Boston Bruins: Round Three Game Four (Lightning)

     I was already to write my blog all about how the Bruins are looking like the best team in hockey and then the you know what hit the fan.  Either the Lightning made some big changes in between periods or Boucher made a "Miracle" type speech or the Bruins just fell apart.  I'm not sure what it was but after watching four games of this series I'm leaning towards the Bruins falling apart.  There has only been one game in the last four that the Bruins have finished anywhere near as strong as they began.  Each third period, with the exception of game 3, has felt like the Bruins are just trying to survive.  Are the Lightning just better conditioned?  It feels like it.  The B's just don't seem to have the legs late in games that Tampa has.
      The other thing to consider is that this Bruins team all year has had a tendency to go through spells of pure stupidity.  Making bad passes, missing defensive assignments, taking stupid penalties.  Luckily, Tim Thomas has been there more times then not to save the team's bacon, to cover up whatever series of mistakes they make.  Yesterday was not one of those cases.  It's hard to fault Thomas for anything that happens after the historic year he put in and all the times so far in the playoffs that he's been asked to stand on his head, but all but one of the Lightning goals were pretty weak.  Even though the scoring chances were caused by bad decisions or stupid play, they were shots that Thomas would usually eat up.  Julian seems to be the type of coach that never sits his veterans, something he's proving by keeping Kaberle on the ice night after night, but maybe if Thomas puts in another effort like this in the next game, he should think about giving Rask some minutes.  We have the best one-two goaltending punch in hockey, it can't hurt to use it.  Again, that's not saying anything bad about Thomas, just that maybe he needs a little rest and our backup would be starting on most other teams.
     The next game is a big one, a must win for the Bruins.  They need to come out strong and put a stop to whatever momentum Tampa is riding from this three goal comeback.  Then they need to figure out how to keep that going for 60 minutes.  They don't want to head back to Tampa, one game away from elimination, with Tampa feeling unbeatable.

Boston Bruins: Round Three Game Three (Lightning)

     Before I get into last night's game I would just like to point out that people are reporting that Milan Lucic has been seen limping around off the ice.  Now, I don't have any connections to the Bruins team.  I don't spend any time in the locker room.  I haven't even seen a live game all year.  All I have to go by is what I see on TV, and not to toot my own horn, but I wrote last series (I thought it during the Montreal series but forgot to write about it) that Lucic was playing hurt.  Just saying.
     Last night was more like the Bruins I want to see the rest of the playoffs.  They scored the goals they needed and shut the Lightning down on the defensive end of things.  Thomas was solid, and thanks to much better defensive play, didn't have to make the phenomenal stand-on-his-head types of saves he was forced to make in game two.  All that leads to a shutout of one of the best offensive teams in hockey.  I have to give some credit to Chara.  I'm not a huge fan and haven't been shy about it in this blog, but Chara stepped up last night and played the type of solid defensive game we needed him to.  Whatever plagued the Bruins defense in game two was mostly gone last night and Chara seemed to be leading the change.
      One person who still seems a little lost out there is Johnny Bochuck.  I love Bochuck and I think he is going to grow into a solid NHL defensemen, but right now the Lightning are making him look like a pylon.  I don't know if he is starting to tire out or what, but maybe Julian should give him a rest and give someone like Kemper a shot.
     Two wins down, two more to go...

Top 5: Beastie Boy Songs

     This is a little late, but two weeks ago the Beastie Boys released their 8th studio album and the first in six years.  In honor of one of the greatest music groups of all time, three men who revolutionized the music industry and how music is made, and their newest gem, this week's top 5 is Top 5 Favorite Beastie Boy Songs Of All Time...

5. Sure Shot (Ill Communication)
     "I've more action than my man John Woo.  And I've got more hits than Rod Carew"
     A contender for my Top 5 First Tracks list, which I hope to write one day.  Sure Shot sets the tone early for what is probably my favorite Beastie's album.  It has all the elements of previous Beastie efforts thrown together. It's a straight up rap song with a typical punk rock structure.  And by the way, is there a better flute sample in all of hip hop?

