Things are looking up for the Bruins

The Bruins walked off the ice celebrating their victory Monday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. This game was their season-high six goals. Rich Peverley, Dennis Seidenberg, Jordan Caron each had one goal, and Brad Marchand had two all in the first two periods. By the end the 2nd period most people began filling out because most just figured that the Bruins had it in the bag. Carolina's Patrick Dwyer and Drayson Bowman finally scored two goals in the middle of the 3rd period. One final beautiful play and goal by Nathan Horton at the end of the 3rd period was the icing on the cake to put the Bruins up 6-2. Coach Julien had nothing bad to say after the game, so hopefully the Bruins spunk is finally back. Hopefully we'll be seeing more wins nearing the playoffs. 

For more updates on the Bruins visit: http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/extras/bruins_blog/?

Red Sox Home Opener

The Boston Red Sox had the perfect home opener last night at Fenway against the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox skated by with a 3-1 win. After a dramatic year of under former manager Bobby Valentine, the Sox have a sense of direction under Farrell. The team is playing the way Coach Farrell hoped they would when spring training started. Farrell and pitching coach Juan Nieves have been working well together in their rotation. Clay Buchholz threw seven shutout innings against the Orioles, allowing only three singles. He struck out eight and walked four. The Sox are undefeated in the four games started by Buchholz and the number 1 starter, Jon Lester. The two have allowed three earned runs over 26 innings. Red Sox starters have a 2.45 earned run average with 47 strikeouts over 40⅓innings. They have won nine consecutive home openers, the longest active streak in the majors. More importantly, they are 5-2 and currently in first place. The 2013 season looks very promising for Boston. 

For more info and updates on the Red Sox: http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox

Garnett and Pierce Return for a Win

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce returned to the floor last night to beat the Washington Wizards 107-96. Their roster is still broken, with some that won’t return again this season. The Celtics are still shorthanded, but they were finally as whole as possible for the first time in awhile. The first preview of that lineup was promising, and in the game Boston led by as many as 18 points. Garnett played after missing eight games with inflammation in his left ankle, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes. Pierce returned after missing one game with a turned right ankle, adding 15 points and five assists. He said his ankle felt better than a few days ago, but was still tender. They both aren’t at full strength, but they’re as strong as they can be, and for now that’s good enough. Boston received a glimpse of a lineup that hopefully will carry us through the playoffs.

See more at http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/

Chris Kelly Still Recovering

Chris Kelly will not be joining his fellow teammates on the ice tonight. Kelly continues to improve and could be back in the lineup next week. He participated in the morning skate, and then remained on the ice with Wade Redden and Anton Khudobin afterwards. Kelly suffered a broken left tibia March 11 in a nasty knee-to-knee collision with Chris Neil against the Canadians. “It’s a fine line between pushing and being reckless,” Kelly said. “It’s feeling better every day. I’ll skate again tomorrow and see how it feels.” Bruins coach Claude Julien also says Kelly is moving in the right direction. He was with the team for the trip to Montreal and will be there tonight just not lacing up with his other teammates. Tuukka Rask will make his second straight start for Chris Kelly. The Bruins host Carolina tonight at 7:00 pm at the TD Garden.


See more at: http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/extras/bruins_blog/

Jaromir Jagr to Boston

The Boston Bruins have acquired 41 year old wing Jaromir Jagr from the Dallas Stars.
Jagr skated with his new team for the first time Thursday morning, and addressed the media in the locker room after the session. He spoke about the type of hockey player he is now, in his 19th year in the league. Jaromir Jagr recently recorded his 1,000th assist, and 679 goal, but stated he's not the same player he was in his prime. This is his sixth NHL team he's been on in his career, and he is happy to be with a Bruins. The team is definitely aiming to contend for the Stanley Cup. The nine-time NHL All-Star said he's healthy and sees no reason to give up the game he loves any time soon. Jagr sees himself as the role of teacher at this point in his career, and is excited to teach the guys how to make their hockey life easier. Jaromir Jagr will join the line with center Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand. We'll see if things get easier for the Bruins with Jagr in the lineup.


