MSM: CSNNE's Joe Haggerty on MBR Radio talking Tim Thomas, Bruins and BBQ

CSNNE's Joe Haggerty stopped by MBR Radio on AM 870 and 1470 WLAM today to talk with Matty (who was filling in for Lee Goldberg) about Tim Thomas, the Bruins, BBQ and to drop bombs on WEEI.Com's Kirk Minihane, who was blasting Haggerty via Twitter all day yesterday.

Just another Tuesday on "Calling All Sports" on MBR Radio, huh? (Click here to download if Flash Player below does not work)

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Rhymes with "Higher Sod": The Bruins need to make a change

So I get paid just to stay home? Interesting! Tell me more...

After last night's crap show in Boston, the players said all the right things after the game, notably Marc Savard, who told Joe Haggerty from CSN after the game:

“Claude’s trying. He can’t yell at us everything single night,” said Savard. “It gets long on him too, so it comes from the guys in the room to pick up the slack. That’s what we’ve got to do.I don’t think we need a shake-up. We’ve got a good hockey club in here."

Savard is partially right, this is a good team. There is talent. The problem is, much like the Wade Phillips version of the 2010 Dallas Cowboys, it doesn't put forth a full effort for an entire game. This team has put together exactly one game all season with 60 minutes of effort, and that was December 3rd against Tampa Bay. It's December 21st. The season started in October.

I know this team is 17-11-4 and in second place in the Northeast division. I know there have been salary cap issues and injuries. I know what it's like to have a job whisked away in the eye of the public (I of course didn't have a contract to fall back on to pay me to stay home and do nothing). The deal is simple: this team and this coach don't match-up with each other. When the coach questions the team's emotion level, and the players already have excuses at the ready, then the disconnect is apparent. The coach is telling the players what they need to hear, but he's being tuned out. The message is lost.

Firing a coach (GASP!)doesn't do anything to your salary cap, but it does change the culture in the locker room, and it changes the voice of who is telling the players to pull their heads out of their collective asses. I was OK with this team keeping Julien on after last season's playoff shibacle, but it's obvious, even in their wins, he can't reach this team on a level that keeps them ready to play 60 minutes of hockey every night. Cam Neely down to the bench? Scott Gordon gets a chance at redemption with a team that has talent? Kevin Dineen finally gets the NHL call? It could be any one of the three or something else, but the bottom line is this: the Bruins have a chance to do something special this season. Does anyone believe Claude Julien is the guy to lead this team to the promised land?

Joe Haggerty from CSNNE.Com

Joe Haggerty from CSNNE.com joined Jeff and Matty to talk Sox, Bruins and Tim Thomas's 'stache.

Thank you, Kessel!

Oh Bruins fans, you are so amusing.

Last night, Tyler Seguin scored his second NHL goal. At home. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team who essentially secured the Bruins Tyler Seguin. Thanks for sucking last year, guys!

Chants of "Thank you, Kessel!" rained down onto the ice, but don't worry. Kessel didn't care.

“I could care less, to tell you the truth. It doesn’t matter to me one bit,’’ he said.

Well, it matters to fans. And you still look like a troll. I'm telling you guys, Kessel has a little jewel in his belly button.


The resemblance is scary, right?

Let's get back to what's important. The players that the Bruins shipped out haven't only landed us Tyler Seguin. They've landed us the likes of Nathan Horton, and Greg Campbell. A previously under-achieving dinkus and the son of the league's disciplinarian have turned out to be a goal scoring machine and a scrappy little nutbag. Not too shabby, right? And lets not forget that not only has Tyler Seguin shown fans and Bruins staff that he can adapt and learn in his new NHL environment, but he's now officially officially a member of the Boston Bruins. That's right, friends. They've decided to keep the lad. This means two things:

1. The Bruins are going to kick some serious butt this year.
   
2. I get to feel like a pedophile for as long as Seguin is on the Bruins.

I'm getting old, guys. I'm 5 years older than Tyler Seguin. When I look at his rock solid abs and think about washing my panties on them, I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for being attracted to someone who is younger than my little brother. I'm a sick, sick person. Why can't everyone look like Nathan Horton?

