Nightmare in Beantown

Boston sports fans all across Massachusetts woke up this morning hoping it was all just one sick and twisted nightmare, butunfortunately that was not the case.  Last night the Boston fans were the center of the sporting universe last night with the Boston sports teams playing in three monstrous games.  Boston fans entered the night with high hopes, but they would end the night at the gates of sporting hell.  The Red Sox and Celtics got blown out of the water, while the Bruins were the only team to keep the game competitive and be somewhat of a saving grace for Boston fans.

The Red Sox were up against the dreaded Yankees, which started off as if it were going to be a good game but in the end that would not be the case.  Josh Beckett in the early going took the form of his postseason self, but that would last for only a few innings.  Beckett was painting the corners and getting batters out with relative ease in the first three innings, but in the fourth his struggles began by giving up three runs to the Yankees.  It seemed as not all hope was lost when Beckett came back in the fifth inning shutting out the Yankees yet again, but the sixth inning would be a completely different story.  In the sixth inning Beckett would let up six more runs, including a 3-run homerun from Nick Swisher.  Beckett could not find the zone and it was miserable to watch, although the bullpen only gave up one more run the Sox didn’t have what it takes to win last night.  The Red Sox went on to lose by the final score of 10-3.

The Boston Celtics also struggled to remain competitive with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Right out of the gate it was a miserable game to watch.  The Cavaliers absolutely controlled the pace of game from start to finish and it looked like the Celtics did not show up to play.  The first quarter would dictate the pace of the rest of the game.  The Cavaliers took control early by outscoring the Celtics by 19 points with the score of 36-17.  The Celtics would not get any closer and they were outscored in the remaining three quarters as well.  They went on to lose by the final score of 124-95.

The Boston Bruins were the only Boston team that showed up to play.  The Bruins game was exciting to watch and it would turn out to be another overtime thriller.  The Boston Bruins had the opportunity to advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992.  With the Flyers on the brink of elimination they would pull out all the stops to avoid being swept and allowing the Bruins to advance further in the post-season.

The Bruins jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from the ageless Mark Recchi assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Dannny Paille, but like we had seen many times before the Flyers answered in the closing minutes of the period.  Danny Briere scored with just 54 seconds left in the period assisted Claude Giroux and Matt Carle.  The first period ended with the score of 1-1.

Early in the second period the Flyers would net two goals in the first nine minutes of the period.  The first goal was scored by Chris Pronger assisted from Matt Carle and Dan Carcillo.  The Flyers scored again courtesy of Claude Giroux assisted by Scott Hartnell and Matt Carle.  It seemed that all hope was lost until the goal from Michael Ryder assisted by Matt Hunwick and Blake Wheeler, narrowing the score to 3-2 to end the period.

The Bruins would even up the score 3-3 early in the third on the power play.  Milan Lucic tipped in the shot that was well wide from Dennis Wideman, giving him the assist along with Marc Savard.  Then the Flyers would recapture the lead ten minutes later with a goal from Ville Leino assisted by Chris Pronger and Dan Briere.  In the final minute of regulation Tuukka Rask skates to the bench to get the extra attacker on the ice.  As if it were scripted, the old but reliable Mark Recchi would score his second goal of the game with 32 seconds remaining assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Dennis Wideman.  The Bruins would head into overtime yet again in this post-season.  The Bruins hopes of a sweep were crushed by Simon Gagne who scored in his first game back from an injury.  The Bruins lost by the final of 4-3.

Overall it was a dreadful night for Boston sports, but the Bruins were able to keep their integrity and lose in a dramatic fashion.  Thankfully there can be a quick turnaround for the other two Boston teams who were blown out.  The Red Sox match up against the Yankees again today at 3:30 PM, with Clay Buccholz on the mound who has been the most reliable thus far.  The Celtics play Sunday at 3:30 PM, so they will not be soaking in this loss for long and hope to even up the series.  The Bruins look to close out the series at home on Monday at 7:00 PM.  Although the Boston sports had a rough night not all has been lost.  Look for these teams to return to their competitive selves in their upcoming contests and hopefully return to their winning ways.  Go Boston!

Big Night for Boston Sports

If you are a huge Boston sports fan like myself, you are probably more than aware of the current dilemma at hand.  All three of the beloved Boston sports organizations are playing tonight, and all should be significant and exciting to watch.  What makes this even worse is the fact that all of the sporting events are scheduled to start at the same time.

