The Sports Blast

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The Boston Celtics hosted the NBA’s best team the Chicago Bulls Sunday at TD Garden after losing 2 straight. The Bulls were without Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo took advantage. Rondo scored a season-high 32 points, with 15 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds for a triple-double as the Celtics beat the Bulls, 95-91. The Celtics were without starting center Jermaine O’Neal and power forward Brandon Bass. Chris Wilcox got the start and had 11 points. Kevin Garnett had 13 points and 12 rebounds while rookie JaJuan Johnson scored 12 in a season high 33 minutes. The Bulls pulled within 3 points late in the game but Paul Pierce nailed a jump shot to put the game out of reach. The Celtics are off until Wednesday, when they host the Pistons. They travel to Chicago for a game against the Bulls on Thursday.

As fans, analyst, and broadcasters that affiliate with the New England Patriots, we all know what Tom Brady is capable of. From the day he lifted the franchise’s first Lombardi trophy to now as he prepares for his 5th attempt at the NFL’s greatest prize in a Pats uniform, we have seen number 12 fight and prevail through it all to become a living legend. But even after everything he has done and accomplished in his 12 year career, there are those who still give comeback kid no credit what so ever. These people just treat his achievements like you treat your son or daughters’ little hand held trophy they get for playing soccer. One who has completely gone overboard with the disrespect of Tom Brady is Rob Parker of ESPNnewyork.com and clickondetroit.com. Parker has been quoted on ESPN’s “First Take” that Tom Brady is the most overrated player in the NFL. Well I may be a college student learning what I still can about the world of sports, but I know for a fact that Brady, win or lose Sunday in Indianapolis, is one of the greatest players in NFL history; that my readers is pure fact and the truth.
All fan hood and bias opinions put aside, Tom Brady has accomplished everything a young player wanting to be an NFL star could ever dream of doing. 3 Super Bowl titles (possibly a 4th) he has 5 Super Bowl appearances (tied with the great John Elway for most all time), he is a 2-time Super Bowl MVP, 2-time NFL MVP, first ever unanimous MVP elected, holds the record for most TD’s in a single season (50) and the lowest INT count ever in one season (4), he is tied for 1st with the greatest of them all Joe Montana with 16 career playoff wins and has a shot to break it Sunday night, 2nd quarterback in NFL history to be a part of an undefeated regular season (Bob Griese, 1972), he is the 4th quarterback EVER to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season and has the second highest total all time (5,235 yards). Everything Brady has accomplished he has carried the weight of disrespect along the way. This skinny, white, “out of shape” quarterback, who went in the 6th round has done it all and yet some people still feel the need to criticize him.
Half of the quarterback that were picked before Brady and said to be better at the position than him are out of the league and some didn’t even start for the Teams that took them over the living legend. Giovanni Carmazzii was portrayed as the next Joe Montana in the 2000 NFL Draft. He was picked 91st overall and 108 picks before Brady and today he breeds goats on a farm outside Tom’s home town of San Mateo. Despite all this Brady welcomes it and sometimes makes it up himself, why is that though? He wants to be better than he already is. He is never satisfied with himself and even though he knows of all the jaw dropping achievements he has worked his heart out for, it’s not good enough to him.
Tom Brady has one thing no other player in our life time has, heart, glorious passion, and determination to be the best of the best. The drive he has to out due everyone and silence his critics who know nothing of this amazing sport (aka Rob Parker) is unlike anything you can imagine. We New Englanders know it first hand as we speak with honor and pride to have watched this man rise to immortal status. The man deserves respect and even though he may not accept it, people need to acknowledge the fact he is one of the greatest win or lose in Super Bowl XLVI. You should not call yourself a fan of football is you agree with Rob Parker’s comments or anything close to them. You can have an opinion; I encourage it actually for others to speak their minds. But know what you are about to say, be ready to defend your opinion and have facts to back it up. Those are the three basic rules of opinion making and Rob Parker, you failed horribly. Tom Brady is one of the greatest ever, my facts are listed above and I stand by this for all time. His legend will continue to grow come 6;30pm on February 5th that is also fact.

