A Man Amongst Boys

With the 17th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Patriots selected mammoth offensive lineman Nate Solder out of Colorado, ensuring Tom Brady's blind-side will be protected for many years to come. 

Once again, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick proved that when it comes to the NFL Draft, the hooded genius plays chess while the rest of the league plays checkers.

Before a sold-out Radio City Music Hall full of optimistic fans thirsty for football to return, Commissioner Roger Goodell kicked off the 2011 Draft by announcing that the lowly Carolina Panthers selected ultra-talented quarterback Cam Newton first overall. Beyond the selection of Newton, the Broncos took Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller third overall while the up-and-coming Bills selected the player many believe to be the best player on the board, mammoth defensive lineman Marcel Dareus from Alabama.

The first blockbuster trade came earlier than expected, with the Falcons exchanging a plethora of high draft picks (#27, #59, #124 this year as well as a first and fourth rounder in 2012), to the Cleveland Browns for the sixth overall pick, Alabama wide-receiver Julio Jones.

And while the selection of Newton, Miller, Dareus and the Jones trade garnered the majority of the national attention (rightfully so), one aspect of the Draft that got seemingly overlooked was the clinic Belichick put on in the New England war room.

Many draft pundits will tell you that drafting a player based specifically on a team need will bite you in the long run, because, as a result, you pass up the best available players. However, when need intersects value, a draft pick becomes a home run, not a question mark.

This is exactly what happened to the Patriots Thursday night in New York City. With the 17th overall pick, New England selected highly rated offensive tackle Nate Solder out of Colorado.

"I was sitting there hoping and praying that [New England] picked me because it's such a great organization," said Solder after being drafted.

The pick makes perfect sense for the Pats. With an aging Matt Light, forever disgruntled Logan Mankins and recently retired Stephen Neal, the New England offensive line had more question marks than answers. In the 23-year-old Solder, the Patriots acquire a cornerstone bookend that they can pair with Sebastien Vollmer to anchor the line for the next decade. He will be expected to protect Tom Brady's blind-side.

Beyond need, Solder makes sense sheerly because of his immense skill set and upside. At 6'8'', 320 lbs, Solder is the most physically imposing and gifted lineman in the draft, with great footwork and athleticism. He is also incredibly smart. In 2010 he graduated from Colorado with a 3.52 GPA and a degree in evolutionary and ecological biology. He's also incredibly durable. Since his sophomore season, Solder played in an astounding 2.540 out of 2,542 snaps.

Sounds like a Patriot-type player.

New England also held the 28th overall pick in the first round. However, as Pats fans have grown accustomed to, the mastermind coach traded the pick to New Orleans and received great value in return, picking up the Saints second rounder this year (#56 overall), as well as their first round pick in 2012.

Once again, Belichick turned a stone into a gem. Already solidifying the present with the selection of Solder, Belichick strengthened the future as well by picking up not only the 2012 first rounder but also the second round pick that will surely be used to the Patriots advantage. Belichick has had great success with second rounders recently, picking up Patrick Chung, Rob Gronkowski, Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes (among others) in the past two years.

The Draft resumes tonight with the second and third rounds being broadcast live from Radio City. And, right on cue, the Patriots own the first available pick, #33 overall, as well as #56, #60, #74 and #92.

Many draft gurus believe Belichick will trade away the 33rd pick and stockpile more value, but if he doesn't look for the Pats to address their lone glaring void, the pass rush, and pounce on an outside linebacker/defensive end like Jabaal Sheard, Akeem Ayers or Brooks Reed.

But, then again, there's a great chance Belichick will pick a no-namer that none of us have heard of who turns out to be a star.

In the end, whatever the hooded genius decides is alright with me.

After all, it worked out pretty well last year with Devin McCourty.

Exorcising the Demons

The Bruins celebrate after Nathan Horton's overtime goal gives Boston a 4-3 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Wednesday night. 

Bring on the Flyers.

In an epic playoff battle that will live on in team folklore forever, the Boston Bruins defeated the resilient Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime Wednesday night to win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Once again, Nathan Horton played the hero, scoring his second monumental goal of the playoffs less than six minutes into the extra frame to eliminate the hated Habs and send the Bruins into the second round of the playoffs.

"I don't remember too much," admitted Horton of his game-winning goal. "I remember [Lucic] coming up with the puck and I just tried to get open, I tried putting the puck towards the net. Luckily it got deflected off someone and it went straight in. That's all I remember.

"It was pretty special; again, it doesn't get any better."

Not only does the win earn the Bruins their first ever series victory after trailing 0-2 (previously 0-26), it represents a colossal moral victory for a franchise plagued by numerous epic failures in recent years. After Chris Kelly scored a pivotal third period goal to break a long standing tie and give the Bruins a 3-2 lead, it looked as if Boston was poised to hang onto the victory.

However, a questionable high sticking call on Patrice Bergeron with just under three minutes remaining in regulation gave Montreal one last chance to tie the game. Almost on cue, the vaunted Canadiens power-play delivered when P.K. Subban blasted a wicked one-timer past Thomas to tie the game 3-3 and send it to overtime.

Once Subban's blast eluded Thomas, Bruins Nation couldn't help but feel as if they'd been down this road before. We instantly had visions of 2008, when the 8th seeded Bruins pushed the top-seeded Canadiens to the brink, only to lose Game 7 in a laugher. We flashed back to 2009, when the top-seeded Bruins lost Game 7 in overtime on home ice to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. And, of course, we couldn't run from the memories of 2010's epic collapse at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers no matter how hard we tried.

For the past three seasons, when the going got tough for the Bruins, we were conditioned to expect failure.

Wednesday night seemed like the next ugly chapter in the same old book.

Not only did the Bruins blow a late third period lead, they were now in danger of losing in overtime. Montreal seized the momentum. In overtime it seemed as if we were waiting for Montreal to break our hearts. They were dictating the play, attacking the Bruins zone with unrelenting rushes up ice, peppering Thomas with shot after shot.

It seemed like simply a matter of time.

Not so.

Unlike their predecessors, the 2011 Bruins stepped up and found a way to get it done under the most pressure packed situation imaginable. They showed heart, character and passion.

They delivered.

"I think we showed a lot of character," said Bergeron, the team's assistant captain and best two-way forward. "Like I said, we had to put ourselves in a little bubble and [not] think about the pressure and what people are saying around us. I think we did a great job with that and stayed resilient all game and all series, and found a way."

Tim Thomas was once again spectacular in goal, stopping 34 of 37 shots, including several monumental saves late in the game and in overtime.

Now the Black and Gold will face the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a chance to enact unparalleled revenge on the team that knocked them out of the second round last season after leading the series 3-0.

"I'm not going to lie, it's a good opportunity for us to hopefully exorcise some demons," said defenseman Andrew Ference, who had a spectacular series against the Habs. "There's new guys on this team. This is a fresh start for us. We learned lessons from last year, no doubt about it. There's guys that are still on the team and we're not afraid to talk about those lesson... so we've got a chance to try to make things a little bit better this year."

The Bruins will get their first crack at revenge Saturday afternoon when the series kicks off in Philadelphia for Game 1. The second seeded Flyers will possess home-ice advantage over the third seeded Bruins.

In the end, the history books will show that Montreal pushed Boston to the absolute brink in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. However, unlike in years past, the Bruins found a way to come out on top instead of folding under the enormous pressure of playoff hockey.

