Red Sox Win World Series

Red Sox Win World Series


- DJ

September 2nd

Well, it's September 2nd, and the Red Sox are in first with a 5 game lead, let's hope that stays and we win the division and make the playoffs.

- DJ

Lets Go Red Sox

The Red Sox are 3 quarters finished with the season, and are in first place in the American League East Division. If the season had ended today, they would be in the playoffs, in the first divisional round. So, I'm here to check up on the Red Sox. Right now they hold a 2 game lead in the AL East, they have a pretty good chance of making the playoffs if they don't collapse, cough cough, September 2011... Anyways, if they keep playing good, we have a good chance of making the playoffs, and winning the division, which we need to do so we don't have to play in the one game wildcard game. The Tampa Bay Rays are second in the division, followed by the third place Orioles, then the fourth place Yankees, and the last place Blue Jays. The American League wild card race is heating up, with 6 teams fighting for a playoff spot. The National League Wild Card isn't that interesting or exciting because there is pretty much only 3 teams in contention for the Wild Card. The division leaders for the American League are the Red Sox, Tigers, and Rangers. The division leaders for the National League are the Braves, Pirates, and Dodgers, and, let's talk about the National League. The Braves have a 14 game lead in the NL East, and the Dodgers have been hot lately, going 42-8 in their last 50 games. The NL Central is more of a better division race to pay attention to.

So back to the Red Sox, they face the Yankees at Fenway Park today 8 PM, on ESPN, on Sunday Night Baseball. If they win today, they will win the series and if the Rays lose we could gain a 3 game lead in the division, hopefully we can. Well, with 37 games left, like I said, if they keep playing good, they will have a good chance of making the playoffs, and Boston will finally see playoff baseball again, since the last time in 2009, when they got swept in the first round. Well, I'll be back to post here and there, and when important things happen, like lets say, like Xander Bogarts gets called up, but anyways I'll also post on the last game of the season, and if the Red Sox make the playoffs, I'll continue to post in the playoffs. Well, good luck Red Sox!

- DJ

Site Is Closed

So sadly we all knew this day was coming and by we I mean me and Anthony. Dj has refused to post for the past 2 weeks so im officially closing this site until further notice. Bye.



-Abudi

Celtics Hire Butler Stevens As New Head Coach

The Celtics hire former BullDogs coach Butler Stevens as there new head coach. Stevens has a .772 career winning percentage but no NBA expirience. He led his NCAA team to two NCAA title games as well. Hopefully Stevens can coach the Celtics to success and we'll see if he can tolerate Rondo's behavior.

P.S. I know there hasn't been any Red Sox's post lately(Blame that on DJ) but i'll keep updating the sidebar to inform you.)


-Abudi

Big 3 Era Officially Over

The Celtics have traded Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans, and first round picks for the years 2014, 2016, and 2018. To me the Nets won this deal getting 2 future Hall of Famers and one of the best 3 point shooters and 6th man in the NBA. Paul Pierce is going to be the hardest to get over considering his whole career was with the Celtics. So the Rebuilding phase officially begins and will probably last for a while.

Anyway the draft was yesterday and the Celtics or should i say the Mavericks drafted Kelly Olynyk but they traded him to the Celtics. Olynyk finished his last season in college career averaging 17.8 PPG and 7.3 RPG. So welcome to the Celtics and "enjoy" the rebuilding phase.


-Abudi

Lackey's Excellence Leads Red Sox to win over Rockies 5-3

Lackey claps and reacts after striking out Rockies, Tyler Colvin in the in the 4th inning

John Lackey was brilliant tonight as he led the Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Rockies, as we won both 2 games against them. Lackey struck out 12, as he tied a career high, and pitched 7 innings, giving up 8 hits, only 2 runs, and walking none. He would earn the win to go 5-5 and lower his season ERA to 2.99, just showing more and more of who he really is and should be. The Red Sox were able to put up 10 hits and 5 runs, as the star of the lineup was Victorino who went 3-4 with an RBI. Also, Pedroia went 2-4, Ortiz went 1-2 with an RBI and 2 walks, and Nava went 1-3 with 2 RBI's. Napoli also had an RBI. Tazawa came into the 8th, giving up a home run but the score would still be 5-3. Entering the 9th, it would be 5-3 as Koji Uehara would take the mound in a save opportunity, in his new closer role. He would give up no hits and strike out 2, earning his 2nd save of the season, once again, in his new primarily role, the closer.

Lackey's outing was just great fanning 12 batters, and it gave a sense of relief for Boston, as he is suddenly a new better pitcher than he was in his first 2 years with the Red Sox. Wanna know something else good about Lackey? He threw a pitch that reached out to 95 MPH, something he never used to show back in his first 2 seasons with the Red Sox, but he was always dealing with an arm injury then.

Now back to the Clay Buchholz situation, as he is leaving Boston in many questions. On Wednesday, Buchholz's bullpen session was cut short after 18 pitches when he had felt discomfort again in his neck muscle. Later that day, Buchholz was scheduled for an MRI, or medical scan, and more will be told to us once Farrell finds out what is wrong. Right now, there is no time return, but most likely, he is going to be out until after the All Star Break. Now some may be getting worried because the All Star break is somewhat far away and isn't until July 16th, but it may be best for him to just sit it out and get all the rest/time he needs because it would be much better to have our ace in the second half of the season when we really need him down along the road, once the playoff race becomes tighter. So Buchholz may be out until after the All Star break but hopefully that is the best for him as we will hopefully be able to see him pitch along the road later this season.

Anyways, with that being said, the Red Sox will face the red hot Blue Jays who may be 5th in the competitive division, but are 8-2 in their last 10 games and only 6.5 games back of first place now. The 4 game series will be in Boston, and will start tomorrow at 7:10 PM and end on Sunday, and then the Red Sox will face the Padres in a 3 game series at home to end this 9 game home stand.

- DJ

Aaron Hernandez Charged With Murder

Once star tight end for the Patriots, Hernandez is now facing jail time after being arrested

After an ongoing investigation of a murder case of Odin Lloyd, Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez was finally charged with murder of Lloyd, who was friend. The two had a dispute on the way to a night club and that is when Hernandez was said to have murdered him.

At the time of Hernandez's arrest, the Patriots immediately released him from the team. For those of you who don't know, which I'm sure most people know by now, Hernandez was questioned for murder in the case of Odin Lloyd and an investigation had been going on for the last week. Hernandez had destroyed his cell phone and other electronics and handed them to the police, which were said to be evidence. After enough evidence in the investigation, the police and authority had found enough information to arrest Hernandez. Later that day, he was scheduled to have a court case and once he did, they had found Hernandez guilty of the murder and 5 other gun related charges.

Last summer the Patriots had signed Hernandez to a five year $40 million contract, but, oh, what a waste of money that is now. So 2 tight ends currently gone, referring to Gronk, if he is not ready for the season. Hernandez really messed up this time, he made a shame of the Patriots organization and he threw away his promising football career, to jail time. Hey, but Hernandez is going in jail a tight end, and coming out a wide receiver. With all jokes aside, rather than that one, Hernandez has really just made situations worst for the Patriots and he has made a fool of himself.

Well, this is it. Hernandez is going to jail, Gronk is healing from surgery, and the Patriots are looking very thin at receivers this year, who just last year, had one of the best offenses in the league. No worries yet, as football isn't going to start for a while, and hopefully they'll solve their problems eventually. Anyways, so Hernandez was charged with murder, and will be going to jail for a while. That's what he gets.

- DJ

Not Our Year

(There was no way I was showing Chicago skating around the Garden with the cup)

Shock. Heartbreak. Embarrassment some might say. These are all words to describe Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Bruins were trying to win to extend the series to a deciding Game 7 while the Blackhawks were looking to end it all. You would think that Boston would be the more desperate team, and well, they showed it in the first period. They dominated play throughout and they would go up 1-0 on a goal by Chris Kelly. Paille shot one towards the net that was probably going over it, Seguin grabbed it and dropped it to the ice, then made a great pass in front of the net to Kelly who one-timed it home. In the 2nd Period, Jonathan Toews grabbed a puck and flew up the boards and got to the net when he shot it 5-hole on Tuukka Rask to tie the game at 1. Then, with about 8 minutes to go in the third period, David Krejci setup behind the Chicago net and passed it to Milan Lucic who was right in front. He shot it, but it rolled off his stick a little, and that change in direction might have surprised Corey Crawford, and it found the back of the net to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. Game 7 looked possible. Then, with 1:16 remaining in the game, and with Chicago's goalie pulled, Toews skated up the ice and threw a pass over to Bryan Bickell out in front, who tapped it in on the open side to tie the game at 2. Now everybody was thinking overtime, where the Bruins could have still won. Then, 17 seconds later, Chicago shocked everyone. Johnny Oduya shot in a puck from the point, it got deflected by something (I haven't watched the replay, really, I don't care what it hit) and went in by Tuukka Rask, who didn't have a chance on it. The Blackhawks had a 3-2 lead with less than a minute remaining, and....that one hurt. It brought the energy right out of the building and left the Bruins in disbelief. They only had 58 seconds to try and score, and it didn't happen. The Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champions, Patrick Kane won the Con Smythe Trophy, and a game that looked promising at the beginning ended in the worst possible way for the Bruins.

Well, that's that then. Even though I'm disappointed, the Bruins shouldn't think they let everyone down. They still made it to the Finals and came within two games of winning it, I would call that a successful season, especially since everyone was ready for a first round exit in Game 7 against Toronto. Also, we have learned that Patrice Bergeron broke a rib in game 5 and also tore rib cartilage and he played through it. He also separated his shoulder in game 6. Too bad he didn't get rewarded for that.

See you in October.

