Smooth Move, Lad

Report: Welker to be Healthy for Camp

ESPN  -  New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker will be healthy enough to open training camp with the team, The Boston Globe reported Saturday.


Welker, who has been recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee, will be able to take part in all drills, including those requiring contact, the newspaper reported, citing an NFL source.


Earlier, Boston-area media reports said Welker, who had surgery in February to repair ligament damage suffered in the last game of the 2009 regular season, would be expected to take part in camp.


And the Boston Herald reported that Welker could start camp on the physically unable to perform list as a precaution, depending on the Patriots' medical evaluation of his recovery.




Wes Welker is a boss. Undeniable statement. This guy tore his ACL in Week 17 of the regular season. And he's going to be back for training camp! This happened barely over a half-year ago! I don't think I need to remind you that Tom Brady tore his own ACL in Week 1 of the 2008 season. It took him nearly a full year to recover, barely making it back for opening week of the following season. Welker -- a player who exerts far more wear and tear on his knee than Brady does -- comes back in a time frame about 4 months shorter. Incredible. Think about the way Welker plays. Cut left. Cut right. Stop. Go. He's constantly cutting and digging that leg into the ground. Hell, that's how he tore it in the first place. Not from a hit. From his own cut. And now he'll be cutting all over that knee again. The man is a warrior. No denying it. And if Wes Welker's drive for redemption doesn't get you excited about the 2010 campaign, I don't know what on God's green earth will get you excited.

Would You Drink Beer From a Dead Carcass?

AOL  -  You've heard of beers getting skunked, but what about squirreled?


Believe it or not, a brewery in Fraserberg, Scotland, is selling a new Belgian blonde ale, and one of the selling points is that each bottle is packaged inside the dead, taxidermied carcass of a squirrel, hare or stoat. Some are even wearing offbeat costumes, including a hat and a tuxedo reminiscent of the Monopoly man.


The bizarre brewery behind the offbeat packaging is BrewDog, and it specializes in unusual, extra-strong brews with suitably edgy names like Punk IPA, Trashy Blonde and Tactical Nuclear Penguin.




I'm forced to ask if this is real life. Is this concept completely insane? Or is it actually cool? Picture yourself at a party drinking out of dead animal carcasses. Would it be stupidly strange? Of course. But if everyone was doing it? I don't know, it might be cool to do once or twice. But it's still creepy. I wouldn't make a habit of it. And even if I did, most likely PETA would send in their own private swat team to shoot us all in the face and then try to resuscitate the dead carcasses back to life. Because PETA is obnoxious and weird. But anyway, what's the verdict here?


Vote 1 for using these at a party is a bigger party foul than bringing an M-16 and shooting everyone. Vote 5 for you are the coolest person the party has ever seen if you're drinking beer out of dead animal carcasses.

Beckett, Bullpen Solid in Ace's Return

The highly anticipated return of Josh Beckett tonight wasn't anything spectacular, but he certainly got the job done en route to a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Beckett lasted 5.2 innings, yielding just 1 run on 5 hits. He struck out 5 and walked 3. The bullpen was able to hold the fort thereafter, getting 1.1 hitless innings from Scott Atchison, 1 filthy inning from Daniel Bard, and 1 inning of security from Jonathan Papelbon for his 22nd save of the season.

Adrian Beltre continued his red-hot season by driving in Boston's first run in the 4th inning. It was Bill Hall, though, who came through for the go-ahead run in the 7th inning when he blasted his 10th home run of the season. Only two Red Sox starters -- JD Drew and Marco Scutaro -- failed to register a hit in the game.

The New York Yankees won their game tonight, and the Tampa Bay Rays lost. With those results, Boston remains 7 games back for the division lead, but trails the Rays by just 3 games for second place. The Sox send Jon Lester to the mound tomorrow night for the second of this four-game series with Seattle.

