By Bob Lobel
When I first started writing this, I vowed to write about anything but the Red Sox.
I thought that would be tough… Not true.
Historic is the only way to describe what happened at the TD Garden last night. Historic.
Let's take it from the Toronto fans' perspective, standing in a crowd of thousands of fellow fans with a three-goal lead in that third period. No team had ever lost a game seven with a lead like that.
But you, unfortunate Toronto fan, are about to join thousands of your fellow fans in watching your team become the first.
That must really suck.
From the perspective of a Boston fan, if you left the game early to beat traffic, you don't have to tell anyone. Just tell all that ask that you stuck it out and witnessed one of the most amazing come-from-behind victories in Stanley Cup playoff history.
For the Bruins, it was certainly "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat," but for those in Toronto, it was that all too familiar feeling of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory."
All of us will try to explain what we saw last night, as the Bruins came back from down 4-1 to win 5-4 in overtime and stay alive in the NHL playoffs, but we will probably all come up short.
"Historic" was all I tweeted after the game and, even now that some time has passed, "historic" is all I can say. Toronto may have "pulled a Sergio" the day after Sergio Garcia did just that. More on that later.
But as I said, at the moment I want to talk about anything but the Red Sox, and the Bruins blessed me with an amazing distraction from their struggles. Last week I wanted to talk about anything but the Celtics, and unfortunately I see that trend continuing for the next several years.
Done with the NBA
Heck, you can just say I don't want to talk about the NBA in general. I just can't go back to the NBA the way it's being played. It can't be officiated with any degree of consistency because there is just too much skill on the floor. Players are too big, too fast and too good to be contained by the rules of the game anymore.
So, the NBA and I are currently oil and water. Not sure what would bring me back to basketball. I mean, I really have tried, but it's a culture that wants nothing to do with me and vice versa. I would rather watch "Through the Wormhole" with Morgan Freeman than an NBA game right now.
Even with shows like "American Pickers" and "Duck Dynasty" I see something I haven't seen before. The NBA and its playoffs have become a predicable and drawn out ordeal.
Segio's Epic Choke Job
Other than the Bruins, the most amazing sporting event the past few days had to be the TPC Player's Championship. Now that was high drama!
The questionable drop by Tiger on 14 and the Sergio choke-a-thon. I never like to say an athlete choked, especially since I've choked many times in a mediocre sports career, but this was the Spanish version of Jean van de Velde. He just burnt up in the heat of the moment.
Women can be hot and cool at the same time, why can't golfers?
Chokio Garcia apparently can't, and let's talk about Tiger's drop, which was wrong, but legal. It was legal because the striker (Tiger) and his caddy agreed on the drop with his partner and his caddy. That's really all that's necessary.
I never would have let anyone I was playing with take that drop, and I know nobody I play with would've let me. Probably the fact that he had a double-bogey took some heat out of the moment.
Speaking of Tiger, he has been nothing short of unbelievable with his four wins this year. What's the end game for him? Being recognized universally as the greatest player ever? He's close, we all know that.
Happy Belated Mother's Day
Meanwhile, the Patriots are waiting in the wings… Anything and anybody but the Red Sox right now. By the way, allow me to divulge what I gave my wife for Mother's Day. Although, the more I think about it, I don't know why I got it for her since she's not my mother…
Perhaps I just recognize that she is a great mother and I felt it was the right thing to do. Either way, I went out and bought her a card and a cookbook entitled "50 Shades of Chicken."
True story! It's been a big hit, so I would recommend you all check it out.
