B'S GET A FOR EFFORT

I really can't criticize the Bruins much for their loss last night. They played well in all three zones, they got 44 shots on net (18 in the 3rd alone), they just ran into a wall in goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who had a truly top notch game in net.

There was also a set of officials that called some ridiculous ticky-tacky stuff. I only wish Tommy Heinsohn were there to see it. The Bruins did get one power play from this soft kind of officiating, but Atlanta got three, and scored on two of them.

And it wasn't even like the Bruins PK unit played poorly when they allowed the goals. Nor did Atlanta's PP unit excel. They were token shots on net that found their way through Thomas.

The one criticism I did have was the fact that Thomas was in net. He looked sluggish against Tampa Bay, and in my last post I mentioned that Rask should have played this game. Would that have changed the results? Would a fresh Tim Thomas stop one of those goals, or do better in the shootout? Who knows.

But I do know this. The Bruins can't ride Thomas into the ground the way they have been. He's 36. He's played 27 games, on pace for 59. He only played 43 last year, and hasn't played more than 55 since 06-07. He's the Bruins' most important asset, and he shouldn't be playing 3 times in 4 days.

The Bruins are in Buffalo Saturday night. They're also ahead of Montreal by 3 points, with 2 games in hand.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

COLLEGE BOWL PICKS/PREVIEWS: PART 7*

There will be 6 games played on New Year's Day. We might as well call it Big Ten day as 5 Big Ten teams will be in action. Three of them will be playing SEC opponents.

12:00 PM - ESPNU
TicketCity Bowl - Dallas, TX
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
This game will be played at the Cotton Bowl, and the Cotton Bowl will be played at Cowboys Stadium. Both these teams went 7-5, and can be happy to be in a New Year's Day bowl game. northwestern limped down the stretch, losing 5 of their last 7, including a 70-23 dismantling at the hands of Wisconsin. Meanwhile, TTU had a 3-5 stretch of their own. They crushed weak opponents, but struggled against the quality. Still, I'll take Texas Tech in this one.



1:00 PM - ABC
Outback Bowl - Tampa, FL
Florida Gators vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Two top-tier programs having off years. Florida was 4-4 in the SEC, but 0-3 against the SEC West. They lost to the only good team in the East (South Carolina), and their most impressive win was over South Florida. The Gators are close to home, but I think PSU wins this one.



1:00 PM - ESPN
Capital One Bowl - Orlando, FL
#16 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #9 Michigan State Spartans
Bama lost 3 games, to 3 pretty good teams (Auburn, LSU, South Carolina). Michigan State only lost once. To Iowa. They beat eventual champ Wisconsin. However, they never had to face Ohio State. And even though the Big Ten was deep this year, MSU's schedule looks childish compared to Alabama's. I have to go with my heart, and pick the Tide.



1:30 PM - ESPN2
Progressive Gator Bowl - Jacksonville, FL
#21 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Michigan Wolverines
How deep was the SEC West? 2 BCS berths, and 5 ranked teams. Not too shabby. The Bulldogs 4 losses came against the other 4 ranked teams in their division. They lost to Auburn by 3, and Arkansas needed 2 OTs to finish them off. In other words, they've had a good season. They can run the ball, and they have a solid defense. Michigan can also run the ball, and they can score. They put up 34.3 points per game, but also allowed 33.8 (102nd). My brain says Mississippi State. But my gut says Michigan. I'll pick Michigan.



5:00 PM - ESPN
Rose Bowl Game Presented By VIZIO - Pasadena, CA
#5 Wisconsin Badgers vs. #3 TCU Horned Frogs
Where's the love for TCU? Where are the protests? Where's the outrage? They went 12-0 in a conference that was better than the Big East, a conference that had four 8+ win teams. They're not as cartoonish as Boise State. They actually play football. These two teams tied for 4th in the country, averaging 43.3 points per game. But while Wisconsin was 20th in defense, allowing 20.5 per game, TCU gave up a paltry 11.4 points per game. This is going to be a hell of a game. And TCU will prevail.



8:30 PM - ESPN
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ
UConn Huskies vs. #7 Oklahoma Sooners
Don't underestimate UConn. They won the Big East by beating West Virginia and Pitt and Syracuse. They did lose to some awful teams, and winning the Big East is only a few steps above winning C-USA these days. But they play close games. They win close games. Oklahoma is going to defeat UConn, but it won't be sheer domination, as everyone expects.



More picks on Monday. Happy New Year!

COLLEGE BOWL PICKS/PREVIEWS: PART 6*

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, which means alcohol and football galore. Here are my picks for tomorrow's games:

12:00 PM - ESPN
Meineke Car Care Bowl - Charlotte, NC
South Florida Bulls vs. Clemson Tigers
Clemson squeezed 6 wins out, although they did take Auburn to OT, if you remember. They also got fat off North Texas (who did nothing but help teams like Army attain bowl eligibility) and Presbyterian. Both USF and Clemson have good defenses. Both have awful offenses. Although USF lost to every decent team they played, they took care of the rest of their business. I'm picking the Bulls and the under at 40.5.



