Red Sox Fail to Make a Big Trade

The trade deadline just passed a few minutes ago and the Red Sox failed to make a big trade.  Management has noticed the lack of offense at the Right Field position, and our pitchers have been plagued with injuries.  Hunter Pence would have been perfect in Right, and they would have commanded his contract for a couple of years past this season and Harden could have possibly helped the injury riddled rotation.  With all of that said, I am still very happy with the lineup and our chances to go deep into the playoffs.

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Red Sox Need Help in Right Field

The Red Sox have needed some help with Right Field ever since they signed J.D. Drew.  He is one of the highest paid players on the Red Sox roster, and his production has not been nearly what the Sox expected.  This year, the Red Sox have the worst offensive statistics in baseball for right field players, and unless they make a change they will continue to struggle at that position.  Management has publicly stated that they need help and need to make a change at right field, which is something they should have said years ago.

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Awesome Bruins Video

Greatest Office Prank: "Welcome to Bruins Country" from climbhighproductions on Vimeo.

The Bruins being up 3-0 on the Flyers is eerily reminiscent of last season.  They can't do it again, can they?   Either way, this video is awesome!

Celtics Loss is a Tough One to Take

The Celtics loss earlier today was a tough one to watch.  They were down by a large margin early in the game, and every time they seemed to be coming back, there would be a foul or other call that seemed to get them down.  Paul Pierce had two technicals called on him and ended up being ejected from the game.  The second tech seemed like the referees were out to get him, and really shouldn't have been called a tech.  All throughout the game there were some very questionable calls against the Celtics, and some questionable non-calls for the Heat.  My dad came up with the nickname "Bubble Boy" for Lebron years ago because it seems that you can't come within two feet of him or a foul will be called, and that "Bubble Boy" status seems to have spread to all of the Miami Heat.

Game 7 Tonight: Bruins vs. Canadiens

Bruins vs. Canadiens: easily the best rivalry in hockey.  This season has seen its fair share of fights and penalties, and it has been great for hockey to see them play each other in the first round.  The fact that this series is going to game 7 must have NHL executives jumping for joy.  So far, this series has been just as expected:  brutal.  Both teams have had a lot to prove, as the Bruins are trying to prove that they are better than Montreal even though the Canadiens had won the season series.  The Canadiens were blown out by the Bruins in their final game of the season series, and they are trying to get revenge for the injury to Max Pacioretty who was injured following a check by Zdeno Chara.

Celtics Sweep Beat My Expectations

Yesterday, the Celtics completed their four game sweep over the Knicks, and even I didn't see that coming.  I felt that they would win the series in five or six games, but the sweep raised my expectations for the Celtics playoff run.  Some say that the series was made easier because of Chauncey Billups' injury and that the C's would have had a more difficult time without that injury.  I agree that the Knicks are better with Billups, but Amare and Carmelo are the stars of that team, and they are the two that determine whether they win or not.  With the sweep, the C's get some much needed rest before their next series, and they get more time to study and develop a gameplan for their next opponent, which is likely to be the Heat.

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Busy Times in Boston Sports

There is a lot to look forward to coming up in the next couple of months (hopefully) in Boston sports.  Both the Bruins and the Celtics are hosting their first playoff game this week, and both should advance past the first round fairly easily.  The Red Sox have started off their season on a slow note, but they should improve greatly, and seeing them at full tilt should be exciting for all fans.  The Patriots are getting ready for a draft, and they have six picks in the first three rounds.  As a Boston sports fan, I have been spoiled over the past few years, and hopefully this will be another year with multiple championship pushes to keep me spoiled.

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"Manny Being Manny"

Today, the MLB gave notice to Manny Ramirez that there was an issue with him under the leagues drug policy.  They did not specify what the issue was, but rather than having to go through with the consequences, he has retired from the sport.  This is surprising after the obvious hard work he put in during the off-season to get back in shape.  He was featured earlier in the spring on ESPN for his workout, and they showed him working with his trainer and he looked like the Manny of old.  His trainer was praising his work ethic, and it looked like he would be a key player for the Tampa Bay Rays this season.