See more at: http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/extras/bruins_blog/

One Loss After Another

As if the Bruins’ 6-5 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night wasn’t painful enough, tempered Bruins fans woke up to find Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla would not be hopping on the first plane to Boston. The Bruins blew a two-goal, third-period lead, and lost in a shootout. Iginla is now in Pittsburgh, leaving Boston sulking the corner. Jarome Iginla was supposed to hopefully dramatically improve the Bruins’ offense but he said he’d rather play for the Penguins. Boston lost out by no fault of its own. The Bruins reportedly offered the Calgary Flames a package that included defenseman Matt Bartkowski, center Alexander Khokhlachev, and a first-round draft pick. The Flames reportedly preferred Boston's offer, but stuck to the demands of their player. Maybe Iginla isn’t really the type of player the Bruins ultimately want.


See more at: http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/extras/bruins_blog/

Everyone Wants Jarome Iginla

With the NHL trading deadline only 8 days away, all eyes are on the Calgary Flames and what they'll ultimately decide to do with their veteran captain Jarome Iginla. According to multiple reports, the Bruins are one of a handful of teams in on acquiring Iginla. The 35 year old has 22 points this season, which would place him third on Boston, and tied with Tyler Seguin. Iginla has reportedly submitted a list of four teams he would waive his no-movement clause for: Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. Oddly enough they are the last four Stanley Cup winners. But let's knock the list down to three because the Pittsburgh Penguins plan on acquiring Brendan Morrow from the Dallas Stars after failing to come to an agreement with the Flames. According to The Globe, the Calgary Flames asked the Penguins for a top four defense prospect, a draft pick, and a player off the team's roster. The Penguins were quick to decline. Iginla is who Bruins fans have been praying for since the beginning of this shortened season. Let's be real, the Bruins need to step up their game on the offensive end and Jarome Iginla seems to be the key to our success.

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Tonight is game 31 of the Boston Bruins season. They will be taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:05 pm at the TD Garden in Boston tonight. This game is a kick off to yet another very busy week for the Bruins. Coach Claude Julien addressed the media this morning, noting that Adam McQuaid, and Johnny Boychuk would not be playing at all tonight. McQuaid who had suffered a strained shoulder will be out for about 4-6 weeks. Boychuk missed Saturday's game in Toronto with an undisclosed injury. With the crammed games it's hard for the Bruins to stay healthy and perform at the top of their game. Coach Julien was quoted about the Bruins performance over the recent roadtrip ''...What is disappointing right now is that we are not playing the type of game that we should. Tonight if we are mad, we've got to be mad at ourselves for not playing our game and going out there and being a bit more hungry. Hopefully our work ethic and the talent we feel we have will take over.'' The Bruins are just going to have to play through the pain for the last 18 games if they want any chance of making it to the playoffs.


For more updates on the Bruins visit: http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/extras/bruins_blog/

Garnett Possibly Missing 4-5 Games

The Celtics may never get completely healthy for the playoffs with their post-Rondo roster. Just as Courtney Lee was declared out for Saturday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a sprained left ankle, Kevin Garnett was also out with a sore foot. For tomorrow's game against the New York Knicks the news was positive for Courtney Lee, and he will return able to play, but for Garnett is still uncertain. Garnett injured his left foot and ankle in Friday's 114-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Doc Rivers was quoted before his team took to the practice floor and Sports Authority Training Center that the complete results of Garnett's MRI exam wouldn't be available until later in the afternoon, and he said he was "almost positive" Garnett would not play against the Knicks. Although Doc is certain that this isn't the end of Kevin Garnett's season and that his injuries were not serious.

For more updates on Garnett visit:
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/?#sthash.DK7Fw0nl.dpuf

Wes Welker to the Broncos

The ending of the Welker saga was not what most Patriots' fans were hoping for. Some, just like Bob Kraft, were pushing Wes Welker right out the door of Patriot's nation after a few unforgettable drops in the past Super Bowl against the New York Giants, and again in the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens. But now Wes Welker has made his final decision and it's off the Denver Broncos for him. Welker closed his deal with the Broncos for 2 years and $12 million dollars. The final deal had many fans scratching their heads because the ex-Patriots wide receiver had been basically traded at a discounted price. Welker had a much better deal with the Patriots in his previous contract. Which begs the question, where Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick done with Welker or was this his way to finally stick to Belichick in the end? We'll never know the truth with so many rumors circling around this story, and the next to nothing possibility of getting any information from Patriots Place. For now we say our goodbyes to Wes Welker and wait to see who the Patriots bring up to try to replace top wide receiver in the league.

