Welcome Back To The City Of Champions Lord Stanley

Thomas, left and his Bruins earned this
championship after a high drama postseason.

As One drought ends another continues. The Boston Bruins ended their thirty-nine-year drought between Stanley Cup championships with their 4-0 Game 7 victory of the heavily favored Vancouver Canucks Wednesday night. It is the sixth Stanley Cup the Bruins have brought back to the city of Boston since they were established as a franchise in 1924.

    For the Bruins this is a bit of revenge after the way last years postseason ended. Boston had a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers, but lost the next four becoming only the third team in NHL history to squander a 3-0 lead in a best of seven series.

    This year they were determined to finish the job.

    Of the four postseason series the Bruins had to play in route to a championship, they were forced into three decisive seventh games, becoming the first team in NHL history to win them all. The only series Boston was not faced with a seventh game was against none other than their second-round matchup with the Flyers. The Bruins took a 3-0 series lead yet again and were set to rewrite history.

    Boston outscored the Flyers 20-7 in the series sweeping the defending Eastern Conference champions out of the postseason.

     As for the Cup Finals the story like it has been much of the season for the Bruins was their goaltender Tim Thomas. Thomas turned aside all 37 shots attempted on goal by the Canucks Wednesday, tossing his second shutout of the series and fourth of the postseason.

    He is only one of four goalies to record a shutout in a Game 7 of the Cup Final, but the first to do so on the road.

    Thomas becomes the oldest and second American in history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy after his magical season comes to a close. The thirty-seven-year-old goalie save percentage for the Cup Final was an astonishing .961 percent compared to his .938 in the regular season. However, that is nothing to snuff at as Thomas set a modern day record with his save percentage during the regular season breaking Dominik Hasek's mark of .937 set back in 1999 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

    This was Thomas's first Stanley Cup championship and he couldn't have done it without the help of his teammates. The four Bruin goals were scored by two players as center Patrice Bergeron and left wing Brad Marchand each scored a pair of their own. 

    Bergeron got the scoring started at the 14:37 mark of the first period giving the Bruins a lead they would never surrender. After Marchand scored his goal in the second period, Bergeron would record his second, coming shorthanded. In the third, Marchand would score his second on an empty net putting the game and champagne on ice.

    Twenty-two-year veteran Mark Recchi hinted at retirement throughout the postseason and officially announced his departure from the game after winning his third Stanley Cup with his third different team. Recchi, now forty-three, played for seven different teams during his career and in the his final game delivered. The left wing contributed an assist on the second goal of the game while going out a champion.

    So much for Daniel Sedin's Game 7 guarantee.

    The Canucks offense really never showed up in the series thanks in large part to the great defense and goaltending of the Bruins. The Canucks outshot the Bruins 37 to 21 in their Game 7 loss, but were unable to solve Thomas's craft in net. Vancouver found the back of the net only eight times in the series putting a lot of pressure on goaltender Roberto Luongo.

It could be a long road back for
 the Canucks and their goaltender.

Luongo, who had been almost unbeatable at home this postseason allowed three goals in this one after only allowing two the first three homes games of the series. The season ends in disappointment for the Canucks after winning the President's Trophy during the regular season.

Vancouver won the first two games of the series, but would go onto lose the next four of five games along with the series. Boston became only the tenth team in NHL history to force a Game 7 after facing an 2-0 deficit to open the series and the fourth to win the Cup.

    Cars were lit on fire much like their goaltender this series in the streets of Vancouver following the loss as Canadians still await their first Stanley Cup since 1993.

    In one of the most heavily penalized postseason series' in the last twenty-five years there were only three in Game 7 with two of them coming late in the third period.

    Since 2001 the New England area has had a plethora of teams win championships, winning six times in the four major sports. The New England Patriots kicked off the decade with three Super Bowl rings in '01, '03, and '04. The Boston Red Sox ended their 86-year curse with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series and added another in 2007, that time at the expense of the Colorado Rockies. The most successful team in the history of Boston sports, the Boston Celtics captured their NBA record seventeenth championship in 2008.

    Now the B's can add a seventh and start the decade off the right way, finally joining the City of Champions.

Pursuit Of 3,000 Takes A Stop To The DL

Jeter's injury might allow him to join the
3,000-hit club at home.

It has been a tough year and a half for New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter and Tuesday wasn't any better. In the second of inning of Monday night's 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians, Jeter was running out a fielder's choice to first base when he appeared to hurt his right calf. The shortstop stayed in the game, but after he flew out to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, he gingerly ran to first in obvious pain. Jeter didn't return to play defense the following half inning as utility infielder Eduardo Nunez replaced the seventeen-year veteran.

    Jeter has suffered a Grade I strain of his right calf and was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday leaving a huge hole atop the Yankees order.

    This is the first time Jeter has been on the disabled list since 2003 when he suffered a separated shoulder on Opening Day against the Toronto Blue Jays. The injury now puts Jeter's pursuit of becoming the first Yankees and 28th player in history to reach the 3,000 hit plateau to a straining hault.

    Jeter singled in his first at-bat Monday giving him 2,994 hits for his career, closing the gap to 6 hits shy of a mark that dignifies longevity and consistency.

    With Jeter now on the disabled list and two games left on New York's current home stand, the possibility of the captain doing it in front of a sold out Yankee Stadium or at least in New York never seemed more apparent.

    The eleven-time All-Star is eligible to come off the disabled list on the fifth game of the Yankees next home stand in an Interleague game against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 29th. There Jeter will have two games to try and get six hits before New York heads out on to the road once again. However, the Yankees play their second of their two annual Subway Series meetings with the New York Mets on the year to begin the road trip, giving Jeter the chance to at least reach the milestone in the Big Apple.

    Many Yankee fans remember closer Mariano Rivera recorded his 500th career save in the final game of the first Subway Series at Citi Field back in 2009. It might be a fitting place if not at the Stadium for Jeter to do it there.

Rivera recorded his 500th career save away
from the Stadium back in '09.

Jeter is already the Yankees all-time hits leader with his current mark, growing with every hit, after he passed the mythical Lou Gehrig in '09. He also passed Gehrig for the all-time hits mark at the Old Yankee Stadium in it's final year of play with 1,274 hits during his time in the House That Ruth Built.

    In 62 games this season Jeter is batting .260 with 2 home runs and 20 runs batted in and while those are not the number we are accustom to seeing with the Yankee captain we should be celebrating this historic moment rather than critcize one of the greatest players in Yankee history.

Let's Play One More

Thomas, right has been virtually unbeatable
this postseason, but especially when wearing
his home uniform. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The Stanley Cup Finals will engage in the two most exciting words in sports Wednesday night across the border, Game 7. The Boston Bruins continued their dominance of Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo at home with a 5-2 spanking of the Western Conference champions. While the score wasn't as lopsided as Boston's 8-1 victory over Vancouver in Game 3, it was over from the drop of the first puck.

    In a game the Bruins had to have to keep their championship aspirations alive, they came out firing on all cylinders scoring four times in the first period. Boston became the first team this postseason to accomplish that feat in the first 12 minutes of play and it couldn't have come at a better time.

    The Bruins scored their first four goals in a 4:14 stretch causing Luongo to be pulled for the second time in this series.

    It has been a tale of two series for the Canucks goalie as the Montreal native has been virtually unbeatable at home, but eaten alive in Beantown. In three home games the Canucks have played this series Luongo has only allowed 2 goals, both coming in one game. He has 95 saves in 97 attempts on his home ice compared to 51 saves on the road in 66 attempts.

    Vancouver has been outscored 17-3 on the road this series, while Boston has lit the lamp 15 times at Luongo's expense.

    In the other net Boston's Tim Thomas, who is arguably the best goaltender in the NHL and led the league in save percentage (.938) and goals against average (2.00), has been remarkable no matter the venue. Thomas has turned aside 168 of the 175 shots he has faced by this devastating Canucks offense, good enough for a .960 save percentage on hockey's biggest stage.

    Many believe that Thomas will be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, an award given to the Most Valuable Player of the series, no matter the Game 7 result. Boston is now 3-0 when facing elimination this postseason seeing Thomas play his best only allowing five goals in those three games. They will need to fin off elimination one last time if they want to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time since 1972.

    The Bruins will try and become the first team to win a Game 7 on the road since Sidney Crosby led his Penguins to a Stanley Cup champsionship back in 2009 when they had to go into the Octopus Tank and defeat the Detroit Red Wings, but history is not on their side.

The Sedin twins must play well for the
Canucks to capture their first Cup in
franchise history.

