Where Are the 2016-2017 Celtics Now- Trades

With the early success, and the new-look Boston Celtics have had, it’s easy to forget how the team looked a year ago. Eleven guys, from star player to the end of the bench, and everything in between, no longer wear the green. The 2016-2017 Celtics were full of overachievers. The team couldn’t afford to keep everyone. The roster overhaul was one for the ages. I felt it was necessary to take a look around the league to see how these former Celtics are doing in their new roles.

This will be a two-part article, first covering the players that were traded, looking at the management side of things. Then, a follow-up will focus on the players that left in free agency and where they chose to sign, since there was more choice and usually ends with more joy than pain. Let’s start with the pain.

Ainge Trades Heart and Soul

Isaiah Thomas was understandably shook up by the trade that sent him and Jae Crowder to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He finally felt like he found a home in Boston, and gave everything he had to the team and city. Isaiah played until he literally couldn’t run anymore. He fought through a hip injury to have some truly gritty performances in the playoffs. This included a 53-point game against the Wizards in the second round on his sister’s birthday. She passed away weeks before, and Isaiah didn’t miss a game. That game epitomized everything IT was talking about in this quote. Fighting like hell through a serious injury, and perhaps more excruciating, a personal tragedy.

“I might not ever talk to Danny again. That might not happen. I’ll talk to everybody else. But what he did, knowing everything I went through, you don’t do that, bro. That’s not right.”

It’s easy to sympathize with IT’s point of view, but Danny Ainge didn’t exactly throw him to the wolves. Actually, he made sure he set up all his former players nicely. At least, to the degree that he had control over it. He made some genius moves in the offseason, but what gets overlooked is how well he set up the players he was shipping out.

Isaiah Thomas

Thomas wanted to be a Celtic for life. What he accomplished in his short time in Boston surely won’t be forgotten. But what he does in his next chapter as a Cavalier is what really matters for him now. He made his season debut on January 2nd, scoring 17 points in just 19 minutes. In his second game, he scored 19 points in 21 minutes. He is already showing he is ready to put the injury behind him, the last order of business before his separation from Boston is complete.

Seeing him playing for a different team was weird, but it was good to see him get in and contribute at a high level. He is in a perfect situation playing alongside LeBron James, something that will allow him to work with much more space than he’s accustomed to. There were times when he was triple teamed with the Celtics. Now, he’ll be shocked if he sees a double team at all. He’s a perfect complementary star, and should thrive in his role in Cleveland. They will be a true force this year, and are still the team to beat in the East.

Jae Crowder

Another big piece in the trade that brought Kyrie to Boston has been playing for the Cavs since the beginning of the season. When he heard of the trade, he didn’t really have time to think about it because his mom passed away on the same day. He apparently got to tell her of the trade before she passed, stating that “they were going to Cleveland to win a championship.” He took the news as an overall positive and didn’t foster any hard feelings as IT did.

Underwhelming to this point, Crowder was noticeably more active in IT’s first game back. He scored 17 points on 50% shooting and posted a full stat line. It was perhaps Crowder’s best game this season, as he showed great chemistry with his old pal. This comes as no surprise to Celtics fans, as the two were staples in the starting unit for a close Celtics team last year. Crowder should continue to perform better with his old running mate back in the lineup. He should be back in the starting unit now. Right next to IT, where his value is maximized.

Avery Bradley

Avery to the Pistons was the first trade of the offseason for the Celtics. It was a move done to free up cap space to sign Gordon Hayward. The Celtics got Marcus Morris on a two-year value contract in return, so the deal wasn’t terrible for the Celtics. It wasn’t bad for Bradley either. He went to a team that saw him as an important piece to their continued progress. After missing the playoffs last year, they started off the season hot with Bradley. They are in the middle of the playoff hunt again this year.

Bradley has had a slow year thus far, with averages similar to last years, aside from averaging about 4 less rebounds a game. Rebounding was a strength of his on the Celtics, but Drummond takes up most of the boards on the Pistons. Bradley is really turning into a glorified 3 & D player in Detroit. He is shooting 40% from three which is a slight uptick from 39% last year. With Reggie Jackson out for extended time, he should see more touches offensively in the near future. Now is his time to show his new coach and team what he can do.

Looking Towards the Future

Avery Bradley praised the Celtics for helping him get his career started. He looks at his time in Boston as growth. Jae Crowder was equally grateful for the opportunity he got in Boston. At the same time, he looked ahead with wide eyes at the opportunity that awaited him in Cleveland.

Ironically, the man who was put in the best situation of all- starring next to the best player in the world- has had the hardest time accepting the reality of it. IT has said the trade hurt him, and it hurt us as fans. But when he realizes how well his new situation is for his future, that pain will start to turn to joy, as it has for us fans when we see how well off we are for the future. Something that wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the hefty contributions by these three, especially Mighty IT.

