Welcome To October…

For three days after the Red Sox’ season ended the weather was rainy, gray and cool with wind gusts swirling about. It felt like a slap in the face rudely announcing the end of baseball in Boston until next spring. We’ve grown accustomed to October Baseball, maybe spoiled in believing that it’s an automatic part of the season. Nevermind the injuries; it was the bullpen that killed this team. A bullpen that blew a ton games in which the Sox held a lead after the sixth inning. The playoffs began and we watched, only because there was little else of interest out there.

2010-11 Boston Bruins Week 1:

The Bruins embarked on a new season in quest of Lord Stanley’s Cup, which they have not hoisted in 38 years. The Bruins have a good-to-very-good team, one that is capable of a top-4 finish in the East, yet one that could also struggle. There was not a great deal of roster churning between this year and last. The key new additions are Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell from Florida as well as rookies Jordan Caron and Tyler Seguin. However, they’re without their best playmaker, Marc Savard, for the foreseeable future as he recovers from post-concussion syndrome. The B’s management settled a couple of pending UFA matters when they signed Patrice Bergeron to a three-year contract extension on Friday, and just before the puck dropped on Saturday, announced that they had inked team captain Zdeno Chara to a seven-year extension. Two years ago, the so-called experts picked them to finish out of the playoffs and they had the best record in the League. Last year, the very same experts picked them to be contenders for the Cup and they were lucky to make the playoffs. They have talent, but no one really knows.

Game 1 v. Phoenix Coyotes at O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic (10/9/10):

The Coyotes (50-27-7-107 last season) are a very good team, which is remarkable considering their ownership/attendance mess. They’re coached by Dave Tippett, the former Islander who was at the helm of the Dallas Stars for many years. They don’t feature any big guns, but are a well-disciplined and cohesive group. Tuukka Rask started in goal against the Coyotes’ Ilya Bryzgalov. The B’s had no rhythm in the early going as the Coyotes played a tight-checking game that stymied every offensive advance. Radim Vrbata put the Dogs ahead 1-0 at 7:59 of the first on a rebound from Adrian Aucoin’s blast from the point. The B’s went on the power play twelve minutes in. Martin Hanzal broke up a pass and broke in alone, but Rask stoned him. The B’s had a brief 5-on-3 power play but could do nothing. Radim Vrbata was called for interference late in the period, and again turned over the puck at the blue line and Petr Prucha had a break away that Rask smartly turned away. Two turnovers are unacceptable at any stage of the year. The Coyotes made it 2-0 at 1:54 of the second as Taylor Pyatt picked a loose puck from Fiddler’s wrap around attempt and tucked it top corner. The B’s defense loafed their way through that exchange, standing around as if they were sightseeing. Scottie Upshall made it 3-0 on yet another blue line turnover as he grabbed the loose puck, skated in alone and slid it past Rask in the low right corner. Late in the period, Phoenix went on the power play and Belanger made it 4-0 on a one-time shot from Yandle’s perfect pass and banged it into the empty left side of the net. One period of awful hockey was followed by a triple-ugly one. The B’s decided to finally make an appearance at the beginning of the third period as they peppered Bryzgalov in the early going. Nathan Horton scored the B’s first goal of the year, as he took a pass from Krejci at the top of the slot and buried it top corner. Campbell and Fiddler had a round-and-round go, but there was no clear victor. After the goal and the fight, the B’s really picked up their physical play as Chara bopped Upshall and sent him sprawling and then cuffed him in the mouth after he got up. The B’s went back on the power play mid way through the period and Horton scored his second goal when he took from Ryder between the circles and ripped a wrist shot past Bryzgalov. But a slashing call against Campbell killed the B’s momentum and neither side pressed the play. With less than two minutes left, Julien pulled Rask and Vrbata almost instantly scored when he popped one in from the blue line. The B’s did play much better in the third, and hopefully that’ll be a springboard for a good outing tomorrow.

Game 2 at Phoenix Coyotes at O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic (10/10/10):

The Bruins looked to rebound from their sorry-ass showing on opening night on the following day at O2 Arena in Prague. Perhaps it was a matter of too much partying, but the B’s were downright awful for two periods before deciding to skate in the third period. Tim Thomas started in goal, returning from off-season hip labrum surgery and all sorts of trade rumors. No one was going to trade for an injured goaltender with a $5MM cap hit unless absolutely desperate. Jordan Caron made his NHL debut in this game and Daniel Paille sat. The B’s came out with jump from the outset, and an early power play enabled them to cement the momentum going forward. Late in the period, Ed Jovanoski dumped a Bruin player behind the Phoenix net and Shawn Thornton immediately stepped in to address the matter, something that didn’t always happen last year.