First lets begin with the Boston Bruins.  This evening they have the opportunity to do something that they have not done since I was just a little kid.  With a win, not only will they sweep the Philadelphia Flyers, they will advance to the Conference finals.  This would make it their first appearance in the Conference finals since 1992.  They would lose that Conference finals series to the Pittsburgh Penguins who went on to win the Stanley Cup.  Also the Bruins have been hit with a big loss in the previous game.  The team lost David Krecji, who was picking up his performance and making his presence felt on the ice, which should make this game a little more interesting and competitive.  The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:00 PM and it should be a good one.

Next we have the Boston Celtics, who are in the middle of a playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The Boston Celtics have been playing good basketball and receiving solid production from their bench players.  Since the Celtics win on Monday, there has been non stop press coverage for LeBron James’ “bad” elbow.  There have been several different reports and sport segments that have focused on the health of James’ elbow.  Although they have already done an MRI on the elbow and found no serious damage, we continue to hear about how it is possibly a devastating injury and it could have a big impact on his performance.  Until there is medical proof that his elbow is severely damaged I refuse to believe all the hype and annoying allegations that he is really hurting.  Also this game is being played at the TD Garden which only adds to the excitement and intensity.  The two teams are set to tip off at 7:00 PM and I expect the game to be exciting.

Finally we have the Boston Red Sox.  Although this is a regular season game, they begin a three-game series against the dreaded New York Yankees.  The Red Sox have played some serious baseball lately, and they just completed a four-game sweep off the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  This is arguably the best baseball that they have played in this early season.  The Yankees are only 1.0 game back from the division leader, so it should be interesting to see how the Red Sox fare against them.  Add the fact that the Red Sox “ace”, Josh Becket is set to take the mound, you now have a recipe for a dramatic game.  The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM as well, and this should be a late inning thriller.

Understanding that the Bruins and Celtics are in the post-season, it will still be hard to not watch the Red Sox.  I am accustomed to watching the Yankees vs. Sox games from the first pitch until the final out.  I have my priorities straight, so I will be focusing on the Bruins and Celtics.  Also I will have stat tracker up for the Red Sox that way I will be able to keep tabs on all of the Boston sports.  When it comes to sports, there is no place like Boston, and I am honored to be raised a fan of these great organizations.  GO BOSTON!

Celtics Win One on the Road

The Boston Celtics have been widely criticized by many this season.  Some have said that they are too old, too slow, rely too much on the three, and cannot hang around with the NBA powerhouses.  The Celtics have been playing like they have something to prove in this postseason.  They have been playing with the fire and dedication we saw earlier in the season, when they had the tremendous start of 25-8.  They were winning games through intensity, high powered offense, and shut-down defense.  The Celtics approached this playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a similar mentality.

The first game in Cleveland, we saw the Celtics control the pace throughout a majority of the game, but they came up just short.  If they had made a few more free-throws and got a couple more foul calls it could have gone either way, and we could be talking about a 2-0 series lead for the Celtics.  Instead they learned from their previous shortcomings, going on to win game two and even the series 1-1 heading back to Boston.

The Celtics and Cavs were battling back-and-forth attempting to edge each other out.  In the first half the Celtics received a huge emotional boost from Rasheed Wallace.  Although there have been many complaints about his style of play, he helped out the Celtics in a large way and silenced some of the critics in the process.  In the first half, Rasheed gave Doc Rivers some valuable and productive minutes off the bench.  Rasheed was off to a blazing hot start, making all 5-5 from the field for a total of 13 points.  He would finish with 17 points in a mere 18 minutes.  At the end of the first half, the Celtics had a slight edge on the Cavs with the score of 52-48.

Rasheed Wallace pumped up after Celtics victory

The second half was pretty much dominated by the Celtics.  They outscored the Cavs by the score of 31-12 in the third quarter.  Ray Allen was a major contributor in the Celtics run, as he single handedly outscored the Cavs in the third quarter with 17 points.  The Celtics lead by as much as 25 points, but the Cavs would not hand over the victory without a fight.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the score was 83-60 with the Boston Celtics ahead.  This would change fairly quickly.  The Cavs, along with some help from the officials, scratched-and-clawed their way back narrowing the lead to 10 points.  Although the Cavs never brought it within single digits, they had the Celtics on their heels when they ran off a large scoring streak.  The Celtics however found away to get some points in the end and stretch out the margin of victory, winning by the final of 104-86.

Although the Celtics won fairly easily, there were still some aspects that they need to improve upon in order to take this series.  They turned the ball over a total of 19 times.  They need to severely decrease the amount of turnovers, because you cannot always count on winning with that many mistakes.  Also the Celtics got into some early foul trouble.  In the end the Celtics were whistled for 31 fouls, resulting in 38 free throw attempts for the Cavaliers.  Basically the Celtics handed over an extra 26 points due to fouls.  The Celtics were on the receiving end of only 16 fouls, resulting in only 18 free throw attempts.  They shot a high percentage from the line (83.3%) connecting on 15-18 free throws.  It is interesting to look at the foul discrepancy between the two teams, the fouls highly favor the Cleveland Cavaliers which leads me to question the integrity of NBA officials.

