Scott Cordischi On Sports: Tebow, The Cup and More!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Wondering if the Bruins chances of winning the Stanley Cup just went up now that Tim Tebow is part of the Boston sports scene?
-For the record, this is the first match-up of Original Six teams in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1979 when the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers squared off.
-While most remember the Blackhawks for setting an NHL record this season by registering at least a point in 24 consecutive games, people may forget that the Bruins also got off to an incredible start in 2013. Boston managed to pick up at least a point in 22 of its first 26 games. In short, they were the two most dominant teams in the league. While both eventually cooled off, Chicago managed to skate its way to the President’s Cup which is given to the team that finished the regular season with the best record in the NHL. The Bruins eventually slipped to the fourth seed in the East but finished just one point behind Montreal for the second seed. Still, it’s not a stretch to say that these were the two best teams in hockey for much of this abbreviated season.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST-Staying with the Stanley Cup Finals match-up, I guess the old adage “defense wins championships” rings true. While both the B’s and Blackhawks can put the puck in the net, they are exceptional at keeping the puck out of their own. Chicago gave up a league-low 102 goals in 48 games this season while the Bruins were third best in the NHL allowing just 109. That trend has continued in the playoffs with Chicago giving up 31 goals in 17 games while Boston has yielded 30 goals in 16 games. While much of that can be attributed to the play of the teams netminders (Corey Crawford 1.74 GAA, .935 save %, Tuukka Rask 1.75 GAA, .943 save %), both teams are also excellent defensively which may very well be where this series is won or lost.
-Speaking of Rask, it appears that the Finnish Phenom gambled on himself and won this season. Instead of holding out for a multi-year deal, Rask willingly accepted a 1-year deal and it will ultimately pay big dividends for him. Rask is a restricted free agent this offseason and will likely command a contract in the neighborhood of 5 years and 6-7 million dollars per season. That’s a lot of Euros! Can you say “cha-ching?”
-Not sure who Zdeno Chara will draw in the Cup Finals but it will likely be either Patrick Kane or Marian Hossa. While Chara may not be the most prolific offensive defenseman, his work on the other end of the ice has been nothing short of spectacular this postseason. Absent a few careless turnovers, Chara has been a man amongst boys logging more ice time (29:21) than any other player for any team this postseason and no play epitomized his stellar play in these playoffs than his diving glove save of Evgeni Malkin’s potential game-tying shot in the chaotic final seconds of Boston’s game 4 win over the Penguins. With Rask on his belly and out of the net, Malkin would have clearly put the puck in the net were it not for the amazing individual effort by Chara.
-Getting away from hockey again for a moment, is there anyone outside of Miami that is pulling for the Heat to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals?
-Now back to Tim Tebow. While I must admit that I am not a fan of Tebow’s quarterbacking skills, there’s no denying what a solid human being the young man is. I also have to believe that New England might be the only NFL franchise where the sideshow that is the media circus surrounding Tebow won’t be a problem. Why, you ask? Because Bill Belichick won’t let it be a distraction. Nobody manages his team and the information that is and isn’t disseminated to the media better than Belichick. There are rules to follow and everyone must fall in line, or else! Don’t believe me? Ask Wes Welker. The former Patriots WR said the other day that he feels like he can “be himself” more now that he is in Denver because he no longer has certain rules and restrictions to follow when talking to the media. The circus atmosphere in the Jets locker room was about 180 degrees opposite of what Tebow can expect in New England. As for Tebow playing quarterback, we shall see. While he supposedly being brought here as a quarterback, I have to believe that he will do whatever is asked of him by Belichick. He would be a fool not to.
-While I absolutely love the start that the Boston Red Sox are off to this season, I still hate the attitude of Jon Lester on the mound. His petulant, whiny attitude is still noticeable as he continues to give dirty look to umpires when they make what he believes are questionable calls. He remains the one player on the roster that takes us back to that historic collapse in September 2011 and to the 69-win season of a year ago. Hopefully, he will change his attitude because it is not enjoyable to watch.
-And while we’re on the subject, while Harry Frazee’s trade that sent Babe Ruth to the Yankees may have been the worst in franchise history, the trade that shipped Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers last summer may go down as one of the franchise’s best. At the time of this article, the Red Sox had the best record in the American League while the LA Dodgers were in dead last in the National League West. And while Adrian Gonzalez is putting up good numbers (.317 avg, 8 HR, 43 RBI), the once hot Carl Crawford has cooled off considerably while Beckett sits on the 15-day DL with an alleged finger problem. Before that problem, Beckett sported an 0-5 record with a robust 5.19 ERA in the NL. Ouch!
-Tiger Woods (9-2) is the odds-on favorite to win this week’s US Open at the rain-soaked Merion Golf Club just outside of Philadelphia. Despite not having won a major since 2008, the wise guys in Vegas have him tabbed as the man to beat. The next lowest odds belong to the quartet of Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar and Adam Scott, each of whom are listed at 20-1. I am often asked if I would take Tiger or the field in a major and my answer is always the field. However, this writer does believe that Tiger will win one of the final three majors this year ending that 5-year drought.