Patriots Have The Number-One Seed — Again

Leave a reply

The Patriots Once Again Have The Number-One Seed

They did it again. Number-one seed. Yes, they are a good team, but let’s face it, the rest of the AFC is terrible. The Patriots will host the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night, in the Divisional Playoff game. The last time the Titans came to Foxboro, was 2015. The Patriots won 33-16, and Brady threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns in the win. They have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons recently, which is what makes them play their best. The Patriots love to ignore the noise, and do their talking on the field.

The Titans Are Terrible (Tomato Can)?

The Titans aren’t very good, and yes, the Patriots did earn the number-one seed. The Patriots should easily walk away with this game on Saturday. The reason no one is talking about the game is because the Titans are awful. Instead of talking about actual football, people want to talk about a rift the Patriots say isn’t there, and it’s false. Belichick was only taking Titans questions at the press conference Tuesday saying, “This is a team that’s been in a lot of close games. They’re tough, they’re resilient, won on the road, won tough games the last two weeks that they needed to win to be here. I have a lot of respect for their program, the way they play, the way they coach, the way they compete and [they’re] a tough, hard-nosed team. We’ve dealt with some non-Tennessee subjects here over the last few days. At this point I’m all in on Tennessee. I’ll answer any questions about the Titans but that’s it.”

Patriots Should Walk Away With The Win

If the Patriots lose this game, then something needs to change. There is no excuse for them to lose to the Titans. The last time the Titans were here, Marcus Mariota got hurt during the game, and didn’t finish it. The Patriots do their best when people write or say something bad about them. They prove them wrong by winning all the time. Which is why it’s the Patriots, and everybody else.

The Worst Left Fielders in Red Sox History

Leave a reply

The history of Red Sox left fielders has been a long and storied one. The team’s five greatest left fielders practically all played in succession, with Williams, Yaz, Rice, Greenwell and Manny, spanning nearly the entire length of seven decades. That might be the most remarkable run of players at one position, in the history of the game. With all those years taken up by good players, it doesn’t leave much for poor play.

Carl Crawford

Let’s start with the easy one. Crawford was one of the biggest free agent busts the game has ever seen. Over the eight years prior to joining the Red Sox, Crawford had batted .299, and averaged 50 stolen bases per season, for the division rival Devil Rays. Crawford made four all-star teams in that span, and was coming off a season in which he won the Gold Glove Award. The Red Sox rewarded Crawford with a seven-year deal, worth 142 million dollars.

The Red Sox entered 2011 as huge favorites, having added Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. However, Crawford was not the weapon he was expected to be near the top of the lineup. He rewarded the Red Sox faith in him with the worst season of his career, up to that point. Crawford would bat .255 that season, a meager 23 walks, and finished with an ugly .289 on-base percentage. He stole just 18 bases in 24 tries, the fewest steals during a full season for his career. In the outfield, he managed just 1 assist. Playing in front of the Monster usually aids in a left fielder’s assists, as they can play shallow and get the ball back in to the infield quickly following ricochets off the wall.

In 2012, Crawford missed a good chunk of the season. He fared better, batting .282 over 117 at-bats, but still wasn’t the weapon he was supposed to be. Crawford was also miserable in Boston, later admitting to hating the city. Luckily, the Red Sox were able to get out from the remainder of his contract, and they shipped him to Los Angeles in August of that season.

Carl Crawford reacts to striking out during the second inning at Fenway Park Sept. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Hanley Ramirez

This is a selection for the one season in which Hanley played left field. The Red Sox’ misguided attempt to put Hanley Ramirez in left field, so they could disastrously sign Pablo Sandoval, was an embarrassment before it started. Hanley made four errors in 92 games, and it seemed so much worse. Whenever a ball was hit to left, it seemed to be an adventure for Ramirez. In less than 100 games, he managed to put up a -2.5 dWAR.

Ramirez was also a disappointment at the plate in that season. Some of it could possibly be attributed to trying to learn a new position, but he only batted .249. He hit 19 home runs, and only doubled 12 times. Hanley’s .717 OPS was lower than many others on the team, including over 100 points lower than outfield fill-in, Alejandro De Aza. Hanley bounced back in a big way the following season, after moving to first base, but his time in left field was a mess.

Davis/Globe Staff

Heinie Manush

This final spot gets even harder, as the Red Sox just haven’t had many bad left fielders. Manush was actually a Hall of Fame player, but for what he did prior to his time in Boston. Manush batted .330 for his career, and averaged 205 base hits, per 162 games played. He won a batting title in Detroit, and led the league in hits for both the St. Louis Browns, and the Washington Senators. From when he broke in during the 1923 season, up through 1934, he hit .337 with an .878 OPS.

Manush came to the Red Sox in 1936, coming off a down season. He was 34 years old, and would turn 35 during the season. However, as recently as 1934 Manush had batted .349, with a .915 OPS. That season he had 64 extra base hits, leading to a slugging percentage of .523. The Red Sox traded for him from the Senators hoping for a bounce back season. It turned out he was just in the decline stage of his career. His defense wasn’t great, he committed more errors than he had assists. At the plate, he did bat .291, but failed to homer, and only totaled 20 extra base hits for the year. His .700 OPS that season, was the lowest of his career.

Typically, this one season from Manush that wasn’t good, but wasn’t terrible, wouldn’t land him on one of these lists. Since the Red Sox have had such great left fielders over a long period of time though, the pickings are slim.

Leslie Jones/ Boston Public Library

Dishonorable Mentions:

Billy Hatcher (His one season in left field was poor; played better in center)

Ivan Calderon

Featured picture courtesy of 12up.com

http://www.12up.com/posts/4317717-7-biggest-free-agent-busts-in-mlb-history

51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XXVI

Leave a reply

The Super Bowl is just 26 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 26 years ago to honor this not that significant occasion!

Minneapolis hosted Super Bowl XXVI on January 26, 1992. The game pitted the National Football Conference champion Washington Redskins against the defending AFC champs, the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo Bills 26 Years Ago

The ’91 Bills struggled on defense compared to the 1990 team. Bruce Smith missed significant time due to injury. Jeff Wright and Phil Hansen’s injuries left the front end weakened. They finished with the league’s 27^th-ranked unit.

However, their offense was incredible. Fourth-year running back Thurman Thomas was the NFL MVP. And Jim Kelly led the Bills to ten performances scoring 30+ points. The Bills faced little resistance in the AFC.

Their win at the LA Coliseum over the Raiders was a high point late in the season. They were down 27-14, but scored twice in the last five minutes. Kicker Scott Norwood had a brutal game, though. He missed two field goals and PAT. The game went to OT. Finally, Norwood hammered home the winner.

In the playoffs, Buffalo easily eliminated Kansas City, and heavily favored to do the same to Denver. Yet, the Broncos controlled the game in the first half. Fortunately for the Bills, Broncos’ kicker David Treadwell missed three field goals and they went to the break scoreless. The Bills got a dramatic third- quarter TD on an interception return by Carlton Bailey. John Elway, playing through injury, had his screen pass deflected by Wright and grabbed by Bailey. Norwood added a long field goal for a 10-0 lead.

Gary Kubiak replaced Elway and almost brought Denver back. But, a Steve Sewell fumble caused by Kirby Jackson sealed the game for Buffalo.

Washington Redskins 26 Years Ago

The Redskins, likewise, breezed through the regular season. They finished the campaign #1 in points for and #2 in points against – not too shabby. Their only meaningful loss came as an 11-0 squad to the upstart Dallas Cowboys.

The Skins had one young player on offense – the dynamite Ricky Ervins. Everybody else on that O was an established veteran. Journeyman QB Mark Rypien led the charge. He had weapons galore – Art Monk, Gary Clark, Ricky Sanders, Gerald Riggs and Earnest Byner.

They were led on defense by first team All-pro CB Darrell Green. He was the speed and finesse on that club. The rest of the D was known for their ferocity. Wilber Marshall, Brad Edwards, Andre Collins – a virtual ‘who’s who’ of 1991 clock cleaners.

They were partially challenged in a monsoon by the scrappy Falcons. Jerry Glanville’s Atlanta team came in highly confident. And left dispatched by the fundamentally-solid Redskins. In the NFC championship game, Washington destroyed Barry Sanders and the Lions 41-10. So, Washington was on to play in their franchise’s fifth Super Bowl.

Redskins Power

The Redskins’ defense came out strong, suffocating Buffalo’s running game. Thurman was not in the ball game because he could not find his helmet! Once Washington had the ball, they moved it with relative ease. They knocked on the door all first quarter, but came away with nothing. Buffalo continued to do nothing on offense, though.

Like they did in Super Bowl XXII, the Skins put it together in the second quarter to the tune of 17 points in six minutes. The Bills had a shot at some points before the half. But, Andre Reed slammed his helmet in frustration when a flag was not thrown on Edwards for PI. The penalty knocked Buffalo out of field goal range and the halftime score was 17-0.

Sixteen seconds into the second half, the nightmare continued. Kurt Gouveia intercepted Kelly and returned the pass to the two. Riggs pushed it in for a 24-0 lead.

The Bills moved the ball well the rest of the night, but it was way too little, too late. The dagger was Rypien’s 30-yard third-and-ten TD pass to Clark. That gave the Skins a 31-10 lead. The final was 37-24. The score is nowhere near indicative of the physical pounding Washington unleashed on the Bills. People like James Lofton and Don Beebe were dealt a season’s worth of punishment in one game.

Relentless Bills

The Bills were down, but not out. Their resiliency would be their trademark in the early 90’s. Their head coach, Marv Levy was a master motivator and his guys drank what he was serving.

As for the Redskins, they have not been back to the Super Bowl since the 1991 season. But the Joe Gibbs era marked an unparalleled crest of Redskins’ history. From 1982-1991, Washington won four NFC titles and three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks. Gibbs goes down in history as one of the greatest in NFL history.

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

Creating Depth: A New Era for the Boston Bruins

Leave a reply

Creating Depth on the Bruins’ Bench

It was a smile you don’t quite see often, but after Saturday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, one could not blame Coach Cassidy. His Boston Bruins beat the ‘Canes 7-1; a blowout game that saw the black and gold score five goals in the first period alone. With all the recent buzz about the youth movement for the Bruins, it was the Bergeron line that reminded everyone just how dangerous they were. As the night went on, it was becoming clear that this team, and its players, are the real deal.

