Game One is Tonight

Game one of the first round playoff series between the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals is tonight!

Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!

Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!Bruins!

The international neener-neener-neener-we-won-the-cup tour that is the regular NHL season  is over and now the actual title defense begins.

GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!
GO BRUINS!

Yes, I am aware that this is the lamest text ever to be uploaded to the internet.  I’m okay with it though.  I’m a little excited about the playoffs.

Game On

I’m watching the Penguins playing the Flyers right now. Pittsburgh is up 3-1 in the second period.

I hate the Flyers. After the way they beat us in 2010 I hate them more than I normally hate teams that I hate.

I hope Pittsburgh sweeps them. Then whoever they play next year sweeps them. Then the year after and the year after until the end of time. I hope they never win a playoff game again.

YES YES YES!!!

 
That’s some new Rush right there kids.  New Rush!  WOOOHOOO

An article was published on billboard.com with some new specifics, including the above video.

Allow me to copy the text, written David Greenwald:

Rush will return this summer with “Clockwork Angels,” the iconic prog-rock band revealed on Wednesday. The new album, due June 12, will be the trio’s first studio effort since 2007’s “Snakes & Arrows” and their debut for Anthem/Roadrunner Records.

For the new set, the band turned again to “Snakes & Arrows” co-producer Nick Raskulinecz and recorded in Nashville and Toronto. The conceptual set will trace a protagonist’s journey through a world of steampunk, alchemy and an exotic carnival; drummer and lyricist Neil Peart is also penning a novelization of the album with prolific author Kevin J. Anderson.

Between albums, Rush has kept busy with a series of tours, documenting their most recent dates with the “Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland” live album and DVD last November. (They also made an appearance as the object of Paul Rudd and Jason Segel’s sonic affection in the 2009 film “I Love You, Man.”)

The band is sharing an advanced taste of the music with a hard-riffing album trailer based on the “Clockwork” cover art. Watch it, and get the track list, below:

“Clockwork Angels” track list:

1. Caravan
2. BU2B
3. Clockwork Angels
4. The Anarchist
5. Carnies
6. Halo Effect
7. Seven Cities Of Gold
8. The Wreckers
9. Headlong Flight
10. BU2B2
11. Wish Them Well
12. The Garden

The only downside of this announcement is that the release date has been pushed back. We were expecting it on May 29, but now we have to wait until June 12. That sort of blows, but there will be a single in another week or two. “Headlong Flight” will be coming out ahead of the album, but it will be an edit with a couple of minutes removed. We have been lead to believe that the snippet of music used in the video is from that song.

I WANT IT NOW!!!!!

Happy Rush News Day!

HooRay!

Can you believe it kids?  The Red Sox won a game last night!  WOOHOO!  Even better, they got a save from their “closer” and a solid performance from their starting pitcher!  Felix Doubront pitched five innings giving up two runs.  Scott Atchison pitched three scoreless innings to get the win, and Alfredo Aceves got some one out, in only his third appearance.  In fact, he got three outs in the ninth inning to earn the save.  Wondrous!

Even better than that, the Red Sox once again were down in the top of the ninth inning and rallied to keep the game alive.  In the first game of the season they tied the game in the ninth before blowing it in the bottom of the inning.  On Sunday they scored two runs in the 11th to take the lead and then blew the game in the bottom half of the inning.  Last night they scored three times in the top of the ninth to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead and then the pitching staff magically held on to win the game.

Who knew having a 1-3 record could feel this good!  WOOHOO!

Daniel Bard pitches tonight’s game.  Let’s see how the reliever-turned-starter experiment works out under actual game conditions.  I still have a feeling ol’ Danny’s going to be our closer soon.

I’m an Ass

I’m an ass… like you had any doubt.  I forgot to call my parents to wish them a happy Easter.  What a jerk I am.  Easter used to be a big deal to me.  It’s not really anymore.  I still should have called them though.  I’m an ass.

I’m going to take my mind off of what a jerk I am by talking about sports for a bit.  That doesn’t change the fact that I’m an ass.  I’m still an ass even when I’m ignoring the fact that I’m an ass.  Okay?

Okay.

The Bruins start their first round playoff series at 7:30pm on Sunday against Ottawa Washington.

Washington?  The match up has been Boston/Ottawa for so long that it’s hard to imagine Ottawa didn’t finish seventh and that the Capitals passed them in the standings.  The Bruins have owned Ottawa for a while.  I was viewing that almost like a free pass to the second round.  But Washington… they’ve been a disappointing bunch of underachievers all season, and that trend will hopefully continue into the post season… but they have weapons.  They have skill.  They have potential.  They also have a reputation for choking in the playoffs, and they also have a 22 year old goalie with something like 18 games worth of NHL experience in his entire career, but they are still worthy of fear.

The Bruins played down to their competition all season, and the Caps are a good example.  They lost three times to Washington.  Alex Ovetchkin may have had an “off” year (with something like 36 goals, I’ll take that kind of off year) but he is still one of the most dangerous forwards on the planet Earth.

I’m worried about this.  I’m really nervous.

As for the Red Sox.  Let the laughing begin!

So their big three starters have all pitched.  Lester was awesome.  Beckett and Buchholz… well… they were not.  I didn’t see any of yesterday’s game, so I don’t know how Clay Buchholz looked, but on Saturday Josh Beckett looked awful. 

That’s the starters… what about the bullpen.  Woah!  Alfredo Aceves, he who has been dubbed “closer” by Schmucko the Clown has pitched twice in the three game so far and has blown two saves without recording an out.  Mark Melancon has been just as bad as he’s pitched twice and blown one save and has an 0-2 win/loss record.  Wow!  That’s staggering.  That’s unbelievable.  Both of them were credited with blown saves in yesterday’s game.  BOTH OF THEM!  Aceves went into the bottom of the ninth with a three run lead and let the Tigers score three runs to force extra innings.  Melancon went into the bottom of the 11th with a two run lead and let the Tigers score three runs to win it.

It’s going to be a long year for the Red Sox.  A long, painful year.  Just like last year.  Nothing has changed.