4. Girls (License To Ill)
     "Girls- to do the dishes, Girls- to clean up my room, Girls- to do the laundry, Girls- and in the bathroom"
     I don't know what it is about Girls, but it gets people out on the dance floor like no other.  Even odder is girls go the craziest for it.  Obviously they haven't actually listened to the lyrics because it's far from complementary.  It's on the list primarily for this weird appeal, misplaced or not, but it's also one of my all time favorites.  It's super simple, but upbeat and fun.

3.  Paul Revere (License To Ill)
     "Mike D. grabbed the money, MCA snatched the gold, I grabbed two girlies and a beer that's cold"
     This is a classic.  An early harbinger to what was going to come from three of the biggest rap pioneers.  One of the staples of any Beastie Boy song is clever rhymes.  Although this song's lyrics are a little juvenile, it's a great early example of what they had to offer.

2.  Intergalactic (Hello Nasty)
     "If you try to knock me you'll get mocked.  I'll stir fry you in my wok.  Your knees will start shaking and your fingers pop like a pinch on the neck from Mr. Spock."
     Of all the Beastie's songs this one has my favorite rhymes.  Released after a long hiatus, Intergalactic reminded us of all the genius we were missing out on.  This song had the Beastie's jumping back into the music scene with a fury.  Keeping with their revolutionary style, the boys found a way around paying for the sangs they sampled by sampling themselves.  Intergalactic was not only a step forward in the evolution of the Beasties but in music as well.

1. Sabotage (Ill Communication)
     "I can't stand rockin when I'm in this place because I feel disgraced when you're all in my face.  But make no mistake and switch up my channel, I'm Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle"
     I won't lie, there is no way the awesomeness of this songs video doesn't effect my ranking of the song.  It's hard to separate my love of the video from the song itself.  That being said, Sabotage was both groundbreaking in music and video.  It took music video to a level it hadn't reached at the time, and in all honesty, I'm not sure it has reached since.  As far as music goes, it was the first original song to truly blend rock and rap.  Part of me thought of keeping it off the list because one could argue it paved the way for all the horrible rap/rock that defined early 2000 music.  But ultimately I can't take away from music genius because of what it led to.  Sabotage was genius, Nookie was crap and the second half of that equation had nothing to do with the Beastie Boys.

Honorable Mentions: Unite (Hello Nasty), So What'ca Want (Check Your Head), Hey Ladies (Paul's Boutique), Pass The Mic (Check Your Head), Brass Monkey (License To Ill)

Boston Bruins: Round Three Game Two (Lightening)

     For two periods last night, the Bruins looked like world beaters.  They were the first ones to all the loose pucks.  They won all the battles on the boards.  They dominated at the face-off circle.  They were finding so much open ice it seemed like Tampa played the total of those periods shorthanded.  When ever the defense slipped and let a Lightening player through (which happened more then I'd like) Thomas shut them down cold.  The only thing that kept Boston from establishing an insurmountable lead was the play of Dwayne Roloson.  And then the third period hit and everything changed.  I'm not sure if it was a change of Tampa's game plan or a surge in their efforts or the Bruins just got tired, but all the advantages the Bruins had went away and once again Tim Thomas became the Bruins savior.
     It's weird to save the goaltending was the difference in a 6-5 game, but it was.  The Bruins could have easily been up 8 or 9 to 3 going into the third if Roloson didn't play so well early.  I don't get what about the playoffs brings out the best in Roloson, who during the regular season over his whole career has been average at best, is beyond me, but it can't be argued once it hits April there's arguable no better goalie in hockey.  But Thomas is making a strong case that he the best.  He was amazing stopping multiple break outs during the first two periods, then stood on his head during the third as the Bruins started to fade and Tampa crept back into the game.  I can honestly say it wasn't 6-5 because of the goaltending but because of the horrid defense.
     It's weird how similar both Roloson and Thomas' careers are.  Both had successful college careers at smaller New England schools.  Both took 6 or 7 years toiling in the minors before they broke into the pros.  Both are regularly looked at as unorthodox goalies.  Roloson was 37 when he took his first team to the Cup finals.  Thomas is 37 this year.  Just saying.
     The other obvious stand out was Seguin.  Some people are starting to ask, why has it taken so long for the Bruins to find a place for him on the ice.  Those of us who watched the kid all year know that he wasn't ready when the playoffs started.  It would have been great to have his speed to answer that of Montreal's, but he wasn't showcasing the maturity or skill that we have seen the last two games when the playoffs started.  Julian has a history of sitting young talent in the playoffs to light a fire and give them a chance to watch from the sky box before jumping into the fray.  Ask Phil Kessel.  It always seems to work.  I don't know if it's because he has fresher legs or he was able to learn from watching, but Seguin is now playing like the player we hoped he would be all year.  If he can keep it up and Bergeron comes back strong, this team just got much tougher to beat.  Now if the defense can get their heads straight we'll be looking good.

