FRAZEE AWARD FOR GOAT OF THE YEAR

This goes to the biggest nemesis of Boston sports fans who also wears a Boston uniform. The nominees are:

Adalius Thomas (Patriots)
Randy Moss (Patriots)
Phil Kessel (Bruins)

And the winner is...

Adalius Thomas of the New England Patriots.



Thomas' tenure in Foxborough has been nothing short of disappointing. But this year, instead of eating his so-called humble pie, he used his mouth to make noise against his 3-time Super Bowl winning head coach. Adalius has been a healthy scratch for 2 games this year, which is remarkable considering how plagued with injuries the Pats have been. He also leaked Late-Gate to the media, and was the ONLY player who publicly whined about it afterward.

He's a kindergärtner.

COLLEGE BOWL PICKS/PREVIEWS PART VIII*

These are the picks for the Bowls Games leading up to the big one on Thursday. We'll have the preview for that one on Thursday morning.

Monday 1/4 - 8:00PM - Fox
Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ
#6 Boise State Broncos vs. #4 TCU Horned Frogs
The BCS, a.k.a. the Bullshit Conspiracy Shenanigans. Instead of testing the WAC and Mountain West Champions against a worthy opponent like Florida, instead of risking the embarrassment of a WAC or MWC team crushing the Big East or ACC Champion, these two teams get to play each other, and the BCS gets to save itself while simultaneously being applauded for its apparent inclusiveness. One of these teams will have a loss after this game. The other won't be applauded like Boise State was when they beat Oklahoma, or like Utah was when they beat Bama. After all, it's just another win over a non-BCS team. Who cares?

TCU is the real deal, and is probably the 3rd or 2nd best team in the country. It'll be a good show, but TCU prevails.



Tuesday 1/5 - 8:00PM - Fox
Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
#10 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The BCS wanted to save these teams. Nothing against them, but TCU and probably Boise State too, would have vanquished them with ease. Particularly Iowa, who might be the worst #10 team in history. Georgia Tech will run circles (about 300 yards worth of circles) around Iowa and win a big one for the ACC.



Wednesday 1/6 - 7:00PM
GMAC Bowl - Mobile, AL
Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Troy Trojans
Before you decide not to watch this game, realize this: both teams went undefeated in their conference. Overall, CMU was 11-2 and Troy was 9-3. These are solid "mid-major" teams here. CMU lost to Arizona and BC, both on the road. CMU is also the best team in Michigan (they beat MSU 29-27 in East Lansing). I don't know much about Troy, so I'll go with the Chippewas.



National Championship Game preview and pick tomorrow morning.

BRUINS IN THE OLYMPICS

6 Bruins were named to Olympic squads, and will be participating in the 2010 Games starting February 22nd in Vancouver.

Tim Thomas was famously announced to the US team, and will be vying with Ryan Malone of the Sabres and Jonathan Quick of the Kings for playing time. This is Thomas' first Olympics.

Marco Sturm will be one of 6 NHLers on the German squad. This will be his 3rd time representing Deutschland in the Olympics.

Patrice Bergeron was graciously added to the Canadian roster, which is one of the biggest honors for players from the North. This is the first time Bergeron's been an Olympian.

David Krejci was named to the Czech team. Krejci had never represented his country in any competition such as this, although he was named to the Czech World Championship squad in '08.

And rounding out the list, Zdeno Chara and newly acquired Miroslav Satan will be on the Slovakian team. Chara's father was an Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler. This will be the second time he's been an Olympian. This will be Satan's 4th trip to the Games.

Source:
IIHF

Photo Credit:
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

MEANINGLESS GAME RESULTS IN VERY MEANINGFUL LOSS

The Pats lost 34-27 to the Texans, which would normally be a cause for concern, were it not for the safely stowed AFC East crown in the Pats' pockets. Also, it's difficult to worry about a 2nd rate effort falling short when a Pro Bowl receiver, and team MVP candidate goes down with a knee injury.