The Latest on Tom Brady

Let's get some things straight here. Brady does have some justification for being upset. He is slated to make $6.5 million this season. Whether or not he performed at his record-breaking caliber last year, he's better than $6.5 million. Matt Cassell currently makes more money and has a higher cap hit than Brady. Ultimately, there are really only two quarterbacks who I believe have earned more money actively in the NFL -- Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. If you had to give out a new contract right now to every starting QB, Tom Brady deserves the third-highest salary. He's taken relatively low pay. Don't forget, he's won three Super Bowls and led us to an undefeated regular season. He should now be fully healthy, without any reason for doubt on his left knee. I think if you're the Patriots, you need to pay Tom Brady.
I know what some people are thinking. The Patriots aren't about paying superstars. Their offense is a system that the quarterback thrives on, not a system that thrives on the quarterback. Cassell had a better record than Brady did last year. Those points are all taken and considered. But in the end, I still think your best approach to the future is locking up Tom Brady. Some people like Hoyer as our future quarterback. He may have some potential. But think about it. As Patriots fans, we've grown to expect Super Bowls. Anything less is a failure. Do you truly think our system is good enough to win a ring without Tom Brady? Not this year. No way. And not for a while, in my opinion.
I read an article that deemed Adam Vinatieri the best player in the history of the Patriots. And the article made its case for why Brady is overrated. And while I agree to some extent -- you can't attribute the team's success solely to the quarterback, as many people do -- Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. Some will call him the greatest ever. Do you judge by rings? Brady would win if you're judging by championships and Super Bowl MVPs, or he'd be very close anyway. But maybe you are among the people who say it's not about rings and wins. What is it then... stats? Because no quarterback in the history of the NFL has ever had a season statistically better than Tom Brady has. So where's the big argument against him? Another Super Bowl earns him the definitive title in my opinion.
All of this pretty clearly sums up my thoughts about Tom Brady. Sure, I'm a little disappointed by what seems to be an increase in the celebrity lifestyle and a decrease in the winning-is-everything lifestyle. And I seriously hope he can turn that around and start being the heart and soul that we saw from 2001-2004. Still, I think it would be a grave mistake to let the team's relationship with Brady slip, and furthermore, to risk losing him any time soon.

Beckett Set to Return Tonight

After a lengthy stint on the disabled list, Red Sox fireballer Josh Beckett will make his return to the mound tonight against the Seattle Mariners. Beckett has missed over two months since injuring his back in a start against the New York Yankees on May 18.

The return couldn't come at a better time for Boston, who has dropped to 7 games out in the AL East lead. Beckett will hope to reassume his role as ace of the staff, but it will need to be done with a better quality of pitching if he wishes to get back comparable with the likes of Jon Lester. Prior to getting injured, Beckett was 1-1 with an ugly 7.29 ERA in 8 starts for the Sox.

Look for command to be the biggest issue with Beckett tonight. If he commands his pitches, he should be effective. From all indications, his strength and velocity is back into form. I would look for how he commands his fastball and how he snaps off his curve ball. When Beckett is sharp, his curve is really bending. If we see that deuce hanging or staying flat, don't expect a quality start. Beckett's performance and Beckett's curve ball go hand in hand when it comes to effectiveness.

Start time for the game is 10:10 PM EDT. The Sox will be opposed by Seattle starter Jason Vargas, who is 6-4 with a 2.97 ERA.

Ouch!

Could You Outlast the Orioles Security Team for a Full Two Minutes?

So, let me get this straight. The Philadelphia Phillies security team can taser a kid running on the field for like 2 seconds, and the Baltimore Orioles security team hardly breaks into a jog trying to catch their kid? Lets him run around the field for 2 full minutes? Don't get me wrong, this kid is a trooper. But this got boring because the cops were party poopers. The whole point of doing this is to run from security right? And it becomes an entertaining sight to see 6 cops chasing around 1 kid. You get to see the kid's moves. But not in Baltimore. The cops will just watch you and let you disrupt the game in a boring fashion for as long as you want. This security team better get spoken to about their mistake, maybe even reprimanded. Because this is unacceptable. Am I right? I mean you have 2 choices.
1. Let the kid run around, make it boring and dull, allow him to delay the game for minutes.2. Chase the kid around, make it fun and exciting, allow him to delay the game for seconds.
Isn't it obvious? You don't just stand around. I love the cop at the 50 second mark who tries to run after him and then gives up after about 4 strides. Just proving my point. These guys should be fired. Terrible job handling this situation. I guess Baltimore needs a lot more help with their organization than I thought. It's not just the players.
PS -- As stupid and boring as this turned out to be, it was most definitely still more exciting than anything that happens during an Orioles game.

