Dreams of Being Famous...!

Eliza Dushku certainly has achieved that...!

And she achieved it... the hard way.

The B.E.S.T: Bostonian Extreme Sports!

Kind of on a ''FB video craze'' right now - and look what I found there now:

Post by Vince DelMonte.

Ah, those Go Pro - Be A Hero guys...!

They're loco... man!

And they're inspiring too! 

They inspire Boston athletes all the time 

(that is, when they are not Bostonians themselves!) 

and they sure did inspire me on numerous times - 

most notably for this video right here:

Genesis - not Boston, this time...
Oh well...
Phil Collins is kinda like
an adopted Bostonian, too!
;-)

Boston's Finest Foursome

A recently released brand new t-shirt design 

assembling a Celtic, a Sox, a Bruin and a Pat 

(namely Rajon Rondo, Dustin Pedroia,

Patrice Bergeron and Tom Brady)

got us all thinking, here, at Bostonian Dreams...

Who, ah, but who truly is the ultimate quartet, 

the Finest Four... the fantastic four

of this fine town... Boston?

There are the generic, prototypical ones, 

amply used by B:CofC here:

Stupendous DeviantArt by Gartner

And then there are Boston's actual athletes, of course:

Patrice, Rajon, Dustin and Tom represent an elite today, surely...

But do they really compare with these:

Yaz... Larry... Cam... Ty...

Bobby... Bill... David... Teddy...

Or, in truth and fact, Boston's True Finest:

+++

From World Series Champions To A July 31st Fire Sale

Really - she is that good!

The only John left in town 

will be glad you did... Ben!

(Bye Bye Lester...

Lackey...

Gomes...

And may we re-sign one of you

as a free agent 

soon!)

You've Got To Love Boston

Luck might change course in 2014-15...

But most likely without Love.

Meanwhile, RR is still a Celt -

and what a pro he is, too!

NESN raves on about his 

consummate professionalism -

here.

The Celtics' summer is not going the way 

Danny Ainge and the BC brass wanted, though...

Where's that leprechaun when you need him, hmm?

Good luck!

Generous Greg & Bratty Brad

Look at what the Boston Bruins webmaster (webmestre?) 

and social media coordinator 

has shared regarding the B's off-season 

caritas (charitable) activities...

Three things the share failed to, er, share: 

who is Pete Frates... what is ALS...

and who could it be, among the B's, 

that Gregory Campbell aka Soupy 

would have thought of, first, 

to extend this offer to...?

Pete Frates is a former Boston College 

baseball player who is actually 

plagued with the disease now.

ALS is better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

And the attempt at keeping a veil of mystery 

shrouding the identity of the player 

whom ''Soupy'' challenged was...

surely on purpose 

but everyone knew who it was,

already!

Brad Marchand - aka Marchy -

not only accepted the challenge 

(and delivered proof, too - 

click here to see the videos!) 

but passed it on to several more 

genuinely kind-hearted guys: 

teammates Torey Krug and Chris Kelly 

as well as the AHL's Andrew Bodnarchuk 

and his own brother Jeff Marchand.

ALS doesn't stand a chance 

when the Bruins 

are involved!

This just goes to show, 

once again, 

that the Boston Bruins 

are a tremendous bunch 

of genuine good guys 

- no matter what some may say!

Meanwhile, 

Gregory Campbell's lookalike, 

Graham DeLaet, 

is raising man's awareness 

of Dove for Men products 

first and foremost.

It just speaks for itself.

None of the gentlemen involved

are veritable ''doves'' however -

not even the cartoon character there...

But that's another story.

Impossible Dream Getting Even More Impossible

How sadly ironic that, not even a full year removed 

from a World Series victory, 

an occurrence such as this, normally commonplace 

in the City of Champions, 

 seems to be so rare, at Fenway, nowadays...

Alas, it's true.

And the ''Impossible Dream 2.0'' 

-the 21st Century version of the 1967 exploit- 

might actually have to wait a while 

in order to be officially re-enacted 

as the Red Sox brass 

appears to have thrown in the towel already 

on the year that was to be 

the defense of their championship...

As much as last year was a dream year, 

this year is diametrically the opposite of that...

It's getting to be so bad, now, 

(with another close loss 

relegating the defending champs 

10 games back of 1st place, 

and 7 out of a wildcard berth, 

all that with about 60 games left to go)

that new G.M. Ben 

(not a G.I. Joe type)

is already talking and acting 

in the spirit of a ''fire sale'' 

rather than in that of '76...

Say it isn't so, G.M. Ben! 

(Well, we don't really want to hear 

what he's got to say, right now...)

In the meantime, 

with most of the team still intact 

(thank God!) 

-no thanks to Ben- 

Red Sox Nation 

can still dream 

of the impossible indeed - 

to see the Sox make up 

this much ground 

and compete 

with the O's 

(of all teams - the O's?!?) 

and those damn Yanks 

for top spot 

in the East, 

come October...

In other news, since the All-Star break, 

the Red Sox -the only Real Sox- have only lost one 

of those guys that made it on the voting ballot 

- and,as we all know, 2 out of 3 ain't bad!

Especially when those are 

Big Papi and Pedroia! 

Speaking og Big Papi, 

Yaz himself stopped by Fenway recently 

and gave David Ortiz 

his second place spot 

on the all-time greatest hitters list 

in Boston history - 

right behind Ted Williams. 

High praise - high praise, indeed.

