BBS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This goes to someone who has amassed a lifetime of accomplishments. And this year, for the first time, I'm awarding it to an athlete, not a coach or executive. The 2010 winner is Mark Recchi.



He's only been with the Bruins for 2+ years, but when you look at Recchi's career as a whole, it's simply astounding. 570 goals, 938 assists, 56 playoff goals, 77 playoff assists.

He's played in 1,609 NHL games, which is 9th most all-time. For other sports, that devalues a player's stats, as there's the belief that they're hanging around, accumulating numbers. But you can't just hang around in the NHL. Not only do you have to earn playing time, you have to pay for it in bumps, bruises, and big hits. Recchi's 42, and still playing 16 minutes a night.

Sixteen 20+ goal seasons, seven 30+ goal seasons, four 40+ goal seasons.

He's 20th all-time in goals, 14th in assists, 13th in points, 16th in game-winning goals, he's put together a more than respectable career. He's a Hall of Famer.

AUERBACH AWARD FOR COACH/EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

This goes to the off-field person who contributed the most to their team's on-field success. Believe it or not, two Bruins have won this Award. There really doesn't need to be a list of nominees for this Award, because we know who's going to win it.

It's Bill Belichick.



This guy traded Randy Moss in the middle of a season, then won 11 of 12 games. This guy was the head coach, the offensive coordinator, and the defensive coordinator. He's developed a young defense into a ball hawking group of playmakers. He's engineered an offense that's scored the most points in the NFL, nearly 5 more per game than any other team.

The guy simply gets things done.

BBS AWARD FOR GAME OF THE YEAR

This goes to the most exciting, entertaining, important game of the year in the Boston sports world. It was an off year for Boston sports, so don't expect many of the nominees to be big wins. While there were some nice victories out there, they were often followed by heartbreaking defeats. Here are the nominees...

1/1 - Bruins 2, Flyers 1 (OT) - Winter Classic
4/21 - Bruins 3, Sabres 2 (OT) - Conference Quarterfinals
5/7 - Flyers 5, Bruins 4 (OT) - Conference Semifinals
5/13 - Celtics 94, Cavaliers 85 - Conference Semifinals
5/14 - Flyers 4, Bruins 3 - Game 7
6/17 - Lakers 83, Celtics 79 - NBA Finals, Game 7
10/17 - Patriots 23, Ravens 20 (OT)
10/26 - Celtics 88, Heat 80 - Opening Day
11/7 - Browns 34, Patriots 14
11/10 - Bruins 7, Penguins 4

See, there's not much positive here. The Bruins and Celtics ended their seasons in close Game 7 losses. The biggest wins for all four teams were regular season contests, or playoff games that only built up the feeling of loss when our teams ultimately failed.

I'm going to pick the Patriots' 23-20 OT win over the Ravens.



This was the Pats' first game without Randy Moss. They were playing a 4-1 team that had eliminated from the playoffs a few months prior. Nobody had any idea what to expect.

This was Danny Woodhead's introduction to the NFL. He'd contributed in wins over Buffalo and Miami. But this was his first truly big game. He ran for 63 yards on 11 carries, and caught 5 passes for 52 yards. Little did we know that this would become a pattern, not a flash in the pan.

Then there was Deion Branch. This was his first game back with the Patriots. All he did was catch 9 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Little did we know how much these guys would end up contributing. Little did we know that the 11 3rd down stops the defense made, and the 2 Red Zone stops, would be the sign of things to come.

BLOODY SOCK AWARD FOR TOUGHEST ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

This Award typically goes to an athlete that fought through injuries, or severe adversity. Someone who displayed an almost inhuman ability to tolerate pain. Just think about JD Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury. This Award goes to guys who are the opposite of them.

The winner this year is...

Wes Welker



In a way, the Patriots' 2009 campaign ended when they lost Wes Welker. And surprisingly, the 2010 season started with him ready to go. I remember how pumped he was after catching his first ball of training camp. How he darted with all the elusive alacrity of a minnow on speed.