Marquis Back Into the Mix

The Boston Celtics added another piece back to their puzzle from last year's squad yesterday, inking swingman Marquis Daniels to a 1-year deal worth $2.5 million. Daniels averaged 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 51 games last season.

To tell you the truth, I don't know whether or not I'm happy to have Daniels back. I know a lot of people who hate him and think his skill set is terrible. I know others who think he's a good bench guy, his 13.6 PPG season with Indiana as evidence. But the fact is, he hasn't been the guy we hoped for when we signed him. Down the stretch and into the playoffs, he was a non-factor -- he hardly earned more minutes than Scal did. With most people believing that the C's used everything in their tank last season, it seems that they need to find a way to improve their team -- not just bring back the same roster. So I'm still not sure whether I'm happy about this signing or not. I guess it gets you by, but does it get you to the top? Or would it be smarter to shop around for another free agent? Last week, Paul Pierce was interviewed about the Celtics offseason thus far. Pierce expressed his disappointment in regards to seeing all these good players get signed by other teams. He was wondering what the C's were doing amidst it all. Is he right? Can Boston bring back their same team without new faces and expect to make another title run?

Vote 1 for I hated this signing and I'm disappointed that Marquis Daniels makes more than Tyler Seguin does. Vote 5 for I loved this signing and Marquis Daniels must continue to look disoriented on the C's bench for us to have a chance.

Well This Blog Just Blew Up In My Face

I'm a confident guy. I didn't think there was any way that a John Lackey no-hitter into the eighth and ultimately a 6-1 lead late in the game could actually turn into anything less than a big win. So I figured I would get started on the blog post for the game, get it done while I was in a pro-Red Sox mood. Well, the they didn't cease to let me down and ruin my excitement. We're headed into extras now and I've lost my jubilance for the time being. I'm just kind of bummed that I wrote that article and it proved to be nothing but a complete jinx. I don't believe in jinxes! Am I wrong? Is it really a jinx? Or do the Red Sox just suck right now? I need to know PRONTO!!


UPDATE -- Phew. Thank God for Eric Patterson and his 2-run double with 2 outs in the 13th frame. Bingo! The embarrassment isn't quite as bad anymore and the end feeling is much sweeter.

A-Rod hits 599th

Alex Rodriguez hit his 599th career home run Thursday night in the bottom of the 7th inning against the Royals' reliever, Robinson Tejeda. A-Rod is just one big-fly away from joining the 600 home run club. At 32 years and 8 days old, A-Rod became the youngest baseball player to reach 500 home runs in a career. He will just be the 7th player to reach the 600 home run mark joining the ranks of: Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), and Sammy Sosa (609).

A-Rod is 34 years and 361 days old. He still has a few years left in the tank and the question remains, will A-Rod make a run at the all-time home run record currently held by Barry Bonds at 762. If A-Rod can stay healthy and play for at least 5 more years, he would need to hit at least 30+ home runs each season to have a legitimate shot at reaching the record.

And so we ask you, do you think A-Rod will break the record of 762?

As of July 22, 2010: Career Totals
Games: 2254
At Bats: 8642
Runs: 1732
Hits: 2624
2B: 469
3B: 29
HR: 599
RBI: 1784
TB: 4948
BB: 1099
SO: 1797
SB: 299
CS: 71
OBP: .388
SLG: .573
AVG: .304

Breaking News: Vikings Still Don't Know Whether or Not Brett Favre Will Play

ESPN  -  Eight days before his team's first training camp practice, Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress said Thursday that he still does not know if quarterback Brett Favre will return for a 20th season.


"I've said this and I really believe it even more right now," Childress said in an interview on KFAN-1130 AM. "It would not surprise me either way."


Childress visited Favre earlier this week in Hattiesburg, Miss., but apparently left without a firm answer on Favre's future. Childress said he is "not that worried" about Favre's surgically repaired ankle but said Favre must decide if he is ready to commit to playing a full season.