So that's what I'll be doing for the next week. Fantasizing about a Stanley Cup and trying to keep my dirty mind in check.

Samantha Lewis is a flake and an occasional sports blogger. She has now added "cougar" to that list. Please pray for her salvation. You can follow her on Twitter here.

My Predictions Are like a Curse

I'm not going to write about the Pats this week. I wrote about them last week, got a little cocky, and look what happened. The defense barfed all over themselves. And then the offense stepped in it.

I did get to field texts from my Jets loving family, which is always fun. Here's a small sampling:

Jets! Jets! Jets!!

And that's another New York first down

... I told ya so

They are kicking ass today!

The good news is that this week we have the Bills. If we can't beat the Bills then
I'm going to barf all over myself.

Enough about barfing. It's Friday. We're all supposed to be happy. I'm happy because:

1. I am less than a day away from being able to sleep for 12 straight hours
2. Bruins pre-season has started

I know that most Bruins fans aren't quite over last season's pathetic meltdown, but I'm kind of like a puppy that won't stop eating your bras. No matter how many times you smack me on the nose, I'm going to go back for another. Plus, this season is going to be different! Really!

Let's talk logically for a minute, though. No matter how awesome I want to believe this season will be, there are a few outstanding issues.

1. Defense! This week, I entusiasically told my dad that the Bruins were going to kick ass this season. He said, "Sweetie, you don't have a defense." Um, yes. We have Chara and Seidenberg... and... Boychuck? Oh, and Glass Bones Ference. And Mark Stuart? Is his hand cellulite gone yet? Point being: It's not as solid as I'd imagined in my delusional little brain.
2. Tuukka vs. Timmy. While it's obvious that Tuukka has earned his starting job in Boston, we've still got another goalie sitting around. A goalie that had hip surgery in the off season. A goalie that is being paid 5 million to be a back-up. Will they keep Thomas around while Tuukka continues to adjust to the NHL? Will Thomas accept his new role? Was Tuukka's break out season a fluke?
3. Seguin. When you read that name, please think of the sound of angels singing and the heavens opening up. Tyler Seguin may be the only reason some fans are excited for this season to start. Last year, scoring was a huge issue. This year, should Seguin make the team, the Bruins have a chance to turn that around. But should we really expect the kid to come out scoring 50 goals? Comparisons have been made to Steve Stamkos, one of the most underrated goal scorers in the league. Does this mean that Seguin's first season will be a flop, though? Or is he a mature enough 18 year old to jump right into the fire?
4. Speaking of scoring... what about Savard? In his first game back following a monster concussion, he scored an epic goal that no fan will soon forget. It was a moment of pure elation. And then... well, then he sucked it up for the rest of the playoffs. Now, it seems that Savvy is experiencing some "post-concussion symptoms", making it difficult for him to even think about being on the ice. Despite the "too many men" controversy, it's clear we need Marc Savard for an effective powerplay. How will the Bruins fare if they have to make due without him?

Here's to hoping they work out all the kinks in the pre-season and head to Prague ready to show the NHL what they've got.

Samantha Lewis is a conference production assistant by day and a sports blogger by night. She can't think of anything witty to say right now, so just follow her on Twitter here.

Felger talks #Celtics and #Bruins on the Morning Jab

Michael Felger, from Comcast Sportsnet and 98.5 The Sports Hub, joined Shoe and Matty to break down Celtics/Lakers Game 7 and talk about Cam Neely's new gig with the Bruins.

Dearest Bruins: Please win.

I’m just going to throw this out there now: if the Bruins lose tonight, I’m going to be devastated.

