Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team was tabbed 12th in the Northeast-10 Conference, and the UML women were ranked 10th in preseason polls released earlier today.

Head coach Ken Barer's River Hawks are coming off of a 9-18 season and 6-16 in the NE-10.

Bentley finished first in the voting by NE-10 coaches. The Falcons were 32-1 last season and advanced to the Elite Eight of the Division 2 NCAA Tournament.

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The UML women's basketball team was picked 10th in the preseason poll of NE-10 coaches. Kathy O'Neil's River Hawks finished last season with a record of 10-17 (5-17 NE-10).

Bentley was the top pick on the women's side as well as the men's. Bentley was 23-8 last season, and Southern Connecticut State, who was chosen second in the poll, won the Division 2 National Championship last season.

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Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

So, you can see from the comments on the blog here just how popular my A-Rod over Lowell stance is…no need to rehash here…just go read for yourself.

However, what you may have missed is what’s going on over at LowellSun.com. Besides plastering my mug on the top of the front page, they also made the article the Top Story online, opening it up to comments from readers. Not to mention, they ran a poll question that received 533 responses, which we believe is a record. The results; 95% want Mike Lowell…5% agree with me to bring in Alex Rodriguez.

The comments were even harsher than the results. A sampling, along with a response from me:

“You are an IDIOT!!! How many homers did A-Rod have in the Post season? Maybe you are smart enough to figure that out.”—Frank from Lisle, Illinois

You know you’ve made it big time when you’re being called an IDIOT all the way out in the Midwest.

"Keep Mike Lowell; we don’t want A-Fraud here. Nice timing of his “announcement”, wasn’t it? Leave him where he belongs or let some other team pay his hefty price tag. A lot of good he did the Yankers this year-money down the drain.”--Gretchen from South Walpole, MA

Well, at least we can agree on insulting the Yankees. Or was “Yankers” just a typo?

“I think ARod wants to be with the Red Sox so that he can bring down the Sox like he did the Yankees! Go Sox!!!—jlandry1 from Andover, MA

The conspiracy theorists chime in. Guess we’ll have to investigate whether A-Rod was the second gunman in the grassy knoll, or if he planted the bombs that brought down the World Trade Center.

“A-Rod is low class and Lowell is high class. The area needs a great role model for the children…A-Rod is NOT that person.”—willyu, No town given

Young boys listen to rap music that advocates cop killing and domestic abuse, while our little girls want to dress and act like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. And you think A-Rod is a bad influence?

“If they don’t put forth a solid effort to re-sign Lowell then I’m sure they’ll be looking for the “knockout” and sign A-Rod. That will be the last time I ever watch, listen or read about the Red Sox. Promise.”—Merrimack from Boston

Do you also promise not to cheer for him after he belts his 50th homer in a Sox uniform? Or are you one of those people who still root against Randy Moss?

“Dumb question. Lowell. He at least knows what it’s like to be in a World Series. As for A-Rod? If it’s not happening to or for A-Rod it’s just not happening. What a putz!”—Boston Born from Carrolton, Ohio

When folks are using foreign languages to disparage you, you know you’re not a popular player. Or was the comment directed towards me?

“About a year or so ago I was talking to my nephew. I made the comment that I would rather have Mike Lowell than A-FRaud. He told me to take a drug test. I still feel that way, especially after Lowell gave his best Scott Brossius imitation & nailed clutch hit after clutch hit. We now see the true side of Rodriguez with the classless way he went out of his way to disrespect the Yankees. For whatever reason he felt like hurting them or maybe getting even for all the crap he took while in pinstripes. Good riddance Alex, hope your new teammates can count on you more than we were.”—Bob E. Yankee Fan from Visalia, California

Not only is Rodriguez a special player on the field, but off it as well, able to unite Sox and Yankees fans in at least one area…their hatred of him. Oh, and if you’re one of those Yankees fans who booed A-Rod while cheering druggies and steroid cheats like Steve Howe, Darryl Strawberry, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, you should take your nephew’s advice.

Ghosts and goblins roaming through your neighborhood means its Halloween, but it also means the high school football season is winding down and the few remaining games have huge Super Bowl implications for conference leaders.

Last weekend’s action saw Chelmsford basically eliminate Andover from the MVC title race, knocking off the Warriors 43-29 in Andover. Coach Bruce Rich’s Lions remain atop the conference with a 5-0 record, 7-1 overall.

In other league action, Billerica remained a game behind Chelmsford after a 31-7 victory over winless Haverhill. The Indians face Chelmsford on Thanksgiving Day, which looms as a huge matchup…Lowell took another one on the chin, suffering a 43-0 knockout at the hands of Central Catholic. Making matters worse, the Raiders leader, Matt Welch, will miss the rest of the season with a hand injury…and Tewksbury sank the Middies, 28-20, in a game at Dracut.

