BSB has risen from the ashes like a pissed Phoenix!

Just like phoenix rising from the ashes, ‘Palooza is back!

You can’t stop Boston Sports Blogapalooza; you only hope you can contain it!

The Baseball Tavern has stepped up in a very big way and the event has been rescheduled for Sunday, May 2nd.

To refresh everyone’s memory, Blogapalooza is an event where social media and Beantown sports collide. Bloggers, their fans, and Boston Media members will have the opportunity to meet, network, trade social media tips and of course talk sports.

Blogapalooza is a networking event with a festival feel. Mix in some great food (provided by The Baseball Tavern), cool music (The Hootchies and Brian Richard), wicked awesome companies (Swing Juice), some frosty beverages (cash bar), raffle prizes and you have the recipe for a fantastic Sunday!!

Are you ready to GET YOUR BLOG ON!?!?

Please RSVP for this event on Facebook.

This event is 21+.

Fellow Bloggers please spread the word to your readers. Let’s make this ten times better than the original!!

Also a special shout out to Kevin at Supahfans for helping in the rebirth of Blogapalooza!!

For a lineup of participating companies and blogs please visit the Boston Sports Blogapalooza website.

Before joining the Red Sox in June of 2004, Leskanic had pitched ten-and-a-half seasons between Colorado, Milwaukee, and Kansas City, experiencing varying levels of success.  In 2003, he posted a 2.22 ERA in 53 appearances between Milwaukee and Kansas City; this would prove to be his best Major League season.

Curtis Leskanic was instrumental in the 2004 Sox' historic postseason run.

The middle reliever, though, failed to follow up with any level of success the following year and was released outright on June 16 after posting an 8.04 ERA in 19 games for a beyond-bad Royals team.

Odd though it may seem now given the dominance of the bullpen’s he has built since 2007, in the early part of his career, finding capable middle relief was General Manager Theo Epstein’s Achilles’ Heel.  In need of help at the position, the Sox inked Leskanic to a minor league contract less than ten days after his release from the Royals.

Leskanic was solid down the stretch, posting a 3.58 ERA in 32 appearances, including 16 games finished.  He struck out 22 in 27.2 innings and provided the Sox with a useful arm in middle relief as the bullpen stabilized around closer Keith Foulke and set-up men Mike Timlin and Alan Embree.  Had that been the extent of this story, though, then it wouldn’t be worth writing.

Game Four of the 2004 ALCS is most widely remembered for Dave Roberts steal of second base off of Mariano Rivera, Bill Mueller’s subsequent RBI single, and David Ortiz’s walk-off homerun (and all with good reason).  However, it might come to a surprise to some that Leskanic picked up the win in the exciting game that kick-started the Sox’ epic run to their first World Series Championship in 86 years.  The pitcher, whose long-term shoulder issues were common knowledge (he had missed time with a strained shoulder earlier in the summer), retired Bernie Williams with the bases loaded and two outs after having been brought in to replace Mike Myers in the top of the 11th inning.  Had he failed to do so, the Red Sox would have been swept and the Championship drought would have continued.

The bullpen spent, Leskanic, running on fumes, was called upon to pitch the top of the 12th as well.  After allowing a lead-off bloop single to Jorge Posada, he retired the side.  In the bottom half of the inning, Ortiz hit his homerun and the Red Sox won their first of eight games in a row with their backs against the wall.

This would be the last appearance of Leskanic’s career.  He retired after the season.  His shoulder quite damaged, the beleaguered pitcher thought it best to call it quits as a Champion.  The decision was a fitting one, because without his gallant effort and contribution in Game Four against the arch-rival Yankees, he would not have become one.

Mike Lowell is spending his Spring Training in limbo.

The latter part of the plan came to fruition.  A previously unknown injury to Lowell’s thumb, though, prevented the 2007 World Series MVP from finding a new home in the Lone Star State.

