As you may have noticed, I've been slacking lately. I haven't been posting regularly, but by the same token, the Boston sports world is at one of its calmest points of the calendar year. No playoffs, no football, and no big time college sports in this area (except for college hockey, which no one besides myself seems to care about). Things will heat up soon, but until then, I'm starting up a new segment to help myself spark some topics. SOC -- Stream of Consciousness. This post isn't about one team or one story. Just a sheet of notes that are on my mind this week in the sports world -- specifically Boston, but as usual, I'll range outside of the regional circle if the story is big enough. Shall we?
- Start on a serious note. The Red Sox have
done their part in helping the crisis over in Japan over the past few days. Well-known pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima both hail from different parts of Japan, and the Sox have several other players and staff members within the organization with ties to the affected areas. They have all done their part in donating to the cause, and the Red Sox Foundation is giving its fans the chance to help as well. It's always nice to see organizations showing their human side and proving they aren't merely transaction machines that punch out game after game into the record books.
- And then there were the Bruins. Now that the Red Sox have broken their everlasting curse this century, are there any fans in Boston that suffer more heartbreak year in and year out than those in the hub of hockey? 1972 is the last time the B's won the cup. Just a few weeks ago, they kicked off what would amount to a 7-game win streak, including a 6-game sweep of a road trip. Last time Boston swept a road trip like that? 1972. This team looked like the legitimate cup contender we have been waiting for. And then we found the good old Bruins again. Losers of four straight (although they have salvaged two points via overtime affairs), it's time for the B's to pull themselves out of their slump and get back on track tonight against Columbus. Steven Kampfer is back in action, which will definitely be an upgrade over Bartkowski -- who, in my opinion, was incapable of shouldering the load he was given. The top forward line of Lucic, Krejci, and Horton has solidified itself as the Bruins' best line. Will Tyler Seguin ever see significant ice time this year? Will he get himself out of Claude Julien's dog house and earn the ice time that will help him progress? The way Boston is handling him is an argument for another day, but that will continue to be one of the main question marks heading into the home stretch.
- The great thing about this time of year in Boston is that we are still getting to watch championship contenders on the ice as well as on the court. You wouldn't know it lately, though, would you? The Celtics have dropped three of their last four games, and their rotations look a bit alarming with all the new faces. Don't get me wrong -- I think Jeff Green has the tools to be a great player in this league. I think Carlos Arroyo is the best floor general for the second unit that we've had in years. Nenad Kristic is doing a more than acceptable job at center. But the new faces are all offensive-minded guys, and they aren't exactly gelling the way we would have liked to see them gel. I'm not worried -- if we learned anything from the Celtics last season, it's to essentially disregard the regular season and rejoin the conversation in the playoffs. So I guess that's what I'll do, but I can't do it without at least a little bit of concern -- after all, it's not really fatigue or injury (aside from the O'Neals) that is bringing the squad down right now. That's the one red flag, but I'll brush it aside for the time being.
- Dammit. Talking about those other sports almost made me forget that there's no football anymore, as of right now. Over the weekend, I was talking about this with some friends. And a non-football fan actually thought we were joking when we said there wouldn't be a season next year. Of course, there still might be -- but it just goes to show how self-centered and egotistical the owners are. Both sides are, of course, guilty of some greediness. But I'm placing the blame in an 85-15 proportion on the owners. Get your heads out of your asses and fix your mistakes before you go down as the bad guys who destroyed America for one autumn season.
- Another note on the labor situation in the NFL, but this one from a player I've never really liked. It's a funny story, actually. Adrian Peterson. Those of you who know me know that I've never been a fan of his -- greatly due to the fact that he's the most overrated back in the league. But Yahoo Sports featured Peterson in a recent article, and since its publication, they have removed a few quotes from AP. Want to hear what Peterson said about the whole lockout situation? "
It's modern-day slavery, you know?" Amazingly, I didn't make that up. So you really decided to go there, Adrian? To call this modern-day slavery? I guess I agree. Poor you. They make you play football? For millions of dollars? I cannot express in words my empathy for you. It's like you're a modern-day slave with these conditions. How will you ever survive? Here's a thought -- take a taste of reality, sir. Have some gratitude for the fact that you get to play the sport that you love and make silly, stupid amounts of money doing so. I know more than a few people who were dealt a worse hand than yourself.
- As a final note in my stream of consciousness, who are you all taking in the NCAA tourney? You make your brackets? If I was more advanced in computer science, I would make a database for Ultimate Boston readers to have a bracket tourney. If anyone wants to actually do that, go for it. I'll join. Just leave a comment or shoot an email and let me know, and I'll join. But anyway, I always pick my brackets boldly. You have to, right? You can't just pick the favorites... it never works that way. I found myself having chosen an all Big East final four. Crazy, right? But for the record, here it is. Among all of my other picks, coming down to the big games, my final four consists of Louisville, UConn, Syracuse, and Pittsburgh. My national championship game is between UConn and Louisville. A 3 and a 4 seed -- crazy, right? Gotta be bold. Give me Kemba Walker and his
UConn Huskies for all the marbles.
