BC ATTAINS BOWL ELIGIBLITY

I know what the haters will say. "Bowl Eligibility isn't a big deal, not for a big program, and BC thinks they have a big program." Well i'm a BC fan, and we most certainly DO NOT have a big program. We have a solid, middle class kind of program. And BC wasn't supposed to reach bowl eligibility this year, not according to many ACC predictors. But they're 6-3, with 3 not-so-tough conference games left to play (@ Virginia, vs. UNC, @ Maryland). If they win those 3, and Clemson loses an ACC game, then the Eagles go to the ACC Championship for the 3rd straight year.

Against CMU, Montel Harris returned with a vengeance. He was stifled in the Notre Dame game, but against the Chippewas he put up 136 yards and scored 2 TDs. He's already surpassed his numbers from last year. He's got 930 yards with 3 games left to play. And he's got 13 TDs, compared to just 5 last season.

The Eagles travel to Charlottesville to take on the 3-5 Virginia Cavaliers.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

BRUINS STILL LACK TRACTION

You get a decent effort with an unfortunate loss to the Devils. Then a great, high-flying game against Edmonton, then get shutout by Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers.

I guess treading water until guys like Savard and Lucic return isn't so bad. I suppose losing by 1 goal to good teams isn't so bad.

But a 13.6% power play is bad. It's worse than bad. It's flat-out inexcusable. That's 28th in the League. Only the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators are worse. A team with plenty of forward depth should not be below 15% this deep into the season. They should be 20% or better.

And having the 21st best PK unit isn't too good either, but at least that's shown some signs of improvement lately.

It's a long season, but it gets shorter every day. And if the season ended right now, the Bruins would be 9th in the Eastern Conference.

Big stretch of games coming up for the B's. They play Western Conference Champion Detroit on the road Tuesday night. That game's on Versus. Then they host Montreal and Buffalo on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Stephen Chernin

RONDO EXTENDED

In a bit of a surprise, the Celtics and point guard Rajon Rondo agreed to terms on a 5 year, $55 million extension. The NBA had extended the deadline to come to contract extensions until 6:30 tonight.

Rondo's improved every year he's been in green and white. And while I still don't think he's in the "top 5" of point guards, I think such questions like that are irrelevant. Whether he's in the "top 5" is sports radio fodder, and has nothing to do with winning basketball games.

Rondo is a key element to the Celtics' success, both now and in the future. Pierce, Ray Allen, and KG can't play forever, but Rondo is not only a key cog to the Celtics' current championship hopes. He's the potential center-piece in the c's long-term plans.

Source:
Boston Herald

PEDRO IS STILL GOD

The Phillies didn't get the win in Game 2. And if you look at his line score, (6+ IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 HR), you wouldn't think anything more than "Pedro was decent, maybe good, nowhere near great."

But if not for Charlie Manuel, likely inspired by his lack of bullpen quality (the pen blew a would-have-been Pedro win in the NLCS), Pedro would have finished with a line score of:

6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 HR

A much much more attractive sequence of numbers.

Pedro wasn't lights out. He wasn't "the same guy we saw 10 years ago." Not even close. But he was good. World Series calibre, for sure. Had AJ Burnett not pitched the game of his life, Pedro could have left the Bronx with his 7th career playoff 'W.'

It might have been Pedro's last game. Probably not, but he barely pitched half a season this year, and will be another year older in 2010. It wasn't a John Elway type of exit, but if this proves to be Pedro's last stand, it was a pretty good one.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

TRUST ME, THE B'S ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK

It's not easy to celebrate a 2-1 loss to New Jersey. But compared to the kind of efforts the Bruins have put forth this season, this wasn't so bad. This was a playoff-type game. Tight defensive play (but no trapping, thank God), and the Devils came out on top. But in the long run, the Bruins will win these kinds of games more than they lose them.

Scoring. The Bruins couldn't slap home any loose pucks in front of the net. On most nights, they'd build a 2-0 cushion, but they just couldn't get the blades of their sticks on the puck. And that was their ultimate undoing.

But the Bruins are building good habits. They're playing good games. They're going to be alright.

Bruins host the Oilers Saturday afternoon.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

¡¡¡HAY SOLAMENTE UN PEDRO!!!

There's only one Pedro.

And he pitches tonight in the World Series. His second career World Series start. As much publicity as Curt Schilling gets for his playoff record, Pedro's isn't exactly shabby. He's 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.054 WHIP. In 86.1 postseason innings, he's struck out 83 batters.

Schilling had the bloody sock, Pedro had a less visible but more impressive effort in Game 5 of the '99 ALDS. With a bad back and an 88 MPH fastball, he mowed through a murderous Indians lineup (Lofton-Vizquel-Alomar-Ramirez-Thome, etc. The Indians scored 1,009 runs in 1999), pitching 6 innings of NO-HIT relief to win Game 5.



Later in the '99 ALCS, Pedro was the only pitcher to record a postseason win against the New York Yankees that year. That's right, the Yankees went 11-1 in the 1999 playoffs, and that 1 loss was thanks to Pedro (and Roooooooooooooooooooger).

In the latest NLCS, he was once again brilliant. 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs. He was lifted after 87 pitches because the NL sucks and makes pitchers get pinch hit for. Then the Phillies' bullpen blew the 1-0 lead.

Pedro is my favorite player in all sports. People think the Yankees will rock him tonight. Maybe. Maybe not. I just think it's fun to watch him pitch. He doesn't have the same blistering fastball, and his changeup is less effective, but now he's a crafty veteran who can outwit hitters and still make them look like fools.

I just wish Nelson were still alive to be his good luck charm.

IF MIKE SCIOSCIA IS SO GREAT...?

It seems like the Sox play the Angels every year in the ALDS. And every time that happens, we hear about how great a manager Mike Scioscia is. How "aggressive" he is on the basepaths. How fundamentally sound his teams play. How great of a "strategist" he is.

Yet what nobody talks about with Scioscia is the attitude his teams have, the kind of personality and atmosphere the Angels' clubhouses display. In fact, managers like Terry Francona, who helps generate a calm and relaxed team atmosphere, are often criticized or even ridiculed for their strategic shortcomings. Being a "player's manager" is dismissed. When guys like Francona are compared to Scioscia, it's the guy like Scioscia who is often credited with being the better manager.

Mike Scioscia is 21-24 in postseason games. We saw in the ALDS, that his running Angels only stole 3 bases. They also ran into outs. And in the ALCS, we saw a tight, wound-up, choking performance by the Angels defense.

The Angels had the 4th best fielding percentage in the AL (.986), and the 4th fewest errors (85). They averaged 0.52 errors per game in the regular season. They made 8 errors in the ALCS. 8 errors in 6 games, 1.33 errors per game, well over twice as often as their regular season rate.

So maybe chess-masters like Mike Scioscia and Tony LaRusa can take a few tips from laissez-faire guys like Francona and Torre. Maybe Mike Scioscia isn't as amazing as some believe.

And I realize I should've written this a week ago, but I don't have a guy like Scioscia pressuring me, so I write when I want.

Source:
Baseball-Reference.com

HOME COOKING

This was just sheer domination. The Bobcats had 10 points in the 3rd quarter. Come on. That's just sad.

What can you really say about this game? The Celtics are simply better. They also played 100%, and had the home crowd behind them. KG was +34. Rondo had a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists. Shelden Williams added 12 from the bench.

The victory within the victory was giving a rest to guys like Garnett. KG went 33 minutes in Cleveland Tuesday night. Doc was able to keep him to 26. and Pierce only needed to participate in 25 minutes. It was also a good opportunity to give the bench some minutes.

The C's host the Bulls Friday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer