One for Six

Oct 15 2009

So.

Okay.

Back in July, before I left the safe-haven of Boston for the ferocious, vicious wild lands of the west (it smells like cow farts where I live. I consider that wild, okay?) I decided that to counteract inevitable homesickness, I had to have a ticket for when the Patriots came to Denver, just to be by some of my own people and be able to viably cheer against the home team, instead of just being That Silly Kid In A Shirt That Is Irrelevant. (see: wearing a Bruins jersey to the Avalanche home opener against the Sharks. Um, yeah.)

So October 11th came, it was 25 degrees at game time, here I am bundled up in my underarmor and my sweatshirt and my white Wes Welker and no gloves, and it was glorious (Mile-High sells this strange concoction of hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps – kept my hands warm as well as my insides!) The first thing I did was some people watching in the lower bowl. Pats fans, be proud – you represented New England as one of the highest ratios of away fans to home fans that I’ve ever seen outside of a Sox-Orioles or a Sox-Yankees series.

Yeah, it was like that.Yeah, it was like that.

The Red Sox game, speaking of, was just winding down, and as I’m checking the score, I hear off to the side:

“YEAH, WES WELKAHHH!”

Hello, home.

I ended up huddling together with this dude and his friend, frantically refreshing my blackberry as Papelbon let in not one, not two, but THREE home runs in the 8th inning, was pulled in the last out of the 9th for Hideki Okajima, and a 6-4 comeback sweep-aversion turned into two innings of clownshoes and ultimately, defeat.

0-for-1.

The Patriots game, this game I had waited two months for, started out fantastically – I was sitting in a row where Broncos fans were outnumbered, it got to 17-7 at the half, and here I am, the stereotypical Brady Believer, that everything is going to be fine.

Never have I been so wrong.

I’ll get to the game-ending field goal later – the NFL overtime rules are incredibly WRONG – but the core of this game was rotten. The Broncos flubbed not one, not two, but THREE punt returns, getting the Patriots the ball back through no effort of our own, and three times we couldn’t convert on third down. This wasn’t an inability limited to these three occasions; the Broncos’ 1st-down conversions were nearly twice that of the Patriots. You can’t win games without converting a little more often, at LEAST, than the Patriots did in this game. The defense wasn’t faultless here, either; good defense doesn’t LET a team convert the way the Broncos did.

So one field goal and one touchdown later, it’s 17-17, and we go into overtime. The Broncos win the coin toss; march down the field, converting for at least one first down along the way; kick a field goal; and that’s it, they’re 5-0, and our sad-sack boys are 3-2.

The Patriots never should have let this game go to overtime. They sat comfortably on their lead after the half, and that is NOT enough to win games. However, the fact that the team that loses the coin toss in overtime almost 99% of the time wins the game is completely and totally unfair. The NFL should not have sudden death overtime; they should play it the way they do in MLB, where the inning gets played out, both teams have a shot; at the very least, give the coin-toss-losing team an opportunity to retaliate, the way it’s done in college football, or perhaps, make it not enough to win by just a field goal. If I ran this league, the rules would be as such: If a game goes to overtime, the winning team has to win by SIX POINTS. That’s one touchdown or two field goals. Sudden death by six points is a lot harder! It eliminates what is essentially the  auto-win of only needing to march the ball to inside the other team’s 40 yard line (50 yard line if you’re Adam Vinatieri in the Pats’ super bowl era), which is infinitely easier than getting inside the 1 and scoring a touchdown.

Long story short -  Pats drop another one, and I’m 0-for-2 on the day.

To be fair, only one of the remaining 6 games I was paying attention to was a Boston game; I am a self-admitted hockey cheater, and I love me some Capitals and Blackhawks hockey. Monday I got to see the Bruins lose to the Avalanche, and considered going into hiding (luckily I don’t live in Denver, so the jobbing wasn’t quite so bad – but dropping TWO sports to Colorado in two days? That was rough, guys. Rough.) I left my house as the Capitals were winning, and came back to find they’d lost to Sir Marty Brodeur in a shootout.