Not nearly as pleasant, 

were the returns of several of the 

teammates Big Papi used to have; 

the team that ''reversed the curse'' in 2004...

Many of them said such things as 

''the writing's on the wall'' 

(Kevin Millar) 

regarding the throwing of the towel 

for this very season...

Ironic to see Kevin Lowe, though; 

when the Celtics hope to have Kevin Love...

But that's another story!

A New Facility For Dream Development - And Other Dreams...

Just as the rookie Bruins, new signees, amateur players, Providence call-ups and freshly-drafted into the fold brand-new soldiers march into a specially set-up camp for them -as it always is, each and every year- our beloved Bruins announced their intention to build themselves a brand spanking new training facility in another part of our beloved town of Boston...!  That means bye-bye to the old practice venue at Wilmington, Massachusetts (home of the B's since 1987-88) and hello, sometime down the road (sometime SOON) to Allston-Brighton, a fine neighborhood right in the heart of Boston. The letter of intent is sealed and delivered; it will come to pass...

But that will be in the future - this is now! For the future is already here, see?

As Bruins insider Joe Haggerty reports here, there is an abundance of new faces showing up once again -this early, mid-July, and so eager already? Wow- chief among them David Pastrnak, Krejci's compatriot, first-round draft pick but also among the youngest of all camp attendees this year.  Also assured of drawing tons of Haggerty's attention are the sons of former Bruins coming forth now: Ryan Donato and Ryan Fitzgerald (call them the Ryan & Ryan show already; or the Ryans for short!)

There's also Bruins assistant GM Don Sweeney's nephew there, Mitchell Dempsey.  (No, we are not accusing the Boston Bruins' organization of nepotism now - come on! Some cloning, perhaps, though? Oleg Yevenko seems to be tailor-made in the same mold that gave us Zdeno Chara... And, maybe, he can compensate for letting Shawn Thornton, too? Just saying...)

And then there's Malcolm... in the middle of two bergs, as it turns out... (Read on!) For Niklas Svedberg has his one-way contract and is firmly set as the heir apparent to Tuukka Rask now...

Me, I am most intrigued with... Gothberg! Goalie prospect Zane Gothberg -what an intimidating last name!- is set to impress some more as he has done tremendously well with his team, the Fighing Sioux, of the University of North Dakota, leading them all the way to the (dreaded?) ''Frozen Four'' last season...! May Gothberg be as feared as Goldberg used to be, in WCW...

Overall and all in all, it is indeed safe to say that the Bruins organization have all it needs in order to palliate to each and every need their team on the ice may have, in the coming years...

Aye, with such future Bruins waiting in the ranks, the future is indeed bright for the Boston Bruins - lest it is just frozen...?

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are being quite proactive in their approach to dreaming: they are taking steps to get this done, ever so-slowly, but still...  A three-team trade (one of those - again) still pending approval could land the team yet another draft pick as they help the Cleveland Cavs court some dreams of their own (bringing back Lebron James - ha!) as they also help out the New Jersey Nets once again, their old pals in dealing like this...  And all the Celts had to sacrifice was that trade exception that they had, which basically sponged out the salaries of two players the Cavs and Nets were happy to let go, in order to accomplish their short-term goals...  This trade, therefore, brings the Celtics two hired guns (another Thornton in Boston, wow, what were the odds; Marcus Thornton, the Cav destined to be a Celt! Along with the Net Tyler Zeller - hmm, any foreboding to be taken into account here, from the name involved, as Zellers recently went under, up north...? Nah!) and this is all on top of four, count'em, four first-round draft picks (three from the Nets; one from the Cavs now) plus ''the right to swap picks'' in 2017, obtained from the Nets when Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and whatsisname were sent over to Brooklyn last year...  And all that this trio brought Brooklyn were five measly playoff victories - yikes! It's great, ah, dreaming about the future and trading on that with ya, Nets! Let's keep at it now... says the leprechaun, with a wicked smile upon his lips!

All we can say is that Danny Ainge is one fine heir to Red Auerbach...!

If the Cavs cannot get James to ''come back home'' (!) well, the Celts might still not be able to land Love (!!) from Minnesota either: as the Timberwolves' GM (hey, is it still former Celtics great Kevin McHale?!?  Ah, those Kevins...!) is still not ''interested'' (nor impressed?) by what the Celtics have got to offer in exchange for one Kevin Love... But... Bah... He's just another Kevin, right?  Maybe the Celtics are better off with Marcus, Tyler and all those draft picks in reserve...  With whatever scenario one goes with here, Celtics win!

And as for the Nets... Well, what do we care about what the Brooklyn Nets dream of, huh?  (Did we call them the ''New Jersey Nets'' back there, again? I guess we did...! Poor Paul, is all we can say...)

The Patriots are somewhat linked to this next one we feel the urge to report here, too: former Pat try-out back-up QB, the one and only Tim Tebow, has found a job!  Not as an NFL quarterback, though - merely as a commentator.  Not to talk about the NFL per say, but to focus upon college football and those teams emanating from SEC schools specifically.  Hey - it is to talk about American football anyway, so... Thanks ESPN!  And, above all, Thank God. (No saracasm intent here; after all, I am a true believer myself. Not a Belieber; a Believer! Tim keeps his dream alive, in some fashion; and so should we all. God Knows what is truly best for us to achieve, however...)

The Boston Red Sox, in the meantime, just dream that this nightmare ends - the curse of the defending world champ got to them... big time.

