Bruins To Resign Chris Kelly

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The Boston Bruins appear close to signing Chris Kelly to a new contract. CSN's Joe Haggerty reports that both Kelly and fellow UFA Gregory Campbell are near multi-year deals, while there's been no progress in talks with Daniel Paille.

I don't really understand how the Bruins are going to fit these guys under the cap, but I am really happy Chris Kelly is back. He is a great player, and comes at a very managable price. I wish I understood the NHL cap more, because I would think the Bruins have to be close and I think they still have to resgin Rask.

Red Sox @ Marlins Preview

Beckett will be getting his first start against this former team, but I really don't give a shit abotu that. What I do care about is the Red Sox are sliding again, and are 2 games under .500. Beckett, 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA in his last five starts, will next get to face a Miami team that's been outscored 43-10 during an 0-6 start to its homestand.

Going against Beckett is Josh Johnson. Johnson had a tough start to the year, but is 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA over his last six start. What is really going to be interesting is to see what kind of lineup the Red Sox throw out there. Youk hasn't been playing well, so I think I would site him play Middlebooks at 3rd, put Ortiz at 1st and A-Gon in the RF. They need a good lineup out there, because they haven't been hitting real well.

I don't have a good feeling about this game. The Sox are playing like shit, and I just don't trust Beckett.

Marlins win 7-3
Player of the Game: Johnson
Game starts at 7:10pm

Another Black Eye For Boxing

It's a sport that is dying. They have one fight left in the cards that could gain national attention, but they won't fight. Now they have to deal with yet another bogus ruling by the judges. I will say I didn't see the Pac-Man/Bradley fight, so I am going off of all the experts, but everyone seems to agree that Pac-Man won the fight and it wasn't all that close. He landed more punches, hit for a higher percentage, and landed more power punches yet lost.

I am actually hoping that someone who watched the fight will comment, because this seems outrageous. The rumor is now that the Mayweather fight vs. Pacquiao wouldn't that till next year, because Mayweather is in jail and now Bradley is going to fight Pacquiao. The sport is dying, their star don't care, the sport doesn't seem to care, so should why should we care anymore?

Patriots Talking To Gronk About Extension (UPDATED)

The Patriots and Rob Gronkowski are talking contract, but there's no word yet on whether or not the team is interested in reworking his current deal or giving the big tight end a contract extension, according to multiple reports. Gronkowski, a second-round pick out of Arizona in 2010, has two years left on a rookie deal that will pay in base salaries of $540,000 in 2012 and $575,000 in 2013, according to NFLPA documents.

I thought something like this would come up soon after we saw guys on the Patriots restructure their deals. I believe the Patriots want not only Gronk here, but Hernandez as well. It is so tough to gameplan against the Patriots because of those two guys. No other team can throw out two tight ends of that caliber. They are young, and they are going to be worth a lot of money. If the Patriots can lock these guys up to 5 years deals now and save a bit it could be a very smart idea.


***UPDATE***

Done deal. 6 years $54 million, making him the highest paid TE of all-time.

Why Not?

Why not watch a video about white people problems?

#WhiteBoyProblems - watch more funny videos

Heat 98 Celtics 79

Lebron had 45 point in 45 minutes. That really all you need to know about this game. The guy didn't miss. They weren't all layups either, he just didn't miss. There was nothing the Celtics could do. I guess that's why he is MVP.

Paul Pierce was horrendous. 4-18 shooting, getting in foul trouble early, it was just an ugly game. There were no ref issues, the Celtics just choked. They came out flat and then LeBron pulled off one of the best playoff performances I have ever seen.

Let's not talk about that game anymore. Can the Celtics still win this series? I bet most people will pick against them, which actually might be a good thing because no one seems to ever be right. Game 6 was odd, one of the biggest playoff chokers had a huge game (LeBron), while one of the more clutch players in the league (Pierce) layed an egg. One would think Pierce won't do that again, and one would think LeBron can't be THAT good two games in a row. Right there has to make Celtics fans feel at least a little better.

Am I scared? You're damn right I'm scared, but I have been scared since the playoffs started, so what's the difference. Once again this could be the last time we see the Big 3 play together, and actually if you're a Miami fan you might be saying the same thing about your team.

Orioles @ Red Sox Preview

It's happening again. The Red Sox are sliding. This is exactly what Rob was talking about, and exactly what they can't afford to do. These nice little winning streaks they go on are nice, but it doesn't end up meaning anything if they end up sliding on a losing streak a couple weeks later.

Baltimore has already proven they can handle Buchholz, who has allowed 10 runs in nine innings over two starts against Baltimore this year. He has been pitching between (2 ERs over last two starts 15 innings), so hopefully he is turning the corner. It would be huge for this team if he has.

Brian Matusz is pitching for the Orioles, and he has actually been pretty good against the Red Sox in his career with a 3-1 record and a 3.58 ERA. Matusz has a really tough start to the year, but has seemed to have found the stuff that made him such a prized prospect. He has not let up more then 3 runs in any of his last 5 starts, including a 6 1/3 1 ER 9 Ks outing against the Red Sox.

I don't like this matchup. I don't like the way the SOx are playing, and I don't like they finding their groove against a lefty who is pitching very well.

Orioles win 7-4
Player of the Game: Hardy
Game starts at 7:10pm

Carl Crawford Back By End Of Month?

I was shocked listening to Buster Olney on WEEI today. He is a guy I have a lot of respect for, and when he says something it's not like he is pulling it out of his ass, so when he said...

"I think Crawford is making a lot of progress," Olney said. "In fact, based on what I heard today, I think there's a good chance that he's going to be back by the end of the month. He's right on the cusp of really ramping up his throwing program, he's hitting, he's doing all the other stuff. And let's face it, at some point, if the Red Sox figure that he's throwing well enough just to even throw to a cutoff man, you go with it. Because he's playing in Fenway, there's not a lot required, you don't necessarily have to have him throwing at full speed. We've seen a lot of teams through the years will hide a guy with an arm issue out in left field. So, if they get to the point I think with Carl where they're even 75 percent of what he usually does, I think they'll probably be in a position where they can tell him, 'Hey, we'll put you in the lineup because you're hitting, you're running and you're doing all the other things that we hope you can do for us."

That's great news that he could be back soon, yet somehow it doesn't make me feel any better. If his elbow is still an issue then he shouldn't comeback. Actually I disagree with Olney (and the Red Sox if they are thinking the same). The Red Sox should wait till he is 100%. He is here for a long time, and we have had to deal with all these nagging injuries. We don't need Crawford from last year back, we need Crawford from Tampa back. The best shot at getting that Crawford back is getting him back 100%.

Why Not?

Why not sit back and be proud that we actually have a retarded person as our mayor?

Honestly WTF? I know it's not really his job to know sports, but if you are from around here you know he can't fucking talk. How the hell does he keep getting elected? He is a retard. I know there are people who "don't like that word", but sit back and tell me another word that fits this guy.

Bosh To Start For Heat Tonight?

"I'm still going through that thought process," Spoelstra said after the Heat wrapped up practice in Miami before traveling to Boston. "But I think he'll be able to handle a bigger load of minutes, and it'll be based more on how he'll feel during the game."

I am still really confused on why Bosh barely played in the 2nd half last game. Spoelstra's "fair" comment ranks up there with some of the oddest comments I have ever heard. Bosh is the 3rd best player on your team, you are in Semifinals, you need you best players out there. I get he was -12 when he was out there, I get he was slow on rotations on defense, but he was killing the Celtics on the offensive boards and it's basically now or never. I expect Bosh to start tonight, and log in big minutes, or at least that's what I do if I was the Heat, because it's do or die and I'd rather die with my best players on the court. Then again, this is the Heat, so maybe this is just a great excuse.