Moving into the second period, both teams played with aggression and purpose, the B’s did not make any sloppy passes or plays unlike yesterday. The B’s went up 1-0 at 12:09 when Milan Lucic’s slap shot from the blue line was deflected and beat Ilya Bryzgalov. The goal resulted from Krejci’s interception of a turnover by Ekman-Larsson at the red line and he fed Lucic breaking into the Coyotes’ zone. With 32 seconds left in the period, the B’s went up 2-0 as Nathan Horton scored his third goal of the season after he took a pass from Mark Recchi, spun around and knocked the puck behind Bryzgalov. The goal was largely credited to Recchi’s hard work in the left corner, wrestling the puck away from two Coyotes’ defenders and wheeling it to Horton, who was standing out in front.

At the beginning of the third period, Chara flattened Vrbata like a grape at the Coyotes’ blue line. In the early minutes, the B’s continued to forecheck well and created opportunities that kept Bryzgalov busy. Tyler Seguin scored his first NHL goal at 9:10, coming on a breakaway that started with a lob pass from Ryder. For one of the few times during the game, the B’s had become sloppy in their end. Seguin dove to break up a play in the corner, turned around and headed up the ice, where Ryder saw him breaking. Seguin caught the puck, skated in alone and beat Bryzgalov on the backhand. Down 3-0, the Coyotes picked up the intensity, and their anxiety led to undisciplined play and left them shorthanded two times as the hour drew late. Yandle had a bid on the penalty kill that Thomas dove to save. Lucic and Jovanoski had a little tiff, dropped the gloves but nothing happened. In the final minute, The Coyotes put a couple of dangerous shots on Thomas, but he was up to the test and picked up his eighteenth career save. The B’s played a very good two-way game tonight and completely erased the ill effects from the opener.

The Liverpool Red Sox?

Word from Liverpool FC is that the tentacles of Red Sox ownership have surrounded the cash-strapped football icon with a winning bid of $477M. The first thought is whether this is an attempt to one-up the Krafts. The team is presently owned by a pair of American carpetbaggers (Gillett, former owner of the Canadiens) and (Hicks, former owner of Texas Rangers/Dallas Stars), who have proven themselves uniquely inept in the management of professional sports franchises, and have run one of international football’s signature franchises into the ground. The animosity between the Liverpool Faithful and ownership is so poisoned that the supporters have made “Yankees Go Home” a watchword. The world’s most famous club, Manchester United, is owned by the Glazer Brothers, who also own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The crowd at Old Trafford doesn’t exactly hold warm and fuzzy feelings for foreign owners there, either.

Why Henry’s New England Sports Ventures (“NESV”) would seek to enter this murky environment is a mystery. The supporters have made it emphatically clear that they don’t want foreign ownership of a national treasure. If approved by Liverpool Board and The Football League, NESV faces a daunting task, much more difficult than their purchase of the Red Sox. To purchase a franchise valued over a billion dollars at bargain basement prices is naturally a matter that prudent business minds would consider and do their due diligence, but the new owners have little to “squeeze” to win the hearts and minds of the faithful. What leverage does NESV possess to convince a disaffected supporter base that they’re not “same as the old boss”? Americans would be justifiably concerned if a foreign entity took control of a flagship franchise, so why shouldn’t Liverpool supporters feel the same? After all, Liverpool gave the world The Beatles and they became a worldwide treasure for the ages. Liverpool's opinion of music is good enough to validate their opinions on who should operate their beloved football team. Besides, if NESV lacks an understanding of the nuances of international football and the investment turns sour, don’t you think that any ill effects will impinge on their operation of the Red Sox? There’s a reason why Liverpool can be bought so cheaply: Bad Management. If NESV’s bid is successful, they’d damn sure better put the right people in charge of running the operation. We’ll be watching.

Late word regarding the transaction is if LFC falls into bankruptcy the Football League may decide to put the club into administration, dock nine points and create a possible relegation scenario then NESV will back out of the deal. The bid is obviously contingent on remaining in the Premiership and building the club back into what it was.