We have no fear nor doubt that they will reverse this one just as they reversed the Bambino's curse - in time... But it won't take eight decades, this time - hell NO!

They'll simply reverse it by not repeating.

When Dreams Collide...!

So many cars, circulating out there, have no problem at all showing off such duality: I've seen some extremely odd pairings out there and I've seen some totally utterly inexplicable and unthinkable ones - heck, for me, they're outright unacceptable! Fans of the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, sharing the same car...?  That's a recipe for disaster!

In this MUNDIAL atmosphere, we will not see (I hope - ever) fans of the New England Revolution and Montreal Impact carpool and make the world aware of that...  (Now there's an impossibility right there: sales of those little flag-thingies are not that good -in the MLS- for that to happen!)

However I have seen cars sporting, on one side, the Italian flag... On the other side (the passenger side!) the Spanish flag!  I guess that is more in the realm of the ''possible''...?

Portuguese and Brazilian are a natural pairing too, of course...

Although this is a most unholy dalliance:

Spaniard Sorcery with Brazilian Macumba?!?

But that is... another story...

But now, with the upcoming match between Portugal and the USA in this World Cup tournament... this has reached the unbearable breaking point here!

For it is my Bostonian Dreams facing off with my Portuguese Dreams now...!

This could tear me apart - in two slightly even halves, too. (Such symmetry King Solomon would be proud of, I am sure...)

How to choose now? Which side to pull for...?!?

Ah - I know!

IT IS EASY - really... after all... phew...

Since there no sexy Hope Solo legs to look at, the choice is clear: we'll root for the land of my ancestors, the roots of my pride, the genesis of my lineage...

And that is... Portugal!

Sorry, Boston!  No cup for you this year - in any way, shape or form!

Portugal deserves this World Cup!

Don't be fools like the Gestapo now: go down gently before 

Lusitanian Supremacy!

#ForçaPortugal

(It's so close to BostonStrong - I know!)

(But it came FIRST...)

Looking Back...

Dreaming is often rife with nostalgia - my favorite word for it is saudade, personally - and so, why not look back at the highlights of a season that ended disappointingly -especially because of that ending, actually- as the Boston Bruins are doing on their own website...?

This, out of all of those highlights, has to be the one  single moment that warms one's heart the most - for this is when the Bruins did better than well: they did good.

For more on that heartwarming tale - and more on Sam, whose dreams did get fulfilled, to a degree, as he did meet all of his heroes, from Tom Brady to Zdeno Chara, in the shortest span of time there could be; for his time was so short - click here.

A Taste-Testing Simulpost - Just For Fun's Sake...

You DARE and poke the BEAR - 
you're gonna get poked right in the eye now, 
HABS!!! 

Oh, they're so proud now, 

those Canadiens - 

they're so proud! 

And yet - they've accomplished absolutely nothing.

But that's another story...

Yeah, really...

Because, here, today,
courtesy of our ever-popular

ever-reliable

and ever-amusing 

taste-testing blog

we aim only to assess 

what the true nature of being Canadian

(or a Canadien - same thing, right?) 

is aaaaaaaaall about...! 

In order to do so, 

we have got to watch some more 

videographical evidence...

The one truly telling song-and-video
about this sorry misbegotten bunch of Habitants 
HAS GOT to be this first one here,
courtesy of my pals
Dominic & Martin...

Perhaps even more telling, however,
this one right here: 

Or is it all about ''poor taste - less filling''

as we may paraphrase 

from that old beer commercial time has forgotten 

here revamped and rebooted 

for the new beer consuming age...

One cannot omit the Loco trio from this,
surely...

Some bimbos, tarts and floozies, now;
for that is what all the CH female fans truly are...



And a fourth line trio now...
(Ils ne savent même pas conjuguer
''meilleures'' avec ''chansons'' -
au pluriel, svp, parce qu'il y en a trois...!)



and how about this pathetic attempt
both at singing as at being funny...
One that reeks of envy of a better team and greater city!



You may - may - want to buy into this propaganda
even now that it is so obviously,
so painfully (for them)
NOT TRUE...



Or this sorry excuse for rapping
-seriously, even Pitbull is better than this-
that invokes the only real CHance to win they have got:
les fantômes du Forum...
which has now been turned into a Cineplex;
but that's another story!
(Oh, there are cameos in here
by the very few celebrities that actually
love that CH: that guy from LOTR
and some local actress who gets bit parts...
Well, Boston has Michael J. Fox
Ben Affleck and Izabella Scorupco!
So, there...!)



As a bonus choice here,
we include the following:
the pre-game ''show'' that preceded
the pivotal game 3 in that series
opposing the Presidents Trophy Champion Boston Bruins
and the lowly Montreal Canadiens,
who last won anything at all 21 years ago
- and counting...!
The pre-game show was supposed to inspire,
to awe the crowds and TV viewers alike,
as well as all the players involved:
it sure as hell was specifically geared towards
motivating the Canadiens players,
especially with that ''passing the torch'' thing
- having a kid come out on skates carrying it... !
Let's watch now...