Lame. 0-for-5, and the Blackhawks were down by FIVE POINTS after the first period. I was about to just give up and call the weekend an utter fail, but somewhere, somehow, the Sports Gods must have felt my desperation, so they gave me ONE.

Yeah, I took a photo of my TV. This was big.Yeah, I took a photo of my TV. This was big.

1-for-6 is better than 0-for-6.

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Tea From The Vending Machine

Oct 06 2009

Specifically, crappy, weak, bitter tea that isn’t even a close approximation of the real stuff, as it includes neither all the essential components nor the appropriate process.

I would have liked to have Tea Time this week– really I would have.  But Sarah has midterms and is in the middle of some epic mayhem and we keep missing each other online.  Seriously.  On this curve:

Sarah is probably way, way off the charts, past where they’ve labeled “Exhaustion” and down into, like, negative performance, which I’m hoping doesn’t mean she is functionally dead.

Regardless, I had to call in the backups.  I’ve got some sports-savvy friends on hand to provide brief commentary on various topics, and will be providing my own handy totally cliched cheers and jeers or whatever section, since I can’t bitch and moan to Sarah like I usually do.  I’ve got a whole bunch of Bruins stuff to write about, so they aren’t discussed today, but check back in later this week.

I’d put that picture of the pretty cup of tea here but really, this post isn’t quite worthy.  I dunno.  Imagine a paper cup of weak tea being spat out by that machine in the kitchen at your job.  Yeah, that’s kinda what this is like.  It gets the job done.

First up, the Old Towne Team, headed to the playoffs.  First round opponent:  The Los Angeles Angels of California Anaheim Whatever.

I asked F-bomb what her thoughts were headed into the playoffs.

“We have injuries, and we’ve had some less-than-consistent pitching lately, and we’ve had trouble controlling opponents’ running game – but we also have a whole lot of AWESOME in pitching, offense, and defense.  I expect great things from this team.  I’m also scared silly. And a little nauseous. Which is wrong of me. “

Yes, the playoffs can be an emotional time for the baseball fan, especially for Boston fans who get so tied up in their team’s success or failure that to the outsider it really appears to be a form of hysteria.

I will tell you this: the whole BELIEVE thing isn’t going so well in Boston. We’re not feeling the optimism. Mostly because our team goes through these periods of sucking total ass.  But our team has been known to pull off serious playoff magic.

So I turned to Kate, though she is hardly an objective observer, what with being a footsoldier for the Evil Empire, also headed into the playoffs.  She is reportedly feeling confident about her team’s chances, which makes me throw up in my mouth a bit.

Me:  I would say that the weakness for the Yankees will be their weakness all year: pitching. If the bullpen falters or gets tired or mismanaged, there are going to be problems.  Um, for you guys.  Not for us.  For us, it will be the offense, the goddamn bats.

Kate:  Absolutely.  I think that’s a fair assessment.

Me:  For us, it will be the offense. What with our starting lineup reliably all slumping together.  I mean, it’s nice team camaraderie, guys, but geez. On the other hand, I’m actually looking at what’s ahead and I think, you know, they MIGHT be okay. The starters might perform top to bottom up to what we know they’re capable of, with the bullpen doing the same. The bats might just have that extra pop, or we might just figure out the other guy. There’s a legitimate chance that we use the Angels as our chew toy and move on. And so on and so on. It might not be likely, but stranger things have happened. Like, for example, the 2007 Rockies reaching the World Series.

Kate: I think that’s the most scary thing for you and dangerous thing for everyone else: when the Red Sox play well, they’ll chew you up and spit you out.  But they’ve been so inconsistent.

Me:  Yes, they’ve toyed with us. That being said… it is really important for Red Sox fans to remember how lucky they are. Their team is a legit contender year after year. We’ve won two years World Series in the last 6 years, and have been in the playoffs ever year in between save one. We’ve now had four straight seasons with 95+ wins.