~Anthony

Good Bye Doc Rivers

The Celtics have traded there head coach Doc Rivers to the L.A. Clippers for a 2015 1st round draft pick. The Clippers obviously won this deal as they got one of the best coaches in the NBA today. The main reason Doc wanted to leave people say is because of Rajon Rondo who reportedly Doc wanted to fight after Rondo dropped the F-bomb at Doc. Now the Celtics are without a head coach and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnetts future is still up in the air. This my friends is only the begining of whats sure to be a roller coaster offseason for the Celtics.


P.S. The Bruins lost 3-1 yesterday but Anthony's cant post so i'll just tell ya know.


-Abudi

Red Sox Lose To Tigers 7-5

The Red Sox lost to the Tigers 7-5 Sunday. This game was sort of weird, as we were able to put up 4 runs against Verlander, Doubrant's outing was shaky, as he only lasted 5 innings, and his pitch count was up once again. When Doubrant had left his outing, the bullpen was good for one inning, until Bailey had come in, in what was yet another struggling game for him, as he gave up 2 hits and a run. Then, Miller who was doing very good lately, struggled for his second straight outing, blowing the lead giving up 1 hit, making an error, and hitting a batter. The 3 runs were not charged to him but the error was made by him. Also during that inning Daniel Nava had made a disputed catch in which he caught the ball, but dropped it and the umpire said that he did not have control of the ball. The Red Sox would score one in the ninth, and then with 2 outs, Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter would make a nice catch to end the game and rob Drew of a hit and another potential RBI/Run. Our offense actually got 12 hits. Ellsbury went 2-4 with an RBI, Pedroia went 3-4, Ortiz went 3-5, and Iglesias who has been hot lately, sadly went 0-3 but reached base on being hit by a pitch.

With that being said, the Blue Jays have won 11 straight, and sit at 4th place in the division with a 38-36 record, ahead of the 5th place Rays, and behind the 3rd place Yankees. What is good for us is that the Orioles and Yankees both lost so we remain our 2 game lead over the Orioles for first place. The Red Sox will have an off day tomorrow, Monday, and then will verse the Rockies in a 2 game series at home, and then will verse the red hot Blue Jays in a 4 game series at home. Hopefully we do in this home stand!

- DJ

Red Sox Hold A Hit Fest As They Clobber Tigers, 10-6

Victorino drives in 2 runs in the fourth inning

The Red Sox beat the Tigers 10-6 and collected 17 hits total in the game, Friday night. Another shaky outing from Lester as he went 5.2 innings giving up 9 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and struck out 2. He also gave up 2 home runs, one being Miguel Cabrera, if that matters. He would luckily earn the win as the offense was there to save him, but another reason why wins and losses are a decisive stat. Our offense was great, and it all started from the first inning when Victorino homered his 3rd of the season and he was just on fire tonight, I'll get to that later. The Sox would score 9 more runs through the rest of the game. Here's the stats for offense, Ellsbury went 2-5 with 2 RBI's, Victorino went 4-5 with 5 RBI's, Pedroia went 2-5 1 RBI, Napoli went 2-5, Drew went 3-5, and Iglesias went 3-5 with a triple, once again proving himself to the Red Sox this year. Victorino had a monstrous night collecting 4 hits, and it was a great game for our offense. Our bullpen was OK, except for Miller who gave up a hit, a run, and a walk, but did strike out 1. This was in the 9th inning, in a non save situation, but no worries for him yet.

So the Red Sox picked up the win and got a 2 game lead over the second place Orioles. One team that has been on a tear and roll lately has been the Blue Jays who are currently 36-36, 7 games back of first place and are on a 9 game winning streak. Hopefully they go back to losing... Anyways, Allen Webster who has made 2 career starts in the MLB, both coming this season, his last one being very bad, will pitch tomorrow for the Red Sox as he will be taking Buchholz missed start and he will hopefully look to regain himself and pitch much better.

- DJ

Red Sox Lose As Bailey Blows Save, Leaves Red Sox Questioning Now

So it's been a while since I last posted but I'm back on track, as school has just ended for me and I will be able to post much more. Anyways, last night's Red Sox game was a good one................ until the 9th inning, when Bailey came in. The Red Sox had come into the 8th inning, all tied, 2-2. Then, Ortiz would hit a single to score the go ahead run and send Victorino home to make it 3-2. Uehara would come into the bottom of the 8th and secure the lead. Then, it came to the bottom of the 9th and it was all up to Bailey to secure the win and close out the game. First batter he faces, takes a walk, 1 on first, nobody out. Next batter he faces, hits a home run to left field and would give the Tigers a 4-3 walk off win, and Bailey had his 4th blown save of the season. Positive notes? Ortiz went 2-4 with 2 RBI's and his team leading 15th home run. Another great outing from Lackey went 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and struck out 5, looking like the old Lackey that everyone expected when we had first got him.

Now as for the closer role, the Red Sox have decisions to make. Well, manager John Farrell has already said Bailey is out of the closer job after that game, but the question is, who will take over? Well there could be a number of people, starting with Andrew Miller. Actually, Miller was seen warming up in the 9th inning last night in the bullpen but did not go out. The reason he could be picked is because he has been dominant lately going lights out on the batters he has faced, and has drastically improved from the start of the season, after a slow start. His strikeout rate is amazing, and he has 43 strikeouts in only 26 innings, something that must not be ignored. His ERA has also slowly went back down to the 2's, owning a 2.77 ERA. He just has improved a lot better lately, and the fact that we saw him warming up, shows that they may give him a try.

Two other options would be, former short period closer, Junichi Tazawa, who was the closer when Bailey was injured, but did not record a save, or Koji Uehara, who has also been lights out lately. While Tazawa hasn't been his 2012 form self, he still has done good posting up a 4-2 record with a 2.51 ERA, and giving up only 3 WALKS, and striking out 38. Uehara has also been another option because of his 2010 season when he posted 13 saves and has just been really good this season owning a 2.10 ERA, and having a 42/7 K/BB ratio.

So after I wrote this I had found out Uehara has been named the new closer. So even though they have named Uehara the new closer, those people could be other options if Uehara struggles in the 9th. Really they all have potential to become a closer, but they need to handle the stressful situations in the 9th inning, and regain all their confidence. As for Bailey, it is unclear what the Sox will do with him for now, but they might experiment and put him in a different bullpen role, for different innings. Well, with that being said, struggling Jon Lester will be looking to pitch better tonight against the Tigers.

- DJ

Who Needs Defense

(Jonathan Toews was one of many to get a goal in last nights crazy 6-5 OT win for the Blackhawks)

Although they didn't come out with this win, which obviously is the most important thing, the Bruins were part of what I think was the most exciting game of the Stanley Cup Finals. We knew the Blackhawks were an offensive team, but last night was just wild. The two teams combined for 11 goals, 5 were scored in the second period. I'll just get right down to how they were scored because this will pretty much take up my whole post.

This crazy night didn't start so well for the Bruins. They were on the power play, and Brandon Saad started up the ice to break free, and he ended up having Handzus with him on the other side for a 2-on-1 and he didn't miss. He shot it right by Rask to give the Blackhawks a shorthanded goal and the lead 1-0. The Bruins would tie it up on the power play when Ference made a nice play to keep the net in the zone, and the puck for going to Saad, but he ended up falling down. It turned out to be costly ad Rich Peverly would get the puck and score over the glove side of Corey Crawford, which is something that happens a lot if you haven't noticed by now. In the second period now, Rozsival put a puck on net and it went in after Jonathan Toews made a great tip. He tipeed it to bounce right underneath the pad of Rask, and he had no chance, and the Hawks had the lead 2-1. This next goal was probably the one that I blame Rask on the most, Bryan Bickell threw a wrist shot on goal, Rask made the save but gave up a huge rebound and it got right to Patrick Kane, who scored on a backhanded shot to make it 3-1. The Bruins would make it 3-2 when Milan Lucic was out in front and made a quick forehand-to-backhand move and shot it in, you guessed it, glove side on Crawford. Less than a minute later though, the Blackhawks would get their 2 goal lead back. There would be a 2-on-1 for the Blackhawks, Frolik would pass it cross ice to Kruger, who quickly skated in front of Rask to the other side and tried to jam it in the net. Rask would make the first save with his pad, but he didn't get lucky with the rebound and Kruger stayed with it easily. By then Rask was way out of position, and Kruger basically had an open net to make it 4-2. Then, on the power play again for the Bruins, who are actually getting better, Chara fired a shot from the point, it was a high shot and missed the net, but it bounced off the glass and came back towards the net. It bounced off the top of it and landed right in front on Crawford, who had no idea where it was. Bergeron, however, knew exactly where it was and was able to lift it over Crawford to make it 4-3. So we finally are in the third period now. Jaromir Jagr is showing that he is more important on starting plays than actually finishing. He won two puck battles and eventually got a pass out to Bergeron out in front who one times it for his second of the game to make it all tied at 4. Patrick Sharp got a goal later on the power play when he picked up a loose puck to make it 5-4. It would be tied at 5 when Johnny Boychuk just shot a monster slap shot than Crawford had no chance on with a partial screen. Surprisingly, nobody would score in the final 5 minutes or so, and we were headed to OT. About 10 minutes into the Overtime, Seabrook would shoot a wrist shot that went far side on Rask to win the game for the Blackhawks. And send the TD Garden crowd home disappointed on what really was a great hockey game. But, I'm sure next game will be back to 3 goals altogether between the two teams, so it was nice while it lasted.