Since the trade’s fall-through, it has been widely expected that the Sox will again look to deal Lowell in Spring Training — for real this time.  While it would be foolish for the team not to consider all options to do with the hobbled fan favorite, there is certainly a case to be made for keeping him in Boston for the final year of his contract, even at a hefty 12 million dollars.

In 2009, the Red Sox depth ran rather thin.

The bench by season’s end consisted of Rocco Baldelli, Jason Varitek, Jed Lowrie, and Casey Kotchman.  While each of the foursome contributed something in part-time roles, Baldelli was the only one who could do much offensively, and even he was limited in that regard.  In 2010, Lowell could be quite a weapon as a bat off the bench.  That he is offensively capable is news to nobody.  However, Lowell is the type of hitter that can succeed as a role player.  History has been kinder to high-contact, low-strikeout types of hitters when faced with sporadic playing time.  According to baseball-reference.com, in 12 Major League seasons, Lowell has struck out in just 12.5% of his plate appearances, compared to the MLB average of 18.0% in the same period.  High-contact hitters generally require less of a groove and thus fare better coming off the bench than do the types of hitters that strike out and walk a lot (recall the Jeremy Giambi experiment); Lowell fits the former bill well and as such could be very successful in a limited role.

Further, the depth at the corners without Lowell is limited.  Beltre and first baseman Kevin Youkilis are both expected to be every day players, but of writing, it is unclear who other than Lowell would play when they didn’t.  Youkilis, of course, can be shifted across the diamond to cover for Beltre on his days off, but this still requires a backup firstbaseman.  The only other player on the roster (excluding designated hitter David Ortiz) is Victor Martinez, and his playing first would require that Varitek catch.  This may be acceptable on scheduled off-days for Beltre and Youkilis, but should either require time on the disabled list — and neither player is averse to injury — giving Varitek regular playing time at this stage of his career is not a particularly appealing option.  Other players that may be able to fill first base in the case of an injury to either Youkilis or Beltre include Aaron Bates, Lars Anderson, and, perhaps, the versatile Bill Hall.  Lowell would likely outproduce all of these players and is, in addition, seeming to take quite well to first base despite having only played four minor league games at the position in his professional career.

Lowell, though, does not feel entirely comfortable entering the season in the capacity of a bench player.  He said last month, “If I’m definitely healthier at this point than last year, I don’t know why I should have less at-bats.”  He expects to play full-time elsewhere.  It is unclear, though, just where he would get that playing time.  The failed trade to Texas would have sent Lowell into a situation wherein he would split at-bats between first base, third base, and DH; the very same situation exists for him in Boston.

Should Beltre, Youkilis, and Ortiz each get fifteen days off this season (a conservative estimate), that’s 45 starts for Lowell right off the bat.  If any miss playing time with an injury, Lowell would get the opportunity to play every day in their stead.  And if Ortiz struggles again this season, it would make good sense to let Lowell accumulate the position’s at-bats against left-handed pitching.  He would also be the top pinch hitter on the roster and could accumulate close to 300 at-bats.

In the same press conference last month, Lowell told the media that he had not been approached about filling a reserve role for the Red Sox.  I expect that the team will continue to look to trade him and doubt that he’ll be at Fenway Park on the evening of April 4 to kick off the season.  I do, however, think that there is plenty of argument for his inclusion on the roster and would be thrilled to have such a potent bat coming off the Red Sox’ bench in 2010.

-Adam Vaccaro can be followed on Twitter.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Jacoby Ellsbury was signed by the Red Sox in 2005 as the 23rd overall pick. He began playing for the Lowell Spinners. From the start, he showed that his patience and great speed were an asset when he led off the game by walking on a 3-2 pitch, stealing second, continuing to third on a throwing error and then scoring on a wild pitch.

Ellsbury made his Major League debut on June 30th, 2007 when he was called upon to replace the injured Coco Crisp. Ellsbury was then sent back down, despite his recent success.

As the playoffs approached, Ellsbury was brought back up to the Sox, and fit in perfectly. In eleven total postseason games, he hit .360 in 25 at-bats with two stolen bases.