Fare Thee Well, Randy (Manny, Act II):

After a fantastic win in Miami on Monday night, the Patriots traded Randy Moss to the Vikings for a third-round pick next year. The problem with analyzing this move is that information coming out of Foxboro is held tighter than state secrets. All we know is that Moss had been clamoring for a new contract and he was traded. There was a ton of media speculation and rumors of disharmony, but we’ll never know the whole story. The Boston media is especially skilled in the art of smearing players on their way out the door, so there’s not a lot of stock to be taken in all of their duplicitous drivel. What we know for sure is that his departure does create a hole in the offense going forward. All we can do is surmise that Moss’ oar was not pulling in the same direction as the rest of the team and that was contrary to Belichick’s program. There were alleged arguments between Moss and other players and coaches, but, really, who cares? The rumbles coming out of the locker room sounded very much like The Final Days of Manny Ramirez with the Red Sox, where the player’s anxiety over securing a new contract consumed the player and became too much of a distraction for all parties involved. Moss had fired his old agent during the off-season and his new one had been demanding a trade. OK, there you go. Other than Tom Brady, no single player’s contractual situation is greater than the weekly goals of the team. Brady received an extension befitting his incredible contributions to the franchise. The numbers allegedly bandied about by the Moss Camp ($9-10MM/yr.) did not comport with how the franchise values positional players. Everything else that is put forth is pretty much irrelevant from the Patriots’ perspective. Patriots’ fans ought to be familiar with how cutthroat the franchise can be in the renegotiation of contracts and quickly moving on from players who believe the value of their services exceeds what the team is willing to pay (e.g., Milloy, Vinatieri).

If you follow our weekly football picks, we haven’t put much stock in the Patriots’ chances this year. Despite their big win in Miami, the defense has a lot to learn and they face a brutal schedule. Coach Belichick has proven that he can build championship football teams, but the hallmark of these great teams has been the defense. The Brady-to-Moss connection provided a ton of thrilling moments for the fans, but after 2007, the team’s overall performance has been on the dee-cline. Last year’s playoff loss at home to the Ravens should’ve been a warning to fans that the defense needed a complete overhaul. One by one, the defensive stalwarts that delivered three Super Bowl victories departed and it will take more than a couple of good drafts to secure suitable replacements. Last year’s playoff humiliation was a watershed moment for the Coach (and hopefully, the fans). Better to acknowledge the rebuilding of the defense and patiently accept the necessary growing pains than to buy a delusion that touchdown passes will cover the deficiencies on the other side of the ball.

As far as what Moss does for the Vikes, all of the ESPN “experts” will be falling over themselves to provide analysis. We really don’t care about Brett Favre and/or the Vikings. They may make the playoffs but there are more talented teams in the NFC. Favre is operating on fumes right now and the team sold its soul to bring him back for one last chance for a brass ring. Nevertheless, it ought to be fun to see the return of “Straight Cash Homey” Moss in Foxboro on Halloween.

To The Pitch:

Wrexham Match 14 v. Fleetwood Town (10/5/10):

The Dragons returned to the Racecourse for a Tuesday evening date with Fleetwood Town and played to a scoreless draw. For FT, only Magno Vieira’s shot in the 37th and Jamie Mullan’s shot in the 64th were on frame. For Wrexham, Marvin Andrews’ shot in the 84th and Nathaniel Knight-Percival’s try in extra time were stopped by Scott Davies in Fleetwood’s goal. Dragons are now 5-3-6-21 and ascending the table.

Wrexham Match 15 v. AFC Wimbledon (10/09/10):

At least Dragons scored this time, but Andrew Mangan’s 27th minute strike did not hold up as Wimbledon equalized early in the second half and banged in the game winner late as Wrexham fell 2-1 at the Racecourse on Saturday afternoon. Maxwell Christie started in goal for Wrexham but it was the Dragons who had the better part of the offensive chances in the early going. Wimbledon’s Sam Hatton was booked in the 14th for a hand ball, setting up a free kick/cross by Dean Keates. Marvin Andrews’ header off the cross went wide right. Two minutes later, Andrew Morrell’s blast from inside the box hit the bar. Mangan then followed up with a shot from long distance that Wimbledon’s Sebastien Brown leaped to catch. Mangan finally made good in the 27th as he picked Neil Ashton’s left wing cross directly in front of Brown and banged it through. Jay Harris nearly made -it 2-nil just two minutes later when his shot just outside and to the right of the box was caught by Brown. Just before the half, Wrexham had two more good chances as Gareth Taylor’s shot went wide right, Harris’ header from Ashton’s thrown was snared by Brown and Mangan’s second long-distance volley missed to the right. It was all Dragons in the first half.

