Opening weekend

 This is the last weekend for a while with out some sort of football game going on. Weather it be High school, College or Pro. This is the best time of year before hockey season. This weekend kicks off the full slate of college football games. Headlining at least my watching will be the Alabama VS. Miami game tomorrow. Everyone knows that Bama is slated to be in the playoff again and will continue to dominate the NCAA for years to come. What i don't think people realize is that the Miami Hurricanes are finally back to what some experts are saying the golden days of the U. They start the season in the top 25 again for the 3rd year in a row. Alabama being a heavy favorite may have their work cut out for them. Season openers are always hit or miss for teams. Years ago they were treated as pre season with D1 power houses playing the Umass and the Old dominions of the world. Now with the push for more money and sponsorships the first game of the year for some of the teams is the highlight of their season. Alabama is by far the toughest opponent at least on paper that Miami will face all season being that they play in the ACC. They wont see Clemson until maybe the ACC title game and that is only if the tigers continue their current success having lost Trevor Lawrence. Its looking like the Hurricanes are poised to once again climb to the top of the ACC. It should be a great game Saturday and if all the experts are to be believed it will be a high scoring shootout. 

Moving on to the NFL now, HOLY SHIT WHAT HAPPENED IN FOXBORO? I had a few people who thought Mac Jones was gonna beat out Cam Newton for the job but no one and i mean noooboddyyy thought they were going to out right cut him. That being said, I understand it and i accept it. Newton was going to cost to much to be a back up, They still need to re structure Gilmore's deal so from a money perspective it made sense. It also makes sense for them to keep Brain Hoyer as the back up. For as bad as he is on the field he has been in the system for so long that he is a great second coach for Mac to learn the play book. Horrible NFL QBs make decent QB coaches. The Mac Jones Era may have started a bit sooner then most people hoped but that doesn't mean it was the wrong choice. Do the Pats make the super bowl because of it? Probably not but i think it does put them in the post season. It definitely makes that week 4 game against TB12 a lot more interesting. The past vs the future. I still think Tampa wins by a land slide but at least the story lines will be fun leading up to it. 

I really haven't been paying to much attention to the other teams around the NFL this pre season. Sometimes ill flip on a game or ill read a story or two but nothing crazy this year. I think ill wait til week 1 to make my assessments on the teams. 

In closing i want to send out my heart felt condolences and sympathy's to the families of Jimmy Hayes and David Patton. 2 amazing athletes and great people that were taken way to soon. May they Rest in Peace.

Jimmy Hayes 11-21-1989/08-23-2021

David Patten 08-19-1974/09-02-2021

Football is back

 With the touch football game in Canton Ohio done with the NFL season can finally begin. The first pre season game for the Patriots is tonight! The conversation of how good is Mac Jones can finally be talked about for real. For the last few months its been whos better him or Cam? Is he ready? My only thoughts on this are that do people really think if Mac Jones is not ready for the bright lights of Gillette that Bill would consider starting him over Newton? Yes newton is no more then a band aid at this point until Jones is ready but he is still a very capable QB. A lot will be decided in the next few weeks but pay close attention to the number of snaps both take and who is out there with them for those snaps. This will be the first time in a very very long time that the patriots will have an honest battle for QB1. My money is on the rookie. ROLL TIDE.

There has also been quite a lot of stories coming out of different NFL camps this pre season already. Once again the cowboys look awful. Also Carson Wentz is once again hurt although he may be ready for week one which gives him enough time to get hurt again and be out for the season.  Its hard to make any sort of real prediction on my part without seeing any pre season highlights so for now i will reserve judgement. 

I did see the very very sexy video that was put out by the Jacksonville Jaguars that showed Trevor Lawrence throwing a TD into 2 defenders and hitting this great 6'5 tight end named Tebow! That's not something that can be taught, Its just pure talent from a stud TE. That story and combination is sure to have more air time as the season gets closer. 

On the hockey front, Holy crap what a whirlwind free agency so far. First I want to start with how bad Vegas bent over their once franchise goalie. They traded him and didn't even tell him. Marc Andre Flurey found out he was now a member of the Chicago Blackhawks on twitter because he name was trending. This man just won a vezna! He led you to the Stanley Cup finals and 2 western conference finals in the 4 years you've been a team, At least give the man a phone call. 

