Ottawhat?

The Bruins haven't been able to win back-to-back games since January 12th. That trend was extended last night in a 1-0 loss to Ottawa that probably should have been a 2-0 or 3-0 loss. The Bruins played the first 50 minutes before generating any sustained pressure, they struggled to maintain possession of the puck, and they seemed disjointed, as if this was their first time playing with each other.

It was as if the whole team were Deadline Day new arrivals.

I know there's injuries to key players. During this stretch we're really seeing how valuable Rich Peverley is. But the turnovers, the poor passes, David Krejci trying to carry the puck around opponents like he's in a Bobby Orr highlight video, it's all inexcusable.

It doesn't just hurt the defense, either. It kills the offense. The Bruins are struggling to score goals, which means they need as many opportunities as possible. A sniper only needs one shot to kill a guy, but a bad shooter needs a dozen. The B's turning the puck over at your offensive blue-line is like a bad shooter throwing bullets away.

Hopefully it's just a product of returning home from a long homestand. Then again, this win-lose-win-lose pattern has persisted for a month and a half now.

The playoffs are around the corner. And Ottawa is only a point behind, although the Bruins have 4 games in hand. Winning the division looks like it will be extra important this year as the 2nd place Northeast team might be the 5th or 6th seed in the playoffs. There are a number of Atlantic Division teams that could occupy the 4th, 5th, and maybe even the 6th spots.

The Bruins host one of those Atlantic Division teams on Thursday as the Devils come to town.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

The Danica 500

Before the race, and the rain delay, and the fire, Danica Patrick was the big story in Daytona. She was making her Sprint Cup debut in the series' biggest race. And it didn't go well. She was involved in an accident on Lap 2, which also collected 5 time series Champion Jimmie Johnson and last year's 500 winner Trevor Bayne. Danica's crew patched her car up and she finished a few dozen laps behind the leaders in 38th place.

She was obviously disappointed with the result, but seemed happy for the 138 laps of experience behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup car. She was happy to learn.

And that's the problem. That's why she struggled in the Nationwide Series last year. She's trying to learn how to do it before she does it. And that's not how racing works.

You think when Dale Earnhardt Sr. took his first green flags he was thinking about learning? No. How about Tony Stewart? Kyle Busch? Jeff Gordon? These guys got into their cars, drove as hard and as fast as possible. How else can you know how hard you can push a car until you've pushed it too hard?

You don't learn by not making mistakes. You learn by making them. And she's trying too hard to avoid them.

She needs to remember how to forget to think. Just drive. Racing drivers are missing that certain part of the brain that thinks about the bad things that might happen in a racecar. I'm not questioning Danica's bravery. She's much braver than I to sit in a tub of metal and go 220 MPH. She's not afraid of the danger, she's afraid of not doing well. I think she's so concerned with not being bad that she's preventing herself from being good.

She has the skill set. And she doesn't make the rookie mistakes you'd expect a newcomer to stock car racing would make. But there's no aggressiveness, no assertiveness, no coloring outside the lines. She's like a baseball player that doesn't swing because they're afraid to strike out.

I don't think it's a gender thing. I've seen female drivers with less skills than Danica, but also more conviction. You don't need balls in your pants to have them on the track. She just needs to stop thinking about being a good driver and just drive. She needs to stop being so cautious.

After all, "caution" is a bad word in racing.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Varitek to Retire

Thank God.

I'm surprised that he waited until now to make this decision. Then again, this is the guy that accepted a gaudy "C" on his jersey when named a Team Captain. This is the same guy who continued to wear that "C" even as he became a part-time player.

Overall, I've liked Jason Varitek's tenure with the Sox. He was an important part to the team's two World Series wins. And he was very good at getting the best out of a pitching staff.

But he was also one of the most overrated, overhyped athletes in Boston. And that's saying something. He was good. Not great. At his best he was very good and he had occasional great moments. 7 RBI in the 2004 ALCS. Three All-Star Games. A Gold Glove. A Silver Slugger.