Overall the Celtics managed to come into LeBron’s house and take one of two games.  With that win, the Celtics obtained home court advantage in the remaining five contests.  The Celtics need to capitalize on the home court advantage and win their home games, but as we saw tonight they are also capable of going on the road and coming away with the victory.  I expect that this series will continue to be a highly intense and highly emotional series, it will be a long and grueling series stretching to six or seven games.

Boston Bruins Win Another Close One

The Boston Bruins have been no stranger to the dramatics.  Throughout the post-season the Bruins have found themselves in several close games.  In the first series against the Sabres they had only outscored them by one goal, yet they escaped the series with a 4-2 victory.  In the first game of the Philadelphia Flyers series, the Bruins also had a flair for the dramatics and won in overtime thanks to a Marc Savard goal.  The second game of the series would not disappoint either, as it would be decided in the final minutes of the game.

Game 2 began with a great amount of intensity and physicality.  On the first shift of the game, Shawn Thorton got into a minor scuffle and was looking to make his presence felt early on.  The Bruins would be the first to sound the horn in the first period thanks to a goal from a Johnny Boychuk slap shot assisted by Patrice Bergeron.  However the Bruins could not capitalize and looked terrible on their first power play opportunity.  The Flyers would not role over, scoring with under three minutes to go in the period.  Mike Richards ripped off a devastating snap shot assisted from Daniel Briere and Ville Leino.  The period ended with a score of 1-1.

The second period started with the same fire intensity as the first.  Within the first three minutes, we saw Savard get sent to the box for a questionable slashing call.  After he swatted at the puck in Brian Boucher’s glove, he was cordially greeted by a slash and punch from the tag-team combo of Kimmo Timonen and Daniel Carcillo.  Carcillo seemed eager to trade blows with Marc Savard, but Savard showed minimal interest.  Neither of the Flyers were sent to the box for their actions.  The Bruins killed off the Savard penalty with relative ease, showcasing why they were amongst the top of the league on the penalty kill.  Minutes after the successful PK,

Miroslav Satan, continues his strong play, and celebrates his second period goal

Miroslav Satan would continue his strong play putting the puck in the back of the net yet again, by unleashing a rocket snap shot to beat goalie Brian Boucher.  This put the Bruins ahead 2-1, and was assisted by Blake Wheeler and Dennis Wideman.  As if it were Deja Vu, the Flyers answered with another goal in the closing minutes of the period.  Danny Briere scored with a snap shot assisted by Ville Leino (his second assist of the game) and Chris Pronger.  The second period ended with the score of 2-2.

The final period was filled with more dramatics and it was impossible to tell who would come away with the victory.  The action was back-in-forth with several decent chances for both teams to take the lead.  Although both goaltenders, Tuukka Rask and Brian Boucher, looked to be on top of their game and were determined to win.  The Bruins could not capitalize on either of the power play opportunities they were granted.  The Bruins scored late in the third period from the fan favorite Milan Lucic.  This was only his second goal this season at the TD Garden, the first being a meaningless empty net goal (ENG).  His playoff goal was assisted by Daniel Krejci and Miroslav Satan.  This left just under the three minutes on the clock for the Flyers to respond, which they had done similarly in the previous two periods.  The Bruins missed a keene opportunity to score an ENG but Chris Pronger was able to keep it out of the back of the net with great hand-eye-coordination.  This made the Bruins fans sweat out the final seconds of the game in order to secure a 2-0 series lead.

Overall this game did not lack in anything and was a great game to watch.  The Bruins will need to step up their power play performance, as they did not score on any of their five power play opportunities.  They must also continue their strong penalty kill, as they successfully killed off all four of their penalties.  With the win, the Bruins secured a 2-0 series lead heading to Philadelphia.  This playoff series is no where near over.  Although the Bruins have a 2-0 lead, all they have done is win two home games and have not played on the road yet.  Bruins need to continue their strong physical play if they want to continue to advance further into the NHL Playoffs.

Red Sox Offense Explodes

As soon as I began to doubt them, the Boston Red Sox came away with the victory last night in a fashionable style.  The Sox won by the football score final of 17-8.  They saw some dramatic improvements in the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, since being swept by the Baltimore Orioles.  The Red Sox did a lot of good things in this game, but there were still aspects that need to be improved upon in order to fully turn this season around.