To my shock and surprise the Bruins were not quiet on day one. I put out one Facebook status about them being asleep at the wheel and not 10 minutes later they signed Nick Foligno, Linus Ullmark and Derek Fobort. 3 Big name players who will definitely help fill various roles. 

Not so much to my surprise 14 year veteran David Krejci decided to go back to his home country and continue his career. I don't think this was a very big surprise but it still leaves a big void on the bruins second line. As critical as I've been of Krejci and his play as of late he is a very solid second line center and one of the best faceoff men in the game. Ideally id like to see the second line now become Coyle, Hall, and Smith. But that seems more like wishful thinking.

I will have a post soon with my preview for the full NFL season as well as some talk of my fantasy football teams. I have some drafts coming up soon.

As always thanks for reading and for the continued support. I've decided I'm going to start leaving trivia questions or something of the like in these posts and ask that people answer them on the blog Facebook page. I need to get more interactions on that platform if i want this to take off more then it has. 

That being said here is the first one just to see who pays attention. What is the team motto of the Dillon Panthers? Please submit your answers at Facebook.com/beantownbanterpodcast

You voted for this

Yesterday I put a poll up on our Facebook page asking what you the readers and followers would like to read about since hockey season is coming to an end. You voted on a general what's going on in the wide world of sports so here we go.

Starting with hockey obviously, The Stanley Cup final is under way with the lightning holding a 2-0 lead on the (take deep breath) Montreal Canadians. Ugh i almost couldn't type that. This is not coming from a bruins fan the Montreal has zero business being in the final. This is already showing signs of the giant mismatch that it is. Tampa is one of the most dynamic teams and can beat you in any number of ways. Yes I am in the group who thinks they are breaking the rules by being 18 million over the cap. But as long as they sweep Montreal and make it look embarrassing then I'm ok with it for this season. 

The NHL did have their award night a few days ago and i was shocked to see Marc Andre Fleury receive his first vezna trophy. I could have sworn that a man with 3 cups 1 conn smythe and just a ridiculous overall save and GAA% that he would have more then one. But alas he finally got it and it is much deserved. The league MVP was no shock Connor McDavid. He was only the second player in NHL history to be the unanimous Choice. Anyone know the other? If you know it leave a comment on this post and tell me who it was. First right answer will get a shout out. After he won though I did find it funny during a conversation with my neighbor we recapped his 2021 playoffs. How many games did he help his team win? How many points did he get in the post season? This is why hockey doesn't have an overall MVP and they have a regular season one and then a playoff one. Who knows maybe next season he will make it out of the first round. 

The expansion draft is a few short weeks away. That's always a fun time to see what teams put up what players and who Seattle will ultimately end up with. I'm hoping that they come out with a jersey for the Kraken before at least the main NHL draft. Mainly because daddy needs a new jersey.

Baseball is always going to be a third rate sport to me. Once the sox won in 04 i really haven't fully invested in a season since. But there are a few things this season that have made me look up a few more highlights then i normally would. First lets talk about this whole Sticky Tack stuff with the pitchers. At first i thought it was a joke. But then i realized its baseball. How much more of a joke could it be. Then i watched Phillies manager Joe Girardi ask for Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer to be checked 3 times in 6 innings for sticky stuff and he (Girardi) was promptly tossed after the third time of max coming up clean. The next thing that is causing me to watch a little more of America's past time this year is Shohei Ohtani.  Now you wanna talk about MVPs? This guy is the literal definition of MVP. As of this post he had 28 home runs to lead baseball he also leads the AL with 4 triples. Oh and did i mention he also pitches? Because that's kind of important. In 12 games on the bump he is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 83 strikeouts. So that means not only does he rake at the plate and plays the field he can also throw lights out baseball. These type of numbers have not been seen since some guy named George Herman Ruth did it close to 100 years ago and from I've read that Ruth guy was pretty good at baseball as well. If i watch any baseball this season it will be the Halos of Los Angeles. 

Basketball will be entering their finals this coming week and so far the first team in is the Phoenix suns. From what i hear they haven't made it since 1993. Which also happens to be the last time the Canadians won the cup so history may not be on my side on this one. 

