SarroSports

10/22/08

Boston has not been the “hub of hockey” since the 1970’s when Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito were drinking from Lord Stanley’s Cup.  Besides the early 90’s when the Bruins finished first in the Eastern Conference and made a finals appearance, there has’t been much to get excited about.  Just plenty of early round playoff exits and major disappointments.  Take the 2004 playoffs for example.  The Bruins had a very potent team, who on paper looked like the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.  Eventually they were sent home in seven games by their rivals, 8th seeded Montreal Canadians.  Since then, the Bruins have been Boston’s forgotten middle child of sports, but in 2008 have suddenly been given the opportunity to sneak back into the spotlight again.

With The Red Sox recently ousted from the post-season by the new look Tampa Bay Rays, normally Boston sports fans would turn their attention to the Patriots.  Only every time I tune in to see Tom Brady and the Patriots high flying offense, I get some guy named Casell who looks like he hasn’t started a meaningful game since high school.   Since this is an actual reality with Tom Brady going down only 19 minutes into the season and having a starting quarterback who usually carries a clipbord, there has been no better time to watch Boston Bruins Hockey.

Yes that’s correct, no need to adjust your monitors I just wrote that the best sports fans in the world should come out in huge number and support the black and gold.   New England has always had deep roots in hockey.  With numerous College powerhouses and prep schools, there’s plenty of New Englanders who love lacing up the skates.  Just not many who enter the Boston Garden and pay to see the Bruins play.  This needs to change and with exciting players like Phil Kessel and Marc Savard, forgive me for sounding like Barack Obama but change is on the way.  First off, the Bruins have a “raw” Cam Neely clone in  Milan Lucic and when he drops the gloves is worth the price of admission alone.  Tallying six goals in as many games, Phil Kessell is emerging as a top goal scorer lighting the lamp in impressive fashion.  This kid has speed that can get fans on their feet and a scoring touch that can keep them from sitting down. 

After missing most of last season after a questionable hit from the Flyers Randy Jones, Patrice Bergeron has done everything but score this season.  When healthy, Bergeron is one of the best two way centers in the league and will continue to improve while shaking off rust from last season’s absence.  Add improving youngsters David Krejci, Blake Wheeler, Vladimir Sobotka, Petteri Nokelainen, and hard hitting defensemen Mark Stuart, the only direction the Bruins can go is up.  Expect a big year from captain Zdeno Chara as second year coach Claude Julian encourages the defense to become more active offensively.

So there you have it.  The Sox are playing golf, the Patriots are not as exciting to watch, and the Celtics can’t possibly be on every night.  So Bostonians, give the Bruins some love.  There has been no better time to do so.

-Sarro 

 SECOND PLAYOFF POST OF THE DAY! TO SEE RED SOX POST SCROLL DOWN.

In a about a week I may look like a fool for picking the Dodgers over the Cubs, who are undeniably the best team in the National League.  Then again, many have been burnt by picking the Cubs over anyone during their 100 year drought since their last championship.  I understand that the Cubs have the best starting pitching in the NL and boast a line-up that would scare any big league staff.  I have also noticed that their bullpen is full of pitchers who light up the radar gun and punch out batters.  Even though many say this is the Cubs year (I could swear I herd that before), I’m picking the Dodgers in 5.  Why not, they have the hottest pitcher on the planet in Derek Lowe, who scouts say is throwing his best sinker at any point in his career.  Lowe has shown he can pitch in big games, just take a look back four years ago with the Red Sox.  Lowe won every clinching game in the playoffs after suffering through a dreadful regular season.  hes 5-1 with a 0.94 ERA in his last nine starts.  Game two starter Chad Billingsley has been impressive all season and arguably the staff ace. 

Billingsley will be opposing one of my personal favorite starters Carlos Zambrano.  We all know how great Zambrano is on the mound, but lets admit this guy is completely nuts and comes from the mold of an NFL linebacker.  He gets way too amped up and often loses composure in big games.  This could be the reason for manager Lou Pinella choosing Ryan Dempster to start game 1 instead of long time staff ace Zambrano.  An unidentified cubs player agreed with this statement yesterday stating, Zambrano cant control his emotions on opening day, hows he gonna react to getting the ball in game 1 of the playoffs.