It’s not practical, it makes no sense. The Bruins are missing one of their top centers. Their other top center is still a little tweaked. Our defense is… well, you know what it is. Seidenberg is still out for his suicide attempt (kidding! Sliced wrist. Same thing.). Chara can’t be expected to carry the whole defense. Oh, and the offense… take care of that too oh Captain, my Captain! Blake Wheeler has been moved to the first line (WHAT?!) because he is actually better than someone on the team (Paille) despite the fact that he avoids the puck like he would avoid someone with herpes. Dennis Wideman, Michael Ryder, and Matt Hunwick are non-factors.

Despite all of this, I will still be upset. Upset isn’t even the right word. I will be crushed. All the odds are against them, but I would still be crushed. But why, you ask? Because I actually think they can win. See, if I thought they were going to lose tonight, I would be fine. But some displaced logic is making me believe that they can pull this off. That the magical team we saw against Buffalo and in the first three games against the Flyers is going to valiantly skate onto the ice tonight and say, “Just kidding, guys.”

This is what I need. Literally. Need.

1. The Slovakian Dance of Joy.
2. Patrice Bergeron goal. Top shelf.
3. Shawn Thornton’s fist, meet Mike Richards’ face.
4. Dennis Wideman to remain upright.
5. Mark Recchi goal.
6. No scoring chances for Simon Gange or Danny Briere.
7. Chara Bomb.
8. Dennis Seidenberg. Seriously. Just bring him back. I’m sure he’s fine.
9. A robot arm for Krejci.
10. Marc Savard game winning goal. Start the series with one, end the series with one.
    

If I am not provided with this, or at least some of this, it’s likely I’ll be joining the rest of the Bruins fans at the city’s newest hot spot: the Tobin Bridge.

Samantha Lewis is a conference production assistant by day and a sports blogger by night. As someone who moved to Boston just 6 years ago, she doesn't know how life-long Bruin fans have survived this team. You can read more from her at Beantown Athletic Supporters and follow her on Twitter here.

RED SOX KARMA SO BRUINS LOSE THURSDAY LINKS

D-Mac and Hermida almost collide yesterday against the Blue Jays

BOSTON BRUINS
The Philadelphia Flyers forced Game 7 beating the Bruins 2 - 1 and quite possibly paying Boston back for 2004 Red Sox Karma.

Our pal Joe Haggerty's take on the Bruins.

BOSTON RED SOX
Tim Wakefield pitches a strong game, but the Red Sox drop the finale of the Toronto series at Fenway 3 - 2.

To say the strike zone widened in the 9th inning is an understatement.

More about the Umps.

Joe Haggerty Talks #Bruins

Joe Haggerty from CSNNE.com joined us fresh from Philly to talk Bruins and Flyers, cheese steaks and more.

Blind Faith

Tonight is the moment of truth. Can the Bruins sweep the Flyers? I don’t know about you, but I’ve got my broom ready.

Normally, I wouldn’t be this optimistic. Normally I would say, “Krejci is out, we’re plagued with injuries, the Flyers are going to get too physical, and then they’re screwed. They’ll blow it.” In fact, I’ve said similar things throughout the season. I can’t get myself to think like that anymore. Perhaps it’s the fact that every time fans have doomed them due to an injury they manage to find a solution. Perhaps it’s because no one thought they could even make it to the playoffs and here they are a win away from the conference finals. I know this will eventually lead to heartbreak and severe depression (I’ve got my shrink on speed dial), but I’ve decided to dive in. No, I’m not going to be as insane as those people who think the team can do no wrong, but I am going to be one of those people who thinks they have a chance.

I’m not trying to downplay the Krejci injury. He’s one of the most important pieces of the Bruins offense. But didn’t fans freak out when Savard was out multiple times this season? And when Lucic was out? And when Bergeron was out? They were a little wobbly, but they made it work. At least have enough faith to believe they can figure it out for this series.