All joking aside, this obviously was not Rask's best game. But, Crawford did not better. I have way more confidence in Rask being able to bounce back than I do Crawford though. The reason is, the Bruins have definitely found Crawford's weakness, and that's the glove side. There have been so many goals scored on that and it's a real problem. Crawford could try to work on it, but I don't think this is something that can be fixed right in the middle of the Finals and will probably take longer to fix it. I'm sticking with my prediction. To get a win at home the Bruins had to lose so I'm right on track. C'mon let's win 2 straight games! It can be done!

#BruinsIn6

~Anthony

Bruins Shutout Blackhawks to Take Lead in Finals 2-1

(The new third line continued to produce, as Daniel Paille scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal.)

The Bruins were definitely more ready to play Game 3 than they were Game 2. Unlike Game 2, they were actually playing. In the first Stanley Cup Final game at TD Garden since 2011, things started off pretty even in the first period. That is, until Chicago went on the power play. The Bruins came close to scoring at least 3 shorthanded goals. The best chance came when Marchand took a long pass and entered the Chicago zone on a breakaway, but he would lose the puck off his stick when he tried to go to his backhand. He would show his frustration by smashing his stick off the boards in front of the Bruins bench and break it in two. In the second period, Chris Kelly got a puck along the boards and passed it to Daniel Paille, who stick-handled passed a defenseman and got a quick shot off that beat Corey Crawford glove side to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Later in the second, Niklas Hjalmarsson would be called for tripping and give the Bruins a power play. Then, with 10 seconds left on the penalty, Dave Bolland would also get called for tripping, this one against Johnny Boychuk. So the Bruins had 10 seconds of 5-on-3 time, and they would have to do things quickly to try and score. And, that's what they did, although it didn't count as an official 5-on-3 goal, the man coming out of the box didn't get into the play yet, so it technically still was. Jaromir Jagr got it started when he through a gorgeous pass right through the crease to Patrice Bergeron who shot it into the empty net to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. And that was all Tuukka Rask needed as he got his first ever Stanley Cup Finals shutout and third playoff shutout overall, all this year. He stopped all 28 shots he saw. I think we are aiming towards Tuukka being the Con Smythe winner (If the Bruins win, of course). The Bruins are now two wins away from another Stanley Cup.

#BruinsIn6

~Anthony

Third Line Steps Up, Wins Game For B's in OT

(Daniel Paille scored the game-winning goal in OT to give him a 2 point night. He also had an assist on Chris Kelly's second period tying-goal.)

The United Center was once again rocking as Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals got underway. And, well, they had plenty to cheer about in the first period. Not so much for the Bruins, though. They were outplayed in every aspect of the game in the first period. Defense, offense, and yes, even goal. Crawford didn't give up a goal in the first and Rask did, not saying he did bad I'm just saying they were better in literally every way. And the goal wasn't Rask's fault either, it was scored when the Blackhawks took about 4 shots in rapid fire, and Rask stopped all of those but it bounced out to Patrick Sharp who was able to get it through the traffic and into the back of the net to give the Hawks the early lead. That was just one of many scoring chances in the first period as the Bruins were outshot 19-3. All in all, it was looking like a very long night for Boston and if not for Tuukka it could have easily been at least 3-0. But, to the Bruins credit, they didn't give up. They didn't focus on their effort in the first and just looked forward to the second. The really tightened up defensively, and although they were greatly outshot in the first, the Blackhawks only got 15 shots the rest of the game, including overtime. With the way the Bruins played in the first, Claude Julien was forced to shake up his lines to try and get anything going. And, well, it worked. He moved Seguin down to the fourth line to skate with Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille while Shawn Thornton moved up to the third line to take Seguin's place with Kaspris Daugavins and Rich Peverly. I don't know what Julien saw in the new fourth line combination, but it proved to be the difference in the game as that line would score both of Boston's two goals. The first one came in the second period when Paille grabbed a puck behind the net, he forced his way out front and threw a shot on goal. Crawford stopped that one but Kelly was right there for the rebound and he jammed it home to tie the game 1-1. After a scoreless third period we would head to overtime. Again. It is the fourth time in NHL history the first two games of the Finals have gone to OT. To find the last time it happened you have to go all the way back to....well, last season, when Los Angeles and New Jersey did it. It looked like it could be another long one with bad bounces for the Bruins after Jaromir Jagr, who has been snake-bitten all postseason, rang the post about 2 minutes into overtime. Once again, so close for Jagr and you could see him yell in frustration. But in the end, the Bruins would come out on top, with about 6 minutes left in OT Adam McQuaid would save a puck in the offensive zone, passed it over to Tyler Seguin, who then made a cross-ice pass to Paille who one timed it past the glove side of Crawford to send the Bruins back to Boston with the Stanley Cup Finals all tied at 1.

The Bruins definitely got better as this game went on. After a very bad first period, they slowly got better every period after and overtime was definitely their best. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, got worse as the game went on. The controlled play in the first then just seemed to get away from what they were doing. And we've got a new series, although the Bruins now have home ice advantage.

#BruinsIn6

~Anthony

Frustrating Night For Red Sox, Lose 2-0

The Red Sox lost to the Orioles Friday night, 2-0, and totaled 3 total hits, yes only 3. It was yet another frustrating night as they just could not produce offense against the O's Chris Tillman and were 1-7 with runners in scoring position all together. Iglesias was the only Sox batter to pick up 2 hits going 2-4. Victorino was the only other Sox player to get a hit going 1-3. Anyways an upside to this was that Nava earned a highlight reel play chasing down a foul ball and making the catch in the bottom of the 7th. Iglesias would ground out into a game ending double play to get Jim Johnson's 24th MLB leading save, and the first time the Sox have been shutout by the Orioles since 2006, I am not lying... Dempster pitched very well going 7.2 innings giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, walking five though, and struck out 4. He took the loss to go to 4-7 on the season.

Anyways, with that loss, the Sox have lost two straight to the O's and now sit only 1.5 games up in first place, second being the Orioles... What a coincidence? The Red Sox also have a 41-28 record, and 1-4 record against the Orioles this season, I hate versing the division, and I hate having a competitive division. Lackey (3-5, 3.14 ERA), will be on the mound tomorrow and will try to get the Sox the win, hopefully he does.

- DJ

Red Sox Roster Moves

The Red Sox have made a roster move that I'd like to say because this can't go unnoticed.

Ok, following RHP Alex Wilson's loss last night, the Red Sox optioned him back to Triple A Pawtucket... and the moment we've all been waiting for... well, at least I've been waiting for...

The Red Sox have called up 24 year old RHP Rubby De La Rosa from Triple A Pawtucket! The reason I am so happy about this is because he has been in the majors before with the LA Dodgers and he has showed signs to be good, at least. Pedro Martinez has worked with him on his pitches and he has improved a lot more. His fastball reaches between 92-98 MPH, his change-up is said to have great movement, and his slider is said to have improved, and gets players swinging a lot. De La Rosa is 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 38.1 innings and 11 starts this year in Pawtucket. He has improved a lot more since going through Tommy John Surgery.

De La Rosa will be available for the Red Sox in the bullpen tonight, and hopefully we get to see his Red Sox debut tonight. I have high hopes for him, and I think he will be an effective strikeout pitcher, basing off his PawSox stats, and improvement. Let's hope for the best from him! And once again, LET'S HOPE THE RED SOX WIN! Wait, I don't need to hope, I know they'll win...

- DJ

Red Sox Trade Infielder Pedro Ciraco To Padres

The Boston Red Sox have traded utility infielder Pedro Ciriaco to the San Diego Padres.

One week after designating him for assignment, the Sox felt that they did not need him anymore, and based on his results in limited playing time this season, he didn't play too good. Ciraco struggled offensively, and defensively, committing a lot of errors. What the Padres needed was some depth in their infield and Ciriaco will probably have a better role there.

Now what does this mean for the Red Sox? Well, first, we are reportedly getting a player to be named later or cash considerations. Now, secondly, this means more space for players. This lets the Red Sox earn a new bench/utility/part time player, named, Jose Iglesias. This allows them to have Iglesias get much more playing time and most likely if they keep seeing good offensive production from Iglesias, he is going to stay in the big leagues this year. Personally, I think this is a good decision because they are planning on having him play 3-5 times a week, which will help him get the experience he needs for when he becomes a full time player. Well, let's hope the Sox win tonight!

- DJ

Tough Luck Loss For Red Sox As They Fall To O's 5-4 In Extras

The Red Sox lost to the Orioles 5-4 in extra innings Thursday night in what was a tough loss. The Orioles led  for most of the game up until the 7th when the Sox would tie the game 4-4. The score remained tied up until the 13th inning when the O's would get a chance to score. Alex Wilson who was just called up from Pawtucket, came in to pitch his 3rd inning of relief. He struck out his first batter in that inning, then would get Manny Machado to ground out to third to first, but then he would give up a walk to Markakis, a single to Adam Jones, and all of a sudden the O's would have 2 on with 2 outs, men on first and second. Chris Davis came up to bat, and hit a lucky blooper single that landed around left field and it was just a tough loss for the Sox after that. Doubrant's pitching line was 4.2 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. Andrew Miller was excellent in relief last night going 2 innings, walking 2, and striking out 4, and he was throwing heat, reaching between 95-98 MPH. So the bullpen wasn't bad tonight it was just that one costly blooper single that was a tough one to swallow. As for the offense, the only guy that picked up 2 hits was Middlebrooks, who went 2-5 with a double and a single. Ortiz and Carp each hit a solo home run, Ortiz his 14th, and Carp his 7th.