Finally Football is gearing up for training camps and most of the Pats camp will be open to the public. finally some sense of normal life for the upcoming NFL season. My eyes will be on the Mac Jones vs Cam Newton battle for Pats QB and I will also be paying very close attention to the Jaguars camp, No not for Trevor Lawrence but for the one and only Timothy Tebow. 

Thank you again to all who voted and all who continue to read this blog and the links to your own personal pages. Any exposure is very helpful to me and i will eventually get the podcast side of this back up and running. In the mean time if you haven't already and you just read from someone else's status share then please leave a comment on the blogs Facebook page and please hit the follow and like button!  

End of an era

 The Bruins season came to an end on Wednesday night. Having watched the game i can say with confidence they did not deserve to win that game. I think fans knew that going into Uniondale and trying to win a pivotal game with that crowd was going to be a hard task. Add to that the goalie situation, It was almost doomed before the puck dropped. But now that the season is over we can take a look at somethings that i think need to change and things that need to be explored. 

Lets start with the aforementioned goaltending issue. I whole heartedly hope that Bruins fans have watched Tuukka Rask play his last game for the bruins. People always talk about Elite goaltending. Funny thing though the ones who are actually Elite are never talked about. I knew after the 2013 season that the bruins would never win a cup with Rask in net. I don't blame the loss that year on him at all but just watching how he played you could tell he would always get you right there and then implode. Another example is Carey Price. He has been regarded as one of the best goalies in the league or even of his generation. Let me ask you, What has he won? How many conference finals has he been to? Tuukka at least has been to 3 cup finals and a few conference finals in his time here. But as the saying goes Always the brides maid never the bride. The bruins "window" has always been attached to the core guys of Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Rask but no one every took a longer look at Rask because of his regular season success. Now lets go over his excuses. This season it was "well I wasn't 100% I had a torn labrum and other nagging injuries." Last year it was "I have to leave the bubble for a family emergency" And in the loss to St. Louis it was the lack of shots faced in each game made him ill prepared for the on slot of shots in game 7. Again I'm gonna ask you the readers to think, When has someone who is supposed to be elite made so many excuses for why he cant get over the hump. I hear it a lot out of Lebron James. Heard it a lot from Payton Manning. But you never hear much from the guys who know how to win. As i said at the beginning of this I whole heartedly hope and believe that Tuukka has played his last game for the bruins. His current injury has him pegged for a January/February return next season. So lets say he resigns with Boston. We start the year with Swayman and whoever at backup. Are the bruins just supposed to push him aside when Rask comes back? Yea I'm good. Rask said today in his exit interview that he only wants to play for Boston and that he wont play for another team. Well it looks like its retirement for you then bud. Might be for the best since your body is very fragile. Need to keep it healthy for all those family emergencies. 

The second elephant in the room for Boston this offseason is David Krejci. Long has he been labeled as one our core guys but its long past time we moved on from him. He cost to much money for the little production he has when its needed. Yes he regularly scores 20-30 goals. But anyone can do that against the Sabers, and coyotes. We need him in the playoffs and recently hes been missing. The expansion draft is on July 21st. I cant see a valid reason why Krejci's  name isn't on the unprotected list. The market for high impact low risk second line players is going to be huge this year. Boston can find someone much cheaper for a higher value. 

Jake DeBrusk. he was drafted 3 spots ahead of the islanders Matt Barzal. As you saw in this series who do you think won that draft? DeBrusk had a very good first year. He was tough, fast, smart with the puck. Recently and most notably this post season he has been one of the worst bruins on the ice. He was on the 9th floor for a few games and that's honestly where he should have been all year. He is another guy who I wouldn't mind seeing on the unprotected list. 