He began his career with 25 consecutive stolen bases, but that streak was ended in a game against Milwaukee when the Brewers used a pitch out to throw him out.

Ellsbury has a lot more than just speed and hitting. He knows how to play the outfield as well.

On April 12, Ellsbury played his 179th straight regular-season game without an error, breaking Mike Greenwell’s Red Sox franchise record for outfielders. On April 15, Ellsbury with six errorless chances passed Coco Crisp for most errorless chances by a center fielder, setting a new Red Sox franchise record of 433.

About a week later in a game against the Yankees, Ellsbury stole home and then received a curtain call from all of the fans at Fenway Park.

With the Red Sox signing free agent center fielder Mike Cameron and not resigning left fielder Jason Bay, Ellsbury was moved to the starting left field position as opposed to center. Ellsbury spent a considerable amount of time playing left field during the 2007 playoffs in late innings when players were being substituted, before earning the primary job in center field over Coco Crisp.

The move was made as the result of Cameron’s experience in center and inexperience in left. Ellsbury tends to play more flexibly and can thus be moved. Manager Terry Francona expressed excitement over the prospect of playing a true center fielder in left field, creating a larger fielding range and more aggressive style.

During the off season Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills (#2) became the manager of the Astros. Jacoby changed his number from 46 to 2 with permission from the Red Sox.

McHale scored 56 against Detroit but only enjoyed the record for 9 days.

On March 3, 1985, Kevin McHale one of the Celtics’ famed “Big Three” had the game of his life versus the Detroit Pistons. McHale left the game with 1:25 remaining with 56 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, and four assists. The Celtics crushed the Pistons 138-129 at the Garden.

Kevin McHale broke the Boston Celtics’ record for most points in a single game which was held by Larry Bird. Bird scored 53 two years earlier.

Larry praised McHale’s performance by saying, “There aren’t too many times you have an opportunity to score that many points. Kevin will probably not score that many again. Today he was awesome; he deserved it.”

Bird added, “He should have gone for 60.”

Indeed, McHale should have gone for 60. No record is safe with Larry Joe Bird on your team.

The Celtics would travel to New Orleans to face the Atlanta Hawks on March 12, 1985.

New Orleans is known as the “Big Easy” and Larry Bird made it look very easy on this night.

The 10,079 people who crammed into the tiny University of New Orleans arena had no idea what they were about to witness.

Just nine short days after McHale broke his team record for scoring, Larry Bird put on a shooting performance for the ages.

It was an offensive clinic and Bird was the teacher.

Jump shot.

Fade away.

Lay up.

Free throw.

Three point bomb.

McHale should have gone for 60 because no record is safe with Larry Bird.

Bird had 23 points at the half as Boston held a 65-58 lead. However, he was just heating up. The Hawks had nothing in their defensive repertoire to stop him. This was Larry Bird’s game.
The second half was when Bird took his game to another level, if that is actually possible. The Celtics sniper scored 19 points in the third quarter bringing his game total to 42 points.

Boston had an 11 point advantage entering the final frame. Bird needed 14 points to tie McHale’s record. The record was within his grasp.

The crowd and Hawks players knew something special was happening. It was inevitable that Bird was going to break the record.

He just couldn’t miss.

Bucket after bucket.

The Hawks players were falling off their chairs in disbelief as Bird drained impossible shot after impossible shot.

The crowd mostly dominated by Celtics fans was in frenzy. They wanted Larry Bird to break the record and his teammates did as well. Even the current record holder, Kevin McHale, continued to feed Bird the rock.

He was hitting ridiculous off balance shots with Atlanta players fouling him.

His performance can be summed up with one word, awesome.

Bird broke McHale’s record on a free throw late in the fourth quarter. Who was the first person to congratulate him? Of course it was Kevin McHale.

Nine days earlier, Bird told McHale he should have gone for 60.

Bird took his own advice.

Dennis Johnson fed him a pass at the top of the key and Bird drained a jumper for his 59th and 60th points at the buzzer.

Bird was then mobbed by his teammates.

