That was a statement series. These aren't last year's Bruins and I don't know what else the team could have done to make that more clear then not just sweeping the team that knocked them out last season, but dominating every aspect of all four games. There was never a moment were I felt the Bruins weren't the best team on the ice. As much as the Bruins proved they weren't the same team from last year, the Flyers did much of the same. There was no fight in this Flyers team. Every time the Bruins took a lead, you could see the dejection in the Flyers play. I just knew by their play that this Flyers team wasn't coming back from 3 games down. They didn't have the fight in them.
There are a few things that worry me going forward. The Bruins had a lot of emotion invested in the last two series, one against their hater rival, the other against the team that knocked them out last year coming back from a 3-0 deficit, but there is no history with Tampa. How is this team going to play when they don't have something to prove? Not that the Stanley Cup isn't a huge carrot dangling in front of the team bus, but the Bruins have been playing with such emotional intensity that there has to be a let down at some point and a series against Tampa Bay seems the most obvious time. The good news is they dominated the Lighting during the regular season, Tampa's vaunted offense being no match for Boston's defense and goal tending. I just hope Julian can keep this team playing with such fierce intensity.
The other thing that worries me is a little more obvious, Patrice Bergeron. He's been the unheralded leader of this Bruins team, the guy who does all the dirty work on both ends of the ice, the guy who makes everyone he plays with better. He's far from flashy, but does everything at the highest level. He's never going to lead the NHL in points but I'm not sure this Bruins team can go without him. Everyone talks about Chara being the key to the team's success, but for my money Bergeron is the real engine behind the big machine. He's one of those players you don't realize the importance of until he's not there and for at least the next two games he's not going to be on the ice. We can only keep our fingers crossed, both for the immediate future of the team and for Patrice's long term health, that he will be back and fully healthy sooner then later.
One last note I've been meaning to mention since the end of the Montreal series. I think Lucic is playing hurt. He's looked more like the Lucic who played all of last year so far in the playoffs then the guy who played this season. He has short bursts of speed and some physical play, but he's been far from the guy who was flying all over the ice, hitting anything that gets in his way and scoring 30 goals. Even in the first goal last night he was basically just standing still waiting for something to come to him. It's just a thought. This is the time of year nobody likes to talk about being hurt and I just have a feeling about this one. I'm not going to be surprised if we hear about Lucic going under the knife once the Bruins season is over.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Book Review: Bottom Of The 33rd: Hope, Redemption and Baseball's Longest Game
Is there such thing as too much baseball? At its heart, this is the question “Bottom Of The 33rd” tries to address. When do we get too much of a good thing? When do years of trying to turn playing a kid’s game into a career become too long? At what point does waiting for a break through, whither that break though is a base hit or a single run or a major league call up or the publicity your minor league team desperately needs become tedious. Dan Barry does a beautiful job framing this theme with the dozens of stories that made up the longest game in the history of baseball. By turning a spot light on not just the game that would not end, but the plight of the players, managers, owners, and fans, Barry paints a wonderful story about not just baseball but what drives people, what lengths they’ll go to reach a goal and when it all just becomes too much.
The book doesn’t answer the question directly but instead investigates when it becomes too much for each individual. It addresses the issue both literally and figuratively through the many stories Barry has to tell about the games participants. For many of the fans too much baseball came somewhere in the early hours of the morning as bitter cold made 20 innings of baseball to much to bear, but for a handful of others huddled in blankets on the cold bench seats 33 innings felt like just a start. For many players 10 plus years of struggling in the minors is enough to realize they don’t have what it takes to fulfill their dreams, yet for others this still wasn’t enough to call it quits. One of the funnier moments in the book comes when future Hall Of Famer, Wade Boggs, singles driving in the tying run in the bottom of the 21st. Boggs celebrates on second base because he prevented his team from losing while his teammates dejectedly slump on the bench in the dugout because he just kept the never ending game going. A wonderful contrast between the desire to win at any cost and the devastating effects a war of attrition has on the psyche.