How? Who cares? Is it really time to be logical? The Bruins being in the playoffs makes no sense! Don’t you understand that, Internet? How did that even happen? Screw wondering how they’re going to pull it together without Krejci. Stop lamenting about how The AHL Bruins can’t possibly match up to any NHL team. You’re being drama queens to the point where you’re missing what’s going on. The Bruins are kicking ass in the playoffs! I know that technically I’m supposed to analyze these things for you. I’m supposed to be able to tell you what the line combinations are going to look like and how I think Savard will hold up having to play more minutes than expected. I’m supposed to talk about Mark Stuart and what his return will mean for the defense. Well, guess what? I don’t care. Starting tonight, I’m going to allow myself to be a hockey fan. I’m going to stuff my face with more food than I can handle, I’m going to scream at the TV like a barbarian, and I’m not going to intellectually contemplate the effectiveness of the powerplay.

You may want to think about doing the same. Who knows how long this will last. The Bruins have already given fans more than we expected. Grab a beer and enjoy it while it’s here.

Samantha Lewis is a conference production assistant by day and a sports blogger by night. She's enjoying basking in the Bruins playoff glory. You can read more from here at Beantown Athletic Supporters and follow her on Twitter here!

JACK EDWARDS ON WEEKEND WARM UP #bruins #nhl #NESN

JACK EDWARDS SPEAKS WITH MATTY AND JEFF ON THE BIG JAB WEEKEND WARM UP PRESENTED BY MR SPARKY AMERICAS ON TIME ELECTRICIAN

The Official Anthem for #Bruins Fans Today

Yes, it will be painful, but do you want to play Pittsburgh or a banged-up Philly in the next round? All I have to say is...

SATURDAY'S ALRIGHT FOR BLOGGING DAILY LINKS

• Jon Lester looks good in 5 plus and Baltimore walks home the winning run as the Sox beat the Orioles 4 - 3....The Big Jab Bus Karma maybe?
• The Bruins got toasted in Buffalo and may or may not have lost Zdeno Chara to suspension for the next game. Former Portland Pirates Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe had big nights against the Bs.
• Paul Pierce drained a last second shot to put the C's 1 win away from moving on in the Eastern Conference.
• Super Sox prospect Casey Kelly allowed his 1st AA run to Trenton but settled down, allowing that lone run on four hits and one walk, while striking out three in 3 1/3 innings. The Thunder broke out for 7 runs late, beating the Sea Dogs 9 - 1 Friday night.
• The New England Patriots kept to their wheeling and dealing ways, getting 2 linebackers and a tight end on day 2 of the draft.
• The University of Maine Baseball and Softball teams return to Orono for double headers Saturday.
• Maine High School scores HERE on MBR.ORG!

#Bruins Pre Game Video

MARC SAVARD

VIDEO COURTESY TIM ROSENTHAL

Doom! Misery! Destruction!

Dear Bruins Fans:

I know that you’re probably freaking out after last night’s loss to Buffalo. How do I know? Because you’re all insane, myself included. To soothe your aching soul, I’m going to give you five reasons not to worry.

It’s only the first game. The beautiful thing about playoff hockey is that there are seven games. Seven! The B’s showed that they could play with Buffalo last night, especially in the second period. When they’ve lost 3, you may start freaking out.

Tuukka Rask is the second coming of Christ. Blasphemy, I know. Fortunately, I’m not religious. The point is there is no better goalie to face Buffalo and Ryan Miller, goaltender extraordinaire, than the Tuukkinator.

Buffalo doesn’t have many high scoring games. This sort of goes with Tuukka being the balls. Clearly the Bruins scoring abilities are mediocre at best. Buffalo has better scorers, but it’s rare that they have high scoring games. If our offense can get a little creative and Tuukka can keep making saves, we have a real shot to win.

Your blood pressure. You can’t worry. You’ll kill yourself.

Who cares if they win or lose? Blasphemy! Shut up. You can’t look me in the eyes and tell me that you thought the Bruins would even make it this year. And let’s be realistic, if they get out of this round, their next opponent will prove to be more of a challenge. Here’s the way I’m looking at it: this is great playoff experience for Tuukka. Next year, when we have Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, we will make it to the playoffs again and with a better chance of winning multiple rounds.

Bruins fans are all really too high-strung. It’s the playoffs. Just enjoy them while they’re here.

