THOMAS TO REMAIN WITH BRUINS FOR 3 MORE YEARS

Vezina Trophy candidate Tim Thomas, who leads the NHL in GAA and SV%, and the Bruins have agreed to a 3 year contract extension, worth about $5 million a year. Thomas was to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Now, if the Bruins had been really smart, they would have resigned him BEFORE the season. I and other Bruins' fans saw how good he was (not as good as he is now, but we still knew he was top notch), and were shocked that he had to earn the full-time goalie job by platooning with Manny Fernandez.

BUT, it's a breath of fresh air to see the Bruins spending money to keep a talented player in town.

Source:
Boston.com's Bruins Blog

BRUINS WIN THEIR 50TH!!!

The Senators, to their credit, played the Bruins extremely hard Thursday night, despite being freshly eliminated from postseason contention. But they couldn't get much by Tim Thomas and the Bruins, who now have their 8th 50 win season, and a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference.

Thomas was outstanding, yet again. He stopped 31 of 32 shots. Late in the 3rd, he did something I've never seen a goalie do: he avoided the puck. Alfredsson took an extreme angle shot from the corner, parallel to the goal-line. Thomas was already committed to jumping back to defend the post, but when he realized he'd be risking knocking the puck in, he avoided it altogether, leaping over the puck and letting it slide under him.

Milan Lucic also had a terrific game. He scored the tying goal after initiating the play in his defensive zone with a big hit. Ryder and Krejci moved the puck up, and Lucic was sprung on a breakaway. He knocked it in with a textbook finish.

There are still chinks in the armor for the Bruins. A neutral zone turnover resulted in Ottawa's goal. But the Bruins could have easily won this game 5-1 with slightly better finishing. The penalty kill is playing very strong, the forecheck looks good, and guys like Savard and Krejci are clicking.

The B's host the Rangers Saturday afternoon in what could be a preview of the first round. New York is currently in 8th place.

The Bruins need 2 more points to clinch home-ice throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. They currently have 110 points, their highest since 1983.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

2009 RED SOX PREVIEW: BULLPEN

Last year, the bullpen lacked depth. Many games were lost in the 7th and 8th innings because of this. Okajima surprised us all with some big-time struggles. Manny Delcarmen was volatile. Mike Timlin didn't have much left in the tank. Craig Hansen was an outright bust. If not for Justin Masterson, the Sox would have had a one man bullpen.

This year, there's reason to be optimistic when it comes to the relievers.

The Red Sox have one of the best closers in baseball. He had a career high 41 saves in '08, an astonishing 77 strikeouts compared to 8 walks (that's 9.6 to 1), a 0.952 WHIP and a 2.34 ERA. Oh yeah, he's also pitched 25 postseason innings in his career, all without allowing an earned run.



I felt like the Sox overused Papelbon just a bit last year, but nothing bad happened, so I'm probably wrong. They also had very little choice. I'd like to see Papelbon hit 60 to 65 innings MAX, with 60 or fewer appearances.

Who sets up for Papelbon? Francona has some nice options to answer that question.

Takashi Saito's 39 years old, and has fewer seasons in the Bigs than Papelbon. In 3 years with the Dodgers, he's pitched in 180 games, throwing 189.2 innings, recording 81 saves, with a 1.95 ERA and a 0.912 WHIP.



My two favorite numbers with Saito: He strikes out 5 times as many batters as he walks (245 to 52 in his career), and he's only allowed 9 homeruns, or 1 homerun every 21 innings.

His age and a ligament injury from last summer might be his undoing, but he seems like a Japanese version of a slightly younger Mike Timlin.

24 year old Justin Masterson really was a savior for the bullpen last year. This season, he is an option for the rotation, but hopefully he'll be a reliever (that would mean guys like Penny and Smoltz worked out).



Masterson pitched 34.1 innings as a reliever last year, with a 2.36 ERA and a .213 opponent batting average. He'll be used where the Sox need him. Right now, the Sox have 7 other potential starters, so they might need him most in the pen.

Razor Ramon Ramirez is a 27 year old righty, formerly of the Royals and Rockies. Last year with Kansas City, he pitched in 71 games, had a 2.64 ERA, a 1.228 WHIP, and 21 Holds. It's easy to be excited with those numbers. However, sometimes relievers put up one great year, then struggle for the rest of their lives. That's why they're relievers. I'm not saying Ramirez will be a bomb here, and he's certainly surrounded by talent to take off most of the pressure of pitching here, but he's far from guaranteed. One great year in Kansas City does not make a great reliever.



The pressure is off Hideki Okajima. He's no longer the clear #1 set-up man. He might even be #2, 3, or even 4. Last year, he had serious problems with inherited runners. This year, Francona can avoid using him in such situations. His ERA was good, but he blew 8 Saves. In '09, Francona can pick and choose his spots with Okajima. The added depth in the pen helps Hideki more than anyone else (except Papelbon perhaps).



Last year, the Red Sox needed Manny Delcarmen in order to have a solid bullpen. Thankfully, in 2009, this is not the case. Delcarmen struggled in key situations. He allowed one third of the runners he inherited to score. He struggled with consistency. With the new guys taking care of the 7th and 8th innings, Delcarmen can be used as a middle reliever in the 5th and 6th. I think this role suits him best. When the game's on the line, I simply do not trust him. Not yet, at least. His dreadful outings in the ALCS don't help that mistrust.

Javier Lopez will probably be the last man into the bullpen, even if the Sox only go with 6 relievers. Why? He's lefthanded.

I'm not a fan of Javier Lopez. But he's a necessary evil. You need to have that token lefty specialist to come into the 6th inning and get one or two tough outs. I don't like when Lopez comes into games, but most of the time he does a halfway decent job.

