At this point, the wild card is our shining beacon of hope. We need the Ravens to lose a game and win out to get the coveted card. The Ravens are playing a desperate and driven Cowboys team next week. The Boys have been surrounded by so much controversy in the past week, which shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Who really thought it would be roses and smiles for more than a year with TO on the team? Did you think the “bromance” of Romo and TO would last? Nah, I didn’t think so. Drama aside the Cowboys beat the Giants handedly and now have the momentum to hopefully beat the Ravens at home.

The Pats must also beat the Cardinals and the Bills. It should happen, but it might not. It makes it all the more nerve-racking, sickening and fun. I wish we had the tiebreaker then I would really be having a good time. 

I really need to stop thinking about the Pats- over and over and over. I will call my boyfriend to throw out a scenario on my way home from work. I have x’s and o’s in my brain. I will now understand tiebreaker rules for the rest of my life. It’s times like these where I wish I loved the Celtics and Bruins more. But alas that isn’t the case. Diagnosis: Football Fever. Damn, I love the NFL.

What do you think? Will the Pats make it?

Sunday’s game was a hard one to watch unfold. The first quarter looked great and the second quarter wasn’t even too bad. Watching Gostkowski shank the field goal attempt and leave it tied going into the second half should have been a sign. One of the announcers stated that the Pats haven’t won a game this season when they haven’t been winning at the half. I refused to believe- I was feeling pretty good.

You know the rest. Interceptions, fumbles and dropped balls. I continued to believe when Slater fumbled. I continued to believe the first and second time the ball was stripped out of Cassel’s throwing arm. Once Troy Polamalu put the proverbial nail in the coffin, I left the room.

The game was a must win. But we didn’t win it and that is when as a football fan you put your rational hat on and realize what could come. Pats fans haven’t had to do this in years, but they now have to face the facts: we may make the playoffs, but we may not.

The Pats have played all but one of their six divisional games. They only have Buffalo left. The rest of the division still has two games to mix up the standings. The AFC East is close. One divisional game could change the standings. What the Pats need are Miami and Buffalo to show up when they play the team to beat, the Jets. If they win, they only put the Pats in a better position.

Well there is a positive. Here is a negative. The Pats play the best team of all of the teams left to play, playing Arizona in week 15. Buffalo plays Denver in the same week, but look at the Jets schedule: San Fran, Buffalo, Seattle and Miami. It is easy to see them winning them all.

It’s been an uphill battle this year and even without the laundry list of players that are hurt including Brady, Harrison, Thomas, Maroney, there are still four games left and a great team playing them. The Pats have heart and they also have an “us against the world” mentality. Something they have had, not since Brady as many might believe, but since Belichick put on the gray hoodie.

There is also hope of a wild-card spot, but at this point in the season, when the division is winnable, that is the goal. Playoffs are a fresh start and if the Pats get there I would put good money on them. The trick is: getting there.

It occurs to me, even at the quarter-life age of 24, that this year’s group of college freshmen were largely born in nineteen-ninety — to say nothing of you high schoolers.

That means that 2003 seems like a million years ago. That means you weren’t born in 1986.

With the success of the Red Sox, Patriots and now the Celtics in our Generation Y and Z lifetimes, we’ve not only become spoiled, we’ve become inundated with this new expectation that Boston has to win every year.

Don’t forget that the Celtics were a joke throughout most of our formative years. The Patriots were a bigger joke. Most living fans waited their entire lifetimes for the Red Sox to win a World Series.

We’ll lament together and hold hands at the bonfire of our baseball season going up in flames and — gasp — we might cheer for the Phillies on Wednesday. But don’t feel too bad about this loss. It sucks. It blows. Screw Tampa Bay and its fan base that stood strong at three fans last year. All that jazz. But don’t feel too bad.

In 1986 and 2003 we felt bad. We felt demoralized. All our hopes were crushed. Dreams were gone. The sun refused to shine in Boston for weeks after game 6 in 1986 and then Aaron-bleeping-Boone’s homer in 2003 opened up all kinds of wounds.

Some of you younger fans may feel that way tonight. I don’t. I think a lot of our parents will agree. Sure, it’s too bad we lost, but we lost to a better team. We lost to a group of straggly young rejects and journeymen who got together and formed something special. That’s how the Sox won in 2004, and we have nothing to be ashamed about by losing to the Rays.

With this new winning tradition comes a sad yet sure realization: sometimes we don’t.

Will it be a repeat for the Red Sox?  A curse-breaking for the Cubs?  Another series for the Southsiders while their uptown rivals wait yet another year?  An exorcising of the Devil for the Rays?  A trip to baseball heaven for the Angels?  A ring for the LA wedding of a former New York manager and former Boston slugger?  A win for the City of Brotherly Love and the team with the most losses in baseball history?  How about champagne flooding the streets of the Brew City? 

