Kobasew was acquired in a four player swap with the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline season. Kobasew came to the Bruins with defenseman Andrew Ference in return for defenseman Brad Stuart and center Wayne Primeau.

Kobasew has done everything that has been asked for him in a Bruins’ uniform. He has killed penalties, played on the power play, scored timely goals, and finished every hit.

Unfortunately, Kobasew missed the remaining nine games of the regular season and the entire playoffs with a broken tibia. However, he is on schedule with his rehab and he should be 100% when training camp rolls around.

I am excited to see Kobasew to play next season. Put him on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm and you could have instant chemistry. This kid played his hardest every night and he showed what it truly means to wear the Bruins’ sweater. I am looking forward to seeing how much better this kid can get. Hopefully, he will set more career highs in the years to come.

That’s it.

There was no tape showing the St. Louis Rams’ Super Bowl walk through (thank you Boston Herald for blowing that one) and Walsh said that he had no knowledge of anyone taping it.

There was nothing else.

Are we all happy that we had to be put through this so much longer than what was necessary?

Good thing the media wouldn’t give up on this and just let it go because obviously there was so much more new information that shows how bad the Patriots franchise really is.

The only new information that we got was that an un-named player practiced while he was on the injured reserve.

The Patriots did what probably every other team does in the NFL yet they were the ones that got caught.

It happens. They got punished for it. Can we let it go now?

It seems almost everyone is ready to let it go except for Sen. Spector who is calling for a private investigation into the whole incident.

However, he isn’t going to get it from Congress so if some private company does it then no one is going to take it seriously.

Let it slide Senator. The Patriots beat your Eagles in Super Bowl 39. There is nothing you can do about it now.

The Patriots will still be remembered as one of the best team’s in NFL history.

They will still be considered a dynasty and nothing should be taken away from the players that were on those Super Bowl winning teams.

I still think Bill Belichick is one of the best coaches ever, even after this incident. Yes, this lowers him in the rankings a bit, but he still has to be one of the top ten best coaches of all time.

It looks like the Patriots can finally move on.

A big thank you goes out to the media and the NFL for dragging this one on longer than it had to be.

I don’t know why it took so long to come up with an agreement with Matt Walsh, but good thing you made us wait because we all benefited from it so much.

Watch out for the Patriots this season. The team never needs any extra motivation, but now that they have it, another trip to the Super Bowl looks likely for Belichick and his crew.

It seems as though this series has been filled with numerous on and off the court incidents. There have been technical fouls, flagrant fouls, confrontations, trash talk and poster board material. It sounds like a great, intense series, but it’s getting a little bit out of hand.

Mike Bibby started things by coming out and saying that most of the Celtics fans at the games were band wagon fans. Now can someone explain to me how this makes sense? Yes the Celtics have their fair share of band wagon fans, but most of them are die hard fans that bleed the Celtic colors. Last year, in one of the worst years in franchise history, the Celtics still drew sell-out crowds. Now maybe since Bibby was in Sacramento he didn’t notice, but it happened. To make things worse, Bibby plays for the Hawks, the team that might have the most band wagon fans in the entire league. They sold out very rarely during the regular season and they were a playoff team! The Celtics sold out last season as an awful team. I’m surprised the Hawks sold out for the playoffs, but it obviously has helped them. Just imagine how many games they might have won had they gotten more fans during the regular season.

On top of the Mike Bibby comments, Al Horford thought that it was a good idea to run his mouth to Paul Pierce after he hit a clutch jump shot. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing players show emotion, but don’t be stupid. You are a rookie and although you had a great season, that doesn’t give you the right to mouth off yet. Win a playoff series or two and then maybe you can run your mouth a little bit.

I wonder what the rest of the series will hold. I hope the Celtics can advance and shut up these trash talkers from Atlanta.

#6 New York Jets: The Jets have filled a few of their holes this offseason in free agency. They have solidified both their offensive and defensive lines. I think the Jets have two options here. I think they could add to their line backing core (since they traded away Jonathan Vilma in the offseason) by taking Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston or, depending how they feel about Thomas Jones, take McFadden. In the end, I think the Jets will go with McFadden considering how poorly Jones performed last season.