"We found a way to win," concluded Bergeron. "Now we can just think about the second round."

Congratulations, Bruins fans.

The team you've been waiting on for years may have finally arrived.

Les Miserables

Boston missed a golden opportunity to eliminate the Canadiens Tuesday night in Game 6. Now, with the series tied 3-3, Claude Julien and the Bruins must win a do-or-die Game 7 Wednesday night in Beantown. 

After reaching an unparalleled high as a result of Saturday night's thrilling double-overtime victory in Game 5, the Boston Bruins came crashing down to Earth Tuesday night and now find themselves in a chillingly familiar situation.

Victims of an inept power-play and highly questionable officiating, the Black and Gold fell to the Canadiens 2-1 in Game 6 before an electric sell-out crowd of 21,273 at the Bell Centre.

As a result, not only is the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series tied 3-3, but the Bruins forfeit a golden opportunity to close out the hated-Habs and now must play a winner-take-all Game 7 in Boston Wednesday night.

"It's win or you're done," admitted Tim Thomas, who saved 25 shots for Boston but was outplayed by his counterpart, Carey Price (31 saves). "If we play the same way we did to win the three, we'll win the fourth."

In a game in which nearly every lucky bounce went the Canadiens way, the Bruins got their lone break less than four minutes into the first period.

Looking to grab the momentum early, it appeared the Canadiens had taken a 1-0 lead. Habs centerman Scott Gomez fired a seemingly harmless shot in on Thomas from just inside the blue-line. However, the Bruins goaltender was unable to control the bouncing puck and it trickled wide directly to Brian Gionta who immediately fired it into the open net.

However, much to the chagrin of the rabid Canadien fans, the linesman, situated behind the net and unable to see the play completely, had already blown the play dead. The Habs fans proceeded to litter the ice with garbage in disgust.

From there on out, the game quickly unraveled for the Bruins.

Boston took an undisciplined too-many-men on the ice penalty midway through the first period then immediately went down another man when Dennis Seidenberg was called for a slash. Right on cue, Montreal made good on the 5-on-3 man advantage, taking a 1-0 lead when Mike Cammalleri one-timed a cross-ice feed from P.K. Subban.

"Obviously when it's 5-on-3 it's harder to keep the puck out of the net," said Thomas.

Looking to get back in the game, the Bruins picked up their first power-play opportunity at the tail end of the first period when Andrei Kostitsyn was called for hooking. However, before Boston could set up shop with the man-advantage, Patrice Bergeron was called for goaltender interference just 13 seconds later despite barely making contact with Price.

Nevertheless, the Bruins bounced back to tie the score with both teams skating four-on-four. Just 48 seconds into the middle frame, Seidenberg scored his second career playoff goal and first of the series when he wrapped around the Montreal net and squirted the puck past Price to make it 1-1.

The turning point in the game came less than five minutes later when Milan Lucic was called for a boarding major after plastering defenseman Jaroslav Spacek into the boards. Spacek's face was cut by the glass and he laid on the ice for several minutes before slowly making his way to the bench with a towel over his face. At the time Spacek's return looked doubtful due to the severity in which he was hit, however the Montreal defenseman returned to the game several minutes later as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Lucic was promptly issued a game misconduct and ejected from the game.

Just like that, Boston had lost one of its best players in the most important game of their season.

"I haven't had a chance to really look at it closely," said head coach Claude Julien of Lucic's hit. "You see quick replays here and there, but it's something I need to see before I'm able to comment on that."

To make matters worse for Boston, not only did Montreal receive a five minute power play, but less than 16 seconds in Patrice Bergeron lifted the puck into the stands and was called for a delay of game penalty, giving the Habs a full-two minutes of a 5-on-3 power play.

Once again, the Canadiens took advantage, grabbing a 2-1 lead when Gionta buried a rebound past Thomas less than six minutes into the second period.

Later in the period, with the Bruins buzzing and looking for the tying goal, Spacek was called for hooking to give Boston a pivotal power play opportunity. However, once again the officials took the game out of the Bruins hands, calling Nathan Horton for a slash just 22 seconds into the Boston man-advantage to negate the power play.

The game remained 2-1 late into the third period. And while Montreal was content with gaining the red-line and then dumping the puck in every shift, the Bruins began peppering Price in search of the equalizer.

Yet again, the officials decided the game for themselves, calling Chris Kelly for a pathetic high-stick with just over three minutes remaining in the game. The call was so infuriating for Bruins fans because the officials failed to make similar calls on a high-stick to Andrew Ference and Rich Peverley early in the game.

Montreal finished 2-7 on the power-play while Boston went 0-4. However, the official numbers are deceiving because Boston only enjoyed two power plays in their entirety.

Regardless, the Bruins impotence with the man-advantage cannot be denied. For the series, they have gone 0-18.

"The power-play's been struggling," said Bergeron. "They won the game because of that tonight, because of their power play. We've got to find a way and bear down."

No more excuses. No more feeling sorry for themselves. The Bruins had a glittering chance to close out the Canadiens Tuesday night but instead allowed them to not only win the game but grab the momentum.

So now we learn what the Bruins are truly made of.

Are they a chip off the old block from last year, a team that excites you with potential only to collapse when the stakes get the highest?

Or do they use the bad breaks in Game 6 as motivation to get it done in Game 7?

Hold on tight and keep the faith, Bruins fans. 

We're about to find out. 

Pitching Their Way Back To Contention

Carl Crawford may have blasted his first homer in a Sox uniform Sunday afternoon, but Boston's recent turnaround hasn't been a result of their improved hitting. It's all stemmed from their terrific starting pitching of late. 

After beginning the season 0-6, the Red Sox have gone 10-5 in their last 15 games and stand just one game below .500.

Anyone still feel the need to panic?

Didn't think so. 

Less than a month ago, the Red Sox were the talk of Boston not for their worldly potential but instead their horrific start to the season. They were swept in consecutive road series to start the season (first Texas, then Cleveland), and had fans in New England on the verge of suicide because of their prolific failures. First it was 0-6. Then it was 2-10. 

The pitching was awful. Starters like John Lackey and Dice-K were getting shelled every time out. And when the Sox finally got a quality start out of Jon Lester or Josh Beckett, the anemic offense looked entirely incapable of providing any run support. 

Luckily, it seems as though those troubling days are over. 

On Sunday afternoon the Sox defeated the Angels in epic fashion, routing Los Angeles 7-0 to pull one game within the .500 mark. The sweep marked the first time the Sox swept the Angels on the road in a four-game series since 1980. 

Turning their season around in a hurry, Boston has gone 8-1 in their last nine games to improve their overall record to 10-11 on the young season. Even Carl Crawford, mired in a horrendous slump to start the season, crushed his first home run in a Sox uniform in Sunday afternoon's win. 

"We dug ourselves a hole," admitted manager Terry Francona. "Now we're trying to dig out of it. It's kind of like a hitter with a low batting average but feels good about himself. We're starting to do some things better."

Bolstered by the recent sweep of Los Angeles, the Red Sox turnaround has been accomplished in large part by their stellar starting pitching. Surprisingly, it's been none other than Daisuke Matsuzaka leading the rotation. In his past two starts, Dice-K has picked up consecutive wins over the Blue Jays and Angels and allowed just two hits over 15 innings while striking out 12. As a result, his ERA has dropped from a bloated 12.86 all the way down to a respectable 4.09. 