It all began with scoring early and often.  Although the Red Sox offense has been hard to come by, they exploded on the Angels for a grand total of 20 hits and scoring 17 runs.   They had been held scoreless in the first inning, but in the second inning they were jolted by a leadoff solo home run by Kevin Youkilis giving them the early 1-0 lead.  The Sox would go on to score two more runs in the inning building up a 3-0 lead.

Bill Hall Contributed to Red Sox Offensive Explosion Last Night (2-R HR)

Unfortunately for the Angels Starting pitcher, Joe Saunders, there was still plenty more offense to go around.  In the third inning Bill Hall contributed with his first home run in a Red Sox uniform.  Hall belted a 2-run home run with two outs.  The Sox would go on and tack on two more runs in the fourth inning.  At the end of the fourth inning, it was the end of Joe Saunders’ start.  Saunders finished with 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits and 7 earned runs, while striking out only 3 and walking 4.  He has gotten off to a rough start and was handed his fifth loss in this early season by the Red Sox.  The Angels decided to show up in the fourth scoring three runs off of Clay Buchholz, but that would not be close to enough to win the game last night.

After a surprisingly quiet fifth inning, the floodgates would re-open in the sixth inning.  The Angels looked to narrow the lead by adding another run in the top of the sixth but the Red Sox proceeded to answer in a big way.  The Red Sox scored a total of seven runs in the sixth inning, with key contributions from Andrian Beltre and Dustin Pedroia.  Beltre hit a 2-run homer with one out, and then a couple batters later Pedroia hit a 3-run homer with two outs.  With last night’s home run, Pedroia has a total of 7 home runs and is leading the team in that category.  Then in the seventh inning the Sox continued the beat down of the Angels and piled on three more runs.

The Sox bullpen was extremely sturdy tonight with the exception of one pitcher, but at that point in the game it was already out of reach.  Manny Delcarmen, who has pitched very well thus far, continued his strong performance with 1.1 scoreless inning while striking out one batter.  Then the struggling Ramon Ramirez came in and held the Angels scoreless for another 1.0 inning.  Then in the top of the ninth, Scott Schoeneweis was touched up for four earned runs in 1.0 innings.  Schoeneweis walked two batters and gave up four hits, thus far in the season he has not shown any signs of hope.  Time after time Schoenweis continues to struggle while sporting a 6.75 ERA.  Ramon Ramirez, who also has an ERA over six, showed that he is capable of getting outs in his 1.0 inning pitched.  If the struggling bullpen pitchers can return to proper form, it would be a huge boost for the Red Sox.

Although the Boston Red Sox still have a long way to go before they can be considered a top competitor in the AL East, this is definitely a step in the right direction.  The starting pitching was solid last night but we still need the 1-4 pitchers to step their game up.  Schoenweis needs to turn things around and get some batters out, he is one of the two lefties in the bullpen but he has not shown that he is capable of doing his job effectively.  Also the fielding has been sub-par, they had more of a defensive mindset going into this offseason yet they continue to make a great deal of errors.  Andrian Beltre, traditionally a good third basemen, has been struggling at the hot corner for Boston.  He has already accumulated a total of 6 errors.  Hopefully this victory can get the Sox out of their early season struggles, and they will begin to play like the Boston Red Sox we all know and love from the seasons past.

Struggling Sox Can’t Catch a Break

The Boston Red Sox are in the midst of one of the worst starts in recent history.  They finished up the month of April with an 11 – 12 record and have lost both games in the month of May.  Currently they are sporting a less than impressive record of 11 wins and 14 losses in this early season.  They find themselves fourth in the division behind the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and the Toronto Blue Jays.  This weekend they were swept by the last place Baltimore Orioles, who hold the worst record in Major League Baseball (MLB).  The question remains, what is the cause of this horrid start to the beloved Red Sox season?

Terry Francona conferencing with the struggling Josh Beckett

One possible explanation for the struggles is the poor performance of the pitching staff, from both the starters and members of the bullpen. There have been few bright spots in the early portion of the season.  The Red Sox are said to have one of the best pitching rotations in the MLB on paper, but they have not shown it thus far.  The best pitcher has been Clay Buchholz, who was the supposed weak link at the start of the season.  Buchholz is the only starting pitcher with an earned run average (ERA) below four (2.19).  The other starters all have an ERA of 4.50 and above.  Respectively, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Tim Wakefield (who was just moved to the bullpen) have an ERA of 4.50, 4.71, 6.31, and 6.59. Although the bullpen has not been horrendous, they still have a couple blown save opportunities and a couple members who are underperforming.  Throughout their struggles they do have one bright spot.  Jonathan Papelbon is a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities, and has only given up 3 earned runs in his 13 innings pitched.  Overall the bullpen has underperformed as a whole and some of the traditionally reliable pitchers have not been there.