-Samantha Lewis is a conference production assistant by day and a sports blogger by night. She will tell you not to worry now, but if the Bruins lose on Saturday she will have no hair left. You can read more from her at Beantown Athletic Supporters or follow her on Twitter here.

Monday Morning Links

PHOTO JEFF SCHOOLS/CMSB MEDIA

                
Red Sox open season with a thrilling 9-7  win over the Yankees at Fenway Park...

Pirates allow Bruins to slip off hook; lose in OT 3-2 at the Civic Center.

Celtics hang on after blowing a 22 point lead to win 117-113 over Lebron and the Cavs at the Garden.

Gordan Edes: Beckett talks in final stages.

No room for Lowell in Texas.

Dice K and Bonser head to Pawtucket.

Mark Stuart to be sidelined for two weeks.

High School All-Stars to Face Off Against Boston #Bruins Alumni

John Carter and other Bruins Greats will be once again visiting Portland for their annual game against the local high school all-stars this coming Friday, April 9th at 7 PM at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

The Portland Firefighters IAFF Local No. 740 and ECMG are proud to bring to the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland former Boston Bruins greats such as Kenny Linseman, Glenn Featherstone, NESN Analyst Andy Brickley, Reggie Lemelin, Bobby Beers and more to play the Greater Portland High School All-Stars this coming Friday, April 9th, at 7pm. The game has become a tradition for Maine residents with a near capacity crowd last year. This year the Class A State Hockey Champion Biddeford Tigers will be participating (along with Travis Roy Award winner Trevor Fleurent) as well as, for the first time, Cumberland County's top senior female hockey players.

In addition to the game, there will be entertainment, festivities, give-aways and opportunities for autographs, photos with celebrities, the Pirates and Red Claws mascots and more. Also, a special “Heroes” game at 6 PM will feature members of the Portland Fire Department who will square of against members of the Portland Police Department for local hockey bragging rights. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the many worthwhile causes that the Portland Firefighters IAFF Local No. 740 supports throughout the year including fire safety, education and more. Tickets will be available at the door for a suggested $10 donation. Children under 12 get in free. Families’ welcome, Doors open at 5. FMI on this event email alex at ecmgevents.com

The Bruins Are an Unamusing Rollercoaster

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Bruins are like an abusive spouse. They make us feel secure and loved with wins and promises of sixth place, but then they turn around, call us a “bitch”, and slap us in the face.

The Bruins lost to the Lightning last night. The Tampa Bay Lightning. The Tampa Bay Lightning with only one player worth mentioning (What’s up, Steven Stamkos?). At this point, the Bruins hold onto eighth place by two points. The Atlanta Thrashers and the New York Rangers are right behind them. The Bruins will probably make the playoffs, right? I think. Maybe.

This season, you never know what you’re going to get. Will fans see an impenetrable Tuukka Rask and a top-notch defense or will we see a less-impressive Tuukkinator and a sloppy defense? Will fans see an offense full of scoring ability or an offense that struggles to get two goals? It’s gotten to the point where followers and analysts can’t really base predictions on any facts or figures either. The B’s have beaten teams like the Flyers and the Sabres, they can even usually win against teams directly below them, and then they go and lose to teams like the Lightning and the Maple Leafs.

WHAT IS GOING ON?

Is anyone else insanely confused? I mean, on any given night I have no idea if I’m going to walk away from a game pleased or ripping my hair out regardless of whether they play the Capitals or the Hurricanes. Chances are, they’ll lose both.

There’s a great piece in the Globe right now asking, “Do you believe in the Bruins?” and ending with, “get back to me tomorrow.” I’m not sure anything better sums up the feeling of most fans right now. Don’t misunderstand me; we all want to believe in the Bruins, but on any given night it’s tough to decide. They’ve got, in my opinion, the hottest goalie in the league in Tuukka Rask, they’ve got some of the best grinders in the league (I shuddered a bit using that term), and they’ve got a few guys that can find the net. Not enough, but a few. Oh, and what should be a strong defense. However, and that’s a big however, they can’t pull it together. Why? Maybe Venus is in the wrong position, maybe they’ve got the flu, maybe someone is injured, maybe they’re worried about a zit. I wouldn’t discount any of these things, it’s a bigger mystery than being in love.