#7 New England Patriots (from San Francisco) Despite going 18-1 last season, the Patriots find themselves in the top 10 this year in the draft. After a rough off season (losing Asante Samuel, Rosevelt Colvin, Donte Stallworth, etc.), the Patriots have a few positions they need to fill. I think they will do their best to move down from this position. One interesting scenario is getting corner-back Lito Shepard from the Philadelphia Eagles and the Eagles’ 19th pick in the draft. That way the Patriots get a #1 corner along with another pick in the first round for their #7 pick. I do not see the Patriots picking here, but if they can’t find the right deal I think the Patriots will go with Keith Rivers, linebacker from USC. They need a younger linebacker and Rivers could be the perfect solution. So, look for the Pats to do everything they can to trade out of this spot, but if they can’t I think they will take Rivers.

#8 Baltimore Ravens: This is another team that would love to be able to trade up. Their main issue is at quarterback. Their starter from last season, Steve McNair, retired after last season only leaving Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. Their defense is getting older and they could look to draft a defensive player if they can’t move up and take Matt Ryan. The Ravens are going to do whatever it takes to get Ryan, but if for some reason they can’t look for them to take Vernon Gholston. He would be the perfect fit for the Ravens fast and aggressive defense.

#9 Cinncinati Bengals: The Bengals’ defense has been atrocious the last few years and their offensive line hasn’t been much better. I think this pick has to be a defensive pick, most likely defensive line. I think the smart pick here is Sedrick Ellis, defensive tackle out of USC. He would be a perfect fit for the terrible defensive line in Cincy.

#10 New Orleans Saints: This is another team that might be very busy on draft day. There have been rumors about them trading for New York Giants’ tight end Jeremy Shockeyand there have been other rumors about them trading for Lito Shepard as well. This is another team that I would be very surprised if they picked here. They could either move up or move down. If they are stuck in this pick, I think they have to take a corner. Their secondary has been their weakness especially last season. I think it is time for the first corner to come off the board. I think the pick here is Aqib Talib from Kansas. This guy has the potential to be a shutdown corner in this league. I think Talib is the pick here if they don’t find a trade partner.   

As most of you probably know, the 2008 NFL Draft is taking place this weekend. There have been numerous mock drafts already out and I’m sure you have seen at least parts of the extensive coverage on ESPN or other networks. Draft day is always an exciting day for me and for many football fans. It is a chance for teams to rebuild after a tough season, add a player to fill a need spot or add the go to guy that the team has been lacking for years. It is also a chance for trade after trade to be completed. It is often a busier day of trades than the NFL trade deadline is.

What makes the draft even more exciting is all of the hype leading up to it. I love reading about who is going where and what trades might take place. It makes it even more interesting when most of the so called insiders turn out to be completely wrong. Despite that, I am going to post a top 10 mock draft below. I think it will be fun to see how close I get even though I will most likely be way off (just like with my NHL postseason picks). I will post the top 5 today and the last 5 picks of the top ten by tomorrow sometime. So enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think about my predictions.

#1 Miami Dolphins: The Miami Dolphins have reportedly already agreed to a 5 year deal with Michigan offensive lineman Jake Long. Therefore, the Dolphins will take him with the #1 pick in the draft come Saturday. That makes this pick easier for me!

#2 St. Louis Rams: The Rams have numerous holes that they need to fill, but I think at this point in the draft they need to get offensive line help. I think Virginia’s Chris Long and LSU’s Glenn Doresy are the best fit here. Both have tremendous upside and could come in and make an immediate impact. However, I think there are some health issues surrounding Dorsey. I see the Rams drafting Chris Long with this pick.

#3 Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons may have the most holes of any team in this draft. Quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, etc. etc. The Falcons could go numerous ways with this pick. They could look at Glenn Dorsey to bolster their defensive line or they could look at Boston College QB Matt Ryan. I think Ryan is the best fit here. The team has no franchise quarterback and that is the most important part when building a franchise. With the 3rd pick, I think the Falcons will select Matt Ryan.

#4 Oakland Raiders: Oakland had a sub-par season last year even with one of the best secondaries in the league. They have their franchise quarterback in JaMarcus Russell and they have enough running backs to potentially be able to put together some sort of running game. I think the Raiders are going to go in the direction of defensive line. After Warren Sappretired this offseason, they now have a hole to fill. I think the Raiders will take Glenn Dorsey with the 4th pick in this year’s draft. Despite that, owner Al Davis does have a love for the most skilled player on the board so if he drafted Darren McFadden I wouldn’t be a bit surprised, but I think Dorsey is the smart pick here.