The Red Sox offense has also shown some early season jitters and has yet to hit their stride. They have been hit with two early injuries to outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron, coupled with David Ortiz and J.D. Drew drastically underperforming with only 28 hits in 147 at-bats (.190).  In the previous seasons these players had a fairly large impact on the performance of the team.  The Red Sox offense, as a whole, needs to step up their game and begin to play up to their potential.

The struggles of the Red Sox have been noticeable since the start of the season and not much has happened to turn it around.  There is no single cause for the Red Sox poor start, but the team as a whole has not lived up to the hype.  Quality starting pitching has been hard to come by, the bullpen has been shaky at times, and the offense has disappeared in several games.  The Red Sox need step up their play soon before its too late.

Claude Julien: Coach or Cancer?

Boston Bruins head coach, Claude Julien, trying to motivate his team.

Claude Julien is the head coach of the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL).  Throughout the season, especially the tail end, there were critics calling for Julien to be fired.  Some thought he was a poor head coach and unable to motivate the athletes, which is the main criticism of Julien.  Just the other day, I had a conversation with a colleague, who disclosed his opinions on Claude Julien.  He, like many others, felt that he should be removed from his job.  In the final games of the regular season, the Boston Bruins, clinched the sixth seeded playoff spot and punched their ticket to face the Buffalo Sabres in the first round.  Even with the Bruins in the post-season, in the midst of a great series, there still are individuals disgruntled with Julien’s performance.  This made me wonder, what brought all this grief to Julien’s doorstep and should he be fired from his job?

Understanding that Boston is a unique sports environment, if you are not winning every game, you will hear it from the fans and media on a daily basis.  Every team is going to experience ups and downs throughout the season, so it is natural for the coach to be questioned about the teams performance at times, but it shouldn’t happen during the playoffs.  The Bruins, prior to the hiring of Julien, were the laughing stock of the NHL and were probably the least supported team in Boston.  After Julien took over they have regained the respect from the fans and media, also making the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.  Although they have not captured a Stanley Cup, they have still seen an exponential growth in popularity and support because of Julien’s successes.  In the previous years, he was been praised and respected, and then all of the sudden he is deemed a disgrace and poor motivator.

In the years Julien has been the head coach, he has compiled quite an impressive record (123-78-35) with a   .571 win percentage, making the post-season every year.  In Julien’s first year in Boston, he lead them to an eighth seeded playoff birth.  They were matched up against the first seeded Montreal Canadiens.  Although they ended up losing that series, they scratched and fought to take it to game 7.  This was a series that no one expected to win a game, nevermind three, and it was quite an accomplishment to stretch the series like that.  In the following season, Julien lead them to  another playoff birth this time as the first seed.  They won their first playoff series against the  Montreal Canadiens.  This was their first series win in several years, and they did it in a convincing manner by sweeping the Canadiens in four games.  Unfortunately they lost the next series to the Carolina Hurricanes in a grueling 7 game series.  Currently they are tied, 1-1, in a series against the Buffalo Sabres.  The Sabres finished third thanks to superb defense and an American hero in net.  Ryan Miller, goaltender, lead the American hockey team to the gold medal game in the Olympic Games.  Although the USA hockey team came up just short, his performance in net was nothing short of amazing and now Miller is showcasing his talent against the Bruins.

The Boston Bruins struggled and fought to get to where they are right now.  Before the season even started the Bruins were worse off than last season.  The Bruins traded away Philip Kessel for draft picks from the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked the trade, but they traded their leading goal scorer and got no one in return that could fill his void.  Essentially the Bruins dumped their leading scorer for players that, may or may not, even make it to the NHL. If you take away the leading scorer from any hockey team, they are bound to see a dive in production as well.  From the beginning it looked like it would be difficult for Julien to repeat his successes, but he still coached his team into the post-season.