Kate: This does not stop your brethren.

Me: No. But nothing will. They don’t respond to rationality or perspective. To be fair, their love of the team isn’t rooted in those things.

***

The Patriots.  Very interesting game on Sunday.  Good game– with a great outcome– but interesting game.  I’ve called in K., my friend who engaged in those gameday shenanigans with me, to provide some commentary.

Me:  So.  Ongoing issues?  Anything that impressed you, stood out to you?

K:  I was impressed by Tommy Brady’s scrambling.  In the first few games, there were definitely times when no one was open, but he had a wide open running lane and he wouldn’t take it.  This week he starting taking the short rushes, picking up a few more yards instead of throwing it away.

Me:  I think Welker’s return is a big deal.  Brady’s confidence in his receivers showed.  I, uh, don’t know if you, you know, noticed, but he and Galloway didn’t seem to have much chemistry.

K:  It allowed Randy to not be the safety valve like he was the week before.

Me:  Did you agree with all that chatter about Randy not running out plays?

K:  I think he’s going to get accused of that because he had a reputation as a prima donna.  I didn’t notice anything. We heard the same thing his first year with the Pats.

Me:  Yeah, I thought so too. I have a lot of trust in him, but I don’t know that it’s widespread.

K:  I don’t understand how people can question his effort.

Me:  I feel like if Brady trusts him, we should too.  I mean, have you see how teammates who let Brady down are treated?

K:  He was running all these crossing patterns last week, and getting hit hard across the middle, and keeping drives alive. That’s not something a prima donna does. He’ll do what it takes for the team to win.  And Belichick wouldn’t have a player who didn’t play like that.  Are you excited for Seau?

Me: YES.

K:  I worry a little bit about his age.

Me:  Yeah, well, I don’t care.  We’re up to our noses in young defenders.

K:  The defense is finally getting younger, and there have been growing pains, but it’s something they need to do for the long term. It’s taken so long.  I feel like really investing in the young defense will pay off down the road though.

K:  So every week this season, including next week against Denver, the Pats have faced an undefeated team. Then the next week, they may be facing the un-winning 0-5 Titans. I like that symmetry.

Me:  Truth.

***

Next up… the Celtics! The only team whose season hasn’t started– hence, we have to put them last.    But, since Sarah isn’t here to interrupt my lovefest, I talked to Rey (remember him?  Lakers fan?) about the upcoming season.

Me:  So, anything on the Celtics?

Rey:  My brother is a big-time Laker-hater. And he was telling me how the Celtics basically have an All-Star team. I’m guessing he’s picking them to win the title this year.

Me:  Man, they have a pretty wicked team.

Rey:  They do. Doc was saying how they want his Celtics to be in the discussion with the 85 Bears. If they stay healthy, I don’t see why not.

Me:  Well, that’s a big if, isn’t it.

Rey:  Do you think they can get through the 82-game grind without a major injury? Or are you very concerned about KG?

Me:  No to both. I think the grind will claim someone.  But I also think that there were a lot of injuries last year we didn’t hear about, so I expect better stuff from Pierce and Allen.  Perkins will continue to improve offensively.  Our depth is what will keep us in it. Rondo goes down?  Allen?  Pierce? Who is there– Eddie House and Marquis Daniels?  That’s certainly not shabby there. I mean, we have Rasheed Wallace on the BENCH.  Rasheed.  Wallace.

Rey:  Definitely not shabby.  But like I mentioned over and over, there are about five or six loaded teams in the league.

Me:  I agree, lots of loaded teams.  It will come down to schedule, injuries, and psychology.

Rey:  But you’re confident they can win it all again this year.

Me: I’m confident they CAN, but as usual, there are a lot of factors.

Rey:  So who are the biggest threats to the Celtics?