The best part of October is that anything can happen.  Favorites fall.  Teams comeback from the brink of elimination.  Heroes cement themselves in the annals of baseball lore.  There are storylines.  Lots of storylines.  Here are this postseason’s most compelling:

The New Rivalry

The Red Sox swept the Angels twice en route to this century’s titles and are 9-0 in their last three postseason series against the California-Anaheim-Los Angeles club.  This time the Angels are the favorites as they return with a power offense (not to be completely overshadowed by Manny in the real LA, Mark Teixeira has been the answer to the Mike Scioscia’s prayers) and the deepest overall pitching staff in baseball.  Still, Terry Francona is 8-0 in the World Series and 7-1 in elimination games.

Josh Beckett

The Red Sox always hog all the stories and this feature is no exception.  Last season Beckett joined Gibson, Koufax, Ford and Schilling as one of the all-time great postseason pitchers.  The news swirling out of Boston is that Beckett won’t pitch until Game 3 at the earliest due to an oblique strain.  Will he go and how effective will he be?

C.C. Sabbathia

Three games on short rest, three wins to send the Brewers into the postseason since 1982 and the first time as a National League club.  How much farther is he going to carry the team?  The word here in the Brew City is that the Crew was planning on going with a one-man rotation in the play-offs, then realized that would not be right because with just one pitcher, there isn’t any rotating.  He’s even going to throw during the day to prevent tightness from setting in. 

Manny Being Manny

Manny might be the best deadline deal ever.  Factor in that he’s one of the best postseason hitters of all-time, the Cubs are going to have their hands full trying to get him out.  Can he carry the Dodgers to a Hollywood ending, complete with himself, Nomar, Derek Lowe and Joe Torre sitting in the visiting dugout at Fenway? 

A-Rod

Will A-Rod be able to break his 0-220 playoff slump to send Yankee Stadium out in style with a World Series win?  No.

White Heat

It took the White Sox 163 games to make the playoffs.  Will they ride the energy through the Rays or did they spend it all getting to Tampa?  The pitching isn’t bad and the team loves the longball.  After years in Cincinnati, Ken Griffey Jr. is finally playing in October again. But for long? 

New Kids on the Block

If the Rays sold their souls to the Devil, why didn’t he insist they keep his name?  This team never had a winning record until this year-when they won the AL East.  The Rays have their youth, the favorite for Manager of the Year, a considerable homefield (or home-can) advantage and little to lose.  They don’t have “playoff experience” but they also don’t have experience losing playoff games, and that might be worth the most of all.

The Storyline That TBS and FOX Will Beat to DEATH

One of four teams to return to the postseason, the Phillies were swept by the Rockies who were one of the hottest teams ever … until they were swept out of the World Series.  The Phillies again took the NL East after an amazin’ collapse by their rival and earned a first-round date with the Brewers.  Will Jamie Moyer and C.C. face each other in the most-opposite matchup between two left-handers in postseason history?  Will fans in Philly hold off on the “Let’s go Eagles” chants for a  few more weeks? 

The Obvious

The Red Sox did it.  The White Sox did it a year later.  Now, will the Cubs finally shake their demons or will April on Addison be more like the past 100?  This is their best chance as they have pitchers with functioning rotator cuffs and an all-around potent offense.  Some credit Lou Piniella (he won the 1990 World Series with the “Nasty Boys”).  Some will point out the 2001 season in which Piniella’s Mariners won 116 games and were bounced out of play-offs in the first round.  Some will also bring up the 1995 and 1997 Mariners but that would just be cruel. 

For the Record

As a fan, I can’t and won’t pick against the Red Sox so they’re my choice to win it all after beating the Rays in war of an ALCS.  As much as we’d all like to see a re-match of the 1918 World Series, I’m honestly feeling Dodgers over Brewers in the NL.

After shooting with the team, Hamilton said he had discomfort in his right elbow, but would play through it.

“Once I get out there and the adrenaline is going, I’ll be fine,” Hamilton said. “I told my teammates, ‘Don’t look at me as handicap.’ … I’m fine. I’m ready to roll.”

It hasn’t been reported yet, but Rip will most likely be wearing a protective mask on his elbow.

Detroit looked very rusty coming off a week of rest. They missed their first five shots of the game and fell quickly into an 8-0 hole. Overall they shot 42% from the field and never really found their offense (couldn’t hit wide-open shots). Billups, Sheed, and Hamilton all had their switch turned off. Expect these three players to step up their game for Game Two.

Pierce looked like a new man out there with no Lebron on the court to defend. With all the pressure off from guarding Lebron, Pierce looked very sharp attacking the hoop and continued where he left off from Game Seven.

Also, there is no “Big Three” anymore. As noted above, it’s “Big Two.” Ray Allen is not a big-time player anymore. He had a sweet wide open air ball last night. It looked like the shot came from an MTV Rock and Jock game thrown up by Malcolm in the Middle.

With eight seconds left on the clock, Tayshaun Prince shot a left-handed runner through the lane to take the lead by one. Orlando came out of the timeout with a play for Hedo Turkoglu. With four seconds left he drove past Prince to his left, towards the hoop, but his runner hit the rim and the ball was rebounded by Detroit with the clock at triple zeros. Turkoglu was on absolute fire in the fourth quarter dropping thirteen points and finished the game with 20.