By:Tom Rowe (WGAM THE GAME)

Sean “The Captain” McElroy of The Sports Blast: shared his thoughts on the recent Tim Thomas political controversy, which we have featured below.

Sports fans in Boston and around the country are disappointed with Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas decision for not showing up at the White House honoring the Black and Gold for their Stanley Cup Championship. This statement by the goaltender may have cost him iconic status after his MVP performance in the Stanley Cup last year.

Thomas responded on his Facebook page with the following statement regarding why he was skipping out on the trip.

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is indirect opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL”

It can be argued that the event is a tradition and not a political one but it is a photo-op with the President which publicizes him as well as the government, something Thomas stated he is not happy with. Let’s not forget there were Senators, Congressman and even the Mayor of Boston at the ceremony. Any television or radio exposure for an event like this is free publicity for them, especially in an election year.

Thomas exercised his right of free speech which as he pointed out our founding fathers fought hard to grant us as a nation. Without these rights we could be a totally different country.

Could he have been clearer in his statement, sure, but as an American he has the right to keep his exact political beliefs and party support to himself. Just to get anything from him is a plus. He could have just declined and said no comment.

As for people that say he could have made a statement by showing up at the event and expressing his displeasure to the President and political people involved, do you really believe they would let Thomas get up and have a debate with the President in front of the cameras? Even if he had a few minutes to discuss his displeasure with him in private it may have not satisfied him. It’s realistic to think a few minutes with Obama would have eased his concerns. This is all speculation, but the most likely answer is that it wouldn’t have.

Furthermore, he may not have wanted to get into an argument with the President in front of his teammates and friends. Fans are upset now, but if that happened it would have definitely hurt his reputation and possibly his legacy with fans.

Whichever party he supports should have no bearing on his decision. If he states both parties are the cause, then he should be taken at his word. Everyone knows the House and Senate are run by opposite parties and the President is a Democrat.

He should be commended for making a platform and standing on his beliefs. Too many people talk a good game but do not follow up with their ideas and dislikes about how the country is run. There are two ways you can make a difference in the process: speaking up and voting.

If you look at the numbers, there are over 311 million people in the United States according to the latest census and only forty percent of them voted in the historic election four years ago. That should tell you something about where we are as a country and why Thomas’ decision to make a stand makes sense.

If there were more people that made statements about what direction the country is heading, then we may be a stronger country. It can take thousands of people to make a statement and get the government’s attention. Sometimes a stance by someone of Thomas’ stature can go a longer ways towards a resolution and making the country better.

It is not directly on the same par, but during the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali also refused to go to the White House.

The fact remains this great country has been on a downward spiral for years thanks to a poor economy and questionable decisions by both parties over the years.

Finally, Thomas’ reputation maybe be diluted because he was not there to support his teammates, but isn’t it a double standard? Players play on the ice as a solid team, so why can’t that be the same off the ice especially when you hear so players saying “We are like a family?”

His reputation may take a hit, which is unfortunate because of his iconic status in the city of Boston. However, Thomas won’t be the last athlete to pass on this type of opportunity. Maybe his actions will drive home the message with a few
people, no matter what party they are affiliated with.

The Boson Red Sox finished up a 9 game road trip in Tampa Bay winning 4-2. The Sox’ got to Tampa Bay All-Star starter David Price, who threw 63 pitches in the first two innings while claiming an early 3-1 lead. David Ortiz drew a bases-loaded walk after Price hit Kevin Youkilis. Darnell McDonald had an RBI single and Dustin Pedroia had an RBI double. Clay Buchholz got the start and pitched just 5 innnings leaving with tighness in his back. Alfredo Aceves pitched well in relief but gave up a home run to former Red Sox 1st baseman Casey Kotchman. Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the 9th of Ray’s Closer Kyle Farnsworth. Jonathon Papelbon closed the door and got the save ending the Red Sox road trip at 8-1. It was the Red Sox’ most successful nine-game road swing since 1977. The Red Sox return home for interleague play against the Milwaukee Brewers.