Last thing on the bruins. Hall and the defense. The Bruins finally got Taylor Hall this trade deadline. He made an immediate impact. While he wasn't as productive as most would have liked in the post season he is someone the bruins need to lock up for the future. He is not far removed from the being the league MVP. under the right coaching and on a team with much more ambition then the Sabers I think he can thrive. As for the defense. I think this season there was just a rash of injuries. Miller started the season on a tear and was easily the best defenseman we had. Injuries caught up to him and he missed a lot of time. I think with a solid off season of rehab he will come back and be the Defensive leader the bruins need. Brandan Carlo will no doubt come back stronger and ready. Having been knocked out of the season by Wilson WHO ONLY GOT A 5K FINE i think he has a lot to prove coming back. All in all the defense for the bruins is not as big a question as this post season may have led us to believe. 

Ok, Now lets get into the final 4. Montreal, Vegas, Tampa, Islanders.

First off, Holy crap! Who would have ever thought the Canadians would sweep Winnipeg? Not me that's for sure. Is it possible that Cary Price finally leads them to a cup final? I'm not sure they will get past Vegas but after what they have pulled off so far I'm not sure anyone can predict what they are going to do. 

Montreal Vs. Vegas

As I eluded to, what Montreal is doing right now is so far beyond comprehension that i dont have the words for it. They took Toronto a team everyone picked as a heavy favorite to win the cup to 7 games and then beat them. Then they faced Winnipeg who just swept the Oilers and shut down Connor McDavid and promptly swept them out of the playoffs. They came in as a team that under the previous playoff format would not have even qualified and they have so far been the best story in the whole post season. Vegas on the other hand, Has also done some amazing things this post season. They got past a tough high flying Minnesota team and then they took out the heavily favored Colorado Avalanche after being down 2-0. Led by energetic Captain Mark Stone and flanked by offensive threats Riley Smith and William Karlson the golden knights are a force to be reckoned with. This series will be the better of the 2 to watch in my opinion. Putting personal feelings and my Black and Gold blood stream. I think Montreal takes this series in 7.

Tampa vs. New York Islanders

The Islanders took care of the Bruins last round. They did it behind some solid goaltending in Semyon Varlmov. And the goal scoring of Matt Barzal and Kyle Palmari. Add to them the Defense and shot blocking of JG Pageau and the shut down blueline play by defenseman Adam Pelech, the islanders made it look easy against Boston even though it went 6. Tampa on the other hand took care of the hurricanes rather easily. Carolina defenseman Dougie Hamilton said "we lost to team that was 18 million over the cap". While this is true it doesn't really matter. Those salaries aren't what beat you, it was your lack of ability to score when needed and your terrible clearing of the puck from your zone. The NHL has not had a repeat Stanley Cup champ since the Penguins in 2016-2017. But if anyone has a good shot at it its going to the the lightning. I think they win this series in 5.

One last note on the Bruins. There were a number of things they did wrong against the islanders that ultimately led to their demise. One of the main things I can say is that for the first time since hes been here Bruce Cassidy plain and simple got out coached. Barry Trotz had the better matchups, He made the better play calls. Cassidy made the mistake of starting a whiny and hurt Rask over Swayman and I truly believe that if Swayman had started game 6, Boston would be playing game 7 tonight at the garden instead of making tee times for this weekend. I don't put all the blame on the coach. He can only do so much with what is given to him. This idea that Don Sweeny and Cam Neely make a great front office has been debunked for good. Sweeny had a great trade deadline this year but it was his only good one since hes been the GM. He whiffed on the draft that cost us Matt Barzal and left us with Jake DeBrusk and 2 other guys who have yet to make a decent impact at the NHL level. I think that his short comings are starting to pile up against his successes and its not looking good. I think a shake up in management might be the key to what Boston needs in order to cash in on this "window" that seems to closing a lot faster then anyone hoped. 

Comically Bad

 The Toronto Maple Leafs are the funniest losing team I have ever seen in my short 32 years on the planet. On Monday night they once again blew a 3-1 series lead and were eliminated in the playoffs. I would rather be a fan of the Sabers then the Leafs. At least with Buffalo you know your out before Christmas. The Leafs had the best record in the north divison this season and everyone had them pegged as a cup favorite. I even said on this very blog that they would easily beat the Canadians in 5. I was so close to being right. Then I realized oh yea, Toronto doesn't ever finish a 3-1 lead. It is seriously comical at this point. What makes it even better and more hilarious is that once it hit 3-1 everyone wrote them off. It would have probably been better if they went down 2-1. But in any event the leafs are done in round one again. Now that the second round is underway and we know all the matchups I am going to share my predictions for round 2.