"You're either all in or not all in," Childress said. "That's wherein the decision lies."




In the most shocking development of the NFL offseason, the Vikings have announced that they still don't know the status of Brett Favre's future with only 8 days remaining until the start of camp. Please, spare me the news stories about it. Ultimate Boston was created in June, so we haven't gotten much dosage of football to this point. Time for my first Brett Favre rant.


I don't care! Every single person in this country knows that Brett Favre will play next year. He's never been able to hang them up and he most certainly won't do it after having surgery to strengthen his throwing shoulder. Do you think that was just so he'd have a better arm tossing it with his kids in the back yard? Of course not. Favre announced his return with that surgery. Now we just wait for him to actually say it. But, in typical Favre fashion, we can expect the process to be drawn out, media-saturated, and painstakingly aggravating. I cannot take another training camp full of Favre speculation. He's coming back. He will probably play until he's 50. He had one of his best statistical seasons last year -- he can still do it. Unfortunately, also in typical Favre fashion, his season ended with a brutally devastating interception. He can't go out on that note, he doesn't have that in his blood. He needs to end on a strong note. The question is, will he ever do it?


I don't know, but stop pretending like there's any chance he retires. Child, please!

Bruins Approaching Plans for Seguin

The Boston Bruins, as most fans know by now, are pretty cramped when it comes to the salary cap. Currently, according to ESPN, Boston has just over $12,000 to spend under the $59.4 million NHL salary cap. Clearly, that is not enough to sign both Blake Wheeler and Tyler Seguin. However, I will shed some light on the way everything works for those who probably don't know (I didn't know myself until some research).

Peter Chiarelli and the Boston Bruins are allowed to go over the salary cap today. They can do so all the way up until the beginning of the season, at which point there is a date that the NHL requires all teams to be salary cap competent. The Bruins can sign their 2 remaining priorities -- Blake Wheeler and Tyler Seguin -- over the summer. They will eventually have to face the problem, though. There are two ways to face the problem without making a trade first.

Option #1: 48-hour buy-out period. There will be another buy-out period before the season begins, and the Bruins are allowed to buy out contracts that they wish to erase from their cap hit (note that Tim Thomas's contract cannot be bought out due to the age 35+ NHL contract terms). That's one way the Bruins could handle it. Buy out contracts of players they can't afford to keep. If I had to guess what the combined value on the cap of Wheeler and Seguin will be for next season, I would put the number somwhere between $3 million and $3.5 million.

Option #2: That value I guessed just might be what enables the Bruins to start the season with this full roster. Due to Marco Sturm's long-term injury status, the Bruins receive an exception for his $3.5 million hit. In that regard, the Bruins have that money to spend now, because Sturm won't be ready by the season opener. However, he is expected to return in November. When he does, the cap hit comes back and this whole problem is faced again. At that point, buy-out is a much less likely option and trade negotiations may be the only outlet. You risk throwing the team into a state of disarray by trading a centerpiece mid season.

The situation is tricky. Tyler Seguin will likely bring in a base salary between $800k and $900k (Taylor Hall earned the max entry level deal, $900k. Seguin will probably seek something similar). According to most sources, the Bruins plan to work on a deal with Seguin after their discussions with Blake Wheeler and the arbitration committee this weekend. Signing both players seems to be their priority, but without further moves, they will be faced with the same problem upon Sturm's return in November. Chiarelli has a difficult decision on his hands. If they could sign Wheeler cheaper than his previous deal of $2.8 million -- which I believe he has earned much less than that -- then they could still be in decent shape and be able to avoid dealing away a key piece to the puzzle. Of course, if it weren't for Ryder's $4 million and Thomas's $5 million, we would be in much better shape. Can the Bruins buy out Ryder's deal? It's expensive, but I think they have to give serious consideration. It clears the cap space, and Ryder is a bust. There's no taking that back. Eat your mistake and move on. I don't know if there is a rule prohibiting it, but if I'm Peter Chiarelli, I give serious consideration to buying out Ryder in the 48-hour buy-out window.