Me:  Well… everyone would say the Cavs, but while the Cavs have always been challenging, the Celtics can beat them.  And we’ve always been able to get around Shaq, too. Orlando Magic is always a threat but we can hold our own with them.

Rey:  Any team that might sneak up on them? In ’08, it was the Hawks. Last year, it was the Bulls.

Me:  Um… well, yeah, the Bulls.  The Hawks always get fiesty but fall flat. I don’t think it will be the Knicks.

Rey:  The Raptors maybe?

Me:  Here’s the thing:  I genuinely believe that when the Celtics are on, they can break down anyone in the league.

Rey:  I don’t doubt that.

Me:  And I mean anyone.  So all these teams that are absolutely amazing… it’s a coin toss in my mind.

***

A HEARTY “GOOD ON YA” TO…

The Bruins– after being ridiculously awful in their home opener last Thursday, they played with serious intensity against the Hurricanes on Saturday, beating them 7-2.  Carnage left behind included 4 (I lost count though) bleeding Canes, one broken tibia, and a combined 87 penalty minutes.  Old time hockey, boys.  Love it.

Eric Staal– anyone who takes a puck to the head, gets 20 stitches and then returns to a blowout game the next period to score a goal gets props from me.

Jed Lowrie–first career grand slam in the last game of the season on Sunday, a season he spent largely dealing with wrist injuries.  We’re proud of you, kiddo!

Victor Martinez– another grand slam this weekend.  We love this guy.

Brady-to-Moss– it’s coming back into style, and I couldn’t be happier.

And of course, the biggest GOOD ON YA of all goes out to my sports-loving friends Kate, Rey, K., and F-Bomb for helping us out this week…

SMACKS UPSIDE THE HEAD TO…

The Bruins– seriously, they looked like shit in the home opener.  They’ve always been a slow-starting team, but Jesus Crosschecking Christ, that was embarrassing.

Red Sox pitching– not inspiring confidence in the final week of the season.  Get it together, guys.

Montreal Canadiens– Sarah says:  “Half of them are injured.  I call shenanigans.”  For my part,  I don’t need a reason.

Brett Favre– Oh my GOD, man, get OFF MY TV.

Blake Wheeler– Stop tweeting about Brett Favre and we’ll bump you up into the “good on ya” section, because we adore you here at the Tea Party.  We love the tweets, but trash talk from Minnesota is unimpressive.  Sorry.

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Tea Time: The September Chaos

Sep 21 2009

It’s this time of year that things start getting complicated for fans of multiple sports.  Just as baseball playoff races heat up, football starts and hockey starts, with all the excitement of the new season, and close behind them is basketball.

Obviously, this keeps us very busy.

Over this week’s cup of tea (we’re going with a lovely Assam this week) and some cucumber sandwiches, Sarah and I have a great deal to discuss: not one but two very dramatic Patriots games, the Bruins preseason and the Kessel trade, plus our beloved Red Sox are on a wicked hot streak, which isn’t that uncommon when we go to Camden Yards, but it’s coming at a critical time of the season.

Enjoy!

***

M:   Because last week the Pats game was on Monday night, we’ve had two Pats games since last time.  Two very interesting games.  What were your thoughts?

S:  Oh lord. Well, I’m not too happy. It’s nice to see that Brady’s still flashing brilliantly with some of his passes (see: end of the Bills game), but there are some things that definitely need some work.

M:  Yeah, as unhappy as I am so far, there are certainly glimmers of the team we know they can be. Yesterday was just a mess, though.

S:  It’s true. Unfortunately I could only see the game when the Jets or the Pats were at the 20-yard line or closer, due to stupid regional issues – all I had to watch was ESPN Red Zone, which is craptacular. But from what I could see, there are just some gaping holes that need to be patched up. Which is totally do-able; they just need to take a step back and realize that they AREN’T last year’s team. They’re missing key players, and new guys need to step up and fill the holes.