He didn't have his best year as a Patriot, but you could do a lot worse. 86 receptions for 848 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was 1 shy of matching his career high TD mark. And the only game he missed was #16, when the Patriots decided to finally rest the man recovering from torn ACL and MCL injuries.

Guys like Wes Welker have character. They exemplify the whole "mind over matter" thing. They live to compete, to play, to win.

TOM BRADY AWARD FOR SURPRISE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

This goes to someone who wasn't expected to do much, only to do quite a bit. This year's nominees are...

Clay Buchholz - SP, Boston Red Sox
Nathan Horton - RW, Boston Bruins
Danny Woodhead - RB, New England Patriots
BenJarvus Green-Ellis - RB, New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski - TE, New England Patriots

The winner is...

Danny Woodhead



The reason he wins the Award is because he truly came out of nowhere. A Division II "star" cut by the Jets, then signed by the Patriots. We all thought that the Pats hired him as sort of an informant, because he was acquired the week of the Jets game. Pay a guy an NFL wage for a week, he tells you all about the team you're about to play, then you cut him. Cutthroat Bill Belichick at his finest.

926 total yards from 131 touches (7.1 yards per), and who is he now? He's one of the key cogs to the Patriots' dynamic offense. And a few months ago, he was dropped by the Jets so they could activate David Clowney.

TED WILLIAMS AWARD FOR RED SOX PLAYER OF THE YEAR

The Red Sox' offseason was much more entertaining than their regular season. They were pretty bad in 2010. But there were some bright spots. Here are the nominees...

Adrian Beltre - 3B
Jon Lester - SP
Clay Buchholz - SP
David Ortiz - DH

And the winner is...

Clay Buchholz



Buchholz emerged as an elite pitcher in 2010. He was 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA. He finished 6th in Cy Young voting, had the 2nd best ERA in the American League and 3rd best in baseball. He and Lester kept this team close to contention, claiming 36 of the Red Sox' 89 wins. Hopefully, Buchholz and Lester will be the base of the 2011 rotation, which features question marks like Beckett and Matsuzaka.

BLEDSOE AWARD FOR PATRIOTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

This goes to the Patriots best player. I think you might be able to guess who'll win it this year. The nominees...

Tom Brady - QB
Jerod Mayo - ILB
BenJarvus Green-Ellis - RB
Devin McCourty - CB

The winner is...

Tom Brady



I had the other three as nominees as honorable mentions for their terrific seasons. Mayo led the NFL in tackles, Green-Ellis ran for 1,000+ yards, and McCourty finished 2nd in INTs.

Anyway, back to Mr. Brady. He led the NFL with a 111.0 QB Rating. He was only 4th in completion percentage, and 8th in yardage, but his accuracy cannot be questioned with only 4 picks, and his effectiveness is not in doubt with a league leading 36 TDs.

Brady is the centerpiece of an offense that changed mid-season into one that distributed the ball to multiple targets from multiple positions. Only 18 of Brady's 36 touchdowns were caught by wide receivers. The rest went to tight-ends (17), and Danny Woodhead (1).

Brady finds the open man like nobody else in the NFL, and he delivers the ball to that man with unmatched precision.

BILL RUSSELL AWARD FOR CELTICS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Another simple Award. The Celtics' best player in the 2010 calendar year wins this one. The nominees...

Paul Pierce - SF
Kevin Garnett - PF
Rajon Rondo - PG

And the winner is...

Rajon Rondo



The guy makes plays. He's averaging 13.5 assists per game this season, which tops the NBA, by nearly 3 assists per game. He's the reason Ray Allen gets open looks. He's the reason the Celtics get contributions from so many other guys. He's not the Tom Brady of the Celtics, more like the Drew Brees. He's developed from a young, raw talent into a legit NBA star.