70 goals or 140 points.  This team proved last night that they have it; they can go into the lion's den, the Bell Center, one of the hardest area's to win in hockey, down two games or two goals and come out on top.  I said last post that I wasn't sure if the Bruins were back in the series after one win, but there's no denying in now.  The series is 2-2.  The Bruins were able to hit the reset button.  It's now a best of 3 series starting in Boston.
     It would be bad form if I didn't write a little something about Michael Ryder's 2 goal performance last night, including the game winning goal in overtime.  I spent a lot of space on this blog blasting the guy all season.  He was pretty much a nonentity all year and I just didn't think that was acceptable given the money the team is paying him.  But last night Ryder pulled through with the same heart I mentioned above.  The team needed something.  Montreal was setting camp in the Bruins zone and peppering Thomas all night and Ryder's line was able to rise above and pull the game back into focus.  I finally saw the Micheal Ryder from three seasons ago.  I hope this means he's figured it out, found whatever it is that is going to drive him on the ice.  I also hope he can share it with Nathan Horton because this team isn't going anywhere unless Horton wakes up. 

Boston Bruins: Round One Game 3 (Canadians)

     I'd like to say the Bruins are back in this series now that they finally won a game, but I'm still not sold.  As good as the B's looked for parts of last night's game, the end product was far from convincing.  The final scoreboard showed 4 goals for Boston but only one was quality.  Horton's goal was an odd angled shot that happened to bounce in, Peverley's goal was a horrible puck handling misplay by Price and Kelly's was an empty netter.  It felt like the B's more survived the last half of the game then won.
     Don't get me wrong, a win in Montreal is a win in Montreal.  And no matter how the goals were scored, the series is now 2-1.  I'm just not jumping on the Boston is back in the series bandwagon.  They still have to win again in Montreal, one way or another, to take the series.  Montreal is an environment where the fans, and if yesterday was any sign, the refs are against you.  Having to battle the other team at home and the refs on the ice is no easy task.  But none the less, One must win game out of the way, three more to go.

How I Met Your Mother: Hopeless

     Maybe it's time for me to come to the realization that How I Met Your Mother is not the show I began watching 6 years ago.  Maybe it's no longer fair for me to hold the show to the standards set by the first few seasons.  The show I've watched the last couple of weeks resembles the shows I watch casually, the one that have an occasional funny moment and nothing deep or touching in the story lines, and not the brilliant comedy I use to watch, so maybe I should expect less.  Maybe I'll enjoy it more if I want less from it.
     The odd thing about this week's episode is even the elements that normally make a good HIMYM episode fell flat.  The call back to Ted's red cowboy boots felt forced and held no humor at all.  The are usually the moments I long for, the moments that seperate HIMYM from other sitcoms.  Barney's storyline carried the show, but it wasn't funny or interesting or emotionally moving at all.  I've said it before on this blog, I don't want Barney to grow up, I don't want him to stop partying.  There are lessons to be learned from Barney's relationship with his father and plenty of stories to be told but not in exchange for what makes Barney an interesting and entertaining character.
     This episode wasn't as bad as last week, but it was still far from good.  We have another two weeks before we get another new episode and I'd like to expect them to come back from the break in true form.  I'd like to tune in every week and get the quality seen in the episodes just prior to the last break, but it's looking like that just isn't in the cards anymore.  We still might get gems like "Oh Honey" and "Legendaddy", but the norm from here on out appears to be "Hopeless".

Boston Bruins: Round One Game 2 (Canadians)

     There was one team I didn't want the Bruins to face in round one of the playoffs.  It had nothing to do with records or match-ups and everything to do with an irrational unsubstantiated fear.  The Bruins can't beat the Canadians.  I know they have beaten them, as recently as two years ago, but I can't help feel with every new playoff series between the two teams that there is no way the Bruins are going to win.  Something crazy is going to happen, say Zdeno Chara not being able to play due to dehydration, some really bad call is going to be made and the Bruins are going to be sent home.  I don't know why certain teams have other teams numbers, it doesn't make any sense, the '79, '87 and '04 Bruins and Canadian team's have totally different rosters and coaches yet by the time '04 came around it was no surprise when Montreal knocked the number one ranked Bruins out of the playoffs.  We see it every where in sports, Indy can't beat New England, New York can't beat Anaheim, Phoenix can't beat San Antonio.  Even in college basketball there are certain teams that you can safely predict are going to choke, Kansas, Arizona, Pittsburgh, even though the rosters and coaches continue to change.  There is absolutely no rational for this other then the fact in holds up 80% of the time.
     So, even though the Bruins had a better record, even though the Bruins beat the Canadians 7-0 the last time they played, I was terrified going into this series and so far my fears have come true.  The Bruins are now down two games to none and have to go to Montreal for the next two games.  So far the keys to the series have been Montreal scoring first and within the first couple minutes of the game, Carey Price standing on his head for a period or two, and a third period trap that the Bruins can't break.  All season long the Bruins have been streaky, a bunch of games in a row where they scored a ton followed by a bunch of games in a row where they can't score at all.  I felt the Bruins were going to be trouble if one of those none scoring streaks hit during the playoffs.  I was hoping it wouldn't be in the first series, but here we are.
     The Bruins aren't out of it.  And the best way to break through against a team that has your number is with a miracle comeback (ask the Red Sox and Yankees).  There is part of me thinking the best outcome would be losing tonight and battling back from 3-0 down to exercise both the demons of last year and against the Canadians.  The Bruins have never won a Cup in the modern era in a year they played Montreal in the playoffs.  Maybe they need to have a miraculous comeback for that to happen.  In all honesty, the reason I'm most upset about the present state of the Bruins has more to do with baseball then hockey.  I was hoping for a nice long Bruins run so I wouldn't be left with nothing but Red Sox loses to watch every night.