The Bruins have good problems on their hands. No matter which direction they choose, they have a Stanley Cup contender in Boston. Management's job is to make sure that the direction leads us further than the past two roads have.

Freaky Weird Animal of the Day

AOL  -  A dragon with two heads and six legs sounds like something out of Greek mythology, not a pet. But for Todd Ray, owner of California's Venice Beach Freakshow, that's just what Pancho and Lefty is -- or shall we say, are.

The 2 1/2-month-old two-headed bearded dragon arrived safely at Ray's West Coast doorstep last week, shipped from its birthplace just outside of Dayton, Ohio, through an animal transport company.


As with most of his freak animals, Ray discovered the conjoined-twin lizard on an online forum. And like most of us, the original owner had never seen anything like it. After two months of caring for the remarkable creature, the hobbyist breeder had grown attached to it, but Ray says he persuaded him to make the sale.




Introducing the newest super-weird member of the Venice Beach Freakshow collection, Pancho and Lefty the 2-headed dragon(s). Simply because of how small this bugger is, I might consider him as a pet. But it's still weird that the dude has 2 heads and 6 legs. We've seen 2-headed calves and turtles, but the dragon takes the cake. Because fact is, this little guy is somewhat cute. And he has a cool design. And I could probably think of cool things to make him do in his little pet tank or whatever. Not the same with turtles and cows. Totally lame pets. Dragons with 2 heads -- cool pets. Maybe he'll (or they'll) grow up some day to form a huge fire-breathing 2-headed dragon to guard my house at night. Shouldn't have to worry about any burglars then.

Is This Smooth Move Intended or Accidental?

This video has been floating over the internet lately, and people are bringing up the question of whether or not this move was pulled on purpose. Shame on your soul if you think this was a botched move. Are you going to tell me an NHL player misses the puck on a slap shot on a breakaway by two feet, then his back foot just happens to be perfectly positioned for him to fluently kick the puck up to his stick without hesitation, and then he continues to deke the goalie and roof the puck top shelf? No. Shenanigans on that, sir. This was completely planned and well-practiced. Credit to the goal scorer, Jarod Palmer of the Minnesota Wild. It will probably never work for him again in any type of meaningful situation, but it was a slick goal. I must give credit where credit is due.
Vote 1 for this was so accidental that Palmer needs to return to Squirt B hockey. Vote 5 for this was as smooth as the other side of the pillow.

Wait... Lincecum for Cy Young?

I always thought it was just a stupid, unrealistic expression when people say a pitcher struggling with accuracy "couldn't hit the broad side of a barn." Well, I stand corrected. This wouldn't have reached any side of the barn from 60 feet away.

Judge: Cheerleading Not a Sport

MSNBC  -  Competitive cheerleading is not an official sport that colleges can use to meet gender-equity requirements, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in ordering a Connecticut school to keep its women's volleyball team.


The volleyball players had sued Quinnipiac University after it announced last year that it would eliminate the team for budgetary reasons and replace it with a competitive cheer squad.


The school contended the cheer squad keeps it in compliance with Title IX, the 1972 federal law that mandates equal opportunities for men and women in athletics.


"Competitive cheer may, some time in the future, qualify as a sport under Title IX," U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill wrote in his decision. "Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students."




Well, there you have it. I posted an article a few weeks ago saying this investigation would be coming in the future. It has come. And the judge has decided cheerleading is not a sport by the current definition and standards. At this point, cheerleading can be classified as an entertainment activity -- no more sporty in nature than the drama club who puts on a play at the school auditorium. Cheerleading, it has been determined at this university, does not meet the requirements of being an athletic program. And by the looks of it, this federal judge has made the criteria apply to everyone. I don't know if it is effective immediately on everyone's programs or what the deal is here. But the bottom line is that the world has spoken. Authority has rained down, and cheerleading is not a sport in the view of that authority.


Is it the right call? Vote 1 for this decision is brutal and cheerleading is absolutely a sport. Vote 5 for the chess team is more athletic than cheerleaders, the judge got this one right.

Kobayashi Still Talking Trash

AOL  -  Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi didn't compete in this year's Nathan's Famous July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Contest -- but he says he was hungry enough to win it.