M:  That’s actually a really good point.  I think the Pats are strongest when they adapt quickly to whatever’s going on– in their best games, they can do it instantly.  For some reason, they’re not adapting right now. Knowing Belichick, however, he is communicating quite well with his players about how to improve their game though.  He’s not one to sit in silence and let things unfold.

S:  No, definitely not. I’m expecting to see some significant changes in next week’s game…  if I get to see next week’s game. Yeah, I’m bitter.

M:  I hope no New England fans believed that Tom Brady would never lose another game.  I mean, really.  This is far from a bad team, there’s loads of talent.  They just need to get their shit together.  I’m keeping the faith.

S:  Also, another thing some people tend to forget is that Tom Brady Is Not The Patriots. He is one man in a roster of dozens; if it weren’t for his spectacular O-line, those three Super Bowl trophies probably wouldn’t be ours. My faith is steadfast as well, contingent on the improvement of the new defensive and offensive linesmen.

M:  It would, however, be better if they got it together sooner rather than later. I mean, I’m a patient woman… um… sometimes… but it would be really nice to see more than glimmers in next week’s game.  Anything else on the Patriots?  I’d rather not dwell on them too much, because as irrational as it is, I’m still totally bummed from yesterday.

S:  No, I think I’m good. The take home message just has to be: learn from those games and move on.

***

M:  How about the Sox?  Magic number of 7 today, with the Rangers falling.  We’re 5 games behind the Yankees and we’re headed to Kansas City while they’re on the west coast.  We still have a 3 game series against them at Fenways.  Bats looking great right now, starting pitching have their act together.

S:  I like it.

M:  A few weeks left in the season and given the dark times we experienced this summer (34 straight innings with no runs?), I’m pretty impressed we’re where we are. Team seems pretty resilient.

S:  I think those 34 innings happened when I wasn’t paying attention. Or maybe I blocked them out. Either way, I’m very happy with the way things are going. More specifically if we want to talk about starting pitchers, I’m pretty proud of Mr. Matsuzaka’s work the other night. Boy seems like he’s back and good to go now, which is nice to see.

M:  Also, I was upset about losing Justin Masterson, because he was such a great kid, but Victor Martinez has been absolutely outstanding on the field and in the clubhouse.  Fantastic trade.  And the Billy Wagner trade and Alex Gonzalez’s return have turned out really well. And yes, Dice-K’s return is really important.  Plus I’ve been thrilled by Clay Buchholz’s performances too.  Dare I say he’s looked consistent?

S:  I think we can tentatively say that he has!

M:  That is a big deal. Also, in the Department of Delicious Vengeful Schadenfreude, it was nice to see Brad Penny finally get shelled in a Giants uniform.

S:  Delicious. Very, very delicious. Can we see some more of that soon? I don’t really miss fat Brad at all.

M:  Yeah, that rotation went through a pretty painful period. So, I think my keys for the next few weeks:  In the bullpen, Papelbon needs to keep up his good work.  It’s been great seeing him in vintage form.  Wagner and Bard as set-up guys look awesome, which is fortunate, because MDC has been making me want to stab myself in the forehead with a soup spoon lately.

S:  Dear god, what is WRONG with MDC lately?

M:  I haven’t the faintest idea but he looks dreadful out there. Daniel Bard, however, has really impressed me.  He had a few rough outings but his stuff is good enough that he bounced back beautifully.

M:  Moving to the starting rotation.  Very simple:  stop giving up home runs, first of all, if they can help it.  Dice-K needs to go as deep as possible into games, though I believe Clay’s earned that third spot in the rotation.  Byrd needs to, you know, just sort of avoid sucking too much. Wakefield… I have to say, knowing what I do about his injury, we should not rely on him too much.  That guy’s in a lot of pain.

S:  Lester was lucky the other night that the bats were working so well; his start wasn’t too neat.

M:  Lester and Beckett though– they’re at the point where I see bad starts as a fluke rather than cause for concern.  I’m pretty confident when they’re out there.

S:  Truth.