There’s a good chance that I’m a little biased, after all I’m a huge Red Sox fan, I grew up going to games at McCoy Stadium, I own one (or ten) or the souvenir cups commemorating this game and there’s a good chance my grandfather was back up catcher Roger LaFrancois’ dad’s supervisor at Plastic Wire and Cable, but “Bottom Of The 33rd” is written in such a way that even people who aren’t fans of baseball will enjoy it. Instead of focusing on the intricacies of 33 innings of baseball, Barry decided to focus on the stories that surround it, making the book more about people then sports, turning is there such thing as too much baseball into is there such thing as too much of anything. And there are plenty of interesting stories to be told, from the players on the field, some struggling to get that one big chance to play in the pros, others on their way to the Hall Of Fame, to the commentator/GM sitting in the broadcast booth, to the umpires who followed the letter of the law making the game last longer then it should, to the fans who spent Easter eve into Easter morning watching history. “Bottom Of The 33rd” is as much about community as it is baseball.
Is there such thing as too much baseball? I’d still like to say no. I’d like to think I would be still sitting in those stands if I had to, but Dan Barry has come as close as anyone to making me think otherwise. His stories hit you in the heart and force you to ask yourself, what would I do, all the while celebrating our national pastime, our sense of community and our desire to reach out dreams. “Bottom Of The 33rd” should go down as one of the best baseball books ever written.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Boston Bruins: Round Two Game 3 (Flyers)
What makes this Bruins team so special is they can beat you in a number of ways. They can out score you, rushing up and down the ice in a fast paced shoot out. They can grind out a low scoring affair with heavy hitting and great goaltending. They can protect a lead with the trap. They can battle from behind with tenacity. They can fight, they can show finesse, and on days when the rest of the team doesn't show up their goaltenders can stand on their heads. The only aspect they can't seem to get their heads around being the power play. Each game of the Flyer series, so far, has shown a different side to this Bruins team. Each one ending with a B's victory. Some people may consider this type of play inconsistent, and at times it has felt that way, but at this point in the season I'd like to look at it as diverse. If it was just inconsistent, the B's would most likely have found themselves more times then not on the wrong side of the win column. But this team just keeps winning, or, at the very least, is never out of a game. The Bruins seem to know that they can't have every aspect of their game firing on full cylinders every day and have learned to adapt to whatever style of play is going to get them the w. I have to attribute this on some level to Claude Julian and his coaching staff, because what else could allow for such play other then preparation and conditioning? I haven't always agreed with Julian's decisions and his inability to craft anything that resembles a successful powerplay is a glaring hole in the Bruins game, but one can't deny how diverse a team he has built.
Is this team good enough to win a cup? That still remains to be seen. I feel like they will need a lot more then one powerplay goal the rest of the way if they want to hoist the cup. But all the pieces are certainly there. This team has something that most teams don't, a little bit of everything. My fingers are still crossed that there is no giant collapse like last year, but I like the match-up with Tampa and anything can happen in the finals. I won't make any bold predictions, I'm too superstitious, but I'm enjoying watching this team find new ways to win and hope they can keep entertaining me all the way into June.
Is this team good enough to win a cup? That still remains to be seen. I feel like they will need a lot more then one powerplay goal the rest of the way if they want to hoist the cup. But all the pieces are certainly there. This team has something that most teams don't, a little bit of everything. My fingers are still crossed that there is no giant collapse like last year, but I like the match-up with Tampa and anything can happen in the finals. I won't make any bold predictions, I'm too superstitious, but I'm enjoying watching this team find new ways to win and hope they can keep entertaining me all the way into June.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Top 5: Things Killing Bin Laden Didn't Solve
I try to not get political on this blog. I'd much rather stick to nice light hearted pop culture stuff, but the whole reaction in this country to the killing of Bin Laden stuck me wrong. I'm all for bad people being removed from the streets, I believe very much in the death penalty for people who commit evil crimes, but the parties in the streets and the chants of "USA" just seemed a little much. 10 years after 9/11 is just feels like there are bigger problems to be taken care of and the whole announcement seems to me to be a wagging the dog situation. Because of all that, I'm breaking from my usual pop culture lists and doing Top 5 Things Killing Bin Laden Didn't Solve...