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Should We be Worried About the Sox?

The Red Sox are off to an extremely poor start this season after being swept in their first series against the Texas Rangers.  In all three games, the Rangers won by a large margin, and the pitching was exceptionally bad.  In just three games, Red Sox pitchers gave up 11 home runs, including three each to Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler.  The depth of the Red Sox rotation was supposed to be one of their strengths, but only three game in it appears to be a blatant weakness.  Even with all of these struggles, I'm not too worried about their chances this season.

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Pats Draft: What Do They Need?

The Patriots are known for stockpiling draft picks, and this year they have two picks in each of the first three rounds.  After leading the NFL with a 14-2 record, they have a great opportunity to greatly improve their team with all of these picks.  Over the past few years, they have made a lot of good defensive picks, and come next season (if there is a next season), that young defense will have one more year under their belt.  Their offense has been their strength, but they tend to be on fire or not effective at all.  If the Jets game proved anything, it's that they still have a lot of room for improvement.

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Celtics Don't Look Like a Playoff Team

Over the past couple of weeks, the Celtics have looked like they don't care whether or not they win.  There has been no sense of urgency, and they are sliding down the Eastern Conference standings.  They have lost six of their last ten games, and if the slide continues, they will be in third in the conference in no time.  The last two games have been especially disappointing as they have lost to the Grizzlies and the Bobcats, two teams that shouldn't stand a chance against the C's.  The games that they have won lately were ugly wins where they had to come back from  fairly large deficits.

Just One Week Until Opening Day!

My second podcast shows the main reasons to be excited about the Red Sox this season.  We're only one week away, so it's time to get excited!

Will Geno's Comments Make a Difference?

After yesterday's UConn women's tournament game, coach Geno Auriemma made some harsh comments about fans not showing up for games.  They can host around 10,000 fans, and only about half of the seats were filled even for an NCAA tournament game.  It was Maya Moore's last home game, and it was surprising to see how few fans showed up to cheer on the game's greatest college player ever.  Geno said that his fans are "spoiled", and that they assume that the team will win, so they don't show up.  He went on to say that he would recommend that UConn not play in the tournament for the next five years, like that is a good way to get fans to show up.

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Bonds Trial and the Hall of Fame

The Barry Bonds trial has started with jury selection, and the trial could end in as little as three or four weeks.  He is being tried for perjury, stemming from him allegedly lying about knowingly using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs.  Bonds claims that his trainer rubbed some cream on him and gave him flax seed oil, and that he did not know that they were PED's known as "the cream" and "the clear".  No matter the outcome of the trial, his name and his records are all tainted in the eyes of the fans, and his chances of making it into the Hall of Fame are slim to none.

Boston's Top 5 Sports Villians of Today

In every sport there are great rivalries.  Boston seems to have more heated rivalries than most other cities, and with those rivalries come villians.  These villians are the people that we love to boo, whether it is because they have disrespected our teams, have overly flamboyant attitudes, or continuously pose a threat to our teams.  We just don't like these people, so here is a tribute to adamant fans everywhere.

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Celtics Struggling, But Things are Looking Up

Last night, the Celtics beat the Pacers by twelve points, but it is hard to tell whether their struggles are over or not.  Rajon Rondo's numbers have been plummeting lately and there is some speculation that he might be hurt.  Over the last two games he is 1-12 shooting and his assists per game have gone down every month.  Shaq and Jermaine O'neal are still working on their injuries, and the new acquisitions are still trying to figure out where they fit in.  Things have looked hard lately, and they are no longer alone in first place in the East.