Last night was just a tough loss... Anyways, one thing I want to mention is that Ellsbury stole his 30th base of the season last night, and has only been caught stealing 3 times, once last night though. He also leads the American League in stolen bases and is tied for leading in the MLB. Well with that said, the Red Sox will take on the Orioles tonight, as Ryan Dempster (4-6, 4.40 ERA) will take on Chris Tillman (6-2, 3.89 ERA). An upside to Dempster is that in his last 3 starts, he is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 16 strikeouts, and 1-0 with a 1.47 ERA, and 13 strikeouts in his career against the Orioles.

- DJ

B's Take Tough Loss in Triple Overtime Game 1

(The United Center in Chicago was rocking for Game 1 of the first Original 6 Stanley Cup Finals since 1979)

Well, we thought these teams were pretty evenly matched. But, we didn't this it would take a triple overtime thriller to decide Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. But, I guess things don't always go as planned right? The building was rocking, the fans were ready (the players probably were too) and the puck was finally dropped to begin the series.

Both teams came out with a lot of energy, as expected when your playing for a championship. Lots of checking, fast paced play. The Bruins would take a lead when Krejci took a hit to make a play behind the Chicago net, he then passed it to Horton, who did a great one touch pass to Lucic who one times a wrist shot to beat Cory Crawford and take a 1-0 lead. This play was really executed well, they moved the puck so fast that the goaltender couldn't react quickly enough. Then, 51 seconds into the Second Period, the Bruins would strike again, and it was again the first line. This time Krejci passed it backwards to Lucic who again once timed it, this time a slap shot, and put the Bruins up 2-0. But,  before things got out of hand, the Hawks got right back into the game. They would make it 2-1 when Brandon Saad would take a loose puck and just fire a quick wrist shot that beat Rask glove side. In the 3rd now, Seguin would receive a pass from Lucic, who then passed to to Patrice Bergeron who hammered a shot top shelf to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead on the power play, yes a power play goal. It looked like the Bruins might be able to pull this one off, but Chicago didn't get here by accident. On what was setup like a 2 on 1 even though it wasn't, Andrew Shaw would pass it across the ice to Bolland and just got a beautiful shot off, no chance for Rask, and now it was 3-2. The Hawks would complete their mini-comeback, when Johnny Oduya shot a puck from the blue line. This was frustrating if your a Bruins fan. Ok, the shot was clearly going wide, but Andrew Ference was standing at the side of the net, and it was just very bad luck for him as it went off his skate and went into the net to tie the game. That has to hurt for Ference. And to overtime we go. The Bruins seemed to be better in OT than they were in the third period. However, nobody was finding the back of the net. Both teams had good chances, but both goalies were also up to the task. 2nd overtime. Again, plenty of chances that could have ended the game for either team. The Bruins came so close though. With less than a minute in the second overtime, Chicago was called for too many men on the ice, and Zdeno Chara fired a shot from the point that was deflected toward net by Jagr, and it just rang off the iron. A game decided by inches. 3rd overtime. There had to be a winner and a loser in the game, and unfortunately the Bruins didn't end on the side they wanted. Bollan shot a puck towards net that was deflected twice out in front, and the final deflection went off of Andrew Shaw's knee and went in to win Game 1 of the  Stanley Cup Finals for the Blackhawks at about 1:15 AM Eastern Time.

This was a tough one to swallow for the Bruins, it was a night of back puck luck for them. The tying goal went off of Ference's skate, they hit a post in double OT. Of course, there were chances we didn't capitalize on, one that I didn't mention in the third overtime. Kaspris Daugavins was in right in front and had a golden opportunity to shoot the puck, and after seeing replays I think he could have scored. But, he elected to go for the extra fancy move and try to go forehand-backhand but lost control. It was that kind of night. So the good news, there are two days off in between games 1 and 2 for a bit of extra rest. Trust me, both teams need that. They basically played 2 games Also, Nathan Horton came out of the game in OT with an undisclosed upper body injury. Earlier today, Claude Julien said he was day-to-day. So he might not be in for Game 2 Saturday, but it sounds like he will be back before the series is over.

~Anthony

Red Sox Win Wild One In Extras In Tampa 10-8

Red Sox catcher, Salty, shoves and holds Rays Matt Joyce back as he says a few words to Red Sox pitcher John Lackey

The Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays in extra innings 10-8. It all started with the Red Sox getting a 6-0 lead in the first inning. But they eventually blew that... Lackey could have secured the lead but he had a lot of rough innings. In total, he gave up 10 hits, 4 runs, walked 1, and struck out only 2 batters. He also gave up 2 homers back in the first. By the 9th inning it was tied up 6-6, because of Miller and Tazawa giving up a run each. In the 10th, the Sox would score off fire baller Fernando Rodney, a 2 run single from Salty. It was up to Bailey in the bottom of the 10th, to close out the game with a 8-6 lead, but he would take the blown save as he gave 2 hits, 2 runs, and walked three. So onto the 12th we went, all tied up at 8. The game would remain scoreless until the 14th inning, when Nava and Salty came in clutch with an RBI each to give the Sox a 10-8 lead going into the bottom of the 14th. Morales stayed in the game to pitch, and earned the win, as the Red Sox beat the Rays 10-8. Oh, before I forget, let's talk about the bench clearing fight/rumble. The Rays were stressed, and Lackey was stressed as he did bad the first inning. He exchanged a few words to Rays, Matt Joyce as Lackey almost gave up a second home run to him but luckily got him to ground out on the next pitch to end the inning. Then in the 6th inning, the next time Lackey and Joyce met, there were 2 outs with nobody on for them. Lackey hit Joyce, in what looked intentional but I won't say anything. Well that caused Joyce to say a few words to Lackey before Salty stepped in and pushed him back. That started a benches clearing exchange between the two teams as it was really nothing but just shoving. The two sides would both get warnings and Lackey would get taken out as he gave up a double to the very next batter.

So yes, our bullpen has struggled at some points this season, and it's also been good at some points this season. But their may be a worry... Now, I don't see anything wrong with Bailey this year, that was only his second blown save and he still needs a lot more experience this season as we haven't been able to use him much. Oh and don't forget he was coming a game where he pitched Sunday, so two days in a row didn't look so good. Over use is another problem, it seems as if the Sox can't just have some relievers stay in a little more. Example: Craig Breslow came in for 0.1 innings last night and that was it for him. They should have let him pitch at least one more inning. So yes, the bullpen has been shaky this season, and the Sox may need to add some depth into their bullpen. See, it's not that their bad it's just they struggle at important moments sometimes. Andrew Miller, has been a very effective strikeout reliever this season but he has struggled on keeping batters off base. Tazawa and Uehara have been the same, as they've both been dominant at time but at other times have been bad. Breslow, has been OK, he still needs more experience as he came of the DL a couple weeks ago. Morales has only pitched 3 times this season, once in a start and 2 in relief stints, and Mortenson has been shaky the most, as he has had a few good outings. I think a solution to this would be to call up Alex Wilson, who we formerly used as a reliever when we had players on the DL, or to call up a different Triple A pitcher who seems major league ready, like Allen Webster, yes give the guy another chance he's only 23 and has been good in the minors recently, or Ruby De La Rosa, a highly touted pitching prospect who is known for his strikeouts and fast pitches averaging around 95-97 MPH. I'm sure there's plenty more pitchers we could call up but I'm thinking of the ones who are major league level or have had major league experience before. They're going to have to come up with a decision soon on what to do but one guy who has impressed me and I'm still not worried about is Bailey. He has been great compared to last season but still only has 19 innings pitched, something he needs to get up because he needs some experience this season.

Anyways, with that being said about our bullpen, I'll talk about something else that's positive. The Red Sox reached their 40th win last night, the second MLB team to do so far this season, first being the Cardinals. They improved to 40-25 on the season, and their road record to 19-11, something that has been good for them this season. Also, Alfredo Aceves was called up again to pitch for the Sox Wednesday night as he'll be taking place of Morales for now, as he pitched 2 innings last night and was scheduled to start Wednesday, I know sorry, that was NOT positive news...

 Well, Lester (6-2, 3.60 ERA) will be on the mound tonight to verse the Rays, and hopefully he will eat up some innings tonight for the Red Sox, so that our bullpen doesn't need to be over used again, because all relievers pitched last night. Let's just hope for the best.

- DJ

Tebow Time!

The way every Pats fan is right now


Its Tebow Time in New England! Who's excited? The Pats have signed him as a qb and he will report to mini camp Tuesday. Honestly, its not a bad signing he can be a worthy back up and can help with special teams like he did last year with the Jets. The problem is the media. Drama is coming to New England and hopefully we do a better job of controlling it than New York. Ryan Mallet will most likely get traded and Tebow will officially be our legit back up. And who know something might happen to Brady and..... i dont want to think about it. So welcome to New England Tebow, and goodbye Sportcenter!



-Abudi

Red Sox Clobber Angels 10-5, Take Series

Salty watches one his of 2 home runs, go deep into center field

The Red Sox beat the Angels 10-5 Sunday, and took the series, 2 out of 3 games. The Sox played great, getting 11 hits and 10 runs, including 4 home runs, from Ortiz, Salty who hit two, and Carp. Ellsbury went 1-4, with a triple, his 6th of the season and an RBI, Nava and Pedroia each got an RBI, Ortiz went 2-4 with three RBI's, Salty went 2-4 with 4 RBI's, Carp went 1-3 with an RBI, Iglesias went 2-4... And then there was Napoli who went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts, and has been a little slump lately. Dempster did OK, probably good, a quality start, giving up 6 hits 3 runs, 2 walks, struck out 6, and gave up two home runs, earning his 4th win to become 4-6 on the year. The bullpen was good, except for Uehara who gave up 1 hit, 2 runs, walked 2, and hit a batter in 0.2 innings of work. Bailey came into the 9th, to finish the game, and he did good, striking out 2 and walking one.

