Boston update.

Ok, Its been a busy couple weeks in Boston.

Bruins

The Bruins went ahead and drafted "the other guy" in Seguin at #2. Not a bad consolation prize, its almost like the year Malkin went - He was drafted 2nd overall, but any other year he would have been a 1st. The number speak for themselves. He led the league in goals last season, not taylor hall.

   --- Regular Season Career Stats ---
Season   Team          Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM
----------------------------------------------------
2008-09  Plymouth      OHL    61   21   46   67   28
2009-10  Plymouth      OHL    63   48   58  106   54

The Bruins also made the move to pick up Nathan Horton. Horton was traded to the Boston Bruins on June 22, 2010 along with Gregory Campbell for Dennis Wideman, the Bruins first round pick (15th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and third round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Wideman of course became Bostons favorite whipping boy, and along with the 2 picks is more than fair for Horton, this trade as an absolute steal. The Bruins finally have a guy who can shoot, hes 6'2 230 lbs, can finish his checks, and can play in front of the net and be a presense for them. And when he wants to he can pummel guys - See Horton vs. Asham. Horton is known for playing with a high intensity and despite his size has a great shooting and skating ability.

      --- Regular Season career stats ---
Season   Team          Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM
----------------------------------------------------
2001-02  Oshawa        OHL    64   31   36   67   84
2002-03  Oshawa        OHL    54   33   35   68  111
2003-04  Florida       NHL    55   14    8   22   57
2004-05  San Antonio   AHL    21    5    4    9   21
2005-06  Florida       NHL    71   28   19   47   89
2006-07  Florida       NHL    82   31   31   62   61
2007-08  Florida       NHL    82   27   35   62   85
2008-09  Florida       NHL    67   22   23   45   48
2009-10  Florida       NHL    65   20   37   57   42

To round out the B's off season transactions so far:
*Signed forward Mark Recchi to a one-year contract extension.
*Acquired defenseman David Warsofsky from the St. Louis Blues for center Vladimir Sobotka.
*Signed defenseman Johnny Boychuk to a two-year contract extension.
*Named Cam Neely president.
*Signed defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a four-year contract extension.
*Signed forward Shawn Thornton to a two-year contract extension.

Red Sox

A glance at the Red Sox DL will turn up a Rookie of the Year and MVP, two World Series MVPs, one Cy Young runner up, a stolen-base champion, a three-time All-Star catcher, and a strong defensive outfielder who is in such pain that he can’t play every day. And thats not including a a banged up Clay Bucholz, who has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this year. Injuries happen every year, but this Boston team has had a particularly bad rash as of late. Even before this past week, the Sox had suffered far more injuries than the Yankees and Rays.

Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida are already on the disabled list, and all are at least a few weeks from returning. Mike Cameron and J.D. Drew are banged up and haven’t played consistently this month. The situation got worse this past week, we saw Dustin Pedroia break his foot, Clay Buchholz hyperextend his knee, Mike Lowell tear up his hip and Victor Martinez break his thumb. The Red Sox trudge home to Fenway with a casualty list that befits an army returning from war. Boston will now have to immediately face their chief wildcard competition, Tampa Bay.

These Red Sox are battered and beaten up in every way possible, and yet somehow, they’re still winning. They sit atop the wild-card standings, only two games out of first place in baseball’s toughest division. Against Colorado, the Red Sox played an outfield that was actually the exact opening-day group from Triple-A Pawtucket >> Daniel Nava, Darnell McDonald and Josh Reddick. Pedroia could miss anywhere from a few weeks to well over a month. The Sox have acquired utilityman Eric Patterson, but he is not a long-term solution if Pedroia is out for a significant period. For the moment, he and Bill Hall will likely share duties at second base.
“There is no breaking point,” Hall said. “We’re the Boston Red Sox. We expect to win. … That’s the mentality we have in here. Guys know they need to step up, and we’ve had guys step up all year long. That’s going to continue to happen.”

The Red Sox face the reality that they are expected to win, no matter the circumstance. They have the resources, and sitting only a few games out of first, they will have to move forward, no excuses.