“They were fun to watch when they got puck possession.. It’s amazing to watch Bergy get a shot off from there. But if you’re at Warrior enough, you’ll see him working every morning skate to getting that quick release”.

As the schedule is nearing the halfway point, the Bruins will be looking to continue their recent winning streak. With Saturdays’ win, the black and gold continue to embarrass teams. They are outscoring their opponents 42-12, and are riding an eleven game point streak. The first line alone garnered twelve points from the Hurricanes game. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak produced five goals with seven assists. Bergeron, a future hall of fame inductee, scored four goals. He also nabbed his 700^th career point-a personal reminder of how good he really is. The thing about this year’s Bruins team is that no matter which line is out on the ice, you know that you’re going to see some good hockey.

HAVING SOME FUN

The Boston Bruins have always prided themselves as being a blue-collar team; a team that was once the “Big Bad Bruins”. But as things change in the NHL, the Bruins also had to change. The days of using brute force are gone. The players today rely more on pure skill and working hard towards one goal: winning the Stanley Cup. But for the Bruins, there was panic early on. With every game came new injuries, and with new injuries Coach Bruce Cassidy had to make important roster changes; especially if he didn’t want his team to fall far behind. As the season wore on, the Bruins somehow managed to stay afloat and reached third or fourth in the Atlantic Division-something extraordinary if you think about how depleted this team was early in the season.

But then something happened. This team started to get their legs. You saw young players like Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, and Charlie McAvoy score their first NHL goals. The veterans were helping these young players, which in turn helped them with their gameplay. The Boston Bruins were finally becoming a healthy team, creating noise around the league. They were quickly becoming a bunch of guys that love playing with each other and connecting on and off the ice. With each win, the confidence of the Bruins continues to flourish. As Brad Marchand put it:

“ We are just confident right now.. you see the way that some young guys are stepping up, it just seems like everyone is connecting..we’ve got a great group of guys in the room and we all get along really well.”

RAISING THE BAR

Overcoming injuries early in the season created a problem for the Boston Bruins. With key veteran players such as Brad Marchand, David Backes, David Krejci and enforcer Adam McQuaid out, a call to Providence was imminent. For the defense, the Bruins once again looked to Charlie McAvoy. A hard-nosed first-year player, McAvoy is not only scoring winning goals, but has quickly become one of the leagues most formidable defensemen. As the young players began to find their identity on the ice, key players slowly started to emerge as unlikely superstars, especially Danton Heinen and Sean Kuraly. For Coach Bruce Cassidy, finding that right combination of players was proving to be a tough task. And for some veteran players, confidence was starting to wane.

PROTECTING THE NET

The Bruins’ starting goalie Tuukka Rask had a very shaky start. Analysts were starting to worry that the Vezina winner wouldn’t be able to bounce back. As losses piled up, Rask’s save percentage dipped down to .870, a far cry from his 2015 stat of .927. Consequently, Cassidy had to find a way to get his number one starter confident again: creating competition.

Enter Anton Khudobin. The 31-year-old Kazakhstan goalie would be given a chance to play between the pipes and perhaps give Rask a much-needed realization that if his numbers continued to suffer, so would his goaltending chances. With Khudobin in net, the tide started to slowly change for the Bruins. As a “goalie controversy” gained steam in the media, all eyes were on Khudobin. Questions were asked: would the Bruins trade Rask and how worried should the team be about their number one starter? With Anton in net, the Bruins would enjoy a four-game winning streak.

Rask needed this motivation. Not only has the 30-year-old Finnish goalie begun winning games, the team that played in front of him were starting to gain some steam. Both Tuukka and Anton are currently boasting impressive numbers, with Rask 11-0-1 in his last twelve games, 1.20 GAA with a .962 save percentage. Khudobin, since Saturday’s win, is now boasting a .964 SV%. For Bruce Cassidy, no longer would he have to rely solely on Rask, he now has a solid back up goalie in Anton Khudobin.

HAVING DEPTH

With continued injuries plaguing the team, it was now time for the young players to step up. From recent efforts, the call to arms has been answered. Having players like David Krejci, Adam McQuaid and Ryan Spooner out, the lines had to be tweaked. At first the Bergeron line had himself, Marchand, and newcomer Anders Bjork. The second line saw the pairing of fellow Czech players David Krejci and newly signed superstar David Pastrnak. But as Krejci continued to sit out due to his nagging injury, the lines have, needless to say, changed. For this Bruins team, those changes have worked to their advantage. One impressive feat: in the last 38 games played, the Bergeron line has not given up a 5 on 5 goal.

The fourth line that sees Sean Kuraly, Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari finished with a combined 8 shots on goal, (2 of which were part of the 5 goals scored vs. the Islanders), and ended with a combined +5 rating. Jake DeBrusk, Ryan Spooner, and a now healthy David Krejci all posted goals when playing against the Senators. For the Heinen, Nash and Backes line, scoring has now become second nature; posting two goals during Tuesday’s game against the Islanders. As goaltender Tuukka Rask puts it,

“They give us energy. They’re just buzzing around and making hits, making plays. You need four lines in this league nowadays to contribute and lately, we’ve had that”.

THE ROAD AHEAD

With last night’s thrilling game against a well-rested Pittsburgh Penguins, Bruins fans saw a team that had goals from each line. Players Ryan Spooner, Noel Acciari, David Backes, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak all scored to bring the Bruins up 5-3 during the second period. Despite the loss in overtime, one thing was clear: you can never count this team out. The Bruins have now become the “dark horse”, frustrating and breaking the spirits of their opponents. With each game comes the question; which line will be the one to shut their opponents down, shoot the puck and win faceoffs?

As teams head into their bye week, the Bruins to keep up the pace in the second half of the season. For the black and gold, clinching a spot in the playoffs is the ultimate goal. And having a team with so many skilled, hungry players has become a “luxury” for Coach Bruce Cassidy; a luxury that the fans have been waiting for.

The Impact of Marcus Morris

Leave a reply

Celtics Trade Bradley for Marcus Morris

Last offseason the Celtics traded fan-favorite Avery Bradley for Marcus Morris to make room for Gordon Hayward. By giving up Bradley the Celtics lost their best defender, but gained a good player in Morris. So far this season Morris has battled injuries causing him to miss extended time. When healthy Morris has shown his scoring abilities, which was one of the reasons the Celtics acquired him.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/ Sue Ogrocki

What Morris Brings to the Celtics

Coming into this year Morris was coming off one of his best seasons. Last year with Detroit Morris averaged 14 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. He is categorized as a stretch forward with post prescense, something the Celtics do not have other than with Al Horford. Morris can also shoot three pointers, making him even more valuable. By dealing Bradley for Morris the Celtics did lose something on defense. Morris is an upgrade offensively, and the Celtics still have Marcus Smart who is a very good defender.

Photo Credit: Matt Stone

Morris Before Boston

For the past two seasons in Detroit Morris has been used as a starter averaging thirty minutes a game. Before that in Phoenix he was used as the sixth man of the bench. For the past few years he’s been known as a prolific scorer, something the Celtics needed coming into the season. This acquisition became even more important once Hayward was lost for the season. Morris has also had success covering LeBron. That will be key for the Celtics come playoff time if they end up facing off against the Cavs.

Photo Credit: Buddy Grizzard

Performance so Far

Despite battling injuries Morris has been effective this year. In 21 games he’s averaging 11 points a game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field. Morris has started and come of the bench and has been effective in both roles. If Morris can continue to be productive then the Celtics will be very happy with the trade when looking back at it.

State of the Boston Bruins Heading into the Bye Week

Leave a reply

The Boston Bruins have played excellent hockey heading into the bye week. Even with the hiccup in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, the Bruins have not lost a game in regulation since mid December. In their last 23 games the Bruins are 17-3-3 and have moved all the way into second place in the Atlantic Division. Now with five days off ahead of them and three games in hand on the third place Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins are firmly cemented into a playoff spot.

Embed from Getty Images

Offensive Emergence

Coming into the season the Bruins’ roster posed several questions. One of the big concerns focused on the depth, considering most of the unknown young players. After a slow couple of months plagued by injuries, the roster has developed into one of the most formidable in the NHL. Offensively, the Bruins have rapidly evolved into one of the most dangerous teams in the league. Not because of overall talent. They have plenty of that. But rather their performance as a team. Currently the Bruins are averaging 3.28 goals per game. This ranks sixth in the NHL and third in the Eastern Conference.

Led by the dynamic trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastranak, the Bruins have one of the best top lines in the entire NHL. However, the depth of the Bruins allows Bruce Cassidy to keep his forwards fresh by rotating through four productive lines. Outside of Brad Marchand, who averages 20:01 TOI per game, no other forward on the Bruins plays more than 20 minutes a game. This has been the key to the Bruins’ recent emergence in the standings. They are getting contributions from places that many people, including opponents, would not expect. Lately, the fourth line has developed more of a scoring touch while Riley Nash has provided an offensive jolt. Even Ryan Spooner is starting to play to his potential offensively.

Embed from Getty Images

Impressive Defense

The story does not end with the offense. The Bruins rank third in the NHL in goals allowed per game, giving up a mere 2.55. This also ranks second in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Lighting. Like the Bruins offense, the defensive production has not been from a singular player. It’s a group contribution. Only one defenseman in the Bruins starting six has a minus rating. That defender is Torey Krug, who is only a minus one and whose playing has improved. The other five: Charlie McAvoy +14, Zdeno Chara +20, Brandon Carlo +8, Kevin Miller +10, and Matt Grzelcyk +13, combine for an impressive +65 rating.

On top of that, the B’s have found themselves a very versatile set of blue liners. Chara and Miller provide some veteran experience and toughness to the back end. McAvoy, Krug, and Grzelcyk provide an offensive threat that true contenders need. Lastly, Carlo adds some needed defensive responsibility to the young group of defensemen. While not perfect, the Bruins defense core has made a complete 180. They’ve moved from one of the worst in the NHL only a few years ago to one of the most reliable. Don Sweeney deserves a lot of credit for that one.

Embed from Getty Images

Tuukka Rask

As Tuukka Rask put it so eloquently last night against the Penguins, in a playoff-like game he played like “horses–t”. This hiccup in Pittsburgh snapped a personal six-game winning streak for the Finland native in which he had posted an otherworldly .963 save percentage. Tuukka did make some eye-opening saves to get the Bruins into the extra period. But he got beat on shots that he admits should have stopped.

Even with the poor performance last night Tuukka Rask has been the best goaltender in the NHL for the past month. In Rask’s last 13 starts the Bruins have earned at least one point, going 11-0-2. This extends the longest streak of Tuukka’s career. In December, the Bruins earned 22 points in 14 games. This pushed them into contention for a top spot in the East led by Rask. During December, Rask has nine wins and two shutouts, along with a .955 save percentage and a video game like 1.22 goals allowed average.

Benched for longtime backup Anton Khudobin earlier in the season, Rask is the reason for the Bruins recent emergence to contenders. Every player needs a kick sometimes to get motivated. Bruce Cassidy knew just how to get the message through to Rask. If he can play at the same level as in December, then Boston has a chance against Tampa in a seven-game series. There is still plenty of hockey to be played in the long season. Up to this point everyone has been wrong about Boston. No one could have predicted that they would be this good. Lets see how far the rejuvenated Bruins can go.

51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XXV

Leave a reply

The Super Bowl is just 27 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 27 years ago to honor this not-that-significant occasion!

Tampa Bay hosted Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991. The game pitted the NFC champion New York Giants against the Buffalo Bills of the American Football Conference. The United States was at war while this game was being played. President Bush launched an attack on Iraq for invading the small nation of Kuwait. There was an air of patriotism at the stadium for the big game not seen heretofore.

New York Giants 27 Years Ago

The game itself was tremendous and featured two teams with totally different styles. The Giants ran a very simple, yet effective run-first offense. Phil Simms was a good quarterback and a great leader. In 1990, Simms was having his best season until…he was injured in game 15 of the regular season. He was replaced by Jeff Hostetler. The Giants’ rushing attack was powered by veteran Ottis Anderson and youngster Rodney Hampton until…Hampton was injured in the divisional round of the playoffs. Thus, the Giants came into the Super Bowl undermanned on offense.

There simply is no secret to the 1990 Giants’ success. The Head Coach was Bill Parcells and the defensive coordinator was Bill Belichick. Their defense was marvelous. Lawrence Taylor had another great season with 10.5 sacks and linebacker Pepper Johnson was a first team All-pro. They anchored the top-ranked defense in the NFL. The defense paved the way to a 10-0 start to the campaign. After dismantling the Chicago Bears in the playoffs, it was time for the Giants’ defense to match up against the San Francisco offense. Yes, Montana, Rice and the gang were firing on all cylinders heading into the NFC championship game.

No Three-peat

Robert Riger / Paul Sakuma

But, New York felt confident. They lost to the 49ers during the regular season. However, the final score was 7-3. They got after Montana all night in that Monday road game. That same formula worked against the Niners in the championship game. New York gave up only one big play. Then, they kept chipping away with field goals. Leonard Marshall also walloped Montana knocking him out for the game.

Trailing 13-12 late in the fourth, Erik Howard forced a Roger Craig fumble. Matt Bahr kicked a 41-yard game winner at the buzzer and TV commentator Pat Summerall announced, “There will be no three-peat.”

Buffalo Bills 27 Years Ago

The Bills came into Super Bowl XXV flying high. Marv Levy’s team was decent defensively. They had two superstars on that side of the ball: Bruce Smith and Cornelius Bennett. Smith especially had a superb 1990 campaign.

As the Giants were extraordinary on defense, the Bills were that way on offense. Jim Kelly led the K-gun attack to a team record amount of points. This was not just a no-huddle offense. This was a hurry up offense. And, on days they could not be stopped, Buffalo was able to pour it on.

They had a future Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas that could do everything well. They also played two future Hall of Fame wide receivers, Andre Reed and James Lofton. Lofton was a tremendous deep threat and Reed was one of the best yards-after-catch guys ever to play. Fully loaded, the Bills rampaged through the 1990 regular season. Then, they scored 95 points in their two playoff games. In the AFC championship game, Buffalo annihilated the Raiders 51-3 giving Buffalo its first championship team in 25 years.

Giants Control Ball

After a scintillating rendition of the National Anthem by Whitney Houston, the Giants and Bills’ contrasting styles were put on full display. Buffalo was able to move the ball. But, they were punished physically in the process. Reed, for example, caught eight passes. They went for only 62 yards as Giants’ defensive backs were everywhere hitting everything. Belichick’s scheme was simple: make the Bills run the football. When Buffalo accepted the invitation, Thomas made plays. When they opted to throw the ball, they paid the price.

Nevertheless, Buffalo led 12-3 when Bruce Smith tackled a falling Hostetler in the end zone for a safety. “Hoss” was heroic in leading his team back, however.

The Giants possessed the ball for an obscene 17 minutes on two touchdown scoring drives spanning the second and third quarters. They converted one tough third down after another, putting Bills’ defenders on the brink of exhaustion. Anderson, now in his 12^th season, ran like war tank punishing second -level stoppers like Mark Kelso and Darryl Talley in the process.

Heading into the 4^th quarter, NY led 17-12. That quarter, the public caught a glimpse of the heart of the team from Buffalo. A heart that would define their legacy in that era. Indeed, on the first play of the final frame, Thomas ran through a large hole, ran over Mark Collins, received a fine block from Reed and was free. The dynamic run gave the Bills a 19-17 lead.

The Giants came back with another time-consuming drive. They finished the night with over 40 minutes of time of possession. Parcells’ strategy to upend the six-point favorites was master class.

Wide Right

The Bills, though, had one final shot and drove to New York’s thirty with eight seconds left. Thomas had two more big runs finishing with 15 carries for 135 yards. Quiet Scott Norwood came on the field to attempt a 47-yard field goal. The kick had the distance, but was wide right. The Giants were World Champions for the second time in five seasons!

The heartbroken Bills limped off the field glazy-eyed. They would be back and back again and back some more. But, in their next three Super Bowl appearances, they would be the clear underdog.

Bill Parcells left the Giants after the 1990 season. Hence, they took a huge step back in 1991. But, as an organization, New York would get back to the Super Bowl. On one such occasion, they would pull off an upset of even grander proportions!

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

The Worst Shortstops in Red Sox History

Leave a reply

Following up a position monopolized by one guy, I return to a more normal position at shortstop. Even though the Red Sox have had quite a few good shortstops in their history, there are also a lot of bad ones to choose from. After reading the worst three of the bunch, make sure to check the mentions at the bottom, as there are plenty of worthy candidates.

Julio Lugo

After mistakenly letting Orlando Cabrera leave after winning the World Series in 2004, the Red Sox were unsettled at the shortstop position for several years. They thought they could solidify it by signing Julio Lugo for the 2007 season. In parts of four seasons with Tampa Bay, Lugo had batted .287 with 40 home runs and 88 stolen bases. His fielding left something to be desired, but he had speed and was more than capable at the plate. The Red Sox gave him a four year deal worth 36 million.

Needless to say, Lugo didn’t work out. The Red Sox won the World Series his first season despite him. Lugo batted .237 that year with a .294/.349/.643 slash line. Lugo also made 19 errors in the field. Sadly, his defense got worse. In 2008 Lugo had a .945 fielding percentage, and in 27 starts before being traded in 2009 he managed to make seven errors, leading to a .928 fielding percentage.

Lugo’s hitting did improve after that first season on the other hand, but it was hard not to. In 82 games he batted .268 in 2008. However, an extra base hit was rare, leading to an anemic .330 slugging percentage. Before he was traded to the Cardinals for Chris Duncan (remember him?) in 2009, Lugo was hitting .284 with an improved .719 OPS. His defense was not even close to up to the task at shortstop though and the Red Sox had to make a change. In his three seasons in Boston, Lugo batted .251 with 10 home runs and a .664 OPS while playing weak defense. My wife, who doesn’t pay attention to baseball, referred to him as “hock a loogie.”

Jackie Gutierrez

Jackie Gutierrez has the lowest WAR of anyone I came across, totaling an astounding -3.5 in only two seasons. After making a brief appearance in 1983, Gutierrez was the Sox main shortstop in 1984. Although he batted a respectable .263 that season, Gutierrez walked a total of 15 times in 151 games! This led to a measly .284 on-base percentage. Gutierrez also only had 17 extra base hits, helping him to a .316 slugging percentage. So despite a passable batting average, Gutierrez was pretty worthless at the plate. He also made 31 errors in the field that season, giving him a total WAR of -2.1.

Somehow, Gutierrez retained his job in 1985. He only wound up starting for a partial season though, accumulating 275 at-bats. His averaged plummeted to .218 and he hit a mere nine extra base hits. His OPS fell all the way to .523. On top of that, he managed to make 23 errors in only 99 games, 83 starts. The Red Sox somehow got the Orioles to trade for him that offseason and they moved him to second base.

Shortstop Jackie Gutierrez of the Red Sox awaits a throw on May 15, 1984 against the Cleveland Indians. (Photo by Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

Rabbit Warstler

Warstler is a guy going back to the dark ages of the early 1930’s. He couldn’t hit his way out a wet paper bag. In four seasons with the Red Sox he batted .215 with 2 home runs and 74 runs batted in. Warstler had a feeble .285 on-base percentage and .276 slugging percentage. In those four seasons he only had 49 extra base hits.

It’s not as though Warstler added a lot defensively, he made 41 errors in 1932. He actually got moved to second base for a few years after leaving the Red Sox. His WAR was in the negatives in all four seasons with the Red Sox, bottoming out at -1.3 in 1932.