The home team has accumulated a 12-3 record in those decisive seventh games on their ice, but their is hope for Boston. With the consist play of their goaltender all year and the Canucks inability to closeout a series this postseason the Bruins might have a celebration in store.

   Vancouver is 3-5 in potential closeout games this postseason, but will host a Game 7 for the first time in their franchise's history maybe adding extra fuel to the fire.

    The first team to score in every game in this years Cup Finals has gone onto win the game with the home team yet to lose. Will that hold true Wednesday night in what is sure to be one of the most exciting and intense seventh games in NHL history? Let's wait and see.

A Taste Of Sweet Revenge

With his win Sunday in Miami, Nowitzki has

cemented his legacy as one of the best

all-time.

It's time to celebrate in South Beach, but not the party many anticipated. The Dallas Mavericks capped off their magical postseason run by defeating the Miami Heat in six games to capture their first NBA title in franchise history. In one of the greatest NBA Finals in recent memory they're so many story lines, but none bigger than Dallas exercising their 2006 NBA Finals demons and silencing their critics once and for all.

    Once labeled soft, Dirk Nowitzki has solidified his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history with one of the most remarkable postseason runs the game has ever seen. The seven-foot German finishes the postseason averaging 27.7 points per game with 8.1 rebounds, but his ability to get to the free throw line was a key component not just in the Finals, but throughout Dallas's postseason run to a title.

    He set an NBA record for free throws made in a single postseason game without a miss in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder after going 24 of 24 from the line.

    Nowitzki attempted 186 free throws in the Mavericks twenty-one games this postseason knocking down 175 for them at 94 percent. He becomes just the eleventh player in NBA history to have a least 10 All-Star selections, a regular season Most Valuable Player award and be named the NBA Finals MVP.

    Even though Nowitzki was only one of four players in NBA history heading into this years postseason to average 25 points per game and 10 rebounds in his postseason career, many believed he was not mentality tough enough to perform when it mattered most. You can put all those doubters to bed.

    In the last fifteen postseasons only two players had averaged 10 points or more in the fourth-quarter of the NBA Finals. Those two players include the recently retired Shaquille O'Neal, who is arguably the most dominating presence the NBA has ever seen, for the Los Angeles Lakers and the greatest player of all-time Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls.

    Now you may add a third player to that list with Nowitzki averaging 10.3 points in the fourth quarter of this years NBA Finals cementing his legacy as one of the clutchest players in postseason history. It was not easy for the longtime Mav, struggling from the field in the first half scoring only 3 points on 1 of 12 shooting.

    The second half would be his stage yet again scoring 10 of his 18 second half points in the final period ensuring himself his first NBA championship while fulfilling a childhood dream. Nowitzki had a total of 62 fourth-quarter points in the series, that's as many as Miami's LeBron James and Dwayne Wade scored combined.

    Thanks in large part to his hard work, dedication to the game and longtime German coach and mentor Holger Geschwindner, he has finally reached the mountain top with his resume now complete.

    Yes, there is no question that Nowitzki was the MVP of this Mavericks team, but this was in fact a team and without the help of his supporting cast, the calm of demeanor of his veteran point guard Jason Kidd and the brilliance of head coach Rick Carlisle this fairy tale ending would have never become reality.

The 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks are the optimity
of a team.

Jason Terry, who was the only other remaining member of that '06 Finals team, called out James prior to Game 4 and delievered. "JET" as they call him scored 19 first half points and was the main reason why Dallas held a 2-point lead at the break even with their superstar struggling.

    Point guard J. J. Barea became the spark that ignited this team when he torched the two-time defending champion Lakers in their second-round series. After shooting only 5 of 23 in the first three games against the Heat, Carlisle inserted Barea into the starting lineup and Dallas never looked back winning the next three games of the series.

    The oldest point guard to ever start a NBA Finals game, Kidd is a seventeen-year veteran, who had squandered both his opportunities to win a championship during his time in New Jersey. This time it would all be different.

    Kidd was the orchestrator to Dallas's late fourth-quarter comebacks. His sense of calmness, defense and ability to stay emotionless when the game had taken a turn for the worst enabled the Mavericks to comeback time after time. Now at 38, Kidd becomes the second oldest player only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to play and win in the NBA Finals.

    The leadership and determination of forward Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler add to the list of players that contributed to this Dallas win as a unit.

