Bruins Aim for 5 Straight vs Rangers

The Boston Bruins have been one of the more impressive stories in the early 2010-11 campaign, mostly due to their current 4-game winning streak and the stellar goaltending by Tim Thomas over that span. By all indications, however, Tuukka Rask will be back between the pipes for the first time in two weeks when the Bruins host the Rangers tonight. Rask gave up 4 goals in his only start of the season -- a 5-2 loss to Phoenix in Prague on opening day -- but he wasn't exactly at fault on all of those tallies. And even though Thomas is red-hot, coach Claude Julien is perfectly confident in going to his other option.

Howdy, Texas!

There's an old adage that goes something like, "I'm a fan of two teams -- the Red Sox and whoever beats the Yankees."


Is it weird if I actually feel a sense of allegiance right now? The Texas Rangers took down the Evil Empire tonight in convincing fashion, winning Game 6 by a 6-1 tally and taking the series, 4-2. Starter Colby Lewis hurled 8 gorgeous innings, yielding just 1 run on 3 hits. The Yankees were baffled all night long. Their intentional walks backfired on them. The crowd dictated every single emotion in the Ballpark at Arlington. And in the most storybook ending that anyone could have scripted for this series, former Ranger Alex Rodriguez went down looking on the final out of the game in front of the nearly 52,000 rowdy Texas faithful. In the words of Michael Young, "The World Series is coming to Texas."

Ed's Look at the NBA's Southwest Division

After yesterday's somewhat controversial look at the NBA East's playoff picture (in which I had Miami NOT winning the East, which I stand by), I move on to the West, starting with the highly competitive Southwest Division. Here are my thoughts.


Dallas Mavericks- Dallas is a VERY talented team, with future HOFer Dirk Nowitzki at the helm. On top of Nowitzki, they have an aging, but still effective Jason Kidd and Jason Terry leading the backcourt. Aside from the Celtics, Heat, and Lakers, this team has one of the most solid starting five's in the league; Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler, with Terry and Brendon Hayward as quality bench players who could easily be starters. The Mavs are like the Celtics of the west it seems; an aging yet talented team with depth on the bench. And like the Celtics, the big issue for this team will be health and stamina. If their stamina can hold up and they remain healthy, they could be in the hunt for the championship.

Mavericks Prediction: 1st in the Southwest Division.

Average Joe's NBA 2010 Predictions

Before I begin, I'll reiterate my intent to find tickets for Tuesday night's King James vs Shaq match-up. If you and your buddies scored front row seats from your dad's boss, or you got the cheap seats in the balcony the moment they came out this summer, but can no longer attend because you had a mid-term Wednesday morning and you are screwed, I'd be glad to help you out.

It seems as though these past few years, the anticipation and hype surrounding basketball season is on the rise. That could be because Boston was on the decline, with Danny Ainge bringing in the likes of Raef Lafrentz and Sebastian Telfair (they worked out well...). So maybe, in a city where our baseball and football teams compete for a title every year, basketball just wasn't on our minds.

Nevertheless, basketball is back! And the strong teams from our much younger days are bringing it to the table, too. Miami, New York, and Chicago all made major upgrades. The Lakers and Magic are still around. And with a lot of depth, our Boston Celtics are looking pretty good for themselves.

Josh the Intern's HockeyEast Weekend Watch

After a quiet weekend in HockeyEast, a bunch of teams look to gain some momentum as we head into the homestretch of October. Sadly, my Huskies are down at the bottom of HockeyEast with two losses, but a couple wins this weekend could put us right back in the hunt! UMass Lowell also has two chances to get out of the same gutter. But anyway..

