By Bob Lobel
There may be more drama about the guilt or innocence of Whitey Bulger than the Pittsburgh Pretenders can generate against the Bruins in the NHL's Eastern Conference Finals.
I mean, seriously, after last night's game two beat down the Bruins put on Pittsburgh, they should have done the traditional series-ending handshake and just gotten it over with.
It's embarrassing for everybody associated with the Penguins. They could be a candidate for the Westminster Kennel Club, don't try to tell me the Pens aren't dogs. Also, here's a bulletin: Rask and Thomas are as interchangeable as Vokoun and Fleury.
Still, the rules say you have to win four. Key moments last night were Marchand moments. That first goal, and his goal at the end of the first period. Made me think about turning on the NBA's game seven.
Never mind, can't believe I said that.
Anyways, it looks like the Penguins will need to stay at a Holiday Inn Express when they come to Boston. So far, it's been "Boston Too Strong" for the Pens.
Next!
If complaining about things were illegal, blogs would not exist.
So, to keep my blog card, with my blog friends, on blog Tuesday, I offer some observations.
I never knew what bothered me about watching the Red Sox on NESN, but after watching games on ESPN and FOX, now I know. Let me start by saying that I think Amica is a great company with very good commercials, but the so called "pitch zone" absolutely sucks.
All you need to do is compare it with ESPN and FOX. Whatever "pitch zones" they use, they use it infrequently, and I think it adds to their credibility. On NESN, the "pitch zone" is the defining moment of every throw.
How do we know it's accurate? It appears to simply exist as a paid ad for Amica, but it has to be the most annoying part about watching the Sox. Besides being a huge money maker, they also use it as a crutch, second guessing the pitcher, second guessing the umpire, blah, blah, blah.
If you must use it, make it better so that it's useful and not controversial. Here's an idea, I call it an umpire rotation, for lack of a better term. Have the umpire crew rotate every two innings so that they all get a chance to call balls and strikes. I say it would keep them fresh and focuses, and greatly improve the outcome.