(Conference standings after the jump)

In the Dual County League, conference leading Wayland was too much for Tyngsboro, taking a 48-23 decision…Westford, on the other hand, continued to roll, trouncing Concord-Carlisle 34-7…Acton-Boxboro was also victorious, topping Bedford 30-14…There are four teams with only one loss in the conference, setting up a wild finish.

Elsewhere, Wilmington kept its Cape Ann hopes alive with a 41-12 “W” over Ipswich…Greater Lowell eked out a 21-20 victory over defending Commonwealth champ Whittier…Melrose was too much for Burlington to handle, 32-21…Ayer romped past Hudson, 42-21…and Nashoba Tech stunned Keefe Tech, 33-26.

Finally, across state lines Bishop Guertin trounced Spaulding, 54-14…Alvirne fell in double overtime to visiting Keene, 31-28…and Pelham continued its stampede through Division 5, beating Newport 28-12 to improve to 8-0.

Our Monday Night Lights Game of the Week preview on SportsTalk Live focused on Shawsheen’s upcoming contest against Lynn Tech. Click on this link to hear head coach Al Costabile and quarterback Joe Gore discuss the big conference matchup.

The SunBlog
High School Football Standings

For Red Sox Nation, the party continues. There’s a parade to attend. Lots of overpriced World Series merchandise to purchase. Jordan’s furniture refunds to collect. Hangovers to sleep off. Court fines to pay and community service to perform for the street rioters.

A quick aside here; If I were Leo DiCaprio (King of the World…get it?) I could solve the championship celebration nuttiness in a heartbeat. Take the first drunken idiot who decides to climb a light post or overturn a car and beat him. Not too badly, mind you. Just enough to get the point across. I know it sounds a bit draconian, but the rest of the morons would disperse in a heartbeat. OK, maybe not such a good idea. Now you see why I’m on sports duty and not the crime beat.

Anyway, when the celebration does die down, the BoSox brain trust has some serious decisions to make. Is Curt Schilling worth another year or two at around $13-mil per? (I say yes) Can Coco Crisp be packaged for anything of value? (Not unless they’re looking for a Juan Epstein look-alike in a Broadway revival of Welcome Back Kotter) Where can we squeeze in more $150-a-pop seats at Fenway? (I’m sure the structural engineers can work in some perches up and down Pesky’s pole)

But the juiciest issue facing Boston’s Boys of Summer this winter is what to do at the hot corner. Should they pony up the money to re-sign Mike Lowell, or should they did even deeper into their vast pockets and try to hook the biggest fish in the free agent waters, Alex Rodriguez?

On the surface, the decision appears quite simple. There’s a lot to like about Lowell. He’s a great guy, an acknowledged leader in the clubhouse, sucks up ground balls like a vacuum cleaner at third base and has experienced a resurgence at the plate since coming to Boston. Oh yeah, he was also just named World Series MVP.

Rodriguez will soon be named American League MVP for the third time, but he’s less popular around these parts than Michael Vick at the Westminster Dog Show. He’d cost the Gross National Product of a small European country to sign. Over the last four post-seasons, he’s morphed into Alex Cora in the batter’s box. And there’s this issue of a famous “disagreement” back in 2004 with the heart and soul of the Red Sox, Jason Varitek. (Though A-Rod wasn’t exactly chummy with Derek Jeter, so what’s a rift or two with another team’s captain?)

Sounds like a grand slam that Lowell is Theo Epstein’s target, doesn’t it? Don’t be so sure.

For starters, young Mr. Epstein can be downright Belichickian when it comes to old veterans. Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon were much more ingrained in our hearts than the current third baseman, and you see where that got them at contract time. If Lowell, who turns 34 in February, demands a longer term commitment than Theo is willing to make, he’ll be dropped faster than Bridget Moynihan after asking for a ring.

Then there’s the issue of a certain team with a potential opening at third base. If the Yankees are serious about refusing to negotiate with Rodriguez now that he’s opted out of his contract (I say they’re bluffing), you can bet they’ll go hard after Lowell, which is very likely to drive the price out of the Red Sox ballpark.

As for whether the Red Sox have legitimate interest in A-Rod; why wouldn’t they? John Henry and company have already been down that road before, willing to jettison fan favorites Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra to make room for the game’s best player.

Is the likely $30-million a year contract a deal killer? Not necessarily. Ramirez only has a year remaining on his deal, so there’s $20-million that becomes available soon. Couple the potential savings from Schilling, Lowell and Crisp with the bargain basement contributions from Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, and you can easily slot Rodriguez in without even trading Manny. (Wouldn’t that be a scary 3-4-5 in the order?)

And let’s not forget, the Sox owners are smart businessmen. They fully understand the potential financial bonanza of having a good looking, eloquent superstar making nicey-nice with corporate suits off the field while chasing Barry Bonds’ home run record on it. So he’s not exactly viewed as a golden boy right now? Wait until the Sox public relations machine gets its catcher’s mitts on him. He’ll be more popular than a beer vendor at a NASCAR race.