The Boston Bruins were forced to deal with an abundant amount of injuries throughout the regular season.  Early in the season they lost, Milan Lucic due to a broken right index finger, and Marc Savard to a broken left foot.  Shortly after Lucic’s return he found himself back on the injured reserve due to an ankle sprain.  Not long after that they lost Patrice Bergeron to a broken thumb.  And similar to Lucic, shortly after Savard returned to the team he was right back on the injured reserve due to a partially torn MCL.    Then Mark Stuart went down with a broken finger.  Ference had to deal with a groin injury.  Then came the devestating blow delivered by Matt Cooke to Marc Savard that left him with a grade 2 concussion and a sustained absence from the sport.  Then, most recently, the newly acquired Dennis Seidenberg is out of action because of lacerated forearm.  There are also several players that are playing through pain in order to compete in the playoffs, including  Bruins’ team captain Zdeno Chara.  The injury bug bit the Bruins early and often as the season continued.  With a revolving door of players leaving due to injury it is hard to blame the head coach for a decline in performance.  This is something that cannot be controlled.  The injuries are a major contributing factor to the decline in the regular season.  *(The full list of Bruins injuries throughout the season can be found here. Bruin’s Full Injury List)

The Bruins have had an extremely successful season considering all of the extenuating circumstances.  I feel that regardless of the outcome the Bruins should be proud of the accomplishments and have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming seasons.  If the Bruins keep, their core of young talented players together, their head coach, and add a few key players, then they should be on pace for another exciting season.  Currently the organization has themselves a great head coach that can produce results even under stressful circumstances, and I can only hope that the fans and media recognize the value of Claude Julien.  Julien should be recognized for his accomplishments and should not have to worry about the safety of his job in the upcoming season.

Nothing Beats the Playoffs

After the conclusion of the regular season, the post-season begins and it is indeed the best part of the season.  All the regular season dramatics add to the anticipation and excitement of the post-season.  Every player steps their game up and plays every game like it is their last.  The professional athlete leaves everything out on the field.  These players often leave their blood, sweat, and tears on the field in attempts to capture a championship trophy.  This makes post-season play electric no matter the sport, but there is one sport that stands taller than all the rest.

The sport that has the best playoff system is the National Hockey League (NHL).  There is no other professional sport that can duplicate the dynamics and excitement of the NHL playoffs.  Hockey has all of the necessary elements to be an exciting and jaw dropping competition every time the puck drops.  It is impossible to tell who is going to win any given game, which in turn makes it difficult to predict the winner of the series.  Although there may be favorites entering the series, you can never be sure of the outcome.  It seems every year there is a surprise thrown into the mix and it really shakes up the playoff picture.  The unpredictability is only one of the many reasons that the NHL playoff system reigns supreme in delivering an exciting product almost every time.

Another reason the NHL playoffs are so exciting is because of the sport itself.  Hockey is an intriguing sport that is not like any other.  One aspect that separates it from the other sports is the physicality and violence built into the sport.  As I stated in the UFC: Modern Gladiators or Skillful Athletes article, Americans’ love violence in their sports.  Hockey is arguably the most violent and dangerous team sport.  When players collide into each other it is bone rattling.  The players skate at high speeds, and when they collide it is with great force usually knocking one or both of them to the ice.  If they hit each other into the boards, you can see the boards violently shake for a few seconds, which really shows the force exerted with each bone crushing hit.  You cannot forget about the fights and the extracurriculars after the whistle.  It is the only sport in which fighting is legal, if you participate in a fight you only sit out for five minutes and it usually gets the fans or the team fired up.  A majority of fights lead to a momentum shift and increases the intensity of the game.  Usually the games are so emotional there tends to be pushing and shoving after the whistle.  This just adds to the drama and intensity of each game.  The physicality really helps boost the popularity of the sport, and makes the playoffs more exciting and fun to watch.

The fans and atmosphere also help make the post-season a unique experience.  The atmosphere is electrifying.  Fans are cheering and on their feet from the time the puck drops until the final horn sounds.  These fans are thrilled to be at these events and they show

The Crazy Canucks Green Men at the first playoff game against the Sacramento Kings.

their support.  They wear their teams colors, jerseys, participate cheers, and other various acts to show support.  When the home team crowd is cheering the arena is deafening.  They can be cheering for a good call or booing for a bad call with both being equally loud.  They make sure their presence is felt. In the playoffs the crowd can act like the seventh man, they can really impact the outcome of the game.  If the crowd is active and loud it could give their team that extra boost to put them over the edge.  The roaring of the crowd can pump up their team and in turn will enhance their performance.  Hockey fans are also a rare breed.  Certain individuals really attempt to impact the game and make their individual presence known at the game.  These fans can dress up in costumes dedicated to their team or something completely random and funny.  Usually those who dress up will be featured on the jumbotron scoreboard, they will usually garner loud cheers and acknowledgements for their dedication to the team.  These over the top enthusiastic fans really help add to the entertainment value of the sport and can provide some good clean family fun.

