Checking in with the Red Sox...
As a team the Red Sox have been playing better as of late taking 3 out of 4 from the overhyped Detroit Tigers, including batting around Verlander a little bit, and then climbing out of the AL East basement by beating the Blue Jays 2 out of 3. Offensively the Red Sox are clicking with David Ortiz leading the way and Kevin Youkilis and Ryan Sweeney finding their way off the DL and into the lineup. Ryan Sweeney has done a great job as a fringe player in the Andrew Bailey deal by currently tying for the league lead in OF doubles at 16. He hasn't hit for power he's played solid defense and done well with the stick. The other pleasant surprise that has come about in the past month is Daniel Nava playing a solid LF and hitting the ball consistently like he never has before.
The Sox have won 6 of their last 8 series, only dropping 1 against the Rays and splitting a 2 game set with those same Rays. Their maligned starting rotation and bullpen have righted themselves with the bullpen rocking 4 pitchers sporting ERAs under 3.00 led by Scott Atchison at 0.86 (All Star anyone?). In the rotation Beckett, for all his indiscretions, has actually chalked up 7 quality starts out of 10 outings with 2 of those non quality starts coming against the same team in the Detroit Tigers. He's been throwing better of late and yes he's a dickhead and can be a callous prick but he's done a good job of shutting down opponents. Clay Buchholz has started to get back on track as well looking more like the guy we saw in 2010 and early 2011 before breaking his back. Back to back quality starts against Rays and Blue Jays is what I like to see out of him. Jon Lester has battled inconsistency as of late but he'll find his way he does this every single year and as far as the youngster Felix Doubront is concerned he's been the Sox best and most consistent starter. Doubront leads Sox starters with 6 wins, a 3.75 ERA, and a 66:25 K:BB. Can't complain about that in the 4 spot but you know what I can complain about? Daniel Bard, the starting pitcher.
In my eyes the experiment is over it's time to send Bard back to the bullpen where he was one of baseball's top set up guys. After watching him struggle yet again with his control by walking 6 guys and hitting two others on his way to giving up 5 ERs on 1 hit in 1.2 IP against the Blue Jays I'm done with this experiment, for now. Bard came out after the game and said that he's not sure everyone involved approached his transition from reliever to starter properly since he's having trouble repeating his delivery pitch to pitch. Uhhh isn't that your job? To make sure that you can repeat your delivery on a consistent enough basis to be a starting pitcher? It's time to send him back to the bullpen let him right the ship and then maybe later this year or next year he can try again to hack it in the starting rotation. Personally I'd rather have the Daniel Bard who throws 97-99 MPH in the 8th inning striking out 10 guys per 9 innings as opposed to the starter who throws 90-92 and a K:BB of 34:37. That's right more walks than strikeouts that's just not acceptable for a team that has World Series aspirations. Do what's best for the Boston Red Sox Bobby V and put Bard in the back end of your bullpen until you and Bob McClure are positive that he can strike out more guys than he walks.
Onto the Eastern Conference Finalist Boston Celtics...
It's become a 3 game series between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Heat won the first 2 games in Miami the Celtics did their job and held serve by winning the next two at the The Garden. Their are two major reasons the Celtics were able to fend off the Heat and win two games at home: Rajon Rondo taking over and Kevin Garnett finding the fountain of youth.
Out of the 4 games the two teams have played so far Garnett has racked up 3 double doubles and in the 2 wins he has put 24 /11 and 17/14. Garnett has been the teams heart and soul, a great defender, and caused the Heat all kinds of problems with his rebounding prowess in the middle. The Heat have struggled to find someone who can guard him away from the basket and in the paint, where Garnett has been spending more time than I think I've ever seen him do in Celtics green. Even if Chris Bosh comes back in game 5 I don't know if he'll have the ability to hold up against Garnett in the paint after a 21 day layoff with an abdominal strain.
The other guy who's been unreal for the Celtics is embattled PG Rajon Rondo. After going the distance and playing all 53 minutes in a game 2 OT loss, not to mention a career high 44 points, Rondo did what few people could do and bounced back 2 days later and played 43 minutes putting up 21 points and 10 assists. In game 4 after the Celtics jumped out to a big early lead and the Heat stormed back to send it to OT Rondo stayed the course and led the Celtics to a 93-91 victory. His stat line: 15 points, 15 assists, and only 3 TOs. For the entire series Rondo has only turned the ball over 11 times. Think about that...11 times in 4 games! For a PG that's an unreal number. Rondo has been consistently hitting open jumpers and forcing the Heat to make defensive adjustments by playing either LeBron or Battier on him. He's been a matchup nightmare for the Heat and if he can continue to be then the Celtics have a good chance of coming out on top in these Eastern Conference Finals.
The final key to the Celtics ability to knock off the Heat? Paul Pierce NOT fouling out. Fouling out in 2 of the 4 games so far is unacceptable. I know the officiating has been brutal but Pierce has to make some kind of adjustment that will allow him to play the entire game because the Celtics aren't the same team offensively when he's not on the floor due to their lack of punch on the bench. If Pierce can stay in the game and carry the team through tough stretches then the Celtics have a fairly good chance of taking down the mighty Heat.
Finally, Tim Thomas...
The Bruins would making the shrewd business move by hedging their bets that Thomas won't continue to play at a Vezina Trophy level for the next couple years and extending a young, talented goalie in Tuuka Rask. Thomas would still get a slight majority in a time share with Rask but instead he's decided to put the Bruins organization in quite the awkward situation by announcing, via his bookface page no less, that he plans on sitting out the upcoming season.
The main that I can't seem to wrap my head around is what's Thomas's end game? If he goes ahead and sits out this year he'll come back a year older with a year of rust on his game. At the tender age of 39 no team is going to want to take a long term flyer on him, which is exactly what I think Thomas is pining for here: a long term deal. His best chance at a long term deal is to either play lights out for the Bruins this year or get traded somewhere showcase his talents for a full season somewhere else and get rewarded with a 3 year deal. If the Bruins go ahead and suspend Thomas for the season then he's on their roster again in the 2013-2014 season and he's right back in the same predicament that he is right now except a year older and with a less likely chance of securing another guaranteed year or two in the NHL. He's sabotaging his value to not only the Bruins but to the entire NHL by sitting out this upcoming season if he in fact follows through with it. I mean hey whatever floats your boat Thomas you brought the Bruins a Stanley Cup so I can't complain too much but this whole fiasco does confirm one thing I've always thought about you: you're a class A looney tune.
That's all for tonight folks and remember to tune into game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Celtics down in Miami tomorrow night. GO CELTICS!
Geoff Jablonski
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