Where do I stand on the issue? Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit to a little bias. You know that Lowell family Rodriguez married into? They have the same blood running through their veins as a certain sportswriter who’s about to make a few new enemies.

I love Mike Lowell. I appreciate everything he’s meant to the Red Sox in his short stay here. But when you have the opportunity to acquire the best player in the game, you have to at least swing for the fences. Alex Rodriguez in a Boston uniform would be a grand slam for the organization.

Of course, they could always keep Lowell, sign A-Rod to play shortstop and unload Julio Lugo. Hey, it’s not my money!

OK gang, let's hear it! Tell me how I've lost my mind. But then give me a logical explanation how the Red Sox would be a better team with Mike Lowell at third instead of A-Rod.

Rather than the typical summary (I'm breaking form a lot today, aren't I?), I’ve decided to live blog Game 4 from the bottom of the 6th inning on. Don’t know how many of you are watching the game and reading this at the same time, but feel free to pass along your comments and maybe we’ll get a little dialogue going. If nothing else, typing my thoughts as they come to mind will keep me from talking to myself.

If things hold up, we’ll be counting down the outs to Boston’s second World Series title in four years. In the process, we’ll give you a minute-by-minute running commentary of what’s going on, complete with my typical, goofy observations.

Just click on the “read full entry” tab and keep hitting refresh every few minutes. Enjoy! And talk to me!!!

10:21 When your helmet covers your eyes while running the bases, it’s time to get a haircut. Know any good stylists you can recommend to Manny?

10:24 Terry Francona comes out to get Jon Lester. What a fantastic performance by the kid, overcoming the Coors Field factor and not having started a game since September to shutdown the Rockies through 5 2/3 innings.

However, I must say I’m a bit nervous about Manny Delcarmen being asked to hold the lead.

10:28 Scratch that. Delcarmen just struck out Ryan Spilborghs to end the threat. Shows you how much I know.

10:31 Bubble gum on Dice-K’s hat. Laughs all around. The Sox sure do look nervous, don’t they?

10:32 Mike Lowell HR might just have sealed the game. With a .429 average (at the moment) and 4-RBI, could he be your Series MVP? If not, who is?

10:48 The previously anemic Brad Hawpe just homered of Delcarmen. That’s what I was worried about last inning. Don’t know how much Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon have left in the tank…guessing an inning each…but I’m a bit worried about bridging the gap to the bullpen’s dynamic duo.

10:53 Corey Sullivan singles with one out in the 7th, and the tying run (in the person of Kaz Matsui) is at the plate. But instead of Okajima, Mike Timlin gets the call. I’ve now gone from worried to petrified. Timlin isn’t exactly rock solid with runners on base.

I believe we also have our answer as to how long Okajima can go. Not very.

10:57 Any fan base that thinks twirling white towels is cool doesn’t deserve a World Series participant. The Rockies yahoos can be forgiven for their ignorance. It was worse when the Indians followers were doing it, because that’s an old-time, great baseball town. They should have known better.

11:02 Timlin K's Matsui and Troy Tulowitzky. Sorry for doubting you Mike! Shows what I know...again!

P.S. For someone compared to Cal Ripken, Tulowitzky sure looks like Dave Kingman in this series. He's making Wily Mo Pena look like a contact hitter!

11:06 Add Bobby Kielty to Boston's folk hero list. First pitch, 3-run cushion restored. And doesn't he look like a little kid, smiling in the dugout.

11:09 Fox just reported that Alex Rodriguez will opt out of his Yankees contract, according to agent Scott Boras. Let's see how tough the Yankees, with their "we won't negotiate any further if you opt out" talk are now. My guess is, they're bluffing and Boras knows it. I don't think they can afford to lose A-Rod and possibly Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera on top of the Joe Torre loss.

11:12 Camera shot of John Henry on his blackberry...you think he's texting Boras?

11:21 As I watched Manny just strike out, it hit me. The Sox are about to sweep the World Series without their top two sluggers really doing much. What were the odds of that happening?

11:25 Youk at 1st. Coco in center. Ellsbury shifts to left. Manny and Papi on the bench. Apparently, Francona hasn't read the John McNamara guide to major league managing.

11:28 Okajima gets Holliday on a grounder. 5-outs to go!

11:34 Uh-oh! A Garrett Atkins homer follows a Todd Helton single. It's a 1-run game again. Papelbon is in, but he'll have to get 5-outs after pitching an inning last night and and 1 1/3 innings Thursday. We really could have used the old Eric Gagne.

Oh, and how big does that Kielty HR look now?

11:41 Fox just flashed the graphic that all three of Papelbon's playoff saves have been longer than one inning. He may not be Mariano Rivera, but the kid is a very special closer and a rare breed.