The Dodgers have a bullpen that matches up with any in baseball when healthy and will receive a boost when former closer Takashi Saito returns to form after an elbow injury.  Speaking of injuries, Rafael Furcal is starting at short and many forget this guy is hitting .357 on the season (143 AB).  Also Jeff Kent is healthy and adds to a line up that is suddenly pretty dangerous.  If all of this dosn’t convince you that the Dodgers have a chance at giving the Cubs their usual post-season fate, I havn’t mentioned the two x factors yet.

If the Cubs even think about pitching to Manny Ramirez at any point during this entire series, they deserve to lose.  Look for Ramirez to get the Barry bonds treatment by Cubs pitching, which puts a lot of pressure on young players like Andre Ethier James Loney who hit behind Manny.  Also if there is no manager in baseball today, that I would want running my team in the post-season than Joe Torre.  Four World series rings later and hungry for a fifth, Torre looks poised to take his team deep into the post-season.  Yes folks that means they’ll beat the Cubs in 5.

-Sarro

The Boston Red Sox are heading into post-season play hurting more than Michael Richards career, post that eventful night of racial slurs and profanity at Hollywood’s Laugh Factory.  Their staff ace Josh Beckett, holds a career 6-2 record in the post-season while boasting a 1.73 ERA, is bothered by an oblique injury that has pushed his start back to game three.  This a a huge blow to the Red Sox chances of getting past the Angles in the ALDS. Having Beckett pitch games 1 and 4 looks much better than pitching just one game in the series.  This also forces Daisuke Matsuzaka to make two starts in games 2 and 5, if the series goes that far.  Understandably the sox brass are saying that they have all the confidence in the world in Dice-K, whom they expect to preform well and go deep into games.  Even though hes 18-3 on the year, no way does Dice-K gives the Sox a psychological advantage that comes along when Josh Beckett starts.  The post-season dominance that sox fans have grown to expect from Beckett, can be compared with only Curt Schilling (11-2, 2.23 ERA) and John Smoltz (15-4, 2.65 ERA).  Almost unhittable at times, Beckett frustrates hitters and performs best during big games in October.  With all this said, the Sox will turn to Jon Lester to start game 1 in Anaheim.

The 2008 season was a great success for Lester, throwing a no hitter and posting a record of 16-6.  Beyond the numbers, Lester possesses everything you want in a post-season starter and the will to want the ball when the game is on the line.  He has recently been on record saying when Beckett’s time as the number one ace of the staff is over, its a spot he would love to obtain.  Lester is a tough young man who beat cancer and seems to finally fulfill the potential that scouts saw in him when drafted in the second round.  Lester has the perfect make up along the lines of Jack Morris, that can carry a team much needed of getting off to a great start in the ALDS.  Besides Mark Teixeira, the Angles have a free swinging line-up that fits perfectly into how both Lester and Dice-K pitch. 

The Sox line-up may receive a boost from JD Drew, who has been battling a herniated disk in his back.  This will provide the pop in the middle of the order that the Red Sox have been missing for the last few months.  Also Drew is very patient at the plate, which helps drives up opposing pitch counts, which is crucial in post-season play.  As for now, Mike Lowell is on the Sox post-season roster and looks to start in tonight’s game.  Lowell has been battling hip problems and has limited mobility at third base.  If Lowell cant play at any time during this series, look for Mark Kotsay to play first base and Youkilis move to third.

The Anaheim Angles have all the tools needed to make a strong post-season run and unlike years past, they can hit their way to a win if needed.  Their starting pitchers in this series all have sub 4.00 ERA’s and double digit wins.  John Lackey finally has shown he can be the number one starter that teams need to be successful in the playoffs.  Their bullpen is the best in the AL with all time single season saves leader K-Rod finishing games.  The 8th inning will be interesting in whether manager Mike Scocia turns to veteran Scott Shields or closer in waiting Jose Arredondo.  Arredondo looks very similar to K-Rod in 2002, when he took the league by storm dominating the post-season.  For the sox to steal this series from Anaheim, they must do three things.  Keep Chone Figgins off the base paths, get great starting pitching, and get to the Angles starters early.  The sox can not afford to make this series a battle of the bullpens, becuase they would have the same chance and a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.  Either way baseball fans should be happy it’s finally October.  Especially fans who woke up at 5 am to catch the season opener in Japan. Go sox!