A portrait of Harold B. (Rabbit) Warstler of the Red Sox in 1933. (Photo by Sporting News and Rogers Photo Archive via Getty Images)

Dishonorable Mentions:

Edgar Renteria AKA: Rent-A-Wreck, AKA: Edgar Rent-error-ia

Mike Lansing, Craig Grebeck, Glenn Hoffman, Dud Lee, Johnny Mitchell

Featured picture credit goes to Bostondirtdogs.boston.com

Jayson Tatum Wins Eastern Conference Rookie of Month for December

Leave a reply

NOT A TRADE CHIP, A BUILDING BLOCK

When I was 19, I was just trying to figure out how to pay rent and tuition. At the same age, Jayson Tatum is proving he can play at a high level in the NBA despite still being in his teens. Plus, I can only assume has no problems paying bills on time. It’s easy to see Tatum is light years ahead of his peers, but hard to imagine what his ceiling might be.

“I don’t think water will find its level because I don’t think there’s a level with Tatum, because he’s so young. I think he’s untouchable. He has the potential, from what we’ve seen … to be a multi-time All Star in this league.” -Mike Gorman, Boston Celtics Broadcaster (reeling Tommy Heinsohn back in for over 30 years)

STRONG ROOKIE CLASS

Ben Simmons is better than anyone in this class right now, but he’s not exactly in this class. It’s almost a shame he’s considered a rookie. It’s robbing us of what is probably going to be an incredible race for second in the ROY running. This is a strong rookie class, with some guys showing star potential. Lottery picks like Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen, Dennis Smith Jr. and Tatum are showing the future of the league is in good hands. Others further down the draft board such as Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Bell & Dillon Brooks are a testament to the depth of the class. Plenty of other rookies are getting opportunities and showing signs of being contributors early in their careers.

Even without Simmons in the mix, Tatum would have a tough time winning the award. This is a strong class with the unique blend of depth to compliment the heavy hitters at the top. Donovan Mitchell has already had a 41 point game, something that hasn’t been done by a rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011. He was the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December. Tatum winning the same award in the East over Simmons shows the race for ROY isn’t over yet.

At the end of the day, Tatum just doesn’t have a big enough role offensively to win the award. While it is increasing by the game, he won’t come close to the usage rate of Simmons (23.9) or Mitchell (27.6). Tatum is sitting at 17.7, but is also chipping in 4.9 win shares through 42 games, good for 13th in the entire NBA. This is where you can start to see the difference in Tatum and rookies on teams that aren’t winning. He is learning how to win from guys that have done it early in his career. This is something that can’t be overstated for his development. The sky really is the limit with this kid.

TAKING IT IN STRIDE

Stevens trusts Tatum despite his teenager status. Further, he wants the youngster in the game late, especially if it’s close. Some might say Stevens leaves him in so he can learn and get better. It’s also because he is one of the best options Stevens has at his disposal. The rookie has shown the ability to make the right play, and is starting to find his spots to be aggressive offensively. This has resulted in some big-time finishes at the rim in addition to his elite shooting from deep. He has been in the top 10 in 3pt% the entire season thus far. If Stevens is serious about upping Tatum’s touches in the second half of the season, teams could be in trouble. His efficiency might take a hit, but his overall production should be on the rise.

CLUTCH TIME

Tatum has been impressive late in games, and definitely has the clutch gene. His calm and collected approach towards life is unwavering in heated moments on the big stage. It’s rare for a rookie to have such a big role, especially in the 4th quarter on a talent-rich team. More impressively, his clutch time numbers are truly jaw-dropping. He has 45 points on 71% shooting in the last 5 min when the game is within 5.

“Some people have it and some people don’t. It’s just as simple as that. I think he’s pretty much shown that he can play, as people say, with the big boys at the end of the game.” -Kyrie on Tatum in the clutch

Further, he’s 3/4 in the last minute when the game is on the line. When the game gets hectic, it slows down for Tatum. Nothing seems to shake his confidence. After his recent Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award, Stevens did his part to keep Tatum level-headed, not that he needed it.

“I sent him a text that there’s a lot of things that can derail forward progress.” -Stevens, when asked about Tatum’s achievement

WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Danny Ainge traded the #1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft fro the #3 pick and a future pick. After selecting Tatum 3rd overall, he stated he would’ve taken the Duke product at 1 if he didn’t make the deal. It was a risk, but he got his man. Still, the rookie has gone above and beyond what Ainge thought he was capable of already in his young career.

“We’ll see what minutes [Tatum] will earn. I’m not worried about how they will play when the lights go on. It will be unlikely that Jayson is Rookie of the Year because it will probably come from a team that starts their rookies and plays them 35 minutes a night.” -Danny Ainge, before the season started

A guy who should be a sophomore in college right now is instead beating out NBA vets for starting roles on the NBA’s best team. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He is already able to impact the game on both ends of the floor, and is contributing to winning on the highest level. Yet, he still has a long ways to go. What is sure to be a long and achievement-filled career has only just begun. The Tatum hype train, now far past Boston and still gaining steam, is running out of room for passengers.

“It will be four, five, six years before we see his best,” Ainge said. “The question will be how badly he wants to keep working to get better.”