11:43 Spilborghs is finally retired on a grounder, though he did make Little Papi work for it. Would be nice to see a quick out or two, as I'm sure the pitch limit for tonight is relatively low.

11:46 Whew! Hawpe really smoked that one. Fortunately to the deepest part of the park and right at Crisp. 3-outs to go!

11:54 Tell you what; that Rockies middle-late inning bullpen, except for Brian Fuentes has been darn good. Manny Corpas keeps it a one run game and keeps the pressure on Papelbon.

12:00 The clock strikes twelve. Two outs to go!
12:02 Holy smokes, I'm going to have a heart attack. One out to go!

12:03 The Rockies hopes rest on a guy named Seth. Did I mention how much I love rooting for a big market team?

12:06 The Boston Red Sox are your 2007 World Series Champions. What a great ride! Let's hope people in Boston, Lowell and everywhere else behave and celebrate like champs instead of chumps.

I'm going to stick around a bit longer for some of the post-game fun, so you're welcome to stick around with me.

12:07 They haven't announced it yet, but Papelbon would get my vote for MVP.

12:16 John Henry accepts the trophy from Bud Selig. Just want you guys to know, I've kissed that thing!!!

12:18 Mike Lowell is your MVP. A worthy winner, though I still think Papelbon's 5-out save to go along with a 4-out job in a another one run game, Game 2, might have been more deserving.

P.S. If A-Rod does not go back to the Yankees, they'd be nuts not to offer Lowell the world!

12:40 Switching channels like a madman here (it's a guy thing)...it's so great to see how happy the guys are, to hear the relief in their voices. Also seeing the beginnings of the animals gathering near Fenway. Looks like it's going to be a long night for former Lowell Police Chief Ed Davis in Boston.

As for Lowell, I was told that after the clincher against the Indians, the youngsters got a bit rowdy outside of UMass-Lowell. What is wrong with people? Someone help me understand the mentality, please.

12:54 Theo Epstein just mentioned something I'd been harping on all year when everyone was panicking. The Sox never won more than five in a row, yet ran off seven consecutive "W's" when it counted the most.

Allright. I'm signing off for the night. It's a long day of work tomorrow, and I still have to unwind a bit from the excitement. Like the rest of you, I'll be weary-eyed and sluggish, but there'll be a big smile across my ugly mug!

Goodnight!

Final Score
Redskins 7
Patriots 52

View from Mt. Olympus: Enough with the exhibition games. Bring on the Colts!

We’re going to break with format again and skip the Quality Quotes and Shining Stars section of this game recap. After all, when you beat up on a pretty good Joe Gibbs coached team this badly, you might as well hand out stars on the forehead to the entire roster, coaching staff, front office and even the cheerleaders. Instead, I’m going to touch on a couple of items, one of which is going to tick off a lot of Pats fans. But we’ll save that for later.

First, you have to love Tom Brady’s intensity. Did you see him go nuts and scream a bleepin’ expletive after that false start penalty? You know, the one that came in the 4th quarter of a 38-0 game? This is a guy who’s clearly not going to let the team he quarterbacks relax, even for an instant. If you think this team is going to forget about going undefeated and shift into a lower gear later in the season, just go back to that image of a ticked off Brady after a totally meaningless penalty and you’ll realize how faulty a premise that is.

As for the perfection thing, I believe it all comes down to next Sunday. Beat the Colts, and I think we’re going to see the first 16-0 team in NFL history. However, I’m not as confident as most New Englanders are about beating Indy. The defending Super Bowl champs have been just as impressive as the Patriots, even if they aren’t winning by as big a margin. Peyton Manning seems to have finally gotten “it,” sacrificing personal stats to establish a running game and ball control for the good of the team. The other thing to remember is that this rivalry has turned into Sox-Yankees. Basically, there’s no fear on either side. Both teams know they can beat the other. They’re not going to be intimidated no matter where the game takes place. It should be a classic. Like I said, I don’t know who wins, but I do know it’s probably going to be the highest rated television game in regular season history. I can’t wait!

Is anyone paying attention to what’s going on in San Francisco? The 49ers, after winning their first two games, have lost 5 in a row and appear to be regressing badly. They are currently in a 4-way tie for the 5th worst record in the NFL. Why do I bring this up? Well, because the Patriots own San Fran’s 1st round draft pick (they lost their own in Spygate). As of today, New England would pick somewhere between 5th and 8th in the first round. Tell me that isn’t a scary thought for the rest of the league.