I am not taking away anything from the other professional sports, but I feel that there is no equivalent to the NHL playoffs.  The fans showcase their dedication, the players leave everything on the ice, and the games are unpredictable.  It is one of the most exciting sports in America and it will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Watching an NHL playoff game can not be duplicated nor replaced, I would recommend everyone to watch it the chase for the Stanley Cup.  Even if you do not understand the sport or are not a die hard fan, you will be able to find some sort of entertainment and enjoyment in the NHL Playoffs.

Oh Yeah, LET’S GO BRUINS!

Don’t Write Off the Celtics Just Yet

The Big Three: (Left to Right) Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen

The post season is now officially under way in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and it looks like it should be an interesting journey to the NBA Finals.  The first day of NBA post-season play is already over, and the second is under way.  Before the post-season even began there were several analysts and bloggers that have already written off the Boston Celtics to be a potential contender to win the NBA Championship.  Understanding the Boston Celtics are a different team from when they last won the NBA Championship in 2007-08, there are still a lot of reasons to believe they can duplicate a similar playoff push.  After a tough fought game last night, with the Boston Celtics edging out the Miami Heat, it should help people realize that not all hope is lost.

It is inevitable that the Boston Celtics are compiled of a list of aging all star athletes, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, and Michael Finley.  All of these athletes are over the age of 32 and are not capable of competing at the level they did in their prime, but it does not mean that they have lost all ability to play the sport.

Kevin Garnett, 33, is coming off a season that was plagued with injuries in 2008-09 and he has had some more time off this year due to injuries.  Although Garnett may not be the high flyer he once was, he can still navigate his way into the paint and rebound fairly well.  Also Garnett has definitely lost a step on the defensive side of the ball, but he can still contribute on help defense.  He may no longer be the lock down defender he once was, but he can still make some plays on the defensive side of the ball.

Ray Allen, 34, is still one of the best shooters in the history of the game.  He saw a slim decline in his numbers from last year, but he still remains a top tier shooter.  Also Allen has a flare for the dramatics and is capable of knocking down the game winning shot on any given night.  Allen can also navigate hi way to the basket, he can still drive to the hoop with a fairly relative ease.  Allen can also contain his man defense and his presence should not be overlooked.

Paul Pierce, 32, is the captain of this team and his leadership skills are still as good when he first entered the league.  Pierce is also the youngest of the seasoned veterans and it shows in his style of play.  Pierce is able to drive to the basket nearly at will, while drawing contact and finishing strong with a basket.  Also still has a great shooters touch, he can drill that mid-range shot at will and he has improved his shooting skills from long range.  Pierce can still take over a game and control the tempo whenever he is needed.

Michael Finley, 37, is the oldest of the veterans.  The Celtics signed Finley after the San Antonio Spurs decided to release him because he was not getting significant playing time.  Since the signing, Finley has joined the team, and showcased his ability to play basketball.  Finley is a great shooter and really adds some depth to the bench.  Finley has the ability to come off the bench and score quickly from long range with decent success.  Expect Finley to play a significant role in the Celtics playoff push.

Rasheed Wallace, 35, is a player you either love him or hate him.  Wallace plays with his emotions on his sleeve and is dedicated to win games.  Since Wallace is coming off the bench his numbers were lower than what some fans may have expected.  This could have lead to some of the grief Wallace receives from the fans and media.  Wallace remains a center/power forward that is still a threat to beat a team from long range.  His ability to shoot the three-pointer can really stretch out the defense.  This will help Garnett, Perkins, and Davis get some easier baskets in the paint when he is on the floor.

Other than the fact that the seasoned veterans still know how to play basketball and can contribute effectively to a playoff push, there are several other reasons they can make it deep into the playoffs.  The health of the Celtics is one reason to regain faith.  Even though the team was plagued with injuries this year, Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Marquis Daniels, and so on, they are all healthy now and ready to compete in the playoffs.  Along with the health they also have depth.  If someone were to go down they have depth that is ready to step in and contribute to the team.

The Celtics bench is another reason to get excited.  They have players that can really eat up minutes and still contribute to the offensive and defensive side of the ball.  This is an important quality, since the Celtics’ core is fairly old, it is important for them to rest.  The bench is filled with guys who can play defense and score baskets.  This will allow Doc Rivers to rest his aging core without a huge decline in skill.  Rivers will also be able to mix and match, allowing Rivers to rest certain players at various times, so down the stretch the starters will be well rested and ready to go.

