This. Is. Sick. (Version 2.0)

Well, folks, the guys over at Boozeworthy.com have done it again.  You may remember their last video triumph AKA the sickest Bruins montage ever.  Now introducing the sequel:

Anyone else pick-up on the obvious hard-on for Tyler Seguin?

Hey LA ... How Ya Like Us Now?

“To watch the Celtics play at their best is to wonder how they ever lose. How can a team with this many weapons, that is this unselfish, that plays this kind of defense ever come up short? The obvious reasons include health, focus and the unrelenting NBA schedule. Put the Celtics in a game they really care about, with all their players available and a day off in-between, and it’s almost impossible to pick against them. So far this season they have defeated the Heat (twice), Bulls, Magic, Spurs and now the Lakers … they are now 17-5 against teams with winning records. The Magic, Heat and Lakers all have losing records against .500 teams, while the Bulls are a respectable 10-9. The Celtics didn’t just beat the Lakers, they beat them in every phase of the game.” – Paul Flannery, WEEI.

Despite Kobe’s impressive 41-point performance, it just wasn’t enough to stop the Celtics from beating the Lakers yesterday, 109-96. In the teams first meeting since Game 7 last June, Boston proved that they are stronger than ever in their hunt for #18.

After suffering through their worst shooting performance of year last Friday in Phoenix (where they lost, 88-71), the Celtics entered The Staples Center determined to prove that they were not the same team that played so pitifully just a few months earlier. And they did. Convincingly.

Unlike the one-man-show that is Kobe Bryant, the Celtics played as an army of one. Paul Pierce scored 32 points, the team high, and left many Lakers fans wondering why Ron Artest even bothered to show up. PP also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists and each a block and a steal.

Rajon Rondo played one of his best games of the year, scoring 10 points and dishing 16 assists. Post-game, Doc Rivers told Rondo (in front of the whole team) that he called an “absolutely perfect game”.

Ray Allen's efforts added 21 points to the scoreboard. Nate Robinson, who had been experiencing a bit of a slump, looked confident on the court has he nailed three 3-pointers and finished the game with 11 points.

KG caught an elbow to the head, courtesy of Pau Gasol, with 6:30 left to play in the second quarter. He left, got five stitches and came back with possibly the biggest Band-Aid that I have ever seen. Luckily, his swagger remained intact. He put up 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds (that goofy bastard Gasol had only 7 rebounds, the Lakers high).

The Celtics won because they were able to dominate the area that most contributed to their Game 7 loss: rebounding. Boston outrebounded the Lakers 43-30 yesterday. Another stat, just for the hell of it: the Celtics totaled 34 team assists, compared to just 10 by LA.

Boston shot 60.3% from the floor in yesterday’s matchup and are the only team in the NBA currently shooting over 50% this season (50.1). The Lakers shot 44.4%.

Quote of the Day - Wes Welker

“I think everybody wants a new deal, but I wouldn’t say anything I did this past year would warrant one or anything like that.”

- Wes Welker's reaction to questions about negotiating for a contract extension

How can you not love this guy? He returns from a knee-ruining injury early, attacks the season like an absolute workhorse and acknowledges that his dropped balls and sub-100 catches (he had 86) were not what the team or the fans needed. Almost unbelievably, he also recognizes that because of this, he shouldn't automatically be handed something for nothing. That, my friends, is class. 

Life After Death (Of My Super Bowl Dreams)

F***. My. Life.

That has pretty much been my mantra since that fateful game on January 16th. I left Gillette feeling totally empty, surrounded by the broken souls of 68,000 fellow New England fans (the rest were d-bag Jets fans enjoying their soon-to-be-short-lived time in the sun). I knew it meant that I wouldn't be watching any SportsCenter or visiting any of my favorite sports sites for the rest of the week. It also meant that I wouldn't be watching any of our other banner-hopeful teams because I knew Patriots references would be made at any given chance. The Herald even managed a Pats connection (albeit, a far reaching one) to BC hockey's unsuccessful outing in Maine last weekend.

The Jets loss to the slightly-less-detestable Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday jump-started my healing process. (Wait. What's that Bart Scott? Ran out of things to say, did you?) One more game before we can put this whole season behind us ...