Finally, the negative I alluded to earlier; I think Bill Belichick is getting awfully close to crossing the line between winning with dignity and winning without class. I didn’t have a problem with Tom Brady returning to the Dolphins game last week. I agree with the coach wholeheartedly that the game was in danger had Matt Cassel stayed in and turned the ball over once more. However, there was absolutely no need to go for it on 4th down in a 38-0 game, and to have Brady continuously throwing the ball on that drive against the Redskins. And there certainly wasn’t any need to be going for it on 4th down of a 45-0 game. The Redskins didn’t really make a big deal of it, so hopefully it doesn’t become a point of emphasis for the national media. I know most of you probably disagree with me and also realize there’s going to be a large chunk of the population outside New England that hates the Pats simply because people like to take down the top dog. But I love this team and I think there’s something historically special about it. It’s a shame if any classless acts, real or imagined, take away from the recognition the Patriots deserve and have rightfully earned.

That’s the view from here…how did you see it? Were the Patriots running up the score? Is the rest of the football world justified in turning Belichick’s boys into villains? How do you see the Pats-Colts game playing out?

World Series Game 3 Observations:

***Get the bubbly on ice. Dust off the champagne glasses and run them through the dishwasher. There’s going to be a celebration tonight at Coors Field, and a certain Rocky Mountain beer is not invited.

So much for the Mile High factor, losing Kevin Youkilis’ bat, and any other prayer the Rockies were hoping got answered. No matter where they’re played or under what conditions, baseball games are still won by pitching and timely hitting. And no objective analysis of this series (not that I’m totally objective) could come to any other conclusion than the Red Sox are a far superior team to Colorado in those categories. When you’re handing the ball to Josh Fogg with your season basically on the line, you’re not in good shape.

***Meet Jacoby Ellsbury, your center fielder and leadoff hitter for the next decade. They say speed kills, but what they really mean is speed that gets on base kills. This kid gets it, and is in for a fine career. Hard to believe he was playing at LeLacheur Park just two short years ago.

***It’s nice to see the much maligned players coming up big when it counts. J.D. Drew already was granted his forgiveness, and now we can also ease up on Julio Lugo and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Lugo has hit well in the World Series and with a big game tonight could legitimately stake a claim to series MVP because of his big defensive plays in Game 3. Dice-K also came up huge, just as I believed he would if he could just settle down and pound the strike zone. His stuff is far too good for such mediocre results. I’m very happy for him after reading how dejected he looked after the Game 3 loss in Cleveland. I only wish Eric Gagne could get to experience one of those moments.

***Speaking of Gagne, I’ve said it before…I’ll say it again. I don’t care how poorly the Canadian import is pitching, there still isn’t a circumstance known to mankind where I’d rather see Javier Lopez trotting out of the bullpen before the goggled one. Seriously Tito, Gagne at least gets an out here or there and tosses 1-2-3 innings in blowouts. When was the last time Lopez DIDN’T give up runs? Thankfully, it doesn’t matter any more.

***If you believe in karma, then you just know cancer survivor Jon Lester is going to toss six solid innings tonight and become the winning pitcher the night the Red Sox clinched their second World Series in 4-years.

***And finally, a pet peeve of mine. When they do record the final out, a part of me is going to cringe when the announcers refer to the Red Sox as World Champions. You will never see me type those words or speak them about any USA sports league’s winner. I don’t even refer to the Super Bowl Champions as World Champions despite us being the only country that plays the damn sport. As we’ve found out recently in basketball and at the World Baseball Classic, the term “World Champions” should be reserved for teams that win international tournaments open to ALL comers.

So please, raise a glass with me later on tonight (or early tomorrow morning) and toast the Boston Red Sox, 2007 World Series Champions.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

First I would like to disclose that I was at the Bruins game the night of Game 5 in the ALCS and I was at the Bruins game on the night the Sox hosted the Rockies for Game 2 of the World Series and I was at the Garden today for the Bruins game against Philly. (Teddy - do you still want to kidnap me and force me into counseling?)

Anyway, the first two games proved to be excellent games all around - both resulted in wins for the Black and Gold and the second had Zdeno Chara dropping the gloves for the first time in a Bruins uniform.

The third game started off great, but with 3:53 left to play in the opening stanza - the game dramatically changed for this Bruins fan.

Patrice Bergeron was hit from behind into the boards by Flyers D-man Randy Jones.

Bergeron simply crumbled to the ice and did not move as Jones continued to pursue the puck. It took a few moments for the refs and players to realize Bergeron was not moving. I think I was as motionless as Bergeron was. Sitting in the stands directly above where the hit took place all I could see was Bergeron's skates - and they were not moving.

Play was stopped for 15-minutes as medical personnel worked on the 22-year-old center; cutting away his jersey and shoulder pads before strapping him to a backboard and lifting him on a gurny.

With his legs taped together and his arms folded across his chest; Bergeron was led across the ice with his teammates showing support by skating along side him and tapping their sticks. Both Bruins and Flyers fans showed their support by standing and cheering for the young center. Jones was given the gate with a 5-minute boarding major and a game misconduct.