Dempster accomplished a feat, few active pitchers have accomplished as of now, and that is, he earned his 2,000th strikeout of his career last game. Anyways, Ortiz hit his team leading, 13th home run, and 48th RBI. Yes he leads both, and man, he's been in a hot streak lately, homering in his last 3 out of 4 games in which the Red Sox won those 3 games. Also, Pedroia and Iglesias have also been great lately, and are both riding on a 13 game hitting streak, a career high hitting streak for Iglesias. Tonight, will see the Red Sox travel to Tampa Bay, as they take on the Rays, on this 7 game road trip. John Lackey (3-5, 2.79 ERA) and the Red Sox will face Alex Cobb (6-2, 2.39 ERA) and the Rays in one of the best ballparks out their right now, of course I'm only joking... Or am I? Well, as the Rays look to win this one to slowly climb up the standings, hopefully the Sox will look earn their 40th win tonight!

- DJ

Bruins Sweep Penguins and Advance To Second Finals In 3 Years

(The Bruins received the Prince of Wales Trophy, given to the Eastern Conference champions. As usual, nobody touched it.)

Well, they did it. The Boston Bruins just swept the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They held the top offense in the NHL to 2 goals in the series, and also held the number one power play to a big fat 0. Now, with the Bruins playing their best hockey, they are going to their second Stanley Cup Final in 3 years and will face either the Chicago Blackhawks or the defending champion Los Angeles Kings. Chicago leads the series 3-1.

This was, like game 3, a very defensive battle by both teams. The Penguins obviously wanted to avoid the sweep anyway they could. Rask and Vokoun certainly came ready to play, as both goalies were on their game, and even though there wasn't tons of offense in this game, that made more important every save they made. There would actually be no scoring at all through 2 periods. So it could be the Penguins going home or staying alive. But, u knew the Bruins wouldn't let that happen, right? 5 minutes into the third period with the game still scoreless, Brad Marchand was skating up the boards into the offensive zone. He then passed it to a wide open Adam Mcquaid who ripped a rising slap shot up and over the glove of Vokoun and break the tie and give the Bruins a 1-0 lead with 15 minutes to play. Replays showed that it may have grazed the stick of a diving Jarome Iginla. So, yes, Jarome Iginla has officially scored his first goal for the Bruins. Anyways, the Bruins looked to be in control up until the final minute and 30 seconds of regulation. Pittsburgh pulled their goalie to get an extra attacker. And man, this might have been the most crazy and exciting minute in the entire game. The Penguins were throwing everything they had at the net. And there was one extremely close call. With Rask out of his net a little after making a save, the Penguins were looking at a wide open net, but Chara somehow, SOMEHOW, got his arm in there to block the shot. The Bruins were able to stop the craziness, and they won 1-0 and are going to the Finals.

Obviously nobody saw a sweep of the Penguins coming. Tuukka Rask was great but so was the defense. The Penguins were shut out twice in the series. We will find out when the Finals start as soon as the west wraps up.

~Anthony

Papi's Walk Off Leads Sox To Win Over Ranger 6-3

Ortiz celebrates with his teammates as he hit the walk off home run Thursday night

The Red Sox won and walked off Thursday night in a 6-3 victory over the Rangers. This was a very frustrating game for both teams as both struggled scoring with runners in scoring postion (Rangers 2-12, Red Sox 4-15). The Rangers led 3-2 up until the 7th inning when the Sox scored a run on a lucky play in which, you could say Napoli beat out the throw to first to get the RBI, and drive in the run. Then in the top of the 9th, Gomes swung on the first pitch and drove it to center field for a lead off double. Then with 0 outs, and Pedroia up, for some stupid, most dumb reason, the Rangers decided to intentionally walk Pedroia, to give the chance for Ortiz to win it. Apparently, they thought a lefty VS lefty match up would work better, but they were wrong. As Papi came up to bat, he hammered a pitch straight to the bullpen as it would be gone for a WALK OFF HOME RUN AND THE SOX WOULD WIN 6-3 FINAL! The Sox would wait at home plate as Ortiz came around the bases to celebrate his walk off home run like children with the team, as he hit his 11th of the year. Two specific people did great at the plate last night, and those people were... Ellsbury and Gomes who each went 4-5 last night. Pedroia went 1-4 with an RBI, and Ortiz went 1-4 with 3 RBI's. Also Iglesias went 1-1 with 3 walks. Lester's line of the night was 6 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, walking 3, and striking out 4, earning the no decision. Also, Bailey came in the 9th, and pitched a scoreless 9th as he earned his second win of the season (2-0).

Ortiz's walk off was his 11th walk off hit of his career, proving he is a clutch hitter. Also Ellsbury finally came back last night after missing a few games, with a tight groin. Now, let's talk about Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks came off the 15 day DL, and is in Pawtucket for his rehab assignment. But their is a little confusion here, apparently, Farrell wants to keep him down in Triple A, longer than his 4 game rehab assignment so that he can regain his stride at the plate, and get more comfortable, because he has struggled a lot this season. So far he has 2 home runs in Pawtucket in his rehab assignment, and once he comes back the question will be, where does Iglesias go? Will they keep him in the majors as a significant important bench role player, or will they send him to the minors so that he can get every day playing time and keep experience at the plate. We will find out eventually. Anyways, tonight's game against the Angels at Fenway, will be postponed and there will be a scheduled double header for tomorrow. Pitching will remain the same, as Doubrant starts game 1 of the double header tomorrow, and Buchholz will start game 2 of the double header tomorrow also.

- DJ

Bruins-Penguins Have Tough Battle, But Come Out on Top In Double OT

(It was again Patrice Bergeron who came out on top in overtime, as he celebrates with Brad Marchand)

The Penguins definitely came ready to play this game more than the first two.

This game was not easy for either team to play, it was a very classic, grind it out playoff game. It was extremely defensive, not a lot of room on the ice. Nobody knows this more than Zdeno Chara, who legged out 45 minutes of ice time last night as the Bruins beat the Penguins 2-1 in Double OT and take a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yep, 45 minutes, that lead everyone on the ice. The scoring got started very early (considering there were only 3 goals altogether in the game) when David Krejci AGAIN scored to extend his playoff leading goals even more. He scored 1:42 into the game to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead early, and just continued what has been an amazing postseason for Krejci. Krejci found the 5-hole of Tomas Vokoun and it barely bounced off a Penguins skate that may have fooled Vokoun. About halfway through the second period, the Penguins would strike back when Chris Kunitz got a pass out in front and shot it top shelf over Rask to tie it at 1-1. This game was fought very tough by both teams, which is part of the reason that that was the end of the scoring for regulation. Not without a price, though. In the third period, Gregory Campbell went down to block a Malkin shot and it hit him right in the thigh-area on his leg (where there are no pads). Campbell was clearly in pain, but with Pittsburgh had possession so it would be a 5-on-3 for the Penguins is he stayed down, with them already being on the power play, so he stayed out there basically skating on one leg and played out the rest of his shift and went straight to the dressing room. The Garden crowd began chanting "Camp-bell! Camp-bell" great moment. We now know that he broke his leg and will miss the rest of the playoffs.

The Penguins outshot the Bruins 14-4 in the third period, and it looked like they has some momentum heading into the first overtime. But once OT got underway the Bruins clearly controlled play, but, as it had been all night, Pittsburgh was very strong defensively. So one overtime would not be enough either, and we would head for a second OT. With second OT winding down (for the record I had to stop watching after the first overtime) Jagr won a puck battle along the boards and gave it to Marchand, who then passed it to Bergeron who was able to finally end the game after over 92 minutes of hockey and about 20 minutes after midnight in Boston. Boston takes a 3-0 series lead and has a chance to advance to the most important round of all, the Stanley Cup Finals. WE WANT THE CUP!

~Anthony

Bradley Jr Gets First Career Home Run, As Red Sox Dismantle Rangers 17-5

Red Sox rookie Jackie Bradley Jr watches his first career home run travel to the seats 

The Red Sox absolutely crushed the Rangers in the series opener, by 17-5! And they literally did dismantle the Rangers, considering they had their outfielder pitch, I'll get back to that. First, let's talk about Dempster's outing. This was his first outing against his former team, that he was with for half the season last year, and he went 7 innings, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, and struck out 6, an improvement, but he did give up 2 home runs, and I still have yet to trust him. Anyways he took the win to make his record 3-6. Ok now the offense. They DOMINATED, getting 19 HITS, and 17 RUNS. Their highest amount of runs this season. Mostly everyone did great. They scored in each inning except for the 8th, and 9th, in which they couldn't. The Sox led 2-0 through the first, and a guy named Jackie Bradley Jr extended the lead getting his first career home run to make it 4-0. Also, in that inning Ortiz got a triple, his first since April 2011. That was probably the most exciting inning of the game as their offense was just getting started scoring 6 runs in the 2nd. I'll talk about the 8th since it was an odd inning. The Rangers were down 17-5 at that point and gave up so they called in their left fielder David Murphy to come in and pitch. Most of his pitches were 67 MPH - 75 MPH, at one point peaking at 79 MPH. Anyways, he struck out Carp on an odd 67 MPH curve ball and which I guess he just got Carp looking, though it was a little high of a pitch. Carp was not happy with the call and he said a few words to the umpire and was later tossed from the game, and to be honest, I wouldn't blame him, the umpire kind of embarrassed him calling a strike for a position player pitcher who never pitched before.

Anyways, Nava went 3-4 with an RBI, Carp went 3-4 with a home run and 3 RBI's, Ortiz went 2-6 with 3 RBI's, Salty went 3-5 with a home run and 3 RBI's, Drew went 4-5 with a home run and 2 RBI's, Iglesias went 2-5 with 2 RBI's, AND, finally, Bradley Jr went 1-5 with a home run and 3 RBI's.

