It's Not About Death, Obviously

Rush's race-baiting on Steinbrenner death: "That cracker made a lot of African-American millionaires"

Redemption Song

A hit for Bob Marley, not so much for the Bruins. After the incident nearly two weeks ago, the Bruins finally got their chance at revenge on Matt Cooke. Unfortunately, other than Shawn Thornton dropping the mitts early in the game, Cooke was given virtually no attention as teammate Mike Rupp played agitator all night.

The B's looked lifeless for most of the game and even after Captain Z got into a scrap there was little fire in the hometown team. For a team that was supposedly fighting for a playoff spot, they sure as hell didn't play like one. On the brightside the NCAA tournament has had a hell of a lot of upsets and was far more entertaining than the effort put forth by the Black and Gold.

To Err is Human, Unless You're Tiger

As you've undoubtedly heard by now, Tiger Woods was unfaithful to his wife. This is certainly not the first time a celebrity athlete has been accused of cheating, but it may be the most publicized. Other than Kobe Bryant's alleged rape incident, it is hard to find another case of infidelity involving a billionaire athlete with such a stellar reputation. Woods was, and still is to many, the complete role model. He's never been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, never acted unprofessionally (sans a few meltdowns on the course) and he's the last person many expected to be cheating on his wife. Except he was.

All the accolades aside, Tiger is a human. People can say that they thought he was above this, but let's face facts. He's a billionaire athlete. He's in prime physical shape. He travels practically every weekend. Did I mention he's a billionaire? Under the circumstances it is easy to see how his "personal failings" could have happened. The mistake happened, however, when he let it get too far. I'm not advocating cheating. I'm simply saying that if he did it once and cut ties he wouldn't have put himself in the situation in the first place. Simply put, he allowed himself to get caught.

Beyond being unfaithful, Woods is also guilty of another sin. Moral indignation. A quote from his "apology":

The virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate
and within one's own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and
problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions.

Spare us, Tiger. The minute you began profitting from the public from your name and making millions of dollars, you lost the right to privacy. Being a public figure means that people will be curious as to why you crashed into a tree at 2 AM and continue to be when you leave a voicemail asking a mistress to change her phone settings. I agree that the matter should be resolved between him and his wife. But realistically, this is not something that will get better over night. He's got to admit and apologize for his "transgressions" and being the healing process of his image, not blame the media like so many other public figures.

Turkey For Me, Turkey For You

In honor of the most gluttonous holiday, I've comprised my five favorite things about Thanksgiving. Leave yours in the comments section if you feel compelled.

5. Stuffing. Everybody has their favorite side dish and mine is stuffing. I realize it's mostly bread crumbs but the way it compliments the gravy and turkey makes me thankful that someone discovered it.

4. Beer. No day consisting of eating and watching television would be complete without the ideal beverage. Once the tryptophan hits and you've got a few Sam Adams in you, Thanksgiving is complete.

3. Family. Love 'em or hate 'em, family is a crucial part of Turkey day. If you've ever spent Thanksgiving alone you know that it just isn't the same. Spending quality time with loved ones and no one judging you for getting that second helping of apple pie.

2. Turkey. The staple of Thanksgiving. I personally love it because it's just tradition and as I mentioned I have an affinity for stuffing and also mashed potatoes. Not to mention the turkey and gravy combo is like a Brady/Moss '07 and Manny/Ortiz '04 lovechild. Doesn't get much better.

1. Football. Whether it's high school, college or the NFL, football is everywhere on the final Thursday of November. Despite some lack luster NFL games and my alma mater losing a tough game, Thanksgiving Day football is my favorite part of the holiday. Now if we could just get some better games in the NFL, things would be perfect.

NFL = No Fun League

Last week, Titans owner Bud Adams was caught flipping the bird to the Bills faithful. Almost instantly he was fined by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for $250,000. I think it's good that he got fined because he was a bit out of line, but really what message is this sending? Is it Goodell holding owners accountable or reminding them whose boss? I like that Adams was taunting fans, especially after enduring the debacle in Foxborough earlier this year. Giving them an "explicit gesture" is going a little too far.

This isn't about Adams, however. This is about the pussification (emasculation) of the NFL. One week it's an owner being fined for being proud of his once 0-6 team. The next it's Rex Ryan bitching about Belichick and Co. throwing on third down. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you supposed to try and get first downs? As Herm Edwards once said, "You play to win the game." He gets it and apparently Ryan doesn't. Granted there was under a minute to play and the Patriots could have simply run the ball, but that could have led to a punting situation. As we've seen in earlier games, Belichick doesn't like to chance anything and if given the opportunity to ice a game he'll go for the jugular. The NFL needs more no-nonsense coaches like him because guys like Ryan talk about being disrespected when they haven't even earned respect in the first place.