5. Out of Control Gas Prices
I went down to the local gas station on Monday and checked. Instead of the killing of Bin Laden lowering the astronomical prices of gas, it actually went up another three cents. I'll start chanting "USA" at a Red Sox game when Obama finds a way to get my gas back down to $2 a gallon.
4. Huge Unemployment Rates
People tell me this is getting better, but I'm still pretty sure it's lower then its been in my life time and I'm also pretty sure Bin Laden had nothing to do with it. I realize it is much easier to party in the streets all night when you don't have a job to get to in the morning, but I think if you gave people the choice between finally getting Bin Laden or them having a job, they would choose the job.
3. Unpayable National Debt
Unless Obama made some deal with all the countries we owe money to that if we kill Bin Laden they will forgive all our debt, this is still a huge problem. I know that the chase for Bin Laden and the two wars that sprung out of that chase play a big role in that debt, but I also know that it didn't magically go away when he died. His death also didn't suddenly make all our politicians agree on how to solve the debt problem. We're still going to have tons of petty arguments gridlocking things from getting done.
2. Three Wars
When I woke up Monday morning, even though Bin Laden was dead, the country was still involved in three wars. Like I said before, I realize that in some part two of those wars sprung from our chase for Bin Laden, but his death didn't stop them from continuing. I'm not arguing whither we should be taking part in any of the wars or not, that's an argument for another time. I am pointing out the fact that we were partying in the streets and celebrating our country's superiority while we continued to be involved in three wars we can't seem to end.
1. Al Qaeda
I'm no expert on the Middle East. I haven't spent any real time researching terrorist groups. I've never talked to a member of Al Qaeda. All that being said, I'm pretty sure the death of Bin Laden does not mean the end of Al Qaeda. We've been chasing the guy for 10 years. Do you really think he didn't put in some contingency plan in case he died? I'll even go out on a limb and say Bin Laden hasn't even been running the group for years. Everything seems to point towards Bin Laden being a smart guy. I highly doubt when he sent those planes into the towers he didn't figure his time might be up soon. If anything I think we probably just pissed Al Qaeda off a little bit more. Let's save the party till we get rid of the whole group, not just one man.
Don't get me wrong, I support the US troops whole heartily. I am deeply honored that they put their lives in danger so we can continue living the life we lead. I am proud of their work getting rid of this very dangerous man. It needed to be done and they made it happen. My problem is with our country's reaction. It felt like baseball teams that pop the Champagne bottles in the locker room after winning the first round of the playoffs. What are you celebrating? There's still a lot of work left to do.
5. Out of Control Gas Prices
I went down to the local gas station on Monday and checked. Instead of the killing of Bin Laden lowering the astronomical prices of gas, it actually went up another three cents. I'll start chanting "USA" at a Red Sox game when Obama finds a way to get my gas back down to $2 a gallon.
4. Huge Unemployment Rates
People tell me this is getting better, but I'm still pretty sure it's lower then its been in my life time and I'm also pretty sure Bin Laden had nothing to do with it. I realize it is much easier to party in the streets all night when you don't have a job to get to in the morning, but I think if you gave people the choice between finally getting Bin Laden or them having a job, they would choose the job.
3. Unpayable National Debt
Unless Obama made some deal with all the countries we owe money to that if we kill Bin Laden they will forgive all our debt, this is still a huge problem. I know that the chase for Bin Laden and the two wars that sprung out of that chase play a big role in that debt, but I also know that it didn't magically go away when he died. His death also didn't suddenly make all our politicians agree on how to solve the debt problem. We're still going to have tons of petty arguments gridlocking things from getting done.