In an exclusive interview with AOL News after he was released from jail for rushing the stage at the July 4 eating contest, the six-time Nathan's champ said he would have been top dog if he had taken part in the competition.


"I was ready to beat the world record," he said through his interpreter, Maggie James. "So I have to be careful of what I say, but when I see the record of the top, I probably would have beat that."




Alright, enough of this dude. First you can't come to terms with the administration of the hot dog contest in order to compete in it. That was the big amateur mistake at the time. If you want to make a run at 5-time winner Chestnut, just sign the damn paper. Well, you didn't. Okay, fine -- you're scared. But then you raid the tournament site during Chestnut's time of glory. You have to be restrained by security guards, and you have proven yourself to be even more immature than you were by refusing to agree to compete in the first place. Alright, well now you're just a classless act that evolved from an ex-superstar in the competitive eating world. Legacy partially tarnished. Well, now, in the aftermath, you're going to come out and say you would have won. I'm speechless. How can you even come forward and still put down Joey Chestnut? You and he were set up for an epic battle and you basically assumed the fetal position, kicked and screamed, and then made a sorry excuse. Those 3 steps go respectively with his three mistakes I've listed. Kobayashi is officially the most immature member in the history of the hot dog eating competition. Legacy fully tarnished in my eyes.

Report: NHL to Reject Kovalchuk Contract

Internet reports are flying rabid tonight about the NHL's decision to reject the New Jersey Devils contract negotiation with Ilya Kovalchuk. Reports say that the NHL will do so on the grounds that New Jersey is circumventing the league's salary cap rules with the contract. The official deal was a 17-year deal worth $102 million, not the originally reported $150 million.

I didn't even know the NHL could do this, but it is certainly some stunning news. 17 years is a ridiculously long time for a signing. And to tell you the truth, the rejection may even be good for the Devils. Why would you want him signed for 17 years? Think about the potential repercussions. We're feeling as if Marc Savard is a burden for the next 7 years. What if Kovalchuk is struck with injury or his play deteriorates? He's locked on until 2027. Either way, I expect this will require a long process with the Devils fighting back against it. Still, the reports right now are that the NHL will reject this contract because of its absurd nature in relation to the league's standards.

Would You Ever Consider Parasailing a Donkey?

Person A: Hey guys, what do you want to do today? Play some baseball, see a movie, have a Call of Duty tourney? Something like that?
Person B: Nah, I was thinking maybe we should get a donkey and parasail him over the ocean.


I think the conversation had to have gone down something like that, right? I mean how else do you actually decide to parasail a donkey? I've said it before -- creativity is a virtue. The dude who made the world cup trophy out of cocaine; that was creativity to me. This one is a bit more touchy. We get into all the animal abuse debates and whether or not this is fair. I don't really have a stand on it. Is it cruel to fly this donkey around on a parasail? They say it was screaming and crying, but you can look at it different ways. Say I was a donkey and I strolled into Six Flags. I see people on roller coasters yelling and screaming. Do I report back to my donkey herd that Six Flags is abusing the humans? That would be misinterpretation, because the humans are screaming in joy and excitement. So, who are we to say the donkey wasn't enjoying this like a human enjoys a roller coaster? Just bringing up a point. I'll leave it up to you for the judgment.


Is it cruel to fly a donkey on a parasail over the ocean? Vote 1 for I hated this action and it was the cruelest thing they could have done to this donkey. Vote 5 for this donkey definitely had a blast and would parasail over the ocean if given the choice 10 days out of 7.

Marc Savard May Stay Put After All

The latest reports in the Marc Savard trade talks are that he just might be staying put in Boston after all. Many sources speculated that once the highest touted free agent -- Ilya Kovalchuk -- left the market, other moves would follow in suit. One move did follow in suit (Gagne to Tampa Bay), but the speculators may have missed a beat on predicting the outcome of Marc Savard's fate.

"Right now there's nothing going on with him. He's a Boston Bruin and he's happy to be a Boston Bruin," said Peter Chiarelli at Bruins summer camp on Monday. With their recent roster moves, it seems more and more likely that Chiarelli likes his current roster heading into the season. The big problem, though, is their cap situation.