Hand of God?

The luck of the Irish may have run out. As a result of the obvious handball by France's Thierry Henry, the French tied the game at one and ultimately won on a 2-1 aggregate. While I personally would have liked to see the Irish advance to the World Cup, there is no denying the travesty that has befallen them. What's worse yet, Henry admitted to the handball and has since stated his belief for a replay of the game. The original request by the Irish Football Association was squashed by FIFA, but a second request made by Ireland Captain Robbie Keane to the French Football Federation (FFF) may give new hope. If the FFF endorses the idea of a replay, which it's Captain Henry is already in favor of, then it could be brought to FIFA and a replay is a realistic possibility. For now, it is up to the powers that be to decide Ireland's World Cup fate. Let's hope their luck hasn't run out, for the country and the sport's sake.

State of the Hub

Over the weekend, strange things happened in Boston. First the Celtics lost two straight to teams they should have beaten (Atlanta and Indiana). Second, the Bruins found a way to lose in overtime while giving up the game-tying goal with just 0.4 seconds left. Then last and most bizarrely, the Patriots squandered a three score Fourth Quarter lead to lose to the rival Colts.

Most people immediately dismiss the Celtics and Bruins because their seasons are their infancy and the losses did not come to hated rivals. I'll agree with that. However, in both cases these were games the teams needed to win to prove something, at least to themselves. The Celtics took on a young Hawks team that currently leads the Eastern Conference, not to mention took them to seven games in 2008. The C's then come out and lose the next night at Indiana, who could be a first round playoff match-up, and things are questionable on Causeway. At least they followed it up with a solid win over a less than solid Golden State team last night.

The Bruins are in a similar situation. They had started to play better after an average start. David Krecji and Michael Ryder look to be headed back to last seasons scoring. They scored five goals against the defending champion Penguins. All this to give up the tying goal with under a second to play and then lose in overtime after a miscue from Tim Thomas. If the Bruins want to be contenders they have to get hot like they did last year, and they can start by winning games in which they have the lead in the final 10 seconds. They had already beaten the Pens earlier in the week in Boston and to beat them in Pittsburgh in a comeback effort would have been a good boost for this team. Instead, more disappointment and another lack luster performance on Monday, losing at home to the Islanders, 4-1.

Lastly, the state of the Patriots. They lost to the Colts. Often times this would not upset us New Englanders, but this time it's different. The Patriots lead 31-14. Tom Brady was awesome. The defense was good for three quarters. Then it all fell apart. Give Peyton Manning credit, he was his usual self throwing for four TD's and 300 yards. The biggest play, was not made by Manning however. Rather, it was Bill Belichick going for it on fourth and two from his own 28 yard-line with 2:08 to go. You've probably heard and read every side of the argument so I'll keep it short. My feeling is that Belichick did not trust his defense to stop the Colts, so what difference does it make if it is 30 yards or 70 yards? The difference is in the intangibles. Not a lot can go wrong when you only have to go 1/3 of a football field, but 3/4 is a much different story. Passes can get tipped, fumbles can happen, hell look at Laurence Maroney. In Bill we trust, but we can still question.

Footie Madness

In the ever competitive game of Women's soccer, it's really not whether you win or lose but if you can survive. In the past week, two separate instances have led to national publicity for the relatively tame sport. First, there was New Mexico State's Elizabeth Lambert kicking, punching and even pulling ponytails (above in red) on her way to internet fame. Lambert was later suspended indefinitely. Today, news broke of a high school girls state championship erupting into fisticuffs. Personally, both incidents don't bother me too much and I'll tell you why.

For starters, they involve student-athletes under the age of 25. Without sounding sexist, I think that most young adults from 16-22 have a lot to deal with. All the girls involved here undoubtedly have other things on their plate besides playing soccer. Having said that, I think it's understandable that things may get out of hand every once and awhile. Until this weekend, when was the last time we heard a story of violence associated with Women's sports? More than likely you can count the number of incidents on one hand. It's unfair that this had to happen, shining an ugly light on the sport. Now, think of how many melee's occur in college high school and college male sports. Almost, weekly there are players getting arrested, cheating to pass or more recently gouging eyes out. People will claim their outrage at these young ladies actions, but isn't that a bit hypocritical when young men are doing the same at a much more alarming rate?

New York State of Mind

The Yankees. The single most hated franchise by everyone outside of the Bronx. Their 27th championship only adds to this hatred for most, but in a way this one is different. For the first time, notorious ass holes like Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are part of the mix. Now it's true they've won with some pretty big low class jack-offs in the past (Paul O'Neill comes to mind) but at least O'Neill wasn't being paid $150 mil. to help win. The fact is the Yankees have the highest payroll in baseball by some $60 mil. which is ridiculous. All-stars at every position and an MVP that pinch hit in games three through five and two (if not more) admitted HGH users. Yes the scum of the Earth has won and for us hate them, it's just adding fuel to rampant wild fire.

Hey When You're Right, You're Right

The Celtics looked scary good last night, while the Bruins looked less than impressive. While the B's were on the wrong end of some outstanding saves by Chris Osgood, the offense is anemic. Not to mention their power play (0 for 3) looking just dreadful. They need scoring and quick.

On the flip side, the Celtics are looking like varsity while everyone else is just JV. It is really almost pathetic how bad they've beaten their opponents thus far. Other than the opener against Cleveland, they've won every game by double digits including wins by 28, 31 and 33. If that isn't domination, I don't know what is. There is no reason to suggest why this team can't keep it up, especially with Rasheed Wallace scoring 20 points in just 23 minutes. The Hub better hope the Bruins start getting some production like that or there will be only one team in the playoffs this May.

No Playoffs, No Problem

It's Tuesday, which means there is no football. It also happens to mean an off-day for the World Series. Fear not sports fans, there are sports to watch. The Celtics travel to Philly to take on the Sixers starting at 7 (Comcast SportsNet) and the Bruins will have their hands full playing in Detroit.

For both the Boston teams there are some interesting storylines. The C's appear to be unstoppable and take on a team whose already given up 120+ points twice in three games. Despite this being the first of a back-to-back, traveling to Minnesota Wednesday, this game looks to be a winnable one for the green.

The Bruins, on the other hand, could be in trouble. With last year's leading scorer Marc Savard out, the black and gold have struggled mightily to score. It's been so bad they've managed just three goals in their last three games. They desperately need Patrice Bergeron, Michael Ryder and David Krejci to pick up the slack or their slide will continue. Not to mention their playing the Red Wings, who aren't too bad themselves.

Rumblings in the NFL

Sunday was a day full of surprises and there was none bigger than Denver getting ruined by Baltimore. That wasn't the only big game of the day in the AFC. The Jets did it again, finding a way to look awful against the Dolphins. No hot dogs on this day, Mark. Ted Ginn, however, deserves two dogs for his double dip in the 3rd quarter.

Elsewhere, the Bills lost to the Texans meaning the idle Patriots are a game and a half up on the Jets, with a chance to increase their lead next week when they host the Dolphins. The fins have had success with their "wildcat" gimmick, but as we saw in Week 12 of 2008 the Patriots can't be fooled twice. The Jets certainly can and were fooled, again. If the Pats win they might run away with the division. If they don't win though, they better hope 11-5 is good enough to get in because they'll be lucky to get there with trips to Indianapolis and Naw'leans.

Spook-tacular

Tonight is Game Three of the Fall Classic, with the series tied 1-1. This was meant to be posted a few days back but I'm a busy man. The Phillies are a cocky bunch and look to repeat for the first time in their history. Hell, two championships in any sport in Philly is remarkable. Chase Utley has been a beast thus far, reaching base for a record 27 straight playoff games. If the Phils are to win Game Three they'll need Cole Hamels to revert to his 2008 form, as he's been pretty much terrible thus far in '09. Playing in the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park, the Phils are going to score some runs. However, if Hamels is giving them up at a similar rate then it could favor the Yankees who have a more power heavy lineup (Ed. Note: Philadelphia had four players with 30+ Home Runs, New York had eight with 20+).

If the Yankees win Game Three, this will be a seven game series. The Phillies will not lose two in a row at home and with Cliff Lee going in Game Five, this should go back to the Bronx 3-2 Philly. If it goes seven and Hamels starts, it could spell trouble. However, I think Philadelphia sweeps at home winning the series in five, just like J-Roll predicted, and repeating as World Champs.

The Haps

The NBA season begins tonight and although I am in no way an expert on basketball, you should check it out. A handful of games are on tap, but none bigger than the Celtics visiting Cleveland to start the season. The C's added Rasheed Wallace in the off-season, a move that gives them depth on the bench and an added veteran presence as they make another run at a title. The Cavs, along with the Magic, figure to be their biggest contenders if they can stay healthy. That's a big if. Glen "Big Baby" Davis is already injured, breaking his thumb in a fight with his friend. He is scheduled to be out 6-8 weeks and his presence will certainly be missed when the Celtics try and stop Shaq tonight.