Boston vs New York Islanders

This one is interesting. Through 2 games it it still tough to call. Game 1 was all Boston start to finish minus a fluke goal early by the Isles. Game 2 seemed to be going in the same direction with Coyle just having his way with the D on that sweet opening goal. But from there it kind of went down hill. The Bruins did battle back and eventually tie the game and send it to over time but a freak bounce of Lauzon sent Cizikas on a break away and he buried the game winner. Overall after 2 games I do think the bruins have the better team and they will get passed the islanders. Bruins in 6.

Carolina vs. Tampa Bay

The Lightning are healthy for the first time all season and it has shown so far in the playoffs. Getting back Kucherov and Stamkos was exactly what they needed. I had them losing to the Panthers but I wrote that blog before they announced Kucherov and Stamkos were back. Had I known that I would have said no problem for them. Carolina made fairly easy work of the Predators in the first round. But they are gonna need a lot more out of Aho and Stall if they hope to get past Tampa. I don't think they have it. Lightning in 5.

Winnipeg vs Montreal

Ok this series I never imagined would happen. Winnipeg swept the oilers and did it with ease. McDavid and Drastial were completely irrelevant in the series. The jets exploited that and marched easily to the sweep. Montreal as I stated in the opening paragraph didn't have a chance in hell of getting past the Leafs. Until the leafs went up 3-1. But even though they took them to 7 games I didn't really see much that would make me think they will catch fire here and take out Winnipeg. I just don't think Carey Price is that good. People ay hes one of the best but he has only made it out of the first round once in his career. I could entertain the conversation if he even lost a few conference finals but hes never been there. So I don't think this year is going to be any different. Jets in 5.

Colorado vs Vegas

Tom Wilson only got a 5 thousand dollar suspension for slamming someone's head into the ice causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Ryan Reeves pulled someone down and had a knee on their face until he realized it and moved it and he gets 2 games. The NHL Safety department is a bigger joke then the leafs in the playoffs. Not only did they get this one wrong they basically told the league that Wilson in untouchable. For Vegas to lose a guy like Reeves for 2 very important games in the second round is gonna be tough. He may only get 8-12 minutes a night but hes the emotional leader more teams need. Colorado on the other hand is playing at a pace I have never seen before. Nathan McKinnon has to be one of if not the fastest player in the league. He just moves through defenses like nothing. I'm sure McDavid would do the same if he ever got out of the first round. Cale Makar is becoming one of the best shut down defenseman in the NHL. Those 2 guys alone are gonna take this team very far in the future. As much as it pains me to type this. I think Avalanche in 6.

Those are my round 2 predictions. In round 1 I went 4-4 so not to bad. I just didn't count on Toronto crapping them selves again and for Edmonton to get bent over like they did. Hopefully I do a little better this time around.

Last little note. I love all the support I'm getting and i appreciate everyone who texts me that they read this or that they liked a point I made. I'm asking you readers to do me a favor. Please Comment on the page. I put the link onto my Facebook, The blogs Facebook, Instagram, and twitter. I get all the likes but i need comments and shares and follows if i want this to get bigger. So if you could please when you read this. Maybe share it to your own social media. Give the blogs Facebook page a follow. Or Leave a comment on one of the social medias. I appreciate it.  

Playoff Time

 The time is finally upon us. The NHL playoffs start tomorrow. This year has already been an odd year for the NHL with the teams only playing in their own division. But the playoffs is going to be a horse of a different color. The first 2 rounds will be divisional meaning 1 plays 4 and 2 plays 3, Then the two winners meet. That's where things get fun. After the second round teams will finally play someone they have not played against since last season. And with the way the divisions were made its very possible that 2 teams from the same conference could end up playing for the cup. Im gonna give my prediction on each of the first round games and i will also give you who i think will be the Stanley Cup Champion.

East Division

1.Pittsburgh vs. 4. New York Islanders

This year I really think the numbers of where teams finished the regular season matter. The islanders have been a solid team all season as have the penguins. The playoffs have become a yearly thing for Pittsburgh and the Islanders have been making some noise over the last few years. This series as with all of them will be tough but i think Pittsburgh takes it in 6.