Boston has less than $600,000 free cap space to sign both Blake Wheeler and Tyler Seguin. $600K won't even be enough to sign Seguin, let alone sign the more experienced Wheeler ($2.8 million last season). Wheeler has filed for arbitration, and the Bruins are awaiting those numbers. Still, it seems that a trade must happen to make the situation manageable.


At this time, I'd like to cue all the haters who say Chiarelli made a stupid decision signing Savard for 7 years, a horrible call signing Thomas for $5 million a year, and a premature reward to Milan Lucic for $4 million a year. While each of these decisions may be questioned, let's look at it from the positive side. Savard, ultimately, has one of the best contracts in the league. You don't find point-per-game players like Savard for $4 million a season. Phil Kessel, who still hasn't proven to be a point-per-game player, makes $5.4 million. Well, okay, but no way you can justify Tim Thomas and his huge deal. I agree -- it was a bad signing given all the specifications. But the Bruins needed Thomas when that deal was signed. Tuukka Rask had yet to play more than 1 NHL game. He was a big question mark. And Thomas was the reigning Vezina Trophy winner (the third Bruin in history to win the award). His play did merit his pay. What about Lucic, though? I agree, again -- a premature reward to Lucic. But he was very injury plagued last year. He's still young. He can play physical and bring the body checks, unlike many players on the Bruins. And once he was healthy in the postseason, he produced. He was our only bright spot in Game 7, which I don't wan't to discuss... at all.


So what's the problem? I'll tell you. His name is Michael Ryder, and he makes $4 million a season. Guess where he might play this year? Providence. As in our AHL team. Making $4 million a season. That, my friends, is the biggest mistake. Take Ryder out of the equation, and we have plenty of room to sign the pieces we need. Savard trade talks probably never even arise. Ryder was the worst signing of the past 5 years. And it is aggravating to know that the Bruins couldn't trade him if they tried.


It seems like a trade or some type of transaction may have to occur for the Bruins to be able to fill out their roster. Whether or not it will be Marc Savard leaving town, nobody knows. As of now, though, the forecast for Savvy still shows a black and gold sky.

Wade says ONE thing and it's like the World is Ending

I'd just like to issue an apology for the title. It appears as if some people either inaccurately read the title or took offense to the subject of the world ending. I simply meant Dwayne Wade's metaphor should NOT be reported as if it is a real catastrophe.

Does anyone really care if Dwayne Wade said what he said? Just for those of you who don't know, he made a statement saying that he knew the media and the fans would make a huge deal if the Heat lose a few games in a row. "You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again." In saying this, the media PROVED the point he was trying to make by reporting that Dwayne Wade made an inappropriate remark regarding 9/11. Inappropriate? I think it's safe to say that the coverage of Lebron James and the Heat on Sportscenter/ESPN has been pretty much the same as the 9/11 coverage was on MSNBC.

I'm waiting for a year from now when they have the one year anniversary special of when Lebron announced he was going to Miami.

Seriously though, Wade is correct. The team and everything the team says is under a microscope now. No one can fart without it being on the news, and that is what we all have in store for us over the next six years.

Wade's apology was a pretty good one and this is good practice for when one of them makes a comment that really is offensive (which I can guarentee will happen sooner or later). He said:

In an interview yesterday, I attempted to explain how some people may view the Miami Heat losing a few basketball games in a row during the upcoming season. It appears that my reference to the World Trade Center has been either inaccurately reported or taken completely out of context. I was simply trying to say that losing a few basketball games should not be compared to a real catastrophe.

DUHH. Jeez...

Kovalchuk Cashes In With Devils

For anyone who still held out hope that the Boston Bruins would come out of left field and make a run at free agent winger Ilya Kovalchuk, the dream has ended this afternoon. The electrifying and offensively stunning forward cashed in on a contract of insane proportions by today's NHL standards, locking himself up with New Jersey for a 17-year deal that will pay him $150 million.

17 years. It will be 2027 by the time Kovalchuk is a free agent again. Tyler Seguin will be a 35-year-old veteran in the NHL, hopefully having won a few Cups here in Beantown. Marc Savard will reach the big 50, and Tom Brady's 1-year-old son will receive his high school diploma. 17 years is a long time. Kovalchuk will be a New Jersey Devil for a long time. And he'll make a lot of money, too.