Besides Game Three of this series, the Detroit Pistons have looked great ever since falling behind in the first half of Game Four against the Philadelphia 76ers. The other two Eastern Conference teams, Boston and Cleveland, have looked absolutely horrible. Boston’s starting center Kendrick Perkins wouldn’t even see playing time for any other NBA basketball team. The Celtics bench and role players are pathetic. The only thing more pathetic is Cleveland’s bench and role players. That consists of everyone, but Lebron. And even Lebron has played like horse poop. Detroit is the team to beat in the East.

After never trailing in any game of the entire series (in regulation) the Flyers found themselves behind 1-0 and 3-1 in the first and second periods. RJ Umberger erased the first deficit with his eighth goal of the playoffs (seventh of the series) at the 10:20 mark in the first period. Amazingly, Umberger scored the first Flyers’ goal in each of the five games of the series.

Montreal was able to respond right away after Umberger’s goal when Alexei Kovalev scored 1:08 later to make it 2-1. After Christopher Higgins scored his third goal of the playoffs 8:15 seconds into the second period, the Flyers faced their first two-goal deficit of the series 3-1. But again, a resilient Flyers team in a span of 2:58 were able to erase the difference and take the lead with goals from Mike Richards (4), Umberger (9), and Scott Hartnell (3) The Flyers headed to the second intermission up 4-3.

Montreal answered 2:13 into the third period when Andrei Kostitsyn tied up the game with his fifth goal of the playoffs. The period remained tied for a little more than 14 minutes with both teams having a shot to take the lead. Daniel Briere had a scoring chance on a clean breakaway, but slid the puck wide right and Canadien Guillaume Latendresse rung one off the post with under five minutes left in the third period.

Finally, with 3:04 left, Scottie Upshall redirected a Jeff Carter shot with the blade of his stick sending it past Carey Price for the game-winning goal. Mike Knuble added an empty-netter at the end giving the Flyers a 6-4 victory.

Scottie Upshall’s game-winning goal was an example of the great hand eye coordination that NHL hockey players have. I once had a friend tell me that redirecting a puck was all luck. I won’t name any names, but his name was Chad. Chad couldn’t have been more wrong. This is an amazing skill that hockey players possess. A hockey puck can be driven to the net up to and over 100 mph. I’m aware that Jeff Carter’s blast was not traveling nearly that fast, but to be able to change the direction of the puck and put it on the net is something that should be admired. There are many hockey players that have mastered this skill (San Jose’s Jonathan Cheechoo to name one) and Upshall’s goal exemplified the perfection of this art.

Upshall had this to say about his game-winner, “It was a great feeling. A tie game with three minutes left, it’s anybody’s game, it’s one shot, it’s one bounce. [Carter] made a great shot on net. I was in the lane to see the puck and I thought I could get a stick on it and redirect it, and to get a big goal like that is pretty uplifting for your spirits.”

Marty Biron didn’t have the best game of the series, but came up with huge stops in the third period and turned away 31 shots overall. Marty leads all goaltenders in the playoffs with eight wins and remains the only netminder to have played in every single minute of every game.

And how huge has RJ Umberger been for the Flyers? Umberger scored two more goals and leads the Flyers with nine playoff goals. Last night was his 26th birthday and he played like a man possessed and he clearly is playing to capture the Cup, “I’m just going to take a moment, enjoy it but stay focused. There’s plenty of time after it’s over to celebrate it and enjoy it, but right now we have one thing on our minds.”

This season for the Flyers has been an amazing turnaround. Philadelphia finished the 2006-07 season last overall in the NHL with 56 points, the lowest total in team history. They finished this year with 95 points and it even came down to the last week of the regular season before they were able to clinch a playoff spot. And now they await the winner of the Penguins/Rangers series to see who they will play in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Penguins lead the series three games to one.

Nothing is more exciting than the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If you haven’t already, jump on board.

“He deserves a second shot,” Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau told the Canadian Press. “I think in the last few days he had time to calm down and refocus and get ready for another long stretch.”

In other words, “Jaroslav Halak didn’t exactly do it for me in Game 4.”

“It was a tough time, you always want to play, but you have to respect the coaches’ decision,” Price said. “I’m just looking forward to getting back in there. Hopefully, we can pull off a winning streak.”

The Canadiens are down 3-1 to the Flyers and facing elimination. They are the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Iverson is not a natural number one or a natural number two. He’s a tweener. Name the last team that won an NBA Championship with a tweener being their star player? It’s never happened. Look it up. Furthermore, he can’t defend. Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, and Jordan Farmar had their way with Iverson. Allen is very undersized and can be out-muscled anywhere on the court in a one-on-one match up. He also gambles way too much on defense. Off-the-ball he gets steals, but most of the time he creates a five on four situation that leads to an easy basket, because he misses the steal.

I’m a Sixers fan and I was thrilled when we traded Iverson last year. I think the development of the young Sixers’ players (who are still in the playoffs) in the past year speaks volumes on how important it was to get this plague off the team. During Iverson’s years as a Sixer there was not one player that was able to develop because Iverson was a ballhog and played basketball in an unconventional way. A way that never equates to winning. Iverson has a career losing record as an NBA player. It’s not a coincidence.

In conclusion, if the Lakers win last night doesn’t convince you that Iverson is a horrible player to have on your team, then you are clueless about the sport. The Denver Nuggets arguably had one of the best starting fives in basketball as far as talent, but if you can’t play basketball the correct way (i.e. like the San Antonio Spurs), you’ll never win.