Orioles @ Red Sox Preview

The Orioles look to win their seventh straight game at Fenway Park for the first time in their history Wednesday night when they go up against Josh Beckett, after beating them last night in the 10th inning. Beckett is looking to bounce back after giving up a shit load of hits last night out. I expect he does bounce back as it is rare for him to go long stretches without a good outing, but that is basically nothing more than a guess on my part. Beckett scares me a lot now, he doesn't throw as hard, so if he isn't paint the corners and locating well he can get lit up quick.

Going against Beckett is Wei-Yin Chen. Wei-Yin Chen (4-2, 3.75) was knocked around for five runs and five hits in the first inning against the Rays on Friday. He ended up calming down and doing pretty well after that, but he has an ERA of 7.31 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Sox were able to put 4 runs up against him in 5 innings last time they faced him. I expect the Sox to be able to score 4-5 runs off this starter, so the question is really what Beckett we get tonight. Sorry, I just don't trust him right now.

Orioles win 7-6
Player of the Game: JJ Hardy
Game starts at 7:10 pm

Why Not?

Why not watch The Wire: The Musical?

The Wire: The Musical with Michael Kenneth Williams from Michael Kenneth Williams

Royce White An Interesting Draft Prospect

ESPN recently did thier latest NBA Mock draft. One guy that was really interesting is Royce White...

Ford writes: "White, on talent alone, is a top-10 pick. But he's slipping a bit as teams worry that his anxiety disorder could disrupt his development. At pick No. 30, he's worth the risk."

From what I have been reading he freaks out when he has to get on a plane. He says it's not so bad once he is one, but the entire day before he has like a mental breakdown. I wonder if this is something that can get under control, because the Celtics have back to back picks and these are the kind of high upside guys you have to at least take a look at.

They call him kind of a point forward. He can rebound, score, but is also a great passer. Might be a nice replacement if he lose Bass this offseason.

Why Not?

Why not do zombie pranks in Miami?

Apple Doesn't Fall From The Drew Tree

"I think Stephen (Drew) should have been out there playing before now, frankly," managing general partner Ken Kendrick said in a radio interview on XTRA 910 AM. "I, for one, am disappointed. I’m going to be real candid and say Stephen and his representatives are more focused on where Stephen is going to be a year from now than on going out and supporting the team that’s paying his salary."

Haha, sound familiar? Maybe the Drew family just hates baseball. It would be pretty funny if they did. Like the whole family is just nasty at baseball, but hate it so much. What else would they do? I picture JD Drew being a mechanic or something like that.

Sounds like Stephen Drew is just following Boras orders where you don't come back till your 100%. People rumored this with Ellsbury in the past. Drew can be a free agent after this summer, so I guess he wants to be healthy so he can get top dollar. Even though he might be being a dick, owners should stay away from calling out player publicly. There is just no upside to it.

Celtics 94 Heat 90

If you told me Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo were going to play poorly for most of this game, I would've said the Heat were going to win by 20. That's what happened and the Celtics still won, and you know why? Because they a TEAM, and that has been the difference in this series so far.

I say Rondo and Pierce had a bad game, but both came up huge at the end of the game. Pierce did it the way you thought he would. He hit key shots down the stretch, one of them being a 3 that pretty much sealed the game at 90-86. Rondo did it in a much more unconvential way (shocking I know). The Celtics' end-of-game run started with, of all things, a magnificent defensive play by Wade, who blocked Bass' dunk attempt with 6:03 left. The ball wound up going to Pietrus, who drilled a 3-pointer. The story is inbetween those two thing happening. When Bass missed the dunk, the crowd went nuts, but Rondo jumped over two defender, and tip the ball while in the air perfectly into Pietrus' hands. I can't explain how big of a play it was, but I truely beleive that play was what changed the game. If Wade's block held I think the Heat would've won, but then Pietrus hit that 3 you could see the Heat and their fans hang their heads.

From a stats standpoint it's still confusing how the Celtics won this game. They shot 33% in the first half. Rondo line was only 7 pts, 13 asts, 6 rebs, not terrible but at this point we expect more and he did that while shooting 3-15 which made it look a lot worse. Yet, this TEAM picked him. KG was once again amazing, Pietrus shot 5-8 for 13 points off the bench, and everyone in the starting lineup scored in double figures (other than Rondo). It was ugly, but Celtics are in the Heats heads.