In additional NHL news that shatters the hopes of Bruins fans, Simon Gagne has been traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Many observers hoped that the B's could spin a deal for Gagne involving Tim Thomas or Marc Savard, but the possibility of that is now shot. As each day passes, it looks more and more like the Bruins will open the season with their current roster mostly intact.

Is This Thing Cute?

Yahoo!  -  A "cute" primate so rare it was thought to be extinct has been caught on camera in the forests of Sri Lanka for the first time, scientists said Monday.


The Horton Plains slender loris is a small, nocturnal animal which can grow up to 17 centimetres (six inches) long with big, bulging eyes.


Endemic to Sri Lanka, it was first discovered in 1937 but had only been seen four times since then.


Scientists last caught a glimpse of the primate in 2002, and believed the elusive animal had since died out.


Call me crazy, but this thing is not cute. I'm running 200 mph in the opposite direction if this guy pops out at me on the side walk. Vote 1 for this thing is as cute as a puppy. Vote 5 for this thing is as freaky and weird as a gorilla with 12 legs.

These Kids Go Hard...

I would never want to meet these kids in a dark alley way. They just go too hard. I'm frightened just watching them sing a YouTube video. They don't mess around.

Sox Still Won't Release Lowell

ESPN  -  Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell has abandoned any expectation that the Red Sox will release him, allowing him the chance to play elsewhere.


"I don't think they're going to release me," said Lowell, who returned here after the All-Star break after spending the past week and a half at home in Miami with the club's permission.


"I think that's been addressed. I've got no say. What do you want me to do?''


With Lowell playing little here and not producing when he has -- he's batting .213 with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs in 31 games overall, and is 4-for-his-past-45 (.103) -- why wouldn't the Red Sox release him? Are they concerned that he would catch on with a team like the Rangers, who have a need for a right-handed-hitting first baseman, and do something to beat the Red Sox in the playoffs?

"I don't know if it's specifically because I might beat them, I just don't think they want me to go to another team while they pay my salary," Lowell said. "At this point, they're not going to get anything [in a trade]. You're going to get a subpar prospect at best. There's too much time left in the season, they're not going to get money.

"I don't know to what lengths and what teams have spoken with them. Maybe nobody wants me. Maybe there are four that want me. I've been hearing a lot of different things. I just don't know."




For the love of God, can we please just let Mike Lowell go? When I say this, I don't mean it in any way, shape, or form against Lowell as a player and definitely not as a person. This guy poured his heart and soul into this organization during his years here. The type of guy everyone loves -- goes out there and plays, respects the game, loves the fans, and is honorable in every way. He was a true warrior. He took home a World Series MVP with us in 2007. He has done phenomenal things here. But his time is up. He's not producing anything for us, and quite frankly, we have no room to play him. He can play first base and third base, as well as DH. That happens to be the position that the Red Sox are deepest at, with Beltre, Ortiz, Youkilis, and Victor Martinez all in the mix. Additionally, those positions aren't the hardest in the world to play. I think Boston could really benefit from releasing Lowell and getting a more well-rounded player, or even a player who brings a particular asset, such as speed. Right now, Lowell is literally useless to us.


Equally as notable as Lowell's uselessness, however, is his desire to be released. He fully understands that he's behind some great, healthy players at his positions. He has handled it with respect and diligence. He's referenced several times that he would like to be released and given the opportunity to play somewhere. And I don't believe the Red Sox are doing him justice by holding him here. Is it really the money? Can they not afford to just pay off his contract? Are they really scared of Lowell hurting them with another team? If Boston is fearful that Lowell could be the dagger against them in the playoffs, then they aren't a World Series caliber team. Plain and simply, the guy has been a warrior. He deserves a little respect -- even at the very least, to explain to him why he must stay.


I don't know if the Sox will make this move at all, but a potential time to do it would be when Lowell returns from the DL in the coming days. He wants to go. We don't need him. Pay back the man who has paid so much to this city. Grant him his wish -- it's really not all that demanding.