How to Avoid Crashing, Like a Boss

That's Kyle Busch saving his car from an accident on Saturday. He had a similar incident toward the end of the race. He saved it again. Then won the race. Like a boss.

Carl Crawford Whines About His Spot in the Order

Carl Crawford is a good teammate. And like so many of his Red Sox teammates, he's found an excuse for his lackluster performance in 2011. Instead of taking responsibility for his lack of success, or maybe looking forward to the opportunities that 2012 presented, Crawford made excuses for why he sucked so badly in 2011.

It was the batting order. He wasn't used to batting in the bottom third of the order, and that somehow affected his swing.

Wow.

You know what, this is baseball. Hitting is something between the batter and the pitcher. The baseball batter picks up his baseball bat, then steps into the baseball batter's box, and tries to hit the baseball thrown by the pitcher. Does it matter that some lineup card taped to the wall of the dugout has you listed as #2 or #7?

Step up to the plate and try to hit the ball!

This is a team of excuse makers. Everybody has an answer for everything. Even the owners blamed Francona. Crawford is just being one of the guys, one of the team.

If Crawford hits .300 in April and the Sox win, then nobody will care about what's been said in this offseason. But right now, before the Sox have even played an exhibition game in 2011, the Sox are still vomiting excuses all over the place. And it's sickening.

Could you imagine a hockey player publicly whining about being on the 3rd line and not the 2nd line? How about a football player moaning about being on special teams?

But baseball is a game conducive to whining and complaints. And if that was what won games, the Red Sox would be World Champions.

Patriots Cut Their Best Tweeter

No, it's not Ochocinco. It was guard Rich Ohrnberger. Who, for my money, is one of the funniest people on Twitter. Some examples:

Based on the amount of fast food I eat in my car, alone, somewhere dark, I probably should never get laid. #beatingtheoddssince2002

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) February 18, 2012

It's my B-DAY! My folks got me a kindle fire. I've gone from hiding my porn IN books to finding my porn ON books. I <3 technology #thanksmom

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) February 14, 2012

In route to SB46 my brother was finger frisked in a secure room at LaGuardia airport--Kenny G's "Songbird" played quietly in the background.

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) February 5, 2012

Boredom has ruined more of my socks and t-shirts than anything else. #ineverhaveanypapertowels

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) January 27, 2012

If "disappointing" had a smell ...I'd say that's me 75% of the time.

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) January 26, 2012

In college, chicks called guys like me "slump-busters" #hesa4atbestbutitsbeenawhile

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) January 24, 2012

yo guys with the short pony tails... wait ok.... just wait

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) January 24, 2012

The invention of the mouse and mouse pad has led to a generation of ambidextrous masturbators.

— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) January 21, 2012

Hopefully, he finds a job with a new team and continues to tweet his philosophy so we can all bask in his wisely humorous thoughts.

Thunderstruck

Despite putting up 104 points, the Celtics simply could not keep pace with the Thunder last night. Each of the Big Three scored 20+, but it wasn't enough. The Celtics' bench only contributed 9. Meanwhile, OKC's scoring was more concentrated (Westbrook had 31, Durant 28, Harden and Cook each with 17), but also more potent.

The Thunder outrebounded the C's 43 to 32, including 10 offensive rebounds. 50 points in the paint for the Thunder.

If the Celtics had Rondo, I suppose they could have made this game interesting. This was an elite opponent that's been nearly unbeatable at home. So just by itself, this loss shouldn't depress C's fans. But even putting this game aside, there isn't much to be cheerful about either. Five straight losses, 7 of 8, and Cleveland is breathing down the C's necks for 8th place in the East.

If the Celtics lose in Cleveland next Tuesday, they'll be tied with them in the loss column.

This season has been painful to watch. There have been glimpses of possibilities of chances. Their last win in Chicago, for instance. But I don't think the Celtics have shown that they're capable of contending to win a playoff series against a good team.

I think it's time to seriously consider selling some of this team off and building for the future. There's no glory in finishing 6th in the Eastern Conference (which looks quite optimistic at the moment), being eliminated in a 6 game series, and keeping all your aging talent, along with your young but inconsistent talent.

There clearly won't be a chase for banner #18 in 2012-13 with this group of players. So as it becomes clear that there won't be a chase in 2011-12, why cling to them?

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Black+Gold>Blues

The St. Louis Blues hadn't lost a home game in regulation since December 3rd. This was a Step-Up game for the B's. Their key players all needed to Step-Up. Krejci had to play on the wing, Chara had to be a shutdown defenseman, and Thomas had to play well in net. Someone needed to score, too.

All that happened last night. And Marchand stepped-up to be the scorer. But his goals, like so many that these Bruins score, were products of solid play by his teammates. Chara's neutral zone presence, then Bergeron forcing a turnover gave Marchand his first opportunity. And it was Bergeron and Seguin who did likewise for his second.