... And that means focusing my attention back on the teams that haven't wronged me (damn you, Tom Brady). Here's what I missed - and if you are at all like me, then you probably missed it too:

• The Bruins have gone 3-2 since Black Sunday, including a shutout win over the Hurricanes (7-0).
• Tim Thomas still owns the top spot in GAA, Sv % and Shutouts. He was named last week's First Star of the Week.
• Marc Savard sustained two concussions last week and has been listed as out indefinitely. 
• The Celtics won 3 out of their last 4 games, their only loss coming against the Washington Wizards (85-83). Boston remains #2 in the power rankings.
• KG returned to action - and looks good, totally 68 points in just four games.
• A sore right hip will keep Shaq on the sidelines for at least two games ... but the Celtics are 8-2 in Shaq-less games.
• 20 days until pitchers and catchers report.
• Catcher Ryan Lavarnway and starting pitcher Stolmy Pimentel stood out in the Rookie Development Program (which highlights players expected to go pro in the next 12-18 months) that was held at BC.
• Johnny Damon agreed to a one-year/$5.25 million (plus incentives) deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Manny Ramirez, who agreed to a $2 million deal, will be joining his former teammate in Florida. Both deals are pending physicals.
• Tom Brady, Logan Mankins and Jerod Mayo were named to the AP All-Pro Team. Sebastian Vollmer, Devin McCourty and Vince Wilfork were named second-team All-Pro.
• BC men's hockey leads the Hockey East Conference is sits in the #2 slot in the USCHO poll. Men's basketball is currently 4th in ACC standings.

Life goes on ...

The Big Z Earns First Career Hat Trick

After 13 seasons and 892 games, Bruins’ Captain Zdeno Chara scored his first career hat trick. His first two goals came early, at 11:28 and 15:58 in the 1^st period, helping the B’s take a 3-0 lead over the Carolina Hurricanes. Gregory Campbell, Patrice Bergeron and Michael Ryder each put a point on the board before Chara was able to net his third goal of the game. The Bruins finished the night with a convincing 7-0 win over the ‘Canes.

Chara has scored six of his 10 goals this season in the last 10 games. With this hat trick he became the fourth defenseman in Boston history to net a hat trick. Others on the list include Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque and Glen Wesley.

Yesterday’s game marked the third time in the last four games that Boston has scored at least six goals.

Tim Thomas stopped all 31 shots that came his way, earning his 21^st win of the season. This was TT’s 7^th shutout of the season (the 24^th of his career). He remains the League leader in all three significant stat categories for goaltenders (7 shutouts, .944 sv % and 1.82 GAA).

The Bruins face the Hurricanes again tonight, this time at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. 

Save Me A Seat On That Bandwagon!

They say that your subconscious has the ability suppress memories of tragic events that have taken place. Unfortunately, I can still remember every detail of Sunday's Foxboro massacre ... and so does everyone else in New England. Miserable. 

But this pity party has gone on long enough. It's time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and cheer for the NFC (because lets face it, nobody wants to see the Jets or the Steelers win). That leaves us with the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Somebody please save me a seat on the Packers' bandwagon.  

... #52, the best linebacker in football is Matthews ...

Is It Sunday Yet??

Bergeron Scores His First Career Hat Trick ... Twice

I know this post is a few days after-the-fact but it was brought to my attention (by one of my favorite readers) that I neglected to comment on Bergeron's career night. So here it is:

Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins’ center and Assistant Captain, scored his first NHL career hat trick on Tuesday night … and then he scored it again.

The Ottawa Senators came to town to face the Northeast leading Bruins. The B’s played 60 complete minutes of hockey and, at the final buzzer, had posted a convincing win (6-0).

The Bruins have scored 10 unanswered goals since Monday night’s 3^rd period come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh – and a lot of that is thanks to Bergeron and his five contributed points in two games. He had two helpers against the Penguins and three goals in last night’s route of the Sens.

Bergeron’s first hat trick came at 14:07 of the 2^nd period but was later called off. Instead, teammate Marchand was credited with the goal after review showed his pass (which was intended for Bergeron, who was waiting in the crease) deflected off the skate of Sergei Gonchar and into the goal. Of course, this was announced AFTER the sell-out crowd threw their hats on to the ice. Oops. Fortunately, Bergeron was able to redeem himself at 5:04 in the 3^rd – and this time, it was for keeps. Those who hadn’t already done so threw their hats on to the ice.

"Everyone’s leaving the building with no hats on, so yeah, I guess I wanted to get it, because I guess everyone threw their hats on the ice" said Bergeron of his second hat trick in a post-game comment.

Bergeron leads the team in scoring (13-19-32) and has contributed at least one point in the last four games.

Tim Thomas earned his sixth shutout of the season – a career high – and regained his position as League leader (in shutouts). He stopped all 31 shots that came his way, improving his save percentage to .946 and his goals against average to 1.77 (both League bests).

Tyler Seguin, David Krejci, and Marchand all had multiple points on the night (1-1-2, 0-2-2 and 1-1-2, respectively).