Last year, if the starting pitcher didn't get through 7 innings, even 4 and 5 run leads were in serious jeopardy. This year, things seem different. But this isn't a sure thing, of course. Saito is 39, Masterson's a kid, Ramirez has one great year under his belt and not much more, Okajima sucked for most of 2008, and Delcarmen failed as a set-up man.

But I'm optimistic.

2009 RED SOX PREVIEW: DESIGNATED HITTER

No more Manny Ramirez, and no more David Ortiz... at least, not the David Ortiz we grew accustomed to from 2003 to 2007.

Last year, Papi played in 109 games, hit .264, only 23 HRs, 89 RBI, an OBP of .369, and a SLG of .507. All of these numbers are significantly lower than those we've seen from Ortiz for several years now.

Perhaps most alarming were his postseason stats. 4 for 17 in the ALDS, with 1 RBI. 4 RBI in the ALCS, but only 4 hits in 26 at-bats (.154).

Even when Ortiz was apparently healthy, you could tell his wrists weren't translating the sheer force he's usually driven into the ball. There were seemingly dozens of times when he'd hit the ball with the sweet spot, hit it with a perfect swing, and the ball would only reach the warning track.

Are those wrists back to the shape they once were? They've been repaired, and I doubt he'll miss any significant time because of them, but can they transfer the power they used to? Will Ortiz return to being a .620 SLG type of player, or will he remain in the lower .500s.

It's a vital question for the Red Sox, one that can be the difference between a playoff spot and a 3rd place finish. Ortiz's power is even more important in '09 with no Manny Ramirez.

B'S BACK TO KICKING ASS

The 3-1 score doesn't really capture how fully the Bruins dominated this game. They outshot the Lightning 39-25. They very easily could have won 5-0 or 6-0.

Zdeno Chara had a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight). Blake Wheeler notched his 20th goal, as did Chuck Kobasew. The Bruins now have six 20 goal scorers. Last year, there were only two Bruins with 20+ goals.



The Bruins didn't play down to their competition. They maintained their intensity for 60 minutes, making few mistakes, and giving maximum effort at all times. Lucic, Chara, Ward, Bitz, Bergeron, and even Savard played a remarkably physical, yet controlled game.





The Bruins seem to be hitting their playoff stride.

They now have 108 points, their most since 1993. The Capitals are 9 points behind, and New Jersey trails by 10. With 2 more wins, the Bruins clinch the #1 seed in the East.

The all-but-eliminated Ottawa Senators come to town Thursday night. The B's are 4-0 against Ottawa.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

BU AND VERMONT IN FROZEN FOUR

It's as if the players in the hockey tournament wanted to make up for the lack of upsets in the basketball tournament. 1 seeds Michigan and Notre Dame beaten in the opening rounds. Bemdiji State (that's in northern Minnesota) crushes Notre Dame 5-1, then vanquishes perennial powerhouse Cornell. Miami (Ohio), another 4 seed, beats Denver and winds up in the last 4. Overtimes, comebacks, late goals, upsets, and a Frozen Four with only one 1 seed in the mix.

Some highlights:

Cornell's late game winning goal against Northeastern:



UNH's late game dramatics to beat North Dakota:



BU survived New Hampshire and seem to be Fortune's favorite in this tournament. They're the only 1 seed left, and they play Vermont a week from Thursday night (the hockey tournament always takes a week off, they know the basketball tourney is the main event this upcoming weekend). In a battle of 4 seeds, Bemidji State takes on Miami (Ohio). BU's path to their 5th national title, but Vermont beat them 2 of 3 this season.

The Frozen Four is not this weekend, but the next, and is being played in Washington, DC. Why is it in DC, where the closest college hockey team is Princeton? Who knows.

Prediction: BU rolls over Vermont, then Miami (Ohio) for title #5.



Source:
ESPN.com">ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
Associated Press

IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE THE BRUINS ARE BACK

The excessive booing done by Philadelphia's fans is often attributed to their "toughness" or their "passion." Rarely do announcers state the truth, that Philly fans are whiners, and the boo is their temper tantrum. After all, isn't "boo" the first half of "boo-hoo?"

The Bruins haven't won 3 in a row since February 5th. And although their win in Toronto was ugly (5 wretched goals let in by a very rusty Manny Fernandez), and last night's victory in Philly was closer than it shouldv'e been (48 shots on net by the opponent, that's more than too much), wins are wins are wins. And the Bruins have been doing what it takes to earn these wins.

Sunday night, a bad call put the Bruins at the short end of a 5 on 3 power play for 1:52. About a week ago, this misfortune would breed mistakes, which would ultimately cause defeat. But last night, the B's stood their ground, killed the penalty (thanks in large part to a spry Tim Thomas) and kept the advantage in the game.



The Flyers probably should have gotten a few more calls. Then again, when your style of play is to cheap shot players from behind, hit after the whistle, and rack up the most penalty minutes possible; you sometimes don't get on the officials' good side.

The B's still have some defensive miscues to correct. It's often too easy for opponents to enter their zone with the puck. The patented Bruins' layered defense is designed to prevent this, and force opponents to dump and chase. Instead, they're simply carrying the puck in. That's got to stop. Thomas can't make 45 saves a night every game.

But offensively the Bruins have found themselves, or so it seems. 15 goals in 3 games. Lucic has found his scoring touch again, he put the puck in twice. Krejci added 3 assists to his total. And Recchi has 7 goals in 11 games.

The Bruins come home and host the Lightning Tuesday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Tom Mihalek

DUKE CAN'T WIN IN BOSTON

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

0-2 in The Hub this year.

Worst loss by a #2 seed in the regional semis... ever.

And how ridiculous was that Duke player stealing the ball with 1 second left? What a bunch of tools.



Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Stephan Savoia