Boston Sports Then and Now

Savard may not be so excited to play for the Bruins this season.

The 2009-2010 season was perhaps the worst of Marc Savard’s career.

After leading the Bruins in points for three consecutive seasons, Boston’s most dynamic offensive force suited up for just 41 games in an injury riddled season. During training camp prior to the season Savard took a shot to his foot, but decided to play through the pain.

Just seven games into the regular season Savard was struck in the same foot, an injury later revealed to be a broken foot. Savard was put on the injured reserve list as he watched his team a struggle. Savard returned to the Boston line-up in November scoring seven points in his first seven games back, including a hat trick in old pal Phil Kessel’s return to the TD Garden.

Savard’s bad luck struck again in January when the Bruins vicious injury bug hit him less than a minute into a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Savard collided with Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews and Savard went down clutching his leg. He was later diagnosed with a slight MCL tear, an injury that did not require surgery but put Savard on the shelf once again.

He returned to the ice just 22 days later but exactly two months after going down with that knee injury Savard was lost for the remainder of the regular season when the Penguins’ Matt Cooke struck Savard in the head with an elbow. Savard was diagnosed with a Grade 2 concussion as many wondered if his career might be at stake. A horrible season for Savard became that much worse.

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Boychuk punishes former Bruin Phil Kessel

The additions of Nathan Horton and Tyler Seguin are certainly the Bruins biggest moves of the offseason but the re-signing of one of their own should have a big impact on the Bruins back end.

Johnny Boychuk was a revelation for the Bruins last season. After spending about a quarter of the season watching from the press box, the patient Boychuk got his opportunity as the injury bug hit the Bruins and his play earned him a permanent role on the Bruins blueline.

In his last full season with Providence, Boychuk scored twenty goals and sixty-five points in seventy-eight games. He did not approach those totals in his first season of active duty at the NHL game but he brought an all around defensive game that opened eyes around the league while showing flashes of why he was a dominate force in the AHL.

The former Eddie Shore award winner, awarded to the AHL’s best defenseman, netted five goals and fifteen points in 51 games for Boston, a decent total when you consider he had previously played in just five total NHL games.

His powerful slapshot always seemed to find it’s way to the net on the powerplay, although not in the net as much as he would have liked, and came to be respected and feared by the opposition.

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Gronk and Hernan may be the Patriots next dynamic duo.

Its only the preseason, but Gronk and Hernan have been quite impressive for the Patriots.

You don’t know who Gronk and Hernan are?  If don’t know already, you will.

Rookie tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez may be New England’s next offensive dynamic duo since Moss and Welker.

When the Patriots selected Gronkowski in the 2^nd round and Hernandez in the 4^th round in this year’s draft, fans may have been scratching their heads. Okay maybe one tight end but two?

New England hasn’t utilized the tight end position in their offense since the retirement of Ben Coates for the most part. Since 2000, Ben Watson(48 catches in ’06) and Daniel Graham(38 catches in ’03) have been the Patriots biggest “threats” at the tight end position.

After the release of Watson and the failed experiment, Chris Baker the Patriots had a gaping hole at the end of the line. Besides the addition of Gronk and Hernan, New England added veteran depth by signing Alge Crumpler. Crump was brought in to be more of a blocker that will assist in the running game. He will not be relied upon offensively, he’ll leave that to the young guns.

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Brady’s hair outshines Rams

Since his appearance courtside during the NBA Finals, Tom Brady has drawn a lot of comparisons to Justin Bieber. They say it’s the hair. I’m not sure if that’s the case. I’ve never seen this Bieber kid, but from what I’ve heard, he’s the apple of the eye of every 12-year old girl whose mother thought Nick Carter was “dreamy” and couldn’t wait until marriage.

But last night at the Razor, it seems like Brady’s anti-fro got in his eyes. Or at least it must have seemed that way to the Rams’ secondary, who couldn’t get a read on anything that Brady was doing as he tore them up for over 270 yards and three touchdowns.

It seems the glare had its effect on the Pats’ defense, too, as they found themselves completely unable to stop anything, much less the laser arm of Sam Bradford, as the Rams defeated the Pats, 36-35 on a last-second Josh Brown field goal.

It all leaves one to wonder: Is Bradford the anti-Bieber? And if so, why hasn’t Jive records signed him to a deal?

Didn't he used to be so cute?

Red Sox continue to tread water in soggy Fens

This week at the YMCA, the “Tuna” group completed its first diving classes. The class is comprised mostly of once-members of the 2010 Boston Red Sox, and all 38 players passed with flying colors, although there were a few question marks during the class itself. Dustin Pedroia – once MVP and Rookie of the Year on the baseball diamond – spoke at length prior to the class about how he “invented the laser show” and didn’t “need no newfangled swimming lessons.”
Former Red Sox centerfielder and leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury complained that hitting the water “made [his] tummy hurt,” and some other whiny nonsense.

While the incapacitated version of the 2010 Red Sox were busy learning to swim, their able colleagues spent the week treading water in a rain-soaked Fenway Park against the soon-to-be Oklahoma City Mariners. Or Tornadoes. Well, whatever. Just don’t let the Starbucks guy near them.

Rondo leaves team USA, takes his Red Bull with him

Director of U.S. Basketball operations Jerry Colangelo is currently in talks with representatives from Five-Hour Energy, Monster and the Guys Who Used to Make Surge as he attempts to procure a method for giving his FIBA world championships team some motivation to win after stud point guard and Celtics poster-boy Rajon Rondo unexpectedly left the team, citing family issues. When asked about the circumstances surrounding his departure, Rondo noted that “one, I don’t play with no high-falootin’ Lakers and two, none of those guys are even close to 33. Didn’t Colangelo know I only play with guys who are past their prime?” He went on to amend his earlier statement, saying that “Glen Davis? He ain’t past his prime yet. But dude’s messed up something wicked.”

Colangelo’s attempts to procure another energy provider have not been terribly successful thus far. If talks with the energy beverage companies stay at an impasse, Colangelo has noted that he may pursue a relationship with National Grid because, while it may not give energy to the US team, it will also “knock the power out of those Canadian bastards, eh?” If all else fails, Colangelo has BP listed as his last resort.

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Cross-posted at my personal blog.

When I last checked in for my first reexamination of the list of the keys to the Red Sox’ season that I developed at the tail end of Spring Training, I said that I’d finish up by the end of July. Oops. Here’s hoping at this rate that I can finish up by the end of the season.

Keys 25-21 follow.

25. Bill Hall can field shortstop and second base.

What I said then: Hall is potentially a very interesting inclusion on the roster.

A jack of all trades, Hall has been beyond important to the 2010 Red Sox.

Prior to 2007, the utility man was a full-time shortstop with Milwaukee and fielded the position quite well.  Since, Hall has been moved all around the diamond but has seen virtually no time at a middle infield spot.  If Hall can adequately serve as the backup infielder, he’ll be of immense value to the club because he will kill two birds with one stone (he is also the top right-handed reserve outfielder on the roster).  If not, the club will have to drastically shift its plans and Hall may not last with the team at all.

What I say now: The key here was that Hall needed to provide acceptable defense at shortstop and second base to have a spot on the roster. Indeed, he’s been passable at both spots and has played 37 games at second and five at short (the position occupied by Marco Scutaro, who is tied for the team lead in games played and leads the Red Sox in games started). Hall’s defensive numbers at both spots this season (small sample sizes are worth noting) and over his career (where the samples are large enough to draw some conclusions) back up the idea that he’s at least a decent enough middle infielder. So the Hall-as-utility-man experiment was a success by that standard. What makes it a roaring win, however, is that Hall’s been so capable offensively. Having played almost every position on the diamond this season (including having pitched an inning), his roster spot would have been valuable if only for its versatility. That he’s hit more home runs than Manny Ramirez and Jason Bay combined in 2010 and has provided a solid enough bat to fill in for the injured Dustin Pedroia on a fairly regular basis since the end of June render the Bill Hall acquisition — which saved the Red Sox a pretty penny in trading Casey Kotchman — one of Theo Epstein’s better, more shrewd moves of the 2009-2010 offseason.

24. Contractual situations do not distract impending free agents.

What I said then: Two superstars – Victor Martinez and Josh Beckett — are entering contract years.  Neither player wants to talk extension during the season, and we are but a week away from the season, so it’s starting to look like this may be a big topic for the next 6 or 7 months.  If these two are not extended, the Sox will hope neither situation distracts the individual players or the team at large.  The flip side, of course, is that motivation for a big pay day might just get even more production out of two guys who are already expected to provide quite a bit to the club’s Championship aspirations.

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