    As for Carlisle, his coaching was the X-factor in this series and if they could give the MVP to a non-player, he would have earned it. It continues to be the little things that win basketball games and that is exactly what Carlisle did. His attention to detail and call of the right number at the right time is something that can't be taught.

    Inserting Barea into the starting lineup, playing a zone defense most of the series, and not allowing James and Wade to play to their strengths by getting to the basket and draw fouls, but rather have them beat Dallas with jumpers were all key decisions made by the former Celtic, putting together one of the greatest coaching clinics we have seen in years.

    How can we forget the benching of sharp-shooter Peja Stojakovic in favor of the custodian Brian Cardinal, whose contributions to the series will not show up in the box score, but will be forever remembered by Mavericks fans across the nation.

    Carlisle is now 11-3 in potential closeout games of a series which is the best mark all-time.

James walks away yet again on the losing
end of a NBA Finals.

For the Heat, it is a bitter end to season that overall was a success. Just a year into three superstar players coming together they exceeded many people's expectations besides their own. After taking a 2-1 series lead, the Heat just fell out of sync and never found their rhythm again.

    They finish the postseason 9-2 at home, but they started the series 8-0. After winning Game 1 in their home building they lost what would be their final two games at the AmericanAirlines Arena on the year. Those included blowing a 15-point lead in the fourth-quarter in Game 2 and of course the closeout game of this series.

    They had never lost back-to-back games this postseason until they decided it was time to lose three in a row following their Game 3 win in Dallas. It didn't help that after James averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season only averaged 17.8 in the Finals. That 8.9 point differential is the largest in NBA history.

    It was just not Miami's time as they were beaten clearly by a better team, but they will be back. Whether or not they win is a whole different issue.

    Miami showed signs of their immaturity in this series and that was never more apparent than when James and Wade were caught of camera prior to shoot around mocking Nowitzki and his illness in Game 4. The jokes on them with the Mavs superstar getting the last laugh.

    It was a team of destined as the "Comeback Kids" did not have a single champion on this squad, but now go home as champions together. Their sometimes outspoken owner Mark Cuban kept his mouth shut throughout and showed his class by relinquishing the Larry O' Brien Trophy to the Mavericks original founder and owner Donald Carter.

    America can finally breathe their sigh of relief after David slaved Goliath and this time Goliath was a three-headed monster.

Tyson Claims His Spot Among Boxing's Elite

From One Bob To The Next

Geren is the first manager to be fired
in '11.

The Oakland Athletics had dropped nine in a row and found themselves in the the American League West cellar before deciding to make a change and it comes at the expense of their manager Bob Geren. Geren was fired Thursday after almost four and a half years as the Oakland skipper.

    Geren became yet another former big league catcher to manage in the big leagues when he was hired by longtime friend and A's general manager Bill Beane prior to the 2007 season. He had spent the previous three years as their bullpen coach before being promoted in '06 to bench coach under then-manager Ken Macha.

    He was no stranger to a position of power after managing a ton in the minor leagues before landing his gig in the show. There Geren was able to rack up 452 victories along with 390 defeats.

    During his tenure in Oakland the A's never made the postseason along with recording their first losing season since 1998 his first year on the job. In the 710 games Geren managed, Oakland posted at .470 winning percentage with a record of 334-376.

    Despite his orthodox managerial style, Geren had the Athletics finish second the the AL West a year ago at 81-81, trailing only the eventually American League Champion Texas Rangers. With their young pitching staff leading the majors in earned run average in 2010, many believed they could catch lighting in a bottle and be the San Francisco Giants of 2011. That has not been the case as injuries and a dismal offense has derailed their train.

    All-Star closer and '09 Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey had been out since the end of spring training with a strained forearm before returning before the start of June. A pair of talented left-handed starters in Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson are both currently on the disabled with their own arm troubles. Braden is lost for the season after having shoulder surgery at the beginning of May. As for Anderson, he is suffering from an injury he dealt with last season, an inflamed elbow. Oakland fears the worst and he could be next to fall victim to Tommy John Surgery.

    Even with all the injuries to their pitching staff they have managed to rank in the top five in both ERA and quality starts the first half of the season, but firing Geren will not fix their offensive woes.

    They currently rank 26th or worse in five major offensive categories marking their offense as maybe the worst in Major League Baseball. The A's currently have six players batting under .250 with a minimum of 100 at-bats and two others under .260.