If I learned one thing about Iverson during his years as a Sixer, it’s that he won’t change and he’ll always be a loser (I guess that’s two things). And if I learned one thing about Andre Miller during his current stint in Philadelphia, it’s that he is 100 times better than Iverson and more important to have as a teammate.

A Perry note: I didn’t boo him when he came back to Philly last month, because I appreciated his love for Philadelphia. However, this rant is how I really feel about him.

Heading into the third period last night, the Flyers led 3-0 and it seemed they only needed to kill twenty more minutes, but they didn’t think they would need to kill seven of them short-handed (including a five minute major on Derian Hatcher for boarding). The atmosphere was tense as Montreal collected two goals during Hatcher’s penalty to pull within one. However, outstanding penalty killing by the Flyers and Biron kept the score at 3-2 till the end and the Flyers skated to a two games to one advantage in the series.

I’m hearing a lot of “The Flyers were outplayed” and “If the Flyers don’t play better, they’re in trouble” and “The refs aren’t calling the games fairly.” I completely disagree with all of those statements and here are the reasons why.

The Flyers are playing the passing lanes perfectly. Montreal is a finesse team with highly skilled players. Their passing is incredible, but the Flyers are filling those lanes and the passes are not getting to their wanted destination. Furthermore, the Flyers are making the Canadiens play a physical series, which they would rather not play. These two reasons are disrupting Montreal’s offense and gameplan.

The Flyers are winning the battles on special teams. I can’t express how important this is. Montreal did score two power play goals last night during Hatcher’s five minute major. However, the Flyers were able to kill the remaining two minutes (just under two minutes) of that major, three other five-on-four minor penalties (including one with six minutes left) AND a two minute five-on-three penalty. In addition, Mike Richards was able to tally a short handed goal in the second period. The Flyers are winning the special teams battles. You can’t look past this considering the Canadiens had the best power play during the regular season.

The Flyers have the hot goaltender. Marty Biron had another spectacular game last night. His poke check against Saku Koivu as Saku came flying out of the penalty box untouched on a breakaway kept the game tied at zero in the first period. His glove remains the best penalty killer for the Flyers. And his positioning and ability to see through screens seems to be getting better and better. The Canadiens netminder Carey Price is not performing well. He is giving up too many rebounds and his glove is made out of brick.

The refs are calling a good series. I’m not even going to get into that. The Flyers are a very aggressive team and penalties will mount up for them. If the Flyers don’t want cheap penalties and to be short-handed for five straight minutes then they will have to be more disciplined. When you have players like Hatcher and Downey, and a reputation of being a dirty team, you’ll find yourself short-handed more times than not.

If the series can remain physical and Biron stays hot, Flyers fans shouldn’t need to worry about how their team is playing. They are winning. That’s all that matters. Nothing can be more devastating to a team than losing games that you feel you should be winning, and that is how Montreal feels.

Game Four will be at the Wachovia Center on Wednesday where the Flyers look to take a demanding three to one advantage.

If you haven’t checked out this Sixer team, it’s worth it. Louis Williams is 21 years old and is growing into a decent player. Andre Iguodala’s athleticism is disgusting. Andre Miller is the veteran glue. Thaddeus Young is a 19-year old rookie that is developing quickly. Rodney Carney – we believe – is in the process of leaving his bust status in the rear view.

It’s official, this series is worth watching.

Most of the gripes are originating from fans following the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames series out west, but there has been noise about missed calls and a “playoff approach” to officiating surfacing from people following every series. Currently, the seven-seed Flames are leading the two-seed Sharks two games to one in the best of seven series, but many fans are complaining loudly that the “stripes” are missing a lot of calls or blowing the whistles in an inconsistent fashion…especially Sharks fans. A lightning rod for the scrutiny of officiating in this series was a big hit that Flames’ defenseman Cory Sarich laid on the Sharks’ Patrick Marleau in Game 3 of the series.

Depending on who you ask, Sarich either caught Marleau, who had his head down, cleanly with the shoulder, or Sarich got his elbow up on Marleau and committed a vicious penalty that was not called. In any case, a scrum between the teams developed after the hit, which left Marleau with a cut over his eyes and a badly bloodied nose. What was the result of the scrum? San Jose was short-handed for an additional roughing call assessed in the aftermath. What happened on the ensuing Flames power play? Jarome Iginla deflected a Phaneuf wrist shot by Sharks goalie, Evgeni Nabakov, 28 seconds into the man advantage, sparking Calgary to a comeback win and a 2-1 lead in the series.

Again, buzz about the sorry performance by the zebras is not isolated to some game-changing penalties in this Western Conference series. NHL fans are voicing their displeasure at the appearance of refs “loosening” their enforcement of the rules in the playoffs, or being inconsistent in their interpretations from period to period. This adjustment in referees’ approach during the postseason has been a regular gripe in response to commissioner Gary Bettman’s post-lockout assurance that rule interpretations (designed to speed up the game and let the talented stars skate) would be consistent in both regular season and playoff games.