If the Red Sox had a different catcher in 2004 and 2007, I don't think they win those World Series. Even if they plugged in a "better" catcher.

But great? Sorry. He got too much credit for pitcher's successes, never any blame for their struggles. He got too much credit for being a good Captain, never any blame when teams have disintegrated.

The guy was important to this team. That was the past, though. I'm very glad he's retiring because his prime was 2004 and 2005.

I can't say I'll miss him. He had plenty of time here, and he got plenty of spotlight time too. But if he retired in 2004, I would have missed him then.

Bruins Make Multiple Modest Moves

You might not recognize the names, except for one, maybe two. The Bruins acquired left wing Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau from the Islanders. They sent AHL Marc Cantin and forward Yannick Riendeau.

They also sent Steve Kampfer to Minnesota for defenseman Greg Zanon.

Rolston played with the Bruins back in the early 2000s. He scored a career high 31 in 2001-02. He's got 4 goals and 5 assists in 49 games with the Islanders this year, so I don't know how much he has left in the tank. He adds depth to the bottom end of the depth chart.

Mottau won the Hobey Baker Award (college hockey's Heisman) his senior year at Boston College in 2000. Greg Zanon is similar to Mottau. Neither of these guys will contribute much on offense. Which I'm happy about. The Bruins need solid defensemen that don't make mistakes. These guys are the anti-Tomas Kaberles.

And with Boychuk down, the Bruins needed depth at the blue-line.

These aren't exciting moves. These moves don't make the Bruins much stronger. They address potential weaknesses. I'll take Rolston over Josh Hennessy. I'll take Zanon or Mottau over Kampfer. And maybe even over Corvo.

Should Kyle Turris Have Been Suspended?

No.

His hit on Joe Corvo was potentially dangerous. But that's because it was poorly delivered. It was such an awkward check at an awkward angle in an awkward situation.

It wasn't an intentional targeting of the head. His skates left the ice but he hardly launched himself at Corvo. And he hit Corvo with his shoulder, not an elbow.

It wasn't reckless either. Reckless means that somebody is hitting other players carelessly. Whereas Turris seemed to hit Corvo clumsily.

The NHL considers past history when making these rulings. Turris' history shows that he's not normally a hitter at all. He's 19th on the Senators with 16 hits this season. That's 3 more than Zach Hamill, 5 fewer than Tyler Seguin, and 10 fewer than Jordan Caron.

I understand Jack Edwards' frustration in the moment, but the NHL was correct in not suspending Kyle Turris.

Ought To Win in Ottawa

Even though the Bruins lost Friday night, it wasn't a bad performance. Few mistakes. Give credit to Ryan Miller for being a great goalie. And maybe if Thomas were in net for the shooutout, the Bruins take home 2 points instead of 1. Rask was very good during the game, but Thomas is just slightly better.

Beating Ottawa was more important. The Senators are the only team currently within striking distance of the division leading Bruins.

The B's look to be back in business. After it seemed like everyone was slumping, Marchand has gotten hot. Bergeron scored twice Saturday night, and Chara ended a goalless drought in Buffalo.

The fact that the Ottawa game got as close as 4-3 was unfortunate. The Bruins were the superior team for all of the game until they forgot to cover Daniel Alfredsson. He, Jason Spezza, and Erik Karlsson took advantage of bad Bruins defending. The B's collapsed too low in their own zone, giving Spezza and Alfredsson free reign to move the puck around the ice, get Thomas to commit to a shot from Spezza, then pass to Alfredsson and score.

But Bergeron's empty-netter sealed the deal. It was a smart play, as he shot from his own blue line. Either Seguin would receive the shot/pass, or the shot would go in the net, or Seguin would have a good chance to win the race to wave off the icing.

Things turned nasty in the 3rd period. There was Neil's big hit on Boychuk, which was a shattering check, but a clean check. Later Kyle Turris left his feet to hit Joe Corvo in the head. There was a boarding penalty, but the NHL has decided not to discipline Turris further. Boychuk might be out for a few games. Corvo is fine.

These teams meet Tuesday night in what should be an entertaining and physical game.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

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.