Celtics

The Boston Celtics made a bold statement on draft night; they went against conventional wisdom and chose a point guard with the 19th pick. Bradley is 6'3 (Though I've read he could be closer to 6'1) and like Rondo has a tremendous wing span and defensive tenacity that the Celtics thrive on. At his introduction, Bradley's demeanor and answers to poignant questions showed he understood what he had to do. But what need did the celtics fill? The first round pick on a back up for Rondo? Rondo plays 45 minutes a game, the back up situation is slightly overrated.

James Anderson was still on the board. At 6'6", Anderson is a Ray Allen-type player in that he uses screens very well to get his shots. A shooting guard to replace Ray Allen moving foward might have helped more than a backup for Rondo.

On top of that, Bradley needs ankle surgery and will be side lined for 6-8 weeks. How prepared will he be when the season starts?... Great, a small guard, whos game is driving to the basket, and he already has a bum wheel.. Gooooood job Danny.

Second round pick Luke Harangody was a solid player in the Big East, he was never projected to go beyond the second round.. Hes like Ryan Gomes; a player who showed a steady progression in his development throughout his collegiate career. Hes the type of player NBA teams tend to ignore for the athletic play of underclassman. He knows how to use his size to get his shot and create space, and with the lack of big bodies he can easily swing between the 3 and 4 position. He has a legitimate three point shot and if he makes the team he might help reduce Pierce's minutes in the regular season.

Ainge's draft choices show that he is going to give Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett one more chance at getting Banner 18. Lets just hope its the right way to go.

Boston update.

John McDonald hits homer for his dad on Fathers Day.

After watching his postgame press conference, I think Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston speaks for us all when talking about the home run that utilityman John McDonald hit in the ninth inning of Sunday's game.

"I was so happy to see him hit that home run, I almost cried myself," Gaston said.
Indeed, it's hard not to wipe away a tear or two while watching McDonald round the bases after hitting a two-run homer off Jeremy Affeldt in a 9-6 loss to the Giants. The blast came only two days after McDonald buried his father, who had passed away from a tough battle with liver cancer earlier in the week.

That it happened on Father's Day during John's first at-bat since Jack McDonald's death only added to the emotion. John pointed toward the sky after crossing home plate.

Thanks to the understanding of the Blue Jays, McDonald was able to return home to Connecticut for the final 11 days of his father's life. The two had a very close father-and-son bond and the AP reports that Jack asked John to hit his next home run in his honor.

At first, that seemed easier requested than done. McDonald returned to Toronto with only 13 career homers to his name over 12 big league seasons and he hadn't hit one yet this season. There was a good chance it might not happen for a long while for the light-hitting infielder.

But then Gaston asked McDonald to serve as a defensive replacement for Aaron Hill in the ninth and McDonald decided to swing as hard as he could when he got to the plate in the bottom of the inning. The result was one of the most emotional Father's Day stories we've ever witnessed in sports as the ball just cleared the left field wall at Rogers Centre.

"I think it was for both of us," McDonald said. "The fact I got it out of the way quick was nice. I told him they're not that easy to hit."

Asked what he was thinking as he rounded the bases, McDonald was painfully honest. From MLB.com:

"Probably the fact that I couldn't call my dad after the game to tell him."

That's pretty powerful stuff from McDonald and I think it goes without saying that it's something that any of us who have ever bonded with our fathers over baseball can understand. My condolences go to the McDonald family, but I'd also like to offer my congratulations. Coming through as a hero for your hero is a very admirable thing.

Really, what an incredible moment to watch.

John McDonald hits homer for his dad on Fathers Day.

Courtesy of John B. Graves aka Gravy - Boston sports guru.

Hi all I know I don't post much, but today is a special day in my eyes. No this isn't about the Celtics losing last night, or the Red Sox finally turning it around, or the Patriots and Mankins! It is about Hall of Famer Cam Neely being promoted to President of the Boston Bruins! Why is this so special you may ask? I will tell you why. Every player and future player on this team will have to understand one thing - when you have that spoked B in the middle of your chest it means that you have a certain attitude, character, and a willingness to commit your body first. In my opinion everyone on this team and the rest of the league needs to take notice of this day and what it means. Cam Neely and the number 8 are known for toughness, competiveness, scoring, and his work ethic. He exemplifies what it means to be a Bruin PERIOD!!!!!! This might actually get me back involved in hockey again after I've lost so much faith after the strike, and after the way this past season ended I wasn’t sure I would ever watch again. You can say I am jumping on the bandwagon, but those who know me, know I watch and pay attention to ALL Boston sports teams. I grew up watching this man I was there at his retirement he is one of my favorite players of ALL time in ALL sports.