Perhaps what I’m most worried about is becoming a team who takes one step forward and two steps back. The Bruins of last year were phenomenal. They played like they had everything to lose, every single game, and I was excited every game night. This year, they seem to have become complacent. It’s as if they think because they were good last year, they’ll be good again this year. They’ve forgotten how hard they worked. Does this mean that next year they’ll remember what they have to do and be on top of the Eastern Conference? And then the year after suck it up again?

My weak mental constitution can’t handle that bipolar play. If this is the start of a rollercoaster pattern, I’m going to beat the crap out of Shawn Thornton.

Samantha Lewis is a conference production assistant by day and a sports writer by night. She could win in a fight against Shawn Thornton. You can read more from her at Beantown Athletic Supporters.

Bruins Beat Cooke, Lose Game

That was depressing. I’m not even mad, I haven’t gone into a rage, but I’m thoroughly disappointed. If you live under a rock, I’m talking about the Bruins’ 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. You know, those guys with headhunter Matt Cooke.

The game seemed to be headed in the right direction, especially after Shawn Thornton approached Cooke to fight the second he skated onto the ice. Cooke obliged, despite his reluctance to remove his face mask, and Thornton beat him all the way down to the ice. And then he didn’t stop punching him. I don’t know about other fans, but I was practically standing on my couch cheering Thornton on. I didn’t care that he didn’t stop beating the crap out of Cooke’s already hideous face, I didn’t care that he would get a prolonged penalty, I felt like justice was being served. Almost legally, even. Shove it, Colin Campbell. I’m sure there are some people out there who frowned on Thornton for continuing his barrage of punches long after the refs tried to break it up, but he was fighting for a fallen friend and teammate who is still laying around in a dark room. It was justified, it was passion-fueled, and it was what needed to happen when Savard went down over a week ago.

And then, the Bruins checked out. Despite Thornton’s attempt to light a flame, the Bruins fizzled. Their passing was sloppy, they couldn’t stay on their feet, and the only other altercation was between Zdeno Chara and Michael Rupp whose face Chara had a hard time reaching. Does that even make sense? Aren’t his arms like 4 feet long?

I’m not going to go into the gory details of the game. I’m not going to tell you how many chances the Bruins missed. I won’t even talk about how many shots each team had (the B’s only had 17, the Pens 31). What I will say is that there’s no way fans are satisfied.

There was a lot of hype that went into this game and plenty of debate about what would make the fan base content. Some people wanted the Bruins to beat the crap out of players like Crosby and Malkin. Others, such as 98.5 The Sports Hub sports talk hosts Toucher and Rich, wanted Thornton to “sit down and have a grilled cheese sandwich” with Cooke. And then there were those who just wanted a win. After watching the game, I’m not satisfied. It’s not because no one was beaten up – Cooke got it handed to him. It’s not because of the loss either. It’s because we saw the same lifeless Bruins that we’ve been seeing night in and night out. Had Cooke gotten knocked around and the Bruins had lost something like 3-2 after a hard played game, I would have been happy. Expecting to beat Pittsburgh was unrealistic. They’re an excellent team and it would have taken a late Christmas miracle. And Santa Claus doesn’t even like the Bruins.

As a Bruins fan, I’ve got about as much passion left in me as the players seem to have. I’m sick of calling for management’s heads, I’m sick of questioning Julien’s coaching, and I’m sick of pointing fingers at players. I feel bad for guys like Shawn Thornton who try to carry the team but simply can’t. I even feel bad for Chara as a captain because despite being as dead as his team, it can’t be easy in that locker room right now.

There is one thing I’m questioning. Why didn’t Chiarelli call Savard’s mom up?

Samantha Lewis is the Creative Director of North Shore Editorial. She is starting to have nightmares about Bruins games. You can follow her on Twitter here, or read more from her at Beantown Athletic Supporters.