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The Jon Lester Story Keeps Getting Better

Terry Francona has announced that Jon Lester will be the opening day starter for the Boston Red Sox this year.  It seems that his story just keeps getting better and better.  Just a few years ago Red Sox Nation was wondering if Lester would be able to pitch again as he was fighting cancer.  Even after he came back there was the question of how effective he would be, but he silenced the doubters right away.  Ever since his return, he has been completely dominant, and has finally earned his way to be called the Red Sox "Ace".  This was not an easy task since the Sox have four pitchers that would be opening day starters for just about any other team in baseball.

Thanks for Following my Blog

I don't have much time to post today, but I wanted to say thank you for following my blog.  An extra special thank you goes for my international viewers, I'm glad to have you follow my blog.  Send me some comments if you want to hear about anything in particular.  I want to write about topics you are interested in, so keep me posted on what you are interested in at the moment.

I also wanted to let you know about my new blog.  It's just getting started so there isn't much content yet, but there is a link to it on the right side of the page.  It is called Help For Veterans.  If you are interested, follow me on there as well and let me know if you have questions.  Here is the link just in case you can't find it.

http://help-for-veterans.blogspot.com

Once again, thank you for following me!

Kevin Love: Get Out of Dodge

Kevin Love's NBA record of 53 straight double-doubles came to an end yesterday against the Golden State Warriors.  Even as he was approaching Moses Malone's record of 51 straight double-doubles, he barely was able to play in the All-Star game.  He was not voted in, and the only reason he was able to play was because Commissioner David Stern invited him to take Yao Ming's spot.

UConn is Dancing!

What comes to mind when you think about this year's UConn men's basketball team?  Is it Roscoe Smith's full court shot with 11 seconds left against Texas that has dominated ESPN's "Not Top 10"?  Is it the violations and lying by Jim Calhoun that will lead to him being suspended for a portion of next year?  Maybe it's the fact that they won the Big East tournament even though they only have one really good player in Kemba Walker.  The Big East is the best conference in the country, and UConn really surprised a lot of people by beating #1 seed Pitt, #4 seed Syracuse, and #3 seed Louisville in three straight days to win the tournament.

Adrian Gonzalez is Ready to Play!

For years now, the Red Sox have wanted to get Adrian Gonzalez on their team.  They finally signed him this off-season, and today he is making his first appearance of the spring.  I can't wait to see what he can bring to the team, and I know I'm not alone.  He just seemed destined to be on the Sox, and he seems like a perfect fit.  Gonzalez is one of the best players that hasn't been talked about over the past few years because he was on a small-market team in San Diego.  He's so good that he could easily contend for MVP of the American League this season.

Red Sox Storylines

Spring Training is rolling along, and in a couple of weeks the regular season will be here.  Red Sox fans have a lot to look forward to this season, and this Spring Training has been a good introduction to what fans might see.  Daisuke Matsuzaka so far has been exactly what Red Sox fans have come to expect: unreliable and unimpressive.  I know that he has been "experimenting" with some new pitches, but having an ERA over 11 is not a good way to get ready for the season.  Luckily the Red Sox other starting pitchers have been exceptional.  Josh Beckett has looked good even after the scare when he got hit in the head while throwing in the outfield.  He has the tendency to be great every other year and this year should be one of those years.  Clay Buchholz  might be the most impressive Red Sox pitcher so far having nine innings pitched without giving up a run.  The way things look, the Red Sox might have a few pitchers in the Cy Young running.

Criminal Investigation for Zdeno Chara?!

I have waited a few days to write about this topic because I wanted to see how it would play out.  Earlier this week, the Bruins captain made headlines for a hit on Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty. Chara's hit sent Pacioretty into a partition at center ice, causing a fractured vertebrae and a severe concussion.  The NHL held a conference call with Chara on Wednesday and later determined that no suspension is necessary since it seemed that the incident was not done on purpose.

NFL Labor Talks: I'm Sick of It

For months now, the NFL labor talks and talk about a lockout has dominated the sports world.  I understand that there is a lot of money on the table and that both the owners and the players want to split it up as fairly as possible, but in these difficult times for our country I don't like hearing millionaires and billionaires arguing about money.  Today, when the average American is worrying about how they can pay their bills, the NFL is making record profits and they can't agree on how to split it up.