The Bruins return to action tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, who are currently leading the Eastern Conference with 59 points.

College Football + California Swag District + Mascots = Amazing

There has been a lot of attention given to IA football programs lately (for obvious reasons) but that doesn't mean we can't take a minute and show some love to our IAA (aka the FCS, Football Championship Subdivision) schools, too. Afterall - URI, UNH, Bryant, UMass and UMaine are all included in this division. 

On January 7th the University of Delaware and Eastern Washington University met in Fresno, TX to compete for the NCAA Divison I Football Championship. The EWU Eagles defeated the Fightin' Blue Hens of Delaware, 20-19.

Now ... I told you that story to tell you this story.

When EWU made the playoffs, their mascot - Swoop - began challenging the opposing team's mascot to a dance-off during timeouts. His song of choice? The Dougie. Obviously. Two hours before the Championship's opening kickoff, Swoop invited YouDee (the Blue Hen) to leave it on the dance floor.

YouDee just got owned.

So - Bananas the Bear, Wild E. Cat, Rhody the Ram and the rest, I'm calling you out. Time to step your game up. If your team makes it to the Championship game next year, you had better be prepared to give Swoop a run for his money. No one from New England is going out like that ...

Keep Talking That Shit, NY. The Patriots Are Rested, Prepared And As Hungry As Ever. See you Sunday.

It was great American songwriter Shawn Corey Carter that once said, “You know the type, loud as a motor bike but wouldn't bust a grape in a fruit fight”.  He probably didn’t know it then but he was actually talking about the New York Jets when he wrote those lines.

Holy sh*t … do these guys ever stop? It started with Braylon I’ve-only-managed-three-touchdowns-since-our-bye-week Edwards’ post-game chirping that followed Saturday’s win over Indy in their Wild-Card playoff game. After taking out the struggling Colts, Edwards tweeted: “All you hatin’ a$$ people … J-E-T-S. And let new England know we are coming.”

Ut-oh! The #39 ranked wide receiver is coming to town? Thank God he gave NE the heads up. I’m sure ROY candidate McCourty and resident badass Meriweather are terrified to meet him on the field.

Next was Rex Ryan, who waited a whole two days before chiming in. Obviously it was only a matter of time before the media was given the sound-bytes they have grown so fond of but I thought Rexy would hold out until at least today to run his mouth. But hey, we’re talking about playoffs … so the ante needs to be upped.  He thinks that both teams are pretty “even” in ability so, clearly, this will be a Rex Ryan-Bill Belichick showdown. “If he slips at all, we’re going to beat him”.

I don’t even think he believes what he says anymore. I know making it “personal” is his favorite thing to do but c’mon guy. The only thing that will be personal is when he leaves Foxboro with yet another L and he loses his job, but I digress. In typical fashion, BB was unable to take Ryan seriously, jokingly telling the media “well, I might have a little quickness on him. He’s probably got a little more strength and power on me. So, I don’t think you’ll see either one of us out there making any blocks or tackles or runs or throws or catches. At least you won’t see me doing it. It’s probably a good thing for our team.”

The icing on the cake came yesterday when Antonio Cromartie went on a mini-tirade, calling Tom Brady an “asshole” and then saying “f*ck him” when pushed to further discuss his feelings toward this season’s obvious MVP. He was also quoted as saying, “I hate them … I don’t care, I hate them”. When asked to clarify whether he was talking about Brady or the Patriots he simply replied, “both”.

Insert Father of the Year joke here.

Staying true to the “when you win say little, when you lose say less” philosophy that the Patriots organization subscribes to, there has been no real response to any of this. Instead, Brady et al. will respond on Sunday at 4:30.

I wonder how much Cromartie will hate Brady after he knocks him out of the playoffs ... again.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Fan of the Game

Last night's game brought out some truly ... um ... interesting fans (I'm looking at you, Nevada) and while I was fairly convinced that the old-timer with the wolf on his head couldn't be beat ...

... it took a streaker in the 4th quarter to change my mind. This, my friends, is hands-down the Fan of the Game:

Well, That Was WAC

See what I did there?

Anyway … BC played in the Fight Hunger Bowl last night. Not much more to report on that. The Eagles suffered their third-straight bowl loss at the hands of the (now 13-1, 7-1 WAC) Nevada Wolf Pack, with a final score of 20-13.

“We Are BC” pride swelled as the Eagles were the first to put points on the board, going up 7 after a 30-yard touchdown run by Andre Williams but the excitement pretty much stopped there.