All that bogus (nearly-paganistic) crap failed miserably in the end
as the Canadiens might have taken that game, 4-2,
but they failed to score a single goal in the very next one,
game 4 -again ''at home'' where that torch is, pourtant-
and the Boston Bruins scored the lone goal then,
within the first ten minutes of overtime,
to win game 4 by a 1-0 score.
And then game 5 was all Bruins,
ending 4-2 (however, all experts agreed  that
it could have easily ended 7-2...)
and a 3-2 series lead for Boston!
The Canadiens were suddenly facing elimination!
What was the Canadiens' true motivation then?
Hatred and unbridled jealousy!
That and only that motivated and inspired
that sorry rag-tag bunch of mercenaries
to impede the Boston Bruins machine
from accessing the next round
in game 6 (the only game
that anyone could rightfully assess
that the Bruins were not ''in it''... for the Bruins
made the mistake of underestimating
the acrimonious hatred of their rivals,
evident in everything the Habs coach
would ever have to say, in-between games...
nothing like the B's coach.)
and that very same rancorous hatred,
that hateful will to topple the true champion
and ruin the worthier team's run,
carried these hateful Habs
to a 2-1 (not counting a lucky bounce)
steal in game 7...

Afterwards, they failed to muster anything at all
lacking both the motivation and physical stamina,
and they fell in the next round
to an opponent Boston would have owned...

The damn, pathetic, envious Habs
complained that the Boston Bruins didn't respect them;
it is not the Bruins' fault that you have trouble
mounting any sort of combativité 
against any given opponent:
whilst the Boston Bruins
play with the same emotion/aggression
against all comers!
The Boston Bruins' work ethic
is the same against ALL:
it is not a lack of respect, you fools:
it is legitimate, genuine, raw
will to win.
Something the Habitants lack
whenever they do not have that
typical, pernicious
mischievous Montreal motivation
to go and ruin the party of thy immediate
superior neighbour to the south: Boston!
You always had it against Boston
because of a definite sentiment
of inferiority -
which is totally legitimate, mind you...
Boston is a better town,
more prosperous than Montreal,
far less polluted,
more in harmony with both
the economic reality of the day
as well as the environmental concerns
of our times...
Boston has always one-upped Montreal
in any and all areas:
which is why it is so important for the latter
to topple the former in one lone area:
ice hockey.
And yet:
Boston is still known
as the Hub of Hockey.
What is Montreal known as?
The town that has nothing else
going for it BUT hockey!
There is nothing else going on there;
while Boston has everything else.
And more!

Yes, folks - Montreal has serious Boston envy!


Don't believe the Dobermann of the newsworld about this -
believe Luminous!

+++

Shattered Dreams

...

Stolen Dreams

Let's see now, let us recap the situation: 

this assortment of Scabs & Scumbags alike

(half of which can't even speak French 

-or English, for that matter- 

whatsoever coherently...)

FIRST they beat Tampa Bay 

only because the Lightning's goalie was out. 

THEN they steal game one against Boston 

and then game three 

and push the insult so far 

as stealing game seven, too...

AND, NOW, THEY WANT TO STEAL OUR DREAM AS WELL?!?

Have a look at their local rag,

courtesy of used-to-be-PKP's Québécor...

$7.95 for that plate at St-Hubert...?

What a rip-off, actually!

But that's another story...

Well, two can play this game, of course: you steal from us - we've already taken considerably from you!  As we said, you crashed our 90th anniversary bash, Scabs; but, back in 2009, we totally annihilated any hopes, joy and dreams you might have had while celebrating your 100th anniversary - remember that? No? You don't?  You have selective memory and will only remember how game 7 in 2008 went your way, thanks to the refs again, hmm?  You will only remember 2004, when you bashed Joe Thornton's earliest hopes of contending - but not 1994, when the Boston Bruins showed you up for the worthless ''defending champions'' that you were!  You want to remember 1993, and make analogies - but forget that time, when you had Jaroslav Halak in net, and you managed to upset both Washington and Pittsburgh for absolutely NOTHING. Or all the other times the Bruins eliminated you, with or without Cam Neely, in the 90s?  How could you forget all that: how could you forget 2009, you senile old scumbag-Scabs!  Heck, how can you forget anything ever when your provincial slogan/catchphrase/whatever is ''Je me souviens''...?!?  Is it alzheimer's or what?

Let's refresh your memory right now... 

Let's go back 5 short years, to 2009...
Game four in progress - Bruins lead series 3-0...

WHAT A JOY TO BEHOLD! 

Marc Savard still played... 

Mark Recchi, too...

Tim Thomas in net - Bruins Hockey all the way...

David Krejci scores the winning goal...

Phil Kessel scored a meaningful one...

And one of your former guys scored two against you!

You didn't see this coming, at the start of those playoffs, did you?

Even though the tide had turned 

in that regular-season game decisively won by Boston  

when Milan Lucic destroyed Mike Komisarek... 

Remember THAT?

(It is so funny to see Mike try and fight Milan again 

in this video, too: truly priceless!)

Oh yeah...

You were pumped up for this one, Scabs - you truly were! 

The paraphernalia surrounding that big ''100TH'' went largely unsold - 

as your presence in the playoffs was so very short 

and then you had ZERO victories (or zero games that you were able to steal) 

and FOUR STRAIGHT CRUSHING LOSSES - 

the last two of which were right at home, in your creepy center...

(Was it the Bell Witch Center yet? 

Or was there still Molson mildew all over it?

Who gives a damn - right? 

The important thing is that YOU LOST - 

in truly humiliating fashion, too!)

And that former player of yours who came back 
to stab you in that mercenary heart of yours then, Scabs: 

Michael T Ryder would go on to win the Cup with Boston 

(but only two years later, granted: as we were robbed 

in both 2009 and 2010, in later rounds, 

by undeserving, worthless opponents 

just like you, Scabs-Pieces-O'Feces... 