2. Three Wars
When I woke up Monday morning, even though Bin Laden was dead, the country was still involved in three wars. Like I said before, I realize that in some part two of those wars sprung from our chase for Bin Laden, but his death didn't stop them from continuing. I'm not arguing whither we should be taking part in any of the wars or not, that's an argument for another time. I am pointing out the fact that we were partying in the streets and celebrating our country's superiority while we continued to be involved in three wars we can't seem to end.
1. Al Qaeda
I'm no expert on the Middle East. I haven't spent any real time researching terrorist groups. I've never talked to a member of Al Qaeda. All that being said, I'm pretty sure the death of Bin Laden does not mean the end of Al Qaeda. We've been chasing the guy for 10 years. Do you really think he didn't put in some contingency plan in case he died? I'll even go out on a limb and say Bin Laden hasn't even been running the group for years. Everything seems to point towards Bin Laden being a smart guy. I highly doubt when he sent those planes into the towers he didn't figure his time might be up soon. If anything I think we probably just pissed Al Qaeda off a little bit more. Let's save the party till we get rid of the whole group, not just one man.
Don't get me wrong, I support the US troops whole heartily. I am deeply honored that they put their lives in danger so we can continue living the life we lead. I am proud of their work getting rid of this very dangerous man. It needed to be done and they made it happen. My problem is with our country's reaction. It felt like baseball teams that pop the Champagne bottles in the locker room after winning the first round of the playoffs. What are you celebrating? There's still a lot of work left to do.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
How I Met Your Mother: The Perfect Cocktail
I wasn't going to write anything about this episode, there really wasn't much to say, but I felt I started this thing, I have to finish. The episode was OK. It didn't offend me but at the same time had nothing that really hit my funny bone or my heart. The liqueur storyline fell a little flat. It had some small moments but the potential for laughs was far higher then the execution. I liked the call back to the cock-a-mouse, but it felt like it was just thrown in to please those of us who like call backs. It could have played so much bigger a role in the storyline but instead it was just a random throw in.
I don't get why Zoey would be so grossed out she had to leave the building, but she still wants to save it, childhood memories or not. It seemed to me, the point of them staying there is the first place was for Ted to show her it wasn't worth saving, which he did, yet they're still going to try to save it. I'm missing something.
I also thought the booth joke missed as well. Do all these people live at the bar? It just so happens that every time this girl and her friends are there, so are the Lilly and Robin? If the gang is always in that booth how would anyone else know that's the booth they want? And what's going on with Robin? I feel like the writers have just forgotten about her. They've given her one or two moments all season. I really feel like they have no idea what to do with her, leaving her as this side character with no story and no good jokes. It's a shame.
I think there's only two episodes left this season. Let's hope they can end with a bang.
I don't get why Zoey would be so grossed out she had to leave the building, but she still wants to save it, childhood memories or not. It seemed to me, the point of them staying there is the first place was for Ted to show her it wasn't worth saving, which he did, yet they're still going to try to save it. I'm missing something.
I also thought the booth joke missed as well. Do all these people live at the bar? It just so happens that every time this girl and her friends are there, so are the Lilly and Robin? If the gang is always in that booth how would anyone else know that's the booth they want? And what's going on with Robin? I feel like the writers have just forgotten about her. They've given her one or two moments all season. I really feel like they have no idea what to do with her, leaving her as this side character with no story and no good jokes. It's a shame.
I think there's only two episodes left this season. Let's hope they can end with a bang.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Boston Bruins: Round Two Game 1 (Flyers)
After seven games of fighting for every inch of ice and every goal scored, it's nice to get a break. I didn't get a chance to watch any of the Flyers/Sabers series, so I don't know if Philly's play was a lack of intensity or a lack of energy, but there was no doubt the Bruins were playing on another level. After seven games of fighting and scrapping, of having to play at their very best for 60 minutes or more every game, yesterday it looked like the Bruins didn't know any other way to play other then in 5th gear. As a fan it was quite a relief to not have to sit on the edge of my seat for three hours, I can only imagine how great it felt for the players.