The Ace of the staff, Jon Lester, has been sparkling as well. In his past two starts he's gone a combined 12 innings and allowed just one run while striking out 13 and picking up the win in both games.

Piecing together his best start in recent memory, Josh Beckett has been lights out as well. The former Ace turned number four starter leads the team with a 2-1 record, microscopic 1.93 ERA and team-high 28 strikeouts in just four starts. On Thursday, Beckett went eight innings against the Angels and gave up just two runs in a 4-2 victory. 

Even John Lackey has turned it around. After being absolutely shelled in his first two starts of the season (8.2 innings, 15 earned runs), Lackey was skipped in the rotation but has rebounded to piece together two straight stellar outings on the West Coast. Last week in Oakland he went six innings giving up just one run. And Sunday afternoon Lackey went eight innings, scattered six hits, struck out six and didn't give up a single run. As a result, his ERA has dropped from 22.09 to 6.35. 

"For sure, there's definitely a sense that you don't want to stop the streak," said Lackey. "Everybody on the staff has been throwing the ball pretty good."

Overall, Sox starters aren't just pretty good. They've been unhittable to the tune of 7-1 with a 0.88 ERA over the last nine games. 

"Literally everybody in the rotation is pitching well," admitted closer Jonathan Papelbon. "That's how you win games."

The Sox are now just 3.5 games out of first place. 

"I don't know if they got together and had a pow-wow or anything like that," added Papelbon of the now-rolling Sox rotation. "But I think each one of them said, 'I'm good enough to carry this team.' That's the way they all feel and they are starting to pitch that way."

So put away the Tums, Sox fans, and enjoy that peaceful night of sleep you've been waiting for since Opening Day.

The Boston Red Sox are starting to look a lot like the unstoppable force we envisioned them to be all offseason. 

Bust Out The Brooms

Head coach Doc Rivers hugs Ray Allen Sunday night after the Celtics defeated the Knicks 101-89. With the Game Four victory, Boston sweeps New York and advances to the second round where they will most likely clash with the ultra-talented yet untested Miami Heat.

When the NBA postseason seedings were first unveiled less than two weeks ago, many basketball prognosticators around the league predicted that the Celtics/ Knicks series would not only be one of the most intriguing matchups of the first round but also one of the longest.

So much for what talking heads have to say.

After two close victories to open the series, the championship chasing Boston Celtics held on to defeat the undermanned New York Knicks Sunday night, escaping Madison Square Garden with a 101-89 victory in the series clinching Game Four.

Despite hoisting Banner 17 in 2008 and reaching the Finals again last season, the first-round sweep of the Knicks is surprisingly the first of its kind for Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett together in Green. In fact, it also marks the first Celtics playoff sweep since Larry Bird and Co. made quick work of the Indiana Pacers in 1992.

"We haven't swept a team in a long time," said Rajon Rondo. "So it's a good feeling."

However, Game Four was not exactly an Easter cake-walk for the Green. Despite leading the Knicks by as many as 23 points, the Celtics became somewhat disinterested and saw their once-commanding lead reduced to just four points midway through the fourth quarter.

"We got away from what we call our formula," admitted head coach Doc Rivers. "We have one going into every game. We went to too much [isolation], too much post where they could see us and trap us. And that allowed them to trap."

Luckily, the Celtics were able to turn it back on and close out the Knicks for good.

"We just went back to doing what we were doing all of Game 3 and most of tonight," said Rivers. "And that was multiple options, let Rondo make the right decision."

While Rondo paced Boston's offense and finished with 21 points and 12 assists, Kevin Garnett poured in a series-high 26 points and 10 boards. The Celtics also shot 49% from the field (40/81) and held the Knicks to just 34% (30/88).

"This is what we expected coming in," said Rondo. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy... it's a good feeling being able to get some rest."

Getting rest appears to be a huge advantage and much-needed godsend for the veteran Celts as they prepare for the second-round of the playoffs. It gives the team a chance to re-charge their batteries and rest their aging stars, most notably Shaquille O' Neal.

And, while their opponent is still technically undetermined, it doesn't take a John Wooden-type mind to figure out who's next in line for the Celts.

Yup. You guessed it, the Miami Heat.

Although LeBron, Wade and Bosh lost Game Four Sunday night, they still possess a 3-1 lead over Philadelphia and even the least-knowledgeable basketball fan on the planet knows a '76ers comeback is all but impossible.

What we do know for sure is that while the Heat must play and win a Game Five in Miami Wednesday night, the surging Celtics can rest their tired legs, regroup and game-plan for what will surely be an epic Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Pure Ecstacy

Nathan Horton is mobbed by his teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in double-overtime Saturday night. With the thrilling 2-1 victory in Game Five, the Bruins now lead the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 3-2.   

If you thought the Bruins' epic come-from-behind victory in Game 4 was exciting, Saturday night's Game 5 in Boston must have sent you straight to the hospital with a heart attack.

In the 12th longest playoff game in team history, the never-say-die Bruins earned their hardest fought and most pivotal victory of the season, besting the pesky Canadiens 2-1 in a double-overtime nailbiter that will no doubt stand the test of time and be remembered for years to come.

Nathan Horton played the hero, banging home a loose puck in the crease past Habs netminder Carey Price for the game-winner at 9:03 of the second overtime to send the sell-out crowd of 17,565 at the TD Garden into a jubilant frenzy.

However, it was Tim Thomas who stole the victory for Boston, finishing with 44 saves including a handful of utterly spectacular stops late in the game when it mattered most.

The unbelievably clutch victory marks the third straight win for the Bruins, who now lead the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 3-2. After holding a 2-0 series lead, the Canadiens now find themselves on the brink of elimination.

The Bruins will have a chance to close out the series Tuesday night in Montreal and make history of their own. After all, the Bruins have never overcome a two-games-to-none playoff hole (0-26 all-time).

And after their epic meltdown in the second round of the playoffs last season, you can bet Boston has their sights on eliminating Montreal in Game 6 before the Canadiens are able to entertain any thoughts of a comeback.

"I think we experienced that last year," head coach Claude Julien admitted after the game. "You don't want to bring it up, but we know how hard it is. We've got to go to Montreal knowing we've got to be ready. Montreal will come out and play the game of their lives."

After a scoreless first and second period in which Boston and Montreal exchanged a plethora of high-percentage scoring chances, Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the third period when he buried a return feed down-low from Patrice Bergeron past Price.

However, displaying their resiliency, Montreal battled back and tied the score 1-1 with just over six minutes remaining in the third period when Jeff Halpern fired a wrister in-close past Thomas.

The game would remain tied throughout the first overtime and into the second. And with both teams playing at such a frenetic pace, including countless end-to-end rushes up ice, players on both sides began to wear down due to sheer exhaustion.

"We were getting very tired," said Brad Marchand after the game. "Guys were starting to cramp up. I'm pretty tired right now but it was a pretty special feeling being out there, very intense."

Then, less than six minutes into double-overtime Thomas made quite possibly the most outstanding save of his career. Leading a two-on-one break, Travis Moen fed Habs captain Brian Gionta all alone with a beautiful cross-ice feed near the hashmarks. At first glance, it appeared the game was over as Gionta corralled the puck and saw a wide-open net to shoot at. However, in his trademark unorthodox style, Thomas slid across the crease and made a spectacular left-pad save to keep Boston alive.