See more at http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/

What Will Come of Wes Welker

Wes Welker has been a wide receiver and a key component to the Patriots' offense since his debut in New England back in 2007. Welker and Tom  Brady have been a fearsome duo on the field and were one of many reasons the Patriots had made the Super Bowl in 2012. Of course the Patriots ended up losing that game to the New York Jets. Many fans, and even the owner, had a few issues with Wes Welker's performance. Even though Welker has league leading stats, the fans and franchise can't get over the drops in last year’s Super Bowl loss to the Giants and in this year’s AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens. It was a tough end of a season for Welker being benched for playoffs, and having issues with Belichick. Now that he is on the brink of being a free agent, many new Englanders are pushing the wide receiver out. Wes Welker is clearly not feeling the love from his team and from his fans. The saga of his contractual status will continue until the Patriots come to a means or the star uses his free agency as an advantage.

Sticking to My Roots

Okay so I thought that having such a general topic for my blog would be an easy way to always have something to post about. I love all types of sports, so it just seemed like the right idea. Well now I'm changing my mind. I figured I should stick to my roots and give all my undivided attention to my Boston teams. I wouldn't be a good fan if I didn't, and having a less general topic is so much easier to work with. Now I don't have to constantly decide which story to talk about next, and now my blog flows together nicely. Before it was a messy mix of the sports world. Now the rest of my blog will be dedicated to the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, and Red Sox. With Basketball season still in full swing I will probably focus a little bit more on the Celtics. I know the Bruins aren't even halfway through their season, but basketball will forever be my favorite sport. My next post will definitely be about sports and not another one of my rants about changing my topic.

Bruins buckle up for a bumpy ride

After Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the New York Islanders the Bruins now bring their record to 12-2-2. They can thank the NHL for their record and quiet start to the 48-game season with such a generous schedule thus far. The Bruins have only played 16 games so far and not a single team has played fewer than that. Boston has played three games fewer than Montreal, and four games fewer than Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. After playing only 16 games over 40 days, the Bruins are buckling up for a hectic rest of the season. From the end of February through March they will play 18 games over 33 days. They'll total 32 games over the final 58 days of the regular season.

This is definitely a rude awakening for a team that has played one back-to-back game so far this season. The early-season schedule has no doubt benefited Boston but the back-to-backs aren't going to be a walk in the park. The Bruins will have more than a day in between games only once for the last 32 games. The next stretch of games brings plenty of challenge for the physical health of the entire team and all more of a challenge for the players having to bounce back. The dramatic change of the schedule may put a damper on many Bruins fan's parades when their record begins to teeter back and forth. But just maybe the beginning of season has given Boston a bigger advantage than we think.


See more at: http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/wilbur/#sthash.eFvJisxX.dpuf

First day out at the Daytona 500

Many NASCAR fans were excited for the opening of the season with the Daytona 500 this past Sunday in Daytona Beach, Florida. The champion of it all was Jimmy Johnson. This year made his 400th career start. He outpaced every single driver, holding off several challenges. As the leading cars barrelled around the corner heading for the checkered flag, a wreck broke out behind them. NASCAR did not bring out the yellow flag, and allowed the drivers to finish. Johnson was followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in second. Mark Martin came home third. Tony Stewart entered the Daytona 500 as one of the favorites but sadly finished 24^th. McDowell’s 9^th place finish was his first top 10 in the Sprint Cup Series. JJ Yeley finished 10^th, and Ryan Newman also finished in the top 10.

For more NASCAR news and updates on the Daytona 500 visit the link below:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/

Kansas City Chiefs on the hunt for a quarterback

The biggest story in the AFC now heading into the new year will be to see where the Kansas City Chiefs find their new starting quarterback. Many quarterbacks have been working out at the NFL combine. The NFL league season starts March 12. The Chiefs can either then trade for a veteran or sign one. The Chiefs have the No. 1 pick, and it seems as if they are leaning toward pursuing a veteran. They're best options of current NFL players are, Matt Flynn (Seattle), Jason Campbell (Chicago), Ryan Mallett (New England), Colt McCoy (Cleveland), Kyle Orton (Dallas), Carson Palmer (Oakland), Braden Weeden (Cleveland). Second-tier options are Matt Barkley (USC), Tyler Bray (Tennessee), Mike Glennon (North Carolina (Syracuse), E.J. Manuel (Florida State), Ryan Nassib (Syracuse), and Tyler Wilson (Arkansas). None of them may be the answer and of course some players come with risks, but it could be worth getting them in the system and trying to develop them in a year. With the season starting in a little over 2 weeks it'll be interesting to see what Kansas City does with their No. 1 pick.