How I Met Your Mother: Challenge Excepted

     Ummm... uhhhh... wow.  I really don't know what to say.  That was arguable the worst season finale in the history of television.  I know I commented that the show was limping toward the end of the season but I didn't expect them to finish with one of the worst episodes they've ever made.  I had to double check and make sure it was, in fact, the last episode of the season because I couldn't fathom that they would end on such a horrible note.  I don't remember laughing once.  The stories were so obvious and cliche they packed no punch at all.  It was simply bad sitcom television, something the writers of this show are much to talented to let happen.
     The two biggest revelations were that Lilly is pregnant, something that was obvious to anyone with half a brain the minute she started throwing up, and that the wedding at the beginning of the season was Barney's.  In all honesty, as much as I love Lilly and Marshal, the whole pregnant thing isn't compelling at all, so the fact that they finally conceived didn't have the punch I think the writers wanted or expected.  As far as the Barney's wedding goes, I'm pretty sure the writers want us to believe he's marrying Nora, but if we've learned anything over the course of this show it's not to believe anything.  Barney is either marrying Robin or is actually not getting married at all.  That's what happens when you continually cry wolf or keep pulling the football away, eventually we, the audience, catch on and the trick doesn't work or loses whatever dramatic effect you intend.  The Ted storyline, getting back together with Zoey, didn't make me any happier or was any more believable.  Why would the writers put Ted back into the worst relationship they have put him into over the course of the show?  It didn't have me asking, "what is he thinking," like his continuous returns to Laura Prepon's Karen, it just made me mad.  Zoey is a horrible character, who made no sense in a relationship with Ted and made Ted less likable, which is saying a lot because he's been less then interesting the last few seasons, and the fact the writers might keep them going after ending the relationship was mind boggling and infuriating.
     I know the writers have picked out an end date and are writing toward it, I can only pray that fact means the next two season will be more "Legandaddy" and less "Challenge Excepted".  It makes me a little sad that they won't introduce the Mom and try the show with two couples, Robin, and Barney, but what are you going to do.  Keep your fingers crossed that things don't get any worse then how this season ended.

Boston Bruins: Round Three Game One (Lightning)