"My thought was just trying to get in on the net and get it over him," said Gionta, the former BC Eagle star. "He moves well side to side and he just read it."

"Save of the game," said Zdeno Chara. "Simple as that."

Horton, playing in his first career Stanley Cup playoff series, ended the game less than three minutes later when he buried home a rebound off a wrist shot from the point by defenseman Andrew Ference.

"I saw the rebound come out," said Horton. "It was like it was in slow motion. It was just sitting there."

Despite finishing with 49 saves, Price failed to make the one stop he needed to most.

"I saw a shot... It hit my pad... and they buried it."

Unlike last season's heart-wrenching playoff collapse, the Bruins rose to the occasion Saturday night, playing their best when the pressure was greatest.

"I felt confident," said Julien. "I liked our composure in overtime. We were making some strong plays. We didn't really panic."

In the end, Game 5 will live forever in the hearts and minds of Bruins fans as the tipping point in which our beloved Black and Gold stepped up and showed us exactly what they're made of.

They played passionate, prideful hockey for four and half periods and now lead the series 3-2 thanks to a pair of timely goals and a legendary performance from Thomas in net.

Enjoy the ride, Bruins fans.

Nights like these are truly as good as it gets.

"It's awesome," concluded Horton. "It's a great experience and you don't know until you're truly there, until you feel it, how exciting it is to be a hockey player."

All The Way Back

The never-say-die Bruins live to see another day thanks to Michael Ryder's game-winning goal in overtime Thursday night. Boston defeated Montreal 5-4 in Game 4 to tie the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 2-2. 

After spending the past few days in Lake Placid, NY, site of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice," the Black and Gold absorbed some of team USA's lingering magic and pulled off a Miracle of their own Thursday night in Montreal.

In one of the most thrilling playoff comebacks in recent memory, the never-say-die Boston Bruins overcame three separate deficits to stun the hated Canadiens 5-4 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals before an electric sell-out crowd of 21,273 at the Bell Centre. Seldom mentioned but ever-talented Michael Ryder played the hero, scoring a pair of goals including the game-winner 1:59 into sudden-death overtime against his former team.

The instant classic victory erases Montreal's once-commanding lead to tie the series 2-2. Game 5 is set to begin Saturday night in Boston.

"We didn't want to be down in the series 3-1, it would have been a tough one if that happened," said Ryder after the game. "It's pretty exciting to score but I'm just happy that we won the game. That's all that matters right now and it's good to go home tied 2-2."

Inciting the raucous Montreal crowd early, the Canadiens took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission after Brent Sopel's blast from the right point eluded Thomas under the elbow. Despite giving up the softy, Thomas more than made up for it by withstanding a furious first-period surge by Montreal. He finished with 15 saves in the opening period, including several of the spectacular variety.

Exhibiting their resiliency, the Bruins came back to tie it 1-1 with just over two minutes gone in the second period. Taking a beautiful long exit pass from Tomas Kaberle, Ryder went on a partial breakaway and buried a sizzling wrister top shelf, glove side past Habs goaltender Carey Price.

The tipping point in the series came moments later when Montreal scored two goals in just 55 seconds midway through the second period to take a 3-1 lead. The deafening crowd reached legendary status and head coach Claude Julien was forced to call a timeout.

Bruins fans couldn't help but begin to panic. How could Boston possibly come back after being down 3-1 in the game, let alone 3-1 in the series?

But they did.

"We knew we could do it," said Patrice Bergeron (goal, two assists). "We knew we had to be better and we had to just find a way to have a huge shift and get the momentum back, and we did that and we got the big goal and that was it."

The big goal came off the stick of Andrew Ference, who stepped into a blast from the point and fired it past Price to make it 3-2.

"After we got down 3-1 we regrouped a bit and managed to get back to our game and we tied it up and just kept pushing from there, " admitted Ryder.

The surging Bruins tied the score 3-3 at the tail end of the second period when Brad Marchand (2 assists) corralled a rebound from the point then fed Bergeron alone in front for his second goal of the series.

Not to be outdone, Montreal struck back less than two minutes into the third period. On the power-play, P.K. Subban snuck in a quick wrister past Thomas to give the Canadiens a 4-3 lead. 

The lead stood for much of the period until Chris Kelly, sporting a full cage mask after crashing head-first into the Habs goal in Game Three, buried a rebound off a Rich Peverley shot to tie the game 4-4 with just 6:18 to go in regulation.

A questionable interference call on Dennis Seidenberg gave Montreal a huge power-play with just over two minutes remaining but Thomas and the Bruins stood tall, ensuring the game would carry over into overtime.

"It was important for us to stand tall, not to panic, and have everybody come up big," said head coach Claude Julien. "They had some chances. But we also did a pretty good job, at times, of blocking shots and showing some desperation of killing that penalty. Those guys deserve a lot of credit for doing that."

Then, less than two minutes into sudden-death, the Bruins made good on a three-on-one when Peverley's shot went wide but directly to Kelly on the weak side, who immediately centered the puck in front to Ryder all alone on the doorstep.

Ryder did the rest.

"Kells threw it out there," said Ryder. I guess he saw me. I think Price was caught trying to get back to his post, and I just threw it in."

A sparkling testament to their resiliency, heart and character, Boston overcame deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3 to earn the unbelievably hard fought victory. Their only lead of the game came at the very end when Ryder ended it.

"It would have been really tough to win this series if we lost here tonight," said Thomas (34 saves). "Having said that, there is still a lot of work to do."

There sure is.

But after such an epic comeback in Game 4, the Bruins return to Boston knowing a reinvigorated fan base awaits them with open arms, knowing all too well that the momentum gained from Thursday night's emotional rollercoaster can carry the Black and Gold a long way.

All the Small Things

Much to the chagrin of Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and the ultra-experienced Celtics now hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals heading into Game Three Friday night in New York.  

After two thrilling Celtics victories over the upstart Knicks, this much we know about the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: teamwork and experience far outweigh youth and individual talent.

Opening the best-of-seven series in epic fashion, Boston trailed for much of the contest Sunday night but hung around long enough to finish off New York when it mattered most.

Down a point with just 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Ray Allen drained a monumentally clutch three-pointer to give the Celtics an eventual 87-85 victory. Before Allen's pivotal trey, Boston had held a lead for just sixty seconds in the second-half.

Talk about having been there before.

"Down the stretch we found a way to win," said Paul Pierce, who pitched in 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in Game One. "And that was because of our experience."

While Boston's core of Allen, Pierce, Kevin Garnett and head coach Doc Rivers have been to two of the past three NBA Finals and played together in a plethora of big games and big series, the Knicks are the polar opposite in terms of both regular season and playoff experience. In fact, New York hasn't won a single postseason game since 2001.

However, Game one was never in Boston's control until the final buzzer. In fact, it wasn't until Carmelo Anthony was called for an offensive foul on Pierce with just 21 seconds left and the Knicks leading 85-84 that the Celtics even had a shot to win it in the end. Drawing up yet another spectacular play with the game on the line, Rivers had Allen inbound the ball off a timeout to Pierce, who allowed Allen time to curl around a screen and then sink the game-winning three.

"We've run that play many times," admitted Allen, who scored a game-high 24 points. "It's a play that has so many options and tonight I was just the option."