Top 5: Manny Moments

     This last weekend Manny Ramirez finally decided to call it quits.  Of course in typical Manny style, he was more forced out of the game then it being his choice.  For the second time in his career, Manny tested positive for an illegal drug and instead of sitting out the 100 game suspension, he walked away from the game.  It's a shame really, he's one of the best hitters I ever watched play the game, steroids or not, and much like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, the fact that he won't be in the Hall Of Fame bothers me a little (I smell another top 5).  Cheater or not, I have decided to honor him her on my blog with his own Top 5.  This week's list in Top 5 Manny Moments...

5.  Manny Forgets to Tell Tampa He's Retiring
     Why wouldn't he retire like he played the game?  Yes people, many of you knew that Manny called it quits before the Rays did.  Who other then Manny would forget to tell the team he is playing for that he's retiring?

4.  Manny Tests Positive for Female Fertility Drug
     Only Manny would get a suspension for using a female drug.  I know it's commonly used for masking steroid use, but Manny is the only baseball player to get caught using it.  He went on to claim it was prescribed to him for personal reasons.  As silly as this may sound coming from most people, part of me wouldn't doubt Manny was trying to get pregnant.

3.  Manny Misses an Out Taking a Piss in The Green Monster
     Manny was known on many an occasion to step into the Monster during pitching changes.  You know, to just say hi to the guys working the scoreboard or grab a drink or just get a well deserved rest.  But on this particular occasion Manny had to go the bathroom really bad and stepped into the Monster to relieve himself.  Meanwhile, the game started back up and no sign of Manny.  Luckily the Sox were able to record the out without him.

2.  Manny Makes a Running Catch and Hi-Fives Fan Before Doubling Oriole Off First www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbY1dTVwRyI
     Manny may have been the best hitter of his generation, but he left a lot to be desired with his fielding.  Spectacular clips of Manny playing the field are few and far between, but this one is a classic.  The quality of the link leaves a bit to be desired but you get the idea.  Manny catches the ball in a full sprint, climbs the wall, Hi-fives a fan, then turns around and throws out Aubrey Huff at first base.  Classic!

1.  Manny Cuts Off Throw From Johnny Damon
     There is no clip of just this play on-line, which sucks because I don't think I can do it justice with words.  Here's a link to a Japanese Sportcenter count down of great Manny Moments, the Damon clip is in there www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cY3M8aloY8&feature=related.  It's the funniest thing I've seen on a ball field.  Johnny Damon, who in all honesty needs a cutoff on every time he picks up a baseball because he throws like my sister, throws the ball toward the infield and Manny makes the greatest diving catch of his career to cut it off for no apparent reason.  It would have been one thing if it was at his head and he threw up his glove in defense, but he actually dives back in the direction he was running from to snag it.  I've always wanted to know what was going through his head at that moment.

Honorable Mentions:  Manny says his knee is bothering him and can't play but when sent to get an MIR can't remember what knee it was, Manny forgets his pay check in a pair of shoes in a visiting locker room, Manny walks to first on a ground ball (every time it happened!)

How I Met Your Mother: Exploding Meatball Sub

     Watching this season of How I Met Your Mother is a lot like playing Ted's game of "Who's Hot, Who's Scott."  Each week I tune in not sure if I'm going to get a widely entertaining and moving half hour spent with my favorite characters on TV or an unfunny impostor dressed in HIMYM cloths.  This week's episode was, without a doubt, a Scott, turtleneck and all.  With a few brief exceptions, the episode didn't even resemble funny or moving.  After the last few great episodes and a few weeks off, I was expecting the show to come back with a homerun, really drive the progress they have made home, but instead we get what is essentially a throw away episode.  The plot lines were stale and forced and the humor just didn't land.  The Barney story was, at first, overdone and then unsatisfying.  Barney's abandonment issues were played out too dramatically and unconvincingly, which is most likely because he doesn't seem to have them when we find out his anger is over not getting revenge on Marshall.  I'm guessing this was the writer's attempt to remind us Barney is still Barney, but all it did for me was undercut what has been established with the character over the last few episodes.  The Ted-Zoey/Marshall-Lilly story was an obvious set up to the end of Ted and Zoey.  It makes me feel like we continue to spin our wheels with Ted, we know the relationship needs to end but we have to make sure it lasts to the end of the season.  I would have been fine with the storyline if it made me laugh, but it failed there as well.
     I understand that the writers have to come up with 24 shows of storyline per season and because of this there is going to be some throw away episodes.  Whither the broadcast network season should be 24 shows or not is an argument for another time because the fact of the matter is it's not going to change.  There is too much money to be made in the present setup.  My problem is when the writers decide to use their throw aways.  In my opinion, this was the wrong time for "Exploding Meatball Sub."  We needed an episode that kept the pre-break momentum going and this episode didn't get that done.
     All that being said, the last scene with the show's namesake exploding meatball sub was hilarious.  I wasn't ready for it at all.  Maybe if there had been more exploding subs earlier I would have been won over.