He scored 18 points in the fourth. He was 22 for 36 from the field. He made 15 out of 16 free throws.

Bird recaptured the record for most points in a game by a Boston Celtic. A record held by his teammate, Kevin McHale for just nine short days.

“Sixty points is awful tough to get and you can’t do it without the help of your teammates”, Bird said in a post game interview.

This wasn’t just Bird’s record. It was Kevin McHale’s. Dennis Johnson’s, Robert Parrish’s, and Danny Ainge’s. The Boston Celtics were an unselfish team that played for one another.

No individual can achieve greatness without the support of his team.

Breakers break camp.

After only four days of pre-season training camp under the “bubble” at Harvard University, Boston Breakers coach Tony DiCicco and his staff have made their first cut downs from the opening roster of 32.

On Thursday afternoon the Breakers released four players from their pre-season roster, including Anna Caniglia (Nebraska), Samantha Diaz-Motosas (University of South Carolina), Rebecca Mays (Southern Illinois), and Carly Peetz (Nebraska) from training camp.

Peetz was a sixth round pick (number 52 overall) in the WPS Draft held in January, while Caniglia, Diaz-Motosas and Mays participated in camp as undrafted free agents.

Additionally, two Breakers who played bit roles on last years squad were also waived by the team. Erika Sutton, who was signed to a short term contract with the Breakers last season to fill the void of seven missing players due to National Team call ups and played all 90 minutes against FC Gold Pride on July 19, 2009 was waived along with and Mary-Frances Monroe.  Monroe played in 5 games in the 2009 season for the Breakers, recording 1 assist.

In previous cut downs, the team released Greer Barnes (FC Gold Pride), Casey Brown (Boston University), and Andrea Willis (BYU). Brown was drafted in the seventh round of the draft with the 61st overall pick.

An updated 24 player roster will be released on March 16.  The final roster will be set on March 31 with 18 roster players and 4 developmental players.

The team will train over the weekend in Boston before traveling to Florida for a ten day training camp, including four scrimmages.

Jason Bay left Boston for the Mets this offseason.

In Theo Epstein’s time as General Manager, several players have left the team as free agents, igniting debate amongst media and fans alike.  Here, I will look at some of the more controversial decisions to let a player walk in the Epstein era and categorize said decisions based on their effect upon the organization since having been made.  Perhaps of note, the six players examined were important parts of the 2004 World Champion Red Sox.

Theo is not sentimental.

The Well Played, Theo Category

The following players have, with solid retrospect, proven to be not worth re-signing.  In letting them walk, he helped the organization in the long-term.

Pedro Martinez: Pedro is the poster-boy for Red Sox free agents that have left in the last decade.  Amongst the best pitchers in Red Sox history, Martinez was always brash with the media and the organization when it came to talking money.  When he hit free agency before the 2005 season, having just served as one half of the two-ace punch that brought a championship to Boston, it was time for him to get his big pay-day.

Bay will make the same switch in uniform that Pedro did in 2005.

By now, it is common knowledge that Martinez drove up the bidding war between the Sox and the Mets, ultimately netting $53 million over four years from the New York club.  The Red Sox passed at that price; Martinez’s injury history and future durability were a big part of the decision.

The Sox could have used Pedro in 2005, a season wherein he posted a 2.82 ERA in 217 innings.  From then on, though, it was downhill for the former ace, as he would average only 16 starts and 90 innings over the next three years, and his ERA for the period sat at a mediocre 4.74.

The Sox attempted to fill Pedro’s spot with Matt Clement in 2005 and it worked for much of the season before injuries derailed the latter’s season and career.  In 2006, though, they were able to bring in Josh Beckett in a trade with the Marlins, and managed to lock him up for four seasons following.  Who knows if they’d have been able to do so had they signed Pedro to spend most of his contract’s duration on the disabled list?

Even this analysis is incomplete, for it fails to consider that one of the amateur draft picks that the Red Sox accumulated for losing Pedro turned out to be Clay Buchholz, who has already made contributions to the club and stands to make many more in the coming seasons.

Bill Mueller: When the Red Sox traded for Mike Lowell, he was considered washed-up and overpaid, and was taken on as a burden in order to land Josh Beckett.  At the time, there was some clamoring to resign the third baseman who had featured prominently in the dominant lineups from 2003-2005.  Mueller, though, had a history of knee problems and had missed substantial time in 2004.  After signing a 2-year deal with the Dodgers, the popular third baseman would play only 32 games before being forced by the aforementioned problems to call it a career.  Lowell, meanwhile, would have a productive run in Boston, which included a 2007 World Series MVP award.

Trot Nixon: The writing was on the wall for Nixon at the end of the 2006 season, as evidenced by the standing O he was granted in the season finale.  When JD Drew was signed to his $70 million contract the following offseason, though, fans questioned whether or not it would have been better to have simply kept Trot around.  While Drew’s contract has been scrutinized to death and he has proven to be one of the more polarizing players in Sox history, it is undeniable that he has since outproduced Trot, who was out of baseball within less than two years following the end of his Red Sox career.

The It All Evened Out Category

These two players probably could have contributed in Boston and have produced in other cities.  However, Epstein filled the voids they left with other players; he can’t be faulted for having let them walk.

This never did look quite right.

Johnny Damon: The debate surrounding Damon’s departure was on par with those of Martinez and Bay, due in equal part to his cult hero persona, that he was leaving for the arch-rival New York Yankees, and that he was one of the better players at his position in baseball.  Epstein determined, though, that the four year guarantee that New York offered was simply too much for a center-fielder entering his age 32 season.

Shaved and clean cut in New York, Damon has certainly continued to produce; in 576 games with New York, the man formerly known as Captain Caveman put up a cumulative .821 OPS.  However, his range has quickly diminished in center-field and he spent most of 2008 and all of 2009 in left.  Meanwhile, the Sox plugged the hole with top-notch defensive play from Coco Crisp from 2006-2008.  Further, towards the end of 2007, Jacoby Ellsbury debuted for Boston.  The young center-fielder has electrified Red Sox Nation since (though he will be manning leftfield in 2010).

The Red Sox were also able to draft young flamethrower and likely long-term closer Daniel Bard — in the Yankees’ draft spot, no less — as compensation for Damon.  Epstein did alright in letting this fan favorite go.

Derek Lowe: It was, by now famously, a tale of two seasons for Lowe in 2004.  In 33 regular season starts, he did manage to win 14 games, but not without posting an ugly 5.42 ERA and a really ugly 1.62 WHIP.  The post-season, though, was another story, as Lowe would mightily redeem himself by collecting the W in each of the three clinching games en route to a Championship.

After the season, Lowe was a bargain workhorse for the Dodgers for four seasons, averaging 34 starts and 213 innings pitched and compiling a nifty 3.59 ERA, while making $8 million a year.  However, in 2005, David Wells proved to be an upgrade over the 2004 Lowe, posting a 4.45 ERA and winning 15 games.  In years since, the Sox’ starting pitching has rarely been seen as a problem, and the decision to let Lowe walk has not seemed to hurt the club.

In the 2005 draft, the Sox turned Lowe’s compensatory pick into Craig Hansen.  Hansen has proven to be a bust, but he was instrumental in trading for — you guessed it — Jason Bay in 2008.

The Ah, Jeez Category

O, how easier our lives would have been the past few years if only he’d been locked up…

Cabrera provided stability for three months at shortstop.

Orlando Cabrera: Acquired at the 2005 trade deadline, Cabrera actually entered his short tenure with the Sox controversially, as he was brought in to take the place of the legendary Nomar Garciaparra.  The shortstop, though, quickly won over New England as he dazzled in the field and exceeded expectations at bat, hitting .294/.320/.465 in 58 games with Boston.  His walk-off homer against Baltimore in late September was also the cause of one of Jerry Trupiano’s more melodramatic radio calls — that’s saying something.

Following the 2004 season, Epstein elected to let Cabrera leave for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and instead signed then-superstar Edgar Renteria.  Both signed four year contracts; Renteria’s paid $2 million more per season.

Since Cabrera’s departure, Epstein’s been unable to settle on a shortstop; from 2005-2009, Renteria, Alex Gonzalez, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie, Nick Green, and Alex Gonzalez (again) have all served as the team’s starting shortstop, with Marco Scutaro getting the call in 2010.  Cabrera, meanwhile, has remained consistent at-bat, though his defense has slipped some with age.  Consistency at the position, though, would have been nice.

Still, the shortstop’s departure should not be considered a total loss; the draft picks left in his stead produced both Ellsbury (who prevents Damon from appearing in this category) and Lowrie.

Conclusions

Look, I love the idea of run prevention.  To me, the idea that a run saved is equivalent to a run scored not only makes sense but is common sense.  I like it, believe it, and even buy into it.

But the fact is that losing Bay’s bat has as good a chance to hurt the organization long-term perhaps more than any of the names listed above.  He led the team in power-based counting stats last year.  Losing that production and not directly replacing it is risky.  I’m not saying it won’t work out, but it’s risky.

Having said that, the players in the “Well Played, Theo” category are the ones who had injury concerns.  The Sox’ medical staff has proven to be pretty solid (though certainly not perfect) since the change in ownership prior to the 2002 season.  I’m tempted to believe that if the team saw something in Bay’s knees that concerned them, it’s there.  I am especially tempted, considering that the doctor that told them so was the same who warned them about Martinez, says the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.  The difference between Bay and the players listed above, though, is that he has to this point been much more durable.

Bay will likely be a productive player for the Mets for the next four years.  He will also probably be limited defensively and I would not be at all shocked to see him miss time here and there.  Epstein seems to know when to let them go — let’s not forget that he’s produced his share of extensions as well (Beckett, Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, Nixon at an earlier stage of his career, etc.).  Further, even his most questionable balk, in the direction of Cabrera, resulted in high quality draft picks.  If Epstein can turn Bay into a couple more of those and if the outfield defense proves in 2010 and 2011 to be as strong as it appears on paper, I think the decision will likely prove to be of the All Even variety.

What say you?  How foolish or wise do you think the decision to let Jason Bay leave will look in a few years?  Leave a comment with your opinion!

-Adam Vaccaro can be followed on Twitter.

Unlike these goons, the Hanson Brothers dropped the gloves.

Call them what you will.

Villains.

Cheap shot artists.

Goons.

Instigators.

Turtles.

Cowards.

The Boston Bruins have had their fair share of run ins with gutless and spineless opponents over the past 30 years.  These players don’t fight with their fists like real men, but creep around the corner and run players from behind.

They probably started rumors as children to start fights in school or got their siblings in trouble for taking cookies from the cookie jar. They pulled your hair and if you retaliated, your parents would punish you instead.

To put it mildly, they are rats. They won’t go toe to toe with the enforcers of the league; instead they go after the stars of the league with their stick blades, butt ends, shoulders, and elbows.

Here are my picks for the Spineless Opponents Of The Black and Gold.

5. Scott Walker

During the 2009 Eastern Conference Semi Finals, the Carolina Hurricanes forward sucker punched Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward.

Scott Walker sucker punched a defenseless Aaron Ward.

Ward crumpled to the ground like a pile of freshly fallen leaves.

The Bruins defensemen hadn’t dropped his gloves and didn’t even engage Walker. He was not inviting fisticuffs. Most men would have asked his opponent to “dance” to a song of haymakers and uppercuts, but not the coward known as Scott Walker. Fair fight is not even in Walker’s limited vocabulary. The cavemen from the Geico commercials wouldn’t want to be spoken in the same breath as the Neanderthal known as Scott Walker.

And to add insult to injury, Scott “bleepin” Walker would score the series clinching goal in Game 7 in overtime. He marked his place for eternity on the Most Wanted List of the Black and Gold.

4. Claude Lemieux

Lemieux was a enemy of the Bruins and most of the NHL.

Lemieux could be considered the King of the Turtles. He would instigate and antagonize players like Cam Neely to no end. He was the master of stick work. Slashing, poking, and raking his opponents, like Neely, to no end.

However, when Neely confronted him and give him a side order of fist, Lemieux would poke his head into his shell. Hiding behind his visor.

Frank Sinatra’s song, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” could have been written for this spineless amoeba. While with Montreal and New Jersey, Lemieux had a target on his back everytime he faced the Bruins.

However, his injustices didn’t stop there. As a member of the Colorado Avalanche, he hit the Red Wings Kris Draper from behind. He left Draper with a broken jaw, nose and cheekbone, and a concussion to boot. Draper’s jaw was wired shut and needed surgery to rebuild his face.

How do you spell Claude Lemieux? P-U-K-E

3. Randy Jones

In a 2007 matchup between Philly and Boston, Randy Jones hit the Bruin’s Patrice Bergeron from behind. Bergeron hit the boards face

Randy Jones smashed Bergy's head into the boards.

first and crumpled to the ground unconscious. Jones hit him with all his force and press the Bruins’ forwards face right into the dasher,

He was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Bergeron would suffer a broken nose and concussion.  He would miss a month of the season and Jones only received a two game suspension.

Did the punishment fit the crime?

Hello no!

I guess smashing a defenseless player’s face into the boards, isn’t that much of a big deal.

2. Matt Cooke

Matt Cooke is the most wanted man in Boston.

Speaking of defenseless players, the Bruins’ Marc Savard was headhunted by the Penguins, Matt Cooke in a 2010 regular season game. Savard released the puck and was blindsided by Cooke and he was knocked out before he hit the ice.

Technically by the fraudulent rules of the Colin Campbell and the NHL, this was a clean hit. I guess a shoulder to the cranium is okay but an elbow to the head is not. Different set of bones, but same result. Cooke received no suspension for his attempt to injure Marc Savard (but Cooke received a suspension earlier this year for a similar hit).

Well mission successful, you gutless goon. Savard will probably miss the rest of the regular season and probably the playoffs as well.

Matt Cooke congratulations! You have become the most wanted man in Boston since gangster, Whitey Bulger.

1. Ulf Samuelsson

Where do we begin with our buddy, Ulfie “will never drop the gloves” Samuelsson?  If Claude Lemieux was the Darth Vader of

Ulfie helped cut Neely's incredible career short.

cheapshots, Ulf is the Emperor. He singlehandedly destroyed the career of Cam Neely.

Neely and Samuelsson started their deep hatred for each other when Ulfie played for the Whale. Samuelsson would always bait the Bruin’s players and have them lose their cool. He was also a master of the stick and knew exactly where to put it to antagonize his opponent.

The knee check heard around the world occurred during Game 3 of the 1991 Wales Conference Finals. Ulfie was now a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He lined up Cam Neely on an open ice hit. However, most players who had an ounce of decency and regard for an opponent’s health would have hit Neely with a shoulder.

Nope not the notorious Ulf Samuelsson! He hit the Bruins’ star power forward with a knee to knee hit. The knee injury compounded with the formation of myositis ossificans, where muscle becomes bone, limited Neely to 22 games over the next two seasons.

It was the beginning of the end for Cam Neely as a professional hockey player. Neely went from a perennial 50 goal scorer to a player who couldn’t play more than 50 games a season due to knee and hip issues.

Ulfie, I hope you can sleep at night for cheating the Bruins fans from watching a healthy and dominant Cam Neely. I guess if you can’t beat him, you have to injure him.

Tim Wakefield

When someone says the name Tim Wakefield, one of the most automatic thoughts is the knuckleball. The 43-year-old pitcher has been on the mound for the Red Sox since 1995 and could be there for a while longer.

After graduating from Florida Tech, Wakefield was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round of the free agent draft in 1988. A scout told Wakefield that he would never make it past double A with his position skills.

At this point, Wakefield focused on improving his knuckleball that has made him so well known today. He had immediate success and it did not take long to make the majors.