Man what an offensive game... Also, during this game, Iglesias saw some time at second, filling in for an inning for Pedroia. So with this win, the Red Sox are 36-23 and hold a 2 game lead over the Yankees, for first place in the division. Game 60, tonight will see John Lackey (3-5, 2.96 ERA) VS the Rangers and Alexi Ogando (4-2, 3.08 ERA). Lackey has been great at Fenway this year, and in his last starts he has also pitched great, BUT his career stats verse the Rangers aren't too good, hopefully he does good.

- DJ

Bruins Dominate Pens 6-1

(After allowing 3 first period goals, Tomas Vokoun was replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury, who didn't do much better.)

Wow.

That's all Bruins fans can really say right now. I mean here we are with a 2 game to none series lead on the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The team with the top power play in the league and the so called best player in the world, the team who averages about 4 goals a game. The team that was favorite to win this series, is now down 2 games to none and could possibly be facing a sweep later this week. And who said the Bruins can't score? There was plenty of that last night, that's for sure. The Bruins didn't take long to get things started either, as 28 seconds into the game Brad Marchand stole the puck from Sidney Crosby and was on a partial breakaway, he fired a wrist shot over the glove side of Tomas Vokoun and the Bruins got a very early 1-0 lead. Later in the first, Torey Krug saved a puck in the offensive zone and fired it back in and Nathan Horton was able to jam it home for a 2-0 as Chris Letang sat there and watched. Letang was not very committed to knocking Horton off the puck and that hurt them there. Then some marvelous passing by the 1st line led to their third goal. Lucic drove to the net, did a backwards pass to Horton, who then passed it cross ice to Krejci who got his NHL leading 8th goal of the playoffs to make it 3-0, and that was the night for Vokoun. The Penguins gave Marc-Andre Fluerry his first action of the series. Late in the first period the Penguins would get on the board when Brandon Sutter was flying down the right wing side and fired a wrist shot that beat Rask to make it 3-1. So after a long first period for the Penguins it looked as if they would at least go into the intermission after just having scored a goal and had a little momentum, but that last all of about 25 seconds. That's because with 9 seconds left in the first period, it was Marchand again who shot a wrister top shelf over Fluerry to make it 4-1. It was Marchand's 4th of the playoffs and second of the game, he wouldn't get the hat trick, though. After all that, the second period was scoreless. The Bruins still controlled play and really after the first period to the end the whole building was just not into the game and the players for the home team didn't look much better. 27 seconds into the third period, Jaromir Jagr made a cross ice pass to Patrice Bergeron who one-timed it into the net to make it 5-1. Really, I'm surprised we didn't see some fighting with this game getting out of hand, but the closest thing we got was when Milan Lucic dropped the gloves with a Penguins player (I don't know who) but the linesmen stepped in before anything happened. The slaughter would end when Johnny Boychuk unleashed a slapshot that made it 6-1. And that was it, the Bruins win 6-1 and take a 2-0 series lead heading back to TD Garden.

The Bruins may have played their best defensive game of the year last night, the held the Penguins to 16 shots through two periods, and although they would get their shot total up to 26 by the end of the game, there were only about two really good chances for the Penguins. Nothing else was really a threat.  They have held the best offense in the NHL to 1 goal in two games. If you're a Bruins fan you have to feel good. You have dominated a great team (so far, I'm not saying this is over) and you're up 2 games to none heading home. I feel good, I know that.

~Anthony

Red Sox Beat Yankees 3-0 In Rain Shortened Game

The Red Sox beat the Yankees 3-0 in a rain shortened 6 inning game. Now, even though it was 6 innings, Buchholz pitched good though he could only go 5 innings because of 3 rain delays. He gave up 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and struck out 4. The offense got 3 runs on 8 hits. Ortiz and Iglesias, yes Iggy, each got a home run. Ortiz went 2-3 and Iglesias went 1-2. There really isn't much to talk about. I mean, there was 3 lengthy rain delays, including the last one, so yeah.

Buchholz remained perfect on the season, earning the win, to become 8-0 and lower his ERA to an MLB leading, 1.62. The Red Sox will face the Rangers tomorrow, Tuesday and will look to do better against the Rangers, as last time they got swept. Though, I can't say if we'll do good considering Dempster is starting...

- DJ

Red Sox Crush Yankees 11-1

The Red Sox beat the Yanees 11-1 Saturday night and it was the long ball that helped them win this one, as Napoli, Nava, and Drew each hit one, and Nap's home run was a grand slam. Doubrant (4-2) went 6 innings giving up 6 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, struck out 6 and earned the win. This was a good start for him as he proved he could be good. The offense was very very good last night getting 18 hits, AND 11 runs. Some players that did good were Nava who went 4-6 with 4 RBI's, Carp 2-3 with an RBI, Napoli 3-5 with 4 RBI's, Drew 2-5 with an RBI, Iglesias 2-5 with an RBI, and Jackie Bradley Jr 3-5. The game was great, our bullpen was great giving up no more hits, and it was just a good game for the Red Sox, as it proved a statement to the Yankees.

As for Ellsbury, he was out again yesterday but will hopefully be back today. Anyways, the Red Sox took their 2 game lead over the Yankees again to remain in first place. You want to know how close the AL East division is? The Rays are only 3 games back, the Orioles are 2.5 games back, the Yankees are 2 games back, and well except for the Blue Jays, they are 10.5 games back. Well, for today;s game Buchholz (7-0, 1.73 ERA) will face Hiroki Kuroda (6-3, 2.39 ERA) and the Yankees and will try to lead the Sox to another win. Let's go Red Sox!

- DJ

Bruins Shut Out Penguins in Series Opener

(David Krejci scored twice as the Bruins take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals)

Well we kept saying that the Bruins biggest advantage, and actually some might have said their only advantage, was in net. That was proven in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Tuukka Rask was on his game last night, he stopped all 29 shots he faced and got his first carrer playoff shutout. I will admit that there were two posts hit by the Penguins, but they both came on the power play. So, as for the Bruin's scorers. David Krejci got it started when he ripped a slapshot toward goal. It deflected off of Penguins defenseman Martin and then it squeaked through the legs on Thomas Vokoun to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. In the first, Mcquaid would go down as he got hit from behind hard into the boards. Who was the hitter? Yep, you guessed it, Matt Cooke. The so called "changed player" went from up to Mcquaid and hit from behind. Like I said in my last post, Cooke was the player who ended Marc Savard's career. Mcquaid was down on the ice for about 10 seconds but he got up under his own power. He would go to the dressing room but would return in the second. The game had a very fast pace from beginning to end. Both teams had their chances. I would have liked if the Bruins gave up less penalties, but Rask was up to the task. There was no scoring in the second period, but there was something else. As the teams were heading to the dressing rooms at the end of the second, Sidney Crosby of all people made a little shove to Rask, Rask then came back at him with a little slash. Chara wasn't having any of that and he got Crosby away from Rask. Then Crosby started yelling and saying stuff to Chara, yes people, Crosby!!! Chara would kill him, no offense to Crosby. You know, actually, yes offense to Crosby. Then of course when the lineman steps in between them Crosby decides to thrown a punch (actually it was more of a shove). As all this was going on, Patrice Bergeron and Evgeni Malkin dropped the gloves. Malkin had a clear advantage in this one was he took down Bergeron right away and Bergeron would come up bleeding. In the third now, Nathan Horton won a great puck battle along the boards and got the puck to Krejci. Krejci shot it on net and the rebound went off Vokoun and popped into the air, when it came back down on the ice, Krejci was able to jam it in for his second goal of the game. The Bruins would then end it when a pass across the crease led to a wide open net for Nathan Horton and he didn't miss and the Bruins take game 1, 3-0.

The Bruins should be very happy with their performance. The defense, along with Rask who was outstanding, held the Penguins scoreless for the first time this postseason. The Bruins are now the only playoff team to not be shut out in the playoffs yet. Game 2 is Monday.

~Anthony

Penguins Series Preview

Hi there,
So, for the second time in three years, the Bruins are back in the Eastern Conference Finals. Part of their cup run in 2011, they versed the Lightning in the Conference Finals. Their opponent this year? If you don't know by now then that's a little sad, it's the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference: The Pittsburgh Penguins. The main story in this series in that the Bruins will be facing Jarome Iginla, who the Bruins thought they would get because they had been told Iginla was going to waive his no-trade clause to come here. Instead, however, he chose to go to Pittsburgh, basically telling us he didn't think we were good enough to win a cup. Also let's not forget that Penguins player Matt Cooke was the one who made the dirty hit to the head that ultimately ended Marc Savard's career...

So, with all the potential fighting in this series aside, this is going to be tough. The Penguins have one of the best offenses in the NHL, including arguably the best player right now in Sidney Crosby. They have the league's top power play at just over 28%. And, oh yeah, we lost all three meeting with them in the regular season. Something positive? Well, all the losses were only by 1 goal, so there's that. Anyways, the series will most likely go at least 6 games and I can also see it going the distance to 7. I think the Bruins also have an advantage in goal. I'm sorry, but I don't see Vokoun as being better than Rask, even if his goals against average is better than Rask's. Rask has played more games. Some things the Bruins need to do. 1) Play strong defense. This is most likely going to be a high scoring series (which I am happy about) but you need to be able to shut them down at key points in the game and make Rask's life a little easier since, like I said, he is going up against one of the best offenses out there. 2) Stay out of the penalty box. You can't give this team too many power play opportunities because they will convert. The Bruins can be just as good as the Penguins if they keep it 5-on-5. And, finally 3) Beat the crap out of Jarome Iginla. Yes, ok, I just want to see it. He shoved us out the door at the last second when we thought we reached a deal. Show him that we can be just as good as the Penguins and that we didn't appreciate him backing out of it like that. This will be a tough series, I think the Bruins can pull this off though and I think they win in 7 games.