Game of the Week: BU at Massachusetts (again!)
Coming off a tie last week, both teams are looking to get a big win and get ahead in the standings. BU also has a Saturday game against Providence, and a win on both days could give them a serious boost, emotionally and in the standings. Two wins would also help them up the USCHO poll, perhaps past fellow HockeyEast'er UNH. Meanwhile, Massachusetts could push their way up the standings in preparation for next week's game against Providence.
Players to Watch: David Warsofsky, BU (Jr) and Sahir Gill, BU (Fr)

National Game to Watch: #2 North Dakota at #12 Maine
After a disappointing loss against #20 Michigan State last week, Maine found itself dropping four spots in the USCHO poll. Look for the Black Bears to come out fired up this week and ready to knock off the #2 spot. But North Dakota is chasing Boston College right now and a win could possibly push them ahead. Again, this week's National Game is actually two, as the Spencer Abbott and the Black Bears will take on the Fighting Sioux twice.

Elsewhere in College Hockey
Providence at #8 BU - Providence has another chance to prove itself, but BU is looking to climb the national rankings. Hopefully a win on Friday will carry over to Saturday for the Terriers.
Merrimack at Vermont - Neither team has played a conference game yet and, pending a win by BU or Massachusetts, a win could put them in the top half of the HockeyEast standings.
#7 UNH at #13 Cornell - UNH jumped up two spots last week in the national rankings, and a win this week may propel them up the USCHO poll even further. But Cornell is also looking to climb.

Bruins vs Capitals Live Chat

Will people start believing in the Bruins if they destroy Ovi and the Caps again tonight? I guess we'll see.

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Beantown Breakdown Tonight at 9 PM

Don't forget to tune in to the Beantown Breakdown tonight at 9 PM to hear Derek & John break down everything going on in the Boston sports scene. We'll discuss the new changes in the NFL rules, the Pats 4-1 start, the early season success of the Bruins and the exciting prospect of the 2010-11 Boston Celtics campaign. And, as usual, we'll be open for Fantasy Football advice. So send us your questions and comments and we'll discuss them for an hour (or more?) strong!

Click here to access the link through which you can listen live to WZBC AM Radio.

Ed's Eastern Conference Predictions

Over the past week, I have been taking a look at the NBA’s Eastern Conference by doing divisional rankings. To recap, here is how the divisions will boil down in my opinion

Atlantic Division - 1. Boston  2. Philadelphia  3. New York  4. New Jersey  5. Toronto
Central Division - 1. Chicago  2. Milwaukee  3. Indiana  4. Detroit  5. Cleveland
Southeast Division - 1. Orlando  2. Miami  3. Atlanta  4. Washington  5. Charlotte

He Here are what I believe the playoff seedings will be:
1. Orlando  2. Boston  3. Chicago  4. Miami  5. Milwaukee  6. Atlanta  7. Philadelphia  8. Indiana

Below are my predictions for the first, second, and third rounds of the playoffs.

Way to Go, Average Joe!

"Yeah, great job, Joe. Your Championship Series Predictions are great!"

Wait, what? People AREN'T saying that?

Before I get into this, is anyone still watching baseball with me? Is there any genuine fans of America's pastime? I know I'm still watching and, frankly, I couldn't be happier my World Series choices are currently both a game away from going to the driving range. It's exciting!


How are they doing it? What is propelling the Rangers and Giants ahead of the Phils and Yanks? Simple: Fundamental Baseball. (and confidence!) The starters are pitching deep into games, and their bullpens are cleaning up the mess. And both of these teams' batting orders are getting it done when it counts (against some Hall of Fame worthy pitching).

Harrison Elects Not to Retire

In the most recent episode of the ongoing reality television series known as modern day professional sports, James Harrison elected to continue playing football after making retirement threats in response to the league's new policy on helmet-to-helmet hits.

"How can I continue to play this game the way that I've been taught to play this game since I was 10 years old? And now you're telling me that everything that they've taught me from that time on, for the last 20-plus years, is not the way you're supposed to play the game anymore. If that's the case I can't play by those rules."


So... how about we start looking at this from a realistic and reasonable standpoint? "Everything that they've taught me?" To my understanding, the NFL isn't instituting any rule to change the way you blitz the quarterback. To change the way you play zone defense. To change the way you read a run play versus a pass play. To change the way you disguise your coverages and confuse the QB. James Harrison, the only thing you are no longer allowed to do is put the lives of other players in danger. Is it so much to ask?