In his Major League debut, Wakefield pitched a complete game against the Cardinals. He struck out ten batters and threw 146 pitches in doing so.

As the season continued, Wakefield started 13 games, going 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA. His success as a rookie earned him the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The next season, Wakefield began to struggle and was eventually released by the pirates. Six days later, the Red Sox picked him up. He began the season with a 1.65 ERA and a 14–1 record through 17 games – six of which were complete games.

Wakefield has continued to start games for the Sox. At any point in any game, Wakefield’s control can come and go with ease.

He could be pitching extremely well, but then give up four runs in the next inning. So many little things can effect his pitches. The temperature, weather, and wind, can all determine where the knuckleball will end up.

There are not many knuckleball pitchers in the majors, so it is an advantage to Wakefield. Some hitters believe they have figured out how to hit the knuckleball. If the pitch is high, it is better to swing because the ball will probably come back down into the strike zone.

No matter which way you look at it, it’s going to be a challenge to hit a pitch that Wakefield has been working on for so long.

On April 27, 1993, Wakefield threw 172 pitches over 10+ innings in a game for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Atlanta Braves.

He should continue to pitch for the Sox for a few years to come. Although he is getting older and has had some recent injuries, the knuckleballer doesn’t need much to pitch games. His durability has proved that he can still pitch at 42.

Celtics had a decent effort but fell to the hungry Bucks.

So the Celtics lost last night against a surging Bucks team who were favored by 1-½ points.I found that kind of disturbing but then I thought it made sense with the Bucks winning 15 out 19 games before last night.

But what a game it was, like Mike Gorman said it felt like a playoff game.

And if I am correct, neither team led the game by more than 8 points.

But sadly, this was a MUST win game for the C’s that just fell short.

Pierce 3-13

KG 7-13

Allen 0-3

Rondo 6-10

Robinson 2-5

The Bucks outscored the Celts 22-16.

Although they lost by two, and had plenty of opportunities with Buck turnovers and missed shots I can’t be maI thought they played well.

This Bucks team looks ready and extremely hungry for the playoffs. Can you blame them?

Nate Dogg Robinson had two great 3 pointers and that was it? Ugh!

I understand that Nate is faster then Eddie House and can move around better but I am still uncertain about the trade.

I hope he can find his groove during practice.

Ronald Glen Davis had great hustle to block Brandon Jennings shot BUT you need to control your attitude.

RGD should have just gotten up and walked away, not jump up, puff your chest out and spread your arms. That is why I call you RGD and not “Big Baby” even though you still act childish at times!

It’s a bird, It’s a plane, why it’s … Rajon Rondo!!!

Did anyone notice if Rondo had jetpacks for that dunk late in the 3^rd? Gooood laaaaawd!

You know it was a great dunk when the crowd of the opposing team goes “Ooooo!”

His dunk gets a NBA JAMS “Is It The Shoes?” and a Marve Albert “Yes!”

That kid had enough time to change the odor eaters in his sneakers!

Overall I thought the defense played good even duringthe loss. Stopping Salmons without fouling with 30 seconds left was a

Even this thunderous jam from KG wasn't enough versus Milwaukee.

great call by Doc. It was just one of those games that was a tough loss.

During halftime, Gary Tanguay and Donny Marshall both agreed that Doc needed to keep getting the bench involved. The C’s have done it in the past enough to get productive wins and some close chances. I firmly believe that’s what the C’s need.

These guys need to get some rest, now I’m not saying bench them the whole game but limit their minutes.

On a side note:

Hey Jennings, Dennis Rodman, Vanilla Ice, and the year 1990 are suing you for your non-creative hairstyle! Lord knows the Worm and Ice both need the money badly!

And is it just me or do you think Greg Dickerson get’s a free bowl of soup with his haircut? Hmm….

Finally I leave you with a quote from our beloved Tommy Heinsohn!

“But he had to turn on the gas to make the corner to get past Nate Robinson, and then he couldn’t stop… Must have been a Toyota! ”

We love you Tommy!