I'll preempt Belichick's second-guessers out there. Had this injury occurred in the 4th quarter, you'd have a case. Maybe even the 3rd quarter too. But this was the first drive of the 1st quarter that saw Welker go down. I don't recall any sane person out there putting forth the argument that guys like Welker shouldn't even dress for this Week 17 game.



Injuries happen. It's part of football. The anti-Belichick nabobs in and outside of New England can gleam with their reactionary Monday Morning QBing. But a quick scan across the NFL on Sunday saw numerous playoff bound stars play deep into games. Donovan McNabb, for instance, was in at the very end, despite the 24-0 deficit he and the Eagles were facing.

Anyway, some reports are spreading that Welker tore his ACL. In which case, well, it's bad. He may miss the rest of the playoffs. And the Patriots without Welker are a racecar with no brakes, a golfer with no wedges, Barry Bonds without steroids. Welker caught about 1/3 of the Patriots total receptions.



Edelman had a nice game filling in for Welker, but Houston's defense is hardly an adequate litmus test. And it's not the production of Welker's replacement I'm concerned with. It's the production of the other receivers on the field.



Oh, and there's also a rumor/report/leak (what's the difference these days anyway?) that Tom Brady has some broken ribs, and has had them since the second Miami game.

But Laurence Maroney and Adalius Thomas remain healthy.

Patriots vs. Ravens sometime next weekend.

Sources:
ESPN
Boston Globe

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

BRUINS MAKE A DEAL WITH SATAN

The Bruins signed veteran free-agent winger Miroslav Satan to a 1 year, $700k deal Sunday. Satan had been playing in the Slovakian leagues, but earned a spot on their Olympic roster. He scored 17 goals in 65 games for Pittsburgh last season.

He's 35 years old, and this is sort of a John Smoltz kind of signing. The Bruins don't lose much, but have an opportunity to add some experience and some goal-scoring to their lineup.

The Bruins remain extremely deep at forward, but if this deal works out, that depth could be used on the trading market. Satan himself cannot be traded, but a guy like Blake Wheeler is very tradeable.

I'm not thrilled by this acquisition, but I'm not disappointed. It costs nothing but a measly $700k in cap space, and Satan has potential to add some goals. He's not the kind of player I want the Bruins to pick-up (a mucker to win battles on the boards), but he can help out in some areas.

Source:
AHN

JV CELTICS BEAT RAPTORS

No Pierce. No Garnett. No Rondo. Thankfully, the Northeast Division sucks, so even a JV Celtics squad took care of business against the Raptors.

The prognosis on Pierce and Rondo is positive, as they should return soon. But KG will need at least 10 more days, probably longer, before he can return.

And frankly, that's not too bad. The Celtics will win the Northeast Division with or without Garnett. Toronto is 9 games back, the Knicks 11.5 behind. Why risk KG's health winning games in January and February, when it's April and May that matter most? Is it really that important to compete for the 2 or 3 seeds in the East? Are 2 or 3 extra home games worth Garnett's knee?

I don't think so.

C's begin a 3 game road trip Wednesday in Miami.

Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Mary Schwalm

WALK OFF WIN FOR BRUINS

Bergeron to Sturm for the win. Those words will live on in Bruins' fans minds for years, as they witnessed their team's triumph in a truly classic Winter Classic on 01-01-10.

I've got to say that uncharacteristically, the NHL operates this event superbly. The pomp and circumstance of the pregame wasn't boring, and it wasn't overtly commercial like the NFL's pregame ceremonies tend to be. It was cozy, but not corny. Bobby Orr and Bobby Clarke as honorary captains, James Taylor singing the Star Spangled Banner, a quiet but impressive B-2 flyover. It was simply whimsical to behold.