As far as the season is concerned, I think you can expect the Celtics to win at least 60 games as they have done the past two seasons. If Garnett's knee holds up and the big three dominate like they're capable of doing, another championship is certainly a feasible task.

Weekend of Despair

As you've probably noticed, this weekend sucked for New England sports fans. The Sox were swept away by the Angels in the most unlikely fashion and the Pats looked terrible in the second half against former offensive protege Josh McDaniels and the Broncos.

While both losses were arguably shocking and disappointing, the Red Sox loss has to be the worse of the two. Over the past five seasons they have made it a habit of coming back when down (0-3 in 2004, 1-3 in 2007 and forcing a seventh game after down 1-3 in 2008) but this year they were the team to collapse. Leading 5-2 into the eighth and 6-4 in the ninth, one would have thought we'd see a Game Four. Not so fast. Jonathan Papelbon was terrible in his only relief appearance of the series (1 IP, 4 hits, 2 BB, 3 ER) and suddenly the season was over. Truly a terrible way to end the season and leave a lot to be desired come this off-season. Two questions loom largest: Will the Sox re-sign Jason Bay or go elsewhere? Will Papelbon be on the trading block with Daniel Bard big league ready? Deep down you'd like to see the Sox explore options for a big power bat, but Bay is a solid player that will hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. Look for them to do all they can to re-sign him. It is highly unlikely that the Red Sox with trade Papelbon but if they do they'll either get a boatload of high level prospects or a young starter like Felix Hernandez in Seattle.


Sunday's misery was not over after Papelbon blew the game in the ninth. Rather, the Patriots built a comfortable lead of their own before falling flat in the second half, losing 20-17 in OT. Tom Brady looked good in the first half, throwing two touchdowns and leading the Pats against a tough Broncos D. The second 30 minutes were a disaster. Brady was inaccurate, rushed and looked to be a bit confused at times. Although the Broncos defense deserves a lot of the credit, Brady was just not what we've become accustomed to. On the other side, Kyle Orton looked like John Elway, completing 73% of his passes while throwing for 330 yards and two touchdowns himself. If not for a complete let down in the fourth quarter, along with some stupid penalties, the Patriots could be 4-1 and atop the AFC East. Instead, they are 3-2 and looking average at best.

A final note to Denver, burn those uniforms and never speak of them or wear them again. Thank you.

SoCal Slaughter

One sports fans misery was another's delight on Thursday. It started in Boston and ended in Los Angeles, as the Ducks thoroughly embarrassed the Bruins in their own building and then the Angels dominated the Red Sox in Game One of their American League Division series.

The night started well enough, as the B's scored first and led 1-0 after the first 20 minutes. It all went to hell from there. Teemu Selanne potted two PP goals and Corey Perry added an even strength tally and it was 3-1 Ducks heading into the third. The Bruins looked uninspired and played like garbage on their way to giving up three more goals and losing 6-1. Certainly not the effort fans wanted coming off a 7-2 thrashing of the Canes and a four day lay off. Islanders are up next and may be the sacrificial goat the B's need.

The night ended in shambles. The Sox got four hits, all singles. John Lackey looked like a Hall of Famer. For all that went wrong, CB Bucknor is an ass hole, gotta hand it to the Angels. Torii Hunter has been a vocal leader for this team and backed it up with his bat last night, hitting a decisive three-run bomb to dead center. Other than that hit, Jon Lester pitched pretty damn good in his own right. If the Sox are going to win this series they have to have Game Two tonight (9:37 EST, TBS) and salvage a split before heading back to Fenway. It will be interesting to see if the bats get going against Jered Weaver who has been solid all season for the Halos. If Josh Beckett is healthy, he claims he is, and pitches like he has in the postseason, sans 2008 against the Rays, he could shut down the Angels and spare us from seeing Ramon Ramirez shit himself on the mound again.

Stay East Young Man

The Bruins announced yesterday that they had re-signed forward/tough guy Milan Lucic to a three-year, $12.25 million contract extension. This comes on the heels of trading another youngster, Phil Kessel, to division rivals Toronto. From the outside one would question the trading of the much more offensively gifted Kessel (66 goals in 222 games) and signing resident tough guy Lucic (70 points in 151 games) to such a hefty deal. It is not that simple, however. The Bruins feel they have a solid core group and look to keep them around for some time. This is made abundantly clear by Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli,

"You’ll see that the players we want to sign, we will sign."

There you have it. He believes in Lucic, and why wouldn't he? He's an exciting young player who gets the crowd on their feet, whether it be pummeling another man's face or putting the puck in the net. He would have been a restricted free-agent at the end of the year, and the B's weren't about to let that happen.

