The Pap App

There have been some big doings for the Red Sox lately what with the signing of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. I'm sure you all know the details about that so I'm not going to bother to get into it beyond saying that those two things almost make up for the loss of Victor (although what a nice lineup that would have been with Victor in it too).

No, I want to talk about Papelbon. I read this article on WEEI last week where Tito told reporters that no, he hadn't talked to Pap about the offer the Red Sox made to Mariano Rivera saying “No, I will. I’d reach out to Pap from time to time, but he may not even know.” I told this story to my husband that evening and mentioned this one from ESPN where Pap had professed to know nothing about last year's off-season moves. My husband decided that what Pap needs is a Pap App to download. A simple app that will show him with stick figures and simple drawings what is going on.  For example, a picture of Adrian Gonzalez wearing a Red Sox shirt. A picture of Youk with an arrow going from first base to third. It can push him notifications every week to check it and keep up to date. I think it's a brilliant idea.

Up Shit Creek with a Salty, Yippy Paddle?

The news of Victor Martinez signing with the Tigers came as a big blow to me. I shouldn't have been surprised since all signs were pointing to him not signing with the Red Sox and had I not been as emotionally invested in Martinez I would have conceded defeat weeks before. As it was however, I spent the good part of Tuesday wondering what the heck Theo was thinking and lamenting the huge loss.

Now that a few days have passed and I've reluctantly made my peace with Victor not being with us next year I've turned my attention to who is currently in line to be our starting catcher next: none other than the man with the longest name in the MLB, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. I remember when Salty played with the Rangers (who can forget a name like that?) and I always admired the horseshoe shape his name made around his number on his jersey. That's really all I noticed about him. When he got traded to the Red Sox in July I hurried out to buy his shirt because I wanted that cool looking horseshoe name on the back of a shirt. To my dismay, MLB chose to shrink his name down to little letters and not give me a horseshoe shape.

That of course is neither here nor there when it comes to his playing and his ability to be our everyday catcher. The thing I find most fascinating and frightening about Salty is the fact that he had the yips last season. For those of you who don't know the yips  "is an expression used to describe the apparent loss of certain fine motor skills seemingly without explanation in one of a number of different sports." (wikipedia) Salty had shoulder surgery at some point last season and when he returned he had these yips. Apparently he could throw fine unless he was throwing to the pitcher. He exhibited no sign of these yips during his time with the Red Sox although he only played in 10 games with 19 at bats last season (with a .167 average) so I'm not sure that's a good indicator.

However, not all is lost. Lest you think I'm just sour grapes about Victor leaving, I do think that Salty could turn out OK. He was a highly touted prospect not that long ago. He has a career average of .248 which isn't great but isn't alarming either. It increases the chances that Tek will stay next with Red Sox next season. And Josh Beckett seems to like him. Anything that might help Beckett get back to his old Beckett-ness is fine in my book so I'm throwing my support behind Salty as of now, despite the yips and the lack of horseshoe shape on my Saltalamacchia shirt.

A (Short-lived) Goalies Duel

What started as a duel between goalies Tim Thomas and Michal Neuvirth of the Washington Capitals, ended with both goalies being pulled before an entertaining 3rd period. Neither goalie got the decision. That means that Thomas is still 7-0-0 in the season, even though he let up 3 goals, his most of the season.

Tuukka Rask took Timmy's place to start the 3rd period, and held the Capitals at bay to let his team score 3 goals in 7 minutes to tie the game. But even with that comeback, the Caps were able to score 2 goals on Rask, and win the game. One of those games was scored by Ovechkin, his first against the Bruins this season.

The 3 Bruins goals were scored by Michael Ryder, Nathan Horton, and Shawn Thornton, each in a time of 6 minutes and and 44 seconds. This was Thorton's 300th career game. In the meantime, it was also Rask's 3rd loss of the season.

Overall, it was a pretty lack-luster game for the Bruins. There wasn't much intensity until the 3rd period. And it definitely wasn't the same stye of play that was in the first 2 games against the Caps. With all the chances they had, the B's just didn't jump on anything. And therefore, the team ended up with the loss.

All In a Good Night's Work

All in one night, the Bruins honored a 92-year-old legend got honored, and they pulled a win against Phil Kessel and the Leafs. Before the puck dropped, the Boston Bruins held a ceremony for legend Milt Schmidt. Schmidt was honored for the 75th anniversary of his signing with the B's. In his time with the team, Schmidt was a player, captain, coach, and general manager for the B's.