The only danger going forward is to make sure we don't drop our level of play to our opponent. There were moments near the end of the game when the B's seemed to get a little sloppy and they can't let that happen. They can't start taking shifts off because the level of play isn't as intense, that's when you start blowing a 3 games to none lead. Julien's main goal needs to be keeping his players as focused and intense as they were the last seven games. The problem with facing a team like Montreal, a bitter rival with years of history behind them, in the first round is no series for the rest of the playoffs will carry the same emotion. It's up to the coach's to make sure this doesn't lead to a drop in play. It worked for one game in a huge way. Let's hope they can keep it up for three more.
The only danger going forward is to make sure we don't drop our level of play to our opponent. There were moments near the end of the game when the B's seemed to get a little sloppy and they can't let that happen. They can't start taking shifts off because the level of play isn't as intense, that's when you start blowing a 3 games to none lead. Julien's main goal needs to be keeping his players as focused and intense as they were the last seven games. The problem with facing a team like Montreal, a bitter rival with years of history behind them, in the first round is no series for the rest of the playoffs will carry the same emotion. It's up to the coach's to make sure this doesn't lead to a drop in play. It worked for one game in a huge way. Let's hope they can keep it up for three more.
Boston Bruins: Round One Game 7 (Canadians)
This is a little late, but here it is anyway...
I'm an "old school" Boston sport fan, the type that has an abundance of hope but a fatalistic attitude, the type that grew up never seeing a championship (other then the Celtics who don't really fit into the rest of the Boston sports world) but did see plenty of heartbreak, the type that believes in curses and won't say "I think we can win this" because the minute he does the game is lost. No matter what has happened over the last ten years, as much as we said it was going to change, these feelings and thoughts haven't left. The Red Sox and Patriots haven't changed the attitudes and hearts of us old curmudgeons, they've just made the future brighter for those that never saw the ball go through Buckner's legs or Tony Eason take a sack... or Montreal score a power play goal on a stupid penalty late in the game. So, when Bergeron's stick popped into the air and James Wisniewski's head flew back as if hit with a metal chair with only three minutes to go and the Bruins clinging to a one goal lead, I knew it was over. How could it not? We've seen it before. Too many men on the ice, anyone? Guy Lafleur ring any bells?
The thing is, this isn't the same Boston sports I grew up with. Something has changed. Boston teams aren't expected to lose this way anymore. We broke the curse or figured it out or whatever. So as devastating as it was for us "old school" fans to see P.K. Subban blast the tying goal over Thomas' shoulder, as loudly as we all yelled out, "here we go again," all hope wasn't lost. The new school fan had no problem watching overtime because they didn't know what we knew, they hadn't lived through what we lived through. They had no idea that life wasn't all championship wins and overcoming 3-0 deficits. And they certainly had no idea that this is what Montreal does, they crush Bruin fan's dreams. I'm sure none of them had the eternal "old school" debate with themselves, should I just turn the game off now or should I keep watching? A debate always won by the continue watching side because actually watching the painful collapse even though you know it's coming was what being a Boston sports fan was all about.
Of all people, Nathan Horton saved the day, the guy I've been blasting all series long for not being there. The "old school" Boston fan tends to search out goats. Who's going to disappear when we need them most? But this isn't the case anymore. People who haven't done anything for 60 minutes now step up in those final moments to get the job done. It's still hard for me to except this. I still want to defend all my comments about Horton. I mean, if the guy played like we know he can, like we pay him to, there wouldn't have been an overtime. But the fact of the matter is, twice in the series, when push came to shove, Horton was there in position, letting the shot go, scoring the goal when we needed him to. A "new school" fan wouldn't question that this will happen. They've seen it work out for the best more times then not.
I have to keep reminding myself, it's a new day and age in Boston sports. Just because the Canadian's tied the game on a cheap penalty in the closing minutes of the game does not mean it's over. In fact, it's just the opposite, it's a rallying point. Now the Bruins bear down and make sure the job gets done. The corpse may have stood up when we thought it was dead, but that doesn't mean we can't drive the steak a little deeper or just cut the head off. In this new day and age Boston sport teams can prevail, even against the Canadians and the Yankees of the world. And last night that is just what they did, prevail.