Unlike the Knicks, who are paced by two superstars in Anthony and Stoudemire, the Celtics have several stars that unselfishly buy into their head coach's anti-hero system.

"Ray's the hero with the shot," admitted Rivers. "Paul's the hero with the pass. That's a great example of not playing hero basketball, just trusting what we drew up. And he made the shot."

The Celtics pushed their series lead to 2-0 with another close victory Tuesday night when they edged the Knicks on the parquet floor yet again, 96-93. This time, the driving force was none other than Rajon Rondo.

Dictating the play by pushing the ball relentlessly up court and directly to the rim, Rondo took advantage of Chauncey Billups injury (he did not play in Game Two) and finished with a playoff career-high 30 points.

"I think I tried to attack Game 1, just my layups were getting blocked and I didn't make a couple," admitted the former Kentucky star. "But [Tuesday night] I made them. I stayed aggressive, I tried to expose them because I don't think they did a great job getting back in transition."

The game quickly became a one-on-one matchup between Rondo and Anthony. After Stoudemire exited the game in the first half due to back spasms, the Knicks leaned on Anthony almost exclusively and the former Nugget delivered.

In one of the truly epic postseason performances in recent memory, Anthony put New York on his back (42 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists), but came up just short.

A Garnett turn-around hook shot in the post with just 14 seconds left proved to be the game-winning basket. The Big Ticket sealed the victory on the other end of the court when he stole the ball from Jared Jeffries down low then dove on the ground to gain possession.

"We were lucky to win," admitted Rivers after the game.

The series now shifts to New York with Game Three set to tip-off Friday night at what will undoubtedly be an electric Madison Square Garden.

"The Celtics didn't do anything special," said Anthony, despite being down 0-2 in the series. "They won two games on their home court. Now it's our turn to go to our home court and try to do the same thing."

Good luck, 'Melo. You can have your boundless talent and vibrant youth.

I'll take the Boston Celtics and their unparalleled experience.

Back in Black

David Krejci (left), Patrice Bergeron (37) and the Bruins finally found a way to beat Carey Price Monday night and now trail the Canadiens just 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

The Boston Bruins now have life.

Executing a desperate game-plan to seemingly perfection, the Black and Gold scored multiple early goals and held on in thrilling fashion to defeat the Canadiens 4-2 Monday night before a deafening sell-out crowd of 21,273 at the Bell-Centre. With the incredibly clutch road victory, the Bruins are officially on the board and now trail the hated-Habs 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

The best-of-seven series resumes with Game Four Thursday night at the Bell-Centre.  

After entering Montreal down 0-2, it looked bleak for the sputtering Bruins. They had wasted away their home ice advantage and now had to enter incredibly hostile territory with a chance of being swept out of the postseason entirely. There were questions about Tim Thomas' goaltending, Claude Julien's coaching and Zdeno Chara's health. 

Instead, for the first time in three postseason games, the Bruins stepped up when it mattered most. They rose to the occasion instead of folding in front of it. They showed the heart. They showed passion. They played the way we all knew they were capable of but for some reason failed to make good on in the first two games of the series. 

They played Bruins hockey. 

Exhibiting the same recipe for success they've shown all season, the Bruins were led by their stars, mainly goaltender Tim Thomas (34 saves). Yes, he allowed a couple soft ones to incite the Montreal come-back, but he also more than made up for it with unbelievably spectacular saves late when he needed to most. 

"He made some big saves," said head coach Claude Julien. "The fact that he was able to do that shows a lot of character. There's no doubt he'd like to have those two goals [back] that went in on him. A goaltender could have just had negative thoughts in his mind and not been sharp at the end. But for him to do what he did meant that he was willing to redeem himself and give us the big saves. He did that. They were huge."

Beyond Thomas, the Bruins were carried by the return of captain Zdeno Chara. The towering defenseman missed Game Two with a virus and dehydration but made an immediate impact Monday night, solidifying the defense and playing a team-high 26 minutes. 

Patrice Bergeron pitched in with two spectacular assists, including a beautiful cross-ice feed to David Krejci just over three minutes into the game to give the Bruins an early 1-0 advantage, their first lead of the series. 

Supporting players stepped up as well: Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley scored their first first career playoff goals and Chris Kelly added an empty-net goal to seal the victory with 26 seconds left. Dennis Seidenberg played great defense and Andrew Ference showed heart, pummeling Benoit Pouliot after a dirty charge from behind on Johnny Boychuk. 

The Bruins will escape the madness of Montreal and now spend the next few days in Lake Placid, practicing on the same rink as the 1980 Miracle game. And while Bruins fans are hoping for a miracle of their own, they hang their hat on the fact that the first win of a multiple-game comeback is always the hardest. 

But that's not to say things are going to get easier. They won't. It just means the Bruins have life, which is something that could not be said after the first two games of the series. 

And if they continue to play the way they did Monday night, the series could just be getting started. 

"It's the playoffs and we all want to win and know they're not going to stop," said Bergeron. "Even though they were down three goals, they kept going and we expected that, and we know Thursday is going to be a tough game." 

Keep the faith, Bruins fans. 

Living on a prayer in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

This is what it's all about. 

Living on a Prayer

The Bruins, down 2-0 to the hated Habs entering Game Three Monday night, are now in need of a miracle, with or without Zdeno Chara. 

The Boston Bruins are officially in trouble.

After allowing a pair of Montreal goals in the opening three minutes of Game Two Saturday night, the Bruins were unable to overcome their horrific start and eventually fell to the Canadiens 3-1 before a devastated sell-out crowd of 17,656 at the TD Garden.

As a result, the Bruins now find themselves on the brink of elimination, trailing the Canadiens 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals as the series shifts to Montreal.

"We're in trouble right now," admitted Milan Lucic. "We need to find a way to rally and get our heads around it. Everyone needs to step up and play the way we know we can."

You can say that again.

Despite being one of the league's most dominant defensive teams during the regular season, the Bruins have looked like sieves on skates through two games thus far. Uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns and neutral zone turnovers in particular have led to a plethora of momentum-changing Montreal goals.

Not to be outdone, the Bruins' offense has disappeared almost entirely. The Black and Gold have been held to just one goal in two games. Their top line of David Krejci centering Nathan Horton and Lucic has been shutout altogether.

To make matters worse, that status of captain Zdeno Chara remains uncertain for Monday night's Game Three in Montreal. After being hospitalized Friday night for a virus and dehydration, Chara was unable to suit up in Game Two. He was a game-time decision but was unable to go after experiencing dizzyness and light-headedness during the pre-game skate. You could tell his absence stunned the Bruins, who were desperately counting on their captain and best player to suit up in the most important game of the season thus far.

"You always miss a guy like Zdeno," admitted Tim Thomas, who saved 23 shots in Game Two. "Having said that, the plan was to have everybody step up their game, and make up for that by committee. It didn't work out that way."

So now the Bruins must to do something they were unable to accomplish in last season's playoffs: dig deep and find a way to come back before its too late.

"We need to make sure we can stay positive," said Johnny Boychuk, who has been one of the biggest culprits of defensive zone breakdowns. "We know we can come back and do this for our team and our city."

One question weighing heavily on head coach Claude Julien is whether to stick with Thomas, who has given up several huge rebounds and been less-than stellar as a whole, or start Tuukka Rask in Game Three in an attempt to ignite his team. Another question would be whether or not Julien should pencil rookie phenom Tyler Seguin into the lineup to provide some offensive spark.