2:00 PM - CBS
Hyundai Sun Bowl - El Paso, TX
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Miami Hurricanes
If the USF/Clemson game bores you, you can watch this one and pretend it's 1989. Miami is the more balanced team, but they have their occasional moments of token silliness. I haven't had any respect for Notre Dame this season (or ever), so I'm picking the Canes.



3:30 PM - ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Memphis, TN
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Central Florida Knights
UCF have some nice numbers on their side. 10 wins, 18.0 points allowed per game, 33.8 points scored per game, 192.5 rushing yards per game. But an 0-2 record against BCS teams, and a weak C-USA schedule raise some question marks. However, there are no question marks around Georgia. It's a well known fact that they suck. If not for their games against UL-Lafayette and Idaho State, they wouldn't be here. UCF should win this one.



7:30 PM - ESPN
Chick-fil-A Bowl - Atlanta, GA
#20 South Carolina Gamecocks vs. #23 Florida State Seminoles
This is the match of the day. Both teams won 9 games. Both teams played in their conference's title games. Both teams are within driving distance of Atlanta. Neither team floors you with their stats, but both find ways to win. The Cocks lost to Auburn twice, as well as Arkansas. FSU lost to Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. The Cocks also lost to Kentucky. The Noles also lost to UNC and NC State. I really can't wait to see this game. I'm going to pick Jenn Sterger. I mean Florida State.



More picks later today.

NFL SLAPS FAVRE ON WRIST

The NFL fined Brett Favre $50,000 for not cooperating with their investigation into accusations over misconduct and sexual harassment. Wait a minute. Since when is Roger Goodell a supporter of due process? Since when does he need proof in order to punish?

Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for being accused of rape. Even the most ardent Big Ben fans admitted that the Steelers' QB had been acting dumb, and putting himself into troublesome situations. But there's no rule against going to bars and hitting on girls. If there were, most of the NFL would be suspended.

I'm not defending Roethlisberger, but he was given a very stiff punishment even though he was never convicted of a crime, nor was he even officially indicted.

Yet Brett Favre decides not to cooperate (even though it's blatantly obvious that he's guilty), and he gets a $50,000 fine. He'll make $16 million in salary this year, so this fine is 0.3% of his income. If a normal working person making $50k a year were fined at this rate, it'd be $156.25, or the same penalty as a small speeding ticket. What would happen to any of us if we didn't cooperate with our employer's investigations into sexual misconduct? Would we get 0.3% of our salary docked?

If I'm James Harrison, or any other player fined for illegal hits this season, I'm going to find some young interns, buy a cell phone with a 10 megapixel camera, and go to town.

My favorite part of all this is Goodell publicizing the fact that he told Favre the punishment would be worse if they found he'd acted up. That's like a State Trooper telling a suspected drunk driver "Are you drunk? If you say yes, you'll be in lots of trouble."

Thankfully, in the public's eye at least, Favre's guilty. Innocent people don't cover their asses like this. Favre has been exposed (in more ways than one) as a dirty old man, as a spoiled baby, and on the field this season he's padded both of his turnover records.

One day, Favre will be enshrined in Canton, and that's sad. He's just an awful person, and the only thing I hate more than him are those few but loud Brett Favre supporters that still pester us with their inane love for this overrated player and utter manwhore.

THE BRUINS SHOULD HAVE LET SEGUIN GO TO THE WORLD JUNIORS

The Bruins will be in Buffalo on New Year's Day. Tyler Seguin should have been there much sooner. The World Junior Championships are underway in Western New York, and the Bruins did not release 18 year old Seguin to play for Team Canada.

Why not? He'd miss 5-6 games. And he's not exactly a key component to the Bruins offense these days. He's in the midst of a 5 game pointless streak, and hasn't scored a goal since December 1st. He's scored twice in his last 25 games. I think the Bruins could survive a few weeks without his contributions.

More importantly, participation in the Juniors tournament could be beneficial to his development as a player. He'd be reminded that he's a great talent. He'd get a chance to play more minutes per game. He'd play alongside other guys at his developmental stage. He'd learn what it's like to play in intense, must-win, pressure-filled games. So when the playoffs come around, he'd already have some vital experience under his belt.

The more intense games, and varied experiences, the better.

And just look at some of the players who have gone through the Juniors tournament. Young up and coming talents like Tyler Myers, and PK Subban. Teammates Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Michael Ryder, Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille, Tuukka Rask, David Krejci, Andrew Ference, Mark Recchi, Blake Wheeler, and Mark Stuart. That's 11 Bruins that played in this competition.

Here's some of the frontline talent in the NHL that have played in the World Juniors: James van Riemsdyk, Jonathan Toews, Carey Price, Kris Letang, Brent Seabrook, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Derek Roy, Brooks Laich, Dany Healey, Mike Cammalleri, Zach Parise, Joe Thornton, Brad Boyes, and Nicklas Backstrom.

Then there are the superstars who have participated in this event. Evgeni Malkin, Steve Stamkos, the Sedin twins, Alex Ovechkin, and Sidney Crosby, who played in the tournament twice.

So everyone who's anyone has gone through this competition. It's like what the Cape Cod League is to baseball.