That was it for me, I could barely get excited for the penalty shot Phil Kessel was awarded in the second period - which he did not score on.
All I could was scroll my Blackberry looking for updates on Bergeron, in between phone calls from friends and family asking if it was a clean hit or not. For the record, I personally think it was a dirty hit. Bergeron was clearly facing the boards and Jones left his feet.

The Bruins fell to the Flyers 2-1; but honestly I could have cared less - all I wanted was updates on Bergeron.

My spirits finally started to lift after reading the statement from Dr. Bertram Zarins:

“After initially losing consciousness on the ice, Patrice has regained consciousness and has been taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he is undergoing a series of tests.

We will continue to monitor Patrice and await the final results of his medical studies."

No doubt about it, Bergeron was very lucky the concussion and broken nose was all he suffered for injuries and no doubt his family, teammates and fans will rejoice in knowing the young center is going to be Okay.

As for Jones, he issued this statement while the game was still ongoing:

“Words really can't express the way that I feel right now,” Jones said. “I am very apologetic for the hit and what I did. It was not intentional. It is something that I have never done before and it is not part of my character. I am extremely sorry. I hope he does OK and everything works out for him. I wish him nothing but the best in his recovery.”

Best wishes to Bergeron and his family for a speedy recovery from this Bruins fan.

Now that this Bruins fan can breathe a sigh of relief, I'd like to get back to Chara's fight against Chicago's David Koci.

Chara took exception to Koci poking at Tim Thomas after the Bruins netminder covered the puck in front of the crease.

Koci had his nose broken last week when he exchanged punches with Toronto's Wade Belak. Chara not only reshattered Koci's nose; the 6-foot, 9-inch defenseman split open Koci's forhead as well. The Garden ice crew literally had to scrape the blood off the ice before play could be resumed.

As for the rest of the game, Phil Kessel undressed Chicago's defense twice with beautiful moves before beating Blackhawk goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for his fourth and fifth goals in the young hockey season.

It may still only be the first month of the hockey season but the Bruins are off to a good start with a record of 6-4-0 and sitting in second place behind Ottawa in the Eastern Division.
The Black and Gold are 3-1 at home and 3-3 on the road. Next up - Buffalo, who is struggling this year after losing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere to free agency, comes to town Thursday night. The Sabres are 4-5-0 thus far and are in last place in the Eastern Division.

Have the Bruins intrigued your interest enough to watch a few games, once the World Series is over? I can say after watching every game and being at three of the first four home games - this is not the same team that was on the ice last year. This team is harder to play against and fun to watch.

We haven’t posted one of these in a while, what with all the serious stuff going on around us…the World Series…a perfect NFL team…the #2 team in College Football…you know, stuff like that.

Anyway, I thought this might be a good time to draw your attention to a couple of items from the lighter side of the sports world that I found while scrolling through my 2nd favorite internet site:

-A Long Island mother was charged with reckless endangerment for hitting her daughter’s soccer coach with a folding chair. (Somewhere, George “The Animal” Steele is smiling) The woman was angered because the 67-year old coach stopped emailing her directions to the games. (That’s why I always respond to email)

-A Rockies fan so badly wants to take his son to a World Series game, he’s offering up his entire Playboy Magazine collection (25-years worth, in mint condition) for a pair of tickets. Two thoughts here; 1) how do you keep 25-years worth of Playboy in mint condition and 2) at Fenway, that wouldn’t even buy you a parking space, never mind a pair of tickets.

-You thought Heath Shuler was a stiff as an NFL Quarterback? Shuler was intercepted twice and his team was shutout in a football game between Congress and the Capitol Police. Seriously. Upon hearing the news, Drew Bledsoe decided to run for office, figuring he’d finally found the one QB controversy he could win. (OK, so I made the Bledsoe part up)

We’re a little delayed with The Victim’s picks today because our peerless pigskin prognosticator is off at Mohegan Sun betting the Breeder’s Cup. He claims to have hit 4-of-5 races he bet on Friday and 2-of-4 races Saturday at the time he checked in with his football selections. Not a bad performance with the ponies, assuming of course, he’s not making it all up…LOL!

Can our fearless football forecaster stay as hot picking the NFL’s stallions? Let’s find out:

Indianapolis (-6 ½) over Carolina
Miami (+9 1/2) over NY Giants
New England (-16 ½) over Washington

(The Monday night pick will be presented during SportsTalk Live. Due to technical issues, we didn’t get to air The Victim’s selection last Monday, but he did pick the Colts to cover at Jacksonville, so I’ve chalked that up in the win column for him.)

Last Week: 2-3
Season Record: 18-16-2
Monday Night Record: 5-2-1

Lost in the Red Sox and Patriots craziness is an amazing story developing over at The Heights.

Boston College is the 2nd ranked team in NCAA Football, a lofty perch the Eagles never soared to even in the golden days of Doug Flutie. They have a quarterback, Matt Ryan, who might very well win the Heisman Trophy. And if they win out, they’re very likely to play in the BCS title game.