BC’s offense was essentially non-existent. Freshman quarterback Chase Rettig completed 14 of 34 for 121 yards and had 2 interceptions on the night. It seemed like the play calling rotated between 3-yard rushes and attempts at down-field bombs. By the third quarter, I was practically yelling at the television. Why no plays were called for a screen-pass, especially considering how much pressure was being put on Rettig, is beyond me. Also – can anyone tell me – were any tight ends playing last night? Because it sure didn’t look like it from here …

Another strike for the offense: Montel Harris, the team’s leading rusher, sustained some type of injury stretching before the game and did not see any game time.

I will, however, give credit where credit is due. The defense played really well, forcing three turnovers (2 fumbles and 1 interception) and limited the NCAA’s third-best rushing offense to just 306 total yards, more than 200 yards less than Nevada’s season average. The Eagles’ D held the #15 Wolf Pack to a season low in points.

The Eagles' D did a great job of containing one of the nation's top rushing offenses

Luke Kuechly, the nation’s leading tackler this season, had eight solo tackles and assisted on four more (a game high). He also added an interception to the box score, running back 31 yards and getting the offense on the field at the Wolf Pack’s six-yard line. Unfortunately, the Eagles were unable to convert that into a much needed touchdown. He was named the game’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

With the win, the Nevada Wolf Pack established a Division I single-season school record and snapped a four-game bowl losing-streak. All-American quarterback Colin Kapernick finished completing 20 of 33 for 192 yards with one TD and one INT. Wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player, caught seven passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. He also returned a punt for 72 yards and a TD. The nail in the BC coffin came when Khalid Woolen picked off Rettig’s pass on the Eagle’s final drive. Nevada’s D held Boston College to just 185 total yards.

BC to Face Nevada in Sunday's Fight Hunger Bowl

On Sunday, the Boston College Eagles (7-5), who finished the season on a five-game win streak, will take on the #13 Nevada Wolf Pack (12-1) in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco. This Bowl, which will be aired at 9 PM/ET on ESPN, usually showcases a PAC 10-WAC match-up but, due to a lack of qualifying bowl teams in the PAC-10, relied on it’s back-up agreement with the ACC and gave BC the nod. This is BC’s third appearance in the Kraft Hunger Bowl – the Eagles defeated Colorado State in 2003 and lost to USC in 2009 – and their 12^th consecutive season with a bowl appearance.

 "We're excited to bring Boston College back to San Francisco," said Bowl co-founder and Executive Director Gary Cavalli. "They're a first-class organization in every respect. BC's outstanding defensive unit, coupled with Nevada's record-setting offense, will make for a very interesting and strategic matchup. We're proud to feature one of the most explosive players in the country, Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and one of the top defensive players, BC linebacker Luke Kuechly."

BC's Luke Kuechly

The Eagles struggled offensively this season, predominately due to the rotation of two young quarterbacks under center. The team’s defense, however, shined. BC is ranked best among ACC defenses, allowing just 962 rushing yards and 7 rushing TDs in 12 games. They limited opposing teams to a mere 2.7 yards a carry (average). Sophomore Luke Kuechly lead the ACC in tackles with 171 (102 solo stops), which is 42 more than anyone else in the conference. Kuechly registered 10 or more tackles in 21 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the nation. He was named to the Associated Press All-American first team, becoming the eleventh player in BC history to be a Consensus First-Team All-American (FWAA, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sporting News and AP). He became the fastest BC player ever to record 200 tackles, doing so in only the 17th game of his career, and is the only Eagle to record 300 tackles in his first two seasons. Kuechly was the runner-up for the Butkus Award (presented annually to the nations' top college linebacker) and a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (awarded annually by the FWAA to the best collegiate defensive player) this season.

Nevada's Colin
Kaepernick

The Nevada Wolf Pack also comes in to this bowl game riding a win-streak (6 games), closing out the regular season with a best-in-school-history record of 12-1. They share the WAC Conference Title with Hawaii and Boise State (7-1 each), the first time for Nevada since 2005.

Senior quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the only player in college football history to pass for over 9,000 yards (9,906) and rush for over 4,000 yards (4,090). He is tied-for-first in NCAA history for rushing TDs by a quarterback with 59. This total also qualifies him as the WAC’s all-time rushing TD leader.

This will be the first meeting between Boston College and Nevada. Boston College holds a 2-1 record when facing WAC teams.

The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl supports Kraft Foods’ initiative to (cue cheesy football reference) “tackle” hunger in America by donating one meal per ticket sold to each of the three partnering local hunger organizations (San Francisco Food Bank, Glide Foundation and St. Anthony’s Foundation). Krafts’ goal is to donate a total of 120,000 meals. Volunteers will also be stationed around AT&T Park to accept food donations from fans attending the game. In addition, players from each team will volunteer at Glide or St. Anthony’s while in San Fran, serving food to the needy.

GOOD LUCK, EAGLES!!

Want Coughlin Fired? Well This Is What He Thinks of That ...

That's right all ... you can just kiss his ass. Why? Because they did their part. 10-6 baby! Apparently, that is what passes for "outstanding" in the great state of New York. Take that, haters. While everyone here in New England watches with anticipation to see who will be coming to Gillette next week, the Giants will be enjoying life on a golf course at some sunny destination resort somewhere. But, hey, 10 wins in the NFL? That's all Coughlin could ask them to do. Luckily, Belichick asks a little bit more of his players ... like win the division, throw 30+ points on the board like it's no big deal and secure home-field throughout the playoffs. So sorry, Tom, but no one from our franchise will be lining up to kiss your ass - we still have games to prepare for. Amiright?

Bruins Return Home As Division Leaders

The Bruins return to home ice tonight after a successful five game road trip that resulted in eight points (3-0-2), enough to move the team to the number one slot in the Northeast Division standings with a total of 48 points.

Tonight the 21-11-6 B’s host the Minnesota Wild (19-15-5) in the two teams’ only scheduled meeting this season. The Wild are coming off back-to-back wins and are looking to tie their longest win-streak of the season (3 games) with a W tonight. The Wild have won eight of the last ten meetings versus the Bruins and have posted wins in all of the five games played in Boston.

It is important that the Bruins do not fall into their typical first-game-back slump, coming out flat in tonight’s home return. The B’s have a very busy January schedule and especially critical are their next four games (after tonight): the Habs, Penguins, Senators and Flyers. Each is an Eastern Conference opponent and holds serious playoff implications (this is especially true of Montreal, who sit just 3 points behind the B’s in the divisional standings). Boston is currently third in the Eastern Conference Standings.

Interesting things to watch for tonight:

•          Who gets the start tonight: Tuukka or Thomas? Despite being pulled from the Sabres game after the 1^st period, Tuukka posted his third win of the season in the Bruins' last game (vs Toronto).
•        Where Sequin will line up: The rookie has been used predominantly as a wing but may be used as center in his line tonight against the Wild (with Bergeron and Recchi)

Rask earned his 3rd win in goal against Toronto on 1/3

Brady Named Offensive Player of the Month for December

It was announced today that Tom Brady has been named Offensive Player of the Month, making this the fourth time the quarterback has received the honor. 

Brady earned a 4-0 record throughout December, including back-to-back 300 yard games, and tallied 11 touchdowns in that time (the best among all NFL quarterbacks).

September and October 2007 and October 2009 were the other months when Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Patriots Roll Into the Playoffs

0-0. That's all anyone in the Patriot's organization can talk about now. After closing out the regular season 14-2, the best record in the League, the Pat's have reset the clock noting that the post-season is a whole different ball game.

Belichick and his team will prepare for an anonymous opponent this week as they wait to see how the Wildcard games shake out. That team will then travel to Foxboro on January 16th to play a team that owns a 27-1 record at home in the playoffs when Tom Brady is under center. 

Before we follow suit and clear our own memory banks of the 2010 regular season, let's highlight just how great of a season it actually was:

• The New England Patriots were the only team in the NFL to finish the 2010 regular-season undefeated at home
• Brady has become just the sixth player in NFL history to throw a TD pass in each game (of a 16-game season)
• Belichick has become the first coach ever to win at least 14 regular season games in four separate seasons (03, 04, 07, 10)
• The Patriots have tied the NFL record for fewest interceptions in a season with five (they share the record with four other teams - the most recent were the 1990 Giants)
• Brady extended his own record to 335 consecutive pass attempts without an interception
• With Edelman's 94-yard punt return for a TD on Sunday, the Patriots have tied their franchise record for non-offensive touchdowns with 9 (previously set in 1961)
• The Patriots set the League turnover record after finishing the season with just 10 turnovers (5 fumbles, 5 interceptions). The previous record of 13 was held by the Dolphins and Giants
• Green-Ellis finished the regular-season with 1,008 rushing yards, the first Patriot to finish with more than 1,000 rushing yards since Corey Dillon in '04
• Gronkowski grabbed his tenth TD pass on Sunday, becoming just the fourth Patriot to record 10+ TD receptions in a season. This also set the franchise mark for receiving touchdowns in a rookie season
• The Patriots tied their own NFL record for consecutive games with 30 or more points. They have not scored less than 30 points since Week 10 in Pittsburgh (when they dropped 39 on the Steelers)

Roll on, player ...