Sure, the ticky-tack interference penalties are still getting called, but many (some much more apparent than others that have been whistled) are being missed. The new interpretation of the slashing rule, consistently called during the regular season to assess two minutes to players for hard stick checks that cause an opponent’s stick to break or get knocked away, seems to have disappeared altogether (I’ve personally seen this play go uncalled at least two times while following various opening round contests). The hooking/obstruction call may or may not be whistled when a defender’s stick is quickly brought to a puck-carrier’s hope and removed without clear interference. Lastly, the league’s publicized crackdown on clear shots to an opponent’s head during heavy body checks, a reaction to the past decades sharp rise in NHL player concussions, seems to have dissipated as well—just ask Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks.

Bitter fans of underachieving teams are quick to hatch their “Canadian Conspiracy Theories” that the referees and the league have a nationalist desire to see as many Canadian teams as possible go deep in the run for Lord Stanley’s Cup. It’s no secret that Canada is by far the biggest market in professional ice hockey (pretend ALL Americans were enthralled with the NFL and didn’t really give a spit about the other three sports, that scenario times 10 is how Canadians feel toward ice hockey), but it’s also no secret that the American fan-base is every bit as valuable to the NHL as Canadian pride. Besides, every NHL club north and south of the border dresses plenty of canucks, and the extremely loyal and knowledgeable Canadian fans are known to follow and cheer for hometown NHL talent as much as the hometown NHL club. These silly pro-Canadian rants provide a convenient excuse for fans to vent when their American team is behind to a Canadian club in a series, but I consider it a “sour grapes” response to larger problem with the game. Also, to my surprise, I’ve read similar responses from fans on both side of the equation (supporting the teams suffering the results of marginal calls and even those rooting for teams that have benefited from such calls) stating that the refs have been wildly inconsistent and performing poorly thus far in the playoffs—be it in their favorite team’s favor or not!

The NHL has seen many young, new refs lace up since the lockout. All refs, old and new, have adapted to the huge adjustment in interpreting many of the games’ rules, such as “Obstruction/Hooking” and “Interference”. While the refs have been very diligent in adapting their performance during the regular season, they may be reverting back to their personal opinions about which plays deserve a whistle and which plays do not now that so much is at stake in the playoffs. This is the problem with having a new interpretation to an old rule—not everyone will have the same interpretation, and the interpretations are vulnerable to the timing and circumstances that surround a play. Would a young ref, eager to let the players decide these blood-and-guts battles, keep his whistle in his pocket when a defending player barely gets the stick blade on an opponent’s hip? Should a referee give a power play out for a hit that straddles the line between good, hard, clean hockey and a dirty, opportunistic cheap shot?

These are tough questions regarding the tremendously difficult job of being an NHL referee. Fans should remember that these refs are human beings—human beings skating at the pace of professional ice hockey while both simultaneously attempting to avoid interfering with the play and monitoring the rules of the game as it unfolds (sounds tough, huh?). As in all sports, calls are going to be missed from time to time. The burning question for fans of the NHL is this: Are penalty calls getting missed more frequently in this postseason because of the stakes and speed of the game, or have the refs independently adjusted their interpretations of what is and what is not a penalty?

Before Gary Bettman and Colin Campbell tinker any more with the rules of professional ice hockey, they’d be well-advised to make sure that the current rules are crystal clear and consistently spelled out—to the players, coaches, and, most importantly, the scapegoats in stripes responsible for keeping the ice level for all teams.

Before we get into the specific match-ups in the Eastern Conference, I want to take this opportunity to toot the NHL’s horn for the excellent format of the regular season. When the post-lockout NHL and its salary cap promised parity in the league, they meant it and adjusted the schedule to give it to us fans in spades. The past two or three weeks of regular season hockey have been every bit as intense as the post-season product that the NHL hangs its hat on. Even non-hockey fans are quick to admit that the NHL playoffs are an amazing display of athletic competition—a long, grueling test of ability, stamina, and composure to earn the coveted and revered Stanley Cup. With so many teams so close in the standings, smartly scheduled to square off against division rivals in the closing weeks of the season, hockey fans got the wonderful playoff product a few weeks early this year —complete with suspense, sacrifice, go-for-broke action, and (for teams missing the cut) heartbreak. Bravo, NHL!

Now, to see which Eastern Conference “organ-eye-zations” are facing off in the first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

• 1 Montreal Canadiens vs. 8 Boston Bruins

Winning hockey is back in Montreal, as the Canadiens posted 104 regular season points to earn a position perched at the top of the Eastern Conference, a position that affords them home ice advantage through the conference finals (should they remain in the hunt that long). Montreal brings a highly offensive team that scored more goals than any team in the entire league. They also bring the NHL’s best Power Play to the playoffs this year, and this squad is regularly described with an adjective that the team earns almost every season—fast!

The Canadiens have a reputation for building skating teams, and this one is no different. Super-skilled star forward Alexei Kovalev leads a balanced offense with his 84 points, and is supported by a talented cast including captain Saku Koivu, Tomas Plekanec, and Andrei Kostitsyn. The Motreal defensive corps is also an offensive threat with both Mark Streit and Andre Markov collecting the third and fourth most points on the club from the blueline; the defense is also primed for a run at the Cup with playoff savvy veterans such as Patrice Brisebois and Roman Hamrlik, as well as youthful defensive stand-out Mike Komisarek.

