Day 283: Bruins Represent in Sochi Olympics

The official Olympic rosters for all Men's Hockey teams have been named and the Boston Bruins will be well represented in Russia next month. In the end, five guys have been named to five different teams—which just goes to show you the international flair of the game. Hockey is one of the marquis events of the Olympics and it's always fun to watch a group of teammates fight so fiercely for their home country, even if it means squashing your line mate to get ahead.

Patrice Bergeron will play for Team Canada for the second time. He was a member of the gold medal winning Canadian team in Vancouver in 2010. Team Canada has also named Bruins' head coach, Claude Julien, as assistant coach. And Milan Lucic was invited to attend the orientation camp, but wasn't chosen as part of the final roster.

Bruins' captain, Zdeno Chara, will play in his third Olympics and head the Slovakia team. Tuukka Rask will tend the net for Finland, David Krejci will play for the Czech Republic and Loui Erikkson was named to Sweden's team. No one was named to the US team.

Each player was humbled by the appointment and felt honored to be playing for their home country. Teams Canada, Russia and Sweden are all favorites to win the gold medal. USA doesn't quite measure up to the top teams, but they have a strong team and could be in the hunt for a medal of some color, just probably not gold. But who knows with the Americans... they always seem to surprise us on the big stage.

Here's my prediction for the podium in Men's Hockey:

GOLD:  Russia (Duh... because they're the home team.)
SILVER:  Canada (Unable to defend their gold, they'll lose to Russia in a real nail biter.)
BRONZE:  USA (They're going to beat Sweden to squeeze onto the media podium.)

The Olympic hockey tournament begins on Wednesday, February 12th. Can you tell I'm excited?

Day 282: Lindsey Vonn Sadly Out of Olympics

The human body can only take so much and Lindsey Vonn's knee is a perfect example as she announced Tuesday that she would not be competing in Sochi next month. Vonn crashed last year in the Super G at the World Championships where she tore two ligaments in her right knee and suffered a tibial fracture. She came back to compete at the end of 2013, but crashed again in November. Not to be discouraged, she made another valiant attempt but skied off a French course after her knee buckled. And now, with the games just a month away, she has run out of time.

"I am devastated to announce that I will not be able to compete in Sochi," Vonn said in a statement Tuesday. "I did everything I possibly could to somehow get strong enough to overcome having no ACL but the reality has sunk in that my knee is just too unstable to compete at this level."

It's a sad realization that the most successful skier in American history will not be around to defend her downhill title. In 2010, after announcing she was battling a shin injury, she came out just a week later and became the first American woman to win gold in the downhill. After crashing in two other races, she finished third in the Super G. Vonn will turn 30 this year so competing in 2018 is not a complete long shot. With her determination and perseverance, I wouldn't be surprised to see her hurtling down the mountains of South Korea.

There's no doubt that Vonn is one of the toughest competitors in the skiing field. Back in 2006 in the Torino Games, she crashed during a training run and had to be airlifted to the hospital. She wanted to compete so badly, she got up out of her hospital bed and tried to leave without being officially discharged. She skied just two days later finishing eighth and while not winning a medal, she did win the US Olympic Spirit Award.

Lindsey's withdrawal from the games in Sochi leaves a spot open for another skier on the team. This could be the chance Mikaela Shiffrin has been waiting for. Described as a "phenom" by Bode Miller, the 18-year-old is the current slalom World Cup champion—the youngest in US history. She has won two of four World Cup slaloms this season and is targeted as a potential medalist in both slalom and giant slalom.

While it's sad we won't get Vonn's sparkling presence at the games next month, it will be nice to see a wide-eyed Olympic rookie get her first taste of the global spotlight.

Day 281: Saturday Night Matchup: Patriots vs. Colts

The New England Patriots did not face the Indianapolis Colts in the regular season this year, which was a little weird because it seems like they play each other every year. That's ok though, because now they get to host them in an AFC Divisional game on Saturday, January 11th. The Pats are 2-1 against the Colts in the playoffs—beating them in the AFC Championship game in 2004 and the AFC Divisional game in 2005, but then losing a close AFC Championship game in 2007.

This game will be interesting and there will be a lot of factors in place. The Colts are coming to Gillette Stadium. Outside. In January. If the weather this winter so far is any indication of what these two teams are in for, expect nasty or snowy or cold. I can only hope it's all three. Tough for a team like the Colts who plays in a climate-controlled dome half the time.

If the weather is really shitty, it could be a battle of place kickers. Former Patriots kicking hero Adam Vinatieri, who is 35-of-40 with a long of 52 yards this season, will face off against his replacement, Stephen Gostkowski who is having the best season of his career. Gostkowski is 38-of-41 with a long of 54 yards. How will the 41-year-old Vinatieri handle Gillette in January? This time around, let's hope he doesn't.

