2009 RED SOX PREVIEW: THIRD BASE

One of the biggest question marks for the Red Sox this year is what will Mike Lowell give the team? He only played in 113 games last year, hit .274, with 73 RBI. This was one year removed from being 5th in MVP voting with .324-21-120.

He's only played a few Spring games, but he's looked solid and healthy in them. It will be interesting to see how well his hips absorb the daily wear and tear of playing third base and batting 5 times a night.

Jed Lowrie was supposed to be the backup for Lowell (after Youkilis, of course), but with Lugo needing surgery he might not be able to for a bit of time.

If Lowell is healthy and productive, even at the same level he was last year, the Sox have a solid anchor at the bottom of the lineup. If not, they have yet another hole, and the lineup starts looking very suspect.

BRUINS EXCORCISE SOME DEVILS

After a heartbreaking overtime loss to the lowly LA Kings, and with the Devils 9-2 in their last 11, this clash between the top two teams in the East was a potential turning point for both teams, particularly the struggling Bruins.

Finally, the Bruins had a little bit of luck on their side. But that luck was assisted by hard work and quality play. Their first goal, for instance, deflected off a New Jersey skate and past Brodeur. However, the B's were on a power play thanks to a sloppy New Jersey line change which came about thanks to a long, hard possession in the Devils' zone.

The Bruins seemed to find a chink in Brodeur's superhuman armor. His ankles. They peppered his ankles with shots, and he let a few in. Kobasew had a wraparound goal to make it 2-0, and Lucic attacked Brodeur's heels to make it 4-1.



The game was playoff caliber in terms of physicality, with the Bruins just slightly coming out on top. Zdeno Chara owned Zach Parise and tossed around all 230 pounds of Bobby Holik on more than one occasion.

This physical play affected the Devils. In the 2nd, they got two frustration penalties. Parise slashed at Chara, and Holik crossed the line with Stephane Yelle.

New Jersey's goal came after an unsuccesful Bruins power play. It was the only stretch that the B's looked a bit lazy, even slothful. But once the Devils made it a 3-1 game, the Bruins shifted it back into high gear. The 3rd period was their best 3rd period I've seen in over a month. They continued to pressure Brodeur, and they made nothing easy for the Devils.

Oh, and Timmy Thomas had a season high 41 saves. He was simply outstanding.

Marc Savard had a goal and an assist. Milan Lucic's goal snapped a 14 game goalless streak. He was also paired with Thornton and Yelle on a grueling 4th line that drained tons of energy from the Devils.

The Bruins have 5 days off. Yeah, they don't play until Saturday when they play the Leafs in Toronto.

With this win, the Bruins clinch the Northeast Division. Their first divisional title since 2004, and their 22nd all-time. Meanwhile, Montreal is on the verge of vanishing from the playoff picture.

Today's victory also gives the Bruins the edge in the season series with New Jersey. That might end up being important as head-to-head results are the 2nd tie-breaker for playoff seeding. At the moment, the Bruins have a 5 point lead over New Jersey, but the Devils have a game in hand.

Bruins @ Maple Leafs, Saturday night at 7.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

BU BARELY SURVIVES UMASS-LOWELL TO WIN HOCKEY EAST

The UMass-Lowell River Hawks did something only three other teams had been able to do: hold BU to 1 goal. But 1 goal was all the Terriers needed to capture their 7th Hockey East Championship.

UM-L had their chances. They were given 7 power plays, including a 5 on 3, but they couldn't beat Freshman netminder Kieran Millan, who was named the tournament's MVP. BU also had a bit of bad luck, hitting the post 4 times.

One confusing play came in the 2nd, about 9 bodies piled into the BU net after a rebound, and the puck was knocked in by a UMass-Lowell stick. The goal judge lit the lamp, but the on ice officials gave no indication. They went to instant replay and inexplicably called "no goal." I still can't figure out or find out why. The official reason given was that the whistle blew before the puck crossed the line. Which, from the replays, wasn't true.

Conspiracy?

Anyway, BU has essentially secured the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Northeastern, UNH, and Vermont are also going to get in.

Sources:
Hockey East
College Hockey News
USCHO.com

UMASS-LOWELL UPSETS NORTHEASTERN, BU NEARLY SUFFERS SAME FATE

College hockey, the OTHER March Madness.

The UMass-Lowell River Hawks seemed dead in the water midway through the 2nd period last night. They were down 2-0, with the newly named Hockey East Player of the Year in Northeastern's net, and the #5 team in the nation bearing down on them. You could understand how a team might lose confidence in that situation.

But Ryan Blair picked up his teammates with 1:16 left in the period. The importance of late period goals cannot be overstated. UMass-Lowell spent their 15 minutes in the locker room with positive thoughts, and only a 1 goal deficit facing them. Northeastern, on the other hand, must have had a doubt or two.

In the 3rd, a bench minor for too many men gave the River Hawks a power play. They pulled their goalie, and Scott Campbell found the back of the net with 1:05 ticks on the 3rd period clock. 2-2, and UMass-Lowell had the momentum.

Three minutes into OT and Chris Auger tipped a shot past NU goalie Brad Thiessen, who summed up the stunningness of the moment by standing frozen in his half-butterfly for a good 3 minutes.



UM-Lowell now vies for their first ever Hockey East title against a team with 6 Hockey East Championships, and 4 national titles.

The BU Terriers and BC Eagles met for the 4th time this season and 246th time in history. It did not disappoint. Unlike BC's basketball team, their hockey team went down with a fight.

A duel between goaltenders for 2 periods saw BC up 1-0. It took BU 50 minutes to get onto the scoreboard. But once they did, it only took them 44 seconds to score all 3 of their goals. It was an offensive explosion that will send chills up the spines of college coaches nationwide as they prepare for the NCAA tournament.