In net, the Canadiens are betting the farm on the young but impressive Carey Price, who inherited the number one job after Montreal moved Cristobalt Huet to the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline. Price has looked the part since the move, but if you had to pick a weakness on this club, then it would have to be the unproven young keeper.

The Boston Bruins, once a stalwart of power in the NHL, are beginning to finally return to form after a trying decade. Since respectfully dealing Ray Bourque to the Colorado Avalanche to win his only Stanley Cup, the Bruins have been seemingly mired in a perpetual state of rebuilding nearly a decade. It seems all the tinkering is finally paying off—this year’s Bruins team has overcome injuries to key players in order to claw their way into the postseason.

Veteran forward Marc Savard leads the Bruins offense into the postseason with his team-high 78 points, and the Bruins offense isn’t exactly filling the net regularly if Savard’s team-leading total is any indication. Marco Sturm leads the team in goals with 27, followed by Kobasew with 22, but these two are the only Bruins to crack the 20-goal mark this season. Without a doubt, the youthful Bruins have missed offense from 22-year old Patrice Bergeron, who has been out of action for 71 games running since suffering a major concussion and broken nose against Philadelphia in November. Offense aside, the Bruins have taken effective steps to beef up the physicality of their team in the past few years. Zdeno Chara, a literal monster at 6’9” (in shoes, not skates), 255 lbs., has a mean streak and is a huge (no pun intended) presence on the blueline. Mark Stuart and Aaron Ward are two other big boys that bring stability to the Boston defense, which has proven itself good enough to shut down opponents and earn the final spot in the east.

The “X-Factor” for Beantown is goaltender Tim Thomas. The Bruins had Thomas penciled in to back up acquisition Manny Fernandez, but injuries to Fernandez found Thomas fighting into the starting role, yet again. The book on Thomas is a story of intangibles and leadership—he’s made a career of winning starting spots from more acclaimed netminders, and plays an athletic brand of goaltending fueled by his competitive spirit. Thomas is a warrior that teams love to play for, and he’ll have to be a beast with a capital “B” to stop the Canadien onslaught.

J’s pick: Montreal in five games. Montreal has way too much offense against an incomplete and green Bruins roster that struggles to score. The Bruins will have to be very physical to slow down the Canadien forwards, and with physical play comes penalties. Penalties mean powerplays, and the Canadiens are the best in the business. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Montreal has won their last 11 games against the Bruins…

I feel I’m doing Boston a favor by not picking a sweep. Sorry, Boston—wait… sorry??? The hell with that! Go watch the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox!

• 2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 7 Ottawa Senators

My, how the mighty have fallen over the course of this season. Ottawa, a team overflowing with talent that is built to win a Cup NOW, looked like the team to beat before the season began and throughout much of the first half. You don’t even have to be a hockey nut to recognize some of the big names on this roster—Daniel Alfreddson, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Wade Redden… the list goes on. This team is balanced through and through—a speedy, creative offense with plenty of depth (count ‘em—six players with 20+ goals/ 3 with 30+ goals!), as well as a solid defense corps comprised of both shut-down thumpers and offensive threats.

The biggest weakness for this team is a coin-flip between goaltending and injuries. The goaltending issue is a real shame, as their season-opening starter, Ray Emery, has the goods to be one of the brightest young netminders in the league. Emery proved his ability as he carried the Sens to their Cup Finals loss to Anaheim last year, but has erased the sweet taste of his success with his off-ice buffoonery and lack of commitment this year. That leaves the starting role to inconsistent netminder Martin Gerber. Gerber can play, but should not be starting for this team or any other, and is only in the position because Emery has been a club cancer all year long. The injury of note for the Senators is to their captain and consummate leader, Daniel Alfreddson. Borrowing an analogy from the RZA (those hip hop artists have wordplay to spare), “if the Senators form together like Voltron, Alfreddson is the head”. Alfreddson is unlikely to be there in the opening round, and, facing the young Penguins, the flailing Senators are unlikely to be around after the opening round.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, if you haven’t heard, pack the dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Although you’re sure to know the former name, it’s really the latter that has carried this young club to the Atlantic Division crown and 2nd seed in the East. While the amazingly talented Crosby has missed a large chunk of games down the stretch due to am ankle injury, Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins didn’t miss a beat as they chased down and passed the Devils to win the division. As Malkin’s game has matured to put his name in the Art Ross Trophy running along with Alex Ovechkin, the Penguins also added offensive force Marrian Hossa to an impressive cast of forwards that includes Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, and the speedy Pascal Dupuis. With the return of Sid the Kid, this is an offense that gives opposing keepers nightmares.

The Pittsburgh defense is also much improved from a year ago as well. They’ve added the beef of Hal Gill from Toronto at the deadline, and Sergei Gonchar is a priceless blue-line threat and seasoned power play quarterback. Most importantly, Marc-Andre Fleury has begun to look like the stud he’s been billed as all of his career in the waning weeks of this season. A disgusting offense, balanced defense, and strong goaltending spell trouble for Ottawa in this opening round.