And my two cents .. because thats what I do -
1) I loved that article, and I wish I wrote it. 2) Cam Neely is top 5 all time players if you ask me. 3) Its about time he put his stamp on this team and had some control. 4) He's new in this front office role, but like everything else in his life he will be awesome. 5) This Bruins team is weak and needs to make changes. 6) Hes the kind of guy that grew to love boston, and has stayed here - you've got to love that as a fan. All we ever talk about is loyalty and bullshit, and like wakefield, neely knew he found gold in Boston, and we love him for it. 7) Hopefully he eventually becomes the GM. 8) Lets go B's.

Courtesy of John B. Graves aka Gravy - Boston sports guru.

Soccer is gay? Ask these football fans.

As Americans, we have a tendency to do things differently than the rest of the world. And just like we brushed aside the metric system, we also have moved away from the worlds national past time - soccer. Americans will tell you soccer is gay, fucking floppers and guys who cant throw. Soccer is for fags right? .. Maybe these ladies will convice you that you should have been a football player.






Oh damn, thats a nipple.

Soccer is gay? Ask these football fans.

Wow, Stephen Straburg take a bow.

For more than a year, the baseball world hyped the arrival of 21-year-old phenom Stephen Strasburg.

On Tuesday night, the Nationals rookie pitcher proved the hype machine right.

Strasburg put together a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The fire balling righty struck out 14 in 7 innings, allowing only two runs, four hits and zero walks. 94 pitches - 65 strikes.

*Every Pirate in the starting lineup struck out at least once against Strasburg
*His fastball clocked at 100 MPH on several occasions.
*One of his changeups registered at 90 MPH
*His slider-curves turned big league hitters into little leaguers.
*He struck out the side in both the sixth and seventh innings.
*14 strikeouts just one K shy of the 15 strikeouts that Bob Feller racked up in his 1936 debut.

In the fourth inning Delwyn Young hit a two-run homer to right for Strasburg's first 2 earned runs. And that was the end of it.

Not all of his starts will match this one, of course, but after more than a year of baseball fans waiting for him, Strasburg arrived to show us that he is the real deal.

Wow, Stephen Straburg take a bow.

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, meet Ms. Chrissy Pronger.


























"Looks like Tarzan skates like Jane"

"-4 Plus/Minus in 3 Hawks wins"

"-5 Plus/Minus in Game 5"

"100% chance we'll change our minds if Hawks sign him"

Fucking awesome.

Fuck Phil Jackson.

Did you expect a pre-Finals news conference to pass without Lakers coach Phil Jackson taking a jab at the Celtics? When questioned about potential physical play in the series, Jackson took his first swing. "We don't have a smackdown mentality," he said. "You might have seen that with Garnett on DwightHoward in Game 6 in Boston, where he was smacking Howard's arm and was finally called for an offensive foul. That's not our kind of team. We don't go out there to smack people around. I call it more resiliency. We're a more resilient ball club. We try to stay strong and play hard. But we're going to have to withstand some of that. We're going to have to play through it. We have some guys who are capable of playing to that style in Fisher and Ron Artest and obviously Kobe. But our big guys are going to have to stand up because that's basically what got the Celtics through Orlando."

Lamar Odom took a more diplomatic approach. "All the series have been physically demanding, even this last one, all the running we had to do," said Odom. "This one will be physical, if they let us play a little bit." Jackson did show sympathy for Kendrick Perkins, one of the Celtics' most physical players. The Lakers coach said his team had no desire to frustrate Perkins in an effort to force the center into a technical foul. One more technical and Perkins will earn an automatic one-game suspension. "I don't even like to think about those kind of things," said Jackson. "Those things I think should be wiped out. Flagrant fouls. Technical fouls. It just means the longer you've been in the playoffs the more penalized you are. It seems like that's not a really good code right now."

Hey fuckhead phil, I could coach a team to the championship if I had guys like Shaq, Kobe, Jordan, Pippen. -- Guru? He's no guru.

Fuck Phil Jackson.