Either way, the Bruins must find a way to claw their way back and show some heart. They must reinvigorate a beleaguered fan-base overcome with doubt and anxiety. If it helps, the Black and Gold will be staying in Lake Placid as the series shifts to Montreal, the site of the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

You can bet Julien will use that bit of information to his team's advantage. If nothing else, the Bruins need a miracle of their own.

"Our backs are to the wall," said Thomas. "And now we'll see how we respond."

False Start

The Bruins carried the play Thursday night in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. However, thanks to a spectacular effort by Habs goaltender Carey Price (31 saves), Boston now trails the best-of-seven series 1-0. 

With fan excitement idling at a fever pitch, the Boston Bruins learned quickly Thursday night that their long-awaited pursuit of Lord Stanley's Cup will not be an easy task this Spring.

Despite being favored to win the series and advance deep into the playoffs, the Black and Gold received a serious reality check in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Before a raucous, sell-out crowd of 17,565 at the TD Garden, the Bruins fell to the visiting Canadiens 2-0 and now trail in the best-of-seven series 1-0.

Game Two, set for 7pm Saturday night in Boston, is now a virtual must-win for the Bruins.

"They found a way to capitalize on their chances," admitted Milan Lucic. "I think that's what it came down to. They played the type of game they wanted to play. For ourselves, we played a pretty good game. But it just goes to show that this is a playoff series. Going into Saturday, we have to give just a little bit more to get that win."

However, while a review of the box-score may be interpreted as a dominating victory by the hated Habs, a further look (especially by anyone who watched the game in its entirely) would prove otherwise. For nearly the entire game, the Bruins dictated the play. They kept the puck in the Montreal end for much of the night and had a plethora of high-percentage scoring chances in close (including a pair of near tallies by Brad Marchand).

The story of the game was Montreal goaltender Carey Price. Standing on his head for much of the game,  Price turned away all 31 shots he faced, including 18 in the second period. Oftentimes in the playoffs a goaltender can steal a game and that's exactly what Price did Thursday night. However, as good as Price was, the Bruins found ways to make his job easier by not pressuring him in deep.

"I don't think we did a very good job of taking away his vision," said Bruins coach Claude Julien. "He saw a lot of shots tonight. He saw a lot of pucks. We definitely have to get better in that area."

Lucic agreed.

"We had a lot of chances. A lot of shots. But if anything with shots, we've just got to find a way to create more traffic, pounce on rebounds, and not make it easy of them."

While Montreal only forced 20 shots on Tim Thomas, they made two of them count, unlike the Bruins. The first came less than three minutes in to give the Habs a 1-0 lead. Taking advantage of a Bruins defensive lapse (Tomas Kaberle lost control of the puck in his own end), Montreal Captain Brian Gionta buried a wrister past a helpless Thomas. And, while the former Devil would add another goal late in the third period, his first period strike would prove to be the game-winner.

"I reversed it a little too much, obviously, " Kaberle admitted after his first-period blunder. "They put it, right away, right back at the net. It was a great play."

For many Bruins fans, their first inclination after such a troubling loss is to panic, temper their aspirations and pray to the hockey gods for better fortune in Game Two. However, despite the loss and now immediate need to play catch-up, the Bruins are far from out of the series. They played great Thursday night, finishing their checks, producing numerous scoring chances and dominating for long stretches of time.

However, the Bruins just could not find the back of the net. And as good as Price was for Montreal, there's no way he stands on his head for three more games like he did Thursday.

For that reason, Bruins fans know the series is far from over.

"We just played a game that we dominated," lamented Julien. "We spent a lot of time in the offensive end. Basically, we didn't score goals."

Heroes Get Remembered, but Legends Never Die

Josh Beckett wasn't just good Sunday night against the Yankees, he was legendary.

On a gorgeous Spring night at Fenway Park, Josh Beckett reminded us all exactly why GM Theo Epstein signed him to a four-year, $68 million extension last year despite having one of the worst seasons of his career in 2010.

The former Ace turned number four starter was utterly magnificent and entirely unhittable Sunday night against the hated Yankees, looking more like the dominant 2007 Beckett and not the fragile, underachieving version Sox fans have grown increasingly frustrated with in recent years.

Before a sell-out crowd of 37,861 and millions more tuning in via ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, Beckett tossed eight scoreless innings to propel the Sox to a 4-0 victory over New York. Beckett outdueled CC Sabathia and gave up just two hits (both singles to Robinson Cano and Eric Chavez), while striking out 10 and surrendering just one walk.

He began the game retiring the first seven Yankees he faced in a row and ended the game retiring the last 14 consecutively. Beckett is now 1-1 on the year with a sparkling 2.08 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .159 against him.

"From the very beginning, he was commanding all of his pitches," said manager Terry Francona. "He was really, really good."

In fact, Beckett was so good that he became just the third Red Sox pitcher since 1920 to allow less than three hits and strike out at least 10 in a game against the rival Yankees. 

Yup, you heard that correctly, 1920. 

"It was great, one of his best," said catcher Jason Varitek, who caught Beckett in favor of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. "We needed a good, quality start, especially when you have that other guy on the mound over there. And we got a huge, quality start out of Josh."

It marked the 11th time in Beckett's career that he had struck out at least ten but just the first since July 27, 2009. 

Sure, the vaunted Yankee lineup was without one of their biggest boppers (Alex Rodriguez was under the weather and did not play), but Beckett had such electric stuff Sunday night that he could have faced the 1927 Yankees and mowed down Murderers' Row in straight succession.

For Beckett, it represents a sparkling return to form after falling off mightily in the eyes of Red Sox fans. Also, at a time when all Sox starters not named Jon Lester have seriously underperformed thus far, Beckett's gem Sunday ignites much-needed fire and optimism into a passionate fan base overcome by doubt recently. It also sends a clear signal to the rest of the league that Boston's rotation can be as good as any and a major force to be reckoned with when all five starters are throwing well.

"When our turn (in the rotation comes), we're not thinking about what happened yesterday or in the future," admitted Beckett after the game. "You just take it really day by day."

And on Sunday, Josh Beckett inspired with Nation with one of his greatest performances ever.

Bring on the Habs

For the 33rd time in history, the Bruins and Canadiens will meet in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. 

While it remains to be seen whether the Bruins can hoist Lord Stanley's Cup this Spring for the first time in 39 years, one thing that is certain is the fact that the Black and Gold's postseason journey will begin against a familiar foe: the Montreal Canadiens.

After defeating Toronto 4-1 Saturday night, the hated Habs officially clinched the #6 seed in the playoffs, setting up an epic seven game series with the streaking Bruins full of compelling storylines, rich history and unmatched hatred. The first-round matchup represents the latest installment of the long-time rivalry between the two Original Six teams.

"I'm just excited for the opportunity," said Canadiens forward Mike Cammalleri. "The rivalry matchup, it's one of those series where there will be a lot of eyes and a lot of talk about and all those things. Boston's a team that probably had a lot of high expectations internally."

The reason for Boston's optimism stems from their spectacular play of late. Heading into their regular season finale Sunday afternoon in New Jersey, the Black and Gold are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and post a 46-24-11 record overall, good for 103 points and the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

As a result, the Bruins will have home-ice advantage in the seven game series with Montreal, which is set to begin Thursday night at the TD Garden. And, after winning their regular season home finale 3-1 Saturday afternoon against the Senators, the Bruins enter the playoffs with a distinct advantage playing at home (22-13-6 overall).

The Bruins' star-goaltender is hitting his stride as well. After stopping 31 of 32 shots Saturday against Ottawa, Tim Thomas set the all-time, single season save percentage record. His .938 just edges Dominik Hasek's .936 in 1998-99.

Historically, the upcoming Bruins/Canadiens matchup will be the 33rd postseason meeting between the two bitter rivals. Overall, Montreal has won 24 times (including four of the last six). However, in their most recent meeting the Bruins swept Montreal in 2009.

This season, the Habs have won four of six meetings with the Bruins. However, the two Bruins wins included an 8-6 slugfest victory on February 9 (featuring a plethora of fights and 182 total penalty minutes) and a 7-0 pasting at home on March 26.

In addition, the now-notorious Zdeno Chara crushing of Max Pacioretty against the unpadded stanchion will no doubt be in the back of the Canadiens' minds. So while Montreal thirsts for revenge, the Bruins will just have to focus on not making the same mistake they made in last season's playoffs: choking.

Kicking off the postseason against their oldest, most hated rival could go a long way for the Bruins in terms of setting the tone for a deep playoff run. All in all, the Bruins and Canadiens will be set for another postseason bloodbath.

For hockey fans, it doesn't get much better than that.

"They play with a lot of fire," said Habs goaltender Carey Price of the Bruins. "It's just going to be good old-fashioned hockey."

At Last

Jacoby Ellsbury (2) and David Ortiz celebrate near home plate after J.D. Drew's two-run single in the 7th inning of Boston's 9-6 victory over the Yankees Friday afternoon.

And just like that, all is right in the universe again.

Kicking off the 100th Home Opener at Fenway Park in supreme style, the Boston Red Sox did exactly what fans have been waiting for them to do for nearly a week: win a baseball game.

Despite another poor outing from veteran starter John Lackey (5 innings, 6 earned-runs), the Sox bats finally awoke and Boston escaped Fenway with a 9-6 victory over the hated Yankees. The Red Sox are now 1-6 on the young year.

"I came in here thinking, 'We need to find a way to win. I don't care how we do it. I don't care if it's the ugliest win of all time. We need that win," said Dustin Pedroia after the game. "But we played great, man."

Thank god. For a second there, I didn't know if I'd make it through another day. All the negativity was really starting to get to me. Just yesterday the frustration reached its tipping point as I starting fighting with my roommate over who was a true fan. I was even beginning to have a recursive nightmare of Asdrubal Cabrera's recent game-winning suicide squeeze.

But just like that, all the tension, bad vibes and anxiety is gone, erased by a glorious return to Fenway Park by a team who finally delivered a victory to their die-hard fans with mile-high expectations. The ten-thousand pound monkey is finally off their back.

"It feels great," said David Ortiz. "We were just waiting to get home so we can win. Just kidding."

After a moving tribute to recently deceased, longtime GM Lou Gorman, the sell-out crowd of 37,178 rose to its feet in celebrated uproar as living legend Carl Yastrzemski threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Among the player introductions, 91-year-old Johnny Pesky received one of the loudest ovations, followed by Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield and new-acquistions Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.

When the game finally got underway, Lackey coughed up two runs in the first inning but Pedroia provided a momentum-swinging jolt of his own in the bottom half of the first, blasting a homer into the Monster seats to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The spark-plug second baseman finished 3-5 with two runs scored and three runs batted in.

However, his impressive numbers don't explain how important his home run in the bottom of the first was. The 0-6 Sox had just fallen behind again, and up until that point no one put the team of their back and punched back. This time someone finally stepped up. It marked the second consecutive Home Opener in which Pedroia homered in the first inning.

"He gave us a huge lift," admitted Terry Francona. "We're down two, he takes a good swing and kind of gets at least a little bit of momentum, a little bit of excitement going."

As bad as Lackey was, he exited the game with a 6-5 lead and earned a win (1-1) due to the excellence of the bullpen. Alfredo Aceves combined with Bobby Jenks, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon to pitch four scoreless innings in relief.

"We didn't keep them off the board the first five inning," said Francona, making a subtle dig at Lackey's second poor outing in a row. "That's a hard way to win. Our bullpen came in and put up four zeros. That's tough to do."

Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all went 2-4. Adrian Gonzalez finished 2-5, including a bunt base hit to beat a shift. He now leads the team with a .321 average. Drew stroked a pivotal 2-run single in the 7th to extend the lead to 9-7.

"We have a lot of expectations, too," said Pedroia. "We don't want to let anybody down."

For the first time all season, they didn't.

Feel Free to Panic

After starting the year 0-4 for the first time since 1995, Terry Francona and the Red Sox have put Boston fans in a familiar position: panic-mode.

In a baseball town in which fans have lived and died with every pitch for nearly a century, doubt and fear are as much a part of the Red Sox fan's psyche as faith and optimism. However, ever since Boston's incredible run of success in the past decade, many members of Red Sox Nation have forgotten what it feels like to root for the Olde Towne Team, through the good and the bad.

After coming from behind in unparalleled fashion to defeat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS and then going on to break the 86-year Curse, Red Sox fans found themselves at a crossroads. No longer were the Sox the hometown team that tormented and frustrated you to no end, raising your hopes sky high only to smash them into indiscernible pieces at the most inopportune time. No longer were the Sox the lovable losers a la the Chicago Cubs.

Almost on cue, the team hoisted its second World Series trophy in 2007 and suddenly the DNA of Red Sox fandom morphed into something entirely different and new. Gone was the perpetual doubting, washed away by two championships in just four seasons. Friendly Fenway truly became friendly. Fans were overcome with a sense of accomplishment and pure joy. The haze was lifted. The Sox became trendy.

For the past few seasons, we've been spoiled. Every fall, it was almost a given that Boston would be playing in the postseason. And if they didn't, too bad. So what if the Sox got swept by the Angels in the first round? The Curse had been broken and that's all fans seemed to care about. Anytime the Sox missed the playoffs before 2004, it felt like our hearts were ripped out of our chests with the sharpest scalpel imaginable and no novocaine. But now? Now fans seem to adopt the old adage "there's always next year" without hesitation, all the while shifting their focus to the upstart Bruins or championship-chasing Celtics.

For those of us who have been die-hard fans before 2004, we know it wasn't always like this. The one thing that attracted us to the Sox the most was the unparalleled weight and control the team had over us. One of my fondest memories growing up was watching Nomar and Pedro lead the Sox on an improbable postseason run in 1999. Guys like Mike Stanley, John Valentin, Darren Lewis and a young Jason Varitek and Trot Nixon were my heroes. At twelve years old, I had reached nirvana watching my beloved Sox come from 2-0 down to sink the Indians in the ALDS. I bowed at the altar of Troy O' Leary after his clutch homer sealed the series in Game 5.

But then, seated alongside my eternal Red Sox partner, my dad, my twelve-year-old self cried hysterically as Bernie Williams homered off Rod Beck in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game One of the ALCS. Eventually, the Sox lost the series to the Yankees 4-1, but it was the feeling inside that stuck with me forever. Everyone knew the Sox didn't have a chance, the Yankees were in the midst of their dynasty and a far more superior team. But I didn't care. I rooted for the Sox as if they would win and no one could tell me otherwise.

Call it young, call it naive, call it immature. But, in the end, it felt different, it felt sacred. It felt pure. It was the unpolluted feeling of being entirely devoted to something beyond comprehension only to have it stolen away in heartbreaking fashion. The feeling of being torn apart inside and sick to your stomach, like the Sox losing was literally the end of the world.

That's what it used to be like being a Red Sox fan. Older generations had Bucky Dent and Bill Buckner. And we all had Aaron Boone.

Today, as the Sox stand at 0-4 to start the season for the first time since 1995, that feeling of panic and horror begins to surface in the back of our heads like a cold, familiar black cloud.

It seems to whisper: remember me?

Remember when things weren't all happy-go-lucky? When we were still cursed? When we didn't have Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford and an all-century-team in the field?

Sure, there's 158 games left this season and a baseball team is not defined by its first four games. But what's wrong with a little panic?

After all, it's in our Red Sox DNA to overreact. Don't let the last seven years fool you, after 86-years of futility and heartbreak, we've been hard-wired to panic.

If nothing else, it shows how much we care.

Timing is Everything

Shaquille O' Neal's return to the lineup didn't last long Sunday. He limped off the court during the Celtics 101-90 victory over the Pistons with a "minor" right calf strain. 

And just like that, the Big Shamrock has left the building.

Playing his first game in a Celtics uniform in over two months, Shaquille O' Neal wowed the TD Garden crowd in his long-awaited return Sunday night before making an abrupt, troubling and unforeseen exit during Boston's 101-90 victory over the Pistons. Just 11 seconds into the second quarter, the Big Diesel came up lame near mid-court after running the fast break off a Jeff Green block of Detroit's Jason Maxiell.

Without hesitation, O' Neal motioned to the bench to call a timeout before hobbling off the court, hunched over in pain. He needed help to get to the tunnel. The team even brought out a wheelchair for him a la Pierce in the 2008 playoffs, but Shaq refused.

"That wasn't good, to see him [like that]," said Kevin Garnett. "He's been working his behind [off] to get back to this point. He had some momentum going, he definitely gave us a a spark. It was good to see him out there."

The injury felt tragic at the time because Shaq had been playing so well in his first game since February 1. After entering the game to an electric, standing ovation, the Big Aristotle looked terrific, scoring six first quarter points on 3-3 shooting. He looked young and athletic around the rim, converting a nifty up and under layup at one point. His defense was exceptional. He immediately rejuvenated the Celtics and provided them with the shot in the arm they've so desperately missed since he went down.

"It felt like pausing time, you know, it felt like just having his presence out there was big," admitted Paul Pierce after the game. "Even just having him for a few minutes, definitely a plus out there. It's tough."

At first glance, many Celtics fans couldn't help but think Shaq had seriously injured his achilles. And, for a 39-year-old, 350 pound man, that could very well mean the end of O' Neal's stellar career. However, after the game Shaq was diagnosed with a "minor" right calf strain. Head Coach Doc Rivers said that while it was not nearly as severe as Von Wafer's recent calf strain (missed 13 games in March), the newest injury to O' Neal no doubt puts the rest of his season in jeopardy.

"I don't know what to do, honestly," admitted Rivers after the game. "My inclination is not [to shut him down for the rest of the regular season], because he needs to play. We have to play at full-tilt in six or seven (games)."

Rivers has admitted that the Celts will need a healthy Nenad Krstic and at least one of the O' Neal's in order to hoist Banner 18 in June. So with Shaq back on the shelf, it appears Jermaine O' Neal is now the key piece to the championship puzzle.

Colossal Misfire

After getting shelled for nine runs in just 3.1 innings pitched Saturday, John Lackey failed to get the Sox back on course in Texas. Boston is now 0-2 for the first time since 2005. 

The 2011 season was not supposed to begin like this for the Boston Red Sox.

After an injury-riddled 2010 campaign in which nearly every contributing member of the team spent a prolonged spell on the disabled list, the Red Sox powered up in the offseason in a big way. Shelling out millions, the Sox broke the bank and sacrificed the farm system in order to acquire two of the greatest players in the game today: Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford (as well as some much-needed bullpen help in Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler). 

As a result, the wait for Opening Day had become agonizing. All winter, Sox fans found themselves drooling over the lineup possibilities. For months, their heads have been spinning as dreams of a Pedroia-Crawford-Youkilis-Gonzalez-Ortiz middle of the order seemed like a modern-day reincarnation of the Murderer's Row. The pitching staff looked strong enough to rival Philadelphia's, with ace Jon Lester anchoring a rotation of John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Dice-K. 

All the while, the national media pundits built the Sox up to be one of the greatest teams ever before they even played a game. Analysts on Baseball Tonight threw out the possibility of 100 wins. Sports Illustrated, like many others, picked the Sox to win the World Series. 

But, as they say, you don't win games based on potential, you win based on production. 

And for the first two games of the 2011 season, the Red Sox have failed to do so. 

In the season opener, Lester went just 5.1 innings and gave up a robust five runs. Not the kind of production you look for from an ace. However, the Sox did battle back to tie the score 5-5 in the 8th when Ortiz launched a clutch homer to the opposite field. Regardless, Boston caved in horribly as Daniel Bard got lit up, allowing four runs in just 2/3 of an innings. The end result: a 9-5 Opening Day loss. 

"It's a tough one," admitted Bard after coughing up the game. "We battled all day to stay in that game. It [stinks] to be the one who gives it away."

In game two, things got even worse. The notoriously lackluster John Lackey got absolutely shelled, giving up nine earned runs in just 3.2 innings pitched. After shelling out over $80 million to acquire Lackey prior to last season, Red Sox fans are growing increasingly skeptical of the former Angel. Unless he turns it around real soon, the Lackey signing could go down as the worst contract ever shelled out by GM Theo Epstein, right up there with the Julio Lugo fiasco in 2006. 

The Sox could never recover from Lackey's shelling, eventually losing 12-5. 

"You just wipe this one away and go back to work, get my work in between starts and go get 'em the next one," said Lackey.

At 0-2, the Sox are in no real danger. Despite their lackluster start, it's wayyy too early for fans to lose sleep or even question their potential in 2011. The big picture is still well intact. Still, with that being said, being blown out in the first two games of the season was not what Sox fans were expecting after such an eventful offseason. 

The silver lining: Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez have looked spectacular. Batting leadoff in both games, Ellsbury has combined to go 3-8 with a homer, three runs scored and a stolen base, looking more and more like the Ellsbury we have come to love, not the perpetually injured version from 2010. 

As for Gonzalez, the hype all seems to be warranted. At the plate, he has looked calm and in control, going 5-9 thus far (.455 average) and a team-leading three runs batted in, not to mention playing a gold-glove caliber first base.

On the flip side, fellow prime-time acquisition Carl Crawford has struggled in the first two games, going 0-7 at the plate. Manager Terry Francona even dropped him from the third hole in the lineup all the way to the seven spot heading into Sunday's matinee in Texas. 

While the following is just food for thought, the truth of the matter is that the Sox will be fine. It takes a while for some teams to jell, especially with new acquisitions, big names and enormous expectations. 

But let's put those World Series thoughts on hold for a while. 

First, the Sox need to win a game. 

"Well, it's a little early [to panic]," mused Francona. "I guess my answer to that would be I hope we win [Sunday]."