#5 Kansas City Chiefs: This might be one of the most interesting picks of the early parts of the draft. The Chiefs have a bunch of needs and it might be wise trading down to acquire more picks. There have also been rumors about the Chiefs shopping defensive lineman Jared Allenfor as many picks as they can get. It seems to be a rebuilding time in Kansas City so I think trading down would be a smart move for the Chiefs. I think they will do whatever they can to trade down; however, if they are unable to move down I think Branden Albert, offensive lineman out of Virginia is their best bet. Scouts are saying it might be too early to take him, but the Chiefs think highly enough of him to take him here. Look for him to be the pick here if the Chiefs can’t find a trade.

Is anyone else sick of this family just running their mouths and most of the time not making sense at all? First it was George and now his son Hank has picked up right where Daddy has left off. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Hank Steinbrenner blasted manager Joe Girardi for not moving Joba Chamberlain into the starting rotation already. In the interview, Hank was quoted as saying, “There is no question about it, you don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a set-up guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”

Now if I’m not mistaken, a few years ago Hank wasn’t even involved in the everyday running of the New York Yankees. His father didn’t even trust him to take over the team when the time came. Maybe Hank should concentrate more on learning about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the Yankees before he goes running his mouth about a manager’s decision, especially when it is only April and teams are only 20 games or so into the season. Yes the bottom 3 of the Yankees pitching staff has been pathetic at best this season, but I don’t think it is time to abandon the likes of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy or Mike Mussina. Yes Chamberlain belongs in the rotation eventually according to the Yankees (I think he should take over for Rivera as closer, but that’s just me), but they have a plan to make sure that happens and they plan on sticking to that plan. Young pitchers are extremely important these days and if you throw one into a role that he isn’t physically or mentally prepared for, he may never recover again.

Maybe it’s because I’m a Red Sox fan, but I have had enough of the Steinbrenner’s trying to force managers and general managers to make certain decisions. Let them do their jobs and you do your jobs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they are going to shut up anytime soon. Oh well, more reasons to hate the Yankees I suppose.  

I know it’s only April and even I’m not used to it being baseball season yet, but despite that, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankeesrenewed their rivalry this past weekend at Fenway Park in Boston. The Yanks opened the series with a 4-1 victory behind a two hit shutout performance from Chien-Ming Wang. The Sox took the next two games 4-3 on Saturday and 8-5 on Sunday. The rivalry was to continue in a brief 2 game series at Yankee Stadium tonight and tomorrow.

The games were nothing out of the ordinary. Both teams kept their cool and there was nothing done that required a reaction of some sort. That is probably because it’s only April. Teams are only 15 games into the season and they don’t have time for any of that nonsense.

To be honest, I think the Yankees looked pretty average besides the effort from Wang on Friday night. Yes, I know Derek Jeter wasn’t playing and Jorge Posadawas DHing instead of catching, but where are the Yankees that everyone was expecting? So far, their young guns (Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy) have been nothing but disappointing and their bullpen is average at best. I think this team has a lot of question marks and they will only become more obvious as this season goes on. Any Yankees fans wishing they shipped either Hughes or Kennedy or both in a deal to get Johan Santana? I think that would have made this team a lot better and scarier, but I do understand not wanting to get rid of the farm.

Unfortunately for Yankees fans, I think this is a sign of what’s to come. Although I see them finishing second in the division, I don’t see them making the playoffs unless they make some moves along the way. They have too many question marks with both the starting rotation and the bullpen. I think the Sox can win the division and make a run in the postseason especially once David Ortiz starts hitting. They too have bullpen issues, but I think their starting pitching can make up for that weakness.

No matter what this season will be interesting. It will be even more interesting to see these teams meet later on in the season. I personally am hoping for a brawl or two, but we will have to wait and see.

The 2008 Masters Tournament has come and gone and surprisingly, someone other than Tiger Woods won the event. 28 year old Trevor Immelman (-8 ) was awarded the coveted green jacket avoiding a final round collapse and beating the second place Woods (-5) by 3 strokes. Immelman became the first South African to win the tournament in 30 years. Gary Player was the last to do it in 1978.