But those are other stories...)

You had recuperated one of ours, too: 

the gritty Glen Metropolit who, just the previous year, 

had played his heart out alongside other 

ephemeral Boston Bruins up-and-coming stars 

(notably Petteri Nokelainen - who, ironically enough, 

would also be scab-hunted and collected by the CH 

a few years later... as this pic shows well!

He went from a one-eyed Bruin full of grit...to a Scab... 
to a Bulldog. But that's another story as well!)

The 2008 Bruins played so well, pushing the series to a seventh game, 

on your 99th b-day, scoundrel Scabs, 

a 7th game that was bitterly disappointing, that time...

For, on that year of 2008, the roles were still reversed: 

the Bruins were an up-and-coming group 

while the Scabs were viewed as the ''contenders'' 

- ha, what a crock right there!

What happened to you in 2008, Scabs, 

is going to be the same thing that will happen in 2014:

in the subsequent rounds, you were showed up 

for the lucky posers that your truly are

(especially you, Scary-ThePrice-Is-Wrong!

You're overpaid: admit it.) 

But back to 2009 - 

that edition of the Boston Bruins 

was all about VINDICATION. 

Like the Boston Bruins of 1969-1970 

had been dubbed the AVENGERS:

going all the way, led by Bobby Orr. 

The 2009 edition avenged what was then 

recent frustration - only that.

By sweeping Montreal in 4 straight, 

they erased all that, when it hurt the most:

because the Scabs and their scummy fans 

were so sure they were going to get #25 

for their 100th... HAHAHAHAHA!

As for the BOSTON BRUINS - 

2014 is to go down as 1971,

1984 and 1993, especially, went: 

great seasons that should have ended 

with the team hoisting the champions' grail.

Instead, each time, they were prevented 

from fulfilling their rightful destiny 

by a bunch of fools determined 

to be spoilers - 
mere worthless, envious spoilers 
and nothing else.

Tim Thomas had to lose a game 7 to you 

before he fulfilled his destiny - and won the cup.

So it will be with Tuukka Rask.

Mark my words!

And it will only be sweeter 

when he does it, just like Timmy did; 

by going through you first!

+++

Overtime Hero Sent By Providence...!

Matt Fraser, the latest call-up from Providence (Rhode Island, that is) was a God-send alright: what a stroke of genius on the part of assistant-general manager Don Sweeney, GM Peter Chiarelli and the coaching staff to summon back to the ''big leagues'' the 23 year-old winger (also acquired as a part of the Tyler Seguin deal, along with Reilly Smith and Loui Eriksson!) who helped the Providence Bruins win their first round series (versus Springfield) 3-2 and access the second round to face old nemeses Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - the affiliate of the Pitt! But that's another story...

Fraser, another guy in the mold of Bruins legend Cam Neely (so was Glen Murray and so is Milan Lucic!) immediately made an impact as he made his presence felt BIG TIME, in overtime, winning game four for the Bruins!  Then, in game five, the line he made up with veteran Loui Eriksson and wunderkind Carl Soderberg rocked and socked the damn Habs, leading Boston to a convincing, dominating 4-2 victory. (Mind you, the Boston Bruins have the hab-it (no pun intended) of being dominating even when they come up on the short end of the hockey stick, in the end, on the quite damnable -then- scoreboard! But that's another story, too...)

Here is the real Chantel of all of sports to tell us about the exploits of present Providence Bruins star and future Boston Bruins star winger Matt Fraser along with a full game 4 recap...

Oops... Video not running? Not embeddable here, after all? 

NHL is not compatible with BLOGGER - boo-hoo!

Click on the link below (the pic below!) in that case...! 

Chantel McCabe...!!!
WOW! 
For years the morons over at RDS have made the claim 
that their chick, very-blonde Chantal Maccabée, 
was THE foremost female in the wild, wild world 
of sports - of hockey, most particularly! 
(Pushing rival TVA Sports to find clones of the 50-plus broad!)
Whaddayaknow: she was but an imitator 
(or a precursor, at best) 
of the real deal: Chantel McCabe!
Her only flaw: Hurricane Hockey.
However, she's younger, smarter and sounds so much better 
than poor old hag Maccabée...! Any day! 
(Do you know what a maccabé is, anyway?)
(One thing is for sure: she's not one of those!)

Flash-forward a couple of days into the future: because Blogger is good to do that, at least!  Matt Fraser is playing in his second NHL playoffs game ever: and dominating! His line leads the Bruins to victory (as, alas, the funk that stalwarts such as Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic and David Krejci are mired in continues - two out of three of them had to be secretly playing while injured; as per wartime custom (and by ''wartime'' we mean the playoffs!) injuries will not be disclosed and anyone willing to continue to play throughout relatively painful but, also relatively, ''minor'' injuries, will be allowed to do so - if their role is primordial in the team's well-being, that is!) This is just like Cam The Man Neely used to do himself, back in the day: anything for the team...!)  The depth of the Boston Bruins comes through, though - and the Bruins win, big time, to finally take the lead in this series, 3-2. 

The adversary's P.K. (not penalty kill) and his diving or taunting antics were finally addressed, too, in the most innocuous way they could have been - with a water-bottle squirt!  And this simple gesture of appropriate retaliation had to cost Boston's enforcer, Shawn Thornton, close to three thousand bucks...?!?  What the hell...?!?

In excess of $2800.00 for this ''crime against the CH''...?!? 

Presposterous!