Then the post-game was just as enjoyable, a good way to cool down from the thrill of celebrating Sturm's game-winner. Kudos to the NHL for choosing to announce the US Olympic team, and introducing it in such an interesting way. Of course, the icing on the cake was Tim Thomas being introduced for the first time as an Olympian.

Now to the game...

The Bruins irritated the hell out of me for 80% of the contest. The lone Flyers goal beat Thomas because Thomas was beating Hartnell. Hartnell, who is now one of my least favorite players in the NHL, had just crashed in late on Thomas. Sometimes, refs miss these things, other times they just don't care.

I hate the enforcement of rules in the NHL. Refs are strictly literal when it comes to things like free hands and sticks parallel to the ice. But when it comes to the shenaniganry implemented by punks like Hartnell, refs usually let it go.

So the refs didn't police Hartnell, but neither did the Bruins. Both Hunwick and Morris were present in the crease with Hartnell, yet it was Thomas who had to clear him out. What the hell were Hunwick and Morris doing? Their best Hal Gill impression.

I'd been critical of Julien for scratching Hunwick earlier in the season, but now I understand. He is not a good defensive defenseman. And Morris also has his lapses.

For 80% of the game, the Bruins were punked on the boards. "Board Battles Won-Lost" should be a stat kept by the scorekeepers. I'd estimate that Philly won 65% or more of the board battles.



The Bruins shouldn't go out and get a pure goal-scorer of the Phil Kessel ilk. They need some scrappers on the boards. Lucic's return will help alleviate the problem, but I still think the team can get a guy who will win those battles and help out the more "skilled" players. Think Chuck Kobasew.

The Bruins came out hard early, then eased up a bit. Maybe the whole thrill of the event gave them some adrenaline, then it wore off as the game became a game.



But the last 6 minutes of the 3rd was the most exhilarating hockey I've seen from this team all season. They fought and won along the boards. The Flyers had chances to make it 2-0, but the Bruins desperate, flammable, and furious play shut them down. And finally, Morris did something useful, Krejci made a simple pass, and Recchi put it in.

Then there's Marco Sturm. How valuable has he been. I'll never stop reminding my readers that when questions like "Where will Phil Kessel's goals come from now?" were asked, I matter-of-factly answered "Marco Sturm." The German Olympian leads the team with 14 goals.

I was thrilled to see Tim Thomas get this win. He had an excellent game. His only goal allowed was because his defensemen refused to clear out the crease in front of him. He was otherwise stellar, and deserves both the win, and all future Olympic glory.



Back to relative normalcy as the Bruins visit the Rangers on Monday. And I think I speak for a lot of Bruins and hockey fans out there when I say, I cannot wait for this event to return to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I'm going to start saving right now.

Source:
ESPN

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

Getty Images

RASKED

Now before everyone starts with the whole Thomas vs. Rask debate, let me remind you that although Rask's numbers have been outstanding (10-3-2 record, 1.85 GAA, .935 SV%), and he certainly deserves a hefty chunk of playing time (maybe as high as 1/3 of the workload), Tim Thomas has been far from awful. Thomas is the Vezina winner, not Rask.

It's still December, and it isn't time to be messing with about the only aspect of the team that's been satisfactory. Thomas has been a bit off. Perhaps partly due to injury, partly due to inconsistent playing time (doubtful, considering his personal history as an off-and-on goalie), and partly due to the NHL having a book on him.

Next time Thomas plays, just watch where the rebounds go. Goalies in the NHL are so amazingly good, that they are not only able to stop shots, but also to position themselves to direct rebounds to relatively safe areas (the corners). Thomas' rebounds have been big, and right up into the slot. That's dangerous.

When the weather's warmer and it's almost the playoffs, then it'll be time for the decision on Rask vs. Thomas. It's ridiculous to rotate goalies in the post-season. So for now, I'm sure Julien will rotate them. And that's exactly what he should do.

Flyers vs. Bruins in Fenway tomorrow, in case you hadn't heard. NBC, 1 pm.

Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola