Saturday Small Talk - Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins
Red Sox
RHP Bryan Corey refused his demotion to Triple A Pawtucket and instead opted for free agency. I didn't think the 34 year old minor league journeyman would garner much interest, as evidenced by the fact that no teams claimed him... Joe Thurston was called up on April 16th to assume Alex Cora's roster spot. Cora is eligible to come off the DL next Friday but likely will not do so. With Sean Casey racking up RBI's, Jed Lowrie contributing key base hits and Thurston filling in well in a backup role there's no need for Cora or Mike Lowell to rush back from their respective injuries... Bartolo Colon is said to be playing catch on consecutive days and could be back on the mound for Pawtucket by next week. He's coming back from a strained oblique... Daisuke Matsuzaka became the first AL pitcher to reach 4 wins thanks to the Sox's 11-3 shellacking of the Rangers on Friday. There's no doubt he's looked great so far, but here's something to keep an eye on - the Dice man hasn't pitched 7 full innings in a single outing (he's reached 6.2, 6.2, 5.0, 5.1 in his 4 starts) because he's been running his pitch count up very early; he's also allowed 17 walks so far this season... David Ortiz silenced his critics in a big way last night as the "large father" led the Sox's offensive attack with a grand slam and an RBI single. We're not saying that his mysterious slump to open the season is definitely over, but, well, it appears his slump could be over, so maybe we are saying that... Kyle Farnsworth was slapped with a 3 game suspension for throwing behind Manny a few nights ago; this comes as a huge surprise as the noble Farnsworth has always been a level-headed, thoughtful and clear-minded character... riiiight... He's basically John Rocker's mirror image minus the racially-charged verbal spewings. Simply put, Farnsworth's a bum and always has been and he knows his stuff's not good enough to let his skills do the talking. He's lucky he only got 3 games as there was a very clear intent to injure on that pitch. Sorry, but I'm not buying the "I was just trying to get inside on him" excuse. Whatever happened to the good old "hit-the-guy-who-homered-twice-in-the-butt-cheek" strategy?
Patriots
The Pats signed punter Scott Player, hopefully signaling the end of the Chris Hanson era (not the To Catch a Predator, "Nice to see you, why don't you have a seat over there?" Chris Hansen; pro football's "I had a 16 yard punt in 2007!" Chris Hanson) in New England. Hanson is under contract for the 2008-09 season, so Player is coming in to compete for the starting spot. Player played for the Browns last season and is recognizable because of his old school single-bar facemask and bleach-blond Fu Manchu, so at least he'd add a bit more character to the team... In spite of the fact that he'll only make a total of $2.7 million over the next two years, Vince Wilfork hasn't even considered asking the Pats for a new deal. Vince is one of the most underrated players on that team and has certainly taken a bite out of the humble pie being served at Gillette; in fact, at 6-2, 325 pounds, it looks like the gargantuan nose tackle is having second and third helpings... Troy Brown still hasn't decided if he'll retire or attempt to play another year. Interest is limited because Brown would command at least the $1 million 15 year veteran minimum. Troy is one of the NFL's good guys and we wish him well with whatever he decides.
Celtics
It's becoming more and more apparent that Sam Cassell is having a great time playing for the Boston Celtics; in fact, he loves it so much that he wants to remain a member of the team next year. Cassell would command the 10 year veteran minimum of $1.26 million and the Celtics already have $74.5 million committed next season. Based on his regular season play and depending on his contributions in the playoffs, $1.26 million could be a relative bargain for the 38 year old... Kevin Garnett has missed a couple days of practice, but don't panic - The Big Ticket's absence is due to the fact that his wife was expected to give birth. Congratulations to KG, his wife and the couple's first child... the Celts open up their first round action against Atlanta tomorrow at 8:30 PM (and speaking of the Hawks, Al Horford gets Doc's vote for Rookie of the Year). I predicted a 5 game series but a 4 game sweep is not out of the question. Good luck to the entire Celtics team and coaching staff; let's go get number 17!
Bruins
Defenseman Aaron Ward will be a game-time decision for tonight's pivotal Game 6. Ward missed Game 5 on Thursday due to a knee injury; Andrew Alberts will take his place if he's unable to go... One member of Boston Sports Buzz and several BSB readers were particularly unhappy with having to watch Game 5 in standard definition. I'm still waiting for an explanation and an apology from Comcast, NESN, and/or whoever else decided that game 17 of the Red Sox regular season takes precedence over a possible series-clinching Bruins playoff game... Phil Kessel returned to action in Game 5 and found the back of the net a couple of times. It's nice to see the 20 year old playmaker back in there, especially with the B's hurting for quality scoring opportunities this series. In a related story, my conscience is faltering as I continue to shamelessly plug our own work... Tonight's Game 6 promises to be a momentous occasion as the B's face off against their archrival and fellow Original 6 member, the Montreal Canadiens. To add to the splendor of the event, my family and I will be in attendance thanks to some foresightful ticket purchasing (i.e. dumb luck) by yours truly. Hopefully this series, win or lose, marks a rebirth for the popularity of hockey in this town. As PitchMaster has explained, Boston has one of the richest hockey histories of any city in the world; we should start acting like it. That's it for me for now, see you at the Garden! Go B's!