After the ceremony, the puck dropped between the two rivals and the game started. Phil Kessel was welcomed to the garden to boo's and taunting from the fans. During the game, Kessel was not able to score a goal with Tim Thomas. With that, his scoreless streak against the B's still stands.

In the meantime, Thomas got his fifth straight win in row to start the season, the fist time a B's goalie has done this since the 1937-38 season. Also, in another milestone of the game, Patrice Bergeron scored the first goal of the game, his first goal of the season, and his 100th goal of his career.

The other Bruins goal was scored by rookie Tyler Seguin, his 2nd of the season. Right after he scored, the Garden crowd started taunting Phil Kessel in cheering "Thank You Kessel". For those who don't know the story, to make it short: Kessel used to play for the Bruins, but in the offseason of '09 he basically wanted to leave, so the B's traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs (our oponent of the night) for the second overall draft pick in this year's draft. That pick ended up being Tyler Seguin, who scored the goal and thus, the chant.

So in the end, it was a great night. A legend was honored for his service to the team, and he got to watch that team win in a 2-0 shutout against their rivals. Thats what I call a successfull night.

I Love Off-Season Red Sox Talk but Let's Leave VMart Out of It

When baseball season is over and there aren't any games to talk about my inclination is to start discussing off-season moves. I really enjoy talking about the possibilities and changes that may occur. They are always tinged with regret though because usually I don't really want to give up anyone, just get new people, but the thought of what we could get and what it would take is exciting. Last year I worried about Jason Bay but wasn't particularly attached to him so when he left for the Mets I wasn't heartbroken. I also was concerned about Josh Beckett's contract last off-season but I knew that even if he didn't sign anything we would still have him for at least one more year. 

This off-season I am more than happy to discuss the utter impossibility of getting Cliff Lee, whether the Red Sox should go after Werth or Crawford, and if Youk will have to move to third because first basemen seem more plentiful than third. One thing I really don't want to discuss though, is Victor Martinez. All signs are pointing to him not staying here and the names being tossed about as his replacement don't make me happy. So unless you want to discuss how certain you are that we are going to keep VMart, let's just leave his name out of the discussion.

Tim Thomas Still Riding the Hot Hand

Last night, and even the game on Tuesday, Tim Thomas continued to show signs of his Vezina self. Playing Ovechkin and the Caps both nights, Thomas only allowed a goal in each game. Along with that, he made some incredible saves, showing that he can still stand on his head.

Thomas has started in 4 games in a row, allowing no more than a goal in each game. Add to that a .978 SV% and a .75 GAA, we can officially say that Timmy is no more of himself of lst year. No one knows yet who will start in net against the Rangers on Saturday, as everyone is staying mum.

As much as I love Timmy, I would like to see Tuukka in net, as its been a little too long since the last time he played. Plus, I don't want his record sitting there at 0-1. It would be nice to see him get a win.

Now whoever gets the start, I hope they can keep up the blockage in net. This is litterally the best start to a season the Bruins have had in years. In my point of view, this may actually be the year the B's make it all the way. But we will have to wait and see how well that goes.

Team Timmy or Team Tuukka

To tell you the truth, I don't know the exact point where the story of the 2 Bruins goalies turned into the hockey version of the Twilight Saga, but apparently it did. We're about to play game 4 of the season and fans are already choosing sides. I mean seriously, yes, I do have my favorite out of the 2, who doesn't? And I'm sure Im guilty of this, but to complain just because your favorite goalie isn't getting the start is just plain stupid. And annoying.

Tim Thomas will be getting the start will be getting the start tonight against the Caps. I agree with the choice. Now before all you Team Tuukka people cut my throat out, let me explain. Or I can let Thomas' numbers eplain for themself: .984 save%, 0.50 GAA, 2nd in each of those categories; and a 2-0 win record. Yes, I agree, no one can rule Tuukka out because his first game wasn't the best, but why rule out Timmy? Yea sure, there was last season, but right now we're playing in this season, and so far Timmy's numbers are good for this year.

To be honest, all choices are made and should be made for the better of the team. If Tim Thomas is the starter for the game, I'll be happy. If Tuukka is the starter, I'll be happy then too, because he is also a part of the team, and he played a game where the loss wasn't completely his fault.

And to make another point, we have probably one of the best goalie pairs in the NHL. Both are good, both are dependable. I don't understand why some Bruins fans are choosing sides when we have 2 goalies who can both perfectly win a game. Not many teams have that. Then again, some teams don't even have 1 goalie thats good.

So if I had to choose a team, it would have to be team Bruins. If either goalie started, I'd be okay knowing that we always have the chance of winning the game. Now where do you stand? If you a person who prefers a goalie, which one?