I have an idea....

Miami Heat are Cooling Down

Check out my first podcast about Miami's struggles!  Leave some comments to let me know how I'm doing or if you want me to talk about anything in particular.

Dustin Pedroia Looks Like a "Moron"

Today the "Baseball Tonight" crew from ESPN was at the Red Sox Spring Training facility, and they had an interview with Terry Francona and Dustin Pedroia.  They talked about the upcoming season and Dustin's injury problems from last year, but the highlight of the interview was when Dustin revealed his new haircut.  He called it the "convertible haircut" because the "top is always down".  It looked funny, but when coach Terry Francona said that he looked like a moron I couldn't stop laughing.  Not only were they laughing about the haircut, but Dustin Pedroia was joking around with Carl Ravech telling him that he would beat him up.

Bruins are streaking!

Right now, the Boston Bruins have won 5 games in a row.  With the playoffs coming up, right now it the best time for them to click.  Last year, they really disappointed fans in the playoffs against Philadelphia, and I want to see what the chances are that they do that again.  Right now, they are only three wins shy of their total wins from last year, even though there are twenty games left on their schedule.  Last year, their point differential was +6 for the season, and as of right now it is +46, best in the Eastern Conference.  They are currently in third in the conference, only 7 points back from first place.

Kevin Durant: My Favorite Non-Celtic

I am starting a new Monday tradition.  I will talk about a non-Boston area sports topic.

There are a lot of superstars in the NBA today, but Kevin Durant's name does not come up a lot in the "Who's the best" conversation a lot.  Players like Kobe, Lebron, and Carmelo are always in the conversation, even though Durant is just as good.  He is not the most flashy player in the league, but he is one of the best three players right now.  I love the way he plays the game.  When he makes a big basket, he doesn't make a big show out of it, he just gets back on defense.  When he thinks he got fouled, he doesn't look for the closest referee to cry to.

What the Celtics big moves at the trade deadline mean

Right at the trade deadline, the Celtics made a few big trades that will impact the team for many years to come.  I am very sad to see Kendrick Perkins go, but as I look at it again I understand why they did it.  They tried to get him to sign a contract extension at the beginning of the season and he rejected it.  All signs were pointing to the fact that Boston could not afford to keep him on the team after this season, so they wanted to get something in return.  They also included Nate Robinson in the deal, and in separate deals, they traded Luke Harangody, Semih Erden, and Marquis Daniels.

Top 5 Reasons to Hate A-Rod

Seeing how the media was treating A-Rod in his entrance to Spring Training inspired me to write about him.  The fact that there is no drama for him entering this season was a headline story on ESPN earlier this week, and that just goes to show you what type of person he is.  There is always something going on with him, whether he's injured, complaining about his contract, or linked to performance enhancing drugs.  Here are my top 5 reasons to hate him, and I would love to hear what you think!

What do these blockbuster trades mean for the Celtics?

It is rare to see two huge trades like we have seen in the past couple of days in the NBA.  Carmelo Anthony going to the Knicks and Deron Williams going to the Nets certainly will make the Eastern Conference more difficult to win.  The Deron Williams trade won't mean much to the Nets this season as they do not look like much of a playoff team even with him, but it will open up the door for them to make some big signings and trades during the off season.  The Knicks do look like a playoff contender with the addition of 'Melo, and should be able to make it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

AL East Projections for 2011

With Spring Training starting, it is time to look ahead to the upcoming season.  The American League has probably had more changes exciting than any other division in baseball, which will lead to an interesting season.  The biggest loser during the off-season is the Tampa Bay Rays.  They signed Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, which would have been exciting for them five or six years ago, since both are clearly on the back end of their careers.  The loss of Carl Crawford is a huge loss for them, which ended up being a huge gain for the Red Sox.