Subby needed the h2O at that point:

 he was on the ice for practically the entire 

last 5 minutes of his team's well-deserved loss;

Shawn was doing him a favor!!! 

Out of the kindness of a Bruin's heart...

(Exactly like every time Tuukka allows 

a CH goal to slip in - it is a GIFT.

An undeserved gift, of course.

But that is, also, another story...)

Trying desperately to keep up that appearance of consistency, the NHL also fined goalie Henrik Lundqvist for doing the exact same thing: squirting Sid The Kid during a scrum around his net. Lundqvist was leaving the action though: Thornton was sitting on his bench and P.K. unwisely passed by too close... P.K. was, in fact, extremely lucky to be on the receiving end of life-sustaining H2O AND NOT A SOLID RIGHT HOOK! (Again: as he so deserved...)  Lunqvist was fined even more for that: as he is a ''star goalie'' (that the Bruins had no problem beating in last year's playoffs and all throughout this season which saw the Boston Bruins crowned BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE with 117 points; one more than Anaheim!) and Thornton is just a tough, rugged fourth-liner...  Henrik's royal fine was a whopping 5,000$...! In both cases the accusation is the same: ''unsportsmanlike conduct'' - WHAT A CROCK!  As if P.K. and Sid The Kid's attitudes are anything remotely close to sportmanship and fair play, eh?  

So-called reporters such as Mike Cole had fun writing that ''Shawn Thornton had a hearty laugh Saturday night; but it is probably safe to assume that he was less enthused on Sunday morning.'' HA. Never ''ass-ummmmme'' Mike! A veteran like Thornton saw this coming a mile away, surely - just like any futile attempt at hitting him that George Sparros might have made, were he in any condition to even play the game, the poor sourpuss...!  The opposite point of view says that the gesture reeks of the lack of respect that the members of the Boston Bruins organization have, in general, towards the members of the Canadiens. Well, would you be inclined towards respecting an arch-rival that, just ten years ago, was considered a ''contender'' while you were still mired in a ''development stage'' that obviously bore fruit as you won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and could have won it, in fact, as early as 2009, the year that you started these playoffs by ousting those very same Canadiens in four straight games. Shawn Thornton has nothing but visceral contempt and hatred for the enemy: and this is the way it should be (B) of course! Maybe Mike Cole hasn't got a clue about that, hmm? After close to a decade of putting up with the Habs ''tradition'' isn't it legitimate to think that the positions have shifted completely and, now, the only real power resides in the Hub of Hockey, while the stronghold (in total and complete illegal monopoly, as it used to be in the '50s) that the wretched town of ''Mont-réal'' (and it isn't even a mountain, that ''mont'' there, much less ''royal'' either: it's just a glorified hill!) used to have on this sport is gone: thus, these Scabs now should truly be worthless indeed. Yet, these Scabs, fueled by their envy, jealousy and blind hatred of a superior eastern seaboard city -beautiful Boston- dare... they dare challenge it, steal victory from it, steal what is rightfully Boston's and not theirs!  (They're so dumb they don't even get it when ''Boston Strong'' signs are given! Pathetic Habitants mentality - or lack thereof!)  Hence, once Shawn The Enforcer Thornton succumbed to temptation and did what he did to the most outspoken of the enemy's weapons, he knew what was coming his way. The amount ($2,820 dollars and 52 cents, exactly - preferably paid via debit, surely, so that the NHL can get those extra two cents, on Canadian soil anyways...) was the absolute maximum fine Thornton could have gotten under the most recent collective bargaining agreement, still in effect today, quite obviously. Shawn Thornton wouldn't waste his breath discussing the largest fine he got in a long, long time; but Mike Cole is available for questions (HA!) - and so I will keep this link up here, just so that you can go annoy him a bit...

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2014/05/shawn-thornton-fined-for-squirting-water-at-p-k-subban/

Sometimes I wonder on whose side NESN really is on...!

At least they don't mix up sports 

and the sacred -

like those morons up north

will do aaaaaaaaall the time:

take a look...

And yet - all of us know

-those of us in the know, that is-

that whenever Montréal wins 

there is some dark evil force behind it

not anything divine one iota...!

But -again- that's another story...

Simulated Dreams

The EA Sports simulation prophecy!, 

It is a simulation using the made-in-Vancouver "NHL 14" game

released across North America by EA Sports, 

that saw the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup 

in six games against none other than  the San Jose Sharks. 

( No rematch with the Hawks - boo hoo.)

THE CANADIAN PRESS/ho-EA

An EA Sports simulation is better than no form of favorable omen at all, some could say; now to translate virtual into reality once again...  Visibly emulating very real components from fact-sheets from both regular season statistics and past playoffs campaigns, this simulation gave the Boston Bruins the ultimate goal in hockey after ousting four familiar foes (Detroit, which was a known opponent when the simulation was done, Montreal, the New York Rangers and, in the end, San Jose, whose year finally would come to reach the big dance, or so it would seem at simulation time.) Detroit has fulfilled its part and played its role very well: after stealing game one, they dropped four in a row to an inspired Bruins club (prompting some fans to say ''first it was wings as starters: next, it's frog legs!''  Main course could be fishy - or ducky? Stay tuned!)  In order to achieve all that, one would figure that the reliable cogs would deliver: the goalie gets the Conn Smythe Trophy again (Tuukka Rask's projected goals-against average is an infinitesimal 1.56; he's having four shutouts throughout the playoffs -already had one against Detroit as a matter of fact- and his save percentage is a truly excellent .948 - Go, Rask, Go!)  David Krejci would quietly lead all scorers once more with 21 points over the duration, as he's done in 2011 for example; Go, Krejci, Go!  No mention of Jarome Iginla's involvement and production in the short summary that we saw, but it can be presumed that the fact that this is his golden chance to finally hoist the ultimate trophy weighed in the way this simulation went! Go, Iggy, Go!  The EA version of Zdeno Chara can only be even more intimidating than the real-life one too: Go, Chara, Go!  Likewise for Milan Lucic and his fists: Go, Lucic, Go! But it would go to Patrice Bergeron, Bergy himself, the honor of bringing the Bruins back to the Finals - as he scores the series-clinching goal against NY five minutes into overtime in game 7 of the Eastern Finals! (Is EA a big fan of that wild comeback against the Leafs last year or what, you think? Well, so am I...! Go, Bergy, Go!)