RHP Bryan Corey refused his demotion to Triple A Pawtucket and instead opted for free agency. I didn't think the 34 year old minor league journeyman would garner much interest, as evidenced by the fact that no teams claimed him... Joe Thurston was called up on April 16th to assume Alex Cora's roster spot. Cora is eligible to come off the DL next Friday but likely will not do so. With Sean Casey racking up RBI's, Jed Lowrie contributing key base hits and Thurston filling in well in a backup role there's no need for Cora or Mike Lowell to rush back from their respective injuries... Bartolo Colon is said to be playing catch on consecutive days and could be back on the mound for Pawtucket by next week. He's coming back from a strained oblique... Daisuke Matsuzaka became the first AL pitcher to reach 4 wins thanks to the Sox's 11-3 shellacking of the Rangers on Friday. There's no doubt he's looked great so far, but here's something to keep an eye on - the Dice man hasn't pitched 7 full innings in a single outing (he's reached 6.2, 6.2, 5.0, 5.1 in his 4 starts) because he's been running his pitch count up very early; he's also allowed 17 walks so far this season... David Ortiz silenced his critics in a big way last night as the "large father" led the Sox's offensive attack with a grand slam and an RBI single. We're not saying that his mysterious slump to open the season is definitely over, but, well, it appears his slump could be over, so maybe we are saying that... Kyle Farnsworth was slapped with a 3 game suspension for throwing behind Manny a few nights ago; this comes as a huge surprise as the noble Farnsworth has always been a level-headed, thoughtful and clear-minded character... riiiight... He's basically John Rocker's mirror image minus the racially-charged verbal spewings. Simply put, Farnsworth's a bum and always has been and he knows his stuff's not good enough to let his skills do the talking. He's lucky he only got 3 games as there was a very clear intent to injure on that pitch. Sorry, but I'm not buying the "I was just trying to get inside on him" excuse. Whatever happened to the good old "hit-the-guy-who-homered-twice-in-the-butt-cheek" strategy?
Patriots
The Pats signed punter Scott Player, hopefully signaling the end of the Chris Hanson era (not the To Catch a Predator, "Nice to see you, why don't you have a seat over there?" Chris Hansen; pro football's "I had a 16 yard punt in 2007!" Chris Hanson) in New England. Hanson is under contract for the 2008-09 season, so Player is coming in to compete for the starting spot. Player played for the Browns last season and is recognizable because of his old school single-bar facemask and bleach-blond Fu Manchu, so at least he'd add a bit more character to the team... In spite of the fact that he'll only make a total of $2.7 million over the next two years, Vince Wilfork hasn't even considered asking the Pats for a new deal. Vince is one of the most underrated players on that team and has certainly taken a bite out of the humble pie being served at Gillette; in fact, at 6-2, 325 pounds, it looks like the gargantuan nose tackle is having second and third helpings... Troy Brown still hasn't decided if he'll retire or attempt to play another year. Interest is limited because Brown would command at least the $1 million 15 year veteran minimum. Troy is one of the NFL's good guys and we wish him well with whatever he decides.
Celtics
It's becoming more and more apparent that Sam Cassell is having a great time playing for the Boston Celtics; in fact, he loves it so much that he wants to remain a member of the team next year. Cassell would command the 10 year veteran minimum of $1.26 million and the Celtics already have $74.5 million committed next season. Based on his regular season play and depending on his contributions in the playoffs, $1.26 million could be a relative bargain for the 38 year old... Kevin Garnett has missed a couple days of practice, but don't panic - The Big Ticket's absence is due to the fact that his wife was expected to give birth. Congratulations to KG, his wife and the couple's first child... the Celts open up their first round action against Atlanta tomorrow at 8:30 PM (and speaking of the Hawks, Al Horford gets Doc's vote for Rookie of the Year). I predicted a 5 game series but a 4 game sweep is not out of the question. Good luck to the entire Celtics team and coaching staff; let's go get number 17!
Bruins
Defenseman Aaron Ward will be a game-time decision for tonight's pivotal Game 6. Ward missed Game 5 on Thursday due to a knee injury; Andrew Alberts will take his place if he's unable to go... One member of Boston Sports Buzz and several BSB readers were particularly unhappy with having to watch Game 5 in standard definition. I'm still waiting for an explanation and an apology from Comcast, NESN, and/or whoever else decided that game 17 of the Red Sox regular season takes precedence over a possible series-clinching Bruins playoff game... Phil Kessel returned to action in Game 5 and found the back of the net a couple of times. It's nice to see the 20 year old playmaker back in there, especially with the B's hurting for quality scoring opportunities this series. In a related story, my conscience is faltering as I continue to shamelessly plug our own work... Tonight's Game 6 promises to be a momentous occasion as the B's face off against their archrival and fellow Original 6 member, the Montreal Canadiens. To add to the splendor of the event, my family and I will be in attendance thanks to some foresightful ticket purchasing (i.e. dumb luck) by yours truly. Hopefully this series, win or lose, marks a rebirth for the popularity of hockey in this town. As PitchMaster has explained, Boston has one of the richest hockey histories of any city in the world; we should start acting like it. That's it for me for now, see you at the Garden! Go B's!
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