All this information can be found at espn.com. Here is the link below:

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/55235/who-will-be-the-chiefs-next-quarterback

Biting in the NHL?

If you're a big hockey fan or not you most likely have heard or read in the news about the game this past Saturday on February 9 between Montreal Canadians and the Toronto Maple Leafs. If you haven't heard or don't remember I'll give you a little recap:

The 6-0 win by Toronto wasn't even close to as crazy as the fight between Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski and the Canadiens Max Pacioretty. The fight happened around 11:30 of the third period. Pacioretty appeared from the brawl, and revealed his wrist to the officials, saying that Grabovski had bit him. Both players were given a 10 minute time out penalty box for misconduct.

On Sunday the NHL’s department of player safety said they would review the allegations that Grabovski bit Pacioretty. Grabovski had a hearing with Brendan Shanahan, the league’s Vice President, at 11 a.m. on Monday. As of yesterday the NHL has decided not to discipline Mikhail Grabovski for his allegedly biting to Max Pacioretty. After interviewing both players involved in the incident and reviewing all of the available video and medical reports, the League could not determine that Grabovski actually bit Pacioretty. The Department of Player Safety concluded that there wasn't enough sufficient evidence to uphold any discipline.

Here a link to the video where Grabovski bites Pacioretty http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHkWtYs9TdM&feature=player_embedded

Celtics Buzz

After hearing the news of Rajon Rondo's ACL tear every Boston fan probably had to have thrown any idea of the Celtics even making the playoffs this year. The Boston Celtics seem to have two choices for the conclusion of their season: either play out the rest of their season with an underachieving year or keep their heads up, play their hearts out, and salvage any possibilities of having a successful ending. It seems with the seven-game win streak, the Celtics brought back to life their togetherness. With the absence of their star point guard's assist totals and run offense, the Celtics have now began to distribute touches on the offensive end and more scoring options have developed.

The defining test of their unity, and still being the old Celtics that had won the championship  back in 2008 is Keven Garnett. The towering center has been a leader and the glue holding the team intact. In these last few weeks there has been talk about a possible trade. Even though his years in the NBA are slowly coming to an end, any team would jump at the opportunity to acquire such a valuable player. These rumors have come to a halt when Garnett proclaimed his faith and his commitment to the organization. He plans on playing out the last days of his career in Shamrock green.

The Celtics have taken on the challenge of upholding their team chemistry. We'll have to see what is to come in the last 32 games of the regular season.

Introduction: First blog ever

Hey guys!

My name is Mary and I am currently a freshman at SSU. This is all new to me and might take a while to get used to and understand, but I am excited to get started. I want tell you a little bit about myself and what the blog will be about before I just jump right into it. Alright here we go!

ABOUT ME: 

I already said I am currently a freshman and I am living on campus. It's definitely a whole new experience moving away from home and being totally independent. The hardest thing to get used to in college was actually not playing any sports for the first time in my entire life. I played soccer, basketball, and ran track. I've played and followed various sports, and proffesional teams for as long as I can remember. I've actually even fallen behind a little on following my favorite teams. When I recieved this blog assignment I knew exactly what I was going to write about and I was happy that it some-what forced me back into the sports world.

MY BLOG:

This blog I created may look like any of the other sports blogs out there from a distance but I hope when reading it you will get a little bit of me out of it. I hope to keep it fresh and amusing to everyone that also loves varies types of sports. This blog will focus more on the news or should I say the "buzz" in the sports world. I'll keep you updated on every sport and athlete. I'll be talking about games, scandals, drafts, trades and everything else. I'm going to try to not go on crazy rants or throw my opinion out on every subject I talk about. I want to this this blog to be more informal other than a crazy fan's diary. I hope you enjoy!

*I apologize for the late post. Technology is always really good at not cooperating with deadlines*