On the other end of this spectrum, surprise after surprise - for, to see Boston go all the way is not surprising at all, but to see a scenario unfold that has three former champions of recent years fall before both an upstart team reborn of its ashes since their new coach came into town (said coach was still playing for them last time they contended for anything at all!) and the perennial underachieving club reaching the end - it is a daring bet, to say the least! Colorado and San Jose would be responsible for the eliminations of three top contenders: the Avs were projected to be able to dispose of Chicago in the second round, while San Jose would take care of Los Angeles in the very first round, then Anaheim in the second and finally Colorado in the Western Finals - in six games. We'll get back to this in a second...!

The simulation was spot on in several cases though, one has to admit: Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Columbus and Dallas had no chance to survive the first round - and in reality, none of them did. EA Sports and the NHL 14 game were daring enough to project a sweeping elimination for the team managed by Steve Yzerman: and that is exactly what happened to poor Tampa, unbelievably enough, against the execrably lucky Canadiens. The Philadelphia Flyers were to be swept too; however, in real life, they proved tougher than that against the Rangers, forcing a decisive game 7.  Columbus did fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins; and the Dallas Stars, despite reuniting components from the 2011 Boston Bruins magical team of destiny (Tim Thomas and Tyler Seguin, basically - with some inspiration from Rich Peverley, perhaps) failed to conjure up anything starry at all against the formerly-mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Also of note, despite their great 2013-2014 season, the St.Louis Blues did fall indeed before the reigning champions Blackhawks - it was close, as was the Columbus-Pitt series (surprisingly, but not-so much) and Dallas-Anaheim series (quite surprisingly; but one can dismiss it easily as the usual Tim Thomas effect: he's that good, in his unorthodox way!) but everything there went according to logic, really.  Especially in the case of the poor Blues: acquiring a perennial loser from Buffalo, at the trade deadline, to be your top goalie throughout the crucial part of the year could only lead to major disappointment - and it sure did just that!  Going up against the playoff-savvy team that is the Hawks in the very first round didn't help, granted; it all spelled out ''early exit/ignominious end to a great season'' for a franchise that will probably never find a way to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Now for what did not go ''according to plan'' - a simulated plan, yeah.  Los Angeles is, like Chicago and Boston, a team that knows what life in the playoffs is like. They never quit, and they sure didn't when facing elimination against the Sharks. The simulation had San Jose ousting L.A. in six games; they could have done in 4 straight!  But, instead, L.A. became the latest team to accomplish the stunning feat of rallying from an 0-3 series deficit all the way to take it in the decisive game 7...  Wow. EA Sports didn't count on that one, at all.  Their other major horse, Colorado, petered out, too, early: the Avs, with coach Patrick Roy, were to go almost as far as the Sharks this surprising year: they were to outlast the Minnesota Wild in a hard-fought seven-game series in their first-round match-up.  However, it was Minnesota that took that, coming back four times to tie the final game before winning in overtime!  Roy and EA, both, never imagined that either!  

So, instead of San Jose and Colorado, the western side of things has L.A. and Anaheim still in the mix, and squaring off in round two. The other series has Chicago and the astonishingly resilient Minnesota crew. Who should be the projected Stanley Cup finalist now?  I hope it's the Wild!!!  A battle of the bears for the grail: that way, Boston could look to sweep while they secure Iggy's spot in history, at long last...

In the east, upsets could happen too, though: as projected, the Pitt is pitted against NY in the second round - what if Sid The Kid, somehow, leads the Pens past the Rangers there? What happens to that thrilling seventh-game overtime victory for Boston in the Eastern Finals then? Because the Bruins do have Lundquist's number now...  First, however, they must regain Price's number, the guy who, somehow, did deliver on that laughable (at first it was, anyway) prediction of a first-round sweep...  Tampa didn't play up to par and losing their top goalie Ben Bishop just at the onset of the playoffs was the major factor there!  At blogging time, alas, we know what has transpired: Price was spared five goals (count them, five goals!!!) by the posts and the hated Habs were able to steal game one of the semi-finals, in double overtime, when the Boston Bruins were penalized at the wrongest of times and were killing a penalty, therefore, when deathly tired already...  It was a game the Bruins were totally, utterly dominating otherwise; the projection of a second-round Bruins triumph in five games still stands (however, I was saying it would be Bruins in 4...! Just like on the 100th anniversary of the Canadiens; remember? Ahh - fond memories!)

No matter how it happens, it has to happen: the 2014 champion must be Boston! 