2.Washington vs. 3. Boston

This series obviously has more to look forward to for readers of this blog. The main story line being our former 14 year captain Zdeno Chara being on the Capitols back end instead of ours. The bruins played very well against Washington in the 8 games they played. The smaller stories that will no doubt take a back seat at least for game 1 would be Tom Wilson and the bruins opting for Jeremy Swayman over Jaro Halak as back up. Tom Wilson writes his own obituary with league but putting all that aside Wilson has done his job. Hes in the minds of teams and he is definitely on the mind of the bruins after he put Carlo into the boards causing him to miss a lot of time. Playoff hockey is always harder and tougher. Much more physical. With the way the season was drawn up the first 2 rounds look to be some really intense hockey. Based on depth and skill on defense I think Boston wins in 5.

Central Division 

1.Carolina vs.4.Nashville 

This series is the only one that actually played out as east vs west. All the other first round match ups have stayed inter conference as is tradition. Carolina has built on the enormous success it had last season and channeled that into a first place finish and almost a presidents trophy. Nashville has shown continued success over the last few years but this may be their last shot at a winner. With the news that longtime goalie Pekka Renee planning to leave after the season the predators might be heading into the dreaded rebuild. I think the Hurricanes take this series in 6.

2.Florida vs. 3. Tampa Bay

The battle of the sunshine state. who would have ever thought we would see 2 Florida teams going head to head in the post season. Defending champs Tampa have a lot of work to do if they want to overtake the much quicker Panthers. The lightning have been with out Nikita Kucherov all season and he looks to make his debut in game 1. How will he gel with the flow of the team. these happen to be 2 of the more physical teams with their last game posting around 150 penalty minutes. The goaltending on both ends is vezna caliber so i would assume goals will be at a premium and the first team to blink will lose. I predict Florida wins this in 7.

North Division

1.Tornoto vs.4.Montreal

The north division was the oddest of the 4 that were made. It consisted of all 6 Canadian teams because travel outside of Canada was restricted because of the pandemic. Montreal started the season 11-5. then lost something like 6 in a row and the team parted ways with Claude Julien. They got worse after he left and almost were out of the playoffs. Had it not been for Vancouver missing 7 games I believe they would have been on the outside looking in. All of the major sports people have been saying that Toronto is the best team in the league this year having added Joe Thornton and with Auston Matthews scoring over 40 goals. But I just don't see it. Every year the leafs find a way to choke and this year having not played an American team and most likely having to get past Edmonton to do so, I just don't see the leafs having a real shot once the second round is over. They will however dispose of Montreal in 5 games.

2. Edmonton vs. 3. Winnipeg

It seems like every year since they have been back in the league the jets find a way to make things interesting. This year was no different. They played very solid hockey all season and they hung in there with Toronto all year long. Their downfall is going to be they lack the defense to stop Connor McDavid. As some of you know I have been a closet Oilers fan since 2006 when Fernando Pisani scored 2 goals in game 7 to put the Oilers up on the ducks. Everyone knows about Gretzky and how the oilers have only had one cup since he left. But Connor McDavid is the hands down best athlete at his sport. Its not even a close conversation. Which is why I said I don't think Winnipeg has the defense to stop him. Because in reality Edmonton only need him and someone to feed him the puck. Edmonton sweeps this series 4-0.

West Division

1.Colorado vs. 4. St. Louis

If you listen to or follow anything that talks about the NHL then you would have definitely heard that the Avalanche are the hottest team in the league this year. So much young talent mixed with veterans like McKinnon and Landeskog who have finally came into their own its hard to find a match up that doesn't favor them. The Blues are a very physical team and they play a very good game in the corners. But they are a team of veterans. Not a lot of youth. I think with the way Colorado has played this year they will handle the Avalanche with out much fuss and take the series in 5.