     In my last Bruins post I mentioned a couple things that worried me about this series, one, that the Bruins might have a problem getting up for Tampa, two, that the loss of Patrice Bergeron might be to big a loss to overcome.  The emotion last night didn't seem to be much of a problem.  The Bruins came out of the gate hard and looked like they were going to be a force.  It could be argued the three goals Tampa scored in 1:30 was due to rust from not playing for over a week, but the Lightning sat for two days longer and they looked fine.  No, the bigger problem was the lack of Bergeron in the line-up.  Without his presence the Bruins are too weak up the middle, they lose a player who plays exceptionally well in both ends, something essential when playing an offensive force like Tampa.  The HuLK line looked great and was flying all over the ice, but after that the Bruins didn't have much to show.  No Bergeron to center the second (or first line depending how you look at it) leaves the Bruins with a huge gap between the talent level of their first and second lines, a gap that the Lightning will be able to take advantage of.  And let's not forget the importance of Bergeron's ability to win face-offs, an extremely important part of the game that tends to get over looked.
     The way Tampa played reminded me a lot of the Canadians.  They jumped to an early lead and then shut down the Bruins with a trap the rest of the night.  The problem is Tampa has more offensive talent then Montreal.  If there were any good signs from last night it was that Tampa doesn't seem to be able to shut down the HuLK line like Montreal did.  Even though they didn't have any points, that line was all over the ice, playing physical and putting the only consistent pressure on the Lightning all night.  Other bright points were Seguin, who got two points in his first playoff game and looked very solid, and Johnny Boychuck, who was a physical force all night.
     If the Bruins are going to win this series without Bergeron, they are going to have to avoid mental lapses and stupid mistakes like the 1:30 Tampa scored three goals.  Without that lapse the Bruins win the game.  The first goal is hard to fault.  Seideneberg lost his stick and there wasn't much else he could have done with the puck, it was just unfortunate, but everything after that was fixable.  The second goal was a soft one given up by Thomas, someone who is hard to blame with all the magnificent saves he makes, but was at fault none the less.  You can't make the impossible saves and then let that one in.  The third goal was easily Kaberle's fault.  I'm not sure what the Bruins thought they were getting in this trade, but it's panning out to be horrible.  Kaberle has done nothing to help the team and most times looks lost on the ice.  Maybe, now that he's healthy, it's time to give Steve Kempfer a shot and sit Kaberle.
     It's still early, the Bruins were down 2-0 in the first round, but there is going to have to be some changes if the Bruins are going to pull this out.  Losing Bergeron is huge and hard to replace, but I think the team has the talent to hang in there, draw this series out and maybe give him an opportunity to get back on the ice this season.  One game isn't the end, but now it's time to tighten the boot straps and get the job done.

How I Met Your Mother: Landmarks

     How I Met Your Mother is limping towards this season's finally.  After an extremely strong run of episodes mid-season, it is beginning to look like the show runners certainly didn't save their best for last.  Last night was another lack luster episode, short on laughs and totally lacking on any emotional level.  Part of the problem, as far as I'm concerned, was a misjudgment over what should be the season's important storyline.  The writer's struck gold with the death of Marshal's Dad and the search for Barney's father, but once those arcs were wrapped up all they had left was Ted's relationship with Zoey.  Did anyone get invested in this relationship?  Did anyone find it compelling or interesting?  Even outside the fact that the show's structure told us the relationship was doomed, it was quite obvious that the relationship wouldn't work and the writer's really gave us nothing else to like about Zoey.  How could a relationship last where one person finds a gross decrepit building more important then the career of their significant other?  Could there have been lessons to be learned from such a relationship?  Maybe, but all the writer's seemed to want to do with it was waste time.  This should have been a minor story this season, much like Barney's relationship with Nora, and the other two should have wrapped the season up on a creative high note.  All this season seemed to prove is that we need to meet Ted's wife ASAP.  The whole point of the show was to tell the story of how Ted met his wife, but at this point there is nothing more irrelevant, aside from Robin, then Ted's love life.  The other characters and their stories have become much more interesting and compelling.  It's time to abandon the mystery, introduce the wife and get on with the show in a new and fresh direction.
     A few high points... "Zoey has magical lady parts."  A classic Barney line that had me laughing.  "He has a lot of keys."  An attempt to describe what Barney's job is.  I really need to see if someone I know writes for this show.  We used to always talk about how much power a person had at work by how many keys they had on their key ring.  Bob Odenkirk, Barney's boss, was great in this episode.  I've kind of felt like his comedic genius has been misused in this show, but the scene with him yelling at his new dog was great.