The second half would prove not to be as kind. Wimbeldon went directly to the attack to open the second frame and Christian Jolley equalized in the 47th as he took a right wing cross from Ryan Jackson directly out in front of Christie and knocked it in. Momentum slowly began to swing in Wimbeldon’s favor as play continued. Ricky Wellard’s corner in the 71st was smartly picked by Christie, and a few minutes later, Christie stopped Danny Kedwell’s shot from in close. Wimbledon went ahead in the 84th when Rashid Yussuff banged the rebound of Kedwell’s header behind Christie. Despite replacing two players after the goal, Wrexham had no answer. They’re now 5-4-6-21 and have to be kicking themselves after seeing so many chances go for naught.

FA Cup Draw:

The Football League made their draws for the fourth round of the FA Cup and Wrexham drew Blue Square Premier League colleagues Southport on October 23rd.

Piacenza Match 8 at Empoli (10/10/10):

Biancorossi allowed another chance at victory slip through their fingers as they settled for a 1-1 draw with Empoli at Carlo Castellani on Sunday afternoon. After a quiet (and scoreless) first half, Piacenza’s ace, Daniele Cacia, put biancorossi on the board with a goal in the 71st. But Empoli’s Claudio Coralli equalized in the 84th and once more, biancorossi came away without the full three points. Something needs to give with Coach Madonna’s crew as they’re now 0-5-3-3 and still dead last in Serie B.

New England Revolution Match 28 at Houston Dynamo (10/10/10):

Only two matches remained after this one in this lost year, as the MLS East last-place Revs (7-15-5-26) traveled to Houston to face MLS West last-place Dynamo (7-16-4-25). Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi were on international duty with the Gambian National Team. This is a lost year for perennial power Houston, and their great coach, Dominic Kinnear. Bobby Shuttleworth started in place of Matt Reis tonight. The Match was played at Robertson Stadium in Houston, the home of the UH Cougars. The pitch was marked out for American football, which makes following the action difficult on the eye. Geoff Cameron had a great break down right wing in the early going that was broken up before he entered the box. Shuttleworth made a good stop in the 7th, after a breakdown in the box by Osei gave Dynamo a great chance by Cam Weaver. Shuttleworth smartly came out and grabbed the ball before Weaver could strike. Revs had their first corner in the 10th, but Stolica’s header went over the net. Dynamo came right back as Brad Davis tested Shuttleworth with a quality chance. Shuttleworth was injured in the 13th when Dominic Oduro shoved Darius Barnes into the goalkeeper and Shuttleworth was down for over a minute before getting back into the play. In the 22nd, Lovel Palmer’s shot was nicely picked by Shuttleworth. Phelan was booked in the 26th for a studs-up tackle on Cameron’s knee. (Phelan reached his yellow-card limit and will be suspended for next week’s match). Cameron was fortunate that he didn’t blow an ACL/MCL as his knee was planted and pushed back. Davis’ ensuing left-footed free kick curled over the goal. In the 34th, Cameron knocked one on frame after gaining possession in the box, heading the ball and kicking the rebound that just wrapped around the goal. Cory Gibbs was booked in the 37th when he and Cam Weaver got into a wrestling match over a ball in the Revs’ end. Cameron’s header off of Davis’ free kick went wide right. Shalrie Joseph put Revs ahead in the 43rd as he picked a perfectly flipped ball from Osei, broke to the right in the box, through two defenders and slid the ball past Onstad in Houston’s goal. Shuttleworth made a brilliant stop of Oduro’s point blank blast in stoppage time.