Next up is Philly, a team even the "new school" fan has to be a little leery of. It was just last year that the Bruins blew a 3-0 game lead to them. Somewhere in their DNA there has to be a small voice muttering "here we go again." I'd like to say that I'm eager for revenge, that I see this as the perfect storybook opportunity for the B's to redeem themselves, but I'm to "old school" for that. I'll wait for the corpse to be dead and buried before I start talking about redemption.
I'm an "old school" Boston sport fan, the type that has an abundance of hope but a fatalistic attitude, the type that grew up never seeing a championship (other then the Celtics who don't really fit into the rest of the Boston sports world) but did see plenty of heartbreak, the type that believes in curses and won't say "I think we can win this" because the minute he does the game is lost. No matter what has happened over the last ten years, as much as we said it was going to change, these feelings and thoughts haven't left. The Red Sox and Patriots haven't changed the attitudes and hearts of us old curmudgeons, they've just made the future brighter for those that never saw the ball go through Buckner's legs or Tony Eason take a sack... or Montreal score a power play goal on a stupid penalty late in the game. So, when Bergeron's stick popped into the air and James Wisniewski's head flew back as if hit with a metal chair with only three minutes to go and the Bruins clinging to a one goal lead, I knew it was over. How could it not? We've seen it before. Too many men on the ice, anyone? Guy Lafleur ring any bells?
The thing is, this isn't the same Boston sports I grew up with. Something has changed. Boston teams aren't expected to lose this way anymore. We broke the curse or figured it out or whatever. So as devastating as it was for us "old school" fans to see P.K. Subban blast the tying goal over Thomas' shoulder, as loudly as we all yelled out, "here we go again," all hope wasn't lost. The new school fan had no problem watching overtime because they didn't know what we knew, they hadn't lived through what we lived through. They had no idea that life wasn't all championship wins and overcoming 3-0 deficits. And they certainly had no idea that this is what Montreal does, they crush Bruin fan's dreams. I'm sure none of them had the eternal "old school" debate with themselves, should I just turn the game off now or should I keep watching? A debate always won by the continue watching side because actually watching the painful collapse even though you know it's coming was what being a Boston sports fan was all about.
Of all people, Nathan Horton saved the day, the guy I've been blasting all series long for not being there. The "old school" Boston fan tends to search out goats. Who's going to disappear when we need them most? But this isn't the case anymore. People who haven't done anything for 60 minutes now step up in those final moments to get the job done. It's still hard for me to except this. I still want to defend all my comments about Horton. I mean, if the guy played like we know he can, like we pay him to, there wouldn't have been an overtime. But the fact of the matter is, twice in the series, when push came to shove, Horton was there in position, letting the shot go, scoring the goal when we needed him to. A "new school" fan wouldn't question that this will happen. They've seen it work out for the best more times then not.
I have to keep reminding myself, it's a new day and age in Boston sports. Just because the Canadian's tied the game on a cheap penalty in the closing minutes of the game does not mean it's over. In fact, it's just the opposite, it's a rallying point. Now the Bruins bear down and make sure the job gets done. The corpse may have stood up when we thought it was dead, but that doesn't mean we can't drive the steak a little deeper or just cut the head off. In this new day and age Boston sport teams can prevail, even against the Canadians and the Yankees of the world. And last night that is just what they did, prevail.
Next up is Philly, a team even the "new school" fan has to be a little leery of. It was just last year that the Bruins blew a 3-0 game lead to them. Somewhere in their DNA there has to be a small voice muttering "here we go again." I'd like to say that I'm eager for revenge, that I see this as the perfect storybook opportunity for the B's to redeem themselves, but I'm to "old school" for that. I'll wait for the corpse to be dead and buried before I start talking about redemption.
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