Ryan Leaf Arrested... Again

NFL bust Ryan Leaf was busted on Saturday for burglary and possession of drugs. After posting a $76,000 bond, he waited only 2 days before being arrested for doing the same thing on Monday. He burglarized a home and stole prescription drugs.

It's just sad. And pathetic. He had an opportunity to live a dreamlife, but messed that up. Then instead of using the free degree he got from Washington State to build a normal life, he's taken to breaking into houses and stealing other people's prescriptions.

I'd feel bad for the guy, but he's had every opportunity in the world given to him. This latest example sums up his life nicely. He gets arrested Saturday, pays his bail, then commits the same crime on Monday. He was caught by the home's owner, then told the guy that he'd accidentally entered the wrong house and left. Once the owner of the house noticed he was missing some pills, he called the police.

You couldn't even scout the house and see when the owner typically comes home? With that lack of pregame preparation it's no wonder he failed in the NFL.

Red Sox Preview: Starting Pitchers

The Sox rotation is top-heavy. It's success will depend on how heavy that top can be. Teams have been successful in the past with just 2 or 3 great pitchers. 2 pitchers can start 60% of a 5 game series, and 57% of a 7 game series. 3 pitchers can do 80% and 86%.

So you only need 3 great pitchers. The question with for the Sox rotation in 2012 is: can 2 or 3 be great enough to make up for the lack of quality in the others?

Jon Lester is a dependable rock. He's never been an Ace, but he is reliable and very productive. You can count on Lester for an ERA between 3.20 and 3.50, 190 to 210 innings, 15 to 19 wins, and a WHIP between 1.20 and 1.27. In the last four years, he has not deviated outside of these ranges.

Maybe this is the year he steps up and becomes an Ace, but I think that is an unfair expectation. I think this is the year that he pitches like he's pitched for the last 4 years. He'll win 17 games, with an ERA around 3.40. A very fine, very respectable, quality year of work.

Josh Beckett is as unpredictable as Jon Lester is predictable. From game to game, year to year, Beckett is a gamble. He had a 2.89 ERA last year but only managed 13 wins in 31 starts. That was partly due to bad luck. 8 of his 11 no-decisions were Quality Starts.

The question with Beckett has never been "what's he capable of?" It's always been a question of consistency? Going into last September, he was 12-5 with a 2.54 ERA. He was 1-2 in September, with an ERA of 14.79. Which is the real Josh Beckett? They both are.

In 2012, I think Beckett will win at least 18 games. His ERA will be around 3.10. But he'll have some very bad starts, hopefully not at a time when his teammates need him to be his best. But as a whole, I actually am optimistic about his 2012 season.

Clay Buchholz's health could determine if the Red Sox contend for the AL East, or struggle for the 2nd AL Wild Card. He emerged as a frontline starter in 2010, winning 17 games with a 2.33 ERA. Last year he struggled in April then settled down in May and June, going 5-0 with a 2.59 ERA in those months. And if he didn't get hurt, who knows how the season would have gone.

Back injuries worry me. And Buchholz' physique is far from burly. There's no way to tell how well he'll recover from his injuries. If he doesn't, the Sox have a void in a rotation that already has a few voids after him.

If Buchholz does well, the Sox will be contenders. If Buchholz is just okay, the Sox can survive. If Buchholz struggles, they can't.

Why is Buchholz so important? Because the back-end of the Sox rotation is garbage.

Daniel Bard hasn't been a starter since 2007 when he was with Single-A Greenville and High-A Lancaster. It did not go well. In 22 starts (17 in Greenville, 5 in Lancaster) he managed to pitch 75 innings (3.4 per start). He had an ERA of 7.08 and a WHIP of 2.05.

That was a long time ago. He was 22 years old and just out of college. He was converted to a reliever in 2008 and did so well in that new role that it got him to the Majors by 2009. Walks killed him as a starter (he averaged more than one an inning) and he's dramatically improved in that area. Against MLB hitters, he walks 0.386 per inning.

That's one inning per appearance though, against hitters who hadn't yet seen his stuff. This Spring, he's struggled as a starter. 13 walks in 18.2 innings. And 17 hits.

As a reliever, he's been able to fool batters one time. As a starter, he's not fooling anyone and certainly not fooling them twice.

I don't expect him to finish the season as a member of the starting rotation.

Felix Doubrant is having an unbelievable Spring. Which means a lot today, but will mean nothing on Thursday. He's bounced around the lower levels of the Sox' minor league system, occasionally excelling and occasionally disappointing. I'm not surprised the Sox are giving him a chance to be a starter, I'll be shocked if he's still in the rotation once summer starts.

Alfredo Aceves has much more starting experience than Bard. 108 minor league starts and 9 in the Majors. Aceves could be a serviceable 5th starter. An innings eater. He won't be horrible like John Lackey was last year. He'll give 5 or 6 innings of solid work a night, with an ERA hovering above 4.50. And that's not bad for a 5th starter.

But if he is the 4th starter, then that's scary.

Right now he's in the bullpen, but I think will wind up in the rotation very soon.

It's a chilling thought, but the savior of the Red Sox rotation might be Daisuke Matsuzaka. He might not be able to return until the middle of summer. And his contribution will be even less predictable than usual thanks to Tommy John surgery.

But if Lester pitches like Lester, Beckett pitches up to (or even close to) his potential, and Buchholz manages to stay healthy, Daisuke is not a bad 4th starter.

Unfortunately for the Sox, Daisuke needs a strong bullpen in order to succeed. And we'll discuss how unlikely that will be in the next preview post.

Wes Welker in Depends Commercial

Welker and the others were smart to make sure the guy mentioned that they don't need adult diapers. But I'm sure Welker will get plenty of shit for this. Then again, Depends are supposed to be able to handle shit.

This commercial reminded me of when NASCAR driver Mark Martin was sponsored by Viagra. I don't know if he needed it or not, but in either case, there's no way the FCC would allow a Viagra commercial with him trying out the product and seeing how well his racing gear still fit.

Flyers vs. Penguins Line Brawl

This was at the end of Philadelphia's 6-4 win yesterday. Not surprisingly, it starts with a Pittsburgh Penguin aiming for an opponent's cranium.

As much as I dislike Hartnell, I have to appreciate the Ric Flair hand-to-ear gesture during his "exchange" with that Hulk Hogan looking Penguins fan in the white Malkin jersey.

These teams will play each other to end the regular season on Saturday. And then it's almost a certainty that they'll square off in the first round as the 4 and 5 seeds in the East.

I can't wait for that series. I might have to root for the Flyers. Which will make me feel dirty. But not as dirty as the Penguins play.

Sox Set Rotation

Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Doubront, Bard. That will be what the Red Sox rotation will look like to start the season. And maybe Jordan's Furniture should give away free stuff if that rotation looks the same in September. Or even May.

You'll notice the absence of Alfredo Aceves. Rumor has it that Andrew Bailey is injured and when asked about that injury, all Bobby Valentine could do was place a finger to his lips and pretend to gag. Which I guess is the same as Bill Belichick saying "we can't comment on that player because we don't fully know that player's status at this time."

Aceves could go to the bullpen while Bailey recovers, possibly assuming the closer's role.

This rotation is unique. A career #2 pitcher as the #1, a guy who's been an Ace in the past and has also sucked in the past as a #2, a recovering back injury in the #3 spot, a puzzling quadruple-A pitcher in the #4 spot, a converted reliever who struggled as a minor league starter as the #5 pitcher, and the closer's role filled by a guy who has performed decently as a starter.

All with Bobby Valentine using gestures and jokes to talk about the team.

Even if this rotation proves disastrous, it will at least be interesting and entertaining to see the disaster unfold. It's like a Michael Bay movie. Only Bay is more willing to spend money.

So Should the Celtics Still Trade Rondo?

I never fully understood the logic behind those who argued that the Celtics should trade Rondo. While he isn't the best PG in the league, if you think the position is so important that you need to build a team around it, then that's even more reason to not trade him unless you can directly replace him with a superior player. If you want him gone because he isn't a good enough point guard, you'd better have a clearly better PG waiting in the wings to take his place.

How well Rajon Rondo plays has dictated how well the Celtics have played. That might be a scary thought to some, but it's how the season has gone. It's a fact. Time to deal with that. And time to also accept the fact that if Rondo were removed permanently from this team, they'd struggle.

He had yet another triple-double. And he seems to excel in big games against tough opponents. He sees the floor, he reads the play well, he's selfless. You might want more from a point guard, but you don't NEED more.

The Celtics played about as good of a game as they're capable of. 47.1% shooting, 20 of 22 from the line. Miami only had 9 fastbreak points. So I'm still unsure if they can go the distance against a tough team. How many nights will you shoot close to 50% and miss only 2 free throws?

But the Celtics have turned a corner lately. They're a team to contend with. They're leading the division, and are only 1.5 games behind Orlando for the 3rd seed. They're not an easy first or second round draw.

They host the Spurs on Wednesday.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins 8, New York 4

The Bruins clinched the Northeast Division, clinched the #2 seed, and did it all in a weekend on Long Island then Manhattan.

The Bergeron line absolutely dominated the Islanders, combining to score 3 times in the 3rd. That line is loaded with talent. Seguin and Marchand each have 27 goals, Bergeron is one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL, and he's scored 22 for himself. When that line gets hot, the Bruins get hot.

The win against the Rangers was very impressive. It was a close game, a physical game, a game of mistakes. It was very much like a playoff game. The Bruins made fewer mistakes. They also did a good job capitalizing on the Rangers' mistakes. And Thomas was the better goalie, stopping 33 of 34. Thomas hadn't beaten the Rangers since November 17th, 2010.

The Bruins likely won't face the Rangers until the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bruins are definitely the #2 team in the East, and the Rangers are a point away from clinching the #1 spot. It's good to know that the Bruins can beat that team, and do so on their ice.

Ottawa will most likely be the Bruins' first round opponent. The Senators have 4 point cushions ahead of them and behind them. With only 3 games left, it's hard to imagine them passing New Jersey for 6th or falling below Washington to 8th.

Boston is up 4-1 in the season series against Ottawa, with a game on Thursday (which I am going to).

The Bruins host the Penguins Tuesday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins Squeeze Out a Point

You have to admire the Bruins' resiliency in this game. It wasn't a pretty game, and the Bruins didn't play all that well, but they were able to score two late goals in the 3rd to tie it and earn a point.

It's the type of character that until recently was lacking with this team. About a week ago, if the Bruins fell 2-0 down, that was it. But now, they're able to make something out of nothing.

Hopefully Seidenberg will be back Saturday. Corvo just doesn't fit in. He's not a liability like Kaberle was. But he hasn't done anything to really be a Bruin.

McQuaid left the game in the 1st period. The Bruins are saying that he wasn't acting like himself. And that's worrisome. Hopefully he recovers today and does act like himself. The Bruins will need him in the playoffs.

Bruins play the Islanders on the road Saturday. They need 1 point to clinch a playoff spot.