The Boston Celtics should be able to win this series against the Miami Heat in a convincing fashion.  They also have all the pieces to remain competitive against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the next round.  The Celtics can also match up well with the Orlando Magic.  Kendrick Perkins was able to slow down and contain Dwight Howard last year and there is no reason to expect anything different this year.  If the Celtics can control the superstars on the opposing teams, they should be able to remain competitive and make a push deep into the playoffs.  No team in the NBA is unbeatable and anything can happen on any given night, which can affect the outcome on a series.  I am not saying that the Celtics will be able to cruise through the playoffs, they had to fight for the NBA Championship in 2007-08, so why would it be any different this year.  It is not ridiculous to believe they can advance deep into the playoffs and possibly make a push for another NBA Championship.  In the words of Kevin Garnett “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!”

UFC: Modern Gladiators or Skillful Athletes

People all over the world are intrigued and interested by violence.  People love their violence whether it is in their everyday lives, movies, videogames, or sports.  When there is an accident on the highway it is natural to slow down and examine the aftermath, not because its fun to look at but because of the damage and violence that was involved.  Some of the highest grossing movies are packed full with action and violence.  Along with the violence and action that can be found in videogames is disgusting.  Sports is no different from the rest, people love their sports action packed and filled with violence.

Especially in America sports fans love their violence.  One of  the largest sports in America, Football (American), is one of the most violent and gruesome sports.  Football may not be filled with fights, but there are powerful and devastating hits on nearly every play.  Then examining hockey there are some fans that watch or attend the sport because they hope to see a fight with ugly results.  Finally the largest sport in America, NASCAR, may not be the most violent on the surface but once you dig a little deeper the violence is evident.  A majority of the fans agree that the most exciting part of the sport is the high speed car crashes.  These high speed car crashes have the potential to result in injury or death even with the advancement in safety precautions.  Is this the case with the fast evolving Ultimate Fighting Championship, do the fans watch for the violence or the tactical skill and athleticism that is found in the sport?

It is easy to see the violence in the sport but is that the only reason the fans pay-per-view.  These events usually cost the viewer $50(US) and they sell hundreds of thousands per event.  Although they sell hundreds of thousands pay-per-views they have millions of viewers.  The reason the number of viewers is so much higher than the amount of pay-per-views sold is because of the viewing gatherings at homes and bars.  On more than one occasion I have been at a location where there were easily more than ten viewers that watched one pay-per-view.  In my limited experience, I have gone to the Dockside Restaurant on two occasions to watch a UFC pay-per-view event, and I went to a friends to watch the event.  In those three instances, I never paid for a pay-per-view but I watched the UFC event regardless.  This is the reason that the pay-per-view numbers can be misleading, there are usually far more people watching the UFC event then those who actually purchased the events.

There is no question that this is arguably one of. if not, the most violent sport(s) in the world.  These athletes are constantly at risk of getting knocked out, choked out, or a brutal beating in every event they compete.  Because this sport can be so gruesome it has lead people to call them the Gladiators of our era.  There are definitely some similarities but there is also a great deal of differences.  Similar to the gladiators these individuals are placed in the middle of an arena and they risk their health for the entertainment of others.  One major difference between the gladiators and UFC athletes, the gladiators were forced to fight in the colosseum with weapons and had to fight to the death in order to keep their lives.  These gladiatorial battles would not be allowed to stop until there was only one man still standing, whereas the UFC matches are monitored by a referee to protect the athlete.  Another difference is that the UFC athletes choose to be in the middle of that arena.

Instead of weapons the UFC athletes choose to arm themselves with martial arts and athletic ability.  These athletes possess an unreal amount of athletic ability that cannot be matched by many individuals.  A majority of these athletes have been trained by martial art experts for many years and have received impressive belts.  There are many forms of martial arts that have progressed and integrated themselves into the sport of UFC.  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, American Karate, Judo, Wrestling, Taekwando etc. are just a few of the styles that have been recognized and respected in the UFC.  These fighting styles take a lot of discipline and effort to perfect.  Also the training schedules are unbelievable.  These athletes are always in the gym working out and perfecting their skills nearly everyday of the week in order to match the efforts of the opposition.

In the end these athletes are not trying to kill the opposition like the gruesome gladiators once did.  A  majority of these athletes have a great deal of respect for the athlete they are matched up against.  The UFC athletes are equipped with a unique skill set, have an unbelievable work ethic, and a ridiculous amount of discipline.  To say these individuals are similar to Gladiators is ludicrous.  The athletes are well aware of the risks associated with UFC fighting, they also are supervised by a referee to help protect the athlete, and they have access to trainers and health officials to help maintain their health.  It is inevitable that UFC will always be engrossed in violence, but it is a controlled and monitored violence that should be recognized as skill.  The UFC is filled with skillful athletes and they are not a bunch of blood thirsty modern gladiators.

Frank Mir defeats Brock Lesnar by submission.