While the Patriots enjoyed a bye week over Wild Card Weekend, the Colts battled hard against the Chiefs overcoming a 28-point deficit to beat KC by a single point. So how's this going to play out? Will the Pats be rested and strong and ready to rumble? Or will the Colts be pumped up and riding the high of that huge comeback win? Or maybe the Colts be exhausted and sluggish...

In 2012, the only time New England faced then rookie Andrew Luck, they blasted them 59-24, scoring 21 points in the final quarter. But the Pats also had a lot more weapons then. This season, Tom Brady had a slightly better completion percentage than Luck and over 500 more passing yards. When you look at the season stats, both quarterbacks are pretty even. However...Brady has just a tinch more experience in big games than Luck, so we shall see.

The only thing I know for sure is that I'll be parked on my couch, most likely swaddled in my blankie. My nerves will be shot. I might be slightly intoxicated and probably eating piles of junk food. I'm a stress eater. Now where are those good luck jammies?

Day 280: Still a Hockey Pink Hat

After the extreme excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, I vowed to be less of a hockey pink hat for the 2013-14 season. Guess what? I failed. I know the season isn't over yet and there's probably still time to move past that dreaded pink hat status, but I guess I didn't realize how difficult the task is when the other person in the house could give two craps about hockey. It's going to be a tough hill to climb, a tough stigma to shake.

It's not like I know nothing about the team this season. I've been keeping up with the news. I heard all about the Shawn Thornton's suspension. I saw the play that got him ousted for 15 games. Is it wrong I didn't think it was that bad? Maybe it's because I watched it on YouTube and didn't get the full cheapness of the shot. I also know that unfortunately Dennis Seidenberg will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL/MCL—leaving a bit of a hole at defense. So I'm not completely clueless.

I do know this. The Boston Bruins are kicking some major ass right now. Their record of 28-12-2 is good enough for first place in the Atlantic Division. The leading scorers for the B's are no surprise: David Krejci, Reilly Smith, Milan Lucic, Jarome Iginla and Patrice Bergeron round out the top five. I was happy to see that Iginla has settled in with the team he snubbed last year.

Krejci leads the team with 36 points. At first I thought that sounded like a pretty good number. And then I looked at the overall NHL scoring numbers and had to chuckle. Krejci's 36 points barely gets him on the first page. That whiney little idiot Sydney Crosby has 62 points. What? Both the Bruins and Penguins lead their respective conference but Pittsburgh has just three more points than Boston. And with all those goals and assists, I kind of feel like they should be so much better than that. Their goalie must really blow.

So now is when my superstitions come into play. I really want to watch a game or two and I'm afraid I'll jinx them. I guess if I'm going to give it a try, now is the time. Not later on when the games really matter as the season starts to wind down. I enjoyed the playoffs so much this past spring... I need that again!

Day 279: Wild Card Weekend Starts with a Wow!

If the NFL playoffs are going to be anything like the Indianapolis surprise comeback 45-44 win over Kansas City, it's going to be a wild ride! I'm sure there are a lot of Chiefs (and fans) shaking their heads right now wondering what the hell just happened. Well... you blew a 28 point lead early in the third quarter and now you're going home. What happened to that amazing defense I kept hearing about? Amazing defenses don't give up 45 points...

The Chiefs were stung hard by the injury bug often so that didn't help their cause much. The biggest being their star running back, Jamaal Charles. He suffered a head injury during the first quarter and was being evaluated for a possible concussion. He never returned to the game. The Chiefs also lost another running back, Knile Davis, as well as outside linebacker Justin Houston and wide receiver Donnie Avery.

But in the end, it was Andrew Luck who led the Colts to a one point victory, outscoring KC 35-6 after the Chiefs scored an early third quarter touchdown to go up 28. And that's with Luck throwing three interceptions in addition to his four touchdowns. It was the success of his connection with TY Hilton that propelled the Colts to victory. Hilton had 13 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Quite the comeback for the home team!

Patriots fans will need to wait until Sunday to find out who New England will face next Saturday. If San Diego beats Cincinnati, the Pats will play the surging Colts in Foxboro. If Cincinnati wins, the Bengals will make the trip to Gillette Stadium. Not sure who I'm rooting for...

Day 278: 30 for 30: Four Days in October

I'm embarrassed to say that "Four Days in October" is the first "30 for 30" that I've watched—and I'm even more embarrassed that it took me this long to watch it. I hope no one tries to revoke my fan status because of it. This was a film full of memories of those October days that altered lives for an entire generation of Red Sox fans.