2.Vegas vs.3.Minnesota

The Vegas Golden Knights are the best story in hockey over the last 10 years. Upstart team makes the cup final the first year and really hasn't fallen off since. They are ultra competitive and always right in the mix. Add to that the William Jennings winning goaltending tandem of Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner Vegas is a team that is poised to do great things. Minnesota on the other hand is having one of their best season that i can remember. They have to be hands down the best 5-5 team this year as well as one of the most solid defensive teams. They are physical and aren't afraid to mix it up but they are also disciplined enough to make sure they stay out of the box. This is going to be a fun series to keep your eye on. I think Vegas takes it in 7 hard fought and close games.

Those are my predictions for the first round of the playoffs I will put out my second round once things play out. I did say I would give you my prediction for cup winner. But honestly i cant decide yet. I really wanna wait until teams are out of the second round and we can see them play teams they haven't played all year. 

Some quick football news. TEBOW IS BACK!!!!!!! After being out of the NFL for close to 5 years now and failing at playing pro baseball the Jacksonville Jaguars have signed him to a one year deal as a tight end. Obviously having drafted Trevor Lawrence there was no chance in hell Tebow would ever take a single snap under center. But the prospect of seeing him at tight end is intriguing. Hes got the body for it. Hes got the height. But can he catch? Can he block? This could all just be a PR stunt for Urban Myer to drum up some ticket sales in his first season at the hem of the jags but i think with the drive that Tebow has to want to stay relevant he will no doubt put in the work and who knows maybe he make sit and does well for a few games and can go out the way he wanted to.

Soft punishment

 Once again I find my self questioning the NHL. On the one hand they constantly say how much they want a safer game. How much they want to clean up the sport for the TV audience. On the other hand guys like Tom Wilson are allowed to bully and wreak havoc on the league with absolutely no repercussion. Last night he was up to the same old bull shit that he always is. During a scrum after the whistle he has Pavel Buchnevich  down on the ice and just proceeds to throw a punch thinking no one is looking. Well it caught the eye of Artemi Panarin. He jumped right onto Wilson to defend his teammate. Now Wilson the more rugged player easily gets out of that and instead of skating away and it ending he decides to further his candidacy for douche bag of the year but dragging Panarin down by his hair. Who pulls hair? With all that hes now in the box and hes flexing on the caps bench like he just won some great fight. After the game Everyone around the league was talking about how many games he would get. Would it be 2? 5? Rest of this season? Nope. The brain trust of the NHL decide that his on going antics and his reputation as one of the dirtiest players of this generation only merits a 5 thousand dollar fine. Are you kidding me? The best part is George Parros is the head of the NHLs development and player safety. George Parros! The man was one of the most feared enforcers in the league. He never got suspended. Not once in his career. You would think that a guy who knows the difference between being a tough player and being a complete dick would easily see Tom Wilson as a cancer in the league and act accordingly. I guess what is gonna have to happen is Wilson is going to have to go after one of the faces of the league before anything will happen to him. That is a bad precedent to set.

In other news, The Bruins have clinched their spot in the playoffs. Currently they sit 4th in their division but with a couple games left and if they get a little luck they could easily slip into second place. They have been playing very well as of late. The addition of Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar and Mike Reilly has been probably the best thing Don Sweeney has done as GM of the team. Hopefully they resign Hall next year. 

Teams around the league have some decisions to make with the upcoming expansion draft. When Vegas had theirs teams did not protect certain players whos contracts were expiring or the cap hit was too high. They got a steal with Marc-Andre Fleury and have since built around him to become a decent contender every year. Now can Seattle do the same? Its possible. Lots of top notch players should be on the unprotected list this time around. For the Bruins i think the most notable will be Tuukka Rask. With the emergence of Jeremey Swayman who has proved he is more then NHL ready, i think now is the time to move on from Rask. Only time will tell. 

The NFL draft also took place this past week and i only wanna talk about the Pats first round pick. QB Mac Jones. Now the reports on him are amazing. Couple national titles at BAMA. Great pocket presence. Good arm strength. He checks all the right boxes. But if you have watched any combination of College and Pro football over the last say 10 years you will already know that while Alabama is a very dominant and successful program. Their QBs don't tend to pan out in the NFL. Other positions sure. Dont'a Hightower is arguably one of the best linebackers we have had since Bruschi and Mayo. But in terms of the most important position on the field, Bama is not exactly turning out the Joe Burrows or the Trevor Lawrence's of the world.