LUCIC'S HIT

Milan Lucic's check on Mike Van Ryn of the Maple Leafs. You've probably seen it a hundred times, even if you're not a Bruins fan. But it's a sick hit and should be viewed over and over.



Just a few thoughts about it:

You can see Van Ryn tighten himself up as he can feel a big hit coming. If he hadn't, he may have been very hurt by the check. The worst hits are the ones you don't anticipate, just ask Dean McAmmond...



Or Richard Zednick...



And props to the NHL for not bitching to YouTube about videos of game footage. Unlike MLB and the NFL, the NHL realizes that it's free advertising to have highlights online.

Hockey highlight shows (do any exist in the USA?) or sports highlight shows need to have a Jacked Up type of segment of the biggest hockey hits. With the speeds involved (20, 25 MPH frequently), they can get ridiculous.

NECESSARY WIN PUTS PATS BACK IN FIRST

The Red Sox were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays. Tom Brady's knee has been hacked more than a Crystal Lake camp counselor. And even though a 23-16 victory over the 2008 Rams won't be making NFL Films' Greatest Games, it was enough to propel the Patriots into a first place tie with the Bills.

Matt Cassel had one of his best games, even though his stat line doesn't show it. The 2 picks weren't his fault, and his performance in the 4th quarter of a late game was nice to see. He's struggled to stay consistent in vital situations like that, but he kept his cool, led the team downfield, and threw a perfect pass to Faulk to give the Pats the lead. On the game winning drive he was 4/4 for 49 yards and, of course, a touchdown.



Kvin Faulk had another big offensive day, and with Maroney on IR, Jordan out, and Morris out; the Patriots really needed his effort. He had 60 yards on the ground and 47 receiving yards. He's been the Patriots' MVP thus far.



It was the St. Louis Rams, so we shouldn't go nuts. Then again, they kicked the crap out of Dallas and their backup QB. In the end, what matters is wins and losses, regardless of who they're against. There's no BCS in the NFL, strength of schedule is next to irrelevant.

And the Pats are 5-2 with a backup quarterback. That's tied for the 2nd best record in the AFC, and 5th best in the NFL. And they haven't lost a close game.

An important stretch of games begins next Sunday night in Indianapolis. The schedule goes Colts, Bills, Jets, Dolphins. The Patriots can do a lot for themselves in the AFC East with some wins, or shoot themselves in the foot.

And if you didn't see any of the cheerleaders in their Halloween outfits, you missed out on a show and a half.

Sources:
ESPN.com
NFL.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola
AP Photo/Steven Senne

CHARACTER WIN FOR BRUINS

The character of a hockey team has as much to do with winning as their ability to skate. The Bruins showed their character last night, beating Atlanta 5-4.

After blowing a 2-0 lead to the lowly Maple Leafs Thursday, then falling behind 2-0 to the Thrashers after 1 period, many NHL teams would have packed it in, and moved on to their next game. But the Bruins showed some mental toughness, and tied the game 6 minutes into the 2nd. After a great deal of give and take, the Bruins scored last, and snapped their 3 game losing streak.

The big performance of the night was Milan Lucic's hat trick. Perhaps not a coincidence, last night was the second time he's played while wearing contact lenses. He also had an assist to go with his three goals. Coming into the game, he had 1 goal, and 3 assists in 7 games. If he gets scoring, this team becomes very formidable on the offensive side of the ice.

The Bruins go Northwest this week, with 3 games in 4 days, all in Western Canada. Edmonton Monday night, Vancouver Tuesday night, and Calgary Thursday night.

Sources:
ESPN.com
BostonBruins.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

THE VARITEK QUESTION

Jason Varitek is a free agent. We all know this. Jason Varitek is a great game caller and a lousy hitter. The second part of that statement is a difficult pill to swallow for Varitek lovers.

There's no other word to describe Varitek at the plate besides "lousy."