Moving into the second half, Adrian Serioux was booked for a dirty legs-up tackle on Dube in the early moments. It was blatant, as Serioux made no pretense of going for the ball but directly for Dube’s leg. Palmer’s header from Oduro’s cross in the 51st went over the bar, as the Revs’ D broke down. Gibbs suffered an ugly right knee twist in the 53rd as he broke into the box and collided with the goalkeeper and Serioux. Gibbs was able to make way to the sideline with help from the physio, and trotted back on the pitch minutes later. Oduro equalized for Houston in the 60th when he picked Mulrooney’s cross from the right flank and buried it on a one-timer past Shuttleworth. Where… was… the… defense? Dynamo substantially ramped up the tempo after the goal. Zack Schiliawski was subbed on for Perovic in the 63rd as Perovic was either out of gas or injured. In the 65th, Oduro rocked a volley from outside the box that Shuttleworth tipped over the bar. Kheli Dube put Revs ahead 2-1 in the 73rd when he took a pass from Stolica and, unmarked, stuffed the ball low left corner. The goal was set up by Stolica, who fought for possession of the ball in the left corner of the box with Cochrane, picked the ball and saw Dube breaking alone toward the right corner. Shuttleworth made a nice stop on Palmer’s low drive in the 84th. Seth Sinovic entered for Dube in the 89th. Shuttleworth came up with a good deflection on a header, but knocked heads with Barnes in the process. Four minutes of extra time were added and, a minute in, Corey Ashe had a rush down left flank that was shunted away by Joseph. Two minutes in, Joseph Ngwenya was red-carded for a rough leg knock on Gibbs’ left knee. Two more minutes of time were added and Stolica was replaced by rookie Jason Griffiths. Cameron elbowed Phelan in the face while fighting over a ball and was immediately red-carded (a suspension is likely to follow) and the game ended on an ugly note. It was only the Revs’ second road win of the year. If they play well in their final two matches, perhaps there will be a carry-over to next year.

Gridiron Time:

UFL Hartford Colonials Game 3 at Florida Tuskers (10/9/10):

The Colonials lost 33-20 to Florida before a “sparse” crowd at Rentschler Field on Saturday afternoon. The full recap of the game is here, but in brief, the story of the game was the Tuskers playing smart, opportunistic football while the Colonials turning the ball over a bundle of times (three fumble recoveries and an interception). When a team plays football as poorly as that, they’re bound to get their asses kicked. The Tuskers came into this game 0-2 and were in desperate straits for a win. Their defense was extremely aggressive (note the turnovers) and sacked Josh McCown four times. In the fourth quarter, the Colonials made it a 23-20 game on a desperation pass from McCown to tight end Ronnie Ghent from the five. It was a great play, as McCown was chased out of the pocket and nearly tackled before fluttering a pass into the end zone that Ghent grabbed from a crowd of defenders. By that time, the Colonials’ defense was toast and Tuskers’ running back, Dominic Rhodes, cut through them like (pardon the pun) a hot knife through butter. Florida scored 10 more points in the waning moments of the game and came away with a really solid two-way victory.

Saskatchewan Roughriders Game 14 v. Toronto Argonauts (10/9/10):

The Argos upset the Riders 24-19 before a packed house at Mosaic on Saturday afternoon, as they scored early and Durant was simply unable to get the offense untracked at all. Cleo Lemon returned to the lineup after missing last week’s game with a concussion and his veteran presence made all the difference as the Argos went out to an 11-1 first quarter lead and really never looked back. While the Riders scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 15-14 lead at half time, all the Riders could muster in the second half was a single and a field goal, while the Argos maintained their early momentum, scoring 10 more points. Cory Boyd once again rushed for over 100 yards, the Argos blocked a field goal, successfully completed two first downs on fake punt rushes and pulled every rabbit out of their hats to stymie the Riders on this day. Riders are now 9-5 and will make the playoffs, though they blew a golden opportunity for home field advantage. It simply wasn’t their day, that’s all.

Harvard Crimson Game 4 v. Cornell (10/9/10):

10 Saturdays
10,000 Men
1 Team

On Saturday afternoon at the Stadium, the Crimson demolished the Big Red, winning 31-17 in a rout. Once again, Coach Murphy turned to third-stringer Colton Chapple to run the show and Chapple (16-35-191-1TD/2INT) smartly managed the offense, which rang up an astounding 505 yards on the day. The first half was pretty quiet, as Gino Gordon’s 19-yard run late in the first quarter was the only score. The Crimson turned it on both offensively and defensively in the second half, as they scored three fourth quarter touchdowns in and a field goal to run out to a 31-3 lead in the fourth quarter before Murphy called off the dogs and the second teamers entered the game. The defense was impressive as they recorded eight sacks and bunch of hurries and an interception. The high point was when they stopped the Big Red’s offense from scoring a touchdown late in the third quarter leaving Cornell to settle for a field goal to make it 10-3. Eventually, Cornell picked up a couple of touchdowns after the outcome had long since been decided, but nothing could detract from the Crimson’s total team effort. The Crimson rushed for 314 yards on the day, with Gordon picking up 158. Next week, the Crimson face Lehigh in their final non-Ivy tilt for the year.

Illegitimum Non Carborundum.