Playoff Time Part 2

As promised here is a look at American League half of the Postseason outlook. Arguably the most intriguing match-up is the Red Sox and the Angels, but that begins tomorrow night so we begin with the Twins and Yankees.

Two teams with complete opposite paths to the Division Series. The Yankees are big spenders who were the first team to wrap up a playoff spot and have a murderous line-up one through nine. Minnesota is your typical small market team who does not spend, relying rather on scouts and a bountiful system of young talent and prospects. With former MVP Justin Morneau out, the onus is on batting champion Joe Mauer and Morneau's replacement Michael Cuddyer, who is coming off a career year, to step up if the Twins are to have any chance. New York has better top of the rotation starters, better offense and have been able to rest. All signs point to them sweeping this series, but if Jason Kubel can get hot along with Mauer and Cuddyer, the Twins might just have a chance. Not to mention the Sabathia and A-Rod choke jobs of previous Octobers. Pick: Yankees in 4.

The Angels and Red Sox are set to meet for the third consecutive Postseason and fourth time in six years. Some say the Sox have their number, some say the Angels don't match up well, I say it's just a coincidence. The Red Sox have two great pitchers going the first two games and arguably so to do the Angels. The Angels might struggle with previous failures, but the Sox certainly do not rest on past success. Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have done well in previous trips to the Playoffs, each winning rings with Boston, but that does not mean they'll be looking beyond a dangerous Angels offense that can run and hit for both power and average. The same is true for the Red Sox offense which has AL stolen base leader Jacoby Ellsbury at the top and four guys with 20 or more home runs. The biggest question is whether Boston can get the starting pitching it needs to give its offense a chance to win. Throughout the season the offense struggled, but when Victor Martinez was acquired at the deadline it seemed to fire up this team. The Angels bats will be a true indication of whether this will be a quick series or a long one. If Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu get going early, the Red Sox could be in trouble. On the other hand, if Lester and Beckett silence them and Jonathan Papelbon repeats his previous success, the Sox should take care of the Angels no problem. Watch for Abreu to have a huge impact offensive if the Angels win. Pick: Red Sox in 5.

Playoff Time

Once again it is time for MLB Postseason to remind us that baseball is still going on. For the 22 teams not competing, fear not, football season is in full swing. For the eight teams in the race, however, football will be on the back burner for at least another week. Here's an idea of how things should/could/might shape up in both leagues.

We will start with the National League because the Rockies and Phillies get under way in a about an hour. In this rematch of the 2007 NLDS, pitching is most certainly the biggest question. The Rockies are without Jorge De La Rosa who lead their team in wins (16) during the regular season. Philadelphia's bullpen is a mess and Cole Hamels has struggled all season. However, they still have Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ who can eat innings and win ball games. Colorado has Ubaldo Jimenez going in Game One and Aaron Cook in Game Two. With the destructive left-handed bats in the Phillies lineup, this could easily be a sweep. Don't count out the Rockies though, they've been here before and did pretty well for themselves. Pick: Phillies in 4.

The other National League bout is a good one, pitting arguably the two best hitters of the last decade, Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez, against one another. Once again, pitching will be the determining factor. The Cardinals have two of the best in NL in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright . It isn't a stretch to say that they could win both games in LA, meaning they'd have to win only one of two at home. For the Dodgers, they have veteran Randy Wolf going in Game One, following that with youngster Clayton Kershaw in Game Two. It is important to note that both pitchers are left-handed and could present problems to leadoff hitter Skip Schumaker (.220 vs LHP in '09) and Colby Rasmus (.160 vs LHP in '09). Schumaker must get on in order for Pujols and clean-up hitter Matt Holliday to be effective. Still, the Cardinals are a much stronger team than the Dodgers, but if youngsters Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and James Loney can produce like they did in the regular season this team could get back to the NLCS for a second consecutive year. Pick: Cardinals in 5.

Stay tuned for the AL Playoff Preview coming later.

Enough Already

Show of hands, who else is sick of ESPN's raging mega-huge boner for Brett Favre? Okay. I'm not alone. During last night's Vikings victory over the Packers Jon Gruden basically professed his love for Favre and it was almost as if the producers were encouraging him. Throughout the game the whole booth had a love fest with Favre and how the "gunslinger" was back and the Vikings were the second coming of Christ, etc. WE GET IT. You want Favre to succeed so you can create media hype. However, as a national media outlet you need to be unbiased and ESPN is definitely biased. It'd be one thing if it were a local station but this it's ESPN, the supposed "World Wide Leader in Sports." Highly unacceptable.

In closing, to you Jon Gruden, shut up and get over Favre, he's good but he most certainly did not throw 5,000 balls in practice.