Despite winning, Immelman wasn’t anything special. It seemed that Tiger was just unable to close the gap. No one in the top five shot an under par round or really forced Immelman to have to panic at any point. Tiger seemed to making most of his shots, but he wasn’t able to make any putts. At one point in the final round when it was too late for him to catch Immelman, Tiger sunk a long putt and just waved at the hole implying that it’s too late for you to give me a break now.

What makes this win even more interesting, is that Woods had arthiscopic knee surgery yesterday and will miss 4-6 weeks. It is obvious now that Woods was not at his best this past weekend, but that doesn’t take away anything from what Immelman was able to accomplish. The Masters is one of, if not the most, prestigious events in all of golf. It has the most tradition and in my opinion is played on the most beautiful course in the country, Augusta National. Winning the Masters is any golfer’s dream, and Trevor Immelman saw this dream come true on Sunday.

Congratulations to the Immelman family and don’t be surprised if this guy wins a lot more tournaments in years to come. He is the real deal and right now he is the only one who has a shot at the Grand Slam (not Tiger Woods).

The NHL Playoffsare here! My favorite time of the year has arrived yet again and thank full my team, the Boston Bruins, have made it this season. Almost every match up should be a fun one to watch. Every series is best of 7. The higher seed has home ice advantage meaning they play the first 2 games at home, the second 2 on the road, and then they alternate the final 3. The match ups are as follows:

Eastern Conference:
#1 Montreal Canadians vs. #8 Boston Bruins
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators
#3 Washington Capitols vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers
#4 New Jersey Devils vs. #5 New York Rangers

Western Conference:
#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #8 Nashville Predators
#2 San Jose Sharksvs. #7 Calgary Flames
#3 Minnesota Wild vs. #6 Colorado Avalanche
#4 Anaheim Ducks vs. #5 Dallas Stars

I think both conferences have their share of great match-ups. My favorite match-up in the East is the Rangers, Devils match-up. Both of these teams are so evenly matched that if this series doesn’t go 7 games then I will be extremely surprised. Both have amazing goaltenders and great scoring. I think this series is going to come down to who plays better team defense and who can capitalize more on the powerplay. I am going to take the Rangers in 7 (even though they don’t have the home ice advantage).

In the West, the most intriguing match-up in my opinion is the San Jose, Calgary match-up. San Jose made the big trade deadline acquisition of Brian Campbelland they seem to have all of the right pieces to make a deep run into the playoffs. However, don’t count out the Flames just yet. They have one of the best forwards in the game in Jarome Iginlaand their goaltending is always solid. I am going to take the Sharks in 6 games, but I think the Flames will put up a good battle especially when they are at home.

Overall, I don’t think that there will be more than 1 series that results in a sweep. I think Nashville has the chance at being swept in the first round by Detroit, but other than that, I see all of the series going at least 5 games. I will list my picks below. Enjoy the hockey. You can find most of the games VERSUS and I think some of the weekend games will be played on NBC. Enjoy and LET’S GO BRUINS!

My picks:

East:
Montreal over Boston in 6
Pittsburgh over Ottawa in 5
Washington over Philly in 5
New York over New Jeresey in 7

West:
Detroit over Nashville in 4
San Jose over Calgary in 6
Colorado over Minnesota in 6
Anaheim over Dallas in 6

Memphis looked to be pulling away towards the end of the game as they had a 9 point lead with 2:12 left, but then they imploded. Memphis had numerous opportunities to finish off the Jayhawks, but they were unable to convert numerous free throw attempts (missed 4 of their last 5) down the stretch. That set the stage for Kansas to make its run. And they did just that. The comeback was completed when Mario Chalmers hit a game tying three pointer with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime.

Overtime was nothing more than a formality as Kansas outscored the Tigers 12-5. This was Kansas’ first National Title in 20 years.

This game was by far the best overall game of the tournament. It was exciting and hard fought from the tip. Luckily for me, my prediction came out right (even though I didn’t predict the overtime part). Hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did. Now we all have to wait another year for the madness to start all over again! Keep it here for a NHL playoff preview coming tomorrow!