It came down to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and the Boston Bruins dominated the Vancouver Canucks with a 4-0 victory to capture their first Stanley Cup since 1972. Patrice Bergeron got the Bruins on the board first with a nice play from Brad Marchand who added two goals in the Win. Bergeron added his second goal of the game short handed. Tim Thomas stopped 37 shots and was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy for MVP of the Playoffs. In winning the sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history, they become the first team ever to win three Game 7s in one playoff season ending their 39-year Cup drought. The Bruins delivered Boston and New England its seventh championship in the last decade, including at least one in all four major sports

The Boston Bruins faced elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals at TD Garden. Brad Marchand got the Bruins on the board with a wrist-shot past Roberto Luongo. The goal was Marchand’s ninth of the playoffs, setting a new Bruins rookie playoff record. Just 35 seconds later, Milan Lucic made it 2-0 slipping one was Luongo. Andrew Ference took a slap shot on the power play that beat Luongo. Canucks coach Alain Vigneault pulled Luongo after allowing three goals on eight shots in only eight minutes. With Cory Schneider in net, Michael Ryder tipped a slap shot from Tomas Kaberle to take a 4-0 lead. The four goals in a span of four minutes set a new Stanley Cup finals mark. David Krejci Scored his 12th goal of the playoffs on a 5-on-3 power play midway through the third to put the finishing touches on the 5-2 win. Tim Thomas stopped 36-of-38 shots in the win. The stage is set for a winner-take-all Game 7 back at Rogers Arena in Vancouver Wednesday night.

The Boston Celtics announced that Ray Allen has exercised his option for next season and will make 10 million dollars. Allen said that he intended to stay with the team after playing in 80 games last season. The 3-point champion returned to the All-Star game after averaging 16.5 points while shooting a career-high 44 percent from 3-point range. The Celtics have six players under contract for next season: Rajon Rondo, Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal and Avery Bradley.

The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning met in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden. It was a battle of goalies between Dwayne Roloson and Tim Thomas. Roloson had been 7-0 in playoff elimination games. The first period featured several scoring chances for the Bruins, but Roloson stopped 14 first period shots. Nathan Horton missed the last seven minutes of the first period with a leg injury but did retun and had an impact. The Lightning lost Steven Stamkos when Johnny Boychuk’s shot hit him in the nose. Stamkos returned later in the period with a cage similar to the one Chris Kelly wore in first round of the playoffs. The Bruins continued to dominate in the second period but couldn’t get anything past Roloson. The Bruins beat the 1-3-1 defense when Horton scored on a David Krejci pass with 7:32 left in the third period to break the scoreless tie and send the Bruins to a 1-0 win over the Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. It was Hortons second winning goal in a Game 7 in the playoffs. Tim Thomas stopped 24 shots for the Bruins with his second shutout of the series, sending the Bruins to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 21 years against Vancouver Canucks starting next Wednesday in British Columbia. Claude Julien coached a great game. He went away from playing four lines and switched up players all night, Tyler Seguin played significant minutes and Rich Peverley was great on face-offs. Zedeno Chara played a great game on defense and gave little to Vincent Lecavaler to work with. The game featured zero penalties for either team. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals will be Wednesday in Vancouver, with Game 2 set for Friday night. Games 3 and 4 will be back in Boston on June 6 and 8.

The Boston Bruins are one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals and travel to Tampa Bay tonight in Game six. With their back against the wall, Guy Boucher has made the switch in goal again, as Dwayne Roloson will get the start for the Lightning. Tampa Bay has come back in a series this season after being down 3-2. The Bruins hope to erase any chances of that and make up for their bad loss in game four. Johnny Boychuk says he is ready to go after leaving the game on a hit by Steve Downie. The Key to the game is scoring early for the Bruins and playing great defense in front of Tim Thomas. With the pressure on Tampa Bay, they will look to score early and often. The Bruins will need to match that intensity and counter by scoring on the power-play. Zdeno Chara has played well on defefense and saw time in front of the net on the power-play and should again tonight. Thomas and the Bruins have yet to close out a series this late in the playoffs and they have a chance to do so tonight and keep away any doubt for a game 7. The winner of this series will play the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals as they beat the San Jose Sharks in overtime.