But I guess the Bruins feel as though having Seguin play 10 minutes a night as a winger, with barely any power-play time, against the Atlanta Thrashers, is a better way to foster his development.

I disagree.

COLLEGE BOWL PICKS/PREVIEWS: PART 5*

There are 19 bowl games in a 5 day stretch from December 28th to New Year's Day. That's pretty cool. Here are the previews for all the games to be played tomorrow.

12:00 PM - ESPN
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Dallas, TX
Army Black Knights vs. SMU Mustangs
This game will be played on SMU's campus, which is kind of messed up if you asked me. Thankfully, there are a lot of Army personnel stationed throughout Texas, and hopefully they'll show up to support their team. While $MU are hardly a powerhouse, they were 4-2 at home (losses against TCU and Houston), and Army's 6-6 record includes wins against North Texas and VMI. Nevertheless, i'm a sentimental fool, and I'm picking the Black Knights.



3:20 PM - ESPN
New Era Pinstripe Bowl - New York, NY
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Syracuse Orange
K-State lost to every decent team on its schedule. Meanwhile, Syracuse surprised people and finished with the 13th best defense in the country. But how much of that was a product of playing in the Big Least? And adding the likes of Colgate and Maine to the schedule? SU was 99th in points per game, and I think KSU will grind out a win in the Bronx.



6:40 PM - ESPN
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl - Nashville, TN
UNC Tar Heels vs. Tennessee Volunteers
There needs to be a cap on the number of bowl games, and the number of letters used to name a bowl game. Despite loads of controversy, UNC won 7 games. Look for lots of passing in this game, along with few points scored, and a North Carolina win.



10:00 PM - ESPN
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl - San Diego, CA
#18 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Washington Huskies
Jake Locker finally made a bowl game. And he should enjoy it before it's played, because it probably won't go well. Washington were well balanced, with the 93rd ranked defense, and 93rd ranked offense in the country. Nebraska can run the ball well, and should hold Washington's offense to negative points. I saw one spread for this game to be 14 points. Nebraska should win by at least double that.



We'll have the previews for the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day games tomorrow.

SIX PATRIOTS NAMED TO PRO BOWL TEAM

Three Patriots were named starters for the AFC team, and three more were named as backups. Tom Brady, Logan Mankins, and Vince Wilfork were selected as starters. This will be Brady's 6th Pro Bowl (seems low, doesn't it?), Wilfork's 3rd, and Mankins' 3rd. I have to admit that I'm really happy the Patriots finally came around and signed Mankins, as he's been very helpful in the running game.

Devin McCourty, Jerod Mayo, and Brandon Meriweather were all named as back-ups. This is McCourty's first selection, Mayo's first, and Meriweather's 2nd. I'm not too sure if Meriweather belongs there, but whatever.

Remember the first day of the NFL Draft, when fans up here were pissing and moaning about the Patriots taking a cornerback in the 1st round? Where are those people now?

A notable snub would be Rob Gronkowski. I feel like he deserves to be there more than Marcedes Lewis, and perhaps more than Antonio Gates. But it is an All-Star game, and reputation sometimes supersedes results. And until his 3 TD explosion in Pittsburgh, he was relatively unknown around the League.

Some might be upset that Danny Woodhead didn't get any recognition. But MJ Drew, Arian Foster, and Jamaal Charles are all having ridiculous seasons. Woodhead is about 800 yards behind all of these guys.

Hopefully, not a single Patriot will play in the Pro Bowl. I don't mean they'll all be involved in 6 separate calamities, like Mr. Burns' softball team on The Simpsons. But hopefully all 6 will be in Dallas engaged in other business.

MARK MY WORDS

During the 3rd period, I was thinking of criticizing Mark Recchi. I was going to call him slow, past his prime, and even call him the Fred Taylor of the Bruins. I should consider badmouthing Recchi more often, because every time I think about doing it, he scores a big goal.

This was an impressive victory. The Bruins went down to play the #2 team in the East, on the road. That team was very hot, by the way. And were highly motivated (because of how badly the Bruins beat them previously).

It was a North-South, back and forth kind of game. Which isn't really the Bruins' forte. Thankfully, they capitalized on their power play opportunities. And the defensemen got involved. Kampfer had his first career goal, and Seidenberg had 2 assists.

I'm a big fan of Steve Kampfer, although he still needs to develop. Against the Panthers, his turnover directly led to a goal. And last night, some miscommunication with Thomas nearly led to another. If he works these kinks out down in Providence, he could return in 2010-11 as a very good defenseman. And one that can also contribute on offense.

Speaking of young players, Brad "Rudy" Marchand scored his 5th goal of the season, and his career. That 4th line has scored 15 goals this year. That's a nice bonus from that trio.

Thomas had one of his more forgettable nights in goal. He was a bit overly aggressive, and wasn't his fastest moving from post to post. He'll probably get the next game off, at least I think he should.

The Bruins are in Atlanta Thursday night, which might be interesting after that pre-Christmas line-brawl. So far, this road trip has gone very well. And the B's have maintained that focus and determination they showed last week against Atlanta.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo