SCHILLING IS A HIT

Curt Schilling started out masterfully, spinning three beautiful innings Saturday afternoon against the Pirates. Then it all fell apart. Schilling has been toying with the idea of pitching inside. He's had some good masters of this art to observe in the past from Randy Johnson to Pedro Martinez. However, he didn't really show the fortitude necessary to pitch like that on Saturday. Maybe that wasn't it, but I think it was.

When you're not used to hitting batters it can affect you. Curt has only hit 47 batters in his Major League career over 18 seasons. The most he ever had in a single season was 6. Compare that with Pedro who has hit 119 in 13 full seasons, or Roger Clemens who has beaned 150, or Randy Johnson who has hit an impressive 168 batters over 18 seasons. These guys are used to seeing players go down and even get hurt when hit by the ball. They are also used to throwing up and in without hitting someone in the head.

Pitching inside is all about the threat. Even the toughest hitters covered in steroid filled muscles and layers of padding don't want to get hit, especially in the head. This instinctual fear keeps them from getting too comfortable in the batter's box. This allows the pitcher to more freely throw the ball over the plate. However, the intention is almost never to hit someone in the head with a pitch.

I don't think Schilling meant to hit Duffy in the head. I think he went up and in on a player that, like Schilling, is still in spring training mode and isn't at 100% on his toes like he would be in May or June. So Duffy went down and maybe Curt got a little shaken up about it.

Whatever went wrong, it went wrong big time. Curt gave up 4 runs in his final inning of work, ruining his stat-line on an otherwise fine day of pitching.

The good news from Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Pirates was that the bats came alive just a bit. J.T. Snow went 2 for 3 with a double and a pair of RBI. Alex Gonzalez and Tony Graffanino each went 1 for 3 with an RBI. However, Schilling's implosion and Jon Lester's lackluster relief performance resulted in yet another loss in spring. Hopefully, the Red Sox will get losing out of their system before April.

TWINS CLINCH MAYOR'S CUP WITH WIN

Adam Stern was welcomed back to the Red Sox with a singing of "O, Canada" by some of his teammates and went 1 for 1, but the return of the WBC star was not enough. Neither was a 2 run homer by Kevin Youkilis which was all the Red Sox offense could muster in terms of scoring. Papelbon started off nicely but faded, eventually allowing 5 runs in 3.1 innings. His stamina will be pivotal to the Red Sox this year if he is going to be in the rotation. We've seen this problem with Bronson Arroyo as well as with other younger starters such as Casey Fossum a few years back. They mow through lineups one or two times then hitters figure them out and knock them around. It usually isn't a question of arm strength. It is coming up with new ways to fool hitters. Great pitchers toy with hitters each time through the lineup, setting them up, and showing them something different each time. That's what good starters have to do to produce Quality Starts and go deep into games.

So the Red Sox have lost yet another Mayor's Cup to the crosstown Twins. It isn't serious, but in March on the verge of serious baseball, it is fun to pretend, isn't it?

OTHER NOTES FROM FORT MYERS
Keith Foulke faced batters for the first time on Friday. He played long toss on Sunday. No word yet on when a return is expected.

David Wells will pitch in a minor league game this week. No word on when he will join the big club.

A friend of mine went down and saw the Sox in spring training this week. He said that Crisp looked good. Not only was he putting up good numbers, but he was making solid contact and was playing heads up baseball, particularly on the bases. We need that type of Dirt Dogedness on the team, especially from our leadoff hitter.

USA BEATS JAPAN 4-3...OR DID THEY?
In the first game of 2nd round play, the Americans walked off with a 4-3 ninth inning victory over the Japanese, but it was not without some controversy. With the game tied at 3 in the top of the inning, it appeared as though Japan had taken the lead of a sac fly. The Americans appealed and the play was upheld by the 2nd base umpire. Then the play was overturned by the home plate umpire. Those plays are always bang bang but I can't recall an appeal denied then that denial being overruled. Be that as it may, the Americans have taken a pivotal game against a tough team.

Cuba beat Venezuela 7-2 in Pool 2 play. Cuba is demonstrating that they are a legitimate threat in this tournament despite having no Major Leaguers on their roster.

Puerto Rico beat the Dominican 7-1. David Ortiz and Alex Cora both went 0 for 4. Julian Tavarez pitched an inning allowing 3 unearned runs and 3 hits. Hard to call all of those runs unearned when you allow 3 hits in an inning.

The US takes on Korea tomorrow, Cuba plays the Dominican in a huge matchup of epic proportions, and Venezuela faces off against Puerto Rico.

IT'S ALL OVER FOR THE BRUINS

I'm calling it, although it could have been called long ago. The season for the Bruins is over. After a 6-2 loss to the Sabres Sunday night, the 5th loss in a row and the 8th out of the last 9 games played, the Bruins are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. With 17 games left, the Bruins are 13th in the Eastern Conference standings, 10 points behind 8th place Tampa Bay. That isn't the major problem, however. The problem is, the Thrashers, Islanders, Maple Leafs, and Panthers all stand in between the Bruins and the 8th and final playoff spot. It just simply seems incredibly unlikely that the Bruins will amass enough points in their remaining 17 games and for five teams to fold up, especially considering how badly the Bruins have played recently and the loss of Sergei Samsonov. So this is it. The Bruins are done. Hopefully I'm wrong. But I doubt it very much.

NO MORE BIG WILLIE STYLE IN GILLETTE?
The potential disaster in the NFL was averted as the League and Player's Association came to an agreement on a new CBA. However, the football news was not completely good. The Patriots cut defensive end/outside linebacker Willie McGinist a few days ago. The move was an obvious one because of McGinist's $7 million cap figure. I wouldn't be shocked if the Patriots attempted to sign him with a more cap-friendly contract, but I also wouldn't be surprised if the NFL's all-time leader in playoff sacks gets some big offers to play elsewhere. It will be sad to see Willie go, however. He made many big plays in many big games and his versatility and stamina were remarkable. Players like him allow coaches like Belichick to look smart. Not that Bill isn't a genius, he just looked like a super-genius with guys like McGinist out there.

TOP SEEDS ALL MOVE ON IN HOCKEY EAST
There were some close games, but each of the favorites moved on in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs. Top seed Boston University beat UMass in two games to advance. Maine beat UMass-Lowell 4-3 twice to move on. Boston College squeezed by Vermont in OT then crushed them in the second game to go to the semi-finals. UNH needed double OT to seal the deal but eventually put Providence College away.

The Semi-Finals begin on St. Patrick's Day in the Garden with Boston College playing Maine and Boston University playing New Hampshire. The winners of those games will play the next day for the Hockey East Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Sources and Resources for this post:
Yahoo! MLB Photos
Boston.com Sports
RedSox.com
Hockey East Online
Baseball-Reference.com
World Baseball Classic
ESPN.com

BC GETS SCREWED IN NCAA SEEDING

It happened a few months ago, BC was selected to play in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise against Boise State instead of somewhere a bit warmer and somewhere a bit more neutral. That was understandable. The teams selected by more desireable bowls had larger fan bases and more notoriety. However, this seeding situation is unexcusable. The NCAA seeding system is supposed to be based entirely on the quality of the team. However, BC was screwed out of what should have been a 3 seed. Now, I know it is only 1 seed difference, but they should have gotten a 3 seed and a playing location closer to home such as Dayton or Detroit.

What confuses me is that Boston College got a 4 seed, and North Carolina got a 3 seed. We beat UNC twice, including the ACC Semis. We lost to Duke in the title game by the slightest of margins. Yet we have been ranked by the NCAAs to be weaker than at least 12 other teams even though we are ranked 11th at the moment and just beat Maryland, UNC, and lost by 2 to a #1 seed.

The seeding isn't the only thing that irritates me. BC will be playing in Salt Lake City. The other three teams in BC's pod are all western teams (Montana, Pacific, and Nevada). Hell, Nevada is right next door to Utah. If BC manages to win their first two games, they'll move on to Minneapolis. They will probably face Villanova.

I think BC has earned a 3 seed and the chance to play closer to home. They finished 3rd in the ACC, 11th in the nation, then went through the ACC tournament losing only to #3 in the country Duke by 2 points in the state of North Carolina. Apparently, that isn't good enough. Oh well.

I'm probably overanalyzing minutia here. Boston College still has one of the easiest paths it has ever had in the NCAA tournament. They should beat 13th seeded Pacific. I think they'll have a close one against 5th seeded Nevada but should move on. After that, they're certianly capable of beating Villanova but it won't be easy. After that it will probably be Ohio State or Florida which will be tough but not as tough as Villanova. Then probably UConn or Tennessee. BC is a candidate to win all of this thing. Do I think it will happen? Probably not. But if they play just a bit better for a bit longer than they played against Duke today and do it every game, they will win it all.

BC EAGLES EDGE UNC TAR HEELS IN GREENSBORO

Chapel Hill, NC is 45 miles from Greensboro. Chestnut Hill, MA is 640 miles from Greensboro. In a game that was essentially a road game, the BC Eagles were able to hold on against #10 North Carolina 85-82, earning a spot in the ACC finals against #3 Duke. This was the second time the Eagles defeated UNC and it was probably the more impressive victory considering how well the Tar Heels have been playing, beating Duke on the road only a few days prior to this game.

Craig Smith and Jared Dudley led the way. Smith had 23 points and 15 rebounds for his second double double of the tournament. Dudley played all 40 minutes of the game and contributed 21 points. Sean Marshall had 14 points for BC, and freshman Tyrese Rice added 10 off the bench. Points off the bench were the difference in this one, one of the differences, at least. BC had 14 points from bench players while UNC only had 6.

The game was a close one the entire way through. BC clung to a 43-42 lead at halftime. In the 2nd half, they pulled away, leading at times from between 8 to 12 points. In the closing minutes, as UNC got more aggressive and BC more conservative, the gap closed. However, BC hit a few key baskets that secured them a victory and a spot in the finals.

Now it is on to face Duke. Much like UNC, Duke will essentially be playing a home game. This game is a winnable game for BC. Duke had some struggles to close out the regular season with a home loss to UNC and a loss to unranked Florida State. The two teams played each other on February 1st with Duke eaking out an 83-81 victory at Chestnut Hill.

However, there are many reasons why Duke is the #3 team in the country. They will probably be the #1 team if they win this game after #1 UConn and #2 Villanova each had early losses in the Big East tournament. They've only lost 3 games all season. Two were on the road, and one was against arch-rival North Carolina. They haven't had an easy schedule to navigate, either. This isn't Gonzaga, here. They beat Memphis, now the 5th ranked team in the country. They beat Texas in Austin when Texas was #2 in the nation. They beat Indiana on the road when Indiana was ranked 16th. They've beaten a good number of good and solid teams and beaten up on many opponents. They've scored over 100 points twice, over 90 7 times (including 97 against Texas), and over 80 on 19 occasions this season. They're a powerhouse.

This game is almost a no lose situation for Boston College. Nobody would expect them to beat Duke in Greensboro, especially considering Duke's history in the ACC tournament (16 titles, 6 of the last 7). However, the Eagles have made it to the ACC finals, beat UNC on a national stage and have probably secured themselves a 3rd seed in the NCAA tournament regardless of the outcome of this game. They have an opportunity here to do even better than that. If they can win this game, they could earn themselves a 2 seed.

At the moment, ESPN.com's Bracketology has the Eagles as a 4 seed, but this might have been before BC beat UNC and it was a good 4 seed going up against Kent State, then the winner of West Virginia or San Diego State. Today's game against Duke could be the biggest game in Boston College history if they win it.

Sources and Resources for this post:
ESPN.com
How Far Is It? by Indo.com

SOX, AND EAGLES WIN

The Red Sox beat the Phillies 9-4 and the BC Eagles beat Maryland 80-66. Wakefield started for the Red Sox going 4 scoreless innings allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. His ERA this spring is 0.00. The combination of Seanez and Riske continued to give up runs. Seanez went 1 allowing a run, as did Riske. Delcarmn allowed an unearned run in an inning of work.

Coco Crisp continues to have an impressive spring. He raised his average to .615 with a 2 for 3 performance last night, knocked in a run, and stole 2 bases. Loretta went 1 for 2. Trot Nixon went 2 for 4 with a solo HR and a pair of RBI. Manny went 1 for 2, Lowell 0 for 2, Youk 0 for 2 and Gonzalez 0 for 2. Murphy had a big day going 2 for 3 with a pair of homeruns and 5 RBI.

The Red Sox play the Pirates today and Curt Schilling is starting.

Craig Smith led the #11 BC Eagles to victory in the 2nd round of the ACC tournament last night. He had 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also added 3 steals. The Eagles exploded in the 1st half, going into the locker room with a 41-22 lead, then they put it in cruise control and won by 14.

This afternoon at 4, the Eagles face a tougher task. They will play #10 North Carolina. The game is essentially a home game for the Tar Heels, who beat Virginia 79-67 last night and are also rolling just like the Eagles are. They've won their last 8 games, including one against Duke. They've won 11 of their last 12. BC and UNC played each other once this season and the Eagles won in Chapel Hill 81-74. If BC wins this game, it will impress a lot of people on the selection committee.

AMERICA! F*CK YEAH!

If I knew how to Photoshop properly, I would replace the puppets with Roger Clemens, Derek Lee, Ken Griffey Jr, and Alex Rodriguez. And yes, I'd make A-Rod one of the female puppets.

Team USA advanced to the 2nd round of the World Baseball Classic with a 17-0 slaughter of South Africa. I'm not surprised and so I'm not really celebrating too much. If you ask me, we shouldn't have had to win this game in order to advance. Losing to Canada was inexcusable.

It gets much harder for the United States. They are in Pool 1 of the 2nd round with Mexico, Japan, and South Korea. Both Japan and South Korea should be well rested. Second round play begins on Monday. The first game for the US: Japan. The two teams with the best record in the 2nd round will play each other a 2nd time with the winner of that game advancing to the finals to play the winner of Group 2.

I think so far this thing has been a success. No players have gotten hurt, and there have been some really amazing games and performances. What surprises me was the way the weaker teams played. Teams like Australia, South Africa, and Panama were long shots to advance but they played very well considering the disadvantage in talent they have.

How bout this for a story, Shairon Martis of the Netherlands and a prospect in the Giants farm system threw a 7 inning no hitter against Panama. The Netherlands put up 10 runs so the game ended early via the slaughter rule. Martis was right on the edge of the pitch count limit for the 1st round, throwing 65 total pitches and allowing only 2 base runners.

SOX LOSE TO D-LOWE, GRADY, AND THE DODGERS

The Boston Red Sox lost to the Los Angeles Red Sox 6-4. That is not a typo. The Dodgers are the Red Sox retirement home. Anyway, Arroyo dissapointed again while Derek Lowe was stellar for the Dodgers. Arroyo went 2 innings, allowing 5 earned runs. If this type of pitching continues, he very well may end up out of the rotation to start the season.

On the plus side of things, Abe Alvarez pitched a scoreless 7th allowing only 1 hit, and Craig Hansen pitched a perfect 8th. Trot Nixon was 1 for 2 with a walk, J.T. Snow was 1 for 3 with an RBI. Other than that, the Red Sox regulars were kept in check by Lowe and the rest of the Dodgers staff.

SOX LOSE BADLY TO MARLINS
The Florida Marlins beat up on the Boston Marlins 12-1. That too, is not a typo. The Red Sox are a depository of former Marlin talent. The big hero of the day was former Red Sox prospect Hanley Ramirez who went 3 for 3 with a triple. He also scored 3 of Florida's runs as their leadoff hitter.

This game was not the Red Sox most determined effort to win this Spring. David Pauley started on the mound for us and was releived by Matt Ginter, Mike Holtz, Mike Burnabay, Craig Breslow and Jermaine van Buren. None of these guys will probably be on the 25 man roster on Opening Day.

Offensively, the Red Sox had more of an effort, it just wasn't that well executed of an effort. Alex Gonzalez went 0 for 3, Mark Loretta went 1 for 3, Mike Lowell went 0 for 3, Youkilis had a decent day going 1 for 2 with a double and a run, and Enrique Wilson went 0 for 2 but had the Sox only RBI of the game.

The Sox host the Phillies tomorrow afternoon at City of Palms Park.

TEAM USA NEEDS TO WIN IN WBC
After a surprising 8-6 loss to Canada, and thanks to a Mexico victory over Canada, the United States can advance to the 2nd round of the World Baseball Classic, only if they beat South Africa on Friday. They should do this, especially with Roger Clemens starting, but South Africa has not been a pushover. They nearly beat Canada and Canada beat us so anything can happen.

Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, South Korea, and Japan have already advanced to the 2nd round of the WBC. Friday's games will determine the 2 other teams that will advance with them.

Just a few performances in the WBC by Red Sox players:

In Canada's 11-8 win over South Africa, Adam Stern went 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI, a walk, and a pair of runs scored. In Canada's 8-6 triumph over the US, Stern was the hero going 3 for 4 with a triple, a homerun, and 4 RBI.

Also in that game, Jason Varitek went 2 for 3 with a Grand Slam and 4 RBI. It wasn't enough, but it was the biggest hit of the day for the Americans.

In Mexico's 9-1 demolishment of Canada, Stern was a mere 1 for 2 with a walk. He has probably been Canada's MVP of the tournament thus far which may bode well for him in terms of a roster spot on the Red Sox.

In Puerto Rico's 2-1 victory over Panama, Alex Cora was 0 for 1 with a walk, a K, and a sacrifice. He went 0 for 3 with a SAC fly RBI in PR's 8-3 win over the Netherlands.

Lenny DiNardo got the loss for Italy when they fell to Venezuela 6-0. He started and allowed 2 runs in 2.2 innings of 4 hits.

David Ortiz went 0 for 2 but walked twice in the Dominican's 8-3 win over Italy. Papi might set and hold the WBC walk record for years to come. They just simply do not wish to pitch to him.

Sox youngster Trent Durrington went 0 for 4 but stole 2 bases in Australia's 2-0 loss to Venezuela.

So far, no player has gotten hurt in the WBC.

BRUINS TRADE SAMSONOV, LOSE TO HABSIn the first game of 4 very important contests between the Bruins and the 8th placed Canadiens, the Bruins were unable to come out on top. They were shut-out 3-0. Before the game, the Bruins were sellers in the NHL trading deadline, sending explosive winger Sergei Samsonov to Edmonton for centers Marty Reasoner and Yan Stastney as well as a 2nd round pick.

Neither Stastney or Reasoner are very good and the move appears to be an effort to get something before Samsonov left via free agency at the end of the season. It is very sad that the Bruins have traded both Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov away. They were drafted together years back, both in the 1st round and have both been great players. They were supposed to be the foundation of a Bruins Stanley Cup. Now they are gone. This has been a sad season for the Bruins.

Boston College will face off against Maryland in the 2nd round of the ACC tournament today in Greensboro. The Terps beat Georgia Tech 82-64 yesterday to advance. Maryland edged BC 73-71 back in mid December in College Park. The Eagles have improved since then and are rolling. However, BC has a tendency to fall short at the end of the season in most of its sports. Hopefully they can come up big, and win a few games in this pre-tourney tourney.

Sources and Resources for this post:
World Baseball Classic
MLB.com
Boston.com's Sports Section
Yahoo! MLB Photos
Yahoo! NCAA Hoops

MANNY MAKES SPRING DEBUT

Manny Ramirez went 2 for 3 in his first Spring Training game with 3 RBIs that helped push the Red Sox over the Orioles in City of Palms Park by a score of 10-6. Ramirez's nice outing was joined by Coco Crisp who had a very nice day for himself in the leadoff spot in the order. Crisp was 3 for 3 with a double, a pair of singles, 2 runs scored, and a stolen base. Trot Nixon also had a good day going 1 for 1, walking twice, scoring twice, and knocking in a run. Mike Lowell went 1 for 2 and knocked in his first run of the spring. J.T. Snow was 1 for 3 with an RBI. Alex Gonzalez did not have a good day, he went 0 for 3 and made a throwing error. He's still trying to get readjusted to be being back in Fort Myers and not playing for Venezuela, I think. Let's remember, this guy isn't known for his bat. Neither was Edgar yet we expected Nomar Garciaparra of 1997 numbers from him for some reason.

The pitching wasn't as good as it could be. Papelbon started, allowing a pair of runs off 4 hits in 3 innings. Rudy Seanez and David Riske continued to be less than adequate. Seanez gave up 2 runs in an inning of work. Riske allowed 1 earned run and 2 runs total in the next inning. Cla Meredith got the win with 2 scoreless innings. Manny Delcarmen pitched a hitless 8th inning.

JOHN FLAHERTY RETIRES
Flaherty was vying for the backup catcher's spot behind Jason Varitek but instead he's decided to call it quits. Flaherty is a veteran of 14 seasons and although he didn't give a reason in any of his statements to the press, he just might not be feeling it anymore. Be that as it may, that's one down in the competition for the backup catcher's role.

SCHILLING LOOKING TO PITCH INSIDE
Interesting piece by the Associated Press's Howard Ulman:

Here's the article on Boston.com

I don't know if Schilling should stray away from a style which he is comfortable with, however he seems like the type of player that analyzes his performances and comes up with good strategies to improve himself. If this is what he wants to try, then he will probably be successful in doing it.


TEAM USA SQUEEZES BY MEXICO
It's hard to view the WBC as the Ultimate Baseball Competition, which is how it is being vigorously promoted by MLB, when pitchers are kept to pitch counts and hitters are in rusty spring training habits swinging at bad pitches and taking bad swings at good pitches. It is also difficult to get into baseball games when there is 6 inches of snow outside. However, it was still fun watching today's games. I must say, I was more excited about the Dominican beating Venezuela than I was about the US beating Mexico. I want the US to win this thing, but they are supposed to beat teams like Mexico. No offense to the Mexican team, but the US team is simply stacked. The Dominican win over Venezuela, however, was much less expected and it was nice to see David Ortiz beat up on the team that didn't want his new teammate Alex Gonzalez on their roster.

Mike Timlin got the win for Team USA by pitching a perfect 4th inning. Really, Jake Peavy deserved the win with 3 shutout, 1 hit innings to start the game, but for some reason the 5 inning rule for starters applies in the WBC. Oh well, that is something nice that Timlin can put on his resume. He won the first WBC game for the United States.

How awesome was it that the fans in Arizona were booing Alex Rodriguez? I don't know if it was the Mexican fans or the American fans or sections of both. However, it was indeed awesome.

Also in WBC action, Alex Cora went 0 for 1 with a walk for Puerto Rico in their 2-1 win over Panama. "Italy" slaughtered Australia 10-0 in 7 innings. I didn't know until today that any team up by 15 through 5 innings or by 10 through 7 wins via a slaughter rule. Half of "Italy's" RBIs came from American born players. All but 2 and a third innings were pitched by Michigan native Jason Grilli. My point is, "Italy" is a fake team.

South Africa is surprisingly hanging in there with Team Canada. The South Africans, arguably the 16th best team in the competition, had been up 4-3 but are still in the game down 6-4 to the Canadians who have much more Major League talent than the South Africans do.

Tomorrow afternoon, Canada plays the US and we will see Team Cuba for the first time in the WBC. It should be interesting to see how Cuba fares against other pro-level all-star teams.

BONDS A CHEATER? ACCORDING TO A BOOK, HE IS
According to a book that is about to come out, Barry Bonds used steroids and HGH. The book documents, in detail, Bonds performance enhancing drug usage and claims that the slugger started doping in 1998. Now, a lot of people are instantly believing this as fact just because it is in some book written by a pair of San Francisco Chronicle reporters. I'm going to play Devil's advocate. I think Bonds has taken HGH in the past, but there is no proof of that. Certainly, what we know about this book is not proof either. An excerpt will be in the March 13th issue of Sports Illustrated and I'm sure the book will be out in time to capitalize on this very convenient surge in free publicity.

I'm just going to say right now that I hate Barry Bonds. I hated him before he got huge and became the best hitter in the game. I hated him because he is an a-hole, takes up 3 locker rooms in the Giants clubhouse and has a recliner in there. I also think he is a cheater. But I can't prove it. There simply is no proof out there. Yet. So let's not convict the guy just because we don't like him and want to find something about him so we can tear him down. Let's investigate properly and let evidence make conclusions and not our own biases.

It will be interesting to read this book, however.

THE BRUINS WHIZ IT DOWN THEIR LEGS AGAIN

The Bruins needed to come back from the Olympic break and earn points. They needed wins, and OT losses. They have been in every game since they came back, but haven't gotten many points out of them. Since coming back, they have won a single game and lost three more. That's 2 points in 4 games. That won't cut it. The games have been close but the Bruins have lacked a killer edge to them. They lost 4-3 to Carolina, and lost 3-2 to Buffalo twice. They have a huge game Thursday night against Montreal in the BankNorth Garden. The Bruins have fallen 7 points behind Montreal for the 8th and final playoff spot. Not only that, the Islanders, Maple Leafs, and Thrashers are all in between us and the Canadiens. Conveniently, the Bruins will host the Islanders on Saturday. They're still in this one, folks. But they need a swift kick in the ass and need to get in gear.

Sources and Resources for this post:
Boston.com's Sports Section
ESPN.com
World Baseball Classic
Yahoo! MLB Photos
Yahoo! Sports MLB Section
BostonBruins.com
The Houston Chronicle
Baseball-Reference.com

DAVID ORTIZ ES EL HOMBRE

David Ortiz has three homeruns this Spring, that is more than the rest of the Red Sox have this Spring. He had two today against Venezuela, one off of Johann Santana who fooled the Red Sox in the opener of Grapefruit League play last week. Ortiz had a solo shot in the 2nd, and then hit a 2 run blast to start a 5 run rally in the 9th. At the time, the Dominicans led 6-5 and wanted some insurance. Venezuela had come back from behind twice in the Caribbean World Series to beat the DR and eventually win it all. Ortiz provided them with some insurance.

Ortiz was 2 for 3, with the two homeruns, 3 RBI, 3 Runs, and 2 walks. Julian Tavarez also saw some action. He pitched an inning and a third. He allowed an inherited runner to score with 2 outs in the 7th and then pitched a hitless 8th inning.

The Dominican Republic takes an early lead in Pool D with their 11-5 victory over Venezuela. The DR is essentially in the second round with this win. All they have remaining in the first round is a game against Italy and one against Australia. I don't think either of these teams has much of a chance against the Dominican or Venezuela. However, Australia could surprise a few people.

Sources and Resources for this post:
World Baseball Classic
Yahoo! MLB Photos