~Anthony

Red Sox Fall To Yankees 4-1

The Red Sox lost to the Yankees 4-1 Friday night. It was a tough loss for the Sox as they could not score with runners in scoring position again. Sabathia pitched a great game, and out dueled Lester. This was definitely not Lester's best start, as he went 6.1 innings, giving up, 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, and striking out 5. Bradley Jr did not do too good in his fill in start for Ellsbury tonight, as he went 0-3, he did do somewhat good at defense though. Pedroia who went 3-4, and Iglesias, who went 2-3, were really the only ones who stood out tonight in the offense role. Lester fell to 6-2, and took the loss.

There wasn't that much to talk about in this game but oh wait, Hey! At least Kate Upton was at the game! Anyways with this loss the Red Sox, still remain in first place 1 game ahead of the Yankees and will face them again tomorrow. Doubrant will be on the mound tomorrow to face the Yanks.

- DJ

Historic Night For Ellsbury As Bats Lead Red Sox To 9-2 Win

Red Sox center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury steals his 5th stolen base of the game

The Red Sox beat the Phillies 9-2 yesterday and split the 2 game series at Philly. The Sox got a quick 4 runs in the first thanks to Pedroia, Carp, and Salty. The Phillies would get a 2 home run in the first but Morales was dominant from that point on, as the Red Sox would score 5 more runs in the game, including Gomes and Ortiz home runs. Morales (1-0), went 5 innings giving up 2 runs, 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2 in his 2013 season debut, not bad, considering he only threw 79 pitches and could have went more innings, but it was his first start so we'll give the coaches a break on this decision.

Now, as for center fielder. number 2, Jacoby Ellsbury, former 2011 runner up MVP, had a historic night for himself and the Red Sox, stealing his 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, AND 21st base. In total he stole 5 bases in the game, setting a new club franchise record for the Red Sox, for the most stolen bases in a game. The former record holder of this? Jerry Remy.

Anyways Ellsbury was great at night at bat, also going 3-4 and a walk, raising his average back to the .268 range. And it looks as if Ellsbury has suddenly got out of this slump and gained confidence back in himself. Hopefully that's true and stays the same. Now as for the game tonight against the Yankees, Jon Lester (6-1, 3.34 ERA) will get the nod, against CC Sabathia (4-4, 3.96 ERA). Boston's other ace Buchholz was originally supposed to get the nod but he wasn't ready, sadly. But the good news is that he threw a bullpen session and felt fine and great, and will be ready to pitch Sunday. This game will be the first of three in this original classic Yankees-Red Sox series. The Yankees got swept by the Mets in a 4 game series, are on a 4 game losing streak, and are 3-7 in their last 10 game series. Let's go Red Sox! Extend the Yankees losing streak!

- DJ

Red Sox Fall Short To Phillies 4-3

The Red Sox lost to the Phillies 4-3 Wednesday night and had a little 9th inning rally. The Red Sox got on board first making it 1-0, but the Phillies would get 3 runs between the 2nd and 4th inning off of 3 solo home runs. Lackey's (3-5) outing was 6 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Basically his biggest problem was leaving the ball over the plate because when he did that, he gave up home runs. He picked up the loss as the Sox could not tie the game or win it. Our offense was OK, getting 7 hits and 3 runs. Ellsbury went 2-5 with an RBI, and was the only Sox player to get 2 hits. Also, if you wanted to know, Lackey went 0-1 at the plate. As I mentioned earlier, the Sox had a small 9th inning rally for former closer, Jonathan Papelbon, in which they picked up 2 hits and 1 run to make it 4-3 but Papelbon got Daniel Nava to ground out to first base on the first pitch, in which he should have been more patient.

You know with this recent loss, it would feel so great to have one of those big blowout wins. I mean, c'mon, when's the last time we had one of those? Anyways, pitcher Franklin Morales will finally be making his season debut tonight, getting the nod to start tonight's game. This situation with Buchholz not pitching kind of works out perfect right now as Morales is just coming off the DL and will be fresh to start a couple games, if he has to. Also, the Red Sox remain in first place in the standings at a 32-22 record, 1 game ahead of the Yankees as they have lost 4 straight. Well, let's hope Morales gets that win and does good tonight!

- DJ

Sox Finish Home Stand, Lose To Phillies 3-1

The Red Sox lost to the Phillies 3-1 last night, and we'll say there's an excuse for this loss. The excuse? Cliff Lee. Oh and Jonathan Papelbon. Ok anyways, Cliff Lee pitched the Phillies a spectacular game, going 8 innings and giving up only 4 hits and 1 run. And he was so efficient on the night that he only threw 80 pitches through the first 7 innings, and 95 all together in. Enough with him, I'll talk about how Ryan Dempster improved tonight, still earning the loss (2-6), but only gave up 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and striking out 4 through 7 solid innings. The bullpen was shaky, mainly Tazawa giving up 3 hits, including a first pitch home run to the first batter he faced in the 8th. It came to the 9th for the Sox to rally again. Papelbon jogged onto the field as rains of "boo's" came from Fenway. He would retire his first 2 batters, and then Ortiz came up. He came very close to a home run but hit it just foul, and then he would ground out giving the save to Papelbon in his return.

So the Red Sox finished the home stand going 4-2 and will be heading to Philadelphia to play in a 2 game series there, if you want to call it that. Lackey will be pitching today against the Phillies and will be looking to continue his success this season. He will also be at the plate trying to hit, hopefully that goes well. Also, hopefully we'll see Franklin Morales pitching at some point in this series.

- DJ

Red Sox Rout Phillies 9-3, In Return Of Papelbon

The Red Sox beat the Phillies 9-3, in what is the first time Papelbon has been back to Fenway since his departure in 2011. Well he probably won't even have to be used this series, considering how bad the Phillies are playing and how good the Red Sox are playing. Anyways, Aceves pitched fairly well going 6 innings, giving up 7 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, and striking out 4. He also gave up a home run, which was his only run. The Red Sox did pretty good last night offense and defense wise. The Sox got 15 hits, and 9 runs. And Ellsbury's defense was great out in the outfield saving Aceves sometimes. The infield defense was also good last night, including Iglesias and Pedroia. Actually speaking of Ellsbury, in his past few games he has been doing better hitting and last night he went 3-5 with an RBI. Also Napoli went 2-4 with 2 RBI's, and Drew went 2-3 with 2 RBI's. It was just a great game for Memorial Day.

Following his start, Aceves was optioned back to Triple A and Franklin Morales was activated from the DL and called up from Triple A, and he seems to be ready. I think that now Morales is back, it provides depth in our bullpen and a backup rotation spot, which he could be in soon if Dempster or Doubrant struggles. Anyways, tonight Dempster will get the start vs Lee of the Phillies, who has been good so far this season. Hopefully the Sox can score some runs on him!

- DJ

Ellsbury's Walk Off Double Leads Red Sox To Epic Comeback Win

Red Sox teammates celebrate with Jacoby Ellsbury as he hit the walk off double

The Red Sox walked off Sunday and beat the Indians 6-5 in an amazing epic comeback in the 9th. Before I get to that, I'll explain the rest of the game. The Tribe got on the board first with a 2 run first inning. but the Sox would score in the 3rd to make it 2-1. The Tribe would strike again the 5th, and 6th when they homered once each inning, both solo homers, off Felix Doubrant. That would make it 4-1. The Indians would score one more in the 8th, and so would the Sox making it 5-2. And then came the 9th, where the comeback was slowly waiting upon us. It all started with Pedroia taking the walk. Ortiz would double that wound send Pedroia to 3rd. Mike Napoli would ground out to get an RBI and send Pedroia home. With Ortiz at second, he would steal third, bringing him closer to scoring. And what do you know? Salty would do the exact same thing Napoli did, ground out to get an RBI, and this time send Ortiz home. And just like that the score was 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs. Gomes was next up to bat and he walked. Drew was next and he singled sending Gomes to third, and then he would steal second. And then it looked as if it all came down to Iglesias who was just called up for the series, to win us the game. But nope! He had a great at bat and forced the walk to first, loading the bases. Then the Indians pitcher apparently had an injury and to be honest, I bet he just did this so that he wouldn't have to pitch, but who am I to jump to conclusions? And then finally, here's who it came down to, Jacoby Ellsbury, who has seen a significant struggle at the plate. The new Indians pitcher, warmed up and was ready to go. On the first pitch Ellsbury sees, he smacks it for a double to center field as Gomes and Drew would score at home plate to give the Sox the 6-5 walk off win! Other than that, the only thing I have to say is, Doubrant did OK, not his best, giving up 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, but 8 strikeouts. He also gave up 2 home runs.

So, the return of Terry Francona was spoiled for him as his Tribe lost. Man, what a win. That great at bat from Iglesias and then that walk off double by Ellsbury, WOO! The Red Sox finished the series taking 3 out 4 games and are currently on a 3 game win streak, as they are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are also tied for first in the division with the good old Yankees, 30-19, and the Red Sox, 31-20.

So the Red Sox (31-20) will face the Phillies (24-26) in an inter league match up, that will have 2 games played at Fenway and 2 games played at Philly in a 4 game series. The downside of tomorrow is that Clay Buchholz will be on rest for a day due to an irritation in his arm, and Alfredo Aceves will be in his place to start tomorrow. The good news is that Buchholz will be able to pitch Tuesday. Hopefully we win tomorrow...