J’s pick: Pittsburgh in four. I consider this a very bold prediction, but I’m bolder than Doritos Nacho Cheesier flavor, so get your brooms out! Even with the second half slide, injuries, and goaltending situation, Ottawa is still loaded with talent and experience. What Ottawa is not (and Pittsburgh most certainly is) is hot. The Penguins are a young team hitting stride at the right time, and Ottawa is a strong team struggling at the worst time. It won’t take much for the soaring Pens to shatter the fragile confidence of the Senators in the first two games in Pittsburgh; from there, it should be a downhill coast into the 2nd round.

• 3 Washington Capitals vs. 6 Philadelphia Flyers

The Washington Ovechkins—pardon me, the Washington Capitals are this year’s “Cinderella Story.” After a dreadful, coach-firing start to the year, no one expected Washington to be even sniffing the playoffs this Spring. I suppose no one bothered to mention this to Alexander Ovechkin, the best player in the NHL since Mario Lemieux. Ovechkin, along with young offensive studs Alexandre Semin and Nicklas Backstrom, fought their way back into the hunt from being way out early. As Ovechkin piled on the goals and points, the Capitals brass saw an opportunity to take some deadline chances and the hit the chemistry jackpot.

Enter Cristobal Huet, former keeper of the Montreal Canadiens. Although Olaf Kolzig is still effective, the Caps brought Huet in for some healthy competition and he’s stolen the job in D.C. and proven he deserves it by winning nine straight games to finish the season. This late-season surge allowed the Caps to steal the Southeast division from the Carolina Hurricanes, who will be catching this years playoff action at the golf course club house after shooting 18 holes.

Let’s not forget Sergei Federov, either. This Russian veteran made his name as a two-way forward in the ‘90’s Red Wing haydays, and his experience, vision, leadership, and unselfish play has taken the Capitals offense to a new level.

As for the Capitals “D”, they’ve got the league’s goal-scoring leader for defensemen in 22-year old Mike Green. Tom Poti and Jeff Schultz provide steady, responsible play on the blueline for a defense corps that’s had an easy job late this season with the prolific Ovechkin and stingy Huet.

Which Philadelphia Flyers team is going to show up for the playoffs this year? Is it the squad that climbed to fight the Senators for the Conference lead by mid-season? Or will it be the team that dropped 10 straight games shortly after the All Star break and nearly missed the playoffs?

Despite their inconsistencies, Philadelphia is a club with a lot of offensive depth. The Flyers boast seven players with 20 or more goals, and one of these skaters, Joffrey Lupul, hit the 20-goal mark despite missing substantial time due to injury. Speaking of injuries, the Flyers would probably have an 8th 20-goal scorer in left wing Simon Gagne, who has missed the bulk of this season with concussion injuries. Led by two-way center Mike Richards, a complete skater and the new face of the franchise, the Flyers have a gritty group of forwards that can dish out hits as well as put up points. Jeff Carter finally emerged as a difference maker when Richards was hit with the injury bug, and players like Scott Hartnell, RJ Umberger, and Mike Knuble can all put the biscuit in the basket as well as throw the body.

Big name, off-season acquisition Danny Briere is a linchpin for the Flyers offense heading into the playoffs. His play, which was very erratic throughout the regular season, has improved down the stretch, and will have to be great in the playoffs if the Flyers seriously want to make any noise.
The Flyers Achilles Heel is definitely their defense corps. Despite the emergence of Braydon Coburn, Philly dresses a weak and unproven blueline on a regular basis. The youth of the defense is obvious as they regularly fail to clear and get trapped in their zone as teams cycle the puck. With the intimidating Derian Hatcher fighting to return mid-series from a broken leg suffered late in the season, the Flyers will need their defensemen to play beyond their years to hang with Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Starting in net for the Flyers (the first time they’ve had a clear #1 since Ron Hextall) is the enigmatic Martin Biron. Biron is entering the playoffs very hot, having pitched back-to-back shutouts to finish the season. However, Biron was far from steady throughout the season, and always seems like he’s one soft goal from falling apart.

J’s pick: Washington in 7. The Flyers ended the season hot, but the Capitals finished the season en fuego (take that, Micah!). Philly’s defense gets its hands full against clubs with mediocre offenses, so I don’t know how they plan on containing Ovechkin. Add the inconsistency and lack of playoff experience for Biron to the Capitals’ home-ice advantage, and sum is bad news for Philly.

• 4 New Jersey Devils vs. 5 NY Rangers

Strap your helmets up, kids… this one is going to be a battle! The N.J. Devils bring their usual to the table this year—a ton of experience, a selfless devotion to team hockey strategy, balance up front and on the blue line, and… Martin Brodeur.

The name of the Devils’ game is responsible team hockey. Every skater, from the silky forwards like Patrick Elias and Zach Parise to the bruising grinders like Colin White, play an extremely patient brand of defensive hockey. Fans have cried for years about the Devils trap ruining the game, but the only reason the Devils system has been so effective is that #30 is always there to save the day when the trap does break down. The Devils have the goods up front to make opponents pay for every mistake—Patrick Elias, Dainus Zubrus, Zach Parise, and Brian Gionta can all pick a keeper clean like a chicken wing. The supporting cast provides depth in the stat sheet with blue-collar productivity thanks to deflections, tips, and rebounds—all rewards of good positioning that result from total commitment to team hockey.

As always, the Devils defense is stifling and imposing behind their disciplined forwards. Paul Martin and John Oduya are at +20 and +27 for the season, respectively; the other blue-liners all play a physical brand of mistake-free Devils hockey. The names may change, but the Devils game remains the same. They’re coming to clog up breakout, own the boards, and block shots. Don’t cry about it, the only hope is to step up and outright beat them.

Of course, the secret ingredient to the Devils success is and has always been Martin Brodeur. The best goaltender to ever play the game always seems to be losing a step early on in the past few seasons, and then he flips a switch and turns back into the dominant brick wall we’ve all grown to hate over the past 15 or so seasons (“hate” if you’re not a Devils fan, that is). Brodeur has got it all—positioning, reflexes, puckhandling, anticipation, athleticism, rebound control, competiveness, and experience (PLENTY of winning experience). Until Brodeur is riding a jazzy to the early bird special at Joe’s, he’ll be a huge factor in any playoff series he’s involved with.

Don’t look now, but the Rangers didn’t pluck half of the available big name free agents for nothing last summer. The Broadway Blueshirts are back as a factor in the Eastern Conference after being pre-season favorites turned trainwreck for a few consecutive seasons.

It’s been a bumpy, up and down season, for sure, but the Rangers are hitting their stride at the right time. Jaromir Jagr, whose stats have been well below his standards all season, decided to catch fire as the Rangers climbed the standings late, only losing home ice to Devils in a shoot-out that decided the last regular season game between these foes. Jagr isn’t alone either since the Rangers added playmaking Gomez and stone cold winner Chris Drury in the off-season. Let’s not forget the aging but effective sniper Brendan Shanahan and his fabulous one-timer or the uber-pest Sean Avery (whose presence in the lineup, despite unremarkable stats, seems to translate into wins for the Rangers).

Youngsters Fedor Tyutin and Marc Staal anchor the Rangers defense, a shaky group that could be the chink in the team’s armor. Michal Rovsival and Dan Girardi provide a little bit of blueline “O”, and big body Marek Malik keeps the opposition’s forwards’ heads up.

Despite the offensive firepower, and there’s plenty on this club, the team MVP plays between the pipes. Henrik Lundqvist has solidified a reputation as one of the very best keepers in the game today, and his play throughout the season is a major reason the inconsistent Rangers are sitting pretty in the fifth seed. “King Henri” steals games for the Rangers, especially games at Madison Square Garden. He‘s carried a .912 Save Percentage through his 72 starts, and 10 shutouts lead the entire league. As long as Lundqvist is on his game, the Rangers will be a threat to any team they face in these playoffs.

J’s Pick: New York in 7. I’m not sure how many players will be healthy after this series, but I think that the Rangers are poised to upset Brodeur and the Devils in seven this year. The Devils looked very indifferent down the stretch run, while the Rangers were heating up. With Lundqvist being one of the only keepers in the league that can come close dueling heads up with Brodeur, it’s the Rangers warming, dynamic offense that will be the difference.

I never, ever get enough of watching the Red Sox win. After living for years under the shadow of my entire Yankee-loving family, I’ve acquired a library of books, posters and DVD’s from all things 2004 and 2007.

The 90 minute special premiere in high-def on the MOJO HD channel January 10, and here’s how they sum it all up:

The film captures all the drama as the Red Sox overcame a three game to one deficit versus the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS to secure a berth in the World Series. They then faced the red hot Colorado Rockies who had won 21 of their last 22 games and became the second team ever to win their first seven games in a postseason. With original game broadcast footage plusoff-the-field candid moments with players and coaches inside the dugout and the clubhouse, viewers can relive Boston’s amazing four game sweep for their second World Series championship in the last four years, including their exuberant clubhouse celebration.

The film includes Dustin Pedroia’s lead off home run and the back-to-back-to-back home runs of Youkilis, Ortiz and Ramirez — first time in World Series history. They also highlight J.D. Drew’s breakout grand slam, Jacoby Ellsbury’s emergence as a star-calibur player, and Mike Lowell’s MVP performance.

I really liked that they also included scenes from the victory parade, which I was front-row for.

The 2007 team was something special, like the 2004 team, they came back from the brink in the ALCS. Then they outright swept the World Series. They just wanted it more, and they have a nation of fans behind them.

You also have to give MLB Productions credit for telling the story of the 2007 Colorado Rockies also. They were basically out of it, but they seemed to win every game in the last month of the season to somehow make the playoffs — 13 wins in 14 games and a win in a one-game playoff against the San Diego Padres that took 13 innings, where they were down two runs in the top of the 13th, against the all-time saves leader, only to come back and win. Then they swept Philadelphia; then they swept Arizona. They easily could have been the story of the year.

Living in Boston, I’ve had a chance to see some amazing sports moments over the last five years — football, baseball, hopefully basketball this year. This film is another chance to take an closeup look at the team and the story.

The 2007 World Series Film will re-air January 23 at 9:30 p.m.