This team based, decentralized scoring is why the Bruins are so streaky. When Bergeron is playing well, Marchand gets hot. When Bergeron is slumping, Marchand fails to produce. The same goes for Krejci and Lucic, and the rest of the forwards. Entire lines are either red hot or ice cold. There's no middle-ground when one forward slumps but the other two on a line are playing well. The whole line slumps.

Krejci played an uncharacteristically physical game as a winger. He needed a good night on the ice before we should expect to see some good stat nights. He was still +2 with 2 shots on goal and 2 hits.

Chara played defense the way he should. All the Bruins defensemen have to do on any given night is do their job. It's simple to say, sometimes difficult to do.

Thomas was very good. The second goal he allowed saw him slightly out of position. I'm unaccustomed to seeing him over-commit as he seemed to do, leaving 1/3 of the net open. But he atoned for it with the 30 saves he made.

The Bruins are in Buffalo Friday night. It would be nice to remind the Sabres that they are a 12th place team.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Sox Get Chris Carpenter as Compensation... No, Not That Chris Carpenter

It's finally been decided. As compensation for Theo Epstein, the Red Sox will receive 26 year old right-handed reliever Chris Carpenter.

It's an underwhelming acquisition. Many Sox fans, and the Red Sox themselves, thought they'd be getting something exciting. Maybe a top 5 prospect, or maybe the Cubs would assume the salaries of an overpaid player. This optimism was quite stupid. Wishful thinking.

The fact is, the Sox are fortunate to receive any compensation at all. Theo didn't want to be here. While he was still under contract, when players want to leave their teams they're often traded. And traded for less than they'd normally be worth.

Essentially, the Cubs are paying the Red Sox for something they already have and have already used. It's like stealing a car then sending the former owner a $10 gift card to Arby's. It's not going to satisfy car's former owner. Then again, the thief already has the car. The Cubs already have Theo. Possession is 9/10 of the law. Let's go to Arby's.

Carpenter is approaching the stage of his career when he's no longer considered a prospect. He's 26 and has yet to find a role for himself as a Major League player. Last year he was converted to a reliever after struggling as a starter in AAA.

He doesn't throw strikes. And that's a major problem. In 25 games in AAA, his WHIP is 1.83. He's walked 32 batters in 45 innings. And MLB batters are much better at drawing walks than AAA batters. So he walks 3 guys every 4 innings, gives up close to 2 baserunners per inning, and he's thrown 7 wild pitches in AAA. That's once every 6 innings.

He made 10 relief appearances for the Cubs last year. His ERA was a respectable 2.79, but he walked 7 batters in 9.2 innings and allowed 12 hits. His WHIP was 1.97. He threw 2 wild pitches.

He's just not that good.

And the lameness of the Red Sox off-season lingers on.

901 Wins for Jerry York

Boston is a pro sports town. We do have Boston College, who typically field competitive football and basketball teams, but never attain any national glory. But BC also has one of the best hockey coaches in history: Jerry York. On Friday night Jerry York's BC Eagles defeated Merrimack College 4-2, giving York 900 wins as a head coach. BC beat Merrimack again Saturday night for win #901.

York was born in Watertown. He attended BC from 1963 to 1967, playing center on the hockey team. By 1972, he was the head coach at Clarkson in the North Country of New York state. York then coached at Bowling Green in Ohio, winning an NCAA Championship in 1984. In 1994 he returned to BC and revitalized the program. He's won 3 NCAA titles with BC, 5 regular season Hockey East titles, 8 Hockey East tournament titles, and 6 Beanpots.

He's 66 years old, he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and his Eagles are currently ranked #2 in the country, looking to add more hardware to York's already stuffed trophy case.

He's 23 wins short of being the winningest coach of all time. Ron Mason retired with 924 wins. Jerry York actually replaced Ron Mason at Bowling Green.

BU's Jack Parker has 868 wins as a coach. Here in Boston we have two of the best hockey coaches ever.

On Sunday, BC basketball hosted Duke. York was in attendance, and met with Duke's Coach K. I'm not a Duke fan, but I think this is a pretty cool picture of two coaching legends, each with 4 NCAA titles, each with 900+ wins

Athletics Sign Manny Ramirez

The Oakland Athletics have signed career controversy maker Manny Ramirez to a 1 year deal worth $500,000. The steroid assisted slugger will have to sit out 50 games before he can play, but I think this is a good signing for all parties involved. The Athletics risk almost nothing to acquire a player with 555 homeruns under his belt. He'll be able to play for over 100 games and if he doesn't work out, then little is lost. And for Manny, he gets an opportunity to earn a larger contract in 2013.

The Athletics' 51st game will be May 30th in Minnesota. The A's host the Red Sox for 3 games starting July 2nd. Sadly, the Athletics will make their only trip to Fenway Park well before Manny's suspension.

Hopefully one of those games gets rained out and a makeup game can be played in August or something.