Varitek hit .220 this year. To put that in perspective, the following pitchers (35+ ABs) had higher averages:

Carlos Zambrano
Jake Peavy
Franquelis Osoria
Brandon Backe
Adam Wainwright
Mark Hendrickson
Aaron Cook
CC Sabathia
Manny Parra
Cole Hamels

Varitek hit .191 after May. For the season he hit .214 with runners on, and .175 with runners in scoring position. In "close and late" situations, he was a .156 hitter. He hit .112 in the postseason, and slugged .206 with a .189 OBP. In the LCS, he struck out 8 times in 20 ABs.

And it doesn't get much better for catchers when they turn 37, as Varitek does in April.

But here's the worst part: There's no free agent catcher out there that's significantly better than him. In order to trade for a good hitting catcher, the Sox would need to give up too much in terms of young pitching.

One possible solution is Dusty Brown. He's 26, was drafted by the Sox in 2000, and he hit .290 with 12 homers in 297 ABs in AAA Pawtucket. He had a .377 OBP to go with that. At the very least, it'd be nice to see him given some Major League playing time. He'll never be a top of the line, perennial All-Star catcher, but he has potential to NOT be a black hole in the Sox lineup.



Varitek's agent, by the way, is Scott Boras. Tek might decide to give the Sox a break and accept a short deal for a modest amount of money. But then again, why hire Scott Boras if you want to give teams any kind of financial break?



Dusty Brown is currently playing for Azucareres del Este in the Dominican Winter League. I'm going to keep an eye on how he's doing down there. Because if Boras and Varitek want an overpriced deal, Brown might be the Sox' best option.

Sources:
MLB.com
ESPN.com
Baseball-Reference.com
SoxProspects.com
MinorLeagueBaseball.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

LIFE AFTER THE SOX

The Sox hadn't lost a playoff series since 2005, and hadn't lost a Game 7 since that all too memorable 2003 ALCS in Yankee Stadium. What's worse, the team that ended the Sox season is full of upstarts, and supported by a small rabble of mohawk wearing, cowbell ringing, fair weather fans that make Pink Hats look like the 700 level of Veterans Stadium. A friend of mine going to school in Tampa paid $40 for Game 7 tickets. FORTY DOLLARS... FOR GAME SEVEN! I paid $60 for regular season bleacher tickets up here and bragged about getting a good deal.

It's hard losing that way, to that team, with those "fans." But at least it wasn't the Yankees, like it was in '03. And at least it wasn't the Mets, like it was in '86. And if the Rays are good enough for Jenn Sterger, then I guess they're not so bad.



But like 2003, and like 1986, there are other GREAT teams to watch in this town. The World Champion Celtics start their title defense in less than a week. The Bradyless Pats are still in it, and still very entertaining. The Bruins have done well against some tough opponents to start their season. The BC Eagles are ranked 23rd in the country and could go to the ACC title game.

I'll admit, October of 2008 isn't shaping up to be the same as October of 2007. On Halloween last year, the Red Sox were World Series Champions, the Patriots were 8-0, Boston College was ranked #2 in the country, and the Celtics were about to begin their most highly anticipated season in decades.

But look at what New York has. They've got the Giants, and that's it. The Yankees and Mets missed the playoffs, the Knicks suck, and the Jets are terminal losers.



Look at what Philadelphia has. The Phillies won the pennant, but the Eagles are stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. The 76ers were under .500, and the Flyers are a bunch of cheap shot pussies.



What city is doing much better than Boston? Los Angeles has the Dodgers, Lakers, and USC. They can throw in the Angels, as well. That's good, but not better than what we have.

Both Chicago baseball teams made the playoffs, and the Bears are in first. But the Bulls and Blackhawks both missed the playoffs.

Perhaps Boston sports aren't miles above everyone else anymore, but I can't really think of another town being above us. Boston teams have 6 titles in the 21st century. LA's teams have 4 (that's with 2 baseball teams, 2 hockey teams, and 2 basketball teams). The Spurs have won 3 for San Antonio. Miami has 2, New York (2 baseball, 2 football, 3 hockey) also has 2 titles.

So let's not line up on the Tobin or the Zakim. Let's not start crying because it's been four whole months since a championship parade. Let's be a little happier that we live in a town with the best football and baseball teams in the 21st century, along with the greatest basketball team IN HISTORY.



Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

BIPOLAR PATRIOTS

Either the Patriots embarrass someone else, or they themselves are embarrassed. That's a trend I'm starting to notice with this team.