Isn't a sign from fate, too, that it is software made in Vancouver that was used to predict this championship in the first place, hmm? Vancouver - where the Bruins won their previous Cup in 2011, against all odds projected at that time? Vancouver - birth place of Cam Neely and Milan Lucic!  Vancouver - also the birthplace of the most famous Boston Bruins fan of all: Michael J. Fox!  But we're digressing now...

It won't be against Sharks, as fantasized up there: but, be it Kings, Ducks, Hawks again or Wild bears, the Bruins can prevail in six games indeed!  First off, they can make EA proud by ousting both Montreal and New York just as ''prophetised'' (though seven games shouldn't be required for the latter; much less for the former opponent!)

Go, Bruins, Go! 

Boston Strong - One Year Later

April 21st, the 118th Boston Marathon was run with heightened security, greater media coverage and more overall scrutiny than ever before, perhaps, too. It was the latest triumph of courage over adversity in a city chock-full of remarkable examples of just that: this one, however, transcends the mere athleticism required to make your mark in this event, for it involves so much more, as we all know it. Verily, last year's Boston Bombing was even more atrocious than the Boston Massacre that led to the American Revolution of 1776...  And it affected the entire world, as per the nature of the Marathon which attracts worldwide participation. This year was no different; and, once more, we can all admire the resilience of that Boston Spirit: so aptly-named Boston Strong!

Once again, ''hometown favorite'' Shalane Flanagan started the Marathon terrifically right out of the gates, claiming first lap victory, if you will, in a mere five minutes and 11 seconds. The American heroine is finally going to take it home (although ''home'' is Boulder, not Boston), so everyone thought at that point: and what a storybook, fitting end to this most somber chapter of the great tradition, which begat the proud ''Boston Strong'' mantra, however...  The Oregon Blonde ran it proud but, ultimately, it was one of the usual Marathon winners that took it home: making Kenyan Rita Jeptoo a three-time Boston Marathon winner.  (She won it in 2006 - easily the worst year of my life, but it was great for her - good for her. And, again, last year - though she had won her second marathon in Boston, she couldn't celebrate it at all due to it being, easily, the worst year in Boston history, too, as we well recall...)

Once again, for some unfathomable reason, we cared not who won in the male category...

Group Hug at the Finish Line: 

simply beautiful. Courtesy: Fox Sports

More pictures from the 2014 Boston Marathon: here.

Once again, that unicorn-laden logo looked so bizarre, throning over the entire thing as this was some pagan ritual, distanced from any earthly concerns - which it might have been, arguably, up until last year, the 117th Boston Marathon, which was brought back to human concerns and harsh reality with shocking concussive force, as, again, we all recall so vividly - and some of us, actually, have nightmares about it...

The unicorn seems to be saying 

''bah - run all you want, 

you will never reach *my* realm...''

That's not what it's saying, right? 

Right - it cannot be, of course.

The preceding was my original impression, 

from early childhood, 

finally put into blog form...

Once again, the Red Sox looked more like chumps than champs on that day (they who are defending World Series Champions this year, too) dropping a 6-7 decision to the usually woeful Baltimore Orioles. Players were wearing the jersey with the emblazoned ''Boston'' in front - making this pundit bandit blogger right here wonder where was the word ''Strong'' in that equation...?  Oh, well, as long as the word ''Sox'' wasn't anywhere in sight, the homage to the city's strength, resilience and courage was intact (can you guys tell that I am one of those who, lo, many years ago, had voted for a return to the name ''Pilgrims'' for the then believed-to-be heavily-cursed franchise... hmm? Aye - I still am in favor of that, even today! I mean, isn't it enough that the now-famous world-over ''Bostonian Accent'' is reputed for mangling an infinite bit the English language? Does the city's foremost, historically-speaking, major sports franchise have to be corporately (and ''copyrightedly'' too) unable to spell as simple a word as ''socks''...?  We're not as abysmal as Cromagnon Caucasian Chicagoans - are we, here, too?!?  They who are tainted forevermore with the stigma of 1919... But I digress...)


Leave it to corporate America to save the day though: on top of all the ''Boston Strong'' merchandise readily available everywhere, onsite as well as on various websites, there always is plenty of other lines of products closely identified with Boston and its legendary resilience in the face of adversity - such as this new *blue-and-orange* sportswear line from Adidas:

In the late 80s and early 90s, 

it was Wonder Woman that was reputed 

to have moved to Boston 

(sharing the workload with that local

Creeper guy - don't ask.)

Blue and Orange aren't her colors though;

they're more like her sea-bound friend's...

Adidas may be informed that, now, 

it is Aquaman who has moved 

to these patriotic shores 

(not as polluted as New York harbor -

nothing is, really...)

hence the colors chosen, perhaps...?

Given that black and gold (Bruins - duh) is taken, 

and so are red and blue (Patriots, Red Sox) 

and white and green (Celtics - DUH) 

they could only go blue and orange... 

and hope Boston likes it, too?

Well, *I* like it - but mainly because

I have liked Aquaman *and* Boston 

for a long, long time now; 

in my youth, I saw the two as linked 

(and not because of this either!)

 and such an obvious link has been apparent to me 

much longer than this current DC/Warner run 

that has both of them linked at last...

Just saying...

Boston Strong is now part of the modern lexicon - it is synonymous with ''Strike Down Terror'' and ''Say No To Fear'' in my heart; and yours, too!


Because lest we forget - our guard must never go down again. For this happened once; but we'll be damned if there ever was a Boston Bombing two...    #NeverAgain   #BostonStrong