October 17, 2004 is one of those dates Sox fans will remember forever. It was a day that changed the face of an organization and reversed an 86-year-old curse all in one fell swoop. But on that day, no one knew it would be a day that would live on in infamy. It was just another day. It was a day that followed an embarrassing 19-8 loss that put the Sox in a 3-0 hole, facing elimination at the hands of the Yankees for the second straight year.

But we all know what happened on October 17th and the days that followed. The Boston Red Sox, who hadn't won a World Series since 1918, accomplished something that had never done in professional sports—they came back from a three game deficit to win four straight and send the Yankees home. From that stolen base in the bottom of the ninth in game four to a famous bloody sock, it was a series full of pivotal events, clutch plays and cowboy upping.

Watching this special brought back so many memories. Like how much of a cheerleader Kevin Millar was for this team—he was telling everyone, "Don't let us win today." Like how close the Yankees were to going to the World Series—just three outs away with Mariano Rivera on the mound. Like how you could hear a pin drop in Fenway with Dave Roberts on first in the bottom of the ninth in game four. Or how his stolen base brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.

What about the clutch hitting of David Ortiz, driving in the winning runs for games four and five, both in extra innings. Or Curt Schilling's pitching in a do or die game six in Yankee Stadium with a bloody sock. The memory of a horrible ankle injury, a fresh surgical scar, and a blood stain that slowly grew with each passing inning. He pitched seven heroic innings allowing just on earned run on four hits.

Or like when Alex Rodriguez, desperate to get on base, swatted the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove and then tried to say it was just his running motion. And then his tantrum on second base—refusing to leave the field, convinced he did nothing wrong. Or the subsequent shower of shit from the stands (because Yankees fans are classy like that) prompting the NYPD to take the field in riot gear.

Then there was Derek Lowe who pitched game seven on just two days rest and ended up spinning a six-inning, one-run beauty. Or like when Pedro came in to relieve Lowe to the chants of "who's your dad-dy!" and giving up two runs. But Boston's bats had exploded in that final game giving them a lead they would never surrender.

When that final out of the ALCS was recorded, you just knew... there was no way the Red Sox could lose that World Series.

If you don't have Netflix, you can watch the whole special right here on YouTube... if you have an hour to kill, do it. It's so worth reliving the plight of a group of idiots that simply asked, "Why not us?" [Dad... if you haven't seen this special, you must watch it right now!]

Day 277: Crazy Couple Completes 366 Days of Running

When I was in high school, I ran indoor track. I ran less than 300 yards per meet—the 40 yard dash and the relay. I wasn't a track star by any means, but I've always joked that if there had been a 10 yard dash, I would've been champion of the world—I was that fast out of the blocks. The speed usually petered out quickly which is saying a lot for a race that lasts five to six seconds.

The one thing I despised about running track was, well, the actual running. The endless laps on the suspended track in my high school's gym. The occasional jaunts around town. The forced participation in the Jingle Bell run. I did everything in my power to not have to run more than a couple minutes at a time and that included maybe a little window shopping around town while waiting for the proper amount of time to lapse before heading back to practice.

It probably sounds like I hated running track when in fact, I love it. There was just something about Saturday winter mornings at the Portland Expo. The sound of the shot put bouncing across the floor... or the high jump bar clanking to the ground. The sound of the starters' pistol and the thump, thump, thumping of runners as they hit the ancient wooden banks on either end of the track. The sound of the cheers from all corners—each containing a team and their fans. We always had the same corner...

Basically, all I knew was sprinting. Those high-stepping, quick-footed races that you could miss just by blinking. I found distance races boring. The gentle synchronized slapping of the sneakers as they continued to pass by. As I got older, I met more and more people (weird people) who were into running long distances just for fun. People who trained for and ran marathons as a hobby. People who traveled around the country to run marathons. It was bizarre to me, but also rather impressive. Definitely not something on my bucket list.

Recently, I came across a story of a couple in their 60's who decided to run a marathon a day for a whole year. Excuse me? I've been around people who run marathons and there seems to be lots of training and specific length runs for each day leading up to the event..and these two were running at least 26.2 miles every single day? That's just crazy talk. They could give Forrest Gump a run for his money!

Janette and Alan finished their 365th consecutive marathon on New Year's Eve with their children, grandchildren and a whole slew of others cheering them on. Then, on New Year's Day, as if for good measure, they ran another one—366 consecutive marathons is a world record. I'm surprised that someone has been crazy enough to run all those miles before them. Since setting out on their journey a year ago, they've run 9,776.75 miles all over Australia.

I wonder if their goal for this year is to spend the time they had been dedicating to running to maybe sitting around watching television and getting caught up on some shows? I would be on board for that challenge. Sign me up.