The Eagles made it a game when Joe Whitney scored with little less than 6 minutes left. BC peppered the BU net with shots, but Hockey East Rookie of the Year Kieran Millan stood strong and the Terriers advanced to the title game.

I'm rooting for UMass-Lowell, but I don't see them having much of a chance. The River Hawks upset Northeastern, but they've been cold lately, losing to UMass and BC. BU is red hot. They've lost 2 games since January, and they've already beaten UM-L 3 times this year.

BU 5, UML 1

The 25th Hockey East Championship is tonight at 7 on NESN.

Source & Photo Credits:
Hockey East

BC GOES OUT WITH A WHIMPER

With wins against teams like Duke, North Carolina, and Florida State; a 66-65 loss to Duke in the ACC tournament; and players like Tyrese Rice, Rakim Sanders, and Reggie Jackson; you can understand why I was optimistic about BC going into the tournament. Sure, Michigan State would be a tough challenge. But if you can beat UNC in Chapel Hill, you can certainly handle MSU in Minneapolis.

But USC was too much. The Trojans double-teamed Tyrese Rice and shut him down. Rice had 9 points, and only 2 in the 2nd half. BC never did much to challenge this double-team. They never tried anything to free Rice up, and Rice never did anything to take advantage of mismatches elsewhere on the floor.

Rice's performance pretty much summed up his senior season on Chestnut Hill. Game changing talent coupled with a fervent unwillingness to adjust for the benefit of the team. He's Vince Vaughn in Rudy.



Josh Southern made some stupid fouls early on and had to miss a pivotal chunk of the 2nd half, sitting on the bench with 4 fouls as the Trojans dominated the paint.

USC shot as good as they can shoot. Taj Gibson was 10 for 10 from the field with 24 points. As a team, they shot 52.9% from the field, and 44.4% for 3, and 73.7% from the line. This season, they shot 47.4% from the field, 32.9% from 3, and 66.6% from the line.

BC, on the other hand, shot 6 of 23 (26.1%) from 3.



But BC had a 34-30 lead at halftime. They were outscored 42-21 in the 2nd. It was a gradual pounding. And BC took it in stride, not changing, or adjusting a thing. They didn't even start to press until 1:30 was left and the game was already over.

Losing is losing, and it's going to happen. But this was just a sad, typical BC way to get eliminated. Get a generous seed, in a decent location, lead at halftime, then get destroyed.

At least the BC hockey team went down with a fight. The same can't be said for BC basketball, at least not in 2009.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
Getty Images
AP Photo/Jim Mone

KG RETURNS, CELTICS WIN TEXAS SHOOTOUT

Garnett and Ray Allen returned to the lineup Friday night, and not surprisingly with their return, the Celtics won a tough road game against a quality opponent.

KG only played 15 minutes, but he added 10 points, and his usual energy, on and off the court. Allen played 40 and put up 19 points. Rondo had a double-double (16 points, 12 assists), Pierce only had 9 points, but collected 12 rebounds. Glen Davis contributed 7 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, and hit a huge 15 with 5 seconds left that sealed the victory.

It was nice seeing Kevin Garnett having heart attacks on the bench again.

The Celtics fly up to Memphis to play the atrocious Grizzlies Saturday night at 8.

Source:
ESPN.com

THE BRUINS ARE TRYING TO KILL ME

Another bad team comes to the Garden, another bad team leaves with a win.

Another 2 goal lead for the Bruins. Another blown 2 goal lead.

Another 3rd period advantage. Another 3rd period meltdown.

The good news is, the Bruins reached 100 points for the first time since 2004. They're also only 2 points away from clinching a playoff spot, and only 3 from clinching the division. The bad news is that they look dead, find new ways to lose every night, and the Devils and Caps aren't slowing down.

The B's played 2 great periods of dominating hockey. Matt Hunwick scored in the first thanks to a beautiful drag and pass from Ryder to him in the slot. Rechhi made it 2-0 thanks to some aggressive Chuck Kobasew forechecking and a smart pass from Bergeron. Tim Thomas looked sharp in net, the defense was tight, and the B's kept pressuring the Kings.

LA's goals came off fortunate rebounds, but they shouldn't have even been in the game. The Bruins were 0 for 4 on the power play, and had 38 shots on net. They just couldn't seal the deal. And it was a breakaway off one of those missed opportunities that the Kings' tying goal came.

I'm not as worried as I probably should be. The Bruins have looked good 60 to 70% of the time, and their opponents have been fortunate or tough enough to exploit that 15 or 20 minutes of slightly above average hockey. There are 10 games left to get things back on track. The division is essentially ours.

This team has everything it needs to play deep into spring. The question is: will they use it?

Huge game Sunday afternoon. Devils @ Bruins, 3 PM

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

2009 RED SOX PREVIEW: SECOND BASE

The Red Sox have the reigning AL MVP at second base. Since the end of April 2007, he's hit .329 and been one of the best and most consistent producers on the team. We all know the awards. Rookie of the Year, MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove. He's the perfect #2 hitter (if only we had a perfect leadoff hitter).

He did suffer an abdominal injury, but word from Fort Myers is that he'll only miss a few games. Thank God, because the backup situation is pretty grim. There's Nick Green and Ivan Ochoa. Green hit .233 for AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre last year and hasn't been in the Majors since '07 when he appeared in 6 games for the Mariners. Ochoa also lacks MLB experience, but at least he has some decent offensive numbers in AAA.

If Pedroia goes down for an extended period, the offense becomes more hole-filled than an Iraqi submarine.