The Heat are more talented, but they aren't a better team. Just a couple games ago we were talking this will probably be the last series for the "Big 3", now we are saying the same thing just for the other team. If the Heat lose Game 6, I think you could be seeing a different team in South Beach next year.

Orioles @ Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox are 3 games out of first place and just 2 games behind the Orioles, who have lost 10 of their last 13 games. I think he all knew this would happen to Baltimore. They were overachieving but I did think their pitching would be their downfall, but lately it's been their hitting. The Orioles have scored 20 runs the last eight games while hitting .175 with runners in scoring position. That's kind of shocking with the lineup they have.

Tonight Lester is on the hill. He has pissed me off for the most part this year. I don't know what he will do tonight. He is 14-0 with 2.47 ERA against Baltimore in his career. Yet, he is 1-1 8.10 ERA in his last 3 starts, so like I said I don't know what he is going to do.

Jason Hammel is pitching for the Orioles he is 6-2 with a 3.06 ERA. He has been a nice surprise average almost a K an inning. He is 1-2 with a 5.34 ERA against the Red Sox in his career and he got beat up a bit last time out giving up four homers in 6 2/3 innings of a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Red Sox are the better team.

Red Sox win 7-5
Player of the Game: Ortiz
Game starts 7:10pm

Grizzlies Shopping Rudy Gay?

"The Memphis Grizzlies will have major tax issues the next few seasons unless one of their high-priced players is traded. According to Hoopsworld, that player could be Rudy Gay. Gay was once not available, however that may have changed after his poor showing in the playoff series against the Clippers (ESPN).

Gay has 3 years and about $53.6 million remaining on his contract, but is still just 25 years old. Right now the Nets, Golden State, Orlando and Toronto are be rumored as possible destinations. I would love to hear the Celtics name in this. I know it's the playoffs, so I am not going to get heavily into this now, but I have been saying for 3 years I want Rudy Gay on the Celtics. I think he could take his game to an even higher level playing with Rondo.

DP Gets This Hockey Topic Right

It's very rare that I agree with DP on just about anything, and I can't believe one of the things I agree with him is hockey. Tim Thomas is pulling a douchebag move. I don't want to go too indepth, because for the most part DP was spot on.

It's true that even if Thomas retired the Bruins would get hit with his contract against the cap. So, my anger level has gone down a good amount. At first I thought that he just didn't want to retire and the Bruins were getting screwed. Yet, it turns out because of his age of when the contract was signed the Bruins get hit with it even if he did retire.

That being said, I am not buying that he doesn't want to play anymore. I do believe this goes back to the Bruins not having his back with the whole skipping the White House thing. I think he doesn't like his lower salary. I don't think he liked there was a good chance the Bruins were going to trade him this year. I think Tim Thomas took his ball and went home.

Tim Thomas won the Bruins the Stanley Cup. There is no doubt about it. That doesn't mean I have to sit back and agree with him not living up to his contract. Not only do the Bruins lose the best goalie in the NHL, and not get anything back for it, they still have to pay top goalie price for a ghost. That's not good in a tough cap environment like the NHL is now.

You can basically kiss Chris Kelly good buy over this, and he won't be the only one. This hurt, and Tim Thomas is really going to hurt the 2012-2013 Bruis' season. As a fan of the team that pisses me off, and I think I have that right.

Red Sox Get Pedroia Back Today

The plan is for Dustin Pedroia to return to the Red Sox' lineup Tuesday in the team's series-opener against the Orioles. Pedroia has been out since May 28th with a slight tear in his right thumb. He was struggling before the injury, which was something that was reaggravated. I think if he shows signs that he is still hurt the Red Sox should sit him. I would rather him miss a month, then get 75% of Pedroia the rest of the year.

Everyone will be keeping an eye on him, but hopefully this is just something that needed a couple days off and he can get back on track.