The Pats were on the happy side of a 41-7 score, in a game loaded with turnovers. Denver came in as 3 point favorites (when was the last time the Pats were underdogs at home?) with a powerful offense and a less than frightening defense. Said defense was ripped apart by Sammy Morris, Randy Moss, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.



The Pats put up college football style numbers on the ground. 257 yards on 38 carries (6.8 yards per). Morris had over 100 in the first half, and finished with 138 and a score.



But the story was the defense. Seymour had his first standout game of the year, Mayo continues to be a steady tackler, and the Broncos turned the ball over 5 times.

It's hard not to be overly optimistic after a 41-7 win over a division leading team (especially one that historically does very well against the Pats), AND the 2-4 Rams are coming to town in a few days. BUT, it's just one game. Matt Cassel obviously has the talent and the know-how to be a winning quarterback. What he, and the rest of this team, has lacked is consistency.

As if to keep Pats fans from flying too high last night, Rodney Harrison's injury brought us all down to Earth. He'll be out for the season with a torn quad, and considering his age, he might have played his last NFL game.



Harrison's lost a step, and isn't as sure of a tackler or as big of a hitter as he once was, but he's still a solid safety. And the Pats are extremely thin at defensive back. John Lynch might finally be reacquired, and Ty Law is a possibility at safety.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Mary Schwalm
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

GUESS WHO ELSE WON 4-2 LAST NIGHT

The Bruins completed their 4 game road trip with a 4-2 victory in Ottawa, in a game that, despite nobody in Boston watching, actually did happen.



The victory capped a successful expedition against some quality opponents. Colorado, Minnesota, Montreal, and Ottawa all made the playoffs last year. Minnesota and Montreal won their divisions, and the Habs had the best regular season record in the East. So 2-1-1 is a good way to kick things off against those kinds of teams.

Last night in Ottawa, Marc Savard reprised his role from last year as an assist monster, helping out on 3 goals. Phil Kessel has been much keener on the ice, and it's showing in the stat column. He's got 4 goals in 4 games, and seems to improve every game.

The B's are still screwing around with Manny Fernandez being the 1A goalie, instead of giving Tim Thomas the majority of the time. I guess it worked out last night, as the Bruins won, but that was thanks mostly to the defense, and the 4 goals. Fernandez only faced 23 shots, and he let 2 of them slip by. Not horrible, but hardly good enough to justify all the starting time he'll get the next few weeks.



The Bruins will be the final NHL team to have their home opener, as they host the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins Monday night. Once again, the TV ratings gods are against them, as they face the Patriots game.

Sources:
BostonBruins.com
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press,/Sean Kilpatrick

WE'RE GOING THE DISTANCE

How special is this team? Looking back to the top of the 7th Thursday night, the notion of a Game 7 was beyond belief. And wasn't "Big Game" James (laughably lame and apparently meaningless nickname) - Tampa's best pitcher- saved in reserve for Game 6 "just in case" the Sox beat Kazmir?

Beckett was decent, but the bullpen saved him. 4 innings, 1 walk, 0 hits, 0 runs from Okajima, Masterson, and Papelbon. That's no easy trick. I don;t think anyone will be moaning about Francona leaving Beckett in too long in Game 6.



There were some unexpected heroes in Game 6, like the above mentioned bullpen. Jason Varitek had his first hit of the series - a homerun - in the 6th. He still left 3 men in scoring position, and 1 RBI doesn't atone for 172 games of offensive irrelevance. But it's still nice.



The Sox could have scored so much more often. They left 12 men, including 7 in scoring position.

What to expect for Game 7? Well, for all the spunk and character Tampa Bay has shown this season, there is no animal like a Game 7. Perhaps facing elimination, the Rays will toughen up. Or maybe they'll crumble. Matt Garza faces Jon Lester, in what seemed like a mismatch in Game 3, but now seems like a toss-up.

And kudos to Francona and Masterson for giving Papelbon just the one inning of work. The Sox might need two or more from him Sunday.

I can't wait. Win or lose, the Sox turned this series from painful to thoroughly entertaining.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Steve Nesius
AP Photo/Chris O'Meara