- DJ 

Next Stop: Pittsburgh

(The fourth line was once again huge for the Bruins, as Gregory Campbell got 2 goals and the Bruins knock out the Rangers)

Well, they didn't sweep them, but the Bruins didn't fail to close out the series a second time. As the Bruins send the Rangers home for the summer and have now punched their tickets for a matchup with the #1 seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals. But that's not here yet, right now everyone is just celebrating this win.

The Rangers were obviously going to be desperate with their season on the line (again) so it's not surprising that they were playing with a lot of intensity. In fact, we saw our second fight of the series. It was Shawn Thronton going up against Derek Dorsett. There weren't really any big punches thrown, but Thronton won in my opinion was mostly a wrestling match.  The Bruins and Rangers both were playing great in what was an up and down first period. However, the Bruins played just as good, but it was the Rangers who struck first. Dan Girardi got a shot that went past Tuukka Rask with a huge screen in front. Girardi was open because Paille lost an edge and fell down while trying to stop himself, so there's that. And I'll admit, the Bruins didn't play too good for the rest of the first, and the Rangers had the momentum after the goal. But in the second, the Bruins had definitely marked their territory in the Ranger's zone. They were in their for basically the entire second period and just dominated play. The Bruins would tie it up on a goal from none other than Bobby Orr, I mean uh.... Torey Krug. But seriously, this kid is just impressing everybody and he is showing why he deserves to be on this team right now and in important situations. He again showed off his skill with a huge slap shot that once again beat one of the best goalies in the league. Lundqvist got a piece, but it was shot so hard it fought it's way through and it would have taken a lot more to slow down that one. Then, the Bruins would take the lead 2-1 with the 4th line on the ice which has impressed all series. With a scramble in front, Gregory Campbell was able to put it top shelf over Lundqvist. Tuukka Rask was once again outstanding, making 28 saves and keeping the Bruins in it. Particularly on a breakaway where Rask was able to make the save off of a back-handed attempt by Ryan Callahan. With time winding down and with the Rangers net empty, it was once again Campbell who scored the empty netter to make it 3-1, and that was all she wrote. The Bruins advance, and the Rangers are going home.

All in all, this was a good series for the Bruins. Aside from game 4, the Bruins were really the better team and we showed that we can handle facing a great goalie. Something else that shouldn't be forgotten is the play of Torey Krug, who by the way became the first defenseman in NHL history to score 4 goals in their first 5 playoff games. He gets offensively involved, then races back to do his job defensively. The Bruins may have a real prize on their hands here. Now the Penguins are a completely different animal than the Rangers. I will make a preview post the day before the series is going to start, which I don't know yet. So stay tuned!

~Anthony

Red Sox Rally For 7-4 Win Over Tribe

The Red Sox rallied to beat the Indians 7-4. Coming into the 8th inning of this game it was 4-3 Indians, but the Red Sox would score 4 runs off of Ciraco's, Carp's, and Pedroia's wall ball doubles, oh and a misplayed popup to make it 7-4, and then Bailey came into the 9th to seal the deal, and earn his first save since coming off the DL. Pedroia went 2-4 with an RBI, Nava went 1-3 with an RBI, Iglesias went 3-4 with a double, and Ciriaco went 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Lester did OK, earning a quality start giving up 10 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, but striking out 8, and got the no decision.

The unexpected helped the Sox win this one, referring to Iglesias and Ciraco, and they have now took 2 out of 4 games in the series so far. The Red Sox are now 30-20 on the year, and in second place 0.5 games back of the Yankees, as of now, because it could change soon. Tomorrow Doubrant will be on the mound to close out the series, hopefully he does good and continues to improve.

- DJ

Lackey Shines As Sox Beat Twins 8-1

The Red Sox (29-20) beat the Indians (27-20) 8-1 Friday night. In what was a rainy day in Boston, the game was played out, and got a 45 minute rain delay and started at 7:50. Lackey did great, giving up 2 total hits through 7 innings, 3 walks, and striking out 8, earning his 3rd win (3-4). The run was unearned due to a throwing error trying to get the runner at third from Salty. Anyways, the offense was quiet through the  first part of the game, besides Mike Carp's home run. They scored 5 more runs later though, 1 in the 6th, and 4 in the 7th to make it 8-1 Ellsbury went 1-4 with 2 RBI's, Pedroia went 2-4 with 2 RBI's, Napoli went 1-4 with 1 RBI, and Carp went 1-2 with 3 RBI's. Also Iglesias who made his major league start at third base, went 1-3 with 2 strikeouts, and his was defense was good but he did not get much action at third. Also some bad news, no matter how good he does, nobody likes him anymore, Alfredo Aceves was called up to fill a spot in on the roster and he came in the 9th, and pitched a scoreless 9th.

This was a pretty good game to be at despite the weather conditions, considering I was there, and Abudi and Anthony. The offense was just there and so was the pitching. Anyways, some other news, Ross was moved off the 7 day concussion list, Victorino (right hamstring strain) and Middlebrooks (lower back strain)  were placed on the 15 day DL, and the two people filling in the roster spots were Aceves and Iglesias. Well, tomorrow, Jon Lester (6-1) will be on the mound tomorrow to take on the Indians in this 4 game series.

- DJ

Red Sox Beat White Sox 6-2

The Red Sox beat the White Sox 6-2 last night. Buchholz did great, going 7 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, and getting 4 strikeouts, earning his 7th win (7-0), and lowering his ERA to 1.73. The offense was OK/good, getting 9 hit and 6 runs. Ortiz went 2-5 WITH A STOLEN BASE (his first since stolen base since 2011) and got 2 RBI's earning his 30th, and 31st RBI. Nava also got 2 RBI's, and Middlebrooks got 1 RBI. Also Ellsbury who has been in a slump, went 2-3 with 2 walks. Andrew Bailey finally, came in the 9th to pitch, to just close the game out, not earn a save, and............. he gave up a home run but then got 3 outs to finish it. So far nothing to worry about, hopefully...

I felt I had to say this, newly added reliever the Sox got this offseason, Koji Uehara, has sort of a tradition when he does good. It's to go in the dugout and basically just get happy and nuts giving everyone high fives. It's hard to explain but if you watch Red Sox games (not Abudi), you would understand. It just gives you the feeling of how close and happy this club/team is, because as of last year, not everyone got along, and it was a mess. Anyways, the return of Terry Francona has arrived and he will be back at Fenway tonight with the Indians. Let's go Red Sox!

- DJ

Red Sox Lose 2nd Straight To White Sox, 3-1

The Red Sox lost the 2nd straight to the White Sox 3-1 last night. Doubrant (3-2) pitched well, going 6 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and getting 3 strikeouts. His only downside of this quality start was that he gave up a home run to someone who had a .195 average with no home runs this year. Anyways the Red Sox were being held hit-less through 6 innings, but Ortiz broke that up with a single in the 7th, and the Sox would get 3 straight hits, and load the bases, only to not score. Rain was falling down hard in the bottom of the 8th, and top of the 9th, but the umps chose to just play it out. I don't know if that affected us at all but we lost, and we need to get back on track.

The Red Sox (27-19) will face the White Sox (21-23) one more time tonight, and will try to get the win to go back home with. Buchholz will be on the mound, to again, try to earn his 7th win in which he should have already got twice in his last 2 starts, but the offense was not there to support him. Anyways, the Boston Sports crew will be at the game Red Sox game Friday, including Anthony's brother, Michael. Aww, what the hell, who is even reading this anyways besides us...

- DJ

Bruins Dominate Rangers to Take Commanding Lead in Series

(In what was Henrik Lundqvist's best game of the series, he stopped two breakaways in the first period, but it wasn't enough as the B's take a stranglehold in the series)

Now I know what people are saying, "Well we didn't really dominate them". Well actually, we did. The Bruins played their most complete game of this series-and maybe the playoffs-in last night's victory over the New York Rangers. When I say complete game I mean 60 minutes, beginning to end, of solid play. Even though the scoreboard didn't show it, because of Lundqvist, we played great. This game was scoreless through 1 period of play, which is how we thought this series would be the whole time. It was a grind it out style and was very physical. There was a lot of blood on the ice last night. Bergeron and Chara both got high sticks to the face that probably should have been a 4 minute power play for Boston. Maybe the refs were doing us a favor since our power play is really bad. Anyways, even though it was scoreless, the Bruins were dominating the puck. However, when you can't see a shot, it makes it pretty hard to stop it, and that's what happened in the 2nd period when Ryan McDonagh shot the puck through a double screen, one by Taylor Pyatt and one by Dougie Hamilton, and it gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. The Bruins wouldn't lose 1-0 though, in the 3rd period another defenseman would get a goal. The Bruins lead the league in playoff goals by defensemen, this time it was Johnny Boychuk  getting a wrister by Lundqvist. What shouldn't go unnoticed is what Daniel Paille did to start this goal, there were a couple shots that went wide and Paille got to both rebounds to keep the play alive so good work by him. Then, when the game looked bound for overtime, it was again the 4th line of Thornton-Paille-Campbell, who were great all night, that started the rush. Cambell got a shot from the point, it was tipped in front by Thronton, went off the face mask of Lundqvist, popped in the air and landed right behind him on the goal crease! It looked like it would go in but somehow, SOMEHOW, it bounced forward away from the net. After that, Paille was able to bang home the rebound and give the Bruins a 2-1 lead with 3:31 remaining in the game. Paille had 2 points on the night. And the Bruins now have a chance to sweep New York. You know, no matter the sport that just sounds nice, sweep New York...

Ok, we all know the Bruins big problem in the Leafs series was closing it out. This series better not go more than 5 games because it shows we have a real problem ending series. I would very much like to get my broom out tomorrow, but I can handle 5 games. It better not go more than that, though.

~Anthony