A lot of people probably missed, or stopped clicking over to (that would be me), last night’s game at Virginia Tech, figuring BC was done when facing a 10-0 deficit in the final minutes of a sloppily played contest, held in the middle of a rain storm. However, I’ll bet a lot of you (me included) were scrambling for the clicker when the blurb came on during the Sox game that the Eagles has won 14-10.

I clicked over the ESPN just in time to catch the beginning of SportsCenter. What I saw was Ryan channeling Flutie Magic and scrambling all over the wet turf to toss a pair of late game TD’s. An improbable onside kick recovery was sandwiched between the scores, giving it all a feel of one of those games we’ll be talking about decades from now.

Too bad it kind of got lost in the shuffle.

So what do you think, gang? Do the Eagles really have a chance at the National Championship? Will Ryan win the Heisman? And with such a surprisingly strong anti-BC sentiment out there, is this something the entire region can rally behind?

World Series Game 2 Observations:

***The Sox head to the left coast with a 2-0 series lead, and the very real possibility that this series doesn’t come back to Fenway. A lot is being made about Boston losing a bat thanks to the no DH rule. Funny, but I don’t recall it being much of a hindrance when they swept the Cardinals in 2004, and St. Louis was a much better team than these Rockies. Remember; Josh Beckett is going in Game 5, so a win by either Dice-K or Lester pretty much guarantees Jonathan Papelbon won’t be doing his Riverdance on the Fenway infield, unless it’s part of the victory parade.

***Does Curt Schilling know how to rise to the occasion or what? I don’t care that he doesn’t throw the ball 95mph anymore. I don’t care that he doesn’t intimidate the opposition anymore. The man knows how to win in the playoffs, and even in this time of transition, he’s 3-0 in the post-season. He’s going to get his $13-million (or more) somewhere next year. I really hope it’s here.

***By the way, the only run Colorado did manage was tainted as far as I’m concerned. Major League Baseball has to do something about guys sitting on top of the plate and earning a free base for getting hit by a pitch that could be a strike. Sure, Schilling’s pitch to Willie Taveras was high, but it caught a nice chunk of home plate and Taveras’ hands were in the strike zone. The only thing you should be rewarded with in a case like that is a broken hand.

***What a performance by Hideki Okajima. The “other” Japanese free agent gobbling up multiple innings at a time, innings Eric Gagne was supposed to help with, was the key to the Game 2 victory in my eyes.

***Rockies rooters hoping the thin air and a change of scenery change the dynamic of the series, I have a question; do you have faith in Josh Fogg and Aaron Cook shutting down Boston’s bats? I didn’t think so!

That’s how I see it…what’s your view?

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced today that the team has requested waivers on guards Dahntay Jones and Jackie Manuel. The training camp roster now stands at 14.

Jones appeared in six preseason games (averages: 2.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 8.6 minutes) after signing as a free agent on September 26.

Manuel, who signed as a free agent on August 2, appeared in five preseason games (averages: 1.0 point, 4.6 minutes).

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said earlier in the preseason that the ideal number of players for the team to keep would probably be 14, allowing the Celtics to pick up a player during the season if needed. Center Esteban Batista was released last week.

The Celtics host the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

I thought you folks might get a kick out of what they're thinking in Denver after the Game 1 debacle for the Rockies.

Our sister paper, The Denver Post, has the World Series completely blanketed from the Colorado side, with articles galore, interactive sections and a blog. After thoroughly digesting our coverage, you might want to head on over and see what the word is from the opposing side. (Click here) (here's the link to their Rockies blog) You'll notice that their comments pages and blogs have already been infiltrated by Red Sox Nation.

Here's just a quick sampling of what's out there:

"You could see the fear on the face of every Rockie and the arrogance, used in the good sense, of every player on the Sox."--Adamsjjw

"This series is over. The Rox looked shellshocked last night and are over their heads in this series. There isn’t a pitcher on the staff that can fool the Red Sox hitters."--Joe

"For all you doom and gloomers remember: (1) It’s a seven game series. (2) The Rox will compete tonight (and hit Schilling). (3) Beckett can’t pitch every game. (4) Once the series comes to Denver, the Sox will have to lose the DH or play a defensively poor player (Ortiz) to keep him in the line-up. (5) This team has heart, soul, and cajones…they will bounce back. The BoSox fans have earned the right to brag today. Their team played well and our pitching was weak. They have history on their side (whoopeee). We have MOJO!"--Bobby

Feel free to let them know how you feel. And when you get there, make sure you tell them we sent ya!

World Series Game 1 Observations:

***So much for Colorado’s hot streak. An 8-day layoff and a trip to the big boys league certainly cooled off the Rockies, didn’t it? Though I don’t think every night will be this easy, I do believe the Red Sox are a far superior team than their National League counterparts.

The pitching matchups all either favor Boston or are a tossup at best. As any good fantasy baseball owner will tell you, Colorado’ supposedly fearsome lineup isn’t as scary away from their mile high home. Unless the Sox completely collapse, I don’t see any scenario that has this series going longer than 5-games, with a sweep a very real possibility. Of course, I thought the same thing against the Indians, so take that for what it’s worth.

***Move over Reggie Jackson. There’s a new “Mr. October” and his name is Josh Beckett. No, he wasn’t the star of the game because of all the offense, but he would have been had he needed to be. Striking out the side in the first set the tone for the night, if not the series. Beckett’s in such a groove right now, no lineup is going to touch him and you can pencil Boston in for a win every time he heads to the mound.

Chew on these numbers: 33-innings, 35-K's, 2-Walks for the Sox ace this post-season. That's dominance!

***Any doubts about whether Jon Lester would start Game 4 were pretty much erased with Beckett being left in to pitch the 6th and 7th innings despite a 13-1 lead.

***As long as Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are setting the table like they have been since Game 5 in Cleveland, the offense will continue to roll. It’s just too much for a pitcher, especially a National League hurler, to deal with having men constantly on base ahead of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Even if the Dominican Destroyers aren’t bashing the ball, they’re going to work the count and draw walks, which makes the likes of Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew dangerous as well.

***Am I the only one who caught what Tim McCarver said in the 8th inning when Matt Holliday was at the plate? Something about "the bigger you are the longer the stroke." Tell me I didn't hear that correctly, because there's no possible way Joe Buck could have heard that and not busted a gut laughing.

That's how I see it...what's your view?

It’s been widely believed (and widely hoped for on this site) that Alex Rodriguez would opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees and test the free agency waters at the conclusion of the World Series. However, a source close to the soon-to-be AL MVP tells TheSunBlog he’s “betting on the 3rd baseman staying with the Yankees.”

The Yanks have made it known they won’t offer a deal should Rodriguez opt out of his contract, which the Texas Rangers pay a large portion of. New York had hoped to work out an extension before A-Rod exercised his out clause and began shopping his services to the rest of the league.

Agent Scott Boras is throwing around numbers in the $30-million a year for 10-years neighborhood. For the Yankees to get Rodriguez’ signature on an extension, they’d likely have to find a way to balance things out since they’re currently paying much less than that on the 10-years, $250-million deal A-Rod signed with Texas.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Minnesota Celtics (Timberwolves) completed a deal to send a pair of former Celtics to Miami Heat in exchange for another former Celtic.

Rick Alonzo of the St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that the Timberwolves have traded Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to the Miami Heat and will receive Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a conditional first-round pick.

Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley criticized Walker publicly earlier this preseason for his poor conditioning.

The Celtics traded Davis and Blount to the Timberwolves in January of 2006 in the trade that brought Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi and Dwyane Jones to Boston.

Walker landed with the Heat in August of 2005 after his second stint with the Celtics. He was part of a sign-and-trade deal involving five teams.

-The Game of the week saw Westford down Tyngsboro, 27-12, in a Dual County League showdown. The win keeps the Grey Ghosts alive in the DCL title hunt. Westford is in a 3-way tie for second place with a 3-1 conference record, a half game behind 4-1 Wayland.

-Acton-Boxboro, also 3-1 in the DCL, was knocked out of first place thanks to a 14-13 overtime home loss against Lincoln-Sudbury (3-1). The Colonials could have tied the game in OT with a PAT, but went for the 2-point conversion and were stuffed…a gutsy call by head coach Bill Maver that backfired.

-In games involving MVC teams, Billerica rebounded from a tough loss in Dracut by upending St. John’s Prep. The Indians (3-1) sit in 3rd place behind Chelmsford (4-0) and Andover (4-1).

(Conference Standings after the jump)

-The Warriors destroyed Lowell, 34-0 in a game that saw Red Raiders QB Matt Welch go down with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand.

-In other MVC action, it was Tewksbury over Central Catholic (30-27)…Dracut in a much closer than anticipated final (20-14) over Haverhill…and Chelmsford in a romp over Methuen (28-0)

-Dracut tackles Tewksbury this weekend, and Middies Head Coach Patrick Murphy joined us for the opening segment of SportsTalk Live last night to discuss the contest. (Listen here)

-Shawsheen Tech continued to roll, 20-0 over defending CAC Large School Champion Whittier. The Rams are now 6-1 on the season.

-Other local winners included Greater Lowell over Lynn Tech (28-21)…Austin Prep over Cardinal Spellman (38-8)…Bedford over Newton-South (6-0)…Littleton over Maynard (46-6)…Concord-Carlisle over Boston Latin (14-0)…Wilmington over Triton Regional (7-3)…Burlington over Belmont (47-21)…Ayer over Narragansett Regional (28-20).

The SunBlog
High School Football Standings