M:   Ellsbury has really improved even over the course of the season in the leadoff position.  Jason Bay and Mike Lowell can make or break a game, I’m convinced at this point.  Alex Gonzalez is a lot better than I expected too.

S:  Can I just say? Sometimes I watch Jason Bay make some of his catches out in left field there, and I remember how Manny totally WOULDN’T have made 99% of those catches… and then I love Jason Bay just that little bit more.

M:  Yeah, and it isn’t like Jason Bay is that great defensively, at all.

S:    No. The fact that he’s THAT much of an improvement is a little sad.

M:   But just the fact that he makes even the slightest effort, you know?  It’s the same with shortstop.  All of the sudden these hitters are out that weren’t before.  Double plays are being turned magnificently.  And Pedroia always looks so excited when that happens.  He and Gonzalez clearly have a great rapport.

S:   They do. Pedroia’s been doing his job spectacularly, at least on the defensive side of things.

M:  And we can’t have a Sox discussion without talking about catching.  Tek has embarrassed himself recently.  I’m actually fairly convinced that one reason Buchholz is so strong is that he has a great relationship with Martinez.  I’m sorry, but on any given day, I want V-Mart behind the plate.  I won’t get into Tek bashing, but now that even Tek’s defense is looking shoddy, there’s little to keep him in the lineup.

S:  Man, I will be the first to defend Tek from any bashing of him – he’s consistently been one of my favorites to watch for YEARS – but even I’m a little embarrassed to watch him as of late.

M:  See, I’ve always been a skeptic.  I’m not a believer in intangibles. Please appreciate my lack of smugness here.

S:  Wow. Appreciating, for sure.

M:  I know, right?

S:  I’m a little scared, actually. But I’m with you on V-Mart. Dude seems solid, seems to have good chemistry with our pitchers. (Do they use the chemistry word in baseball, or is my hockey leaking out?)

M:  No, they do. His teammates love him.  From everything I’ve heard, V-Mart is a phenomenal guy to have around.  Has special handshakes and nicknames and everything.  I think that kind of thing is needed when we have a clubhouse full of guys who take the competition so damn seriously.

S:  Dare I ask if you think there’s a possibility the Sox can overtake the Yanks? Or do you think we should settle for securing the Wild Card right now?

M:  I think there’s a possibility.  I don’t think I’d put money on it, but it’s a possibility. And if there’s any team that ccan come back from being that far back in the division, it’s the Red Sox. This team is incredibly resilient and I doubt they’ve given up on it.

S:  I feel like we’d know if they’d given up on it. This team has pulled off some ridiculous comebacks before. Who says they can’t do it now?

M:  Yeah.  I suspect the elder statesmen wouldn’t let that happen, not after the 04 ALCS.  It’s evidence of the kind of change in mindset on this team since then.  It’s a different way of playing.  And think about it:  how long ago was it that there’s no way we would even fathom being able to overtake the Yankees.  It amazes me how much that series changed the landscape of the AL East.

Any excuse to put up photos of the 04 playoffs.

***

M:  Okay, we only have a few more minutes.  Bruins preseason games.  So far they’re 3-1-0.  Not that it matters, but that’s not shabby considering it’s been our rookies out there.

S:  Can I proclaim my love for Steve Begin and reaffirm my love of the Kobasew-Bergeron-Recchi line right now? Is that cool? Because, dear lord.

M:  Steve Begin has won me over.  And I always knew you loved that line.  Bergeron is looking absolutely fantastic. All our centers, actually, have impressed me.

S:  They have.

M:  Who do you think is getting a callup at some point this year?  Marchand stands out to me.

S: Marchand and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hamill get a callup as well, at least for a few games.

M:  Andy Wozsafoeiwjqfoeiwja;ofij whatever his name is actually has been looking like a decent option, along with Boychuk.

S:  Wozniewski. Come on, it’s not that hard to spell.

M:  Oh, look at you. All smarty-pants.  Once again showing me up.  We couldn’t go one week, could we?