    Geren is the first manager to be fired this season with plenty of others on the hot seat. Former Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin has been named his replacement for the reminder of the season. Melvin brings along a respected resume after leading the D-backs to a 90 win season in '07, winning the NL Manager of the Year in honor of his success. They went on to make their first NLCS appearance since 2001 where they eventually lost to the Colorado Rockies.

Melvin might be able to light a fire
under this underachieving A's team.

Although his first game at the helm did not go as planned, losing their tenth straight game Thursday, Friday night was a different story. rallying for four runs in the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox and giving Melvin his first victory as the A's skipper.

If in fact Oakland has plans to make the postseason they will need to get their offense rolling and overcome an eight game deficit in both the division and wild card standing to make that happen.

    

A Broken Bullpen In The Bronx

Chamberlain burst onto the major league
scene back in '07 postings 0.38 ERA.

At one point in his career Joba Chamberlain looked to be the air apparent to Mariano Rivera and would eventually close games for the New York Yankees. Oh how things have changed with Chamberlain now fighting for his major league career. A day after being placed on the 15-day disabled list with what was initially thought to be a strain of the flexor muscle in his throwing elbow, was revealed to be a torn ligament and could require Tommy John Surgery.

    With the injury to the hard-throwing right-hander, he is almost certainly lost for the rest of the season, leaving a gapping hole in Joe Girardi's bullpen. Originally thought to be a strength of this Yankee club, now becomes a weakness. Yes, they still have the godfather of closers in Rivera, but outside of the forty-one-year-old reliever and right-hander David Robertson there sits an abundance of question marks.

    When the Yankees were unable to sign prized left-hander Cliff Lee in the offseason, who would sign on for his second stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, Yankee brass went against general manager Brian Cashman and signed former Tampa Bay Rays closer Rafael Soriano to a three-year $35 million deal.

    Ownership felt with their longtime rivals in Boston making all sorts of offseason acquisitions, they needed to make a splash of their own and has not panned out.

    Soriano, who led the majors with 45 saves a year ago, last pitched on the 13th of May and has been sidelined since with an inflamed ligament in his right elbow. He and Chamberlain are just two on the laundry list of Yankees to land on the disabled list thus far.

    New York also signed former New York Mets left-hander and workhorse Pedro Feliciano in the offseason, but has yet to pitch in a regular season for the Yankees after suffering a torn rotator cuff during spring training. Feliciano led the National League in appearances each of the last three seasons, appearing total of 266 games for New York, by far the most in the majors during that time span.

    That is thought to be the main cause of his recent injury as his durability has been outstanding throughout his career.

   Another left-hander in Damaso Marte, who was a viable part to their 2009 World Series team, underwent rotator cuff surgery last October. He is currently on the 60-day disabled list with return expected to come sometime in September.

    That might be too late as the lone left-hander in the Yankee bullpen Boone Logan has struggled out of the gate after having a breakout season a year ago. Lefties are hitting a sensational .316 against the southpaw compared to right-handers, who are riding the Interstates at a .190 clip.

    Not to mention starter Phil Hughes has made only three starts for New York in 2011 posting a 13.94 earned run average. This after coming a year after his first All-Star appearance that saw him win a career-high eighteen games. Hughes has been sidelined since mid-April with a dead arm and is expected make his first of five rehab starts on June 14th.

    On the up side, Robertson has been spectacular for New York in his first 26 appearances, striking out 38 batters in only 23.1 innings. Veteran Luis Ayala has also been a pleasant surprise for Girardi and Co. posting a 1.47 ERA for the Yankees.

The Soriano signing has not bowed well for
New York thus far.

As for Rivera, well he is still Rivera. He has recorded 16 saves to begin the season, three off the major league lead.

If in fact Chamberlain does undergo surgery, he will began a grueling 10-14 month rehab process causing him not only to miss the rest of this season, but a portion of the '12 season. Cashman will look to be the market for relief help like most teams before the July 31st trading deadline and San Diego might be a gold mine.

    All-Star closer Heath Bell is in the final-year of his current contract with the Padres and almost certainly not returning to San Diego when he hits the open market this offseason. He along with his set-up men Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson could be prime targets for Cashman.

    Once under the "Joba Rules", question marks now surround Chamerlain's future along with the Yankees the rest of the way as they start the day a game back of the division leading Red Sox and are in danger of being swept by their arch rival for the second time this year in the Bronx.