S:  Not at all. And the situation here is that Boychuk’s contract this year is one-way, so if he gets sent down in favor of Andy Woz, he’ll be one of the most expensive of all the AHLers. The Bruins don’t want to be paying that much for someone who’s not even contributing to their team.

M:  That’s true.

S:  So we’ll have to see – I foresee Woz being the first callup if anyone gets hurt, with Boychuk as the 7th d-man, at least to start the season.

M:  Speaking of expensive AHLers, I think the job is Tuukka Rask’s to back up Tim Thomas.  I just don’t see Sabourin as being measurably better.

He doesnt always look this calm.He doesn’t always look this calm…

S:  Sabourin just doesn’t look quite as comfortable as Rask does in goal. Rask seriously has been steadily improving over the last two years. If Sabourin gets that job I’ll honestly be shocked.

M:  You’ll cry. Admit it.

S:  Okay, yeah, fine. I’ll cry pretty hard. I love that kid.

M:  What do we think of the rest of the returning players?  Any other observations?  It’s hard because I’ve only watched that one game and I went to a practice.

S:  On the forward side of things I’m seeing Sobotka as the extra forward, possibly getting more playing time on Krejci’s line until he comes back full force. He’s looking good this year. So are Savvy and Ryder, in fact. There’s been a bit of rust, but they’re shaking it off.  That’s what preseason is for, though. Shake off the rust, figure out the lines. I’m pretty happy with the results so far – the real test will be on 10/1.

M:  I know we’ve posted about this… but any last words on Kessel before we never ever ever mention it again?

S:  Yeah. Commenters both made good points. I’m hoping the general consensus becomes that of apathy towards him instead of anger and haterade. We need to shift the focus inward.

M:  I want to emphasize the total and complete lack of trust Bruins fans have in their management that has been apparent through the whole process.  I don’t know whether it was the Thornton trade, or the 37 years without a Cup, or a combination of everything, but we act like a bunch of kicked puppies.  I said it in the post:  a winning season filled the Garden again, but this team has a long, long way to go before Bruins fans feel comfortable again. We’re always waiting for the next shoe to drop, for the next team-breaking trade, for the next bad signing.  And if it isn’t a bad move, or might not be one, there are still Bruins fans yowling away about the management’s failures of the last few years.  “They always do this, blah blah blah…”

S:  Agreed, 100%. Imagine if the fans felt the same way about the Sox front office? Or the Pats? If we didn’t have epic trust in Theo or Belichick or Pioli?

M:  I know, but they’ve also earned it to some extent. They have results.  A lot of them.

S:  This is true. It was a THOUGHT EXERCISE, though.

M:  OH.  THINKING.  Right. In any case, I still hate Jacobs.  I look at him and all I see is evil. It isn’t an issue of being cheap, though he was, it’s an issue of being a doof who doesn’t care about winning.

S:  He sort of looks like the old Emperor from Star Wars. Or some sort of stereotypical bad guy.

M: Mr. Burns.

S:  YES.

S:  He sort of runs things similarly to Mr. Burns, as well, don’t you think?

M:  Yeah, pretty much.

S:  Fail.

M:  Epic fail. So, in summary here, Go Pats But Get Your Act Together, Go Sox, and Go Bruins?
S:  Precisely! Order of importance right now is probably Sox because of postseason being right over the horizon, then Pats because their season is short, and Bruins can continue to sort of experiment with lines and whatnot, so they’re a bit lower priority for now.

M:  It is important to prioritize.

S:  Thanks, I try.

M:   Thanks for only one-upping me once today.  I think my self-esteem might be intact.

S:   No problem. I’ll try to keep the one-upping to a minimum. This is a friendly blog, after all.

M:  Yeah, we’re friends.  Buddies. I mean, as Bostonians there’s a constant baseline level of antagonism and distrust.  But we get by.

S:   We do.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images, AP Photos, John Wilcox/Boston Herald,
Reuters, the Boston Globe

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